Five Towns Jewish Home 02.20.25

Yeshiva Kol Torah’s

Dear Readers,

“Life is like a pointillist painting, no one dot, no one choice, defined it. But together? There emerged a picture. A life.”

Last night, I was reading a book and came across this paragraph. And although the book was a work of fiction, I paused after I read the passage, and I thought a bit more about the concept behind it.

As we go through life, there are decisions that we make every day, every hour, every minute. Life is not necessarily about the big roads that we cross as we navigate our lives. So much of life is about the small, seemingly inconsequential acts that we perform throughout our days.

When we go through our days, we don’t stop and think that these decisions will ultimately change and affect our lives – they are small things, “where to live, where to sit. What to eat, to drink, to wear…” –and yet it’s those small decisions that we unwittingly make that accumulate and create the substance of our lives.

Have you ever seen a pointillist painting? Looked at it up close? It’s composed of thousands of little dots, small points, that seem to be random and unrelated. But once you step back, the paint specks emerge as a vibrant image, an illustration with depth and complexity.

How can we influence and transform our life’s painting, to ensure that the picture that we’re developing will materialize in the way that we envision? It’s about making sure that those little dots, those specks, that we constantly add to our days are not random. We need to be more deliberate and thoughtful with the little, insignificant-seeming actions in our lives.

Once we understand that we are the artist behind how we paint our lives, we are the sculptor who can shape and chisel our days, we can become more understanding of the significance and consequence of every choice that we make.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Dear Editor,

My deepest thanks to Malky Lowinger for her article about the evolution of Jewish camping, especially Camp Deal, now Camp Dora Golding (“The History of Orthodox Jewish Summer Camping in America,” Feb. 6). The piece brought back wonderful memories of my one summer in sleepaway camp, 1969, in Camp Deal.

My father’s cousin, Lionel (Choo Choo) Friedman, was the camp director, with Rabbi David Himber the head counselor. I was in the sophomore division, and my counselor was the memorable Chunna Abramowitz, while my brother was in a younger bunk. (For the record, Lionel was the son of Rabbi Sol B. Friedman, the first American-born musmach at Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary; he was ordained in 1919.)

As noted by the article, Camp Deal was meant to accommodate those who could not afford expensive summer options. However, contra the article’s implication, I don’t think it was limited to “poor” people. Still, as a Federation-supported camp, tuition was quite reasonable. I recall the lowest tuition being $20 and the highest being $150 for each of the three three-week trips. (We were fortunate to be able to pay the $150, but there were many who could not.)

Here are some of my highlight memories. After reveille and davening, there was a morning learning seder. There were two swim sessions: free swim and instructional swim. The primary sport was baseball, but we also had dodgeball and other sports. The one off-campus trip was to nearby Asbury Park, to which we traveled by bus. (The article states that campers walked, but this may have depended upon the year.)

Then there was the (in)famous singdown, in which the four divisions com-

peted to render the best versions of songs they had rehearsed. (The seniors were the exception; they seemed to relish the notion that they could purposely fail, which is why Lionel and David voted them last!)

Our three songs were: “Who’s Next,” an anti-war song by Tom Lehrer; “Ki Haim Chayeinu,” a beautiful song composed by Chunna; and the Lubavitcher “Hu Elokeinu,” from Kedushah in Mussaf. We did well, finishing in second place, behind the winning intermediates.

As the article notes, the grounds were mostly a flat, open area. But it was surrounded by woods, and one day we were tasked with cutting down trees, just because … they were there! (I cannot imagine this being permitted today, given the possible danger.)

We all had our transistor radios (remember those!), which came in handy, weak signal and all, on a memorable Mets baseball night. When we got to the bunk the evening of July 9, we tuned in to discover the great pitcher Tom Seaver attempting to throw a perfect game. We listened under our blankets (tacitly condoned by our counselors) as Seaver finally gave up a hit to the Cubs’ Jim Qualls with one out in the ninth inning. That year, of course, the Mets won their first World Series title.

Then there was the Friday night seudah. The main course was always chicken fricassee, which sounded fancy, but was, at the end of the day, chicken! One Shabbos, a guest performer came and sang the Big Gedalya Goomber song (popularly known by its chorus, “Ain’t gonna work on Saturday”), after which the performer came to our bunk and further entertained us.

Then there was the camp carnival, on the last Sunday of the session. While other campers set up fun booths, I was bent

Continued on page 14

Continued from page 12 on business. Together with my bunkmate Alex Weinreb, we set up a drink stand. As I recall, we split a little over four dollars in profit, with a small share going to my brother as well. (Alex later became a deputy mayor of Modiin.)

Finally, there was the banquet, on the last night of camp. The song of choice, sung for what seemed like hours, was “Wake Up Yidden.” There are guys my brother and I met at Camp Deal who remain friends until today. It was truly a memorable summer. We returned to New York on the day that Apollo 11 took off for the moon. Malky, in the words of the great Bob Hope, thanks for the memories! Avi Goldstein

Far Rockaway, NY

Dear Editor,

As a Ba’al Kri’ah (Torah reader) for about 50 years, I’d like to offer some advice to a few groups.

I have great admiration for sofrim (scribes). Writing a Torah requires extensive concentration, discipline, sharp eyesight and a steady precise hand. I am surprised that the pay is amazingly poor, as this is a unique talent and extensive manual labor. However, I do wish that more sofrim would consider that their Torah will be read by a Ba’al Kri’ah. Most Sifrei Torah that I have read from have sharp, clear writing. But there are many that have crooked lines, letters squeezed into the row, and some with many overly stretched letters. Three sofrim have told me that they don’t think at all about the Ba’al Kri’ah when writing. I hope that they don’t represent the majority. But I hope that sofrim would take pride in having their Sifrei Torah regularly read, so that they would consider those reading from them.

To B’nei Mitzvah parents: Torah reading is an extremely precise skill. Each word must be correctly pronounced, and the trup must be mostly correct. I have seen many bar mitzvah boys read part of the Torah (usually Maftir only) and completely mispronounce the words. Sadly, no one corrected the bar mitzvah boy because they don’t want to embarrass him. So, I want to clarify to all parents that there is no halachic requirement for the bar mitzvah boy to read any part of the parsha. If your son cannot pronounce Hebrew correctly or is clearly uninterested in reading the parsha, do not force him to do it. Doing a bad job is worse than doing no job. I was at a bar mitzvah where the gabbaim had to correct the boy so often that he cried and went off the bimah. Someone else had to continue the rest of the Torah reading. The bar mitzvah boy is already

under pressure performing before a large shul audience. If your son cannot read accurately under this pressure, please, do not have him do it. Choose a smaller section that he can manage or consider not reading at all. If you are using a bar mitzvah tutor, please trust his judgement if he feels that your son cannot do the job properly. There is no “family pride” when your son can’t do an accurate job before a large audience.

Another bit of advice – most sifrei Torah match the Tikkun that boys learn from. There is a standard that most Sifrei Torah use regarding where columns start and end. However, many sifrei Torah don’t follow this standard. This is especially true of the ones that were pieced together from multiple Sifrei Torah that were written by multiple sofrim. I recommend avoiding these, as the writing style may change in the middle of a parsha, and this may confuse the bar mitzvah boy. Check the Torah in the shul that your son will be reading from, if possible. If you will be doing your affair out of town, ask someone in the shul if he can take pictures of the sections your son will read and email them to you.

Finally, an important note to Gabba’im and all shul members: The only people that should be correcting the Ba’al Kri’ah are the gabba’im. It is rude as well as confusing for every shul member to yell out the corrections. I demand that this horrible behavior immediately stop in all shuls, and every rabbi should remind their shul members of this policy.

Sadly, most gabba’im are not sufficiently qualified to do the job. Generally, corrections must be made when the pronunciation of the word changes the meaning of the verse. Frequently, placing the accent on the wrong syllable can change the meaning from past tense to future or vice versa. The trup is mainly for grammar, not for melody. In particular, the etnachta is like a comma. In most cases, placing the etnachta in the wrong place will change the meaning of the entire verse. Thus, gabba’m must be knowledgeable of both word pronunciation and trup and understand when to correct and when to ignore. It would be a great idea for gabba’im to be appointed at least a week in advance and have them study the parsha so they understand the meaning of the words, at least to the point of knowing when the trup can change the meaning.

I hope this advice is useful and helps create a greater appreciation for the beauty and importance of public Torah reading. Daniel Feldman

Dear Editor,

In what might have been interpreted as a concession to the “woke left mob,” it has been reported by some liberal media outlets that President Trump will defund and ban “ICE.” In reality, though, the mainstream media is once again involved in deceptive and erroneous reporting –much to their chagrin and to the chagrin of Joe Biden and Ben and Jerry, the President actually indicated that he will be banning “ice cream.”

The Long-Awaited Return of Anonymous

Dear Editor,

I wanted to comment on the opening paragraph of a generally excellent article published last week titled “Anger Management.”

Imagine if an article in The Jewish Home opened up with the following paragraph:

“It happens even though we try so hard to prevent it. We worship gods that we shouldn’t. We may offer a sacrifice to Baal or Dagon. Perhaps we even knelt in prayer to Zeus. While there are many ways an idol worshiper can act, none of them are pretty.”

The Rambam quotes Chazal (from an unknown source, some controversially suggest the Zohar) in his work Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Deot chapter 2) who say that anger is akin to idol worship. Now, obviously anger is not literally the same as idol worship. One is not liable to give up his or her life, for example, to not get angry as one would be to not perform an act of idol worship. I think that the idea here is that just like idol worship is the antithesis of what the Torah teaches us to believe, anger is the antithesis of how the Torah teaches us to act. Like idol worship, the Torah has a zero tolerance approach to anger. In a Torah lifestyle, anger is not to be validated or tolerated, and I believe that the rhetoric of the opening paragraph of the article on anger management (almost identical to the opening paragraph suggested above with a few changed words and phrases) is validating and tolerating of anger.

I am ultimately grateful for the excellent approach and the mitigation strategies offered in this article on what I obviously think is an important topic and would like to thank the author for an otherwise great piece of writing.

Avraham Great Neck, NY

Dear Editor,

Phantom Social Security numbers, government waste and federal employees

not doing their jobs should be of concern to all Americans. Yet, when these same issues happen to be exposed by Elon Musk, the left and their media enablers blames the messenger: “collusion, interference, invasion of privacy!” they say. Yet, despite what one might think of DOGE, Musk’s unveiling of massive government corruption and waste will lead to less spending by and more accountability of our government. The waste and corruption Biden’s White House engaged in – which would be criminal if someone in the private sector engaged in such acts – should not be left to stand. I don’t care if Musk is cozying up to Trump or his cryptocurrency has access to government data. I care about the message: our government should Do Only Good Every Day.

Chaim Yehuda Meyer

Dear Editor,

Since Donald Trump has taken over the presidency of the U.S. in January of this year, our country is in total turmoil, a kind of revolution.

Why? Within a few weeks, his new young team has discovered so much fraud, waste and inconsistencies in the Washington bureaucracy resulting in billions of dollars. This affects all government agencies on the federal, state and local level. Most of them are overblown with personnel and dysfunctional!

Most upset are the Democrats. They created that scam in the first place. They are so bewildered about this situation, trying to cover up as much as possible and fighting for their survival. Unfortunately, they aren’t able to offer anything positive, but rather call for demonstrations, blockage and lawsuits.

Thanks to the new administration, we are on the best path to becoming more transparent, to minimize and/or delete agencies, and to become more cost-efficient. We owe this to our people who have lost trust in their government.

The Democrat Party is in total disarray and can’t pull itself together. The best solution for survival would be to create 3 sections/parties:

Section 1: The radical Left, who wants to forge ahead as up to now, is largely in tune with Marxist ideology.

Section 2: This part wants to continue to be corrupt and steal taxpayers’ money by pretending it is in the people’s best interest.

Section 3: The middle, more centrist part is trying to be the advocate for the average hard-working person.

Let’s see. Only time will tell. Don’t listen to what they say, watch what they do!

Heinz Mayer

Munich Car Ramming

An Afghani man on Thursday drove his car into a crowd of union strikers in Munich, the capital of Bavaria, Germany, injuring at least 37 people, including many children, and killing a 2-year-old girl and her mother.

Markus Söder, the premier of Bavaria, said that authorities suspect it was an intentional attack. Immediately after the car ramming, officials arrested the driver, a 24-year-old man who had been seeking asylum in Germany. He was driving a Mini Cooper.

The car-ramming took place at around 10:30 a.m. when the driver sped in front of police vehicles escorting the union workers and rammed into the crowd.

The suspect was identified as Farhad N. Authorities confirmed that this isn’t the man’s first time getting into trouble with the law. Previously, he had run-ins with the police due to thievery and drug offenses.

The terrorist came into Germany in 2016 and, although his application for asylum was turned down, he was allowed to stay in Germany as he faced risks being deported back to Afghanistan. He has a valid residence and work permit.

Munich public prosecutor Gabriele Tilmann told reporters that the suspect had said, “Allahu akbar” when he was detained. She suggested he “may have had an Islamist motivation.”

One day after the incident, U.S. Vice President JD Vance and several world leaders came to Munich for the city’s security conference. It is unclear whether the attack intentionally coincided with the conference.

This is Germany’s third such attack in just a few months. Late last year, a Saudi doctor drove into a Christmas market, murdering six people and wounding

others. In January, a 28-year-old man from Afghanistan is believed to have stabbed and killed a 2-year-old boy and a 41-year-old man.

Germany will hold its national elections on February 23, when voters could decide the future of the country’s migration and asylum policies.

Plane Flips Over in Toronto

It was a miracle that no one died on Monday when a Delta Air Lines plane flipped upside down at Toronto Pearson International Airport while landing. At least 21 people were injured in the incident, two of them critical.

Eighty people were on board the flight that took off from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

According to Deborah Flint, president and CEO of Toronto Pearson International Airport, the plane was carrying four crew and 76 passengers, among them 22 Canadians.

For now, police are investigating why the plane flipped over as the runway seemed to be dry and there were no crosswinds at the time.

“The hearts of the entire global Delta family are with those affected by today’s incident,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines.

After the plane flipped over, crew from the airplane helped to get passengers out from the exit doors and away from the plane. Emergency workers were immediately on hand to douse the aircraft with fire resistant foam.

Monday’s incident occurred just weeks after a deadly mid-air collision between an American Airlines plane and an Army Black Hawk helicopter at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. Everyone onboard that flight died in the incident. Two days later, a Lear medical jet crashed into a Philadelphia neighborhood, killing all six passengers and one person who was on the ground.

Taiwan Gas Blast

On Thursday, at least four people were killed and 26 were injured in a suspected gas explosion at a department store in Taichung, Taiwan.

According to fire officials, the blast took place on the building’s 12th story, which was under construction at the time. The ninth level of the building and the floors above were damaged.

Two tourists were among those killed in the incident, while five of the injured were also touring the central city of Taichung. All the tourists were from Macau, a region of China.

In the Taichung Shin Kong Mitsukoshi, the department store where the incident occurred, the 12th floor’s food court was under construction and no one was eating there at the time of the blast.

According to the Health Ministry, one of the individuals injured in the blast was being treated at a hospital’s intensive care unit.

Following the tragic explosion, Lai Ching-te, the president of Taiwan, urged authorities to swiftly investigate the incident.

Iran Arrests British Couple

Craig and Lindsay Foreman, from Britain, were on a motorbike trip around the world. When they reached Iran in December though, authorities arrested them on espionage charges and accused them of links to Western intelligence services.

Iran’s Judiciary spokesman Asghar Jahangir said that the couple had entered Iran “posing as tourists” and gathered in-

formation before their arrest in Kerman province.

According to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website, Kerman judiciary chief Ebrahim Hamidi said that the couple’s links to foreign intelligence services “has been confirmed.”

The Foremans “had gathered information from several provinces” and were found to be “cooperating with covert institutions linked to the intelligence services of hostile and Western countries,” the spokesman said.

On Friday, Britain’s Foreign Office confirmed that it was “providing consular assistance to two British nationals detained in Iran” and was in contact with Iranian authorities.

The pair moved from East Sussex in Britain to start a new life in Andalucia, Spain, in 2019 and had appeared on an episode of Channel 4’s “A New Life in the Sun” in 2022 to showcase their lives as expats. Recently, the couple had put up posts on social media showing them crossing into Iran from Armenia in December, hoping to make their way to Australia. They had planned to stay in Iran for five days.

Iran’s official IRNA news agency reported last week that British Ambassador Hugo Shorter met with the couple at the

Kerman prosecutor’s office.

The British government advises against all travel to Iran.

Anne Frank’s Friend Dies

When Anne Frank went into hiding in July 1942, she wrote her friend, Jacqueline van Maarsen, a farewell letter in her famous diary, wishing that “until we see each other again, we will always remain ‘best’ friends.”

Anne had received the diary in June for her 13th birthday. On June 15, 1942, Anne wrote that a classmate she had only recently met “is now my best friend,” referring to Jacqueline.

Anne never got to meet again with Jacqueline, as she was killed by the Nazis in 1945. But beginning in 1986, Jacqueline began lecturing on the Holocaust

and hate and writing about her friendship with Frank.

Jacqueline died last week in Amsterdam at the age of 96.

“Jacqueline was a classmate of Anne Frank at the Jewish Lyceum and shared her memories of their friendship throughout her life,” the Anne Frank House announced. It is the official custodian of Anne’s legacy. “In her books and during school visits, Jacqueline spoke not only about her friendship with Anne but also

about the dangers of antisemitism and racism, and where they can lead.”

Jacqueline was the daughter of a Jewish father and a mother who was raised Christian and converted to Judaism. Her mother was able to get Jacqueline and her sister declared to be non-Jews in 1942, which enabled them to survive the war and Holocaust. Most of Jacqueline’s father’s family was killed by the Nazis.

Later in life, Jacqueline wrote multiple books about Anne, including 2008’s

attacker, a 23-year-old man who legally resides in Austria, was arrested in Villach.

Authorities are investigating the attacker, but have yet to identify his motive, according to Rainer Dionisio, a spokesperson for the police. Also unclear was whether the attacker had any accomplices. As of now, the attack seems to have been random, as authorities have yet to discover evidence that the attacker knew his victims.

Two of the injured victims were seriously wounded.

The terrorist was a 23-year-old Syrian who used a folding knife to go after his victims. He was arrested after the attack.

“This is an Islamist attack with an IS connection by an attacker who radicalized himself within a very short time via the internet,” Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said.

State Gov. Peter Kaiser thanked a 42-year-old man, also a Syrian, working for a food delivery company, who drove toward the suspect and helped prevent the situation from getting worse. “This shows how closely terrorist evil but also human good can be united in one and the same nationality,” he said.

Following the attack, Kaiser sent his condolences to the 14-year-old boy’s family.

Kaiser said, “This outrageous atrocity must be met with harsh consequences. I have always said with clarity and unambiguously: Those who live in Carinthia, in Austria, have to respect the law and adjust to our rules and values.”

“My Name is Anne, She Said, Anne Frank.”

Austria Stabbing Attack

On Saturday, a Syrian national went on a stabbing spree in the south Austrian city of Villach, killing a 14-year-old boy and wounding four men. The suspected

Herbert Kickl, a far-right party leader, said he was “appalled by the horrific act in Villach” and expressed his condolences on X to the victim’s loved ones. He condemned politicians for allowing “stabbings … gang wars and other capital crimes to become the order of the day in Austria.” Kickl said that the attack came as a result of a “first-class failure of the systems.”

“From Austria to the EU — the wrong rules are in force everywhere. Nobody is allowed to challenge them; everything is declared sacrosanct,” Kickl said. “We need a rigorous crackdown on asylum and must not continue to import conditions like those in Villach.”

Christian Stocker, the leader of the

24 conservative party, called for the attacker to “be brought to justice and be punished with the full force of the law.” Stocker also said that changes need to be implemented to “avoid such acts of horror in the future.”

Andreas Babler, the Social Democrats party leader, declared, “Crimes like this one simply should not happen in our society.”

In 2024, 24,941 foreigners sought asylum in Austria, most coming from Syria and Afghanistan, according to the Interior Ministry. In 2022, 100,000 applied for asylum, while 59,000 did in 2023.

Stampede in New Delhi

Fifteen people died in a stampede on Saturday at New Delhi’s main railway sta-

tion as a crush of pilgrims were trying to make their way to a huge Hindu festival in northern India, an official said.

The caretaker chief minister of the Delhi region, Atishi, who uses one name, told reporters outside a hospital in the capital that 15 people had been injured in the stampede, in addition to the 15 killed, according to Indian media reports.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences for the dead in a statement on social media, adding that authorities were “assisting all those who have been affected by this stampede.”

Ashwini Vaishnaw, the country’s minister for railroads, said that an investigation had been ordered.

Before the stampede, crowds at the railway station had swelled because trains bound for the festival, the Kumbh Mela, had been delayed, according to local media reports. The Ministry of Railways said it later ran extra trains to alleviate the crush.

The Kumbh Mela, which began in mid-January and will end late this month, is the world’s largest religious gathering. It is expected to draw more than 400 million people over six weeks, according to government estimates.

The festival takes place every three years in one of four cities in India. This

year’s event is being held in Prayagraj, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers meet. Devotees take baths in the holy waters in the belief that they wash away sins.

The event this year, which is being called a Maha Kumbh, or Great Kumbh, is larger than usual because it coincides with a celestial alignment that takes place once every 144 years. (© The New York Times)

plements the letter of the ceasefire agreement that Lebanon signed in November 2024 to counter Hezbollah’s efforts to reassert itself.

“Israeli presence in the five points directly bears on whether the government of Lebanon ultimately does what it has promised to do,” the official added, implying that Hezbollah will be stopped from regrouping if Israel remains in five spots.

The official added that “unlike the Biden administration, we will not be grading on a curve,” suggesting that Trump’s successor wasn’t strict enough with Hezbollah.

Lebanon: IDF Can’t Stay

With the February 18 deadline for the IDF’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon looming, Israel informed Lebanese officials that it must stay in five areas in Lebanon after the deadline. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump supports Israel remaining in those five spots.

In response, Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliamentary speaker, declared last Thursday that he, President Joseph Aoun, and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam rejected the Jewish state’s “proposal.”

Israel believes it is necessary to remain in five key locations in Lebanon, as the Lebanese army has failed to effectively cooperate with the IDF in taking over posts, thus allowing Hezbollah to return.

Berri, an ally of the Hezbollah terror group, said that the United States, which helped mediate the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, “informed me that the Israeli occupation will withdraw from villages it still occupies on February 18, but it will remain in five points.” Berri added that he informed the U.S. of Lebanon’s rejection of the plan.

“The United States views President Joseph Aoun as having a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead Lebanon away from the stranglehold of Hezbollah and Iran, and we believe that President Aoun has the mandate to do that,” an official from the Trump administration stated. “The first test of that is whether the Lebanese Armed Forces actually im-

Ron Dermer, Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, said that “Israeli troops won’t be removed in the long-term” but didn’t outline a specific timeline for their withdrawal.

Farhan Haq, a deputy spokesperson for U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said that “continued progress in Lebanese Armed Forces redeployment and Israeli Defense Force withdrawal is crucial” and that “the parties must avoid any action that could raise tensions, endanger civilians and further delay their return to their towns and villages on both sides.” Haq also urged Israel and Lebanon to “honor their commitments.”

On October 8, 2023, one day after the tragic October 7 massacre, Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy, began attacking Israel, causing a full-scale war that paused after a ceasefire was reached in November 2024.

Bringing Them Home

After nearly 500 days of being held hostage in Gaza, Sagui Dekel-Chen, Sasha Troufanov, and Iair Horn were released as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. The exchange took place last Saturday.

All three men were kidnapped during the October 7 massacre, during which Hamas terrorists invaded southern Israel, murdering 1,200 people and abducting 251 others.

The three men emerged thin and pale

but were in much better condition than the three male hostages freed last week who were horrifically frail and severely underweight due to having been starved while in captivity. Iair seemed to be limping.

Terrorists kept the three men in tunnels in Khan Younis, not too far from Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they had lived. Before they were released, the men were brought to apartments.

After 498 days in Gaza, they each learned to speak Arabic, while Sasha also became proficient in reading the language.

While interrogating him, Hamas tortured Sagui, who was kidnapped after fighting terrorists with his kibbutz’s security team, leaving him with scars on his body. During his battle with Hamas, he was shot in the shoulder. Sagui, the last Israeli-American hostage in captivity, was completely isolated from the outside world. He didn’t know if his family was alive or not.

When he was abducted, his wife Avital was seven months pregnant. She gave birth to their daughter in December 2023. Following Sagui’s release, he reunited with his wife, who told him that she had named their daughter “Shachar Mazal,” since he referred to the baby during the

pregnancy as “mazal.”

Several times while in captivity, Sagui and Iair were held captive with other hostages. At one point in the early days of the war, Iair was with his brother Eitan, who remains in captivity and isn’t expected to be freed during this ceasefire’s first stage. After Hamas separated the brothers, terrorists coerced Iair into speaking about Eitan in a video.

Iair lost 22 pounds while in captivity, though the Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv has said that his condition is stable. He received virtually no medical treatment in Gaza. Before he returned to Israel, Hamas gave Iair an hourglass with an image of Einav Zangauker, the mother of a hostage named Matan.

It was only when Sasha was released that he found out that Hamas had murdered his father Vitaly on October 7. Sasha, who was held in isolation by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, had little exposure to any outside media. He, however, heard that his mother Yelena and girlfriend Sapir Cohen had been freed from Gaza as part of a hostage deal in November 2023. Around 50 days after October 7, Sasha’s grandmother Irena Tati was also freed.

Hamas had threatened to cancel Saturday’s exchange, alleging that Israel had violated the ceasefire agreement. How-

ever, the terror group agreed to continue the releases last Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump urged Israel to cancel the ceasefire if all hostages weren’t out by February 15 at noon.

As part of the first stage of this deal, another 14 Israeli hostages are expected to be freed, eight of whom are deceased, according to Hamas. Nineteen Israelis have been released as part of the ongoing ceasefire deal. In November 2023, 105 hostages were released. The Israeli army rescued eight living hostages and recovered the bodies of 40. Currently, 70 hostages kidnapped on October 7 remain in Hamas captivity.

Cognitive Functioning Can Improve

Research conducted by Bar-Ilan University’s Hefziba Lifshitz indicates that people with intellectual disabilities, including Down syndrome, can become smarter while in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

The study refutes the widely held belief that individuals with intellectual disabilities experience an unavoidable early decline in cognitive functioning. The study suggests that educational and developmental programs continue to boost these individuals’ intelligence far past adolescence.

“What we originally believed was a myth. We now have evidence that cognitive development for these populations continues well into adulthood, and this is the time to develop their cognitive skills,” said Lifshitz. “This is particularly relevant as life expectancy for individuals with intellectual disabilities continues to increase, with many now living beyond 80 years.”

Lifshitz’s research, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal Scientific Reports, was conducted with Ariel University’s Dr. Roi Yozevitch and Levinsky College’s Dr. Shlomit ShnitzerMeirovich.

Notably, the research was backed up by the July 2024 graduation of six students with intellectual disabilities, two of whom with Down syndrome, which is a

first for Israel. The graduates, who were each in their 30s and 40s, graduated from Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Education with a bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Social Science.

The students took regular classes with ordinary college students, conducted scientific research and surveys, presented papers, and completed a basic statistics course. They studied as part of the Empower Project, which was founded in 2014 by Lifshitz, Dr. Shoshana Nissim, and Dr. Irit Chen. The project has 120 participants, all with varying levels of intellectual disability.

Ruti Bar-Or, a graduate with Down syndrome, reported that staff “helped us understand the material better.” In an interview with the university, she explained that she dreams of becoming a lecturer for students with disabilities.

Before the six graduates started college, Lifshitz tested the participants’ IQ, confirming that each student had an intellectual disability. Around four years later, all six students were once again tested. Interestingly, their IQ levels had risen significantly and were “almost at a normal level,” demonstrating that postsecondary education has “the potential for improving the IQ of [these] adults.”

“People assumed that adults with intellectual disabilities are close to dementia at an early age and have a decline in adaptive behavior,” said Lifshitz. “But we showed the opposite.”

The program supports Lifshitz’s “compensation age theory,” which posits that individuals with intellectual disabilities experience an early developmental delay, which can, with maturity and experience, be compensated for later in life. In other words, as people with intellectual disabilities age, their cognitive abilities don’t slow or decline, as researchers widely believe, but rather, grow.

“I saw the myth in the professional literature that all we can do for adults with intellectual disabilities is to preserve their knowledge,” added Lifshitz. “But now we have proof that we can develop their knowledge.”

IDF Chief Apologizes to Hostages

Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi met with Agam Berger, Liri Albag, Naama Levy, and Karina Ariev on Friday and apologized to them for not heeding their warnings before the October 7 Hamas attack. He also apologized

for their long captivity.

The four girls had been held by Hamas for more than 15 months. Another surveillance soldier, Daniella Gilboa, who had been held by Hamas and was released with the girls, was not at the meeting.

“It was wrong to have not taken you seriously, you were amazing soldiers, I apologize for what you experienced in captivity,” Halevi said to the soldiers, according to leaked remarks.

For months before Hamas’s on-

slaught, female surveillance soldiers reported signs of suspicious activity along the Gaza border, situated less than a mile from them. No action was taken by the more senior officers who received the reports, and the information was disregarded as unimportant by intelligence officials.

IDF female surveillance soldiers, referred to in Hebrew as tatzpitaniyot, belong to the Combat Intelligence Collection Array under the Border Defense

day, digging holes, and placing explosives along the border. Their warnings were ignored by the top brass.

During the meeting on Friday, the four soldiers told Halevi what they went through in Hamas captivity, as well as what happened during the October 7 onslaught when they were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz army post.

The chief of staff stressed that the military would fully investigate what happened on October 7 and that they should “be partners in the investigation” by providing testimony.

“I want you to know that the entire IDF worked very hard to bring back the hostages, to return you, it continues to work. Soldiers dreamed of freeing you,” Halevi told the soldiers.

“I know about the very high-quality work of the surveillance soldiers, even those who are unfortunately not with us, who did outstanding work,” he said. “In the investigations, we looked into the effect of your work on what happened, and there are things we learned that should change.

“From me, personally, and in the name of the commanders in the IDF, I am very sorry for everything you have been through. It’s our responsibility, and we can’t go back and change. We are very focused on learning so that this will not recur.

“From what you have told me now, I understand that you, with superior heroism, have dealt with unimaginable difficulty, both during captivity and in the way you were during the release,” Halevi said.

Corps and operate along the country’s borders, as well as throughout Judea and Samaria. They are referred to by many as “the eyes of the army” as they provide real-time intelligence information to soldiers in the field, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Before October 7, these soldiers had noticed signs of activity near the Gaza border. The soldiers’ reports included information on Hamas operatives conducting training sessions multiple times a

Seven female soldiers were kidnapped from the Nahal Oz military base on October 7. One of the abducted surveillance soldiers, Ori Megidish, was rescued alive weeks after the massacre, and the body of another, Noa Marciano, was recovered after she was murdered in captivity. Out of the 52 soldiers at the base that day, fifteen were slaughtered by Hamas terrorists.

Halevi is set to resign from the military on March 5 over the military’s failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

Fiji to Open Jerusalem Embassy

This week, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that Fiji will be opening an embassy in Jerusalem.

“I commend the Republic of Fiji’s government for its historic decision to open an embassy in Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people. Thank you, Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, friend of Israel. Thank you, Fiji!” tweeted Sa’ar. Rabuka had confirmed the decision during a meeting last week with Sa’ar on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference.

Six countries currently have their embassies in Israel’s capital—the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Kosovo, Paraguay and Papua New Guinea. The United States under President Trump was the first country to set the stage for other countries to follow. The U.S. Embassy was moved to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv in 2018.

The Republic of Fiji is an archipelago of more than 330 islands. It is located around 1,300 miles from New Zealand. The majority of its population lives on two major islands.

Mike DeWine to lead Ohio, as DeWine cannot run for reelection due to term limits.

Ramaswamy swept up multiple endorsements from senators and statewide elected officials even before his official launch. He will face Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost in the Republican primary. Lt. Gov. Jim Tressel, a prominent former Ohio State University football coach, has not ruled out a bid. Former Ohio Department of Health Director Dr. Amy Acton is so far the only Democrat to be running for the seat.

Ramaswamy has never run for election in Ohio, but his name is well known for his connections to President Donald Trump and his frequent national television appearances.

After running for president in 2024, Ramaswamy endorsed Trump, becoming a key ally for Trump. Trump tapped Ramaswamy and billionaire Elon Musk to lead the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE. Ramaswamy eventually said that he would not be taking the position, fueling rumors that he would be heading to Ohio to run for governor.

Ramaswamy was raised in the Cincinnati suburb of Evendale by Indian immigrant parents. His father worked as an engineer at General Electric Aviation, and his mother was a geriatric psychiatrist. Ramaswamy went to Harvard and Yale Law School. He founded the pharmaceutical research company Roivant Sciences in 2014. In 2022, he co-founded Strive Assessment Management, a Dublin-based asset management company to compete against firms investing in progressive causes.

Nike Train Robbery

Vivek for Governor

Next week, Vivek Ramaswamy, former presidential candidate and entrepreneur, will officially launch his gubernatorial run in his hometown of Cincinnati. Ramaswamy wants to replace Gov.

tionary train. Later, law enforcement found a U-Haul truck and another truck nearby; several people had been observed loading the Nike cases into the truck.

Both trucks were searched by law enforcement and found to contain 1,985 pairs of unreleased Nike shoes, worth over $440,000.

This week, the criminals were indicted. Nine of the 11 defendants tied to the most recent indictment are Mexican nationals. Along with charges of possessing stolen goods, the grand jury also returned charges for three defendants for Re-entry of Removed Alien and six defendants for Improper Entry by Alien.

All 11 defendants are in federal custody pending trial.

Over the past few years, Arizona and California have seen a notable uptick in these types of crimes. The U.S. Homeland Security Department reports that the suspects are often part of transnational theft organizations originating in Sinaloa, Mexico, and operating out of California and Arizona.

The heists typically involve cutting air hoses to control where trains carrying valuable cargo stop. Criminal organizations specializing in train theft have used this dangerous method to derail cargo trains, some traveling at speeds of up to 70 mph. Once the train is halted, one crew breaks into specific container cars and unloads the cargo onto the ground next to the tracks. Another crew then drives box trucks or other cargo vehicles to the scene, loading up the stolen goods for transport to California, where they are sold online.

Texas’ Measles Outbreak

Last month, on January 13, eleven people stole Nike shoes worth more than $440,000 from a BNSF train traveling through northern Arizona. According to court records, Noe Cecena-Castro, a Mexican national, and 10 others were arrested for involvement in the Nike train robbery. Authorities believe they were working together to pack and transport about 1,900 pairs of unreleased Nike shoes.

An eagle-eyed police officer noticed several cases of Nike shoes near the sta-

Health officials — who are scrambling to get a handle on the vaccine-preventable outbreak — suspect 200 to 300 people in West Texas are infected but untested, and therefore not part of the state’s official tally so far.

The CDC has sent about 2,000 doses of the MMR vaccine to Texas health officials at their request. Most of those vaccines are being used by those who are partially vaccinated already.

Two doses of the MMR vaccine are needed for virtually full protection against the virus. The first is given at around age 1, but the second isn’t given until around age 5.

The city of Seminole is the seat of Gaines County, Texas, and the epicenter of the current measles outbreak. It is home to a large Mennonite population, a religious sect that believes in “total separation from the outside world,” according to the Texas State Historical Association. These Mennonites chose to settle in Gaines County, in part, for its lack of regulation on private schools. This includes vaccine mandates.

As of the 2023-24 school year, Gaines County had one of the state’s highest vaccine exemption rates, at nearly 18%, according to health department data.

“We have a high, high number of unvaccinated,” said Tonya Guffey, the chief nursing officer at Seminole District Hospital. “It’s not that they’re not educated. It’s just what their belief is.” Many of them are Mennonite.

Modi Visits Trump

At least 49 people were confirmed to have measles in Texas as of Friday, just days after the Texas Department of State Health Services first reported a measles outbreak in the state.

The majority of the cases are in Gaines County, which borders New Mexico. Most cases are in school-age kids; thirteen have been hospitalized. All of those who have the disease are not vaccinated.

President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi kicked off their White House meeting last Thursday with a warm hug. While Trump called Modi “a great friend,” the U.S. president made it clear that India would also bear the brunt of U.S. tariffs.

At their joint press conference, Trump branded India’s tariffs on U.S. exports “very unfair and strong” and announced that the United States would respond with its own tariffs.

“Whatever India charges, we charge them,” Trump declared at the conference. “So, frankly, it no longer matters to us that much what they charge.”

Trump also spoke about how he wants to eliminate the U.S.’s $50 billion trade deficit with India. The president raised the idea of doing so by boosting his country’s energy exports to India. Trump, however, insisted that he would bring back “fairness and reciprocity.”

In 2023, trade between the U.S. and India was at around $190.1 billion. U.S. exports to India were valued at almost $70 billion, while American imports were at $120 billion.

Modi said he would “Make India Great Again,” echoing Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. The Indian prime minister also praised the 47th U.S. president.

Trump suggested that the U.S. would be extraditing Tahawwur Hussain Rana, a convict who plotted the 2008 Mumbai attacks, to India “immediately,” adding that more extraditions would be taking place in the future.

Additionally, the president said the U.S.’s military sales to India would soon increase by “many millions of dollars,” allowing the United States to sell India the sought-after F-35 stealth fighter planes.

The two leaders also noted that they would be talking about immigration. Recently, India accepted a U.S. military plane transporting 104 migrants. Ac-

cording to the Pew Research Center, over 725,000 Indian migrants live in the U.S. illegally, more than any country except for Mexico and El Salvador.

“Any verified Indian who is in the U.S. illegally, we are fully prepared to take them back to India,” Modi pledged.

RFK Jr. Confirmed as HHS Secretary

Following his 52-48 Senate confirmation vote, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became President Donald Trump’s Health and Human Services Secretary last week.

All Democrats voted against Kennedy, whose father was a prominent Democratic senator and the brother of President John F. Kennedy. Both Robert F. Kennedy and John F. Kennedy were assassinated.

All Republicans voted in favor of Kennedy’s confirmation, except for Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the former Senate majority leader. McConnell criticized Kennedy for the secretary’s past comments questioning the safety and effectiveness of vaccines. Kennedy now maintains that he is pro-vaccine.

“I’m a survivor of childhood polio. In my lifetime, I’ve watched vaccines save millions of lives from devastating diseases across America and around the world,” McConnell stated after the vote. “I will not condone the re-litigation of proven cures, and neither will millions of Americans who credit their survival and quality of life to scientific miracles.”

In his first interview following his confirmation, Kennedy, 71, told Laura Ingraham of Fox News that he plans on starting a program to monitor the side effects of vaccines.

Kennedy’s focus thus far has been on the “Make America Healthy Again” movement, which aims to combat chronic diseases like obesity. Kennedy, or RFK Jr., as he is known, has planned to overhaul the workforce at the HHS’s agencies: the National Institutes for Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Kennedy said Thursday he would fire people who “made really bad decisions,” specifically regarding nutrition guidelines and Alzheimer’s treatment.

U.S. - Russia Prisoner Swap

Last Tuesday, Marc Fogel, a 63-yearold American teacher who was wrongfully detained in Russia in 2021, returned to the United States, where he was welcomed home by President Donald Trump.

Before his imprisonment, Fogel taught at the Anglo-American School of Moscow for nearly 10 years. In August 2021, he was detained at an airport in Moscow after Russian authorities found him carrying cannabis. Although his attorneys said that the drug was for Fogel’s back pain, Russia, in June 2022, convicted him of “large-scale drug smuggling” and sentenced the man to 14 years in prison.

In December, the U.S. State Department formally declared Fogel’s detention in Russia wrongful. Trump’s envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who is also working to end the Ukraine war, played a role in negotiating Fogel’s release. To bring Fogel home, Witkoff traveled to Russia on his private jet, marking the first time a senior U.S. official has flown to Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine in 2022. Witkoff and Fogel left Russia on the same plane. According to reports by Fox News, Witkoff met and spoke with Putin for three hours during the visit.

Upon arriving back in the States, Fogel thanked the president, whom he credited for his release. Witkoff said that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of Russia’s sovereign wealth fund, were instrumental in freeing Fogel.

Trump called the prisoner swap with Russia “very fair,” saying that the U.S. had exchanged Fogel for “not much.” In exchange for Fogel, the United States will be releasing convicted cybercriminal and money launderer Alexander Vinnik to Russia. Greece detained Vinnik in July 2017. Vinnik was indicted for leading a money laundering and ransomware scheme disguised as a Bitcoin exchange that stole $4 billion and had over 700,000 users.

In 2024, Vinnik was extradited to the U.S., where he has been detained since. Last May, Vinnik pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering.

On Wednesday, Trump announced that he had spoken to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a “highly productive” call regarding the war in Ukraine, which Trump hopes to soon end with a peace deal.

On Monday, Kalob Byers, was released from Russian prison. The 28-yearold American citizen had been detained in Russia on drug smuggling charges earlier this month.

4 NYC Officials Resign

Four top New York City officials said they would resign after the Justice Department moved to dismiss Mayor Eric Adams’ corruption case.

The four officials — Maria Torres-Springer, the first deputy mayor, and Meera Joshi, Anne Williams-Isom and Chauncey Parker, all also deputy mayors — oversee much of New York City government, and their departure is poised to blow a devastating hole in the already wounded Adams administration.

Hours later, Gov. Kathy Hochul, who has the authority to remove Adams from office, said she had called a meeting for Tuesday to discuss “the path forward.” In a statement, she acknowledged that the four officials’ resignations raised “serious questions about the long-term future of this mayoral administration.

“In the 235 years of New York state history, these powers have never been utilized to remove a duly-elected mayor; overturning the will of the voters is a serious step that should not be taken lightly,” she said. “That said, the alleged conduct at City Hall that has been reported over the past two weeks is troubling and cannot be ignored.”

Increasingly, the deputy mayors felt that they were not merely working for an indicted mayor but for someone whose personal interests risked outweighing the interests of New Yorkers, according to a person briefed on the matter. They found this untenable, the person said.

Adams, a Democrat, is forcefully resisting growing calls to resign. Hochul is under increasing pressure to remove him from office.

The departing deputy mayors met with Adams on Friday and told him that they had grave concerns about his predicament as a leader, according to two city officials. At that meeting, they told him they were planning to resign, one of the officials said. The meeting was first reported by Politico.

“I am disappointed to see them go, but given the current challenges, I un-

derstand their decision and wish them nothing but success in the future,” Adams said in a statement issued after news of the resignations emerged. “But let me be crystal clear: New York City will keep moving forward, just as it does every day. All deputy mayors will remain in their roles for the time being to ensure a seamless transition. The people of New York City remain, without question, our top priority.” (© The New York Times)

Utah Bans Collective Bargaining

Utah Governor Spencer Cox on Friday signed a bill passed by his state’s legislature banning unions in Utah from engaging in collective bargaining. In other words, teachers, police officers, firefighters, and all public employees will no longer be allowed to negotiate their wages starting July 1.

Private employees’ rights to collective bargaining are protected by the federal government, while states can decide whether public workers may negotiate.

Utah joins North Carolina and South Carolina in completely banning collective bargaining. Texas, on the other hand, prohibits collective bargaining except for police officers and firefighters.

Cox said he had hoped for “the compromise that at one point was on the table

and that some stakeholders had accepted.”

The Utah Education Association, which is composed of 18,000 public school teachers, slammed the bill as a “blatant attack on public employees and our right to advocate for the success of our profession and students.” Renée Pinkney, the president of the association, called on Cox to veto the bill, which she said was meant to “silence educators and their collective voice.”

Orly Lobel, the University of San Diego’s director of the Center for Employment and Labor Policy, called the bill “a strong antilabor signal … compounded with national pressures to reduce public spending on education and other public services.”

Those in favor of the law, mostly Republicans, say that unions are by nature political and aren’t capable of negotiating fairly without burdening taxpayers.

FBI Killer Released

Leonard Peltier killed two FBI agents 50 years ago. This week, the Native American activist was released from federal prison after former President Joe Biden commuted his two life sentences

The act of clemency permits Peltier, who is 80, to serve his remaining days in home confinement.

Peltier was jailed in Florida. He is being sent to North Dakota, where he was born and where he is a citizen of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa. He will be welcomed with celebrations to “reconnect with his home community and adjust back into life among his people,” the NDN Collective, an Indigenous-led advocacy organization, said in a statement.

“We made a commitment to free Leonard Peltier and bring him back to his homelands — this is us fulfilling that commitment,” Nick Tilsen, the organization’s founder, said.

For now, the details of how much oversight Peltier will have at home are being worked out. His age and health should be taken into consideration, said Jenipher Jones, the lead lawyer in Peltier’s case.

She added that he would be receiving medical attention upon his release as he

struggles with ailments, such as diabetes, hypertension and partial blindness from a stroke.

“He’s been subjected to medical negligence for nearly 50 years,” Jones said. His release “gives him a chance at a life, at a humane existence, and the ability to more acutely engage with his culture, with his religious practices and with his sacred practices.”

Biden’s decision to commute Peltier’s sentences came on his last day of office, hours before President Donald Trump was sworn in. The move was condemned by law enforcement groups who said Peltier was unremorseful in the deaths of FBI agents Jack Coler and Ron Williams.

“Mr. President, I urge you in the strongest terms possible: Do not pardon Leonard Peltier or cut his sentence short,” then-FBI Director Christopher Wray wrote to Biden in early January as the president weighed whether to grant clemency.

Wray also opposed Peltier’s request during a hearing last year to be released on parole. The bid was denied Coler and Williams were killed in June 1975 while on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota, where they were attempting to arrest a man on a federal warrant in connection with the theft of a pair of cowboy boots.

Jimmy Carter was president when Peltier was convicted at trial in 1977 for the agents’ murders. Two years later, Peltier was involved in a prison escape in which he received an additional five-year sentence.

Major Cuts at Southwest

This week, Southwest Airlines announced plans to cut 1,750 jobs, around 15 percent of its workforce. It is the first broad layoff in the airline’s 53-year history.

The cuts would mostly focus on corporate positions and will include 11 senior leaders with titles of vice president or higher, the airline said. Most of the cuts will be carried out by the end of June.

In a statement, Southwest’s chief executive, Bob Jordan, called the decision

“unprecedented.”

“We are at a pivotal moment as we transform Southwest Airlines into a leaner, faster and more agile organization,” he said. “I arrived at this decision thoughtfully and carefully, knowing how hard it will be to say goodbye to colleagues who have been a significant part of our Southwest culture and accomplishments.”

Hedge fund Elliott Management amassed an approximately 10 percent stake in the airline last year and began to

push for widespread change.

In response, Jordan laid out a threeyear plan to make sweeping changes, including dropping the airline’s seat-yourself policy in favor of assigned seating, adding seats with extra legroom, and introducing red-eye flights — the first of which began last week — to make more use of its planes.

Southwest also agreed to add board members recommended by the investment firm.

streak of annual profits until 2020, when it lost money along with the rest of the industry during the Covid pandemic. It has reported profits each year since and remains the only one of the four largest U.S. airlines to have never filed for bankruptcy protection, though its costs have outpaced those of some of its peers.

Southwest carries more passengers and operates more flights in the United States than any other carrier.

Costa Rica to Accept Migrants

Costa Rica is now the second nation in Central America to accept deportees from the U.S. who hailed from other countries and illegally crossed into the U.S. Costa Rica said this week that it would receive a flight this week carrying 200 migrants from Central Asia and India. Last week, Panama received three U.S. deportation flights, carrying migrants from countries in Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Rather than keeping migrants in detention centers on the southern border of the U.S., the Trump administration is recruiting other countries willing to accept them.

While traveling through Central America and the Caribbean earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio received assurances from several governments, including Panama’s and Costa Rica’s, that they were committed to working with the Trump administration on migration issues.

Elliott had been demanding that Jordan leave the company. The changes he implemented, though, have allowed him to stay on.

The job cuts announced on Monday will save Southwest about $210 million this calendar year and $300 million next year, the airline said. Those figures do not include a one-time cost of $60 million to $80 million to pay out severance and other benefits to laid-off workers.

Southwest had an unrivaled 47-year

Costa Rica said its territory would “serve as a bridge” for the migrants’ return to their countries of origin, and that the repatriation process would be “fully funded by the U.S. government, under the supervision of the International Organization for Migration,” a United Nations agency that Costa Rica said would be responsible for the care of the migrants during their stay in the country. Panama has described a similar process for the deportees sent there by the United States. At one point not too long ago, Costa Rica was dealing with the thousands of migrants who were passing through on

their way to the U.S. border. But last year, the number of migrants entering their country on the way to the U.S. dropped dramatically as the United States, Mexico and Panama have hardened their borders and enhanced immigration enforcement.

Speedy Delivery

Last week, the W train stopped at the 34th Street-Herald Square station with a special delivery. A passenger on the train had been crying, “Help, help, help.” Turns out that she was about to give birth.

Thoughtful fellow passengers rallied to the 25-year-old woman and helped her deliver her baby. One person wrapped the

baby in a red cloth.

Soon, emergency medical services came to the train to transport the mother and baby to the hospital. Thankfully, they were both healthy.

MTA New York City Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said in a statement that this incident is an “example of New Yorkers coming together to assist each other” that reflects “the best of the subway community and this city.”

“We are thrilled that both mother and Baby W are doing well, and look forward to welcoming both of them back aboard for a lifetime of reliable – and hopefully less dramatic – rides,” Crichlow said.

Giving birth in the NYC subway system does happen from time to time. In 2017, an MTA worker helped a mother give birth on a subway platform, while in 2012, a baby boy was born on a J train in downtown Manhattan.

Puts a different spin on rush hour.

Coming Clean

Shoplifters in Michigan, beware. If you’re going to pilfer items from Walmart, Judge Jeffrey Clothier will make sure to keep your hands busy in other ways.

Clothier is demanding that those who

shoplift give free car washes to customers in a Walmart parking lot. This way, the judge says, it will discourage thieves and will reward shoppers who may see higher prices in stores due to the thefts.

“I don’t think everybody that steals is a bad person. Sometimes people are just down on their luck,” said Clothier, who was recently elected to Genesee County District Court. “But there’s going to be consequences when you break the law.”

Clothier said that he began ordering “Walmart wash” sentences this week for misdemeanor shoplifting at the store in Grand Blanc Township. He believes 75 to 100 people eventually will be ordered to wash cars at weekend events at that location in March and April.

Walmart will be providing water and supplies to the effort.

Clothier was shocked to see the rampant thefts at stores when he joined the bench last month.

“It’s just crazy,” he said, noting he had 48 such cases on his docket one day.

“I think it will be humiliating to be out there washing cars if you see someone you know,” Clothier said.

Because of all the thefts, Walmart designated a parking space for police in the parking lot.

“It’s an innovative approach,” county Prosecutor David Leyton said of the car washes. “Even if it deters one person, then there’s some success there.”

And shoplifters won’t be the only people up to their elbows in suds.

“I will be there washing cars with them,” the judge said.

Sounds like a soap-er good deterrent.

Digging in the Dump

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

James Howells wants to buy a garbage dump. He says that it’s worth millions of dollars – because of something that was accidentally thrown away.

The British man says that a hard drive that was thrown out has a discarded bitcoin key worth somewhere around $800 million. He has been pleading with the

Newport City Council, in South Wales, to access the mountains of waste to find the hard drive that was thrown out in 2013. But he’s been hitting brick walls. Now, he is offering to purchase the landfill before it closes down.

“Seems like a better plan for me and the city,” Howells told The New York Times. He would love to clean the site and possibly convert it to a park. “The landfill gets cleaned. I get to dig for my hard drive.”

He previously offered to fully fund the excavation process and share 25% of the recovered Bitcoin with the Newport City Council. At the time, a judge stated that Howells had “no reasonable grounds” for bringing the claim and that there was “no realistic prospect” of success if the case were to proceed to a full trial. Now the city is planning to close the landfill for good.

Howells, a computer science analyst, accidentally discarded the hard drive with a pile of trash. He was cleaning out his office in 2013 when he left it with other items destined for the dump. The hard drive, a backup from an old gaming computer, contained the only copy of his 51-character private key, used to access Bitcoin wallets. In the late 2000s, when cryptocurrency was in its infancy, Howell had mined it as a hobbyist.

However, he realized his mistake months later, as well as the fact that the Bitcoin wallet was worth millions. He’s been trying to get it back ever since.

Despite his attempts, the Newport City Council has suggested that the chances of Howells recovering the 12-year-old wallet are slim.

“This needle is very, very, very valuable — $800 million,” Howells said, “which means I’m willing to search every piece of hay in order to find the needle.”

Keep digging. Every little bit counts.

Around the Community

Hundreds Celebrate Yeshiva Kol Torah’s Annual Dinner

An incredible evening, celebrating the Story of Kol Torah, honoring their first graduating class – it was a packed house, full of parents, grandparents, friends and supporters of the Yeshiva. There was energy and excitement in the air, and you could feel how happy each bochur/family is to be part of Yeshiva Kol Torah.

Harav Naftali Jaeger, shlita, gave

divrei Bracha. Avrumi Sax, dinner chairman, spoke about the success of the Yeshiva and the growth of the bochurim in Yeshiva. The Yeshiva excitedly announced the opening of their Beis Medrash this upcoming year. The Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Opocyznski, spoke about the families and boys from Kol Torah’s first class, who were honored as the first graduating class, appreciating their decision to send

their sons to a brand-new Yeshiva. The boys were presented with a beautiful portrait of the Alter of Slabodka representing the mesorah which they are so proud to be part of. Aryeh Katz represented the 12th grade and spoke about his experiences and growth in the Yeshiva.

Suprise awards were given to Mr. & Mrs. Avrumi Sax, Mr. & Mrs. Nochum Wolf, and Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda Michaeli

for their tremendous dedication and work on behalf of the Yeshvia. The 12th grade choir performed with Moshe Tischler and introduced a new song, “Mi’maamakim,” composed by their very own Rabbi Yanky Nissan. A beautiful kumzitz with Moshe Tischler was followed by spirited dancing.

Morah Rechel Dina Pollack’s nursery boys at Yeshiva Darchei Torah celebrating Tu B’Shvat

Delegates from Long Island Visit Albany with Agudath Israel of America

Agudath Israel of America began its three-part advocacy mission to Albany last Tuesday, bringing together delegates from Queens and Long Island to meet with legislators and address critical issues affecting their communities.

The alarming surge in antisemitic hate crimes has placed Jewish communities under unprecedented threat. In New York City alone, over half of all reported hate crimes specifically target Jews, making it clear that stronger protective measures are not just necessary, but urgent. A crucial component in fortifying our schools is the Nonpublic School Safety Equipment (NPSE) Grant, which provides essential funding for security enhancements. While last year’s increase from $45 million to $70 million

was a step forward, it is still insufficient in the face of escalating threats. Agudah is calling for an immediate increase to $90 million to ensure that every Jewish school has the necessary resources to protect its students and staff from harm.

Additionally, delegates pressed for the expansion of the Empire State Child Credit, which Governor Hochul has proposed increasing to up to $1,000 per child under age four and $500 per child from ages four to sixteen for eligible taxpayers. Agudah strongly supports this initiative and is advocating for indexing the credit to inflation and adjusting eligibility criteria to consider family size.

Other priorities include securing an increase in funding for immunization record-keeping costs, which currently stands at just $1 million, far below the es-

timated $15 million required statewide; advocating for universal school meals; and preserving the reimbursement for Mandated Services Aid.

Delegates met with Assemblymembers Stacey Pheffer Amato (D-23), Sam Berger (D-27), Ari Brown (R-20), Andrew Hevesi (D-28), , Daniel Norber (R16), Nily Rozic (D-25), and Steve Stern (D-10), as well as Senators Joseph Addabbo (D-15), Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick (R-9), Leroy Comrie (D-14), ), and James Sanders (D-10), as well as staff of Assemblymember Judy Griffin (D-21), and staff of State Senators Jack Martins (R-7), John Liu (D-16), and Toby Ann Stavisky (D-11). The delegation was also joined at lunch by Assemblymembers Simcha Eichenstein and Kalman Yeger and was privileged to provide a minyan

and host Assemblymember Sam Berger’s siyum on Maseches Beitza.

“Agudah’s Albany Days are a powerful opportunity to engage in advocacy on behalf of our schools and communities,” said Rabbi Ari Ginian, executive director of Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island.

“Traveling to Albany allows us to speak directly with legislators, convey the challenges and advocate for the needs of our students.”

“I have repeatedly been told by legislators about the difference it makes when they meet their constituents faceto-face,” said Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, Agudah’s director of New York government relations. “By bringing community members to Albany, we facilitate meaningful dialogue and strengthen our advocacy efforts.”

Celebrating Tu B’Shvat at HANC ECC in West Hempstead

Tu B’Shvat at the Israel Chesed Center with Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner

Tu B’Shvat at Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim

Tu B’Shvat is not just about eating fruit – it is a time to appreciate the wonders of Hashem’s creation, recognize the spiritual significance of each fruit, and reflect on our own personal growth, just as trees grow and bear fruit. The Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim, Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, provided deep insights into the meaning of each fruit and its segulos, elevating the experience beyond the physical enjoyment of the day. The talmidim not only indulged in a lavish and delicious Shivas HaMinim lunch but also experienced a spiritually uplifting and enriching celebration. Thank you to our sponsors: Integration HD, Shira Steigman Events, Holczer Family in memory of Esther Malka bas Benyamin Zev, a”h.

Five Towns Hockey League

The Winter/Spring season of the 5 Towns Hockey League is off to a tremendous start, showcasing an exciting atmosphere filled with enthusiasm and camaraderie. This year, the teams are remarkably evenly matched, which has contributed to a series of thrilling games that keep both players and spectators on the edge of their seats. The kids are not just playing hockey; they are truly enjoying the experience, forming friendships, and creating lasting memories on and off the court. As the premier hockey league in the Five Towns, the organization is committed to pre -

paring its participants for the next level of competition. With so much talent and dedication on display, there is a palpable excitement about what the rest of the season holds. Families and friends are rallying around their teams, creating a vibrant community spirit that enhances the overall experience.

As we look forward to the remainder of the season, we can anticipate more thrilling matches, skill development, and, most importantly, a celebration of the love of hockey. For more information about the league and upcoming events, visit www.5townssports.com.

Morah Gitty Mandel’s pre-1A class learning about Presidents’ Day at Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Harriet Keilson Early Childhood Center

Tu B’Shvat celebrations at Siach Yitzchok

Around the Community

Mercaz Academy “Flies to Israel” for Tu B’Shevat

Mercaz Academy–usually located in Plainview, New York–once again “flew to Israel” for Tu B’Shevat, and as always, the flight was fast (and free).

Students entered the main hallway to find it transformed into an airplane, with plenty of first-class seats, a surprisingly swift-moving security line (wands only, no scanners required), and an El-Al Airlines flight safety video playing onscreen. After boarding, flight attendants moved carts up the aisle offering snacks to the passengers as they enjoyed a Hebrew language in-flight video about the Machne Yehuda shuk, starring a former Mercaz

Academy student now living in Israel.

After a flight that seemed to take only minutes, the plane was waved to a landing by airport personnel and the student passengers disembarked, lining up at the airport kaspomat (ATM) to change their money into shekalim.

Trees bearing figs and pomegranates seemed to welcome the students to Israel as they entered the shuk, where numerous signs warned that only Ivrit would be spoken. Israeli vendors–sixth graders paired with Hebrew-speaking PTA members–shouted to attract customers as the remaining students wandered the narrow “streets,” buying pickles and “chips”

(or as they’re called in Plainview, French fries), olives (to represent the seven Israeli species), clementines, dried fruit, Israeli juices, and Bissli. The students negotiated prices, counted change, and enjoyed the tasty produce of Israel. Students with an artistic bent also stopped at a booth to draw leaves to add to the fruit trees lining the street.

Students in the Early Childhood Program, wearing Tu B’Shevat crowns they had decorated themselves, flew to a dif-

ferent, less-well-traveled (but equally well-labeled) shuk. There, they also exchanged their shekalim for delicious Israeli snacks.

Mercaz Academy is grateful to our PTA, our parent volunteers, Director of Programming Morah Phyllis Tessler, Morah Levana Gil, and Morah Tali Cohen for arranging this wonderful flight to Israel for our students…and for ensuring that everyone made it back to our Plainview campus in time for lunch.

Rambam Chess Back-to-Back Champions

By Avi Pearlman

TThe students at Lev Chana had a great day celebrating Tu B’Shvat with seders, planting, and several activities themed for the day

he two-time defending champion Rambam Chess team went to Magen David in Brooklyn for their third match of the year this past Monday. So far, Rambam leads the division with 21 points. After a great set of games, Rambam defeated Magen David 14-0, extending their division lead over their opponents. The team only needs 4.5 points in the next match in March to clinch the division and make it back to the championships for a potential 3-peat!

Did you know?

The penny was the first coin to have the motto “In G-d We Trust.”

Celebrating Tu B’Shvat at BYAM

This past Thursday was a day of celebration in the BYAM Preschool! In honor of Tu B’Shvat the preschool was treated to an exciting Shivas Haminim carnival. First the girls learned that Tu B’Shvat is the Rosh Hashana for the trees and that the trees in Eretz Yisrael are starting to bud and spring is on its way. The students got to see real pictures of an actual almond tree that was blossoming in Eretz Yisrael just in time for Tu B’Shvat! Then, it was time for some carnival fun! The carnival featured a booth for each of the Shivas Haminim.

The first one featured wheat, and the girls got to race against their friends and be the first to find some hidden fruit in the bowls of ground wheat (flour). Next up was gefen, or grapes. The girls got to make grape juice the old-fashioned way!!! The girls actually took off their shoes and stomped on grapes! They were giggling and squealing the whole way through! Later they compared their grape juice with the one found in a bottle from the store. Some of the additional activities included drawing funny fig faces and toss-

ing pomegranate seeds at a giant pomegranate! The delicious fair included silan tasting, yummy olives (which they had learned about in depth Chanukah time), and a chocolate dipping fondue station! An educational, fun and delicious time was had by all!

HAFTR Celebrates Health Week

Health Week 2025 at HAFTR was an unforgettable celebration of wellness, bringing together students, faculty, and families for an exciting week dedicated to promoting healthy living. Through engaging activities, inspiring discussions, and hands-on learning experiences, students gained a deeper appreciation for the importance of taking care of both their bodies and minds.

The week kicked off with nutritious, PTA-sponsored snacks that made healthy eating both fun and delicious. As students enjoyed these tasty treats, they also learned about the benefits of a well-balanced diet and the role that proper nutrition plays in maintaining overall health. Our incredible parent volunteers, many of whom are medical professionals, visited classrooms to lead engaging and interactive sessions. Students explored fascinating topics such as the wonders of anatomy, the science behind hydration, and the importance of heart health. These lessons provided students with valuable knowledge and practical tools they can carry with them for life.

A highlight of the week was our annual Pink Day, where the HAFTR community united in support of critical health-related causes. Students and faculty dressed in pink to raise awareness,

Did you know?

demonstrating the power of advocacy and the importance of taking action to support those in need. The event fostered a sense of unity and purpose, reminding students that small acts of awareness can create a meaningful impact.

In addition to learning about nutrition and health, students also embraced physical fitness through a variety of high-energy workouts, sports challenges, and interactive wellness activities. From exciting movement breaks to organized fitness sessions, students discovered new ways to stay active while having fun. These activities reinforced the message that exercise is not just about staying in shape – it’s about building strength, confidence, and resilience.

HAFTR’s commitment to fostering a culture of health, mindfulness, and well-being was evident throughout the week. The enthusiasm, curiosity, and engagement of our students made Health Week a true success.

A heartfelt thank you to our amazing PTA, parent volunteer speakers, faculty, and staff for their dedication and effort in making this week so meaningful. Your hard work ensured that students had a rewarding and enriching experience, and we are so grateful for your support.

Here’s to a year of strength, wellness, and positivity – stay healthy, HAFTR!

In the 1980s, U.S. military bases overseas abolished the penny and began rounding all transactions up or down to the nearest 5 cents.

In honor of Tu B’Shvat, the girls in the Early Childhood of Torah Academy for Girls made their very own fruit kabobs! They had a great time dipping them into the chocolate fountain as well.

Morah Reut Berkowitz Honored as Educator of the Year at YCQ’s 84th Annual Scholarship Dinner

On Sunday, March 2, the Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) will host its 84th Annual Scholarship Dinner at Da Mikele Illagio. This prestigious occasion seeks to pay tribute to individuals whose steadfast commitment and remarkable contributions have left a profound impact on both the yeshiva and wider community. This year, YCQ proudly recognizes Morah Reut Berkowitz as the Educator of the Year.

YCQ is proud to recognize Morah Reut’s dedication, passion for teaching, and deep commitment to her students. Since joining the yeshiva in 2006, Morah Reut has been a guiding force in the classroom, inspiring young minds with her warmth, kindness, and unwavering belief in each child’s potential.

Originally from Israel, Morah Reut dedicated two years to Sherut Leumi, National Service, before moving to the United States. During that time, she worked with deaf children in Israel, helping them develop communication skills and navigate daily life with confidence. She then continued her service in Los Angeles, where she worked with Bnei Akiva, strengthening Jewish identity and connection to Eretz Yisrael for young members of the community. These formative experiences instilled in her a deep passion for education, mentorship, and personal growth, which she carries into her classroom every day.

After moving to the United States at the age of 20, Morah Reut earned both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Queens College. However, her path took an unexpected turn thanks to Rabbi Landsman, who saw in her the makings of a remarkable educator. While taking afternoon classes, she looked for a way to stay busy in the mornings and decided to inquire about substitute teaching at YCQ. She began working with fourth graders, and just a few months later, when a second grade teacher had to leave unexpectedly, Rabbi Landsman encouraged her to step in full-time. She has been an integral part of the YCQ family ever since.

Over the years, Morah Reut has touched the lives of countless students, fostering a love for learning while empha-

sizing the values of kindness, inclusivity, and warmth that make YCQ so special. She particularly appreciates the diversity of the school community, where students from different backgrounds come together in a welcoming and supportive environment. The natural compassion and camaraderie of her students inspire her daily, making teaching at YCQ a truly fulfilling experience.

Beyond the classroom, Morah Reut and her husband, Michael, are proud parents to four children, Eitan (grade 8), Dani (grade 6), Eli (grade 4), and Maya (grade 1), who proudly attend YCQ. Choosing YCQ for their own family was an easy decision, as they were drawn to its strong academic foundation, exceptional faculty, and warm parent body. Teaching at YCQ allows Morah Reut the unique privilege of seeing her children throughout the school day, building relationships with their teachers, and sharing in their educational journey.

Morah Reut is also an active member of Beis Knesses of North Woodmere, where she and her family contribute to the community in any way they can. Whether in the classroom or at home, she is dedicated to fostering a love of Torah, learning, and kindness in both her students and her own children.

Morah Reut Berkowitz’s dedication, expertise, and love for her students continue to make an everlasting impact on YCQ, and her honor is well deserved.

We eagerly anticipate your presence at the year’s dinner on Sunday, March 2. To make a reservation and place an ad in the journal, please visit YCQDinner.com or call the business office at 718-7938500 (ext. 300).

Khal Mevakshei Hashem Visits Adopt-a-Kollel Partner

Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz

One of the unique Adopt-a-Kollel partnerships is the one between Khal Mevakshei Hashem of Lawrence, New York, led by Rav Yussie Zakutinsky, and the kollel for mekubalim of Yeshiva Shaar Hashomayim, led by the well-known mashpia and mekubal, Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz.

Last week, a large contingent from Khal Mevakshei Hashem, led by their Rav, made a special trip to Eretz Yisrael where they visited gedolei Yisrael and davened at mekomos hakedoshim. A highlight of the trip was the visit to Rav Gamliel Rabinowitz. The depth of the spiritual bond between the kollel and the kehillah was renewed during that remarkable trip.

Rav Rabinowitz addressed the kehillah and gave over words of chizuk, at his home, explaining the great value of the partnership. He was also overwhelmed with admiration for the Rav, Rav Zakutinsky who has succeeded in spreading the pinimiyus of Torah to his kehillah and well beyond the walls of his kehillah. The members of the kehillah met with

Rav Gamliel for an extensive amount of time and the reciprocal love and admiration stood out.

The members of the shul also had the opportunity to visit the Kollel of Yeshiva Shaar HaShaomayim meet the great talmidei chachomim and mekubalim who learn in Yeshiva Shaar Hashomayim and the members of the kollel could not believe that a kehillah rooted in materialistic America could be so deeply spiritually focused and thirsting for more and more pinimiyus.

As a sign of the Kollel’s profound hakaras hatov to Rav Zakutinsky, the Kollel presented him with the tefillin written in accordance with the shita of the “Shimusha Rabbah,” that had belonged to the rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva Shaar HaShomayim, Rav Reuven Gross, zt”l, one of the great mekubalim

The visit to Rav Gamliel and his kollel further strengthened the bond between kollel and kehillah, in an unprecedented way.

HALB Tu B’Shvat Shuk

This year, Tu B’Shvat was especially exciting at HALB. Shoshana and Chen, HALB’s Bat Ami girls from Israel, along with the PTA, put together an incredible shuk for the students. Tables were arranged with dried fruit, fresh fruit, juices, candy, falafel and more. Each table was made to look like a different store, and students had to purchase food with our HALB shekalim. Everyone had a blast pretending they were in the shuk in Israel!

Did

you know?

The average penny lasts about 25 years.

Brrrr! It’s Cold

First graders at Shulamith have been learning about what animals do in the cold weather. They learned about migration, hibernation and adaptations. One amazing way some polar animals keep warm is using blubber. But would it really work? They tried putting their hands in icy cold water and in a “blubber bag” to find out if the shortening would really keep the cold at bay!

TAL Academy Celebrates First-Ever Literacy Week

TAL Academy hosted its first-ever Literacy Week, February 10-14, bringing excitement, creativity, and a love for reading into every classroom. From surprise guest readers to visits from renowned authors, students were immersed in a variety of engaging activities designed to foster a lifelong passion for books.

The week kicked off with Mystery Reader Day, where special guests visited classrooms to read aloud to students. The twist? Students had to guess who their reader was by asking yes/no questions! Laughter and curiosity filled the air as each class worked to solve the mystery before enjoying a captivating story.

Midweek, students had the incredible opportunity to meet Isaac Rudansky, author of Georgie Summers and the Scribes of Scatterplot. Mr. Rudansky shared insights into his writing process and guided students in brainstorming their own creative stories. His visit left young writers inspired and eager to put their ideas on paper.

Literacy Week also featured the Great Book Swap, where students exchanged new and gently used books with their classmates. Each student went home with a ‘new’ book to add to their collection, reinforcing the joy of reading and sharing stories with friends.

As if the week wasn’t exciting enough, Friday brought a special visit from Ann Koffsky, beloved author and illustrator. Students not only listened to her share the story behind her latest book, Ping Pong Shabbat, but also learned how to draw one of her book characters! Leading up to her visit, students worked with

TAL Academy’s language pathologists to prepare thoughtful questions, making for a meaningful and interactive discussion.

To wrap up this memorable week, every student received a bag of popcorn and was encouraged to “pop” open a good book, reinforcing the importance of reading in a fun and engaging way.

Beyond the excitement, Literacy Week at TAL Academy offered students significant academic and cognitive benefits. Engaging in read-alouds, storytelling, and book discussions strengthened students’ listening comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking skills. Meeting real authors and creating their own stories encouraged oral language development, narrative skills, and creativity, essential components of literacy success.

TAL Academy’s commitment to direct, explicit, multisensory instruction was evident throughout the week. Literacy Week at TAL Academy was a great success, bringing books to life through hands-on, immersive experiences. More than just a celebration, the week served as a powerful reminder that reading is not just a skill, it’s a gateway to knowledge and lifelong learning.

Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam: A Story of Strength, Growth, and Community

Twelve years ago, Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam began as a dream—a vision for a school where young girls could flourish academically, emotionally, and spiritually in a nurturing and inspiring environment. Today, that dream is a thriving reality, shaping the next generation with unwavering commitment to chinuch, values, and community.

But this past year wasn’t just about growth; it was a testament to resilience. Bais Yaakov Ateres Miriam faced challenges that could have shaken its foundation. Instead, something remarkable happened. Parents, educators, donors, and board members rallied together, demonstrating the true strength of a school that isn’t just an institution—it’s a

JSL Week 5 Recap

Another exciting week in the JSL, proudly brought to you by FM Home Loans, saw teams battling it out in intense matchups across every division. From high-scoring games to nail-biting finishes, to incredible defensive stands and clutch goaltending, the action didn’t disappoint. Here are the highlights from this week’s games!

K/P Hockey

Smash House rolled past NY Chaplain Group 9-2, with Gavriel Feinsod putting on a show with seven goals. Yeled LI controlled their game against Growtha, winning 7-1 behind a hat trick from Ben Pearlman. SR Whee came out strong in a 10-4 win over Five Towns Landscaping, as Yoel Nagelberg scored two big goals. 5 Towns Central secured a 7-4 victory over Posh Home + Bath, with Eliyahu Dancykier leading the way, netting four goals.

K/P Soccer

Doma got a 3-1 win over Maidenbaum, with Pinchas Mizrachi stepping up on defense with five saves and seven blocks to protect the lead. Future Care Consultants took control early and never let up in a 13-4 win over Hewlett Auto Body, as Yoni Braun opened the scoring and set the tone for the rest of the game.

Hockey

1st Grade: Seasons Express edged out Town Appliance 12-9, as A.J. Greenwald notched a hat trick to push his team ahead. Simcha Day Camp got an 11-7 win over Eden Gardens, with Yaakov

family. Their dedication not only helped BYAM overcome obstacles but propelled it to new heights.

This year’s annual dinner, taking place on Tuesday, March 4, at The Sands in Atlantic Beach, is more than just an event. It’s a powerful statement. A celebration of perseverance, of unwavering commitment, and of a community that refuses to let anything stand in the way of its children’s chinuch. It’s a moment to honor the people who make BYAM the exceptional school it is today.

We are privileged to recognize the dedication and generosity of this year’s honorees:

Co-Guests of Honor: Mr. & Mrs.

Shmuli and Batsheva Katz & Dr. & Mrs. Eli and Rivky Lutz – whose leadership has played a vital role in securing the

Kret leading the way with an incredible 10 goals. John’s Auto pulled away late for a 10-6 win over Anju, as Meir Gunsburg facilitated the offense with four assists.

2nd/3rd Grade: Sushi Tokyo secured an 8-5 win over PIP Printing, highlighted by Shua Steinman scoring his first goal of the season. Maidenbaum took down Town Appliance 12-7, with Shmaryahu Metz scoring a beautiful halfcourt goal. Smash House topped Newman Dental 4-1, as Daniel Hammer scored two goals, while Akiva Schreier stepped in as goalie and allowed just one goal in an impressive performance. SR Whee beat Ecom Beyond 6-3, as Nechemia Daniarov locked in on defense to shut down scoring opportunities. Built by Nate handled Better Image Contracting 5-1, with Yehuda Schwartz scoring his first goal and goalie Yehuda Sebag locking it down in net.

4th/5th Grade: Smash House pulled out a 2-1 win over Wieder Orthodontics, as Avi Pelman came up clutch for his team. Target Exterminating blanked Russo’s Pharmacy 4-0, as Sholom Kopelowitz delivered a shutout performance in goal, while Dovid Perl added two goals. Town Appliance took down Seasons 7-2, with Shaya Ribowsky making save after save to hold off Season’s strong offensive attack. Gerber Bedding came away with a 6-1 win over Marciano, with game MVP Naftali Pfeifer controlling the game from start to finish.

6th/8th Grade: Growtha beat Tikva Fire 9-2, as goalie Tani Benderly turned

school’s future.

Visionary Chinuch Award: Morah Deenie Schuss – an extraordinary educator whose warmth and passion have left an indelible mark on her students.

Grandparents of the Year: Chazan & Mrs. Joel and Leah Kaplan – whose devotion to BYAM and its students reflects their deep commitment to the school’s mission.

Community Service Award: Mr. & Mrs. Moshe & BB Odes – whose tireless efforts and dedication have strengthened both BYAM and the broader community.

As BYAM looks to the future, the mission is clear: expand, enhance, and elevate—providing an unparalleled chinuch experience for every student. With continued community support, the school will keep growing, its light shining even

away shot after shot. 925 Sterling secured an 8-3 win over Bluebird, with Yosef Bryks lighting up the scoreboard with three goals. Kosher Skinny Shot got a 7-4 victory over Sdei Chemed, with Ahron Gross playing aggressive defense and shutting down multiple scoring chances. Wieder Orthodontics took down Extreme Vent Cleaning 10-3, as Yisroel Moshe Fireworker knocked in four goals. Reuben Renov stepped in for star goalie Tzvi Greenspan in the third period and made some nice saves.

Basketball

1st/2nd Grade: Newman Dental earned a 14-4 win over Tikva Fire, as Mordy Schwab led all scorers with 10 points and added five steals. Smash House powered past Eden Gardens 16-4, with Meir Feuer controlling the paint and dishing out assists. Tiffany Dry Cleaners rolled to a 24-8 victory over Premier Assist, as Daniel Grabie’s nonstop hustle on both ends of the floor powered his team to victory.

3rd/4th Grade: Posh Home + Bath got an 18-3 win over Russo’s Pharmacy, as Menachem Lipshitz filled the stat sheet with 11 points and 10 rebounds, while Yehuda Avigdor added six points and nine assists. Marciano Pediatric Dentistry pulled away late for a 19-13 win over Better Image Contracting, as Dovid Bauman sliced through defenders and made tough finishes at the rim. Wieder Orthodontics knocked off John’s Auto 1912, with Yaakov Berokhim scoring eight

brighter for generations to come.

This dinner isn’t just a gathering. It’s an invitation—to be part of something bigger, to invest in the future of our children, and to celebrate the resilience and strength of a school that stands as a beacon of hope and inspiration.

Join us on Tuesday, March 4, and be part of the story. Together, we build the future.

points and swatting away three shots.

5th/7th Grade: Binyamin Weissman Photography cruised past Sdei Chemed 44-21, with Elazar Roberts leading both ends of the court, scoring efficiently and dominating on defense. Sperling Productions edged Emporio 36-35 in a close contest, with Eli Oratz stepping up in crunch time, scoring 11 points while racking up six steals and three blocks.

Game of the Week

Wieder Orthodontics and Tikva Fire delivered a game that had the crowd on edge from start to finish. Tzvi Maltz gave Tikva Fire a 3-1 lead with a goal midway through the third period, but Wieder wasn’t ready to back down. Yisroel Moshe Fireworker cut the deficit to one, and with time winding down, Avraham Blumenkrantz buried the game-tying goal to send it to overtime. In overtime, goalie Zac Gauman stood tall for Tikva Fire, making clutch saves to send the game to a shootout. In the shootout, Tzvi Maltz knocked in the goahead goal, and Zac Gauman sealed the victory with the game-winning save to cap off a thrilling finish.

By Yoel

Five Towns Physicians at Chemed Conference

Dr. Hylton Lightman, together with other Far Rockaway/5 Towns physicians and healthcare providers, attended the 7th CHEMED Annual Medicine + Ethics Conference which was held over President’s Day weekend. These physicians and other healthcare providers and key people in

HALB History Day

the healthcare space came together with leading rabbis for a superior program on a myriad of topics, with a special focus on genetics.

“It was a reJEWvenating 72 hours for me, especially meeting with the gedolim and top physicians and discussing some of my patient cases with them,” Dr. Light-

On Monday, February 10, HALB held its seventh annual HALB History Day, part of the prestigious National History Day competition. National History Day is a nationwide event in which more than half a million students participate each year, showcasing projects that examine historical events in relation to a national theme.

For the past five months, under the guidance of social studies teacher Ms. Kristen Waterman, HALB’s eighth grade students conducted in-depth research on topics related to this year’s theme: Rights

and Responsibilities in History. Students explored a diverse range of subjects, from Prohibition and the responsibility of government to modern issues like the discovery of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) and the duty to create safe workplaces.

Many students also delved into Holocaust history, a profoundly personal topic for them and their families. Using their technology skills, they created powerful documentaries and interactive websites that brought history to life. Others combined creativity with STEM skills

man says. “I am thankful to Dr. David Friedman and the CHEMED staff for designing and giving us this unique forum for growth and helping our communities.”

Dr. Lightman is seen here with Rav Asher Weiss.

to build impressive museum-style exhibits, including a four-foot-tall wooden book that unfolds to tell the story of immigrant life in 1890’s New York City.

Students presented their projects in one of three formats: documentary, website, or exhibit. Each format allowed students to develop 21st-century skills in research, analysis, and presentation while engaging in a meaningful and dynamic learning experience.

The top three projects in each category will advance to Long Island History Day at Hofstra University in March,

where they will compete against some of Long Island’s best and brightest young historians.

First Place Exhibit: Levittown: Rights, Responsibility and the American Dream by Alex Hackel, Eliana Hollander, Tobie Kleiman, Ava Marks, and Juliana Radinsky

First Place Documentary: Whose Responsibility? The Evian Conference and the Rights of Jews in Peril by Leah Fistel, Keren Reiss, and Hailey Walfish

At Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Third Grade Rashi/Mishnayos Celebration on Sunday

Photo

Hecht

2 Remarkable Letters from a Bais Yaakov Ninth Grader Regarding the Hostages

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

What follows is a remarkable story. It is a story – or rather a glimpse into the heart and soul of a young Bais Yaakov student whose emunah and bitachon guided her through one of the most painful periods in recent Jewish history. Following the devastating Hamas, yimach shmam, attacks on Simchas Torah 5784 (October 7, 2023), this ninth grader embraced the characteristic sign of our people, tefillah. It began at a vort for one of her Bais Yaakov teachers. At her teacher’s simcha, the teacher provided a glass bowl with names to daven for.

This young woman, K.F,, transformed the mitzvah of tefillah from what some would look at as an abstract obligation into a deeply personal relationship. She didn’t merely recite Tehillim for the hostages as a group—she formed a spiritual bond with one hostage in particular: Sasha Alexander ben Yalena. Through brachos, tefillos, and personal kabbalos, she created a connection that transcended physical distance.

The first letter, written during Sasha’s captivity, reveals unwavering emunah even as months passed without his release. The second letter, written after Sasha’s liberation, demonstrates hakaras hatov (gratitude) to Hashem for answering her tefillos and reveals the hashgacha pratis in the timing of his release coinciding with her Hebrew birthday.

These letters inspire. Tefillah matters. Ideas at a vort matter. Ninth grade girls matter. We see the future of Klal Yisroel in these two pages, and we see from whence the ge’ulah will b’ezras Hashem emerge. Bimhairah b’yameinu, amen! P.S. This should be required reading in every Bais Yaakov and Mesivta.

October 10, 2024

My Hostage

The date was Chaf Gimmel Tishrei. It was Simchas Torah. On a day meant for joy and dance, news of horror and tragedy reached our ears. How many killed? How many were taken hostage? Wait, hostages? It all sounded like an over-exaggerated rumor to me. Hostages were for novels, not real life. Soon, Yom Tov was over. How I wished the extent of the tragedy was just like the rumors. Oh, but there were so many more. Thousands were killed, hundreds were taken hostage, and my homeland was at war.

November 15. Just a few weeks after the massacre. Eretz Yisrael had been at war for weeks with no end in sight. It was also my teacher’s vort. Unable to forget what was going on, there was a little gold bowl by the exit that said to take the name of a hostage to daven for. That was all the inspiration I needed to get my own. How I cried, and how I davened for all of the hostages, but Sasha Alexander Ben Yalena… he was mine. Sasha was my hostage.

November 30. A deal? Hostages released? My eyes scanned the names over and over again, willing, hoping that Sasha would be on the list. Throughout those past two weeks, I formed such a bond with my brother that I never met. Brachos, Tehillim, tefillos, kabbalos, all for him. I knew he was a loving, sweet man in his twenties, practically the same age as my siblings. Why? He needed to get out of Gaza. Unfortunately, though, his name was not to be found. Of course, I was so happy for the other hostages and their families, I davened for them, too, but Sasha Alexander Troufanov, he needed to get out. He was mine!

All too soon, it was Tisha B’Av. The one-year anniversary of that awful day

was nearing closer, and Sasha Alexander was still in captivity. At every rescue and release, my hopeful eyes scanned the lists for his name and then filled with tears when it wasn’t there. At every death, my eyes scanned the paper tentatively for him and breathed a sigh of relief when it was nowhere to be found. Every hostage’s death was a stab in my heart, but Sasha was part of me. If he died??? No, he couldn’t, he wouldn’t. My hope soared when a video on Tisha B’Av was about him. I couldn’t stop wondering, is that Hashem’s sign that he is alive? That maybe he will be home soon? My heart swelled, maybe my hostage would be released and rescued. Yes, by now there was absolutely no doubt about it. Sasha Alexander was my hostage.

It has now been a year. My bursts of hope have slowly begun to fade. I have tried every zechus for him, yet nothing seems to work. I wonder, perhaps it’s not enough that it’s my hostage sitting in a tunnel in Gaza. No, Hashem, it’s probably not enough! Sasha Alexander ben Yalena, he’s my hostage, but more than that, Hashem, he’s Your hostage, and You’re the only one who can bring him home! I am waiting, Hashem. I am trying to wait patiently for you to bring my hostage home, and I know you will because after all, he is Your hostage too.

K.F. ***

February 17, 2025 Letter To Sasha Dear Sasha,

I remember the day I started davening for you. I’m that type of person that does something all the way, so I did a bit of research and tried to get to know you the most that I could. I can’t describe the spiritual connection I felt with you as I

Sasha put on tefillin for the first time in his life on Sunday, the day after he was released from captivity

did mitzvah after mitzvah in your zechus Whenever someone would mention October 7, my heart would turn to you. Three times a day as I stood before our Creator, my thoughts would turn to you, begging and pleading that Hashem should bring you home. When we had to write about the Massacre, I would write about you. This is all now over. As we beg and cry for all the remaining hostages to come home, I have hope in my prayers. Hashem has accepted my pleas, and He will continue to do so. After every Shabbos, I would check the news, eagerly awaiting to see who would finally return to their families this time, and as I read the names overjoyed, I waited for your name to appear. Finally, it did.

You were released on Shabbos, Yud Zayin Shevat. I found out about your release on Motzei Shabbos, Yud Ches Shevat, my Hebrew birthday. As I screeched and danced, overflowing with happiness, I knew it was no coincidence… Hashem had given me the best birthday present ever.

May Hashem show you all His good, and may all the hostages be released very, very soon, K.F.

Fifteen boys who were orphaned on October 7 visited the Israel Chesed Center and the home of Chaya and Ari Cohen in Lawrence

A fun graphing lesson in Nursery at Shulamith ECC

Emunah with Rabbi Trump

HALB eighth graders participating in the Names, Not Numbers program had the special opportunity to hear from YILC’s Rabbi Trump. He spoke to the students about having emunah in times of darkness. His words of wisdom were exactly what they needed to hear before interviewing Holocaust survivors and can also be applied to their lives right now. Everyone walked out of the session inspired and uplifted.

Virtual Tours of Trees in Israel

Our first grade morah, Morah Shollar, included her class in a Zoom meeting with her mother, Morah Devorah, who lives in Israel. Morah Devorah spoke to the girls about how special it is to live in Israel, especial-

ly on Tu B’Shvat! She then took them on a walking tour of the trees and flowers in bloom in her neighborhood. The most exciting part was seeing the blooming shkediah trees!

HAFTR Celebrates Tu B’Shvat with a Lively Shuk

HAFTR Lower School students enjoyed a vibrant Tu B’Shvat celebration with a lively shukstyle market! Fifth graders took on the role of shopkeepers, “selling” a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables to their

fellow students. As they sampled the produce, students learned about the health benefits and spiritual significance of each item. The event was a fun, hands-on way to connect with the holiday and appreciate the gifts of the land!

Ezra Academy Expands Extracurricular

Activities to Engage Every Student

Ezra Academy, a thriving Orthodox Jewish high school, continues to uphold its promise of fostering a club for every student. With an ever-expanding roster of extracurricular activities, the school ensures that every individual finds their passion and flourishes both inside and outside the classroom. This past week was a testament to Ezra’s commitment to providing “something for everyone,” as students engaged in a diverse range of events that nurtured their physical, intellectual, and spiritual growth.

On the athletic front, the Ezra Eagles basketball team secured their first victory of the season against Ohr Shlomo, showcasing their determination and teamwork. Meanwhile, the Boys’ JV flag football team made history by playing their first-ever game against HAFTR, a significant milestone for the school’s growing sports program. These victories and new beginnings highlight the school’s dedication to physical activity and sportsmanship, encouraging students to challenge themselves in competitive athletics.

For students who prefer to explore the world of literature, the book club had its third meeting of the year, delving into Jon Krakauer’s harrowing nonfiction narrative, Into the Wild. Engaged in thoughtful discussions, members analyzed the book’s themes of adventure, survival, and self-discovery, fostering critical thinking and a love for reading. This club continues to be a haven for students eager to explore new literary horizons and engage in meaningful dialogue.

On the spiritual side, the boys of Ezra Academy continued their commitment to Torah learning with another successful week of Kollel and Mishmar. These

voluntary programs demonstrate the students’ dedication to their faith, as they either rise early for Kollel studies or extend their Thursdays with Mishmar, immersing themselves in deeper Jewish learning. Their unwavering commitment to religious study underscores the school’s mission of nurturing spiritual growth alongside academic and extracurricular pursuits.

Academically, the girls’ division had a week rich with cultural and educational enrichment. In celebration of Tu B’Shvat, multiple classes explored the significance and traditions of this holiday, learning about its deep-rooted connection to nature and Jewish values. To complement their studies, students participated in a hands-on painting activity, illustrating various elements from nature as a creative expression of their newfound knowledge. This fusion of academics and art exemplifies Ezra Academy’s holistic approach to education.

With an ever-growing array of clubs and activities, Ezra Academy continues to fulfill its promise of engaging students in ways that stimulate their creativity, intellect, and physical well-being. Whether on the court, in the classroom, or through spiritual study, Ezra ensures that every student has the opportunity to thrive and find their passion in an environment that values well-rounded development.

The Schottenstein Edition of Ein Yaakov - Volume 18

Insight to Yerushalmi Megillah Chapter 1, Mishnah 2 (daf 18a): The Gemara states that Nachum bar Simai was referred to as the “son of holy ones” because of his practice not to gaze upon the image engraved on a coin. While the Gemara is certainly to be understood in its literal sense, several of the Chassidic masters have offered homiletic interpretations of this passage that shed light on what should be the proper attitude toward blessings such as wealth and yichus (distinguished lineage).

R’ Yisrael Hager, the Ahavas Yisrael of Vizhnitz, observes that there are two types of mindsets that one can have with regard to his money. One approach is to appreciate the role money has in fulfilling Hashem’s will. A person who has this attitude views his wealth as a means for spiritual growth. His money is valuable to him because he can use it to perform countless mitzvos, such as donating charity, supporting Torah scholars, and extending loans to those in need. The second type of attitude is to admire one’s wealth just for its own sake. Such a person would enjoy simply looking at his money and take pleasure in the mere fact that he owns it. When the Gemara says that R’ Nachum bar Simai did not look at the image on a coin, it means that he did not fall into the trap of viewing his money as an end in itself. His refusal to gaze at coins was an expression of his firm recognition that his

Did you know?

money had value only because of the good that could be done with it.

The Ahavas Yisrael explains further that the same lesson applies to the approach one should take toward his yichus. A person who descends from illustrious ancestors can simply take pride in his inherited status, feeling that this alone grants him superiority over his fellows. Such a person is akin to the wealthy man who lovingly gazes at his money, thinking that it in itself confers upon him prestige. However, the wise man realizes that yichus, much like money, is a gift that is meant to be used primarily in the service of Hashem. A person who possesses distinguished lineage must become worthy of it, by viewing it as an impetus that spurs him to reach for greater heights himself. The wonderful deeds of his parents and grandparents are indeed a source of merit for him — but only if he follows in their footsteps and uses his strong foundation to strive even higher (see also Shelah, Parashas Bechukosai, Derech Chaim Tochachas Mussar).

Based on this idea, we can understand why R’ Nachum bar Simai was called the “ son of holy ones,” even though the Gemara is praising R’ Nachum’s own piety, not that of his ancestors. It is because he correctly perceived what it means to have eminent yichus. Although his ancestors were righteous, he did not simply admire the spiritu-

The Lincoln penny has been in circulation since 1909.

al wealth he inherited from them and stop there. He himself aspired to greatness and sought to emulate their holy ways. R’ Nachum fully understood the implications of his noble upbringing. To him it was a source of obligation — and a means of propelling him to even greater heights of achievement. He thus truly deserved the accolade of being “the son of holy ones” (Ahavas Yisrael, Bereishis, Likkutim §51).

R’ Aryeh Leibish Halberstam, the Rebbe of Zhemigrod, offers another interpretation of why R’ Nachum bar Simai was known as the “son of holy ones.” He notes that the Aramaic term our Gemara uses here for coin is zuza. The Midrash teaches that this relates to the word zaz, which means “to move,” because money and riches do not permanently stay with a person but constantly move from one individual to the next (Tanchuma, Mattos §6). R’ Nachum was likewise called “the son of holy ones” because he recognized that yichus works in the same manner. The illustriousness of one’s ancestors, no matter how exemplary, is no guarantee that their spiritual level will remain with him.

Thus, R’ Nachum never spent time admiring the “image” of the noble lineage that preceded him. He knew that to be truly considered the son of holy ones, he could not rely on the merit of his forebears alone. He strove for greatness himself; he moved to start his own illustrious line.

Reprinted from The Schottenstein Edition of Ein Yaakov with permission from the copyright holder, ArtScroll Mesorah Publications.

TJH Centerfold

If Adults Weren’t Embarrassed to Drink Hot Chocolate…

They wouldn’t complain about winter so much. We get it; it’s cold – drink your hot chocolate and get over it.

There would be podcasts about how to avoid sipping your hot chocolate too soon, guaranteeing a burnt tongue, while not waiting too long, resulting in lukewarm chocolate. Yes, it’s a science.

Boardrooms would have marshmallow dispensers. “Let’s circle back on Q4 revenue projections – also, does anyone want extra whipped cream?”

Grown men wouldn’t have to pretend the hot chocolate is for their kid. Your hot chocolate mustache is a dead giveaway.

Instead of ordering strong, black coffee to look tough, people would proudly say, “I’ll take the large hot chocolate without marshmallows, please!” Because nothing looks tougher than turning down marshmallows, says the man who eats globs of marshmallow fluff for midnight snack.

Hockers would know the best place to get extra marshmallows in their hot chocolate. “Go to my guy, he’ll hook you up with extra marshmallows… I’ll call him beforehand and tell him to take care of you.”

Coffee shops would finally put hot chocolate on the menu where it belongs – AT THE TOP. And no one would have to whisper, “Um…do you guys, like, have hot chocolate?”

Lakewood would have a store that sells artisanal hot chocolate for $8 per ounce. But they have great takanah halls!

Instagram would be full of people flexing their hot chocolate game. “Just me and my gourmet marshmallow-topped Belgian cocoa in my custom hand-painted mug. #HotChocGoals”

Coffee snobs would become hot chocolate snobs. “Oh, you drink instant cocoa? I only do single-origin, hand-whisked Peruvian cacao with oat milk.”

Hot Chocolate Trivia

1. What ingredient in traditional Mexican hot chocolate gives it a spicy kick?

a. Cayenne pepper

b. Nutmeg

c. Cinnamon

d. Black pepper

2. How much is the hot chocolate at New York’s 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar (Hint: it has Amedei Porcelana Dark Chocolate, one of the world’s most expensive chocolates; house-made whipped cream, marshmallows and topshelf spirits; and it’s drizzled with gold shavings.)

a. $754

b. $3,000

c. $6,400

d. $12,180

3. The world’s largest cup of hot chocolate was made in Mexico in 2018. How many gallons was it?

a. 14

b. 400

c. 739

d. 1,272

4. Who predicted that hot chocolate would become popular because “the superiority of chocolate, both for health and nourishment, will soon give it the same preference over tea and coffee in America which it has in Spain”?

a. Starbucks’s Howard Schultz

b. Mr. Centerfo LdCommish

c. Thomas Jefferson

d. Milton S. Hershey

c. Egyptians

d. Vikings

5. Which famous novel features a “hot chocolate river”?

a. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

b. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

c. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

d. The Polar Express

6. What ancient civilization is credited with inventing hot chocolate?

a. Romans

b. Aztecs

You Gotta Be Kidding Me! Why did the hot chocolate go to therapy? Because it was very marshmellowdramatic.

In Switzerland, what is a common pairing with hot

A croissant

Cheese fondue

c. A slice of cake

d. A piece of dark chocolate

Answers:

2-B

3-D

4-C

5-C

6-B

7-D

Wisdom Key:

5-7 correct: Go to New York’s 230 Fifth Rooftop Bar and try their $3,000 hot chocolate. Tell them I sent you.

2-4 correct: You earned a hot chocolate! Go make one in your kitchen and send me the bill.

0-1 correct: You are all fluff, no marshmallow.

Aviable legal system is of necessity composed of two parts. One is the law itself, the rules that govern society and are enforced by the proper designated legal authorities. The other part of the legal system is the moral, transcendental value system that governs human and societal behavior generally. If the legalities and rules are the body, the corpus of the legal system, then the value system and moral imperatives that accompany those rules are the soul and spirit of that legal system.

In a general sense, we can say that the Written Law represents the body of the legal system while the accompanying Oral Law represents the soul and spirit of Jewish jurisprudence and Jewish societal life and its mores and behavior. The Written Law is interpreted and tempered by the Oral Law that accompanies it, and both of these systems are Divine in origin.

It is perfectly understandable how, for instance, “an eye for an eye” in Jewish law means the monetary value of the

Torah Thought

Parshas Mishpatim

By Rabbi Berel Wein

injury must be paid to the victim of that injury but not that the perpetrator’s eye should also be put out as punishment for his behavior. In the Talmud, we have many examples of the overriding moral influence of the Oral Law when applied to the seemingly strict literal words of

So, when studying this week’s parsha of laws, rules and commandments, we must always bear in mind the whole picture of Jewish jurisprudence in its many layers and not be blinded by adopting a purely literal stance on the subject matter being discussed by the Torah in the

The value system and moral imperatives that accompany those rules are the soul and spirit of that legal system.

the Written Law. The rabbis of the Talmud taught us that there is even a third layer to Jewish law that governs those that wish to be considered righteous in the eyes of man and G-d, and that is the concept of going beyond what the law –even the Oral Law – requires of us.

parsha. Throughout the ages, the process of halachic decision-making has been subject to this ability to see the forest and not just the trees, to deal with the actual people involved and not only with the books and precedents available concerning the issue at hand. Every issue is

thus debated, argued over, buttressed and sometimes refuted by opposing or supporting sources. Independence of thought and creativity of solutions are the hallmarks of the history of rabbinic responsa on all halachic issues.

There are issues that are seemingly decided on the preponderance of soul and spirit over the pure letter of the law. There is the famous responsa of the great Rabbi Chaim Rabinowitz of Volozhin who allowed a woman, whose husband had disappeared, to remarry though the proof of her husband’s death was not literally conclusive. He stated there that he made “an arrangement with my G-d” that permitted her to remarry.

This is but one example of many similar instances strewn throughout rabbinic responsa of the necessary components of spirit and soul that combine with literal precedents that always exist in order to arrive at correct interpretations of the holy and Divine books of law that govern Jewish life.

Shabbat shalom.

From the Fire

Parshas Mishpatim Producing Polished People

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

All of the commentaries ask why, immediately following the Jewish people’s exalted experience of receiving the Torah at Sinai, Hashem suddenly descends into the detailed civil laws of Parshas Mishpatim. We drop, without warning, from lightning, thunder, and Divine revelation to slaves and compensation for thievery. It seems like quite a letdown.

The Midrash explains that Hashem created the world and gave the Torah because “The Holy One desired to have a dwelling place in the lower world” (Tanchuma, Nasso, 16). Next week’s parsha, Terumah, is all about the building of the Mishkan, the sanctuary in which Hashem dwells. The Midrash (Shemos Rabah 33) expands that the purpose is the Mishkan is “Do me this favor: wherever you go, make Me a small dwelling-place so that I may live, adur, [which is related to the word Adar] with you.” That is the ultimate goal of the giving of the Torah. So why did Parshas Terumah not follow immediately after the giving of the Torah? Why is Parshas Mishpatim first?

The Gemara (Makkos 23b-24a) teaches us that there are certain principles which form the gateway through which we can access the entirety of Yiddishkeit. The most well-known is “Chavakuk [HaNavi] placed them [the fundamentals of Yiddishkeit] on one idea: ‘A tzaddik lives with his emunah’” (Chavakuk 2:4). But the Gemara also says that “Michah came and placed them on three ideas: ‘He has told you, O man, what is good and what does G-d seek from you? Only to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your G-d’” (Michah 6:8).

This is a puzzling statement. It seems so pareve, so noncommittal, so generic. In fact, when I went yeshiva as a child, there was a Reform Temple around the corner, and this was the pasuk they in-

scribed on the building. It is perfect for them. They would never post the pasuk, “And you shall observe Shabbos to keep it holy.” They love the pasuk in Michah because it makes no specific demands. Yet how can we, who understand that Michah meant to teach that the three things he listed were the key to successfully actualizing all aspects of Yiddishkeit in our lives, understand why Michah listed “doing justice,” observing the laws in Parshas Mishpatim, as more than mere details? In what way are they the key to all of Yiddishkeit?

Rav Shmuel Berezovsky, zt”l , the Slonimer Rebbe, teaches an idea in the sefer Darchei Noam (5775), which gives us the key to answer this question. He quotes a Midrash (Yalkut Shimoni 942) explaining the pasuk (Devarim 32:2), “My teaching will drip like rain, my words will fall like dew, like storm winds on vegetation, and like delicate raindrops on grass.” The Midrash explains the nature of these delicate raindrops, revivim, as follows: “Just as these delicate raindrops descend, refine, and polish the grasses, so too the words of Torah refine and pol-

ish.” The Torah has the power to change a person. How?

The purpose of the fine raindrops, according to this Midrash, is to put the last finishing touch on the grass – to give it a certain sparkle. That perfect finish adds a level of grace and charm that makes the vegetation in Hashem’s world so beautiful to look at.

The Darchei Noam explains that the Torah is meant to do the same thing to us. It is meant to refine and polish those who study it. That is why the detailed laws of Parshas Mishpatim precede the building of the Mishkan in Parshas Terumah. While the purpose of the Torah is indeed to facilitate the creation of a dwelling-place for Hashem in this physical world through the Mishkan, the fact is that even the Mishkan is only a means to an end.

The pasuk says at the beginning of Parshas Terumah that “they shall make a Mishkan for Me and I will dwell among them” (Shemos 25:8). As the Alshich and the Shlah HaKadosh explain, “It does not say ‘in it.’ But instead, ‘in them’ – within each and every person.” The fi-

nal goal in the building of the Mishkan is not only that the Divine Presence rest in it, but rather, it is a means to allow Hashem’s Presence to dwell within each and every Jew.

Accordingly, we must first refine and polish ourselves so that we will be fitting vessel’s for Hashem’s light. We must make ourselves the kind of refined people with whom Hashem wants to spend more time. That is why the fine, detailed raindrops of the halachos of Parshas Mishpatim must precede Parshas Terumah.

The essential theme of all of the laws in Mishpatim is: do not harm, damage, or hurt others. This sensitivity comes from incorporating the Torah into our lives. It must polish and refine us to the point that our exalted nature expresses itself even in how we treat our own and others’ property. One cannot keep someone up late at night by leaving his light on while he studies the Alter Rebbe’s teaching in Torah Ohr regarding Hashem’s desire to have a dwelling-place in the lower world chassidus and kabbalah and think that he has even touched what Hashem is looking for a Jew. Awareness of and sensitivity to others is how one knows when he has become a refined vessel for G-dliness through his Torah learning.

Hashem set things up such that we must live with and around people who are very different from ourselves. Why else would He create a world in which men and women, who are as different as night and day, must live together for a lifetime? Torah’s purpose is to refine us so that we learn to respect others’ sensibilities and property. We do not cross the street against the traffic light, thus making cars wait. We do not make noise late at night outside, thus keeping people awake. I spoke with one woman who cannot have children. Whenever she gets together with her sisters-in-law, the only

thing they talk about is their children. They have absolutely no awareness of the effect of their words have on their childless sister-in-law. It does not occur to them to tone down the child-oriented conversation so that she will not go home and cry in her pillow once again that night.

We see from the Midrash that those who study Torah in the right way, for the purpose of growing spiritually and connecting to Hashem, become refined, noble people. They become the ultimate vessels for Hashem’s Presence in this world, giving G-d a magnificent dwelling-place on earth.

The qualities of consideration and refinement are indicative of a person who has allowed himself to be influenced by Torah and thereby become a vessel for G-d’s Presence. That is the quality of the tzaddikim that is so endearing. Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l , was the greatest posek of the generation, but he had such sensitivity toward others. Watching him, one saw how he was constantly recalibrating how he was talking to people, always adjusting the way he treated people out of a sensitivity to who they were and their sensibilities. Hashem placed Parshas Mishpatim before Terumah because

he wants us to know that he wants to live with sensitive, refined people. We must first make sure not to harm others before we can think about attaining higher spiritual levels.

raindrops of the Torah.

Let us consider those who talk during davening, putting aside how wrong it is spiritually and how the Zohar (Terumah, 131b) says that one who talks in shul has

Those who study Torah in the right way, for the purpose of growing spiritually and connecting to Hashem, become refined, noble people.

Unfortunately, one need go no further than his shul to find people who have studied Torah without internalizing its polish and refinement. Listening to a message such as the Darchei Noam’s regarding sensitivity and refinement, such people respond, “But that’s not who I am! Why should I change how I act just because someone else is uptight? That’s their problem!” This approach is not the way of the tzaddikim and is not the way of the Torah. It is not the way of the gentle

no portion with the G-d of Israel. Let us also put aside the fact that the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 124:7) says that the sin of one who talks during the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei is “too great to bear,” using the same language Kayin uses to describe the severity of his sin when he murdered his brother (Bereishis 4:13). Let us consider only the issue of consideration for other people. There are people who are incredibly offended if, while they are talking in shul, another

person dares to “shush” or glare at them. “How dare he try to quiet me down? Does he think he’s so much better than me!”

Let us face facts. Even without all of the spiritual weight behind those who elect not to talk in shul, it is a synagogue – a place for prayer. So if there is a dispute between two people regarding whether to talk or not, the non-talkers should win. They are the home team. How oblivious of one’s environment and other people’s feelings and sensibilities must one be to talk when people are trying to daven or listen to the Torah reading? How has none of a person’s Torah learning made him an even minimally sensitive and considerate person?

May we merit to study Torah for Hashem’s sake such that it polishes and refines us, bringing out the latent nobility we carry with us as children of Avraham, Yitzchak, and Yaakov. May we thereby become sensitive, respectful people with whom Hashem wants to spend time!

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

“Iwant the very best.” That’s what we tell ourselves, isn’t it? As human beings, we understand that there is a spectrum of quality for everything, and we want only the best. We desire the best relationships, teachers, friends, food, clothing, experiences — the best of everything. But what makes something the best? Sometimes, it’s the quantity; this brand supplies more of its product for the same price. But often, it’s the quality that makes the difference. When you pay an increased rate for a service, experience, or luxury, you do so with the assumption that you are receiving a higher quality product, one that is fundamentally improved from the basic, standard package. With this in mind, let us explore a unique idea connected to Eretz Yisrael.

The Torah is replete with mention of Eretz Yisrael’s greatness and uniqueness. While we often hear about Eretz Yisrael’s unique kedushah, we must ask: What is the nature of this holiness, uniqueness, and greatness? One can suggest that the land itself is of better quality and more inhabitable, or that Eretz Yisrael is the home of the Jewish people. But there is

Think. Feel.Grow.

Eretz Yisrael A Place Beyond Place

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

something more at hand; its value goes far beyond that. For instance:

• The Beis Hamikdash, the spiritual center of the universe, was located at the center of Eretz Yisrael.

• Hashem promised Avraham the land of Israel as a sign of their eternal covenant.

• There are a number of mitzvos that can only be performed in Eretz Yisrael. Our question, then, is twofold. What is the underlying uniqueness of this special land, and why does Eretz Yisrael possess this unique quality?

The Uniqueness of Eretz Yisrael

At a surface level, the land of Israel is no more than that: a land for the Jewish People to inhabit. There is nothing unique or fundamentally different about Eretz Yisrael; it simply serves as the homeland of the Jewish people. This was the argument made in the twentieth century when some proposed that Uganda should be given to the Jewish people as a homeland. This stems from the pragmatic view that Israel was a safe haven for the Jewish peo-

ple, and any other land could serve this function just as well. This line of thinking diminishes, if not eliminates, any inherent spiritual uniqueness that the land of Israel might possess. According to this view, the Beis Hamikdash’s location in Eretz Yisrael is of no intrinsic significance — and evidence of this would be the fact that the Jewish people had the Mishkan in the desert, and that sufficed. However, such a view overlooks the true nature and depth of the Jewish homeland. Eretz Yisrael is not special simply because it is the homeland of the Jewish people; it is the homeland of the Jewish People because it is special. Let us explore this topic. When Hashem created the world, He also created its accompanying dimensions of time and space. This occurred through a process that emanated from one point of inception: the Even Shesiyah (rock of formation). This rock of formation, from which the entire physical world expanded, is located at the heart and center of Eretz Yisrael, under the Kodesh Hakodashim in the Beis Hamikdash. It is from this point that all of time and space comes into existence. As such, the rules of time

and space as we know them begin to bend as one approaches this holy spot. And in this focal point itself, the rules of time and space cease to exist. Let us explore this in greater depth.

Concentric Layers of Time and Space

There are several identifiable layers of time and space in the world, organized in concentric circles. The outermost area is the majority of the world, governed by what we consider to be the laws of physics. However, once one enters Eretz Yisrael, these rules begin to bend. In Sefer Daniel (11:41), Israel is referred to as “Eretz HaTzvi, the land of the deer.” The Gemara explains this comparison between Eretz Yisrael and a deer. The skin of a deer, once removed from its body, appears far too small to have ever fit over the deer. A deer’s skin stretches on its body — a trait it shares with Eretz Yisrael. The land of Israel stretches to fit its people (Gittin 57b); as such, there will always be room for all the Jewish people to come home.

The second concentric circle is Yerushalayim, which lies at the center

of Eretz Yisrael. On each of the Shalosh Regalim (Pesach, Shavuos, Sukkos), the Jewish people gathered in Yerushalayim to celebrate. The Mishnah in Avos (5:5) states that nobody ever complained that they could not find lodging in Yerushalayim. The city of Yerushalayim — an area far smaller than the land of Israel — miraculously made room for its people.

The third concentric circle is the Azarah , the courtyard within the Beis Hamikdash. The Jewish people gathered in this area to daven on the Shalosh Regalim, standing crowded together in the small courtyard. The Mishnah in Avos (5:5) testifies to the miracle that occurred here: although everyone stood crowded together, when they bowed, they had adequate space. This is due to the unique spiritual nature of this place. When standing in the courtyard of the Beis Hamikdash, in the center of Yerushalayim, in the land of Eretz Yisrael, the rules of time and space bend. However, this was only true once they bowed down; only once they negated their egos and recognized Hashem as the Source of time and space were they able to exist beyond these physical boundaries.

The last layer of kedushah is the Kodesh Hakodashim, located directly above the Even Shesiyah. At this point, the laws of time and space break down completely. The Gemara (Megillah 10b; Yoma 21a) explains that the Aron (Holy Ark) in the Beis Hamikdash, occupied no space. The measurments from either side of the Aron to the wall were the same as the width of the Kodesh Hakodashim itself. (Tanach lists the measurements of the Kodesh Hakodashim as twenty square amos (Melachim I 6:20). But the Gemara states that there were ten square amos on either side of the Aron. These measurements do not end up giving the Aron any dimensions at all. To explain this paradox, the Gemara explains that there are no measurements in the Kodesh Hakodashim.)

This principle — that the Kodesh Hakodashim exists in a realm far beyond time and space — manifests in another unique way. It is forbidden for anyone to enter the Kodesh Hakodashim at any time, as the Torah states: “No man shall enter” (Vayikra 16:17). However, the Kohen Gadol enters the Beis Hamikdash on Yom Kippur. How is this possible?

Man cannot enter the Kodesh Hakodashim — not as a restriction, but by definition. The Kodesh Hakodashim is completely beyond space and time; as such, it is impossible for a physical, mortal, limited human being to exist in such a place. However, the Kohen Gadol is able to enter

on Yom Kippur, on a day when he is no longer human. On Yom Kippur, we transcend our physical nature and embrace our angelic root. We wear white, dressing as angels. We refrain from eating, as we loosen the hold that our physical body has on our angelic soul. We say, “Baruch shem kevod malchuso l’olam va’ed — Blessed is the glorified name of His kingship forever and ever” aloud, a line that only angels can

entirely. This is because mitzvos are the means by which we connect ourselves to Hashem, and Eretz Yisrael is the ideal and ultimate setting in which to do so. It is the center and root of this physical world’s connection to the spiritual; the ideal place for us to connect our physical lives to the ultimate spirituality. There is another unique phenomenon in the Torah that relates to the unique -

The rules of time and space as we know them begin to bend as one approaches this holy spot.

say aloud. On this special day, the Kohen Gadol represents all of Klal Yisrael — not as a man but as an angelic being. In this state, he enters the Kodesh Hakodashim, now able to exist in the place that transcends the limitations of time and space.

Mitzvos in Eretz Yisrael

This principle that we have developed — the intrinsic holiness of Eretz Yisrael — explains why there are many mitzvos that apply uniquely within its borders. This special treatment is not practical; it is indicative of the objective status of the land. Eretz Yisrael is fundamentally different and thus it warrants fundamentally different obligations. It is the physical land most potently rooted in a spiritual reality. The very earth of Eretz Yisrael is saturated with higher levels of kedushah. The produce is of a fundamentally different nature, filled with the nutrients of holiness and transcendence. Every four amos one walks in Eretz Yisrael is another mitzvah. (Kesubos 111a; Rambam, Mishneh Torah, Melachim 5:11). The actual wording of the Gemara is: “Anyone who walks four amos in Eretz Yisrael is ensured a share in the World to Come,” but Klal Yisrael has become accustomed to referring to this as a “mitzvah.” See Mishnah Berurah 248:28.)

This also sheds light on the Ramban’s unique approach to mitzvos performed in Eretz Yisrael in contrast to those performed outside it. (See Ramban, Vayikra 18:25, Bamidbar 33:53, and Devarim 4:5. See also Kesubos 110b; Sifri, Parashas Eikev 43 (cited by Rashi, Devarim 11:18); Hasagos to the Rambam’s Sefer HaMitzvos, Asei 4.) The Ramban suggests that the mitzvos performed within the borders of Eretz Yisrael are of a different nature

ness of Eretz Yisrael. There are several instances where Chazal mention the concept of kefitzas ha’derech, literally translated as “jumping the path.” This refers to the unique ability to travel at a pace quicker than the laws of nature would normally allow, thereby enabling someone to travel extraordinary distances in mere seconds or perhaps even instantaneously. How and why does this occur?

In our next article, we will delve deeper into this fascinating topic and try to answer these questions.

Rabbi Shmuel Reichman is the author of the bestselling book, “The Journey to Your Ultimate Self,” which serves as an inspiring gateway into deeper Jewish thought. He is an educator and speaker who has lectured internationally on topics of Torah thought, Jewish medical ethics, psychology, and leadership. He is also the founder and CEO of Self-Mastery Academy, the transformative online self-development course based on the principles of high-performance psychology and Torah.

After obtaining his BA from Yeshiva University, he received Semicha from Yeshiva University’s RIETS, a master’s degree in education from Azrieli Graduate School, and a master’s degree in Jewish Thought from Bernard Revel Graduate School. He then spent a year studying at Harvard as an Ivy Plus Scholar. He currently lives in Chicago with his wife and son where he is pursuing a PhD at the University of Chicago.

To invite Rabbi Reichman to speak in your community or to enjoy more of his deep and inspiring content, visit his website: ShmuelReichman.com.

Delving into the Daf

Should Mordechai Have Bowed to Haman?

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

In the bustling city of Shushan, two young boys, Eli and Daniel, raced through the crowded marketplace.

“I heard Father say that Haman rides through the streets today,” Eli panted, his dark curls bouncing as he ran. “He’s second only to King Achashverosh himself!”

Daniel responded “And they say everyone must bow to him. Even the nobles!”

The boys skidded to a stop as they reached the grand gate of the King’s palace. Peeking from behind one of the pillars, Eli pointed. “Look! There he is!”

A crowd had gathered. At its center was Haman, his robes rich and flowing, adorned with jewels that sparkled like stars. His chin was lifted high, a smug smile curling at his lips as the people bowed low, their heads nearly touching the ground.

But amidst the sea of bowed figures, one man stood tall and unyielding. His

face was solemn, his back straight, and his eyes focused forward, unwavering.

“That’s Mordechai HaTzaddik!”

Daniel whispered, gripping Eli’s arm.

“He’s one of the King’s advisors and a rebbe at our yeshiva.”

The boys watched, their hearts thudding. The noise of the crowd dimmed, and an eerie silence blanketed the area.

Haman’s smile faded, his eyes narrowing as he turned to see who dared defy him. His gaze locked on Mordechai, who stood firm, his expression calm and resolute.

Haman’s face flushed with fury. “Why do you not bow before me?” he demanded, his voice echoing off the palace walls.

Mordechai’s voice was steady, clear enough for all to hear. “I am a Jew, and I bow only to the Al-mighty.”

The crowd gasped. Eli’s and Daniel’s eyes widened, a chill running down

their spines. Haman’s fists clenched, his knuckles turning white. For a moment, the world seemed to hold its breath.

Then, Haman’s lips curled into a wicked smile. “You will pay for this insolence,” he hissed, his voice dripping with malice.

Eli and Daniel then engaged in a whispered conversation. * * *

Eli: Why is Mordechai refusing to bow down to Haman?

Daniel: The Mishna in Sanhedrin states that bowing can be a form of Avoda Zara. If that’s the case, then bowing to Haman should be forbidden as well.

Eli: But the Gemara in Sanhedrin (61b) clearly states that bowing as a sign of respect to another person is permissible. Why would honoring Haman be an issue?

Daniel: Honoring him isn’t the prob -

lem – it’s the fact that Haman declared himself a deity (Megillah 19). That makes bowing to him a direct issue of Avoda Zara.

Eli: Mordechai could simply bow with the intention of showing respect and not worshipping him. That way, it wouldn’t really be Avoda Zara.

Daniel: Abaye discusses this exact scenario. He says that serving an idol out of fear or respect for another person is still considered Avoda Zara. If someone mistakenly thought this was allowed and did it accidentally, they would need to bring a Korban Chattas.

Eli: True, but Rava disagrees. Rava holds that worshipping an idol for ulterior motives does not count as Avoda Zara unless the person truly accepts it as a god. Since we follow Rava’s rulings in halacha, Mordechai should technically be allowed to bow to Haman out of fear.

Daniel: That’s outrageous! The halacha is clear – one must never transgress the “Big Three” sins, even under threat of death. Are you suggesting Rava disagrees with this fundamental rule?

Eli: You raise a valid concern. But in Avoda Zara 54a, Rava states that one must only sacrifice their life if Avoda Zara is worshipped publicly. If worshipped in private, it is permitted to save one’s life. Since Mordechai was at the palace gates – a private setting without ten Jews present – he could have bowed without violating this law.

Daniel: That’s not how we rule. The prevailing opinion is that one must die rather than worship Avoda Zara, even privately. Tosafos even explains that Rava wasn’t presenting his own view –he was merely explaining another sage’s position. Mordechai, therefore, could not bow, even at the palace gates.

Eli: But this situation is unique. Everyone was bowing to Haman out of fear. Everyone knew it wasn’t genuine. The prohibition against bowing to Avoda Zara applies when the person is the only one who knows it’s a sham. Here, the entire nation was pretending, so shouldn’t Mordechai have been allowed

to do the same?

Daniel: Hmm. That’s an interesting point. Tosafos does suggest something along those lines. But consider this –Haman was wearing idols around his neck. Those were actual deities that people worshipped. That could explain why Mordechai refused to bow.

Eli: But did you see Rav Oppenheim’s

Eli: That’s one interpretation. But are you absolutely certain Haman was wearing idols? Those gaudy accessories around his neck look less like idols and more like a desperate fashion statement! Honestly, if bad fashion were a crime, Haman would have been executed long before Mordechai had a chance to annoy him! Who would wear a triangular hat?

Honoring him isn’t the problem – it’s the fact that Haman declared himself a deity

view? He rules that bowing to a government official wearing idols is permissible. It is clear that the show of respect is meant for the official and not the idols.

Daniel: Maybe so, but in the future, the Terumas HaDeshen will be written, and it will disagree. In fact, it will cite Mordechai’s refusal as proof that one may not bow to an official wearing idols. That’s probably why Mordechai refused.

Daniel: Tosafos offers yet another perspective. According to this view, Mordechai could have bowed, but he chose not to, for the sake of making a Kiddush Hashem. This is similar to a story about two brothers who were threatened with death unless they drank forbidden wine. Though they could have deceived their captors by drinking water from red-colored glass -

es, they chose martyrdom rather than create the appearance of violating Jewish law. Mordechai, too, was willing to risk his life to avoid even the perception of idolatry.

Eli: That makes sense. Rava in Megillah (13) notes that many Jews complain about Mordechai’s actions. They feel he should bow instead of provoking Haman unnecessarily. It seems like that may have a point.

Daniel: Exactly! HaBochur Shlomo, shlit”a, even cites support for this view from the Gra. The Gra will explain that Mordechai’s intense weeping upon hearing Haman’s eventual decree will stem from his own guilt – he will feel that his refusal to bow had triggered Haman’s wrath against the Jewish people.

Eli: I have a feeling this will all work out well, and we’ll end up celebrating this moment.

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

Headlines Halacha

Lehavdil, a Modern Day Yonah? A Message of Teshuvah and Geulah

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

September 1, 1923, was the 20th of Elul – almost 102 years ago. An earthquake, a very powerful one, hit Japan’s Kanto plain. It destroyed Tokyo, Yokohama, and its surrounding cities. It killed over 100,000 people. When the news reached the Chofetz Chaim in Radin, he fasted and said that the news should galvanize everyone to do teshuvah. He wrote a Kol Koreh about it (Letters of the Chofetz Chaim 10-12). The Chofetz Chaim teaches us that everything that happens in the world carries a message for Klal Yisroel.

Right now, all of Klal Yisroel is davening fervently for the hostages. And we stand less than two months before Pesach.

As we prepare for Pesach, Zman Geulaseinu, a remarkable incident has occurred that bears interesting similarity to the account of Yonah HaNavi in Sefer Yonah.

Adrián Simancas, a 24-year-old adventurer, found himself briefly engulfed in the mouth of a massive humpback whale off the coast of Chilean Patagonia last week. This extraordinary event, reminiscent, lehavdil, of Yonah’s experience, offers us profound insights particularly relevant to our current times.

Simancas was paddling with his father in the Strait of Magellan when, without warning, a humpback whale emerged and took him into its mouth.

“I saw dark blue and white colors before feeling a slimy texture brush against my face,” Simancas reported. “When its mouth closed around me and pulled me down, I felt like I was in a whirlpool, lying down and spinning around.” Unlike Yonah’s experience, which lasted three days and three nights, Simancas’s encounter was brief, ending when his life jacket pulled him to the surface.

Parallels to Yonah’s Experience

The Midrash provides us with fascinating details about Yonah’s experience that shed light on how we should view such encounters. We learn that Yonah’s ordeal involved two fish: first a male fish where he found himself in a spacious place but did

not daven, and then a pregnant female fish filled with 365,000 small fry fish. As the Midrash explains, “The Holy One Blessed Be He said: ‘I made him a spacious place in the belly of the fish but still he did not daven. I shall prepare for him a pregnant fish carrying 365,000 fry, so that he will be in pain and pray to me’” (Midrash Yonah).

Rabbeinu Bachya (BsMidbar 11:5) provides additional insight, noting that the word “dagah” (the feminine form used in the text) signifies a dead fish, suggesting

open and sometimes shut, so the gates of tefillah are sometimes shut and sometimes open, but as the sea is always open, so the gates of teshuvah are always open.”

This powerful metaphor of the sea as a place of constant potential for Geulah may resonate deeply with both Yonah’s experience and the recent allusion of Simancas’s experience.

A Message for Our Times

Simancas emerged from his encounter

“I felt blessed with a second chance to review the mistakes that led me to be there –not just in the expedition, but in life itself.”

that at one point, Yonah was surrounded by death itself – a profound metaphor, for our own time of the October 7 hostages – for the depths from which redemption can emerge.

The Midrash (Aicha Rabbasi 3:43) teach us that “as the bath is sometimes

saying, “I felt blessed with a second chance to review the mistakes that led me to be there – not just in the expedition, but in life itself.” This personal reflection may help us focus on the deeper message of Yonah’s experience. As our sources teach us, complete transformation is not a one-time event but

a process of growth and development.

Just as the people of Ninveh’s immediate but superficial repentance ultimately proved temporary, true Geulah requires sustained commitment and growth.

While Chilean law mandates maintaining a distance of at least 100 meters from whales, Simancas and his father had ventured far into open waters. Their experience reminds us that while we must do our hishtadlus (reasonable effort) and express hakaras hatov to President Trump, ultimately our salvation comes not from politics but from Hashem alone. But let us also realize that just as Klal Yisroel at the Yam Suf needed to take the first step into the water before it split, we too must combine our practical efforts with complete faith in Hashem’s salvation.

As we prepare for Pesach, this whale encounter carries particular significance. The parallels to Yonah’s experience remind us that Ge’ulah comes k’he’eref ayin, swiftly and unexpectedly. Just as Yonah emerged from the depths of the sea to fulfill his purpose, tachlis and mission, and just as our ancestors were freed from the seemingly inescapable bondage of Mitzrayim, we daven for the imminent release of the hostages and the ultimate redemption of Klal Yisroel.

As we soon clean our homes of chametz and prepare to celebrate Zman Cheiruseinu, this whale encounter can serve as a reminder that Hashem continues to show us signs of His presence and hashgacha. Following the teaching of the Chofetz Chaim, we recognize that perhaps this event carries a powerful message of hope – that just as Simancas was freed from the whale’s mouth, and just as we were redeemed from Mitzrayim, we too await the moment when we will witness the complete ge’ulah of our people, speedily in our days. Amein.

When we closed up our Back-Cedarhurst house in June, we gave away things we wanted, needed and did not see a purpose for in Israel. We moved from a very old but comfortable mid-sized family house to a small, modernized apartment (on a very old and broken street) in Jerusalem.

We loved our cozy former house, despite its broken parts; many wonderful memories were made in that space.

We are often asked Aliyah questions for which we don’t necessarily have the answer; what works for us may not be right for you. Two questions stand out: how are you doing? What did you do with all of your stuff?

We are doing fine; we love it.

The stuff: we had a house full of furniture, closets filled with clothing, and shelves packed with photo albums. Do you remember those old relics?

In the days before the proliferation of cell phones with embedded cameras, people lugged around clumsy cameras when they wanted to take photos on vacation or to memorialize a family occasion or celebration. The invention of the Polaroid camera and its ability to provide on the spot pictures never really took off; it was an expensive process and you had to wait for the picture to develop before you were able to snap the next one.

We loaded our cameras with rolls of Kodak film that we then brought into photo or drug stores to be developed. The processed pictures and a set of negatives came back to you in a compact envelope. After you sorted through the pictures, usually accompanied by comments of “l look so bad!” you would create a thematic album.

The negatives grew old waiting to be developed; they never were.

We also had gigantic 11x14 bar/bat mitzvahs and smaller “parents of the chattan and kallah” wedding albums for each of our children. The couple themselves got the “big one.” Of course, our own wedding album, created 56 years ago, was huge; in those days, there were no borders framing the photos, it creat-

School of Thought

Picture Perfect It’s Not

By Barbara Deutsch

ed pictures that were bigger but blurrier – but bigger is always better?

Now, there are nicks and chips all around the pictures in the hard-to-lugaround albums.

We also have Bob’s “giant” and black and white with a tinge of pink bar mitzvah album. For a “Greener,” this was the proof that you had “made it” because how else could you afford such a “fancy schmantzy” bar mitzvah album?

The special pictures were framed and displayed; the dusty images sat on cluttered surfaces and side tables.

Our bookshelves housed rows upon rows of picture albums celebrating milestones and memories. After my parents passed, it took us weeks to sort through hundreds of untitled pictures of people who we did and did not know. When Bob’s parents passed, Bob’s mother, seeing how much we had to do to organize my parents’ memories, did a lot of prep work. When the time came, our daughter-in-law Tamar easily cleared out Bob’s parents’ apartment.

Our parents’ albums became part of the collection.

Today, everyone has a phone and a camera; selfie anyone? We chronicle every

aspect of our lives from morning to night. Rather than make a phone call and share a big moment, we snap a picture and send it to the chat.

Our multi-talented daughter-in-law Tamar is a creative soul; her magical fingers and efficiently organized mind create order out of chaos in the most pleasing way. Throughout the life milestones made with her family, she has created Shutterfly albums memorializing them.

Most recently, she has gone back through our family’s, her and our history to recreate user-friendly visuals out of the cumbersome albums.

It was a no-brainer for us to turn to Tamar when the time came to figure out what to do with our picture albums come moving day.

The process began with Bob sitting for hours painstakingly taking apart the albums. He then placed the photos into labeled plastic baggies. He did not actually look at the pictures – just sorted them. Pictures of faces, in; places with no faces, out.

It all went into a plastic storage box to be dealt with later. Packing up a family home is overwhelming no matter how minimalist you are, and I am no minimalist!

Albums in the garbage.

We are now sorting for bringing to Israel. It’s daunting to review hundreds of envelopes, and looking at each face kicked up hard-to-manage feelings of melancholy. As we sort we spot old friends and relatives who are no longer with us. We see ourselves through the lens of aging; what happened to my hair? My waistline? My jaw?

The faces of our children and grandchildren as they grew and are now reinvented into the faces of their children and grandchildren; inherited features are real.

As the hostages are too slowly being released, comparisons to their former selves and Holocaust victims flood the internet; “a picture is worth a thousand words.” Looking into their haunted eyes and gaunt faces you can feel their painful journey.

As I touched each precious photo, I sent pictures to dear friends and family to remind them of the good times we had enjoyed together – sheva brachot, trips and more. The sorting process is arduous and painful; despite best efforts to keep photos of only our most cherished people, I still hesitate to throw any of this last bit out.

I will forever be haunted by the hostage plight and visage, do I need hard copies of what they looked like upon release to remind me of their journey?

Without albums to page through, will I remember the precious faces and the good times we had together? There is no room in my downsized apartment for the albums; the photos collecting on my phone just don’t project in the same way.

I will hold onto the faces and memories of good times in my heart now that the albums are no more.

Barbara Deutsch is the former associate principal at HANC, middle school principal at Kushner, and Dean of Students at Yeshiva of Flatbush. A not-retired educator, she is trying to figure out life in Israel through reflections on navigating the dream of aliyah as a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Black and white family memories

Israel Today Tell the Truth

It has become a common practice in many schools across Israel to open specialized classes for students facing challenges. The yeshiva where I teach offers such classes across K through 12. One of my three classes consists of seven such teenagers with special needs.

In an ideal world, these students would be partially integrated into regular educational programs within the yeshiva. Instead, they learn together in a very small classroom. These students present unique and demanding pedagogical challenges, requiring an approach that deviates from standard classroom practices. Frontal teaching is not effective; instead, individualized attention, often delivered in short, focused bursts, is essential.

Even with meticulous planning, unpredictability often prevails. During one unforgettable lesson, while I was writing on the whiteboard, all seven boys spontaneously jumped onto one another forming a human pyramid. Startled, I chose to dismiss the incident—whether out of wisdom or sheer exhaustion, I couldn’t tell.

Each student brings a unique complex set of challenges. Once, while walking through Machane Yehuda, I encountered one of my students and his father. The father asked about his son’s progress. I was at a loss for words – there had been no discernible improvement. I managed a polite smile but said nothing. The father, perceptive, simply nodded. “I understand,” he said.

Walking into class on a recent Monday I was immediately assaulted by a strong smell of deodorant, which seemed to mask something more sinister. Within seconds, I began sneezing and coughing uncontrollably. It was the end of recess, and only two boys were in the room. Yossi, one of them, suddenly shouted at me, “Why are you always accusing me of doing something wrong? Tell me that!”

I hadn’t spoken – only coughed. His defensive outburst, coupled with a guilty demeanor, made it clear something was amiss. My focus, however, was on catch-

By Rafi Sackville

ing my breath, unaware at first that I ’d inhaled a mixture of mace and deodorant.

Yossi persisted in confronting me, demanding to know why I seemed to have a predilection for singling him out for the slightest of offenses.

The teacher’s assistant entered, and he, too, began coughing. He called the principal, who relayed the situation to the Rosh Yeshiva. The class was given 30 minutes to identify the culprit, or the student responsible for bringing the mace to school would face severe punishment.

One might ask what the mace was doing in the student’s bag. Apparently, the student’s father had given it to him for protection in extreme circumstances. It was abundantly clear that taking it from his bag without permission and spraying it in class – also without permission – didn’t qualify as extreme. He sat at his desk distraught in the knowledge that the culprit wouldn’t confess, and that, in his place, he would soon be taking the bus home.

It’s an unfortunate code of conduct: the class remains steadfast in confessing to nothing. This occurs whether the issue is big or small. They regularly lean on the

same tired and worn concoction of an excuse: an unseen outsider had entered the room, sprayed the substances, and vanished. This explanation, though implausible, is their go-to defense for everything from defaced walls to broken furniture.

One student, an evacuee from the north, claimed to have witnessed the culprit spraying the mace. He is on the cusp of returning home in the coming weeks. Would he tell the principal? He said yes, but it didn’t prove necessary. All evidence pointed to Yossi, the boy who had confronted me. The teacher’s assistant and principal had witnessed similar behavior from him before. In each instance, his verbal outbursts had been a clear sign of guilt. The teacher’s assistant believed the most damning evidence against him lay in the way he davened Mincha that day. “I have never seen him daven like that,” he told me. Despite his vehement denial, Yossi was sent to the principal’s office after lunch.

Later, I saw him sitting there looking as though he was awaiting sentencing in a criminal court. I squatted down beside him – a challenging feat at my age, given my knees.

“Yossi, look at me, Tzaddik,” I said gently. “I believe you did it. We all believe you did it. What I want to understand is why you’re so afraid to tell the truth. Lying can only make things worse for you.”

He looked at me, yet said nothing, fear etched across his face. I was overcome with pity for him. None of us truly know the details of his life outside school, but we suspect it’s far from easy.

I can still see him sitting there: a large, overweight boy with a round, questioning face, huge hands, and ill-fitting clothes. I placed a hand on his shoulder and whispered, “I promise you’ll feel better if you tell the truth. What’s more, it’s the first step toward becoming a real man.”

I stood, and he looked up at me, his eyes brimming with tears. And still he didn’t speak.

About an hour later, I passed by the Rosh Yeshiva’s office, where he was speaking with the principal. “I saw you talking to Yossi,” the principal said. “Did you tell him to apologize?”

I nodded. The Rosh Yeshiva added, “I told him he wouldn’t be punished if he told the truth.”

“How did he react?” I asked.

“He was in absolute shock, to be honest. It wasn’t what he was expecting.”

Yossi returned to class, but by the time he got there, much of the lesson had worn off. In front of his classmates, bravado trumped the moral message we had attempted to teach him.

Still, I hold out hope. Education is a steady, drip-by-drip process, where each small lesson has the potential to take root.

I pray that this incident, along with all the others we face daily with this small group of boys, will mark the first step in Yossi’s journey toward embracing honesty and becoming a better person.

With G-d’s help, perhaps it will.

Rafi Sackville, formerly from Cedarhurst, teaches in a prominent yeshiva in Yerushalayim.

LTJG

Rachel

NAVigAtiNg SerVice with FAith

Widman Talks about Keeping Kosher –and Shabbos – as a U.S. Coast Guardsman

By M ALkie SchuLMAN

As the waves lap gently against the boat and the sound of the motor thrums in the background, LTJG (Lieutenant Junior Grade) Rachel Widman of the U.S. Coast Guard discusses her role as the only Orthodox Jew – the only Jew, in fact, among a crew of 72 enlisted personnel and officers operating out of Mayport (a city close to Jacksonville), Florida.

The Coast Guard is a branch of the U.S. military, Rachel explains, and she chose it because of its focus on saving lives, teamwork, and taking care of people.

“The Coast Guard is also much smaller than other branches of the military, which gives it a friendlier culture and a stronger sense of camaraderie,” she notes. “I did consider joining the IDF. But my parents were concerned for my safety.”

Rachel was drawn to military life because, as she puts it, “it’s similar to Judaism in that it provides values and structure.”

Born and raised in San Antonio, Texas, Rachel grew up in a traditional Jewish home. They had a Friday night dinner and attended shul on Shabbos day. The family kept many of the Shabbos (and kashrus) laws, but it wasn’t until her involvement with NCSY in her teen years

which led her to seminary at Midreshet Rachel v’Chaya in Israel that Rachel learned what it meant to be a fully practicing Jew.

It was around that time that she began to seriously consider a career in the military.

“I knew going in (to the military),” Rachel maintains, “that keeping Shabbos and kosher would be somewhat challenging.”

However, with the help and guidance of her rabbis, especially those expert in the matters of military halacha, Rachel obtained clear direction to go full steam ahead.

Life Aboard the Valiant

Rachel serves on the USCGC Valiant, a 210-foot-long cutter designed for multi-mission operations. The ship’s layout includes spaces critical to its function: the bridge, which serves as the command center for navigation and ship control; the Combat Information Center (CIC), used for radar and tactical operations; and the engine room and machinery spaces, which house the systems that move the ship and power its equipment. Crew areas include berthing compartments for sleeping, a galley for meal preparation, and separate dining areas like the wardroom for officers and the crew’s mess for enlisted

Rachel's “home away from home”

personnel. Mission-critical spaces include a flight deck for helicopter operations, a small boat launch area for rescue missions, and an armory for securing weapons. Other essential areas include the medical bay for healthcare, damage control stations for emergencies, and communication rooms for managing ship communications.

The crew on the Valiant is made up of 12 officers and 60 enlisted personnel. They patrol the Western Hemisphere which includes the Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean

Oceans. Enlisted personnel handle hands-on, technical, and operational tasks aboard the ship, like maintenance, navigation support, and equipment operation. Officers are responsible for leadership, decision-making, and overseeing the ship’s missions and crew.

After graduating Coast Guard Academy, Rachel began her career as an ensign, the entry-level officer rank, but has since advanced to her current position as lieutenant junior grade.

Rachel explains that her responsibilities serving in the Coast Guard are divided between a few months on land and a few months at sea.

“When I’m working on land, the boat stays docked to the pier, but my office is still on board.”

At sea, a vital part of the day includes watch duty on the bridge, which every crew member besides for the command officers is expected to take. Shifts typically last two or three hours and may be split, such as one shift from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. and another from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. During watch, each person maintains a specific role. The officer of the deck is the captain’s representative, responsible for the ship’s safety, navigation, and overall operations, a position that Rachel is currently vying for. The quartermaster of the watch monitors the weather, documents daily activities, and ensures all events and drills are properly logged (Rachel’s role as of now). The helmsman manually steers, while the lookout, known as the “eyes” of the ship, stands on the platform to scan the surroundings, avoid obstacles, and ensure safe navigation.

“But everyone has to be alert and ready to respond if an emergency situation arises,” insists Rachel. “For example, someone spotting a migrant vessel is one such situation. Sometimes, we see dolphins or schools of fish and must navigate around them, or logs floating in the water, along with different traffic conditions.”

Another crucial aspect of their operations is training for medical evacuations. “We train with helicopters a lot,” Rachel explains. “When someone needs to be evacuated, the injured or sick person is placed in a basket and airlifted to the helo (helicopter). It’s not just for medical casualties—sometimes it’s for urgent personal reasons, like the death of a family member, and the helo is the fastest way to get them back to land.”

h igh-Stakes Operations

“Our primary missions involve handling migrants and detainees, such as drug runners,” says Rachel. “When interdicting drug runners, we will usually get some kind of information from different sources. I can’t reveal the sources except to say some are military and some are not. But it’s usually not a cold hit (that we find them ourselves without a tipoff). The source will reveal: this is their position, their speed, where they’re going, how far they are from us—then we go as fast as we can to their position and launch one or two of our smaller boats. We have two smaller boats on our ship, as long as 25 feet, that can seat between 6-10 people.

“Drug missions usually happen at night. Often, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker at 2 a.m.: ‘Setting law enforcement phase one. Everyone get up and man your positions’—it really gets your blood going,” asserts Rachel. “Drug runners typically use small blue

 Rachel’s desktop on the ship

boats to blend in with the water and cover them with tarps during the day, staying in one spot so they’re harder to see. At night, they’ll zoom off, which is when we spot them.

“The human eye can see about 10 miles out, but after 5 miles, details get harder to distinguish. The blue color blends into the water, so to the human eye, it just looks like waves—unless the sea is perfectly flat, and then you might think, ‘What is that?’ Coast Guard ships have radars, but a stationary boat shows up as just a small blip, making it hard to distinguish from other specks. But when they’re moving at night, going 20 miles an hour, that’s a clear sign there’s something out there—it’s not just a cloud.”

“Often, an announcement comes over the loudspeaker at 2 a.m.: ‘Setting law enforcement phase one. Everyone get up and man your positions’—it really gets your blood going.”

mission, saying we think or know they’re trafficking drugs. Depending on the treaties, we may need clearance to enter the boat. Usually, vessels don’t have a nationality, so we’re able to just board. The drug runners usually come from South and Central America.

“We do drug swabs of the boat and packages on board. When the tests come out positive, we arrest them, bring them and the drugs onto our boat, and guard them until we transfer them to the U.S. They hop from Coast Guard cutter to cutter to get to the U.S., where they will stand trial. If convicted, they will go to jail for several years and then get deported.”

On Rachel’s cutter, drug busts happen anywhere between once a week to once a month. Bigger boats that have drones and helicopters and can see drug runners from the air will interdict every day. If a drug runner is going really fast and is being non-compliant, the helo can shoot out its engines from the air and effectively stop the chase.

These high-stakes drug interdictions are just one aspect of the Coast Guard’s mission, which also includes rescuing and caring for vulnerable migrants at sea.

Rachel adds, “We have boarding teams, usually made up of one officer and mostly enlisted personnel—people trained in law enforcement. They go on the small boat and are armed with weapons. To board someone else’s boat, we need permission through the Coast Guard on land and sometimes lawyers, if it’s a boat from another country. For example, if they’re from Venezuela, we depend on agreements with Venezuela and need to ask per-

“Recently, we had 180 migrants on our ship, and we needed security stationed to monitor them,” shares Rachel. “Many of the migrants were Haitian and had fled on very small boats, not designed to hold so many people. One boat, spotted a few days into its journey from Haiti, was intercepted, while another had been stranded for four days after its engine failed. When we brought them on board, they were given scrubs, allowed to shower, were fed, and provided with basic hygiene items like toothbrushes. One woman required an IV after passing out from heat exposure during her four days stranded at sea.

“I oversaw assisting the 40 to 50 migrant women

on board, including helping them shower. I served as their main point of contact, providing soap, towels, and timing their showers, which took hours to manage,” recounts Rachel.

“At one point, during this time, the general emergency alarm went off. We routinely do all kinds of drills—for toxic gas leaks, fire, or flooding—but they’re planned. I’m used to drills, but this one was a real emergency. We were told there was a ‘casualty in aft steering.’ The aft is the back part of the boat where the two steering pumps direct the ship’s movement.

“I had to quickly but calmly finish with the migrant I was working with before heading to the bridge to fulfill my role there. Once the casualty was taken care of, I had to return to showering the migrants.”

The casualty turned out to be a fuel leak—a mechanical issue that could have turned into a fire.

“Baruch Hashem, no one shouted, ‘Fire,’” maintains Rachel. “The crew handled it professionally and calmly. Who knows how people would’ve reacted otherwise? Even people who speak English well don’t understand what ‘casualty in aft steering’ means, so there wasn’t any panic.”

The migrants slept on the ship’s deck in a tented area, where they were provided with blankets, rather than in the crew’s sleeping quarters. They remained on board for five days before being transferred.

Often, Rachel’s team will rescue a group of migrants that includes children: “The youngest we detained was a nine-month-old baby.” They’re also always on the alert for signs of child trafficking. They note whether the children are traveling with family members and will conduct interviews to ensure they’re not being trafficked.

“There was one girl traveling with her uncle,” recalls Rachel, “and we were concerned about her situation. I spent a lot of time with the translator, trying to make her comfortable. I gave her paper and colored pens and asked her to draw and doodle, and she even taught me how to count in French. [Most Haitians speak Creole, a

 Bundled up during flight operations, using the sound-powered phone to talk with the person operating the fuel pump while the helicopter gets refueled

French-based dialect.] The girl was about six or seven, and her story matched up with her uncle’s, so at the end we didn’t think she was being trafficked. Nevertheless, we always have to make sure.”

She notes, “Migrants we rescue are often appreciative of small gestures, like a smile, even though they understand we’re just doing our job. We try to be professional but approachable.

“It’s my holiday. I should be sitting in a hut made of sticks, waving a palm frond (lulav) and etrog. And here I am without any of that, and nobody even knows it’s a holiday around here.”

While many of the crew speak Spanish, which helps with Cuban migrants, it doesn’t help with Haitians, so they rely on translators for communication.

Tensions can sometimes run high during these missions. “Before I joined, one migrant jumped overboard and had to be rescued. Some migrants become agitated due to the uncertainty of their situation, as they don’t know when they’ll be sent back to Haiti—and neither do we, since the process can take time. Fights occasionally break out, but we take action to calm them down without hurting them, using approved levels of force to ensure

their safety and the safety of others,” maintains Rachel.

Another function the US Coast Guard provides is serving as law enforcement on the water, working to preserve fish populations and wildlife.

“We work to make sure fishermen are not overfishing or catching the wrong kind of fish,” says Rachel.

Subsequently, they often work with NOAA (the National Oceanographic Atmospheric Administration), which does similar work.

“At one point, we received a message from NOAA that one of their observers—a scientist stationed on fishing boats to monitor regulations—was being victimized by the fishermen on her boat,” shares Rachel. “She texted her supervisor, who then contacted us. We were the nearest asset on the water, and although we could’ve sent a helicopter, we decided against it to avoid tipping off the fishermen and risking her safety.

“When we boarded the boat under the pretext of checking their fish, our boarding team spoke with the fishermen while one team member went with the woman to help her pack up her belongings and transfer her to our boat. We didn’t make any arrests at sea, but when we got back to the home port, both fishermen were arrested. It turns out they were wanted criminals in addition to this crime.”

Being Orthodox Onboard

Rachel spends as much time as she can on a Shabbos outside on deck. “The sky and waves attest to Hashem’s creation of the world and makes me feel close to Him.”

For the same reason, outside is her go to location to daven. She can also feel Shabbos better outside alone with her own thoughts rather than inside while others are working or watching movies.

“It isn’t easy not being with community,” she admits. “But the benefits are that I can talk to Hashem as long as I like and make it meaningful in the way I like. Drinking grape juice for kiddush, for example—on land, I don’t think much about it, but at sea, I can reflect more on why I’m doing things. I can focus intentionally when I make

a blessing and sanctify Hashem’s name. I can feel it elevating my body. I focus on the kedusha that the challah and grape juice are infused with. These are mitzvahs I can do at sea, and I’ve become more mindful about them.

“Sukkos talks about the water libation, where water is sanctified through the libation process. Having been at sea for two years now, this past year, I learned about it and connected it to my life. I actually felt this past Sukkos that I was sanctifying the lower waters.”

In the beginning it was difficult, she admits, when it came to explaining why she couldn’t perform some of her duties on Saturday. (For pikuach nefesh, she was told she could do anything.) For example, there are all kinds of documentation that must be signed daily. The enlists would type up the documents and go to Rachel to sign them. She would say, “I can’t write today, and they’d say, ‘Why not?’ ‘It’s a Jewish law,’” she’d have to explain. By now most of them know the drill and they’ll just sign it for her.

“But it was definitely a learning curve,” she says with a smile.

Rachel recalls this past Sukkos. “I’d already spent the Yamim Noraim for the past two years aboard the cutter, blowing shofar for myself. My subordinate noticed that I wasn’t my usual happy self and asked me – ‘What’s up?’” Rachel answered, “It’s my holiday. I should be sitting in a hut made of sticks, waving a palm frond (lulav) and etrog. And here I am without any of that, and nobody even knows it’s a holiday around here.” After that, her subordinate went out and made a flyer about the holiday of Sukkos which he posted on Rachel’s desk and in different parts of the deck so other people could read about it and learn.

“That was touching,” shares Rachel. “Also, this past patrol, one of the enlists got a calendar notification that it was Rosh Hashana. He made sure to wish me a happy new year.”

Rachel describes a particularly meaningful havdalah she made while her boat was going through the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is a man-made waterway connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. (Before its construction, ships had to travel around the entire continent of South America to go from one ocean to the other.) Moving ships between areas of different water levels, the canal uses a system of locks, like a staircase. Ships enter a chamber, and water is added or drained to raise or lower them to the next level. The process takes about 12 hours because you have to wait for the water to go up or down in the locks.

“It’s very cool,” admits Rachel.

“We were in the chamber; I was on the bridge and the water was rising up. There was no coast guarding task for me to fulfill because we were being held in place until the water receded. Shabbos was ending. [Rachel bases her calculations on the sunset calculations made at sea for their specific location.] So, I went behind the bridge with the grape juice, spices and bencher that I was carrying in my pocket, and when it was just me and the starry sky, I recited havdalah.”

Rachel acknowledges she found it inspiring that she was given the opportunity to uplift and bring kedusha in the Panama Canal. Since it’s one of the points that the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific meet, both oceans were sanctified.

 Rachel’s view of the island of Haiti from her ship

 Making challah for Rosh Hashana on a stovetop at a hotel in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba

“Also, I was grateful that Hashem gave me the foresight to be prepared for doing havdalah while we were in the canal. I wasn’t sure there would be time to make it at the right time, but it turns out, there was. And afterwards, I was able to be a part of the bridge team and fulfill my duties.”

“I went behind the bridge with the grape juice, spices and bencher that I was carrying in my pocket, and when it was just me and the starry sky, I recited havdalah.”

But keeping kosher can get challenging because while there’s a cook for everyone else on board, Rachel must bring and prepare her own food. Sometimes, it’ll be like, “Oh, man, I forgot to heat that up” and Rachel will realize that there’s no time to do it anymore so, “it’s back to peanut butter and jelly sandwich for dinner.

“All I can say is, it’s a good thing I’m not a picky eater!” she maintains.

She does wish sometimes that she could eat the prepared food. “But I’m doing this for a long time already, so I’m used to it.”

It’s funny because some of the enlists just think she doesn’t eat because they never see her on the food line. When they see her eating boxed cereal, sometimes one will say to her, “Oh, you actually eat?”

k iddush hashem

One of Rachel’s strengths as a female in the Coast Guard is the community-building aspect.

Sometimes, an enlist will offer Rachel food and say, “I checked it, ma’am, it has the kosher symbol. You can eat it.”

After Rachel taught one of her subordinates the various kosher symbols, he went around the mess deck looking for condiment bottles with kosher signs.

“It was funny,” she recalls. “At the end, he came back to me and said, ‘Well, I can make a combination of relish, peanut butter and mustard for you if you want. They all have kosher symbols.’ We had a good laugh about that.”

“I bring a strength for bringing people together, listening, and creating a sense of community. I think this is especially beneficial on the boat because camaraderie is so important. Sometimes, I’ll say, ‘What’s up, fam?’ to lighten the mood and make people laugh. Not that others don’t do that too, but I try to do it with everyone to build an atmosphere of teamwork. I make it a point to praise people, even if I don’t work directly with them.”

And as an Orthodox Jew in the U.S. Coast Guard, Rachel’s fellow officers and subordinates know they can trust her.

“They know that I’m honest, which I credit to being observant and holding true to my faith. I follow the laws of my religion even when nobody knows whether I am or not, and that consistency means people don’t question my integrity. I have standards and morals, and I stick to them. People see that.”

Nation

Malcolm Hoenlein Why Politics is Important

By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

Every president has an army of advisors. But whenever President Jimmy Carter had a question about the Jewish people or antisemitism, there was one person he would call: Malcolm Hoenlein, an Orthodox Jew who, to this very day, leads the war on Jew-hatred.

“You really know this in great detail,” President Carter would often exclaim, impressed by the breadth of Malcolm’s knowledge.

In His Words…

i learned early on that for Jews to control their own fate and not live at the sufferance of others, we have to master the political process... i worry very much about the world of my children and grandchildren. My grandparents were all killed in the shoah, along with many members of my family, including a three-year-old cousin. a nd i know that when we say, ‘ never again,’ it can’t be a hollow phrase or just something people yell at a rally. it has to have meaning.

People often come to me after my speeches and say, ‘ you know, it’s depressing if you talk about those things.’ a nd i say, ‘ no, ignorance is depressing. Knowledge is empowering. if you know, you can do something about it.

you have to make people comfortable that they can talk to you in trust and you can talk to them in trust. What’s important is that it’s not about you. But what’s more important long term is what you can do to be of service to the Jewish people and to the country.

“Mr. President, when it comes to life and death, no detail is insignificant,” Malcolm would respond.

One day, during one of their phone conversations, Jimmy Carter heard a child’s voice coming from Malcolm’s end.

“Who’s that?” the president asked.

“It’s my son,” Malcolm replied.

“Can I speak to him?”

Malcolm handed the phone to his 10-year-old son. The boy walked away. A few minutes later, the child returned the phone to his father. The president had hung up.

“What happened?” he asked his son.

“Well, he asked me my name, where I go to school, and how old I am,” the boy recounted. “And then he said, ‘I have a daughter Amy. She’s the same age as you. You know what? I want to invite you to the White House to come and play with her!’”

“So, what did you say?” Malcolm asked.

“I told him I go to yeshiva, and I don’t play with girls.”

The very next day, the White House put out a headline, “10-year-old turns down presidential invitation.” Everybody laughed about it. The story became legendary, recounted to this very day. And the president’s friendship with Malcolm stayed strong despite the surprising and humorous rejection – that is, until Jimmy Carter sadly became, in Mr. Hoenlein’s words, “antisemitic and anti-Israel – viciously so.”

At the beginning of their relationship, Malcolm hoped he could influence

Jimmy Carter to join him in combating antisemitism. Naturally, Malcolm was disappointed to see the former president, a man he once considered his friend, abandon the Jewish people.

While Jimmy Carter ultimately distanced himself from the Jewish community, Malcolm, over the past 50 years, has formed relationships with many other presidents, world leaders, and great individuals. As Mr. Hoenlein explains, “There’s almost no leader that I can’t get access to.”

That is, of course, partly because he, until 2021, held the position of executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. But Malcolm Hoenlein believes that the real reason that presidents pay attention to him is because the White House appreciates his unwavering convictions, discretion in keeping secrets, and his measured approach to communicating with presidents – reaching out only when the matter is truly important.

“They have to see who you are. And I would urge people to get to know your congressmen, your city councilman, and others. They all impact your life,” Hoenlein declares. “Get to know your police, regional police precinct commanders. Invite them for a Friday night meal, invite them to shul, invite members of Congress to come meet people in a yeshiva or shul. And hold them to account but build a relationship at the same time. And you will see that then, when you have to come to them for something, they will remember who you are.”

Malcolm Hoenlein has built relationships with many leaders. But he first wandered into the world of politics when he was a child growing up in Philadelphia.

“I traveled with Adlai Stevenson when I was 11 years old,” Mr. Hoenlein recalls. “He was the Democratic candidate for president in the early ‘50s. I went downtown to a rally on a day we didn’t have school. I went into his hotel and got to go into his room. His son saw me – this little kid with a yarmulke –and they were fascinated by me. So they took me in, and Adlai Stevenson invited me to go with him for a day. And I got permission to do so.”

From a young age, Malcolm Hoenlein always had an interest in politics, particularly regarding its impact on the Jewish people and Israel. Today, he’s involved in over 50 organizations, but he stresses that his success in advocating for the Jewish nation comes from Hashem alone. Mr. Hoenlein, in fact, maintains that he’s never looked for a job before and that G-d gifted him with a career where he could use his “one talent” –serving the community.

“I learned early on that for Jews to control their own fate and not live at the sufferance of others, we have to master the political process. People talk about politics as pejorative. And in some respects, there are negative aspects. But on the other hand, it’s a reality that we have to deal with,” he explains. “I worry very much about the world of my children and grandchildren. My grandparents were all killed in the Shoah, along with many members of my family, including a threeyear-old cousin. And I know that when we say, ‘Never Again,’ it can’t be a hollow phrase or just something people yell at a rally. It has to have meaning. And I think the motivation to focus on Soviet Jews was to prove that we mean it when we say, ‘Never Again’; that we were not going to let a Jewish community be decimated and subjected to the kind of torturous existence that the Jews behind the thenIron Curtain were experiencing.”

In 1971, Malcolm Hoenlein, who was then the chairman of the North American Union of Jewish Students, headed to New York to start a movement to end the oppression of Soviet Jews, including through organizing demonstrations and helping people escape.

One day, Malcolm met with Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, to discuss the Soviet Jewry movement.

“I watched, and I saw what you did,” Rav Moshe told him. “I just have one request. Don’t use religious items [such as Sifrei Torah] in the demonstrations, because when the Russians see it in Russia, they’ll associate it with the protests and then they’ll crack down on them.”

One year, Rav Moshe was asked to send a message to demonstrators. However, he initially declined, since those around him pressured him against doing so.

“He called me Erev Shabbos at home and he said, ‘Look, they’re driving me crazy with the pressure.’ And I said, ‘Rosh Yeshiva, I understand. Don’t do it. Don’t worry. I don’t want you to have this agmas nefesh for it,’” recounts Mr. Hoenlein. “And then, Motzei Shabbos, he called me and said, ‘I couldn’t sleep this Shabbos. I can’t give into the pressure. I’m going to send the message.’ And so, he sent the message with his son-in-law Rabbi Tendler. And when Rabbi Tendler got up and they mentioned that he was bringing a message from Rav Moshe, there were 150,000 people there around the U.N. plaza, but you could hear a pin drop.

“And when he finished, a roar went up that went all the way back to 3rd Avenue and all the side streets in response to it. That night, I spoke to Rav Moshe, and he said it would have been one of the great mistakes of his life if he had pulled out,” Mr. Hoenlein recounts. “I said, ‘Rosh Yeshiva, do you know the Kiddush Hashem, how people reacted?’ And he said, ‘I heard, I heard.’”

Malcolm Hoenlein also discussed the Soviet Jewry movement with the Lubavitcher Rebbe. At the time that they met, most people thought the Rebbe wasn’t fully functioning. And yet, in their conversation, the Rebbe spoke to

Malcolm about the movement in astonishing detail, discussing information that 99% of the movement’s leadership wasn’t even privy to.

“I have no idea how he knew, but he took my hand. He was holding it and smiling and asking me detailed things. And I had brought my son and his kallah, who were getting married, to get brachos,” Mr. Hoenlein shares. “I walked in and Rabbi Groner, his secretary, said, ‘Rebbe, this is—’ and the Rebbe said, ‘I know exactly who it is.’ And he smiled, and he took my hand.”

At the time, Malcolm’s father was sick in the hospital. Malcolm asked the Rebbe for a bracha.

“Rebbe, I’d like a bracha for my father to recuperate,” he asked.

The Rebbe looked at Malcolm with a smile and said, “Your father should continue to have nachas from all the good work you do.”

That wasn’t the bracha Malcolm wanted. And so, he asked again.

“Rebbe, I’d like a bracha for my father to recuperate.”

The Rebbe gave the same response and then continued on, handing out dollar bills to the chassan and kallah.

“Rebbe, please. I’d like a bracha,” he asked once more.

“And that’s the first time he stopped smiling. He put my hand down, and he just put those blue lasers on me. And he said, ‘Your father should continue to have nachas from all the good work you do,’” Malcolm Hoenlein recounts. “So, I went home, I got my tallis and tefillin. I drove to Philadelphia to the hospital where my father was, and he died that evening. I likely wouldn’t have gone that night, but I got the message.” * * *

Malcolm Hoenlein didn’t only focus his efforts on Soviet Jews. He also, for example, worked to free the Jews of Ethiopia during the Civil War. In doing so, Mr. Hoenlein and others met with then-President George H.W. Bush’s National Security Council, General Brent Scowcroft.

“I explained to him that all we wanted was permission for Senator Rudy Boschwitz, who was then a Jewish senator from Minnesota, to go to Ethiopia for two days that weekend. They had accepted him as an envoy,” Mr. Hoenlein recalls. “And I made the case, and he said no. And at that moment, the president called him, and he got up to walk out.”

As General Scowcraft headed for the door, Malcolm turned to him and said, “General, can I ask you one thing?”

“Yes,” the man replied.

“Could you ask the president if he can afford to have pictures of dead Ethiopian Jews on the front page of The New York Times, like the pictures of dead Kurds today, because you said no?” Malcolm said.

“He looked at me aghast and walked out. And he left us sitting there in his office. So, the people turned to me and said, ‘What made you say that?’ And I said, ‘I’ll tell you the truth. I heard it when you heard it.’ I have no idea. The words just came out,” he shares. “And General Scowcraft came back a few minutes later, and he just looked at me and said, ‘The president said yes.’ And the result speaks for itself.

“I wish I could take credit for it, but I’m just a vehicle. If I would have thought about it, I would have never said it.”

That wasn’t the only time Malcolm stood up to powerful people during discussions. In a meeting with then-President Barack Obama, Mr. Hoenlein urged the president to handle his differences with Israel quietly, lest U.S. and Israeli enemies take advantage of a public rift between the two countries.

“Mr. President, the lesson of history is that when there are differences, deal with them quietly, because once you take public positions, you lock both sides into those stands, and the enemies of both countries will exploit it,” Hoenlein told Obama, adding that any disagreements can be worked out through discussion. “There should be no public daylight.”

Barack Obama stared at Mr. Hoenlein for a moment. The president then exclaimed, “Eight years, no daylight. Eight years, no progress,” referencing the eight years that George W. Bush was in office.

“Mr. President, how can you say that?” Malcolm shot back. “You had the Gaza disengagement. You had the Omer plan, the Barak plan, you had the negotiations in Annapolis.”

“I went through all the things and he just looked at me and went on, because he was clearly prepared for the first question, but he wasn’t prepared for the others,” Malcolm Hoenlein recounts. “And after the meeting, he went to leave. And he stopped, turned around, came around the table, and shook hands with me. So, I saw that if you treat others with respect, but you make your case and you take a stand, people will respect you for it.”

But not only do presidents and world leaders respect Malcolm Hoenlein. They also trust him.

“I never leaked anything, which is why presidents and others tell me the most intimate secrets, because they know I’m never going to leak it,” he says.

Not only is he careful to keep his meetings with U.S. presidents private, but he has approached his meetings with dictators, including Russia’s Vladimir Putin and Syria’s now-exiled leader Bashar al-Assad, with the same discretion.

Decades ago, during a private meeting in the Oval Office with Ronald Reagan, the then-president told Malcolm, “I’m going to tell you something I’ve never said publicly. I committed a crime.”

“Mr. President, are you sure you want to tell me?” Malcolm replied.

President Reagan shared that when he left the U.S. military in 1945, in the middle of World War II, he stole a film from the film department.

“I took a film on the concentration camps because I knew the time would come when people would deny that it happened,” Ronald Reagan explained. “And I wanted at least for my children and grandchildren to be able to give testimony as to what really occurred.”

Malcolm Hoenlein and Ronald Reagan were great friends. In fact, President Reagan was so fond of Malcolm that the then-president gave him the private sector initiative award.

Presidents have been very vulnerable with Malcolm, showing him a human side that few people see, because they genuinely trust him.

“You have to make people comfortable that they can talk to you in trust, and you can talk to them in trust. What’s important is that it’s not about you. Don’t just look for a headline,” Malcolm Hoenlein advises. “I could have made headlines all the time in The New York Times and elsewhere, with the exchanges that I had. But what’s more important long term is what you can do to be of service to the Jewish people and to the country.”

Malcolm Hoenlein has befriended countless leaders. He’s known Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for over 40 years. He’s kept in touch with George W. Bush and Bill and Hillary Clinton. He’s known former President Joe Biden for 45 years. But Malcolm is very careful to only contact his powerful friends when it’s absolutely important. As such, when he does call, they know it’s urgent. And leaders appreciate that.

* * *

Ignore his unbelievable stories for a moment, and what you have with Malcolm Hoenlein is a man who works tirelessly to secure a brighter future for the Jewish people – to create a world where antisemitism is shunned, not glorified.

“You’re never going to cure antisemitism. It’s a cancer, it survives,” explains Malcolm. “But you can diminish it. You can make it unfashionable and unacceptable. You can legislate against it.”

One of the issues, however, is that the

term “antisemitism” is terribly overused. To call someone an antisemite should be a very powerful allegation. And yet, it’s become too easy for people to falsely brand those they dislike as antisemites. For example, critics of President Donald Trump call him an antisemite. As Malcolm explains, 1) President Trump is not an antisemite, and 2) by calling the most powerful person on Earth an antisemite, you’re legitimizing and glorifying Jew-hatred for everyone who despises us.

Another issue is that nobody knows what qualifies as an antisemite. Is an anti-Zionist an antisemite? Are people who make Jewish jokes antisemites? Sometimes, you’ll even hear people claiming that Muslims are semites and, as such, Islamophobia is a form of antisemitism. Thus, Malcolm Hoenlein prefers the easy-to-understand term, “Jew-hatred.” Mr. Hoenlein is very vocal about the prevalence of antisemitism. He speaks about how horrendous it is that Jews are afraid to walk U.S. streets wearing a yarmulke. And most of all, he urges awareness and action.

“People often come to me after my speeches and say, ‘You know, it’s depressing if you talk about those things.’ And I say, ‘No, ignorance is depressing. Knowledge is empowering. If you know, you can do something about it. If you want to live in some sort of harmonious world of ignorance, you’re welcome to do it. You may not be bothered by it, you may sleep well, but your grandchildren will pay the price,’” declares Malcolm Hoenlein.

“I deal with the real world every day. I have to face reality; not the world I would like it to be, or as I see it, but as it is.” Just know, Malcolm Hoenlein concludes, that you can make all the difference.

This article is based on a podcast, “Inspiration For the Nation,” hosted by Yaakov Langer. To catch more of this conversation, you can watch it on LivingLchaim.com or YouTube.com/LivingLchaim or listen wherever you listen to podcasts (just search for “Inspiration For The Nation”) or call our free hotline: 605-477-2100.

Dating Dialogue What Would You Do If…

Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters,

I have been dating an amazing girl for the past two months, and things are serious. I’m 28, and Sara is 26. Sara has a 36-year-old sister who’s still single. Sara has been opening up recently to me that she feels her sister is jealous of her. She said that when I came over for Shabbos a few weeks ago where the whole family was there to meet me, her single sister was very unfriendly. She also doesn’t talk to Sara as much as she used to, doesn’t take her calls. Her mother told her that obviously it is difficult for her, but she will get over it. I’m a superstitious person by nature and believe strongly in ayin hara. This is making me uncomfortable to have this looming over our relationship. Is there anything we can do to make her sister happy for us, or at least neutral? It would make me so much more comfortable moving forward.

- Naftoli*

The Panel

Dear Readers,

We want to offer YOU an opportunity to be part of the discussion! Please email us at MichelleMondShadchan@gmail.com, subject line “reader’s response,” if you would like to participate in the new “A Reader’s Response” columnist spot. We will send you a question and publish your answer in an upcoming Navidaters edition.

If you have a question you would like the Navidaters to answer, please reach out to this email as well.

Looking forward!

Michelle, the “Shadchan”

The Rebbetzin

Rebbetzin Lisa Babich

Iunderstand your concerns about an older sister who is upset and making this experience less pleasant. She is no doubt hurting and in a lot of pain. As much as I believe this is her avodah to work through, that is more her concern. All you two can do is act kind and considerate to her. If she chooses to ignore you or act in a distant manner, as much as it is unpleasant, that is her issue. If you two are kind and welcoming to her, and even try to set her up if you can, I am sure she will soften up over time. The pain and shock of her sister marrying before her is very overwhelming at the moment, but once that Band-Aid is ripped off, she will probably become more comfortable with the situation.

You also asked about ayin hara From what I have learned, ayin hara occurs when you go out of your way to show off. If you are just living your life and meeting a girl, you are not doing anything that warrants an ayin hara. There are always jealous people out there and we have to make sure we aren’t flaunting things to create more jealousy, however, dating a girl is a normal part of life. As long as you are both sensitive to her needs and don’t flaunt in front of her, then I don’t think you have to be overly worried about it. I would just encourage both of you to be sensitive to her needs and be as kind to her as you can and as she allows.

Good luck with everything!

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

Naftoli, your future sister-in-law’s pain is palpable through your letter. I want to assure you that there is no ayin hara here that can prevent your relationship with Sara from thriving. Hashem is in complete control of the full picture. As The One Who has created this situation, He is also the one that will weave all the open ends of the scenario together in the end.

At that age, especially, it is incredibly hard to be single, but even harder when younger siblings start flying the coop. Sara’s sister is in a lot of pain now, which is causing her to be unpleasant, step back, and present as such. However, her time will come.

For now, the only thing you and Sara can do is be patient and genuinely loving and kind. You both can show her unconditional care, give her space, and don’t treat her any differently. You should not expect her behaviors to improve anytime soon. When she finds the one and is out of this difficult time period, she will undoubtedly express appreciation for your patience during her most difficult years.

hind in the current dating system is a real tragedy. Unfortunately, your girlfriend’s older sister’s feelings are far from unique.

But let’s focus on your situation for now.

It’s clear that, as a sensitive person, you understand the pain and jealousy her sister is feeling. Let’s hope that, as her mother wisely counseled, “it’s difficult, but she’ll get over it.”

In the meantime, here are a few things that you and your girlfriend can do:

First, be mindful and humble. Avoid flaunting your happiness in front of her, so she doesn’t feel alienated or overlooked.

Second, make her feel included. If appropriate, ask for her input on things like where to live, wedding details, or even simple things like recipes. Be careful, however. If she feels that you are being patronizing or condescending toward

There are always jealous people out there.

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

The fact that so many wonderful, “older” single women feel left be -

her, it could make things even worse.

Third, perhaps you can set her up with an older friend of yours and go on a double date together.

Fourth, I think that my grandmother, a”H, would have advised to wear a red “bendleh.”

Let’s hope that, in time, the older sister will warm up and share in the family’s joy. This is obviously hard for her. Meanwhile, be kind, be understanding, and enjoy your life.

The Zaidy

Reader’s Response

An Older Sister Who’s Been There

Dear Naftoli, I get it. And I get her. Because I was her.

A few years ago, my younger sister met someone wonderful, got engaged, and built the life I so badly wanted for myself. I wasn’t bitter, I wasn’t petty, but I was struggling. It’s hard to explain the feeling of watching someone you love step into a stage of life that you’ve been waiting for. It’s

not jealousy in the way people usually think of jealousy – it’s grief. Grief for the life I thought I’d have by now. Grief for the way our relationship was changing. Grief for the moments I knew would be harder from the outside looking in.

At first, I pulled away. I didn’t return calls as much, I wasn’t as chatty, and when her fiancé came over for Shabbos, I probably wasn’t the most welcoming. Not because I didn’t like him – he was a great guy. But because my heart was aching, and it was too exhausting to pretend it wasn’t.

What helped? Time. Space. And most of all, my sister’s quiet under -

standing. She didn’t push me to be happy for her before I was ready. She didn’t try to convince me that my time would come or that I had nothing to be sad about. She just let me feel how I felt. And eventually, because she gave me that space, I found my way back to her.

Here’s what I want you to know: This isn’t about you. It’s not even about Sara, really. It’s about her sister navigating something painful in the best way she knows how. It doesn’t mean she wants to hurt Sara or that she’s hoping for anything bad to happen. It just means that right now, it’s hard for her to be close.

Don’t walk on eggshells but also don’t go out of your way to prove anything.

So don’t try to fix it. Don’t walk on eggshells but also don’t go out of your way to prove anything. Just keep being a good guy. Keep loving Sara. And trust that if her sister is the kind of person who truly loves her, she’ll come around. Maybe not right away. But eventually.

Sending

you and Sara all the best, An Older Sister Who’s Been There

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Naftoli,

First of all, mazal tov on your relationship with Sara! It sounds like you really care about her and want things to move forward in a peaceful and positive way. Your sensitivity to her feelings – and even her sister’s – is a great sign of the kind of partner you’ll be.

It’s completely understandable that her sister is struggling. At 36, she’s likely dealing with her own hopes, disappointments, and perhaps even societal or family pressures around marriage. Your presence might unintentionally highlight what she longs for, making it hard for her to be warm and engaged. That doesn’t mean she wishes you or Sara harm – just that she’s processing her own pain in a way that’s affecting

her rela - tionship with Sara.

While you can’t make someone happy for you, there are things you can do to ease tension and, hopefully, shift the dynamic:

1. Acknowledge Her as a Person, Not Just Sara’s Sister

When you see her, make an effort to engage with her as an individual. Ask about her interests, work, or something neutral. This signals respect and might soften any tension.

2. Sara Should Give Her Grace and Space

Instead of pushing her to be okay, Sara might say something like, “I know this has been hard for you, and I miss how things were between us. I hope we

can find our way back to each other.”

That lets her know she’s seen without forcing a reaction.

3. No Overcompensating

Sometimes, when we sense jealousy, we try too hard to win someone over, which can make things worse. Instead, keep things warm but natural – no need to go overboard to prove anything.

4. Spiritual Perspective on Ayin Hara

If ayin hara concerns you, there are traditional ways to protect against it –whether it’s saying bli ayin hara more often, giving tzedakah in her name, or even simply keeping your joy private rather than broadcasting every detail. The idea behind ayin hara is that excessive attention, especially from those who are struggling, can create negative energy. So being mindful of how much you share – especially around her – can

be helpful.

5. Time and Distance Can Heal Right now, emotions are fresh. If you and Sara continue on this path and, G-d willing, get engaged, she’ll have more time to adjust. Many siblings who initially struggle end up coming around, especially when they feel loved and included in ways that don’t center around the relationship.

At the end of the day, if Sara’s sister is truly a good person, she will find a way to be happy for her – even if it takes time. Your role is to be a steady, kind presence but not to take on responsibility for her emotions. You and Sara deserve to be happy. Stay humble, stay kind, and trust that things will settle in time.

Wishing you hatzlacha, Jennifer

Health & F tness Unmasking OCD A Journey Through the Maze of the Mind

By Rivka Kramer, PMHNP-BC

Imagine for a moment that your mind is a maze—intricate, twisting, and constantly shifting. You’re standing in the middle, trying to find your way out, but every turn you take only leads you to another dead end. You think you’ve found the path to freedom, but then, out of nowhere, a voice whispers, “What if you forgot to lock the door?” You stop. You check. You walk back, just to make sure. But even after checking, the thought lingers: What if?

This is what it’s like to live with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). It’s not about being neat or a little particular. It’s not simply about checking things twice. For people with OCD, these repetitive thoughts and rituals are constant, uninvited companions, overwhelming their every moment, leaving them trapped in a cycle of doubt and fear.

Take Sarah, for instance. A bright, ambitious young woman described the experience vividly: “It’s like being in a room where I’m locked in, but the door is right there. I know it’s there, but I can’t leave. Every time I try, the voice in my head tells me I’m forgetting something

important—something catastrophic might happen if I don’t do this one thing... over and over again.”

Sarah’s daily life revolved around these thoughts and the actions she took to rid herself of the nagging anxiety. She’d check the stove ten times before leaving the house, rearrange her desk multiple times, and wash her hands until they were raw—all to quiet the relentless internal noise.

But no matter how many times she checked, no matter how many doors she locked, the doubts never ceased. And the worst part? The harder she tried to push the thoughts away, the more they seemed to intensify.

As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, my job is often filled with moments of insight and discovery. However, one of the most fascinating and complex conditions I encounter daily is Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, or OCD. Often misunderstood, OCD is more than just an occasional need to tidy up or double-check that the door is locked. It’s a persistent and often debilitating mental health condition that impacts the lives of millions of people worldwide.

So, let’s take a journey through the maze of the mind, exploring what OCD is, how it feels, and, most importantly, how we can help those who experience it.

What Exactly is OCD?

Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder is a condition that affects about 1 in 40 adults and 1 in 100 children in the United States. It’s characterized by two main components:

1. Obsessions: These are intrusive and unwanted thoughts, images, or urges. They often cause significant anxiety or distress. For example, someone with OCD might constantly worry about contamination (e.g., germs or dirt), fear of harming others, or a need for symmetry and order.

2. Compulsions: To alleviate the distress caused by obsessions, a person with OCD may engage in repetitive behaviors or mental acts. These might include washing hands repeatedly, checking things like locks or appliances, or counting and rearranging objects to feel “right.”

The relationship between obsessions and compulsions is what truly makes OCD unique. The compulsions are an at-

tempt to “neutralize” the obsessions, but they never bring lasting relief. The cycle can feel like an unending loop, where the compulsions temporarily reduce anxiety, only for the obsessive thoughts to return even stronger.

The Hidden Battle:

Understanding the Experience

If you’ve never experienced OCD, it’s hard to imagine how overwhelming and exhausting it can be. It’s easy to assume that someone is simply “being picky” or “a perfectionist” when, in reality, the person may be battling a mental health condition that significantly impacts their daily life. Imagine trying to read a book, but every other sentence in that book is a thought telling you that something terrible might happen. You close the book to get rid of the thoughts, but the intrusive worry persists, forcing you to repeat the process over and over again until the anxiety subsides. That’s what OCD can feel like. The obsessions don’t just go away with logic or reasoning; they are met with compulsions, leading to an ongoing internal battle that can be incredibly isolating.

The Science of OCD: What’s Happening in the Brain?

OCD isn’t just a matter of being overly cautious or obsessive; it’s a neurological condition. Research shows that the brain activity in people with OCD differs from those without the disorder. The orbital frontal cortex, responsible for processing information and decision-making, becomes overactive in people with OCD. This heightened activity creates the feeling that a threat is imminent, even when it’s not.

Additionally, the caudate nucleus, which is involved in regulating movements and suppressing unnecessary thoughts, doesn’t function as it should in individuals with OCD. This imbalance contributes to the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

It’s this mix of the way the brain is wired coupled with an overwhelming anxiety that makes OCD so challenging to treat without professional intervention.

Breaking the Cycle: Treatment Options

The good news is that there are effective treatments for OCD. In fact, with the right help, many individuals can manage or even overcome the symptoms.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

(CBT): The most effective form of therapy for OCD is called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a type of CBT. ERP helps individuals gradually face their fears and resist the urge to engage in compulsive behaviors. For example, someone with a fear of contamination might be asked to touch a dirty surface and then refrain from washing their hands.

These

Mindfulness

and Self-Compas -

sion : Practices like mindfulness and meditation can help individuals with OCD distance themselves from the relentless thoughts that drive compulsions. By acknowledging the thoughts without acting on them, people can gradually build tolerance to anxiety.

repetitive thoughts and rituals are constant, uninvited companions, overwhelming their every moment, leaving them trapped in a cycle of doubt and fear.

Medication: Certain medications, especially selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), have been shown to reduce the symptoms of OCD by increasing serotonin levels in the brain. For some individuals, medication can be a game-changer in breaking the cycle of obsessions and compulsions.

Embracing the Journey

I often think about a quote by the great philosopher, Lao Tzu: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

This is especially true for individuals with OCD. The journey towards managing the condition is long and often filled with setbacks, but it always starts with that first brave step—whether it’s seeking

therapy, starting medication, or simply acknowledging that you need help. It’s important for those struggling with OCD to know that they are not alone. With support, understanding, and the right treatment, it’s entirely possible to lead a fulfilling and balanced life. It may not be easy, but the road is worth traveling.

Breaking Free from the Maze

OCD is a challenging, but treatable, condition that often flies under the radar. By increasing awareness and understanding, we can create a world where those struggling with OCD feel supported and empowered to seek the help they need.

To those walking the path of OCD: Take it one step at a time. You don’t need to have all the answers today. The journey may be long, but each step brings you closer to freedom.

Rivka Kramer is a Board Certified Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. She has a psychiatric private practice based in Cedarhurst, NY. She serves as a member of the board of JANPPA, the Jewish American Nurse Practitioner Psychiatric Association. She can be reached at 516-945-9443.

Parenting Pearls Underestimating the Importance of Sleep

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

Asomewhat new rebbi spoke to me about a certain young teenage talmid after a noticeable deterioration in the boy’s behavior. He was extremely concerned, suggesting maybe consulting with a chashuve rav for an eitzah.

About a week later, I received another call from this rebbi. He was shocked and eager to know what incredible technique had been employed to create such a dramatic improvement in this boy. Perhaps our rav had some magical advice. I suspect the rebbi was disappointed when I explained that all I had done was insist on a strict bedtime.

Adults when sleep deprived can become edgy, cranky and overall unpleasant. We’re quick to snap back, and we don’t function well. According to AAA, driving when drowsy can be just as dangerous as driving when intoxicated.

There is a good reason I often mention the importance of ensuring chil -

dren are fed and well rested. While food and sleep won’t solve every life problem, the lack of either can certainly create many issues.

When recognizing the difference sleep makes, it’s surprising how often it’s overlooked. Like the rebbi above, we may search for all kinds of complicated solutions when all the kid needs is a little more time in bed.

Parents can easily underestimate the importance of a good night’s sleep and the effect it can have on a child.

A study by the National Institutes of Health found that insufficiently rested children had more mental health and behavioral issues when compared to their well-rested peers. Sleep deprivation was found to exacerbate behavioral issues such as increased impulsivity, depression, and aggressive behavior. They also suffered from decreased cognitive functioning such as during decision making, conflict solving, and learning.

Consistency

Bedtime needs to be consistent. This means the time is set and that it’s the same each night. It doesn’t need to be to the minute and can be a range of around a half an hour, but a child who goes to sleep at seven one night and nine the next is not scheduled.

One or two nights of good sleep cannot make up for numerous late nights. To see real results, the child needs to get sufficient sleep for a number of evenings in a row.

Besides keeping a child well rested, a consistent bedtime makes going to sleep easier on future nights since their body becomes trained to sleep at that hour. The child’s body learns when to expect sleep and will start winding down as that time approaches. When they actually get into bed, they will fall asleep quicker. Especially with the younger ones, you can easily tell bedtime is approaching because there may be a de -

terioration in their behavior – perhaps they start screaming or tearing apart the house.

School vacations and yomim tovim are well known time periods for children to act off because of too little sleep. In addition to lack of sleep, their bedtime is inconsistent and haphazard. It’s unrealistic for parents to expect children to act normal under these conditions. While children don’t often attend simchas, when they do, you can expect that the day after is going to be a little wild. This is from all the excitement during the event and not getting to sleep until far too late. This certainly doesn’t mean children can never have a special occasion, and there will always be valid exceptions. For example, it’s inconceivable to put a child to sleep early on Seder night.

Parents should judge each situation on its own and seek a balanced approach. For example, perhaps a child

should not miss a close family simcha but will stay home for a more distant relative. Maybe the older kids will stay up late but the little ones will go to bed at a regular time.

The Unique Parental Role

Getting a child to sleep involves disciplining the child to be in bed at the correct time. What parents may not realize is how much this is really the adult’s obligation. Children cannot be expected to get into bed on their own, and it requires the parents to discipline themselves to ensure the child is in bed each evening. It’s exhausting and stressful, yet one of the more important – even if sometimes unpleasant – parts of parenting.

Creating a structured routine and turning bedtime into bonding time can make the evening routine more pleasant. Reading together before bed, singing Shema and sharing other connecting activities provide a child both with structure and love, making everything more enjoyable.

Each child will have their own pattern of behavior indicating they are tired. There are certain standard ones that are similar to adults, such as yawn-

ing or rubbing eyes. But there are other behaviors that are unique to children. For example, some toddlers and preschoolers will run through the house and just destroy everything when they’re tired. They become like a destructive whirlwind that tosses and breaks everything in their path. Rather than clean up

It’s important to understand the difference between a child who is acting up versus one who is exhausted, as this will guide your parenting. There are many different chinuch options to address a child that is misbehaving, but a tired child does not require chinuch; they need to go to bed. Parents

child is getting, it’s important to look at how much time is spent actually sleeping. You may put a child to bed at seven, but if they wander the house or jump in their bed for the next hour and a half, then they’re getting far less sleep than their bedtime would indicate.

Creating

a structured routine and turning bedtime into bonding time can make the evening routine more pleasant.

each tossed item (or strongly rebuke the child), I have advised parents to focus on getting the child to bed and to clean up later.

As exhaustion causes or exacerbates negative behaviors, parents may see a variety of symptoms indicating their child needs more sleep. This can include increased irritability, impulsivity, foul language or fighting.

may need to redirect the child, distract them, or hold them until it’s time for bed, but this isn’t the time to punish.

The Right Amount

There are many factors that determine how much sleep any given child needs. Their healthcare provider can best address this issue.

When estimating how much sleep a

Some children have trouble falling and staying asleep. There are many techniques to help children sleep (and those are best covered in a separate article), but if children still struggle, then it is worth speaking with a professional as there are potential physical and emotional causes that should be ruled out.

Sometimes we overlook the basics because they’re so, well, basic. But sufficient sleep is a prerequisite for good behavior and success in life. Adults, too, need to get their required rest – because our children also deserve the best we can give them.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

Health & F tness

February is National Children’s Dental Health Month

By Hylton I. Lightman, MD, DCH (SA), FAAP

Why is a pediatrician writing about dental health?

National Children’s Dental Health Month is meant to raise awareness about the importance of oral health and nutrition. We pediatricians look into the mouths of our patients a lot – and long before the pediatric dentist takes a peek. We answer parents’ questions about their child’s developing mouth and teeth.

Here are the five most important things that parents of toddlers should know about teeth.

1. Start brushing as soon as the first tooth appear.

2. Use a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.

3. Don’t let toddlers go to bed with anything in the bottle than water.

4. Schedule regular dental checkups from an early age. Just like pediatric well visits!

5. Limit sugary drinks and snacks in order to prevent tooth decay and to assure healthy tooth development.

The following are questions I am typically asked about kids and teeth.

“If baby teeth fall out anyways, why should we care about them?”

Baby teeth have an important purpose. They help a child to chew, speak and smile. They also hold the space for the “grown up” teeth that will come in later. If a baby tooth is lost prematurely, it can cause problems for the subsequent tooth. It may even impact speech development.

“Why are my 15-month’s teeth rotting?”

Without seeing it firsthand, my professional guess is Baby Bottle Tooth Decay. This comes from frequent contact with sugars in drinks. No time like the present to get rid of that bottle in bed with the baby at night. Fact: milk is a sugary liquid.

“My baby/toddler is a thumb sucker. What does this mean?”

Thumb-sucking is normal in babies and toddlers. Some even use pacifiers. Babies suck their thumbs because they

have a natural urge to suck. This urge usually decreases after the age of 6 months, but many babies continue to suck their thumbs to soothe themselves. Thumb-sucking can become a habit in babies and young children who use it to comfort themselves when they feel hungry, afraid, restless, quiet, sleepy, or bored.

Little by little, most stop between

fussy, drooling, and then…wow! You spot that first little tooth popping out just below the gum. You’ll watch your baby’s gummy smile be replaced with baby teeth over the next couple of years.

The teeth may be small, but it’s important to care for them. They are placeholders for adult teeth that will eventually grow in. Healthy teeth are essential for learning how

Your child’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a healthy smile is important to his or her self-esteem.

the ages of 3 to 4 years. Thumb-sucking in children under age 4 is usually not a problem. Continuing to thumb-suck after age 5 or 6 puts kids at risk for dental or speech problems.

My advice: Don’t worry about thumb-sucking unless your child is approaching kindergarten age. At this age, involve your pediatric dentist.

“My baby has cut a tooth: What do we do?”

Teething can be a tough time for parents to navigate on their own. Your baby is

to chew food properly and speaking clearly.

My advice: It’s important to take care of the gums and teeth, so here is what you do:

• With a soft, moistened facecloth of piece of gauze, gently wipe down your baby’s gums twice daily. Do this after baby’s feedings and especially before bedtime.

• Once the first tooth appears, it’s time for a toothbrush. It should be a soft brush with a small head and large handle.

• At first, just wet the toothbrush and gently brush the teeth and gums. As more teeth erupt, use a fluoridated toothpaste.

The amount should be about the size of a grain of rice. Eventually, you’ll use an amount about the size of a pea.

“When should my child begin visiting the pediatric dentist?”

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry recommends that a child goes to the dentist after 1 year of age, or 6 months after the first tooth erupts. The dentist will briefly inspect your child’s mouth, noting the size and number of teeth present. However, if your child has a problem, then reach out sooner.

For school-age children, dental checkups should be part of your regular health care routine. Just like parents, kids should have a professional teeth cleaning and dental exam every 6 months.

My advice: It’s never too young to start being vigilant about your child’s oral health. Your child’s teeth are meant to last a lifetime, and a healthy smile is important to his or her self-esteem. With proper care, a balanced diet and regular dental visits, your child’s teeth can remain healthy and strong.

Fascinating fact: Reports show that American students miss 51 million hours of school every year because of oral health problems.

Students who are absent miss critical instruction time—especially in early grades where reading skills are an important focus and the building blocks of future learning. Students who have experienced recent oral health pain are four times more likely to have lower grade point averages than their counterparts who have not.

This only reenforces while oral hygiene is important for your child.

As always, daven.

Dr. Hylton I. Lightman is a pediatrician and Medical Director of Total Family Care of the 5 Towns and Rockaway PC. He can be reached at drlightman@totalfamilycaremd.com, on Instagram at Dr.Lightman_ or visit him on Facebook.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti,

I have a bright and capable daughter. She is above average intelligence. Children don’t always appreciate her. She was in a school where the principal said she would help, and I guess she tried, but she kept avoiding responsibility by claiming my daughter was creating a lot of the social issues. She moved my daughter up a grade because she is so bright, but that was still not a working solution. I moved her to a different school to give her a fresh start, but the children bully her there as well.

You seem to know a lot about schools. Why can’t a school encourage acceptance and respect among the students? Why can’t schools work on jealousy?

-Frustrated Mom of High IQ

A:Dear Mom, You sound like you have a bright and special daughter, and it’s clear that you want the best for her. You’ve gone to great lengths to support her, meeting with the school, skipping a grade, and even switching schools, all in the hope that she will find social success. Your dedication as a parent is evident.

However, from your letter, it seems that despite these changes, your daughter is still struggling with social acceptance. I understand how painful and frustrating that must be for both of you. But I am concerned that focusing on blame, whether directed at classmates, teachers, or the school, might be keeping her stuck rather than helping her move forward.

Blaming others is easy, but it doesn’t provide solutions. It might feel like the school, the other children, or past experiences are the root of the problem. But whether it’s her classmates excluding her, teachers misunderstanding her, or a school environment that doesn’t

seem to fit, blaming won’t equip her with the tools she needs to navigate social challenges.

In fact, it often makes things worse.

Your daughter needs to stop hearing the message that her struggles are solely because of others and start recognizing her own role in shaping her experiences. Yes, even if she is being mistreated.

Empowering her to take personal responsibility doesn’t mean ignoring unfair situations; it means giving her the skills to respond effectively, set healthy boundaries, and build resilience.

While schools should and do promote inclusivity and respect through programs and classroom lessons, it sounds like there are underlying challenges your daughter is facing that won’t disappear unless they are addressed directly.

Moving schools does not solve problems; it only changes the setting. If she hasn’t learned how to navigate the difficult social situations she faces, she will likely carry the same struggles into each new environment she enters.

True growth comes from recognizing what is within our control. Your daughter cannot control how others treat her, but she can learn how to build confidence in herself, develop emotional intelligence to navigate friendships, set healthy boundaries without isolating herself, handle social conflicts with assertiveness and grace, respond to jealousy or exclusion in a healthy way, and find and cultivate friendships with supportive peers.

Instead of looking for an environment that will “fix” the issue, she can be equipped with lifelong tools that will help her in school, friendships, work, and beyond.

Social dynamics are complex, and even in the best

schools, children experience jealousy, misunderstandings, and exclusion.

Instead of expecting schools to eliminate these issues entirely, your daughter can benefit from the following:

Learning strategies to recognize group dynamics and find her place in them without feeling victimized.

Working on self-awareness and emotional regulation so she can respond thoughtfully rather than react impulsively.

Developing conflict-resolution skills instead of avoiding social interactions out of fear or frustration.

Identifying and seeking out like-minded peers rather than trying to fit into groups that don’t appreciate her.

When we focus on blaming others, we give away our power.

When we take responsibility for how we respond, we take control of our own happiness.

This is an essential lesson for your daughter, not just for school but for life. Instead of constantly searching for a better school, a better group of kids, or a better teacher, imagine if she had the confidence and social skills to thrive anywhere.

I know this is what you want for her. The good news is, help is available. Ask the principal or school guidance counselor for recommendations on programs, resources, or professionals who can support her development. You’ll likely find that they are eager to help.

By focusing on the tools your daughter needs, you’ll be giving her the greatest gift: the ability to navigate the world with confidence, no matter where she goes.

Hatzlacha.

-Etti

Law & Order

Navigating International Shidduchim A Guide from an Immigration Lawyer

By Michelle Dinits

By the time Chani called our office, the wedding was in a few days. She had just arrived to the U.S. from her home country, Panama, to marry her chosson, Ahron. They got in touch with me to find out how to apply for Chani to obtain a green card, because they intended to live in the U.S. long term after the wedding.

“But we don’t want to start the process until after the summer,” she said, “because we are spending the summer in Panama to work at a camp my family runs.” My antennae went up. I began to dig deeper: what visa are you on now? What visa did you plan to use to reenter? And importantly: your chuppah and party are planned, but will you be getting legally married that day as well?

International shidduchim are on the rise. In our increasingly interconnected world, daters know that their bashert may be in Canada, Mexico, Israel, or Argentina. People are realizing they don’t have to limit their pool of potential mates to those who happen to be born in the same place as them. In a time when people often have a few Zoom dates before they travel to go out in person anyway, they might as well be open to flying to Montreal or London if they are willing to go to LA. When people move to a different country to get married, it’s easier than ever to keep in touch with family back home, with FaceTime and WhatsApp and cheap flights to many places.

While it may be easier than ever to date across borders, such unions come with legal considerations. They can require a bit more planning, especially considering the short engagement periods many couples in our community have.

As an immigration lawyer, I assist couples in navigating the complexities of marrying someone from a different country. Here are some key aspects to keep in mind:

Assess Your Personal Circumstances and Intentions

The first questions you and your fiancé need to ask yourselves are:

• Where will we live? Do we plan to stay in the U.S. long term? Are we going to live abroad for now but return to the U.S. eventually? Do we want to apply for a green card for my foreign fiancé?

• Is my fiancé already living in the U.S. on a temporary visa? Does she/he have legal immigration status currently?

Waiting for a fiancé visa may not be the best option if you are trying to get married within a short time frame. If your fiancé is already in the U.S., for example on a student or work visa, you may want to think about timing the wedding to ensure he/she is maintaining their legal status here. If your fiancé came into the U.S. on a visitor

In a time when people often have a few Zoom dates before they travel to go out in person anyway, they might as well be open to flying to Montreal or London if they are willing to go to LA.

• Is he still living in his home country and need to come to the U.S. for the wedding?

Timing is Crucial Timing is crucial when planning a wedding with someone from another country.

If your fiancé is abroad, you may consider a fiancé visa, for which processing times can vary enormously by location.

visa to date and has been here since, getting married too quickly could raise flags once the person applies for the green card, because someone with a visitor visa was supposed to have non-immigrant intentions when entering.

Plan Carefully for Any International Travel International marriages can often in-

volve celebrations in two countries. Of course the other family wants to make a party and celebrate with their friends, too! But what happens if they marry in the U.S. and want to go to the fiancé’s home country after? Or what if they decide to spend time in Israel before settling in the U.S.? If the new spouse tries to reenter on a visitor visa after the marriage, she could end up with problems at the border. If border officers suspect a person has married a U.S. citizen and has the intent to stay, they may investigate further by checking one’s phone or social media. Border patrol officers have the discretion to deny entry to anyone they suspect of being dishonest about their intentions. What happens when your husband is denied entry, but you need to go back to work? No newly married couple wants to be separated by an ocean in the first months of their marriage!

In the end, Chani and Ahron had a beautiful chuppah and hopped on a plane back to Panama for sheva brachos and summer camp, as they had planned. She is relieved she called us, so we could plan before she lands back at JFK as a married woman. If you think you are on the path to engagement to someone from another country, it’s time to get legal advice from an immigration attorney. Each situation is unique and it’s important to get guidance tailored to your specific circumstances. But don’t stress – you found your bashert! Mazal tov!

Michelle Dinits is the founding attorney of Dinits Immigration Law, focusing exclusively on U.S. immigration and serving clients in all 50 states and around the world. She assists couples and families with family-based petitions and individuals and businesses with employment immigration. She lives in Woodmere, NY, and she and her husband enjoy taking their four children on adventures around the world. She can be reached by email at Mdinits@dinitslaw. com or by phone at (516) 208-2060.

In The K tchen

Soup with an Upgrade

By Naomi Nachman

I was recently asked by Manischewitz to create a recipe using their cello soups. We all know the kind – it comes in the long cellophane-wrapped tube with different kinds of beans or legumes and a spice packet. Even though the soup is delicious cooked according to the package directions, they wanted a recipe that could have an elevated twist.

Ingredients

◦ One package Manischewitz Cello Soup

◦ Canola oil

◦ 1 large onion, diced

◦ 1 pkg 6 oz. package deli of your choice, finely chopped

◦ 5 cups water

Preparation

1. In a medium soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Add deli meat and cook till slightly browned

2. Add the contents of the cello soup but not the spice packet. Add 5 cups of water and then bring to a boil. Then simmer on low for 2 hours.

3. Add desired amount of the spice packet according to your taste during last half hour of cooking.

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.

Notable Quotes

“Say What?!”

This thing about, “Elon is going to steal everyone’s money.” He has $400 billion. He’s not going to steal your money. I’m telling you, that’s not what he’s doing.

- Joe Rogan

He’s a super genius that has been [messed] with. When you’ve been [messed] with by these nitwits that hide behind three-letter agencies, and you’re dealing with one of the smartest people alive, and he helps Donald Trump get into office and he wants to find out what corruption is really going on, well you [messed] up.

- ibid.

You picked the wrong psychopath on the spectrum. He’s going to hunt you down and find out what’s going on, and that’s good for everybody. That’s how you should be looking at this.

- ibid.

Like, wow, we have a brilliant mind examining these really corrupt and goofy systems and bringing in a bunch of psychopath wizards.

- ibid.

Many of my Democratic colleagues and some of the tofu-eating “wokearati” at the USAID are screaming like they’re part of a prison riot because they don’t want us reviewing the spending. But that’s all Mr. Musk is doing, and he’s finding some pretty interesting stuff.

- Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)

To my friends who are upset. I would say with respect, you know, call somebody who cares. You better get used to this.

-ibid.

I will admit that sometimes the loudest voices for censorship have come not from within Europe, but from within my own country, where the prior administration threatened and bullied social media companies to censor so-called misinformation.

- Vice President JD Vance speaking at the Munich Security Conference

Misinformation like, for example, the idea that coronavirus had likely leaked from a laboratory in China. Our own government encouraged private companies to silence people who dared to utter what turned out to be an obvious truth.

- ibid.

So, I come here today not just with an observation, but with an offer. And just as the Biden administration seemed desperate to silence people for speaking their minds, so the Trump administration will do precisely the opposite.

-ibid.

If American democracy can survive 10 years of Greta Thunberg’s scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.

– ibid.

You don’t realize how real Trump Derangement Syndrome is… I was at a friend’s birthday dinner and it was a nice quiet dinner…and I happened to mention the president’s name and it was like they got shot with a dart in the jugular that contained like methamphetamine and rabies. You can’t have a normal conversation; they become completely irrational.

- Elon Musk during a joint interview with President Trump on the Sean Hannity Show

I’m thankful that everyone in the flight incident in Toronto that took off from Minneapolis is safe, but we keep seeing these incidents day after day. Meanwhile, Trump’s doing massive layoffs at the FAA — including safety specialists — and making our skies less and less safe.

- Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) blaming a plane flipping over on a Toronto runway on President Trump

We are trying to restore the will of the people through the president. We are finding an elected bureaucracy that is opposed to the president and the cabinet. You look at D.C. voting – 92% Kamala. That’s a lot. That’s almost everyone. If the will of the president is not implemented – and the president represents the people – that means the will of the people is not being implemented. That means we live in a bureaucracy, not a democracy.

- ibid.

Trump has called for the removal of all Palestinians from Gaza. Jewish people say NO to ethnic cleansing!

- Text of an ad in The New York Times by radical leftist not-orthodox Jewish “rabbis” and cantors

America is in shock that the guy whose catchphrase was “You’re fired” is firing everybody in government.

- Bill Maher

I still don’t know what he does, because it’s hard to really serve the city when you wake up.

- Mayor Adams talking about Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, who would take over if the mayor is forced out of office

The University of Michigan is changing the name of its DEI office to evade President Trump’s executive order. That reminds me of the time that Osama Bin Laden asked his friends to start calling him Jeff.

– Greg Gutfeld

According to Rep. Anna Paulin Luna, who leads the taskforces on the declassification of the JFK assassination records, there were two shooters involved in the JFK killing. Typical – man kept that secret for 62 years; woman kept the secret for 6.2 minutes.

– ibid.

Ilhan Omar might run against Tim Walz in the Minnesota senate race. Poor Minnesotans; that’s like having to choose between cancer and AIDS.

– ibid.

We are a normal family. Aaryan is a one in a billion kind of person, but I don’t think that we are a family of mental calculators.

- Nitin Shukla, father of Aayan Shukla, the 14-year-old from India who has been called a “human calculator” for his ability to perform complex computations without a calculator, like adding 100 four digit numbers in 30 seconds

This needle is very, very, very valuable, $800 million, which means I’m willing to search every piece of hay in order to find the needle.

-James Howells of South Wales, England, explaining to The New York Times why he is willing to buy the landfill where a hard drive of his with $800 million in Bitcoin is buried, after he accidentally threw it out in 2013

Why is America named after a white man when it was settled by indigenous people? – Joy Behar, “The View”

Political Crossfire Behind the DOGE Outrage Machine

Imagine if the president of the United States announced he was forming “a SWAT team” of private-sector tech experts and deploying them “across agencies … in some cases, for six months, in some cases for two years … fixing outdated systems.”

A decade ago, President Barack Obama did just that, creating the U.S. Digital Service, an agency inside the White House made up of tech talent from companies such as Facebook and Google – including young engineers who served as presidential innovation fellows, tasked to be “change-makers working at the highest levels of the federal government.”

“They’re having a great time,” Obama said of the private-sector IT experts he deployed. “What they’ll tell me is that as long as they feel that they’ve got a president … who’s providing some air cover, there’s no system that they can’t get in there and work and change.”

No one sued Obama to stop his self-described SWAT team from getting access to U.S. government data systems. No member of Congress introduced a Taxpayer Data Protection Act to prevent the president’s tech wunderkinds from doing their work.

Now, a decade later, Donald Trump has issued an executive order renaming Obama’s U.S. Digital Service as the U.S. DOGE Service (the initials stand for Department of Government Efficiency) – and tapped Elon Musk and a team of young technologists from the private sector to run it. Like Obama, Trump is deploying the USDS across government agencies, but with a new mission: to harness the power of technology and artificial intelligence to root out waste, fraud and abuse.

This time, public workers unions and state attorneys general are suing to stop Musk’s team from accessing U.S. data systems, and Democratic members of Congress are joining the effort to shut down their work. Perhaps that’s because Obama’s tech bros were working to help

By Marc A. Thiessen

the government spend more tax dollars, while Trump’s tech bros are working to cut $2 trillion in wasteful spending – and in the process are looking under stones many in institutional Washington would prefer remain undisturbed.

It’s about time. For decades, American taxpayers have been getting fleeced. Don’t take Musk’s word for it. Last March, the Government Accountability Office issued a report in which it estimated that the federal government had spent a whopping $236 billion on “improper payments” during the previous fiscal year, including $175 billion in payments to deceased individuals or those no longer eligible for government programs, and $44.6 billion in “unknown payments” – meaning the government does not know where the money went.

To put that in perspective, $236 billion is nearly three times the entire budget of the Department of Homeland Security, nearly three times the budget of the Education Department, and nearly twice what the federal government spent on infrastructure projects that year. It is the equivalent of more than half of all corporate taxes the federal government took in that year – all wasted, lost or stolen through fraud.

Worse, the GAO reports that in some fiscal years, waste and fraud reached as

high as $521 billion and have cost taxpayers more than $2.4 trillion over the past two decades. And that is just an estimate made without the benefit of the AI-powered accounting efforts Musk’s revamped USDS is applying.

So why the uproar? No one on the left objected when President Joe Biden pledged to hire tens of thousands of new IRS agents and auditors to track down tax cheats. But Trump deploys a small team of technologists to track down wasted tax dollars, and suddenly, Democrats are outraged.

Granted, Musk is taking a jackhammer rather than a scalpel to federal institutions. Instead of presidential innovation fellows, he’s deploying “Big Balls.”

And he’s rooting out waste and fraud.

For example, after learning that the National Institutes of Health was letting universities milk taxpayers, allowing them to add up to 69 percent on top of research grants to pay for administrative overhead, the USDS has capped those fees at 15 percent, which the NIH projects will save taxpayers more than $4 billion a year. (A judge has held up the change.) Across the government, the USDS is terminating leases for empty offices and buildings, cutting absurd DEI programs, eliminating unnecessary positions, and terminating wasteful contracts. In all, the USDS claims to

be saving taxpayers $1 billion a day – and Musk is only getting started.

Democrats ask: Who elected Musk? The better question is: Who elected the bureaucrats at the U.S. Agency for International Development and other government agencies, who seem to think they constitute a walled-off fourth branch of government? Answer: No one. But Americans did elect Trump. Musk works for him. The USDS is a legitimate government entity, created by Obama and housed inside the Executive Office of the President. As chief executive, Trump has broad authority to deploy it to any agencies he wants, examine their books and prioritize spending.

Critics say the president doesn’t have the legal authority to cancel or retroactively change contracts, close programs created by statute or withhold money that has been appropriated by Congress. Trump obviously disagrees, and Musk has hired highly skilled lawyers – including two former clerks for Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and Justice Neil M. Gorsuch and a third who will clerk for Gorsuch in the 2025-2026 term – to make sure their actions are legally defensible. But if Musk exceeds the president’s legal authority, or takes actions that create a conflict with his business interests, we have a system of checks and balances to address that. Congress still has the power of the purse. And the courts – including the Supreme Court – will sort out any disputes. Trump said this week he will comply with all court orders, even if he disagrees with them.

But every dollar the federal government wastes comes from the sweat and toil of hardworking Americans – a waitress, a cop, a sanitation worker, a bus driver who pay their taxes by putting in long hours. The outrage is not what Musk and Trump are doing to stop the government from wasting their money; the outrage is that no one did it sooner.

When is a coloring book not just a coloring book? When its purpose is to incite children to hate Jews and glorify violence.

The Israeli police last week arrested the proprietors of an Arab bookstore in Jerusalem that was selling books promoting hatred of Jews and glamorizing terrorists. One was a coloring book, a fact that prompted much mockery on social media. Big, strong Israel is afraid of a little children’s book!

The book is called From the River to the Sea, an old Palestinian Arab slogan calling for replacement of Israel with an Arab state of Palestine. Intended for six- to ten-yearolds, the book features color-by-number pages that demonize Israel and honor terrorists and terror-supporters.

There’s Ghassan Kanafani, senior official of the terrorist Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, best known for its airplane hijackings in the 1970s, its murder of an Israeli cabinet minister in 2001, and its massacre of rabbis in a Jerusalem synagogue in 2014.

There’s Refaat Alareer, the “poet” who called the October 7 attack “legitimate and moral,” denied the Hamas gang-rapes, and joked on social media about whether baking powder was used in burning Israeli babies to death. In the coloring book, Alareer is flanked by a large flaming kite, the kind Hamas has used to torch countless acres of Israeli farmland.

There’s Ahed Tamimi, the teenager who rose to fame when she was arrested for assaulting Israelis, and then later arrested again for writing on social media following October 7: “Come on settlers, we’ll slaughter you. What Hitler did to you was a joke. We’ll drink your blood and eat your skulls.”

The coloring book also features a page devoted to the Intifadas, the waves of mass Palestinian Arab violence in which more than one thousand Israelis were murdered and thousands more were injured and maimed.

The text accompanying the coloring

Israel Today

A Coloring Book for Future Terrorists

by Rafael Medoff

pages teaches children that Israel has no right to exist, since it is “a military outpost of Western imperialism” that “was created on the land of Palestine”; that Israel is an evil, oppressive, genocidal monster; and that those who give their lives for the Palestinian Arab cause are “martyrs—heroes who have a special place in Palestinian society.”

The book’s author, Nathi Ngubane, explained in recent interviews and a Tiktok promotional video that he wants to inspire children to action. He hopes “to educate them and let them know that they can also join the fight for freedom… It is important for children to get to the truth as much as possible in order to lend a hand of solidarity.”

From the River to the Sea fits in perfectly with the books that the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have been using for decades to educate Palestinian Arab children.

The PA textbook Mathematics, Vol. 1 teaches addition to third graders by counting the number of “martyrs” and the number of “prisoners in the Occupation prisons.” Fifth graders study from Arabic Language, Vol. 2, which extols the “hero” Dalal Mughrabi, leader of the Coastal Road

massacre of 37 Israelis. “We are proud of them, sing their praise, learn the history of their lives, name our children after them, and name streets, squares, and prominent cultural sites after them,” the book says of Mughrabi and her comrades.

Eighth graders learn from Arabic Text and Reader that they need “to exterminate the Zionist germ and thrust this evil out of the Arab homeland” and that “the time has come for jihad and martyrdom” against “the oppressor.” In ninth grade, Islamic Education, Vol. 1 explains how Allah offers believers opportunities for “fighting against infidels” to “honor them by martyrdom, to forgive their sins and raise their class in Paradise.”

In General Sciences for tenth graders, Newton’s laws of physics are explained through the example of “a young girl using a slingshot towards a specific target,” with a photo of an Arab child whipping a rock with a homemade sling. The calculation uses variations in the length of the sling and the rock’s release speed to determine its rate of acceleration.

In the twelfth grade, Islamic Education teaches “the virtue of jihad in Islam,” especially “if the enemy occupied a Muslim land.” It stresses the importance of jihad

both as “one of the gates to achieving martyrdom” and as Allah’s way to achieve “rescue from the fire of Hell and the attainment of pardon and Paradise.”

When this schoolhouse incitement was first documented by Palestinian Media Watch, back in 2007, then-U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton was alarmed. “These textbooks do not give Palestinian children an education; they give them an indoctrination,” she said at a press conference. Palestinian Arab children are “encouraged to see martyrdom and armed struggle and the murder of innocent people as ideals to strive for.” The PA “profoundly poisons the minds of these children…. [It is] a clear example of child abuse.”

Evoking the themes in her book It Takes a Village, about the communal influences that shape children’s lives, Sen. Clinton warned that Palestinian Arab hate education would have “dire consequences for prospects of peace for generations to come.” She was right. Sixteen years later, some of the children raised on these teachings carried out the October 7 atrocities.

Israelis are justifiably concerned about the impact of the From the River to the Sea coloring book, just as the Allied authorities in post-war Japan would not have tolerated a coloring book praising the attack on Pearl Harbor and the authorities in postwar Germany would not have allowed bookstores to sell a coloring book extolling the glories of Nazism. Raising children to be bigots and terrorists is a recipe for catastrophe, as October 7 so horrifically demonstrated.

Dr. Medoff is founding director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies and author of more than 20 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. His book The Road to October 7: Hamas, the Holocaust, and the Eternal War Against the Jews will be published on October 1, 2025, by The Jewish Publication Society / University of Nebraska Press.

Israel Today JD Vance and the Defense of Democracy

By Jonathan S. Tobin

During the past decade, Europe’s political, intellectual and cultural establishment has shown little restraint when it came to venting its disdain for President Donald Trump and Americans who support him and his policies.

Like Trump’s American political opponents, European leaders and pundits did so in a manner that made their disdain quite clear, not merely for him personally. It was also rooted in an elitist contempt for his populist approach to politics. It was his stances on immigration and culture-war issues, however, that particularly appalled them. Moreover, their critiques were rooted in a sense of their own moral superiority.

Indeed, it was typical during Trump’s first term for many in Europe and America to refer to German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the true leader of the Western world and not the president of the United States. Trump was routinely depicted as not merely unworthy of the title but disinterested in defending Western values.

And so, the audience that gathered at the annual Munich Security Conference this past week was not merely unprepared to listen to a speech in which an American

leader turned the tables on them. They are so stuck in their own preconceptions about what constitutes the threats that the conference is supposed to be assessing that they were not only astonished but actually insulted by U.S. Vice President JD Vance’s decision to talk about the most fundamental threats to democracy in the 21st century.

Speaking to a stunned and largely hostile audience, Vance made it clear that the United States remained committed to Europe’s security. But he was primarily interested in sending a message to America’s partners that it was time for everyone to stop obsessing solely about external threats, be they from China or Russia. It was more important at this moment, he said, to ask what it was they believed they were defending.

Vance Defends Democracy

What followed was a seminal statement in defense of democracy and opposition to censorship of free speech. It also demanded that Europe’s leaders consider whether their open borders policies, which have let into their nations millions of unvetted migrants from Muslim and Arab nations that

oppose Western values, were undermining their societies and harming their citizenry.

As such, Vance’s speech was, as First Amendment scholar Jonathan Turley observed, analogous to Winston Churchill’s 1945 “Iron Curtain” speech that rallied the West to defend democracy against Soviet tyranny in the aftermath of the Second World War. Nearly 80 years later, Vance articulated a similar obvious truth.

It is often forgotten that Churchill was roundly criticized by American and European elites at the time for his willingness to tell the truth about the Communist threat rather than appeasing or ignoring it. So, too, Vance is also being widely denounced for his temerity in calling attention to how European democracies have discarded the basic values of democracy in order to silence views they oppose, as well as to how their policies threaten the survival of Western values.

The AfD Problem

He is accused of interfering in German elections by questioning the “firewall” placed around the far-right AfD party, which is likely to have a good showing in that country’s parliamenta-

ry elections scheduled to be held next month. In doing so, he has been attacked as somehow supportive of authoritarian forces and antisemitism.

His seeming support for AfD—whose leader, Alice Weidel, Vance met with on this trip—may be unwise. But that doesn’t detract from the truth of his assertions. Rather than merely dismissing his speech, as liberal elites on both sides of the Atlantic routinely do to Trump administration policies and positions, it is incumbent on those who claim to be defenders of democracy to heed his warnings.

Moreover, it ill-behooves those who claim to worry about the spread of antisemitism around the world to attack Vance or the administration he serves on this issue. Israel is still fighting for its life against the real-life 21st-century Nazis of our time—the Hamas terrorist organization, and its supporters and enablers—and American and European Jews are reeling from the surge in Jew-hatred caused by the Oct. 7, 2023 massacres of Jews in southern Israel. Yet the Europeans who reject Vance’s speech either stand ineffectively on the sidelines on this issue or are actively cheering on the bizarre red-

green alliance of leftists and Islamists who are behind this war on the Jews; it is the Trump administration that is firmly opposing both these forces.

During his first administration, from time to time, Trump broke with the postwar tradition of treating America’s European allies with kid gloves. He urged them to spend more on their own defense rather than relying almost completely on the generosity of U.S. taxpayers to fulfill that vital task. He did occasionally question whether the NATO alliance had long ago reached obsolescence in the aftermath of the end of the Cold War, coupled with the collapse of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in which Europeans had made some token contributions.

That was labeled as isolationist, if not a heretical abandonment of American allies, though Trump’s prodding about defense spending did more to bolster the alliance than anything that his recent predecessors had done. And so, the security conference was a ripe moment for the Trump 2.0 administration to call the world’s attention to the way the West and the alliance are just as much threatened by internal forces as they are by external foes.

Free Speech in Decline

Vance’s position on free speech seems right to anyone who believes in democracy. As he discussed at some length, the problem goes beyond German laws that specifically target those who seek to resurrect the language or symbolism of the Nazis. Nor is it limited to efforts to isolate the AfD Party, which, as I’ve written previously, is distinct from other right-wing nationalist European parties because of its difficulties in distancing itself from Germany’s horrific past and recruitment of parliamentary candidates that refuse, unlike Weidel herself, to do so.

In contemporary Europe, support for freedom of expression is not a priority; it is under attack specifically from those forces that talk the most about democracy. As Vance noted, “Everything from our Ukraine policy to digital censorship is billed as a defense of democracy.”

He recalled that during NATO’s heyday during the Cold War, there was no doubt about which side was guilty of oppression. It was the Soviets that “censored dissidents, “closed churches” and “canceled elections.” They lost the Cold War “because they neither valued nor respected all of the extraordinary blessings of liberty.”

These days, the winners of the Cold War—or at least America’s European allies—are doing those things. They do so to silence those who dissent against woke

ideology or the unfettered immigration of Muslim and Islamist populations that is more than just a security threat (as the latest instance of terrorism in Munich itself demonstrated).

Vance listed examples of this contempt for democratic norms and free speech in the European Union, Sweden, Romania, and especially, in the United Kingdom, where posting dissent against leftist woke orthodoxies on social media are sometimes considered criminal offenses. The crackdown on heretical conservative thoughts about abortion, immigration or gender ideology there is bad enough. But it is especially egregious when the same authorities turn a blind eye to the open support for the genocidal Islamists of Hamas and the massive incitement against Jews in that country, especially since Oct. 7.

the issues of free speech and immigration are of sufficient importance to transcend those concerns at this moment in history.

Some defend censorship policies because of the supposed threat to democracy posed by Russian meddling, which has come in the form of social-media ads. But as Vance says, though he and Trump disapprove of such conduct, “If your democracy can be destroyed with a few hundred thousand dollars of digital advertising from a foreign country, then it wasn’t very strong to begin with.”

The Real Threat to Jews

The primary contemporary threat to the West or the Jews isn’t, for all of their manifest flaws, AfD, Carlson or Europeans who don’t wish their countries to be transformed for the worst by a flood of

The most pressing problem facing defenders of Western democracy comes from the censorious and anti-democratic forces that exist within the West.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz treated Vance’s speech as somehow indifferent to the threat from Nazism today in a subsequent address to the same conference, which was widely applauded by the attending elites. This isn’t so much wrongheaded as it is a form of gaslighting.

I understand that many other democratic countries do not have the same respect for free speech that America does, with its First Amendment rights that are so deeply embedded in our political culture. And German laws about the Nazis are based on that nation’s efforts to transcend the legacy of its Hitlerian past and rejoin the community of nations as they regained independence following the Allied occupation. Vance and key Trump advisor Elon Musk are wrong to embrace AfD without first requiring it to completely clean up their act as other right-wing European parties have done.

As I’ve also previously written, Vance and Trump are also wrong to continue to associate with former Fox News TV host Tucker Carlson, whose platforming and cheerleading for antisemitism and anti-Zionism have become habitual on the show that he airs on Musk’s X social-media platform.

But they are right when they say that

immigrants is why AfD and other nationalist parties throughout Europe have gone mainstream, and are either in government or potentially on the cusp of doing so.

Vance’s exhortation to the Munich Conference to listen to their citizens, rather than dismiss or silence them, should be heeded. Rather than attacking the Trump administration for allegedly insulting them, they should be joining with it to defend free speech and Western civilization against those on the left or among Islamists who wish to tear it down.

Tolerance for opposing views within democratic societies is hard for the European and American liberal elites who look down their noses at Trump, Vance and Musk. While claiming to champion liberalism, their behavior and policies are fundamentally illiberal. But as Vance joked, “If American democracy can survive ten years of Greta Thunberg’s [anti-democratic global warming extremism] scolding, you guys can survive a few months of Elon Musk.”

immigrants who oppose their core values. Nor is it Vladimir Putin’s Russia, whose despotism and illegal invasion of Ukraine are awful, though that war should be ended as soon as possible.

The most pressing problem facing defenders of Western democracy comes from the censorious and anti-democratic forces that exist within the West. That includes the United States, where the Biden administration colluded with social-media companies to censor and shut down free speech and even reporting about subjects they wished to silence.

Whatever you may think of the Trump administration, its clarion call in defense of freedom uttered by Vance is exactly what is needed right now. Along those lines, the issue of immigration is not disconnected from that of antisemitism.

On the contrary, the shift of many European nations against Israel, its defense against genocidal terrorists, and their toleration and mainstreaming of antisemitism is directly and tragically connected to the growing constituency for Jew-hatred among the many millions of Muslim migrants to those countries in the last decade. The fateful decisions of E.U. nations, especially Germany when Merkel was chancellor, to open the floodgates to these

Both defenders of democracy and those who purport to speak for the Jews need to pivot away from leftist group-think or the assumptions about the world that dominated the period from the 1940s to the 1980s. They should now be focused on defeating the forces on the left and from the Muslim world that provide the most disturbing threat to our safety and freedom. And we should be grateful for an American administration that—whether you back it or not— is not afraid to say as much.

We don’t know whether, as Turley clearly hopes, opinion about Vance’s Munich speech will shift as it did about Churchill’s “Iron Curtain” address. Too much of the journalistic and foreign-policy establishment is invested in shutting down conservative speech and advocating for open borders, as well as demonizing Trump, Vance and Musk, to acknowledge their mistakes.

Vance is correct to say that European and American elites alike should listen to the people rather than high-handedly reject their concerns as racist or xenophobic.

The election results in the United States and some European countries illustrate that more and more people are waking up to the threat that woke and Islamist attacks on the West pose to civilization, freedoms and security. Rather than refuse to listen to Vance because of disagreement with him and the administration on some points, that threat and the way it fuels antisemitism must be our primary focus.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate).

Political Crossfire Where China’s Exports Begin Inside the Vast Markets of Guangzhou

By Keith Bradsher

GUANGZHOU, China — Rows of white concrete buildings near the Pearl River in southern China house one of the world’s fastest-growing industries: Gritty workshops are churning out inexpensive clothing that is exported straight to homes and small businesses around the world. No tariffs are paid, and no customs inspections are conducted.

The laborers who make these goods earn as little as $5 an hour, including overtime, for workdays that can last 10 hours or more. They pay $130 a month to sleep on bunk beds in tiny rooms above factories packed with sewing machines and mounds of cloth.

“It’s hard work,” said Wu Hua, who sews pants, seven days a week, at a factory in Guangzhou, a vast metropolis that straddles the Pearl River.

E-commerce giants have forged close links from international markets to workers like Wu, shaking retailing and economies around the globe.

The number of duty-free shipments to the United States has risen more than tenfold since 2016, to 4 million parcels

per day last year. Similar shipments to the European Union have climbed even faster, reaching 12 million parcels a day last year. Duty-free shipments to developing countries like Thailand and South Africa have also surged.

Now a global backlash is underway.

President Donald Trump ordered a halt Feb. 4 to the duty-free entry, without inspection, of parcels with goods worth up to $800. Trump temporarily suspended his order to give officials time to devise a plan for dealing with the mounds of parcels that immediately started piling up at airports for inspection.

Since taking office less than a month ago, Trump has launched a fusillade of trade actions, including an order Thursday for his advisers to come up with new tariff levels that take into account a range of trade barriers. But a lasting halt on duty-free shipments could be one of the most far-reaching moves. These shipments have skirted until now not only his new tariffs, including a 10% tax on all goods from China, but also many other tariffs that have accumulated over the years.

The U.S. action on so-called de minimis shipments — low-value parcels that customs services don’t bother inspecting or calculating tariffs on — was one of many. Last summer, South Africa imposed 45% tariffs on even the smallest imports of clothing. Thailand ended its exemption of low-value imported parcels from sales taxes, although it continues to allow tariff-free entry of parcels up to 1,500 Thai baht ($44). And the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, proposed this month to end the 27-nation bloc’s duty-free treatment of packages worth up to 150 euros ($156).

Countries have cited different reasons for their restrictions. Trump contended that by skirting customs inspections, the duty-free parcels had become a conduit for fentanyl and related materials to enter the United States. The European Commission cited a need to ensure product safety in imports, stop counterfeit goods, and prevent unfair competition. South Africa and Thailand acted to protect local shop owners.

“We have a duty to ensure that goods

entering our market are safe and that all traders respect consumers’ rights,” said Michael McGrath, a European commissioner.

This corner of southern China near Hong Kong has been a hub of low-cost manufacturing for export since the 1980s, especially apparel. But the rise of e-commerce sellers around the world has created ever-growing demand of such shipments.

Guangzhou has emerged as the global hub of de minimis shipments. Across many square miles of the city, fast fashion garments are made in concrete buildings with sewing shops and sometimes living quarters above them.

Shein and Temu, competing Chinese e-commerce giants that together hold at least a third of the de minimis industry, coordinate much of their supply chains from large offices in Guangzhou. Amazon has introduced its own de minimis business, Haul, for shipments from China. China’s de minimis industry is not confined to Guangzhou. Nor is it limited to the industry’s mainstay, clothing. Yiwu, a city 600 miles northeast of

Piles of Shein packages waiting to be shipped in a garmet workshop in Guangzhou, China. Photo by Gilles Sabrie-NYT

Guangzhou with a vast wholesale market, has become another hub. It coordinates de minimis exports of toys, hats and other small items from towns scattered across the Yangtze River delta.

Shein, in particular, has presented itself as a new business concept, connecting far-flung customers with factories ready to cut and sew almost anything. Collaborating with 5,000 workshops and small factories across China, Shein’s approach almost completely eliminates the need for store inventory, or even for stores and retail staff.

“At Shein, we have reimagined the supply chain by empowering thousands of small and medium-sized businesses, giving them full insight into what our customers want and need,” the company says on its website.

But workshop owners in Guangzhou complain that Shein is too demanding.

Li Zhi’s workshop produced garments for a Shein contractor four years ago, but the arrangement lasted only a year. “Shein demands high quality but offers low prices,” she said while sorting lace fabric on a table.

She now sells instead to wholesalers for China’s domestic market, who offer her higher prices. But business re -

mains difficult, she said, as a shortage of blue-collar workers has sent the going rate for a day’s labor to almost $70, from $48 four years ago.

In China today, almost two-thirds of 18-year-olds enroll in a college or university, up from 10% in 2000. That has left few young Chinese willing to do factory work.

tariffs of 3% to 30%, plus a 7.5% tariff imposed during his first term, plus a 10% tariff on all imports from China that the president imposed Feb. 4. On top of that, there would be customs processing fees of $5 to $20 per parcel.

Shein said its suppliers paid their workers twice as much as local minimum wages. Temu said nearly 60% of its sales

Shein and Temu, competing Chinese e-commerce giants that together hold at least a third of the de minimis industry, coordinate much of their supply chains from large offices in Guangzhou.

“Business is deteriorating every year,” Li said. “There are fewer and fewer workers now — mostly those born in the ’70s and ’80s.”

If Trump permanently ends the de minimis rule, imported apparel that is now duty-free would be subject to basic

in the United States were now from American warehouses with shipments that go through customs, with tariffs paid.

The competitive advantages of the de minimis export industry in China go beyond avoiding tariffs and skirting customs inspections. More than 90% of Chi-

na’s cotton is grown in Xinjiang, a region in China’s far northwest. Many Western governments have begun restricting or banning imports with any content from Xinjiang after mass arrests there by China’s security agencies and evidence of forced labor among the region’s predominantly Muslim ethnic groups, particularly the Uyghurs.

Households and small businesses that buy de minimis parcels from China bear legal responsibility for making sure their parcels have no cotton or other content from Xinjiang. But regulators in the West have been reluctant to bring charges.

Big retailers, by contrast, generally comply with Xinjiang-related legislation when they import large shipping containers of clothing for their stores.

Workshop owners in Guangzhou said they did not know where their fabric suppliers obtained their cotton.

Yun Congping, a Guangzhou sewing shop owner who supplies the Thai market, said he and other merchants needed exports.

“If we don’t accept the deals” to supply low-priced exports, he said, “there’s nothing else to do.”

©

The New York Times

Political Crossfire Bandits’ New Demand in Brazil: Hand Over the Ozempic

By Seth Kugel and Flávia Milhorance

SAO PAULO, Brazil — Around 10:30 p.m. on a Friday in late January, David Fernando, a pharmacist, was working behind a counter at a drugstore in Sao Paulo when a man walked up to him and flashed a gun. “He asked for money from the register and medications from the refrigerator,” Fernando said.

These days, pharmacists in Sao Paulo — Brazil’s largest city — know exactly what thieves mean when they say “medications from the refrigerator.”

They’re after Ozempic, Wegovy and Saxenda, the injectable weight-loss drugs many Brazilians covet but most can’t afford, in a country obsessed with body image but where obesity is on the rise.

The thief made off with five boxes, each of which typically holds a month’s supply and costs 700 to 1,100 Brazilian reais, or about $120 to $190, while the average monthly income is about $300.

Although the armed robbery unnerved Fernando, 36, it was not exactly a surprise. The same pharmacy was held up for the same drugs twice in late 2024, he said. Now a security guard is posted outside.

Four blocks north, another pharmacy

has taken even greater precautions after a police officer interrupted an Ozempic robbery in August, resulting in a shootout that left an older woman injured.

On a recent afternoon, two armed guards stood watch, one inside the front door and the other near a backroom where the refrigerated weight-loss drugs are kept.

While a smattering of media reports shows thieves are after Ozempic elsewhere in the world — including late-night break-ins at pharmacies in Michigan and in Santiago de Compostela, Spain — Brazil has become a prime global hot spot for criminals coveting the hugely popular weight-loss drugs.

Sao Paulo, in particular, has become a nexus because it is by some measures Brazil’s richest city, with many wealthy neighborhoods where plenty of pharmacies stock the drugs because enough people can afford them. And these days, thieves have little problem finding buyers on WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

The targeting of pharmacies has left workers fearful and has led some stores to reduce their supply of weight-loss drugs. The robberies are “definitely a growing

trend,” said Pedro Ivo Corrêa dos Santos, a police chief in Sao Paulo State’s Department of Criminal Investigation.

Pharmacies are often easy targets, the police chief added. “Many operate 24/7, storing the product in a fridge with no real security, only protected by the pharmacist,” he said.

A New York Times analysis of a Sao Paulo State database found that robberies of pharmacies in which Ozempic, Wegovy or Saxenda were stolen jumped notably in the last three years, from a sole recorded episode in 2022 — four boxes of Ozempic taken from a single drugstore — to 18 robberies in 2023 and 39 last year.

The numbers are almost certainly undercounts, since about half the reported robberies did not specify the medications taken.

RD Saúde and Grupo DPS, two companies that own pharmacy chains in Sao Paulo where many of the robberies have taken place, declined to comment. Many independent pharmacies say they no longer keep the drugs in the store.

“Anyone who stocks Ozempic can’t work in peace,” said Wilson Martins, the manager of Farma O Imperador, an inde -

pendent pharmacy in western Sao Paulo. “People ask, ‘Do you have Ozempic?’” he added. “No, we don’t. And that way, we don’t get robbed.”

Customers who want one of the weight-loss drugs now must order it in person and make an appointment to pick it up. But for good measure, Martins, 72, still keeps a leather-sheathed machete behind the counter.

Some criminal gangs have been robbing trucks making wholesale Ozempic deliveries, Corrêa dos Santos said. One gang that the police dismantled last year included employees of a transport company. Drug producers and distributors must report losses of medications resulting from crimes or other reasons to Anvisa, the Brazilian agency that regulates food and drugs. Its figures show that 4,770 Ozempic injection pens were stolen or lost in 2023 and surged to 8,220 pens last in 2024.

The rash of robberies of weight-loss drugs comes amid soaring sales of the medication in a country where achieving a finely tuned body is revered and that, like many countries, is growing fatter.

The percentage of adults in its largest

cities considered obese increased to about 24% in 2023 from nearly 12% in 2006, according to a Health Ministry study.

Several Brazilian celebrities have spoken publicly about using Ozempic or similar drugs, including singers Luiza Possi, Wesley Safadão and Jojo Todynho.

“The wave of thefts began when social media started openly discussing the drug, particularly as celebrities and influencers showcased dramatic weight loss,” said Renata Gonçalves, the head of a union of pharmacists for the state of Sao Paulo.

Even Rio de Janeiro’s mayor, Eduardo Paes, said during his campaign in 2024 that he “took a lot of Ozempic” and lost about 65 pounds, and pledged to make the drug available for free.

“Rio will be a city without chubby people anymore,” he said.

In Brazil, Ozempic sales grew from $27.5 million in 2019 to $621.6 million in 2023, the last year for which complete figures were available, according to IQVIA, a global provider of health care data. (The Brazilian market still pales in comparison to the United States, where sales totaled $30.3 billion in 2023.)

Rodrigo Lima, who has worked for

pharmacy chains for two decades and is now head of operations for Ultrafarma, a Sao Paulo-based chain, said other high-cost pharmacy products have been targeted in the past.

But the high cost of Ozempic, he said, has “sparked a huge demand for these items, leading to specialized gangs with an eye on that slice of the market.”

car in a trash bag,” said Andrea Lima, the manager of a branch of the Drogaria Sao Paulo chain where a police officer foiled an attempted robbery last May.

“How long do they leave it in the trunk?”

Ultrafarma’s strategy, said Lima, has been to install better security cameras and reduce stock in company-owned stores.

“Rio will be a city without chubby people anymore,” he said.

While it’s fairly easy to sell and buy stolen weight-loss drugs on the web, criminals may not be able to ensure buyers about the quality of the drugs once they are taken out of cold storage. Several pharmacists in Sao Paulo repeatedly stressed that just a few hours at room temperature renders the medications useless.

“They take the medications out to the

One Ultrafarma store that was robbed in 2023 has gone even further, said Leandro Rodrigo Santos, the store’s manager. It no longer keeps Ozempic in stock, so customers have to order it and have it delivered to their home.

But even that has risks.

Wellington Vieira, chief of a Rio de Janeiro police division that investigates consumer-related crimes, said the agen-

cy had received reports of groups who order multiple boxes of Ozempic to a home and then pull a switcheroo.

When a delivery worker arrives, two people answer the door. One tries multiple times to pay with an invalid credit card while the other accepts the package and switches out the real Ozempic for a counterfeit version. When the purchase is eventually canceled, the delivery worker unknowingly returns to the pharmacy with the fake medication.

Ozempic bandits may soon confront a force more powerful than the police: economics. Novo Nordisk’s Brazilian patent for semaglutide, the active ingredient in Ozempic and Wegovy, expires in 2026, and pharmaceutical companies are racing to get approval to produce generic versions that will almost certainly cause prices to tumble.

For now, some pharmacists are turning to a higher power for protection. Elis Regina Peixoto manages a pharmacy in eastern Sao Paulo that has so far gone unscathed. “In the name of [G-d],” she said, “we will not be robbed.”

© The New York Times

Forgotten Her es Jewish Heroes in World War II

By Avi Heiligman

At the beginning of World War II, some high-ranking officers of the Axis powers were afraid of the American war potential if they were forced to enter the fighting. These officers were right to be concerned about the American might, and after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, the U.S. began mobilizing men and building machines. The numbers were staggering as over 16 million Americans joined the armed forces. About 550,000 of these servicemembers were Jewish, and many joined wanting to get a chance to fight against the Nazis. Tens of thousands of Jewish men and women were awarded medals and citations for actions during the war. Records of these awards are of public record but are not always easy to access. Here are few of the Jewish soldiers from World War II that were awarded medals for bravery in combat.

Born in Poland, Sergeant Morris Eisenstein moved to Chicago and joined the 222nd Infantry Regiment of the 42nd “Rainbow” Division. He was a decorated combat veteran with two Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars. His story of liberating Dachau has been told to historians who recorded it as an oral history interview.

In the days and weeks leading up the German surrender on May 8, 1945, it was chaos in the streets of Germany. Eisenstein’s first Silver Star citation was for actions on April 20 at Furth, Germany. He was with a patrol when they came under attack from a building occupied by enemy soldiers. Under heavy German

fire, Eisenstein went around the building and forced the surrender of four Germans including a major. The American told the German to lead him to the German base. The enemy major complied, and soon 150 German soldiers surrendered to Eisenstein. Capitalizing on the situation, the Jewish soldier commanded the German to take him to a nearby hospital being run by the German army. The soldiers and patients also surrendered to the Eisenstein. Later in the day, he again used the major in another large surrender of Germans. This time, 120 soldiers laid down their arms. With these actions, most of the enemy presence in Furth had capitulated to the Americans.

On April 29, near Dachau, Eisenstein earned his second Silver Star. His battalion’s vehicle column came under assault, and he jumped on a jeep. After failing to get the malfunctioning machine gun to work, he made his way under heavy gunfire towards an abandoned truck. Eisenstein used up the supply of ammunition and went to find more despite the bullets coming in his direction. He reloaded and played an important role in taking out the Nazi positions. Other Americans were able to flank the enemy and forced 150 Nazis to surrender.

Nathan Tyson was from Pennsylvania and became a flying officer serving in the remote China Burma India Theater. He flew the L-5, which was a liaison plane that was capable of taking off and landing on short and unpaved air -

strips. Tyson made 24 missions to rescue downed airmen in the theater who were stranded due to the harsh conditions. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal for his efforts in the successful rescues.

Communications between the front lines and rear echelon units like headquarters and artillery were extremely important to combat troops in foxholes. Sergeant Max Heller from St. Louis was with the 3rd Battalion, 20th Infantry Regiment, 6th Infantry Division when they were sent to assault Japanese strongholds on Luzon in the Philippines. On March 21, 1945, the communications line between his unit and the mortar unit was severed. Heller, the forward scout for the mortar unit, leaped out of his hole. Despite heavy fire coming from enemy machine guns, Heller repaired the line. He then searched for the location of the machine guns, sighted their location, and relayed the coordinates of the enemy positions through the newly repaired line back to the mortar section. For his heroism, Max Heller was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In other actions, he was awarded two Silver Stars and three Bronze Stars.

Technician Fourth Grade David Mack was a front line medic with the 102 nd Medical Detachment, 27 th Infantry Division. The division landed on Saipan in the Mariana Islands a day after two marine divisions assaulted the Japanese stronghold. Capture of these islands was important as they would be used as airbases for long-range bombers striking

the Japanese home islands. Like many of the American amphibious assaults in the Pacific, Japanese resistance was fierce and progress to wipe out their positions was slow. Casualties were high, and from June 17 to July 12, 1944, Mack and his unit were constantly engaged with enemy forces. Several times, he left the cover of safety to run and provide medical assistance to wounded Americans. After evacuating one patient, he went right back to the front lines to help others. Oftentimes, he used his body to protect the wounded while assisting them under heavy gunfire. Other times, he directed small arms fire to protect the wounded while evacuating them from the battlefield. His Distinguished Service Cross says his “devoted care to the men of the unit to which he was attached was far beyond the call of duty.”

These Forgotten Heroes stories are recorded by official military documents, oral histories that have been recorded, and publications. However, most history books don’t mention the names or particular acts of bravery of these servicemen. As historians dig through more records, more information will surface and these heroes’ stories can be told.

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.

Nathan Tyson flew the L-5 Sentinel

Nathan Tyson

Sergeant Morris Eisenstein

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THE MARION & AARON GURAL

JCC Early Childhood Center is hiring Assistant Teachers for the 20252026 school year, and summer camp counselors, lifeguards, and camp nurse. Applicants must be over 16-years-old for Summer, 2025. Please send resumes to JCC.Nursery@guraljcc.org or call (516) 239-1354

ONLINE MUSIC STORE

Looking to hire a reliable friendly guy. Interest in guitars is a plus. Solid pay. Flexible hours. Text Evan 516-447-1018

SHMIRAS HALASHON

Text 516-303-3868 with a time slot of your choice to be careful on lashon hara. Be a part of the 1,000 people for klal yisroel!

Fd for Thought A Taste of KFWE

By Nati Burnside

The Kosher Food & Wine Experience (KFWE) continued its new phase on Monday, February 10. This year’s event was not open to the public and was the second year of such, even though demand for tickets in the past have been through the roof.

It’s been a chaotic few cycles for one of the marquee events on the kosher calendar. KFWE was canceled in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2022 version was held in the ballroom at the Hilton Meadowlands in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and had limited tickets available and a slightly scaled-down format. That left a real appetite for KFWE 2023, and the event returned to its usual home of Chelsea Piers in Manhattan to massive crowds last year.

However, it seems that the proprietors (Royal Wine Corp.) wanted to bring the focus of the event back to the wines and the industry itself. They decided to return to the Hilton Meadowlands in 2024 and 2025 and allow only those in the trade itself (and the media) to attend. Who knows what the plan is for KFWE 2026, but the anticipation for the affair has likely already begun and the demand will surely be through the roof.

With that being said, even those in the industry can’t drink on empty stomachs. So if you weren’t allowed in the door, here’s a rundown of some of the best bites from KFWE 2024.

5. Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce –Tuscanini Italian Foods (Bayonne, NJ)

These gnocchi didn’t look like much, but they were actually quite good if you gave them a chance. I guess they were living up to their brand name as Tuscanini has been expanding more and more in recent years due to the popularity of the Italian kosher brand owned by Kayco.

Shani Seidman, chief marketing officer for Kayco, said the gnocchi were “a great way to elevate your dinner game.” Sounds about right. Unless you plan on making your own gnocchi (nobody is going to stop you), these might be a great way to fool people into thinking they are in the presence of a great chef.

All Tuscanini products are made in Italy and say so on the packaging. It’s one way that the brand tries to indicate to their customers that the contents are of premium quality, a tough thing to find in the kosher world.

That quality has led to Tuscanini products being carried in many non-kosher supermarkets. Look for them on the shelves the next time you go.

4. Tuna Fillet – The Fisherman’s Plank (Toms River, NJ)

The most mysterious provider of food or beverage in the ballroom was clearly The Fisherman’s Plank. The fish was always stocked, there were three different types (tuna, salmon, and turbot), and the plating was simple. But the result was roundly positive from the crowd.

All I can tell you about The Fisherman’s Plank is that it’s a WhatsApp business based out of Toms River. You can look through the profile and see any number of potential platters with prices that seem quite reasonable for the quality of fish they are providing.

I can’t say what made them join the food offerings of the show, but that’s mostly because they didn’t have a brand ambassador on hand to talk to. What I can tell you is that the fish was delicious, and they’d like to hear from you.

If you find anything out about the company, can you let me know?

3. Chocolate Rugelach –Manischewitz (Newark, NJ)

The last thing I thought I’d be writing about are frozen rugelach. That’s right – frozen.

But let’s back up.

Manischewitz had a bunch of products on display (including a cart producing their new line of hot dogs, which were better than expected) at KFWE. Yet somehow, the thing that people were talking about were these rugelach. They look and taste like a great pastry you might buy in any local bakery (well, I guess the size and shape might be a bit more consistent), and they were served warm to the crowd at KFWE.

The surprise came in that they weren’t some fancy brand, rather they were a new product that Manischewitz was putting out as part of their great rebranding effort.

Not only that, but the fact that these warm, soft, chocolatey cookies were frozen 15 minutes ago? It was pretty impressive.

Apparently, popping a batch of these into your oven will cause your whole house to smell like a bakery in just 10 minutes. So I guess that’s a pretty great benefit to buying them. They should be available at most kosher supermarkets near you.

2. Falafel in Pita –Ha’misada (Howell, NJ)

This booth harkened people back to the days of KFWEs past as this was a formal restaurant booth like you would see five years ago. The big difference was that it was self-serve, something that would never work with the amount of patrons that used to attend this event in years past.

There was a full falafel station with the works. Freshly toasted pita and fried falafel, Israeli salad, pickles, pink slaw, hummus, tehina, and even some good old Israeli charif.

This came courtesy of Ha’misada, a family-owned Israeli family restaurant in Howell, just outside of Lakewood. As the event was split up into two rooms with the Israeli wines on one side, Ma’misada had the Israeli room all to themselves. In fact, representation of Israeli food was the whole reason they were there.

“They wanted to have some Israeli food to go along with the wine,” explained Motty Tessler of Ha’Misada. “We were happy to say yes and we are happy to bring really authentic Israeli food to the Lakewood area today and for the past three years.”

1. Asian Chicken

Skewer – West Wing (Woodmere, NY)

Unless you live in the Five Towns, you might be confused to see the name “West Wing” in this space. Yes, their space burned down some time ago. But if you thought that was going to stop them, you were wrong.

“We were doing catering even before we opened the original location in the Five Towns,” said Mimi Levy, manager of everything West Wing. “After the fire, we put effort into increasing the catering branch of our business, and we thought KFWE would be a good place to show that to everybody.”

West Wing brought a plethora of different items, but the highlight for me was the Asian chicken skewer. The simple chunks of dark meat chicken were marinated in a hoisin ginger sauce that really made for a nice kick.

If you’re looking to find West Wing, you’re in luck. Their new location in Flatbush should be open shortly, and they plan on reopening in the Five Towns later in 2025.