Five Towns Jewish Home - 2-18-21

February 18, 2021

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

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Community

72 Celebrating Adar with Simcha

63 Kids Join in Out Loud Brachos Contest

46 Purim on Ice

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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Widows, orphans, and poor families have serious hang-ups about Purim. Everyone around them is first Purim alone, hashing and rehashing memories of last Purim, when COVID lurked beneath the joy.

Now they’re left with huge, aching gaps – in their fridges, around their tables, and in their broken hearts.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

L

iving in the 21st century has afforded us the opportunity to work very differently than fifty years ago. The internet has expanded our offices. There is no need to work in the same room as your colleague – as was so sharply demonstrated when the pandemic set in.

And that, in many ways, is wonderful.

Some of our staff works in Israel. That means that, when I get up in the morning, they have already put in a full day’s worth of work and are ready for me to take over and do my piece on their project. Another person on our staff spends some weeks in the year in Florida – and she is able to seamlessly work in sunnier climes without disrupting her workflow.

But having an office full of people who don’t really share an office presents a few interesting situations. For one, there was one colleague with whom I worked for many years – without ever seeing her. We eventually met up when she came into New York one summer. I could have bumped into her on the street – literally – and never would have known that it was the same person who I email daily.

And then there’s the times when you realize that a virtual office means that you’re not all experiencing the same phenomena at the same time. One colleague in Israel told me that she couldn’t do a project because of Purim. Purim? But Purim is tomorrow, I thought. Well, Israel is seven

hours ahead, and so she was heading to megillah while we were just starting Taanis Esther.

Earlier this week, while speaking with my colleague who lives in Texas, she mentioned that many areas in the state were experiencing power outages due to the storm. Sure enough, the next morning, she woke up without power or heat. And so, other people on staff had to pitch in to ensure that this week’s issue went to print on time.

There are so many advantages to being able to work virtually. I, for one, appreciate that I can get a lot of work done at night.

Being able to bring work home means that I can get things done when the rest of the world is sleeping. (I should probably be sleeping, too, but that’s another story!) I am grateful that a virtual world allows us to bring so many talented individuals from many different parts of the world together to produce a beautiful product each week.

There are times, though, when I believe that if all of us would be able to work in one place, we would be able to develop a more multi-layered, deeper relationship.

But then again, that means there would be a lot more schmoozing around the proverbial water cooler – and perhaps a little less work done.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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PUBLISHER

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman MANAGING EDITOR

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Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Rachel Bergida Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classified Deadline: Monday 5:00PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com text 443-929-4003 PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARD MUST BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH CLASSIFIED ADS The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not neces­sarily the opinions of the publisher or editor.

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

8

COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

8

Community Happenings

46

NEWS

106

Global

12

National

36

Odd-but-True Stories

41

Biden’s Middle East Strategy by Shammai Siskind 96 ISRAEL

Israel News

28

My Israel Home

92

JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

84

Hashem’s Inner Chamber by Rav Moshe Weinberger

86

Parsha Ponderings

88

Delving into the Daf

90

PEOPLE The Wandering Jew

94

RIP Rush by Nate Davis

118

Forgotten Zeroes by Avi Heiligman

120 HEALTH & FITNESS Are You Vulnerable? by Dr. Deb 104 Hirschhorn

92

V’Nahapoch Hu by Cindy Weinberger MS, RD

106

Parenting Pearls

108

Dear Editor, The Baal Haturim notes that the length, width, and height of the Aron all had a “half” in it (i.e., amah va’chetzei). He says this is because a person who learns Torah must break himself and gain humility.

This reminded me of a story with my late relative, Rav Avrohim Genechovsky, zt”l, previous rosh yeshiva of Tscebin. Every Shabbos, a young man blinded by an operation came with his father to ask Rav Avrohom his questions of the week.

Rav Avrohom listened keenly, celebrating the depth of many of the questions asked, often explaining that he needed to think about a few of them before answering.

To me, this symbolized breaking oneself and humbling oneself before others.

Steven Genack

Dear Editor, As Purim comes closer, I feel that it’s important to raise the issue again about underage drinking.

Many times, on Purim, teenage boys – and girls – are unsupervised and left with access to hard liquor and alcohol. Unfortunately, these teens are not yet old enough to stop themselves from imbibing. And so, without fail, many of them pass out and, rachmana l’tzlon, end up in emergency rooms. How tragic! And

how preventable.

There is no reason that any teenager should be drinking if they are under the age of 18. And if they feel the need to drink (why? I can’t understand), they should only drink at their own home, under their parents’ eyes.

When I go to kiddushim in the neighborhood or even to people’s homes, I am amazed at how cavalier people are when it comes to underage drinking. Don’t they realize that there’s no benefit to a child (yes, someone who is under the age of 18 is a child, still) to drink a glass or two of wine over Shabbos?

Imagine if your non-Jewish coworker told you that their son needed to drink a glass of wine or a shot of whiskey after their football game every week, once or twice a week.

Would you consider that normal?

Or would you think that it’s a bit extreme and definitely a dangerous habit?

Why is it different at your Shabbos table? Because your son – or daughter – is wearing a suit and tie or a fancier outfit?

In any case, it is incumbent upon us, as a community, to ensure the safety of our children. If you see someone imbibing (too much), do that person – and their parents – a service and gently remove them from the situation.

Continued on page 10

FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Bucharian Samsas

110

LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW

100

Your Money

126

Love Sickness by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

127

HUMOR Centerfold

82

POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes

112

An Alliance of Techno-Democracies by David Ignatius

116

Biden Owes the Capitol Police an Apology by Marc A. Thiessen

117

CLASSIFIEDS

122

Does your family give out mishloach manos with a “theme”?

42

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Yes

58

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No

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Continued from page 8

And schools: if you allow alcohol on your campus on Purim, you are very much to blame for a very dangerous situation. This is your opportunity to be mechanech your talmidim and talmidos.

May we all have a simchas Purim this year!

Matt Hal

Dear Editor, I am totally shocked to see or should I say not see any news at all about the extreme fire that totally burned out a shul in our area. I could understand that it wasn’t mentioned in last week’s paper as the

fire happened on a late Wednesday night, early Thursday morning, so I thought for sure it would be mentioned in this week’s paper. I thought it would be front page news but there is no mention at all. I heard about it early the next morning on 1010 WINS news. A goyishe news station should talk about it, and I heard NBC TV was at the scene. Why can’t local papers cover such a story? This our hometown. It is upsetting.

Edward Gralla

Dear Editor, Steven Gaffney’s “9 Strategies on Becoming Powerful” in your Mind Your Business column this week was, to use a simple word, powerful.

Views expressed on the Letters to the Editor page do not necessarily reflect the views of The Jewish Home.

I wanted to cut out the article and highlight all his strategies. Instead, I am focusing on three strategies initially.

One: to focus on what I can control and to work on those items instead of being stymied by the swirling challenges we find ourselves in.

Two: to realize that we need to “evolve” instead of “change.”

And three: to appreciate those around me.

In that vein, I’d like to tell you that I appreciate your business articles. They generally offer sound business tidbits and small tips that I can incorporate into my life and my business.

Sincerely, Reuven Heller

Be included in the TJH Purim Photo Album We love how you look in that banana costume! And your brother looks even better in his Waldo-at-the-Siyum-Hashas outfit.

Send in your Purim photos to editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com Deadline:

Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

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Khan New ICC Prosecutor

alleged violations committed during 2014’s Operation Protective Edge and of the settlement enterprise in Judea and Samaria. The move has been fiercely denounced by Israel as anti-Semitic, who fears that IDF soldiers will be arrested in Europe for alleged crimes against humanity.

Israel reportedly worked behind the scenes to lobby on Khan’s behalf, believing that the jurist is friendlier towards its interests than the competing candidates. Both Israel and the United States are not members of the ICC and do not recognize its jurisdiction.

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(ICC) has selected British human rights lawyer Karim Khan to be its next chief prosecutor.

Khan won the position after earning the support of 72 nations, 10 more than 62 required, and beating out candidates from Ireland, Spain, and Italy. The 50-year-old was selected by secret ballot for the first time in the ICC’s history.

A longtime attorney, Khan has worked in the past for the United Nations probing atrocities committed

by ISIS. As the UN’s chief prosecutor, Khan has called for international human rights tribunals for surviving ISIS commanders akin to the Nuremberg Trials of the 1940s.

Previously, Khan represented Kenyan Deputy President William Ruto before the ICC and successfully convinced judges to dismiss the charges against Ruto. He also represented Seif Al-Islam, the son of former Libyan dictator Muammar Ghaddafi.

Khan will replace Fateh Bensouda as the ICC’s prosecutor when she steps down on June 15. Over the past nine years, the Gambian prosecutor has proved to be enormously controversial, initiating war crimes probes into Western nations while ignoring atrocities committed by Russia, China, and Iran.

In July, the U.S. imposed sanctions on Bensouda after she announced that she would probe the U.S. for possible war crimes in Afghanistan. The Biden administration has kept the sanctions in place despite signaling that it will take a less confrontational approach to the ICC. Last week, the ICC announced that it is permitted to probe Israel for

The Taliban has launched a new offensive that leaves the Islamist group close to retaking key cities throughout Afghanistan only weeks before a planned U.S. withdrawal is set to begin.

Kandahar, a major economic center and the focus of years of U.S. military operations, is now in danger of being conquered by the Taliban after fighters overran its surrounding suburbs. In Kunduz, Taliban operatives used suicide drones and their control of the high ground to seize a dozen positions and army bases.

With the Taliban now dominating all of the highways and access routes leading to the capital of Kabul, the group stands poised to rule vast swaths of the country just as the U.S. plans to withdraw its remaining troops. Under a peace agreement the Trump administration reached with the Taliban in 2020, all foreign soldiers are slated to leave the war-torn country by May 1.

The Taliban’s battlefield success is now complicating the planned draw-down as senior Pentagon officials warn that withdrawing U.S. troops would effectively hand Afghanistan to the extremist group.

With no foreign military forces left to stop them, the Taliban would likely continue its offensive until it retakes

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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all of the territory it held prior to the U.S. invasion in 2001.

“The threat of Taliban military victories, especially in an area as symbolic and strategic as Kandahar, makes it difficult for the Biden administration to swallow the risks of finalizing a troop withdrawal,” said Afghanistan expert Andrew Watkins from International Crisis Group.

“Pulling out might be politically impossible if Kandahar was on the nightly news.”

However, failing to withdraw the remaining U.S. troops by the agreed-upon date would likely cause the Taliban to view the deal as void.

This, warn NATO officials, would lead to increased attacks on American troops at a time in which the U.S. is eager to end two decades of war in Afghanistan.

Next week, defense ministers from all NATO members will meet to decide whether to continue the withdrawal as planned. At the same time, the Taliban warns that it would respond with “fire and jihad” to any delay.

“Our message to the upcoming NATO ministerial meeting is that the continuation of occupation and war is neither in your interest nor in the interest of your and our people,” the Taliban said in a statement.

“Anyone seeking extension of wars and occupation will be held liable for it, just like the previous two decades.”

throughout the continent.

Draghi will head a national unity government that will include all of Italy’s major political parties and has committed to building a non-partisan technocratic cabinet. Such appointments include Bank of Italy Director Franco to the post of economy minister and IT expert Robert Cingolani as the minister of environment.

In addition, 5 Star Movement leader Luigi Di Maio will remain on as foreign minister, while Giancarlo Giorgetti from the far-right League party will be industry minister.

Draghi will need to shepherd Italy through monumental social, health, and economic challenges resulting from the coronavirus. Italy has been devastated by the pandemic, which led to the deaths of 93,000 people and plunged the country into economic collapse.

The new government’s main challenge will be over how to spend the $240 billion in financial aid it received from the EU. Draghi’s appointment brought to an end a month of political upheaval that began when former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi resigned last month over differences regarding how to spend the aforementioned funds.

“Mario Draghi was the Italian who saved Europe, and I think now he is the European who can save Italy,” said Renzi after Draghi’s appointment was announced.

Italy’s New PM

France Targets Woke Culture

Mario Draghi was sworn in as Italy’s new prime minister, ending a month-long political stalemate that began after the country’s previous government collapsed in January.

The former director of Europe’s Central Bank, Draghi is an experienced economist who is seen as a safe pick to turn around Italy’s battered economy. His work to save the euro from total collapse during the 2008 financial crisis led the Italian press to nickname him “Super Mario” and earned him widespread admiration

A slew of senior French intellectuals, including President Emmanuel Macron, are warning that France must block far-left “woke” ideas from reaching its shores.

According to the New York Times report, France’s intellectual elite are gearing up to combat ideas on race, gender, and class currently popular in U.S. universities. The battle comes amid the recognition that radical progressive “wokeness” poses a threat to French identity and the

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Vote #1 District 31: Laurelton • Rosedale • Springfield Gardens • The Rockaways Including the Far Rockaway and Bayswater area.

“ Pesach has a track record of community advocacy where it counts the most.

His passion for bettering the quality of life of his neighbors makes him the number one choice for City Council.”

STACEY PHEFFER AMATO ASSEMBLYWOMAN

YOUR VOICE MATTERS! 55 votes made the difference in our last major election.

Your vote could be the tipping point!

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

country’s stability.

Witnessing the rioting that plagued the U.S. over the summer along with the current “cancel culture” experienced by those who speak out, Macron seeks to “safeguard French democracy” from “woke” American ideas.

“Emboldened by these comments, prominent intellectuals have banded together against what they regard as contamination by the out-of-control woke leftism of American campuses and its attendant cancel culture,” wrote the New York Times.

“With its echoes of the American culture wars, the battle began inside French universities but is being played out increasingly in the media.

Politicians have been weighing in more and more, especially following a turbulent year during which a series of events called into question tenets of French society.”

According to the report, Macron and his cabinet view wokeness as “an existential threat” to the French Republic and something that “fuels secessionism, gnaws at national unity, abets Islamism, and attacks France’s intellectual and cultural heritage.”

While first appearing to embrace progressive attitudes rife in the U.S., Macron has come out as a prominent

opponent of identity politics and cancel culture. In October, Macron warned that France was under threat from “certain social science theories entirely imported from the United States.”

Recently, French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer urged French academics to “declare war on an intellectual matrix from American universities.” Joining him in hitting back at far-left cancel culture was a slew of French thought leaders, who signed a petition accusing U.S. schools of “embracing terrorism” by justifying Islamic terrorism.

The letter, which was signed by over 100 scholars, accused American schools of implementing “a sort of prohibition in universities to think about the phenomenon of political Islam in the name of a leftist ideology that considers it the religion of the underprivileged.”

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six Jewish communities scattered throughout the Persian Gulf.

Known as the Association of Gulf Jewish Committees (AGJC), the body will work to enhance Jewish life in Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Kuwait. The ACJC is headed by Dubai Chief Rabbi Elie Adabie and Ebrahim Nonoo from Bahrain and comes after Israel normalized relations with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco in a diplomatic breakthrough known as the Abraham Accords.

The resulting flood of religious tourists overwhelmed the local communal infrastructure and highlighted the need to develop Jewish life in the aforementioned communities.

Currently, the AJGC is planning on opening a Jewish school in the UAE and is working to organize communal seders for the upcoming

Passover holiday. As part of an effort to revitalize Jewish life, the AGJC will establish the Bet Din of Arabia, tasked with overseeing kashrut certification, inheritance issues, and Jewish rituals.

In addition, a search is ongoing for three rabbis to serve on the Bet Din along with a kashrut inspector. “We will provide educational services in the forms of shiurim, lectures, conferences, classes,” Rabbi Abadie said.

“Some will be given in person – I will travel to different places – and some will be given via Zoom.”

In an interview with the Times of Israel, Rabbi Abadie and Nonoo pointed out that the various communities differ in their character and observance. The United Arab Emirates is populated mainly by Jewish businessmen who arrived within the last decade; the congregation in Bahrain dates back hundreds of years and originates in Iran.

“The Gulf nations have been very supportive of the growth in Jewish life. But, as more people move in and come to visit, we must tend to their educational, cultural, spiritual, and religious needs by establishing programs and institutions to service these increased needs,” said Rabbi Abadie.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

“Each one of our communities has so much to offer the other. While maintaining our independence, this new association allows us to pool our resources for the betterment of all Jews in the Gulf,” added Nonoo.

“While our Jewish community has been part of the fabric of Bahrain society for over 100 years, we appreciate the needs of some of the smaller or newer communities in the region and believe we can help them flourish and navigate growth in this part of the world.”

Protests Rock Myanmar

Myanmar’s military has begun to crack down on the throngs of anti-coup protesters packing the capital.

On Monday, over 1,000 protesters had been massing opposite the Myanmar Economic Bank in Mandalay when they were set upon by riot police and soldiers. Surrounding them with dozens of military trucks, the troops then beat the protesters with clubs and fired rubber bullets into the crowd.

In the capital of Naypyitaw, armed troops attacked a crowd demonstrating outside police headquarters. Over 40 protesters were rounded up and at least five injured from what eyewitnesses described as “unnecessary police violence.”

On Sunday, the military dispatched armored vehicles to at least three cities for the first time since the coup earlier this month. The U.S. Embassy in Myanmar instructed American citizens “to shelter in place” when seeing the vehicles and warned of the “possibility of telecommunications interruptions overnight between 1:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.”

The rollout of heavy armored vehicles resulted in dozens of embassies for Western countries releasing statements demanding the military “refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government.”

Thousands have been protesting throughout Myanmar ever since General Ming Aung Hlaing led a military takeover of the country’s democratically elected government on February 1. The military junta arrested leader Aung San Suu Kyi along with the senior figures from Myanmar’s ruling party, the National League for Democracy.

China Bans the BBC

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab called blocking the BBC “an unacceptable curtailing of media freedom” and predicted that the move “will only damage China’s reputation in the eyes of the world.”

It is unclear what effect the BBC ban will have in China, as it has long been blocked in most households in mainland China and has only been available in hotels. Beijing has increasingly been blocking access to Western media outlets that have published negative stories, deporting three Wall Street Journal reporters last February after the newspaper ran an anti-China op-ed.

Earthquake Rocks Japan China has banned the BBC from broadcasting on the mainland in apparent retaliation after a Chinese channel was yanked off the air in the UK. China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) said in a statement that it had banned the BBC World News for “infringing the principles of truthfulness and impartiality in journalism.” The BBC had recently aired a series of reports regarding Beijing’s coverup of last year’s COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan and systematic human rights violations in the Xinjiang region.

Banning the BBC World News appears to be retaliation after a British regulator withdrew the license for China Global Television Network, or CGTN, effectively removing it from the air. Ofcom, the UK’s regulatory body, pulled the license due to CGTN’s connections to the Chinese Communist Party and said that it “does not meet the legal requirement of having control over the licensed service.”

Beijing’s ban of the BBC was heavily criticized by the broadcaster and British government officials.

“China is taking its place on a very short list of countries alongside North Korea and Iran that explicitly and totally blocked BBC News coverage,” said BBC Director Jamie Angus in an interview with CNN. “Chinese people are very outward looking,” he added. “They want to understand international news from around the world, but crucially, they want to see how their own country is being reported by the BBC.”

Over 100 people were injured after Japan was rocked by a powerful 7.1 magnitude earthquake on Saturday.

The earthquake occurred on Japan’s east coast at 11:07 p.m. on Saturday, causing landslides in Fukushima and rocking buildings in Tokyo hundreds of kilometers away.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the epicenter hit 74 kilometers northeast of Namie and was 36 miles deep.

Thankfully, no one was killed in the quake, which collapsed a major thoroughfare in the Fukushima prefectures. Over 890,000 people lost power in the Tohoku and Kanton regions, including large swaths of the capital city of Tokyo.

In a press conference, Cabinet Secretary Katsunobu Kato estimated that the full extent of the damage wouldn’t be known until the end of the week. “Casualties and structural damage are being assessed,” he said, warning the public to be prepared for significant aftershocks.

“Particularly for the next two to three days, there might be very strong earthquakes,” Kato predicted.

Saturday’s quake is said to be an aftershock from the 9.0 earthquake that devastated Fukushima almost exactly ten years ago. The March 2011 disaster and subsequent tsunami resulted in the deaths of 200,000 Jap-

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

A CLEAR DIRECTIVE "That is where one should give matanos le'evyonim"

Maran Sar HaTorah HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, shlit”a, contributing to Kupat Ha’ir on Purim day immediately after Krias Hamegillah

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U.S. Sanctions Myanmar Leaders

The Biden administration imposed a slew of sanctions on Myanmar after the military overthrew the country’s democratically elected government earlier this month.

In a statement issued last Thursday, Biden announced that he had signed an Executive Order to “immediately sanction the military leaders who directed the coup, their business interests as well as close family members.” Stressing that the U.S. remained committed to democracy and human rights, Biden said that his administration would target anyone who used force against protestors.

The sanctions will see the U.S. Treasury freeze the bank accounts and other assets belonging to 10 current and former officers in Myanmar’s military. Six of the officials on the list played a central role in the coup on February 1, including current leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing and his deputy, Soe Win. Hlaing had already been sanctioned by the Trump administration in 2019 for approving Burma’s crackdown on Rohingya Muslims in the Rakhine state.

Biden’s Executive Order also sanctioned three commercial companies for their ties to Myanmar’s military. The companies are Myanmar Ruby Enterprise, Myanmar Imperial Jade Co., LTD. and Cancri (Gems and Jewellery) Co., LTD. “The U.S. government is taking

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Over 500 vehicles were torched after a fuel truck explosion led to a massive conflagration on the Iranian-Afghani border.

The inferno occurred on Saturday near the border crossing of Islam

by Herat’s governor.

With both countries sharing a 900-kilometer border, Afghanistan is a major market for Iranian goods.

Tens of thousands of trucks crisscross the Islam Qala and Zaranj crossings daily. Poor highway infrastructure and lack of law enforcement has made deadly accidents a regular occurrence on the highway connecting Herat and Islam Qala.

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500 Cars Torched on Iran-Afghani Border

Qala located in Afghanistan’s Herat province. After a fuel tanker ignited due to unknown reasons, secondary explosions led to an enormous blaze that killed 7 people and injured 17.

“Everyone was terrified. They were escaping. Cars were stuck,” recounted eyewitness Khalil Ahmad.

Pictures from the scene of the blast showed towering plumes of smoke that could be seen from tens of miles away. The explosion was so powerful that it could be seen from space by NASA satellites and spread to Iran’s Dogharoon customs facility.

Younus Qazizada, who heads Herat’s Chamber of Commerce, estimated that the damage caused by the fire could hit tens of millions of dollars.

“Preliminary investigations show that more than $50 million of damage has been caused by the fire so far,” he told Reuters.

Firefighters needed more than 24 hours to fully extinguish the blaze, which was finally brought under control after the Iranian military provided reinforcements. Mohsen Nejat, director-general of crisis management in Iran’s Khorasan Razavi Province, confirmed that Iran had dispatched “rescue forces and firefighters were underway to extinguish the fire inside Afghanistan” following a request

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

ministers.

The coup has sparked a wave of demonstrations throughout Myanmar from citizens calling for Aung San Suu Kyi to be released and the return of the country’s elected government.

Turmeric Tumult in Sri Lanka

steps to prevent the generals from improperly having access to the one billion dollars in Burmese government funds held in the United States,” Biden said.

“We’re also going to impose strong export controls.”

He added, “We’re freezing U.S. assets that benefit the Burmese government while maintaining our support for health care, civil society groups and other areas that benefit the people of Burma directly,” he said, using

another name for Myanmar.

In addition, the U.S. Agency for International Development said that it was “immediately redirecting $42.4 million of assistance away from work that would have benefited the Government of Burma. Rather than supporting the military, we will redirect these funds to support and strengthen civil society.” The aid had originally been provided as part of the Obama administration’s for Myanmar to transition towards

democratic rule.

Separately, the Pentagon imposed controls on sales of “sensitive goods” to Myanmar’s Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Home Affairs, police, military, and other security forces.

Burma’s military had overthrown the country’s democratically-elected government on February 1, imprisoning leader Aung San Suu Kyi, the deputy speaker of Myanmar’s parliament, and the five chief

Sri Lanka’s import ban has led prices of turmeric to skyrocket as curry lovers are forced to pay astronomical prices for their favorite spice.

In March, Sri Lanka slapped a total ban on imports to alleviate its foreign currency crisis. The move forbids imports of all non-essential items in order to free up $4.5 billion in foreign currency the government needs to pay its international debt.

The policy has led to shortages on a slew of items, ranging from vehicles to car tires and even plastic straws. However, it has been the lack of turmeric that has left Sri Lankans raging while sending prices to record heights.

A spice characterized by a warm, bitter taste, turmeric is a key ingredient in curry and other foods popular in Sri Lanka. But with 80% of the 7,500 tons Sri Lanka uses coming from abroad, the import ban has led prices of turmeric to surge to unprecedented levels.

Since March, turmeric prices have jumped 20-fold to hit 9,000 rupees per kilogram, the equivalent of a week’s salary in Sri Lanka and 500% higher than the world average.

The astonishing rise has led to an upsurge in smuggling as local criminal gangs seek to capitalize on the high demand for the spice.

Earlier this year, authorities confiscated 25 tons of turmeric that had arrived from India hidden in containers marked “onion.” Sri Lanka’s navy has also reported a sharp rise in seizures of illegal turmeric shipments by Indian fishermen.

“Our home-cooked curries are not the same since the pandemic,” health worker Prarthana Weeras-

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

ing told the AFP. “We never thought turmeric would be such a big issue.

We had taken it for granted. Now, we can’t afford to use it in our daily cooking.”

JNF-KKL to Expand Jewish Settlement in Judea and Samaria

In the first, the Jewish National Fund (JNF-KKL) will dedicate its considerable resources to expanding

Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria.

The move, which was approved on Sunday by the executive committee, will see the Keren Kayemeth LeIsrael Jewish National Fund (KKL-JNF) earmark funds for purchasing Palestinian land in Judea and Samaria.

The century-old charity will dedicate hundreds of millions to the effort, which will see the organization ramp up its efforts to locate and purchase available Arab-owned properties.

Executive Committee members approved the initiative by a slim margin of 6-5, which came after they were given a legal briefing outlining how such land purchases do not violate international law. The plan still needs to be approved by the Board of Directors when it meets in March for it to become official policy.

As per the resolution, the JNFKKL will develop Jewish communities by funding “projects, education, forestation and environmental protection.”

The JNF-KKL will not work to build new settlements and will restrict its activities to expanding existing Jewish villages. Land purchases will focus primarily on properties aligning towns that seek to build out, such as Neve Danial, Efrat, and Ariel.

In addition, the JNF will buy property located in areas A and B, which comprise 40% of Judea and Samaria and are administered by the Palestinian Authority.

The move represents a significant policy shift for KKL-JNF, which has worked to further Jewish settlement in Israel since its founding in 1901.

While the organization has historically purchased land in both Judea and Samaria and in pre-1967 borders, it has never adopted expanding the settlements as official policy.

With billions of funds at JNFKKL’s disposal, the policy shift would accelerate the effort to further Israel’s presence over the Green Line. Apart from the financial benefits, JNF-KKL would aid the settlement project by putting the organization’s enormous legal apparatus at its disposal.

The move was sharply condemned by left-wing movements, politicians, and liberal denominations in both the Israel and the U.S. as something that would make it more difficult to establish a Palestinian State. Prior to the vote, Defense Minister Benny Gantz asked the Executive Committee to delay the “highly sensitive” vote due to the effect it would have “in the international arena as well as in relations with the incoming U.S. administration and relations with Diaspora Jewry.”

In a statement, the Union for Reform Judaism called the policy shift “anti-Zionist,” contending that “politicizing support for cherished Zionist institutions ill serves the cause of Zionism and the unity of the Jewish people.”

On the other side of the spectrum, the charedi Eretz Hakodesh faction, which was integral to the vote to allow the purchases, said that it is “excited to be part of an historic decision.”

“Our goal was to highlight the fact that Diaspora Jewry supports The State of Israel and wants to strengthen the settlement movement and assist in maintaining its security. I am proud of this amazing achievement and congratulate our partners for it,” said Eretz Hakodesh head Rabbi Pesach Lerner.

Rabbi Lerner said that groups like Reform and others that are criticizing the vote should “respect the majority decision” and “refrain from cooperating with foreign parties in order to create a false representation of crisis and diplomatic pressure.”

The Eretz Hakodesh faction, a charedi American faction that ran for the first time in the last World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections,

winning an impressive 20,000 votes, became the third largest faction in the WZO in the United States. It was the establishment of this right-wing coalition that enabled the representatives of the right-wing factions to take over key positions and pass resolutions to strengthen Jewish settlement throughout the Land of Israel for the first time in the history of the World Zionist Organization (WZO).

Rabbi Lerner noted the achievement of the inclusion of the charedi communities of Emanuel and Beitar Illit together with the charedi city of Kiryat Sefer in the decision which was made. This is after the wording of the published initial decision attached a list of communities defined as “preferential areas for purchase.”

But the charedi communities were not included in that list. Upon receiving the wording of the decision, the faction’s representatives worked tirelessly to include the charedi communities of Beitar Illit and Emanuel in the list of preferential communities.

Encouraging Data on Pfizer Vaccine

New data from Israel’s Maccabi health care provider showed that not a single person tested died after receiving Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.

As Israel’s largest health insurers, Maccabi had been asked by the Health Ministry to track the effects of the vaccination campaign amongst its customers. According to Maccabi, 544 people out of 523,000 tested positive after receiving both doses of the Pfizer vaccine, or 0.1% in total.

Out of the 544 people who subsequently contracted COVID-19, the vast majority reported no symptoms.

In total, 15 patients required hospitalization, with four in critical condition.

After comparing the results with a control group of unvaccinated Israelis, Maccabi put the vaccine’s efficacy rate at 93%, in line with similar studies and within the margin of error of the 95% reported by Pfizer. Maccabi executives hailed the results, saying

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that the data proved “beyond shadow of a doubt” that the drug had the potential to end the deadly pandemic that has killed over 5,000 people in the Holy Land.

“This data unequivocally proves that the vaccine is very effective, and we have no doubt that it has saved the lives of many Israelis,” asserted Dr. Miri Mizrahi Reuveni, a senior official at Maccabi.

Meanwhile, Maccabi reports that, so far, Israel has vaccinated about one million people with the first dose and about 603,000 with the second dose.

Noting that Israel’s inoculation drive is slowing, Reuveni urged as many people as possible to receive the jab “as soon as possible” to enable the country to emerge from the pandemic. “Anyone who has not been vaccinated so far, please hurry up and make an appointment as soon as possible,” she said. “Protect yourself from a serious illness and, G-d forbid, death as well as the possibility that you will infect and endanger others.”

Maccabi’s data is being monitored around the world, as Israel is being used by Pfizer as a test case for its COVID-19 vaccine. As part of a deal reached between the pharmaceutical giant and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in January, Pfizer provided Israel with 10 million doses of the vaccine in exchange for unprecedented access to data from the country’s inoculation drive.

Israel-Syria Prisoner Exchange

Ilit. It is not clear why she wandered into Syria.

Syrian state media announced on Wednesday: “The exchange is taking place through Russian mediation to liberate the Syrians Nihal Al-Maqt and Dhiyab Qahmuz, the Syrian prisoner from the occupied Syrian Golan, in an exchange during which a young Israeli woman who entered the Syrian territories by mistake will be released. She entered the Quneitra region by mistake and was arrested by the Syrian authorities.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an interview with Army Radio, said, “We are working to save lives. I can just say I’m using my personal connections” with Russian President Vladimir Putin to secure her release.

Israel is “at the height of sensitive negotiations” on the issue, he said, and added, “I believe we will resolve it.”

National Security Adviser Meir Ben Shabbat and hostages coordinator Yaron Bloom left Wednesday morning for Moscow to negotiate the release of the Israeli woman, according to Hebrew media reports.

Al-Maqt, a Syrian resident of Majdal Shams in the Golan Heights, comes from a family of prisoners, all of whom oppose Israeli rule over the zone. Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 during the Six Day War and annexed it in 1981.

Al-Maqt was indicted by an Israeli court in 2017 for incitement, according to Syrian media.

Qahmuz, a resident of Ghajar in the Golan Heights, was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2018 for plotting a terror bombing in coordination with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Illicit Missile Sales

Israel and Syria are negotiating a prisoner exchange deal, with Russia acting as the mediator, in which two incarcerated residents of the Israeli Golan could reportedly be released in exchange for a young Israeli woman who entered Syrian territory by mistake.

The woman who wandered into Syria is a 25-year-old from Modi’in

The Shit Ben and Israel Police announced that they are investigating 20 Israelis for illegally selling advanced missiles to an unnamed Asian country.

The probe is highly sensitive and

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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was under a strict gag order for the past two months. Due to the explosive nature of the allegations, the investigation is being handled by the Shin Bet despite it being a strictly criminal matter, along with the elite Lahav 443 organized crime police unit.

While their names are banned from being published, the suspects are reportedly former high-ranking members of Israel’s defense establishment. They are suspected of violating some of the most serious security offenses in Israel’s penal code, including crimes against the security of the state, security exports violations, money laundering, and tax evasion.

Police say that the aforementioned group used their connections and experience to develop, produce, test, and sell advanced cruise missiles to an Asian country. As part of the probe, investigators found a video of the group conducting an illegal missile test near a residential neighborhood in the country’s center.

The test in question was carried out without taking any safety precautions and had the potential to cause significant loss of life had matters gone awry. While officially sanctioned missile tests commonly take place in the ocean or an empty expanse of desert to avoid fatal accidents, the rocket in this instance was fired in the midst of a densely populated neighborhood.

During interrogation, some suspects revealed the elaborate lengths in which they went to mask the illicit business relationship. In order to hide the missiles’ true destination, the suspects presented Defense Ministry regulators with forged end-user certificates and bribed an official who began asking questions.

“This affair underscores the potential damage to the security of the state inherent in illegal transactions carried out by Israeli citizens with foreign elements, including the concern that such technology could reach countries hostile to Israel,” said the Shin Bet. Israel’s weapons industry is highly regulated, with the government mandating exporters to verify that their products will not be resold to a third party. In addition, every armaments deal must be approved by both the Defense and Foreign Ministry to ensure that they do not violate international law, along with preventing the leakage of sensitive technology.

Come Travel to Cyprus

Israel and Cyprus have signed a deal to allow visa-free travel for vaccinated citizens of both countries.

The deal was inked during a visit Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades paid to Israel on Sunday. The quick one-day trip saw Anastasiades meet with President Reuven Rivlin along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi.

The majority of the visit was dedicated to hashing out to details of the free travel arrangement. Both Israel and Cyprus are eager to rejuvenate their tourism industries, which have been devastated over the past year by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As the coronavirus has shown us, today’s challenges know no borders, and we must work together in order to meet them,” Rivlin told his Cypriot counterpart at a welcoming ceremony on Sunday. “I am pleased with the recent understandings that will allow the renewal of flights between Israel and Cyprus and call on more countries to adopt the ‘green pass.’”

“We have an ambitious plan of action for cooperation between our countries, and between our diasporas. I would be very happy to welcome you to my country as soon as possible, before the end of your term of office,” Anastasiades responded.

Like Israel, Cyprus imposed strict travel restrictions following the world’s initial COVID-19 outbreak in early 2020, shuttered its borders, and implemented mandatory quarantine.

The measures saw arrivals drop by 75% from 2019, hampering a pillar of Cyprus’s economy.

But with Israel’s vaccination drive currently leading the world, Cyprus views the millions of vaccinated Israelis as a potential market for its tourism sector. With Ben Gurion Airport scheduled to reopen in two weeks, the Health Ministry is currently reviewing plans to allow in foreigners for the first time in almost a year.

The initiative, which was formulated by Israel’s Finance and Tourism

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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Ministries, would admit travelers who already received both doses of Pfizer and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. Israel signed a similar deal with Greece earlier this month that will allow vaccinated Israelis to visit the sunny Mediterranean country by Passover.

Israel is also currently negotiating with the UK, Estonia, Romania, Serbia, Georgia, and Seychelles to allow travel for those possessing “green passports.”

Hamas: Women Need Guardians

A Hamas-run Islamic court in the Gaza Strip has ruled that women require the permission of a male guardian to travel.

The decision by the Sharia Judicial Council, issued on Sunday, says an unmarried woman may not travel without the permission of her “guard-

ian,” a term generally referred to as a woman’s father or another older male relative. Permission would need to be registered at the court, but the man would not be required to accompany the woman on the trip.

Many are calling the ruling a rollback in women’s rights in the enclave.

Some are saying that it could spark a backlash in Gaza at a time when elections are set to be held this year. Even so, this ruling may cement support for Hamas among conservatives living in the area.

The edict also said that a man could be prevented from traveling by his father or grandfather if it would cause “grave harm.” The man, though, would not need to seek prior permission, and the relative would have to file a lawsuit to prevent him from traveling.

The ruling resembles the so-called guardianship laws that long existed in ultra-conservative Saudi Arabia, where women were treated as minors requiring the permission of a husband, father, or even a son to apply for a passport and travel abroad. The kingdom loosened those restrictions in 2019.

Hassan al-Jojo, head of the Supreme Judicial Council, said that the ruling was “balanced” and consistent

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with Islamic and civil laws. He dismissed what he called “artificial and unjustified noise” on social media about the edict.

He justified the measure by citing past instances in which girls had traveled without the knowledge of their parents and men had left their wives and children without a breadwinner.

Gaza is home to more than 2 million Palestinians. All Gazans must go through a lengthy permit process to travel abroad and largely rely on the Rafah crossing with Egypt, which only opens sporadically.

Fauci Awarded Dan David Prize

ing world.

The Dan David Prize, established in 2000 by the late international businessman Dan David, is headquartered at Tel Aviv University. It gives $1 million awards in three categories each year for contributions addressing the past, present and future.

Fauci won the prize alongside other health and medical scholars and researchers this year, including health and medicine historians Prof. Alison Bashford, Prof. Katharine Park and Prof. Keith Wailoo in the field of History of Health and Medicine (past category); and the pioneers of anticancer immunotherapy: Prof. Zelig Eshhar, Prof. Carl June and Dr. Steven Rosenberg in the field of Molecular Medicine (future category).

IAF Surprise Drill

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, was awarded Israel’s $1 million Dan David Prize on Monday in recognition of his leadership on HIV research and AIDS relief, his advocacy for the vaccines against coronavirus, and for “courageously defending science in the face of uninformed opposition during the challenging COVID crisis.”

“As the COVID-19 pandemic unraveled, [Fauci] leveraged his considerable communication skills to address people gripped by fear and anxiety and worked relentlessly to inform individuals in the United States and elsewhere about the public health measures essential for containing the pandemic’s spread,” the prize committee said in a statement. “In addition, he has been widely praised for his courage in speaking truth to power in a highly charged political environment.”

The committee commended his efforts to fight for the recognition of novel approaches to treating the coronavirus pandemic, including the development of the world’s first-ever mRNA vaccines, which are now being given to millions of people worldwide, including in Israel.

In addition, it said Fauci was receiving the award for his contributions to HIV research and being the architect of the U.S. president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, ultimately saving millions of lives in the develop-

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) embarked on a surprise drill last week designed to prepare for a potential war with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The drill, which was named “Galilee Rose,” simulated all-out war with Hezbollah and other Iranian-proxy forces in Syria. Lasting from Sunday evening to Wednesday, the exercise saw troops prepare for the various scenarios they are liable to face during armed conflict.

According to the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, the majority of the maneuvers focused on enabling the air force to continue operating effectively while under constant bombardment from enemy missiles. Contingencies included intelligence gathering, repairing a runway gutted by rocket fire, and rescuing special forces trapped behind enemy lines.

“During the exercise, there will be thorough tests of planning, command and execution processes, as well as logistical and technological capabilities, with an emphasis on preserving aerial freedom of operation and maintaining full operational continuity,” the IDF said upon announcing the drill on Sunday.

“The first day focused mainly on planning and preparing for a wartime scenario, while days two and three will be dedicated to around-theclock fighting,” added Chief Training Officer, Lieutenant Colonel “O.” “The

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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final day will be centered around defending Israel’s airspace.”

In an unusual move, the drill included all of the IAF’s operational arms and saw heavy fighter jet and helicopter traffic above the skies in northern Israel. The military commonly refrains from conducting force-wide drills due to monetary constraints.

The surprise drill came on the same day in which Israeli warplanes conducted a series of airstrikes in southern Syria. According to Arab media reports, the targets included an Iranian weapons warehouse in Damascus International Airport along with arms depots in the suburb of AlKisweh.

While refraining from taking responsibility for the air assault, IDF officers told the media that the exercise proved that the air force is capable of operating in multiple fronts simultaneously.

“One of the main aspects that differentiate between war and training is unpredictability,” said Lieutenant Colonel “O.” “The element of surprise is expressed in the ability to adapt plans to a changing reality. It also reflects the way in which we deal with the mental-psychological challenges of uncertainty.”

PA Destroys Jewish Site Israelis on both sides of the political spectrum were outraged after the Palestinian Authority destroyed part of Joshua’s Altar in Samaria.

Located on Mount Ebal in Samaria, the archaeological site is believed to be the altar built by the Yehoshua after conquering the Land of Israel. Discovered in 1980 by archaeologist Dr. Adam Zertal, it is considered one of the most significant finds ever unearthed in modern-day Israel.

Last week, the Palestinian Authority destroyed part of the altar’s retaining wall to make way for an illegal road it constructed to link Nablus with the village of Asira-A-Ashamaliya. The 3,500-yearold relic was used as gravel to pave the road, causing significant and irreversible damage to the site.

Media reports exposing the extent of the damage caused an uproar in Israel, with politicians and government ministers calling on the IDF to safeguard Jewish historical sites. In a letter to Defense Minister Benny Gantz, President Reuven

Rivlin called it a “moral imperative” for the IDF to investigate how Palestinian laborers were able to destroy such a significant archaeological find.

“The reports of damage to the altar site...concern me deeply, and I am writing to you to thoroughly investigate the case in order to ensure no further such damage is done to heritage sites,” Rivlin wrote.

“Our land has a bounty of holy sites of immense religious, historic, and archaeological value. These sites, including the altar of Joshua...are heritage sites of incalculable national and universal value.”

Former Defense Minister and Yamina leader Naftali Bennett compared the damage to the effort by ISIS to deliberately destroy cultural artifacts in areas under its control.

“Imagine if ISIS would try to take apart the Statue of Liberty or the Eiffel Tower, what an uproar across the world we’d hear,” Bennett said in a video he shot at the ruined altar.

Bennett went on to call the destruction “a barbaric act that we have heard only from ISIS or from radical Islamists that want to take away ancient sites of other people.”

Studies have dated the altar as far back as the 13th century BCE and have found that its dimensions correspond to the measurements described in the Talmud. The altar is located in PA-controlled Area B West Bank, making it difficult for Israeli authorities to excavate the site.

While Israelis are allowed to visit the site, visits must be coordinated with the IDF and remain infrequent.

Biden to Shutter Gitmo

most dangerous prisoners captured during the War on Terror, including senior al-Qaeda and ISIS commanders. There are currently only 40 people behind bars in the prison, down from a high of 680 in 2003, but the detention center remains a hot button issue.

In a statement, National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said that the process of closing the facility will likely take years. Shuttering the site needs to overcome significant legal and political obstacles and would require a mixture of legislation and Executive Orders.

“We are undertaking an NSC process to assess the current state of play that the Biden administration has inherited from the previous administration, in line with our broader goal of closing Guantanamo,” she said. “There will be a robust interagency process to move forward on this, but we need to have the right people seated to do this important work.”

Horne added that the NSC has already begun preparatory work with the Departments of Defense, State and Justice.

Nicknamed “Gitmo,” the facility has been controversial for years and became a divisive partisan issue between Republicans and Democrats.

While conservatives see the prison as necessary to combatting terrorism throughout the world, liberals argue that it is a stain on America’s human rights record.

In 2008, then-President Obama issued an Executive Order mandating Gitmo’s immediate closure. The Order was never carried out due to bureaucratic infighting amongst the national security apparatus and was rescinded by Donald Trump in 2018.

“I am asking Congress to ensure that, in the fight against ISIS and al-Qaeda, we continue to have all necessary power to detain terrorists wherever we chase them down, wherever we find them. And in many cases for them, it will now be Guantánamo Bay,” Trump said at the time.

Storm Knocks Out Power in Texas President Joe Biden will launch a review that aims to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba by the time he leaves office.

The prison is home to some of the

At least 24 people died as an icy winter storm hit the South, leaving millions of people without power and shutting down air travel and lo-

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Two men were found dead along a Houston-area highway. It seems as if the men froze to death in the icy temperatures.

More than 4 million people were without power in Texas on Tuesday morning, as utilities in the state had been knocked out or frozen by the bitter cold that swept through the state this week.

The Houston Chronicle related that it was able to print newspapers through Hurricane Harvey but with

freezing temperatures expected to linger for days, they were unsure if they would be able to print subsequent editions, as power is unlikely to be restored.

“Cell towers in Fort Bend County southwest of Houston had generators freezing, running out of fuel or both, interrupting service in parts of the county,” County Judge K.P. George tweeted. “Conditions are deteriorating on all roadways. Roads are impassable. Do not travel. Stay at your location.”

In Abilene, around 150 miles from Fort Worth, the loss of power at the city’s water treatment plants had forced the city to shut off water.

“Texans with electricity are asked to conserve as much as possible in an effort to relieve the demand on the state’s power grid and help restore service,” according to the city’s statement.

Several school districts cancelled classes because of the weather.

Texas is one of several states across the southern United States battling a raging winter storm, prompting President Biden on Sunday to approve an emergency declaration for Texas as multiple governors have declared their own states of emergency.

Biden Press Aide Resigns

Palmeri. Ducklo, 32, apologized in a statement he posted on Twitter for berating Palmeri, writing that “no words can express my regret, my embarrassment and my disgust for my behavior.”

Deputy White House press secretary TJ Ducklo stepped down on Saturday after threatening a female reporter in January.

Ducklo said in a statement that he was resigning for the “derogatory and misogynistic” comments he made to Politico correspondent Tara

“I used language that no woman should ever have to hear from anyone, especially in a situation where she was just trying to do her job,” Ducklo added. “It was language that was abhorrent, disrespectful and unacceptable.

“I am devastated to have embarrassed and disappointed my White

al setbacks. In 2001, he developed hearing loss due to an autoimmune inner ear disease and later received a cochlear implant. In 2003, Limbaugh announced that he was addicted to pain medication after back surgery and would seek treatment.

In 2006, he was charged with “doctor shopping” and completed 18 months of drug treatment.

Throughout it all, Limbaugh remained the king of conservative talk-radio, earning a fortune along the way. Limbaugh, though, was generous with his wealth. He once ranked fourth on Forbes’ list of most generous celebrities, having donated $4.2 million to the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation, about 13% of his earnings, the publication said. He also used his

show to rally listeners to donate to various charities throughout the years, helping to raise millions of dollars for those in need. In recent years, he and his wife started the Rush and Kathryn Adams Limbaugh Family Foundation.

Over the past few years, Limbaugh went to bat for President Trump on the radio. After his announcement about his battle with cancer in February 2020, Trump awarded Limbaugh the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest honor a President can bestow on a civilian.

On Wednesday, upon hearing of Limbaugh’s passing, Trump said, “He was a fantastic man, a fantastic talent, and people – whether they loved him or not – they respected him, they really did.”

Rush Limbaugh Passes Away

O

n Wednesday, conservative media icon Rush Limbaugh passed away after battling cancer. He was 70 years old.

His wife, Kathryn, announced his passing on his radio show.

“As so many of you know, losing a loved one is terribly difficult, even more so when that loved one is larger than life,” she said. “Rush will forever be the greatest of all time.”

Limbaugh announced in February 2020 that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. Despite the diagnosis, Limbaugh continued to host his popular radio show while undergoing treatment and consistently told listeners that he remained hopeful he would defeat the disease.

For 32 years, Limbaugh hosted “The Rush Limbaugh Show,” a nationally-syndicated program with millions of loyal listeners. “The Rush Limbaugh Show” helped popularize the political talk-radio format and usher in a generation of conservative infotainment. In a way, his radio show kept AM radio from demise.

Limbaugh was not shy – he was vocal and bombastic in his views.

During the course of his career, he waded into controversial waters but also championed many causes and political ideas that he felt were right.

In an interview with the New York Times in 2008, Limbaugh acknowledged, “I take the responsibility that comes with my show very

seriously. “I want to persuade people with ideas. I don’t walk around thinking about my power. But in my heart and soul, I know I have become the intellectual engine of the conservative movement.”

Rush Hudson Limbaugh III was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, to Rush Hudson Limbaugh Jr. and Mildred Carolyn Limbaugh. His father, Limbaugh Jr., was a prominent Republican activist. Limbaugh’s younger brother, David Limbaugh, is a lawyer and conservative commentator.

When Rush was 16 years old, he enrolled in a summer course on radio engineering and earned a broadcaster’s license. He soon landed a job in local radio, although his father required him to attend college.

“My father expected me to be a professional man,” Limbaugh told The Times. “The problem was, I hated school. I hated being told what to do. In the Boy Scouts, I never got a single merit badge. In school, my grades were terrible. I just didn’t want to be there. I just wanted to be on the radio.”

He dropped out of university after one year and worked at various radio stations. After moving to California, Rush developed “The Rush Limbaugh Show.” In 1988, it became nationally syndicated.

Despite his on-the-air success, Limbaugh suffered some person-

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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House colleagues and President Biden, and after a discussion with White House communications leadership tonight, I resigned my position.”

Ducklo had already been suspended for a week without pay for his remarks to Palmeri prior to his decision to step down on Saturday.

The Biden aide’s resignation came a day after Vanity Fair published an article detailing his conversation with Palmeri, including the comments many called misogynist and demeaning.

During the incident in question, Ducklo threatened to “destroy” the Politico journalist if she moved forward with a story she was pursuing. During the profanity-laced tirade, Ducklo attempted to pressure Palmeri by promising to destroy her career if she ran the piece.

President Biden has promised to respect the media following the deep hostility that characterized the Trump administration’s relationship with the press. In a conversation with the White House press corps on Inauguration Day last month, Biden said that “if you ever work with me and I hear you treat another colleague with disrespect, talk down to someone, I will fire you on the spot.

“No ifs, ands or buts,” Biden reiterated.

Trump Acquittal Round II The U.S. Senate voted to acquit former President Donald Trump of a single charge of “incitement to insurrection” relating to January’s violent riot at the Capitol.

Fifty-seven senators voted to impeach, while 43 opposed, far short of the minimum 67 required by the U.S. Constitution. Among those supporting the measure were seven Republican senators, following ten GOP representatives who had joined the Democrats in the House vote to remove Trump.

The seven GOP senators who joined their colleagues in voting in favor of impeachment were Richard Burr of North Carolina; Bill Cassidy of Louisiana; Susan Collins of Maine; Lisa Murkowski of Alaska; Mitt Romney of Utah; Ben Sasse of Nebraska; and Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania.

The trial marked the second time Trump was acquitted by the Senate following last year’s impeachment surrounding allegations that he pressured Ukraine to help his reelection bid. In his first statement after the vote, Trump thanked his supporters, his legal team, and the senators who voted to acquit him for standing “proudly for the Constitution we all revere and for the sacred legal principles at the heart of our country.

“Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun,” the statement continued. “In the months ahead, I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people.”

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Trump was widely expected to be acquitted as Democrats failed to convince the requisite number of GOP senators that the speech Trump delivered prior to the Capitol riot constituted incitement. The former president’s legal team also contended that impeaching a former president was unconstitutional and maintained that his remarks were protected by the First Amendment.

Democrats, however, argued that Trump’s allegations of election fraud in the weeks preceding January 6 spurred the riot that left five people dead. During the trial’s opening session, impeachment managers aired a video showing the extreme violence that ravaged the Capitol, with police battling rioters who called for the execution of then-Vice President Mike Pence.

Nut Job This job is going to make you nuts.

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is looking for individuals to drive around in their peanut-shaped mobile.

the job, they will be trained on how to drive and park the 13,000-pound NUTmobile. They’ll also learn a lot about nuts in a Peanut Prep lesson, so they can let fans know all about Mr. Peanut and the history of Planters.

Nine Peanutters will be hired for a paid full-time assignment that lasts one year.

Let’s hope they pay them more than just peanuts.

Milk Maiden “What if this was your office for the next year? Nope, THIS IS NUT A DRILL,” Planters tweeted out from its Mr. Peanut account – the company’s iconic mascot. “I’m looking for a new team to travel with me in the @planterrsnutmobile bringing substance and snacks to fans all over the country.”

The NUTmobiles measure 26 feet long and are designed to look like a giant peanut. Drivers who are hired for the role get to serve as a Planters brand ambassador, which the company calls a “Peanutter.”

For those who are lucky to land

While watching a milk truck struggle to get up a hill during a storm, Charlene Leslie could not stand idly by.

“I would never just stand by when I see someone in trouble,” she said.

“A load of people were trying to push a car up the hill when I noticed the Graham’s truck coming behind

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it. Its front wheels were spinning, and it was stuck from all the snow,” she recalled.

The Scottish mother of three got behind the large truck and started pushing the vehicle up the hill to its destination.

“I suppose what I did was really dangerous,” Leslie surmised, “but thankfully the Graham’s truck got safely up the hill. In the moment I wasn’t really thinking about me, I just wanted to help.”

She added, “My neighbor appeared, so I asked her to watch the kids and the dog while I pushed it from the back. Eventually, it made it safely to the top.”

Videos of Leslie pushing the huge truck up the hill earned her the moniker “Wonder Woman.”

Now, Leslie is really going to be building those muscles. A chairman from the milk company was so impressed with Leslie’s heroics that his company offered Leslie a formidable gift: free milk and other high protein products for an entire year.

“I cannot believe all the attention I am getting for what I did,” Leslie shared. “I simply believe that it is your duty to help others if they are in trouble.”

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

cer. “So, we’re celebrating the best way we know how: with an amazing new doughnut discovery right here on Earth.”

Sounds like a doughnut that’s out of this world.

Icy Abe

Mars Munchy On Thursday, February 18, NASA’s Perseverance rover will make history as it lands itself on Mars. It’s not every day that a rover lands on the red planet. The last rover to land on Mars was Curiosity in 2012; the stationary InSight lander touched down in 2018.

Krispy Kreme is here to help

you celebrate the unique event. The doughnut company is offering a limited-edition themed doughnut that will look like Mars.

The caramel-dipped and chocolate cream-filled doughnut is topped with a swirl that resembles Mars.

It’s sprinkled with chocolate cookie crumbs for that authentic dusty Martian touch.

Unfortunately, the confection is available for one day only – February 18 – so you have to move at light

speed to get it.

If you submitted your name during NASA’s “Send Your Name to Mars“ campaign, which put almost 11 million names on the rover before it departed for its journey to Mars, you can bring your “boarding pass” to Krispy Kreme and your Mars Doughnut is free.

“The landing of Perseverance on Mars will be an epic and important achievement,” said Dave Skena, Krispy Kreme chief marketing offi-

Robert Schott’s New Jersey neighbors don’t have to head to Washington, D.C., to take a peek at the Lincoln Memorial.

Schott has built a 14-foot-tall replica of Honest Abe out of snow in his front yard.

“I’m always asked why do I do this,” Schott explained. “One is I like to create, but I think more importantly is the joy it brings to people that come to see it.”

This is not the first time Schott has created a snow masterpiece.

In previous years, he’s wowed his neighbors with ice sculptures of Olaf from “Frozen,” a giant pumpkin, and even Snoopy and his dog house.

Even so, it’s not something that can be done every year.

“You have to have the weather just right,” Schott said. “I have to feel good. I have to be not traveling, not commuting into New York where I normally work. So, everything just aligned to be able to do this, and maybe there was something bigger, beyond me, that allowed it to happen.”

The mammoth Abe took 60 hours to complete. He had to build plywood structures to ensure the stability of Lincoln and his chair.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

And he filled the windows of his house with American flags in the background to go with the patriotic theme.

Seems like there’s one person who’s been pleased with all the snow we’ve been having. Can you tell him to let it go?

Top Dog

Lulu is, perhaps, the most pampered pet in the world.

The 8-year-old border collie is now a millionaire.

When Lulu’s owner, Bill Dorris, passed away, he left Lulu $5 million.

Yup. That dog is now richer than you and me.

Martha Burton, 88, takes care of Lulu. Burton would watch Lulu when Dorris was on the road.

“He always left the dog for me to take care of,” said Burton.

Then, late last year, 84-year-old Dorris, an unmarried, successful businessman, died. His will named Lulu and left her money enough to pay for more kibble than any dog could possibly imagine.

“Oh yes. He loved that dog,” Burton acknowledged.

Dorris’ will read: “$5,000,000 will be transferred to a trust to be formed upon my death for the care of my border collie Lulu.”

The will specifies: “This trust is to provide for all the needs of Lulu.

The dog will remain in possession of Martha Burton.”

Burton said that Dorris “just really loved the dog.”

As for how the dog and caretaker can eat through $5 million?

Well, Burton said, “I’d like to try.”

Woof!

Portland Problem A family managed to get to the city of Portland but ended up in the

wrong state.

This week, a family landed in Portland, Oregon. Unfortunately, their travel agent booked them tickets to the wrong place – they had intended to go to Portland, Maine, some 3,000 miles away from its same-name city in Oregon.

TSA Officer Martin Rios heard about the family’s plight. He had been called in because the family didn’t speak English fluently.

“We were able to figure out that they were in the wrong Portland....

They were pretty surprised, too.”

Rios took the family to a ticket counter to get the correct tickets to Portland International Jetport (PWM) in Maine. But the family only had about $200 – too little to cover the new tickets.

Rios then decided to help them out. He used his own money to purchase new tickets for them.

“I guess I understood their situation, being in a foreign county and with the language, you can’t really communicate to anyone else and being thousands of miles away from where you’re supposed to be,” Rios explained.

Rios was awarded PDX’s Make the Connection Quarterly Award for his outstanding customer service. “(Rios) is a go-getter and the fact that he chose to support these passengers in their time of need was no surprise to both his team and our leadership,” said Senior TSA Manager Jeremy Alanis. “Martin is, and has been since day one, a shining example of what it means to be a team player. (He’s) the kind of officer and person any airport in the country would be proud to have as a member of their team.”

Since the incident, Rios hasn’t heard from the stranded family.

“However much I helped them with, it might not have seemed like a lot to me, but it was a difference for them,” Rios said.

Sounds like it made a world of a difference to them.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the

Community SKA Presents Adar on Ice

O

ne doesn’t usually picture a winter wonderland in a school parking lot but...we had an ice skating rink!

Rosh Chodesh Adar was welcomed at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls with an incredible program sponsored by the Student Council on Wednesday, February 11. SKA students glided on ice to pulsating Hebrew music in a fully equipped rink complete with complimentary skates. Steaming cups of hot cocoa were offered to offset the frigid outside temperature but the spirited ruach really warmed everyone up.

While social distancing was maintained on the rink, students also had the opportunity to make hamentaschen in the SKA gym.

Prepared packages of dough, filler, and chocolate chips were utilized by happy bakers to create variations of this yom tov treat.

We can’t wait for Purim!

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

After a long discussion themes, we decided that on costume

up as bakers! A bunch of white poofy

going to be we’re dressing

ats at least forty gift baskets later, we were ready. hA fter& coming home from learning, our day started out as most Purims

do: piling into the car to give M anos to our family Mishloach

& friends. All decked out in our baking best, marched door to door, handing out

we our

carefully prepared packages. We got many compliments on our costumes & I could see my wife glowing in the praise. We

were excited to stop at my rebbi’s house where

we sang a few

niggunim while the kids recieved

treats. Playing fun Purim

tunes in the car, we finally arrived at my in-laws for the seuda, flushed & smiling. Together with my wife’s brothers, there was lots of leibedig singing, dancing & many beautiful divrei Torah. The food was great, better & the spirit of the day uplifted everyone. the company

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Rambam Mesivta Qualifies for Second Blue Ribbon Award

I

n an unprecedented development, Rambam Mesivta found out that it met the qualifications for another Blue Ribbon Award. The award is given by the U.S. Department of Education to exemplary schools with outstanding academic achievement.

Rambam was awarded the Blue Ribbon in 2015 and remains the only independent boys’ mesivta high school in the entire United States to have been recognized for its outstanding academic excellence.

As a further indication of Rambam’s program of excellence, its school leaders have been asked to present at the International Blue Ribbon Conference held annually in Florida. Rosh Mesivta of Rambam, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, has spoken at the conference for the last five years and hones in on some of the Torah’s foundational principles on education.

This year, the conference was held on Zoom, and Rambam’s Associate Principal, Mr. Hillel Goldman, joined as well and spoke about extracurricular education and character building.

Referring to Rambam’s Blue Ribbon status, he stated, “It really is all about the boys; they exemplify outstanding middos and motivation. I have been involved in Jewish education for many years and have never seen such a great combination of nice kids who want to and do, in fact, excel. They really make us proud!”

The recognition from the Blue Ribbon School Panel conveys automatic gravitas to students applying to any post high school program and facilitates academic scholarships as well. Rabbi Friedman shared, “What impresses me most is that the boys are able to thrive in their secular studies while still recognizing the preeminence and priority of learning Torah and living the life of halacha.

They truly are an outstanding bunch who, together as a group, inspire their peers and raise the collective level of

excellence by example.”

The application process is arduous and required much data input as well as detailed essays covering various questions and topics. The whole administration contributed to the daunting application process but special recognition must go out to parent volunteer, Mr. Brian Duftler, and Rabbi Avi Herschman, Director of Israel Guidance, for taking the lead.

In addition to questions about academic standards, how to best inspire students, and the like, there were also questions about adaptations to COVID and privacy policies.

Recently, the committee reviewing Rambam’s application requested a document reflecting Rambam’s privacy policy and in doing so commented on Rambam’s “great scores.”

There are over 130,000 schools in the United States. Rambam is hopeful that it will be one of a handful of schools chosen once again to be acknowledged for its academic excellence.

Rambam’s principal, Rabbi Yotav Eliach, commented, “I am happy to see that based upon all objective criteria we have once again set a standard of overall excellence in everything that we teach. It is a tribute to our rebbeim and college preparatory staff.”

Final status awards will be announced in fall 2021.

Did you know?

California is the fourth-largest wine producer in the world, after France, Italy, and Spain.

Gesher’s Red Room built the Mishkan this week

A Century of Life

S

taff from the Gurwin Home Care Agency in Farmingdale were thrilled to celebrate a wonderful birthday milestone recently for long-time home care client Rabbi Paul Hait of West Hempstead, as he joined the ranks of the exclusive “Centenarian Club” on February 8. A father, grandfather and great-grandfather, the rabbi credits the support of his wife Frances, (Nee Feder) for his longevity.

They recently celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

A well-respected Jewish leader, Rabbi Hait is admired by friends and neighbors, former congregants, and by other rabbis who describe him as the consummate “Rabbi’s Rabbi.” Over the course of his rabbinical career, he held numerous prominent rabbinic positions including serving as the Executive Vice President of the New York Board of Rabbis from 1977 to 1989.

In addition, he served as the rabbi of the JFK Airport synagogue, the senior rabbi of the Flushing Jewish Center, and led other prominent congregations including one in New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to Rabbi Hait’s son,

Louis, the support of the Gurwin Home Care Agency has made all the difference for his parents. Gurwin Home Health Aide, Reginald Philius, who has been caring for the Rabbi and his wife for several years, “is a wonderful, caring and devoted aide. I’m grateful that he is with my parents,” he said.

To celebrate the rabbi’s milestone birthday, his West Hempstead synagogue organized a “car parade” celebration on February 7; members of the community drove by the Hait home and expressed their well wishes.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

HAFTR Focuses on Mental Health

A

s part of Health Month at HAFTR Middle School, students are learning about one integral aspect of health: developing a “healthy mind.” Under the leadership of Dr. Yali Werzberger, HAFTR’s Director of Guidance and PPS, students in the entire school are learning about tools, tips, and strategies that can help them develop healthy minds. One of the highlights of Health Month is the weekly

mindfulness video that students view in class. Created by Dr. Werzberger, students learn about and practice mindfulness exercises including “Five Finger Breathing,” Observe and Describe skills, and everyone’s favor-

ite activity of practicing mindfulness with a Hershey Kiss! Students are also learning about problem solving and conflict resolution skills. Lastly, a forum has been created for students to anonymously ask questions

that are on their minds, on topics ranging from friendships, to moods and behaviors. Questions will be answered by Dr. Werzberger throughout the month.

Zarny.

A new semester of Masmidim has

begun and is already drawing even more talmidim to the halls of Torah.

Masmidim Honored by Rambam

S

ince the beginning of the school year, a dedicated cohort of learners went above and beyond as part of Rambam’s prestigious Masmidim Extra Learning Program. Under the leadership of Rabbi Avrum Haar, the talmidim Zoomed in every week to spend their free time in extra night seder and lunch learning.

This week, Rosh Mesivta of Rambam, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, addressed the whole school via Zoom to recognize the significance of Torah learning and encouraged all the talmidim to join the program. Rabbi Yotav Eliach, principal of Rambam, also shared his thoughts and made it clear that “we should stop thinking about extra learning as an extracurricular” and make it a regular part of lives.

The rebbeim who take part in Masmidim, Rabbi Haar, Rabbi Yosef Ziskind, Rabbi Ari Boiangiu, Rabbi Ariel Rosensweig, Rabbi Meth, Dr. Daniel Gober, and Reb Zach Beer, were also thanked.

Each Masmid was given a plaque acknowledging his dedication to Torah learning, as well as a SWAG bag that is perfect for carrying sefarim.

Congratulations to the fall semester Masmidim: Joshua Aminov, Itamar Ben-Oni, Baruch Bluth, Shlomo Braverman, Marky Breuer, Boaz Duftler, Binyomin Gross, Donny Guttman, Ben Herskowitz, Yaacov Lazar, Tzion Masri, Mordechai Newman, Simcha Orenbuch, Raphael Pam, Mendel Rosenberg, Chaim Schreck, Hillel Schuck, Yosef Smith,

Shmuel Vulakh, Binyamin Werner, Naftali Wodinsky, and Nathaniel

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A Community of Chessed: Tomchei Shabbos of the Five Towns/Far Rockaway to be Virtual Breakfast to be Held on February 21

By Rochelle Maruch Miller

W

e are blessed to be living in a community steeped in Torah observance and chessed, where we can enjoy the amenities of a comfortable lifestyle, within the parameters of halacha.

Indeed, many worthy citadels of Torah throughout the global community reach out to the Five Towns/ Far Rockway community for financial support, their requests eliciting swift and generous responses.

Although there may be a misconception that ours is a community devoid of poverty and financial pressure, many of our neighbors struggle to afford even basic food. Wreaking havoc in its wake, COVID has impacted our community, causing loss of precious lives and leaving families in financial distress. Many within our community have lost their jobs and find themselves in dire straits.

Unable to provide even basic necessities for their families, they turn to Tomchei Shabbos for assistance. Impacted, as well, is the organization’s support base, with so many individuals facing financial challenges.

Tomchei Shabbos Yad Yeshaya of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway was founded in 1985 in memory of Yeshaya Alpert, z”l, to provide food for Shabbos and Yom Tov for our needy neighbors. Since its inception, the organization has been an exemplar of chessed, providing succor and support, with the highest level of dignity and confidentiality.

Truly an organization like no other, Tomchei Shabbos ensures all of our neighbors, no matter how needy, have fresh and wholesome food with which to look forward to and that they savor the sanctity and splendor of Shabbos every week. They are the only organization in our area that delivers basic food packages to close to 400 local families, weekly and for Yom Tov. Comprised entirely of dedicated volunteers, there is no office, no overhead – every donation goes directly and entirely for purchasing food for our neighbors. From the ordering, packing, delivering, and even their accountant – everyone involved in Tomchei Shabbos is extraordinary individual – an integral part of a veritable community of angels.

Previously, students at TAG and Young Israel Of Woodmere devoted their Thursday afternoons to assembling packages. Due to the current pandemic, Elite Caterers has graciously donated their staff and commissary to set up the packages.

Additional volunteers then pick up the packages and discreetly deliver them to the anonymous recipients.

Tomchei Shabbos ensures that every Jewish home in the Five Towns and Rockaways has food to put on their table each Shabbos and is able to experience a true oneg Shabbos.

“All the families we service are local and part of our community,” noted Jeanette Lamm, who serves, together with her husband, as co-directors of Tomchei Shabbos. “Some

of them will be on our list for a short term to get help through a crisis, while some will need the help longer. Some families will even send us a donation some years later.

“It is amazing to me to see how we are able to run such an organization completely by volunteers.

There are over one hundred people involved, from ordering, packing, delivery, fundraising, and accounting. It’s so beautiful to see them do it with such heartfelt concern and how they dedicate their time and energies for their neighbors in need.”

“Our annual budget is about $1 million,” shared Arielle Wolfson, Tomchei’s Director of Fundraising.

“A few years ago, we realized everyone wants to donate to Tomchei. The Rayze.it campaign makes it accessible and simple, hopefully reaching everyone within our community.”

Tomchei’s Annual Breakfast is their major fundraising event. This year, the Annual Tomchei Shabbos Virtual Breakfast will take place this Sunday, February 21. Please support this exemplary organization by donating on Rayze.it/tomchei5tfr2021.

Dr. Hylton Lightman, a prominent pediatrician, has seen firsthand the need among some of the families he treats.

“Tomchei Shabbos is an essential organization that fills a vital need in our community,” he said. “Any person at any time due to circumstances may need Tomchei Shabbos services. Let’s be grateful we are on the giving end.”

Did you know?

The early Romans started the custom of bumping wine glasses with each other to make sure that no one had poisoned their drinks. By bumping the glasses, the drink spills from one glass to another, which made drinkers trust that their glasses weren’t poisoned.

Peruse the following unsolicited testimonials, all penned by grateful individuals who, together with their families, are able to experience the joy, beauty and sanctity of a true Oneg Shabbos, thanks to the extraordinary Tomchei Shabbos team of volunteers, and through your generosity.

“Ever since my husband was unemployed for two years, our finances have been difficult. Even with his new job, it is still very challenging.

Knowing the Tomchei box is coming weekly gives us peace of mind and Oneg Shabbos. Knowing that our neighbors are there for us gives us comfort.”

“Thank you so much for the food package; it’s a tremendous help for us as my husband is not working now. We are back to looking for a job and this really means the world to us.”

“We would like to thank all who make Tomchei Shabbos happen. We are very grateful. It is much appreciated…more than you know.”

“Thank you all for helping us in our time of need. It has been a tremendous help, more than you could know. I wish I could thank each of you individually. May you each be zoche to much bracha and yeshuos for being involved in this tremendous mitzvah.”

“Thank you so much for putting food into my four children’s mouths.

Thanks to you and Hashem we will have food on our Shabbos table. We hope to one day be on the other side again and be able to help others like you have helped us. Tizku L’mitzvos.”

“We are extremely grateful to Elite Caterers,” says Mrs. Wolfson.

“Without their dedication and heartfelt voluntary service, Tomchei would have been unable to function this year.”

Please partner with Tomchei Shabbos and help ensure food, peace of mind, and kavod Shabbos for all our neighbors in Five Towns and Far Rockaway.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

HAFTR Health Week

L

ast week, HAFTR celebrated health week. There were so many activities, learning opportunities, projects, and more. So many parents and grandparents were able to virtually visit classes to share their knowledge with the students.

Some classes made projects learning about germs, teeth, and more.

In our Lower School classrooms, we have been discussing the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle by eating healthy foods and exercising to keep our bodies strong.

HAFTR PTA sponsored healthy snacks every day. The children enjoyed climbing and running and getting their hearts pumping.

While the children understand that apples and strawberries are healthier for them than cookies and

candy, they also understand that eating treats once in a while is part of eating a healthy, balanced diet. In Early Childhood, the children made their own healthy pizzas for lunch, which were a definite winner!

Shevach Freshmen Enjoy an Uplifting Siyum

O

n February 9, the ninth grade of Shevach High School was treated to a very special Tehillim siyum. This event was the culmination of a voluntary initiative spearheaded a couple of months ago by their Beiur Tefilla teacher, Mrs. Beanah Greenberg.

After imparting to the girls the koach of Tehillim, and the girls internalizing that we do our hishtadlus of davening but then relinquish our burdens to Hashem, the class eagerly took up Mrs. Greenberg’s suggestion of trying to say every day, on their own time, the perakim of Tehillim for that day of the month.

Mrs. Greenberg sent out daily Tehillim reminders and planned this beautiful siyum for the girls, where they each received individually-wrapped meals from Carlos & Gabby’s, laid out on gorgeously bedecked tables. But even nicer than the special seudah was the gift each girl received, which was a beautiful, personally inscribed, illustrated Tehillim.

The girls were welcomed to the siyum by Shevach Principal, Rebbetzin Rochelle Hirtz, and staff members Rabbi Aryeh Sokoloff and Mrs. Miriam Krohn, all of whom con-

veyed in their own words how special this accomplishment was. The students were then inspired by a keynote address from Rabbi Ilan Meirov, founder of the Chazaq organization. Rabbi Meirov noted that the words b’simcha and machshava are comprised of the same letters.

He explained that this is to teach us that thoughts have a huge impact on happiness. Dovid Hamelech, despite a life of hardships, was able to always be b’simcha and to compose all the mizmorei Tehillim because of

his positive attitude.

After Rabbi Meirov’s dynamic speech, freshmen Adina Davidov, Yael Goldfarb, Chana Tova Kasirer, Tehilla Levant, Devorah Lind, and Yael Zimmerman all shared their thoughts on different perakim of Tehillim. It was clearly evident that the goal of this program was being actualized: that the girls would forge a special lifetime connection with Tehillim. This was evidenced by the fact that many of the girls have already completed the sefer

twice and have even started on their third round.

That all the students tremendously enjoyed the evening was reflected in their comments afterwards. In their words: “Thank you for giving me the opportunity for making Tehillim such an important part of my life.” “I look forward to using the beautiful Tehillim you gave us to make it all the more meaningful.” “I am so grateful to start off my high school experience with a teacher like you! Thank you so so much!!” “I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life”.

And in the words of parents: “Thank you very much for starting this wonderful initiative and planning such a beautiful siyum!” “We appreciate your efforts to positively encourage the girls’ connection to Hashem through tefillah.” “The beauty of this program is that everyone is involved and the girls are unified through saying Tehillim.”

Thank you to freshmen Rochel Becker and Sarah Wiederkehr for reporting on this special event. May the Queens community continue to share such nachas from our young ladies!

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

HALB History Day

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O

n Tuesday, February 9, the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach held its fourth annual History Day Fair as part of the larger National History Day Competition.

The National History Day competition is an event in which more than a half a million students participate each year. The projects examine an event in history and how it relates to a national theme.

For the past five months, under the guidance of their social studies teacher Ms. Kristen Waterman, the eighth grade students researched various events in history related to this year’s theme, Communication: The Key to Understanding. HALB students investigated time periods as far back as the American Industrial Revolution and as recent as the 1980s. They discovered how different methods of communication can be the key to understanding a variety of events in history. Students were able to present their information as a documentary, website, or exhibit. Each

project type allowed students to use real world skills to present their research, in a fun and exciting way.

This year, the students presented projects in-person, while parents and family members Zoomed in for the wonderful event.

The top three groups in each category will move on to compete virtually in Long Island History Day in March.

Congratulations to our winners: Winning Documentary: Television: The Key to Understanding the American Family (Leah Ganchrow, Elana Silvera, Goldie Kuflik, and Yaira Herskowitz) Winning Exhibit: Breaking the Enigma Code (Binyamin Posner, Menachem Porter, Ethan Ostrow, Yoni Schochet) Winning Website: It’s a Sunny Day to Learn (Abby Karkowsky, Mikhaela Abayev, Sima Ross, Kayla Paul, Olivia Papilsky)

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

ARE YOU WORRIED ABOUT OVERDEVELOPMENT IN OUR COMMUNITY IMPACTING TRAFFIC AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE?

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE FUTURE OF OUR COMMUNITY?

ARE YOU FRUSTRATED WITH THE GOVERNMENT’S HANDLING OF SHUL AND YESHIVA COVID-19 CLOSURES?

Your vote is our future.

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Then go to KlalVote.org & add your name to your shuls page

nd Far Rockaway a d re te is g re ll a Voting is open to party affiliation f o ss le rd a g re rs Bayswater vote Klalvote.org is not affiliated with any candidate or campaign @klalvote

ARE YOU NERVOUS ABOUT THE SAFETY OF YOUR FAMILY IF LESS POLICE ARE ON THE STREETS?

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

YOSS Mechina’s Hikon Trip

Pesach Osina, candidate for City Council, assisting with the NYC food distribution at Bnos Bais Yaakov this week

T

he YOSS Mechina 7th and 8th graders celebrated the completion of the first term of their Hikon Tefillah Program. From the start of the school year, these boys having been putting extra effort into their davening, demonstrating excellence in tefillah. They earned entry into HIKON and maintained theses high standards through the mid-point of the year.

In celebration, all participants were treated to a delicious meal catered by Streats Food & Drink. After dinner and Maariv, the boys were bussed to United Skates of America Roller Rink. While some boys preferred roller skates, most preferred

the in-line variety.

“I loved the opportunity to rollerblade,” said 7th grade Hikon member, Yissachar Dov Herzberg.

The evening was filled with fun and excitement including Roller-Limbo, an exciting game that challenged the students’ flexibility. Rabbi Davidowitz, Menahel HaMechina added to the special flavor of the night with giveaways to the skaters. The evening culminated raffles and prizes from Rabbi Davidowitz and Mr. Winkler, and everyone felt like a winner!

The second Hikon term is already underway, and baruch Hashem, we are already seeing new HIKON members joining the club!

Sen. Kaminsky Fights for Cybersecurity in Yeshivas and Shuls

L

ast week, Senator Todd Kaminsky pressed New York State Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services (DHSES) Commissioner Patrick Murphy to allow yeshivas, shuls and community centers to use Securing Communities Against Hate Crimes (SCAHC) grant funding for cybersecurity needs. Kaminsky’s push comes in the wake of the hacking of North Shore Hebrew

Academy’s website with Nazi images and videos late last year.

“December’s vile hacking of a local yeshiva’s website with Nazi propaganda reminded us of what we have known all along: the virus of anti-Semitism is still alive, and aggressive action is needed to combat it,” said Senator Todd Kaminsky. “That is why I urged state officials to give our shuls and yeshivas the flexibility

to use security grant funding from New York State to cover cybersecurity expenses. This grant has been, and should continue to be, a vital tool in our community’s fight against anti-Semitism.”

Senator Kaminsky has secured millions of dollars in SCAHC grants for local institutions in the Five Towns and West Hempstead over the past several years. Last year, Ka-

minsky led the fight to nearly double security grant funding in the state budget, in addition to making houses of worship eligible for SCAHC grants as well. Cyberhackings and data breaches have increased during the COVID pandemic, further heightening the need for groups at risk of hate crimes to protect themselves in the face of this emerging threat.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

NYC Council District 31 Special Election VOTE EARLY @ P.S. 53 10-45 NAMEOKE STREET FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691 FEBRUARY 13, THROUGH FEBRUARY 21, 2021 2/13

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

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he Purim story came alive at IVDU Long Island this week with the Small Wonders Puppet Theater putting on a wonderful performance for our students. The students have been learning all about the Purim story and were excited to follow along on the fun journey that

they are familiar with. The puppet show was highly interactive, affording them an experiential learning experience. The students enjoyed singing along to all of their favorite Purim tunes and dancing to the live musical performance at the end.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A New Bais Yaakov High School in Hewlett Plans in place to open this September

W

e saw it coming. The number of girls in area elementary schools has been growing rapidly, while the number of seats in the local high schools has actually contracted with the recent closing of one high school. The prospect of not having a high school to go to has become a present crisis, both for individual families and for the community. Other communities have had the crisis, and now it is an issue here, too.

The obvious solution is to open new schools, but that is no trivial undertaking.

Rabbi Michoel Shepard has been the general studies principal at TAG’s Machon Sarah High School for the last fifteen years. After announcing his retirement earlier this year, he has decided to use his 45 years of experience in Jewish education to start just such a new high school, which he is calling Toldos Bais Yaakov. The Young Israel of Hewlett will open their well-appointed facilities to the initial ninth grade class beginning this coming September.

There will be two informational open house meetings at the Young Israel of Hewlett on consecutive Monday evenings, February 15 and 22, at 8 pm. In addition, there will be a Zoom option on Wednesday, February 17 at 8 pm (625 943 8246, password SHEPARD).

While it is late in the season to attract students, as almost all schools have already held open houses and sent out acceptances, there were not enough acceptances, according to

Rabbi Shepard.

“The number of applicants has exceeded the capacity of the high schools to accommodate them. And no ninth grader should be left behind,” he said.

Rabbi Shepard, as an administrator, has been at the heart of the problem. He said he has interviewed many fine students this year that MSHS had no choice but to turn away for lack of space. “TAG is gaining fifty more students than we had this year. We could not in good conscience accept every qualified candidate.” And so, he says he is founding Toldos Bais Yaakov to do justice to those qualified candidates.

Rabbi Shepard says that he is looking for any girl who is willing to learn in a Bais Yaakov environment. There will be uniforms that a committee of mothers and daughters will design.

Cellphone use will not be permitted in school, although Rabbi Shepard says has no plans to impose on parents any further mandates about cellphone use outside of school.

He plans to start the school day a little later than usual, at 8:45 am.

“Teenagers need more sleep than what they are getting,” Rabbi Shepard said.

The day will consequently end a little later, at 5 p.m., but the academic subjects will be over by 4:15. What follows is what Rabbi Shepard calls his “plus period,” which will offer art classes, home economics, student council and GO meeting time, and Chessed.

Curriculum is what Rabbi Shepard

feels will be the distinguishing feature of the school.

“It is called Toldos Bais Yaakov because toldos means history, Jewish history, and that will be a focus for our girls where they can feel rooted in their identity and know where their people have been and what they have done. Girls need to feel that they belong and that they are proud,” said Rabbi Shepard.

In ninth grade, he plans on integrating Western Civilization into the Jewish history course to serve as context, while toldos Am Yisroel will be the focus and organizing principle.

He says he wants the curriculum to be practical, useful, and interesting. Halacha will be a year course and cover more topics than a typical Bais Yaakov. Besides the standard Shabbos and kashrus topics, he intends to go into more overlooked yet important issues such as hilchos tzedaka, kibbud av v’eim, and hafrashas challah in tenth grade, life cycle issues such as birth, marriage, bikkurim cholim and aveilus in eleventh, and issues in Jewish ethics such as medical and business ethics in twelfth grade.

Another overlooked yet important focus will be a four-year hashkafa curriculum that Rabbi Shepard hopes will systematically address the questions that Jewish teens perennially have about emunah, bitachon, hashgacha pratis and klalis, Torah min hashomayim, emunas chachomim, galus and geulah, and acharis hayomim, among other issues.

Tefilla and the siddur will also be

studied formally over the four years with an emphasis on exploring the hashkafa concepts embedded in the davening. The course, which will meet every day for a full semester each year, will “give meaning to their tefillos and help to make them personal,” said Rabbi Shepard.

Even the Chumash and Navi curricula are designed to support the hashkafa curriculum, focusing on such parshiyos of Bereishis and Noach, Kedoshim and Ki Seitzei, Yisro and VaEschanan. Selections from Navi will be taken from the haftaros that students may encounter in shul.

“The point of their education is to give students the knowledge, skills, understanding, and motivation to live the mesorah and to pass it on to the next generation. That’s also why it’s called Toldos Bais Yaakov,” said Rabbi Shepard.

Rabbi Benny Berlin, who leads the synagogue, will hand-deliver the packages on the morning of the holiday in a socially distanced manner, along with personalized cards from the BACH community members and their children. In a recent educational program for children, Rabbi Berlin spoke about the importance of celebrating the holiday with the right intentions. He then helped the synagogue’s youth create handwritten cards with special messages for the senior residents of the Grandell, many of whom are Jewish. The cards include holiday wishes as well as

drawings to help bring holiday cheer to the seniors for Purim – delivered along with traditional holiday treats in the food packages.

“I hope next year we can bring presents to you in person,” wrote one 9-year-old. “Have a happy Purim!” wrote a five-year-old who included a drawing of a happy face and hearts.

On the morning of the holiday, Rabbi Berlin will deliver the packages, filled with hamentashen cookies, chocolates and grape juice, to staffers from the Grandell who will then distribute the packages internally to residents along with the cards. The

method was chosen in order to comply with COVID-19 health and safety guidance.

“Purim is centered around joy and celebration, and part of that is providing joy for others,” said Rabbi Benny Berlin. “At a time when many seniors are feeling isolated due to the effects of the pandemic, we as a community felt that this was the perfect outlet for giving back and reflecting on the spirit of this holiday. We hope our efforts can bring a smile to the faces of the residents at the Grandell in the same way it brought meaningful smiles to ours.”

Packages of Joy

I

n the spirit of the Jewish holiday of Purim, the BACH Jewish Center in Long Beach will be delivering 100 holiday-themed care packages to the residents of the local Grandell Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. The group chose the number 100 to symbolize its growing membership which has jumped by more than 10-percent amid the pandemic. As part of the project, each synagogue member family will connect to the holiday traditions of sending food packages to neighbors (mishloach manot) and giving charity (matanot levyonim).

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Around the Community

Out Loud Brachos

C

hildren in the community are being encouraged to say their brachos out loud for the past few weeks during the Out Loud Brachos contest. Every week, children who participate are able to enjoy prizes from local stores – Seasons, Seasons Express, KolSave, Carlos & Gabby’s, and Pizza Pious – that helped to sponsor the program. The children were asked to make at least five brachos out loud each day so

others could answer amen to their brachos. They were also asked to answer amen to their parents’ brachos.

This is the sixteenth year of the Out Loud Brachos contest. It is run in the Five Towns, Queens, Monsey, West Hempstead, Great Neck, Passaic, Chicago, and Los Angeles communities.

For more information about the Out Loud Brachos contest, contact OutLoudBrachos@gmail.com.

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All halachic documents are under the supervision of the Bais HaVaad in Lakewood.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

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The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Yeshiva Sha’arei Zion in Forest Hills, NY, held their annual Brachot Bee Kickoff Show where the boys played an exciting game of Wheel of Brachot to help prepare them for the upcoming Brachot Bee

Pink Day at SKA

T

here was pink everywhere at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls on Pink Day, Wednesday, February 10!

Sharsheret Breast Cancer Awareness Day is a worldwide initiative by students to raise consciousness about breast cancer and cancer genetics.

Pink Day at SKA was celebrated with pink wardrobes, pink decorations, and pink refreshments, Purim cards, and raffles sold to benefit Sharsheret.

The symbolic color dominated the clothing and walls in the school.

SKA juniors and seniors were honored to hear from two breast cancer survivors who shared their incredible stories of survival. Each grade listened as the speaker deliv-

ered an open and honest account of how she dealt with her diagnosis and how the Sharsheret organization, her community and hashgacha pratis supported her and her family throughout her ordeal. Their inspirational words made Pink Day at SKA very meaningful.

SKA’s Pink Day highlighted the need for awareness and education, as Ashkenazic Jews are ten times more at risk for hereditary cancers than the general population. Yashar koach to faculty member Dr. Neera Kimmel, who also volunteers for Sharsheret, and her hardworking Pink Day committee members, Hannah Lifschutz and Evie Lawrence, for organizing such a successful event.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

MTA Model UN Team By: Binyamin Fox

T

he MTA Model United Nations Team is hard at work preparing for the upcoming annual Yeshiva University National Model United Nations (YUNMUN) competition. This year, MTA will be representing the country of France on fifteen different (virtual) committees, ranging from the Security Council to the Committee on Drugs and Crime.

In preparation for the competition, MTA’s Model UN Team had the distinct privilege of meeting with Mr. Alexis Mojaisky, Spokesperson and Chief of Staff of the French Mission to the UN, and other members of the French Mission on Friday, February 5.

The meeting allowed the team to learn more about France’s interests and goals within the UN. As France is a founding member of the UN and a permanent member of the Security Council, it is a critical country to the United Nations generally. Mr. Mojaisky helped the team appreciate France’s role in supporting the

UN, both in terms of budget (France is the 6th biggest contributor), and in peacekeeping forces (there are over 700 French troops wearing blue helmets). In the Security Council, France has taken the lead in its refusal to use its veto power in cases of atrocities, a position that generated tremendous support among the members of the General Assembly.

Mr. Samson Thibault, Negotiator in the Security Council on Human Rights Issues, explained how individual committee members advocate for their country’s interests. He explained that he needs to know how flexible his decision-makers back home are comfortable being, what their red lines are, and when it might be better to have no agreement at all to one that France might find objectionable. This way, he can discuss and share opinions with delegates from other countries and figure out whether he can find common ground with them.

The meeting was an incredible (and memorable) opportunity for the team, which very much looks forward to representing France at YUNMUN!

Self-Care at Central

S

elf-Care Week at Central has left us feeling happy, relaxed, and rejuvenated! The week kicked off with “Movement Monday” in the gym, hosted by DJ Naz and Kanga Shoe Dancing. Each grade had time to “hop” around to fun music and use movement as a form of selfcare. Everyone enjoyed yummy ice cream at lunch – with no technology – for “Togetherness Tuesday” and had time to bond as a grade. Togetherness Tuesday continued into the night at the Central Family Paint Night with Mrs. Victoriya Gavrielov, mother of junior Nicole Gavrielov, on Zoom.

Thank you to the Ginsberg Family for sponsoring the event in memory of Maya’s grandfather, Charles Posner-Koppel, Avram ben Ze’ev. Thanks to all of those who joined virtually in this community event!

“Wellness Wednesday” could not come fast enough with puppy time and hot cocoa for everyone. Thank you to Avi Benmordechai, LMSW from Center One Therapy for joining us! “Go Purple Day” was celebrated on “Thoughtful Thursday” when

we dressed in purple and supported Shalom Task Force while discussing healthy relationships. Students took time being thoughtful while journaling in their English classes with Ms. Diane Kolatch, and enjoyed a Community Mishmar Event on Thursday night with Dr. Chesky Gewirtz, PsyD, who spoke on “The Happiness Trap,” as we welcomed in Rosh Chodesh Adar.

Thank you to Mrs. Aliza Gewirtz, Mrs. Danielle Wyner, and Central parents, Mrs. Gail Reichwald, Mrs. Rachel Tuchman, and Mrs. Dalia Zahavi, for all of their hard work organizing Self-Care Week!

Central Science Laboratory Trip

W

e are so grateful that, even in times of pandemic, hands-on laboratory science remains an integral part of our science curriculum at Yeshiva University High School for Girls.

Last week, two of our science classes engaged in hands-on biotechnology laboratory experiments at a full-day visit to the Dolan DNA Learning Center at Cold Spring Harbor. Students in Mrs. Ruth Fried’s AP Biology class and Mrs. Shulamith Biderman’s Forensics course com-

pleted rounds of restriction enzyme analysis and bacterial transformation. Restriction enzyme analysis, a technique for comparing differently sized particles of DNA, was used to separate DNA fragments based on size and electrical charge. Bacterial Transformation is a technique by which students insert a novel piece of DNA into a bacteria, enabling it to synthesize new proteins. For their particular lab, our students inserted an antibiotic resistance gene for ampicillin, tagged with a green fluo-

rescent protein gene from a jellyfish, to develop transformed bacteria that could grow on an ampicillin-laced

medium while glowing fluorescent green.

A fun time was had by all as summarized by twelfth grade AP Biology student, Rebecca Silvera from Woodmere, NY: “I loved the experience of going outside of school to take part in a fun and interesting lab. I learned how to use a lot of new apparatus, and it was so cool to apply the concepts I was learning in class to hands-on experiments as I was learning them.

“It was so special to be the first ones the DNA learning center has allowed in to study since the pandemic.”

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Chocolate & Vanilla 7.05 Oz

Mochaccino/ Truf - Fill/In Cream/ChokoKid Bars 1.34 Oz

1.65 Oz

2/$5

$1.10

$0.89

$0.69

$0.75

$0.79

$0.79

$0.79

$0.89

Klik

Liebers

Liebers

Paskesz

Shneiders

Man

Liebers

Elite

Man

1.23 Oz

Strawberry/ Hazenut/Coffee/ French Vanilla 2.60 Oz

Milk & Dark Chocolate 30 Grm

1.76 Oz

1.90 Oz

Vanilla/Coffee/ Lemon 7 Oz

La Hit

Rice Cake

Wafer Rolls

Delinut Dip

Nutty Chew

Wafer

Danish Butter Cookies 4 Oz

Chocolate Covered Biscuit Crunch

Mini Delicious Wafers 7 Oz

3.50 Oz

$0.89

$0.89

$0.89

$0.89

$0.99

$0.99

$1.09

$1.19

$1.29

$1.29

Man

Manamit

Silhouette

Paskesz

Elite

Elite

Gefen

Elite

Chocolate & Hazelnut 7.05 Oz

All Flavors 3.50 Oz

All Flavors 3.50 Oz

Milk/Bittersweet/Popping Candies 3 Oz

All Flavors 3.39 Oz

Chocolate & Lemon 14.10 Oz

Caramelized White Chocolate Bar

Klik Mini Bags

7 Pk

Tirosh Sandwich Cookies

Chocolate Wafer

Wafer Cubes

Wafer Roll

Sour Sticks

Chocolate Bars

Shtix

7 Oz

Wafer

All Flavors 2.64 Oz

3.50 Oz

$1.29

$1.29

$1.29

$1.29

$1.39

$1.49

$1.69

$1.69

$1.89

2/$3

Elite

Liebers

Paskesz

Heart & Rainbow Lollipops

Klik

Paskesz

Man

Paskesz

Paskesz

Shneiders

Paskesz

Milk & Parve 5.29 Oz

Berry & Strawberry

Extra Creamy Chocolate Bar

Vanilla & Cookies Only 3.50 Oz

Mini Gift Box Jam 3.15 Oz

Chocolate Crisp Bar & Cornflakes

12 Oz

2/$3

2/$3

2/$3

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

4.50 Oz

7.79 Oz

Candy Rings

Coated Finger Wafers

1.80 Oz

3 Oz

2/$3

Fizzy Fruits

Dunkees Singles

Candy Watches 9.87 Oz

2/$4

Paskesz

9.30 Oz

Fruit/Mix Berry & Sour 12 Oz

8.80 Oz

3/$3

Candy Bracelets

Chews

Fizzy Bottles

2/$5

Paskesz

Mini Encore, Milk Munch, Smirk & Bonus

Candy Bracelets

8.82 Oz

5 Oz

2/$4

Paskesz

9.30 Oz

Milk Munch/ Smirk/ Encore/ Bonus Bites/Solos

9.10 Oz

Paskesz

Candy Spinner & Windmill Candy Pop

T-Chocolate

Fruit Reels

2/$5

2/$5

Chocolate Wafer

Imperial

Manamit

4.20 Oz

Chocolate Wafer & Chocolate Cover 40 Pk

Skate

Strawberry/Tutti Frutti/Cherry 50 Ct

$2.99

$2.99

$2.99

$2.99

$2.99

$2.99

$3.99

$3.99

$3.99

$3.99

Taffy Pops

Sour Belts

Elite

Vanilla & Chocolate Cupcake

Paskesz

Kedem

Paskesz

Liebers

Carmit

Paskesz

All Flavors 4.50 Oz

1.41 Oz

White/Twisted 1.75 Oz

2/$1

2/$1

2/$1

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

All Flavors 50 Ct

Paskesz

Strawberry & Raspberry 30 Pc

Mini Choc Log/ Pesek Zman/KifKef/Pesek Zman Wafer

Achva

45 G

Mini Milk Munch & Smirk

Tea Biscuits

Ooh Chew

Marshmallow

14.10 Oz

$3.99

$4.49

$5.99

2/$1

Paskesz

Mini Biscuit Crunch

Liebers

Liebers

.70 Oz

Lolly Fizz 14 G

Bally Bally Candy

3/$1

3/$1

3/$1

4/$1

4/$1

4/$1

4/$1

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

Paskesz

Imperial

Liebers

Candy Spinner & Windmill Candy Pop

Elite

.70 Oz

Double Dip

Liebers

Fizz Bottle

Candy Necklaces

Reg & Sour 15 Gr

Chocolate Bars

Rice Crisp/Hazelnut & Bittersweet 1.23 Oz

Mini Encore & Bonus Bars

2/$1

2/$1

3/$1

Spiral & Swirlo Lollipop

Laffy Taffy Rope

Man

4/$1

4/$1

5/$1

Gefen

Liebers

Liebers

Fruit Punch & Strawberry 4 Pack

4 Pack

Happiness

All Flavors .80 Oz

Chocolate Wafer

1.69 Oz

Candy Watch

Popples Tube Milk Chocolate

Big Dippers .42 Oz

Single Sour Belts

Candy Bracelets

Strawberry/Tutti Frutti/Cheery .42 Oz

All Flavors .35 Oz

.70 Oz

Candy Lipsticks

Skate

Box Drink

Apple Juice

Cotton Candy .80 Oz

6/$1

5/$2

6/$1

7/$1

8/$1

10/$1

10/$2

$1.29

$1.69

2/$1

Liebers

Paskesz

Liebers

Shwartz

Liebers

Potato Chips

Sunrise

Liebers

Pop A Nosh

Wise

Kitov

All Flavors .75 Oz

.50 Oz

Corn Chips Bbq & Regular 1 Oz

Alpha Bites Cookies

Chocolate & Vanilla 1.40 Oz

.50 Oz

Kettle Popcorn

Onion Rings

All Flavors .75 Oz

Reg & Sweet 1 Oz

Pretzels

Popcorn

Mixed Munch & Honey Bbq Munch

Potato Chips All Flavors 1.25 Oz

Corn Pops Lite & Reg .50 Oz

1.50 Oz

3/$1

3/$1

4/$1

4/$1

4/$1

4/$1

7/$1

3/$2

4/$2

5/$2

Liebers

Liebers

Liebers

Mighty

Paskesz

Drizzilicious

Camille Bloch

Camille Bloch

Carmit

Camille Bloch

1 Oz

All Flavors 10 Pk

All Flavors 3.50 Oz

Milk/Dark/White 3.50 Oz

All Flavors 3 Oz

5 Pk

Chocolate Chiplets Cookies

Crispy Goodies 1 Oz

Mini Wow 1 Oz

1 Oz

6/$2

7/$2

choco Chocolate Pops gifts Gold Confection

$1.29

8/$2

Gold Confection

Purim Cards

Family Pack Noshkes

Peanut Puffs

2/$5

10/$2

Gold Confection

Purim Bottles

Gold Confection

Pretzel Box 2 Pc

Gold Confection

Pretzel Box 4 Pc

Torino Chocolate Bars

Cinnamon & Smores 4 Oz

2/$5

Gold Confection

Pretzel Box 8 Pc

Swiss Chocolate Bars

2/$5

Gold Confection

Gift Boxes Assorted Truffles

2/$5

Gold Confection

Gift Boxes

Chocolate Bars

3/$3

Torino Milk Chocolate Bars

$3.49

Le Chocolate

Le Chocolate

Le Chocolate

12 Oz

14 Oz

28 Oz

Strawberry/Pina Colada/Cherry 5 Oz

Simcha Chocolate Platter

$4.99

$15.99

Small Sectional Gift Box

Large Sectional Gift Box

1.50 Oz

$1.99

$2.99

$1.99

$2.99

$3.99

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$15.99

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Enjoying simchas Adar at YOSS ECC

Keeping Spirits High at YCQ

J

ust before students and staff from Yeshiva of Central Queens headed off for a much-needed school break, the eighth-grade SET³ STEM Club participated in a spaghetti bridge building competition.

Each student received a kit complete with spaghetti and glue guns, in order to build his/her bridge. The goal was to design and build a structure that would hold the maximum amount of weight applied. Students first explored the field of engineering, discussing civil engineers, responsible for design and construction, and mechanical engineers who focus on building the most stable structures. Usually, the students work in teams to discuss options; this year, the lessons were on Zoom, with the

students each building his/her own bridge, then meeting for the competition. All the bridges held a good deal of weight, with many holding the maximum weight of over 20lbs.

In a special presentation, just prior to winter break, the second grade students received their first Chumash. After working hard with their morot and music teacher Morah Tali Brody, they performed a beautiful rendition of Modeh Ani and read together from their first Chumash.

To bring in the crazy, exciting, fun month of Adar and to celebrate Rosh Chodesh pre-school and elementary school students wore their craziest silliest hats to school while class 3-211 danced down the hall singing Mishenichnas Adar, increasing the

excitement in the building.

To close out this week, on Motza’ei Shabbat, the fourth grade girls enjoyed a virtual Melave Malka

organized by Mrs. Shirley Pourad Kaikov. Each student received a custom bag, replete with snacks, supplies for a craft project let by Morah Tova Friedman, and ingredients for a “make-your-own-pizza” with instructions by YCQ’s very own Rabbi Luigi Ribalt. The guests heard words of wisdom though a meaningful story told by guest speaker, Mrs. Amit Yaghoubi. To end the evening, the participants enjoyed videos of Morah Silverstein’s class performing Adon Olam and Morah Friedman’s class performing Kos Yeshuot.

During these unprecedented times and the challenges that both students and staff are facing during this school year, the ongoing exciting events are keeping spirits high and students engaged in their learning at YCQ.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A Packed Week at SHS

A

dar started with a bang – or a carnival!

Seniors surprised the school with an awesome carnival.

Games lined the walls of the gym as each grade had an opportunity to visit. Junior Tehilla Polansky challenged math teacher, Mrs. Siegel, to a lasso tying contest. Regrettably, Tehilla did not win but it did not spoil her fun!

“The games were great,” junior Shira Lax added. “It was really fun!”

To add to the excitement of Adar, second semester clubs began! The hallways smelled delicious as the baking club finished their S’Mores cake.

Graphic Design, Basketball, Israel Activism, Ridiculous Games, Current Events, and more met on Thursday

Over 650 Women Join in Power of Positivity Event

and gave students an opportunity to explore their interests.

“Clubs really make my week,” senior Aliza Fruchter says.

Finally, Shulamith showed their support of Sharsheret Pink Day by wearing pink and competing in Pink Day Cake Wars. Guest judges Malkie Hirsch and Gittie Allman judged the beautiful cakes. In addition, students heard from a Sharsheret Long Island Program coordinator Rebecca Cohen.

She spoke about Sharsheret and the importance of spreading awareness and supporting the families of those undergoing treatments.

It was another incredible week at SHS, and there are many more surprises in store for Adar!

Miriam Jacobovits Photography

O

n Motzei Shabbos, February 13, more than 650 women from across the Five TownsFar Rockaway community enjoyed an interactive event with fellow shul members and their rebbetzin or shul facilitator. The event was held on different Zoom modules for 17 shuls in the neighborhood, including shuls in Far Rockaway, Lawrence, Cedarhurst, Woodmere, and Hewlett.

The event, “The Power of Positivity: Finding peace through our hidden strengths,” focused on finding a positive outlook to the challenges that people face, especially during these times. The workshop featured psychological insights and tools that

generated discussion among members. Participants enjoyed interacting with their rebbetzin or the shul facilitator and enjoyed connecting with other shul members, many of whom they hadn’t seen in a while.

Those who registered early for the event received a complimentary gift bag from the Jewish Women’s Leadership Council of the Five Towns (JWLC).

The event was presented by the JWLC, which is comprised of local Orthodox rebbetzins and community leaders. The UJA Federation of New York and the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC helped to coordinate and sponsor the free event.

Did you know?

CALL OR TEXT 347–572–8973 INSTAGRAM: MIRIAMJACOBOVITSPHOTOGRAPHY

Lighter shade wines are from colder climatic regions and are light in strength, whereas darker shaded wines come from warmer regions and are rich and ripe.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

S H a lO m Ta S k FO r C e

You Are NoT ALoNe

MTA Goes Pink

Confidential 888.883.2323 Call. Text. Whatsapp Hotline Call our Confidential Hotline to discuss any issues about relationships or domestic abuse. We provide a listening ear to all.

Our referrals help our callers gain access to helpful resources, including legal assistance, counseling, and safe shelters. For more information and to speak with a trained advocate, please visit www.shalomtaskforce.org.

No oNe Deserves To Be ABuseD

M

TA celebrated #SharsheretPinkDay2021 on Wednesday, February 10 and raised awareness about Sharsheret’s important programs and services for Jewish women and families facing breast cancer and ovarian cancer. MTA’s Pink Day Committee, spearheaded by Director of Guidance Mrs. Tamar Sheffey, visited each shiur throughout the morning (even those on Zoom!) to introduce Sharsheret’s programs and give out

sweet pink treats. Rabbi Schonbrun, MTA’s Chessed Coordinator, worked with talmidim to create an inspiring Pink Day mural by writing personal notes and words of encouragement to Sharsheret members.

Thank you to the amazing Pink Day Committee and their volunteers, Yonatan Burns, Donny Book, Matty Dreifus, Abe Friedenberg, Akiva Kra, and Aryeh Sabo, for all of their hard work!

An Epic Talent Show

G

etting into the Adar spirit, Miss Blotner’s 3rd-4th Grade at Cheder Chabad Girls of Long Island prepared an epic talent show!

The girls thought about what talent they had that they wanted to share with their classmates and prepared all week for their performance.

They helped create the backdrop display for the show and eagerly discussed the upcoming event with their classmates.

The day of the talent show finally arrived, and what a performance it was! From juggling, to headstands, to clay creations and magicians, the girls wowed each other with the talents they possessed. Musical talents abounded, as three different students each performed solo on the keyboard, one student impressing everyone with her ability to play by ear!

Excitement and pride imbued the classroom as each student had another opportunity to display an area in which they shine.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Snow-covered shtenders and chairs at the Nikolsburger shul in Woodbourne, NY

A High Yield Investment in the Heart of Jerusalem

S

derot Hayovel is the leading urban renewal project in central Jerusalem’s Kiryat Hayovel neighborhood.

Sderot Hayovel brings a unique, novel concept to housing in Israel’s capital, offering apartments finished to a high standard together with commercial and public real estate for a self-contained community that has everything a resident could want, all within walking distance.

The project has elicited tremendous excitement, not only on the part of young couples who want to move in but also from investors who know an outstanding business opportunity when they see one. According to real estate experts, this is the time to take advantage of the surprisingly reasonable prices –while construction is still ongoing and before the entire neighborhood undergoes gentrification.

Kiryat Hayovel, known for its oldworld charm and central location,

is one of the city’s best-loved neighborhoods. With all the construction projects underway — and the new Light Rail line planned right on the main street – the neighborhood promises to become one of the most accessible, in-demand, and popular

Did you know?

The smell of young wine is called an “aroma,” while a more mature wine offers a more subtle “bouquet.”

communities in the capital.

The Sderot Hayovel project, led by the Kidmat Hayovel and Carasso Real Estate, consists of three clusters of buildings, for a total of 508 units, located along Tahon Street, a main artery that connects the different areas of the city. The first cluster features two 20-floor towers with plenty of underground parking and including a kindergarten and stores, with occupancy expected in three years. All local residents will benefit from development enhancements, including upgraded infrastructures and space for commercial and public services. Additionally, a unique, 2,800 sq. commercial boulevard is planned along Tahon Street as an integral part of the project. Residents

will enjoy a full range of services, including boutiques, fine restaurants, cafes, clothing and shoe stores, gift shops and more, as well as a cinema and health clinics.

Representatives from Carasso Real Estate and Kidmat Hayovel are gratified by the accelerated development of the project.

“We’re seeing more and more Jerusalem residents anxious to take advantage of this rare, high-yield investment opportunity. At the same time, we’re meeting clients who already imagine themselves moving into a new apartment with all the amenities.

We’re proud and delighted to be a part of the positive changes that are happening in Kiryat Hayovel.”

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

Unique Wines for a Meaningful Purim

By Gabriel Geller Royal Wine/Kedem

I

t is truly mind-boggling to think that Purim is around the corner. What has happened in the world since Purim last year is almost unbelievable. Yet, here we are, gearing up for megillah, shalach manos, the seudah, etc.

Baruch Hashem, most of us will be in shul for Megillah and with our loved ones for the seudah. Let us make a point this year to make Purim especially meaningful. And by meaningful, I certainly do not mean drunk to stupor. If we are here, safe, and healthy, it means that is what Hashem wanted and blessed us in His bountiful mercy.

Recently, I was interviewed on a radio show to comment about the growth of the kosher wine market, especially to defend the materialistic reality that is the proliferation of many high-end wines retailing at $40, $80, $100, or more. Not everyone can afford such wines, of course. Wine in that regard is not much different from houses, cars, clothing, etc. We do not need luxurious wine, or cars, or houses, or clothes to survive. However, as long as we are blessed enough to afford luxury in one or several areas and appreciate it without making it the primary focus of our life, in my humble opinion, indulging a bit is a way to show gratitude to Hashem.

Some of us genuinely appreciate wine, sipping a glass of great wine, savoring each aroma and flavor, the texture, the structure of the wine at the Shabbos table or the Purim seudah for that matter is, for us, a legitimate way to elevate a spiritual moment. Others prefer whisky, tequila, rum, vodka, or maybe have no taste for alcoholic beverages and prefer spring water, music, or maybe chocolate. It’s all good.

The Torah guides us through life. It teaches us that Hashem has created us with physical and emotional needs that not only can but also should be fulfilled and satisfied within the moral and legal limits of halacha and mussar. Is it OK to get drunk and then engage in inadequate behavior? Absolutely not. If

we restrain ourselves in a responsible manner, then, for example, we can drink with moderation a good

to point out to a few of my favorite wines far from cheap, yet I find them worth it. The real question is:

wine, which we appreciate and can afford, we make the bracha, and have in mind the kavana that we will enhance our seudas mitzvah and sing praises to Hashem. We make a Shehecheyanu on new clothing, a chanukas habayis on a new house. Moreover, those are onetime things. We make Kiddush on wine; we make a bracha every time we drink it. Like wearing a yarmulke, these are constant reminders of Hashem’s presence in the world and our life.

Now, much like everything else, wine can be relatively inexpensive or expensive. Just as inexpensive does not necessarily mean poor quality, not all expensive wines are “worth it.”

In choosing the wine(s) to grace my table, I always favor quality over quantity, be it Purim, Shabbos seudah, or a random Tuesday night dinner after a long day. I want

how does one tell whether a wine is worth its price?

My answer to that is quite simplistic. However much you paid for a bottle, as long as you greatly enjoy it and do not regret buying it, it is worth it. Think of your last great family vacation. You took everyone on a trip to Eretz Yisrael, stayed in a nice hotel, davened at the Kosel, visited your rosh yeshiva, and had a grand time with friends and relatives. It might have cost you a pretty penny, but you would probably do it again and pay for it in a heartbeat.

It is the same idea here. Whether you paid $30, $50, or $100 for that great bottle of wine you had over Shabbos, if you greatly enjoyed it, then it was worth it.

One of my favorite recently released wines from Bordeaux is Château Malmaison Baronne Nadine de Rothschild 2018, from the northern appellation of Moulis-en-Médoc. It

costs around $30-35. When I tasted it, it amazed me how good it was.

Usually, wines like this cost around $80 on average.

An incredibly complex wine with notes of dark berries and earth that will become even more complex and enjoyable if cellared for 10-15 years, wow, although the Herzog Clone Six Edition Cabernet Sauvignon Chalk Hill 2018 is significantly more expensive. No less than $150. If you are financially blessed and want a wine that you can put away for your 2018-born grandchild’s sheva brachos, then this is a prime candidate. The depth, layers, and concentration make this wine a true showstopper. California winemaking in its entire splendor.

There is a Spanish wine that consistently ranks in my top 15 favorite wines. The $85 or so Clos Mesorah 2016 is even better than the beautiful label suggests. What an elegant and multidimensional wine, which beautifies the table just by its mere presence on it. A great blend of Syrah, Grenache, and Carignan made by the first Jewish-owned and fully kosher winery in Spain since the dark days of the Inquisition and the Expulsion of Jews in 1492.

There are also some exceptional white wines, such as the Flam Camellia 2019 from Israel, which retails around $50. It is a Chardonnay, with just a little bit of Sauvignon Blanc that gives it a complex flavor profile and a vibrant mouthfeel. An amazing wine to enjoy with gravlax!

Last but not least, the $75 Petit Guiraud Sauternes 2017, a sweet, white dessert wine that will add a special dimension to benching at the end of the meal. It has wonderful notes of orange marmalade, dried mango, and apricot intermixed with caramelized almonds.

Still, the lively acidity prevents it from ever feeling cloying and heavy.

Whichever wines you like and choose, they will help making this coming Purim truly memorable for you in all the right ways.

Chag Purim sameach!

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

1.

TJH

Centerfold

Certainly Not Whining

Riddle Me This?

 

“In victory, you deserve Champagne. In defeat, you need it.” - Napoleon Bonaparte “In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” Benjamin Franklin



“What wine goes with Captain Crunch?”

- George Carlin



“Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine.” - Joan Collins



“Better is old wine than new, and old friends like-wise.” - Charles Kingsley

 



“One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts.” - Samuel Johnson “I only drink Champagne when I’m happy, and when I’m sad.

Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone.

When I have company, I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I am not hungry and drink it when I am.

Otherwise I never touch it – unless I’m thirsty.” - Lily Bollinger “A bottle of wine begs to be shared; I have never met a miserly wine lover.”

- Clifton Fadiman

There are 11 bottles in front of you. You have a headache (perhaps from doing this riddle) and are told that one of the bottles contains an antidote that will make you feel better. The rest of the bottles are either Empty Bottles, Water Bottles, or Poisoned Bottles.

You know the following facts about the order of the bottles...

Bottles:

6) Poisoned Bottle

1)

7)

2) Empty Bottle

8)

3)

9) Empty Bottle

4)

10)

5)

11) Poisoned Bottle

You also know that: •

There are 4 Empty Bottles in front of you.

•

There is always a Poisoned Bottle next to another Poisoned Bottle, but never on both sides.

•

There are two other bottles between the Water Bottles.

•

There are only 2 Water Bottles.

•

Empty Bottles are just like Poisoned Bottles, there is always one of the same kind next to it but never on both sides.

• The Antidote is in between a Poisoned Bottle and an Empty Bottle.

List the bottles, in order, so you can find your antidote.

Answer to Riddle - Bottles: 1) Water; 2) Empty; 3) Empty; 4) Water; 5) Poisoned; 6) Poisoned; 7) Antidote; 8) Empty; 9) Empty; 10) Poisoned; 11) Poisoned

*

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Wine Trivia 1. What is the world’s most planted grape variety? a. Cabernet Sauvignon b. Concord c. Merlot d. Pinot Noir 2. How much wine is in a standard bottle? a. 500 ml b. 750 ml c. 100 ml d. 1500 ml 3. Which country has the largest area of vineyards? a. Italy b. France c. Spain d. U.S.A. 4. According to Winston Churchill, approximately how many bottles of Pol Roger Champagne did he drink in his lifetime? a. 1,500 b. 5,000 c. 20,000 d. 42,000

5. Aside for a 1992 bottle of Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon, which sold at a charity auction for way more than it was worth, a 1947 French Cheval-Blanc is widely recognized as the most expensive sold bottle of wine in history. How much did it sell for? a. $304,375 b. $543,000 c. $1.72 million d. $3.6 million 6. Oregon has the second most wineries in the U.S., with approximately 800.

Approximately how many does California have (“Yes, yes, I know you love Oxnard…”)? a. 2,000 b. 4,500 c. 6,000 d. 12,000 7. How many grapes are needed to make an average bottle of wine? a. 150

b. 300 c. 600 d. 2,500 8. Why do wine glasses have a stem? a. It has become the standard way to distinguish wine glasses from non-alcoholic beverage glasses. b. Since waiters usually pour the wine for patrons, it is a way for them to lift the glass without touching the drinking area. c. The higher wine is, the sharper its taste; having a stem raises the cup level. d. So that the drinker holds the stem of the glass, thus not raising the temperature of the wine in the cup.

You Gotta be Kidding Me! The past, present, and future

Answers: 1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. A 6. B 7. C 8. D

Wine Wisdom: 6-8 correct: You are a real wine connoisseur. I can see you swirling your wine glass with your pinky sticking out like it has no right to be at your wine party.

3-5 correct: You know a bit about wine but don’t understand what’s wrong with mixing a little grape juice into it to give some more tase. Oy vey.

0-2 correct: You are oenophobic. (Don’t worry, I’m not disparaging you. It just means that you have a fear of wines.)

were in a bar. It was tense. * * * What did the grape say when the man stepped on it?

Nothing. It just let out a little whine.

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Torah Thought

Parshas Terumah

By Rabbi Berel Wein

I

think that we can all agree that it is difficult and challenging to part with one’s wealth on behalf of an altruistic cause that will bring to the donor no immediate discernible physical profit or gain. Human beings are very possessive when it comes to money. Money and territorial rights are two main issues that have existed throughout the ages regarding dis-

putes between individuals and even nations.

Heaven, therefore, placed a great burden on our teacher Moshe when it required him to ask the Jewish people to part with their wealth in large sums to build a holy Tabernacle, the benefits of which the people could and would be measurable only in spiritual and eternal terms. In fact, the verse

in the Torah regarding the necessity to contribute to the building of that Tabernacle can be understood as requiring that the donor, to fulfill that commandment, must donate part of one’s own heart to this cause.

For too many people, material wealth is really the heart of life and one does not part with it easily or joyfully. Though society generally disrespects and even abhors stinginess and miserly behavior in others, truth be

nacle should occupy such an important part in the biblical narrative of the Torah. One such idea is that the inherent difficulty to give away what one has personally achieved is of such a nature that the Torah recorded for us the building of the Tabernacle in a long, detailed fashion. It is as though the Torah is emphasizing to us the difficulty involved in having to donate towards the construction of even the most glorious and noble of causes.

We come into this world with clenched fists ready to grab everything that we can.

said, within all of us lies the seeds of such behavior. Instinctively, humans want to retain what they think they already have, and they want to possess more of the world than they currently own or control.

We come into this world with clenched fists ready to grab everything that we can. Only at the very end are our fists open and our fingers fully extended to indicate that we really possess nothing of this physical world in which we have devoted so much of our time and efforts.

There are many reasons advanced as to why the building of the Taber-

And, if it is difficult, as it certainly is, to give of one’s own wealth towards a charitable cause, it is even more difficult to ask others to do so. The Talmud told us that the one that causes charitable causes to be financed and advanced by others through their donations is greater even than the donor. We are all reluctant to ask others to part with their wealth no matter how noble the cause that we are representing. Therefore, the Torah reading of this week really speaks to us and to our continuing challenges as individuals and as a society.

Shabbat shalom.

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From the Fire Parshas Terumah

Hashem’s Inner Chamber

By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

T

he Baal Haturim quotes the Zohar (Parshas Korach 178b) with respect to the pasuk at the beginning of this week’s parsha, which explains that the word “terumah” is a contraction of the words “Torah Mem, Torah 40” because “‘terumah’ stands for ‘Torah 40’ because the Torah was given after forty days.”

What is the connection between terumah, which is the beginning of the process of building the Mishkan, and the giving of the Torah? The Midrash (Tana D’vei Eliyhau 12) explains that when the Jewish people said, (Shemos 24:7) “‘Naaseh v’nishma, We will do and we will hear,’ Immediately, Hashem said to Moshe that he should tell the Jewish people that they should make Him a Mishkan…(Shemos 25:8) ‘Make Me a sanctuary and I will dwell among them.’” This Midrash also demonstrates that Chazal saw a connection between the giving of the Torah and the building of the Mishkan, but we must still identify the nature of that connection.

The Midrash (Shmos Raba 33) explains the connection between the giving of the Torah and the building of the Mishkan with a parable: There is a parable of a king who had one daughter. One of the kings came and married her. He asked to return to his country and take his wife with him.

[The king] said to him, “I have given you my only daughter. I am unable to separate from her. I cannot tell you not to take her because she is your wife. Instead, do me this favor. Wherever you go, make a room for me so that I may stay with you since I am unable to leave my daughter.”

Similarly, Hashem said to the Jewish people, “I have given you the Torah.

I cannot separate from it. I cannot tell you not to take it. Instead, wherever you go, make me a house so that I may dwell in it,” as it says, “Make me a sanctuary...”

We learn from this Midrash that the primary purpose of the Mishkan is to serve as a place which joins together Hashem, His “daughter” (the

Torah), and his “son-in-law” (the Jewish people). Indeed, the Ramban in his introduction to the parsha explains that the purpose of the Mishkan is to carry on, in a concealed way, the revelation of Hashem on Har Sinai. This is why the centerpiece of the Mishkan, the Aron, contained the Luchos (Devarim 10:2), which mysteriously contained the whole Torah within them (Rashi on Shmos 24:12). Indeed, most of the mitzvos in the Torah were given to Moshe by Hashem from above the Aron, as the pasuk (Shmos 25:22) in this week’s parsha says, “And I will arrange meetings with you there and I will speak with you from above the cover of the Aron from between the two Cherubim...” That is why the word “terumah” stands for the fact that the Torah was given after forty days and why the Jewish people’s statement that “we will do and we will hear” prompted the command to build the Mishkan.

The Mishkan is the place where Hashem, the Torah, and the Jewish people can be together as one.

Hashem said to His son-in-law, the Jewish people, that He would be with them and the Torah wherever they traveled. The problem is that we have not had a Beis Hamikdash or Mishkan for a very long time. Hashem said, “I cannot separate from it,” so where is that little house in which Hashem, the Torah, and the Jewish people can dwell together? Yechezkel, the first Navi to prophesize in exile, said, (Yechezkel 11:16) “And I shall be to them a small sanctuary.” The Gemara (Megilla 29a) explains that “these are the shuls and batei medrash (houses of Torah study) in Bavel.” We can infer from this Gemara that every moment we spend studying Torah in shul or a Beis Medrash is a means of experiencing the reality of sharing a dwelling place with the Creator.

Rav Pinchas Friedman, the Belzer Rosh Kollel in Yerushalayim, points out that this entire concept is difficult to understand. Ostensibly (Yeshayahu 6:3), “Hashem’s glory fills the entire world” and (Tikunei Zohar 91b) “no

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

place is devoid of Him.” Hashem remains with the Torah wherever we go.

Why does He need one house set aside in order to dwell together with the Torah and the Jewish people?

Rav Friedman prefaces his answer to this question by asking why Chazal (see e.g., Sukah 28a) refer to all complex halachic discussions as “the discussions of Abaye and Rava.” Why are all such discussions referred to as the discussions between Abaye and Rava when there are many famous pairs of disputants in the Mishna and Gemara?

The Gemara (Brachos 48a) relates a formative story of Abaye and Rava which may constitute their first dispute. According to the Gemara, “Abaye and Rava were studying [as children] before Raba. Raba asked them, ‘To whom do we make brachos?’

They said to him, ‘To Hashem.’ [Raba asked them further,] ‘Where is Hashem?’ Rava pointed to the ceiling [of the Beis Medrash] and Abaye went outside and pointed to the heavens. Raba said to them, ‘You will both become great rebbeim.’” Based on Raba’s responses, the answers of Abaye and Rava seem to have great depth so we must understand what they each mean.

Rav Friedman quotes the Gemara (Chagiga 5b), based on the reading of Rabbeinu Chananel and the Zohar, that Hashem cries while the Jewish people are in exile, as the pasuk (Yirmiyahu 13:17) says, “And if you do not listen to it, my soul will weep in secret.” The Gemara continues on to challenge this and asks how the pasuk could say that Hashem is crying in exile when another pasuk (Divrei Hayamim 1:16:27) says, “There is might and joy in His place.”

The Gemara resolves the apparent contradiction by explaining that on the inside there is always joy. But on the outside, externally, Hashem is crying.

The Seforim Hakedoshim explain that the outside refers to yiras Shamayim, the fear of heaven, which means maintaining a basic level of religiosity and observance, as the pasuk (Tehillim 111:10) says, “Reishis chochma yiras Hashem, The beginning of wisdom is fear of heaven.” However, the inner place of Hashem, where (Shir Hashirim 1:4) “the king brought me into his chamber,” is our study of the Torah. Then, as the pasuk in Shir Hashirim continues, “I will rejoice and be glad in You.” In that inner chamber,

“there is might and joy in His place.”

And how do we know that the word “might” refers to Torah? As the Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni Tehillim 21) says, “Might refers only to Torah.”

Every Jew must have basic fear of heaven in order to enter into the most basic relationship with Hashem. At this

Rav Friedman then explains that we can now understand the dispute regarding Hashem’s “location” in response to Raba’s question.

Rava pointed to the ceiling of the Beis Medrash as if to say that in exile, Hashem is most revealed in the Beis Medrash. Abaye, however, went out-

The purpose of the Mishkan is to carry on, in a concealed way, the revelation of Hashem on Har Sinai.

state, one does not yet taste of the great joy of being in Hashem’s presence. If anything, he senses the “crying of G-d” as felt in the difficulties of exile. But then he must continue into Hashem’s inner chamber by studying Torah and davening in the shuls and batei medrash where “there is might and joy in His place.”

The Gemara (Shabbos 31a-b) explains, “Any person who has Torah but does not have fear of heaven is similar to a treasurer who was given the keys to the inner chamber but not the outer chamber.” Without the keys to the outer chamber, he cannot even approach the inner chamber to which he does have the keys.

Now we understand why Hashem wants a specific place in which to dwell with us. Because there will be times of tears, of concealment of Hashem’s presence, Hashem gave us constant access, no matter where we go in exile, to His inner chamber, to the “the shuls and batei medrash.” Whether it was the Aron from which Hashem spoke to Moshe, the Beis Hamikdash, or every shul and beis medrash in which we study Torah today, we have the keys to Hashem’s inner chamber in which we experience the joy of Hashem’s presence, even in exile. That is what the Gemara (Brachos 8a) means, when it says that “from the day that the Beis Hamikdash was destroyed, all Hashem has in His world is the four amos of halacha.” Our study of Torah in the Beis Hamikdash is the place where Hashem’s presence and joy are felt most openly.

side and pointed to the heavens to hint at the fact that while Hashem’s inner chamber, where He is most revealed, is, in fact, in the Beis Medrash, one cannot even approach the Beis Medrash without fear of heaven. This is related to the Mishna (Avos 3:11) which teaches

that “the wisdom of anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom will last.”

In connection with these teachings, we must strengthen our connection to and honor of our Beis Medrash, as the place where we connect to Hashem and His Torah. We must increase of study of Torah here and strengthen our commitment to honoring this place by not weakening our commitment to avoid speaking during davening, by taking care of the building, and by supporting it financially.

May we merit to constantly enter Hashem’s inner chamber by studying Torah in our mikdash mi’at our miniature Beis Hamikdash here in exile, and may we merit to build the revealed and everlasting Beis Hamikdash in Yerushalayim, may it be soon in our days.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

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Parsha Ponderings

Parshas Terumah

By Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky

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arshas Terumah discusses the building of the Mishkan.

According to many commentaries, the purpose of the Mishkan was to atone for the terrible sin of the Golden Calf. The Jews committed this sin in response to a misconception that Moshe Rabbeinu died, leaving them without a leader.

Hashem wanted to annihilate the Jews after they sinned, but Moshe begged Hashem to spare them, which He did. Hashem then commanded the Jews to build a place for Him on Earth, in which He will “rest” His Shechina amongst us.

Interestingly, the Torah only recounts the story of the sin of the Golden Calf two weeks after the commandment to build the Mishkan – in Parshas Ki Sisa. Why is that?   

Rabbi Paysach Krohn, in his book, Around the Maggid’s Table, tells a fascinating story of Divine

Providence.

Mr. Heshy Millet of Brooklyn came to shul one day and discovered an elderly gentleman, a regular in shul, looking extremely depressed and agitated.

“What is the matter?” he asked.

“I am so distressed, that it is hard for me to explain,” the man began. “Last week, I had a burglary in my home, and the thieves stole my ancient megillah, which is a family heirloom! I cannot believe it is gone, and I have not gotten back to myself for the past week.”

Mr. Millet was shocked, but he immediately responded. “I know exactly where your megillah is!”

Only a few days prior, Mr. Millet’s nephew told him about a robbery he had in his shop.

“The thieves stole some equipment and cash,” his nephew told him, “but besides that, they really made a mess! They left my place a wreck! Beer bottles, wrappers, and garbage were all over the place, but

the strangest thing is that, as I was cleaning up and assessing the damage, I found a megillah on the floor!

I have no idea where it came from, or what to do with it!”

As the old man was talking, Mr. Millet immediately realized that his nephew was in possession of the stolen megillah! He called his nephew, and only a short time later, the old man in shul was reunited with his precious megillah.

his plot to kill the Jews.

And yes, we find it here, too.

Even though in reality the sin of the Golden Calf happened before the commandment to build the Mishkan, Hashem placed in the Torah the command for the remedy before the actual sin.

The order may be backward, but the message is forward. Hashem is looking out for our benefit – and has our back.

   My grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, explains. Hashem has many ways in which He runs His world. One of His commonly found methods of ensuring the continuity of the Jews is to “prepare the cure before the illness.” We find this phenomenon in the story of Purim, when Mordechai overhears a plot to kill the king and reports it, thus gaining favor in the eyes of Achashveirosh, even before Haman devised

Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetzky is the Director of Advancement at Yeshiva of South Shore – Yeshiva Toras Chaim Beis Binyamin. He is currently compiling the Torah thoughts from his grandfather, Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky, zt”l, into print, in Hebrew and English. If you have any stories or divrei Torah to share from his grandfather, or to subscribe to receive a weekly dvar Torah from Rav Binyamin Kamenetzky’s teachings, you can email him at skamenetzky@yoss.org.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Delving into the Daf

Sensitive Situations

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

T

he survival of the donkey would be too great a blow to Bilam’s dignity.

The Gemara is replete with examples of the sensitivity we must have even to individuals who may have sinned. There is a list of aveiros for which one receives the punishment of tzaraas. The most famous cause of tzaraas is the sin of loshon hara.

The metzora is sent out of all three manachanos. He is not allowed to enter Yerushalayim. The Gemara says that the area under the gates of Yerushalayim was specifically not sanctified to be considered part of Yerushalayim (Pesachim 85b). This is due to our compassion for the unfortunate metzora. He is left on the outskirts of Yerushalayim to face the brutal Middle Eastern sun or a torrential downpour. With few options available to him, he may find shelter in the gateway to Yerushalayim. This is due to the fact that the area of the gateway itself was specifically not sanctified for precisely this reason, to allow the metzora to find refuge there.

We don’t say the metzora brought this punishment on himself and so we should let him suffer. Rather, we are deeply concerned for his wellbeing.

In fact, we find an even greater example of this in the Torah (Bamidbar 22). Bilam HaRasha was on his way to curse the Jewish nation; his goal was the total annihilation of the Jewish people. But Hashem sent an angel to obstruct Bilam’s path. While Bilam was not able to see the angel, his donkey saw him clearly. The donkey halted, and Bilam struck it repeatedly to coerce it to continue. The donkey miraculously spoke, rebuking Bilam for the beating. The donkey’s censure remained unanswered.

What a fine specimen this donkey would make for a public presentation!

Throngs of people would come to see the ogre and his talking donkey. How-

ever, the world never got the chance: the donkey expired immediately following this episode. Rashi explains that the survival of the donkey would be too great a blow to Bilam’s dignity.

People would point to the donkey and say, “This is the donkey that silenced Bilam.” Bilam obviously deserved severe retribution (and eventually received it). Nevertheless, Hashem judged that any additional embarrassment for Bilam was unwarranted at this point. This, despite Bilam’s being the personification of evil (see Derech Hashem). If that is the treatment afforded a wicked man, then how much more careful we must be with our conduct towards our friends and family to prevent their embarrassment!

The Gemara in Pesachim offers yet another example of our attitude towards someone who is being punished for their actions. Chazal were concerned that some individuals might not be careful with their korban Pesach. Their lackadaisical attitude may result in the korban becoming tamei and therefore inedible.

Therefore, they decreed that anyone

whose korban becomes tamei must burn their korban in the open in front of the Beis HaMikdosh. This would serve as a reasonable deterrent and punishment to prevent the Korban Pesach from becoming tamei due to inadvertence.

The Mishna states that anyone who has to burn their korban by the Beis Hamikdash can and must use consecrated wood that was set aside for use on the Mizbeach. The Gemara wonders why the individual can’t bring his own wood from home. Rav Yosef explains that not everyone will be able to afford the wood. This wood will be an unforeseen yom tov expense that the person hadn’t planned for. Therefore, a poor individual will have no choice but to use the Beis Hamikodash’s wood. Chazal decreed, therefore, that even a rich individual must use the Beis Hamikodash’s wood in order not to embarrass the person who can’t afford his own.

Burning the korban openly in front of everyone is certainly quite embarrassing. This burning process, which will take some time, will give the onlookers a chance to realize what

occurred. Yet the Gemara considers a one-time quick delivery of consecrated wood to the poor person embarrassing enough to mandate that the Beis Hamikdash supply everyone who needs to burn their Pesach with wood. This, despite the fact that Chazal mandated that this individual be publicly shamed for allowing his korban to become tamei. However, that is not a reason to let him suffer even a little more embarrassment that he is not deserving of.

The Mishna in Bikkurim relates that poor people would bring bikkurim in wicker baskets, while rich people would bring bikkurim in gold and silver baskets. The Tosfos Yom Tov asks why didn’t the rabbis decree that everyone should bring bikkurim in wicker baskets in order not to embarrass the poor people who couldn’t afford the expensive baskets?

The Tosfos Yom Tov answers that, in truth, this would ordinarily be the proper course of action. However, in this case, this would diminish the honor of the Beis Hamikdash. Even when it comes to performing a mitzvah in a beautiful manner such as the bringing of bikkurim, we would prefer to mandate that everyone use a cheap basket. However, for the honor of the Beis Hamikdash, we didn’t make such a decree.

This is another example of the lengths we must go not to embarrass someone. We would even forgo Zeh Keli v’anvehu – hiddur mitzvah – not to embarrass someone who couldn’t afford to participate in that hiddur mitzvah.

Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow is a rebbe at Yeshiva Ateres Shimon in Far Rockaway. In addition, Rabbi Sebrow leads a daf yomi chaburah at Eitz Chayim of Dogwood Park in West Hempstead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@gmail.com.

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My Israel Home

The Pre-Contract Checklist

By Gedaliah Borvick

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ou are finally fulfilling your dream of buying a home in Israel. You found the right apartment, negotiated the price, and now have a handshake with the seller.

What has to be done before the contract gets signed?

Attorney. Retain a lawyer who will negotiate the terms of the contract and also do a title search to ensure there are no liens against the property. If you are overseas, your lawyer will send you a “power of attorney” document for you to sign and get certified by a special international notary called an apostille. This document gives your lawyer the power to sign the contract on your behalf.

Different System. Unlike home purchases overseas, where title is transferred at the “closing” when you receive the keys, in Israel, the magic legal moment when buyers gain an ownership interest is at contract signing. Accordingly, all due diligence must be completed prior to contract execution.

Funds. You will need to send money to cover the down payment and closing costs that are due soon after contract signing, such as the acquisition tax (which is usually payable within 60 days of contract execution),

and your lawyer’s and agent’s fees.

You can wire funds to your lawyer’s escrow account, to your Israeli bank account, or to a forex company that will transfer your dollars into shekels and make all the initial payments on your behalf.

ommend that you retain a designer to check the premises and give you a ballpark figure of costs to finish the apartment to your expectations. If you plan to do work that would require a building permit – such as expanding the apartment’s footprint – you

In Israel, the magic legal moment when buyers gain an ownership interest is at contract signing.

Inspection. When buying an existing property, we highly recommend that you hire an engineer to inspect the premises and ascertain that there are no structural issues with the property.

Financing. If you plan to get a mortgage, get pre-approved. If you are going to have a sizable mortgage, it is advised to do an appraisal before contract signing to confirm that the appraised value is similar to the purchase price.

Designer. If you are going to do any work on the apartment, we rec-

should hire a zoning specialist to review plans and the zoning to ascertain that your expectations match reality.

Future Obligations. Make sure that you understand your future financial obligations, such as your monthly condo fees, or “vaad bayit,” and property taxes, known as “arnona.”

Property Manager. If the property will be vacant for long stretches of time between visits, you should hire a property manager to check your apartment on a regular basis.

The property manager’s fee should

be ascertained prior to contract. Parenthetically, if you are buying the property as an investment, the property manager will guide you regarding appliances and furniture. Short-term rentals must be fully furnished but a long-term rental can be given bare, as the tenant will bring their own appliances and furniture. In addition, longterm renters pay the arnona and vaad bayit fees, so your income will be net.

You Are Not Alone. There is a lot to be done from the time you have a handshake until you sign the contract, but don’t despair. We have a tremendous network of seasoned, honest English-speaking real estate professionals – attorneys, engineers, bankers, mortgage brokers, forex specialists, property managers, designers, and architects – who will help you complete your due diligence. Once all the items on the list are checked off, you are ready to move forward and sign the purchase contract.

Gedaliah Borvick is the founder of My Israel Home (www.myisraelhome.com), a real estate agency focused on helping people from abroad buy and sell homes in Israel. To sign up for his monthly market updates, contact him at gborvick@ gmail.com.

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The Wandering

Jew

Siyum in Lublin Part I

By Hershel Lieber

T

his story actually began way before 1996. My friend, Menachem Daum, is my brother-inlaw’s brother. We became close soon after our families merged in 1972, and when we started davening together in the Gerrer Shtiebel, our relationship intensified. We had a lot in common in that we both were mesmerized with “the Old Country,” Poland, and its prewar Jewish history. I traveled there often, and Menachem made a number of trips there as well. We shared our insights and experiences, and though we may have differed on some issues, there was so much common ground that kept us comfortably unified. Menachem is a noted filmmaker whose highly acclaimed films “A Life Apart” and “Hiding and Seeking” brought him recognition beyond our immediate community. Menachem’s talent was sought after for filming weddings and other life cycle events, and I have used him often.

Throughout our relationship, I was aware of Menachem’s fascination with Harav Meir Shapiro, the Lubliner Rav. He read a lot about him, researched his biographical information, pored over photographs and newspaper accounts, and filmed interviews with the Rosh Yeshiva’s talmidim, such as Rabbi Mordechai Yehuda Lubart. He was

With my friend Menachem Daum

Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin

awed by the Lubliner Rav’s multi-faceted talents and his vigorous energy that made him such an accomplished leader at a relatively young age. Menachem’s dream was to produce a documentary about Rabbi Meir Shapiro, a dream that he finally realized with the production of “Only with Joy” in 2020.

In 1996, Menachem approached me with a novel idea. He proposed that I organize a trip to Poland with the centerpiece of that journey being

a siyum of a Daf Hayomi Mesechta in the original building of the famed Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin. He, of course, would join and film the event.

Instinctively, I took on the challenge without thinking much about the logistics. When I started mapping out an outline of the trip with Menachem, I realized how much of a novice I really was and that I had to connect this project with a travel agency that specializes in travel to Poland. The most fitting person I could think of was Rabbi Nachman Elbaum of Ideal Travel, whom I have dealt with previously concerning Poland.

After meeting with him, we divided the duties of organizing the journey, which was named “Return to Lublin.” I would be in charge of advertising and promoting the event, planning an itinerary, and getting the permission of the authorities to hold the siyum in the former Yeshiva building, which was, at that time, a medical college. Nachman would be in charge of airline and tour bus arrangements and the hotels that we would stay at.

We both would share the responsi-

bility of the food requirements. The six-day trip was planned for August 8, and during the months preceding that date, I was quite occupied to ensure that everything would be in place and the plans well organized.

That summer, Pesi and I were in Poland for the Ronald Lauder Summer Retreat. We planned to be there from August 1 for three weeks. We arranged to take off from our lecturing at the retreat for six days so I could lead the “Return to Lublin” journey.

We traveled to Warsaw from the retreat, which was located in the Beskids Mountains in southern Poland. I met Rav Nachman in the Nozyk Shul, and we went to the airport to meet our group. The larger group of fourteen people arrived in the morning, and six others joined us later in the day. Among our group were a number of personalities including Rav Yaakov Finkelstein and his son Ruvain from the Yeshiva of Bayonne, Rav Lipa Margulies and Rabbi Yakov Applegrad from Yeshiva Torah Temimah, and Rabbi Chaim Fuhrer and Rabbi Yosel Schiff. Most of the men came with their wives. Rav Chaskel Besser and his son Naftali, Menachem Daum, and Avraham Horowitz from Israeli TV arrived later in the day and went directly to Lublin.

Our first day consisted of a jampacked program. We traveled by coach bus, and our first stop in Warsaw was the second-largest cemetery in Poland. The bais olam has the kevarim of countless rabbanim, roshei yeshivos and admorim. We walked around with the help of Jan Jagielski, an expert on Jewish Polish history for over an hour, making many stops to be mispallel at the gravesites of so many tzaddikim.

Our next stop was at the Jewish museum, where the assistant director, Grazina Pawlak, presented a short version of the account of the Warsaw Ghetto. We continued to the

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021 The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Rav Yaakov Finkelstein and Rav Nachman Elbaum in the Warsaw cemetery

Umshlagplatz, from where Jews were deported to Treblinka; Mila 18, where the last of the Ghetto fighters met their death; and finally, to the monumental Ghetto Uprising memorial. From there, we went to see the Nozyk Shul, the only surviving prewar synagogue out of over four hundred, and then for dinner at the Menorah Restaurant. We continued on to Gura Kalwaria, to the shul of the Gerrer Rebbes where we davened Mincha, and then to the bais olam to the Ohel of the Chaddushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes. We still had an over three-hour ride ahead of us to Lublin. When we arrived at the Hotel Unia, we were all so tired that we davened Maariv and went to sleep immediately.

The next day was the big day! After Shacharis in the hotel, I took the group to the old bais hachaim. We said Tehillim by the kevarim of the Chozeh of Lublin, the Maharshal, Rav Yaakov Pollack and Rav Sholem Schachne (father-in-law of the Rema). The group continued on to the infamous extermination camp Majdanek, just outside the city, with Reb Nachman offering the tragic narrative of this notorious

The matzeivah of the Chozeh of Lublin

death factory. In the meantime, Pesi and I, with the help of Menachem, ran out to buy some fruit, drinks, and paper goods for the celebration after the siyum. We worked vigorously and

At the ohel of the Chadushei HaRim and the Sfas Emes

studying and davening. This is the hall where I set up a head table on the platform facing the guests.

In total, I would say about one hundred people attended. The dais

It was more than fifty-five years that the sound of Torah had not been heard in this legendary building swiftly to set up the snacks. The group returned a bit after noon, and a bus arrived simultaneously with participants of the Lauder Summer Retreat led by Rabbi Michael Schudrich. A small number of local Jews also participated.

The yeshiva building, which was not returned to the Jewish community until 2003, was still an active medical college. The lecture hall and balcony, which were still being used by the college, was the original bais medrash of the yeshiva, which was used both for

L-R Rabbi and Reb. Margulies and their son with Rabbi Elbaum. Rabbi Finkelstein is at the rear table

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was graced by Rabbis Besser, Elbaum, Finkelstein, Schiff and Schudrich.

I was the master of ceremony. The siyum on Mesechta Sanhedrin was

made by Rav Chaskel Besser, who also addressed the gathering in and Yiddish and Polish. Mesechta Makos was started by Rav Yaakov Finkelstein. Rabbi Schiff spoke in Hebrew, and Rabbi Schudrich addressed the assembled in Polish. The atmosphere at this event was very festive and was followed by singing and dancing and refreshments. The entire program was filmed both by Menachem and Israeli TV. The event was truly unique, since it was more than fifty-five years that the sound of Torah had not been heard in this legendary building. On this day, the sentiments of all the participants were united with the legendary Rav Meir Shapiro as his dream was renewed.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

Rabbi Yaakov Finkelstein and Rabbi Yosel Schiff with their wives

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Biden’s Middle East Strategy

BY SHAMMAI SISKIND

In

early January, workers at the port of Ashdod carefully loaded a container of green trucks and radar systems to be delivered to their overseas destination.

The buyer of this advanced military hardware was none other than the U.S. Army, which had purchased several batteries of Israel’s Iron Dome system back in the summer of 2019.

The January shipment was, in fact, the second such delivery after the Americans received their first full battery set from Israel back in September.

Between the first and second delivery of these systems, drastic changes took place in the United States. A new president was elected, political violence and polarization escalated to dizzying heights, and a very differ-

ent foreign policy agenda was set in motion.

By all accounts, in Washington today, there is a very strong sense of “in with the new, out with the old,” as the fresh administration sets about overturning much of what the previous one put into place. But in some very important ways, the Iron Domes that sailed into American military ports

embody the bits that have stayed the same – despite expectations to the contrary.

As a candidate, Joe Biden made some very substantial commitments with regards to America’s activities abroad. His first few weeks as president were spent putting many of these commitments into action. Many – but not all.

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On the campaign trail, Biden spoke about the havoc that Trump had inflicted or enabled in the Middle East over the past four years. Particular focus was placed on Trump’s policies toward Iran, the Gulf states, and surrounding conflicts. Biden criticized Trump’s so-called maximum pressure strategy on the Islamic Republic and questioned seriously the open support he offered Iran’s foes in the region.

The concerns raised by teamBiden were not empty. Many of them were shared by policymakers in Trump’s own party and even members of his administration. Should the United States be supporting Saudi-led coalitions in Yemen just because they are up against Iranian proxies? Should Washington be supplying weapons for these conflicts to be waged? If, after two years, Iran has not capitulated, is the maximum pressure strategy really the best idea?

The war began to draw negative press as reports emerged of coalition strikes hitting schools, hospitals, and wedding convoys. Civilian casualty numbers began to explode. Today, the Yemen conflict has become the single largest humanitarian crisis in the world, with some 12,000 civilians killed in military operations and another 85,000 dying from the resulting famine that has swept across the country.

As opposition to the war mounted in Congress, Trump was forced to veto measures by the Senate aimed at cur-

however, the lynchpin holding that support in place was removed.

In addition to pulling active aid for the collation’s efforts, Biden also put an indefinite halt on arms sales to the United Arab Emirates and the Saudis and even blocked several deals already slated to be approved.

The administration said these sales would be blocked until undergoing “review.” Among the deals held back

by Biden was the much-publicized sale of the F-35 combat plane, the most advanced stealth fighter system in the world.

The Great Undoing From the moment Biden took office, the region was waiting with baited breath for the proverbial hammers to drop. And drop they did.

On February 4, President Biden announced that the U.S. will no longer support Saudi Arabia’s offensive military operations in Yemen. This effectively ended a five-year-long policy that began under Biden’s former boss Barack Obama and continued through the Trump Administration.

“This war has to end,” Biden said during his first address to the State Department. “And to underscore our commitment, we’re ending all American support for offensive operations in the war in Yemen, including relevant arm sales.”

The incursion into Yemen by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates began in 2015, ostensibly to combat the Iran-backed Shia Houthi rebel movement. From the outset, the war has been the personal initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and received substantial U.S. backing in the form of intelligence, military advice, and, most importantly, logistical support that allowed many large-scale military operations to take place.

Burning Western flags in Iran

tailing arms sales and other support to the Gulf coalition. Rocket attacks by the rebels on Saudi civilian targets and ocean assaults on shipments in the Gulf (not to mention the atrocities being committed by the faction in Yemen itself) demonstrated that the Houthis needed to be defeated at all costs. If not, an Ayatollah-backed militant group would be left to wreak havoc in Yemen.

If left unchecked, the Houthis, it was feared, would conquer all of Yemen along with its vital maritime trade routes linking the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden. At the same time the Houthis were gaining ground, the unstable Yemen became a hotbed for jihadist groups including al-Qaeda and ISIS. All of these factors pushed Trump to maintain his support for the coalition. On January 20, 2021,

The next act in upending the Trump-era policy with regards to Yemen came just a few days later when the State Department announced that the Houthis rebels would no longer be designated a terror organization. In doing so, the U.S. State Department reversed one of the most controversial acts of Trump’s Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, which critics warned could block aid from being delivered to areas under Houthi control. In a statement, a spokesperson for Biden’s brand-new head of the Department Antony Blinken told reporters that the decision was due to “the humanitarian consequences of this last-minute designation from the prior administration, which the United Nations and humanitarian organizations have since made clear would accelerate the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.”

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The last and perhaps most significant in these series of reversals was Biden’s decision to re-engage the Iranians on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the so-called Iran nuclear deal in which Tehran agreed to curtail its nuclear activities in return for easing US sanctions.

Trump unilaterally removed the United States from the deal in 2018.

The man tapped to head the Biden administration’s negotiations was one Robert Malley, head of the non-profit International Crisis Group based in Washington, D.C. Malley and Biden go way back, as it was Malley whom Barack Obama chose to formulate much of JCPOA’s terms back in 2015.

This very choice of chief negotiator is seen as a strong sign of the administration’s plans to go soft on Iran.

To give an idea of Malley’s leanings, in 2008, Obama was forced to sever ties with Malley during his first presidential bid after having taken him on as an informal consultant.

Obama dumped Malley after British media reported on the diplomat’s close ties with Hamas, a designated terror group. Malley claimed that his contact with Hamas was only for the purposes of furthering his peace-promoting work. Seven years later, Malley was back with Obama’s team, this time as the lead negotiator for the president’s deal with the ayatollahs.

Now, Malley is in the White House once again, tasked with reconstructing the deal that he helped build nearly six years ago.

Not What Meets the Eye The trend of the past two weeks has been hailed by Biden’s supporters both at home and internationally as the long-awaited reversal of the last administration’s stance on the Gulf.

According to this view, Trump’s strategy in the region was excessive – even erratic. Biden’s swift actions since late January have all been important steps in reverting back to “normal” foreign policy. Furthermore, the pattern heralds Iran’s salvation. After four years of dealing with an openly hostile administration, weapons have been denied to their enemies, their proxies are no longer designated as

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terrorists, and the man who delivered their golden Obama-era deal six years ago is back in charge.

But while many of these developments are certainly conditions the Iranians desired, they are far from fulfilling all the ayatollahs’ every wish. Indeed, many observers who had hoped Biden would revert back to the Obama status quo have been baffled by some of the current president’s actions.

On February 7, U.S. media reported that the Biden administration will not lift sanctions to get Iran back to the negotiating table. The same report suggested the measure would only happen if Tehran proved that it had put a halt to all uranium enrichment. “No,” Biden said when asked by an interviewer if he would make the move to start negotiations. The president nodded when the reporter asked in a newly released interview clip if Tehran must stop enriching fissile material first.

The declaration by Biden was a surprise to many, but it was not the first sign the administration was taking a more hardline stance than expected. Days earlier, Biden rejected an Iranian offer to coordinate both countries’ return to their nuclear deal commitments. The U.S. State Department argued that the Islamic Republic must first reinstate restrictions the regime suspended in response to the U.S. abandoning the agreement entirely nearly three years ago.

“If Iran comes back into full compliance with its obligations under the JCPOA, the United States would do the same,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his first press conference, “[but] we are a long way from that,” he concluded.

Price’s comments were in response to a proposal by the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, in which Washington and Tehran would synchronize their JCPOA-related moves under the supervision of the European Union. The State Department is adamant, however, that Iran first independently prove compliance.

As many – including ardent Biden supporters – have pointed out, this move has predefined reconciliation

with Iran from the outset as a perpetual game of chicken. From Iran’s perspective, it was the U.S. that abandoned its commitments, and thus Washington must make the first move. As far as the U.S. administration is concerned, no talks are possible before Iran shows it is serious.

This stipulation was taken as a huge disappointment by all who see Biden as the ultimate repudiation of Trump and, in essence, an abandoning of Biden’s campaign commitment to heal ties with Iran.

The reason Yemen and the Saudi’s both approved of the appointment is due to a simple fact. The appointment of the special envoy was not to undermine the coalition’s stance but simply to advance it by other means.

Lenderking, who has reportedly already been in contact with Yemeni officials, is not interested in granting the Houthis a free pass and certainly will not offer them any more control in the country. And while the Emiratis will not be receiving their promised F-35s any time soon, they will

Supporters of the Houthi militia in the streets of Sanaa, Yemen

The narrative that the administration is now “pro-Iran” is further undermined when examining the details of Biden’s actions vis-à-vis Yemen.

True, Biden did put an end to some of America’s more substantial support for the coalition, but this does not mean Biden is now pushing for an outcome favorable to Tehran. After stating his decision to pull support for offensive operations in Yemen, Biden announced the appointment of Timothy A. Lenderking, a Foreign Service veteran, as U.S. special envoy for Yemen. His appointment was, in fact, welcomed by Saudi Arabia, with its foreign ministry issuing a statement of support. Ahmed Awa Bin Mubarak, the foreign minister of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, also applauded Lenderking’s appointment.

continue to receive U.S. assistance to some degree or another in combating common militant foes. In the same speech pulling U.S. support in Yemen, Biden praised the UAE as important partners in the region’s “counterterrorism offensive,” which Washington will continue supporting.

In short, what Biden is trying to achieve in Yemen is to quell the humanitarian disaster that has unfolded there, a goal which is, objectively speaking, completely reasonable. This means the quelling all-out war and an end to civilian casualties. But Biden is not oblivious to the militant actors that still reside in Yemen or the dangers posed to the region at-large.

A New Game with New Rules Similar to his Yemen stance is

Biden’s re-engagement with Iran.

The move to re-ignite talks is not a foolhardy pacifist gesture, rather a pragmatic attempt to address the Iran problem in a different way. But even Biden likely knows the old Obama way is no longer an option.

While Biden may want to publicly portray the conversation on Iran as one on nuclear capabilities and uranium enrichment, the reality is, and has always been, far different. The real threat of Iran for decades has been its unbridled support of militancy and an increasingly expansionist agenda throughout the Middle East.

Iran’s nuclear program, whether it desired to obtain atomic weapons or not, simply provided a distraction to this reality. Blinded by the fear of a nuclear-armed Iran, much of the free world was prepared to forgo all other concerns and thus made a trade with the ayatollahs: guarantees of curtailing nuclear activities in exchange for leaving them alone. The drawbacks of this decision began to manifest immediately. Once sanctions were initially lifted in 2015, Iran’s support of its proxy Hezbollah increased by as much as four-fold. Iran was able to advance its missile technologies, some of which was likely used in Houthi attacks against the Saudis.

Iran was able to field militias in Iraq and Syria, increasing the violence that engulfed both of those nations.

Iran was able to run both militant and illicit financial schemes around the world, from Germany to Trinidad.

This was ultimately the rationale for the Trump administration leaving the deal three years ago and reimposing sanctions on Tehran. It was not the nuclear program per-se but the long list of Iran’s aggressive activities that were devastating the region.

Biden, for either political or practical considerations, is taking a different approach to Iran. But the administration cannot deny that the threat Iran poses must be taken seriously and contained. This sentiment was clearly recognized by Biden’s own National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan when, in a late January press conference, he slammed Iran’s “malign behavior,” including the country’s advancing ballistic missile program.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Biden’s pick to head the Defense Department, former general Lloyd Austin, has called Iran a “destabilizing element” in the region and a country that posed a direct threat to U.S. interests. When asked about re-entering the nuclear deal about a month ago, Austin stated, “The pre-conditions for us considering to reenter into that agreement would be that Iran meet the conditions outlined in the agreement. I would hope that, as we enter into that agreement, we could look at some broader things that may or may not be a part of this treaty, but certainly things that I think need to be addressed. One of those things is ballistic missiles.”

Far from pandering to Iran, Biden’s policy is, in fact, taking into consideration the very real dangers of the regime. While the president is clearly trying to advance stability in the Gulf, he is not granting Iran carte blanche. Following this vein, Biden

understands that whatever moves he makes that would ease pressure on Iran must be accompanied by protections for its own allies.

Army units from short-range projectile attacks while operating in hostile areas. Recent reports have revealed, however, that the Israeli

This move has predefined reconciliation with Iran from the outset as a perpetual game of chicken.

Which brings us back to the United States’ recently acquired Iron Domes.

When the U.S. announced it would be purchasing the missile defense system from Israel in 2019, the stated purpose was to defend

systems will, in fact, be deployed in unspecified “Gulf countries.” Rumors that Arab states may purchase Iron Domes from Israel have begun circulating more than two years ago. All have been fervently denied by both Israel and other states. But now it is

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official. The Iron Dome will be used to defend Saudi Arabia and most likely the UAE from possible attacks emanating from Yemen or even Iran itself.

The U.S. supplying these systems to its Gulf allies serves two purposes.

First is a practical one. Saudi Arabia has been coping with Houthi rocket attacks for years. Even the American Patriot missile batteries it received failed to provide ample defense. The Iron Dome is an extremely reliable system, having a total of 1,200 confirmed intercepts since the first batteries came on line in 2011.

But the second and more important purpose to the Iron Dome being deployed in the region is the signal it sends to Iran. Biden may have advertised himself as the undoing of Trump, but this does not mean he is unaware of Iran’s aggressions, for in today’s Middle East, these can no longer be ignored.

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Dating Dialogue

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

Dear Navidaters,

I started dating relatively recently, and I see a huge discrepancy between what my parents are looking for and what I am looking for. My parents are more yeshivish than me and are looking for the perfect package. They want a

family more like my family religiously but I couldn’t care less if, for example, my future father-in-law wears a hat. I couldn’t care less if my mother-in-law covers her hair.

The list goes on.

I feel powerless because my parents are determined to take care of my shidduchim themselves. They say it is how it’s done, and if done differently, I will be ostracized by shadchanim.

First of all, is this true? Will I really be ostracized for taking care of my own shidduchim? And how can I manage to convince them to be more open-minded when looking into ideas?

Thank you, Rachel*

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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The Panel The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. achel, it’s time to improve communication with your parents.

It sounds like you are communicating, and there is a level of acceptance in your home which are both good things and speak well of all of you.

However, it needs to go further and deeper.

Communication skills, including listening skills, are useful in dating, adult life, and family life. Learn to share as well as hear, instead of focusing on convincing.

Negotiating is also a good technique to master. Understanding that each gets something they want is vital in negotiation. It is something that young adults don’t easily understand.

When I did workshops on negotiating skills for seminary students in my life skills series, I found that it was very easily confused with compromising.

Negotiating involves recognizing and acknowledging the position of the other person. You try to figure out their needs, which you also try to meet in some way. The goal is to achieve outcomes in which both sides leave with something. Negotiation skills are something you can work on, with help or on your own.

R

The Shadchan Michelle Mond

F

irstly, I would like to let you know that you are not alone.

There are many singles I deal with who are in the same boat as you. I have had conversations with singles who ask me to ignore a parent’s description of what that single is looking for and to listen to the single him/ herself.

Your parents really do love you, but for the sake of your sanity, you must get onto the same page. You do not know about all the conversations

your mother is having at the supermarket with Rebbetzin Shprintzy or Mrs. Feldenstein, who dabble in shidduchim, giving over false information.

I recently had a mother call and berate me, asking what in the world I was thinking, sending a boy who wore a blue shirt to date her daughter.

She went on to say, “I kept telling myself when the couple left, ‘What was Mrs. Mond thinking?’”

She then continued by saying that under no uncertain terms may this shidduch continue, and that I should relay a “no” to the other side. He was just not the package they were looking for.

Meanwhile, when I spoke to the 25-year-old woman herself, she was beside herself.

“This was honestly the best date I have ever had, but I feel bad. He’s just not the black/white look my family is used to,” she concluded.

How terrible I felt for this woman! I had just spoken to her a month prior regarding shidduchim when she relayed she hadn’t had a date in six months.

I would like to use this forum to implore the parents who are reading this to please do their daughters a favor and get on the same page. Listen to your children. You might have an ideal image of what your family is looking for, but if your child is not looking for that, you will find yourselves running in circles. Additionally, you will confuse shadchanim and references. When people call to ask what your daughter is looking for, they will have the wrong idea, perpetuating a cycle of “no”s by the very type your child is actually looking for.

As for you, dear Rachel, I recommend you sit down with your family rav and explain the predicament you are in. This is serious, and it is preventing you from meeting the type of men you are interested in. Furthermore, the conundrum is cutting your prospects slim based on external details which mean nothing to you. Any levelheaded rav will see your side in this and explain to your parents the

proper derech to take with regards to dealing properly with your shidduchim.

The Single

“I kept telling myself when the couple left, ‘What was Mrs. Mond thinking?’”

Rivka Weinberg

R

achel, it’s beautiful that your parents are so invested in your shidduchim. I will make the assumption that your parents want what they believe is best for you and what will help you succeed. It sounds like in your community it’s a common approach for your parents to be heavily involved in your shidduchim. As frustrating as it may be, try and understand their intentions and reasons behind their method. Our parents spend a tremendous amount of time, energy, and money providing and caring for us. It’s crucial to show an endless amount of hakaras hatov and to respectfully hear them out.

With that being said, it’s important for you to find your own voice in the process. You’re looking for your husband, so you should express your concerns and needs. I will point out that, many times, due to an information deficit, we think we know what is best for us when that may not be the reality. Although there are things you say you don’t care about with regard to the boy’s family, you may go out with these boys and realize otherwise. I have heard that when two people share a similar background, it becomes a more relatable process. Now, that doesn’t mean you can’t marry someone who comes from a different place than you. It’s just something to consider.

At the end of the day, if you believe you’re old enough to get married, then should be mature enough to decide for yourself what qualities are most important to you in a spouse and how his family should play a role. I don’t think you will be ostracized by shadchanim. If anything, I think you will be viewed as a responsible girl who is putting her best foot forward and

taking initiative.

It’s important to have someone to speak to throughout the process to act as a sounding board. I don’t think anyone should go through the dating process alone. If you speak with your parents and you feel they are not receptive to what you are saying, then reach out to a rav, rebbetzin, or mentor to get another opinion and help you navigate the situation.

I wish you much hatzlacha in the process and remember that Hakadosh Baruch Hu has already hand-selected your zivug, so turn to Him for guidance and clarity!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Y

ou really do have a problem here.

Today’s shadchan/matrimony system has positives and negatives.

The system seems adequate when a shadchan tries to match two people with similar backgrounds. For example, they’re good at setting up dates when both parties have yeshivish-type backgrounds or both have YU-type backgrounds.

However, when a young lady from a yeshivish background (like you, Rachel) wants to date someone who is more “modern” (like a YU-type of young man), the system doesn’t function well.

Imagine this scenario: your shadchan calls a top-tier YU boy and suggests he take you out on a date. His response is likely to be, “She sounds wonderful, but no thank you. She and I are likely to have different ideas, different worldviews, different goals

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and aspirations, and even a different vocabulary for discussing things.

Please only set me up with girls who have backgrounds similar to mine and who went to similar schools and camps.”

So, what should you do? I have three possible suggestions: You can

continue doing what you are now doing, with your parents involved with the shadchan, and hope you find a young man who, like you, would like to shift to a slightly more modern spot on the religious spectrum.

You can bypass the shadchan system, and go online, and attend virtu-

al or actual singles events, under the auspices of reputable organizations.

You can get a job, find some roommates, and move to an apartment in Washington Heights, the Upper West Side, or similar neighborhoods, where singles meet in shul, at Shabbos lunches, and at dinners.

Good luck!

This holier than thou attitude keeps people single for so much longer than is necessary.

Pulling It All Together However, if an adult child is Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists mature enough to get married, then he/she is certainly mature enough to choose his/her hashkafear Rachel, ah, as it is his/her all these fabulous We are all raised with life. Our role as parents is to men and women from certain values and belief systems. present a certain lifestyle to our the pool of potential bashWhile I can certainly understand children, but it is not our job to erts seems silly to me. Beyour parents’ trepidation and force it upon them as they become cause his mother doesn’t cover hesitation to have you go outside adults. her hair? Or his father watches a their norm, I can also tell you that I Rachel, you mentioned that you baseball game on Sunday? This is have worked with countless men and are parents are more yeshivish than yet another way we have made datwomen who have taken matters into you are. Do your parents know this? ing and getting married so much their own hands due to a plethora I understood from your email that harder and more challenging than it of reasons. Most reasonable shadyou want to convince them to alneeds to be. And it truly boils down chanim understand that peoples’ low you to date a boy from a more to what the neighbors will say and a lives are layered and complicated, modern home. But what about the family’s reputation. And yes, people and oftentimes, a young man or boy? And what about you? Where do like to talk. So, I can understand woman dating has to do the legwork do you hold for your life? What kind where your parents are coming from. because of differences he/she has of home do you see yourself creatThey are most likely worried about with parents. You aren’t the first, ing hashkafically? If you have your you and your reputation because nor will you be the last. Are there clarity, then you need to talk to your there will be those people who talk, shadchanim who may bat at an eye? parents and share with them who and they genuinely want to shield Maybe…I couldn’t say. Only you get you are and what you want for your you from this because they love you. to decide what is most important to life and your marriage. You cannot However, when those people grow you: the opinions of others or doing marry someone who fits the mold for tired of talking about you, they will what you believe to be right in your your parents. That is most likely a be onto the next person to judge. It heart and gut. recipe for disaster! If you’re uncermakes me sad, and I know it makes I want to address one practical tain where you’re holding, you may many others sad as well. This holier piece here, above all else. There want to take some time for some than thou attitude keeps people are so many fine, newly yeshivish/ self-introspection before you begin single for so much longer than is machmo, etc. (my goodness, there dating. It’s not about convincing necessary. It’s toxic and detrimental are so many labels nowadays) young them to be more open-minded about to shidduchim. men and women who come from the family or the boy. it’s about sharI don’t want to upset any likemore modern homes or completely ing who you are with them and hopeminded parents with this column. nonobservant homes. To exclude

The Navidaters

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fully them growing to accept you as you are. And you are completely worthy of acceptance!

If you’ve already had a heart-toheart with them, you can invite them to have some family sessions with a therapist who can help them work toward acceptance. Everyone wins when parents accept who their adult children are.

The kugel is baked, folks! Job well done. Now you get to enjoy the finished product... there is no more adding ingredients or putting it back in the oven to cook a little longer. When adult children sense that their parents do not approve of who they are and their personal decisions, they grow to resent their parents and ultimately take as much space as they need. And that is always a tragedy.

If your parents cannot accept who you are and what you are looking for, my gut tells me you will have no choice but to take matters into your own hands and reach out to shadchanim yourself. Either way, you must live your authentic life for yourself. Be true to yourself while being polite and respectful to your parents. It’s a beautiful balance to strike, and it can be done. But you can only control your actions. You do your part, and I hope your parents will follow suit.

All the best, Jennifer Mann, LCSW

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-224-7779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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An evening of tribute H O N O R I N G : guests of honor

ARI AND ROCHEL SIMA MUNK parents of the year

YOSSI AND LEORA HAMMER

keser shem tov

CHAIM SHOLOM AND RIVKY LEIBOWITZ in memoriam

MRS. RIMMA OLSHANSKY A”H ALON GOLDBERGER

dinner chairman

YERUCHUM BRAZIL

journal chairman

DOV ZAUDERER

A Virtual 0 3 . 0 6 . 2 1 Event B B Y D I N N E R . O R G

mazdesign 718.471.6470

campaign chairman

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dr. Deb

Are You Vulnerable?

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

A

re you vulnerable?

“Of course not!” I can hear you saying. “I’m a strong person! I’m not going to break down and cry. I’m not going to get hurt so easily.”

Ah. But you see, that’s great – and it’s also your biggest problem.

“Now, wait a minute,” I might hear you respond. “Do you want me to play victim? Always crying? I’m not going to do that.”

Of course, I don’t want you to be/ feel like/act like a victim.

The Definition of “Vulnerability But what if “vulnerable” doesn’t mean being a weakling, a scaredycat, a victim? What if you could be strong and vulnerable? What if you could bounce back from tears without feeling like a victim?

What if, in fact, you could cry without feeling shame?

See, that’s quite the opposite of playing victim, isn’t it?

In truth, if you want a happy, connected, mutually respectful, and intimate marriage, the both of you need to be vulnerable with each other. You may put on the necessary “mask” for the world. But not for each other.

Maybe we need to define “vulnerable.” It means: • No defense mechanisms; you’re no longer triggered • No striking out because someone said something • Your soul is open; you can say anything • You trust your spouse with knowing your shortcomings. (And your spouse lives up to that trust) • You’re okay with having shortcomings; you know they don’t reduce your value to the world in your own eyes • If shortcomings are pointed out

to you respectfully, you appreciate the information; you want to grow.

• Having shortcomings makes you human; you can happily work on them and still love, cherish, admire, and believe in yourself.

And the flip side of being vulnerable therefore is: • You can get triggered and you may over-react • Some of that reaction may be building a wall • Sometimes a wall looks like superiority • Or intellectualism • Or walking out • Or being numb • Or blaming the other person for something One thing is clear, here: When you put up defenses, you’re not you. There is no window, no opening into you.

So your spouse can’t connect.

That means there’s no relationship, basically.

When Should You Build a Wall and When Should You Be Vulnerable?

Don’t get me wrong. Sometimes you need a wall. If your spouse is not

trustworthy, you need a wall.

There are lots of ways of being untrustworthy. The most sneaky and painful way is when you share a shortcoming and they use that as an opportunity to make a dig or take you down. When you’re married to someone who does that, then, of course, you put up a wall. Not doing so would be reckless.

But let’s take a situation that I see often: the spouse who says the wrong things or makes accusations, or picks on your weak spot, yet doesn’t mean to be hurtful. Well, let me clarify that. A part of them does mean to be mean. That part is most likely the ten-year-old child inside them who rebelled against authority because they felt they were being unfairly treated.

Remember, we are an accumulation of parts that started life as we started life – as kids. And then there’s the neshama which, in theory, should lead all these parts but often doesn’t. Often one part or another takes over us because we don’t know what else to do.

So in what otherwise should be a good marriage, sometimes we let

that ten-year-old inside of us take control. And it can be nasty. The adult that we are really doesn’t want to be mean, really doesn’t want to get taken over by the child inside. But it happens again and again.

So here is my question: If your spouse apologizes from time to time, and doesn’t want to be mean, is it better for you to keep your wall up?

Or is it better for you to be vulnerable, let it all hang out, and take your chances on the response you get?

Or is there a third choice?

I don’t like the first two choices, and I’ll tell you why. Keeping the wall up may be safe but it’s no fun. You don’t have a relationship. You’re less than roommates – the wall actually encourages hostility.

Here’s why: It is a normal reaction to put up your own defenses when someone else’s defenses are up. That means that your wall adds to the problem.

It actually encourages your partner to be mean and nasty. He/she feels unsafe because they can’t see who you are.

When people don’t know what they’re dealing with, they become more defensive than they would have when the other person is transparent.

Can you see that?

So that’s why I don’t favor the wall option. You will have no marriage that way and end up in divorce court.

But the vulnerable way is not safe at all. You can’t let it all hang out when you don’t know if you’ll be slapped for it, verbally, emotionally, or otherwise.

Unless . . .

The Third Choice You know what vulnerability can be like?

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Like the excitement of a ski jump.

Or a roller coaster. Or a sky dive.

There’s nothing like it. I know because I see it and I see how happy the participants are.

Providing they’re both in it together. That’s the key. Each one has a lot to lose. But they take a chance on the goodwill of the other person.

How? How can they get to that place of good will?

To answer that question, we kind of have to go backwards and ask how come they weren’t nice to each other in the first place.

The answer is that we all are subject to being triggered.

This past election triggered me, for sure. That’s an example. It gave me a feeling of a lack of safety, of not knowing who I can trust anymore.

Lots of little things can trigger us, too. And the only way we can be safe with another person is if we make the distinction between things that trigger us because of our own personal history vs. we’re triggered be-

cause the other person said or did something abusive, hurtful, insensitive or the like.

If it’s coming from our own history, then we need to understand where exactly in our history did that start so we can deal directly with it.

How do you do that? Here’s how:

Step 3: She has to do some serious reflection so as to be fair to her husband. After all, if he did nothing wrong and asked an innocent question, then her being triggered is her responsibility.

Anne realizes that, in her childhood, her parents would move the

They take a chance on the goodwill of the other person.

So let’s say Anne is triggered by Arnie’s question, “Do you think we ought to move?”

Step 1: She has to notice that she was triggered.

Step 2: She has to wonder why it triggered her because there’s nothing wrong with Arnie’s question. It was not abusive or hurtful.

family often because they hadn’t been able to pay the rent. They’d move when they were evicted or just before that. Moving therefore had a very painful edge to it. The trigger made her feel degraded.

But very clearly, it was her problem, not her husband’s.

Luckily, Anne and Arnie decide

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to work together on their marriage so Anne will overcome her triggers and Arnie will be more sensitive to what they are – after she tells him, of course.

And they will both do this for each other.

The good part: By each person taking responsibility for their share of the challenges in the marriage, they feel appreciative of one another, respectful of the other’s courage, and connected because they’re sharing this good step together.

Eventually, they will get past all triggers and be able to be safely vulnerable with each other. That’s when the fun and excitement of a good marriage starts.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Health & F tness

V’Nahapoch Hu Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

P

urim: a day loved by all. A day when kids get dressed up and eat endless amounts of candy.

A day when parents proudly watch their children enjoy the festivities in their cute costumes. A day when friends get together to eat, drink, and cherish the joyous day.

It’s hard not to enjoy the cheerful, happy, and holy day of Purim, except, that is, if you’re dieting.

Lucky for you, rather than rambling on about eating healthy on Purim, “V’nahapoch hu.” Enjoy some good, fatty foods that you are staring you in the face on Purim. As you savor each bite, here is something to think about.

• Potato chips: Chances are a lot of the mishloach manos you will collect are bound to have a bag of crunchy, salty, mouthwatering potato chips. Potato chips are smothered in salt, which can send your sodium levels through the roof with just one bag. The problem is, they’re so addictive that you never stop after just one bag. High sodium levels are the leading cause of hypertension, thus escalating to a cascade of other conditions such as heart disease and stroke. Most po-

tato chips are doused in trans-fat to give it that unique crunch. Trans-fat intake leads to clogged arteries and high cholesterol, increasing the risk of heart disease.

Although potato chips are not considered high in sugar, they cause a large spike in blood glucose levels and are a poor choice for diabetics.

• Soda: Although sweet, refreshing, and thirst-quenching, drinking soda is like drinking pure sugar. Soda is the main contributor to the obesity epidemic. Extensive evidence has linked sugar-sweetened beverages with increased caloric intake and weight gain in both children and adults. In addition, sugar-sweetened beverages are associated with metabolic syndrome, type II diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

For those of us who are thinking, “OK, no problem. I’ll drink diet soda,” that is an even worse beverage, since diet soda is packed with artificial sweeteners that have shortterm and long-term detrimental effects on our bodies. Additionally, soda is loaded with sodium, but the sugar or artificial sweeteners mask the sodium with their super-sweet flavor.

• Red meat: Most likely, red meat will be served at any seudah. A thick, juicy piece of red meat is hard to refuse. Just make sure to warn your arteries first. Red meat is loaded with saturated fat that clogs your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease. Even more, red meat is linked to many types of cancer.

• Alcohol: It’s a mitzvah to drink on Purim, so naturally, you’ll be drinking lots of wine. The problem is, aside from the high calories found in alcohol, high amounts of alcohol consumption put an individual at high-risk for long-term cognitive damage, memory loss, depression, cirrhosis of the liver, high blood pressure, stroke type II diabetes, throat, esophagus, and breast and colon cancer, as well as drowning, falling and motor vehicle accidents.

• Candy: Sweet, sweeter, and sweetest. No doubt, all candies are loaded with sugar and most likely high fructose corn syrup, which is harmful to the body. The main problem with sugar is that it’s addictive.

The more candy you eat, the more sugar you store as fat. Let’s not forget the cavities.

• Chocolate: Chocolate comes

in many forms in mishloach manos.

We know that dark chocolate has positive effects on heart health, but don’t fool yourself into thinking that downing chocolate bars are healthy.

Chocolate has a lot of sugar and is high in calories, too.

So, go ahead, “V’nahapoch hu!” (if I didn’t scare you enough!). Eat these foods that you generally restrict. After a whole day of eating these foods, your body will feel the difference. I guarantee you’ll come running back to healthy eating on Shushan Purim!

Let all the “bad” things turn into good things this year. A freilichen Purim!

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist.

She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a dietitian at Boro Park Center and a private nutrition consultant. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@ gmail.com. Follow us on Instagram @ EatBetterandFeelBetter.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

I S H O N O R E D TO H O S T

Gil Hoffman

JOURNALIST, THE JERUSALEM POST

IN CONVERSATION ABOUT THE ISRAELI ELECTIONS

with Eve Harow

Director of Community Development and Tourism

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22

11:45 AM EST / 6:45 PM ISRAEL Registration Required

QUESTIONS MAY BE SUBMITTED IN ADVANCE TO EVE@ONEISRAELFUND.ORG

Gil Hoffman is the chief political correspondent and analyst for The Jerusalem Post.

Well-connected to Israeli and Palestinian leaders, he has interviewed every major gure across the Israeli political spectrum, has been interviewed by top media on six continents and is a regular analyst on CNN, Al-Jazeera and other news outlets. Called “The most optimistic man in Israel” by Israel Television, Hoffman provides a behind the scenes look at the intrigue and humor in the Israeli political arena.

He was raised in Chicago, graduated Magna Cum Laude from Northwestern University’s School of Journalism, and wrote for the Miami Herald and Arizona Republic before moving to Israel. A reserve soldier in the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit, he has lectured in every major English-speaking country in the world, more than half the Canadian provinces, and recently made history in Hawaii by becoming the rst speaker to have lectured about Israel in all 50 US states. He lives with his family in Jerusalem.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Parenting Pearls

Be Your Child’s Advocate

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

A

s parents, we have many jobs.

We are responsible for everything, from making sure our kids have shelter and a warm place to live to making sure they have food, clothing, and their emotional needs met. In between being personal chef, chief financier, and personal chauffeur, we can add in personal advocate/lawyer. We don’t usually think of ourselves this way but the truth is our children rely on us to advocate for them and ensure their needs outside our home are being addressed, as well.

These needs can vary. Some children will need a parent to help them get the correct medical care, while others will need mental health services. Some children will need special education services, while others simply need help making their young voices heard to another adult. Advocating for our kids need not, and should not, be seen as an aggressive thing; it’s simply speaking up for our children who can’t speak for themselves.

Kids can’t do it alone Kids need help from others. They are too young and immature to understand the world around them and navigate it without assistance from others – it’s that simple.

Kids often may not even realize what they need. A child who is having issues in some area of their life may not realize that what they’re experiencing isn’t normal or that assistance is available. A ten-year-old girl experiencing the symptoms of clinical depression may not realize what she’s feeling but she certainly needs help.

An eight-year-old boy with visual perception issues may be struggling to understand the schoolwork in front of him, but he has no way to verbalize the challenges he’s experiencing.

He may not even recognize that the letters in front of him are supposed to make sense. If you’ve never experienced what “normal” for a given situation feels like, you’re not going to

know that what you’re experiencing isn’t “normal.”

Kids, like adults, can compensate for what they’re lacking, and this may hide their true need. I’ve seen kids compensate in various ways to hide real learning issues. My daughter unintentionally compensated so well that we had trouble catching a very profound vision issue. It’s amazing how talented kids can be.

Not only are kids often unable to recognize or verbalize what they’re feeling, they sometimes try to hide it.

Sometimes kids are just embarrassed and don’t want others to know what they can’t do. Even kids are sensitive to being unable to do something, and they may try to prevent others from knowing. As adults, we also have trouble admitting when we can’t do something and we will try to avoid letting it be known.

Sometimes, kids are afraid of what will happen if you find out. I’ve had little ones hide a minor infection in their finger or toe out of fear they’ll be taken to the doctor or that treating it will hurt. When I did discover the infection, it was no longer minor. I know of a young girl who hid that she was having an asthma attack so she wouldn’t be taken to the hospital and miss out on a birthday party. While we know that ultimately this is detrimental, kids don’t think that way, and their fear and lack of experience can prevent them from telling an adult

about their problem.

So far, all the examples I’ve mentioned are innocent ways kids can hide issues. While it’s beyond the scope of this article, it does need to be mentioned. We are all too aware of the very scary but real fact that adults can intentionally hurt children – physically, emotionally or in other ways and scare, or in some other way, prevent the children from recognizing and reporting it. Don’t ignore your instincts and do report any concerning behavior.

Kids need adult intervention In all the situations mentioned above, the children needed someone older and more knowledgeable to speak for them. Children need us, the adults in their life, to recognize their needs and get them the assistance they require. The uniting factor in all of the examples in this article is that the parents were in tune to their child’s unspoken needs, and they responded.

Some situations are easier than others to deal with. You might be surprised to read that most of the examples given above are real life examples that I know of personally. The ten-year-old girl’s parents brought up the issue with her pediatrician, and she began seeing a psychologist. The young asthmatic girl’s parents recognized the signs of an asthma attack, and she was brought to the hospital for a few days’ stay. My daughter saw

a pediatric ophthalmologist, and she now has glasses. These were all rather straightforward (I didn’t say “easy”) situations, and the parents needed to get their child to the right professional.

Other situations will require more advocating. The eight-year-old boy with visual perception issues was more complicated. His mother had major issues getting him tested by the district. She had to learn the hard way how to get his case taken seriously.

You’d be surprised how many times I get calls from parents having trouble getting special education services for their children. These parents feel like they should’ve gone for a law degree, while some actually do need to contact lawyers.

While some issues require serious advocacy, other issues are even less straightforward. I know of a then-preschool boy who was bullied years ago. HIs parents worked with the teachers and did everything possible. The situation got ugly, and the parents eventually came to the very painful and unpopular decision to remove him from his current school and place him in a completely different Jewish educational environment.

Many expressed disapproval, but they consulted with a respected educator to guide them. He’s now a wonderful, frum young man who is educated, happy, and successful without the many issues that come with frequent bullying. His parents saw the problems and refused to ignore their son’s issues. It’s important to note that his parents didn’t throw up their hands nor did they act haphazardly, but they sought the advice of a respected professional to guide them.

Every situation needs to be dealt with individually but we, as parents, can’t be afraid to do what our children need. I am in no way advising you to remove your child from their school the moment something happens. I am suggesting that if you see a problem that is not being solved, you should

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015 The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

continue to speak up for your child and respectfully make their needs known. If you don’t speak for your child, who will?

Sometimes it’s a medical issue or another issue that isn’t being addressed appropriately. If you see that the current solution isn’t a good one, then please say something. Your child’s teacher, doctor, and other caring adults want to help, but they don’t see everything you see. Even professionals can only help if they know what is and isn’t working. Most of the people in your child’s life are well-meaning and care for him/her, but they often don’t have the insight to your child that you have.

Speak respectfully I’ve had to do a lot of advocacy throughout my homeschooling years.

I have learned some tricks such as making sure everything is in writing.

I have learned to not be afraid to go to the higher ups, as needed.

One principle I’ve tried to main-

tain throughout all the frustrations is to try to be respectful. Your point can be clear and firm while still being respectful. It’s important to mention again that most of the people you will be speaking to are well-meaning and caring. Give them the courtesy you want them to give to you. There are

a list of the points you want to cover.

Some people will find it helpful to send a written note instead of a phone call. The situation and your personal preference in communications will determine the best way to make contact. You want to be clear in what your child’s needs are but without blame,

If you don’t speak up for your child, who will?

times parents can get frustrated with a teacher – be respectful. There are so many people you will come across, and by being respectful and appropriate in your interactions you will not only be a mensch but also a role model of exceptional behavior for your child.

Before sending an email, reread it a few times. Before calling someone, you may find it helpful to make

anger, or name calling.

Many will find it helpful to have someone else review the communication before it’s sent. Often, another person’s insights can be valuable.

Aim high While it is rare, there are times you may need to go up the chain of command. I’ve spoken with higher officials

in the New York State Department of Education, when necessary. Last week, I was in contact with Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato’s office about a special education-related manner. It is a rarely required but powerful tool.

I’m not at all suggesting you run to your child’s principal or the DOE for every issue. Parents should just be aware that this is an option, when needed. You’d be surprised how eager people can be to help and how much of a difference it can make for your cause.

Our children need us to be their voice when they can’t speak and to continuously look out for them. By being aware of your children’s ever-changing needs, you can help them get whatever assistance they require to help them reach the great heights they are capable of achieving.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

In The K tchen

Bukharian Meat Samsas

By Naomi Nachman

Every few weeks, I film a cooking episode for my show, “Sunny Side Up” for Kosher.com. My recent guest was producer and businesswoman Victoria Zirkiev.

Together, we made one of her favorite Bukharian recipes: Samsa.

It is a cross between savory hamantaschen and a perfect hand pie. You can customize the filling and toppings. Watch how easy it is to make on our show on Kosher.com.

Photo by Jenna Grunfeld

Ingredients

Preparation

1 pound beef or chicken, diced 1 tablespoon pepper (or to taste) 1 teaspoon coriander 1 teaspoon cumin 1 egg, beaten 2 large onions, diced 1 package puff pastry squares 1 tablespoon salt, or to taste ¼ cup sesame seeds or black sesame seeds, for topping

Prepare the Samsa

Dipping Sauce ¼ bunch cilantro, or to taste (about ½ cup chopped) 3 to 4 frozen garlic cubes Salt, to taste Pepper, to taste 1 cup Tuscanini Crushed Tomatoes or 1 (6-ounce) can tomato sauce

1.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

2.

In a bowl, mix onions with salt, pepper, cumin, and coriander. Add beef or chicken and mix well.

3.

Working with one pastry square at a time, place about two tablespoons of the meat mixture in the center of the square.

4.

Bringing two opposite corners together, form a triangle. Pinch together the ends of the pastry to seal.

5.

Place samsa on the prepared baking sheet. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

6.

Bake 30 minutes or until golden.

Prepare the Dipping Sauce In a bowl, combine all ingredients for dipping sauce. Serve with samsa.

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.

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

This past year, there is a toxic political environment and everything is political….

There is political positions, and there are facts.

- Governor Cuomo deflecting responsibility in a press conference, when asked about his underreporting of nursing home deaths

My name is Bruce Castor. I am the lead prosecutor…lead counsel for the 45th president of the United States.

- Trump’s defense attorney accidentally referring to himself as the prosecutor when introducing himself at the beginning of his opening statement during the recent impeachment trial

I’ll be quite frank with you. We changed what we were going to do on account that we thought that the House manager’s presentation was well done.

- Ibid.

I thought, “This guy’s career is going to disappear. I don’t know how he’s going to get up in the morning.” But he ...still thought he did a good job.

– Trump’s impeachment attorney David Schoen talking to the Jewish Insider about his cocounsel Bruce Castor who gave a rambling opening statement in defense of Trump which left everyone – on all sides of the aisle – perplexed

Jews were beaten in the streets, not by Nazi soldiers but by their neighbors…even by children. Because history is edited, most people today don’t realize that to get to the point where Nazi soldiers could easily round up thousands of Jews, the government first made their own neighbors hate them simply for being Jews.

How is that any different from hating someone for their political views?

– Social media post by a conservative actress, resulting in Disney firing her, making her the latest victim of cancel culture, even though many of her colleagues have equated conservatives with Nazis and Trump with Hitler

Covid did not get into the nursing homes by people coming from hospitals. Covid got into the nursing homes by staff walking into the nursing home when we didn’t even know we had Covid. Staff walking into a nursing home even though they were asymptomatic because the national experts all told us you could only spread Covid if you had symptoms, and they were wrong. Covid may have been brought into a nursing home because visitors brought it in and didn’t know they were contagious, because the guidance was “you can only be contagious if you have symptoms…”

-Ibid.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called his and the state’s handling of the coronavirus “beautiful.” My dad being placed on a ventilator wasn’t beautiful… .My father dying all alone wasn’t beautiful…. The Cuomo administration denying my father’s family and community a proper funeral wasn’t beautiful…. Hearing Cuomo blame these deaths on G-d, former President Donald Trump, Mother Nature, the media, the nursing home staff, and arguably even the nursing home patients themselves wasn’t beautiful.

- Tracy Alvino, USA Today

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We were in a position where we weren’t sure if what we were going to give to the Department of Justice, or what we give to you guys, what we start saying, was going to be used against us, while we weren’t sure if there was going to be an investigation.

– Governor Cuomo’s aide Melissa DeRosa informing Democratic lawmakers that the Cuomo administration downplayed the number of nursing home deaths that were caused by Cuomo’s requirement that nursing homes take in Covid-positive patients

Sadly the vaccine did NOT implant my genius father into my brain.

- Bill Gate’s daughter, Jennifer, who is a medical student, posting on social media after getting the Covid vaccine

If you use this model, I don’t know how Kamala Harris doesn’t get impeached if the Republicans take over the House because she actually bailed out rioters and one of the rioters went back to the streets and broke somebody’s head open.

– Sen. Lindsay Graham (R-SC) arguing that the Democrat theory for impeaching Trump should result in the impeachment of Vice President Harris

Trump attorney David Schoen has left the Senate to observe the Sabbath. At synagogue tomorrow, he will hear the reading from the Torah of: Mishpatim – Rules. Exodus 21:1-24:18 includes: “You shall not spread a false report. You shall not join hands with a wicked man to be a malicious witness. You shall not fall in with the many to do evil, nor shall you bear witness in a lawsuit, siding with the many, so as to pervert justice.”

-CNN’s Jake Tapper tweeting about Trump’s frum lawyer

We could have called G-d herself, and it would not have happened.

- Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) talking about how the Republicans were stubborn in their refusal to impeach, while revealing his warped view of G-d

I just decided if I can help someone find their stuff, I’m going to do it.

- Bruce McKee of Indiana who tracked down Paul Grisham, age 91, of California, to return a wallet that the veteran lost 53 years ago in Antarctica

Jake Tapper posted two tweets on the Jewish Sabbath to insult an Orthodox Jewish attorney because he didn’t like his client. Using biblical verses to score political points to attack David Schoen isn’t clever, it’s beyond reprehensible. Shame on you, Jake.

– Tweet by Joel Petlin, Superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District

I absolutely believe in the marrow of my bones that [Donald Trump] will be our nominee in 2024.Steve Bannon, Trump’s 2016 chief campaign strategist, speaking at a Boston Republican event

They really wanted to use impeachment as a vehicle because they wanted to equate all those tens of millions of Trump’s voters and all of his supporters and everybody who came to the rally, they wanted to equate all of those people with the couple hundred criminals who came in and ransacked the Capitol .- Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA), in an interview with Breitbart

We think, that if the United States returns to the same accord that it already withdrew from, all its leverage will be lost.

- Ambassador to the U.S. Gilad Erdan talking to Israel’s Army Radio about the Biden administration’s possible return to the disastrous Iran deal

MORE QUOTES

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There was no national strategy or plan for vaccinations. We were leaving it to the states and local leaders to try and figure it out.

- Vice President Harris in an interview with Axios, stating that the Trump administration had “no stockpile” of vaccines upon leaving office

I’m here live. I’m not a cat.

- Lawyer Rod Ponton, who joined an official online proceeding in the West Texas court of Judge Roy B. Ferguson of the 394th Judicial District, and struggled to turn off a Zoom filter that made him look like a cat

Our historic, patriotic and beautiful movement to Make America Great Again has only just begun. In the months ahead, I have much to share with you, and I look forward to continuing our incredible journey together to achieve American greatness for all of our people. There has never been anything like it!

– From President Trump’s statement after being acquitted in his impeachment trial

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Political Crossfire

An Alliance of TechnoDemocracies

By David Ignatius

T

he Biden administration is quietly developing an ambitious plan for an alliance of “techno-democracies” to prevent dominance of global technology by an authoritarian China.

The policy is still in the discussion phase at the White House and State Department, but it has the strong backing of Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan. The goal of the alliance, says a senior State Department official, would be “setting the rules and shaping the norms that govern the use of technology” and pushing back against China and other “techno-autocracies.”

The Chinese have broadcast their hopes for dominating new technologies such as artificial intelligence and quantum computing. They already have a string of initiatives, such as the “Made in China 2025” plan and the Digital Silk Road project, both announced in 2015. The Biden administration wants to contest this challenge before it’s too late.

China’s argument is that its system, however anti-democratic, is the most efficient in producing the economic and technological growth the world wants.

The Biden team wants to confront that head-on, by showing that democracies aren’t just freer and more open – but also more efficient, innovative, and productive.

By defending the economies of the United States and its allies against a rising China, the Biden administration hopes to protect future jobs and prosperity, rather than allow them to leach abroad. In that respect, the plan could be an important component of Biden’s otherwise fuzzy claims to promote a

foreign policy for the middle class.

The initiative, in some respects, represents a broadening of the Trump administration’s efforts to protect key technologies from Chinese competition. Biden would continue to pressure allies against buying Huawei’s 5G telecommunications systems. The United States would also deny Huawei and other Chinese companies access to the West’s most advanced technologies, such as high-end semiconductors.

Biden’s goal is to move beyond protecting against Huawei to promoting alternatives. That might mean invest-

to help countries buy Western products and resist the Digital Silk Road; a new body that sets global standards that frame a safe and open architecture for technology; and “trust zones” that would share research and technology with countries that agreed not to buy from Huawei, for example.

Several aspects of the plan are likely to be controversial. In mobilizing investment and global standard-setting for key industries, it carries echoes of what used to be known as “industrial policy.” Critics will argue that such decisions should be left to the free mar-

The initiative, in some respects, represents a broadening of the Trump administration’s efforts to protect key technologies from Chinese competition.

ment in cross-border joint ventures with competitors such as Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung. It might mean a common embrace of new technologies such as open radio access networks, or O-RAN, a software-based approach to 5G networks.

The techno-democracy plan could also involve some ideas that were mentioned in a recent, privately circulated paper written by a China strategy group headed by Eric Schmidt, former chief executive of Google, and Jared Cohen, a senior executive at Google.

The paper recommends an international technology finance corporation

ket. And by building a moat around Western technologies, the plan would – quite intentionally – decouple aspects of the U.S. and Chinese economies.

Discussing this idea with administration officials over the past week, I recalled the experience 45 years ago of watching an Asian competitor (in that case, Japan) devour the American steel industry. The response to the Japanese challenge to steel was entirely defensive – protectionist tariffs that would have hurt consumers. The new proposed approach is much more sensible because it would try through investment to foster a more competitive tech sector to

maintain dominance. The destruction of Rust Belt jobs by foreign competition is one of the themes that powered Trumpism – a fact that isn’t lost on the Biden team.

The “techno-democracies” concept was first articulated in detail in a November article in Foreign Affairs by Cohen and Richard Fontaine, a former aide to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., and head of the Center for a New American Security. Their article proposed that the initial group, which they dubbed the “T-12,” should include a dozen technologically advanced democracies: Australia, Britain, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Israel, Japan, South Korea and Sweden, along with the United States.

The Chinese hear footsteps. A paper circulated this month by a Chinese think tank is titled: “Competition without Catastrophe: A New China-U. S. Cybersecurity Agenda.” It calls for dialogue and new cooperative measures.

Biden administration officials see it as part of a charm offensive by Chinese officials who are worried about the new administration’s plans.

The techno-democracies alliance is a big idea that simultaneously tackles what arguably are the two biggest problems for the United States and its allies: eroding economic growth at home that fuels populist anger and a growing challenge abroad from China.

One nagging fear: History shows that attempts to deny other countries markets and raw materials can sometimes lead to conflict. An alliance of techno-democracies is a creative and sensible plan, but it will need very careful management. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Biden Owes the Capitol Police an Apology

By Marc A. Thiessen

W

atching never-before-seen video of the mob assaulting the U.S. Capitol presented by the House impeachment managers was infuriating. For the first time, Americans saw surveillance footage that showed just how close the rioters got to senators, congressmen, and Vice President Mike Pence. But what stood out most from Wednesday’s presentation was the heroism of the Metropolitan and Capitol police.

We saw officers running toward the mob while senators fled, holding off the horde that was just 58 steps away to give them time to escape.

We saw how Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman saved Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, who was headed right for the mob until Goodman ran toward him, waving his hands, and turned him around in the opposite direction.

We saw how Secret Service officers hid the vice president in an office less than 100 feet from the ascending mob as Goodman diverted them and then exfiltrated Pence and his family to a more secure location. If Goodman had not acted and the mob had arrived seconds earlier, they would have been in eyesight of the vice president.

We saw Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) escaping down a hallway and coming within “just yards” of the rioters, before his protective detail quickly rushed him back through a pair of doors at the mouth of the hallway, and then used their bodies to hold the doors closed.

It was a war zone, and there were casualties. “Officers ended up with head damage and brain damage,” lead impeachment manager Rep. Jamie B. Raskin, D-Md., told a rapt Sen-

ate chamber. An officer’s “eyes were gouged. An officer [tased by protesters] had a heart attack. An officer lost three fingers that day. Two officers have taken their own lives.”

and we love them.”

But that is not what Joe Biden said immediately following the riot.

Instead of praising the Capitol Police for their heroism, he accused them

To suggest, as Biden did, that the officers who risked and gave their lives to defend Congress failed to “carry out equal justice” is a calumny.

After the presentation, senators whose lives the officers saved were effusive in their praise. “It was very troubling to see the great violence that our Capitol Police and others were subjected to. It tears your heart and brings tears to your eyes,” Romney said. Schumer declared, “As for me and my situation, I just want to give tremendous credit to the Capitol Police officers who were in my detail.

They are utterly amazing and great,

of racism. “Not only did we see the failure to protect one of the three branches of our government, we also saw a clear failure to carry out equal justice,” Biden declared. “No one can tell me that if it had been a group of Black Lives Matter protesting yesterday, they wouldn’t have been treated very differently than the mob of thugs that stormed the Capitol. We all know that’s true. And it is unacceptable.”

Biden’s comments were not only

shameful; they were flat wrong. The video shown by House impeachment managers clearly shows that police failed to stop the mob not because of the color of their skin but because the officers were overpowered. They showed D.C. police officer Daniel Hodges screaming in pain as he tried to stop the rioters from entering the Capitol, his body trapped against a door while the mob heaved and crushed him. They played audio of the frantic radio calls of the brave officers calling for reinforcements as they struggled to hold the multitude at bay (“Multiple Capitol injuries! Multiple Capitol injuries!” one officer screamed). They played video of a Capitol Police officer shooting and killing an unarmed white woman, Ashli Babbitt, outside the House chamber in a desperate effort to stop the mob from breaching the door while members escaped. To suggest, as Biden did, that the officers who risked and gave their lives to defend Congress failed to “carry out equal justice” is a calumny.

Let’s be clear: Donald Trump is responsible for what happened in the Capitol that day. He has yet to acknowledge his responsibility, much less apologize for his role in what happened that day. But Biden ran against Trump by promising to unite the country. And at the very moment when Americans of all political stripes were united in outrage, he sought to divide us. Worse, he did it by accusing the heroes who saved our elected representatives of bigotry, saying they would have treated Black protesters differently.

He owes the Capitol Police an apology. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

RIP Rush Reflections of a Ditto Head

By Nate Davis

I

sit here pecking away on my computer as fast as possible. Rush Limbaugh has just passed away, and the newspaper is being sent to print in twenty minutes. As a lifelong listener of Rush – the king of media, certainly conservative media – how can we not write about his passing? So, we must, at least, try to get something in.

But the truth is, as I write, a thought dawns on me.

In a year when we tragically lost so many wonderful members of our community and the frum community, at large, is it even right to memorialize Rush? We don’t have time to process this question and to think it through fully. My initial thought, though, is that Rush was certainly a conservative icon and led the charge on many of the political and wider societal cultural beliefs of many in our community, so an obituary is warranted.

Love him or hate him, Rush was the best at what he did.

He was confident: “Rush Limbaugh here, beating liberals with both my hands tied behind my back.”

He was funny: “Liberals now say that that we shouldn’t put milk in coffee because it’s offensive to cows.

What? What? Cows were put here by G-d [pronounced Guuuuuuuuud] for us to eat!”

He was bombastic: “Rush Limbaugh here, proven to be right 99.6 percent of the time.”

He was honest: “Folks, don’t go anywhere. I’ll be right back after this obsceeeeene profit timeout.”

He was fun: “Having more fun than a human should be allowed to have.”

Those who didn’t understand Rush thought that he was the most arrogant person to step foot on the planet.

However, his listeners know that it was mostly an act. And the truth is, Rush was into being the best at everything he did, so if he was going to be arrogant, he was going to be the best at that, too.

My favorite Rush moment came when he ventured to Washington in 2009 to speak at the CPAC Convention.

Rush – believe it or not – always considered himself an outsider and stayed away from Washington. But, on this rare occasion, he went there to deliver the keynote address.

All of the networks covered the speech in real-time, something that is not usually done for these convention speeches. (At the time, Rush was having a public spat with the new darling president, Barack Obama, so the media wanted everyone to see for themselves what a boor Rush is.)

Rush started his address by acknowledging that the whole America was watching and said that before beginning his speech he would tell a joke.

He proceeded to tell the following joke: A man dies and goes to heaven. The angel greets him and says, “You lived a noble life. You can decide which room in heaven you want.”

The man replies, “Well, I want to be in the same room as Rush Limbaugh.”

The angel informs the man that it is not possible because Rush is still alive.

He offers to show the man around so that he could see his options. They proceed to go from room to room, and suddenly they see a room that has the golden EIB microphone, a neon Rush Limbaugh sign, and other Rush para-

phernalia.

Incredulously, the man looks at the angel and says, “What’s this? I thought Rush isn’t here yet.”

The angel responds, “No, no, no.

You don’t understand, this is [the supervising angel’s] room; he thinks he’s Rush Limbaugh!”

Half of America probably spat at their TVs after saying a few choice curse words upon hearing Rush’s joke; the other half rip-roared with laughter and cheered him on… Give ‘em more, Rush! Hit ‘em again!

If I had a school, I would require every teacher to listen to Rush – not for the content but for the delivery. His tones and inflections were perfect every time. And I don’t know of anyone who was better at “explainin’ things” than Rush.

Someone told me that recently a chashuve rosh yeshiva was at a sheva brachos. This rosh yeshiva is also a very dynamic speaker. A young man was giving a speech and acknowledged this rosh yeshiva by saying, “I always listen to your shiurim when I drive.”

The young man then quipped, “I wonder what the Rosh Yeshiva listens to when he drives.”

Without missing a beat, the rosh yeshiva replied, “I listen to Rush!”

Radio is intensely personal. There’s are no visual aids, lures, or distrac-

tions. When the broadcaster speaks on the radio, he or she is speaking directly to you in your car...driving down a highway, sitting in traffic during the rain, waiting for a meeting…. It’s you and him – on good days and bad days.

The most successful broadcasters use that intimate medium to build a connection to you; a bond that keeps you coming back.

Nobody did that better than Rush.

To millions of Americans, 12:06 p.m. meant tuning into Rush. Although I didn’t get to listen to Rush every day and there were many extended periods of time that I didn’t listen at all, like an old friend, though, I would always eventually reconnect. When I was “tuned in” to politics, whenever I would be on the phone with my wife at 12:06 p.m., I would half-jokingly tell her that I had to go. She knew exactly what I was talking about. But the truth is, come on, it was important – in the first two minutes of the show, I was able to put everything into perspective based on Rush’s vibe.

Rush used to joke that major news always broke as he was about to go on the air, so that he wouldn’t have enough time to do “show prep” on it.

“Don’t worry, folks,” he would say.

“They try to get me, but they can’t. We will get this figured out in no time.”

Perhaps his last joke was dying at 12 p.m…as his show was about to go on the air.

Over the past ten-plus years, politics was intense; I had to know what Rush thought. I loved it when there was a bombshell story that was trying to destroy Trump or whoever the Republican of the moment was, and I would wait for the introductory bumper music to stop and for Rush to burst onto the air with his analysis.

It was usually at that moment that he would start off his show talking about some innocuous, non-political observation about something like his new TV remote. That didn’t come from a lack of political awareness; it was the

opposite – it was his way of telling his more than thirty-million daily listeners that the media is tying themselves in knots over a story that is really a non-story.

He was usually right. Well, at least 99.6 percent of the time.

Although when Rush Limbaugh’s program started in 1988 it was so popular that restaurants would advertise that during lunchtimes they had “Rush Rooms” available, where patrons could eat lunch and not worry about missing the program, it seems like Rush’s real popularity lay deep in the bowels of yeshiva dormitories.

For 32 years, Rush has provided kosher entertainment to yeshiva bachurim who needed to relax and blow off steam but were too advanced and pure for the silly pop culture outlets of the moment. Rush was a lamdan. And, yes, a yeshiva bachur could appreciate a guy who never went to college and yet figured out how to make $50 million a year by schmoozing on the radio for three hours a day.

Many hated Rush’s politics.

Well, in a 50/50 country that has deep political divisions, that is only natural. Usually that hate prevented them from appreciating anything about Rush. Unfortunately, the disease of political animus prevents people from appreciating anything about someone with a different opinion than

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complishments of someone else (that they probably don’t know anything about) because that person has different views than they do. And someone on Twitter probably told them that Rush was a racist, good-for-nothing pig…because he had different political views than that person on Twitter.

Was he feisty and hard-hitting on

He was confident: “Rush Limbaugh here, beating liberals with both my hands tied behind my back.” theirs and, oftentimes, prevents them from even seeing the very humanity of the person whom they politically disagree with. In fact, there are probably some people reading this very obituary who are highly offended that I (someone they probably don’t know anything about) am celebrating the life and ac-

those who chose to buzz around the fire of politics? You bet he was –that was his role; that’s what he did. He was not a DJ on a smooth jazz station. But as far as being a racist, misogynist, bigot – you name the pejorative – he simply wore that label along with everybody else who has different politics

than the radicals.

The elites in the media hated him because he made more money than any of them, talked clearer than them, and was smarter than them, even though he – proudly – never went to college.

He also reached a much wider audience “across the fruited plane” than any of them could ever dream of, an audience of truck drivers and doctors, lawyers and bricklayers, marines and immigrants.

Anyone who actually listened to Rush knows that his audience was far from monolithic. It was a broad sampling of every type of American. “Ditto heads,” as Rush’s millions of fans called themselves, are an open-minded group – as long as you love America, you are in! I was always a proud ditto head.

12:06 p.m. will never be the same now that “America’s Anchorman” has gone off to his castle in the sky.

Move over administering angel, cue up the bumper music, and pass the EIB golden microphone to Rush.

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Forgotten Her es

Forgotten Zeroes Purim Edition The Commanders

By Avi Heiligman

Major General Elphinstone managed to lose his entire army in Kabul, Afghanistan

H

istorians like to debate who was the best commander in military history. Names like Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Napoleon Bonaparte, Admiral Nelson, and George Patton are usually at the top of most lists. However, for this year’s pre-Purim article, let’s delve into some of the commanders who should not have been in command of a motor pool, let alone an actual fighting military unit. These forgotten zeros were totally incapable of command, and much harm came from their antics.

Furthermore, some of their stories are so comical that it’s hard to believe they commanded men into battle. However, these are real commanders, and here are their stories.

For all of its accomplishments on the battlefield, Great Britain has produced some of the worst commanders of all time. At the top of the list is William George Keith Elphinstone who lost an entire army. To be fair, it was in inhospitable country of Afghanistan – an area that over the centuries has proven extremely difficult to invade.

Nicknamed Elphy Bey, Elphinstone was a major general when came to Ka-

President Lincoln with General George McClellan a month before McClellan's dismissal

bul in 1841. He had 4,700 soldiers and 12,000 camp followers under his command but refused to set up any type of real fortifications. Local tribal leaders took notice, especially when Elphy Bey sent soldiers to India. The veteran of the Napoleonic Wars decided to stop paying tribute to local allied tribes. He still did nothing when a mob stormed the house of a British civilian and then raided a supply depot. Elphy Bey sent an emissary to negotiate but the British officer was killed. There was no hope for reinforcements, so Elphy Bey offered his adversaries all the reserve ammunition and rifles and the abandonment of Kabul in return for safe passage.

In January 1842, over 16,000 under the British command left Kabul through the mountain passes. Many died during the harsh winter trek, and the rest were killed or captured.

Assistant surgeon William Brydon managed to reach the safety of Jalalabad even though he was badly injured.

Later, about 115 British soldiers and civilians were released from captivity. Elphy Bey lost an entire army in a series of terrible decisions, and during

General Lloyd Fredendall led to the U.S.'s worst defeat in World War II

the trek sat silently when his men were attacked.

President Abraham Lincoln had an extremely tough time finding good commanders to lead the Union Army during the Civil War. While there were many incompetent generals that bought or persuaded their way to command, it was George McClellan that led and built the army in the east. He was so great at training and building up forces that the Army of the Potomac was the largest force in North America. Over 150,000 men were under McClellan’s command, and they well outnumbered any Confederate Army but he refused to go on the attack. Lincoln called it a terminal case of “the slows.” In fact, many times, the general disregarded direct orders from the commander-in-chief.

McClellan’s confederate counterpart, Robert E. Lee, understood his adversary’s shortfalls and pushed back the Union Army during the Seven Days Battles. The Union commander was rarely seen on the battlefield and during crucial moments during the fighting was unreachable. Some say he deserted his army. Whatever the

case, the Army of the Potomac wasn’t too badly mauled, but Lincoln had enough. McClellan was relieved of command but was reinstated after the Second Battle of Bull Run. He built up the army only to fail to exploit the Confederate lines at the Battle of Antietam.

Finally, Lincoln relieved McClellan for good. After several changes in command, Ulysses Grant was brought in from a command in the west to lead the Union’s biggest army to final victory. McClellan disrespected Lincoln and reportedly called him a baboon while refusing to meet the sitting president who had come to the general’s private residence. The two met again in the 1864 presidential race with the Republican easily defeating the disgraced former general.

While on the topic of the Civil War, the Battle of Gettysburg was the setting for several head-scratching moves from generals. Confederate Cavalry General J.E.B. Stuart had a very good military career. His one blemish was that he and his force went missing in the crucial days before the battle.

Cavalry were the eyes and ears of the Confederate Army, and Stuart was

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nowhere to be found. He eventually returned during the battle, but it was too late.

Union General Dan Sickles was a politician and should not have been the commander of III Corps during the Battle of Gettysburg. He was disgraced congressman from New York who had murdered a man but somehow raised a unit during the 1861 call to arms. The Union had a lack of experienced officers, and so Sickles was eventually promoted to major general. On the second day of the battle, he ignored direct orders from General George Meade and moved his corps to a forward position. This was a tactical mistake, because it opened a gap in the Union lines. The only thing that saved his corps was the Confederate’s lack of preparedness and that other Union corps were able to plug the gap.

The other two big mistakes in the battle were Lee’s orders to attack the fortified Union center on the third day.

Known as Pickett’s Charge, the Confederates suffered heavy losses. Union

General Meade also made the costly error of not chasing the Confederates when they retreated. He was soon replaced by Grant.

There were some second-rate American generals during World War II and then there was the man who was

improve on the defenses. Instead of placing a minefield, the general had engineers build trenches around his headquarters seventy miles away from the front. His maps were inaccurate, and his inexperienced troops were misplaced. During the battle, he gave

Elphy Bey lost an entire army in a series of terrible decisions. responsible for the debacle known as the Battle of Kasserine Pass in Tunisia. While the end result was that the British reinforcements ended up overwhelming the German Afrika Korps under Erwin Rommel, it was American General Lloyd Fredendall who really failed to lead.

Fredendall kept getting intelligence reports that Rommel was planning an attack in his sector, but he refused to

several indecipherable orders, and over 6,000 Americans were killed, wounded or captured. Eisenhower eventually had enough and removed him as corps commander. His replacement, General George Patton, went on to become one of the most legendary generals in American history.

There have been many confusing messages sent out by commanding officers in the heat of battle. However,

one sent out by General Fredendall during the battle in 1943 takes the cake.

Move your command. That is the walking boys, pop guns, Baker’s outfit and the outfit which is in the reverse of Baker’s outfit and the big fellow to M, which is due north of where you are now, as soon as possible. Have your boss report to the French gentleman whose name begins with J at the place which begins with D which is five grid squares to the left of M. The above are just a few of the terrible generals that have led men on the battlefield. For our next Purim article, we’ll delve into some incidents and regular servicemen that history does not look kindly upon and may just be referred to as Forgotten Zeroes.

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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Mint cond. expanded split-level home w/ 7 total BRs, 4.5bths incl. master suite on sep. level. Many upgrades throughout. 80x100 prop.

SD 15, beautiful secluded block $1.49M

WOODMERE

1400 sqft with 2 large private offices , 2 open area bullpens and 2 baths. $3400/month

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Classifieds classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com • text 443-929-4003

COMMERCIAL RE

APT FOR RENT

VACATION RENTALS

HELP WANTED

SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease …

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VACATION IN JERUSALEM: Beautiful Short-term rentals in Jerusalem (Sharei Chesed, Romema, Hanevi'im – City Center) Contact today for great service: Shisha Realty 718-408-8070 vacation@shisharealty.com

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INWOOD Brand new bright and airy basement apartment near LIRR . Never used kosher kitchen , 2 bedrooms , LR/DR central air /heat ,full bathroom washer/dryer $2000 a month Call/text Yitzi (929) 225-3616

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EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease…

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VACATION IN JERUSALEM: Beautiful 3 bedroom apartment with porch and view available for short term in the Kaduri – Jerusalem Heights project on the 8th floor.

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HELP WANTED Special Care is seeking caring male to accompany 15-year-old high functioning boy with down syndrome to Shul Friday nights, Shabbos mornings and Yom Tovim in Central Far Rockaway.

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Looking to hire sales people to train as NY & NJ Public Adjusters.

No experience necessary, flexible hours. Call 973-951-1534

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

SHEVACH HIGH SCHOOL is seeking a Global Studies teacher, Algebra teacher.

Please email resume to Office@shevachhs.org

Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary.

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SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year.

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Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211 Local children's clothing store seeking temporary help for Purim to Pesach Flexible, afternoon and weekend hours available.

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SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com

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Classifieds

The Jewish Home | FEBRUARY 18, 2021

HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers, Title I Boro Park, Williamsburg and Flatbush Schools *College/Yeshiva Degree *Teaching experience required *Strong desire to help children learn *Small group instruction *Excellent organization skills Competitive salary.

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CAHAL is seeking an experienced Special Education secular studies teacher, P/T afternoons, for a lower elementary school boys class.

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Classifieds

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

15

Money

Trimming the Hedges

By Allan Rolnick, CPA

2

020 was a tough year all around. Coronavirus cast a pall over every aspect of life.

Millions of Americans lost their jobs, and the stock market dropped 26% in just four days. Murder hornets showed up, and the Tiger King shot to national celebrity. Is it any wonder most of us looked forward to 2021 like a dog with an important appointment with a ball?

But there’s one group that made out like bandits in 2020, and that was hedge fund managers. Last week, Bloomberg reported that just top 15 earners raked in a cool $23.2 billion between them. Adding insult to injury, those hedge fund Masters of the Universe probably pay a lower tax rate than you. Let’s take a closer look at how they make, and keep, their fortunes.

Last year’s gold medalist is Chase Coleman, 45, who heads up Tiger Global Management. Coleman grew his fund by 45% last year and pocketed $3 billion for himself. Jim Simons, former NSA codebreaker and MIT math professor, claimed the silver with $2.6 billion. His flagship Renaissance Medallion fund was up 76%. Eleven of the top 15 took home a billion or more each, and the last

on the list — Melvin Capital’s Dave Plotkin — still made $846 million.

(Oddly, Axe Capital’s Bobby Axelrod was nowhere to be found.)

How do these traders generate such enormous numbers? Hedge funds are unregulated investment

make more dollars than us. They make better dollars. (To paraphrase George Orwell, “all dollars are equal but some are more equal than others.”) Management fees are taxed like any other income — at ordinary rates up to 37%. But incentive fees — also

Bloomberg reported that just top 15 earners raked in a cool $23.2 billion between them.

partnerships that let managers invest in anything they want. (They’re the Wall Street equivalent of going to the track and betting on the jockey.)

Managers typically charge investors a management fee equal to a percentage of assets under management, regardless of performance. But they also take a piece of any gains they generate. The standard fee is “two and twenty” — 2% of assets and 20% of gains. But superstar managers can charge as much as 5% of AUM and 40% or more of those outsized gains.

Hedge fund managers don’t just

called “carried interest” — are taxed at lower capital gain rates and capped at just 20%. That’s enough to save our Top 15 literally billions in tax.

What’s more, managers can leave those gains inside their fund to keep compounding tax-deferred until they take them out to buy a Gulfstream, a yacht, or a bigger ski lodge in Aspen they’ll visit just two weeks out of the year. Hedge fund interests have spent millions lobbying to keep this loophole, which also benefits private-equity and venture capital managers.

(To hear them talk about it, you’d

think Adam Smith enshrined it as the foundation of mercantile capitalism.)

Of course, it’s 2021 now, and the new year brings new peril. Hedge fund swashbucklers who rise by the sword can fall by it, too — Melvin Capital has already lost billions shorting GameStop. But there’s a more existential threat on the horizon. Incoming President Joe Biden has proposed nearly doubling the rate on capital gains to 39.6% for managers just scraping by on a million dollars per year. We can only imagine how a change like that would decimate property values in Greenwich, Southampton, and Martha’s Vineyard.

Here’s something else the 2020 hedge fund elite have in common.

They all have top tax talent working to protect them from the IRS. You deserve the same, even with a lot fewer zeroes on your return. You’re probably too late to profit from the GameStop craze, but you’re never too late to profit from planning!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

Love Sickness

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

T

here are certain hot topics these days. Some are discussed a lot, some are over-discussed, and some are better avoided, like Florida, corona, and politics!

So hey, what about moving to some old topics instead? Like dating?!

It’s definitely more challenging these days.

Where exactly should people meet?!

And if they do happen to meet or get fixed up or, miraculously, they both say yes on some website, how does it play out?

So, let’s say that you agree to a date. Where can you go? And how do you get there?

Does she have to sit in the trunk of car? Social distancing, after all!

Or is it better to meet by Uber?

But why? Are you safer being exposed to a different stranger?!

What about going out to eat?

Good idea! But iffy execution.

Are they open?

If so, can you get a reservation for the two tables they have available?

And is it so deserted there that for some it would be considered yichud?

How about playing pool? Again, good idea, but where?

Last year, people’s porches were the dating hot spot. If one had a pretty outside area that they were willing

to share, people used it for romantic little dates.

But winter isn’t offering those same amenities.

I’ve got to be honest. I have a pool table that is kind of located in an outof-the-way area of the house. It has become the hottest dating spot.

The truth is that making it available has really cramped my style.

Wait a minute – no, I’m not some big pool shark. But I use it much more than you’d think. After all, could you

avoid all that anxiety, they are just proposing sooner!

That kind of really helps things.

Because, they get much busier planning a quick wedding and don’t need to plan dates.

Unless, of course, they actually want people to attend their wedding!

In which case, they are putting it off till the summer, hoping people might actually start responding “yes,” even if they are not family.

But, either way, the stress of cre-

Who is there to notice if I’m wearing clean clothes anyway?!

think of a more perfect laundry folding surface?! But now you see what we won’t we do to help the shidduch crisis…

Anyway, I’m still not exactly going that many places. So, who is there to notice if I’m wearing clean clothes anyway?!

Clearly, thinking of places to go these days is just more challenging.

People have had to become more creative and resourceful to figure out how to spend time together. Some are so resourceful though, that to

ative dates is diminished. They can now just drive around meeting each other’s relatives either through an open doorway, or a slightly ajar window or, in extreme cases, a mail slot.

It all depends on what stage of the vaccination process the people are up to.

The good news is that I’ve been reading that commitment is up. People are tired of playing the field. Well, obviously, there is no field! People are lonely. There aren’t that many places to bump into people and just

hang out. They are ready to meet their life partner.

So maybe this is the moment to capitalize on it. Think of a guy or girl you know. Ask them about people they know. Make an extra call. Make something happen. You don’t have to have the answer. Just start with an idea in someone’s head and maybe it will just cause a ripple effect.

We’ve seen the power of the invisible flow this year. Let’s see if we can start another type of flow going – one that leads to good outcomes! One that leads to healthy connections! One that leads to relaxed breathing – either for two soulmates or at least for their parents who worry too much over this.

When it comes to love and connection, we can only create opportunity.... Some may catch the fever, and some may revert back to keeping their former social distance. Some may get chills all over, and some may feel nothing. Some may lose taste for the person, and some may continue to feel great after being together.

The worst that can come of it is becoming lovesick. And that’s not so bad, after all.

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach.

She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.

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FEBRUARY 18, 2021 | The Jewish Home