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A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY JUNE 25 – JULY 1, 2015 | DISTRIBUTED WEEKLY IN THE FIVE TOWNS, QUEENS & BROOKLYN

– See pages 9, 10, 11 & 13

– See page 22

The Camp Experience

Around the COMMUNITY

Camp Staff Give Insight into What Goes into a Wonderful Summer Song and Inspiration at Inwood Kollel Kumzitz by the Bay

Page 66 40

The Defeat of Napoleon 200 Years since the Battle of Waterloo

No Surprises, Extreme Bias in UNHRC Gaza War Crimes Report Page 17

Page 84 Strengthening our Marriage and our Finances at FTMI’s Groundbreaking Program 39

Rocky’s Rant: A Good Pajamas to You

PAGE 70

Uncle Moishy was Back in Town at the JCCRP Annual Concert & Fair

36 – See page 32

– See page 3 & 35

See page 4

JUNE 25, 2015

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3 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015

Dear Mom and Dad: Send Seasons stuff! Love, Sammy PS: Camp is great!

To:

Mom & Dad Goldstein

2897 Lakeside Dr. Long Island, NY 11702

Camp deliveries all summer only at

SEASONS FIVE TOWNS 330 Central Avenue, Lawrence, NY 516.295.3300 • info@seasonsny.com LAWRENCE • QUEENS • SCARSDALE • MANHATTAN • LAWRENCE Baltimore L A K E W O O D , C LLakewood, I F T O N / P AClifton/Passaic S S A I C & B A L T&I M O R E L OComing C A T I OSoon NS COMING SOON

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JUNE 25, 2015

5 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015

Please Join

Rabbi and Mrs. Zvi Bloom F or a reception in honor of A ssem blym an

Phil G oldfeder Monday, July 7th 2015 • 8:00 pm ••• A t our hom e 509 Cedar Hill Rd. Far Rockaway CHAIRMEN Yanky Brach Lloyd Keilson

Elisha Brecher Moishe Mishkowitz

Seth Farbman Aron Solomon

Shlomo Zalman Gutfreund Daniel Wolfson

HOST COMMITTEE Hillel Adelman Daniel Burg Yitzy Halpern Shlomo Reich

Richard Altabe Mordechai Zvi Dicker

Moti Hellman Baruch Rothman

Boruch Ber Bender Chaskel Bennett Akiva Bergman Alex Edelman Eytan Feldman Alon Goldberger Tzvi Keilson Ari Klainberg David Kopelowitz Eli Shapiro Asher Schoor Moshe Schreiber Menachem Walfish

Dovid Bloom Tzale Guttman Jeff Leb Naftali Solomon

RSVP’s and Contributions may be sent to: Friends of Phil Goldfeder • 590 Longacre Woodmere, NY 11598 You can also contribute online at: www.PhilGoldfeder.com

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JUNE 25, 2015

From the Editor

Contents Letters to the Editor

Community Readers’ Poll

Community Happenings

OpEd: A Guide to the Perplexed by Larry Domnitch and Lynne Bursky Tammam

The Camp Experience by Malky Lowinger

News Global

National

Odd-but-True Stories

Israel Israel News

People The Defeat of Napoleon: 200 Years since the Battle of Waterloo by Avi Heiligman 84 Parsha Parshat Chukat: A Parah-dox by Yehudit Bat-Ayin 74 Rabbi Wein

The Shmuz

Jewish Thought HVLHVLM by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

Dear Readers, In our feature story this week, one staff director we spoke with said that no matter how camps have changed from years ago, “It’s still four weeks of utopia – you and the stars and the sky. The stars haven’t changed in all these years.” I have many memories of camp, having spent eleven summers of my life there. And it’s true: the vast sky with its myriad stars twinkling overhead is something that you can never experience in the city. You get to really connect with nature as you head down dirt paths and hike through the woods. I shared my Kits Kats with bears and raccoons and lived in a tent for three weeks. I can’t count the times I paddled down the Delaware River—nine times in just one summer—and ate marshmallow fluff for days on end. Ahhh, those were the most wonderful experiences—experiences that you just can’t duplicate in the city. Growing up, my parents and

too surprising when they come out with certain determinations. As I was reading excerpts from the report last night, I actually laughed out loud. Consider: the UN is criticizing Israel for firing warning shots to warn civilians to evacuate buildings prior to bombings and yet they say that when Hamas makes threats that it will demolish Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport that is considered sufficient warning for any rockets they will fire. The bias on their conclusions is so glaring that it’s hard to believe that anyone will actually take their conclusions at face value. The truth is, though, that Israel has many enemies and its friends are few and far between. This report just adds fuel to the embers that our adversaries are constantly fanning. Those who despise us will believe the deceit; our friends, though, will see the commission for what it is: yet another report by the UN not worth the paper it’s printed on. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

grandparents would preface many comments with the words, “In my days, life was different…” Well, I have to say that camp is very different than what it used to be. No longer are campers writing home every day and hoping for a package from home (maybe) once a month. Children are living in luxury; there’s air conditioning, freshly baked cookies, zip lines, heated pools, and trips to exotic and exciting places. Despite the many differences, the friendships they form and the freedom they feel is the same. I know that once my children get older, I will be just as excited for them as they will be as they head onto those buses. This week, the UN came out with its report on war crimes in last summer’s war in Gaza. When it comes to the UN, we know what to expect. Expect something truly slanted, something that overlooks some facts, highlights others, and then comes to a lopsided conclusion. And because we know what to expect from this international organization, it’s not

Health & Fitness Breathing by Deb Hirschhorn, PhD

Solution Focused Counseling by Morton Kramer

Summer Food: Camp Survival Guide by Aliza Beer, MS, RD 90

Weekly Weather

FRIDAY

SHABBOS

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June 27

SUNDAY

MONDAY

June 28

TUESDAY

June 29

June 30

WEDNESDAY THURSDAY July 1

July 2

Food & Leisure Restaurant Review: The Kosher King of New York: Basil Pizza and Wine Bar 76 The Aussie Gourmet: Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette 78 Great Kosher Food: Heirloom Tomato Watermelon Salad with Sprouts and Honey Vinaigrette 80

AM SHOWERS

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Lifestyles

Shabbos Zemanim

The Basics of Index Funds by Oded Jacobowitz 98

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Auction benefitting the Levi Yitzchak Family Center & Library, a registered Non-Profit 501(c)3 organization. All donations are tax deductible.

The Week In News

Canada Passes Ban on Barbaric Practices Canada has officially banned “barbaric cultural practices.” The law was completed and approved and went into effect on Thursday. It was passed onto the Senate on November 5, 2014 under the name “Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act” with the goal of providing better protection for immigrants deemed at greater risk of physical injury, primarily women and girls who had immigrated to Canada.

K EW G ARDENS

Civil marriage shall be determined by law, it added, and second marriages shall be considered valid only with the free consent of both spouses in the event of remarriage after a civil divorce. The laws also specifies clearly that 16 is the minimum age for marriage and that the marriage of any two citizens between the

ages of 16-18 can only be finalized with parental consent from both sides. This legislation brings an end to arranged or forced marriages; they are now deemed a criminal unlawful act. All parties – including parents, any religious officials, and any other authority involved in the union – could now be tried, convicted, and sentenced to up to 5 years’ prison time. This part of the law extends to the ban of taking a child under 16 to a foreign nation for the purpose of forced marriage. “Despite the best efforts and intentions, the reality is that women migrants could cope with violence and abuse,” Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander stated on Thursday. “Through the Zero Tolerance for Barbaric Cultural Practices Act, we convey a firm message to those in Canada and those who want to come to Canada that we cannot allow a cultural tradition which deprives people of their rights.”

Update on Flight MH17 One year after the fatal crash of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 in Ukraine,

JUNE 25, 2015

As a result of this legislation, immigrants married to more than one wife or who were convicted of crimes against women in their home countries will not be allowed to emigrate to Canadian soil. Individuals currently in the country can potentially be extradited to their home countries even without a previous conviction if found guilty of bigamy, the law stated.

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immigrant seeks asylum or if the person is a child traveling alone. For those immigrants who fight to stay in the United States, the wait for a court date and a final decision on their case can take several years because of backlog of more than 449,000 cases already pending in immigration courts. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there were about 41,920 requests for asylum in 2014, not all from Central Americans. About 49 percent of requests processed that year were granted.

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then boarded freight trains north. In 2014, more than 46,000 unaccompanied minors from Central America crossed into the United States, leading the U.S. government to turn to the governments in Mexico and Central America to try to staunch the flow. Mexico has proved the more efficient in deportations, which is already causing concerns among human rights groups about its new tactics. In most cases, Mexico holds migrants only long enough to verify their nationalities and quickly bundles them aboard buses to take them back to their home countries. “The time that foreigners are in immigration [detention] centers depends only on the speed with which the authorities of their [home] countries confirm their nationality,” Mexico’s National Immigration Institute said. By contrast, when immigrants are caught crossing the U.S. border illegally, the process of being sent home can take anywhere from hours to years. Mexican nationals are often repatriated quickly — sometimes the same day they are caught — while migrants from other countries often spend at least a few days in U.S. custody before being flown back to their country of origin. The deportation process can take much longer if an

The Week In News a whistleblower has come forward with information. According to a German investigator following the crash, the information makes the source eligible for a reward of $47 million.

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JUNE 25, 2015

While Western powers have strongly claimed that pro-Russian forces shot down the flight with a BUK surface-toair missile, there has not been any conclusive evidence to support that. According to the Kremlin, it was the Ukrainian military that shot down the Boeing passenger jet carrying 298 people. Now it has been confirmed through an anonymous source that pro-Russian forces had shot Flight MH17 with a missile in Ukraine. It was also reported that the source told the German investigator that the separatists had mistaken the flight for a military aircraft. Josef Resch, head of Wifka, the company investigating the crash, has refused to name his source. Nor has he revealed the exact information the source provided. According to the German private investigator, a mysterious client hired him in 2014 to find out the truth behind the crash. The flight crashed in July 2014 and killed all 298 people onboard.

Contaminated Alcohol Leads to Tens of Deaths

for distributing and selling the alcohol in a slum in the suburb of Malad West, in the north of the city. Two of those were women. Eight police officers have also been suspended for “negligence” for allowing the sale to take place in their territory. Investigators are analyzing whether high levels of methanol were present in the moonshine, often called “country liquor” in India. Methanol is a highly toxic form of alcohol used as anti-freeze or fuel and is often added to bootleg liquor in India as a cheap and quick method of upping the alcohol content. It is not uncommon to buy and sell unlicensed liquor in India; illegal alcohol is sold for less than a dollar for a 25cl bottle. However, in big cities like Mumbai, fatalities due to consumption of illegal alcohol are rare. Generally these kinds of tragedies happen in poor, rural villages. The last time such an incident occurred in Mumbai was in 2004, when around 100 people died.

Extreme Muslim Numbers Climbing in Europe Salafism, an Islamic movement based on a literal reading of the Quran, is on the rise in France, Germany and Britain, security officials say, with Salafis sharply increasing their influence in mosques and on the streets. The trend worries European authorities, who see Salafism as one of the inspirational forces for young Europeans heading to Syria or Iraq to do battle for the Islamic State group. Experts, however, insist that the vast majority of Salafis are peace-loving.

mosques are run by Salafis, according to Mahmood Naqshbandi, an expert on Britain’s Muslims and counter-extremism adviser to the British government who keeps a database of the various currents of Islam in Britain. He says those numbers are steadily growing, especially among young people — and that a quarter to half of British Muslims under 30 “accept some parts or all of the Salafi theology.” Despite the rising numbers and presence, the internet is largely seen as the main route for youth to quickly radicalize. But radicalization can be cultivated in places where Muslims socialize, like mosques. And there, said a French security official, it is Salafis who are considered the principal purveyors of radical ideology. Experts say Salafis in France have been waging a campaign of stealth to take over mosques. First they develop a following and then begin criticizing the imam in order to win control over the faithful. Those who practice Salafism — which comes from the word “salafs,” or ancestors — seek to emulate the Islam of the prophet Muhammad and his early followers, which they consider the purest form of the religion. Salafis, who are Sunni Muslims, are easily identifiable. Men wear beards and robes above the ankle and women often cover their faces.

Secret Saudi Docs Leaked

diplomatic servers had been penetrated ahead of the mass disclosure. Many of the documents appear aimed at tracking Iranian activity across the region or undermining Tehran’s interests. An undated memo apparently sent from the Saudi Embassy in Tehran made note of what it called the “frustration of the Iranian citizen and his strong desire for regime change” and suggested ways to publicly expose Iran’s social grievances through “the Internet, social media like Facebook and Twitter.” Saudis also kept a watchful eye on Iran’s friends, real or perceived. One 2012 memo warned that Iran was getting “flirting American messages” suggesting that the U.S. had no objections to a peaceful Iranian nuclear program so long as it had guarantees, “possibly Russian ones.” Another memo, dated to 2012, accuses the United Arab Emirates of helping Russia and Iran circumvent international sanctions. A third memo — marked “top secret” — alleges that Iranian fighter jets bombed South Sudanese forces during a 2012 standoff over the oil-rich area of Heglig. The memo grabbing the most headlines concerns a 2009 invoice that was found for an unpaid limousine bill racked up by Princess Maha Al Ibrahim, whom Saudi media identify as the wife of senior Saudi royal Abdul-Rahman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. The invoice, from Geneva-based Golden Limousine Services and addressed to the Saudi mission there, says the princess skipped town after failing to pay a first installment of 1.5 million Swiss francs ($1.4 million at the time) owed to the company and her hotel. When the bill was brought to her attention, “she declared that the amount was too high” and asked diplomats to handle the negotiations over the payment.

Israel

The death toll from India’s latest incident of mass alcohol poisoning following the consumption of toxic homemade liquor rose to 102 late on Monday, Mumbai police said. Authorities are preparing for the number of fatalities to increase. The first victims began feeling sick on Wednesday morning after consuming the illegal booze. Authorities are investigating the distribution of the illegal, fatal alcohol. Seven people have been arrested so far

In Germany, there are currently about 7,000 Salafis in the country — nearly double the 3,800 estimated four years ago, the Interior Ministry said last month. About 100 French mosques are now controlled by Salafis, a small number compared to the more than 2,000 Muslim houses of worship, but more than double the number four years ago. In Britain the numbers are on the rise, too. Seven percent of Britain’s 1,740

The infamous WikiLeaks website has released over 60,000 documents that appear to have come from Saudi government servers. The release is only the first batch of what the transparency group says will be a much larger release. Even so, they’ve already provided an unusual level of insight into day-to-day Saudi diplomacy — giving a snapshot of the lavish spending habits of senior royals and the political intrigue percolating across the Middle East. Although authentication of all the documents is an overwhelming challenge, the organization has a long track record of hosting large leaks of government material, and in a statement, the Saudi government acknowledged its

Anti-Cyberbullying App Developed

In response to the ever-growing threat of online bullying and other inter-

The Week In News Red Button is working to develop partnerships with volunteer groups in other countries to administer reports for users there, as well. Cyberbullying – the hounding of web users by individuals or groups – has been a major news story in recent years, the result of numerous incidents in which kids who violated the social morés of their peer group were targeted, with tragic results. The problem

No Surprises, Extreme Bias in UNHRC Gaza War Crimes Report It was just a year ago when Israel was embroiled in the war in Gaza, destroying tunnels dug by Hamas and heading into booby-trapped homes in search of artillery and bombs. On Monday, the UN Human Rights Council came out with their report on the war last summer. It was expected that the UNHRC will hold a bias against Israel; clearly that has been their practice in the past. The Jewish state said it would study the report but rejected the “morally flawed” mandate given to the UNHRC to investigate the war. There were no true surprises in the published commission. Israel was held mostly to blame, it was reported that Palestinian children were killed during the conflict and that Hamas lobbed thousands of rockets at Israeli cities. What was not included in the report, though, was the fact that Israel did not initiate the war and from almost the beginning endeavored to put an end to the fighting. Hamas, on the other hand, persisted with the agitation and continued to throw rockets from within residential areas. The sizeable death toll could have been prevented—and Hamas is very much to blame for those many deaths. Even so, perhaps the terror organization is smiling now. Once again, the world is condemning Israel. The body count was well worth it. “It is regrettable that the report fails to recognize the profound difference between Israel’s moral behavior during Operation Protective Edge and the terror organizations it confronted,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “This report was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution, given an obviously biased mandate, and initially headed by a grossly biased chairperson, William Schabas,” the statement said, noting the UNHRC’s unforgiving treatment — in relation to major human rights offenders Iran, North Korea and others — of Israel’s alleged offenses. Schabas, the Canadian Jewish professor who initially headed the HRC pan-

el, resigned in February amid charges by Israel of bias and was replaced by former New York judge Mary McGowan Davis. “Israel is a democracy committed to the rule of law, forced to defend itself against Palestinian terrorists who commit a double war crime: They indiscriminately target Israeli civilians while deliberately endangering Palestinian civilians, including children, by using them as human shields,” the Israeli statement pointed out. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu predicted that the report would be “a waste of time” and derided the commission of inquiry into the war, calling it an attempt “to blacken [the name] of the State of Israel.” In the report released on Monday, blame was placed on both parties but as was expected, Israel was said to be more at fault. In fact, in terms of fatalities, the UNHRC accepted the Palestinian death count, which has Israel killing 1,462 civilians out of a total of 2,251 Palestinians who died — a 65 percent ratio. Israel’s internal report, released last week, found that only 56% of the dead were civilians, a figure that supports Israel’s stated emphasis on proportionality and discernment during war. Additionally, the UN report found that there is “little or no information available to explain why residential buildings, which are prima facie civilian objects immune from attack, were considered to be legitimate military objectives” and ruled that “the onus is on Israel” to explain its methods. Israel has in the past pointed out that Hamas operatives had hidden in buildings during the conflict and that residents were told to evacuate during the fighting. Even so, the roof-knocking technique, in which Israel fired warning rounds on some occasions ahead of an attack to warn civilians to evacuate their building, “cannot be considered an effective warning given the confusion they often cause to building residents and the short time allowed to evacuate before the

actual strike,” the report said. According to the report, at least 142 families lost three or more members in an attack on residential buildings during last summer’s war, resulting in 742 deaths. “The fact that Israel did not revise its practice of airstrikes, even after their dire effects on civilians became apparent, raises questions of whether this was part of a broader policy which was at least tacitly approved at the highest level of government,” the commission said in a statement. They didn’t limit their criticism to actions during the war. The commission also voiced concern that a sense of “impunity prevails across the board for violations … allegedly committed by Israeli forces, whether it be in the context of active hostilities in Gaza or killings, torture and ill-treatment in the West Bank.” The report cited a recorded incident in which Salem Shamaly was killed while searching for a lost relative. “Directing attacks against civilians constitutes a violation of the principle of distinction and may amount to a war crime,” the report said. “These acts may also constitute willful killings.” In terms of Palestinian responsibility during the 50 days of conflict last summer, the report found that the “indiscriminate” targeting of Israeli civilians by Palestinian rockets “may amount to a war crime.” “The hostilities also caused immense distress and disruption to the lives of civilians in Israel,” the commission’s statement pointed out. “Witnesses living near Gaza spoke of being disturbed by seeing the bombing from their sitting room windows but also struggled to reach shelters in time with their children when the sirens alerted them to incoming attacks. The indiscriminate firing of thousands of rockets and mortars at Israel appeared

to have the intention of spreading terror among civilians there. In terms of warnings from Hamas of upcoming attacks, the report said that threats made by Hamas to target Tel Aviv and Ben Gurion Airport were considered to be concrete warnings to Israeli civilians. “In addition, the Israeli military discovered 14 tunnels extending from Gaza into Israel that were used to attack their soldiers during this period,” the statement said. “The idea of the tunnels traumatized Israeli civilians who feared they could be attacked at any moment by gunmen bursting out of the ground.” Why had Hamas spent thousands of dollars digging these extensive tunnels? The report said that the probe “cannot conclusively determine the intent of Palestinian armed groups with regard to the construction and use of these tunnels. However, the commission observes that during the period under examination, the tunnels were only used to conduct attacks directed at IDF positions in Israel in the vicinity of the Green Line, which are legitimate military targets.” When Hamas executed 21 Palestinians accused of serving as Israeli collaborators, the commission writes that that “constitute[d] a violation of article 3 common to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, and therefore amount to a war crime.” No surprises, extreme bias. It’s good to know that the UN is staying true to its mission.

JUNE 25, 2015

The data gathered by the app – web and IP address, site ownership, identifying information of the offending individual – is forwarded to a group of volunteers at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya (IDC), who collate the information and file complaints with the appropriate sites and/or authorities. Those can include website owners, ISPs, internet associations, and even police. Currently the app works only in Israel, but

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is also an add-on version for popular web browsers like Firefox and Chrome. If an individual comes across something or someone they are uncomfortable with – such as a person who is cursing, threatening, intimidating, or inappropriately discussing personal issues – all they have to do is press a button to begin a process that can lead to taking the offending site down or arresting the offending individual.

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net dangers, an Israeli nonprofit called Red Button has produced the world’s first app that lets anyone, especially kids, easily report negative web behavior. The company’s objective is to force sites to remove or ban users engaged in negative behavior, and, where possible, to track them down and make them own up to their deeds. The Red Button app installs itself as a service on Android devices, and there

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JUNE 25, 2015

The Week In News with online policing, according to Alon Bar-David, Adi Zuta, and Liron Fatouh – the three IDC students behind the Red Button app – is that it relies on voluntary efforts to collect the information. Shockingly, the three say, there is no authority – neither in Israel nor anywhere else – that is officially responsible for dealing with cyber-bullying and other negative Internet behavior. Where officialdom fails, the citizenry must step in, the three believe. Hence the Red Button app. In Israel – with statistics that Red Button says are similar to those found elsewhere – 45% of web users aged 1017 say that they are victims of online abuse of some sort; only 20% of them report it to anyone. The group said it had received nearly 7,500 reports of online verbal violence in 2014, about one-third of them on Facebook.

Druze Protesters Attack Ambulance Carrying Wounded Syrian Rebels On Monday, 150 Druze protesters attacked and hurled stones at a military ambulance transporting wounded Syrians in the Golan Heights. One of the Syrians was killed in the melee, the second time such an event occurred in 24 hours. Two IDF soldiers who were also in the ambulance, one of them an army doctor, were lightly hurt in the attack. Both Syrians in the ambulance were in serious condition when arriving in Israel. After the attack, both rebels were in critical condition, one of them succumbing to his wounds on the way to the hospital. The two soldiers were taken to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, while the Syr-

ians were airlifted to the Ramban Medical Center in Haifa. The ambulance, accompanied by a Military Police patrol car, was making its way to Kiryat Shmona when it encountered the Druze protesters near Majdal Shams, where they hurled stones at it. The ambulance managed to escape, and protesters chased it to Neve Ativ. The Druze protesters were threatening that they would not allow Syrian wounded into Israel for treatment. They called for a protest outside the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya where other wounded Syrians are hospitalized. Pro-Assad TV channels in Syria that reported on the attack called the Druze protesters “our heroic countrymen.” A report on the Syrian government’s official news agency SANA said that “two terrorists from Jabhat al-Nusra were killed after the heroes of the occupied Golan blocked and attacked a Zionist ambulance transporting [the wounded] to one of the Israeli enemy’s hospitals for treatment.”

An IDF official denied that the wounded rebels were members of the Islamist organization Jabhat al-Nusra. The spiritual leader of the Druze community in Israel, Sheikh Moafaq Tarif, strongly condemned the incident, saying, “This is not our way, and we are hurting over the criminal act done by lawbreakers, and call on authorities to act.” Members of the Druze community criticized the IDF for failing to learn

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from a similar incident early Monday morning and chose to once again go through Druze villages with the military ambulance without taking the proper security measures. Following the two attacks, the IDF will increase security over dozens of wounded Syrians currently hospitalized in Israeli hospitals out of concern they will also be attacked by Druze protesters. In the last few weeks, following tensions in Syria between the rebels and Druze residents, security was beefed up at the hospital by the police. On Saturday night, a demonstration by Druze citizens protesting the continuing treatment of wounded rebels was broken up.

(BDS) movement when supermarkets belonging to the Coop Forum chain in Sweden changed their policy on boycotting Israeli products. Three stores in the 655-strong retail chain had previously agreed to remove Israeli products from their shelves but the products will now be returned to the store in the wake of an ongoing campaign by supporters of Israel against the boycott.

PLO Official: Retract Recognition of Israel

In the most recent move by the PLO, official Saeb Erekat is calling on the Palestinian leadership to consider retracting its recognition of Israel until the Jewish state agrees to recognize a Palestinian state. The PLO officially recognized Israel as a state in 1988 under Yasser Arafat’s leadership. The recommendation was made in a 56-page report on Palestinian-Israeli relations. Erekat is also insisting the Palestinian Authority reject placement of Israeli troops in the Jordan Valley as part of a peace deal, rebuff efforts to compromise over the PA’s sovereignty in East Jerusalem, and fully support boycotts of goods produced in West Bank settlements. Erekat also said that steps should be taken to allow Hamas and Islamic Jihad to join the PLO’s Executive Committee. The comments came a day after it was announced that the Palestinian unity government was disbanding. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has reportedly tasked Rami Hamdallah, the Palestinian prime minister, with forming a new government.

Another Blow to BDS A victory was won this week against the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions

The matter began two and a half months ago, when three of the chain’s stores in the northern Swedish city of Varberg, known for its leftist political views, agreed to the boycott of Israelis goods. At an annual meeting of members of the coop earlier this year, anti-Israel groups protested and lobbied for the boycott, with the members agreeing. The story went unreported until two weeks ago, when a local publication noted the decision. Israel’s ambassador to Sweden, Yitzhak Bachman, immediately began acting to reverse the decision, concerned that it could spread to the rest of the chain. Bachman pointed out that boycotts were unfair to average working people and against the principle of free trade. Bachman and thousands of Israel supporters appealed to the chain’s management, which this week issued a statement saying that they were opposed to any boycotts and that the decision made by the Varberg committee was unauthorized and would be reversed. Speaking to Israeli reporters, Bachman said that the lesson was “never give up.” “The thing to do about boycotts is oppose them for what they are, without trying to decide whether we are right or the Palestinians are right. The support we were able to gain among Swedish citizens was essential, as the chain realized it couldn’t fight the will of the people,” he related. Continued on page 22

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The Week In News Thousands Attend Funeral for Danny Gonen Thousands attended the funeral of Danny Gonen this week after the Israeli man was killed by a Palestinian near

the West Bank settlement of Dolev. His shooter is still at large, with security forces assessing that the attack was likely a “lone wolf”-style killing and not pre-planned by a terror group. In her eulogy, his mother, Devora Gonen, praised her son’s integrity and his love of the Holy Land. “Danny, my dear, beloved son,” she said. “I cannot believe that we’re standing here now

and talking about you in the past tense. You were a source of immense pride for me, a pillar to your brother and sisters. You were a devoted son to me, and when I needed it, a friend too. And you supported me in everything. You lived your life as a free Jew in your country. You loved the land and you loved the truth. The truth was your banner and you lived by it.” Gonen, 25, was an electrical engineering student and the eldest of five siblings. He was shot several times at point blank range by a Palestinian gunman who flagged down his slowly moving car. He and his friend, Netanel Hadad, had been visiting the Ein Buvin spring near Dolev. Hadad was moderately injured and valiantly fought to save his friend’s life. Hamas praised the killing as “heroic,” and spokesman Husam Badran said the day after the killing that “we bless whoever did it.” A group calling itself the “Marwan Kawasme and Amer Abu Aysha Squad,” named for the two terrorists who killed three Israeli teenagers last summer, claimed responsibility for the attack, and said it was affiliated with the armed wing of Hamas. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the murder proved that Israelis are under constant threat. “We mustn’t let the relative calm mislead us. Efforts to hurt us are underway at all times, and we will continue to fight them using all the means available to us,” he asserted. At the funeral, Rabbi Yisrael Samet of Lod spoke of Danny’s modesty and said that Danny’s death has transformed him into a martyr. “You held up the family in recent years; everyone would go to you in times of need. Who now will do everything help his siblings? Who will help friends who ask for help?”

National What Do they Really Think of Us?

“Every human person has something to say about America or knows something about America,” Renee Zografos

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The Week In News says. “And it wasn’t always positive.” Zografos is the author of Attractive Unattractive Americans: How the World Sees America. In writing his book, he interviewed more than 1,000 people from around the world over the course of seven years. Their thoughts and views on America were as diverse as the people with whom he spoke. Zografos, though, came away with a certain sense of how people in other countries view Americans. For instance, people in Scandinavian countries tend to have the most positive view of Americans. While they can be critical of some American practices, overall they have embraced U.S. entertainment and maintain an idyllic “Hollywood” ideal of what Americans are like. On the other end of the spectrum, Zografos found that people living in Southern European countries like Italy and Greece tend to have a more negative image of Americans. He credits major lifestyle differences as the main cause. According to his book, Americans never lose sight of their goals, they don’t look back and they want to win. This winning mentality can be off-putting to some, but others find it inspiring.

“Before I went to America I was a shy little student afraid of almost everything in this world,” said Sandra from Germany. “But America taught me to be brave and outgoing. Thank you, America.” There are a lot of positives about America. It’s home to some of the most beautiful national parks, people pride themselves on tradition, and many places exhibit a strong sense of community. Still, some countries continue to make digs at Americans for being loud, selfish and flashy. Despite their insults, Derek from England makes a good point. “I have always wondered why so many folks say that they don’t like America but still keep traveling back there year after year.” So that’s why Times Square is so crowded all the time. Maria from Chile gave some good advice: “Americans must certainly learn to slow down! Even on vacation they are very stressed.” Time to head to the beach. The Greek lifestyle doesn’t necessarily champion a hard work ethic. Vangelis from Greece can’t seem to grasp Americans’ desire to work hard. “Americans’ philosophy is to live so they can work,” he said. “We work so

we can live, meaning there are other things in life that are more important than working.” Karin from Sweden was sweet when she spoke about the world leader. “We don’t hate America as a nation. We just hate their attitude toward the rest of the world.” We love you too.

The Fight over the Flag

It’s been waving over the Statehouse for years. The Confederate flag blows in the breeze in South Carolina; its black, red and white stripes and stars have been flying since the 1960s as an

official protest of the civil rights movement. After mass protests, it was moved to the grounds in 2000, as part of a compromise between a group of black lawmakers and the Republicans who have controlled South Carolina since 2001. For years, the symbol of the South has stirred controversy. South Carolina lawmakers refused to revisit the issue of the Confederate flag on Statehouse grounds, saying the law that took it off the dome was a bipartisan compromise and renewing the debate would unnecessarily expose divisive wounds. But opinions have changed and views have swayed this past week, days since the massacre of nine people at a historic black church in Charleston. Republicans have joined the call to remove the battle flag from the Confederate monument in front of the Statehouse and put it in a museum. On Monday, Governor Nikki Haley, a Republican, called for the removal of the flag. She went even further by pledging to call legislators back to Columbia if they don’t deal with it in a special session in the next few weeks. “Today we are here in a moment of unity in our state, and without ill will, to

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The Week In News say it’s time to move the flag from the Capitol grounds,” Haley said at a press conference on Monday. “One hundred and fifty years after the end of the Civil War, the time has come.” Haley’s announcement came days after authorities charged Dylann Storm Roof, 21, with murder. The white man appeared in photos holding Confederate flags and burning or desecrating U.S. flags, and purportedly wrote of fomenting racial violence. It took the death of nine people and the outpouring of love and forgiveness to sway the governor. She has deflected questions about the controversial flag for years. For many South Carolinians, the flag still represents noble traditions of heritage and duty, the governor stated, but for many others, it is a “deeply offensive symbol of a brutally oppressive past.” “The hate-filled murderer who massacred our brothers and sisters in Charleston has a sick and twisted view of the flag. In no way does he reflect the people in our state who respect, and in many ways, revere it,” she charged. The governor’s declarations sparked action in other arenas as well on Monday: Mississippi House Speaker Philip

Gunn called for the Confederate emblem to be removed from the state flag, becoming the first top-tier Republican in the state to do so. In Tennessee, both Democrats and Republicans called for the removal of a bust of Confederate general and early Ku Klux Klan leader Nathan Bedford Forrest from an alcove outside the Senate’s chambers. And Wal-Mart announced that it is removing any items from its store shelves and website that feature the Confederate flag. Despite the calls for removal, change won’t be easy. Making any changes to the banner requires a two-thirds supermajority in both chambers under the terms of the 2000 deal that moved a square version of the flag to a monument to Confederate soldiers out front.

America’s Frame is Growing Years ago, people weren’t as obsessed with their weight. It’s interesting to note, though, that the average American weighs more today than in

the 1960s. According to new data from the CDC, the average weight of a U.S. woman is now 166.2 pounds, about the same weight as the average man in the 1960s. In the 1960s, the average woman weighed about 140 – that’s an increase of 18.5%. Men, who weighed an average of 166.3 pounds in the 1960s now average in at about 195.5 pounds, a 17.6% gain. Despite the disheartening figures, it’s important to note that the normal height of men and women has grown by an inch, making the findings a drop less harsh. The obvious reason for increasing weights is that Americans are eating unhealthier high-calorie food and are exercising less. According to recent data, 35% of Americans over 20 are considered obese, while 69% of adults are either overweight or obese. A 2012 study found Americans were the third-heaviest people on the planet behind residents of Tonga and Micronesia. The average American was 33 pounds heavier than a Frenchman, 40 pounds heavier than a citizen of Japan, and 70 pounds heavier than a person in Bangladesh. Time to whip out those sneakers and munch on some kale.

Obese Americans Outnumber those who are Overweight

vey, an ongoing study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The NHANES data included information on height and weight, which are used to calculate a person’s body mass index. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered normal. Someone with a BMI in the 25-to-29.9 range is considered overweight, and a BMI over 30 qualifies a person as obese. Interestingly, women were much more likely to be obese than overweight, with 37 percent of women in the former category and 30 percent in the latter. Altogether, 2 out every 3 women in the U.S. were above a normal weight. The proportion of men who were obese was almost as high as women — 35 percent. But that figure was lower than the 40 percent of men who were in the overweight zone. With both groups combined, 3 out of 4 men in the U.S. exceeded a normal weight. African-Americans had the highest rates of obesity among both men (39 percent) and women (57 percent). The researchers found that 17 percent of black women and 7 percent of black men were extremely obese, meaning their body mass index was over 40. For whites, 35 percent of men and 34 percent of women were obese. Being overweight or obese increases the risk of a variety of chronic health conditions, including Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Extra weight can also make people more vulnerable to certain types of cancer. The more you weigh, the greater the health risk. Exercise, a proper diet and a healthy lifestyle are important factors in keeping weight under control.

New York Says No to BDS In a related story, Americans should stay away from their corndogs and nachos this summer. According to a new report in journal JAMA Internal Medicine, adults who are obese now outnumber those who are overweight. A tally by researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis estimated that 67.6 million Americans over the age of 25 were obese as of 2012, and an additional 65.2 million were overweight. Their count was based on data collected between 2007 and 2012 as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Sur-

The New York State Assembly reaffirmed its support of Israel by rejecting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement last week. The resolution, which passed in a voice vote, stated that the assembly rejects the BDS movement and all activities in New York which “undermine efforts to achieve a negoti-

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Seven decades ago, on April 13, 1945, Manfred Romer heard a plane flying just a few hundred feet over his head. As he watched it pass, the plane caught fire and disappeared out of view, crashing near his home in Amt Neuhaus, Germany. “There was a huge plume of smoke,” Romer said, recalling what happened when he was just five years old. “So this is something that just burned in my memory.” Recently Romer decided to return to his old home to investigate what happened to that plane, and more importantly, the pilot inside. After about a year,

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New Safety Report Faults NHTSA for Fatal Car Defects

our cars. We assume that whoever is in charge is making sure we are kept as safe as possible. However, recently the U.S. auto safety watchdog has been plagued by internal problems that have prevented the agency from acting to protect the public from deadly auto defects, including faulty GM ignition switches, according to federal investigators. An official U.S. Department of Transportation report, seen by Reuters and due to be released to the public next week, says the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) lacks the data needed to identify safety issues, does not properly screen the data it has, and has failed time and again to hold automakers accountable for problems among the more than 265 million cars and trucks on America’s roads. “Collectively, these weaknesses have resulted in significant safety concerns being overlooked,” investigators said. In the past few years, General Motors Co. ignition switches were linked to more than 110 deaths and defective Takata Corp air bag inflators were related to at least eight deaths. It is up to agencies like the NHTSA to be on top of these industry problems.

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and co-sponsored by 74 other members of the assembly from both sides of the aisle. It recognizes Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and points out that Israel and the U.S. are allies “sharing a common bond rooted in the values of freedom, democracy and equal rights.” It underlines that New York and Israel have a history of friendship and economic, cultural, intellectual and political cooperation and exchange.

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ated two-state solution and the right of Israelis and Palestinians to self-determination.” “This Legislative Body is concerned that the international Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and its agenda are damaging to the causes of peace, justice, equality, democracy and human rights for all peoples in the Middle East,” it says. The resolution also states that the assembly opposes all attempts to isolate and delegitimize Israel, including, but not limited to, promoting economic, cultural and academic boycotts. “New Yorkers defend the inalienable right to free speech, [and] recognize that punitive economic measures targeting Israel undermine dialogue, economic cooperation and political reconciliation between Israelis and Palestinians, which is the necessary foundation for a lasting peace in the Middle East,” the resolution states. “The BDS movement’s policies and tactics negate and undermine the vibrant debate regarding the Israel-Palestinian relationship, which is based on a recognition of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish State.” The resolution was led by Assemblyman Walter T. Mosley (D-Brooklyn)

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The Week In News Romer ended up in Arlington National Cemetery, standing alongside the pilot’s relatives in a moment seven decades in the making, at what would be the young lieutenant’s final resting place. “For me it is a very moving day,” Romer said. “Not just today, but all of the days that led up to today.” The pilot on that fateful flight was John Herb, and his story is not all that

different from thousands of other American soldiers still deemed “missing in action” during WII. John didn’t have a wife or children at the time of the accident and his family eventually moved on. The mystery of his disappearance remained unsolved. “This took me completely by surprise,” said Michael Herb, John’s cousin. “I mean, we knew of John, we knew

his plane was lost. But we thought he was gone forever. We never thought that we would ever see him or hear of him again.” Romer solved the mystery after meeting with two 85-year-old women who remembered the crash in great detail and actually arrived on the scene soon after Herb’s plane went down. The women had documented the incident,

writing that they came upon the scene of the wreckage and that Herb was alive. But they said he was soon shot and thrown in a shallow grave. Upon hearing this, Romer enlisted the help of his son and several grandchildren and began scouring 50,000 square meters of forest with a metal detector. They found more than 200 pieces of the plane. He then reached out to German authorities who contacted the U.S. Department of Defense. In June of last year, members of the Missing Allied Air Crew Recovery Team (MAACRT) and the Army’s Joint POW/ MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) accompanied Romer as he led them to the scene of the crash. The search team discovered a ring with the initials “JWH” engraved inside. It was Herb’s class ring from Riverside Military Academy. The remains were then sent to a military base in Hawaii where the dental records gave final confirmation. Herb finally returned to American soil for the first time in 70 years. Last Thursday, Johnathan Herb was buried with full military honors, including an escort platoon, colors team, casket team, firing party and a band. “I was very emotional, and I think that I would be this emotional, to be honest with you, even if he wasn’t a member of our family,” Michael said. “I think that watching this for any soldier that has given his life in the defense of the country is moving.”

9 Killed in South Carolina Massacre

Hundreds packed the church in Charleston for an emotional memorial service held on Sunday, just days after a white gunman shot nine black church members dead in a hate-filled rage. “We are reminded this morning about the freshness of death that comes like a thief in the night,” the Reverend Norvel Goff told a mostly black congregation that swelled to about 400 people for a service remembering those killed on Wednesday in the latest U.S. mass shooting. Outside, a mostly-white

The Week In News

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There were many aftershocks in the U.S. after the September 11 attacks, as the nation struggled to cope with the terror and tragedy. At that time, several Arab and Muslim men were detained in New York and New Jersey. Former Attorney General John Ashcroft and other justice department officials have been accused of abusing the prisoners and last Wednesday a U.S. appeals court reinstated the claim. The surprising decision allows the once-anonymous eight plaintiffs to advance charges that the top officials in the justice department had violated their constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law. The “9/11 detainees” all had unresolved immigration statuses and an Arab or Muslim background, although others were also targeted. According to a justice department inspector general’s report in 2003, the mistreatment of the detainees involved

Skills are More Important than your Degree

JUNE 25, 2015

Who Will Grace the New $10 Bill?

“Our paper bills and the images of great American leaders and landmarks that they depict have long been a way for us to honor our past and discuss our values,” Lew related. “This decision of putting a woman on the $10 bill reflects our aspirations for the future as much as the reflections of the past.” The last women featured on U.S. bills were Martha Washington, who appeared on the $1 silver certificate from 1891 to 1896, and Pocahontas, who appeared in a group photo on the $20 bill from 1865 to 1869. The Susan B. Anthony dollar coin, which honored the 19th century feminist, was minted from 1979 to 1981, and in 1999, but the series was halted due to poor public reception. The Treasury Department will collect public input in town hall meetings and via the hashtag #TheNew10 on social media on who and what should be depicted on the bill. The final decision will be made by Lew closer to the release date. “We’re not just a U.S. currency; we’re the world’s reserve currency,” the Treasury Secretary said. “And I’m excited that using the technology that’s available to us, we can hear from the public.”

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Top Officials Charged with Unfair Treatment of 9/11 Detainees

a “hold-until-cleared” policy implemented by Ashcroft; no such detainee was to be released until the FBI cleared the detainee of links to terrorism. As a result, some prisoners were detained for months without formal charges. They were allegedly subjected to abuse at the hands of guards and sent to solitary confinement. Previously, a lower court had found that Ashcroft and his co-defendants, former FBI director Robert Mueller and former INS commissioner James Ziglar, had not been sufficiently linked to the abuse of detainees to support the plaintiffs’ claims. In its reversal of that decision, the U.S. Court Of Appeals for the Second Circuit asserted that the justice department officials had put policies into place that were conducive to the abuse, that they knew the abuse was happening, and that they knew the detainees weren’t terrorism suspects. The case was initially brought 13 years ago by the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based nonprofit. “We are thrilled with the court’s ruling,” said CCR senior staff attorney Rachel Meeropol in a statement. “The court took this opportunity to remind the nation that the rule of law and the rights of human beings, whether citizens or not, must not be sacrificed in the face of national security hysteria.” Ashcroft served as attorney general from 2001 to 2005, during the first term of President George W Bush. Mueller headed the FBI from 2001–2013.

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crowd gathered to express their grief and solidarity with those inside. At the end of the service, the preacher urged those inside to “hug three people next to you and tell them, ‘It’s going to be alright.’” Dylann Roof, 21, was arrested on Thursday and was charged with nine counts of murder. He spent an hour in evening Bible study group at the church before opening fire on those inside. Only three people survived the shooting. One said that Roof kept her alive so she could “tell them what happened.” Federal investigators were examining a racist manifesto on a website that appeared to have been written by Roof. The site featured white supremacist writings and photos, apparently of the gunman. On Sunday evening about 150 people gathered for a prayer vigil outside the church. At about the same time, a line of people joined hands across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge, a span that links Charleston with its neighboring suburb of Mount Pleasant, in an event meant to show a united community.

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The Week In News iarity with technology, people skills, and networking were all ranked higher than college education as factors for success in the modern workforce. Even the older generation is beginning to see that trend. “If you don’t have a good grip on technology, it is very hard to succeed,” said 45-year-old Christine Welch of Idaho. Despite these sentiments, economic studies show that college graduates still earn far more than those without degrees over the course of their career. In the poll, most people still agreed that college was an important foundation for a successful tenure at work. That alone, though, wasn’t enough for success. The poll divided respondents into two broad groups: younger cohorts, adults aged 18-24, and the older cohorts at 25 and over. Only about 55% of the younger group in the poll thought that a four-year degree was “very important” for a good career. Among older respondents, 53 percent agreed. As far as what does contribute to success, the older respondents put the most emphasis on “a detailed understanding of how to use computer technology” (85 percent very important); “being able to work with people from many backgrounds” (79 percent); “keeping your skills current through training” (also 79 percent); and “having good family connections” (61 percent). For the older respondents, obtaining the college degree ranked next, ahead of other attributes including “being willing

to work long hours” (51 percent very important); “being willing to switch to new jobs and occupations” (48 percent); “being able to create your own job” (45 percent); and “becoming well known in your field and/or your community” (41 percent). Younger people echoed the older group’s perspective for the most part. They ranked “being able to work with diverse colleagues” (82 percent very important) at the top of the list, followed by “maintaining skills after finishing school” (79 percent); “mastering computer technology” (77 percent); “family connections” (59 percent); obtaining the college degree; and “becoming wellknown in your field or community” (47 percent).

Music Can be Distracting while Driving

There’s something about the perfect summer day that makes you want to roll

down the windows and blast your favorite song, but a recent study may have you turning down the radio. Israeli Professor Warren Brodsky, director of music psychology in the Department of the Arts at Ben-Gurion University in Beersheba, has studied the effect music can have on drivers. “The car is the only place in the world you can die just because you’re listening to the wrong kind of music,” the professor related. Listening to your favorite type of music is equally as distracting as talking on your phone. “Both novice and experienced drivers must be more aware of how music influences their driving behavior and vehicle control,” Brodsky said in a statement detailing his findings. “The research is irrefutable that listening to music in the car affects the way you drive.” Brodsky’s research proves that concentration levels tend to decrease when a favorite song is on, with drivers often belting out their favorite tune, dancing to the music, playing imaginary instruments, or letting go of the wheel to clutch an invisible microphone. Obviously, some of these behaviors can have a negative and perhaps harmful effect on response time while driving. “Whether it’s Beethoven, Basie or Bieber is irrelevant. Ideally, drivers should choose tunes that do not trigger distracting thoughts, memories, emotions, or hand drumming along to the beat while driving,” he stated.

That’s Odd Surf’s Up

This piece of news is totally cranking. Sixty-six surfers have set a world record for most people riding a board at once. Surf champions and local heroes were among those who hung loose on a custom-built, 42-foot board off Huntington Beach on Saturday. The surfers rode a wave for 12 seconds and broke the previous record set in Queensland, Australia, about a decade ago when 47 surfers rode a wave for 10 seconds. Cowabunga, dude! About 5,000 spectators crowded the sand and the Huntington Beach pier to watch the epic attempt.

Texting-Only Lanes

Make way for the texting lane. It seems that people nowadays are glued to their phones. How many times have they smacked into you in middle of the street because, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” as they text away? One college has the solution to the stuck-to-their-iPhones generation. Utah Valley University has given students a designated lane for texting while

The Week In News

To be Lucky and to Have Lost He was lucky—until he was not. Walid Aboroomi has seen much luck with his lucky lottery numbers: 7-1-5.

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A Tale of Two Colleges In some circles there is much pressure for success. In fact, some people will lie to get ahead and others may just invent achievements to impress their family and friends. The most recent story to hit the news

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JUNE 25, 2015

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Mama mia! This pizza is longer than the lines we wait on on a Saturday night on Central Avenue. It took 18 hours for more than 60 of Italy’s best pizza-makers to bake the longest pizza ever—1.59545 kilometers, almost a mile long, at Milan’s world fair, Expo 2015. But their pizza prowess was not in vain. On Saturday, the Guinness World Records awarded them with a proclamation for making the world’s longest pizza. Expo organizers said the record-setting pie, made with 1.5 tons of mozzarella and 2 tons of tomato sauce, weighed some 5 tons in all. The creation topped the record of a 1.1415-kilometer-long pizza made in Spain. Fair-goers were able to eat slices of the Milan pizza for free. Slices of long, rectangular pizzas with various toppings are a popular street food in Italy.

involves a high school senior, Jung Yoon Kim, who also goes by the name Sara, who is graduating this year from Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Virginia, one of the top schools in the nation. In an effort to amaze her peers, Sara announced that two universities—Harvard and Stanford—wanted her to enroll so badly that they offered her a dual program in which she could head to Harvard for two years and then complete her degree at Stanford. Mark Zuckerberg, she added, had actually called her to urge her to enroll at Harvard, his alma mater. If that’s not all, the schools were offering her thousands in scholarships, according to Sara. When Sara made the stunning announcement, it made news here and across the ocean in Korea, where they dubbed her “Genius Girl.” But then, because her story seemed too good to be true, well, people realized that it wasn’t true when they started doubting the veracity of her tale. Both officials at Harvard and Stanford admitted that she was not accepted at their prestigious institutions. “We have been made aware of three admissions letters and multiple email communications that were allegedly sent to Ms. Jung Yoon (Sara) Kim confirming her acceptance to Harvard University,” Harvard officials said. “None of these communications were sent by Harvard, and we can confirm that they are all forgeries. There is no program in existence through which a student is admitted to spend two years at Harvard College and two years at Stanford University.” Stanford University seemed to echo Harvard’s sentiments. “Stanford does not have any program offering undergraduate admission to both Stanford and another university. A letter of admission that was provided to news media in this case was not authentic and was not is-

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Pizza for a Mile

Over the years, he’s won tens of thousands of dollars. Last month, the lucky numbers earned him another $92,000— until he lost his tickets. All 184 winning tickets, worth $500 each, disappeared. The Floridian searched high and low, even calling his garbage hauler to see if he could salvage the Florida Cash 3 tickets. (He couldn’t — his trash is taken to an incinerator.) “Finally, I gave up. I was crying, crying like a baby,” said the 50-year-old man. Aboroomi has had a lucky streak over the years, winning well over $1.5 million from various lottery games. In fall 2004, he won $500,000 in a scratchoff jackpot. The next year, he won $1 million playing the Virginia Million Dollar Madness scratch game. He later won $71,000 in the Virginia Pick 3 with his lucky numbers, and another $100,000 with those same numbers in 2007. “Yeah,” Aboroomi admitted, “I’m not hungry.” His latest luck with 7-1-5 came May 28, when he said he noticed the time: 7:15 p.m. A license plate in the parking lot had the number 715. Incidentally, that’s his birthday: July 15. “Everything was 715,” said Aboroomi, who emigrated from Israel 27 years ago. “It was blowing my brain.” Maybe it blew his brain too hard and he forgot where he put his stash… Better luck next time.

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walking. The neon green lanes painted on the stairs to the gym were intended as a lighthearted way to brighten up the space and get students’ attention, spokeswoman Melinda Colton said. And it worked. A picture of the lanes — which divide the stairs into sections for runners, walkers and texters — created widespread buzz on social media this month after it was posted online. Though the lanes are limited to the school’s recreation center, 22-year-old student Tasia Briggs wouldn’t mind seeing them catch on across campus. “There’s nothing worse than walking behind someone who’s texting, and you can’t get around them and go anywhere,” Briggs said. She added smartphone messaging — whether through texts, Twitter, Snapchat or Instagram — is a big part of how her generation communicates, and it’s cool to see the college acknowledge it. Although other colleges have yet to follow suit, it’s not the first time “texting only” walking lanes have been implemented. The Chinese city of Chongqing last year created a smartphone sidewalk lane that was intended to be ironic while also reminding people that staring at phones while on the go can be dangerous. Officials said they got the idea from a similar stretch of pavement in Washington, D.C., created by National Geographic Television as part of a behavior experiment. The smartphone lanes attracted attention there too, but people using their phones generally didn’t notice them—they’re too busy with their virtual friends to notice anything around them. You know what they say: Don’t text away; you can lose (real) friends that way.

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JUNE 25, 2015

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• Your children learned to love davening with the ArtScroll Children’s Siddur.

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JUNE 25, 2015

The Week In News sued by Stanford University.” What made Sara make up such an egregious tale? Teachers and students at Thomas Jefferson have admitted that pressure at the school is off the charts. “We celebrate the accomplishment of students who get into all eight Ivies,” Brandon Kosatka, the school’s director of student services, said. “That’s the bar, and our kids are shooting for that.

They don’t like to be the second-best. If that’s the bar, then, yes, that creates anxiety for them.” An unnamed student at the school said that getting good grades isn’t enough. “You’re going to have pressure to do well,” the student said. “But you also need to play 17 different sports and instruments.” Doesn’t take a genius to realize that

that’s way too much pressure for young kids.

The Paper Gowns

adorned with sequins, appliques, tulle, silk, lace and satin. Their long trains, full skirts and ruffles are the envy of all. Although these gowns are just as glamorous, they aren’t made of fine material. They’re made of toilet paper.

Here comes the bride. All dressed in white…toilet paper. Yes, some wedding gowns are

The gowns were showcased at the finale of the annual Cheap Chic Weddings Toilet Paper Wedding Dress Contest in New York on Wednesday. Ten designers vying for a $10,000 prize painstakingly put them together from the most basic materials. The rules were simple, contest co-creator Laura Gawne related. “They have to use Charmin toilet paper, any kind of tape, any kind of glue and they can use needle and thread,” she said. “No closures, no Velcro, nothing. No attachment of fabric, nothing,” her co-creator, Susan Bain, added. The sisters Bain and Gawne began the competition to promote their wedding site. The contest, now in its 11th edition, is held in conjunction with toilet paper brand Charmin. The gowns were obviously soft and fuzzy. This year, the contest was held at bridal store Kleinfeld, which will turn the winning dress into a ready-to-wear gown. Before the show began, designers applied the final touches as models held onto toilet rolls needed for the add-ons. “We have 4,585 petals that were all hand-cut and traced,” Carol Touchstone, who came in third place, said of her floral dress. “We used tape, glue and Charmin.” The winner was a tuxedo-style halterneck dress with a removable jacket, accessorized with a top hat and bow tie, by Donna Pope Vincler. She said it took her about three months, 22 rolls and lots of tape and glue to make. “It’s amazing how strong glue and toilet paper can be. After I made it I was hitting on it like a drum ... it’s very sturdy,” she said. “I don’t even know how many layers [there are] – I just did it until I thought it would stay together.” Now these brides can roll down the aisle. 

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Around The Community JCCRP Annual Free Concert & Fair

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JUNE 25, 2015

The Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) held its annual free concert & fair on Tuesday, June 23 on Reads Lane in Far Rockaway. Uncle Moishy performed his classic hits, much to the delight of the all the children present. The children were also treated to free blow up rides, carnival games, and many other giveaways. Warren Levi of Warren Levi Martial Arts & Fitness was on-hand to dazzle the children and to teach them valuable techniques. Warren emphasized basic life skills, such as manners, listening and focusing their attention. Warren and his friendly instructors helped instill self esteem in the young children and the older children learned traditional karate skills. The JCCRP was thrilled to have our local elected officials on-hand and are extremely grateful for their sponsorship of this event. The JCCRP would like to extend many thanks to event sponsors: Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder, Councilman Donovan Richards, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, Brach’s, Cross River Bank, David’s Famous Pizza, 5 Towns Jewish Times, Gourmet Glatt Emporium, Judaica Plus, Kosher World Pizza, Pip Printing, Russo’s Pharmacy, Seasons, St. John’s Episcopal Hospital,

Traditions Eatery, The Jewish Home, and Warren Levi Karate. The JCCRP would also like to thank the NYPD’s 101 Precinct and the FDNY for participating. The children truly enjoyed their presence. A special thanks to Yoni Dembitzer, the community’s Police Liaison, and Pesach Osina for helping to arrange the concert. The JCCRP is a proud affiliate of Met Council and a beneficiary agency of UJA Federation of NY. The JCCRP provides a range of services for any clients who need assistance in social services or resource directing within the community. Please contact the JCCRP for further information; we are located at 1525 Central Avenue (entrance on Foam Place), Far Rockaway, NY, 11691— Call the JCCRP at (718) 327-7755—or visit them on the web at www.jccrp.org

37 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015

Around The Community At the DRS Graduation

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JUNE 25, 2015

Valedictorian Daniel Aharon delivering his speech

L-R: Yoni Goldberg, Josh Fink, Joseph Miller, Yoni Friedman, and Eli Goldberg

Special Summer Series for Men at BJX Torah Center Due to popular demand, the Brooklyn Jewish Xperience (BJX) Torah Center on Avenue K is hosting a unique four week summer series that will benefit the Brooklyn community and positively transform all who participate. Beginning July 8th, four renowned speakers will offer unique presentations on fascinating topics that intrigue every thinking person. The presenters include Rav Mordechai Becher, senior lecturer at Gateways Organization; Rav Label Lam, renowned lecturer and educator; Rav Aaron Rapps, Rosh HaYeshiva at Manhattan Beach; and Rav Yitzchok Fingerer, Morah d’Asra of the BJX Torah Center. The series is unique because each expert presenter will only have thirty minutes to cover their weighty topic. “Essentially, you will hear four fantastic speakers each Wednesday evening, but they will have just thirty minutes to explicate the topic,” explained Rabbi Moshe Fingerer, executive director of BJX. “This series is tailored for business men who because of their work

schedule aren’t able to participate in similar presentations during the year. Now they will have the opportunity to hear from phenomenal speakers. The pace will be quick. The topics will address important concepts like business in halacha, free will, why bad things happen to good people, secrets towards achieving success and happiness, tips on improving relationships, science and evolution, and other topics. Everyone will emerge with yedios and acquire tremendous knowledge and inspiration. This summer series will be very impactful,” Rabbi Fingerer concluded. Over the course of year, the BJX office has received phone calls and emails from people in the Flatbush community who sought answers to compelling questions on a wide range of topics. The cost for the four week series is $50. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. To register for the series, email info@ bjxcenter.com or call the BJX Torah Center 646-397-1544.

Playgroup

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L-R: Ethan Felder, Yoni Goldberg, and Moshe Keller

Calling All Men! Inaugural Hatzolah Men’s Event – This Wednesday! The streets are abuzz with excitement for the upcoming event of the season which will take place this Wednesday. Queens Hatzolah will be putting on a star-studded show at the New York Hall of Science for the Premier Men’s Event on July 1st. Organizers expect it to be massive, with men from across Queens joining together for an evening of amazing food and enjoyment. Greenwald Caterers is pulling out all the stops for this BBQ to create a huge, lavish spread of delicacies in anticipation for a sold-out crowd. Of course, no one will be disappointed by the exclusive performance by superstar LIPA! He will be joining us for the event and promises to keep everyone entertained and delighted. And don’t forget the impressive lineup of sleek prizes for the raffle, which will include iWatches, plane ride around NYC, awesome gift certificates, and

more. Most important is the wonderful cause – Queens Hatzolah. With over 180 members stationed throughout Queens, Hatzolah is truly a community organization in every sense of the word. Its members are among the most dedicated volunteers anywhere; each of them drops everything to respond to another Jew in need. This event will be the first-ever community-wide event for Hatzolah. It is expected to raise much-needed funds to help cover the $1,000,000+ annual budget and enable them to make crucial upgrades to its equipment to help keep us all safe and healthy. Now is the time to RSVP online at QueensHatzolah.org for this one-of-akind event and show your support to Hatzolah and its members. Don’t miss the big event this Wednesday!

Lawrence Agent Menachem “Monte” Rosenzweig Receives Allstate Agency Hands in the Community Award Allstate Insurance agent Menachem “Monte” Rosenzweig, whose office is located at 291 Burnside Ave Lawrence, NY, has received the Agency Hands in the Community Award for his commitment to volunteering in the community. With this award came a $1,000 grant from The Allstate Foundation for Achiezer, where Menachem volunteers. “Menachem is an active and respected member of the business community, protecting customers with insurance and financial services products,” said Don Rubbo, New York regional sales

leader at Allstate Insurance Company. “He also makes it a priority to dedicate his time and efforts to make a difference in people’s lives. Menachem exemplifies the full spectrum of what it means to be an Allstate agent and has truly become a name and face in his community.”

Around The Community

39 THE JEWISH HOME

Investing in our Marital Bonds

 Dr. Dovid Steiner (FTMI), Dr. David Pelcovitz, Mr. Morris Smith, Rabbi Shmuel Margulies (founder and director, Mesila)

Special thanks to all those of Mesila including Rabbi Shmulie Margulies, Mesila director and founder, and his faithful assistant; Sara Eisen, residing and working in Israel, who truly made this entire event possible; Mr. Morris Smith, who in conjunction with his relationship to both Mesila and Achiezer locally has been an

Mr. Morris Smith

amazing gem for this community and had literally a wealth of pragmatic, insightful information to share with the group. We give great thanks to Dr. David Pelcovitz who has been an absolute pillar of both our local and greater regional and national/international community and who is always first in line to offer assistance for anyone and nearly anything in need with a heart of gold, tremendous compassion and absolutely brilliant insight. David Mark, MS, LMSW is the only frum certified Gotteman marital therapist in the country offering an unprecedented blend of science, Torah-true values and penetrating analysis with years of experience of helping couples find their way through the toughest of situations and life challenges. Mr. Mark will be hosting a focused workshop for a limited number of couples on August 16/17 (Sun/Mon) in Long Beach, NY, and this will be an amazing opportunity for couples looking to enhance their marriage and work through any challenges to find a tremendous opportunity for growth. For more information please contact us at our number or by email as listed below. We cannot thank enough those devoted talmidei chachamim and trained Mesila workshop leaders, Rabbi Nechemia Pansky and Rabbi Shulem Abramcyk of Mesila’s Lakewood division, who graced us with tremendous insight and invalu-

able tools for coping and approaching all issues concerning money and finances. Mesila is an international organization dedicated to promoting the financial health of Jewish families, businesses, and communities through education and counseling. For more information, go to www.mesila.org or write to info@mesila. org. Five Towns Marriage Initiative (FTMI) is a local, grassroots organization dedicated to promoting marital harmony and wellness. FTMI helps couples strive toward a balanced, stress-free and happy family life by providing education, tools and resources to encourage couples to work together to find solutions to live together happily and in ever increasing closeness. The organization serves to enable individuals and couples to truly accomplish their ultimate purpose in this world with their spouse and family as a pivotal and indispensible means to achieving all they possibly can in this world. FTMI produces a weekly Shalom Bayis Newsletter that it distributes throughout the local Five Towns/Far Rockaway community that brings together divrei Torah and the weekly parsha, middos articles and stories to help bring forth aspects of integrating shalom bayis into our daily lives. We provide a daily dial up shalom bayis inspiration line with 2-5 minute divrei Torah on timely topics including the parsha and shalom bayis. We host a 3x/ week Shalom Bayis Hotline to address basic issues and act as a referral source to therapists in the area. FTMI works closely with local therapists to offer reduced rates and attempts to offer financial assistance where needed to enable those unable to afford intervention the services they require. FTMI also continues to host community-wide programming in attempt to educate, inform and encourage couples and families to lead happier lives, with reduced stress and a stronger focus on Torah ideals. FTMI does not limit its services to just the local community but attempts to assist anyone in the area, regionally, nationally and even internationally in any and every way we possibly can. We attempt to defray most of the costs for our programming in an attempt to make these more accessible to the entire community. Individuals or companies interested in sponsoring our programming, newsletters, inspiration line, hotline and anonymous sponsorship of couples and for information including registration for our upcoming August 16 & 17 (Sun/Mon) two day Marriage Workshop with David Mark in Long Beach, NY, can call us at 516-430-5280 or email us at info@fivetmi.com.

JUNE 25, 2015

As many were busy with graduation that couples could utilize to help cope ceremonies, summer camp preparation with the otherwise very argument-prone and Father’s Day separations (ala Hall- and divisive topic of money, working in mark), members of the local community ways to draw close and utilize financial and beyond were fortunate to take part in challenges as opportunities to turn toward a groundbreaking program at the Young and not away from one another. While Israel of Wavecrest & Bayswater. we tend to look at our daily challenges This past Sunday, Five Towns Mar- as burdens and negative experiences, we riage Initiative (FTMI) hosted a program know that Hashem only challenges us to entitled “Resolving Family Financial help us grow. Challenges, Investing in Marital Bonds” Rabbi Shulem Abramcyk, noted eduin association with Mesila. cator and Mesila Lakewood Branch head, This exciting, innovative program lead a hands-on workshop on the topic of was designed to address the challeng- “Educating our Children with Healthy Ates couples face from the extraordinary titudes to Money.” Just as we know that financial burdens of our time, opening with every problem we have to consider with keynote speeches from both Morris earlier solutions and intervention at the Smith, former manager of Fidelity Ma- earliest possible time, learning to teach gellan Fund and Member of Mesila International Advisory Board, and Dr. David Pelcovitz, noted author, educator and Chair in Psychology and Jewish Education at the Graduate school of Yeshiva University. Mr. Smith was able to help the crowd understand the nature of bringing basic business tools and simple budgeting techniques into our daily lives David Mark, MS, LMSW Dr. David Pelovitz and using these tools to help to teach us to live within our means and give our children very early on responsible us direction and concepts that give struc- attitudes toward money and finances and ture to what otherwise can seem like an helping them understand its value and overwhelming problem. Clearly these is- its appropriate management from even a sues have only become compounded with very young age can have a dramatic efour current economy, very expensive cost fect throughout their youth and certainly of living in the great New York area, and into their marriage and family years. the skyrocketing costs of yeshiva tuitions. The program concluded with a group Dr. Pelcovitz helped the group under- question and answer session from all the stand the common nature of discord and panel members including both keynote discomfort we can all feel with our rela- speakers and workshop leaders. This was tionship to money, control, distress and truly a very inspiring event and one that uncertainty. A large part of the message may very well have been unprecedented of the entire program was understanding in both its scope and depth. As much injust how many resources our own com- formation was covered both in terms of munity can offer for those in need, and outlook and tools for helping couples even just understanding the scope and and families manage money and ease commonality of the issues individuals, the burden of financial management and couples and entire families face in man- its associated potential stress, it seemed aging money in their daily lives, especial- to all those in attendance that there was ly within our religious community. so much more to discuss and learn from We were privileged to take part in a those wonderful resources within our workshop from Rabbi Nechemia Pansky, community locally, regionally and interMesila family counselor, on the topic of nationally. “Budgeting Made Easy,” where the enThe entire event was captured on tire audience was able to learn to work both video and audio and Five Towns through creating a basic budget “hands- Marriage Initiative plans on offering in on” with worksheets and examples and the very near future both video and auclarification of getting started with the dio options of the program for those who actual process. either attended for review or have yet to David Mark, MS, LMSW and certi- experience the event. For more informafied Gotteman therapist, led a workshop tion, please contact us at the phone numon Solving our Solvable Financial Prob- ber or email contact listed at the end of lems offering several proven techniques this article.

Around The Community Inwood Kollel Kumzitz by the Bay

PHOTO CREDIT: YISRAEL MARKOWITZ

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ď ł

JUNE 25, 2015

Rav Pinchas Weinberger, Rav of Bais Tefila of Inwood, and Rav Shlomo Cohen Rosh Kollel, Inwood Kollel

Rosh Kollel Rav Shlomo Cohen, Leg. Howard Kopel, political leader James J. Vilardi, Frank Mavroudis

Rav Yaakov Reisman, Leg. Howard Kopel

Rosh Kollel Rav Shlomo Cohen

Yehuda Green and his ensemble

Welcoming the Class of 2019 at Shalhevet

As another terrific school year comes to an end and students are packing up their bags for the summer, the incoming class of Midreshet Shalhevet met at the home of Principal Mrs. Esther Eisenman for a delicious brunch. The girls were treated to an exquisite array of pancakes, bagels, yogurt parfaits, assorted pastries, iced coffees, and cereal. Incoming students from various neighborhoods and elementary schools joined together to get to know each other. Some even discovered that they would be spending the summer together at the same camp!

Members from Shalhevetâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s G.O. joined the party as well and introduced a game of human bingo, helping the girls learn fun facts about one another. Each student then created their own Shalhevet Class of 2019 tie-dyed shirt. Mrs. Eisenman shared some divrei chizuk before wrapping up the beautiful morning. Shalhevet is excited to welcome the Class of 2019 and is looking forward to another wonderful year ahead! Shalhevet also wishes all of their graduates continued hatzlacha in their academic pursuits, whether here or in Israel.

‫בית המדרש קהלת יעקב סוליצא‬ ‫בנשיאות כ“ק אדמו“ר שליט“א‬ ‫‪Congregation Kehilas Jacob‬‬

‫‪612 Beach 9TH Street West Lawrence NY 11691‬‬

‫‪info@TheSwishGroup.com‬‬

‫‪SWiSH‬‬

‫‪Designed By:‬‬

‫‪JUNE 25, 2015‬‬

‫‪‬‬

‫ד‬

‫הננו מתכבדים להזמין את כבודו לחגיגת‬

‫הכנסת ספר תורה‬ ‫שנכתב לעילוי נשמת‬

‫אדונינו מורינו ורבינו‬ ‫כ“ק מרן אדמו“ר זצללה“ה‬

‫שתתקיים אי“ה ביום ראשון‬ ‫לסדר מה טובו אוהליך יעקב )פרשת בלק( י“א תמוז תשע“ה לפ“ק‬

‫כתיבת האותיות בבית כ“ק אדמו“ר שליט“א‬ ‫‪610 Beach 9TH Street West Lawrence NY 11691‬‬

‫משעה ‪ 10:00‬עד ‪12:00‬‬

‫ואח“כ יצאו בתפים ומחולות לכבוד ההכנסת ספר תורה‬ ‫לבית מדרשו של כ“ק מרן אדמו“ר זצללה“ה‬

‫הסעודת מצות יהי‘ באולם בנות בית יעקב‬ ‫‪613 Beach 9TH Street West Lawrence NY 11691‬‬

‫המחכים לראותכם בשמחה משתתפים בכבוד התורה‬ ‫ובכבוד האי גברא יקירא זכותו יגן עלינו‬ ‫משה אונגר‬ ‫נשיא‬

‫פנחס שאר‬ ‫גבאי‬

‫שמשון מאלינסקי‬ ‫גבאי‬

‫יהושע לעווין‬ ‫גבאי‬

‫‪You are cordially invited to the‬‬

‫הכנסת ספר תורה‬

‫‪written in memory of the Sulitza Rebbe‬‬

‫כ“ק מרן אדמו“ר רבי שמואל שמעלקי בן הרה“ק רבי יעקב ישראל וישרון זצללה“ה‬ ‫‪” Jun. 28 ‘15‬י“א תמוז תשע“ה“ ‪On sunday‬‬ ‫‪At the Rebbe’s house 610 Beach 9TH Street, West Lawrence NY 11691 at 10:00AM‬‬ ‫‪Procession to the Bais Hamedrash at 12:00PM‬‬

‫‪ At Bnos Bais Yaakov 613 Beach 9TH Street‬לכבוד סיום הספר תורה‬

‫‪Seuda‬‬

‫‪THINKINGCREATIVE‬‬

‫‪THE JEWISH HOME‬‬

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JUNE 25, 2015

Around The Community Mayor Giuliani Stops by to “Play Golf” Mayor Rudy Giuliani stopped by to visit the JCC of the Greater Five Towns’ Play Golf program for youth and young adults with special needs. An avid golfer himself, the former mayor enjoyed meeting the volunteers and participants. Mr. Giuliani, who has a family member with special needs, was impressed with the program. The Play Golf program, now in its sixth season, takes place in the spring and fall at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club.

David Einbund and Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Jeffrey Calais, golf professional at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club, Mayor Rudy Giuliani, and Jon Leibenhaut

JJ Goldstein and Mayor Rudy Giuliani

Sulitze Hachnosas Sefer Torah This Sunday The excitement and enthusiasm fills the atmosphere as the final preparation for the upcoming hachnosas sefer Torah is underway. The Sulitze Kehilla,

as well as the whole Far Rockaway community, is eagerly awaiting this grand celebration which will iy”H be taking place this coming Sunday, parshas Balak, June 28. The sefer Torah was written l’iluyi nishmas our dear and beloved Rebbe zt”l who was known by all with his great tzidkus, tremendous ahavas Yisroel and as a devoted manhig to all. As a direct result, the bnei hakehilla viewed it as a great z’chus to contribute to the sefer Torah, especially since the proceeds are also being used to publish

the Rebbe’s chiddushei Torah. The bnei hakehilla all know what the rebbe zt”l had written in his tzava’ah: The chiddushei Torah that Hashem gave me the z’chus to write should be printed immediately (if possible during the shloshim, but it will probably be difficult). And should there be one of my beloved friends or members of the Beis Hamedrash who will take upon himself the expenses of publishing the sefer, I will be greatly thankful. And if Hashem finds me deserving, I will intercede for all who do kindness for me and for my family. It is therefore no wonder that the tzibbur took this opportunity to respond with such warmth and enthusiasm to the writing of the sefer Torah and the Rebbe’s seforim enabling the foundation of the Machon Tiferes Ha’Avos that is working diligently to publish the Rebbe’s seforim. The Machon has indeed succeeded baruch Hashem in publishing a

“Zemiros l’Shabbos v’yom tov” with Torah and minhagim from the rebbe zt”l and the Sefer minhagei mai’hariv, minhagim that the Rebbe wrote from his father, zt”l Hy”d, and chiddushim on Pirkei Avos which was published in honor of the hachnosas sefer Torah and will be presented on Sunday iy”H. The Machon is currently working on a Hagaddah Shel Pesach which will iy”H be ready for the coming Pesach, ha’baah aleinu l’tova. Last and foremost, the Machon is putting great efforts into publishing the Rebbe’s Sefer Tiferes Avos that the Rebbe zt”l had written on Tanach, Shas, Shulchan Aruch, Rambam and on many other facets of Torah, which is saturated with yiras Shamayim and dveikus l’ha’Borei Baruch Hu. As it is nearing the second yahrtzeit of the Rebbe zt”l, on this coming Sunday, the entire kehilla, chassidim, and yedidim are preparing to escort this special sefer Torah into the Rebbe’s Beis Hamedrash on the day of his yahrtzeit. The kesivas ha’osiyos will be taking

place in the home of the Rebbe shlita, from which the sefer Torah will then be escorted with joyous celebration to the Beis Hamedresh. May the z’chus of the great mitzvah of kesivas sefer Torah be a z’chus for the neshama of the Rebbe zt”l, and he should be a meilitz tov for all.

Around The Community

Team building and creating a positive atmosphere are hallmarks of Yeshiva Har Torah’s mission. One of the unique staff events is the faculty birthday parties that are held every other month. There is always a variety of treats and birthday cards that everyone signs for each of the faculty members with a birthday during that two-month period. This past week was the last faculty birthday party of the school year – and was by far the most popular yet! The faculty and staff were treated to a visiting soft

serve ice cream truck serving different flavors of ice cream, cotton candy and popcorn. YHT is committed to making sure the faculty have opportunities to bond and partake in celebrations like these together.

HALB Summer Educational Technology Institute: Mastering 21st Century Tools While their students are vacationing during the months of July and August, the faculty and staff members of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (Lev Chana Preschool, HALB Elementary School, SKA High School for Girls and DRS High School for Boys) have a special opportunity to enhance their educational technology skills with a variety of workshops. Under the direction of Rabbi Dr. Jeffrey Rothman, HALB principal of academic initiatives and advanced learning, and with the assistance of HALB’s educational technology integrators Rabbi Aaron Fleksher, Mrs. Rivky Watman and Mrs. Estee Lightstone, the Insti-

tute is offering beginning and advanced sessions on iPad apps; Google Drive, Forms and Docs; Haiku Learning Management System; iMovie; Screencasting; Voicethread; and Social Media apps among others. The SMART Board Notebook software workshops are being given through the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education. This is an incredible opportunity for HALB teachers of all subjects to expand their educational toolkit and experience the potential for the teaching and learning in the classroom. Last summer, over 75 faculty members – from K-12 – attended 200 workshops. We look forward to a strong turnout once again!

JUNE 25, 2015

Staff Celebration at Yeshiva Har Torah

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Shaaray Tefila third graders win the World Series

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov’s Graduation Class of 2019 had their first official MAY activity last Thursday evening. At the annual Freshmen Orientation Dinner, the incoming freshman met each other, their Rabbeim, and the hanhalah of the Yeshiva. They had their first taste of the tremendous achdus and camaraderie enjoyed by their more senior schoolmates. Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Menahel, opened the program explaining the difference between elementary school and high school and the expectations of Mesivta bochurim. He reminded the boys that regardless of which one of the 13 different elementary schools they represented, they were now Mesivta Ateres Yaakov talmidim. Students also heard from General Studies Principal Rabbi Sam Rudansky, who gave an overview of the General Studies department, from Rabbi Yossi Bennett, Assistant Menahel/ Principal, who discussed the myriad extracurricular activities available at the Mesivta and the Mesivta’s focus on college readiness, and from Rabbi Yehuda Horowitz, Mashgiach Ruchani, who addressed the primacy of limud haTorah at the Mesivta and the focus on growth in Torah and yiras shomayim. Representatives of the Mesivta Student Government were in attendance and addressed the incoming talmidim as well. Rabbi Yaffe remarked, “We believe that it is healthy for the incoming freshman class to get together to meet each other now, before the new year starts with all of its hectic new

THE JEWISH HOME

MAY Class of 2019 Has Arrived

experiences. In this way, they become accustomed from the outset to the fact that MAY talmidim are one cohesive unit. The orientation dinner was a great start and I was exceedingly impressed with the great middos of our entering students. I expect that this cohort will distinguish themselves in our yeshiva and be sources of pride to their families and Klal Yisrael.” As a component to this inaugural event for the class of 2019, Rabbi Tsvi Greenfield, the Mesivta’s new Director of Student Activities, directed a team-building activity to engender camaraderie among the new class. Boys were arbitrarily split up into groups and given a bag of random items with which they were tasked to build one of the keilim of the Bais HaMikdash. The creativity soared, the competition mounted and new friendships were built. The menorah, the mizbeiach and the kiyor were just some of the projects that were completed within the 10 minute timeline. Winners will receive free breakfast at the beginning of next z’man. Concluding the program, pictures were taken of each student with the Menahel as they received their summer assignments in both limudei kodesh and limudei chol and wished each other a good summer.

The Jewish Home wishes a warm mazal tov to the Bergida family on the birth of a baby boy. May they have much nachas from all their children.

JUNE 25, 2015

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LAUGHTER & JOY MARGARET TIETZ!

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Around The Community Science, Flowers and Books in a Bag In the last two weeks, Yeshiva Ketana Zichron Chaim U’Bina has been the scene of a whirlwind of activity in its general studies programs. On June 1, the seventh graders held their second science fair of the year. Besides for our winning entries

on density, dry ice and popcorn’s absorption of liquid, Shragi Harris led a group of boys in a fascinating study on “Who can hear sounds of different pitches?” It was humbling to hear that people of a certain age can no longer hear many sounds in pitches that were

easy to hear when we were teenagers. One more reminder of the joys of old--or middle--age. On June 4, Mrs. Gruza and Mrs. Bernstein took their students on an informative and interactive visit to the Queens Botanical Gardens. As a

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JUNE 25, 2015

A I R L I N E R E S E R VAT I O N S • B U S I N E S S T R AV E L T R AV E L C O N C I E R G E • C R E D I T C A R D A D V I S O R Y M I L E A G E R E D E M P T I O N • MILEAGE BARTER P AY W I T H P O I N T S • L U X U R Y V A C A T I O N V I L L A S B U S I N E S S & P E R S O N A L R E WA R D S M A N A G E M E N T

C A L L N OW F O R A C O N S U LTAT I O N • 6 4 6 . 8 0 1 . 7 3 9 3 • W W W. G E T P E Y D . C O M

culmination to the desert unit that the teachers had worked on, the second graders planted desert plants. May all our plants thrive. On June 10, Mrs. Susan Bernstein’s second graders had a great deal of fun with their book reports, entitled “Book in a Bag.” The boys dressed up as characters who might have stepped out of their novels in order to regale us with the story of the book they were inhabiting. As each child related a short summary and critique of a novel, the audience of parents and fellow students sat attentively. The yeshiva thanks Mrs. Bernstein and all the parents who helped make the afternoon a delightful one. Our fifth grade state fair was held on June 15. The fifth graders had sent away to the chambers of commerce in the states they had chosen to cull information on their states such as tourist attractions, populations, geography and current events. The students also researched current events as well as historical events, with a concentration on the Jewish history. They then wrote up their reports and created gorgeous showboards. On June 15, the boys brought in visual aids along with their showboards and taught our younger students all about their states. One especially interesting showboard, executed by Akiva Bolsom, highlighted the halachic discussion of Shabbos zmanim in Akiva’s state of Alaska. In this past week, our pre-1As held their ABC parties. Our parents found out how their young sons learn and play when they squeezed themselves into small chairs and engaged in typical pre-1A activities that celebrated the alphabets that their boys had recently mastered. Especially interesting was noting that in one class a full third of the class had fathers participating in the ABC party because moms were at work. Wonderful role models, all.

Preparing for camp? So is Rivki!

See page 104

47 THE JEWISH HOME

WE ARE ST. JOHN’S HERE FOR YOUR HEALTH

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JUNE 25, 2015

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation at St. John’s

Our Comprehensive Services Include:

We provide adults and children in the Rockaways and nearby communities with a wide range of inpatient and outpatient care. Rehabilitative services are available for patients who are recovering from surgery, injury or stroke, or are living with a chronic condition. The department’s highly qualified and caring staff works together with the patient and his or her referring physician with the goals of restoring function, improving movement and alleviating pain.

• • • • •

Every physical medicine patient at St. John’s receives a goaloriented and personalized treatment plan that is developed by a board-certified physiatrist. Our physiatrists partner with New York State-licensed physical, occupational and speech therapists to provide treatment and coordinate each patient’s individualized care.

Physical and occupational therapy for adults and children Speech therapy including swallow testing Pain-relieving injections Electro-diagnostic testing Orthotic and prosthetic prescription and fitting

ST. JOHN’S EPISCOPAL HOSPITAL E P I S C O PA L H E A LT H S E R V I C E S I N C . (718) 869- 7000 | WWW. EHS.ORG

Around The Community CHAZAQ and QJCC Communitywide Carnival PHOTO CREDITS: IZZY PESKOWITZ

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JUNE 25, 2015

On Sunday, June 14, Councilman Rory Lancman teamed up with the Queens Jewish Community Council (QJCC) and the CHAZAQ Organization to put on a huge outdoors fair for the Queens community. With a bounce house, a moonwalk, and a bouncy castle, carnival games,

snow cones, balloon animals, cotton candy, clowns and even Elmo, there was something for every kid in the neighborhood. And it seemed like every kid in the neighborhood came. The yard of the Yeshiva of Central Queens, where it was held, was packed with kids and their families throughout the carnival.

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A surprise hit was the old favorite, musical chairs, which, at the repeated demand of excited children, was played over and over again with CHAZAQ President Yaniv Meirov emceeing and DJ Amnon providing the music. Rides were provided by Travelling Tykes, and entertainment by Avi the Kosher Clown.

In attendance were Councilman Rory Lancman, Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz, Assemblyman David Weprin, QJCC President Rabbi David Keehn, QJCC Executive Director Cynthia Zalisky, and Congresswoman Grace Meng’s representative, Rabbi Daniel Pollack.

49 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015

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JUNE 25, 2015

Around The Community Five Towns Marriage Initiative Working with the Strengths we Have The Orchos Tzaddikim differentiates between two kinds of worry. One type of worry concerns worldly matters. Regarding such worries, one is advised to minimize them as much possible and ask for Hashem’s help to give them to have the strength to endure. The other type of worry regards that over the future in the World to Come. The Orchos Tzaddikim gives such a person a bracha that Hashem should add worry to his worrying. This is to say that such worries are helpful and worthwhile. In Mishlei it says that a person who is always afraid is praiseworthy. The fear that King Shlomo refers to in his Sefer Mishlei is the worry that a person can have that even if he currently is righteous, he might fall into sin one day. Yaakov Avinu was told by Hashem that he would be guarded wherever he went, and yet even still he was constantly afraid, scared that he might come to sin. Even though he had a guarantee from Hashem

for protection, he knew that there was still a benefit to worrying which would lead to him being extra careful, specifically in matters pertaining to the next world. Dovid Hamelech was completely righteous, but he was always worried that he might not come to experience that which is set aside in the Next World for the tzaddikim. He feared that maybe his deeds found fault in Hashem’s eyes and would not be deemed acceptable. We see how these individuals who were considered to be far holier than those in our generation were constantly worried if their actions measured up and if they were worthy of attaining the Next World. We, who are so far removed from their level, sometimes assume that we have the World to Come in our laps. We figure it’s coming to us as we compare ourselves to the world around us. It does not take much to be set apart from the world around us, which degenerates at such a rapid pace. Yet while it’s true

Math is Fun

Congratulations to all the students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School who participated in the Math Olympiads. Thirty five students (a HANC record!) in 4th-6th grade participated in the Math Olympiads this past school year and all 35 were honored at the annual Awards Breakfast. Each of these students made a special commitment to the furtherance of their math education by learning “extra” math in the morning with Math Olympiad advisor Mrs. Spitalnik. Eleven students earned a Math

that we may be safely able to consider ourselves living a more spiritual life than those nations around us with their immorality, this hardly means that we have lived up to our potential and capability. We are not just judged on our approach and accomplishments in this world compared to the other nations of the world not living by Torah ideals, but we are being judged based on who we are and who we have become compared to who we can possibly be. We can truly never feel complacent and confident that we have done all that we can and have achieved our complete potential. The next world will be the time to relax, but here is the time to accomplish and we have a big job ahead of us. Achieving our potential starts with recognizing our strengths and working to utilize them to serve our Creator. Let’s put a focus on this for our marriage as well. Take the time to figure out what we can to bring into our marriage

that which we have not done already. What about our easygoing personality can we use to make our marriage feel special? Or maybe it’s our talkative nature that can be used to add more spice to our dinner conversations together with our spouse. Think of how we can strengthen our marriage by working with the strengths we already have, and take the time to worry enough to care to make our marriage all it can possibly be. Five Towns Marriage Initiative provides educational programs, workshops and referrals to top marriage therapists. FTMI will help offset counseling costs when necessary and also runs an anonymous shalom bayis hotline for the entire community Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 9:30-11p.m. For the hotline or more information, call 516-4305280 or email dsgarry@msn.com.

CAHAL HAFTR High School Class Wins L.I. Stock Market Game

Olympiad patch for ranking in the top half of all the participants in the U.S., and Gaby Lovy, a 6th grader, earned a silver pin for scoring in the 10% of the country! Gaby also won a trophy as the overall HANC leader. Yaron Rahmani scored the highest amongst the fourth graders, Eli Nenner scored the highest amongst the fifth graders, and Moshe Wieder came in second place for the sixth graders. We are so proud of all our students for their hard work and dedication to learning!

It takes years to build up the financial savvy to navigate the stock market, but Sruli Guttman is clearly ahead of the game. He came in as the individual first place winner for Nassau County in the SIFMA Foundation’s 2015 Long Island Stock Market Game. The SIFMA stock market competition is open to all high schools on Long Island. Sruli Guttman, Daniel Iliyasayev, Coby Neumann, Jacob Fuld, Akiva Sasson, and Jesse Katz, under the guidance of their outstanding and dedicated teacher, Mrs. Shera Chubak, learned how to evaluate stocks by doing research on how to decide how many shares to buy and when to sell.

Their team, representing HAFTR High School, came in as number one in the competition surpassing over 35 other high school teams! All team members and their teachers were invited to a congratulatory ceremony at the Garden City Hotel, where medals were awarded and Sruli delivered the acceptance speech for HAFTR High School. It was a true kiddush Hashem in the way that the boys represented themselves and their yeshiva. The boys proved that even the most challenging of goals is attainable with diligent work, patience and team spirit.

Around The Community

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JUNE 25, 2015

The eighth grade of Yeshiva Darchei Torah enjoyed a graduation trip rafting down the Lehigh River in the Poconos

End of Year Grand Finale for Madraigos Lounge As a culmination of the 2014- 2015 Madraigos Guys Lounge season, weekly participants enjoyed a barbecue at Madraigos and a Mets vs. the Blue Jays game. The exciting game, which went into extra innings, ended with the Mets winning on a walk-off single in the bottom of the 11th. A special highlight was when the Mets welcomed Madraigos on the scoreboard. One Lounge participant described the evening as “the best night ever!” The evening was a celebration of a successful year at the Lounge and the growth that everyone demonstrated. “It really was a special night to go along with a truly special year,” commented Yehuda Alcabes,

LMSW, CASAC-T. The Lounge is open three nights a week, with separate nights for boys and girls. Each night has a different demographic with a unique focus that meets

the specific needs of the participants. While The Lounge continues to focus on our youth at-risk, Madraigos has expanded their programming to include programs specifically designed for local teens and young adults who are enrolled in mainstream yeshiva programs without any significant social or emotional issues. The Lounge provides weekly fun and great food while offering a venue to engage in valuable discussions with trained social work staff. Group discussions on relevant topics are thought-provoking and empowering. The goal is to highlight the strengths of participants and allow their opinion to be heard and received. Through the genuine interest shown to each and every participant, members feel they have someone who they can approach on anything from daily struggles to major crises. These relationships have a profound effect on the participants, giving them confidence and belief in themselves. Youth have a place where they can relax, feel safe, and grow at the same time. Madraigos is looking forward to the guys returning to The Lounge next year and welcoming many new participants for the 2014-15 season. Madraigos

wishes all graduates well in their future endeavors. For more information about The Guys Madraigos Lounge, please contact Yehuda Alcabes at (516)3713250 or visit www.madraigos.org. Even though schools are out of for the summer, Madraigos continues to offer youth programming in our new GNO – GUYS NIGHT OUT. Directed by Eli Press, GNO is planning exciting trips and activities on Tuesday and Thursday evenings starting June 30th. To register, please contact Eli Press at (516)371-3250 ext. 9 or email guys@ madraigos.org. Madraigos, a 501c-3 not-for-profit organization, offers a wide array of innovative services and programs geared towards helping teens and young adults overcome life’s everyday challenges

one step at a time. Our goal is to provide all of our members with the necessary tools and skills to empower them to live a healthy lifestyle and become the leaders of tomorrow.

Make sure your kids enjoy a wonderful and healthy summer.

Read what Aliza Beer has to say on page 90

Around The Community Seudas Praida of the 12th grade shiur in Mesivta Shaarei Chaim of Far Rockaway

PHOTO CREDIT: AKP PHOTOS AND BINYOMIN PERLSTEIN

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JUNE 25, 2015

Rabbi Yerachmiel Scheiner, Rosh Yeshiva, dancing with Rabbi Ephraim Perlstein, host

Host Moishy Perlstein giving divrei bracha

Enjoying the seuda

YCQ’s Graduating Classes

It is that time of year where students pack up their desks, clean out their lockers, and say goodbye to teachers and friends for the summer. For nursery, kindergarten and grade 8 students, a new leg of their academic journey is about to begin. During the nursery school “moving-up ceremony,” stu-

dents’ families at YCQ were treated to a presentation depicting everything they learned from their morot throughout the year preparing them for kindergarten. The kindergarten classes performed a play with singing and dancing for their families. The performance incorporated all the different things their

morot taught them during the school year. They are very excited to begin grade 1 in the fall. With family, friends, teachers and administrators looking on, the grade 8 students stood with pride in their caps and gowns as the received their diplomas at the YCQ commencement ceremony. Valedictorians Dina Inoyatov and Jonah Rocheeld addressed the graduates and the audience with wellthought out dvrei Torah and words to their fellow classmates wishing success in their future endeavors. The salutatorians, Mordechai Flamenbaum and Rachel Aranov, lead Tehillim to set the tone for the evening’s events. The boys’ choir under the direction of Rabbi Moshe Hamel sang beautifully, and the girls performed dance routines led by their instructor, Mrs. Tzerel Gold-

schmiedt. Principal Rabbi Mark Landsman and Assistant Principal General Studies Mrs. Lauren Golubtchik spoke to the students about their time here at YCQ and the privilege it had been watching them mature from small children beginning their education into the beautiful young men and women they have grown to be. They closed by wishing hatzlacha to the students in their chosen high schools and mazal tov to the parents who have supported them in all they do.

Around The Community

Just how over-the-top is Donald Trump?

See page 97

ebration of this important milestone, the sixth grade girls at HANC Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary Schoolhave been working on a yearlong bat mitzvah curriculum. Over the last few weeks, the students finished their curriculum by focusing on mitzvot special to women, including lighting candles and baking challah. The students crafted pages for each mitzvah in their “Bat Mitzvah Scrapbooks”

and they made a beautiful project to go along with it. For candle lighting, the students created exquisite pearl-covered candlesticks, and for challah baking, the girls were privileged to have Mrs. Pearl Baylus, noted speaker, visit and tell them special stories related to challah and helped them bake their own challah. The students also celebrated their Jewish Identity by doing research about their Hebrew names and then making beautiful bracelets using the Hebrew initials of their name. The Bat Mitzvah program concluded with a lunch program during which the students performed a song and dance spoke about the significance of their Hebrew name while enjoying a delicious luncheon. Mazal tov to all the students!

JUNE 25, 2015

him to continue to work full time. He planned to become a lawyer, but when the economy took a turn for the worse he decided to major in accounting instead, though he still hopes to attend law school one day. “I thought if I ever go into business on my own that I would know what I’m doing,” Rosenbaum said. “Accounting is the essence of business. It allows you to learn the fine principles of how to run a business and is definitely the best business undergrad degree.” While he was a student at LAS, Rosenbaum was named a “Superior Scholar” by the New York State Society of CPAs and graduated in 2013 with a 4.0 grade point average. He was hired by Roth & Company, a New Yorkbased accounting firm, and received a promotion when the AICPA announced the results of the Uniform CPA Exam. Rosenbaum grew up and still lives in Borough Park with his wife and four children, where he counts himself as a member of the Chasidic community. As the first in his family to pursue higher education, he said he hopes his award will help others like him realize the opportunities available to them. “There’s a certain perception among some that Chasidic people can’t get a good education and won’t be successful,” says Rosenbaum. “However, there are many successful Chasidic professionals who took advantage of Touro’s opportunity for a higher education which allowed them to overcome inherent hurdles and challenges without compromising their values.”

One of the many wonderful things about being a sixth grade girl is that you and your classmates start turning 12 years old and celebrating becoming a bat mitzvah. In recognition and cel-



The American Institute of CPAs (AICPA) announced recently that Shulem Rosenbaum, an alumnus of the Lander College of Arts and Sciences-Flatbush (LAS), was a winner of the 2014 Elijah Watt Sells award bestowed upon the top scorers on the Uniform CPA examination. The award is presented to individuals who have a cumulative average score of above 95.5 on all four sections of the CPA exam on their first attempt. Rosenbaum was one of only six winners in New York State and is the second Touro student or alumnus to win the award. “This is a truly extraordinary accomplishment,” said Barry Bressler, dean of the undergraduate School of Business at LAS. “Of the 91,384 individuals who took the test, there were just 60 candidates nationwide who were up to that standard. That’s about six out of 10,000, which is even better than the top one tenth of one percent.” After he completed the multiple-choice section of the Financial Accounting and Reporting (FAR) exam, the first of the exam’s four sections, Rosenbaum, 29, said he believed that he had “hit it out of the ballpark.” His confidence wavered, however, during the task-based simulation section. “I was devastated,” he said, thinking that he had failed to receive a score of at least 75, the passing grade. “I was close to tears.” His concerns were unfounded; he said he was “shocked to my core” to learn that he had received a score of 97. He was similarly successful for the other sections, scoring a 99 (the highest possible score) for Auditing and Attestation (AUD) and a 94 on the Regulation (REG) and Business Environment and Concepts (BEC) exams. Rosenbaum did not take a direct path to accounting. He had a job teaching students with learning disabilities and eventually enrolled in Touro’s School of Lifelong Education in Brooklyn before transferring to LAS, the school’s flexible schedule allowing

HANC Bat Mitzvah Program

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LAS Alum Shulem Rosenbaum Wins Elijah Watt Sells Award for Top Performers on CPA Exam

JUNE 25, 2015

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Around The Community Tomchei Shabbos Yad Yeshaya of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway Annual Raffle “Tomchei Shabbos is an organization that crosses all borders. Even in an affluent community like the Five Towns, we have a great need for their services,” says Rabbi Heshie Biller, rabbi of the Young Israel of Woodmere. Tomchei Shabbos Yad Yeshaya, founded in 1985, currently provides 285 local families with food before every Shabbos and every yom tov. The weekly packages include challah, grape juice, chicken, gefilte fish, potatoes, eggs, and more. Tomchei Shabbos is able to do all of this thanks to an army of volunteers. Every week, girls at TAG pack approximately 200 boxes, while a group of families come to the Young Israel of Wood-

mere to pack an additional 85 boxes. The boxes are then delivered by a team of volunteer drivers. In order to maintain the dignity and privacy of the recipients, the deliveries are done discreetly; the drivers simply leave the box on the doorstep of the address on their list. Tomchei Shabbos relies completely on the community for funding. One of its major annual campaigns, the Mega Raffle, is underway. The Grand Prize is $10,000. The Second Prize is 2 tickets to Israel. The Third Prize is 4 domestic flights. Tickets can be purchased at tomchei5tfr.org/raffle or by calling 516262-3003.

Our Secret Ingredient is Fruit! If you thought nosh and health don’t belong in the same sentence, it is time to get yourself to the 21st century. “All natural,” “real,” and “organic” is being touted everywhere in the saturated market of kosher confectionary snacks. But is it really? Well, with TruFruit, it really is! TruFruit is a contemporary new brand to hit the kosher market, conceived entirely to provide the kosher market with fruit snacks that are really made of fruit. Unlike other fruit snacks, which use fructose or other unhealthy derivatives to keep the snacks jelly-like and stay fresh for long, TruFruit uses only natural ingredients to do that. All TruFruit products are manufac-

tured in a nut-free facility, are GMO and gluten-free. There are no added sugar or any artificial coloring, flavors, high fructose corn syrup, or synthetic ingredients in any of the TruFruit products. For further proof, look at the ingredients in the back of any TruFruit box. The ingredients are simple enough for even a kid to understand! And that’s all without even mentioning the taste. As natural and organic TruFruit is, that’s how seriously delicious the fruit snacks taste. Maybe, just maybe, sometimes there could in fact be something that is too good and still be true! Hearty appetite and stay true!

57 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015

Around The Community

A SHIUR FOR EVERYONE ON EVERY LEVEL SH’OR YOSHUV INVITES THE COMMUNITY TO COME LEARN IN OUR BAIS MEDRASH AND JOIN ONE OF OUR MANY SHIURIM ILLUMINATE YOUR MIND AND UPLIFT YOUR LIFE!

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Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s seventh grade Rabbi Krasnow’s shiur celebrated their siyum in Gemara Megillah

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After learning a short inspirational thought from the Sfas Emes, the shiur focuses on an inyan that is learned in-depth. Maarei Mekomos are distributed to everyone so they can easily follow. An exciting give and take where the Rosh Yeshiva encourages lively analytical discussion on the subject matter

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Minchas Chinuch, the classical sefer has been learned by the erudite Talmud Chacham and layman alike. The Shiur is based on the Minchas Chinuch and branches out to interesting topic. This engenders lively animated dialogue between the Rosh HaYeshiva and Talmidim.

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CHAZAQ hosted a kumsitz at Congregation Beit Eliyahu in Fresh Meadows, Queens, on Thursday night, June 11. Rabbi Yonatan Hakimian led a joyful crowd in song and dance. Special guest Chaim Dovid, visiting from Jerusalem, joined the festivities and performed a solo set. Chaim Chait regaled the crowd with his guitar, and many young attendees joined in with a spon-

taneous drum circle. The entire crowd was inspired by music and tales of the past and the present.

R’ Yonatan Hakimian at the Chazaq kumsitz

Chaim Dovid and Chaim Chait at the Chazaq Kumsitz

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Around The Community Woodbourne Shul Reopens for Sixth Season By Dov Levy The famous Woodbourne Shul at 457 Route 52 proudly announces the opening of its summer 2015 vacation season. The shul reopened to the public for weekends as of Shabbos Parshas Shlach, June 13th, and full services began on Wednesday of Parshas Chukas, June 24th. As always, the shul will provide the public with dozens of minyanim round-the-clock, numerous shiurim both daily and weekly, as well as light refreshments. This unique blend of Torah, avodah and gemilus chasodim are the hallmark of the charismatic Rabbi Mordechai Jungreis shlit”a, Niklesburg Rebbe. Beginning in 2010, the Rebbe revitalized the decaying building and transformed it into a booming center of life servicing the entire Sullivan County and beyond. The Historic Congregation Bnai Israel building has become a major draw for summer vacationers looking to grab a minyan and a bite on the go. Of course, there are many, many regulars as well. Under the magnetic leadership of Rabbi Jungreis shlit”a, the 93-yearold building, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, has been brought back to life as tens of thousands of people pass through its doors each summer. From its humble beginnings in 2010 when the Rebbe hung up a sign announcing “Minyanim Going on Now!” the shul has grown exponentially with each passing season. The naysayers who politely told the Rebbe his idea was crazy and the plan would never get off the ground were quickly

proven dazzlingly wrong. Last year major renovations were undertaken as the shul threatened to collapse under the strain of so many worshippers. Restrooms were added to relieve the long lines that can form at busier time (essential at all times…) and floor beams shored up and replaced. Despite his incredible devotion and exhaustive efforts, Rabbi Jungreis sees himself not as the shul’s rabbi but more as a gabbai, a steward who oversees the public domain. “This is not my shul— it’s your shul, it’s everyone’s shul. This is Klal Yisroel’s shul!” Indeed, the trademark sign hanging on the large menorah outside greets every arrival with a cheerful “All Are Welcome!” The Rebbe’s legendary warmth is part of the very fabric of the shul. Many people openly admit that they visit the Bnai Israel chiefly to experience meeting the Rebbe and enjoy his heartfelt blessings. As in previous years, the shul will be open for full services from early morning until after the last Maariv— usually 2 AM or later. You can also enjoy a bite, cold and hot drinks, Daf Yomi shiurim, and the delicious Thursday night cholent along with the equally enthralling weekly shiur by the inimitable Rabbi Moshe Meir Weiss. Don’t forget to stop and say hello to the Rebbe and receive his affectionate blessings! As we go to the press, the exciting news broke that a deal has been successfully concluded to purchase the lot adjacent to the shul! After years of talks, in recent weeks a benevolent lawyer generously offered his help and

negotiated a closing on behalf of the shul with the non-Jewish owner. Hopefully, we will benefit from this development immediately as the additional property will allow for extending the kitchen and other facilities. More

significantly, the addition of this lot opens up the opportunity for expanding the shul to accommodate the ever-growing crowd of worshippers and visitors in future summers.

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Around The Community

Dynamic guest speaker Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, holding Israeli flag, who captivated the large crowd at the gala Dinner celebrating the 36th Anniversary of Ateret Cohanim, is flanked by (from left) Councilman Bruce Blakeman; Shani Hikind, Executive Director, American Friends of Ateret Cohanim; Founder & Chairman Ateret Cohanim, Mati Dan HaKohen; Executive Council Member Dr. Paul Brody (holding flag); Chairman, Exec. Council, Dr. Joseph Frager; Chairman JCCWatch, Richard Allen; and long-time Ateret Cohanim supporter, Simon Falic. (L-R) Dr. Paul Brody, Executive Council Member, American Friends Ateret Cohanim; D. Bernard Hoenig, Esq. and wife Ann, Ohev Yisrael Awardees; keynote speaker Amb. John Bolton; guests of honor Mark and Naomi Rubin of Lawrence celebrating the Chanukat HaBayit of Beit Rubin in the heart of the Old City of Yerushalayim; Chairman, Exec. Council, Dr. Joseph Frager; Dinner Coordinator & V.P, Mel Wadler; and long-time supporter Simon Falic of Miami Beach.

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When the month of June rolls around, most high school students are gearing up for written exams in the form of finals and/or regents. The business law class at Ezra Academy does take a written exam, but their performance grade is generally the one most of the class focuses on. The class has an intramural event in which teams play in extemporaneous trials composed of three people per team. The top four teams advance to a semi-final round and the top two teams advance to the finals.

This competition is one of the favorite activities of the year as it takes members of the award-winning moot court team, our finalist national moot court competitors, and members of our NYC mock trial team and pits them against each other. While the winning team mostly does it for bragging rights, it is also the culmination of an extremely successful year of victories for all the law teams who will celebrate their accomplishments at a barbecue after regents exams conclude.

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JUNE 25, 2015

PHOTO CREDIT: THREESTARPHOTOGRAPHERS

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(L-R)Josh Frumkin and father Dr. William Frumkin, 6th generation descendent of Israel, Dov Frumkin, founder of the Yeminite Village in the Silwan; Guests of Honor Mati Dan HaKohen, Founder & Chairman of Ateret Cohanim, and wife Etya; Dr. Gail Frumkin Notovitz, 6th generation descendent of Israel Dov Frumkin; Shani Hikind, Executive Vice President, American Friends of Ateret Cohanim; Drora and Dr. Paul Brody, Executive Council Member, who introduced the Frumkin family to Ateret Cohanim; Dr. Joseph Frager, Chairman Executive Council

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Keeping Jerusalem United With Jewish Life: Celebrating the 36th Anniversary of Ateret Cohanim

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JUNE 25, 2015

Around The Community YLX Gears Up for another Fantastic Summer YLX: The YID Learning Experience, a year-round learning program for local yeshiva high school boys, was founded by Rabbi Aryeh Dachs and Rabbi Elchonon Kuritsky two years ago. Last summer they embarked on a new project: to create a night program for high school yeshiva boys who stay home for the summer. “We saw all these guys kind of just hanging around at nights. During the day most of them are busy working in day camps … but after around 3-4 o’clock they have nothing to do. We figured this could be a great opportunity to use this laidback summer atmosphere to reach and inspire these young people in a way that we simply cannot during the school year,” explains Rabbi Dachs. Rabbi Aryeh Dachs and Rabbi Elchonon Kuritsky are on a mission to expose high school boys to especially stimulating, interesting, and thought-provoking sugyos. Their hope is that exposure to a unique and enjoyable learning experience will make a strong impact on their relationship to Torah learning. Aside from the preparation of the actual material they are determined to find exceptional chavrusos to keep their

participants engaged. Rabbi Kuritsky explains, “In learning, it’s crucial to have give-and-take – for the guys to actually contribute and be involved in the process; only a good and experienced chavrusa can do that.” Rabbi Dachs is quick to note that the learning material and exceptional chavrusos are not enough to draw teenagers on summer vacation to come out at night. Many local food establishments including Traditions, Carlos & Gabby’s, Mike’s Burgers, and Pizza’le have partnered with YLX and agreed to sponsor food to complement the learning. Food will be available nightly, and this year Seasons, continuing their renowned community service, agreed to sponsor a weekly barbecue. This barbecue will be held along with basketball on Thursday nights at Inwood Park. “We are committed to the guys just enjoying themselves too. We feel it is extremely beneficial for guys to get out of their house and get together for good, wholesome fun at night.” Benji Terrebello a participant from Cedarhurst, sums up what it is that YLX has to offer. “They have a perfect balance—the learning is serious but they

manage to keep the atmosphere chilled and inviting.” Rabbi Dachs encourages even the most cynical teen to try it out and says, “Bottom line is I don’t recall a single person that did not enjoy themselves at YLX.” There is no charge for YLX and no registration or commitment is necessary. Bais Medrash Heichal Dovid, un-

der the leadership of Rabbi Mordechai Stern, has generously opened their doors to YLX. YLX Summer will be held in their social hall every weeknight Monday thru Thursday from 8:00 – 9:30 pm beginning June 29th. For more information, Rabbi Dachs urges you to contact him at YIDLearningExperience@gmail.com or call him at 410-258-5134.

Sloatsburg Minyan Area Opens This Week As in years past, the Sloatsburg Rest Area on the NY State Thruway will be available this summer; first week of prayers will open Thursday June 25, 2015 as a convenient Mincha/ Maariv location on Thursday evenings for those travelling upstate. The area is located on the northbound side of the New York State Thruway, between exits 15A and 16. Community leaders, askonim, have been working tirelessly together with NY State Police and the Thruway Authority to ensure that the area will be available for those seeking tefilla b’tzibbur on their way to the mountains. Community leaders Rabbi Bernard Freilich, Rabbi Abe and Joel Friedman have met with captains of the State Police and Thruway Authority to establish the ground rules and prepare the area. Rabbi Abe Friedman, a community leader and Law Enforcement Chaplain, said, “We are grateful to the authorities for allowing us to use this public area. The public is asked to obey all the rules. It’s a tremendous opportunity for our community to make a true kiddush Hashem.”

Minyanim at the Mincha/Maariv area will begin at 5:00 and will go on until 11:30 PM on Thursdays. Thruway personnel, along with Rabbi Abe and Joel Friedman, will be personally supervising the area during those times. Their late father, a noted leader, Rabbi Morton Friedman, a”h, began the tradition many years ago and his sons are now proud to be able to continue his legacy. The designated area is named “Tfillas Mordche” in his honor. According to Rabbi Friedman, “If everyone cooperates with the simple rules listed below, we will be able to maintain utilizing the area for a long time to come.” The public is asked to obey the following rules: 1. All vehicles should be parked on the upper level of the parking lot only. The upper level has been designated as the minyan area as it is more private and will not disturb other travelers. 2. The Sloatsburg area is to be used for prayer only. The selling of food or merchandise will not be tolerated. Solicitations of tzedaka (collection for charity) will not be allowed. A Thru-

way inspector will be present at all times to enforce rules. 3. Never leave young children unattended in a vehicle, even just for a moment. They should be supervised at all times. 4. Vending machines filled with kosher food will be available on the upper

level of the building. 5. Slow down and proceed with caution when approaching upper-deck area. Yield to pedestrians when parking your vehicle. Wishing you all a safe and enjoyable summer!

Around The Community

The Jewish Home wishes a warm mazal tov to the Meth family on the birth of a baby girl. May they have much nachas from all their children.

cies, and individuals and business have reported having their personal and business bank accounts shut down due to internal regulating policies that Chase representatives ultimately never discloses. So it’s no secret that Chase is taking the lead in restricting consumers from opening cards purely for the sake of earning credit card bonuses, which ultimately cost Chase money. I guess the $25 billion bailout of taxpayer funds during the financial crisis and the approximately $3.1 billion returned to shareholders in the first quarter of 2015 wasn’t and isn’t enough money for executives and shareholders at the financial behemoth. The good news is that as of yet, Chase hasn’t restricted the policy to co-branded credit cards, which are cards with specific mileage or point programs, that are backed by Chase Bank. So for the time being, this policy change does NOT seem to apply to other Chase cards, including: • Chase British Airways • Chase Fairmont • Chase Hyatt • Chase IHG

some

• Chase Marriott Rewards Premier (Personal) • Chase Marriott Rewards Premier (Business) • Chase Ritz-Carlton • Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier (Personal) • Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier (Business) • Chase Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus • Chase United MileagePlus Explorer (Personal) • Chase United MileagePlus Explorer (Business) • Chase United Club But it’s not farfetched to say that Chase (and others) will eventually look to eliminate all churning opportunities that don’t benefit in their exclusive financial gain. When and if that happens, I’ll be looking for a new hobby. But I highly doubt the one I find to replace credit card churning will come close to being as lucrative….

Elliot Schreiber is the Director of Marketing at PEYD.

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covering the cost of my Florida trips this past year, I took an anniversary trip with my wife and traveled to Las Vegas, and due to unfortunate family circumstances, flew as well with my extended family to Los Angeles, and on both occasions did not pay for my airfare and hotel stay. The banks are pretty lenient when it comes to allowing consumers to apply for multiple credit cards and don’t restrict the bonus offers on the continuous usage of the credit card. However, very recently, Chase bank has decided to do otherwise. Less than two weeks ago, Chase issued a new approval policy, and you’d be surprised to learn their policy revision did not have anything to do with one’s credit score, debt-to-income ratio or length of credit history. Chase’s policy change dealt specifically with consumers who had opened five or more credit card accounts across all banks (not just Chase credit cards!) over the past two years, stating anyone who applied for multiple cards during this team period would be denied for specific Chase credit cards, namely Chase cards that qualify for Chase Ultimate Rewards points. A popular blogger with more than twenty thousand followers verified this new policy with a Chase representative who stated, “If you’ve opened 5 or more new credit card accounts with any bank over the past 24 months you will NOT be approved for a Chase branded card.” So it looks like for the time being, consumers like me will no longer be allowed to churn, earn and burn Chase Ultimate Reward credit card offers. The cards included in this new policy are: • Chase Freedom • Chase Ink Cash • Chase Ink Plus • Chase Sapphire Preferred • Chase Slate I expected Chase to start cracking down on bonus offer freebies, as Chase is known for their strict financial poli-

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By Elliot Schreiber If you are like me, you are the kind of person who has a hobby, and if you want to know what mine is, it’s credit card churning. Credit card churning is the “art” of applying for and receiving multiple credit card approvals for their hefty sign-up bonuses for the purpose of earning miles and points towards upcoming personal, business or family vacations and trips. Say, for example, credit card X offers you an initial signup bonus of 50,000 airline miles when you spend $2,000 within three months, and credit card Y offers you 30,000 hotel points when you spend $1,000 within the first three months. A churner would sign up for the first card, spend the necessary money to earn the bonus miles, put aside or cancel that first credit card, and then move onto the next card with the hotel points bonus offer. Some background: many financial instructions and banks offer credit cards that come with significant signup bonuses. They do so in order to encourage the public to use their credit card and thereby generate ongoing revenue due to its continuous usage. Churning credit cards is the method of using credit cards specifically for the signup bonuses and once those bonuses are earned, moving onto the next offer and bonus, and essentially discarding the card for later use. Credit card churning is so popular that there are a number of educational forums, blogs and even a Frequent Traveler University that are geared towards helping people understand how to churn credit cards towards specific travel goals. I attended one in Washington, DC, last year, and I can personally tell you there was close to a thousand people in attendance at the two-day event. In fact, during this past year alone, due to my churning habits, I have flown to Florida on more than 20 occasions and each time did not have to pay out of pocket for my flights and hotel stays using the miles and points I generated to cover the cost of my trips. And in addition to

THE JEWISH HOME

Why Credit Card Churning can be so Valuable

THE JEWISH HOME

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JUNE 25, 2015

OpEd

Larry Domnitch and Lynne Bursky Tammam

A Guide to the Perplexed

ne can easily be perplexed by the Obama administration’s lack of accountability in their ongoing negotiations with Iran to curb their nuclear program. Marie Harf, the newly appointed State Department spokesperson for the Iran negotiating team, was asked at a press conference on May 21 about a recent New York Times report that Iran had increased its stockpile of enriched uranium by 20 percent over the past eighteen months. Harf replied that “our team read that story this morning and was quite frankly perplexed because the main contentions of it are totally inaccurate.” Harf, who called the report a “manufactured controversy,” also stated that “under the JPA (Joint Plan of Action) Iran can fluctuate its numbers in terms of its stockpiles. They can go up and down as long as at the end of the fixed date they are back down below a number.” This statement contradicts White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest who stated on March 2 that the administration has not only halted progress in the Iranian nuclear program but is “actually rolling it back in several key areas, including reducing and eliminating their stockpile of highly enriched uranium.” This is as much about reckless abandonment of the facts as it is doubletalk. Since 2003, Iran has reneged on all the nuclear agreements it has signed. According to Ernest Moniz, the nuclear scientist who is playing a key role in the international negotiations,

“The world failed to follow through on a tough agreement with Tehran a decade ago when Iran had less than 200 centrifuges and virtually no enriched uranium.” Added Moniz, “Iran now has

that they do not have access to military sites, technology, and research in Iran that are critical to its development of nuclear weapons. The IAEA published a February 19 report documenting the

This is as much about reckless abandonment of the facts as it is doubletalk. nearly 20,000 centrifuges and 10,000 kilograms of enriched uranium” (Christian Science Monitor, 4/27/15). What is perplexing is that the Obama Administration continues to negotiate with an entity which violates its word even as it negotiates. What is even more

still unresolved concerns about Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons activity and possible military dimensions of their nuclear activities. According to the Iran has conducted clandesreport, tine operations at its Parchin Military Complex, southeast of Tehran, and at

perplexing is that the U.S. administration is racing toward signing an agreement on June 30 when it has no means of verification as to what Iran possesses. The International Atomic Energy Agency has repeatedly acknowledged

other military sites which have never been accessible to its inspectors. This was even as the P5+1 group – the U.S., Britain, France, Russia, China and Germany – continued to approach the late March deadline for a proposed nuclear agreement that would allow Iran to keep much of its nuclear infrastructure intact. Most disturbingly, it was reported on June 14 that the U.S. will drop its demand for information about the past military dimensions of Iran’s nuclear program before signing an agreement. (Algemeiner, 6/14/15) Yukiya Recently, IAEA Director Amano said Iran had responded to just one of a dozen inquiries related to the twelve technologies it is developing related to nuclear weapons. The IAEA “further corroborated” information indicating that Iran “has carried out activities that are relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device” (Washington Post, 3/24/15). Amano also stated the IAEA has information that Iran

conducted experiments in a high explosive chamber at the Parchin Military Complex to which their inspectors have no access. On two occasions, according to Amano, they had been given access to a small portion of the complex. The IAEA “thinks” they have identified the rest of the “area.” Iran has declared 18 nuclear facilities and nine other locations where nuclear material is used and that the IAEA cannot provide credible assurance about undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran and therefore cannot conclude that all nuclear material in Iran is involved in peaceful activities. If the IAEA has limited access to Iranian nuclear sites, what legitimacy is there to negotiations with the U.S. and the P5 over their nuclear program? Iran’s “Supreme Leader,” Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reiterated that Iran will not allow the inspection of its military sites or the interviewing of its nuclear scientists as part of any potential deal on its nuclear program (The New York Times, 5/21/15). An agreement with a nation that has demonstrated no credibility whatsoever is soon to be finalized. It is perplexing that the administration continues to place its trust in its lead negotiator Wendy Sherman, whose failed efforts with North Korea allowed a rogue nation to develop nuclear weapons. Most members of Congress see the folly of the current nuclear negotiations, as do the leaders of most Arab nations who are all too familiar with the dynamics of Iran and the Middle East. Former American Ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton, in a recent speech at Great Neck Synagogue, phrased the diplomacy in which the Administration is engaged as “delusional” (5/3/15.) Bolton stated, “The inability of the Americans to confront Iran has resulted in twelve years of ineffective diplomacy that have allowed the Iranians to deepen and broaden their nuclear infrastructure.” That is truly perplexing.

Lynne Bursky-Tammam is Chairperson of the Yom Hashoah Mobilization Committee. Larry Domnitch is an educator, author, and regular contributor to The Jewish Home.

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The Camp Experience Camp Staff Give Insight into What Goes into a Wonderful Summer BY MALKY LOWINGER

e all have fond memories of summer camp. Singing around the campfire, participating in color war, developing lasting friendships, enjoying the fresh country air. But most of us have moved onwards. Sometime after we became staff members, we regretfully packed away our sweatshirts and went on to spend the summers working at a “real” job or perhaps going to school. Eventually, camp became a distant, fond memory. But there are those among us who have made camping their calling. They’ve stayed in camp as Directors or Head Counselors or some other adult staff positions. They may already be parents and grandparents, but they’re still going to camp every summer. What’s it like to be in camp after all these years? Here is what some Head Staff members told us:

It’s a Full Time Job If you think that Camp Directors start working in June and go on vacation in September, you are mistaken. “It takes us about a month to close up once camp is over,” says Rabbi Newman, Director of Camp Chaviva, “and then the day after Sukkos the phone calls for next season start coming in! It’s constant, constant, constant!” Rabbi Yehuda Friedman, maintenance director at Bnoseinu and Camp Staff member, says he personally travels up to camp once a week all year long to supervise the security staff who are doing renovations throughout the year. Just last week, he drove up at the unearthly hour of 4:00 AM to meet a repairman at 7:00 about fixing a leak in the pool. “The people involved in camping,” he reveals, “put in tremen-

“It’s still four weeks of utopia – you and the stars and the sky. The stars haven’t changed in all these years.”

dous effort.” Binyomin Daiches, Assistant Director at Camp Dora Golding, says, “Running a successful program requires full time attention. Here’s just one example. Imagine when you make a family simcha how much time you spend on seating arrangements. Now multiply that effort to assigning bunks to hundreds of kids for four or eight weeks. It’s a huge job!” And Rabbi Ronnie Greenwald of Camp Sternberg agrees. Closing up a camp, he adds, is a huge undertaking. “We don’t just turn off the water,” he explains. “We need to turn off all the pipes. Then we have to move thirty or forty heavy picnic tables indoors. And a hundred and twenty garbage bins.”

The process, he says, depends upon the well-coordinated efforts of many staff members. The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same Once upon a time, campers were happy playing punch ball or hiking to a local park. Things have gotten considerably more sophisticated. Today the activities have a little more pizzazz and the trips are somewhat more exotic. “Over the past few years,” says Alex Gold, Director of Camp Dora Golding, “we’ve introduced water rock climbing, aqua tri-cycling, and we’ve also built a professional football field and running track.” Rabbi Friedman adds that camps

and the friendships they make – these are things money can’t buy.”

What Every Parent Should Know At camp, children have an opportunity to broaden their horizons and meet new friends. “Get your kids out of Flatbush!” says Rabbi Newman. “Don’t place them in a bunk with their school friends. Let them meet other kids from Denver, L.A., Baltimore, and Chicago. Let them meet kids from other neighborhoods. That’s what camp is all about!” What about the homesick child? How does a parent respond when their kid is sobbing into the phone? “Look,” says Rabbi Newman. “All camps today are run by professionals who know what they’re doing. We’ve dealt with this before and ninety percent of the time they are just fine.” He adds that sometimes it happens that “your daughter calls home saying she’s miserable and meanwhile the counselor says she’s having the time of her life!” Having said that, he also cautions parents to know their child. “There are kids who just don’t like camp,” he says. “Don’t send them. Just

JUNE 25, 2015

they acquire

Luxury or Necessity There’s no way around it. Camp is an expensive proposition. So much so that many parents decide that their children forego the experience entirely. With so many excellent and well-run day camps to choose from these days, is camping a luxury or a necessity? “I believe,” says Alex Gold, “that sleepaway camp is the best thing you can offer your child. Yes, it’s a bit more expensive than day camp but the rewards that come with it are unparalleled. The skills that they acquire and the friendships they make – these are things money can’t buy.”

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“The skills that

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We still believe in that stuff,” the veteran camp director asserts.

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are becoming more “comfortable” than ever. Often, campers will have refrigerators available to them. “When I grew up,” he recalls, “there wasn’t even air conditioning in the dining room.” Today, it’s being installed in many bunkhouses at a considerable expense. “There are more trips than ever,” adds Rabbi Newman, “and they bring in stuff like water slides for the kids to enjoy.” Still, he says the main elements of camping remain constant and eternal. And those are the friendships that last a lifetime. “It’s still four weeks of utopia – you and the stars and the sky. The stars haven’t changed in all these years.” According to Rabbi Greenwald, “We’re still on the same mission since we started so many years ago. And that is to develop a child’s self-esteem and maturity as well as her spiritual growth.

because you were a great camper back in the day doesn’t mean they’re going to love it. Please don’t force them and certainly don’t relive your own experiences through them.” Alex cautions parents to “put on a strong front when saying goodbye to their kids. Avoid saying things like, ‘I’ll miss you so much, I don’t know what I’ll do without you.’ Instead, the parent should instill confidence by saying, ‘It may be a bit hard at first but I

am so proud of you. Just think of the great times you’ll have!’” Dov Perkal of the Shma Camps has developed an innovative solution to help children adapt to camp. “We offer a three day experience,” he says, “where we give kids who’ve never been in camp before an opportunity to join us for three days. They get a little taste of what it’s all about and it creates a certain comfort level. Boruch Hashem, we’ve found that our success rate from this program is about 97 percent!” He adds, “It’s a great idea for the kids, for the parents, for all of us!” Fifty Six Days of Triage There’s no downtime when you’re a Camp Director. “I’m on shpilkes,” admits Rabbi Newman, “from the minute those kids get up to camp until the last bus pulls out at the end of the summer. The achrayus is tremendous. I’m re-

sponsible for five hundred people. Sure we have a wonderful and responsible staff. But ultimately everything, from the plumbing to the trips to the chrain on Shabbos, goes to the Camp Director. The eight weeks are like fifty six days of triage. You’re constantly on. You never really rest.” But he wouldn’t have it any other way. “You have to thrive on the energy

and the excitement,” Rabbi Newman says. “I’m a camp guy through and through.” So is Rabbi Friedman. “I went from being a camper to a staff member to working in the camp system. I very much enjoy it here and one of the best fringe benefits is that it’s a great atmosphere for my family during the summer. My kids love it, too.” For Alex, it’s all about giving back. “I always loved camp as a child and made my best friends in camp. I wanted to give back what I gained from summer camp as a boy, and what better way than to run a camp?” He admits, though, that it’s not all fun and games and the responsibility is enormous. “I basically don’t sleep for eight weeks straight as I’m always making sure everyone is safe and sound. When I get the call that the last bus arrived home safely I finally breathe. “And that’s when I thank Hashem that it all worked out well.” 

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The Rocky Rant

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JUNE 25, 2015

Rocky Zweig

A Good Pajamas to You

I want to know) informs me that over the course of five years, these statistical anomalies are insignificant. In other words, statistically speaking, just

don’t know how it is in the Five Towns or Queens, but here in Brooklyn folks seems remarkably parsimonious with their Sabbatical salutations. In fact, over the past five years, I’ve kept track of how many people have said “Good Shabbos” to me without my having initiated it: Sunday: 1 (Squeegee guy) Monday: 0 Tuesday: 1 (Carlbachian Dude) Wednesday: 1 (collector on the corner of East Broadway and Essex Street) Thursday: 0 Friday: 2 Saturday (AKA Shabbos): 8 My nephew, Dovid Stulman, who is an actuary and is therefore very smart and probably knows more or less when I will meet my ultimate demise (I haven’t asked him; I’m not sure if

He’ll walk down the street on a Shabbos afternoon and loudly, clearly, and cheerfully greet everyone he passes with a heartfelt “Pajama!” as many people have said “Good Shabbos” to me on Thursday as on Saturday (AKA Shabbos). Perhaps this warrants delving into. A good delve is almost always warranted, don’t you agree? I’m sorry to report that in my expe-

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rience, this lack of Shabbos etiquette tends to be most prevalent in my own home turf, e.g. the Borough of Kings. Seems to me folks were more apt to

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greet me on the Sabbath during the 177 days in which I resided in Lawrence (wife #3). In fact, I found Lawrence to be quite warm and friendly in general, even on a Tuesday. People seemed calmer somehow, more chilled. Personally, I think there’s a direct correlation between one’s demeanor and one’s ability to find parking. And while there are times when Central Avenue can be a bit crowded, when it comes to parking, there ain’t nowhere on G-d’s green earth that’s as bad as the Big Three in Flatbush: Coney Island Avenue (specifically between J & K) and Avenues J and M. I live near Kings H i g h w a y, and that’s no picnic either. Fortunately or unfortunately (depending on your point of view), I have a handicapped parking permit because of my pul- monary limitations and finding somewhere to leave my car in Flatbush is still a pain in the neck.

’ve always found geographical differences in peoples’ demeanors fascinating. What do I mean by that? Glad you asked. Many years ago I went to Newport, Rhode Island, for Pesach. In Newport, if anyone sticks his little pinky toe into the street, traffic comes to a standstill. Literally. The second

you step off the sidewalk, whether or not you have the right-of-way, cars come to a complete halt. As opposed to Brooklyn where, if a driver sees you in the gutter, he’ll make sure to speed up so that he can make it through the intersection without having to deal with some pesky pedestrian. I’ve never been to LA, but from what I’ve been told, people there pretty much walk around in these smiling semi-comas. Happy, laid-back and serene. Why? How? Don’t they know the Big One is coming?? But getting back to Shabbos. I think we Flatbushians (and Boro Parkers, too) are simply spoiled. We don’t realize that this cloistered little enclave of frumkeit of ours is fairly unique on the planet. I’ll bet Jews in far-flung places like Milwaukee or Seattle, Dallas or Atlanta greet each other heartily on Shabbos. Indeed, I once heard a CD of Rabbi Dovid Orlofsky wherein he discusses a young lady from Atlanta who was visiting Flatbush for a Shabbos. As she walked merrily down the street, she said “Good Shabbos” to every Jew she passed in her lilting southern drawl. After being ignored for the fifth or sixth time, she blurted in frustration, “I’m sorry; I thought y’all were Jewish!” My son-in-law Yehuda is a very unique individual. He’s one of my favorite people, mostly because he lives with my daughter. But besides that, he’s extremely bright, funny and has a rather unique way of looking at the world. Every once in a while he’ll try an experiment: he’ll walk down the street on a Shabbos afternoon and loudly, clearly, and cheerfully greet everyone he passes with a heartfelt “Pajama!” I’ve been with him a few times during one of his pajama outings, and he always gets one of two reactions: either he’s ignored completely, or the he’ll get a mumbled “Good Shabbos” in response. Point being not a soul pays any attention to what’s being said to them.

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Rocky Zweig has been writing since he was sixteen and was the Editor-in-Chief of the late and decidedly unlamented Modieinu, the mimeographed (remember mimeographs?) newspaper of the Tenth Avenue Pirchei of Boro Park, where he wrote everything from stories to news ar-

ticles to hashkafa articles to...yes (now it can be told!)...letters to the editor. Rocky was sixteen a very long time ago. He is the proud father of three marginally neurotic children. He has been married three — count ‘em — three times and has finally determined that he’s probably not very good at matrimonial bliss. He lives in his Fortress of Solitude in Flatbush with a small menagerie: Clarice, a European Starling; Rabbi Horatio LeZard, a Bearded Dragon; an aquarium filled with Lake Malawi African Cichlids; and a ten gallon tank that functions as a Home for Unwanted Goldfish, or H.U.G., collected over the years by his grandkids and great nieces and nephews at myriad street fairs and carnivals (rather than face the unpleasant task of flushing these unfortunate piscine creatures when they are eventually, inevitably ignored by their own obnoxious progeny, the parents simply call Uncle Rocky who then feeds them and cares for them until their ultimate natural demise three or four or even ten years down the pike). So apparently Rocky seems to get along better with animals than with his fellow homo sapiens. Or sapienses. Or whatever. Rocky’s column will be appearing every other week in The Jewish Home. Rocky can be reached at anidaati@aol.com.

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fortunate. And yet somehow we seem to have forgotten the basics. I’m reminded of the famous story about Harav Yaakov Kamenetsky, zt”l. While his children were sitting shiva after his petirah, a nun walked in. Needless to say, everyone in the room was somewhat taken aback. The nun went on to explain: “Being a nun in Monsey, I was pretty much ignored by most of the Jews I passed in the street. Except Rabbi Kamenetsky. He never failed to greet me with a smile and a pleasant hello. How could I not come and pay my respects to this wonderful man?” Talk about a kiddush Hashem! Greeting someone b’sever panim yafot. Seems so easy, right? And it is! So next time you’re walking down Central Avenue or Bedford Avenue or Main Street on a sunny Shabbos afternoon, remember the Nike commercial and…just do it!

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moved back to my roots in Boro Park between wife # 2 and wife #3. That was a trip-and-a-half. When I grew up there, my neighbors’ names were Nicky and Vinnie and Joey. These days, I’m pretty sure you won’t find a Vinnie anywhere north of 65th Street. Now it’s all Meilach and S’rool and Luzer. My mom a”h lived on 50th Street between 12th and 13th till about a year before she was niftar in 2013. She was a veritable island of good, old-fashioned American-style Yiddishkeit in a sea of shtreimlach. She was also very popular with friends and relatives alike who were spending the day shopping on 13th Avenue and were looking for a centrally located bathroom! My apartment was on 57th Street between 14th and 15th Avenues. I didn’t want to daven in a heavy-duty chassidishe shtiebel, so I decided to go where I grew up, the Agudah of Fourteenth Avenue. Only it’s not on 14th Avenue anymore, it’s on 50th Street right off 16th Avenue. Whatever. First week I walked there was an exercise in mixed feelings. While a wave of nostalgia did indeed sweep over me on my way to shul that first

Shabbos morning (I davened more locally Friday night), I kept waiting for someone to acknowledge my presence while walking down Fifteenth Avenue. Ah nechtiger tugg. Not a soul. And that is not an exaggeration. So I started saying “Good Shabbos” first. I got a handful of murmured responses. So I upped my volume a bit. Finally, when I was almost yelling and could no longer be ignored, I started getting some answers, albeit mumbled ones. What’s up with that? Seems to me we all need to take a step back and start thinking a little more about bein adom l’chaveiroh. I always try to be dan l’kaf zechus. I figure whoever isn’t answering me is rushing to catch a minyan or a shiur or is late to pick up his kid from a Shabbos party. But it does get rather disheartening after a while. We have built these wonderful communities in which serving the Ribbono Shel Olam is less complicated than almost anywhere on earth. Kosher food, kosher restaurants, shuls, shiurim, rabbonim to answer shailos, all a stone’s throw from your front door. Amazing. And the truth is we haven’t forgotten our neighbors! There are gemachs galore, soup kitchens, and people being osek in vital local causes, providing services for others who might be less

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Riddle!

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JUNE 25, 2015

72 78

Three guests check into a hotel room. The clerk says the bill is $30, so each guest pays $10. Later the clerk realizes the bill should only be $25. To rectify this, he gives the bellhop $5 to return to the guests. On the way to the room, the bellhop realizes that he cannot divide the money equally. As the guests didn’t know the total of the revised bill, the bellhop decides to just give each guest $1 and keep $2 for himself. Each guest got $1 back: so now each guest only paid $9; bringing the total paid to $27. The bellhop has $2. And $27 + $2 = $29 so, if the guests originally handed over $30, what happened to the remaining $1? See answer on next page

On the Money

$ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $ $

You Gotta be

“When I was young I thought that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old I know that it is.” -Oscar Wilde

Kidding!

A businessman was in a great deal of trouble. His business was failing, he had put everything he had into the business, he owed everybody—it was so bad he was even contemplating “Money doesn’t make you happy. I now have $50 million but I was taking his own life. As a last resort he went to a rabbi and poured just as happy when I had $48 million.”- Arnold Schwarzenegger out his story of tears and woe. When he had finished, the rabbi said, “Here’s what I want you “Money is not the most important thing in the world. Love is. to do: Put a folding chair and your Tehillim in your car and drive Fortunately, I love money.” - Jackie Mason down to the beach. Take the chair and the Tehillim to the water’s edge, sit down in the chair, and put the Tehillim in your lap. Open “If you want to know what G-d thinks about money, just look at the the Tehillim; the wind will riffle the pages, but finally the open people He gives it to.” - Dorothy Parker Tehillim will come to rest on a page. Look down at the page and “If you would know the value of money, go and try to borrow read the first thing you see. That will be your answer; that will tell some.” - Benjamin Franklin you what to do.” A year later the businessman went back to the rabbi, bringing “It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness; poverty and his wife and children with him. The man was in a new customwealth have both failed.” - Kin Hubbard tailored suit, his wife in a mink coat, the children shining. The businessman pulled an envelope stuffed with money out of his “Money can’t buy you happiness, but it does bring you a more pocket and gave it to the rabbi as a donation in thanks for his pleasant form of misery.” -Spike Milligan advice. The rabbi, recognizing the benefactor, was curious. “You did “A bank is a place that will lend you money if you can as I suggested?” he asked. prove that you don’t need it.” - Bob Hope “Absolutely,” replied the businessman. “If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try “You went to the beach?” missing a couple of car payments.” “Absolutely.” - Earl Wilson “You sat in a chair with the Tehillim in your lap?” Comm Let the “Absolutely.” ission “Money often costs too much.” - Ralph er dec “You let the pages riffle until they stopped?” ide Send Waldo Emerson your s “Absolutely.” tuff to c e “And what were the first words you saw?” fivetow nterfold@ “Today, there are three kinds of people: nsjewis “Chapter 11.” hho the haves, the have-nots, and the have-not-

G OT FU N N Y?

paid-for-what-they-haves.” - Earl Wilson

me.com

• TJH CENTERFOLD

Know Your Greenbacks Trivia

1. $1.00

A) 4.5 years

2. $5.00

B) 5.8 years

3. $10.00

C) 5.5 years

4. $20.00

D) 8.5 years

5. $50.00

E) 15.0 years

6. $100.00

F) 7.9 years

4. If you laid down pennies in a line, how much money would it take to lay out 1 mile? a. $96.25 b. $244.17 c. $844.80 d. $2,323.60 5. What does “E Pluribus Unum” mean? (For all you “high rollers,” that phrase is printed on every $1 bill. When nobody is looking take one out of your pocket and see for yourself.) a. One from many b. One for all c. One is too little d. A nation of one e. One bill, many things to do with it f. Do not bend, gonna make it hard to stick in a vending machine and get those pretzels you’re eyeing 6. Match the government’s per-coin cost for each of the following four coins:

2. Nickle

B) 10.5 cents

3. Dime

C) 1.8 cents

4. Quarter

D) 9.4 cents

Answers: 1. E 2. 1-b, 2- c, 3-a, 4-f, 5-d,6-e 3. D- In 1934, a $100,000 bill was printed. President Woodrow Wilson was depicted on the bill. It was used between banks and never entered the general population currency. 4. C 5. A 6. 1-c, 2-d, 3-a, 4-b … that’s government my friends! 7. D- That’s right, bacteria can stay on a bill for 17 days. Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it sure can buy you the flu! 8. A- The U.S. government prints approximately $975 annually to replace warn out currency. Scorecard: 6-8 correct: You are on the money! Hey, if you are a female, maybe you should audition for the $10 bill. 3-5 correct: Being in the middleclass is not too shabby these days. 0-2 correct: Who needs that bacteria-carrying ugly green art anyways?! You seem to be doing really fine without it!

ANSWER TO RIDDLE: The $9 paid by each guest accounts for the $2 that went to the bellhop. The $27 is the room’s fee plus the bellhop’s money. If you add $27 plus the $3 kept by the guests, it adds up to $30.

A) 4.6 cents

7. According to a 2002 study published in the Southern Medical Journal, 94 percent of bills contained potentially disease-causing bacteria. How long can these bacteria remain on a bill for? a. 3 hours b. 17 hours c. 3 days d. 17 days 8. Parker Brothers prints $30 billion each year in Monopoly cash. How much cash does the U.S. government generally print per year? a. $975 million b. $5 billion c. $25 billion d. $70 billion

3. What was the largest bill every printed? a. $1,000 b. $5,000 c. $10,000 d. $100,000

1. Penny

JUNE 25, 2015

2. Coins generally stay in circulation for 25 years. Match the following bills with their lifespan (according to the Federal Reserve):

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1. Which of the following is true about Alexander Hamilton, who is being taken off of the $10 bill and is being replaced by a to-bedetermined female? a. He was one of 39 signers of the U.S. Constitution b. He was the first Secretary of the Treasury c. He created the First National Bank d. He was killed in a duel with Aaron Burr, a British sympathizer e. All of the above

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JUNE 25, 2015

Torah Thought

Yehudit Bat-Ayin

Parshas Chukas A Parah-dox

arshat Chukat. A chok. No joke. But certainly…a riddle. A riddle which we actually read all about twice yearly, in this parsha, and earlier in one of the four important extra parshaot. And so, as many a parsha sheet has queried, we ask, “How is it, that the identical matter can be capable of both— purifying the tameh while ‘tameying’ the pure?” Yes, Parah Adumah, the completely red, young, unworked heifer. This mystifying mitzvah matter, when blended and burned along with an incomprehensible addition of ingredients, creates a perplexing potion with the ability of at once purifying the tameh, the ritually unpure, while simultaneously rendering unpure the kohen who sprinkles it, as well as others involved in its preparation. And the answer (not provided on those same parsha sheets): it’s a parah-dox! Ouch! But once your ears have adjusted to the painfully parah-ly parsha pun, perhaps you will consider the seriousness of the fact in a pair of points. One. It is in fact a paradox, one of those brain-tickling facts pondered by the puzzlers among us. If the cover of this illustrious magazine were to state, “All new and improved methodically researched content,” while inside its pages, each article claimed, “Cover story cover-ups. All lies!” some of us might go back and forth wondering which could be true. One? Neither? Both? How? Most of us, though, comprehend, that this is a world of paradoxes. The same food that tastes soooooo goooood, is bad for us. The more expensive moisturizer causes wrinkles. The parent, who spends little time with her children, has only nachat from them, while unfortunately the reverse may be true for the one who strives to practice the perfect parenting pointers. But particularly, as, we have long known … ours is a nation of paradoxes. We are told to give ma’aser so that we may become rich. Though counterintuitive, the more we give, the more we receive. As a nation we have been persecuted throughout the generations, yet have risen to the greatest of heights in every field, as well as in character. We can be both, as it states in next week’s parsha, “Am l’vadad yishkon u’ba’goyim lo yischashav, a nation that dwells alone, not considered by the nations,” as well as, “V’yashev Yisroel l’betach badad,” living secure alone. And ours is a land of paradoxes… In this land, outnumbered by enemies who seek to destroy us, we are magnificently victorious, “Rabim b’yad me’atim,” many falling in the hands of few. We let the land lay fallow every seven years, resting so that it may increase in bounty. There are some paradoxes where one reality discounts the other, while some where two opposing realities exist simultaneously. Such is our nation. “Yisroel oraisah kudsha brich hu chad hu.” A nation, the Torah, the Holy one Blessed be He, are one. And,

“Shivim panim laTorah.” This oneness is multifaceted. Yet paradoxical does not mean hypocritical. We are not meant to profess, “Do as I say, not as I do.” We are not meant to learn Torat emet while practicing oth-

Though differences are “par” for the course, we are meant to exist as one, to create unity and harmony, peace among the paradoxical. erwise. We cannot say in every one of our tefilot, “Oh, build for us our holy Yerushalayim,” while b’mheirah rushing to procure the best contractor for building our summer resort mansion. Though differences are “par” for the course, we are meant to exist as one, to create unity and harmony, peace among the paradoxical, particularly within our precious people.

Two. The second response to this notable question is that the question itself requires reframing. The Parah Adumah does not in fact cause the pure to become tameh. One may touch it, toss it, or be sprinkled with it with no consequence. It is only when one is involved in purifying another with the ashes of the Parah Adumah that he is rendered figuratively “unclean,” and then only until nightfall. I believe that it is crucial that we comprehend this reality. All that is good, even purely and sublimely so, has its cost. Imagine the man who oversleeps one morning, misses his minyan, his shiur, and his daily Starbucks, along with the 8:00 train to get him to the World Trade Center on “time,” for what he expects to be work. Imagine this man, a month after 9/11 bemoaning the daf ha’yomi that he missed. It is that

missed daf for which he is grateful. It is davka the lack that caused the gain. Yet we do it all the time. “Oh, remember that delicious squash and watermelon that we ate in Mitzrayim?” Or here in Israel, from where I write, I hear, “Remember how poooooliiiite everyone was in New York?” Helloooooo. Reality check. You are on your way to the land of ultimate good. You have been enslaved. And now you are free. Free to think objectively, rationally, and appreciatively. We know this, those of us who joyously spit the pits of the sweetest of cherries. We cherish this, those who do not bemoan dirty diapers or nighttime wake up nudges. We pinch ourselves as we count and recount our blessings, “She’hecheyanu l’zman ha’zeh.” Each knot and overlap on the back of our tapestry is necessary for the magnificent artwork we can display. We look out at the awesome blessing of Eretz Yisrael to which “shavu banim l’gvulam.” And even as we read this parsha and contemplate reinstating a most enigmatic mitzvah, we see all around us the fulfillment of the nevuot in the return to our home, the joyous song in the mountains of Yehudah, and the streets of Yerushalayim. Though, within all that we see is all that we cannot begin to comprehend, even in the daily pain, we are aware of being part and parcel of an overwhelmingly miraculous process. Perhaps this process is alluded to as we grapple with the Parah Adumah, the tameh and tahor, pure and impure, life and death, time for war and time for peace. Shall we be able to select for ourselves, within the confusion of opposing realities, the choices that lead us to life? Shall we be able to use our time, energies and resources for the good that is truly good, not just sweet tasting? Shall we perhaps even see, when our highly recommended contractor botches the job, that perhaps this may be part of the “niknet be’yesurims” that lead us to ultimately build our true homes? It is said that when Mashiach arrives, we will receive a Parah Adumah. I’d like to posit that in order to “get” a Parah Adumah, we have to get the Parah Adumah. We have to be able to hold opposing realities in our minds and hearts, ours, and those of our equally legitimate brothers, who too strive for truth and purity, simply from a differing vantage point. We have to be able to see what is around us, the goodness and the challenges of our times, without our heads in the sand. We have to appreciate the magnificent bounty with which we have been blessed, while using it and all of our potential to correct what we can. And then … in this, “Eretz asher ar’eka,” in this “land that I will show you,” more and more will gradually be revealed. The conundrums will be comprehended, the paradoxes plain. And … with the fulfillment of “Y’varechicha Hashem m’Zion u’re’aih b’tuv Yerushalayim” we will be able to see clearly, and as with a finger point with  no ambiguity, “Ahhh! Zos chukat haTorah!””

Torah Thought

Parshas Chukas

attributes the fact that Moshe would not lead the Jewish people into the land of Israel as being not so much a punishment of Moshe but a reality that for this new generation of Jews. They never experienced Egypt and since they saw Moshe as a distant almost supernatural personality, Moshe could no longer be effective as the leader of Israel. The incident described in this week’s parsha is the catalyst for his not entering the Land of Israel, but not really the true cause of his exclusion from further leadership of the people. In effect, this latter line of thinking portrays Moshe, the greatest of all humans, as being subject to the grinding gristmill of generational history and events. However we will

#soooooogood

deal with this incident, it will always remain rationally perplexing to us. There is a debate amongst the thinkers and scholars of Israel as to whether the youthful Moshe is to be held blameless for slaying the Egyptian taskmaster. Rashi points out to us that Moshe slew him by the use of his tongue, pronouncing the ineffable name of G-d, so to speak. Moshe then came to realize the power of words, especially of holy and sacred words. That is why he composed the final book of the Torah in order that those holy words would have an eternal and powerful effect in guiding and teaching all later generations of the Jewish people. Being able to kill someone with a stick, a spear,

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Being able to destroy an enemy by pronouncing a holy word – the name of G-d, so to speak – is a completely different and supernatural event.

a gun or a bomb is unfortunately a natural and everyday occurrence in human life. Being able to destroy an enemy by pronouncing a holy word – the name of G-d, so to speak – is a completely different and supernatural event. Perhaps this is the basis for understanding the punishment of Moshe for hitting the rock instead of speaking to it. Hitting the rock, miraculous as it may seem to some, will be interpreted by others as somehow being natural and ordinary, a magical trick. Hitting the rock employs man-made tools and thus when human action is involved the presence of G-d is often hidden, if not even disregarded. Speaking to the rock, like speaking to the Egyptian taskmaster in holiness and faith, is not subject to rational interpretation. That would have been the supreme sanctification of G-d’s presence, so to speak, in human events. And, alas, perhaps therein lies the shortcoming that Heaven saw in Moshe’s response to the lack of water in the desert for the Jewish people. Shabbat shalom.

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ver all of the millennia since the incident described in this week’s parsha regarding Moshe striking the rock instead of speaking to it, the great commentators to Torah have struggled to make this incident more understandable and meaningful to us ordinary mortals. At first glance, the punishment does not seem to fit the crime. Because of this, many of the commentators have seen the incident of hitting the rock instead of speaking to it not as an isolated incident, but rather as the straw that broke the camel’s back, so to speak. Maimonides explains it as the accumulation of incidents where Moshe allowed human anger to overtake his otherwise unquestioned loyalty and obedience to G-d’s word. Abarbanel also sees it as the culmination of preceding events in the life and career of Moshe. Other commentators, such as Rabbi Meir Simcha Cohen of Dvinsk, Latvia, hesitant to place the entire burden of this strange incident on Moshe alone,

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Restaurant Review

Alex Idov

The Kosher King of New York

Basil Pizza and Wine Bar

asil is not your typical kosher dairy restaurant. In place of where you would expect to find the typical quick-service or casual pizza joint or traditional Italian-style restaurant, Basil redefines the kosher dairy dining experience as one of ultimate, sophisticated, artistic gastronomy. It is an excellent restaurant that “just happens to be kosher” and not a kosher restaurant that “just happens to be excellent.” Under the helm of executive chef Jose Edgardo Soto, Basil prepares the freshest, most superb food found in Brooklyn—kosher or not. By incorporating the principles of art with the complex science of cooking, Soto has created a menu that combines modern food concepts with traditional technique, full of contemporary dishes that are mind-bogglingly good. A native of Crown Heights, Soto makes it his goal to give back to his childhood community by achieving new heights in the culinary sphere and proving what a kid who grew up just down the street could accomplish. As Soto points out, the purpose in his defining the restaurant into what it has become is not to create delectable kosher fare that stands out amongst its counterparts (which it does), but simply to feed people and pay it back to his hometown. Everything is made from scratch and in-house. They make their own mozzarella and mascarpone cheese, churn their own butter, and smoke their own sea salt (which, by the way tastes really awesome) with a variety of infused flavors including grapefruit, vanilla, and truffle. And the

fish you get at Basil is some of the freshest kosher fish you’ll find in New York. They are also avid fans of using unusual ingredients not commonly found in many other kosher establishments—including a variety of gourmet mushrooms. The fare you’ll find at Basil is not what you would make at home, yourself, or probably even dare to try or find at any other kosher restaurant. I had the privilege of watching Chef Soto as he prepared a couple of his unique “specialties of the house,” starting with the leek and cheddar omelet. Soto prepared the omelet by combining both traditional French and Japanese omelet-rolling cooking methods to create a masterpiece egg dolloped with a pat of house-churned smoked salmon butter and smoked sea salt. Soto’s personal take on the classic Tuna Niçoise was also quite refreshing and different. The pan-seared tuna was well complemented by the garlic and anchovy cream sauce and beautifully accented by the pan-seared egg, fried crispy olives, and peanut potatoes that embellished the gorgeous plate. But it was the fermented soy and black bean pizza that “wowed” me the most. By far one of the most unusual pizzas I have ever tasted and one of the most delectable as well, the experience of eating the pizza was reminiscent of a campfire experience, where I felt like I could almost taste the smokiness of the burning wood logs. The pizza, which is made of a fermented soybean and black bean puree and topped with smoked jalapeño peppers, hen of the wood mushrooms, feta

and an egg-easy up, which Chef Soto broke across my pizza, packed the perfect spicy kick, with a great smokiness that was complemented by the crisp, brick-oven baked crust. The pizza alone is reason enough to return. Basil is under the kosher supervision of the Vaad of Crown Heights and is located at 270 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11213. Phone: 718285-8777. Reservations not accepted.

Alex Idov, the Kosherologist, is a food blogger who runs the blog “Kosherology” and is a contributing food columnist for numerous Jewish publications across the U.S. He is currently attending Kennesaw State University near Atlanta, Georgia, for his bachelor’s degree in Culinary Sustainability and Hospitality. Visit his website at www.thekosherologist.com.

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In The Kitchen

Naomi Nachman

Fried Goat Cheese Salad with Raspberry Vinaigrette I

love goat cheese in any shape or form. I have melted it into

sauces, spread it on bread, or crumbled it on top of pasta. My favorite way to eat it, though, is in this recipe. I make croutons out of the goat cheese and eat it with this delicious salad. I recently discovered the Natural and Kosher brand cranberry pecan goat cheese flavor. It’s perfect for this salad, adding another layer of flavor.

Cheese Mixture

Ingredients 2 packages cranberry pecan goat cheese (Natural and Kosher brand) ½ cup all-purpose flour 2 eggs, beaten ¾ cup plain panko crumbs 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds ¼ cup canola oil Preparation Set up three dishes on the counter: Fill the first with flour, the second with the egg, and the third with the panko crumbs mixed with the sesame seeds. Slice the goat cheese into quarter-inch rounds and form each slice into disc about the size of a quarter. Coat each disc in flour, then in egg, then in the panko crumb mixture. Once they’re all coated, set them aside while your pan heats up. Place a sauté pan over medium heat and bring ¼ cup oil to 360°using an oil thermometer. Once the oil is hot, place the coated discs of goat cheese into the pan and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 1 minute. Drain on paper and cool. Set aside and prepare dressing.

Dressing

Ingredients 1 tablespoon shallots (about ½ a small shallot) 3 tablespoons raspberry preserves 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1/3 cup olive oil Salt and ground black pepper

PHOTO BY MELINDA STRAUSS

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Preparation Place shallots in food processor and mince finely; add preserves and vinegar. In a steady stream while machine is running add the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. You can do this by hand with a whisk but it is a smoother consistency in a food processor.

Salad

Ingredients 3 cups mixed greens ½ cup honey glazed pecans or terra chip stixs, (optional) Preparation Place salad greens on a large platter, add the cheese rings around them and drizzle with dressing. Top with pecans or terra chip stix, if using.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com, or at (516) 295-9669.

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Great Kosher Food Elan Kornblum

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HEIRLOOM TOMATO WATERMELON SALAD

WITH SPROUTS AND HONEY VINAIGRETTE by Chef Kevin Goode, Rare Group (Miami, FL)

INGREDIENTS

DIRECTIONS

1 seedless watermelon, cut into rectangular shape 6-inch by 1 ½-inch and 1 ½-inch thick 3-4 Heirloom tomatoes, small to medium, assorted colors cut into wedges depending on the size 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/8-inch diced 3 avocadoes, halved, pitted, peeled, scooped into small shaped balls with a melon ball scooper 3 cups of assorted sprouts: sunflower sprouts, alfalfa sprouts bean sprouts, microgreens 3 TBS extra virgin olive oil 3 TBS aged balsamic vinegar 3 TBS wildflower honey 1 TBS chopped mixed fresh herbs: Italian parsley, Thai basil, thyme kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, and sprouts. Toss mixture gently. In a small bowl, whisk together the fresh herbs olive oil, balsamic vinegar, honey salt and pepper; pour over the tomatoes-sprouts-avocado mixture and toss to coat evenly. Taste and adjust the mixture over the rectangular watermelon before serving.

This recipe was reprinted from the 2015 Edition of Great Kosher Restaurants Magazine. Elan Kornblum, a.k.a. “The Restaurant Guy,” is the publisher of Great Kosher Restaurants International Magazine and its accompanying website www.gkrm.net. The 2015 edition, available on www.GreatKosherDeals.com, has 256 glossy pages and provides a visual description with menus to over 200 top kosher restaurants alongside 400 stunning high resolution color photos. Kornblum’s top ranked website, award-winning newsletter, comprehensive app and hugely popular Facebook Foodies page makes sure everyone is up to date on the latest restaurant news. Email info@gkrm.net for any questions or comments.

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More Trips coming st! up in Augu

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19, 24 August 6,

WEDNESDAY, JULY 8

with

Eve Harow

West to East in Binyamin We start with a tour of the amazing town of Talmon with the parents of Gilad Shaer Hy”d. Jeeping in the hills of the Maccabean Revolt, including Givat HaYekevim and its underground antiquities. Ulpanat Dolev for at-risk girls hosts us for lunch, then to Neve Tzuf and their newly opened Taggart Fort. End our day at Domaine Ventura in Ofra for a wine tasting straight from France.

WHEN & WHERE We leave from Liberty Bell

TUESDAY, JULY 14

Emek Dotan With special IDF escort we will enter the area where the Brothers sold Joseph and Israel left 10 years ago during the ‘Disengagement’. After our tour we will lunch overlooking the Dotan Valley at Maoz Tzvi, meet the modern shepherds and artists and hear from a founding member of Mevo Dotan. End our day at Katzir and peek at what may be Choreshet HaGoyim of the Prophet Deborah’s nemesis Sisera. Today meets the Tanach on this amazing unique day.

parking lot (behind the Sonol Gas Station) at 8:15AM prompt, Return approximately 6:30PM

SUNDAY, JULY 19

Jerusalem From Every Angle Begin at Nebi Samuel with its 3,000+ history. Then via Beit Hanina to Tel El Ful, possibly our first (monarchy) capital. Over to Mt. Scopus and the Mount of Olives ridge and views, with a dairy lunch at Kidmat Zion. Then Ramat Rachel where a First Temple era palace was found. A great informative day with Jerusalem, as always, at its heart.

MORE INFO Email daytrips@oneisraelfund.org

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US - Contact Ruthie Kohn at 516.239.9202 x10 ISRAEL – Contact Ayala Waltuch - 054-920-9704

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JUNE 25, 2015

The Shmuz

R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Parshas Chukas

Davening: The Third System “And the Canaanite king of Arad who dwelled in the south heard that Israel had come by the route of the spies, and he waged war against Israel and took a captive from it” - Bamidbar 21:1

they were worthy of being saved, Hashem would listen. The answer to this question cuts to the very underpinning of how prayer works.

The Reputation of Yisrael When Hashem took the Jewish nation out of Mitzrayim with an “outstretched arm,” most of Creation welcomed the news as a defining moment in history. The nation of Amalek, however, laid plans to attack Yisrael. The posuk describes the “Canaanite king” who sat in the south and heard that Yisrael was coming. But Rashi points out that it wasn’t the Canaanite nation that lived in the south of Israel; it was Amalek. Why are they referred to as the “Canaanite”? Rashi answers that according to the Medrash, the nation that attacked was Amalek. However, when they came close, they stopped speaking their mother tongue and switched to the language of Canaan. Their reasoning was that the Jews would hear them speaking and would assume that it was Canaan that was attacking them. The Jews would then daven to Hashem to save them “from Canaan.” Since these opponents were not from Canaan, the tefillah wouldn’t work. But their plan failed because the Jews recognized something unusual. Yes, their enemies were speaking the language of Canaan, but they were dressed as Amalekim. Therefore, the Jews davened in neutral language: “Hashem, save us from this nation.” As a result, their tefillah was effective. It is clear from this Rashi that had the Bnei Yisroel davened incorrectly and said, “Hashem save us from Canaan,” their tefillah would not have worked. However, they were saved because they realized the trick and davened in a manner that included all possibilities. This Rashi is very difficult to understand. What difference would it make what expression the Jews used? Hashem would know what they meant. The Jewish nation was in trouble, faced with an enemy attacking, and they called out to their Creator. Why would it matter whether they referred to the attackers as Canaan or Amalek? Hashem would know what they were referring to, and if

Why Daven? One of the most basic question that a person should ask about tefillah in general is: “Why should we daven?” Hashem is the ultimate Giver. Hashem is infinitely more generous and benevolent than any person. He loves every one of His creations more than we can ever imagine. That being said, why should we ask Hashem for anything? If what we are asking for is truly good for us, then Hashem would have given it to us already. And if it isn’t good for us, why should we ask for it? The answer to this question is based on understanding that tefillah functions in three distinct systems. The Growth System The first is the “growth system.” By davening, we change ourselves. Tefillah is a method that allows us to recognize certain truths and to live them. The reality is that we mortals get caught up in the ways of nature and tend to forget that Hashem is present and that it is He who runs the world. When we need something and recognize that we are incapable of filling that need, that forces us to reach out to our Creator. We then come to the core realization that He alone is in charge. That process changes us and helps us grow. So, it could well be that before we davened, we weren’t worthy of having our requests granted, but via the process of davening we changed, and now we merit it. For this reason, Hashem will often hold back things specifically so that man should ask because that is what he needs to grow. This is the first system of prayer, whereby a person changes as a

result of davening. The Mercy System The second system of davening is the “mercy system.” Our relationship with Hashem is that of a child to a father. Hashem loves us and has great compassion on us. The second system of davening takes advantage of that relationship. We call out to Hashem to help us not because we are worthy, but rather as a son who calls out to his father and asks him to have mercy. This system recognizes that we may well not be worthy of receiving that which we ask for—not before davening nor after—but we ask Hashem to overlook who we are and to give us what we need. We attempt to arouse the middah of rachamim. The Avodah System Chazal tell us that Hashem said to Moshe, “I will teach you something that you will need to know as the leader of this nation. There will be times when the Jewish people will be in trouble, and even their own merit and the merit of the Avos will not help them. When this happens, you are to call out the thirteen attributes of Hashem. Say the words, ‘Hashem, Hashem, Kel rachum v’chanun. . .’ and I will forgive their sins.” The question is: how does this work? Klal Yisroel didn’t change via that tefillah. They didn’t become more worthy because of it, and if it is just an issue of arousing Hashem’s mercy, why those specific words said in that specific manner? The answer to this is that Hashem created certain systems of avodah that affect the world. Just as there are laws of nature and physical actions that affect the world, so too Hashem created an upper world and various actions affect it. In the time of the Bais HaMikdash, if a person lived through a Yom Kippur,

the korbonos of that day brought him forgiveness. Even if he wasn’t attuned to what was going on, even if he wasn’t in Yersuhalayim, and even if he slept through the entire day, just the fact that he was alive while the Kohain Gadol did the avodah brought him a certain level of forgiveness for his sins. However, there are certain rules to the system. The process is demanding and exact. Any deviation and it doesn’t work. Much like an otherwise-perfect radio can’t function if it is missing just one transistor, so too in the avodah. Any missing detail and the system doesn’t function. This seems to be the answer to this Rashi. The Amalekim were very sophisticated and were aware of the powerful functioning of the upper world, and they did their best to interrupt the Jews’ use of that system. They tried to trick the Jews so that they would daven incorrectly and thereby negate the third system of tefillah, which might have made all the difference as to whether the tefillah worked. Even though the Jews davened with kavanah and Hashem knew what they meant, that tefillah would not have carried the full power because it was inaccurate and couldn’t utilize the third system of davening. This concept is very relevant to us. While we strive to make our davening passionate and vibrant, the reality is that there will be occasions when we will find it difficult to concentrate or to feel a real emotional connection to Hashem. It is at those times that we need to remember that Chazal used a highly defined system to create the tefillos that we say. The effect of the words themselves is well beyond anything that we can imagine. While it is not the ultimate goal in davening, just mouthing the words can have a huge impact and change our destiny. The Shmuz - Marriage Seminar, a 12 part, comprehensive guide to a successful Marriage is available FREE of charge at www. TheShmuz.com. It is also on the Shmuz App available at the App store, or on Google play, or you may listen on Kol Halashon by calling 718- 906 6400, then options 1, 4, 3

The Observant Jew

you look at license plates, is that many people have vanity plates. A vanity plate is one that is selected by the car registrant and has some special meaning. However, since you’re limited to seven or eight characters, most often vowels fall away and some letters or numbers do double duty, like using the number 8 to make the “ate” sound, as in L8R to mean later. (Hey! Maybe this was a precursor for texting…hmmm.) This makes it a game to figure out what they mean, like the title of this piece which is written in that style. Well, one day I was driving and I saw a license plate that said SILVGRP. I said to myself, “I guess he works for,

or owns, a business called “The Silver Group.” It sounded officious enough. But then I thought about it. How did I know it was “The Silver Group”? Maybe it was a Mexican farmer who sells

tional or gustatory reaction to the candy. He was surprised, but he shouldn’t have been. We have a tendency to put people in “boxes” to try to understand their es-

We have a tendency to put people in “boxes” to try to understand their essence.

raisins (si, love grapes!) or a grandpa who moved from Staten Island to Las Vegas. Now, sometimes it could be even more obvious. MNFSTEL would be someone who felt like Superman, (Man of Steel) but then again, he could make tin cans or cars. It hit me that the only person who really knows what the plate stands for and what it’s meant to convey is the one who ordered the vanity plate. It reminds me of a story. After delivering a class at Yeshivas Kol Torah, R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach z”l went to visit a child in the hospital. On the way, he asked the driver to stop at a kiosk, where he wanted to buy a candy bar for the boy. Picking one up, the sage turned the snack this way and that, scanning the label. Seeing this, the driver commented, “I know that candy bar. It has a very good hechsher (kosher certification.)” “Thank you, but I wasn’t looking for the hechsher,” said the Rav with a smile, “I want the boy to enjoy it, so I was looking to see if it tastes good.” The fellow assumed that clearly a sage of R’ Shlomo Zalman’s stature was most interested in the halachic status of the food. He didn’t consider that he might be thinking of the boy’s emo-

sence. But we can’t. People are complex. You might have someone that you think is wonderful, a particular Rav, for example. Then, you see him do something you don’t like or hear him express an opinion you feel is wrong or unfair. Your entire perception of him changes. You don’t know why he said or did what he did, and you’re not giving him a chance to explain. You’re simply making your determination of the events as you see them and assuming them to be correct. Maybe there’s someone of whom you have a low opinion. Then you find out that he is regularly involved in a certain chesed project or attends a certain shiur, and you suddenly realize, “I

JUNE 25, 2015

ummer is upon us and many people will soon be taking to the road for family trips, driving up to camp, and bungalow colony runs. Old-timers like me will remember that car trips didn’t always include six USB cords, extension cords into car outlets, and the need for multiple sets of headphones for each child. We got through our trips without technology (other than a radio that would pick up a station for a short while until you moved out of range or perhaps a snazzy 8-track or cassette player) by looking out the windows. One of the most popular games was the license plate game in which you see how many different state license plates you could spot along the way. Who knows? Maybe that was the beginning of my being an observant Jew! One thing you’ll notice, though, if

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HVLHVLM

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Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

didn’t know that about him.” You begin to realize that though you think you understand the complex meaning behind his actions, that’s just being vain. You really have no idea what makes him or anyone else tick. The fact is, when it comes to what other people are thinking, what they mean by their words or actions or what they hold dear, you can never be sure you know the truth unless they spell it out for you. Author’s Note: The title HVLHVLM stands for Hevel Havolim, Vanity of Vanities, the opening words of Koheles (Ecclesiastes) which remind us how much we have to learn about life. Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world. You can find him at www.facebook.com/RabbiGewirtz and follow him on Twitter @RabbiJGewirtz. He also operates JewishSpeechWriter.com, where you can order a custom-made speech for your next special occasion. Sign up for the Migdal Ohr, his weekly PDF Dvar Torah in English. E-mail info@ JewishSpeechWriter.com and put Subscribe in the subject. © 2015 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

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JUNE 25, 2015

Forgotten Heroes Avi Heiligman

THE DEFEAT OF NAPOLEON

200 Years since the Battle of Waterloo

apoleon Bonaparte is considered one of the greatest generals in the history of warfare, yet he lost everything in a single battle. Several European countries had been trying to get rid of him for over a decade and they almost succeeded in the year before the Battle of Waterloo. However, he escaped from the island where he was being held and set about to conquer his enemies. The battle was to have an impact for European Jewry that was to last a century. France had been devastated by the Reign of Terror in the last decade of the 18th century. When Napoleon came on the scene many Frenchmen saw it as a way to get back to world dominance. Through a series of battles, the emperor, officially called Napoleon I, brought France many victories but also created many enemies. However, in 1812, his invasion of Russia ended in an epic defeat and two years later a coalition of allied armies forced him to abdicate. Louis XVIII regained the French throne but was a weak monarch. In 1815, when Napoleon escaped British detention from the island of Elba with just a thousand soldiers, it didn’t take long to regain the confidence of his countrymen. A new coalition was eventually formed to stop Napoleon once and for all. This was the seventh coalition to face Napoleon’s army and it contained soldiers from many countries. The main four were Great Britain, Prussia (the kingdom before the German Empire was established in the late 1800s), Russia and Austria. Their objective was to defeat the French as quickly as possible but in June 1815 only the British, under the Duke of Wellington, and the Prussians, under Gebhard von Blucher, were in Belgium to face the French. Napoleon’s strategy was to divide and conquer. He knew that his army was too small to defeat them all on the battlefield at the same time so he went after the British first and sent a small force to distract the Prussians. The day before Waterloo, Napoleon defeated the Prussians but failed to annihilate them and he didn’t even know they were heading towards the British to link up for one final decisive battle.

troops. Commanding the French troops under Napoleon was Marshal Michel Ney, who quickly switched allegiance from Louis XVIII as soon as he was given the chance. Napoleon strangely did not give orders that morning of June 18 so Marshal Ney gave the order to attack a farmhouse. Named Hougoumont, it overlooked the battlefield and was fiercely defended by the British. A small force of 30 Frenchmen managed to enter the house but was quickly wiped out. Fighting for Hougoumont continued all afternoon and withstood a shelling that Napoleon hoped to destroy the bastion. The French turned their attention to another farmhouse that was near the center of the battlefield. Called La Haye Saint, it was defendNapoleon in front of his Old Guard at Waterloo ed by German troops who had fled to England to escape Napoleon. La Haye Saint held out until later in the day. French artillery opened up on the British lines at noon to prepare for an infantry attack. Napoleon’s first attack failed to break the British line and Wellington counterattacked with his cavalry. Lord Uxbridge led the attack of British heavy cavalry that until that point remained unseen behind a hill. The French checked the advance with their horsemen and routed the Brits. The French were low on infantry reserves and at 4 PM decided to attack the center again but this time with 12,000 horsemen called lancers. It was one of the largest cavalry charges in history here was a heavy and the British had a defense for it called an infantry rain the night before square. Rows of soldiers two to four ranks deep with June 18, 1815, and bayonets affixed were lined up in a square facing the outthis caused the French to side. The middle was hollow but the bayonets scared the delay their attack by sevhorses away. In this way the infantry was able to pick eral hours. The horses and off the horsemen one by one. French artillery, though, cannons would have gotten caused problems for the British where the cavalry charge stuck in the soft ground. had failed. British cavalry was of no help as they had However, this delay albeen decimated by earlier charges. Witnesses counted The Battle of Waterloo was Napoleon’s last stand lowed for the Prussians to twelve French cavalry charges that attacked after an arreach the battlefield before tillery barrage against the British squares but could not the battle ended, thereby swinging the advantage in the allies’ favor. An- penetrate the lines. Both sides suffered heavily. other advantage for the allies was that they chose the battleground and The British were at their breaking point and only the arrival of the took the heights on a ridge waiting for the French to attack. The French, Prussians could save them from defeat. Before the Prussians were able though, did have the initial advantage of numbers with 30,000 more to reach the battlefield, the French stormed La Haye Saint in one last

uropean Jewry were being discriminated against but under Napoleon’s rule they were left alone. Sometimes given royal funds to build shuls, it all stopped with the defeat at Waterloo. Monarchy reigned supreme in Europe until WWI. Even though many Jews served in

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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This was Napoleon’s last battle.

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s dusk began, an army was seen approaching. Napoleon hoped it was the 33,000 men he had sent to pursue the Prussians a day earlier. For Wellington and the British, the sight of Blucher and the Prussian Army was the turning point of the battle. Napoleon, in an effort to keep the morale up in his tired ranks, decided to spread the rumor that they were French troops but it didn’t help. The Prussians attacked in a flank move to support Wellington’s main line and the allies slowly regained the upper hand. This put Napoleon in a bind: his troops were exhausted and his reinforcements weren’t going to make it to battle. What Napoleon did have was the Old Guard. They were seasoned troops who were fiercely loyal to the emperor and would fight to the death. There was no retreat. The Old Guard easily defeated the thin line of British troops and expected everyone else to flee. Then, thousands of British soldiers who had been lying out of sight over the crest began fighting the French. The rest of the British Army charged and forced the Old Guard to retreat in the first time of their history. The French Army retreated.

the Prussian Army, the government created laws to make life difficult for Jews living in their empire. Jews living in the French empire enjoyed religious freedom under the rule of Napoleon but it stopped after his downfall. Many Jews served on both sides of the battle. Dr. Georg Hartog Gerson was a German field surgeon serving the allied armies. He is credited with saving many lives as the casualties for the allies were 24,000. Sigismund Samuel Hahn was a Jewish lieutenant decorated for bravery at Waterloo. Fittingly he is buried near Gerson in a cemetery in Germany. Napoleon surrendered and was exiled to St. Helena in the South Atlantic. He blamed his generals for the loss and is remembered for The French cavalry attack the loss at Waterloo. Even though he had won battle after battle against European powers it was this battle that sealed the fate of France and the rest of Europe for the next century. 200 years later, the Battle of Waterloo is still being remembered as one that changed the course of history.

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desperate effort to control the center of the battlefield. The defenders of the farmhouse were very low on ammunition and couldn’t be resupplied. La Haye Saint fell as only a handful of soldiers made it back to the British lines.

Dr. Deb

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

Breathing

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JUNE 25, 2015

e came in very agitated. Perhaps it was because he took himself rather quickly off his meds – something a person should never do. Medication is strong stuff and plays with your brain; you can only go off of it on the schedule customized for you by your psychiatrist. (A few excellent ones are here in the Five Towns; I recommend them.) Or perhaps it was because Life had dealt him a difficult hand, made worse recently. He was glowering and loud. When, in addition to a list of other complaints, he started to attack me for advice I had given, something I do occasionally when I think it will be therapeutic, there was really only one thing I could do. Breathe. I inhaled deeply and slowly, feeling the fresh air permeate my body. I held it in to the count of seven as recommended by the breathe2relax app on my phone (and which I have been recommending enthusiastically) and let it out s-l-o-w-l-y. And then I did that again. And again, listening all the while and rather intently to my client. And a funny thing happened. Little by little, he calmed down, himself. His voice quieted; his rush of words curtailed; his breathing slowed. “I’m hurt,” he finally said. “Sure you are,” I replied. “It’s no wonder, with everything piling on you like that.” He didn’t believe I’d actually said something supportive – that is typical of people who feel like the world is caving in on him: He reiterated his complaints. So I repeated, in slightly different terms, my response, adding, “I agree with you. I think you’re justified to be upset.” Regarding his anger at me, I wanted to make sure that I understood it, so I paraphrased what he said and concluded: “Am I understanding that right? That’s why you are angry with me?” The gentleman gave a deep sigh and said softly, “Yes.” With the item on the table before us, it was pretty apparent to this bright, articulate man that I had been trying to be helpful. When advice backfires, it doesn’t have to be someone’s “fault” and it doesn’t require blame or anger. It’s just unfortunate. What are the take-aways that you can apply in your own life?

• Breathing consciously, slowly, and deeply should be part of your life It was conventional wisdom that yogis such as the Dali Lama seemed happy. But then researchers decided to hook up electrodes to the scalp of long-time meditators, those who had practiced the deep breathing with a clear mind for

the case. That is where the deep breathing comes in. The latest research shows that it can be therapeutically beneficial to reduce or even eliminate PTSD symptoms (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and has routinely been helpful in Anxiety Disorder and Depression. This makes

Make an effort to do what I did – take deep, slow breaths – and see what happens to them.

thousands of hours over the years. The scientists learned that these people had a preponderance of alpha-waves. Alpha waves are associated with a relaxed, but alert mental state. The act of mindful breathing has been shown to also lay down neural circuits between the left hemisphere prefrontal cortex – our thinking center – and the amygdala. The amygdala is the seat of emotional memory while language and making meaning out of our existence through words is located in the left cortex. The amygdala has no words. That’s why a baby who cries certainly has a reason but he would not be able to explain it to you (even if he had language). In fact, even if he in later years remembered an event that happened in his first year, he would have no words for it. This explains why children under two may have powerful emotions and may have already acquired good enough speech to ask for milk – or argue why they should be given a cookie – yet cannot make sense of their emotions: The left hemisphere’s meaning-making function has not yet matured. Explaining their feelings requires both the full development of the cortex on the left side and also strong connections to the emotions taking place in the amygdala. These connections do not develop in everyone. In calm families where people slow down and think before reacting – as the Torah says we should do – people may very well have developed those neural connections through the role models in their lives. For the rest of us not so fortunate, that may not be

sense: It is as if the thinking cortex was able to “tell” the amygdala to be calm, that things would be all right. That is the significance of those feedback loops between the cortex and the amygdala. • When confronted by someone, take care of yourself first This may be another understanding of im ain ani li, mi li. How does one who is attacked take care of himself anyway? I will tell you how not to: Don’t argue back. As you have probably discovered, arguing just escalates and inflates bad moods. It disengages the prefrontal cortex (there it is again!) so that basically you are on automatic. Unfortunately, the automatic is purely emotional. The best solution is to breathe and when possible, disengage. Putting it another way, although arguing back sounds on the surface like protecting yourself, it isn’t. It’s the opposite. • Sometimes, getting deeply calm is contagious Research shows that a great deal of our communication is through body language – and it is 99% unconscious. For example, if you see a group of people chatting for some minutes at a meeting, you may notice that each and every person has their arms crossed and/or their feet positioned in the same way. We are used to reading terrible news accounts of stampedes at sporting events in which people are killed. This is because one person’s fight-flightfreeze reaction was activated (you can guess where – in his amygdala) and this becomes contagious. Suddenly, everyone is running.

The good news is that calm is also contagious. Try this experiment: Let’s say you are talking to someone who is upset. Notice that they are breathing shallowly and rapidly. Make an effort to do what I did – take deep, slow breaths – and see what happens to them. You may be pleasantly surprised. • Sometimes the best time to be supportive is in the middle of a machlokes Obviously, you can’t fake support. You either feel it or you don’t. If you don’t, the other person will pick that up very quickly. On the other hand, even if you did agree with someone, who feels like being supportive of that person when he is attacking you? That’s pretty unnatural. The natural response is to attack back, right? But that may not be the most helpful response. (There’s that the fight response.) John Gottman, the eminent researcher of couples’ quarrels, found that couples who have happy, long-term marriages will give each other compliments or other ways to reach out even in the middle of arguments! This makes sense. The message the other person gets is: I am not rejecting you or your valid point; we’re just having a little spat. It puts the machlokes in proper context. It’s not something that should ever drive a wedge in the relationship. Perhaps “doin’ what just comes naturally” – and automatically – may be another face of the yetzer hara. Every one of the suggestions above is exactly the opposite of what is “natural” to do. After all, if Hashem gave us a brain, maybe that’s what it’s for: Doing the opposite of “natural.” Dr. Deb Hirschhorn, a Marriage & Family Therapist and best-selling author of The Healing Is Mutual: Marriage Empowerment Tools to Rebuild Trust and Respect—Together, is proud to announce that readers of The Jewish Home will receive a $50 discount on every visit to her Woodmere office. Attend the Food For Thought lectures at Traditions Restaurant in Lawrence on Tuesdays at 12:30 PM. (There is a lovely optional lunch menu for $12 cash.) Any questions, call 646-54-DRDEB or check out her website at http://drdeb.com. All stories in Dr. Deb’s articles are fabricated. See Dr. Deb on TorahAnytime.com.

Health & Fitness

87 THE JEWISH HOME

Morton Kramer

Solution Focused Counseling Discovering what is positive in our lives or what we would like to have happen will set the stage for making it happen. ing helps. The mantra is to encourage self-confident children by encouraging self-expression. However, freedom of expression without a rule of communication boundaries can risk having rebellious children. Allowing too much freedom can be

is able to perform tasks productively, without stress. Judy is comfortable with her job. The head teacher reported that Judy aptly assists her in managing the classroom, as well as taking lead responsibility for three special needs children identified with behavioral dif-

like driving a car without brakes. Parents are more and more uncertain as to when to be lenient or when to apply a strict approach. Certainly if you have children who are happy and healthy, you want to maintain that confidence. Overwhelmed with challenging situations without success, parents will listen to anyone with opinions. What can make it worse is when children spot parents struggling with them the stage is set for out-of-control children. Parenting strategies more commonly focus on explanations for misbehavior in an effort to solve the problem. Using a solution-focused approach to raising children the interest is not on why a specific problem happens but rather how to change it. We go to the doctor to be healed not to find out why we are sick. Judy, a mother of two children ages three and six, is employed outside the home as an assistant teacher at the ABC Child Care Center. She is described by her employer as happy, friendly with the staff and children, and capable! She

ficulties. At home, though, she is described differently by her husband, Chaim, often unhappy and edgy with him and excitable with the children. Judy reported that she feels more pressure at home to get things done; preparing supper, dispersing the kids’ fights, cleaning messes

and tending to their bedtime on schedule. She noticed how her employer chronicled her competent performance at work. How she employed good management skills and “know how” with ease. Once Judy observed herself acting differently at work than at home, given similar circumstances, it became easier to change herself. She was able to get Chaim’s involvement, from being as she described “detached and lazy,” to join her using a team approach and preparation planning, the format she practiced at work. Focusing on positive solutions, rather than reasons for Chaim’s laziness and the children’s misbehavior, had a profound effect on the outcome. Judy’s situation improved. Chaim recognized the difference his involvement meant to Judy and the pleasure he lost with his detachment. Just thinking that she was the only person responsible for the children’s welfare overwhelmed her. Enlisting her husband’s help and his empathy helped Judy recognize that she was not in it alone and assured her that he cared about her and the children. Taking a solution-focused approach, they worked out a successful plan that included a family outing to the pizza store one night a week, Chaim’s support for one hour in the evening to relieve Judy, and additional help from a local high school student to get the children to bed on time when Chaim was learning or coming home late from work. Continued on page 88

JUNE 25, 2015

Home Environment Raising children today, as our parents raised us, is becoming more and more challenging. Our families are generally larger, with presumably less time to tend to each child. We no longer consider that “children should be seen and not heard” and that a quick spank-

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inding solutions to resolve problems – children, adolescents and adults can see positive change in their lives in a short time. Struggles with decision-making, strained relationships, crises, time management, family loss, financial loss, etc. can make life miserable. By shifting our focus towards solutions, rather than the problems and their history, the attention is placed on who is doing what when the problem is not present. Persisting with the problem has no benefit without positive consequences. It only has value in letting us know what has happened so that we can pursue a positive outcome. Placing culpability away from ourselves gives us some temporary relief, as someone or something else is at fault. But it prevents us from finding the resources and strengths to prevent the problem from reoccurring. We can’t expect to make other people or events change, but we can change how we deal with them and how we accept it. Walter and Pellet in their work (1992) contend that the process is accomplished by focusing on what is right and working on successes as the key to making change happen. They relay the story of the baseball player who was in a batting slump. He was watching a video of himself striking out. When his manager came in and asked what he was doing, he explained that he was watching himself striking out so he could see what he was doing wrong. The manager told him to stop and watch a video when he was hitting the ball to see what he was doing right and do more of that. Discovering what is positive in our lives or what we would like to have happen will set the stage for making it happen. Let’s look at some common problems in our home, school, and workplaces and how real change can happen when the focus shifts from the problem to finding solutions.

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JUNE 25, 2015

Work Environment Sarah came for counseling out of desperation. Sarah is employed as a bookkeeper at a large construction company. Her boss was not easy to get along with. He likes to micromanage. He watches the clock, meeting Sarah at the door if she returns minutes late from a lunch break, watches who empties the wastebasket and never praises good work. Sarah reported that if she didn’t need the income desperately, she would have left long ago. His negative attitude had made her miserable. In other areas of her life, Sarah reported no problem dealing with people. As a successful chair of her local school board and a good friend, Sarah is regarded as an asset: able to share responsibilities, write meeting minutes and agendas for the group, and readily offer a lending hand to co-workers and friends. In a counseling session, Sarah recognized that her boss’s attempts to micromanage was his way of actually managing his business. She was able to recognize that she could extend her willingness to share information and her caring nature with her boss, as she did with the school board and friends. A family business that he inherited, her boss had little knowledge about what Sarah was actually doing and micromanaging was his way of validating himself as the authority in the company. Sarah

decided to take a few minutes every so often to stroke his ego and to share what she was doing with details related to her work. Soon after her boss lost interest in the details of her work but was pleased that Sarah included him in the process. Sarah reports that now her boss has gained more trust in her and less reason to complain about trivial things. As she describes, she has him “eating out of her hand.” School Environment Mayer is a first grade student at the local Yeshiva. He was having a lot of difficulty keeping up with the group, particularly forming words with letters and vowels in Hebrew. Since reading is a major function in his class, Mayer felt so much pressure, particularly when a classmate called him dumb. The school met with Mayer’s parents to discuss the problem and to recommend a Board of Education evaluation. When meeting with the psychologist for a fact-finding intake and to administer the evaluation, the parents reported that they felt as if they have failed Mayer. The teachers described being frustrated, waiting for the parents to do something about the problem. With my experience operating an evaluation site, schools wait for parents to do something, while parents blame the school for not doing enough, resulting in arguments, hurt feelings, frustra-

tion and defensiveness. In this situation, the worst part was that Mayer felt all the pressure and frequently did not want to go to school. Testing revealed that Mayer presented at the average range of intelligence with no ostensible reason for the difficulty in reading, at least not based on testing results. Fortunately those involved recognized that Mayer’s problem needed to be dealt with immediately. Speculating cause of his difficulty was all they could go on, which is time and again the case. Exhausted and perplexed, his parents, teachers, and the Board of Ed evaluator, who saw Mayer in their respective settings, came up with an action plan. The evaluator suggested to observe Mayer over a week, then meet again and come up with a viable plan. The focus of the group was to achieve an affirmative outcome. Enlisting the former pre-school teacher’s support, for how she had related positively with Mayer, and concentrating only on current accomplishments and positive interactions at school and at home, Mayer was reading at grade level by year-end. To quote Charles Franklin Kettering describing the Wright brothers’ successful aircraft flight, “[They] flew right through the smokescreen of impossibility.” Since its geneses in the mid-1980s, solution-focused counseling has proved to be an effective intervention across the

range of problem presentations by developing a picture of the “solution” and discovering the resources to achieve it. Morton Kramer is a senior executive with extensive experience in managing service delivery systems. He is a rehabilitative and disabled child care specialist with over 25 years’ experience He consults to child development programs for young children throughout the country. He founded and operated the first integrated classroom model for children with disabilities in a partnership with Project Head Start in New York City. A former Head Start Administrator and a Federal Program Compliance Reviewer, Mr. Kramer has traveled extensively throughout the United States supporting the needs of clients and employees with technical assistance. He is currently developing a software data management program for the child care industry. Possessing a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology, Mr. Kramer began his career as a Mental Health Specialist in Head Start programs and has extensive experience as a clinical therapist, diagnostic evaluator and parent and staff trainer in various clinical and educational settings in the New York metropolitan area. Mr. Kramer is an accomplished artist and member of the NYC Art Student League. He is available for private counseling and managerial consulting and can be reached at morty209@gmail.com or (516)884-4374.

89 THE JEWISH HOME 

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JUNE 25, 2015

Health & Fitness

Aliza Beer, MS, RD

Summer Food

Camp Survival Guide

chool is over and summer is here! It’s that stressful time for parents when they must pack a superabundant amount of clothing, items, and most importantly, food, for their kids who will soon be away at camp. Summer is an extraordinary season where children have amazing memories in camp, and their parents enjoy the well-deserved serenity at home. However, food and nutrition have an interminable affect on this seemingly carefree time of year. Many kids come back from camp stronger and lighter, while others return plumper with atrocious eating habits. Three unique aspects of this battle must be addressed. The first stage of summer nutrition is the packing phase, where anxious parents pack pounds upon pounds of food for their excited kids. The next level is when the kids are actually away at camp where they must make wise choices when they supplement their meals with snacks and beverages. The final obstacle our children must face is the meals served in camp. With careful sagacious planning, we can make this summer the most fantastic and healthiest summer yet! First, parents must know which snacks and drinks to choose when they go on that long-awaited big shop at the local supermarket. • The best foods possible are the healthy one hundred calorie snacks. These snacks outwardly look and taste like the guilty pleasures we have come to love such as popcorn, pretzels, baked chips, but these one-hundred calorie snacks are a healthier alternative to some of our favorite nosh. Also, fiber crackers are very nutritious and great for the body. • Dehydrated fruits such as Apple Crisps and berries taste great and are much healthier than any sugar snack. The same applies to all natural fruit leathers. They are easily transported and taste like candy without any added sugar. Craisins are also awesome and come in 100 calorie packets! • Sugar snacks should be avoided. Little bags of these snacks are loaded with calories and sugar! • When you have to choose drinks, only choose water! Water is the number one, best drink you could possibly buy. Seltzer is also really good along with the copious amount of flavored

seltzers. Especially in the intense heat, when your child is playing sports or hiking, water is crucial! The bags are all packed and the kids are off to camp! How do they supplement their meals with healthy foods? • The snacks we discussed previously are great! Children should turn to their stash of healthy nutritious snacks and drinks in between their camp meals. • The camp canteen can present a formidable obstacle to our goal of a healthy summer. Train your children to buy the ices or sorbet rather than the ice cream. Greasy fried foods, such as French fries, should be avoided! Fruits, vegetables, and salads will always be great alternatives to the fattening deep-fried foods at the canteen. Now we can discuss the most important part of summer eating: the meals. • Breakfast: Camps ubiquitously serve cereal, milk, and a juice drink for breakfast. Sugar cereals are the enemy and should be avoided at all costs! • Bring your own cereal. The identifying characteristics of a healthy cereal are that it should be high in fiber and unsweetened, such as Fiber One, Special K, and Puffins. • Oatmeal is awesome. Buy the plain or low sugar varieties. • Make sure to pack your children with brown rice cakes. They are delicious, filling, and healthy. Whole wheat Melba toast is also very nutritious. • We have so many choices for a healthy breakfast, but we must keep in mind which foods are offlimits most of the time, to be eaten only once in a while. These include French toast, pancakes, and fruit juices. Fruit, low-fat • milk, low fat cottage cheese, hard-boiled eggs, and yogurt are just some examples of good breakfast foods. It’s time for lunch! Camps generally serve foods that are very caloric and high in fat at lunch. Here’s a guide how to approach it properly:

• Salad, salad, salad! This is the best option for lunch. It can be combined with the other options listed here. • Bring tuna fish or sardines; they are healthy and the omega 3 fatty acids are very beneficial for your body. • Grilled cheese is fine as long as you take the right portion. Try to have only half the bread. Cottage cheese is very healthy too. • Stay away from the lasagna and macaroni and cheese. Dinner is very hard to plan out and pre-prepare food for your children, so the most important term to remember here is portion sizes. • Camps will commonly serve chicken or meat, along with soups and vegetables. • Whichever choice your kids make, they must remember that the dish is healthy as long as it’s the right size. Try to avoid taking a second portion. • Avoid the creamy soups, however, a vegetable or broth-based soup is fine. • Try to complement your main dish with vegetables and other healthy side dishes offered. • S t a y away from eating more than just a m o d i c u m of food after dinner because all the food eaten will not be burned off since you will be going to sleep. Camp is a place where kids make new friends, experience amazing things, and have a lot of fun. It is important, however, to make sure to continue a healthy lifestyle in camp by eating right. The aforementioned advice should be taken to heart. It is completely tenable to have an enjoyable nutritious summer without a drastic lifestyle change or narrow diet. While food choices and portion sizes are extremely important, make sure to encourage your children to stay active by participating in organized sports, swimming, hiking, and exercising. The level of activity in children is directly correlated to their metabolism. By eating right and exercising, our children can come off the buses after the memorable summer feeling great and looking healthier. Have a great summer! Aliza Beer is a registered dietician with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@gmail.com.

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Notable Quotes

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?” So barbaric that this should still be allowed. No conservation laws in effect wherever this is? - Tweet sent by noted liberal author and professor Joyce Carol Oates, along with an image of Steven Spielberg posing with a massive dead “dinosaur” on the set of Jurassic Park

I’ve done a lot of heavy lifting for this guy and I’m not going to do this. He’s on his way out. I may be on my way out, too, but I want to keep my friends. - Minority Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) explaining why she refused to support President Obama’s controversial trade bill

You can run, but you can’t hide. – Words on the t-shirt fugitive criminal Tieren Watson, 26, was wearing when he was apprehended by local police and federal marshals in Little Rock after several days on the run

I sleep. - Susannah Mushatt Jones, age 115, sharing the secret to her longevity with the Daily News, upon being crowned the world’s oldest person this week

The only way to guarantee that we will dramatically reduce acts of violence involving guns is to basically remove guns from society, and until somebody gets enough “oomph” to repeal the Second Amendment, that’s not going to happen. – Karl Rove, Fox News

A new study suggests that marriage is more beneficial for men than women. The results of the study were shouted at me through a locked bedroom door. - Seth Myers

From the moment he entered office, Mr. Obama promoted an agenda of championing the Palestinian cause and achieving a nuclear accord with Iran. –Ibid., in a Wall Street Journal op-ed

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I always considered Israel as not only the only democracy in the Middle East. I think it’s the purest, because every Israeli voter seems to have his own political party. – Ibid

Obama’s attitudes toward Islam clearly stem from his personal interactions with Muslims…I could imagine how a child raised by a Christian mother might see himself as a natural bridge between her two Muslim husbands. I could also speculate how that child’s abandonment by those men could lead him, many years later, to seek acceptance by their co-religionists. - Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and current Knesset member Michael Oren in an article titled, “How Obama Opened His Heart to the Muslim World”

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You want to make yourselves as strong and defensible as possible, but for a lot of people, it’s been flipped around the other way. They don’t realize how small Israel is compared to the rest of the world. – Ibid

In England, the world’s oldest bride and groom tied the knot. She’s 91, he’s 103. Men are unbelievable. He couldn’t find someone his own age?... They’re the world’s oldest newlyweds, but I like to think of them as the world’s newest oldlyweds. – Jimmy Kimmel

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An English couple has become the world’s oldest newlyweds at the ages of 91 and 103. The couple registered at Bed, Bath & the Great Beyond. – Seth Myers

It’s an odd situation that you have Israel here surrounded by a gazillion people here, and somehow they’re the underdogs. I think Israel is so efficient in defending itself and so good at it, that to the rest of the world it looks like bullying. It’s mystifying. - Jay Leno, in an interview with the Jerusalem Post, while on a recent trip to Israel

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According to a new study, the recommendation that people need eight glasses of water per day is a myth. I think we figured that out when we never once drank eight glasses of water and still survived. – Seth Myers Rachel Dolezal stepped down from her position as president of an NAACP chapter after it was revealed that she was a white woman pretending to be black. Now her brother says he knew about it but she asked him not to blow her cover. Unfortunately, her cover had already been blown by G-d when he made her a blondhaired, blue-eyed white lady. – Jimmy Fallon This morning Rachel Dolezal, the white NAACP leader who claimed for years that she was black, made an appearance on the “Today” show. I don’t think she’s learned her lesson because for the first hour she pretended to be Al Roker. – Conan O’Brien I told the story correctly for years before I told it incorrectly. - Brian Williams responding to Matt Lauer (NBC) questioning him about his infamous lie that he was shot down in a helicopter while covering the Iraq invasion

The world’s oldest person has died. Again. Third time this year. Someone is killing the world’s oldest people and we do nothing about it. – Jimmy Kimmel

Today we are here in a moment of unity in our state without ill will to say it is time to remove the flag from our capitol grounds. This flag, while an integral part of our past, does not represent the future of our great state. - South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) calling for the removal of the Confederate flag from the grounds of the State House in the aftermath of the racism-charged Charleston shooting I just wanted everybody to know, I forgive you. You took something very precious away from me. I will never talk to her ever again. I will never be able to hold her again. But I forgive you, and have mercy on your soul. … You hurt me. You hurt a lot of people. If G-d forgives you, I forgive you. - Nadine Collier, daughter of Ethel Lance, who was killed in the Charleston shooting, expressing that she forgives the shooter

Donald Trump announced that he’s running for president. During his speech he told the crowd that if elected he would be “the greatest jobs president that G-d ever created.” Then G-d said, “Hey, don’t drag me into this publicity stunt.” - Jimmy Fallon

Last night the Golden State Warriors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers to win their first NBA title in 40 years. Andre Iguodala of the Warriors was named the MVP, which is great news for everyone except whoever has to engrave that name on a trophy. – Jimmy Kimmel

The commission cannot conclusively determine the intent of Palestinian armed groups with regard to the construction and use of these tunnels. - From the UN report on the Gaza conflict last summer, concluding that there is no conclusive evidence that the tunnels from Gaza into Israel were constructed to terrorize Israeli citizens It is regrettable that the report fails to recognize the profound difference between Israel’s moral behavior during Operation Protective Edge and the terror organizations it confronted. This report was commissioned by a notoriously biased institution, given an obviously biased mandate, and initially headed by a grossly biased chairperson, William Schabas. – Statement by Israel’s foreign ministry in response to the biased UN report

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Hillary Clinton signed a note this week for a nine-year-old boy, explaining to his teacher that he was missing school to meet her. In exchange, the kid wrote Hillary a note saying his dog ate her emails. – Jimmy Fallon

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Over the weekend, Hillary Clinton supported raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour. She said every American should be able to afford to attend one of her speeches. – Conan O’Brien

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We have only made changes to the faces on our currency a few times since bills were first put into circulation, and I’m proud that the new 10 will be the first bill in more than a century to feature the portrait of a woman. – Treasury Secretary Jack Lew

I want to remind everyone that there are just three days left until Father’s Day. But more importantly, there are 324 days left until next Mother’s Day. – Jimmy Fallon

Political Crossfire

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Charles Krauthammer

A New Strategy for Iraq and Syria

t’s time for a new strategy in Iraq and Syria. It begins by admitting that the old borders are gone, that a unified Syria or Iraq will never be reconstituted, that the Sykes-Picot map is defunct. We may not want to enunciate that policy officially. After all, it does contradict the principle that colonial borders be maintained no matter how insanely drawn, the alternative being almost universally worse. Nonetheless, in Mesopotamia, balkanization is the only way to go. Because it has already happened and will not be reversed. In Iraq, for example, we are reaping one disaster after another by pretending that the Baghdad government – deeply sectarian, divisive and beholden to Iran – should be the center of our policy and the conduit for all military aid. Look at Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi. The Iraqi army is a farce. It sees the

enemy and flees, leaving its weapons behind. “The ISF was not driven out of Ramadi. They drove out of Ramadi,”

friendly forces deeply committed to the fight, beginning with the Kurds, who have the will, the skill and have demon-

Our objective right now is to defeat the Islamic State and to ensure the fall of the Assad regime. said the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Our own secretary of defense admitted that the “the Iraqi forces just showed no will to fight.” We can train them forever. The problem is one of will. They don’t want to fight. And why should they? They are led by commanders who are corrupt, sectarian and incompetent. What to do? Redirect our efforts to

strated considerable success. This year alone, they have taken back more than 500 Christian and Kurdish towns from the Islamic State. Unlike the Iraqi army, however, they are starved for weapons because, absurdly, we send them through Baghdad, which sends along only a trickle. This week, more Kurdish success. With U.S. air support, Syrian Kurds captured the strategic town of Tal Abyad from the Islamic State. Which is important for two reasons. Tal Abyad controls the road connecting the terror group’s capital of Raqqa to Turkey, from which it receives fighters, weapons and supplies. Tal Abyad is “a lung through which [the Islamic State] breathed and connected to the outside world,” said Kurdish commander Haqi Kobane. Moreover, Tal Abyad helps link isolated Kurdish areas in the Syrian north into a contiguous territory, like Iraqi Kurdistan. Which suggests that this territory could function as precisely the kind of long-advocated Syrian “safe zone” from which to operate against both the Islamic State and the Bashar al-Assad regime. More good news comes from another battle line. Last week, the Free Syrian Army’s Southern Front, backed by and trained in Jordan, drove the Syrian government out of its last major base in eastern Daraa province, less than 60 miles from Damascus. These successes suggest a new U.S. strategy. Abandon our anachronistic fealty to the central Iraqi government (now largely under Iran’s sway anyway) and begin supplying the Iraqi Kurds in a direct, 24-hour Berlin-style airlift. And in Syria, intensify our training, equipping and air support for the now-de-

veloping Kurdish safe zone. Similarly, through Jordan, for the FSA Southern Front. In theory, we should be giving similar direct aid to friendly Sunni tribesmen in Iraq whose Anbar Awakening, brilliantly joined by Gen. David Petraeus’ surge, utterly defeated the Islamic State progenitor, al-Qaeda in Iraq, in 2006-07. The problem is, having been abandoned by us once, when Obama liquidated our presence in 2011, why should the Sunnis ever trust us again? As for the Iraqi army, we can go through the motions, but the best we can hope for is wobbly containment, ultimately guaranteed by Iranian proxies. Not a happy prospect, but the best that we can do having forfeited our dominant position in Iraq in 2011.

At the time, Iraq was a functioning state. That state is now gone. We should not expend treasure or risk blood trying to resurrect it. Our objective right now is to defeat the Islamic State and to ensure the fall of the Assad regime. That does not require an American invasion. It does require recognizing reality and massively supporting our few genuine allies on the ground. On Wednesday, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter testified that we won’t quite meet our objective of training 24,000 Iraqi troops by this fall. Why? A recruitment problem. Iraqis don’t seem to want to join. We are 17,000 short. It’s a fool’s errand anyway. If we need to pretend to support the Baghdad government, fine. But our actual strategy should be to circumvent it and help  our real allies carry the fight. (c) 2015, The Washington Post Writers Group

Political Crossfire

A Campaign of Bombast and Ridicule is a Ted Cruz birther. His opponents are “losers” and “morally corrupt” and “selling this country down the drain.” They are “clowns” and “stupid people” and often, by his account, physically ugly.

better generals to defeat the Islamic State. He will slap a 25 percent tariff on Chinese goods. He will build a wall across the continent and make Mexico pay for it. There is little chance that Trump

He communicates in a series of eruptions, gestures and tweets that generally assert the need for his own leadership while dismissing rivals as fools and worse. On the issues, we don’t get arguments, we get impulses. “I’ve built a multibillion-dollar empire,” he says, “by using my intuition.” Like many public figures who refuse to use written speeches, he believes that everything crossing his mind is worthy of expression, without being edited or organized for the benefit of others. So we get a spew of Trump’s gut feelings. They tend to be resentful of outsiders. They assume that Barack Obama was the beneficiary of affirmative action. “How does a bad student go to Columbia and then to Harvard? ... Let him show his records.” But mostly Trump’s gut tells him (and thus, automatically, us) that political and scientific elites are evil and scheming, both composed of idiots and capable of sophisticated conspiracies. He has falsely and dangerously asserted a connection between vaccines and autism, rooted in practices set by “pharmaceutical companies, because they probably make more money.” He has described a “GLOBAL WARMING HOAX” of an extent so vast it could only be revealed by capital letters. He famously asserted that public officials were engaged in a conspiracy to conceal the circumstances of Obama’s birth. And when one official tragically died, he pressed the claim to her grave. “How amazing,” Trump tweeted, “the State Health Director who verified copies of Obama’s ‘birth certificate’ died in plane crash today. All others lived.” Trump’s policy agenda is too skeletal or absurd to analyze. He will pick

will have much influence when actual votes are tallied – even the most celebrity-blinded Republican is unlikely to forget Trump’s political contributions to Harry Reid – but there is plenty of time for mischief between now and then. And the largest risk, in the end, is

not to Republicanism but to populism. Trump’s form of populism promises not reform but deliverance. The answer to every problem is a leader who can make deals, knock heads and get results. The defects of democracy, in this view, are remedied by the strongman. It is not a coincidence that Trump expresses admiration for Vladimir Putin. “He’s doing a great job,” says Trump, “in rebuilding the image of Russia and also rebuilding Russia period.” This is populism as Caesarism. The fact that Trump is laughable in the role of Caesar does not make the argument less pernicious. And it tells you a lot about the blind anger of the antiestablishment right that Rush Limbaugh is more favorable to Donald Trump than  to Jeb Bush. (c) 2015, The Washington Post Writers Group

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be hard not to be). I have talked to Republican officials in early primary states who have enjoyed perfectly polite and rational calls and notes from Trump. Yet the whole process of applying political scrutiny to Trump is difficult, given his aversion to systematic political thought. He communicates in a series of eruptions, gestures and tweets that generally assert the need for his own leadership while dismissing rivals as fools and worse. He calls Jeb Bush’s intelligence into question and ridicules Rick Perry for excessive sweating. He

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onald Trump has already succeeded by provoking this column. Any form of public communication that puts “Donald Trump” within five words of “president” – which, darn, I just did – is a victory for the reality TV star turned presidential aspirant. But Trump, it is now clear, will not go away by being ignored. If polling support – really, at this point, vague impressions and name recognition – is the selection criteria for participation in Republican debates, Trump is likely to be part of them. This would not only foster a circus-like atmosphere, it would, by definition, exclude a more serious candidate. Imagine losing Ohio Gov. John Kasich, for example, to make a seat for Trump. It would seriously undermine the deliberations of the Republican Party in choosing its most visible leader. But doesn’t Trump deserve a chance to make his rambling, egomaniacal case? Some fraction of Republicans might be attracted to a populist, anti-establishment businessman, who, in private settings, is more serious than his cartoonish public image (it would

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Michael Gerson

Money Talk

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The Basics of Index Funds

ndex funds have become an increasingly popular investment. But are they right for you? We all remember the story of the tortoise and the hare. It was in this tale that we learned a valuable lesson: slow and steady wins the race. The tortoise was not a glamorous creature and he may have lacked pizzazz, but in the end, he won. In a way, index funds are the modern-day tortoise in the race for a solid investment plan. Nothing flashy, just steadily keeping pace with a particular index, and if, by chance, that index does well, then the fund excels also. Index funds, which are a type of mutual fund, are a pretty simple concept in the world of investments. In an index fund, stocks are grouped together from companies included within an index, for instance, the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. The percentage of stock is kept the same as the indexes themselves in an attempt to mirror the index.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIJA) is a price weighted index of 30 of the largest, most widely held stocks traded on the New York Stock Exchange. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged group of securities considered to be representative of the stock market in general. Whether or not you want to invest in an index fund depends on the type of investor you are. Keep in mind that index funds are different from normal mutual funds. Most mutual funds are actively managed so a fund manager is constantly picking new or different stocks to go into the fund. This active attempt to beat the market is based mostly on timing and choosing the right stocks and bonds. Under some conditions, an actively managed account may achieve gains a passively managed account would not.

Index funds, on the other hand, are a passive investment, meaning they are not actively managed. But one of the most attractive parts of index funds stems from the lack of active management. Because they don’t require the same constant administration and attention as an actively managed mutual fund, their expense ratios are generally lower. Some say if you can’t beat a market, you might as well join it, which is one of the biggest attributes of an index fund. Keep in mind that while an index fund is designed to match the overall gains of the index it follows, it will also participate in the declines. And while the fund tries to mirror an index, the return on the fund will always be slightly less due to management fees. So are index funds for you? That

depends on your investment style. As always, you should check with a financial professional before investing, and decide if index funds fit in with your overall investment strategy. But in the end, index funds offer an alternative way to potentially increasing your wealth and achieving your financial goals. Investing involves risk, including loss of principle. An investor’s shares, when redeemed, may be worth less or more than the original investment price. An investor should carefully consider the investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses of a mutual fund before investing. The fund prospectus contains this and other information about the fund. Contact your advisor or the fund company for a copy of the prospectus, which should be read carefully before investing. Written by Securities America for distribution by Oded Joseph Jacobowitz. Oded is a local financial and life insurance advisor with 17 years of experience and can be reached at (516) 668-1871.

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Your Money

Allan J. Rolnick, CPA

Pomp and Circumstance

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une is graduation season, and odds are good that you’ve spent some time seated on a cheap folding chair or arena bleacher watching someone proceed down an aisle in an expensive cap and gown. Commencement speakers will thank the faculty, staff, and parents who made it all

possible. But how many of them thank the folks in Washington who drafted Internal Revenue Code Section 170(c) back in 1917? John Paulson is a hedge fund manager who owns a 28,500 square foot Manhattan townhouse, a $41.3 million Southampton estate with two pools and

two guesthouses (because one of each wouldn’t be enough), and a $49 million Aspen ranch. Back in 2007, he bet against the housing bubble and made close to $4 billion when everyone else was losing their shirt. Forbes magazine ranks him #113th-richest billionaire in the world, with a net worth of $11.2 billion. So, a couple of weeks ago, John Paulson reached into his couch cushions and found $400 million he didn’t need. He gave that money to his alma mater, Harvard University. (Harvard has a $32.7 billion endowment, which means they don’t need it either, but that’s a different story.) Harvard will use the money to expand their engineering school and rename it in Paulson’s honor. And here’s where that tax code section 170(c) comes in — it lets Paulson deduct the gift from his 2015 tax return and save $100 million or so. Paulson isn’t the only rich guy to donate millions to see his name on the wall of a building. Last month, another Wall Streeter named Stephen Schwarzman ($12 billion net worth) found $150 million in the spare change jar on his bedroom dresser that he wasn’t using. He gave it to his alma mater, Yale University ($23.9 billion endowment), which will use the money to transform the Commons building into a performing arts center. If you guessed that Yale is renaming it “the Schwarzman Center,” give yourself 10 points. And if you said, “Wow, Schwarzman’s gift will save him $40 million or so in taxes,” give yourself another 10. Wall Streeters aren’t the only guys getting in on the action. Back in March, a California venture capitalist named Mark Stevens ($1.6 billion net worth)

found $50 million in the console between the front seats of his car. He gave it to his alma mater, the University of Southern California ($4.6 billion endowment), to build a biology lab. If you guessed it’ll be called the “Mark and Mary Steven Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute,” you know a lot more about biology than we do. And while we can’t know exactly how much the gift will amputate from the Stevens’s taxes, we can be sure it’s a lot. We’re having fun here with the amounts these guys can give. But we’re not making fun of their tax breaks. That’s what lets a John Paulson say to himself, “Hmmmm, I’ve got $400 million I’m willing to part with,” and give it all to the school of his choice, rather than a smaller after-tax amount. It’s what lets your neighbor say, “I’ve got 500 bucks I’m willing to part with” and give it all to his alma mater. Americans as a group give nearly $40 billion per year to educational causes. And the tax breaks that encourage that generosity really do help make it possible for you to enjoy those graduation speeches you sat through earlier this month. You know what else guys like John Paulson, Steven Schwarzman, and Mark Stevens all have? Tax plans. They know they can’t just wait until April 15 to figure out how much they owe — not if they want to give buildings to universities. Shouldn’t you take a page from their success and get a plan of your own? Plan now and see how much more you might be able to give! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 yea rs in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

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Life Coach

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

June’s Dirty Word

on’t even say it! It is June’s obsession. Just about anything you are busy with is directed toward this. You get into your car and you drive to the nearest army and navy store, of course. There are still tons of items on the list that haven’t been checked off. Then you go to just about every other store in the neighborhood for some random item as well. Oh, and don’t forget CVS or Duane Reade. Basically every toiletry they carry has to make it to somewhere in Pennsylvania or Sullivan county. Sneakers – need I say more? Whatever worked perfectly well a month ago is now no longer appropriate for any sport, at all. Your child’s foot hasn’t grown an inch but a new pair of sneakers is absolutely required. And of course a backup pair is a must. Just as you think your list is narrowing down, the miscellaneous list comes out. No, I don’t mean the little items like stamps and stationery, though, that certainly is bought too. And yet whether it’s actually ever used is a whole other discussion. I mean the fan. And certainly the refrigerator and the Foreman grill. I was so sure they had said meals were included! As the shopping tapers down—no I didn’t say ends because the kids always remember just one more thing that they need—the nametags come out! I’m not sure why they need to identify their stuff. They’ve all brought the exact same things so what’s the difference whose they wear? But it certainly keeps us busy at home. Sometimes you get a little teary-eyed just thinking of your child going away but it’s honestly nothing compared to the pools your kids shed once the bunk assignments come out. The drama is truly heartbreaking. And yet, why anyone bothers agonizing is be-

yond me. The policy is etched in stone: “We don’t make any bunk changes!” Everyone lives for D-Day or more accurately T-Day. The day the trunks are picked up. That’s it, the marathons over. We can take a breath except, of course, if you’re not part of early morning pick up then you have to go through the whole day worrying if they forgot about you! So the trunk is finally picked up. O.K. It wasn’t till midnight, but hooray. Hooray?! Not exactly. The kid who promised to sit with your kid on the bus just called! The drama begins... They also promised so and so... Why can’t the authorities make those assignments too?! That kind of keeps you busy the last few days you have your child at home! And then there’s the home stretch... back to the stores... the supermarket.... Because we haven’t yet completed the all-important survival kit: the snacks! The junk, the fruit bars, and the pop top cans of pickles and hearts of palm. Once that’s done and the hockey stick is laid out for the morning, everyone can go to sleep in anticipation of the last leg of the June journey –send off! The bus stop is the final stand. There are those kids who never look back and others practically hanging out the window. And there are those parents dragging on the fender having a hard time letting the bus leave and there are those parents doing a freedom jig. And the kids are finally on their way – off to Camp. There I said it: that dirty June word. And so June has passed! And before you know it, we will be facing July’s dirty word: you got it: visiting day!

They’ve all brought the exact same things so what’s the difference whose they wear?

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com

105 THE JEWISH HOME

4,297 lives impacted by pediatric illness.

JUNE 25, 2015

Last year, Chai Lifeline brought joy and hope to



365 days a year 24 hours a day, through good days and sad times, Chai Lifeline makes living with pediatric illness easier. 45,621

Meals to hospitals and homes

20,938

Visits to sick children by trained volunteers

22,981

Rides to hospitals and medical centers

36,229

Opportunities for fun and support

1,961

Hours of professional tutoring

1,267

Hours of counseling

3,873

Trained, compassionate volunteers

263

Family days, holiday parties, recreation events and retreats

204

Crisis intervention workshops in schools, camps, and communities following tragedies

Become a partner.

Weeks in Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special, “the happiest place on earth” for children with cancer or chronic illnesses.

See how much more we all can do this year.

Helping the child, the family, and the community 151 West 30th Street, New York, NY 10001

(877) chai-life (212) 465-1300 www.chailifeline.org

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JUNE 25, 2015

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TJH Classifieds SERVICES Buying or Refinancing a Home? Pre-Approval letters that brokers trust! Put as little as 3% down. Borrow up to 90% with no MI! We can beat any written offer! Specializing in very difficult scenarios Call Daniel at Landmark Funding Group. NMLS#367291 at 718-663-7202 All loans arranged through 3rd party lenders.

Is your air-conditioner on and you are still sweating? Licensed HVAC technician who specializes in the repair and installation of central air conditioners – all makes and models. Great prices on installation of split systems – heating and cooling Raphy 516-668-2832

Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance * Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242

SERVICES Leah’s Beauty Concepts

Experienced makeup artist and skin care specialist. Makeup for all occasions ~ Conventional and airbrush ~ Wake up looking beautiful with permanent makeup ~ Relaxing deep cleansing European facials Laser hair removal-electrolysis Leah Sperber 917-771-7329 Classique Rubbish Removal Homes, yards, stores, offices, basements, attics Old furniture, interior/exterior demolition Free Estimate Call 201-713-7420 Active Tree Cut Tree removal, stump grinding, pruning, planting Shaded trees, sukkah clearance, open lots Free estimate. No job to large or too small Phone 929-270-5295 PIANO/GUITAR LESSONS By Yisroel Ament (First lesson FREE!!!) 347-357-7797 Yisroelament@gmail.com DO YOU NEED CLEANING, BABYSITTING OR CARE GIVERS? Cheap rates Call 718-304-4348

SERVICES

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE

Hair Course Learn how to wash and style hair and wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

NORTH WOODMERE: JUST LISTED Mint Totally Redone Hi Ranch W/City Views & Sunsets, 4BR, 3Fbth, IG-POOL & Dock For Jet Ski & Boat, Vaulted Ceilings, Open Floor Plan W/ Chef’s Kitchen, FDR, CAC, SD#15…$739K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

The Children’s Clothing Gemach in Cedarhurst Is fully stocked for boys/girls in sizes newborn-teen To make an appointment please call/text 516-712-7735 VIOLIN LESSON- IN YOUR HOME 5 Town area Beginners to advanced Call Eric 516 359 3801 Kosher” Yoga & Licensed Massage Therapy Peaceful Presence Studio 436 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst Separate men/women Group/private sessions, Martial Arts... Gift Cards Available www.peacefulpresence.com 516-371-3715

Keep Calm and Get Organized! Organizer. home. closet. playroom. kitchen. garage. Call today to get started - Special Low Rates Call Miriam 347-684-0338 Photos 4 your Simcha Professional Photography and Video We love what we do and it shows in our work! Competitively priced! Check out our website & specials. www.photos4yoursimcha.com or call Yaakov 718-868-1800 Struggling with Shalom Bayis? The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112 Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free. So far very positive results BS’D!

REAL ESTATE FOR SALE NORTH WOODMERE: PRICE REDUCED!!! Mint 4BR, 2.5BA Split, Eik, Den W/Fplc, Full Fin Bsmt, Pvt Backyard W/IG-Pool, 2 Tier Deck, SD#14…$569K. Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 - www.pugatch.com

NORTH WOODMERE: SPECTACULAR EXP-SPLIT 4BR, 3.5 Baths, Lr W/Cathedral Ceiling, Formal DR, Eik W/Sliders To Deck, Den, Finished Basement, Lovely Yard With Deck & Patio, Close To All...$649K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com NORTH WOODMERE: PRICE REDUCED!!! Spacious & Bright 4BR Brookfield Split, 3 Full Baths, Eik, Formal DR, Lower Level Den W/Brick Mantle & Fplc, Lg Bedrooms All On One Floor, SD#15…$659K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

WOODMERE: 2 Family House In Prime Location, 5BR, 3 Full Baths, Den, Hardwood Floors Throughout, New Roof & More, Near All, SD#14…$625K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 2953000 www.pugatch.com NORTH WOODMERE Largest split made 5 BR 2 1/2 Bath. Walk to all Renovated throughout. 2 car Garage with built in work station. New AC, paint & rugs. Tons of room and storage, finished basement with AC. Custom fire place. Move in condition 799k (917) 749-8266 owner WOODMERE $699,000. RE Taxes with Basic Star = $11,987 Walk Numerous Shuls. Step into the splendor of this captivating 5 bedroom, 4 full bath jewel. All redone, inside and outside. Upgraded, Updated, Upsized and Awaiting your Indulgence. SS, Granite, EIK. Perfect for the Discerning Homeowner. Call or text today for private showing, C. Slansky, Broker: 516-655-3636 FSBO WOODMERE Beautiful 4BR, 2.5Bath, colonial, move-in ready. EIK, LR, DR, Den, basement. Best block, SD15, low-taxes, NOflood-zone, walk to Cedarhurst/ Woodmere Shuls, LIRR. $799k. 516-724-1175

COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT PROPERTY FOR SALE INWOOD Commercial mixed use building + Lot. Private parking, corner property, high traffic area 1st floor offices, 2nd floor: 2 Apts. Asking 849k. Call 212-470-3856 Yochi @ WinZone Re Cedarhurst: 500-3000 +/- SF Professional Office Space Available in the Heart Of Cedarhurst, For Lease... Call for More Details (516) 295-3000 East Rockaway: 1,400 +/- SF Professional Suite in Elevator Bldg, 3 Private Offices & Ample Parking, Full Basement, For Lease... Call Arthur for More Details (516) 295-3000 Oceanside: 1,500 +/- SF Retail Store In Very High Traffic Area, Onsite Parking, For Lease $2,500/Mo...Call Randy for More Details (516) 295-3000 Rockville Centre: 3,000 +/- SF Professional Co-Op, Good For Any Professional, Rare Opportunity, ADA Complaint, Turn Key Medical, For Sale... Call Randy for More Details (516) 295-3000

TJH Classifieds Woodmere: 4,600 +/- SF New Construction Professional Building with Excellent Parking, Great Location, For Lease... Call Lori for More Details (516) 295-3000

HELP WANTED

Part Time Male Aid Needed in Far Rockaway Mature Frum male aide needed on Fridays and Sundays. Must have drivers license. Good pay! 5towns area. Must be kind and compassionate Serious inquiries only Contact me at 732-552-9889 or mykovod@yahoo.com

GENERAL STUDIES JH MATH AND MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHERS FOR SEPT. ‘15. M-Th afternoons. 5 Towns area boys’ school Email candidateteacher@gmail.com

Physical Therapist Assistants (PTA’s) & Occupational Therapists Assistants (COTA’s) For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens Must have Hospital or Nursing Home experience Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com

WOODMERE: APT IN HOUSE – Totally Renovated 2BR, 1.5 Bath Apt, Use of Basement, Great Rental, SD#14...$2,500/mo Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Male General Studies 6th Grade Teacher for Sept. ‘15. M-Th afternoons 5 Towns area boys’ school Email candidateteacher@gmail.com

2 & 3 bedroom. Newly renovated, Washer and dryer hook up Granite countertops On Seagirt Avenue More info call or text 917-602-2914

General Studies Elementary Teaching Positions Available In Brooklyn Girls’ School Nursery Teacher Position Available Excellent Salary, Benefits Dynamic, Creative, Experienced Certified preferred Email resume: resumes@ydeschool.org

4 BEDROOM, 3 BATHROOM SINGLE FAMILY CONDO $2,500 / month Newly renovated, newly refinished hardwood floors throughout entire house, living room, dining room, large eat in kitchen with pantry, lots of windows, new porcelain flooring, laundry room with washer / dryer, garage, backyard with space for sukkah, access to communal pool, Central Air/heat, parking space, Near Darchei and beach. Call / txt 323-314-8773 or email rivkalock@gmail.com

FAR ROCKAWAY Near BBY (top location) 2 bedroom apartment Ideal for a couple or 2-3 Shomer Shabbos girls Special Discounts for Kollel or Yeshiva students Please call 516 225 4558 higreg770@gmail.com FAR ROCKAWAY Near BBY (top location) 2 bedroom on 2nd floor Ideal for a couple or 2-3 Shomer Shabbos girls Please call 516 225 4558 Email: higreg770@gmail.com INWOOD 2 BEDROOM APT. FOR RENT Sheridan blvd /Solomon Av. with private parking. Call for info 212-470-3856 Yochi @ WinZone Realty INWOOD Newly built home in Inwood for rent beginning August 1st. Frum neighbors, 1 block from LIRR, 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths, fully kosher kitchen (2 sinks, 2 dishwashers), living room, dining room, family room, nice backyard. call 917-975-1800 for more information.

Cedarhurst Apartment Share Available for Frum Female 2 bedroom apartment in lovely area, 2nd floor of house. Shomer Shabbat, kosher & pet friendly. $800 monthly + security Please call: (917) 330-5470

QUEENS YESHIVA SEEKS WARM, ENTHUSIASTIC TEACHERS FOR ELEMENTARY GRADES. Mon-Thurs. 1:30-4:30. 718-969-1000 ext 105 or 917-742-8909 or rlswia@aol.com.

NURSING SECRETARY FULL TIME For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens. Must have prior Hospital or Nursing Home as well as bookkeeping experience Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com

Continues on next page

JUNE 25, 2015

REAL ESTATE FOR RENT

Male General Studies 6th grade teacher For Sept. ‘15. M-Th afternoons 5 Towns area boys’ school Email candidateteacher@gmail.com

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Woodmere: Follow The Leader To Woodmere Now Is The Time To Act!!! No Metered Parking, Various Spaces Available, For Sale/Lease... Call for More Details (516) 295-3000

HELP WANTED

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COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE

107

COMING SOON! NEW! Residential Oﬃce on Central Avenue across from Seasons!

Looking to hire agents for our NEW oﬃce! OPEN HOUSE 6/21 12PM-2PM

322 Felter Ave., Hewlett Charming, updated home on oversized lot. Granite EIK, SS appl, hrdwd rs, n. bsmnt w/ wine cellar. Lrg shop/oﬃce permitted on premises. Many possibilities. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 $545K

Far Rockaway

Plainview Ave. Young, legal, 2 family semi-detached, 3 over 4 bdrms. 5 full bths. 1st r is a duplex w/ a huge eat in kitchen w/ radiant heat. Large mstr bdrm with bath. W/D hookup in both apts. Call Sherri 516-297-7995 $699K

APARTMENT RENTALS FAR ROCKAWAY

4 Houses. Brnd New Construction. 4 rs. 5BR, 3 full bths + 2 half bths. EIK, LR/DR, den area oﬀ kit. Lndry on 2nd r. Full bsmnt w/ half bath. 4th oor has prvte brs and bth. Prvte drvwy. Call Chaya Moller for a showing. 516-506-3347 $625K

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TJH Classifieds HELP WANTED

HELP WANTED

NURSING SECRETARY FULL TIME For 200+ bed Nursing Home in Queens. Must have prior Hospital or Nursing Home as well as Bookkeeping experience. Please email resume to promrehab@aol.com Growing Sephardic Brooklyn Girls Elementary School Seeks for the upcoming school year: • A dynamic and creative grade 5 Limudei Kodesh Morah For an Ivrit b’Ivrit class • General Studies teachers who are Certified for Pre-1A, Grades 2 and 5 • Minimum 2 years experience required • Excellent Salary, Benefits Email resume: rperlow@ydeschool.org

DUE TO EXPANSION, TORAH ACADEMY FOR GIRLS IN FAR ROCKAWAY IS SEEKING TO FILL THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS. Pre-School & Elementary School Assistants Elementary General Studies: qualified, experienced teacher for 5th grade Junior High General Studies: qualified, experienced teacher, 6th grade, Language Arts & Social Studies Please fax resume to 718-868-4612 or email mweitman@tagschools.org

Seeking a warm, capable Preschool Teacher for Preschool in Port Washington (near Great Neck) Good pay, beautiful facility and atmosphere. Please email your resume sara@chabadpw.org

LOOKING FOR A REGISTERED NURSE to work part time (3 hrs/wk) with adults who have developmental disabilities. Strong health assessment skills needed. Current NYS RN license and a minimum of 2 years of post graduate hospital experience required Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or email resume to resumes@ohelfamily.org to apply.

5Towns Boys Elementary School seeking TEACHERS AND MIDDLE SCHOOL ELA TEACHER Competitive pay and excellent working environment Send resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com.

Professional Shaitel Macher in Far Rockaway looking for part time / full time help. Please call or text 347 409 6907

Due to demand, The Ganger Early Childhood Center of Torah Academy for Girls is seeking a warm, experienced Pre-School Teacher for its newly opened nursery class for the September 2015 school term. Please fax resume to 718-868-4612 or email mweitman@tagschools.org.

HELP WANTED

FULL TIME RESIDENCE MANAGER to work in a residence with men with developmental disabilities. Responsibilities include supervising all aspects of client care, programming, staffing, and facilities management. Bachelor’s and experience working in this field required. Contact OHEL Bais Ezra 718-686-3102 or email your resume to resumes@ohelfamily.org to apply

CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers for Title I in Boro Park and Williamsburg Chassidic boys schools *College/Yeshiva Degree Required *Strong desire to help children learn *Excellent organizational skills *Small group instruction*Competitive salary Email resume: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com Fax# (718) 381-3493

Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Miscellaneous Ads here. Every Thursday Email ads to: classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com Include valid credit card info Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Woodmere, NY 11598 www.pugatch.com

Commercial Property FOR SALE

Discounted tickets to Six Flags Great Adventure Theme Park And Safari Valid for any operating day for only $40 Contact Yehoshua @ 917- 923-0011 Looking for donation of car or minivan in good running condition. Tax exempt receipt available for full market value. Please call 347-342-8196 YNM/5towns Sheital Gemach is in desperate need of wig donations. Anyone who has wigs/falls they no longer need- There are many women who you can make very happy. Tizku l’mitzvos!

Weekly Classified Ads Up to 5 lines and/or 25 words

1 Week............ $20 $10 2 Weeks.......... $35 $17.50 4 Weeks.......... $60 $30

Carol Braunstein

950 Broadway

BARRY PUGATCH

FOR SALE: TOYOTA AVALON XLS 2007 Only 58k miles!! Runs beautifully. Upgraded premium JBL audio, 12 speakers. Premium wheels. $10,500 - more than $2,000 below KBB value! FCFS. Video of car and contact info at www.BuyMyAvalon.com

TJH Classifieds

(516) 2 9 5 - 3 0 0 0 www.pugatch.com

MISC.

Call or Text

(516) 592-2206

cbraunstein@pugatch.com

Outstanding CH Colonial, 3BR, 2.5 Baths, Traditional 5BR, 3.5BA Col, Gourmet Eik, Eik, FDR, Fin Bsmt, SD#14…$649K Lux MBR Ste, Breathtaking Views...$1.8M

6,000

+/- SF Building Minutes From Cityline

2 Overhead Doors  Near LIRR Station & More Ideal Auto Garage 

Call Lori For Details!!!

If You Are Interested In Buying, Selling Or Leasing Call The Local Commercial EXPERTS 516-295-3000

Lovely 3BR, 2.5BA Split On O/S Ppty, Elegant 4BR, 4.5BA CH Col, Beautiful Eik, Den, Low Taxes, SD#15...$645K Woodwork, Den, 1/2 Acre, Patio…$1.3M

CALL ME FOR A FREE M A R K E T A N A LY S I S F O R YOUR HOME!!!

LO OKI NG T O B U Y OR SE LL? C ALL M E T O DAY! !!

109 THE JEWISH HOME 

For children birth - 3 years with special needs

Services Provided l

Evaluations

Feeding Therapy

Special Education

Nutrition Counseling

Service Coordination

Family Support/Counseling

Speech/Language Therapy

Physical & Occupational Therapy

ABA Program – Center & Home Services

Routines Based Interventions & Collaborative Coaching

ING

SERV

FAR AY AW OCK

TO REFER YOUR CHILD TO THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM CALL 311. This Early Intervention Program (EIP) is a public program for children under the age of three who are either suspected of having or at risk for developmental delays or disabilities. EIP is funded by NYS and NYC. All EIP services are provided at no cost to parents. Health insurance may be used for approved services. A child’s eligibility for the program can be determined only by state-approved evaluators under contract, and all services must be authorized by the NYC Early Intervention Program.

For more information about CHALLENGE: T. 718.851.3300 W. challenge-ei.com

JUNE 25, 2015

Early Intervention Services

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111 THE JEWISH HOME 

JUNE 25, 2015