Five Towns Jewish Home 04.03.25

Rav Doron Perez Visits the Five Towns

A Day of Connection at Netzah HaTorah

Dear Readers,

I’m not much of an historian, but when I cook or do work around the house and want to listen to something in the background, I have been listening to podcasts on Jewish history. I have not yet become an expert in Jewish history, but each episode gives me some interesting facts that pique my interest, and I am able to walk away with something concrete from each installment.

Yehuda Geberer gives well-rounded talks, and last week, I looked for an episode that pertained to Pesach. “The Machine Matzah Controversy” was recorded a year ago, but history doesn’t change much from year to year, and I found the episode fascinating.

For hundreds of years, Jews ate handmade matzah over Pesach. The process was painstaking and costly, but the Jews sacrificed for the yearly mitzvah. In 1938, Isaac Singer invented the matzah producing machine in France. In France, at the time, the Jews accepted and approved of the machine for use for making matzah on Pesach. The machine then came to Germany, and once again, the rabbanim in Germany approved the use of a machine to make kosher l’Pesach matzah.

But two decades later, the machine came to the Jews in Galicia, and that is where the controversy began. The chassidish rebbes immediately forbade their chassidim from eating machine matzah. Rabbi Shlomo Kluger was at the forefront in opposition of machine matzah.

But there were other, very learned rabbanim who were very much in support of using a machine for making matzos for Pesach. Rabbi Yosef Shaul Nathanson of Lemberg was perhaps the most vocal of the rabbanim to permit machine matzah. Both Rabbi Kluger and Rabbi Nathanson wrote lengthy responsa to debate the issue, citing

different reasons and halachos to support their side. There was discourse, there was rhetoric, but each side presented what they thought was right. The other side, they maintained, would be eating chometz on Pesach, a most terrible transgression.

What struck me most about the podcast (and if you have time, please listen and enjoy!) was that both sides were fervently and vehemently convinced that their side was correct. But even though there was controversy – over eating chometz on Pesach, a transgression someone is chayav kareis for – there was debate and discussion. Both sides presented their thoughts and their proofs. They were given the space and respect to do so.

There’s a joke that when you get two Jews in one room, you get three opinions. We’re a vocal, intelligent, opinionated nation. But the beauty of our nation is that for thousands of years Jews have been able to converse and debate and present arguments for and against matters of halacha. There is open dialogue, and there is a healthy understanding that there is validity to having a difference of opinion. When there’s a question of which side of halacha to follow, we turn to our rabbanim to seek their guidance and follow their way.

Over the past week, controversy erupted in the yeshiva world over voting in the World Zionist elections. It’s important to understand that there are two sides to this issue. Both sides should be able to be heard, a practice that we have engaged in for hundreds of years. Both sides should speak with their rabbanim to follow their guidance. But never should there be hurtful protests and demonstrations against those from within our own community, attempting to silence their voice.

Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

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Light Rain

AM Showers AM Showers Showers

Dear Editor,

This is regarding your “Dear Readers” article of last week paper.

You wrote that your daughter had requested an aisle seat, so credit to her that she knew what she wanted.

The couple unabashedly had asked her to switch her seat with the husband, and here comes the alarming part … even though your teenage daughter didn’t feel comfortable about giving them her seat, she agreed because she felt it would be awkward the whole long plane ride.

I think it’s our job as parents to teach our children to say NO at the right situations. Otherwise, we raise a “people pleasers” generation that will say yes at times that want to say no and therefore will come up as victims like this story that you went on to bring stories of tzaddik, rasha, and beinoni and went on to talk about how to be a mensch.

I think in this story we need to take responsibility for our own actions and be a tzaddik and a mensch to our own true self by saying No when needed.

This way, b’ezras Hashem, your daughter (or anyone of our children) will develop a healthy backbone to stand up for herself for life.

Sincerely, S.A.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to share some thoughts on the nature of disagreements prompted by your paper’s recent discussions surrounding the WZO. My intention is not to take sides in the specifics of that argument but rather to offer a perspective on how such disagreements unfold within our community.

I recall an old joke within the frum

community that noted the absence of significant arguments in the single Reform and single Conservative organizations, contrasting this with the prevalence of numerous arguments within the many Orthodox organizations. The punchline suggested that just as there are no arguments in a cemetery, the lack of debate in the other movements indicated a lack of vitality. The joke implied that the vibrancy and engagement within the Orthodox community, a place where Yiddishkeit is alive and well, naturally leads to robust discussion.

While this anecdote is amusing, it overlooks a more fundamental reason for the intensity of our disagreements. Too often, arguments within the Orthodox community are framed in a way that causes terrible machlokes. The stance is frequently taken: “I am conveying the definitive word of Daas Torah, the ratzon Hashem. To disagree with me is not merely an intellectual difference, but a rejection of our holy sages, a defiance of Torah, and an argument against Hashem.” A greater sense of humility is desperately needed within our community! Such an approach, by its very nature, breeds deep and often irreconcilable divisions. The central challenge lies in fostering a collective realization that our individual perspectives, however deeply held, are not synonymous with divine decree. Everyone must realize that Hashem is not giving different people opposing views via ruach hakodesh. Perhaps we can begin by simply adjusting the tone of our conversations. What if we approached each other with something like: “This is what I believe to be true, and I hope you might agree. However, if we hold differ-

Continued on page 14

Continued from page 12 ing views, let us acknowledge that difference and move forward, maintaining proper kavod for one another.”

Sincerely, Pesach

Tarski

Dear Editor,

As usual, I appreciated your note to readers this week. But as I read further into your paper, I noticed another article that aligned with what you wrote.

Sara Rayvych’s article on teens working brought up an important point. When our teens are working (as babysitters, waiters, counselors, etc.), it is important that their employers do not take advantage of them. We can’t allow them to be put into situations where their employers will put them into situations where they feel uncomfortable saying no (for sure including yichud considerations, of course!).

People who employ teens need to ask themselves: would I put an adult into this situation? Would I not give an adult a lunch break or leave them with too many kids to care for on their own or pay them not what they’re worth? Am I giving them “avodas perech” to do – working hard and mindlessly, doing tasks that aren’t fit

for one person to do?

Being an employer requires that the employer has respect for their employee – regardless of the employee’s age.

Let’s remember that teens are people too and, as a mensch, think about what they really need and deserve.

Sincerely, Ayala Henig

Dear Editor,

Every year when Pesach comes, I get nervous when I hear about all the cleaning products that people use to clean their homes. Please, please, keep in mind that many cleaners (especially those used to clean ovens and stoves) are extremely toxic and dangerous and can result in terrible burns when touched or ingested.

We need to be mindful of that when we clean and NEVER leave these products where children can get to them.

Also, if you have cleaning help that doesn’t speak English, please tell them (via Google Translate) how dangerous these products are and how to use them properly.

May we all have a safe, beautiful Pesach, Shira Weider

Sub Sinks Near Egypt

A submarine sank last Thursday morning just a kilometer off the shore of Hurghada, Egypt, killing six passengers, all of whom were Russian tourists. The deaths were confirmed by Red Sea Governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafy.

Aboard the ship were five crew members from Egypt and 45 passengers, including tourists from Norway, Sweden, India, and Russia. Everyone, aside from the six killed in the incident, was rescued alive. Four passengers were being treated at nearby medical facilities for life-threatening injuries.

The incident is now being investigated by authorities, Hanafy said.

The ship, run by Sindbad Submarines, was at the time inspecting coral reef in a run-of-the-mill underwater excursion. Their website claims the vessel is “engineered in Finland to sustain underwater pressure up to 75 meters, ensuring safety and reliability,” and has an “expert team” with “years of experience.” The website contains other details about the submarine, adding that it’s able to accommodate 44 passengers and two pilots, boasting a “sizable round viewing window” for all onboard. The vessel could also go as far as 82 feet below sea level for up to 40 minutes, thus allowing passengers to see “500 meters of coral reef and its marine inhabitant.”

According to the governor, the submarine’s operating license was valid, and its crew leader had the necessary “scientific certificates.”

Wildfires in S. Korea

Dozens of people died and over 24,000 people fled from their homes as

a result of wildfires raging in southeast South Korea. The fires, which are the worst in the country’s history, have also burned down temples that have been revered for hundreds of years, as well as over 300 other structures.

The fires, fueled by powerful winds, started around two weeks ago and had swept through over 88,000 acres by Thursday.

“We are fighting the worst-ever wildfire with all the manpower and equipment we can muster, but it’s an extraordinary situation,” said acting president and prime minister Han Duck-soo, who was recently reinstated to office after a court ruled against his impeachment.

The country has deployed over 5,000 fire officials and 78 helicopters to fight the flames, with officials declaring cities and counties in Gyeongsang province special disaster zones.

Last Wednesday, a pilot died after his helicopter flew into a mountain. The incident led authorities to suspend aerial operations. In the meantime, three rangers and one civil servant were killed while trying to fight the fires.

“The rainfall in some areas has not put out the fires, but it lessened the chances of the blaze spreading to other areas,” said Korea Forest Service’s head, Lim Sang-seop, referencing recent rain in the county of Uiseong.

In that same county, fires destroyed a Buddhist temple built 1,300 years ago. It was a UNESCO World Heritage Site. By Sunday, authorities said that the main fire had been brought under control.

The cause of the fires is under investigation. This week, authorities booked a 56-year-old man who had been performing an ancestral rite at a family grave on a hill in Uiseong county. Police are saying he may have started the fatal fires accidentally when he tried to burn tree branches over the graves with a cigarette lighter.

Earthquake Slams Myanmar

A powerful earthquake, measured at a 7.7 magnitude, devastated Myanmar

on Friday, disrupting the country’s ongoing civil war, killing at least 2,719 people and injuring more than 4,521 others. The massive earthquake, which was felt as far as China, also hit Thailand, killing at least 18 people. In Thailand, officials are concerned that over 100 people, most of whom are construction workers, are now stuck beneath a collapsed building.

Gen. Min Aung Hlaing noted, “Among the missing, most are assumed to be dead,” he said on state television. “There

is a narrow chance for them to remain alive as it has been over 72 hours.”

Min Aung Hlaing, the head of Myanmar’s junta, declared a state of emergency and, in a statement, pleaded for “any organizations and nations willing to … help the people in need within our country.”

Over the past four years, Myanmar, one of the most impoverished countries in Asia, has been embroiled in a civil war. Over 20 million people in Myanmar need humanitarian aid and around 3.5 million

nic armed groups,” said a country director for an international NGO working in Myanmar. “They’re controlled by the PDF (People’s Defense Force) under the NUG (National Unity Government), so you can’t have a full picture of what is going on.”

The International Rescue Committee’s Myanmar director said the damage in Myanmar from the earthquake will probably be “severe.”

Rice Protests in Tokyo

In the United States, the affordability of eggs has prompted a national discussion — underscoring anxieties about the economy and the government’s role in addressing them. In Japan, there’s an equivalent: rice.

Over the past year, Japan has grappled with a more than 200,000-ton shortage of its staple grain. Rice prices have skyrocketed, and supermarkets have been forced to restrict amounts that shoppers can buy. The situation became so dire that the government had to tap its emergency rice reserves.

The twist is that even as Japan deals with shortages, the government is paying farmers to limit how much they grow. The policy, in place for more than half a century, consumes billions of dollars a year in public spending.

are displaced. Currently, the military government only controls around 20% of the country, while most of the land is governed by rebel groups aiming to overthrow the junta. The earthquake “could not [have] come at a worse time,” Amnesty International said, calling on the junta to permit aid groups to freely come to Myanmar.

“Almost 80% of the country is outside of the control (of the military), and then they are controlled by different eth-

Farmers exasperated with the regulations protested Sunday. In a central Tokyo park, more than 4,000 farmers gathered with signs declaring, “Rice is life” and “We make rice but can’t make a living.”

The ability of Japan to manage its rice problem may have significant implications for the country’s political and economic landscape in the months ahead.

Last month, fresh food inflation

20 surged 19%, driven by an 81% rise in the price of rice. Anxieties over the cost of food and other staples have weighed on Japanese consumers and the economy as households cut back on spending.

Shortages of Japan’s staple food are also occurring before an upper house election that will be the first nationwide poll for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. His predecessor resigned in August, facing dismal public approval ratings caused in large part by the cost of basic goods.

The rice shortages stem from a mix of factors, including record summer heat in 2023 that damaged the harvest.

But experts say the root cause lies in a decades-old policy that has systematically reduced arable land for rice growing. Since the 1970s, Japan has subsidized farmers to curtail the production of rice. The goal, officials say, is to support farmer incomes by maintaining high prices.

Farmers at the protest said that policy isn’t working.

While slightly more costly, a policy focused on expanding production would increase rice supply, enhancing Japan’s food security, while lowering prices for consumers, said Nobuhiro Suzuki, a professor at the University of Tokyo specializing in agricultural economics. Enabling farmers to grow without restrictions

while backstopping their incomes would also make the industry more attractive to new generations of workers, he said.

(© The New York Times)

Death Sentences for Rabbi Kogan’s Murderers

According to reports, the United Arab Emirates has given death sentences to the three men who last November murdered Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Chabad rabbi in the UAE.

The suspected killers were identified as Olimpi Toirovich, Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, and Azizbek Kamlovich. All three were from Uzbekistan. In November 2024, they abducted Rabbi Kogan from Dubai. According to the Wall Street Journal, Rabbi Kogan’s killers planned to

bring him to Oman. However, their plans somehow fell through, and a few days later Rabbi Kogan was found dead in the UAE’s Al Ain city, which is on the country’s border with Oman. The three men were later arrested in Turkey.

Rabbi Kogan became the Chabad emissary to the UAE after the Abraham Accords established diplomatic relations between Israel and the UAE. He and his wife Rivky, whom he married in 2022, were committed to helping the UAE’s Jewish community. For example, they expanded the availability of kosher food in the UAE and established the Gulf state’s first Jewish education center.

In November, Rabbi Kogan was laid to rest on Har Hazeisim cemetery in Jerusalem.

Israel, according to Kan, believes the murder of Rabbi Kogan was a terror attack but doesn’t think Iran was behind the killing.

English Tourist Thwarts Stabbing in Amsterdam

Last Thursday, a man went on a stabbing spree in Amsterdam, near Dam’s

Square, injuring five people. The assailant was then stopped by an English tourist, who pursued the attacker through bus alleys before successfully restraining him until police arrived.

The British man, who asked to be unnamed, was hailed a hero for stopping the attacker and saving lives. Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, in an Instagram message, expressed her gratitude for the tourist’s heroism. At her home, she gave the English man a “hero’s medal.”

“He is a very modest British man,” Halsema said to reporters. “He has no desire to become famous. He is now mainly concerned with the victims; he feels responsible for them.”

“The tourist was walking on Nieuwendijk and heard a commotion,” she shared. “He saw someone pass by and instinctively thought, ‘This is not right, something bad is happening here.’ He managed to tackle him to the ground.”

Halsema added that the five victims—a 67-year-old woman and 69-year-old man from the United States, a 73-year-old woman from Belgium, a 26-year-old man from Poland, and a 19-year-old woman from Amsterdam—were all in stable condition and that authorities were working to determine the attacker’s identity and motive.

“We’re very proud of him, but we also want to point out that you need to be very careful if you want to make a citizen’s arrest. Most people are not trained for this sort of thing,” said an Amsterdam police spokesperson, praising the English tourist for making a “rare citizen’s arrest.”

Some Amsterdam locals have even said the hero should be made an honorary “Amsterdamer.”

Police say that the stabber was a 30-year-old Ukrainian national from the eastern Donetsk region.

Le Pen Found Guilty of Embezzlement

On Monday, a French court convicted Marine Le Pen, the leader of the National Rally (RN) party, and others in her par-

ty of embezzlement for illegally using 4.4 million euros ($4.8 million) of European Union funding meant for assistants of European Parliament lawmakers. Instead, she and others, according to the court, used the money to pay RN staffers whose work wasn’t relevant to the parliament.

The court sentenced Le Pen to four years in prison. The judge said that half of the term was suspended pending appeals and the other half could be served out if she uses an electronic bracelet or an alternate form of jail time. She was also given a €100,000 ($108,000) fine. Most notably, the court barred her from running for public office for the next five years, thus banning her from running in the 2027 presidential election.

The decision was unprecedented, bringing France into new political territory. Le Pen was widely seen as the upcoming election’s frontrunner. Now, however,

she may only be able to run if she quickly wins an appeal.

“In a democracy, it’s the voters who decide. I’ve come to tell them tonight, don’t worry,” Le Pen said in response to the decision, vowing to appeal. “This feeling of injustice is perhaps an additional driving force in the fight I’m waging.”

Le Pen’s ban on running for election was implemented immediately, since the judges applied “provisional execution.”

After the court declared she would be banned from running in the election, but before Judge Bénédicte de Perthuis finished reading his ruling, Le Pen got up and left the courtroom. She denied all charges, defending herself by saying that the staffers were political aides, not employees of the European Parliament, and thus were allowed to do work for the party.

“Today it’s not only Marine Le Pen that has been unjustly condemned. It’s French democracy that’s being executed,” declared Jordan Bardella, the president of the National Rally party and a mentee of Le Pen.

Allies of U.S. President Donald Trump have drawn parallels between Le Pen’s and Trump’s legal challenges.

“When the radical left can’t win via democratic vote, they abuse the legal system to jail their opponents. This is their standard playbook throughout the world,” Elon Musk wrote on X.

“[The] exclusion of people from the political process is particularly concerning given the aggressive and corrupt lawfare waged against President Trump here in the United States,” added Tammy Bruce, a spokesperson for the State Department.

Along with Le Pen’s sentences, some of her staffers were also convicted. Her father’s bodyguard, Thierry Légier, and her chief of staff, Catherine Griset, were sentenced to suspended one-year prison sentences and two-year bans from running for office. National Rally’s vice president Louis Aliot received 18 months in jail— two-thirds of which was suspended, with the other six months able to be served out with an electronic bracelet—and was banned from public office for three years.

Wallerand de Saint-Just, a former party treasurer, was given three years in prison, one of which was suspended, and was banned from public office for three years.

Of the National Assembly’s 577 seats, National Rally, the largest party in the lower house, holds 123 seats. Last December, Le Pen brought French President Emmanuel Macron’s government crashing down with a no-confidence vote.

Orbital Robot Crashes

The engine shuddered to life about half past noon local time Sunday, and with a guttural roar, the 92-foot-tall Spectrum rocket lifted slowly away from its launch tower, marking the first liftoff of its kind on the European continent.

The rocket, launched by Isar Aerospace from within the Arctic Circle at a spaceport on the icy Norwegian island of Andøya, was the first orbital flight outside of Russia to leave continental Europe. About 30 seconds after the rocket cleared the launchpad, it pitched to the side and plummeted back to earth.

But Daniel Metzler, CEO of Isar Aerospace, was upbeat. He said in a statement that the test flight had “met all our expectations, achieving a great success,” despite the crash.

“We had a clean liftoff, 30 seconds of flight and even got to validate our Flight Termination System,” Metzler said. The rocket fell directly into the sea, the launchpad was not damaged, and no one was harmed when the spacecraft crashed, he added.

The test flight was seven years in the making for Isar Aerospace, a German-based company founded in 2018 with a mission to make satellite launches more accessible from Europe. European companies have been pushing ahead in space technology and research, exploring the potential of the space sector for defense, security and geopolitics.

“There’s about a million things that can go wrong and only one way things actually go right,” Metzler said in a video interview before the launch. The team had rescheduled several earlier attempts to launch, citing unfavorable weather conditions. “Frankly, I’d be happy if we just fly 30 seconds,” he said at the time.

That amount of time, he said, would give the team plenty of information to analyze and use to improve their vehicle. And that is roughly how long Sunday’s flight lasted. (© The New York Times)

Malaysia Gas Pipe Explosion

On Tuesday, more than 100 people were injured in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, when a burst gas pipe went up in flames.

The towering inferno near a gas station in Putra Heights outside Kuala Lumpur was visible for miles and lasted for several hours. The blast occurred during a public holiday as Muslims, who are the majority in Malaysia, celebrate the second day of Eid.

National oil company Petronas said the fire started at one of its gas pipelines at 8:10 a.m. and that the affected pipeline was later isolated. They shut the valves to help snuff out the fire.

The flames, 20 stories high at one point, were small enough for firefighters to approach around 2:45 p.m., the Selan-

gor state fire department said.

At least 49 houses were damaged and 112 people were injured, with 63 people sent to the hospital for burns, breathing difficulties and other injuries, Selangor Deputy Police Chief Mohamad Zaini Abu Hassan said.

Selangor Chief Minister Amirudin Shari said the fire department evacuated nearby homes as a safety measure and that residents would be placed in nearby mosques until the situation was under control.

Pictures and videos of the fireball went viral on social media, with some residents saying they felt a strong tremor with the doors and windows of their homes shaking.

Agam Berger; and Tal Shoham, along with the parents of Guy Gilboa-Dalal and Evyatar David, who remain in Gaza.

Yarden’s children, nine-month-old Kfir and four-year-old Ariel, and wife Shiri, were murdered in Hamas captivity.

“They were murdered in cold blood — bare hands,” Yarden said. Their deaths were confirmed last month after Hamas released their remains in an unspeakably evil ceremony.

Former Hostages Interviewed

On Sunday, CBS’s “60 Minutes” released interviews with former hostages Yarden Bibas; Keith and Aviva Siegel and

Yarden said the terrorists holding him hostage would tell him, “‘Oh, it doesn’t matter. You’ll get a new wife, new kids. Better wife, better kids.’ They said that many times.”

Yarden expressed his appreciation to U.S. President Trump for his release. He said he believes that Trump can help release the remaining hostages.

“Please stop this war and help bring all of the hostages back,” he urged Trump

during the interview. “He has to convince Netanyahu; he has to convince Hamas. I think he can do it.”

Yarden, during the interview, wore a t-shirt with the pictures of David and Ariel Cunio, two brothers who remain in captivity. They were his friends and neighbors in Kibbutz Nir Oz. Bibas expressed concern about their wellbeing.

“[David Cunio] was with me in every big thing in my life. He was in my wedding,” Yarden said. “Now I’m having probably the hardest thing… [in] my life, and David is not with me… I lost my wife and kids. Sharon [Cunio] must not lose her husband.”

Keith Siegel, during his interview with “60 Minutes,” said he and Aviva were “driven into Gaza and then taken into a tunnel — feeling in danger, feeling life threatened, terrorists around us with weapons.” While in the tunnels, “we were gasping for our breath.” During the November 2023 brief hostage deal, Aviva was freed, after which the terrorists began treating Keith much worse, beating and starving him.

The interviewer asked Keith if it was certain that Hamas was starving him. Keith answered, “They would often eat in front of me and not offer any food.”

Keith explained how the hostages were

only allowed to shower once a month with a bucket of cold water and a small cup. They couldn’t stand up or walk except if they needed to use the bathroom.

“I felt that I was completely dependent on the terrorists, that my life relied on them — whether they were going to give me food, bring me water, protect me from the mobs that would lynch me,” Keith recounted. “I was left alone several times, and I was very, very scared that maybe they won’t come back and I’ll be

left there. And what do I do then? … Maybe that was a way for them to torture me in a psychological way, make me think, ‘Should I escape? Should I not escape? Should I try to escape?’”

At first, Keith, Aviva, and Agam Berger were together, along with four others, in the tiny tunnel. When Aviva was released, Keith and Agam were put in separate places.

Shortly before Keith’s release in February, his captors ordered him to wave

ditions were so awful that he and the other two considered taking their own lives. During last month’s hostage release ceremony, Hamas forced Guy and Evyatar to stand in the crowd and watch, after which they were thrown back into the tunnels. Tal recounted how they were given tiny portions of pita, rice, and water.

“Sometimes the water tastes like blood, sometimes like iron. Sometimes it was so salty that you could not drink it, but you don’t have anything else,” Tal explained, adding that a terrorist once said they were being given just enough food to live. “You won’t die, but you will have the worst time,” he was told.

The captors would offer more food in exchange for back rubs from the hostages.

“It’s worse than how they treat animals,” said Guy’s father.

When the interviewer asked how she could bear to listen to such terrible details about her son’s conditions, Evyatar’s mother said, “I want everyone to listen because this is the reality. Maybe someone will hear it, and it will save our sons.”

Hashem yishmor.

PA Textbooks Still Promote Terrorism

Since schools in the Gaza Strip have been largely unused since the war in Gaza broke out on October 7, the Palestinian Authority’s Education Ministry, on September 15, 2024, launched a collection of online textbooks for Gazan students. Most schools in the Strip use the PA’s books.

and thank Hamas during his release ceremony. “I waved to the audience. I did not say, ‘Thank you,’” he explained.

He added that he witnessed Hamas abusing, assaulting, and literally torturing female hostages.

Keith also urged Trump and the Israeli government to ensure all hostages are freed.

Tal Shoham, who was interviewed with the parents of Evyatar David and Guy Gilboa-Dalal, explained that the con-

The PA has claimed the books are about “essential subjects and fundamental concepts.” However, an analysis by the Institute for Monitoring Peace and Cultural Tolerance in School Education (IMPACT-se), a watchdog group based in Israel and the United Kingdom, shows that the PA’s books teach and promote antisemitism and terrorism in every subject, including math.

As the organization’s CEO, Marcus Sheff, said, “Palestinian classrooms remain a breeding ground for extremism, with new educational materials reinforcing the same old dangerous narratives.”

He noted, “This moment was the

acid test for the Palestinian Authority. It signed an agreement with the European Union committing to reform its curriculum. Instead, we see once again that the PA continues to embed hatred and violence in its curriculum.”

An eleventh grade history text says that the Jewish people have lied about their “semitic ethnic traits” and spread the “falsehood” that “there is no solution to the Jewish problem other than the establishment of a Jewish state in the Promised Land (Palestine).” The text calls the Jewish settlement of Israel “Zionist colonialism … in Palestine.”

A lesson about Islam that refers to a text that brands Jews as liars asks students to consider whether a warning about resisting “the temptation of enemies” refers solely to Jews.

Additionally, the PA’s textbooks promote terrorism and martyrdom. A reading exercise for first graders teaches an Arabic letter by using the word “shahid” (martyr). Second graders are taught a poem about a boy and girl who vow to “carry the flame of the revolution” as they venture from Haifa to Jaffa to the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. In eleventh grade, students read a text called “Martyrs of the Intifada” by Palestinian poet Fadwa Tuqan, which hails the First Intifada’s stone-throwers. A history textbook for eleventh graders also declares that “the blood of every martyr gave the Intifada the strength to continue” and that Palestinian casualties in the First Intifada were “fuel that powered the uprising.”

Beyond history and language arts, the promotion of terrorism could also be found in PA’s mathematics textbooks. Arithmetic textbooks for fourth and ninth graders have word problems that ask students to calculate how many martyrs died over a certain amount of time.

Traces of anti-Zionism are also found in the subject of geography. Three or more maps in the textbooks rename Israel to “Palestine.” One map lists 1988, the year the Palestine Liberation Organization issued a valueless declaration of independence, as the year the “state of Palestine” began.

A history textbook for eleventh graders also calls the September 11, 2001 attacks “an excuse for the United States to avoid its commitments and impose its priorities on the world, turning it into a global policeman.”

At the start of the recent ceasefire, the PA said it would be opening 680 learning centers in the Gaza Strip. To celebrate a schools openings in Khan Younis, students performed a pro-Hamas “dance” where they moved their hands in a way

that resembled slitting throats and throwing rocks.

In al-Nasr Elementary, a school in Gaza City, a blackboard in a classroom had a poem praising Palestinians’ survival during the ongoing war, declaring, “You are the flood,” directly referring to the al-Aqsa Flood, which is what Hamas calls the October 7 massacre, an attack which saw thousands of Hamas terrorists invade southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, kidnapping 251 others, and maiming countless others.

Who Will Take Over the Shin Bet?

In March, the cabinet of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voted to oust Shin Bet head Ronen Bar from his post. Though Bar still leads the agency due to a temporary High Court injunction, on Monday, Netanyahu named Bar’s successor: Eli Sharvit, a former Navy chief. Netanyahu’s nomination of Sharvit, however, was seen as a surprise by the premier’s allies, who spoke out against the pick. Their issues with Sharvit include that he participated in Israel’s widespread protests in 2023; promoted a 2022 territorial water agreement with Lebanon; and in early 2025 wrote an opinion piece claiming that U.S. President Donald Trump’s climate policies are hurting the world and “disregard … scientific reality, the well-being of humanity, and responsibility to future generations.”

“The statements made by Eli Sharvit about President Trump and his policies will create unnecessary stress at a critical time,” wrote U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina. “My advice to my Israeli friends is change course and do better vetting.”

“If he protests, he will not be the head of the Shin Bet. Let him continue to protest,” Nissim Vaturi, a Likud MK, said. Another Likud lawmaker, Tally Gotliv, declared Sharvit to be unfit to lead the Shin Bet.

Though some opposition members, including Yisrael Beytenu’s Avigdor Liberman, acknowledged that Sharvit was a great Navy commander, his appointment to Shin Bet head was strange,

36 as he has no intelligence experience.

Sharvit led the Navy from 2016 to 2021.

On Tuesday, just 24 hours after Netanyahu had announced his pick, he retracted from appointing Sharvit as head of the Shin Bet.

“The prime minister thanked Vice Adm. Sharvit for his willingness to serve,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement, “but informed him that after further thought, he intends to interview other candidates.”

In response to Netanyahu’s quick backtracking of his appointment to the position, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid wrote, “The head of the Shin Bet is not just another appointment. It’s not a job that you announce and then regret 24 hours later because of some yelling. It’s the holy of holies. This is a violation of national security.”

National Unity party chief Benny Gantz tweeted that “Netanyahu proved it again this morning: To him, political pressure overrides the good of the country and its security.”

Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, a staunch Netanyahu ally, tweeted on Tuesday to defend Netanyahu’s rethinking of the initial decision.

“The ability of an elected official to re-

verse a decision that the public does not like, or when his attention is drawn to it, is the heart of democracy,” wrote Rothman.

New Knesset Legislation

On Monday, ahead of the Knesset’s April recess, legislators passed a range of last-minute legislation.

One of the pieces of legislation was aimed at rebuilding the south. MKs voted 37-0 to approve the third and final reading of a law providing for the extensive rehabilitation of all communities within seven kilometers of the Gaza border, defining the region as an area of special focus for activities aimed at the “rapid” return to normal life for the localities affected by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre.

According to the law, over the next

seven years, the government will be obligated “to act for the extensive rehabilitation of the [region] in an accelerated manner” and legally establish the role and authority of the Tekuma Directorate — a government body established after October 7 and tasked with the region’s rehabilitation.

Lawmakers also voted 39-0 to approve the third and final reading of a law mandating the establishment of the National Authority to Combat Poverty.

Sponsored by lawmakers belonging to the Arab Hadash-Ta’al party, the charedi Shas party and the left-wing The Democrats party, the law calls for the foundation of an agency under the aegis of the Welfare and Social Affairs Ministry tasked with coordinating government-wide efforts in reducing poverty over the long term — including by preventing families on the verge from falling into poverty in the first place.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri celebrated the law’s passage as a “historic day of good news for the State of Israel,” stating that the new authority will deal with issues ranging from early childhood poverty to employment and welfare and “will lead long-term programs to improve the situation of the weaker sectors” of Israeli society.

The law was also welcomed by Knesset Labor and Welfare Committee chairman Yisrael Eichler (United Torah Judaism), who said it would “prevent many families from falling into poverty,” and by Hadash-Ta’al MK and co-sponsor Aida Touma-Sliman, who described her legislation’s passage as “a significant achievement in the struggle for social justice.”

Another piece of legislation focused on cutting government benefits of those convicted of committing crimes against the state. The 38-1 vote passed a law permanently revoking national insurance benefits from people convicted of a “serious terrorist offense.” That includes murder or attempted murder for terrorist purposes, as well as those who engaged in treason or serious espionage and were sentenced to 10 years in prison.

“It’s over – terrorists will not see another shekel from the State of Israel,” declared the bill’s sponsor, Likud MK Ofir Katz.

“Today, we are correcting a huge absurdity. This law comes to put an end to one of the moral failures in the State of Israel. Terrorists receive money from us – from the State of Israel,” he said. “These people made a conscious decision to murder Jews. They harmed the State of Israel. When you are an enemy – you will not receive a budget from the country that

you are trying to destroy. In what other country would you hear such a thing? This is outrageous, it is absurd, and today it ends.”

Lawmakers voted into law regulating the celebration of the annual Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to Meron.

The bill allows for just one central lighting event consisting of two bonfires to be held at the northern Israel site. Additional bonfires will only be allowed with the permission of Jerusalem Minis-

ter Meir Porush, after it has been determined that certain conditions have been met. The law also requires the issuance of permits to enter the site during the pilgrimage and establishes fines for those engaged in unsanctioned bonfires.

Another bill advanced this week included one that would disqualify a candidate from running in municipal elections if they have denied the existence of the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic, or expressed support for terrorism or

place the term “West Bank” with “Judea and Samaria,” the biblical term for the region, in all Knesset legislation. The legislation, by Religious Zionism MK Simcha Rothman, stipulates that no other term or designation other than “Judea and Samaria” will be used in legislation and that it will replace any other terminology used in existing legislation.

Hamas Kills Palestinian Protester

After dozens of Palestinians protested against Hamas last week, the terror organization vowed to exact retribution against those who go against them. On Saturday, the body of Oday Nasser Al Rabay was left in front of his family’s home. Al Rabay, 22, had participated in the protests.

At his funeral, people were filmed shouting, “Hamas out.”

Palestinians had protested against Hamas for three days last week. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, said that protests were against Israel and not Hamas, although footage shows the contrary.

Hamas wants to crack down on those participating in the protests but cannot do so due to Israel’s resumed operations in Gaza, as the IDF is targeting terror operatives that it spots out in the open, according to the report. IDF operations resumed in Gaza on March 18.

Sgt. Serlin, 19, Dies in Training

armed struggle against the State of Israel.

“We are putting an end to the terrible absurdity in which terror supporters can be elected to local government,” Likud MK Dan Illouz (Likud), the initiator of the legislation, said.

Another bill, which passed its first reading 16-1, would prohibit people with academic degrees from Palestinian institutions from teaching in Israeli schools.

In addition, lawmakers voted 23-2 to approve the first reading of a bill to re-

Last Wednesday, 19-year-old Sgt. Yosef Chaim Tzvi Serlin collapsed and died following Krav Maga training overnight.

40 Serlin, from Jerusalem, was in combat training in the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504, which specializes in HUMINT, or human intelligence. He was posthumously promoted to the rank of sergeant.

The military said he collapsed following the training at an army base in northern Israel, was treated by medics, and was taken to a hospital where his death was declared.

The IDF Military Police launched an investigation into the incident, and the findings will be sent to the Military Advocate General for examination, the army added. Other experts will be brought in to investigate the tragedy.

Additionally, the commander of the IDF Ground Forces, Maj. Gen. Nadav Lotan, ordered a halt to Krav Maga training in the military until Sunday, while the investigation was carried out.

Tragedy on Ocean Parkway

On Shabbos, at around 1 p.m., tragedy struck Brooklyn when a young mother and two of her children were killed in a car crash as they were walking on Ocean Parkway. Another child, a four-year-old boy, was critically injured in the crash.

Sara Natasha Saada, a”h, was 34 years old. Her two young daughters, Dina Bracha, a”h, and Devorah Mazal, a”h, were six and eight years old.

The three victims were brought to Israel for kevurah and were buried on Har HaMenuchos.

The driver of the car was speeding and was driving a car with no insurance and with a suspended license. She had a history of racking up traffic tickets.

“I will call it like it is. This was a horrific tragedy caused by someone who shouldn’t have been on the road,” Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters. “A mother and two young children killed. Another child fighting for his life. A family and a neighborhood devastated.”

Another car was involved in the crash,

as the Audi driven by the perpetrator rearended a Toyota Camry before mowing down Natasha and her children. The 63-year-old driver of the Toyota suffered minor injuries, as did a 35-year-old woman, a four-year-old girl, a five-year-old boy, and a 12-year-old boy in the car.

Mayor Eric Adams lamented the loss. “A tragic, tragic accident of a Shakespearean proportion, to see a mother and her two children lost to a vehicle crash. This is extremely concerning and painful, not only to the city of New York in general, but specifically to a very close-knit community. Mother going for a simple stroll on a sunny day, was struck and killed, as we pray for their families and this entire community, the city mourns,” Adams said.

The driver of the Audi was charged with three counts of second-degree manslaughter, three counts of criminally negligent homicide, four counts of second-degree assault, reckless driving, failing to yield, speeding and unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle, police said Sunday.

Rav Elimelech Biderman gave words of chizuk and emunah at the burial on Har HaMenuchos. HaRishon L’Tzion Rabbi David Yosef also delivered divrei hesped. HaRav Moshe Hillel Hirsch, shlit”a, who was close to the father and husband of the deceased, also attended the burial.

Stefanik Won’t Be U.N. Amb.

Rep. Elise Stefanik, a Republican from New York, was nominated as ambassador to the United Nations by President Donald Trump soon after his inauguration. However, on Thursday, Trump announced he would be withdrawing the nomination, as Stefanik’s exit from Congress would threaten the Republican’s slim 218-213 House majority.

“With a very tight Majority, I don’t want to take a chance on anyone else running for Elise’s seat,” said Trump on Truth Social. “The people love Elise, and, with her, we have nothing to worry about come Election Day. There are others that can do a good job at the United Nations. Therefore, Elise will stay in Congress,

rejoin the House Leadership Team, and continue to fight for our amazing American People.”

On Tuesday, Florida will hold special elections to replace Republican Reps. Michael Waltz, who stepped down after Trump selected him as his national security adviser, and Matt Gaetz, who resigned from the House after Trump nominated him for attorney general. Gaetz, embattled by allegations, later withdrew from the nomination. Republicans fear that Democratic nominee Josh Weil, a math teacher, will win Waltz’s former seat, defeating GOP candidate Randy Fine.

Hakeem Jeffries, the House minority leader, said the withdrawal signified that the Republicans were “running scared” due to their “extremely unpopular” agenda.

Since her nomination, Stefanik, 40, remained in the House as she waited for her Senate hearing but stepped down from her post as Republican House Conference chairwoman. She was replaced by Michigan Republican Rep. Lisa McClain. However, on Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would “immediately” invite Stefanik back into the Republican leadership.

“It was a combination of the New York corruption that we’re seeing under Kathy Hochul, special elections and the House margin,” Stefanik said on “Hannity” on Friday. “I’ve been in the House. It’s tough to count these votes every day. And we are going to continue to defy the political prognosticators and deliver, deliver victory on behalf of President Trump and, importantly, the voters across this country.”

In February, Trump said the United Nations has “great potential and ... we’ll continue to go along with it, but they got to get their act together.”

On Monday, President Trump told reporters in the Oval Office about possible contenders to fill the position of UN Ambassador.

“We have a lot of people that have asked about it, and would like to do it — David Friedman, Richard Grenell and maybe 30 other people. Everyone loves that position. That’s a star-making position, and so we’ll see what happens. But we have a lot of people that are interested in going to the United Nations, as you can imagine,” Trump said.

Columbia Interim Pres. Out

Katrina Armstrong, Columbia University’s interim president, has stepped down. She will return to lead the university’s Irving Medical Center, Columbia

University said in a statement on Friday. “Board of Trustees Co-Chair Claire Shipman has been appointed Acting President, effective immediately, and will serve until the Board completes its presidential search,” the institution said. Columbia has been under fire for many months, as it has allowed the proliferation of anti-Israel protests and sentiment on campus. The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump canceled $400 million in federal funding for Columbia, saying the university did not do enough to combat antisemitism and student safety amid last year’s campus protests against Israel over the war with Hamas in Gaza.

Due to Trump’s cancellation of funds, Columbia agreed to a slew of demands, including reviewing its admission policies, requiring protesters wearing masks to identify themselves, barring demonstrations from academic buildings, and putting its Middle East studies department under the supervision of a new senior provost with a mandate to review its leadership and curriculum.

In a campus-wide email at the time, Armstrong wrote that her priorities were “to advance our mission, ensure uninterrupted academic activities, and make every student, faculty, and staff member safe and welcome on our campus.”

The school’s acquiescence was condemned by some faculty members and free speech advocates, with Donna Lieberman, the executive director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, claiming it “endangers academic freedom and campus expression nationwide.”

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has also moved to deport several Columbia students who participated in demonstrations as it cracks down on non-citizens involved in pro-Palestinian activism against Israel on campuses.

Armstrong had stepped into the role after the previous president, Minouche Shafik, resigned in August following scrutiny of her handling of the protests and corresponding campus divisions.

The new acting president, Shipman, was a correspondent for ABC News, NBC News and CNN over a long career in journalism, covering the White House and Russia, among other beats. She has written several books on women’s leadership.

42

Shipman said in a statement she is assuming the role “with a clear understanding of the serious challenges before us and a steadfast commitment to act with urgency, integrity, and work with our faculty to advance our mission, implement needed reforms, protect our students, and uphold academic freedom and open inquiry.”

Booker Filibuster

Cory Booker loves to hear himself talk. The Democratic senator from New Jersey began speaking on the Senate floor at 7 p.m. Monday night in what he called a protest against the national “crisis” he said President Donald Trump and Elon Musk had created.

On Monday night, he said he was set to last “as long as [he is] physically able.”

“I’m heading to the Senate floor because Donald Trump and Elon Musk have shown a complete disregard for the rule of law, the Constitution, and the needs of the American people. You can tune in on CSPAN, YouTube, X, and Facebook,” the senator posted on X as he took to the floor.

Booker, who said he would keep the Senate floor open through the duration of his remarks, said at the beginning of his speech that he “rise[s] with the intention of disrupting the normal business” of the chamber because he believes the country is in “crisis” due to the actions of the White House since Trump started his second term.

“I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis, and I believe that not in a partisan sense, because so many of the people that have been reaching out to my office in pain, in fear, having their lives upended–so many of them identify themselves as Republicans,” Booker said.

“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety, financial stability, the core foundations of our democracy and even our aspirations as a people For from our highest offices, a sense of common decency. These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such,” he said.

As long as Booker keeps talking, the Senate won’t be able to conduct other business.

Finally, on Tuesday night, after 25 hours and 5 minutes of holding Congress hostage, Booker yielded the floor. It was the longest floor speech in modern history of the chamber.

U.S. Soldiers Die in Lithuania

Four U.S. soldiers went missing last Tuesday when they did not return from a training mission near Pabrabe, a city in eastern Lithuania, near the border with Belarus, after the armored vehicle they had been using became stuck in a deep and muddy bog. On Monday, three of those soldiers were found dead.

Early Monday morning, the 70-ton M88 Hercules vehicle was pulled out of the bog. For days, hundreds of people, including technical experts and U.S. Navy divers, had worked to solve the complex engineering challenge of recovering the vehicle from the bog after it was discovered on Wednesday. The operation required excavators, pumps and other construction equipment.

The missing soldiers were from the First Brigade, Third Infantry Division.

Maj. Gen. Christopher Norrie, the Third Infantry Division’s commanding general, said in a statement on Monday

that “the search isn’t finished until everyone is home.”

“Words cannot express our gratitude to those still working around the clock during these extensive search and recovery efforts and your unwavering commitment not to rest until all are found,” General Norrie said.

The soldiers had been sent out in the M88 Hercules, essentially a giant armored tow truck, to extract another Army vehicle, the military said. They may have driven off the road and into the bog, and the soldiers appeared to have been trapped inside, according to an Army official in Europe.

U.S. Navy divers swam into the muddy bog, with zero visibility, to attach two cables to the sunken vehicle on Sunday night, the Army said. It took about two hours of winching to pull it out of the swamp.

On Sunday, rescue efforts were hampered by a landslide, Dovile Sakaliene, the Lithuanian defense minister, said on social media. She described the effort as an “exhausting fight with the power of the deep swamp.”

For now, the fourth soldier is still missing.

American and Lithuanian search crews were able to use sophisticated sonar technology to find the large, armored vehicle but such technology is less useful for locating a human body in a peat bog. The dive team has set up a grid system to methodically search for the fourth soldier.

Visa Revoked for Russian Researcher at Harvard

Kseniia Petrova, a Russian medical researcher at Harvard University, is being detained at a Louisiana immigration facility after her visa was revoked last month over undeclared frog embryo samples found in her luggage.

Petrova had been in the U.S. on a J-1 scholar visa since May 2023, working at Harvard University. Her lawyer, Gregory Romanovsky, said Petrova is fighting the possible deportation back to Russia for fear of persecution and jail time over her protests decrying the Ukraine war.

On February 16, Petrova returned from France to Boston’s Logan Airport from a work trip and passed through immigration without issue. While awaiting her luggage, two Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers took her into a room to inspect her luggage and searched her phone. They found a sample of frog embryos from her research.

“They find a sample, scientific sample of frog embryos that she was bringing at the request of her principal investigator, her professor at Harvard, from the lab in France that they are collaborating with,” Romanovsky said. “She had that in her luggage, and she did not declare it. She had no previous experience with bringing samples. She didn’t really think this through. She didn’t she didn’t look up the requirements. It was her fault. She was supposed to declare that item. She did not.”

Investigators offered Petrova two choices. The first was to withdraw her application for admission to the U.S. and leave voluntarily, with the opportunity to go to an embassy in another country and apply for a visa to re-enter the U.S. The second was that CBP would issue an order of expedited removal, and she’d be put on a plane back to Paris. However, due to a ban on re-entry under an order of deportation, she wouldn’t be able to return to the U.S. for at least five years. Petrova chose to withdraw her application for admission. She asked officials not to notify the Russian consulate of what happened since she has a history of protesting the Ukraine war and was arrested in Russian in 2022 for doing so. Petrova is set to appear before an immigration judge in Louisiana on May 7. Harvard confirmed in a statement on Friday that she is a research associate at Harvard Medical School, saying, “We are monitoring this situation.”

Javice Convicted of $175M Fraud

Last week, Charlie Javice, an Ivy League grad who launched her company Frank in 2017 with the claim she was revolutionizing the way college students

applied for financial aid, was convicted of defrauding JPMorgan Chase out of $175 million by lying about the size of her customer base.

The 32-year-old was found guilty by a jury in New York City after a five-week trial. She is facing the possibility of a lengthy prison term.

Javice had founded Frank while in her mid-20s. She said the software would simplify the process of filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA. FAFSA are notoriously difficult to prepare, yet are required by colleges, states and the Department of Education to qualify for financial aid, scholarships and more.

Soon after starting her business, she was lauded as a business visionary, appearing regularly on cable news programs to boost Frank’s profile and once appearing on Forbes’ “30 Under 30” list. In 2021, JPMorgan bought her startup for $175 million.

But after the deal closed, JPMorgan claimed in a lawsuit that Javice’s inspiring story of helping more than 5 million students get funding for college was based on fabrications.

During the trial, JPMorgan executives testified that she told them she had over four million clients and would have about 10 million by year’s end, but it turned out there were only about 300,000 customers.

Javice’s lawyer, Jose Baez, said during the trial that JPMorgan knew what it was getting in the deal.

Javice is among a number of young tech executives who vaulted to fame and media accolades with supposedly disruptive or transformative companies, only to see their businesses collapse amid questions about whether they had engaged in puffery and fraud while dealing with investors.

She founded the company not long after graduating from the University of Pennsylvania’s business school, telling interviewers she was motivated to dive into helping college students connect with financial resources because of her own frustrations navigating the process of getting financial aid.

JPMorgan was interested in acquiring Frank partly because of the potential it saw in the startup’s supposedly huge list of satisfied customers. The bank believed those young, future college graduates could potentially be sold on the idea of a lifelong partnership with the financial institution.

After buying the company, JPMorgan claimed it found evidence Javice had lied about her number of customers.

Frank’s chief of engineering, Patrick Vovor, testified at the trial that Javice had asked him to generate synthetic data to support her claim that the company had over 4 million users. Vovor said he refused her request. Prosecutors said Javice then paid a college friend $18,000 to use a computer program to create millions of fake names with pedigree information. The results were sent to a third-party data provider that JPMorgan hired to verify the number of customers, but the data provider never checked to ensure the people were real, testimony showed.

Javice, who is Jewish, grew up in Westchester, New York, and now lives in Miami, Florida.

A Tall Tail

Mr. Pugsley Addams has quite the tale, I mean, tail. The 2-year-old cat recently was awarded a Guinness World Record for his record-long tail.

The appendage measures a whopping 18.5 inches long.

Amanda Cameron said that Pugsley has always had a long tail. The subject even came up during his first visit to the vet. The vet mentioned it again six months later – and that inspired Cameron’s kids to investigate. They put in some research into the Guinness World Records for the longest tail on a domestic living cat.

“And what do you know? To our shock, Pugsley beat it,” Cameron said. Aside from the long tail, Pugsley is also a remarkably easy-going and friendly feline.

“Everybody always wants to meet him and falls in love with his calm demeanor. He is pretty level-headed, even in new situations that might be scary for some cats,” she said. “He is super soft and is always purring. He’s just a great little guy to be around. When we go out and about, they call him a ‘local celebrity.’”

Sounds just about purr-fect.

Snickering to the End

Paul Broome passed away at the age of 55, but he held onto his sense of humor until the end.

Loved ones said Broome was known for his “quick wit and mischievous sense of humor.”

Before his death, the chocolate bar lover often joked about having a Snickers-themed coffin – a wish his family made sure to fulfill in his final farewell. They had a large coffin that looked like a Snickers bar emblazoned with the words “I’m nuts” on it.

“Paul’s family informed us that he was one of life’s true characters, and his farewell needed to reflect that,” the funeral arranger said.

Broome also loved soccer and had amassed more than 40 shirts of the Crys-

tal Palace FC team. The coffin also had the logo of the team on it.

As a parting tribute, the funeral procession passed by Broome’s favorite café . There, friends gathered outside wearing custom tribute t-shirts and clapped as the coffin passed away.

You know what they say: “Not going anywhere for a while? Grab a Snickers.”

A Nightmare

One little boy in Kansas didn’t want to go to bed. In an effort to delay bedtime, he told his babysitter that a monster was hiding underneath his bed.

But when the babysitter played along and “checked” under the bed to assure the boy that there was nothing there but dust bunnies, she was in for a surprise.

When she looked underneath the bed, she came across a man, who had been hiding under the bed.

The man ran away but was caught by police.

It turns out that the perp used to live in the home but there was a protection from abuse order issued against him to stay away from the property, the sheriff’s office said. He had posted bond ten days earlier after being put under the abuse

order. This time around, the judge jailed him without bond.

Talk about a nightmare.

Rare Renoir

Sometimes treasure is found in the oddest of places.

Heidi Markow owns Salvage Goods Antiques in Pennsylvania. Recently, a drawing at an auction at an antique store caught her eye.

“I didn’t pick it up. I didn’t turn it around. I basically looked at it and I thought, ‘I just want that piece,’” Markow said.

She told her partner and son to bid on the 17.5-inch-by-16.5-inch piece and continued wandering around.

“There were paintings that were going for $1,000, $2,000, $3,000 as they

moved down the line,” she told NBC10 “And this was just sitting there.”

Other items at the auction sold for thousands. But Markow’s pick went for just $12.

But it wasn’t no ordinary drawing. At home, Markow, a certified art appraiser, noted the antique frame’s “meticulous condition,” the type of paper, and a stamp on the back signifying it was brought to the United States by a high-end importer and sold to a prominent collector.

Those clues led the expert to conclude that the faint signature she spotted on the piece belongs to the legendary French impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

Research has led her to suspect the piece is a portrait of Renoir’s wife, Aline Charigot, dating back to the late 1800s during his Ingres period, when “he paid a lot of attention to light and shading.”

Since then, Markow contacted Sotheby’s, who seemed to concur with her conclusion. She also reached out to a firm that authenticates pieces.

If the piece is verified as an original Renoir, Markow hopes to sell it — for about “six or seven figures” — to someone who appreciates impressionist art and will display it in their home.

“This is what I call a framed masterpiece,” Markow said.

Around the Community

JCCRP Food Distribution to Holocaust Survivors

JCCRP distributed food for Pesach to 240 Holocaust survivors in Far Rockaway.

Thank you to the NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, special assist to the City Comptroller Pinny Hikind and Aaron Cyperstein Met Council’s Managing Director of Legal & External Affairs for attending our distribution to see our important work firsthand serving those in need. Thank you to the many grants and funds that made this distribution possi-

ble, including NYS HPNAP, NYC CFC, Met Council, Food Bank for NYC and City Harvest.

A huge thank you to UJA-Federation of NY, Claims Conference, Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and Councilwoman Selvena Brooks-Powers – without their support JCCRP would not be able to provide these meaningful food distributions in the community. A special thank you to the IVDU school for volunteering with us to give out the food

to the Holocaust survivors and thank you to BYAM for packing the food and helping us load the truck so we could deliver the Pesach food straight to the Holocaust survivors’ homes.

This coming, Sunday, April 6, is JCCRP’s massive Five Towns and Far Rockaway free Pesach food distribution where an estimated 54,000 lbs. of food for Pesach will be distributed along with special gifts, thanking the community for coming to the distribution. JCCRP

recognizes that is difficult to ask for help and looks to ease the transition in every way possible. This distribution is open to all experiencing financial strains or hardships and live in the Five Towns, Far Rockaway community. Please reach out if you need help or would like to volunteer or otherwise help us in this work info@ jccrp.org.

Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato Gets Birthday Surprise

New York State Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato was surprised by the staff and students of Tiegerman (formerly On Our Way Learning Center) in honor of her recent birthday! The students presented her with birthday cards to express their appreciation for all she has done to support their school, as well as for her non-stop advocacy in Albany for all special needs students.

HAFTR’s Evening of the Arts

YCQ’s Successful Book Fair

The Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) of YCQ hosted a successful Book Fair last week featuring an impressive and beautiful display of age-appropriate books for students in nursery through eighth grade.

This year’s fair emphasized the importance of reading with an extra focus on actual books, instead of posters or toys. The PTO partnered with Kelly Massry, a bookstore owner and reading specialist, who helped curate a diverse selection of titles for students. Thanks to the support of parents and the volunteers who made the fair so enjoyable. Keep on reading!

HAFTR’s fourth grade Evening of the Arts was a night to remember! Students wowed their friends and families with their stunning paintings, sculptures, and a breathtaking wooden display created in collaboration with artist-in-residence Eric Friedensohn, inspired by their love for the Jewish holidays. The vibrant gallery of student artwork showcased their creativity and artistic growth, demonstrating their hard work and passion for self-expression. We are incredibly grateful to Mrs. Royce Maron and Ms. Naomi Elterman for their dedication to nurturing the artistic talents of our students and bringing out the best in each of them.

Following the art showcase, the energy shifted to the stage as our talented fouth graders brought Fiddler on the Roof to life in an unforgettable performance. With lively singing, expressive acting, and incredible stage presence, they transported the audience to Anatevka, capturing the timeless themes of tradition, family, and resilience. Their performance, crafted under the guidance

of music teacher Mrs. Janet Goldman and her husband, Judge Goldman, was filled with warmth, enthusiasm, and a true love of storytelling.

Parents, teachers, and guests were amazed by the level of talent, dedication, and joy that filled the evening. This special event highlighted not only our students’ artistic and theatrical abilities but also their confidence, teamwork, and ability to bring a vision to life. We couldn’t be prouder of our fourth graders for sharing their talents in such a meaningful way. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who made this magical evening possible!

Rav Meir Wahrsager of Yeshivas Mir in Yerushalayim addressing YKLI Junior High School talmidim, infusing them with sheifus and geshmak of Torah

Unique Haggadahs at Gan Chamesh

The children of Gan Chamesh are ready for the Seder! Each child has a printed, unique personalized Haggadah that will be a keepsake for them to treasure and use for many years to come. Learning comes to life at Gan Chamesh!

Connected Forever at Mesivta Netzach HaTorah

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his past Sunday, Mesivta Netzach HaTorah hosted its annual Yarchei Kallah, a cherished event where our alumni returned home to learn alongside our Mesivta talmidim. The day began with a beautiful Rosh Chodesh davening and breakfast, followed by the privilege of hearing shiur from their beloved Menahel, Rabbi Yurman, and devoted rebbeim. The bais medrash

was alive with energy as talmidim and alumni immersed themselves in learning, creating an atmosphere of enthusiasm and camaraderie. The warmth and connection between them were unmis-

Ezra Academy Legal Eagles Soar to Final Four

The Ezra Academy Legal Eagles continue to make their mark in legal competitions, recently advancing to the Final Four at the PATCH Program Civil Law Tournament in Northport Long Island. The Ezra team, composed of nine students from grades 10-12, demonstrated exceptional skill and determination as they navigated six preliminary rounds before falling in the semifinals by a razor-thin margin.

Nathan Chanimov and Daniel Borokhov stood out as attorneys, skillfully arguing a variety of complex civil law scenarios, while Avi Shimunov captivated judges with his performances as a witness. Over the course of the tournament, Avi played six different characters, refining his portrayal with each round and earning high praise from the panel.

The Legal Eagles are no strangers to competition, participating in a variety of prestigious tournaments. In the New York State Mock Trial Tournament, the

team advanced to the Sweet 16, showcasing their legal acumen against top contenders. They are now preparing for an upcoming invitational competition in Florida, where they will compete against other Yeshiva teams from the East Coast.

Ezra Academy also offers extensive opportunities for students to explore the field of law through courses in Criminal Justice, Business Law, Constitutional Law, Public Speaking, Argumentation, and Trial Advocacy. These programs provide students with essential skills in legal reasoning, critical thinking, and advocacy, preparing them for college and professional careers.

Beyond excelling in secular law, Ezra Academy is deeply committed to providing a strong foundation in Jewish law and practice. The school strives to instill in students a love for Jewish learning while maintaining rigorous academic standards across all subjects. This dedication is exemplified through the Mock

takable—a powerful reminder that once a Netzach HaTorah talmid, always a Netzach HaTorah talmid, connected forever.

Beit Din program, led by Rabbi Pinchas Fink, which recently delivered a powerful and thought-provoking presentation at Lander College. Through programs like these, Ezra Academy ensures that students develop both a profound connection to their Jewish heritage and the critical thinking skills necessary for future academic and professional success.

Ezra Academy also offers extensive opportunities for students to explore the field of law through courses in Criminal

Justice, Business Law, Constitutional Law, Public Speaking, Argumentation, Comparative Law and Trial Advocacy. These programs provide students with essential skills in legal reasoning, critical thinking, and advocacy, preparing them for college and professional careers.

The Ezra Academy Legal Eagles continue to soar, proving their dedication to excellence in legal education, Jewish scholarship, and academic achievement.

Dr.

Brody, Mayor of Jerusalem Moshe Lion, and Yaakov Hagoel, WZO chairman, at the Great Neck Synagogue

Touro’s Lander College for Men Hosts Annual Alumni Dinner Series

More than 20 Lander College for Men (LCM) alumni returned to their alma mater for the school’s annual Alumni Dinner Series. Over the course of three evenings, current students engaged with professionals from a variety of fields, gaining firsthand insight into career paths they could follow one day.

Each dinner focused on a distinct profession, including medicine, dentistry, law, finance, actuarial science, psychology, accounting, Jewish education, technology and more. The returning alumni shared their experiences, challenges, and lessons learned. They fielded a broad range of questions, offering practical advice and personal anecdotes that resonated with the students.

Exploring Opportunities in Real Estate

The real estate dinner provided students with key insights into the diverse opportunities within the industry. Yehuda Neuman, a capital markets analyst & debt underwriter for Paradigm Commercial Real Estate (CRE), spoke about the importance of developing strong technical skills.

“For anyone entering this field, it’s crucial to develop a robust understanding of financial analysis and capital markets— these skills not only distinguish you from your peers, but are also pivotal for longterm success in CRE,” Neuman said. “You should focus on mastering these technical areas, using the wealth of resources available and seeking guidance from mentors. Alongside industry common sense, these skills are often the key differentiators in a successful real estate career.”

Sophomore Mordechai Cywiak shared, “It was very interesting to learn about the different fields in the real estate industry and about the day-to-day projects each of the alumni work on. They gave us a diverse perspective on the industry and brought together the networking with the data analytical side of the business.”

Insights from Tech Professionals

At the dinner focused on computer science, Joshua Horowitz, a software engineer at IBM, spoke about the dual importance of technical expertise and interpersonal skills.

“I discussed balancing interpersonal skills and creating genuine connections with people, with working on technical skills and ensuring that we are always learning and honing our knowledge and abilities,” Horowitz said. “Of course, I also discussed the emergence of AI and how to utilize these new technologies while remaining vigilant in maintaining our individualized skills as emerging software engineers.”

The Journey to a Career in Medicine

For those considering a career in medicine, the alumni speakers shared their journeys through medical school and residency. Dr. Naftali Stern, a psychiatry resident at Westchester Medical Center, highlighted his key takeaways.

“We told the students how well LCM prepared us for medical school and the importance of exploring different clinical settings before committing to pursuing this career path,” he said. “We also talked about what it takes to be a more well-rounded applicant—balanc-

ing strong academics with meaningful and diverse experiences. “And we talked about how many of us were able to learn daily; many even did Daf/Amud Yomi, while not compromising our medical education.”

Student Takeaways and Lasting Impact

The Alumni Dinner Series has proved to be an invaluable learning and networking experience for LCM undergraduates, and as in previous years, several students felt a renewed sense of motivation and a clearer understanding of their professional goals.

“The alumni gave us an extremely valuable insight into what life is like in

specific professions of interest to us,” said Idan Malka, who attended both the finance and real estate dinners and is expected to graduate in 2027. “This event provided me with an opportunity to connect and grow my network. One of the most valuable things I learned about was the work-life balance in different industries.”

Beyond learning about career opportunities, the dinners also reinforced the bonds between LCM graduates and current students. And it increased the likelihood that in a few years, the undergraduates will return to present advice of their own to the next generation of students.

Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, with elementary school rebbi Rav Yonason Posnick and Rav Posnick’s brand-new English Haggadah, Lev Yam

BBY Chessed Girls Team with Bikur Cholim to Spread Warmth

The wonderful chessed girls of BBY, under the leadership of Miriam Bergman and Joy Devor, gathered after school to assemble gift bags for members of the community. Daphne Richman and her friends carefully packed small hand creams and lip balms into elegant gold bags, each adorned with a Bikur Cholim tag reading, “Sorry we missed you.”

This thoughtful initiative, sponsored by Friends of Devorah Schochet, ensures that when Bikur Cholim volunteers visit local facilities, they can leave behind a

token of warmth and community support—even if the intended recipient is unavailable. Through these small yet powerful gestures, Bikur Cholim’s message of care and unity shines brightly.

Rebbe vs. Faculty Game at DRS

Spirit. Achdus. Basketball. The Rebbe vs. Faculty game had it all.

It’s been a year filled with championships and celebrations at DRS, but no event quite matched the ruach, unity, and excitement of last week’s Rebbe vs. Faculty basketball game.

The energy in the Greenhouse was electric as students from every grade packed the bleachers, cheering on their favorite teachers in a showdown that pitted the Rabbeim against the General Studies faculty.

This game was less about scoreboards and more about achdus. The game highlighted the camaraderie that exists between all members of the DRS faculty. It wasn’t just a competition—it was a celebration of what makes DRS so special: unmatched spirit, unity, and an appreciated for teaching and learning.

In a special moment during halftime, Mr. Samuel Nahmias, mayor of the Vil-

lage of Lawrence, stepped onto the court to deliver official proclamations to the yeshiva in recognition of an extraordinary achievement: DRS won three varsity championships this year – a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in over two decades in the Yeshiva League.

The gym was full with pride and excitement as the championship banner-raising ceremony followed, with brand-new banners lifted high into the rafters of the DRS gym, a permanent reminder of a historic year in DRS athletics.

As for the game itself? The Faculty team came out on top, earning well-deserved bragging rights. Leading the charge were 10th grade Rebbe Rabbi Shua Zakutinsky, who played with tremendous heart and hustle, and Ivrit teacher Mr. Jonathan Bayaz, whose clutch baskets made him a fan favorite.

The Model Matzah Bakery visited Shulamith ECC

Rav Doron Perez Inspires HAFTR HS

This past Monday, HAFTR High School had the privilege of hearing from Rabbi Doron Perez, Chairman of the World Mizrachi Movement, in a powerful and thought-provoking address. His words encouraged students to recognize the profound impact of small decisions and to embrace their role in shaping a better world.

Rabbi Perez began by sharing the story of his son, Daniel Perez (HY”D), who was tragically killed in action on October 7. He spoke about Daniel’s transformation from a determined and ambitious teenager to a selfless leader in his IDF unit, fully dedicated to serving and protecting the Jewish people. His journey was a testament to the power of growth, responsibility, and the choices that shape one’s legacy.

One of the most poignant moments of Rabbi Perez’s talk was when he recounted finding Daniel’s journal. Reading through its pages, he discovered reflections and lessons that offered new insight into his son’s character and values. This expe-

rience reinforced a key message: small actions, made with purpose, can have a far-reaching impact.

In the second half of his talk, Rabbi Perez shared a chassidic tale about a man who longed to meet Eliyahu HaNavi, only to realize—through his acts of kindness— that he had been embodying the values of Eliyahu all along. The lesson was clear: each person can make a difference, not necessarily through grand gestures but through everyday choices.

He reminded the students that Judaism is built on community and collective responsibility, and when individuals take meaningful action, they contribute to something far greater than themselves. He urged them to embrace the power of small changes, knowing that even the smallest steps can create lasting ripples.

The students and faculty left the talk deeply inspired, reflecting on their ability to lead, contribute, and make a difference in their unique ways.

Thank you to all who made this impactful event possible.

Around the Community

5TLL Opening Day

The regular season of 5TLL is officially underway, brought to you by FM Home Loans, and what an exciting start it was! Players took the field in their new uniforms and caps, braving the cold and bringing energy, effort, and plenty of thrilling moments. Here’s a recap of some of the action from Opening Day:

1st Grade

Wieder Orthodontics 13 - Future Care Consultants 12

MVPs: Paysach Jacobowitz and Yechiel Katz led a dramatic 10-run comeback in the final inning to secure the win.

Marciano Pediatric Dentistry 17 - Seasons 16

MVP: Yehuda Schwed crushed two home runs to help Marciano Pediatric Dentistry edge out a close victory.

2nd Grade

Bravo Pizza 11 - Maidenbaum 8

MVP: Meir Feuer delivered a walk-off grand slam, sealing an incredible win for Bravo Pizza.

3rd Grade

VMM Legal Eagles 12 - Drifters 11

MVP: Tzvi Katz made a game-ending double play to lock in the win for VMM Legal Eagle.

John’s Auto 23 - Marciano Pediatric Dentistry 8

MVP: Yaakov Opoczynski blasted a home run, leading John’s Auto to a commanding victory.

4th Grade

BlueBird Insurance 16 - Extreme Vent Cleaning 5

MVP: Pinny Weinstein crushed a towering three-run homer to cap off a big win for BlueBird Insurance.

Eliyahu Hill got the scoring started

with a deep solo home run to left.

Dovid Feigenbaum and Eliyahu Feit came up with a clutch shortstop-to-first base play to preserve the victory after Extreme Vent Cleaning loaded the bases with two outs.

5th Grade

Drifters 9 - Smash House 9 (Tie)

MVP: Gavriel Levine pitched four strong innings, while Binyamin Muller made a game-saving catch in the outfield. Yechezkel Leiner kept things even with a game-tying triple.

Town Appliance 20 - Newman Dental 7

6th Grade

Seasons Express 5 - Sperling Productions 4 (Extra Innings Thriller)

Seasons Express pulled off an exciting comeback victory in extra innings to start their season strong.

It was a fantastic start to the season, filled with big plays, close games, and unforgettable moments. With the first games in the books, we can’t wait to see what the rest of the season has in store!

MVP: Ben Zimmer made several key defensive plays in the outfield, helping Town Appliance secure a dominant win.

HANC Reading Spirit Week

The focus in HANC Elementary School this past week was to bring back the love of reading and encourage children to pick up a new book. Mrs. Dara Reiff, HANC Reading Specialist, kicked off a fun-filled Reading Spirit Week. Each day was designed around a theme and engaging activities were planned around those topics. The students even came to school dressed in a way to represent the theme of the day. Monday was “Would You Rather Read Fiction Or Non-Fiction Books?” day. Those who preferred non-fiction books came to school dressed in blue, and those who love reading fiction wore white. Tuesday was “Wild About Reading” day. The children and staff came dressed up as animals or wore animal print clothing. Wednesday was “Reading Makes For A Bright Future” day, and the children came to school wearing sunglasses. The theme for Thursday was “Reading Is Awesome,” and the children were encouraged to wear shirts with words on them. While the topics on the shirts were varied, “Wild About Reading” and “Reading Is My Jam” were truly appropriate for the day. In addition to wearing clothing that reflected the theme, each day the students received a fun sheet that was related to the daily theme. The written activities provided opportunities for vocabulary building, making connections among words and exploring analogies. Once completed, the children submitted their answers, and a raffle was held at the end of the day. The lucky daily winner won a reading lamp that could be clipped on a book for some fun extra reading at

night before they go to sleep.

All of these activities built up to the culminating event on Friday. The kindergarten through third graders took part in the much anticipated HANC Vocabulary Parade. Inspired by the book, The Word Collector by Peter H. Reynolds, each child dressed up depicting a word of their choice.

“As educators, we strive to create moments where fun and learning blend seamlessly,” explained Mrs. Reiff. “This week is the perfect example of that! We love seeing our students excited about each day’s theme and for the culminating event – our Vocabulary Parade. It is one of my favorite weeks of the year!”

With extraordinary creativity, the children depicted words in both Hebrew and English, such as: ambivalent, zig-zag, duplicate, flexible, scrumptious, and kindness, just to name a few. The excitement could be felt as the children marched out of the school and turned toward Collins Avenue. To their great surprise, all along the parade route, parents and grandparents were lined up in the street to cheer them on and to marvel at the creative costumes. When the parading students returned to the back playground, they were surprised again to see the fourth, fifth and sixth graders cheering for them as they concluded their tour and returned to the school building. The children were so proud, and the adoring fans made them feel so special. It was truly an exciting week, and the children developed a renewed love of learning and exploring through book reading.

Mercaz Academy’s Zumbini PJ Night

The final Pajama Night of the Mercaz Academy school year was another fun opportunity for children aged two to four to put on their pajamas and brighten the nightlife in Plainview by checking out Mercaz Academy after dark. Incoming and prospective families joined Mercaz Early Childhood Center students for a child-friendly dinner and evening of activity at Mercaz Academy after dark.

Zumbini instructor Yesenia Morales led excited little ones through her energetic and colorful movement routines. Parents joined in or enjoyed the spectacle

from the sidelines, as the children made a joyful noise with seemingly infinite varieties of rhythm instruments and drums.

Ready for a little relaxation, everyone got comfortable and cozy as Early Childhood Director Morah Joanne Mlotok read soothing bedtime classic The Napping House by Audrey Wood. Many attendees were obviously looking forward to bed after winding down with Morah Jo, and it was a perfect ending for this playful evening as well as for a very special year of Pajama Nights.

Rambam Civic Spirit Day at Tweed Courthouse

On Thursday, March 20, the Rambam Civic Spirit Club had their main event of the year. At 7:20 in the morning, the students got on the bus to the historic Tweed Courthouse in Manhattan’s financial district. They sat down with eight schools from Washington, D.C., to New Jersey-private and public alike, for opening remarks at around 9:30 AM where the students were treated with coffee and snacks as they headed down to their activities.

On the third floor, the students assembled. Led by a Jewish comedy duo, they were instructed to play improv games to break the ice along with unlocking civic skills of leadership, speech, and connectivity. Next, they were led back upstairs for a leadership “auction” were randomly assigned groups of students were given $300 to purchase skills against the rest. This wondrous activity showed the value we place on certain skills and helped build an understanding on what qual-

ities are most sought after in a leader.

Taking a break, it was now time for lunch, pizza was served along with fries, garlic nuts, and noodles as the students were able to connect with one another and relate. Yet, there was still much to do. Next up was a presentation to discover your “civic love language” followed by a panel featuring three notable civic leaders, a media expert, a government official, and Rambam’s own esteemed Judge Ronald Goldman who discussed his time in the District Attorney’s Office and a life in civic leadership. These speeches really influenced the students and left them with a message that would stick. As the event ended and the students were on their way home, they left having a great experience and self-growth –truly happy to be a part of it all. Special thank you to Rambam’s Civic Spirit Faculty Advisor, Mr. Oren Teeter, for running this year’s Civic Spirit Club.

Lawrence Yacht & Country Club Enjoys Event Space Renovation

For over 100 years, Lawrence Yacht & Country Club has been the talk of the town for its elegant and spacious event spaces, situated amidst breathtaking views of an award-winning 18-hole golf course and marina. Recently, at the direction of Village of Lawrence Mayor Sam Nahmias, Deputy Mayor Tammy Roz, and Administrator Gerry Castro, the site amended some of its policies to give the event planner more freedoms in their planning. The site now welcomes additional kosher caterers to choose from, totaling four, as well as an amended liquor policy allowing for clients to purchase their own liquor while under the supervision and liquor license of the house caterer, making LYCC even more customer-friendly and the pricing even more competitive.

In addition, the site enjoyed a facelift.

Deputy Mayor Roz describes the refreshing of the LYCC Clubhouse, “It’s just bright, airy, and fresh….We took down the old wallpaper, sanded the walls, painted, fixed the moldings, took down the old window treatments in the ballroom to let the light in, put up some molding, redid all the flooring; redid the sconces in the pre-function room, glazed the floor to the entrance, put covers on 800 chairs, as well as restored the tables and installed a new door.”

Upcoming beautification projects are planned as well.

Mayor Nahmias complimented LY&CC General Manager Kevin Dudleston on the improved management of LYCC: “You’ve come a very long way in seven months. We’ve become financially sound at the Club, self-sustaining.”

When planning elegant weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, fundraising, corporate events, or golf outings or tournaments, there’s no place like home—LYCC offers all the amenities with ample free parking and minimal travel time. Contact Emily Dripchak, (516) 239-1685, edripchak@ kempersports.com, to learn more. Guests may love the LYCC so much they may want to stay. Visit LYCC.cc or stay tuned for more information about LYCC’s golf, tennis, pickleball, and marina offerings.

Rabbi Heimlich and his sixth graders at Siach Yitzchok built bridges with popsicle sticks to learn about structural engineering, hands-on learning, and problem-solving, while also fostering creativity, teamwork, and mathematical skills.

Talmidim at Yeshiva Ateres Eitz Chaim volunteered at the JCCRP to help organize and prepare packages that will be delivered to Holocaust survivors for Pesach

Morah Shaina Braun’s nursery students at Yeshiva Darchei Torah making their own matzah

Rav Doron Perez Rallies Support for Mizrachi-OIC Slate 5 in WZO Elections

Rav Doron Perez, Executive Chairman of World Mizrachi, traveled to the New York area this week to garner support for the ongoing World Zionist Organization (WZO) elections and the Mizrachi-OIC Slate 5. Held every five years, the WZO elections influence the allocation of over one

billion dollars in funding for organizations and causes that impact the Land of Israel and Jews in the Diaspora. The Mizrachi coalition represents mainstream organizations – Yeshiva University, Touro College, the Orthodox Union, National Council of Young Israel and others – and is endorsed by rabbonim and

leaders who we rely on for our spiritual and religious guidance, including Rav Hershel Schachter, shlita, and Rabbi Dr. Ari Berman, who lead the delegation.

For 120 years, Mizrachi and its partners have represented the religious community within the WZO, staunchly advocating for unwavering Torah principles,

the strengthening of the State of Israel and the IDF, and for fostering unity within Am Yisrael. As the elections progress, the support for Slate 5 remains crucial in ensuring continued dedication to these values. Vote before May 4 at www.voteoic.org.

The girls in the Tag Ganger Early childhood Center are getting ready for Pesach! Our pretend matzah bakery is up and running, and we’re having a great time!

MTA Alumni Visit Holocaust Survivor in Israel

Recently, six talmidim from MTA’s group that went on the Names Not Numbers Poland Trip in 2023 went to visit Dov Landau, the Holocaust survivor who accompanied them on their trip. They visited and spent time with him in his apartment in Israel.

A few fascinating facts about this survivor:

1) Dov was first in Auschwitz and then with Rav Lau in Buchenwald; 2) In the book and movie “Exodus,” there is a child survivor—and that is him; 3) Dov was also interviewed a few years ago for the Names Not Numbers program at MTA! Kol hakavod to MTA’s alumni for continuing to make the yeshiva proud!

HALB Competes in LI History Day

Last week, nine groups from HALB showcased their historical research and analytical skills at the Long Island History Day Competition, held at Hofstra University. Over the past five months, under the mentorship of social studies teacher Ms. Kristen Waterman, students meticulously crafted documentaries, websites, and museum exhibits exploring topics related to this year’s National History Day theme: Rights and Responsibilities.

With over two hundred projects competing from schools across Long Island, the competition was fierce, but HALB students rose to the challenge. HALB projects covered a wide range of historical and contemporary issues, from housing rights to the Holocaust and even the

fight for player safety in the NFL. Five HALB projects placed in the top four of their categories, earning spots at the New York State History Day competition.

HALB teams took home second and third place in the website category, second and fourth place in the museum exhibit category, and third place in the documentary category. Their success reflects months of dedication, deep research, and creative storytelling.

These talented students will head to Oneonta, NY, on April 27, 2025, to compete at the state level, with hopes of advancing to the National History Day competition in Washington, D.C. Their hard work and passion for history continue to make HALB proud!

Amudim Appoints Andy Lauber as New Executive Director

Amudim Community Resources proudly announces the appointment of Andy Lauber as its new Executive Director. A seasoned leader with over two decades of experience in nonprofit management, Andy brings extensive expertise in trauma care, crisis intervention, and community-based programming.

A licensed social worker with a distinguished career in mental health, addiction recovery, and crisis response, Andy has dedicated his life to supporting individuals and families in times of need. His deep understanding of the challenges facing the Jewish community, combined with his passion for innovative, compassionate solutions, makes him an invaluable addition to Amudim’s leadership.

Andy’s impact on the Jewish nonprof-

it sector is well established. During his tenure at Chai Lifeline, he founded and developed the i-Shine program, which now serves children experiencing illness or loss in over 13 communities across the country. He was also instrumental in launching TAL (Torah & Language) Academy, providing vital support for children with speech and language disorders.

Renowned for his ability to build meaningful partnerships, secure critical funding, and lead with vision and heart, Andy will play a pivotal role in expanding Amudim’s reach. His leadership will further strengthen the organization’s mission to provide essential services and support to those facing crisis, ensuring every individual is met with compassion, dignity, and hope.

Master Maseches Taanis with Oraysa

As the long winter winds to an end and Yidden across the spectrum cherish the memories of an exhilarating Purim and ready themselves to begin Pesach preparations in earnest, lomdei Oraysa are preparing for a new Masechta: Maseches Taanis.

Thousands of lomdim worldwide relished the experience of being connected to Purim in a meaningful way this year more than any other, after having spent the last few months immersed in the relevant sugyos and halachos of Purim as they are found in Maseches Megillah.

While the order of Masechtos in Shas places Taanis after Beitzah, upon the advice of Gedolei Yisroel in Eretz Yisroel

and the United States, Oraysa learned Maseches Megilah first in order to give lomdei Oraysa the benefit and geshmak of davar b’ito mah tov, delving into the sugyos of Megillah as they headed into Purim.

This decision proved to be a resounding success throughout the world of Oraysa lomdim. This decision proved to be a resounding success throughout the world of Oraysa lomdim, as it enabled them to put their learning into practice and celebrate Purim on a deeper level.

Now, with Purim behind us, lomdei Oraysa are excited to take the next step in the incredible voyage through Shas with the Amud V’Chazara program, be-

“Andy is the right person at the right time,” said Harav Elya Brudny, shlit”a. “He brings the strength and heart needed for this mission and is tasked with the great responsibility of taking Amudim to the next level. We are excited to welcome him into the Amudim family.”

Zvi Gluck, founder and CEO of Amudim, echoed that sentiment by sharing, “Andy’s passion, integrity, and vision make him the ideal partner to lead Amudim into its next chapter. His decades of experience and unwavering commitment to our community will allow us to reach more people, build stronger programs, and create lasting change. We’ve already accomplished so much—but with Andy on board, I truly believe we’re just getting started.”

Amudim is a leading community organization dedicated to providing critical resources, crisis intervention, and support services for individuals and families in need. With a strong focus on mental health, trauma response, and abuse prevention, Amudim continues to be a pillar of strength and hope within the Jewish community. For more information about Amudim and its services, please visit www.amudim.org.

ginning Meseches Taanis on Wednesday, April 9, Nissan 11. This will afford lomdim the sensation of entering the yom tov of freedom with a renewed commitment to Torah, as Chazal tell us, “Ein lecha ben chorin elah mi she’oseik b’Torah.”

Taanis is a fundamental masechta which discusses many aspects of tefillah, the importance of rain and the laws of communal fasts. It is also a treasure trove of Aggadah, especially in the third perek, which sheds light on the piety of the chachmei ha’Mishna v’ha’Gemara.

With every passing Masechta, Oraysa sees extraordinary growth b’siyata d’shmaya, with dozens of new chaburos and hundreds of individuals joining all over the world.

Oraysa is a global initiative designed to unite lomdei Torah worldwide through a structured daily seder ha’limud. It provides a framework to learn, review and retain Shas, and delve into the sugyos at a pace that works.

The Oraysa Amud V’Chazara program was developed in collaboration with leading Roshei Yeshiva and Gedolei Yisroel to address the growing demand for a Gemara learning framework that balances consistent progress with meaningful review.

The program’s structured yet flexible approach of a daily amud with Friday and Shabbos dedicated to chazara, makes it accessible to lomdei Torah across the spectrum, from kollel yungerleit to baalei batim and mechanchim. With Oraysa, every participant, regardless of their

background or schedule, is afforded the ability to grow in limud haTorah and deepen their connection to learning, each on their own level.

Baruch Hashem, in the past 5 years, Oraysa has become more than just a framework. It has evolved into a global movement, connecting approximately 30,000 lomdim and 410 chaburos across 110 cities worldwide.

Join the thousands of lomdei Oraysa as they embark on their journey through the sugyos of Maseches Taanis. Savor the satisfaction of learning in a goal-oriented way with a built-in system for review and retention, paving the way for a true connection to Shas.

To join the program, for more information, or to help establish a chabura in your community, contact Oraysa at 914.8.ORAYSA or email info@oraysa. org.

EFRAT: Empowering Choices and Celebrating Life

Before we know it, we will all be sitting around the Seder table with family and guests. As we fulfill the mitzvah of telling over the story of our slavery and redemption from Egypt, the heroism of the Jewish midwives shines brightly. Shifra and Puah defied Pharaoh’s decree to harm newborn Jewish boys, setting a precedent of courage and self-sacrifice. Their actions not only saved lives but also helped pave the way for yetzias Mitzrayim

Today, the legacy of these valiant women continues to resonate through EFRAT, the organization that empowers women in distress, providing them with the ability to choose life. Since its founding, EFRAT has made a profound impact in the Jewish world, helping to save close to 90,000 Jewish lives.

EFRAT’s mission extends beyond just numbers; it reflects a deep commitment to supporting women in making life-affirming choices. Many pregnant women

face immense pressures, due to economic hardship and other considerations, that can push them towards decisions they may later regret. EFRAT stands by these women, offering moral support, medical care, counselling and practical assistance. At the heart of EFRAT’s approach is a comprehensive support system that ensures no woman needs to face her challenges alone. Trained volunteers are available to offer a listening ear as well as valuable advice throughout the pregnancy and afterwards. Shortly before the birth, the women receive all the necessities for a new baby such as a crib, stroller, bathtub, layette and more. For the next two years, mothers receive a monthly package with essential baby supplies. This support, amounting to a modest $1,500 per family, has a transformative effect, enabling women to embrace motherhood with confidence.

Introducing the Chai Circle EFRAT is now proud to launch the

For Pesach and All Year Round

By Gabriel Geller, WSET III

Every year, in the eight weeks leading up to Pesach, mainstream media extensively covers the Passover holiday. Passover likely receives more attention than Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur combined. They want to know everything about chametz, kosher wine, and what makes Pesach such a special yom tov. It’s quite intriguing when you think about it. While the New York Stock Exchange shuts down for Yom Kippur, and while Rosh Hashanah isn’t solely about the Jewish people, as it marks the new year for the entire world and commemorates the anniversary of Creation, Passover still gets much more media attention, However, Pesach focuses exclusively on the Jewish people. The Seder is so exclusive that gentiles are not permitted to attend. Yet, it’s Pesach that captures the interest of non-Jews, perhaps because it’s the story of our redemption from Egypt. It’s not just about breaking free from slavery; it marks the moment we officially became a nation: G-d’s Chosen People.

Materially speaking, kosher wine symbolizes our connection and commitment to G-d more than anything else. Unlike kosher food, kosher wine isn’t

Chai Circle, a pioneering initiative designed to broaden the network of EFRAT’s support and solidarity. The Chai Circle aims to gather 18,000 women, each contributing just $18 every Rosh Chodesh, to form a robust community committed to empowering and preserving life. This circle of donors strengthens the fabric of communal care, ensuring that EFRAT’s message of hope and choice reaches even further.

Nir Salmon, EFRAT’s Executive Director, emphasizes the organization’s philosophy: ‘“While some claim to support ‘pro-choice,’ we know that true choice means providing women with the options and support necessary to make decisions aligned with their deepest values. EFRAT ensures that no woman feels coerced into a choice that isn’t right for her.’“

EFRAT’s message to expectant women is clear: ‘“You’re not alone.’” Every woman contemplating the future of her pregnancy deserves to have accurate in-

formation, emotional support, and tangible assistance. By joining the Chai Circle, you can help save a life while enabling another Jewish woman to step into motherhood with dignity and joy.

For more information, contact us at info@cribefrat.org and visit www. cribefrat.org.

solely defined by specific ingredients or appearance. What defines kosher wine is that it’s produced by observant Jews and without violating Shabbos throughout the process. This is a point I often clarify in interviews about kosher wine, especially before Pesach. Mainstream media inquire what makes kosher for Passover wine special, particularly because many Jews who don’t typically keep kosher choose to drink it for Pesach. They’re often surprised to learn that these wines—almost 99% of them—are not only kosher for Passover but are also enjoyed throughout the year.

This is why I’ve chosen to review not just four wines for the four cups, but five, to symbolize continuity. These are wines we drink all year round—for Shabbos, at brisim, weddings, Tuesday night dinners, and more. They’re not just kosher for Pesach; they’re excellent wines too. Chag kosher v’sameach, L’chaim!

Wine Reviews

Vitkin, Collector’s Edition, Carignan, 2021: Vitkin’s winemaker and proprietor, Assaf Paz, is one of Israel’s finest. He blends old-world knowledge with carefully selected grape varieties that thrive in Israel’s terroir. This medium-bodied wine offers ripe raspberry and black plum notes, vibrant acidity, grip-

ping tannins, earthy minerals, and hints of thyme and rosemary on a long, elegant finish.

Razi’el, Brut, Rosé, NV: A remarkable example of the Champagne method, this sparkling rosé stands out with its salmon hue and notes of ripe strawberries, cherries, and citrus zest. It boasts a fine mousse, vibrant acidity, subtle white flower notes, a hint of toast, and a crisp, mineral-driven finish—a top choice for those enjoying sparkling rosé during the four cups.

Château Royaumont, Lalandede-Pomerol, 2021: This high-quality Bordeaux wine is mevushal, approach-

able, and while not inexpensive, it offers medium-bodied richness with red fruit notes, earthiness, smokiness, lovely acidity, medium tannins, and a long finish. Herzog, Special Reserve, Pinot Noir, 2021: Pinot Noir, a classic choice for the four cups, is known for its soft palate. This version presents ripe red berries, earthy undertones, a hint of olives, medium-plus acidity, and a silky, prolonged finish.

Or Haganuz, Har Sinai, Pisga: While an 18% ABV dessert wine might be too intense for the four cups for most, it’s perfect for a festive Pesach meal. L’chaim!

Reb Avrom Zucker of Kupat Tzekah Hamarkazit, the kupah under HaRav Azreil Aurbach, met with the Fallsburg Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, this week in Lawerence. Upon meeting HaRav Wachtfogel, Reb Avrom said the bracha of “she’chalak mei’chachmaso l’yireiav”

Week #2 Flag Football

What a great second week it has been at the Five Towns FM Home Loans Flag Football League. The weather was perfect, and so was the football. The boys were so excited to come back and play and to meet their new team for the spring season!

The Pre-1A division had a great time learning the game and getting ready for the big leagues with Rabbi Jeremy Fine. The first-grade division had a lot of fun catching the ball and playing with their friends. In the second grade division, the Eagles beat the Jets, Panthers and Giants tied, Patriots and Vikings tied, and Broncos and Steelers tied. Akiva Weber, Isaac Mishkoff and Gavi Kestenbaum played great for their teams this week! In the 3rd/4th grade division, the Seahawks beat the Broncos, Saints beat the Giants, Vikings and Panthers tied, Eagles beat the Jets, and Patriots beat the Steelers. Shlomo Caller, Shmuel Langer and Yehuda Eichorn all played great in the second game! In the 5th/6th grade division,

Vikings beat the Panthers, Steelers beat the Patriots, Broncos and Seahawks tied, Jets beat the Eagles, and Giants beat the Saints. Moshe Orzel, Moshe Geizhalz and Alex Lefkovitch had amazing gameplay this week! In the 7th/8th grade division, the Jets beat the Broncos and Patriots beat the Giants. Elisha Portal, Saul Shulman and Mikey Aryeh really showed their skills this week!

We hope to see everyone on the field next week. Have an amazing Shabbos!

Rav Michoel Fink gave a shiur to

alumni of Yeshiva Nishmas Hatorah who came back from Eretz Yisroel

Members of the semichah chaburah of Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s Kollel Tirtza Devorah received a hands-on demonstration of the kashering of a local commercial kitchen for Pesach

Partner in Migdal Ohr’s Chag Saveah “Full Holiday” for the Children Campaign

As Pesach approaches, the staff and volunteers of Migdal Ohr are out in full force, operating a major nationwide Chag Saveah “Full Holiday” for the Children campaign. This bi-annual initiative was started by the teens of Migdal Ohr and is dedicated to distributing food baskets to families in need before Rosh Hashanah and Passover.

This major project is broadcast on Israeli TV and news stations and delivers nutritious foods to over 25,000 of the most vulnerable children and families struggling with food insecurity before the holidays. The organization has dedicated this year’s giving in loving memory of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas, z”l, and all the children and families that we lost on October 7. We hope that the unity and generosity that the campaign generates elevate their memories and are an eternal merit for their families.

Join us to ensure that tens of thousands of Israeli families can celebrate with dignity and joy: www.migdalohrusa. org/passover

Hundreds of Thousands of Israel’s Children are Hungry this Pesach

With over 872,000 children in Israel living below the poverty line, the Chag Saveah campaign is a lifeline for families struggling to put food on the table on Pesach. Migdal Ohr’s students, together with hundreds of volunteers from youth movements, the IDF, and many companies, unite to ensure that no child is left behind during these meaningful times of the year.

A recent survey conducted by Menachem Lazar of the Lazar Research Institute for Migdal Ohr paints a bleak picture of the state of poverty in Israel.

The majority of survey participants (54%) reported that the October 7 War significantly impacted their economic situation, with 42% saying it hurt them “quite a bit” and 12% stating it hurt them “a lot.” Meanwhile, 40% of respondents said the war did not affect them economically, and 6% were unsure.

A Local Campaign Initiated by Children at Migdal Ohr that Has Grown into a Nationwide Effort for Children Across Israel

Chag Saveah for Children began in 2004 as a grassroots initiative led by students from Migdal Ohr’s educational institutions in Migdal HaEmek in the north of Israel.

Understanding the value of giving, these students—who themselves receive a values-based education and full support—felt compelled to pay it forward by assembling and distributing food packages to other children in need. What started with 500 food packages has now grown into a nationwide movement that touches tens of thousands of lives every year! Rabbi Grossman, the founder of Migdal Ohr, saw their initiative and helped the founding teens to grow their vision into a major nationwide initiative!

Distribution Points and Additional Cash Assistance

This year, there are multiple food assistance programs being operated by Chag Saveah to meet the urgent need for food assistance.

When you contribute to Chag Saveah for Pesach, your gift sponsors matzot, nutritious holiday foods, and essentials for Migdal Ohr’s dorm families, families of fallen soldiers, and those who lost everything on October 7.

The distribution this year breaks down as follows:

● Basic Holiday Food Packages –8,000 families will receive essential food to celebrate the holiday with dignity.

● Fresh Meat, Chicken, Fish, & Egg Distribution – Multiple distribution points across Jerusalem and central Israel will ensure that struggling families have nutritious meals.

● Vouchers for Soldiers – 500 brave soldiers, many of whom have been on the front lines, will receive $180 vouchers to help them celebrate the holidays.

● Vouchers for Families in Need –1,100 families will receive $180 each to buy holiday essentials.

● Extra Support for Large Families – 500 families with two children will receive 1,000 NIS each, 260 large families (5+ children) will receive 2,000 NIS each

● Direct Assistance for Orphans & IDF Widows – Emergency funds are being distributed to hundreds who have lost loved ones in recent tragedies.

By ensuring that they can set their seder tables, you are giving more than food—you are giving them the strength and encouragement to keep going even when they feel they can’t go any further.

Rabbi Grossman Unites Israelis in Giving

For over 20 years, the campaign has brought together people from all walks of Israeli society—secular and charedi communities, soldiers, students, celebrities, and politicians—creating a national movement of unity and kindness.

Under the leadership of Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman, Chag Saveah embodies the spirit of giving and ensures

that every Jewish family can enjoy the holiday season with dignity.

Rabbi Grossman shared his thoughts on the growing need for food assistance, telling the Maariv newspaper: Every year, we are forced to deal with a constant increase in demand for food aid and are required to provide a solution to all those families who enter the circle of distress for the first time in their lives. These are families who used to donate to the campaign and who now need our help themselves.

Personally, I am struck by the gap when I see skyscrapers rising in Tel Aviv and hear about high-tech companies getting rich, and the reality is, unfortunately, that there are hundreds of thousands of children in Israel who live in poverty. Thanks to our partners and many donors, we will achieve our mission of saving Israeli society.”

Join Us! Please Give to Israel’s Vulnerable Children and Families Before Pesach

This holiday season, you can make a tangible difference in the lives of Israeli children and families who have been hit hard by the war.

Together, we can ensure that every child and family in Israel celebrates with happiness and dignity. Give securely online at www.migdalohrusa.org/passover.

Rav Nissan Kaplan, Rosh HaYeshiva of Daas Aharon, visited Yeshiva Darchei Torah this week. He is shown here speaking to Rabbi Mutty Zeiger’s class and greeting Moshe Sabo

Around the Community

Boots for Israel Fundraising Charity Auction: Support the IDF and Make a Difference

By Debbie King

Since the outbreak of the war on October 7, 2023, the Boots for Israel organization, founded by Yakir Wachstock, has been working tirelessly to provide the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) with much-needed combat boots. To date, the organization has donated an impressive 80,000 pairs of boots, but with the war continuing, the demand for new boots remains high.

In order to meet this growing need, Boots for Israel will be hosting an online charity auction from April 1 to April 23, 2024. This auction will feature historical treasures linked to Israel’s soldiers and pioneers. All proceeds will go directly to Boots for Israel to support their ongoing efforts.

The charity auction will offer a wide range of items with deep historical and sentimental value. Curated by a team of experts, the items include artwork, Judaica, antiques, coins, and more. Each piece has been carefully selected to highlight its connection to Israel’s rich history.

How the Bidding Works:

● Placing a Bid: After submitting a bid, you’ll receive an automated email confirmation. If outbid, you’ll be notified and have the opportunity to place a higher bid.

● Bid Visibility: Bids are confidential; neither your name nor bid amount will be visible to other participants during the auction.

● Winning an Auction: If you’re the highest bidder when the auction concludes, you’ll receive an email with a link to complete your donation equal to your bid amount. This can be done via credit card or bank transfer.

Authenticity and Shipping: All

Pedal for a Purpose

On March 23-25, more than 100 dedicated riders geared up for a meaningful journey – one that combined endurance, community, and a powerful mission to support Israeli youth affected by trauma. From March 23-25, these riders took part in the 9th annual Geerz Israel Charity Ride, a grueling two-day, 80-mile mountain biking challenge dedicated to raising critical funds for children impacted by war and hardship.

As Israel’s leading therapeutic mountain biking initiative, Geerz’s groundbreaking program combines the healing power of sports and nature to offer much-needed relief and resilience-building, helping children navigate social-emotional issues, including anxiety, depression, and trauma.

Uniquely, the premiere mountain biking charity ride in Israel is the product of olim from across the U.S., Canada, the UK, South Africa, and Australia. Separate routes designed for riders of all levels traversed 80 miles of some of Israel’s most scenic mountain biking trails near

items are guaranteed authentic, with detailed descriptions and provenance provided.

Tax Receipts: For U.S. donors, charitable tax receipts are available through the 501(c)(3) Am Yisrael Foundation.

Payment Methods: Curio Auctions accepts major credit cards, PayPal, and international wire transfers.

How to Participate: For more information or to place your bid, visit https:// www.curioauctions.com/boots

Among the Items to be Auctioned:

● A pair of combat boots worn during Israel’s War of Independence

● A Chalitza shoe, used by Eastern European Rabbinical courts in the

the Dead Sea, symbolizing the resilience and determination that Geerz fosters in the youth it serves. Funds raised from the event will support Geerz’s therapeutic mountain biking groups serving more than 450 kids throughout Israel impacted by the war.

“The Geerz Israel Charity Ride is more than a fundraiser; it’s a celebration of the community coming together to support the resilience and success of our youth,” says Nachum Wasosky, founder of Geerz. “Riding ‘uneven terrain’ is not just about mountain biking. It’s about helping these kids navigate the instabil-

mid-nineteenth century

● A 1948 Booklet for IDF soldiers with segula prayers from an old kabbalah manuscript

● IDF Periscope for Armored Vehicles

● The first IDF Pesach Haggadah from 1948

● A 1920 Czech Passover Sedar plate

● A 1938 Jewish Community Winter Rescue Pesach Haggadah printed in Nazi Germany

● WWII Jewish Brigade Soldier Afikomen Matzah Pouch from 1943

● Coins minted during the Bar Kochba revolt

Don’t miss this opportunity to support a great cause while acquiring oneof-a-kind artifacts that tell the story of Israel’s history.

Am Yisrael Chai! Thank you for supporting Boots for Israel. Even if you are not interested in bidding at the Charity Auction, please consider donating at: www.bootsforisrael.com

ity in their lives, build confidence, and regain their strength.”

Chaim Wizman, the Geerz Ride Director, emphasized the urgency of this year’s ride. “After October 7, the need for trauma support skyrocketed. Geerz stepped up immediately to offer its proven program to displaced and at-risk youth, helping them rebuild a sense of stability and hope. I’m honored to be part of something so impactful.”

Geerz now serves evacuees and atrisk youth, with 38 groups running in youth villages, border communities, special education schools, and afterschool programs.

“Our eldest joined the Geerz family in Beit Shemesh every Friday,” shared Yechiel and Sarah Kila, parents displaced from southern Israel. “Our son would return from the rides full of strength and joy. The sense of security and belonging Geerz gave him was priceless during such a fragile time.”

To show your support for the New Jersey riders, join a future ride, or learn more about the Geerz ride and its mission, visit https://www.geerz.site/getinto-geerz/en/

Riders from New York and New Jersey

Nachum Wasosky, Geerz founder

HANC H.S. Joins Civic Spirit Day at the Courthouse in NYC

On Thursday, March 20, HANC

High School juniors T.J. Serber, Sarah Kalter, Eyal Traeger, Natalie Kohan, Ella Ghodsi and Yarden Weiss attended Civic Spirit Day at the Tweed Courthouse in downtown Manhattan. They joined 50 students from other Jewish and private schools to learn about civic leadership.

Students participated in sessions where they discussed and collaborated

on the traits and qualities that are necessary in a leader, and experienced a creative workshop run by Charactours, a Jewish improvisation group, which allowed them to practice some of the skills necessary to be effective leaders and model citizens.

Thank you to Mrs. Laura Eisner, Humanities Chair, for organizing this opportunity for our civic- minded students.

Chometz Food Drive in Queens

As in previous years, Tomchei Shabbos of Queens will be having a Chometz Drive. It will take place the night before Bedikas Chametz, allowing everyone maximum time to empty their pantries and figure out what they want to donate.

It will take place at the Tomchei Shab -

bos Warehouse, 129-01 Metropolitan Avenue, from 5-8 pm on Wednesday, April 9. Any UNOPENED, non-perishable, packaged food, with good expiration dates, will be accepted.

The Chometz Drive is also an opportunity to donate towards Tomchei Shabbos’ Ma’os Chittin fund.

Chessed Trips at Shulamith

Middle school girls from Shulamith participated in Chessed trips to Ohel, the Premiere, and the Esplanade. These trips were both

meaningful and impactful, offering our girls valuable opportunities for connection!

Project Inspire Convention 2025: A Weekend That Lit a Fire in Our Hearts

March 7–9, 2025 – It was a weekend that people will be talking about for a long time. Over 800 strong came together from around the country for the 2025 Project Inspire Convention, and what they experienced was more than just inspiration — it was a powerful push to get involved.

With the theme “Unlock the Inspired YOU,” the convention reminded everyone that we all have something to give. It encouraged each person not only to grow in their own Yiddishkeit, but to take the next step: to raise their hand and join the mission. The goal wasn’t just about reaching out to less affiliated Jews — it was about getting involved in the many initiatives Project Inspire has built to make that outreach possible.

The convention opened with a meaningful and heartfelt talk from Rabbi Ye-

chiel Spero, who spoke during Friday night davening and set the tone for the weekend ahead.

Friday night continued to build with a powerful address from Rabbi Aaron Kotler, President Emeritus of Beth Medrash Govoha, moved the crowd with heartfelt stories about his father and grandfather, Rav Shneur, zt”l, and Rav Aharon, zt”l. Long before kiruv became “mainstream,” they were already reaching out in their daily lives, helping others connect to Torah with love and care. Rabbi Kotler reminded us that the responsibility to inspire others is part of our mesorah — and now, we have practical tools to do it.

Motzei Shabbos brought some of the most powerful and emotional moments of the convention. Rabbi Berel Lazar, Chief Rabbi of Russia, delivered a deeply stirring address that left a lasting impres-

sion. He asked: “If you had the chance to save the Bibas children, wouldn’t you do everything you could?” Then he made the connection — there are so many Jews out there who don’t know what they’re missing. The Rambam calls them “tinok shenishba,” like hostages who never had the chance to know Torah. Rabbi Lazar’s message was clear: Project Inspire is giving us real ways to help bring them back. But we have to say yes.

Following him, Rabbi Chaim Sampson, Founding Director of Project Inspire, spoke with passion and urgency. He compared our mission to the bravery of soldiers who run into danger to protect us. “They risk their lives,” he said. “Can’t we step forward to help another Jew feel connected and proud?” His message was clear: This is our chance to show up for Klal Yisrael.

One of the most emotional and memorable moments of the weekend came when Efraim Bibi shared his story. Fifteen years ago, he was sitting on a plane when, as he described it, “a scary lady” Mrs. Tzipi Reifer — sat near him and they struck up a conversation. Before the flight was over, she had invited him for Shabbos. That one simple invitation changed everything. Today, he’s a husband, a father, and a teacher of Torah. “When I see the sparkle in my kids’ eyes when they learn,” he said, “I think — what would have happened if not for that one flight?” His story brought the audience to tears and reminded everyone that sometimes, all it takes is one person to make a life-changing difference.

Sunday morning, as the weekend

drew to a close, Rabbi

tied it all together with a powerful and practical message. “You don’t need to change your life,” he said. “You just need to live it with purpose.” Project Inspire offers real, accessible ways for people to make a difference — from mentoring to Shabbos hosting to community programs and beyond. “Everyone can give something,” he told the crowd. “The question is — what’s yours to give?”

Throughout the hotel, Project Inspire made it easy for people to take that step. Big signs and staffed tables introduced six powerful initiatives designed to match people’s skills, schedules, and interests. From the moment guests arrived, the question was on everyone’s mind: Which initiative will I choose? How can I be part of this? By the end of the weekend, hundreds had already signed up — ready to begin their journey.

Yossie Friedman, Executive Director of Project Inspire, summed it up best: “This isn’t about ‘getting frum people involved in kiruv.’ It’s about realizing this is already your mission — and now we’re giving you the tools to carry it out. There isn’t anyone who can say, ‘This isn’t for me.’”

The Project Inspire Convention wasn’t just about getting inspired — it was about taking that inspiration and turning it into action. And for many who were there, that process is already underway. To find your place and explore the six initiatives, visit projectinspire.com/initiatives.

Shlomo Farhi

Yeshiva Har Torah Students Experience an Unforgettable Shabbaton

Yeshiva Har Torah’s seventh and eighth graders participated in an incredible Shabbaton filled with energy, excitement, and unforgettable memories. From the moment students arrived at the David & Suri Schwartz Jewish Experience Center in Fallsburg, NY, the atmosphere was electric.

On Friday, the students enjoyed swimming and the sports facilities. Over Shabbat, the faculty and students participated in beautiful and uplifting Davening and Shabbat meals filled with singing, dancing, and divrei Torah. There were meaningful learning programs throughout Shabbat, as well as rest time

which allowed the students more opportunities to bond with their teachers and their families. Shabbat concluded with a musical Havdalah followed by dancing

Miracles, Missiles & Mesiras Nefesh

By Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

Dafna lived in Kibbutz Re’im, in the vicinity of Gaza, before the war. She served as the cultural director of the kibbutz and was one of the people who organized the Nova Festival. After the attack on October 7, they found her mother and her children, Shira and Meir, murdered together. Dafna is the only survivor of her family.

Before the war, Dafna was the type of person who fought off anyone who tried to teach the people of her kibbutz about Torah and mitzvos. When Rabbi Shlomo Raanan, who runs a kiruv organization called Ayelet HaShachar, organized a basketball game between yeshivah bachurim and people from the kibbutz, to be held on October 2, just a few days before the war broke out, Dafna ordered him to cancel the game. She believed

that the only reason he was arranging such a game was because he wanted to influence the members of the kibbutz to become religious.

“Cancel the game,” she wrote to him. “If you don’t, we will block the entrance to the kibbutz with our bodies!”

In the end, Rabbi Raanan canceled the game.

Five days later, the Arabs burst across the border and began rampaging through the kibbutzim, killing, pillaging, and kidnapping Jews. Suddenly, Dafna, a woman who had believed in peace between Arabs and Jews for so long, found herself a prisoner in a tunnel in Gaza.

“Why are you torturing me?” she asked the terrorist who was guarding her. “For the last twenty years of my life, I have created programs where Arabs and Jews could spend time learning how to get along with

and a Melave Malka.

The students expressed that this has been one of their most uplifting experiences thus far. The Shabbaton deepened

one another. We are your cousins! Why are you doing this?”

The Arab guard was not impressed.

“You are not a child of Ibrahim,” he shouted at her. “You are not even a Jew!”

Dafna was shocked.

“What do you mean? Of course, I am a Jew!”

“No. You are not a Jew. You are a European colonialist who came here to Palestine to steal our land!”

Dafna felt as if she had been struck with a blow to the heart, and she experienced a moment of clarity the likes of which she had never felt in her life. Hearing those words issuing from the mouth of a terrorist, she suddenly saw herself for who she really was and how she had been living a life of denial for so long.

“I had always defined myself as an Israeli,” she said. “Never as a Jew. I cared much more about healing the differences between Arabs and Jews than about healing the conflicts that existed among the Jews themselves. For years, whenever I traveled to different countries, if someone would ask me if I was Jewish, I would always answer, ‘I’m not Jewish, I’m Israeli.’ Now, when that Arab accused me of being a colonialist, I understood something very important. I understood that he didn’t see me as a Jew because I didn’t see myself as a Jew.

“At that moment, standing inside the tunnels of Gaza with the terrorist kidnapers, I began to shout in Arabic with all my might, ‘Ana Yahudiun! Ana Yahudiun! I am a Jew! I am a Jew!’”

The terrorists immediately restrained Dafna and taped her mouth shut. But they couldn’t quell the stormy and emotional turnaround that was taking place within

friendships and the sense of community as well as furthered the Yeshiva Har

rah values within the students.

her, as Dafna suddenly understood that she had a soul and she was a Jew.

“Every Arab village has a mosque,” she would later say, “and Christians build churches where they live. In our kibbutz, we had nothing. Nothing to say that we are Jews. At that moment, I realized that if we were going to rebuild, we would need to reclaim our Jewish identity. With this realization coursing through my mind, I accepted upon myself to build a beit knesset in my kibbutz. And when we rebuild, our beit knesset will be the most beautiful structure in the kibbutz.”

In the tunnels of Gaza, where a Jewish woman lost her entire family and previous existence — she discovered another completely different one.

The existence of someone who knows what it means to be a Jew.

Reprinted from Miracles, Missiles & Mesiras Nefesh by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer with permission from the copyright holder, ArtScroll Mesorah Publications.

To

TJH Centerfold

March Madness Trivia

1. According to Wallethub.com, what are the odds of picking a perfect bracket?

a. 1 in 43.5 billion

b. 1 in 9 trillion

c. 1 in 321.5 trillion

d. 1 in 9.2 quintillion

2. In 1940, Indiana Hoosiers head coach Emmett “Branch” McCracken was the youngest head coach to win the NCAA championship. How old was he at the time?

a. 31

b. 36

c. 41

d. 43

3. Which seeded team never won the NCAA championship?

a. 3 seed

b. 4 seed

c. 5 seed

d. 8 seed

4. How many teams competed in the first NCAA tournament in 1939?

a. 8

b. 12

c. 14

d. 18

5. In 1985, Villanova beat Georgetown 66-64 in the NCAA championship game. Who was the starting center on

Georgetown?

a. David Robinson

b. Patrick Ewing

c. Hakeem Olajuwon

d. Shaq

6. Which school’s 1991 team was known as the “Fab Five”?

a. Michigan College

b. College of Michigan

c. University of Michigan

d. UCLA

7. With the Tar Heels trailing by one in the 1982 national championship game, this player knocked down a jumper from the left wing with 17 seconds left to give his team the victory:

a. Michael Jordan

b. Isiah Thomas

c. Reggie Miller

d. Mark Jackson

Answer:

1) D-You have greater odds of winning the lotto, getting struck by lightning, and having a boa constrictor emerge through the pipes in your toilet all on the same

Real or Fake Mascot?

C

A

B

C

A

Scorecard:

6-7 correct: You really know your NCAA basketball. You are the annoying dude who studies for a month before filling out his brackets. “Well, uh, I’m considering putting Villanova in the Final Four. What do you think?” “What do I think? Get a life! That’s what I think!”

3-5 correct: You will get to the Sweet Sixteen, but you won’t be cutting down any nets this year.

0-2 correct: No chance of you cutting the net; maybe start by lowering the basket.

The Fighting Okra — Delta State University

The Banana Slugs — UC Santa Cruz

The Geoducks — Evergreen State College

The Stormy Petrels — Oglethorpe University

The Battling Bishops — Ohio Wesleyan University

The Fighting Camels — Campbell University

The Mastodons — Purdue Fort Wayne

The Purple Cows — Williams College

The Boll Weevils — University of Arkansas at Monticello

Each of the these are actual school mascots, except for one. Can you spot the fraud? Answer: The Screaming Turnips — Idaho Valley College

The Spiders — University of Richmond

The Screaming Turnips — Idaho Valley College

March Madness Madness

“The great thing about March Madness is the unpredictability. Except for me — I predict my bracket will be terrible.” - Jay Bilas

“There are two kinds of people in March: those who admit their bracket is busted and liars.”- Seth Davis

“March Madness is when the underdogs have their day, and America eats it up like a deep-fried Oreo.”

- Dick Vitale

“I can’t wait for the moment when a 14-seed knocks off a 3-seed and some poor accountant has to explain to his boss why he bet the company lunch fund on the favorite.”- Greg Gumbel

“March Madness is the only time of year you’ll hear people say things like, ‘Of course Norfolk State will beat Missouri. It’s obvious.’”- Bill Raftery

“The beauty of March Madness is watching people who don’t know a thing about basketball destroy people who watch it all year in the office pool.”

- Jimmy Fallon

“March Madness brings people together — mostly to complain about their brackets.”- Andy Katz

Riddle Me This!

“Selection Sunday is like opening a mystery gift. Sometimes you get a PlayStation; sometimes you get socks.”- Ernie Johnson

“I asked my neighbor how he picked his bracket. He said, ‘I went with schools that sounded like pasta.’ He’s in first place.”- Jay Bilas

“March Madness combines the two best things about America: gambling and college.”- Craig Ferguson

“March Madness is the only time it’s socially acceptable to have a mental breakdown over teenagers you’ve never met.”- Jon Stewart

“I love March Madness. It’s like a family reunion, if your family was composed of unpaid athletes, confused mascots, and degenerate gamblers.”

- Jimmy Kimmel

“March Madness is like throwing a handful of darts at a dartboard... blindfolded... during an earthquake.”

- Jay Bilas

“This tournament makes heroes out of guys you’ve never heard of and villains out of guys you’ll never forget.” - Dick Vitale

After the NCAA season, the Wildcats, the Tar Heels and Syracuse are in the first three positions. The captains are Michael, Martin and Paige. Here is what you know:

- Syracuse won as many games as the Wildcats and Tar Heels combined.

- Paige is not the captain of the Syracuse or Wildcats.

- Michael’s team won twelve games.

- The Wildcats won two more games than the Tar Heels.

- Michael is not the captain of the Wildcats. Who is the captain of which team? How many games did each team win?

Michael - 12 - Syracuse

Martin - 7 - Wildcats

Paige - 5 - Tar Heels

Answer:

Torah Thought

Parshas Vayikra

By Rabbi Berel Wein

G-d calls out to Moshe from the inner sanctuary of the Mishkan.

Yet, as Rashi points out to us, the sound of G-d’s voice, so to speak, was loud and strong, however, it was limited to the area within the Mishkan. Those who were outside of that sanctuary heard nothing. The message imparted here is a clear and simple one. Not everyone hears G-d’s voice, nor can it be heard everywhere.

There was a long period of time in English and American society in which those who entered the clergy were said to have responded to a “calling.” In our jaded, materialistic, dysfunctional world of today a “calling” is something to be mocked at as being naïve and impractical. Yet the Torah emphasizes here that Moshe responded to such a “calling” and that, in fact, this became the name and

title of one of the five books of Moshe.

Leading and teaching the Jewish people can certainly be viewed as a profession and a career. But if that is all it is, then it is deficient in its spiritual potential and its ultimate chance of success. Unless one hears, so to speak, the voice of G-d calling one to public service and Torah teaching, the soul of the matter will always be compromised.

G-d is heard, so to speak, in the voice of our ancestors, of Jewish tradition, and family bonds. Many Jews today are completely unaware of their own family heritage and certainly of the greater heritage of Israel as a whole. And very few of us are strong enough psychologically and spiritually to hearken to our inner voice, still and small as it is. So we wander through life seeking direction and guidance and

Not everyone hears G-d’s voice, nor can it be heard everywhere.

Moshe is able to be the incomparable Moshe that he is because he hears the L-rd calling out to him even if no one else apparently does so as well. All his life he responds to that call and remains faithful to the task and challenge that leading the Jewish people poses for him.

Midrash teaches us that Moshe first heard the voice of G-d, so to speak, at the encounter at the Burning Bush. There the L-rd called out to him in the voice and tone of his father Amram, and Moshe was able to hear it without being overwhelmed. Much later in Jewish history, the L-rd told the prophet Eliyahu that he could hear His call in the still, small voice that reverberates within our consciences.

turn to others to help us find ourselves. First, we should look inward for the G-dly GPS implanted within us. That is our Mishkan, the place where G-d’s voice can be heard. Searching for it elsewhere, in the voices of strangers, outside of our Mishkan will be frustrating and fruitless. Since the voice of G-d, no matter how powerful and strong it may be, is still described as being a small voice, it is obvious that one needs to pay attention and strain to hear it. This effort always characterized Moshe’s life, the loyal servant of G-d, who was attuned to hear the calling that guided him, and through him, all of Israel and humankind as well.

Shabbat shalom.

From the Fire

Parshas Vayikra

The Sweetness of Truth

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

It is hashgacha pratis, that in the parsha, which occurs right before Pesach, we read the pasuk (Vayikra 2:11), “You shall not place chometz in any meal offering that you offer to Hashem, because you may not burn any leavening or honey in a burnt offering to Hashem.”

We readily understand why we may not place chometz in the ketores, incense offering, or the mincha, the meal offering, because, as the Sefer Hachinuch explains, chometz is the symbol of gaavah, arrogance. In the words of the Sefer Hachinuch, “Because leavening lifts itself up [and may therefore not be offered with the incense or a meal offering] to hint at the fact that haughtiness of the heart is an abomination to Hashem.” This is the opposite of the matzah, which is the lechem oni, the bread of poverty, which is the personification of humility and self-effacement.

As the Maharal explains, the bread of poverty is the bread of liberty and redemption (Gevuros Hashem 51): “The redemption did not occur because of [anything in] this world; rather, because of the upper, simple world.” In fact, when the Kohen Gadol, the high priest, entered the Kodesh HaKedoshim, the Holy of Holies, on Yom Kippur, he did so only wearing the bigdei lavan , the white, simple garments. When a person wants to access holiness, he must negate his exaggerated sense of self and approach G-d with simplicity; with matzah and not with chometz.

It is difficult, however, to understand why we may not put honey into the incense or meal offerings, which seems like it would make those offerings into even more of a rei’ach nicho’ach , a pleasing fragrance to Hashem. In this regard, the Sefer Hachinuch also explains that this is a lesson to those that constantly seek

sweetness in everything of this world, “according to the ways of the pleasure seekers and fressers who are drawn after everything sweet.” They should know that not everything has to be as sweet, delicious, and fragrant as they can make it.

In other words, avoiding going overboard on sweetness is not something that applies only to physical pleasures. The Chinuch is teaching us that avoiding excessive sweetness does not only apply in physical matters, as opposed to spiritual ones. Even in matters of Torah and mitzvos, our service of Hashem should not be dependent on how easy or good things feel. Rather, the sweetest thing about our service of Hashem should be the very act of serving Hashem.

Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Mesilas Yesharim, explains that there is nothing technically wrong with a person serving Hashem in order to merit to achieve closeness with Hashem, delight in Hashem, or some worldly reward for his ser-

vice. These types of motivations, he explains, are not the true purpose of serving Hashem because such a person’s service is ultimately for his own personal benefit. “Rather, the true purpose is found among those pious people who work and toil to fulfill Hashem’s will, who serve Hashem only for the sake of increasing the honor of the Master of the world ... [and such people] are pained by anything that diminishes from that honor.”

The words of the Rambam in this regard are like honey. The following teaching is one of those that deserve to be placed on a sign in every Jew’s home (Hilchos Teshuva 10:2): “Those who serve Hashem out of love learn Torah, do mitzvos, and live according to the paths of wisdom do not do so because of anything in the world or because of a fear of punishment or in order to receive some good. Rather, they live according to the truth because it is true, although in the end, good will come because of it.”

According to this principle, we can understand the prohibition against placing honey in the incense and meal offerings. Rav Kook explains the following portion relating to the incense offering in the siddur: “And Bar Kafra further taught that were they to put a measure of honey [into the incense], the smell [would be so wonderful] that no one would be able to stand it. And why do we not then mix honey [into the incense]? Because the Torah says (Vayikra 2:11), ‘You may not burn any leavening or honey in a burnt offering to Hashem.’” In Rav Kook’s siddur (Vol. 1, p. 144), he points out that Bar Kafra’s answer to his own question seems to beg the question. One could say “because the Torah said so” to answer any question ever asked. The real question is why the Torah said not to offer honey with the incense. How, then, is Bar Kafra’s answer satisfying?

Rav Kook answers by emphasizing that that one should not seek out the reason why Hashem forbade the intense sweetness of the smell of honey in the incense. A Jew must know that the sweetness of the incense comes from only one thing: “because the Torah said so.” The word of Hashem is the source of all sweetness in the world and in our lives, and we do not require anything else. “Osei ha’emes mipnei she’hu emes,” we do what is true and right because it is the will of Hashem, because it is true.

It is known that Reb Zusha of Anapoli was almost never able to listen to a complete lesson given by his rebbe the Maggid of Mezrich. The Maggid would begin each lesson by quoting a pasuk, “And Hashem spoke to Moshe saying...” Immediately, Reb Zusha would rise to his feet and exclaim, “Did you hear that? Hashem Himself spoke to a human being!! Gevalt!” He would then carry on until the chassidim

had to carry him out of the room so that the Maggid could complete the lesson. Years later, Reb Baruch of Mezibizh was recounting this recurring event to his chassidim, and they began to snicker and laugh at Reb Zusha. Reb Baruch admonished them, “If you knew what it meant to hear the word of Hashem like Reb Zusha did, you would also not need to hear anything else. That would be enough.”

We see from here that even if a person would put honey into the incense to make it so sweet that no one could stand before the fragrant smell, the simple act of keeping the will of Hashem by not putting the honey into the incense is even sweeter.

We see this idea in a strange incident involving the prophet Yechezkel as well. Hashem commanded him to eat a scroll called the megillas Churban, the scroll of the destruction of the Jewish people, which was filled with lamentations, suffering, and weeping. Yechezkel did as Hashem commanded, and he ate the scroll. Suffering is generally something we consider bitter, but Yechezkel said (3:3), “And in my mouth it was sweet like honey.” Even the bitter and difficult decrees of Hashem can be sweet with the recognition that they are the d’var Hashem, the word and will of Hashem.

The prophet Yirmiyahu endured suffering and humiliation from the moment he accepted the “job” of serving as Hashem’s prophet to warn the Jewish people of their pending downfall if they did not do teshuva. Yirmiyahu said (15:15-16), “Know that I bear humiliation because of You [Hashem]. I have found Your words and eaten them and your words have been to me for joy and gladness of heart because your name is called upon me.” Although Yirmiyahu experienced nothing but suffering for his prophecies, he exulted in the knowledge that he was receiving and carrying out the word of Hashem, which was the sweetest thing in the world to him.

Even now, as we begin preparing for Pesach in earnest, we experience the sweetest bitterness. There is nothing sweeter than cleaning for Pesach in order to live according to the truth because it is true. There is no greater lesson for our children than when a child asks his or her parents why they are working so hard, why this time is different from any other time, and those parents, covered in sweat, answer that it is “because the Torah said so.”

Rosh Chodesh Nissan is also the day on which the Mishkan was inaugurated, which was the most joyous day since the

creation of the world. It was also the day the sons of Aharon, the tzaddikim Nadav and Avihu, died when they brought a sacrifice (Vayikra 10:1) “asher lo tzivah osam, which Hashem did not command them.” Chazal offer a variety of explanations of the exact nature of their sin. Usually, when many reasons are offered, it is because the reasons are not entirely clear. We see one thing from them pesukim, however, which is that they were killed because they sought to add some extra level of sweetness in their service of Hashem, but “which Hashem did not command them.”

At the Seder, we say, “What does the wise son say? ‘What are the testimonies, decrees, and ordinances which Hashem your G-d has commanded you?’ You shall then teach him the halachos, the laws, of Pesach...” A wise person knows that the greatest sweetness is found in Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish law, when one connects to Hashem by keeping the will of Hashem because it is Hashem’s will, who lives according to the truth because it is true.

There is a story of the Kotzer Rebbe at the Seder. One year, it appeared as if he was going to skip Marror and go to the meal. The chassidim at the table signaled

to the Avnei Nezer, the Kotzker’s son-inlaw, to say something. So the Avnei Nezer approached his father-in-law and said “Marror?” The Kotzker then slammed his fist on the table and yelled, “Marror fressers! Marror fressers! Marror snackers!” over and over again. The chassidim became frightened, and all of them ran out except for the Avnei Nezer. When the Kotzker stopped yelling, he asked the Avnei Nezer why everyone left, so he explained that they were afraid. The Kotzker then told the Avnei Nezer that there was enough suffering and bitterness in the world that we do not need to ask for it. He did not forget about Marror but was trying to accomplish something which would end the bitterness.

B’ezras Hashem, by living according to the truth because it is the truth, and by keeping Hashem’s will simply “because the Torah said so,” we will soon merit to live in a time when all of our tears will be turned to joy .

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.

Think. Feel.Grow.

Time and Its Transcendent Connection to Pesach

By Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

Time is a prominent theme of Pesach, but it expresses itself in a unique and somewhat puzzling manner. On Pesach, we are commanded to eat matzah (unleavened bread), and eating chametz (leavened bread) is absolutely forbidden (Shemos 12:15). This is an incredibly strict prohibition; the punishment for eating chametz is kares (spiritual excision). This seems extreme, as the difference between matzah and chametz can come down to a matter of seconds. This means that a single second can decide a person’s spiritual reality, determining whether one performed a mitzvah or violated the most severe of prohibitions. Why is time so central to Pesach, and how can a single second of time have such significant implications?

Why the Rush?

Let us trace this theme of time through the story of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the exodus from Egypt. The Torah commands us to eat matzah on Pesach because the Jewish people left Mitzrayim “b’chipazon ,” in great haste (Devarim 16:3). The Jewish nation was forced to eat matzah because they did not have enough time to make bread. Although this is the most well-known reference to time in the Pesach story, there is another.

The Arizal makes an intriguing statement about time and its significance in the Pesach story (see Beis Halevi, Derush 2, quoting the Arizal). He states that had the Jewish people remained in Egypt for even one more second at the point of the Exodus, they would have reached the 50th level of tumah (impurity), a point of no return. Chazal explain that the Jewish people in Mitzrayim were on the forty-ninth level of tumah, the very lowest level of spiritual impurity (Ohr Hachayim, Shemos 3:8). Had we sunk even one

level lower, we would have been lost completely, beyond the point of rescue.

The Arizal emphasizes that it was necessary for us to leave with such speed to save us from falling to this lowest level. It is thus clear that the speed with which we left Egypt was of fundamental importance, but we must still answer the question of why.

The Problem

Before answering our questions, we must analyze the Arizal’s comment more closely. The Arizal says that had the Exodus been delayed for even one more second, we would have been completely lost within the depths of impurity. However, the moment of the exodus seems to be the furthest thing from a spiritually dangerous time. In fact, it appears to be the moment at which Klal Yisrael was at an ultimate spiritual high, far from spiritual risk.

The Jewish people had just witnessed Hashem unleash His wrath on the Egyptians through the performance of the ten miraculous plagues, a systematic process of openly revealing Hashem to the world. On the night of the exodus, Hashem performed makkas bechoros (the plague of the firstborn), devastating Egypt and causing even Pharaoh to panic. Makkas

bechoros was unique in that Hashem Himself performed this makkah (Rashi, Shemos 12:12). The Ramban explains that all the principles of hashgacha pratis (Divine providence) were displayed through these events. We were clearly then on an immensely high spiritual level.

On this same night, the Jewish people brought the Korban Pesach and painted their doorposts with blood, instilling within their hearts the knowledge that Hashem watches over and protects us. This night contained some of the loftiest moments imaginable – one would expect the Jewish People to be on an equally lofty level. This was the birth and creation of Klal Yisrael, the root of their journey to Har Sinai to accept the Torah. How could one more second in this intensely holy atmosphere possibly have caused the destruction of the Jewish people?

If the Arizal’s statement was not already difficult enough to understand, he takes his statement one step further. The Arizal says that not only would going out one second later have placed us beyond hope, but even if we had gone out just the slightest bit slower it would have been too late as well. Not only did we have to leave right away, but the pace itself had to be quick. Not only when we left, but how we

left was important. What is the meaning of all this?

Spiritual Perspectives

These questions all come back to the concept of time. In order to understand time, we must take a step back and look at the nature of physicality in general. Time is a dimension of physicality and in some ways is even emblematic of the physical. Therefore, our approach to physicality will illuminate our understanding of time. Most spiritual schools of thought are focused wholly on the spiritual; they view the physical world as lowly and dangerous. They therefore claim that the physical should be avoided to the greatest extent possible. In order to live a spiritual life, one must escape the physical, completely rejecting their physical nature. Therefore, spiritual systems such as Buddhism prescribe meditation, abstinence, and the suppression of physical desire. In such a system, the ideal is to sit isolated on a mountaintop and meditate on our navel.

Avraham, however, introduced a novel, idealistic approach to life. He understood that while the physical can be dangerous if misused, the ideal is not to transcend the physical but to use the physical to reflect something higher. In other words, he introduced the ideal Jewish spiritual system.

Think: how many mitzvos are commandments of the mind? Incredibly few! You can count them on your hands: believe in Hashem, love Hashem, be in awe of Hashem, don’t be jealous, and just a few others. The overwhelming majority of mitzvos are physical actions which connect you to the spiritual Source, Hashem. The act is physical, while the intentions and mindset must be infused into it. We eat matzah, shake a lulav, blow

shofar, and wear tefillin; all actions, all physical. We don’t believe in transcending the physical, we wish to use the physical to connect to the transcendent.

The Condition: Control

While the ideal is for the physical to be utilized and elevated, there is an important qualification. When the physical is channeled properly, it enables the highest of spiritual accomplishments, but when misused, it has infinitely negative reverberations. We must therefore maintain control and focus while using the physical. Our root must be transcendent, fully connected to the spiritual, and only then, while maintaining that foundation, can we descend and use the physical. This is why the first stage in the process must always be transcendent. We begin with Yom Kippur, where we transcend as malachim (angels), and only then do we have Sukkos, in which we come back down and embrace the physical aspect of life. We start with the first night of Pesach, a night of transcendence, and then we descend into the physical world, where we build (count) our way to Matan Torah. Without rooting ourselves in the transcendent, we risk getting stuck within the physical.

Applying these concepts to time, we can understand the importance of using time – controlling it, rather than allowing it to enslave us

We have two options: we can either let time pass us over and push us through life, or we can pass over time and transcend its limitations. The key is to use time, not to be used by time. We need to learn how to ride the waves of time, harnessing the dormant potential within each moment. When we are passive in life, everything moves slowly – time becomes quicksand. A life without goals, without a schedule, where moments of time don’t mean anything, is a life stuck within the confines of time. Such a person can kill time, can waste an evening just to get to tomorrow.

One who values time, who rides time, views time like money. Time is currency and you choose how to spend it. Every day we get 86,400 seconds, and how you use your allotted time determines what kind of life you live.

Pesach: Harnessing Time

This is the theme of matzah. Chazal state, “Mitzvah haba’ah liyadchah, al tachmitzenah, when a mitzvah comes to your hand, don’t let it spoil,” or more literally, don’t allow it to become chametz (Rashi, Shemos 12:17). Chametz is the

result of adding time to the baking process of bread. As the Maharal explains (Gur Aryeh, Shemos 12), this statement of Chazal teaches us not to allow any extra time to get added to our mitzvos either, otherwise, the mitzvah becomes stuck in time.

Had we moved one second slower, or a moment too late, our root as a nation would have been stuck within the confines of time. Our “zygote” had to be constructed within the dimension of zerizus, beyond the constrictions of time and space. We were creating our DNA;

Had we moved one second slower, or a moment too late, our root as a nation would have been stuck within the confines of time.

Fascinatingly, the word mitzvah has the same shoresh (root) as matzah, and the word tachmitzenah has the same shoresh as chametz. Just as on Pesach we must not allow our food – our matzah – to get stuck within the confines of time, so too, we cannot allow our spiritual commandments – our mitzvos –to become stuck within the confines of time.

Pesach Night: The Formation of Klal Yisrael as a Nation

We can now return to our original questions. Pesach night was the inception of Klal Yisrael as a nation. As the Maharal explains (Gevuros Hashem, Chapter 60), on the first night of Pesach, we became a single, unified nation.

Every process is made up of multiple stages. The first stage is the spark of creation, which is followed by a slow process of expressing that original root seed, finally culminating in the finished product. In every process of creation, the root – the seed – is the most crucial and potent phase. This formative stage is also the most delicate. Any error or imperfection that occurs at this stage will have cataclysmic results. For example, if a child cuts his finger at the age of seven, the injury will be minor at worst. However, if there is even a minor glitch in the DNA of a zygote, even a single chromosome missing, everything can go wrong – the results can be catastrophic!

Therefore, when forming the root and seed of Klal Yisrael, it was imperative for us to be perfect, transcending all the limitations of time and space. We needed to move b’zerizus (with alacrity). Our food needed to transcend the limitations of time and space, and so did our very movement. This is the secret of matzah, and this is the secret behind the Arizal’s cryptic statement.

everything had to be perfect. Once we were rooted beyond time and space, we could receive Hashem’s Torah, which is also rooted beyond time and space (Maharal, Tiferes Yisrael, Chapters 1-2, 25). Only once we are rooted beyond time and space can we then come back down and use time and space to reflect something higher.

May we be inspired to fully harness the potential of our time, to use time and not be used by time, and to enter

Pesach and the mitzvah of matzah with the mindset of connecting to ourselves, to all of Klal Yisrael, and to Hashem.

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.

My name is Dovi Schwartz and I am in "the" 4th grade. In a new school.

Apparently, Rabbi Bloomfeld told me I should just write everything down?

You can read about it in my new book! It's in stores!

Dovi.

The Gemara relates an incident that took place in the court of Alexander the Great.

A group of Egyptians came before Alexander and claimed that the Jewish people owed them an enormous sum of money. Many years earlier, the Jewish people had been enslaved in Mitzrayim. When they left, they took priceless gold and silver utensils from the Egyptians. The Egyptians petitioned Alexander to demand that the Jewish people repay the gold and silver their ancestors had stolen when they fled Egypt.

Geviha ben Pesisa traveled to Alexander’s court on behalf of the Jewish people to refute the claim. Although it was true that the Jewish people did take numerous gold and silver items when they left, he told Alexander, their value was nevertheless not even close to the sum that the Jewish people were owed for the labor they had performed in Egypt.

Six hundred thousand Jews were enslaved for four hundred thirty years (Shemos 12:40-41), and what was owed to us far exceeded the value of the items taken. In point of fact, it was the Egyptians who owed the Jewish people, and not the other way around.

The Egyptians had no response, and they fled in shame.

The Chida finds this Gemara quite difficult. Geviha emerged victorious over the Egyptians, but was his claim accurate?

Klal Yisrael had been destined to serve as slaves for four hundred years, but in reality, they were in Mitzrayim for only two hundred ten years (Bereishis 15:12-23). The actual duration of intense bondage was only eightysix years.

How, then, could Geviha ben Pesisa counter the claim of the Egyptians with a false assertion of four hundred thirty years’ worth of unpaid wages, when, in fact, the time served was far shorter?

The

Arba Kosos

The Sar HaMashkim, the wine steward imprisoned along with Yosef HaTzaddik, related a dream in which he was reinstated to his position. In the course of relat-

The Arba Kosos

By Rabbi Daniel Glatstein

ing the dream and Yosef’s interpretation, the Torah uses the word “kos” (cup or goblet) four times: And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand, and I took the grapes, pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I placed the cup on Pharaoh’s palm (Bereishis 40:11).

In another three days Pharaoh will lift up your head and will restore you to your post, and you will place Pharaoh’s cup in his hand as was the former practice when you were his cupbearer (ibid. v. 13).

The Midrash teaches that Chazal instituted the mitzvah of drinking four cups of wine at the Pesach Seder to correspond to these four mentions of the word kos This Midrash is puzzling. What connection is there between the number of times the word kos is mentioned in the episode of Yosef and the wine steward, and the drinking of wine at the Pesach Seder?

The Toras Chaim’s Exposition of

the Four Kosos

Rav Avraham Chaim Schor (d. 1632) authored the Toras Chaim on Shas, in which he presents a comprehensive exposition on the mitzvah of the four kosos, based on an analysis of the number of years the Jewish people were actually enslaved in Egypt.

He asserts that Klal Yisrael was supposed to be enslaved for four hundred thirty years. However, the intense slavery began only upon the birth of Miriam. This is alluded to in her very name, Miriam, which reflects that with her birth began the time when “v’yimarriru es chayeihem, they embittered their lives” (Shemos 1:14). The time from Miriam’s birth until the Exodus was only eighty-six years — precisely one-fifth of four hundred thirty.

The Toras Chaim explains that the Mitzrim pursued the departing Jewish nation, provoked by the sar shel Mitzrayim, the angel appointed over Mitzrayim, who was well aware that Klal Yisrael was supposed to be in Egypt for a much longer duration, and that they were leaving prematurely.

When the Jewish people reached the Yam Suf, the sea initially refused to split — for the very same reason. Bnei Yisrael were leaving Mitzrayim far too soon. They should have been required to return and complete their sentence.

When the Meraglim returned from their expedition to Eretz Yisrael, they issued a negative report. They claimed that Amalek and other nations were awaiting their opportunity to destroy Klal Yisrael. “Amalek dwells in the area of the south; the Chittite, the Yevusite, and the Emorite dwell on the mountain; and the Canaanite dwells by the Sea and on the bank of the Jordan” (Bamidbar 13:29).

When Bnei Yisrael heard this report, they were disheartened and immediately expressed their desire to return to Egypt. They declared, “Let us appoint a leader and let us return to Mitzrayim” (ibid. 14:4).

They, too, were concerned that perhaps Moshe Rabbeinu had taken them out prematurely and that they would be destroyed by these other nations because they were still supposed to be slaves.

When the Sar HaMashkim and the Sar HaOfim related their dreams to Yosef, he realized that Hashem had sent the dreams for him to interpret, which would, in turn, facilitate his release from prison. Yosef also recognized that hidden in the details of the dreams were allusions to the future of the Jewish people. One of the concealed messages was that Klal Yisrael would leave Mitzrayim much earlier than anticipated.

The dream of the Sar HaMashkim begins, “Behold! There was a grapevine in front of me! On the grapevine were three tendrils; and it was as though it budded — its blossoms bloomed and its clusters ripened into grapes” (Bereishis 40:9-10). The details about the grapevine’s budding seem superfluous. They do not pertain directly to the wine steward, so why were they included in his dream?

Yosef understood that Klal Yisrael is compared to a vine. The description of the vines in the dream foretold that Klal Yisrael, the vine, would go down to Mitzrayim and become subservient to Pharaoh.

The comparison of Klal Yisrael to the grapevine is also based on a specific characteristic of the vine. A vine grows along the ground and is often stepped upon and trampled by passersby. Yet, its grapes can eventually be transformed into wine that is fit to be served on a royal table.

Klal Yisrael would likewise be trampled, forced to

engage in backbreaking labor. But they would ultimately arise as royalty, as the pasuk states, “You shall be to Me a kingdom of ministers” (Shemos 19:6).

The dream of the Sar HaMashkim was not merely alluding to the geulah, the redemption. The vision he related to Yosef also contained another clue as it portrayed the grapes ripening remarkably quickly — hinting that the time of Klal Yisrael’s servitude in Egypt would be over sooner than expected.

The word “kos” is mentioned four times — three times in the actual dream and once in Yosef’s interpretation — to indicate precisely how early Klal Yisrael would leave. Rashi (Bereishis 40:5) teaches that each of the royal servants dreamed both dreams; i.e., he dreamed his own dream and the interpretation of the other’s dream. Thus, the Sar HaOfim dreamed the interpretation to the Sar HaMashkim’s dream, and so his dream contained the fourth kos.

A kos, a goblet of wine, represents salvation, as the pasuk states, “Kos yeshuos esah, I will raise the cup of salvations” (Tehillim 116:13). Thus, four cups indicate that the galus will conclude with four-fifths of the time still remaining.

Indeed, of the four hundred thirty years, Klal Yisrael were enslaved for only one-fifth of that time: eighty-six years.

The Toras Chaim writes that we can now gain a more profound understanding of why Chazal instituted the mitzvah of drinking four cups of wine at the Seder. The four cups are a symbolic re-enactment of the four dream goblets that signified our early departure from slavery.

Why Kos and Not Gaviah?

The Torah refers to Yosef’s goblet as a gaviah (Bereishis 44:2). Why, when discussing the goblet of Pharaoh, does the Torah use the more mundane term “kos” ?

The Toras Chaim explains that the word kos has the numerical value of eighty-six. The four times kos is mentioned represent four sets of eighty-six years that would be subtracted from the time Klal Yisrael was supposed to spend in Mitzrayim.

Furthermore, each of the four lashonos of geulah, four expressions of redemption, used in the pasuk also alludes to a fifth that was subtracted from the four hundred thirty years we were supposed to be in Egypt. Similarly, when the Torah states, “V’chamushim alu Bnei Yisroel mei’Eretz Mitzrayim” (Shemos 13:18), it indicates that the Bnei Yisrael left Mitzrayim after only one-fifth of their allotted time had elapsed.

Yosef Allowed the Mitzriim to Keep Four-Fifths

In his role as viceroy of Egypt, Yosef determined how the food in the storehouses was to be distributed and how much to charge the Egyptians for it. When the Egyptians ran out of money, Yosef instructed them to gift their land to Pharaoh in exchange for provisions. Yosef then told the Egyptians: Look — I have acquired you this day with your land for Pharaoh; here is seed for you — sow the land At the ingathering of the harvests, you will give a fifth to Pharaoh; the [other] four parts shall be yours — as seed for the field, and food for yourselves and for those in your household, and to feed your young ones (Bereishis 47:23-24).

The Toras Chaim explains that Yosef recognized that Klal Yisrael would be leaving after only a fifth of the prescribed time. They were given a reprieve, as fourfifths of their anticipated sentence to be enslaved would be forgiven. He therefore allowed the Egyptians to keep four-fifths of the crops they would grow, and he forwarded only one-fifth of the produce to Pharaoh.

At the time the Yam Suf split for Klal Yisrael, it was because “ha’yam ra’ah v’yanos, the sea saw and fled” (Tehillim 114:3); our Sages teach that the sea saw the coffin of Yosef. It did not want to split, because Klal Yisrael had still owed four-fifths of their sentence as slaves. But when the Yam Suf glimpsed the aron of Yosef, the sea was reminded that Yosef had already compensated the Egyptians for four-fifths of their slavery years by giving the Mitzriim four-fifths of the seed so they could grow crops.

The merit of Yosef, who forgave four-fifths of the debt that the Mitzriim owed Pharaoh, inspired the Yam Suf to disregard the four-fifths of the debt that Klal Yisrael still “owed.”

This explains why Yosef did not require payment

The vision he related to Yosef also contained another clue as it portrayed the grapes ripening remarkably quickly — hinting that the time of

Klal Yisrael’s servitude in Egypt would be over sooner than expected.

from the Egyptian priests. The Torah states: “So Yosef imposed it as a statute till this day regarding the land of Egypt: It was Pharaoh’s for the fifth; only the priests’ land did not become Pharaoh’s” (Bereishis 47:26).

Yosef did not require priests to donate their lands to Pharaoh because he wanted Shevet Levi, the Kohanim and Leviim, to avoid enslavement. Exempting the Egyptian priests from their debt paved the way for the same exemption to be extended by the Egyptians to Shevet Levi years later.

Four Kezeisim of Matzah

The Biblical obligation of eating matzah on Seder night can be fulfilled with the consumption of a single kezayis. Chazal added three more kezeisim, bringing the total to four.

We eat two kezeisim for Motzi Matzah, one for Koreich, and one for the Afikoman.

The Haggadah relates the reason we eat matzah on Pesach: “Why do we eat this unleavened bread? Because the dough of our fathers did not have time to become leavened before the King of kings, the Holy One, blessed is He, revealed Himself to them and redeemed them.”

The very essence of the mitzvah is to commemorate

how speedily we left Mitzrayim. As we left Mitzrayim with four-fifths of the prescribed time remaining, Chazal instituted four kezeisim of matzah at the Seder. The Toras Chaim offers that one kezayis was instituted for each fifth.

Hashem orchestrates everything with a precise calculation. Why, in fact, did Klal Yisrael leave Mitzrayim precisely after only one-fifth of the preordained amount of time, leaving four-fifths of the time unserved?

The Toras Chaim explains that it was as a reward for the four attributes through which Klal Yisrael merited the geulah. Although the Jewish people had descended to the depths of depravity and idol worship, they preserved four key practices. They retained their Jewish names, they spoke lashon hakodesh, they did not commit adultery, and they did not speak lashon hara.

Hashem pardoned four parts of the shibbud Mitzrayim because of the four areas in which Klal Yisrael maintained their kedushah.

Deferred, Not Pardoned

While Hashem allowed Klal Yisrael to leave Mitzrayim early, with four-fifths of the intended time still to be served, it was only a temporary reprieve. It was not an absolute pardon, through which the remaining time is canceled and the debt of servitude is deemed paid in full. Klal Yisrael still owed the remaining time.

At the Bris Bein HaBesarim, Hashem revealed His plan to Avraham Avinu, informing him that his descendants would serve as slaves in Mitzrayim. The Torah tells us: “And it happened, as the sun was about to set, a deep sleep fell upon Avram; and behold — a dread! great dark darkness fell upon him And He [Hashem] said to Avram, ‘Know with certainty that your offspring shall be aliens in a land not their own — and they will serve them, and they will oppress them — four hundred years’” (Bereishis 15:12-13).

The Midrash Rabbah explains that these pesukim allude to the four exiles that Klal Yisrael would have to endure: eimah, dread, refers to Galus Bavel, the Babylonian exile. Chasheichah, dark darkness, is the exile of Paras and Madai, Persia and Media. Gedolah, great, alludes to the exile of Antiochus and the Yevanim, and nofeles alav, fell upon him, is an allusion to Galus Edom, our current exile.

When Hashem then told Avraham, “Vavadum v’inu osam arba mei’os shana,” He did not intend that the four hundred years would all take place in the same exile. Rather, they would be distributed among all the exiles. Each of the five exiles (adding Mitzrayim to the four listed above) would enslave the Jewish people in a manner that is equivalent to eighty-six years in Mitzrayim. The specific duration of time may actually have been shorter or longer, but the severity of the exile would be adjusted so that all five sets, each corresponding to eighty-six years, could be considered equivalent.

When Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim early, they were not pardoned. The remaining time would still have to be served — during future exiles.

Hi’shameid Ti’shameidun

In Parshas Va’eschanan, the Torah relates: “I appoint heaven and earth this day to bear witness against you that you will surely perish quickly from the Land

106 to which you are crossing the Jordan to possess; you shall not have lengthy days upon it, for you shall be destroyed” (Devarim 4:26).

After “avod to’vaidun, surely perish,” transpires, and the beginning of the pasuk comes to fruition, Klal Yisrael would have perished. What, then, could be left? If they have already been destroyed, why does the Torah then state, “Hi’shameid ti’shameidun, you shall be destroyed”?

But the Torah is alluding to the view just presented. Of the intended four hundred thirty years, Klal Yisrael served as slaves for only eighty-six.

If we subtract eighty-six from four hundred thirty, we are left with three hundred forty-four. This is what the Torah is alluding to when it states, “Hi’shameid ti’shameidun.” The word “shameid” has a gematria of three hundred forty-four. These three hundred forty-four years are still pending.

There have been many times in galus when our enemies have gone to great lengths to force us to denounce our faith and to “accept” theirs. This is often referred to as “shmad,” and is alluded to in the pasuk which states, “Hi’shameid ti’shameidun.” This nisayon, test, is a direct result of the years that remain from the original four hundred thirty. The decrees of “shmad ” are their attempt to hold us accountable for three hundred forty-four years that were not served.

Moshe Was Chosen to Lead

The Mishnah states: “If someone takes upon himself the yoke of the Torah — the yoke of government and the yoke of worldly concerns are removed from him.”

The Chida explains that, as mentioned, Klal Yisrael left Mitzrayim early, leaving shmad, three hundred forty-four years, unserved, to be made up in the future, during the four exiles that Klal Yisrael would later endure.

However, there is a means whereby we can be spared the trials and tribulations of the remaining shmad years of the exile.

If one accepts the yoke of Torah and dedicates his life to learning Torah, he will merit a spark of Moshe Rabbeinu. The gematria of Moshe, three hundred forty-five, triumphs over shmad, three hundred forty-four.

The Chida writes that Moshe Rabbeinu was the optimal candidate to lead Klal Yisrael out of Mitzrayim, as his name symbolizes prevailing over the remaining time that Klal Yisrael had yet to serve.

This is the meaning of the pasuk, “V’zeh lecha ha’os ki anochi shelachticha, and this is your os [which can be translated as “letter” or Hebrew numeral] that I have sent you” (Shemos 3:12). The os is the one number by which the gematria of Moshe’s name exceeds that of shmad, the years of slavery that remained.

The Claim of Geviha ben Pesisa

We began our discussion by

questioning the accuracy of Geviha ben Pesisa’s rebuttal of the Egyptians’ claim to Alexander the Great. The Chida explains that Geviha ben Pesisa was referring to the core of Klal Yisrael, the six hundred thousand men who had been enslaved and who left Mitzrayim en masse on Pesach. While it is true that these men were enslaved for only eighty-six years, they represent only one-fifth of the people who were actually enslaved!

The Torah tells us (Shemos 13:18) that only onefifth of Klal Yisrael merited redemption. Four-fifths of the Jewish people died during Makkas Choshech, the Plague of Darkness. The actual number of Jewish slaves who warranted and deserved compensation for eightysix years of slave labor is five times six hundred thousand. This is a total of two hundred fifty-eight million slave years! (600,000 x 5 = 3 million slaves; 3,000,000 slaves x 86 years = 258,000,000 years.) This is equivalent to six hundred thousand laborers working for four hundred thirty years (600,000 slaves x 430 years = 258,000,000 slave years).

Geviha’s calculation was precise and accurate. Klal Yisrael as a whole did indeed complete a period of enslavement equivalent to the full four hundred thirty years of slavery.

Elokim Repeated Five Times

The Torah relates how Klal Yisrael’s tefillos helped bring the geulah.

During those many days, it happened that the king of Egypt died, and the Bnei Yisrael groaned because of the work, and they cried out. Their outcry because of the work went up to Elokim, G-d.

Elokim, G-d, heard their moaning, and Elokim, G-d, remembered His covenant with Avraham, with Yitzchak, and with Yaakov Elokim, G-d, saw the Bnei Yisrael; and Elokim, G-d, knew. (Shemos 2:23-25).

These pesukim contain Hashem’s Name Elokim five times. Four of these seem unnecessary. Once the first pasuk tells us that their tefillos rose up to Hashem, it is obvious that it is He Who heard, recalled, saw, and knew.

Why does the Torah keep repeating this Name of Hashem?

The Chida, in Simchas HaRegel, provides the answer. Klal Yisrael knew they were destined to be slaves for four hundred thirty years. Yet, when Moshe came to encourage them and inform them that Hashem was taking them out of Mitzrayim, the Torah relates, “But they did not heed Moshe, because of shortness of breath and hard work” (Shemos 6:9). The Jewish people did not listen to Moshe mei’kotzer ruach, shortness of breath. The word mei’kotzer has the numerical value of four hundred thirty. The Bnei Yisrael thought that they would be enslaved in Mitzrayim for many more years, and therefore they were not inclined to listen to Moshe.

They prayed to Hashem, “And their tefillos went up to Elokim.” The gematria of Elokim is eighty-six. The first time Elokim is mentioned in these pesukim, when

Klal Yisrael prays, it is Ha’Elokim with the letter hey at the beginning. This alludes to the fact that the Jewish people cried out to Hashem on account of the five multiples of 5 (Elokim x 86 = 430 years) that they were supposed to endure as slaves.

The ensuing pesukim contain Elokim four times, indicating that Hashem pardoned Klal Yisrael for four multiples of Elokim, leaving only eighty-six years of slavery in Egypt.

Baruch HaMakom is Bircas HaTorah

Before we begin our narration of the events of Yetzias Mitzrayim, we praise Hakadosh Baruch Hu: “Baruch ha’Makom, baruch Hu. Baruch she’nasan Torah l’amo Yisroel. Baruch Hu.”

Why is this bracha to Hashem included at this point in the Haggadah? As we mentioned above, the Shibbolei HaLeket explains that we are about to start expounding the pesukim that pertain to the arbaah banim, the four sons. We precede that discussion with Bircas HaTorah. This bracha, Baruch HaMakom, is a form of Bircas HaTorah.

But the Bircas HaTorah we recite in the morning applies to all the learning we will engage in throughout the day and the following night. We do not recite another bracha when we learn at night. Why, then, at the Seder do we need to recite a new Bircas HaTorah?

The Chida explains that Klal Yisrael was redeemed from Mitzrayim in the zechus that they would accept the Torah, as the pasuk says, “When you take the people out of Egypt, you will serve G-d on this mountain” (Shemos 3:12).

Klal Yisrael’s acceptance entailed a kabbalah of the four aspects of the Torah: sod, drash, remez, pshat. The Chida advances that in the merit of accepting the four aspects of Torah, Klal Yisrael was pardoned from fourfifths of the intended time as slaves.

The acronym pardes represents the four parts of Torah — pshat, remez, drash, sod. The word pardes has the same gematria as shmad, the number of years by which Hashem reduced the nation’s time as slaves. Their sentence of servitude in Mitzrayim was reduced by shmad, three hundred forty-four years, in the merit of accepting pardes.

We eat the four kezeisim of matzah and we drink four cups of wine at the Seder because the Torah is likened to bread and wine. As Shlomo HaMelech says, “Come and partake of my bread and drink of the wine that I mixed” (Mishlei 9:5). Bread and wine refer to Torah Shebiksav and Torah Shebe’al peh respectively. It was the merit of Klal Yisrael’s accepting the complete Torah that precipitated the redemption, the geulah from Mitzrayim.

We recite a unique version of Bircas HaTorah at the Seder to commemorate that it was our acceptance of the Torah that brought the geulah. This special Bircas HaTorah contains the word baruch four times in honor of the four parts of Torah that Klal Yisrael was mekabel — pshat, remez, drash, sod. Each one granted a reprieve of an additional eighty-six years of slavery.

This article was excerpted from the sefer, Rav Daniel Glatstein on the Haggadah, published by Artscroll.

Rabbi Daniel Glatstein is the Mara D’asra of Kehilas Tiferes Mordechai in Cedarhurst, NY, and author of numerous seforim in Lashon Hakodesh and in English for ArtScroll. He is an international lecturer and maggid shiur. His thousands of recorded shiurim are available on Torahanytime.com, podcast, his website rabbidg. com, and other venues.

Delving into the Daf

Breaking Bread

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

It is customary to slice the challah on Shabbos before reciting Ha’motzi. The source of this halacha comes from a wicked king. Discussing the origins of this halacha never grows stale.

The first Mishnah in the last perek of Sanhedrin states that three kings have no share in the World to Come: Yeravam, Achav, and Menashe. Rav Ashi, concluding a lecture on this perek, remarked, “Tomorrow, we will start by discussing our friends” (Sanhedrin 102b). The “friends” he referred to were the very same kings just listed. That night, King Menashe appeared to Rav Ashi in a dream and challenged him: “Your Torah knowledge is half-baked, and you’re calling me your doughboy?” (A dramatized version of: “You call us your friends and the friends of your fathers?”)

Menashe then put Rav Ashi to the test: “From where should you start cutting bread when making ha’motzi?” Rav Ashi didn’t know. Menashe scoffed, “You don’t even know where to start cutting the bread, and you’re calling me your friend?” Rav Ashi asked Menashe to teach him the halacha, promising to cite him as the source in the next day’s lecture. Menashe agreed and explained: one should start cutting the bread from where it begins to bake in the oven.

Seizing the moment, Rav Ashi asked, “If you were so wise, why did you loaf around and worship idols?” Menashe replied, “Had you been there, you would have picked up the bottom of your cloak and run after me.” The desire for idol worship in those days was so intense that even the righteous struggled to resist it.

The next day in shiur, Rav Ashi referred to Menashe’s group as “our rabbis.” This wasn’t just a crummy attempt to butter him up – it was a real recognition that King Menashe was a learned Torah scholar, albeit one who sinned grievously.

Why This Particular Halacha?

The Maharsha explains that bread symbolizes Hashem’s acceptance of repentance. After Adam sinned, Hashem cursed the ground that produces wheat for bread. In reality, the growing process should have been so difficult that making bread would be virtually impossible. However, because Adam HaRishon confessed his sin and repented, Hashem relented and allowed the ground to produce wheat – albeit with greater difficulty than before.

Menashe’s message to Rav Ashi was clear: he didn’t belong sandwiched between Achav and Yeravam, who have no Olam Haba, because he repented, as the pesukim in Navi explicitly state. This wasn’t just a flaky argument. Indeed, Rebbe Yehuda concurs that Menashe does, in fact, have a portion in the World to Come and shouldn’t be lumped in with any old John Dough. Rebbe Yochanan accepts this view as authoritative, suggesting that Menashe’s teshuvah serves as an inspiration for all future ba’alei teshuvah. No matter how far one has strayed, there is always room for teshuvah. Menashe’s crimes listed in the Gemara are as heinous as they come, yet he still found his way back.

Fascinatingly, the Zohar states that Menashe stands at the entrance to the fifth heichel in the heavens, ready to pull in any repentant sinner who, by the letter of the law, shouldn’t be allowed in.

Why Start Cutting the Challah There?

The Toras Chaim offers insight into why the place we start cutting matters. At every stage of bread production, a portion is set aside for a mitzvah. We designate the first growth for bikkurim, the first portion of the harvested produce for terumah, and a portion of dough for challah. When we recite

ha’motzi, we sanctify the bread by starting from where it first baked, elevating it as an act of gratitude for Hashem’s kindness throughout the process.

This also explains Rav Ashi’s follow-up question: If Menashe was so wellversed in gratitude to Hashem, what led him to forsake Him for idols? No matter how you slice it, the Toras Chaim concludes that even on Shabbos, one should mark where to begin cutting the bread.

The Halachic Balancing Act

A bit of background helps to fully digest this halacha. There’s a mitzvah to make a bracha on a shalem , a complete loaf. Ideally, the bread should remain whole until after ha’motzi. However, halacha also dictates that one should eat immediately after reciting ha’motzi.

To balance these two requirements, we advise Poppy to pre-cut his sesame bread just enough to facilitate a swift bite, while still keeping the loaf technically whole. A loaf with a break is still considered a shalem as long as picking up the smaller part lifts the whole loaf without breaking it off.

This works fine during the week, when using a shalem is preferred but not “kneaded.” However, on Shabbos, there’s an obligation to use two whole loaves (lechem mishneh) to commemorate the double portion of manna that fell on Friday. If the person reciting ha’motzi starts slicing too deeply, he might end up with just one-and-a-half loaves, leaving him in a jam. Instead of actually cutting, where he might need

his bread examined, we advise him to make a small incision to mark the starting point, ensuring a smooth transition from bracha to bite.

If finding the incision takes too long, it becomes counterproductive. The incision’s purpose is simply to save time and ensure the bread is cut from the preferred place. Some say that with modern baking methods, there’s no preferred starting point, making the incision unnecessary. The Aruch HaShulchan rules that small rolls or bagels – since they bake evenly – need no incision. This is the widely accepted halacha.

Those who wish to fulfill the p’shat of the Toras Chaim may perform an incision on Shabbos, as he considers it to hold symbolic significance rather than merely practical. Even if one approaches this interpretation with a grain of salt, everyone agrees that during the week, a significant pre-cut should be made before reciting ha’motzi when using a whole loaf (for example, on Hoshanah Rabbah, Purim, or Erev Yom Kippur).

At the end of the day, whether we slice, incise, or simply break bread, the message is clear: like Menashe’s teshuvah, the path back to Hashem is always open. Even the most well-baked sinner can rise again through teshuvah.

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

When a Kesubah Gets Lost

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman

It has happened numerous times over thousands of years. Precious documents have been lost, causing serious repercussions. Passports, titles to vehicles, the wife’s kesubah... The repercussion of losing a passport is not being able to leave the country. If one loses the title certificate for a vehicle, one cannot sell that vehicle. And if a woman’s kesubah is lost, then yichud of husband and wife (remaining alone with each other) is prohibited (see Shulchan Aruch, Even HaEzer 66:1)—that is, until a replacement kesubah, called a kesubah d’irkasa, is obtained.

What? Is that really the case? What if you just cannot get to a rabbi in time? Does the Chaverim organization carry an emergency kesubah d’irkasa?

Before we call Chaverim, let’s realize that the Rema (E.H. 66) cites views that offer a more lenient opinion regarding yichud but not in regard to other matters. The Bach explains that when the Tur forbade yichud, he was only referring to a bride, but a woman who is already in a marriage and lost her kesubah may remain alone with her husband until a replacement kesubah can be obtained. The Sma and Chelkas Mechokek cite this Bach, but the Vilna Gaon disagrees with this reading and rules that it is forbidden. The Chazon Ish (66:20) as well was stringent. The Levush (65:1) is also stringent. The Mishnah Berurah 545:27 seems to cite the Rema’s leniency, but it is not clear.

There are two reasons for the leniency cited in the poskim. First, the prohibition is only rabbinic, and that being the case, perhaps one can rely on the Bach that it only refers to a bride but not to an established marriage. Second, the wife is aware that she needs to be legally protected and will ensure that the new kesubah will be made.

What To Do In the Meantime

Nonetheless, the new kesubah must be written as soon as possible, since the leniency is only to permit yichud on a temporary basis.

Some contemporary poskim have advised that one can even write his wife a check for the fair-market value of the kesubah and remain with her until the kesubah d’irkasa is written. But what about on Shabbos? On Shabbos a check cannot be written.

The solution for Shabbos, according to the Shulchan Aruch, is to give the

house so as not to violate this halachah. This brings us to the next question.

What happens if after one has written the kesubah d’irkasa, the original kesubah is found? Now the woman has two documents. What should be done?

It is a clear halachh (see Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 41; see also E.H. 100:14) that one is not permit-

Believe it or not, he issued a recall of over 20 years’ worth of kesubos.

wife ownership of portable property worth that amount. Even though it is forbidden to perform a kinyan on Shabbos (see Eiruvin 71a), in order to avoid the prohibition of yichud, the Rishonim have different ways to understand how and why it is permitted.

Keeping Tabs On the Kesubah

It is related that Rav Isser Zalman Meltzer, zt”l, father-in-law of Rav Aharon Kotler, zt”l, used to occasionally ask his wife if she knew where her kesubah was located. Once, when she could not locate it, Rav Isser Zalman ran out of the

ted to have two documents that can be used for collecting the same debt.

Rav Elyashiv, zt”l, ruled that when one makes a photocopy of the kesubah for registration purposes, the witnesses are not permitted to sign the photocopy because of this halacha.

So which one should be destroyed and which one should be kept?

Rav Vosner, zt”l, in his Shevet HaLevi volume VIII #288, rules that the woman may keep whichever one she wishes, but she must destroy the other one.

Surprisingly, other poskim rule that she may only use the kesubah d’ir -

kasa, because the original document was invalidated when it got lost. It is clear, however, that Rav Vosner rejects this rationale. Generally speaking, the woman places more sentimental value in the original kesubah than in the kesubah d’irkasa that was just arranged, so it would be better to use the original kesubah.

If you report that your passport has been lost, the State Department will not allow you to travel with it if found. It is entered into the Consular “Lost and Stolen” database and flagged. This is not the case, however, with a kesubah.

As an interesting aside, a number of years ago a major posek in Eretz Yisrael came to the realization that he had been writing the wrong name of the city on all the kesubos he wrote for close to two decades. Apparently, he had written Ramat Gan when he should have written Tel Aviv. What did he do? Believe it or not, he issued a recall of over 20 years’ worth of kesubos.

Is a Copy OK?

What if someone took a picture of the kesubah or made a copy of the kesubah and gave it to a beis din? Would this help avoid the issur of yichud if the kesubah is ever lost?

Here, too, the answer is no. The picture is not enough to collect a debt with, and therefore, while it may be sufficient to deny a claim of “this never happened,” it is not sufficient to lay a claim with and collect upon it. Rav Elyashiv thus ruled that yichud is still forbidden even if there is a copy of the kesubah that is extant.

So, if you lose a passport, contact the State Department or a local embassy. And if you lose a kesubah, contact a rav who can replace it right away.

This article should be viewed as a halachic discussion and not practical advice. The author can be reached at yairhoffman2@ gmail.com.

In Jerusalem, every Rosh Chodesh, there is an abundance of rich learning opportunities featured in a variety of venues including OU programs that are always highlighted with a musical Hallel led by Rika Razel and her musical family. The keynote speakers present on timely topics in their area of expertise; there is always food provided. Hagit Hoffman’s “Fun in Rechavia” usually has an interesting offering that is in line with the theme of the chodesh; for Purim, we were entertained by a comedian and were served a homemade delicious brunch. Then there are the ladies who meet on Rosh Chodesh to feature a speaker who discusses topics of general secular interest. Yes, there is food. And more.

It is generally known that my fondness for Ulpan is limited. Perhaps that perspective contributes to the reason I’m struggling with the overload of grammar and am counting down until this one-year commitment is over. But skipping Ulpan for a day of learning is justified even to those rolling their eyes as they read.

Rosh Chodesh Nissan pulled out all the stops. With most regular shiurim on hiatus for Pesach prep, the OU in partnership with YU Israel and numerous other organizations and under the leadership of the incomparable Rabbanit Shani Taragin, my former camper and colleague at Camp Morasha, presented a day of celebration and reflection: Razel’s Hallel , a roundtable of prominent rabbeim and gifted speakers, and words of strength offered by the mothers and wives of the kidnapped, murdered and struggling martyrs of enemy terror.

The theme of the day, in memory of Sgt. David Goloventzitz, was Tefillah and Geula. It was packed with hundreds of women, some with their babies strapped to their chests, from all over Yerushalayim and the outlying suburbs, coming together to learn, sing, dance and daven

Let’s take a moment to describe the women who streamed in; mostly young, some middle-aged and a good many old and older. The best way to describe them would be to focus on their head covering;

School of Thought

Rosh Chodesh Nissan

By Barbara Deutsch

mostly all types of towering head wraps, from simple to bedazzled, wigs, falls, hats, tichels, to bareheaded. A plethora of hashkafot about covering, or not, a woman’s hair, in many ways, depicting their observance journey.

Each and every one of them thirsty for Torah knowledge.

Although there are so many choices, a bum knee and a like-minded lazy friend, Helen, we decided to choose our sessions from the ones who would be speaking in the freezing cold lobby of Heichel Shlomo. Other lobby perks included the proximity of the bathroom and the smorgasbord of food.

Rav Shlomo Katz movingly spoke and sang of the rabbi of Breslov and how the rabbi used his short life to encourage brotherhood and acts of kindness. His dad, Avshalom Katz, taught music at Flatbush back in the day when I worked there.

Rav Dovid’l Weinberg, a former beloved colleague of my husband Bob at DRS, pondered the lifelong dilemma, “Am I My Brother’s Keeper?” in a most charming and disarming way.

“Yes!”

Speaker after speaker were all excellent. Yet, the words of Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon were the ones that touched closest to my heart. I had heard of Rav Rimon and

his prolific output; he is a fan favorite of our son-in-law Jonathan, no slouch himself. When I saw that he was presenting at the Conference, I was thrilled to finally get an opportunity to see and hear him in person.

I had heard that he only presented in Hebrew so I knew that Ulpan notwithstanding it would be a struggle. My everyday use of the language has improved and despite the naysayers that my language dexterity will never improve, I plan on going back to Ulpan tomorrow. Going to Pilates classes taught in Hebrew and maneuvering in life has improved my vocabulary (not grammar) skills. Apps, especially for the medical kupah, are still a fail.

Luckily, the organizers of the conference, knowing their audience, requested that the Hebrew speakers translate as they go. Even the conference program was like a restaurant menu: Hebrew on one side; English on the other. Rav Rimon did just that and quietly laughed at himself when he couldn’t recall if he was up to speaking English (it’s excellent) or Hebrew.

I had never really seen his picture or read his books so if you had asked me to describe Rav Rimon, I would not have been able to. Nevertheless, without any prior knowledge of him or his work, just

his stellar reputation as a brilliant scholar and rav, I was surprised by his appearance. How do you describe a modest simple man with a twinkle in his very being?

Rav Rimon spoke of the changes in his life’s view since October 7; how he has gone from family to family of hostages and soldiers, fighting and those stolen by terrorists, to lend his ear and give supportive hugs. The rav wears the same suit, with time off for cleaning; the suit carries the shared pain of each family.

Again this Pesach, Rav Rimon and his family will spend Seder with the widows and orphans of this endless war.

Dina Guedalia and Iris Chaim are both so different but now the same; they both lost their sons during the outbreak of the terror. We heard the story of families turned upside down from both mothers. Dina Guedalia spoke in detail about her son Yosef’s last days and the strength she took from those whose lives he had saved and came to tell her their story.

Presenting as a panel were Rabbanit Rachelle Sprecher Freankel, Naama Nayman, Rachel Goldberg, and Jen Airley. I cannot share or describe what they said as the rushing waves of compassion and pain clogged my senses and brought me to tears.

They, along with Iris, Dina, the mothers and the wives who grieve for them, form the nucleus of a new kind of family born of loss.

The day ended with a musical Tehillim. My body exhausted and my heart heavy knew it was time for this old lady to go home.

I should have stayed for the music and the Tehillim; I was told it was uplifting and rapturous.

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.

My Israel Home Solutions to Israel’s Housing Crisis

By Gedaliah Borvick

Israel’s population is expected to double in the coming decades, yet the country is already facing a severe housing shortage. To meet the current demand alone, Israel would need to deliver the keys to 200,000 apartments. This raises a pressing question: where can tiny Israel, which is no larger than the state of New Jersey, find enough land for development?

One important solution is to increase residential and business centers, primarily in the south. Several organizations are actively working on this, and progress is being made. But for those who want to live in Israel’s major population centers, the most viable solution is Pinuy Binuy – a large-scale urban renewal program that replaces outdated, low-density buildings with modern high-rise apartments.

Many of Israel’s older neighborhoods are filled with low-rise buildings spread across large plots of land. These buildings, built in the early decades of the state, lack basic amenities such as elevators and

parking. Worse, they were built according to outdated safety standards and are not earthquake-resistant. With land scarce and demand soaring, urban planners and developers have turned to Pinuy Binuy as a smart way to make better use of space while improving housing quality.

Pinuy Binuy involves evacuating ( pinuy) and demolishing old buildings, then rebuilding (binuy) modern, high-density residential towers in their place. It upgrades aging communal infrastructure while dramatically increasing the number of apartments. Owners of the original apartments are typically offered temporary housing during construction and receive new larger apartments in the redeveloped project – at no additional cost.

Despite its clear advantages, Pinuy Binuy is a long and complex process, facing significant bureaucratic and logistical hurdles. Israeli law requires twothirds of apartment owners to agree to the project, which takes time to achieve. Then there’s the municipal bureaucracy – zoning approvals, environmental

impact studies, and infrastructure adjustments take years to approve. By the time a project receives the necessary approvals, buildings are vacated, and construction is completed, the entire process can take over a decade.

A critical factor is whether the surrounding infrastructure can support a growing population. Higher-density housing brings increased pressure on roads, schools, and public services, making careful urban planning essential. A prime example of this approach is the redevelopment of Talpiot, adjacent to Baka and Arnona. The Jerusalem municipality has approved a master plan to transform the area into a dynamic urban hub, adding thousands of new residential units along with office, retail, cultural, and educational spaces. A key element of this transformation is the expansion of Jerusalem’s light rail system, which will feature four new lines running through Talpiot, complemented by improved roadways to enhance connectivity within the city and beyond.

As Israel’s population continues to grow, so will the pressure to add housing in urban centers. The success of Pinuy Binuy depends on cutting bureaucratic red tape, streamlining approvals, and ensuring that infrastructure development keeps pace with new construction. In a country where land is one of its most valuable resources, the question is not whether Israel should build upwards but how to do it most effectively. Pinuy Binuy presents a viable path forward, but its long-term success relies on close collaboration between government agencies, developers, and the public. If executed properly, it can meet Israel’s housing needs while fostering well-planned, livable communities for future generations.

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

Building slated for Pinuy Binuy

Shoot for the Stars

By Tifere T Schafler

Tamir Goodman, the “Jewish Jordan,” Shares His Secrets of Success

Try going through the normal difficulties and struggles of adolescence – but throw in sudden fame, adult pressures and typical teenage responsibilities, like school, family and friendships. That’s Tamir Goodman’s story of teenagehood.

Goodman, known as “The Jewish Jordan” in the media, is famous for becoming the first Jewish Orthodox NCAA Division I basketball player, and later on the first Orthodox Jewish Israeli professional basketball player when he joined the Maccabi Tel Aviv team in 2002. In just eleventh grade, he ranked 25th best high school player in the country and averaged 35 points per game. But perhaps what he would become most famous for is his refusal to play on Shabbos.

To say that Goodman didn’t have typical teenage years would be an understatement. Goodman became a point guard for his Yeshiva, Talmudical Academy in Baltimore, in eighth grade. He spent summers at local basketball camps and weekends playing with locals in the Baltimore courts, where he recalls early-on being able to predict plays on the court that others couldn’t see coming.

“I remember my father and brothers and I were watching a game on TV, and all of a sudden, I said: ‘Alley-oop.’ Seconds and two passes later, there was a slam dunk. My family was shocked; they kept saying, ‘How did you know that would happen?’”

Later on, Goodman would credit his severe dyslexia for his advanced spatial reasoning abilities and ability to predict plays on the court. But early on, he made himself a promise, one that he shared with his supportive family: he would become the first Orthodox Jewish D1 college player, without ever playing on Shabbos.

Basketball was Goodman’s life and dreams. But one day, when playing outside during recess in his yeshiva, a rabbi whom he had a relationship with thought he should reconsider: “You’re amazing at basketball, it’s true – but what’s the likelihood of it really happening for you? Maybe you should start investing your time in other things, like your learning.”

Goodman was crushed, but thought perhaps the rabbi was right. The following year, he switched to the Pittsburgh Yeshiva, a Chabad yeshiva, for high school, to give up basketball and focus on his learning.

“The first day at yeshiva changed my life trajectory forever,” said Goodman – but not in a way you’d expect. He sat down to start learning with a young rebbe there at the time, who started off by saying, “Everyone in this world has a special mission: it’s our job to take our physical blessings, and create a dwelling place for Hashem in this world through our special blessings.”

At that moment, young Goodman’s internal conflicts were resolved.

Why am I giving up basketball? he thought to himself. Basketball is the special gift, the special talent, Hashem gave me: I’m going to be Hashem’s basketball player and create a dwelling place for Hashem through basketball.

The following year, at age 16, Goodman returned to his previous yeshiva in Baltimore to play on their team, and his talents became more widely seen: he got invited to an invitational basketball camp,

where the best basketball players in America play against one another, with college coaches watching. If you play well, you get an invitation for a Division 1 scholarship – Goodman’s dream.

Rolling in with his cooler of kosher food, kippah, several inches shorter and significantly scrawnier than most of the players there, Goodman was reminded by the people doing registration that it was an invitational camp; you can’t just walk right in.

“I would just take out my invitation and say, ‘Yeah, I know it’s shocking, but I was invited.’”

After several days of going unnoticed by the coaches, and with the camp coming to a close in just a few days, Goodman davened during Maariv one night: “Please Hashem, I want to show people that Jewish people can do this, too, but no one’s watching me. Can You help?”

Fifteen minutes after his tefillah, it was announced that the team that Goodman was playing on that night was scheduled to play in the gym, the only indoor court, out of the 15 other courts in the camp. Miraculously, while they were playing, all coaches and players from the other courts started flooding in; it had started to rain.

“You all better be ready to play well,” his coach told them, “because all eyes are on you tonight.”

The next play changed everything. After catching a rebound over all of the other significantly taller players, Goodman led a fast break to the other end of the court and noticed that his teammate was open at the

He thanked the coach for the opportunity, but since the following day was Shabbos, he’d be unable to play in the All Star game, the game that would seal his opportunities. “Son, do you understand what kind of opportunity you’re giving up here?”

But a few hours later, Goodman drove back to Maryland with his coach, resolved to keep his promise to Hashem.

AGoodman took the photographer to his room, put on his tefillin , grabbed his siddur , and became the first player to be featured in Sports i llustrated wearing tefillin .

end of the court 90 feet away. He threw the ball behind his back, under all the defenders, to his teammate, who caught it and dunked it. The crowd went wild.

“I heard people saying, ‘did you see what that Jewish kid just did?!’

“We say: Yeshuat Hashem k’heref ayin, Hashem can change everything in a split second. In that second, my life changed forever.”

The coaches began watching Goodman closely, and on Friday morning, he was told he had been offered seven D1 scholarships – and invited to play in the All Star game the following morning.

fter the camp, Goodman was on the public radar, and by eleventh grade, Goodman was ranked 25th best high school player in the country. He got a call from University of Maryland, his dream team, telling him they were coming to watch him play, and they ended up offering him a full, 4-year athletic scholarship to play on their team. Maryland pledged to accommodate Goodman’s only condition for acceptance: that he would never play on Shabbos. The news spread rapidly, and Goodman got 700 media requests in just one week – ABC, NBC, even a skit on him by Jerry Seinfeld – and Sports Illustrated, who would end up dubbing him “The Jewish Jordan” in a 4-page spread.

“When the NBA photographer for Sports Illustrated came to my house, he wanted to shoot some pictures of me playing basketball in my backyard. I said, ‘I know this is how you usually photograph basketball players, but I’m not just a basketball player, I’m a Jewish basketball player: this really isn’t about basketball or about me as a player, it’s about something larger. I represent the Jewish people and Israel.”

Goodman took the photographer to his room, put on his tefillin, grabbed his siddur, and became the first player to be featured in Sports Illustrated wearing tefillin.

But with sudden fame came a new challenge: managing public criticism at an (already vulnerable) young age. Goodman handled it with two pieces of advice: facing it head on and playing for a higher purpose.

“It was incredibly hard to read in a paper or hear on a newsite the day after a game that I had had a bad game, or a bad pass,” recalled Goodman. One can only imagine how much more difficult it would have been in today’s social media age, where undoubtedly Goodman would have gone “viral.”

“After one bad game, I told my coach that instead of speaking to the media after the game, I just wanted to go straight home…I felt like, they’re just going to write

The opening spread of Tamir’s story in Sports Illustrated

negative things about me, so what’s the point?” But his coach felt otherwise.

“My coach wanted me to face criticism head on, not avoid it. He would say: ‘If you can talk to them after you play well, you’re going to talk to them when you don’t play well. And this is all you’ll say, ‘I know I shot badly today, so I’m going to head to the gym and practice more on getting better. That’s it.’”

Goodman still has the same coach, Harold Katz, now 86, who he credits with “believing in me more than I believed in myself” and being an integral part of not only his career success, but personal development.

Goodman also practiced habits like being selective about listening or reading interviews that were about himself and reminding himself that his validation comes from his relationship with Hashem and his personal goals, not from others.

“Once you have that as your foundation, it’s easier to focus on your calling. It would be hard for me to stay focused and goal-oriented if I’m seeking my validation through ‘likes,’ how many ‘shares’ I get, or whether I get positive media attention or not.”

His father’s message was also his anchor in facing criticism and evaluation early on: play for a higher purpose.

“If your goal and definition of success in basketball, or in anything, is to get a certain score or make a certain amount, then you’ll never really move forward: there’ll always be more to accomplish, and there’s not much to gain from failure,” Goodman shares. “But if you play for a higher purpose, you’re always going to be moving forward, regardless if you fail or succeed – there’s always going to be something you can learn.

“My higher purpose in basketball was always to make a kiddush Hashem and to bring out the reason He put me in this position. So whether I played well or played poorly, whether people wrote positive or negative things, I stuck to these goals, and so I was always moving forward.”

Celebrities, they’re just like us: despite his growing talent and fame, Tamir wasn’t exempt from his typical teenage obligations, like school. Despite much progression in his basketball career, academics were an immense struggle for Goodman and had been since

early elementary school. Despite going to tutors before and after school, which he often self-funded by running basketball clinics, it didn’t seem enough to stay afloat. Finally, he and his parents got clarity at what may be the root cause of Goodman’s learning issues. At age 15, he was diagnosed with severe dyslexia.

“After evaluating me, the doctor reported that I couldn’t even distinguish certain shapes from each other.”

Tamir would later struggle to pass the SATs, which he would need later on in order to get his scholarship.

This difficulty didn’t just affect him in the classroom, but on the court, too. He would often have to ask teammates whether their team was winning or losing, since he couldn’t read the scoreboard.

“It’s a beautiful part of our culture that there is so much focus on learning, on sefarim, on academics and general learning, etc. But for someone with learning difficulties, being surrounded by books all day, every day, is a serious pain-point and struggle.”

But something clicked for Tamir after his diagnosis. Tamir began to draw confidence on the court from seeing dyslexia as his superpower.

“Yes, I have a challenge. My brain makes it extremely difficult for me to do certain things. But I felt that that same brain had to overcompensate for those deficits, which resulted in my superpower: being able to have an amazing read of the court.”

Later on, when Goodman began coaching, he would

 

“Sometimes, we have images of what a good student should look like, or even what our child should look like, but we don’t know if that’s the same vision Hashem has for them.”

to watch his games and the media following him to school and around the community. Simultaneously, Goodman got a call from UMD, stating there was a change of plans and there wouldn’t be a way to accommodate his need to not play on Shabbos.

Soon after, Goodman got a call from a principal at Takoma Academy, a Seventh Day Adventist, primarily African-American school, saying he heard Goodman was looking for a high school that could accommodate his needs and take all of his credits in addition to a high school team that would allow him not to play on Shabbos. Since Seventh Day Adventists don’t play on Shabbos and the school agreed to let him study Torah every day, Goodman thought it to be a good plan.

Takoma’s only condition? That he share with the principal what he learned about the parsha every week. As he entered Takoma Academy, Goodman added another title to the list of records he’d break: being the first Jewish student at Takoma Academy.

How did a twelfth grade Yeshiva bochur manage? Despite recalling the environment at Takoma as being incredibly friendly and welcoming and developing close friendships that he has until today, it wasn’t easy. Goodman remembers one of the first games with his new team. His coach from yeshiva had come to watch.

“When I saw my coach, I started tearing up, and went to cry on his shoulder. I had just never imagined I would be in this position; I missed my friends and my team, and I never imagined graduating without the friends I’d spent my entire school career with.”

Goodman coped by staying goal-oriented, and creating a focus for himself: “Every day I said, ‘Why did Hashem send me here? What should my goal here be? What does He want from me?’ If you want to get through anything, you need a goal, a focal point, and channel everything around that. You have to see every position you’re in as a mission and ask why you are there.”

Until this day, Goodman is still in touch with the principal from Takoma. “Whenever they hear something about me or about something going on in Israel, he and my friends from there are almost always the first to call.”

Goodman can relate to many frum Jewish students on college campuses nowadays, as he’s found himself an only frum Jew in secular environments countless times.

find that other dyslexic players had high-level “read and react” abilities as he did, and today, he’s developed specific recommendations to other coaches who coach players who have dyslexia. He finds these players do best when not locked into sets and instead advises to give them the space to come up with creative solutions – just like his legendary pass in the invitational basketball camp.

At the end of eleventh grade, Goodman faced two significant challenges: needing to find a place to finish high school and a place to play at for college. With all of the media rage surrounding Goodman, he was asked to leave his yeshiva for his senior year, as the school couldn’t accommodate the thousands showing up

“My father’s advice to me in those times is the same advice I would give to others: let your game do the talking. Meaning, let your actions and behavior speak for you, instead of speaking back to antisemitic rhetoric or being worried about people making assumptions about you. It’s true in basketball, in the literal sense of letting your game and skills show people how good you are, but it’s equally true in any other environment: keep a good reputation, be kind, make a good impression, accomplish good things.”

Goodman recalls a particular game where players on the other team were making antisemitic comments to him. He chose not to respond but put his effort into playing his best game.

“Those players came to me after the game, shook my hand and said: ‘Wow, you never even said anything back to us, you just kept your head held high. That’s very impressive.’ So my lesson would be: whether in sports or in life,

let your game, your actions and behavior, do the talking.”

While at Takoma, Goodman was offered a full scholarship to play at Towson University, which stayed true to its commitment in ensuring he would not have to play on Shabbos.

The next phases of Goodman’s story are equally filled with trials and successes. After playing at Towson for some time, a new sports administration was brought in, introducing a new coach that was not accommodating to Goodman and whom he would eventually file an assault claim against. During that tumultuous period, he was made an offer to move to Israel and play for Maccabbi Tel Aviv, a move that led him to meet his wife, Judy, a former basketball player who had also turned down several D1 scholarships to keep Shabbos. Goodman would go on to play for several other teams like Giv’at Shmuel, Maccabi Shoham, and Maryland Nighthawks, and would eventually sustain a series of medical injuries that would prevent him from returning to the court professionally, the final injury being in 2008.

But Goodman’s career is far from over. Today, Goodman runs all of his successive ventures in life – like his entrepreneurial ventures Aviv Basketball Net & Signage System and Sports Strings tzitzit; authoring two books; his coaching and consulting business; speaking engagements; and his summer sports camp for children and adolescents – with the lessons he himself learned as a teenager on how to succeed: build grit, set goals, find meaning, and play for a higher purpose.

“There is one criteria to participate in our baseball camp: you have to want to get better. We will take anyone of any basketball ability, as long as they are dedicated to improving,” Goodman shares.

How does Goodman run a camp with a wide variety of players? By placing the focus on individual, instead of collective or standardized, goals for each player, and rewarding parts of character growth.

“We define success for each kid based on their individual goal. So if a kid comes late every day, but today he comes on time or early, we reward that. If a kid broke their ankle and couldn’t play, but still came to practice to watch and try to improve that way, we reward that, too. We really play it up; we really reinforce the journey more than the goal.”

Players who are working towards their individual goals will receive “transcendence towels” or other swag. Goodman believes this is how kids build grit and resilience, which is what will help them succeed long term.

“We essentially build into our system learning how to not quit and to persevere, because your goals are individualized and you are so rewarded and praised for things like showing up and becoming a better version of yourself.”

Goodman’s camp and school environments are similar in that way: a wide variety of students with various abilities, strengths and weaknesses, in one environment.

“Our challenge as adults is to create, as much as possible, individual goals standards for each kid and find ways to input into our system rewarding personal and character growth, instead of just rewarding grades and scores.”

Goodman feels strongly about this idea, especially as a student that struggled immensely with dyslexia.

“We have to redefine and reward what really matters

and what creates success and resilience in the long-term. Sometimes, we have images of what a good student should look like, or even what our child should look like, but we don’t know if that’s the same vision Hashem has for them.”

Teaching kids and adolescents how to push past obstacles and re-define themselves was the goal behind his children’s book, published in January 2025, that speaks about his story of struggling with dyslexia, basketball, and commitment to Judaism.

“I was recently speaking at the Ross School of Business on entrepreneurship, and I was thinking, I barely would have even gotten into this school. I barely passed the SATS. Had I given into the narrative that I was ‘bad at school’ or not smart, I wouldn’t be the person that they were inviting to speak. I wouldn’t be someone with dyslexia who authored two books.

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“My father’s advice to me in those times is the same advice I would give to others: let your game do the talking.”

focus on these six lines and learn them in depth,” he shares. “If I can’t do more than that today, at least I reached my goal.”

Goodman also stayed connected to religious growth through chessed, which he emphasizes as key for all students but especially for those struggling in school. Being involved in chessed around the community reminds kids that they have what to contribute, no matter what they are struggling with at the moment.

“It’s saying, no matter what’s difficult for you right now, you can fill a need, and a role, in a larger picture.”

And to kids who have big goals, sports or otherwise, Goodman recommends building your day with being as goal-oriented as possible, which means having as scheduled of a day as possible.

“I wrote this children’s book, because I wanted to show kids whatever struggles you have, don’t let it define you: lean into the grit and resilience skills to get yourself where you want to go.”

Goodman has advice for kids who struggled in school as he did: start the day with something you’re good at and reminds you who you are.

“Every day before I went to school, I played basketball, because it reminded me there’s something larger here, and there are other things that I’m good at,” he advises.

Despite learning being a difficulty, Goodman learned ways over time to make it approachable. Goodman says that when it comes to learning, it helps to be very goal-oriented: setting small goals for small increments of time.

“I would say, OK, my personal goal for today is to

“This way you control your day, instead of your day controlling you.”

Tamir can be reached at tamir@tamirgoodman.com.

“Live Your Dream” by Tamir Goodman was published through PJ Publishing, PJ Library’s publishing imprint, founded in 2014. PJ Publishing supports Jewish stories and authors that might otherwise not have a home by assisting with not only publishing, but mentorship, connections with illustrators, and production. PJ Publishing worked with Tamir to ensure “Live Your Dream” was published using a font that is more accessible for readers with dyslexia. The book is available for purchase at https://www.amazon.com/pjlibrary and families can sign up to receive free monthly age-appropriate books at pjlibrary.org.

With NBA champion Eddy Curry

Tamir with Coach Katz and Tamir’s son, Matanel, after Coach Katz trained him

Nation

R’ Yaakov Herzog Bringing Yiddishkeit to Saudi Arabia

By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

Yom Kippur was hours away. It was two o’clock in the afternoon.

And the heat in Saudi Arabia –where Rabbi Yaakov Herzog would be spending the fast day – was scorching. His heavy garb – that suit and black hat, plus his long beard – didn’t help with the weather.

In His Words…

But despite Saudi Arabia’s less pleasant features (the heat and the uncomfortable feeling of being the only visible Jew in sight), Rabbi Herzog was excited

if we’re proud of who we are, and we don’t deny who we are, and we connect to g-d, then the world will see that, and it’ll light the world up. Because every single thing that a Jew does lights up the world.

i don’t like the word ‘religious’ so much, because it’s not really a correct term in Judaism. We don’t have a checklist where we check off, ‘oK, did these five things? Then you’re okay.’ Because everybody has their standpoint where they have to improve.

The only way a Jew can reach clarity is not by mindfulness. it’s not by yoga... we could take somebody to a seminar and speak to them for hours and hours and bring the best people to speak, but if the person didn’t do an actual mitzvah, put a mezuzah on their home, a woman lighting candles or something like that, it’s not going to have the same effect. it’s not going to draw down the light and light them up.

to be there. It would be the rabbi’s first Yom Kippur in Saudi Arabia. And his mission there was simple: host prayer services for local Jews and a feast for after the fast. Thus, on Erev Yom Kippur, Rabbi Herzog jumped into action. He visited a local mall, hoping to find Jews to inspire.

Rabbi Herzog spent a few hours exploring the mostly empty shopping center. He walked through every floor and scanned every corner. But by five o’clock, he hadn’t encountered a single Jew. And so, he left. He stepped outside. And then he thought to himself, “You know… why don’t I just check one more time?” The rabbi stepped foot into the mall once more, and less than a minute later: “Rabbi?” a girl called out from behind him.

Rabbi Herzog turned around and saw a young Jewish woman standing there; accompanying her was a Saudi man.

“You see? Now, this is a real rabbi! Unlike those rabbis you have in America!” the Saudi man quipped, teasing the girl. “This is the real thing – here in Saudi Arabia! You see what we did for you?”

Rabbi Herzog was astonished. His three hours at the mall weren’t all for naught, after all. He informed the girl that Yom Kippur was just a few hours away – which surprised her (the Saudi man, on the other hand, knew more about Yom Kippur than she did). And thus, Rabbi Herzog invited her to his

prayer services and the meal after the fast. The following night, she came to the feast, and she told the rabbi all about the Saudi man she was with.

“Oh yeah, I met him in college in the States around eight years ago. And now, we’re seriously dating!” she shared.

“That’s when I realized, ‘Wow,’” recalls Rabbi Herzog. “‘I came all this way. I’m having Yom Kippur without a wonderful chazzan or choir. But here I am, on a mission.’ Thank G-d, I met them again about two weeks after the chagim And I explained to them that I didn’t think they would be a good match. And thank G-d, the Saudi guy also came to that conclusion.

“That’s just one story of how we brought back somebody who was literally on the verge of assimilation. Now, thank G-d, she’s in the States, connected to a Jewish community. And she’s more connected now than ever.”

That’s only one of Rabbi Herzog’s many encounters with Jews in Saudi Arabia. Over the past four years, he’s inspired more people than he could count.

“We have a lot of people who weren’t affiliated before they came to Saudi Arabia. And they came and now they’re eating shmurah matzah, they’re keeping Shabbos, they’re putting on tefillin, and they’re shaking a lulav and esrog on Sukkos for the first time in their lives,” he notes.

Though small, Saudi Arabia’s Jewish community is growing, as the country modernizes and moves closer to nor -

malizing relations with Israel. Simply put, Rabbi Herzog’s mission is to bring Yiddishkeit to Saudi Jewry.

“I don’t want to bring more Jews to Saudi Arabia. That’s not my goal,” Rabbi Herzog shares. “My goal is to help the Jews who are already in Saudi Arabia. There are many people that come there for work. In the past decade, there’s been a lot of growth. People from many different sectors – bankers, doctors, teachers, diplomats – live there for anywhere from six months to many years. In the past five years, many more tourists have been coming, whether it’s people coming for short business trips or conventions. And I want to give them all the opportunity to have a full Jewish life.”

knows what’s going on with the call of prayer, what’s being said in their sermons,” shares Rabbi Herzog. “Nobody really knows how they think. Nobody knows their culture. And I was confused as to why no one cared. And at the time, it was the beginning of the first Intifada. I believe you have to understand who you’re dealing with – you have to know how their operating system works. And that encouraged me to start learning their language, learning their mentality, and to ask questions and to spend more time over there.”

By age 14, he knew Yerushalayim like the back of his hand. He had explored every alleyway, every store – even East Jerusalem. And from there, he ventured into Judea and Samaria – to Chevron, Nablus, and the like.

bi Herzog explained to his wife. “What do you think about going to Saudi Arabia and serving the community there?”

For a moment, she stared blankly at him, the silence deafening. But then, the astonishment faded from her face, and she said the words he’d hoped to hear.

“If you think there’s something tangible over there, then develop it. But don’t forget about everything else,” she responded. “Don’t just go berserk on this and forget about our family. And of course, when you have a place that we can call home there and you’ve gathered a community, then I’ll be on board.”

want to do business in Saudi Arabia, I tell them, ‘Listen, there are a few things you’re going to have to be very strict about. No meetings on Shabbos. You gotta tell them you want kosher food. And in the middle of the meeting, tell them you have to go pray Mincha. That will make your stock price go up in their eyes.’”

Rabbi Yaakov Herzog was born and raised in Manhattan’s Greenwich Village. Growing up in the roaring 1980s, young Rabbi Herzog studied in Rabbi Moshe Feinstein’s elementary school, Mesivta Tiferes Jerusalem (MTJ). At age 12, he and his family picked up and moved to Yerushalayim.

Though he didn’t yet speak Hebrew, the young boy instantly found the Old City fascinating. He was intrigued by the different areas of Yerushalayim: the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and Armenian quarters. A curious adventurer, the 12-year-old soon began exploring the city – wandering through the bustling Machane Yehuda market, running through the streets of the holy city, and even venturing into Yerushalayim’s Muslim Quarter. Jerusalem became his playground.

“At the age of 13, when I was finally fluent in Hebrew, I realized that nobody around me really speaks Arabic. No one

“It started becoming much more complicated, especially during the Oslo Accords when the Palestinian Authority, yemach shemam , took over,” he explains. “But I managed to get a good grasp of the mentality – what the Muslim take on many issues are, to lay the groundwork for a pretty good network which I have until today – not only in Israel, but all over: in Jordan, Egypt, the Gulf, Malaysia, Indonesia. I was in Iran about three years ago. And in all these places, I’ve met the people, felt the place. People know me, I know them.”

Around four years ago, Rabbi Herzog thought up the idea to start traveling to Saudi Arabia to serve the country’s Jewish community. He feels like it was just yesterday when he spoke to his wife about the idea.

“There’s a new city being built in Saudi Arabia. And they’re bringing in the best and the brightest from around the world, which means they’re going to have plenty of Jewish people there,” Rab -

Today, Rabbi Herzog serves the Jewish community of Saudi Arabia, operating in a similar capacity as a Chabad shliach. And as part of his role as the “Rabbi of Riyadh,” he’s committed to, as he puts it, “preparing the place for Mashiach—spreading the knowledge of the seven Noahide laws.” In that sense, he’s doing more than helping Jews in Saudi Arabia; he’s attempting to make peace with the Muslim world.

Some Jews think that hiding their Jewishness will help them win the respect of Muslims. But according to Rabbi Herzog, nothing could be further from the truth. As he notes, “Muslims respect people who respect their heritage.” Muslims know about Shabbos and kashrus because the Quran discusses those topics and condemns those who don’t keep those halachos.

“And when they see a Jew, for example, who’s going to have a meeting with them for business on Saturday, they immediately put two and two together, and that person’s value in their eyes goes down, because they see a person who’s not faithful to his or her heritage,” shares Rabbi Herzog. “When managers and CEOs of big companies tell me they

As Rabbi Herzog explains, it’s a difficult concept for many of us to grasp. Yiddishkeit isn’t a checklist where you’re good if you do x, y, and z, or otherwise, you’re bad. Rather, everyone is at their own level, and we’re in no position to judge others. And because someone’s not Orthodox doesn’t mean that they’re disrespecting their heritage. “Muslims don’t understand what the Jewish people went through in the Holocaust and how many people came out of the Holocaust and had problems in their relationships with G-d. We can’t judge those people,” Rabbi Herzog notes. When Muslims see a Jew not following the Torah, they see someone who isn’t being true to themselves. And we need to understand that, Rabbi Herzog says, if we wish to make peace with the Muslim world.

“A lot of times, people ask, ‘What are the similarities between Jews and Muslims?’ And I tell them, ‘I don’t look for similarities. We’re very different people.’ And it’s not bad that we’re different. On the contrary, they have their strong points. We have our strong points. But if we learn to work together and live side by side, we could create a better world together,” declares Rabbi Yaakov Herzog.

“If we’re proud of who we are, and we don’t deny who we are, and we connect to G-d, then the world will see that, and it’ll light the world up.

“Because every single thing that a Jew does lights up the world.”

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,

We read your article every week and always find it fascinating. However, we have a question this week and would love your input.

We’re seniors in high school, and we have a friend, Aryeh. Aryeh has been a close friend of ours since ninth grade. Aryeh is an incredible and amazing friend, and everyone loves to be around him. However, a couple of months ago, he started dating this girl, Sasha. Sasha is awesome, and Aryeh loves hanging out with her.

However, my friends and I have discussed it, and we have a few doubts regarding their relationship.

First of all, with the year winding down, we’re getting ready for our year(s) in Israel. My friends and I are worried Aryeh and Sasha will stunt their growth in Israel because of their relationship. They may be too involved with each other, causing them to miss shiur and hang out. And even if they don’t ditch shiur, do you not think all the kedusha they received will go to waste?

Second, our rabbeim have emphasized to us many times over that talking to girls is “ye’harog v’al yaavor.” Is that not also a major problem that should apply here?

Third, while Aryeh has become a better person since he and Sasha became official, he’s become worse regarding certain aspects. For example, Aryeh’s become a bit more defensive and serious when it comes to joking matters. It’s like he can’t chill about anything anymore. Maybe she’s a bad influence on him? And that can very well translate over to next year.

Lastly, and most importantly, my friends and I feel like Sasha is stealing Aryeh from us. They hang out a ton, giving us minimal time to hang out with him. We’re afraid of losing him as a friend. What should we do?

Should we try to break them up? Should we leave them and hope for the best? And it’s not like telling their parents will do anything, because they know already.

We’d love to hear your feedback.

Sincerely,

Concerned friends

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

Hi,

Thank you for your question. I hear your concerns for your friend and his spiritual growth, especially with Israel around the corner and all the opportunities of learning and growth he will have there. However, I feel that many high school students go into Israel with a boyfriend or girlfriend, and they usually figure out pretty early on whether they want to stick with it or not. Many of these couples end up breaking up soon after Sukkos, while a handful of others stay together and go on to get married and have beautiful families. It’s hard to know which one Aryeh and Sasha will be. Furthermore, could there be a hint of jealousy in your question? You did mention that you feel she is taking your friend away from you and you have less time with him. That is just a good question to ponder and be honest with yourself.

It does sound like Aryeh is an overall good kid who started a relationship in high school. I obviously prefer people to meet when their minds and emotions are more developed so they can make clear and mature decisions, however, I also trust him to figure that out. They will know in Israel how they feel and will make the decision together if they should continue dating. I wouldn’t recommend that you and your friends get overly involved. Let him eventually figure it out with his rebbeim and mentors. Best of luck!

The Shadchan

Michelle Mond

Thanks so much for writing in! You sound like great friends who genuinely care about Aryeh and his wellbeing.

The question of whether it’s appropriate for him to be dating in twelfth grade really depends on who you ask, as different people will have different hashkafic perspectives. That said, it’s fair to say that dating at this stage can definitely be a distraction. This is a unique time in life when a person gets to focus entirely on personal growth – figuring out who he is, what he believes in, and who he wants to become. When someone starts dating before they’ve had that opportunity, it can make things more complicated for both them and their future.

One approach could be for your whole group of friends to have an open and honest conversation with Aryeh. Let him know how you feel and encourage him to think about what he wants long-term. You might even suggest that he and Sasha take a break while he’s in Israel so they can each focus on their own growth and then reassess down the line. Seeing all of his friends come together to talk about this might make him reflect on his choices.

At the same time, it’s important to remember that this is ultimately Aryeh’s decision. He may not see things the way you do, and even if you think he’s making a mistake, he has to come to his own conclusions. Friendships naturally evolve, and sometimes relationships – romantic or otherwise – cause people to drift apart.

If Aryeh is spending most of his time with Sasha, you may have to accept that things won’t go back to how they used to be. That doesn’t mean you can’t still be his friend, but it does mean recognizing that friendships are not always permanent fixtures, and people grow in different directions. If he and Sasha break up, he may find his way back to your group – or he may not. Either way, the best thing you can do is to remain friendly with healthy boundaries, while prioritizing your own personal growth.

The Zaidy

Dr. Jeffrey Galler

Ihave read this letter several times, and still cannot decide if this was, or was not, a genuine letter actually written by

The only obvious “sin” here would be your failure to mind your own business.

high school students.

If you are the high school seniors who wrote this, your school has failed to educate you from a halachic, from a secular, and from a life preparation point of view. First , among other grievous errors, applying the principles of “ye’harog v’al yaavor ” to this situation is a major mistake. This principle applies to profoundly serious matters and halachic violations of the highest order.

You were either inattentive students

who do not have a proper understanding of halacha or a cynical reader might conclude that misguided teachers purposely allowed you to “misunderstand” halacha, in an ill-advised attempt to scare you into behaving in a manner that they deem proper.

The only obvious “sin” here would be your failure to mind your own business. How can you not understand how immoral it would be, and how selfish it would be, for you to interfere in your friend’s private life and happiness?

Second, you have failed to learn valuable lessons from your classes in world history. History is replete with records of the most horrific atrocities perpetrated by folks who were convinced that they were acting properly and fulfilling G-d’s will. Think of the Crusades. The Spanish Inquisition. The Cossacks. Today’s Islamic extremists.

You will attempt to ruin your friend’s happiness in a misguided attempt to get

him to conform to your concepts of proper religiosity? Shame on you.

Third, your education did not properly prepare you for real life. In real life, some lucky folks meet each other early, connect, and marry while fairly young; others, spend frustrating years trying to find the “right” life partner.

Several years ago, at our 50th wedding anniversary, our children asked us if, looking back, we had any regrets. Both my wife and I replied that we regret that we had not met each other much earlier and gotten married many years earlier.

Only time will tell if your friend’s romance will continue to blossom and lead to a happy marriage, or if, over the next year or two, their paths may naturally diverge because of geographic dislocation and changing circumstances.

So, meanwhile, be happy for your classmate. Your only role here is to be a good, genuine, supportive friend.

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

Dear Concerned Friends, Thank you for such a thoughtful and honest letter. It’s clear how much you care, not just about Aryeh’s wellbeing, but about your own growth, your friendships, and staying connected to your values. That kind of awareness is rare, and it really moved me.

Reader’s Response

Aryeh L.*

Dear Concerned Friends, Thanks for writing in. I get it. you care deeply about Aryeh and want the best for him, especially as you all prepare for a meaningful year in Israel. It’s natural to worry about how a new relationship might impact that.

But let’s take a step back for a second. Dating, especially at your age, is a pretty normal and healthy part of life. It’s a time to learn about yourselves, what you value in a partner, and how to balance relationships with other commitments. Aryeh’s relationship with Sasha might be part of that journey. Who knows? She could be “the one.” Or maybe not. But either way, it’s an important experience for him. Instead of trying to intervene or worry about how it might affect his spiritual growth, maybe focus on supporting him and staying connected. If he’s happy and learning from this experience, that’s a good thing. And if he’s not, he’ll figure that out with the sup -

When someone starts dating before they’ve had that opportunity, it can make things more complicated for both them and their future.

port of friends like you.

At the end of the day, friendships evolve, especially during big life transitions. Staying open-hearted and communicative is key. Give Aryeh some space to navigate this, and trust that your friendship can adapt and grow, just like he is. I may be a bit biased because I am married for over thirty years to my high school sweetheart. How would you feel if you tried to break up a love that was meant to be?

more intention.

It sounds like Aryeh has been a meaningful part of your lives for a long time, and now that he’s in a relationship, things feel different. You’re worried about his spiritual direction, your shared goals for Israel, and maybe even about losing him as a friend. Those are all very real and valid concerns.

Let’s talk about the spiritual side first. Yes, your rabbeim have taught you about boundaries and the importance of staying focused during this transitional time. That guidance matters, and it’s important to take it seriously. But it’s also true that not everyone’s growth looks the same. Some people become more grounded and selfaware in a relationship. Others might get a little off track. That doesn’t mean the relationship itself is the problem. It just means it might need to be navigated with

If Aryeh seems like he’s pulling away from shiur or acting differently, you can absolutely check in with him but not from a place of panic or pressure. Try curiosity and care instead. You might say, “Hey, we miss learning and joking around with you. How are you feeling about everything these days?” That opens the door without putting him on the defensive.

As for Sasha, she may not be the bad influence you fear. It’s easy to assume that when someone changes, it’s because of who they’re dating. But Aryeh is still making his own choices. The best thing you can do is stay connected to him and remind him who he is in your eyes: a thoughtful, growing guy who cares about his friends and his future.

And now for the hardest part. The

fear of losing him. That hurts. It’s hard when someone we’re close to gets into a relationship and suddenly we’re not seeing them as much. You’re allowed to miss him. You’re allowed to feel left out. That doesn’t mean you need to break them up or do anything drastic. Try to create moments where you can just be with Aryeh again, not competing with his relationship but still holding space for your friendship.

Sometimes, the most powerful thing we can do for someone is to stay close, even when their path looks different from ours. Keep learning, stay rooted in your values, and be the kind of friend you yourself would want.

Sincerely, Jennifer Mann, LCSW

Health & F tness The Integrative Approach to Treating Dementia

By Rivka Kramer, PMHNP-BC

Dementia is one of the most daunting and heart-wrenching diagnoses for families today. With Alzheimer’s disease being the most common form, those affected by dementia face a gradual decline in cognitive function that touches every part of life, from memory loss to emotional shifts. While there is no known cure for dementia, and conventional medicine primarily focuses on managing symptoms, what if there was a better way? What if an approach could not only slow the disease’s progression but also improve the overall quality of life for both the person diagnosed and their caregivers?

This is where an integrative approach to dementia comes in – a treatment path that merges traditional medical care with complementary therapies such as nutrition, exercise, music, and even emerging treatments like red light therapy. An integrative approach seeks to address dementia holistically – treating not just the brain, but the body, emotions, and social interactions, fostering overall well-being. By looking beyond medications, this approach creates an environment in which patients experience better outcomes, not only cognitively but also emotionally and physically.

The Power of an Integrative Approach

Let’s explore the story of Yaakov, a 68-year-old former businessman and avid golfer, who had always been known for his sharp memory and sense of humor. But as his symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease began to appear – memory lapses, disorientation, and difficulty recalling familiar names – his world began to shrink. Yaakov felt isolated, and his wife, Leah, was left feeling helpless. While his doctor prescribed medications, Leah felt there had to be more they could do.

Determined to improve Yaakov’s quality of life, Leah researched other potential treatments. This led them to an integrative approach – one that blends traditional medical treatments with lifestyle changes

and complementary therapies. They introduced a series of practices to improve James’s physical, emotional, and cognitive health, including changes in diet, physical exercise, music therapy, and even red light therapy. While Yaakov’s condition didn’t reverse, his quality of life and well-being significantly improved. This holistic approach opened doors to new ways of living with dementia.

What Is an Integrative Approach to Dementia?

An integrative approach to treating dementia isn’t just about managing symptoms; it’s about improving overall well-being. It recognizes that dementia is not just a disease of the brain, but one that affects every part of a person’s life. It sees the patient as a whole, addressing not just their cognitive decline but their physical health, emotional stability, and social interactions. This approach combines traditional medical treatments with complementary therapies and emphasizes lifestyle changes, mindfulness, and social engagement.

The key components of an integrative approach to dementia treatment include:

• Conventional treatments: Medications and cognitive therapies to manage symptoms and slow progression.

• Complementary therapies: Nutrition, physical exercise, music, red light therapy, and other mind-body practices.

• Social engagement: Encouraging connection with loved ones and community to avoid isolation.

• Caregiver support : Ensuring caregivers are equipped with the emotional and practical tools needed for the journey.

By blending conventional and complementary approaches, an integrative strategy fosters a comprehensive treatment plan, tackling dementia from every angle.

Conventional Treatments: The Starting Point

When Yaakov was first diagnosed, his doctor prescribed cholinesterase inhibitors like Donepezil, designed to help manage memory and thinking problems by increasing the amount of acetylcholine in the brain. Yaakov was also given Memantine, which regulates the glutamate neurotransmitter. These medications helped manage the progression of his symptoms, providing some relief, but Leah felt there was more they could do.

In addition to medication, Yaakov was introduced to Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (CST). CST involves engaging the mind

with structured activities such as games, puzzles, and discussions that stimulate thinking, help preserve memory, and improve cognitive function. While CST had benefits, Leah soon realized it wasn’t enough to address Yaakov’s emotional and physical needs.

At this point, Leah decided to explore other ways to supplement conventional treatment. This marked the beginning of their journey toward a more comprehensive, integrative treatment plan.

The

Complementary Therapies: Going Beyond the Brain

1. Nutrition for Brain Health

Yaakov had always been a hearty eater, enjoying comfort foods like mashed potatoes, pasta, and sweets. But after his diagnosis, Leah learned that proper nutrition plays a crucial role in brain health. She consulted with a nutritionist, who recommended a diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and healthy fats to support James’s cognitive health.

Yaakov’s new diet included oily fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines, which are high in omega-3 fatty acids that support brain function. He also began eating more nuts, leafy greens, and whole grains, all of which provide essential nutrients and reduce inflammation. To make things even more beneficial, Leah added turmeric to his meals, recognizing its anti-inflammatory properties and potential to reduce brain plaque buildup, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s.

After a few weeks of dietary changes, Yaakov appeared more energetic and engaged in daily activities. While the dietary shift didn’t cure his dementia, it certainly helped slow the progression and enhanced his overall mood. The meals became an opportunity for Yaakov and Leah to bond, making mealtime a positive experience rather than a stressful one.

2. Physical Exercise: Moving the Body to Stimulate the Mind Exercise is another cornerstone of the

integrative approach to dementia care. Research shows that regular physical activity promotes brain plasticity, reduces cognitive decline, and enhances mood. Despite his initial reluctance, Yaakov began walking daily around the neighborhood with Leah. What began as a short, 10-minute walk eventually evolved into a 30-minute ritual. The walks allowed Yaakov to engage in gentle physical activity, which helped improve circulation, mobility, and mental clarity.

3. Mind-Body Practices: Fostering Calm and Connection

Yaakov’s anxiety and agitation were often exacerbated by his memory loss, and this emotional turmoil took a toll on both him and Leah. In search of calming practices, Leah began incorporating mindfulness and gentle yoga into their routine. These exercises focused on slow movements, breathing, and staying present in the moment – something Yaakov found immensely calming.

Each morning, Leah would guide Yaakov through simple yoga poses. Though Yaakov struggled to remember all the movements, the practice allowed him to center himself, relax, and experience a sense of inner peace. These sessions became an anchor in his day and helped manage the emotional toll of dementia.

4. The Power of Music

Music therapy is one of the most effective tools in dementia care. Yaakov had always been a music lover – he played the guitar, sang in the shower, and could name every song that played on the radio. But as dementia progressed, he began to lose touch with his musical interests. Leah, however, realized the potential of music to reconnect him to his past.

5. Red Light Therapy: A Cutting-Edge Tool in Dementia Care

One of the most recent additions to the integrative approach was red light therapy. Red light therapy, also known as low-level laser therapy (LLLT) or photobiomodulation, involves using low-wavelength red or near-infrared light to stimulate cells. It has shown promise in improving mitochondrial function, reducing inflammation, and enhancing brain health. In particular, studies suggest that it may help slow cognitive decline in those with dementia by stimulating brain cells and encouraging neuroplasticity.

Leah introduced red light therapy into Yaakov’s daily routine, using a red light panel for 10-20 minutes each day. Initially, Yaakov didn’t know what to expect from this treatment, but over time, Leah noticed subtle changes. He seemed

more engaged and alert, and his energy levels improved. His mood stabilized, and his cognitive abilities showed modest improvements in areas such as memory recall and problem-solving.

While more research is needed to confirm its long-term efficacy, early findings suggest that red light therapy could be a powerful addition to the integrative approach to dementia care. For Leah and Yaakov, it was a new way to support brain health that complemented the other therapies they were using.

Social Engagement: Building a Support Network

Isolation is a significant challenge for those with dementia. Yaakov had always been a social person, but as his condition progressed, he found it difficult to engage with others. To prevent further withdrawal, Leah encouraged regular visits from friends and family. She organized small gatherings, where Yaakov could reconnect with old friends and participate in familiar activities like playing cards or reminiscing about past travels.

A Holistic Path to Dementia Care

By combining conventional treatments

like medications and cognitive therapy with complementary therapies such as nutrition, exercise, music, and red light therapy, Leah and Yaakov found a path that enhanced their lives despite the challenges of dementia.

While there is no cure for dementia yet, this holistic approach has proven to be an effective way to manage symptoms, slow the disease’s progression, and improve the quality of life for both the person with dementia and their caregivers. For Leah, the integrative approach offered empowerment, connection, and hope – vital tools for navigating this difficult journey.

Dementia is a challenging condition, but as Yaakov’s story demonstrates, there is a way to live well with it. An integrative approach addresses the whole person – physical, mental, and emotional – and provides families with the tools they need to create a meaningful, fulfilling life.

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.

Pesach is a special yom tov. In many ways, it’s the foundation for our nation. We became a people and Hashem’s chosen ones. Our tefillos frequently reference yetzias Mitrayim and kriyas Yam Suf. It’s the cornerstone of our destiny and needs to be transmitted to the next generation to continue the chain.

This is the holiday that requires the most physical preparations. Many have noted how many people feel enslaved trying to celebrate their freedom. It’s truly sad that Pesach has such a harsh reputation. It’s painful to think of how much dread and fright accompanies the very mention of the yom tov.

In an ironic twist, it’s these very preparations that make the holiday that much more meaningful. After weeks of cleaning, shopping and cooking, each of those tasks has prepared us for the big days to come. Rather than just “fall into” the yom tov, we are going into it with dedication and emotional awareness. With this awareness, making our preparations fun and meaningful will

Parenting Pearls Adding Pep to Your Prep

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

positively impact how our children view this yom tov during these impressionable years.

Z’man Cheiruseinu

This is the time of our freedom and should be as joyous, as possible. It’s understandable how much stress and pressure there may be, but we can still make some small adjustments that will lower the tension and raise the enjoyment.

Sadly, many think of Pesach with dread. As they picture running a finetooth comb over their entire house they break into a sweat. It’s undeniable that Pesach does require a lot of preparation, but a significant amount of the stress comes from doing things that are not actually required. It’s important to confirm what is halachically necessary and recognize what is personal preference or “spring cleaning.”

I personally consider “spring cleaning” to occur between Chanukah and Purim. Please do not combine excessively freshening up your home with

Pesach preparations. It confuses the children as to what is truly halacha and causes needless stress and frustration. For example, it’s nice to fully turn over the children’s clothing from their winter wardrobe into their spring or summer one, but winter clothing is not chometz.

We need to keep everything within context. Sometimes trying to do too much – as well intentioned as it is – takes away from our bein adam l’chaveiro. Let’s prioritize our priorities.

Add Some Fun

Yes, Pesach cleaning can be fun. With a little forethought, the days leading up to Pesach can contain some joy and laughter rather than yelling and tears.

This can be the perfect time to add some background music throughout the area being cleaned. Many families may prefer singing or dancing through the tasks. It sounds silly, but it is more fun than being screamed at. Every family has their own formula, but adding some

excitement and joy will make everyone happier and work more efficiently, too! With high levels of stress come higher volumes in voice. As challenging as it is, we should be mindful to avoid screaming. Yelling is more painful for a child than we realize, and we certainly don’t want our Pesach mitzvos to be tainted. Keeping an even tone of voice relaxes the body and is beneficial for all of us.

Smile at your kids, spouse, and even at yourself in the mirror. We can all use some smiles, and this simple tool can make Pesach preparations more cheerful. Sometimes, we forget the basics, like saying “please” and “thank you.” We will maintain a more pleasant atmosphere when any request is accompanied by a “please” and followed with a “thank you.” Smiling here helps, too.

Feed your staff. Everyone is working hard and needs to be fed. Hungry people are cranky and unpleasant. The food doesn’t need to be gourmet, just nutritious. This can be a nice opportunity to order pizza – questionably nutritious –or something that is “special” but con-

venient. Serving chometz to kids in a chometz-free zone is a certain disaster. Foods containing chometz can be enjoyed supervised in uncleaned areas or outside. Porches and decks are perfect eating spots this time of year.

Keep chometz-free snacks available. Starting soon after Purim, little ones can be given kitniyos, Pesachdik or other naturally chometz-free snacks. If they have chometz in their hands, they will spread the love everywhere, and this is a guaranteed way to raise adult stress levels.

While kids are expected to help without extra compensation, they can still be rewarded for participating in the tasks. We routinely have an ice cream party if we finish the house before a prearranged date. Offering fun outings after the job is complete – such as a trip to the arcade or bowling – can be a great way to unwind and share family time. Kids can be very motivated to help when they know there is something to look forward to afterwards.

There is often a child who goes beyond the others and does more than their share of the jobs. For these kids, I have given a prize or gift as a thank you and recognition of their extra ef-

forts. It’s been my personal experience that the other children were not jealous because they saw how much more that child did to help, and they knew they could have done the same.

A Safe Pesach Pesach preparations involve many jobs we don’t do throughout the year,

these and any sharp items (such as blades or cutting tools) away from children, storing them in an inaccessible area. Use gloves for your own protection, and don’t allow children to use or be present when using these items.

Kashering inherently involves heat. It may require pouring scalding hot water, open flames or getting something to its hottest temperature. Children

Every family has their own formula, but adding some excitement and joy will make everyone happier and work more efficiently, too!

and there can be unexpected safety risks. While this article cannot completely cover each one, I’d still like to mention a few.

Household cleaners contain harsh and dangerous chemicals. Please keep

responsible should be overseeing the little ones if they are awake.

We need to be mindful to only assign tasks that are age appropriate. It’s unfair to a child if we have unreasonable expectations. Depending on the request, it may be unsafe, too much of a burden or make them feel incompetent when they inevitably can’t follow through. Additionally, certain jobs can only be halachically completed by someone that is over bar or bat mitzvah age. The local rabbonim can better guide families in this halachic area.

Pesach was the beginning and remains the continuation of our nation. With a little forethought and some fun, we can keep Pesach as a yom tov they will truly treasure well into adulthood. It’s often our first impressions that stay with us. Let’s build some great memories!

should be kept away whenever adults are kashering. This is both for their own protection but also to prevent the adult from being distracted and risking themselves. The entire area should be kept clear of extra people, and someone

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.

School of Thought

By Etti Siegel

Q:Dear Etti,

This is a stressful time of year, with Pesach approaching, and the last thing I expected was to be called into school and be told that my child should repeat 4-year-old kindergarten. Why would a school judge my child? He is 4 years old!!! They don’t read or write yet, so why would they decide to hold him back? Shouldn’t we wait to see how he does in Pre-1A when they actually begin to read and write? Then we can talk!

Please explain what the school might be thinking to calm me down.

- Mad Mom

A:Dear Mom,

I can hear how upsetting this news is for you, especially during such a busy and stressful time. Being called in and told that your child should repeat 4-year-old kindergarten likely felt unexpected and overwhelming. It’s natural to feel protective and even frustrated – after all, he’s only four! I truly appreciate you reaching out for more clarity.

First, I want to acknowledge that schools do not make these recommendations lightly. Every principal and educator I’ve spoken to has emphasized that their goal is always to do what is in the best interest of each child’s long-term success. This is not a judgment of your son’s intelligence or abilities but rather a thoughtful decision about what will help him thrive, academically, socially, and emotionally, and not just for next year but for many years to come.

Did his teachers mention any concern throughout the year that, in hindsight, may have been indicators of their recommendation? Sometimes, teachers gradually bring up observations to help parents process a decision like this over time. If this came as a complete surprise, I understand why it would feel even more frustrating, and I encourage you to ask the school for more details about their reasoning.

Many parents today are rethinking the old mindset of pushing children ahead as quickly as possible. In fact, research now shows that children who are the oldest in their grade, rather than the youngest, often have significant long-term advantages. The concept of “academic redshirting,” delaying kindergarten by a year, has gained recognition for its benefits. Dr. Suzanne Stevens, a child psychologist specializing in early development, explains, “Children who are given extra time to develop foundational social and emotional skills tend to navigate their

school years with greater ease and confidence. They experience fewer frustrations, are less likely to struggle with self-regulation, and demonstrate a stronger ability to handle challenges.”

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, highlights how children who are among the oldest in their cohort frequently outperform their younger peers over time. His research, supported by studies from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), shows that early maturity in social and emotional development plays a critical role in academic and personal success. (Outliers is an engaging read that really brings this message home.)

Young children thrive when they feel secure and confident in their environment.

Young children thrive when they feel secure and confident in their environment. Dr. Rebecca Babcock, a developmental psychologist, notes that “when children struggle with emotional regulation or social interactions, an additional year of preschool can give them the time they need to build those skills in a low-pressure environment.” Giving your son an extra year allows him to develop social skills and emotional maturity at a comfortable pace, setting him up for long-term success.

Additionally, research from Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child emphasizes that early frustration in learning can negatively impact a child’s self-esteem and future academic motivation. A child who feels behind early on may develop anxiety around learning, while one who feels capable is more likely to approach challenges with confidence. Children who have more time to absorb fundamental skills without feeling rushed are

better prepared for the increasing academic expectations in kindergarten and beyond.

Being the oldest in the class often comes with added benefits. Studies published in Early Childhood Research Quarterly found that older students tend to have higher levels of self-confidence and problem-solving skills, which continue into middle school and beyond. A 2017 Stanford University study found that children who were redshirted for kindergarten had significantly lower rates of ADHD diagnoses later on and displayed stronger executive function skills in adolescence. The study’s lead researcher, Dr. Thomas Dee, explains, “The extra year allows children to develop cognitive and emotional skills that serve them well in their later academic careers, reducing stress and increasing their ability to stay engaged in school.”

I know that, right now, this feels like a big and unexpected decision. Take some time to process the recommendation and discuss it with someone you trust. (That said, I’d advise against discussing it with too many people while emotions are high. Sometimes, what feels like a major issue today turns into a non-event, and you might not want constant reminders of it down the line.)

Most importantly, please remember that this does not reflect badly on you or your son. If anything, making a choice that prioritizes his well-being shows him—and yourself—that you are willing to do whatever is best for him, regardless of outside pressures. That is a true sign of strong and loving parenting.

Wishing you clarity as you navigate this decision, - Etti

Being a stepparent is a tremendously influential role that a person can play in the life of a child if that stepparent recognizes the potential and seizes the opportunity to rise to the challenge of that role. There is no all-encompassing description of the role of a stepparent because each situation is highly specific based on the circumstances and dynamics within the family unit of which he or she originally had no part.

The role of a stepparent requires a thought-out and developed approach which can be modified to reflect the ever-changing needs of their blended family. Unlike biological parents who have an inherent and clearly defined role within a nuclear family (i.e., mother, father), the role of a stepparent is often marked by an initial lack of clear rules, boundaries, and parental authority.

From personal and professional experience, I have found that becoming a stepmother is one of those things that a woman enlists to do without the awareness and appreciation of what that commitment entails until long after she is knee-deep in the blending process. Like the Jews at Mount Sinai, the stepmother is often of the mindset of “We will do, and we will listen” – meaning that she first marries a man who has a child (children) and commits to playing a significant part

Parenting Pearls Step-Parenting 101

By Yael Stern

in the life of that child (sometimes before having a child of her own) and only then begins to learn the details and responsibilities of that commitment.

And if she is a mother herself, she is also opting to bring her children together with her husband’s children and to support them through a unique merging process, all the while maintaining her responsibilities and relationship with her biological child (children). These overlapping processes are often further complicated by differing religious levels, family traditions, personalities, past experiences, and expectations among the uniting families.

The stepmother’s experience is comparable to having triplets within the first year of marriage. As exciting and rewarding as that can be, the transition into stepmother-hood is a “zero to one hundred,” “role your sleeves up and get to work” kind of experience. Whereas up until then the soon-to-be stepmother was likely learning about her role as a wife, she almost instantly feels as if she has been thrust into the middle of the ocean where she has no choice other than to “figure out” a way to swim as fast as possible.

As a mother and stepmother and someone who consults regarding second marriages, parenting, and stepparenting, both within and outside of the Jewish community, I am often given the oppor -

tunity to provide varying perspectives and help others in navigating this massively unchartered territory of blending families.

The following are what I like to refer to as “The 5 R’s of Successful Step-Parenting”:

1. Recognize

Identify what is and what is not your role.

For example, the father can create rules for his child while the stepmother, who may be able to give her input behind the scenes, can only reinforce them.

Realize that the process of blending families requires time to evolve, and everyone’s timeline is different. Some say it takes at least 5 years for dynamics between the members of a blended family to become regulated.

2. Respect the Pain

Since the child did not have a choice in most of the decisions regarding the marriage and blending the families, the child may justifiably be feeling pain surrounding these new realities.

By marrying the child’s father, the stepmother’s presence has further highlighted the dissolution of the child’s biological parents’ marriage. Whether the child lost their united parental unit due

to death or to divorce, the stepmother is associated with that pain. Her empathy and compassion for that loss is crucial to her relationship with the child. If there was a divorce, it is important to remember that the child has a mother and is not looking for someone to replace her. If the mother passed away, it is even more important that her memory is respected and that a sacred space be maintained for her throughout the child’s life.

3. Relationship: Repair & Rebuild

As soon as a woman begins to step into the role of being a stepmother, it is important for her to realize that she may have already deducted a considerable sum from the emotional bank account of the relationship that she is trying to build with the child. She may continue to do so in quick succession as she and her husband establish the new boundaries of their blended family.

One way of understanding this is when a person needs to take out $100,000 to pay for emergency surgery, but their bank account is empty. Of course, they need the money, however, as soon as the withdrawal is made there is an immediate notification from the bank that the account has been overdrawn and has a negative balance. The withdrawal still must be made,

however, as soon as it is, there is an imminent need to replenish the funds to not only bring the account out of the negative but to then also deposit into it so that the account will have enough in it for future withdrawals.

So, too, a stepmother often will have to make a withdrawal from the child’s emotional bank account, however, since the stepmother has not yet nurtured her relationship with the child up to the point necessary for such a significant withdrawal to be made, she would do best to find age appropriate ways of nurturing the relationship with the child now to reduce the overdrawn amount and even add to it.

As she and her husband establish new routines and expectations, especially where it is appropriate for her to take precedent over the child, it is imperative that she remain sensitive to what that inevitably costs her in the relationship with the child and look for ways to rebalance the positivity within that relationship.

For example, the stepmother who is now taking the front seat in the car where the adolescent child used to sit, should be sensitive to the child’s feelings of being displaced, and can use other opportunities to restrengthen the relationship by allowing the child to choose which of their

favorite foods the stepmother will prepare for dinner that night.

Focus should be placed on “taking the scenic route,” wherein the stepmother first looks to establish a relationship with the child through acts of giving and respect, and only then makes requests of the child, who will likely acquiesce out of respect for their relationship. Making

and stepmother is the greatest indicator of how the child will fair in this situation since witnessing their healthy, strong, and united front gives the child an increased sense of security.

Therapy and Life Coaching: These are incredible tools to enhance self-awareness especially when it comes to understanding emotional triggers and learning how

The stepmother’s experience is comparable to having triplets within the first year of marriage.

premature demands of the child before respect is earned can often inhibit the stepmother from forming a genuine relationship with the child.

4. Responsibility

Take responsibility to enhance self-awareness and increase humility. Shalom Bayis (maintaining a peaceful relationship and home): It has been proven that the relationship between the father

to own and heal from them. As the adult in the relationship, it is the stepmother’s job (with the backing of her husband) to foster a welcoming and non-judgmental environment, so that the child will feel comfortable rather than threatened by the unfamiliar changes and experience of newness that having a stepmother (and possibly, step siblings) can present. This is possible only by way of better understanding what causes certain thoughts

and behaviors and their impact on others. A stepmother should receive the feedback that is given to her and commit to bettering the overall situation by focusing on the only person she can change, herself.

5. Reliance on G-d

Especially when it comes to the sensitive topic of blending families, the unique configuration and challenges that arise are all perfectly designed to strengthen and further develop each person who is involved. Being a stepmother is not for the faint of heart, however, it is obvious that the nuances of the situation are there to bring about healing and change. Hashem chooses Whom He blesses with this herculean task, and He understands the challenges imbedded within it. He is always listening and ready to help. Maintaining trust in Him is the greatest tool to be successful in the remarkable endeavor of blending a healthy family.

Yael Stern is a mother, stepmother, and life coach, specializing in various aspects of blending families, including dating, marriage, relationship building, parenting, and step-parenting. She can be reached at yaelsternblendingcoach@gmail.com

Fd for Thought

Ondas by Fuego

OBy Nati Burnside

ndas by Fuego was a long time coming.

After years of anticipation, the restaurant opened at the end of last summer to great acclaim. With so many people familiar with restaurants in Miami by the same ownership group, Ondas came onto the scene with pretty high expectations. I’m happy to say that the food certainly lives up to the hype.

But Ondas isn’t just about the food. Much like its sister restaurants in South Florida (Fuego by Mana, Oki Miami, G7 Rooftop, and the soon-to-open Puya Urban Cantina), Ondas is about the vibe. People come here to celebrate. There’s music, there’s a bar, there’s singing and dancing when there’s a special occasion (there’s always a special occasion), and there’s great food. Whether it’s a birthday, a promotion, or life in general, the people here are happy about something

When I was happily invited to Ondas, I found myself confronted with their wide array of tempting appetizers. If you’re still trying to get past that winter chill, I’d start off with the Matzah Ball Tortilla Soup. This was a surprising highlight for me as the soup base was a thick tomato purée with a dense spice profile. The flavor was intense and the textures of the roasted corn, black beans, and the matzah ball were highlights along with the interesting use of pulled chicken. The shape of the chicken almost pitch-hits for the noodles you might get in a regular bowl of matzah ball soup but makes the bowl that much heartier.

Now that you’ve warmed up, let’s cool down and order some raw fish. The Aguachile is a masterpiece of a dish, and you’ll have fun getting some of everything together on one fork. The slices of hamachi and wedges of avocado are wrapped in thin slices of radish and topped with serrano, cucumber, and red onion before being doused in cilantro sauce. The result packs some real punch as the sauce permeates through the different components.

The tender fish, creamy avocado, and sharp bite of the radish, serrano, and red onion are bound together by the sauce. The result is utter harmony.

If you’ve ever encountered pictures from Ondas on social media, you’re probably familiar with the Beef Empanadas. Perhaps the most popular order here, the pair of pastries live up to their reputation. The ground beef on the inside is flavored beautifully and the outside’s seed-covered surface is crunchy enough to make you wonder why more places don’t use a similar method. The salsa verde provides an acidic punch that takes them up a notch and really makes the dish stand out amongst its peers.

But if there’s one appetizer that I insist you order, it’s the Birria Tacos. If you aren’t familiar, birria is a kind of stew made with beef that is braised low and slow. The fat rises to the top of the pot and the tortillas used for the tacos are crisped using the fat from the stew itself before being filled with some of the delicious meat. The number of kosher restaurants doing this can be counted on one hand, so you really shouldn’t pass up the chance to eat something like this. I wouldn’t blame you if you just wanted to eat several orders of these for your entire meal.

That said, the entrées on Ondas ended up being just as difficult to choose from as the appetizers. As it is a steakhouse, I’ll recommend the Cowboy 32 oz. You just can’t go wrong with a 30-day dry aged American Black Angus steak. It’s everything you want it to be. From the great char on the outside to the tender inside that’s so soft you can easily cut it with a fork, the taste is perfection. There are plenty of other steaks to choose from on the menu, so if another strikes your fancy, don’t be afraid to go with your gut. These guys know how to make a steak.

One of the more interesting options on the menu is the Bread Rib Eye. Usually called milanesa, the hammered down rib eye is fried in a bread crumb mixture

that includes tajin and served with a tamarind barbeque sauce. Considering how infrequently milanesa is found in kosher restaurants, you may not have ever had anything like this. If it sounds interesting to you, give it a shot. The crispy steak is enhanced by the sauce as the sweetness and the slightly spicy crunch of the coating blend together and bind to the meat. It might not be for everyone, but you might just love it.

Last but not least, there’s a section on the menu called “Signatures.” Each of these can probably feed 3-4 people and are great options for sharing. While I’m sure both the steak and the short ribs are great, the Lamb Barbacoa is what drew my attention. Served in a large clay pot full of delicious lamb topped with pickled red onions, this comes with four tortillas for you to potentially use to make tacos

with the other ingredients (a medley of house-pickled veggie spears, refried beans, guacamole, and salsa roja). The vibrant colors led me to actually construct one of these tacos (a tough ask given I had to stop myself from just eating the delicious lamb on its own), and I was simply blown away by the combination of flavors and textures. The lamb is fatty and juicy, the pickled veggies were crisp and acidic, and the trio of condiments added creaminess and sweetness. I don’t know that I could’ve asked for a better bite.

So go experience Ondas. It may not be in South Florida, but it’s the closest thing you’re going to get to Miami without getting on a plane. You might not have tropical weather, but at least you can get some authentic Mexican cuisine.

Hear the music, taste the flavors, feel the vibe.

Meat - Waiter Service - Mexican Steakhouse

488 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516

516-341-0092

OndasNYC.com

Vaad Hakashrus of the Five Towns & Far Rockaway

In The K tchen

Nutty Butter Biscuits

Dairy / Yields about 3 dozen cookies / Freezer friendly

By Naomi Nachman

In Australia, we call cookies biscuits or bickys for short. These are the most delicious buttery cookies for Pesach and are perfect to serve for breakfast or any dairy meal. “Down

Under,” we always say, “Butta is

betta’.”

Ingredients

◦ 2 eggs

◦ 1 cup sugar

◦ ²⁄ ₃ cup melted butter, unsalted

◦ 1 teaspoon baking powder

◦ 1 teaspoon cinnamon

◦ Pinch salt

◦ 1 cup potato starch

◦ 3 cups ground almonds

◦ Optional topping: chocolate spread, whole almonds, or jam

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with whisk attachment beat eggs together on high speed for about 3 minutes, until thick and foamy.

3. Add sugar, melted butter, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Beat until combined and creamy.

4. Add potato starch and ground almonds; beat until combined.

5. Scoop out about 1 tablespoon of dough; form into a ball. Use some water to wet your hands to help make rolling smoother.

6. If you want, you can add a topping to the cookies/biscuits. Use your wet fingertip to form an indentation in the center. Fill with your choice of topping; place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

7. Bake for about 13-14 minutes, until the tops of the cookies are set.

Prepare ahead: Cookies can be made ahead and frozen. Freeze between layers of parchment paper so they don’t stick together.

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?!”

It’s a super big deal. The fact that I’m here in person, I’m not phoning it in. I’m here in person.

– Elon Musk at a rally in Wisconsin last weekend

It was inevitable that at least a few Soros operatives would be in the audience. Say hi to George for me!

- ibid., when he was interrupted by a few demonstrators in the audience

There were quite a few death threats, I have to tell you. I was like, my security team said, “Well, it’s actually gone down from yesterday to today. It went down from 18,000 to 17,000.” So I’m like, well, maybe it’s getting better. But you can see how crazy some of these people are.

- ibid.

Do you trust your mother every night to fix your Hot Pockets and make sure your Game Boy is turned on?

- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) responding to a liberal young man in Washington, D.C., who stuck a camera in his face and asked if he trusts Trump’s national security team to keep our war plans top secret

[Putin] will die soon. That’s a fact. And it will come to an end.

– Ukrainian Pres. Volodymyr Zelensky in a recent interview in Germany

I said to Gov. Morrisey the first time I saw him, I said, “You look like you ate Gov. Morrisey.”

- Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. roasting West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey about his weight at a joint event last week

I’m going to put him on a really rigorous regime. We’re going to put him on a carnivore diet.

- ibid.

Raise your hand if you want Gov. Morrisey to do a public weigh-in once a month.

- ibid.

My first thought was, we just got to pivot…I was like, “OK, let’s make the best of it.” We planned, we trained that we’d be there for some part of a time, so we were ready to just jump into it and take on the tasks that were given to us.

- U.S. astronaut Suni Williams, in her first interview since returning to Earth, talking about what went through her mind when she was told that instead of the planned one week visit to the space station, she would have to be there for nine months

I’d like to see the computers aligned up to 120 or whatever.

- Cretora Biggerstaff, 106, talking to a Houston TV station about how the airport security always gives her problems when she flies because their computers don’t recognize any age over 100

People will say to me, “How do you feel?” I say, “How should I feel? I feel OK. I don’t feel 106.”

- ibid.

You guys continue to ask the president this question about a third term and then he answers honestly and candidly with a smile and then everybody here melts down about his answer.

- White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt responding to reporters asking whether Pres. Trump plans on running for a third term

Any comment on this, Marco Rubio? How about you, JD Vance? Elon Musk? You just admitted to accidentally sending an innocent father from Maryland to a torture dungeon in El Salvador. And you refuse to do anything about it.

- Tweet by former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau after The Atlantic ran an article claiming that the Trump administration sent a “peaceful Maryland father” to El Salvador’s infamous mega-prison

My comment is that according to the court document you apparently didn’t read, he was a convicted MS-13 gang member with no legal right to be here. My further comment is that it’s gross to get fired up about gang members getting deported while ignoring citizens they victimize.

- Vice President JD Vance in response

I do not believe we are politically biased. No, we are a nonpartisan organization.

-NPR CEO Katherine Maher responding to Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) pointing out that there are 87 registered Democrats in editorial positions at NPR and 0 Republicans

There was literally a 10-question survey that you could do with SurveyMonkey for $10,000 that the government was charged almost a billion dollars for.

- Elon Musk when asked by Bret Baier on Fox about the most outrageous wasteful spending that DOGE found to date

You think that Jeffrey Goldberg got added to a high-level national security conversation by chance? Maybe you thought Covid was from the wet market and not from the lab that was right there and contained Covid-like viruses.

- Pollster and former Bill Clinton advisor Mark Penn

The chance that this was done by an operative looking to embarrass the administration is about 90 percent. The chance someone added him because they were looking for another Jeffrey is about 10 percent.

- ibid.

This was a security breach but most likely one by a partisan trying to undermine the administration than by the participants on the chain. I’m not a conspiracy theorist, I just play the odds, and the odds it was an innocent mistake are low and deliberate act are high. Of course, though, I’m waiting for the final answer.

- ibid.

Do you think they starved you, or they just didn’t have food?

- CBS’s Lesley Stahl to released hostage Keith Sigal after he told her that Hamas beat and starved him

We came to dinner, me, Bill, Dana White, and it could not have been better. Everyone was so surprised. It was so pleasant. The most shocking thing to me was Bill is obviously a big liberal and hard on the president. He’s donated a lot of money to other politicians, Biden, Clinton, Obama, he had never been to the White House.

- Kid Rock, who facilitated a dinner between Pres. Trump and HBO’s Bill Maher (who is liberal but very pro-Israel and increasingly critical of the radical left), reporting on what happened on Fox Newes

The president was gracious. Took us up to the private residence. We saw the Gettysburg Address in the Lincoln bedroom. I was like, you’ve never been here, Bill? I was like, how about this? President Trump extending the olive branch — and we talked about things we had in common. Ending wokeness, securing the border. The president was asking him what he thought about policy going on with Iran and Israel and things. It blew my mind. I was very proud.

- ibid.

Political Crossfire Are Intelligence Analysts Still Doing Their Jobs? We Just Got an Answer

Intelligence agencies are supposed to speak truth to power. Top intelligence officials failed that test in their testimony this week. But analysts down in the trenches, while responsive to President Donald Trump’s interests, still seem to be doing their duty.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard delivered the intelligence community’s annual “threat assessment” to Congress last Tuesday and Wednesday. The headline was that both officials downplayed the national security danger of the now-notorious discussion on a Signal commercial messaging chat of planned military operations in Yemen.

Gabbard told a Senate committee Tuesday that “no classified information” was shared on the chat, which inadvertently included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic. Pressed by House members Wednesday about sensitive details shared about planned strikes on Houthi targets, a cagey Gabbard answered, “My testimony is I did not recall the exact details of what was included there.” Ratcliffe similarly told senators on Tuesday that he didn’t recall chat details and said, “I haven’t participated in any Signal group messaging that relates to any classified information at all.”

The comments echoed a broader administration effort to rebut criticism of the “Houthi PC small group” Signal chat that both officials joined. But a subtler picture of how Trump’s priorities are reshaping the presentation of intelligence comes in the 30-page threat assessment document that Gabbard shared with Congress.

Compared with last year’s version, the assessment shows a different ordering of threats to emphasize drug criminals, a new focus on Greenland, and discussion of the Ukraine war that accords with Trump’s negotiating strategy.

Intelligence analysts take pride in their nonpartisan professionalism, and there’s

By David Ignatius

no indication they have been pressured to change any specific evidence. Much of the underlying analysis of Russia, China, Iran and other topics is consistent with last year’s assessment, with some passages repeated verbatim. But a comparison of the 2024 and 2025 assessments shows that priorities can shift, for better or worse, depending on who’s in power.

The most striking change is the primacy now given to “Foreign Illicit Drug Actors.”

This was a top Trump campaign issue, and it’s the first threat analyzed in this year’s assessment. Last year, “Foreign Illicit Drugs” was relegated to Page 36. Both reports described Mexico-based “transnational criminal organizations” (TCOs) as “the dominant producers and suppliers of illicit drugs.”

With the Trump administration weighing military actions against the Mexican drug cartels, this year’s threat analysis adds a new look at their paramilitary capabilities, including land mines, mortars and grenades.

Kudos to the analysts for mentioning several facts that show the Biden administration’s success in combating drugs and

migrants. The report notes that in the 12 months ending in October 2024, there was a nearly 33 percent decline in opioid-related overdose deaths compared with the previous year. The analysts also found that law enforcement encounters with migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border were 14 percent lower last year than in 2023. Those numbers might come as news to Trump, who constantly belittles Joe Biden’s drug and border policies.

The Trump administration’s obsession with Greenland gets some support in the assessment. The China section includes a new warning that “China’s long-term goal is to expand access to Greenland’s natural resources, as well as to use the same access as a key strategic foothold for advancing China’s … aims in the Arctic.”

A new section highlighting “Russia and the Arctic” includes a similar focus. “Russia’s interest in Greenland is focused mainly on its proximity to strategically important naval routes between the Arctic and Atlantic Oceans – including for nuclear-armed submarines – and the fact that Greenland hosts a key U.S. military base,” the report says.

The sudden attention to Greenland leaves the reader wondering whether analysts understated the issue in the past or it’s now being hyped because of Trump’s interest – or perhaps the threat has just evolved over time. Whatever the case, the novel emphasis raises questions about how the analysts compile their reports.

A new section on “Russia and Ukraine” appears to back Trump’s rationale for a negotiated settlement of the war. “Continuing the Russia-Ukraine war perpetuates strategic risks to the United States of unintended escalation to large-scale war, the potential use of nuclear weapons,” and other dangers, the analysts note.

Kyiv is on a losing course if the war continues, the analysts argue. Russia won’t achieve “total victory,” but it “has seized the upper hand … and is on a path to accrue greater leverage to press Kyiv and its Western backers to negotiate an end to the war that grants Moscow concessions it seeks.” Meanwhile, there is “a gradual but steady erosion of Kyiv’s position on the battlefield, regardless of any U.S. or allied attempts to impose new and greater costs on Moscow.”

The analysts document the “heavy price” paid by Russia, with a startling new estimate that it has suffered “750,000-plus dead and wounded,” producing more casualties than in all its other wars since 1945. Even so – and despite “a willingness to test partial ceasefires” – the analysts make a hardheaded judgment that “both leaders for now probably still see the risks of a longer war as less than those of an unsatisfying settlement.”

Policymakers always want intelligence analysts to support their views, but what they need is the unvarnished truth. The text of this year’s threat assessment shows the analysts giving priority to Trump’s concerns but not, so far as I could tell, fudging the facts. © 2025, Washington Post Writers Group

Political Crossfire Putin is Stalling and Trump Holds All the Cards

It’s Time For “Maximum Pressure”

By Marc A. Thiessen

President Donald Trump said he is “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin for stalling his efforts to end the war in Ukraine. His frustration boiled over after Putin on Friday demanded President Volodymyr Zelensky’s removal and the establishment of a transitional government in Ukraine as a condition of peace.

“I was very angry – pissed off” when Putin “started getting into Zelensky’s credibility” and “started talking about new leadership” in Ukraine, Trump told NBC’s Kristen Welker. He said that “if Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault,” he will impose crushing secondary tariffs on Russian oil sales. Henceforth “if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” Trump said. Trump is right. Putin is dragging his

feet and does not seem to realize that he is in no position to make demands. Russia is incredibly weak, both economically and militarily, which means that in these negotiations, Trump holds all the cards.

In 2022, Putin planned for a war that would last weeks but now finds himself in a protracted conflict that is bleeding Russia’s human, military and financial capital dry. That gives Trump enormous leverage. If Putin refuses his demands for peace, Trump can unleash an Iranstyle maximum pressure campaign on Moscow that would devastate Russia. Take the situation on the battlefield.

In 2024, Russian forces took a grand total of 1,609 square miles of territory, according to an analysis by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW). That is an area equivalent to about 15 percent of Haiti. Most of the territory captured

was composed of fields and small settlements, none holding any strategic significance.

These glacial advances came at a cost of more than 427,000 Russian casualties either killed or wounded in 2024. That is almost twice as many Russian casualties in a single month in Ukraine as the United States suffered over two decades of fighting in Afghanistan. Even pro-Putin Russian analysts admit that the average Russian soldier now survives less than one month on the front lines before being killed.

Putin might not care about losing men, but he is also suffering unsustainable losses of military equipment. Ukraine destroyed 12,000 Russian tanks and armored combat vehicles and 13,000 artillery systems in 2024. Indeed, Putin’s supplies of armor are so low, he has been forced to turn to Sovi-

et-era tanks and armored vehicles, some dating to the 1950s. He is even recommissioning old Soviet tanks that were being used as movie props by Mosfilm, Russia’s largest film studio.

The Russian defense industrial base cannot keep up with the current pace of losses. According to ISW military analyst George Barros, Russia loses about 350 tank and artillery barrels each month but can only produce 20 replacements. At current attrition rates, the Wall Street Journal reports, Russia will run out of tanks sometime next year.

To conserve his dwindling supplies of armor, Putin has turned to what the Ukrainians call “meat assaults” –throwing wave after human wave of Russian soldiers at Ukrainian positions, allowing them to be gunned down until the Ukrainians run out of ammunition and have to fall back.

Why does Putin make such enormous strategic sacrifices of men and materiel for such small tactical gains?

“Because he wants to create the impression that the map is getting worse for the Ukrainians, that Russia is moving forward,” Barros tells me.

But the reality is that Russia does not have the troops or equipment to achieve Putin’s military aims in Ukraine. Putin’s economic position is even weaker than his battlefield position. Russia’s war spending (which is estimated at 41 percent of all state expenditures in 2025) has unleashed double-digit inflation, skyrocketing interest rates, and catastrophic labor shortages. Last year, the price of butter rose 30 percent, and Russians are now stealing butter to resell on the black market. Russian businesses are struggling to hire because of the exodus of skilled workers fleeing the country and the massive death toll of Russian men aged 20 to 50 in Ukraine. Russia’s budget deficit grew 14-fold in January, and Putin has been forced to spend 24 percent of the liquid cash reserves in Russia’s sovereign wealth fund. If the current rate of war spending continues, Russia’s liquid assets will be

fully depleted by 2030.

The only thing keeping the Russian economy from collapsing is a surge in oil and gas export revenue, a gift to Putin from President Joe Biden. Russian energy revenue jumped by more than 26 percent in 2024 to $108 billion, making the energy sector the single

sian oil and gas to be sold on the global market by permitting energy transactions with sanctioned Russian banks to continue. Trump could shut off Putin’s economic lifeline by using the same tools he successfully used against Iran during his first term, which dramatically cut Iran’s oil sales from roughly 1.9

Even pro-Putin Russian analysts admit that the average Russian soldier now survives less than one month on the front lines before being killed.

most important source of cash for the Kremlin – as much as half the revenue that makes up Russia’s federal budget. If Trump imposed a successful Iran-style maximum-pressure campaign against Russia, he could bring it to its knees. Biden’s weakness left a massive loophole in U.S. sanctions that allowed Rus -

million barrels per day in 2017 to about 400,000 in 2020, crippling Iran’s economy and forcing Tehran to cut funds to its terrorist proxies across the region. Trump recently announced a renewal of his maximum pressure on Iran, with a goal of cutting Iranian oil sales by 90 percent. A similar effort to drive Rus -

sian oil and gas sales from the global market could crush the Russian economy and deny Putin the funds to continue his aggression against Ukraine.

Trump could also apply a maximum-pressure campaign on the battlefield. During the campaign, Trump promised to increase the flow of U.S. weapons to Ukraine if Putin did not agree to stop the fighting. “I would tell Putin: If you don’t make a deal, we’re going to give [the Ukrainians] a lot. We’re going to give them more than they ever got, if we have to,” he told Fox News’s Maria Bartiromo. Well, right now, Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire, while Russia is refusing.

Putin has gravely miscalculated. If Trump decides the Russian leader is the obstacle to peace and brings down the hammer with economic sanctions and increased military support for Kyiv, Russia will be in a world of hurt. Because the reality is that Putin is economically and militarily weak and has no path to victory. He doesn’t hold the cards; Trump does. And he is getting ready to play them.

© 2025, Washington Post Writers Group

Israel Today Huckabee Nomination a Test for U.S. Jews

Nobody seriously believes that the U.S. Senate will reject President Donald Trump’s nomination of former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee to be ambassador to Israel. Republicans managed to get far more controversial nominees, such as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, confirmed, so they should have comparatively little trouble pushing Huckabee, a man without skeletons in his closet, over the goal line.

Indeed, it’s likely that he will be in Israel, as he predicted, by Passover. But that hasn’t stopped the Jewish left from trying to stop his nomination.

The political arm of Reform Judaism is publicly opposing Huckabee. So too are the left-wing lobby J Street and the Jewish Democratic Council of America. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs, an umbrella group of Jewish community relations councils around the country, didn’t condemn the nomination outright but made clear its disdain for him with comments deprecating him as a “Christian nationalist.”

These views were summed up in an op-ed published in The Hill by Lily Greenberg Call, a veteran Democratic operative who had worked for the campaigns of former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris and resigned from a post at the Department of the Interior because she felt the Biden-Harris administration was too supportive of Israel after the Oct. 2023 ,7 massacre. “Unconditionally supporting Israel actually makes Jews unsafe” and the Jewish state is “antithetical” to “Jewish values,” Call asserted.

On the other side of the issue, more mainstream, liberal Jewish groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the

By Jonathan S. Tobin

American Jewish Committee said that they looked forward to working with Huckabee. More ardently pro-Israel groups like the Zionist Organization of America and the Orthodox Union endorsed him enthusiastically.

Seen in that context, it’s easy to dismiss Huckabee’s Jewish critics as outliers or merely predictably partisan. But that would be a mistake.

Christian Nationalism?

The angry response to Huckabee from the Jewish left echoes something deeply troubling about American Jewry’s attitudes toward both Israel and its Christian supporters, like the former governor. And the talk about “Christian nationalism” reflects a broader backlash among political liberals in general against any expression of faith in the public square.

At its heart, liberal Jewish distrust of the strong backing Israel gets from evangelicals and other conservative Christians is a function of three factors. One is simple partisanship. Another is the

shocking and quite irrational religious prejudice on the part of some Jews. The other is the notion that faith should influence public policy.

The latter was put on display in the viral comments that former Politico reporter Heidi Przybyla uttered on MSNBC in February 2024

Przybyla condemned political conservatives and Trump backers as “Christian nationalists,” because they believe that the rights of all Americans “don’t come from any earthly authority,” she said “They don’t come from Congress or the Supreme Court. They come from G-d.”

That is something that Huckabee believes. But that belief was shared by all of America’s Founding Fathers, not least a non-denominational Deist like Thomas Jefferson. It was, after all, the man who would eventually become the third president of the United States who wrote in the Declaration of Independence that it was “self-evident” that all Americans were “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”

While Przybyla was widely skewered

for her ignorant comments, she was reflecting the wide gap that has opened up between people of faith, regardless of their religion, and those who have contempt for traditional religion. Sadly, nothing reflects that divide more closely than attitudes toward Israel.

Faith and Antisemitism

As a Gallup poll published last June suggested, support for Israel in the United States is primarily a function of religious faith. And declining religiosity is directly linked to growing hostility to Israel.

The survey, which tracked opinions about the Jewish state and the Palestinians over the last quarter-century, demonstrated that support for Israel was far more prevalent among those who attended religious services regularly, and it declined among those who did not attend a church or a synagogue.

The study also provided at least a partial explanation for the generational differences about Israel. If younger Americans are less supportive of Israel than older ones, it is to some extent the result of their being less religious than their elders. The fact that people 29 or younger are also more likely to have been indoctrinated in the toxic neo-Marxist ideas of critical race theory, intersectionality and colonial-setter ideology that brands Israel and the Jews as “white” oppressors—and which is antithetical to traditional faith—is also part of this depressing trend.

That’s just as true for younger Jews. Most of them have had the woke catechism of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI), which ironically excludes Jews, drilled into them in K-12 schools and again in college. That makes them more inclined to think that a concept is inappropriate if it is antithetical to the principles of equal opportunity and individual

rights. It also makes them more inclined to think a sectarian Jewish state is somehow racist, or that Jews somehow are not the indigenous people of their ancient homeland.

That liberal Jews and those organizations that are most influenced by this doctrinaire secularism is also part of their alienation from Israel is unsurprising. The fact that some, like most of those affiliated with the Reform movement, are avowedly religious may seem like a contradiction in terms. But it’s easily explained when you realize that they see their religious beliefs, as many liberal Jews do, as not so much a matter of faith in revelation or scripture but a reflection of their opinions on political issues, which they define as social justice.

Their discomfort with Christians, like Huckabee, who believe that the Almighty has promised that they will be blessed if they bless Israel, may seem counterintuitive. But it is part of an aggressively woke and secular mindset that sees such beliefs as inherently illegitimate.

Though many cast most of the blame for a decline in Jewish support for Israel on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well as partners in his coalition who are members of right-wing and religious parties, the truth is it has far more to do with the demography of a community that is rapidly assimilated and the prevailing ideology on the American left. As JNS reported recently, the Pew Research Center has published a study that indicated that less than %1 of Israeli adults raised Jewish say that they’ve “switched” faiths, compared to %24 of U.S. adults raised Jewish.

Of course, partisanship is also part of the opposition to Huckabee. In this, the most hyper-partisan moment in living memory, Jewish Democrats can be counted on to oppose just about anyone whom Trump nominates for office.

But it’s important to understand that the fact that Trump is the most pro-Israel U.S. president since the creation of the modern-day Jewish state cuts no ice with Jews on the political left. For the most part, even those who are still at least nominally Zionist think of Israel as only legitimate if it reflects their secularism and their ideas about how to solve the conflict with the Palestinians.

The fact that in recent decades, the Israeli electorate has, for the most part, voted for leaders from the right like Netanyahu is problematic for many American Jews. And the understandable Israeli

support for Trump has caused many of them to see Israel as the moral equivalent of a “red state.”

Unlike their Israeli counterparts, they have little understanding about the rejectionist ideology of Palestinian Arabs. Palestinians have repeatedly refused offers of statehood and independence when it meant they must live in peace with a Jewish state no matter where its borders might be drawn. This has made little impression on liberal Americans, including Jews.

This disconnect with normative Israeli political views, which have only

rights or any other issue. They have held onto notions about the connection between religious belief and antisemitism that may have made sense a century ago but are now badly outdated.

Contempt for Evangelicals

In 19th century Europe or early 20th century America, it may have been reasonable to think that the more religious Christians were, the more likely they would be antisemitic. But now it’s just the opposite. As the Gallup poll showed, it is people of faith, especially those outside of the shrinking mainline Protes -

A pro-Israel Ambassador

One doesn’t have to like Trump or be comfortable with the political views of evangelicals such as Huckabee to believe that the latter’s wholehearted support for Israel and realistic views about Palestinian intentions are not only sincere but a very good thing.

It’s important to understand that the fact that Trump is the most pro-Israel U.S. president since the creation of the modern-day Jewish state cuts no ice with Jews on the political left.

Prior to David Friedman, who served as ambassador to Israel during the first Trump administration, all U.S. ambassadors to Israel treated Jerusalem the way Roman proconsuls viewed subject peoples. They were primarily there to order Israelis around and impose policies based on failed “land for peace” patent nostrums. Their priority was not, as is the case for most American ambassadors to foreign countries, to promote better relations between their hosts and the United States.

Friedman was a powerful advocate for a rational policy based on the realities of the conflict rather than the conventional wisdom of the “experts” of the foreign policy establishment who had steered U.S. Middle East policy for decades.

been reinforced by the horrors of Oct. 7 and its aftermath that made the notion of a two-state solution not so much a bad idea but madness, is made clear when you hear the left’s criticisms of Huckabee.

The idea that Israel needed to be “saved from itself,” as former President Barack Obama believed, is integral to liberal Jewish attitudes toward Israel. That anyone would still think that, after Oct. 7, an independent Palestinian state would mean anything but more war and bloodshed for both peoples is hard to explain. But the alienation of American Jews from the realities on the ground in the Middle East is so great that nothing, not even the launching of a genocidal war endorsed by most Palestinians, will dissuade them from their ignorance.

Yet the disdain for pro-Israel Christians, such as Huckabee who told me in an interview with him on my podcast that the conflict between Israel and its enemies is between “good and evil,” is not just a matter of politics. It also stems from their sneering contempt for evangelicals.

Much like the rest of America’s credentialed elites, of which they are so representative, liberal and left-wing Jews look down their noses on that broad section of the American electorate that is deeply religious. It’s not just that they disagree with them on abortion, gun

tant denominations, who are the most philo-semitic and supportive of Israel. Conversely, it is the most aggressively secular and most educated demographic slices of America that are heavily influenced by woke ideology and lingering neo-Marxist hostility to Judaism that are the most antisemitic. Yet most liberal Jews on the two coasts still think of conservative Christians as flyover country hayseeds, who would gladly kill all the Jews but aren’t smart enough to figure out how to do so. Such a murderous desire is normative among Palestinian Arabs and the bizarre red-green alliance of Marxists and Islamists elsewhere that supports their war on Zionism, but it is not among evangelicals. Still, that fact hasn’t dented the consciousness of Jews who instinctively distrust Huckabee and everyone like him.

The argument that conservative Christians’ support for Israel can’t be trusted because of their eschatological beliefs is particularly illogical as well as deeply foolish. Most Christian Zionists do not predicate their love for Israel on the idea that its survival is part of an end-of-days scenario that will lead to the return of Jesus. But even if all did believe that, why should Jews—whether they are secular or religious, liberal or conservative—care if they don’t think that will ever happen?

As much as anyone, he deserves the credit for persuading Trump to ignore them and move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem in 2018 and steered the president toward diplomacy that would end the ability of the Palestinians to hold the peace process hostage to their intransigent fantasies of Israel’s destruction.

Huckabee will be equally supportive of the alliance and of Jewish rights and realistic about the Palestinians. And, as an evangelical, his presence in Jerusalem can do much to promote better interfaith relations. Yet for liberal Jews who believe that Israel must make suicidal concessions to Palestinians, whose goal is to destroy the Jewish state, and who have no interest in good relations with evangelicals for reasons that have nothing to do with foreign policy, his nomination is anathema.

Attitudes toward the Huckabee nomination are, therefore, something of a test of American opinions about faith, radical ideologies and whether American foreign policy should aim at strengthening Israel’s efforts to defeat enemies or to weaken them. That so many Jews oppose him is a disturbing reminder of the profound problems currently facing American Jewry.

Jonathan S. Tobin is editor-in-chief of JNS (Jewish News Syndicate).

Political Crossfire

The Town that Went Crazy for Crypto

By David Segal

SAN PEDRO, Argentina — At a backyard barbecue in San Pedro, Argentina, last May, Rafael Flaiman spotted a friend wearing a light blue blazer that looked a little too snazzy for the occasion. He needled the guy a bit. What’s with the jacket? Flaiman asked.

“La China pays,” the friend replied, with a triumphant smile.

La China? Flaiman grew up in San Pedro, a struggling riverside town of 70,000, and for 16 years he’s been a reporter at La Opinión , the local newspaper. But he’d never heard of someone named La China — Spanish for the Chinese woman — and had no idea why she’d bought a nifty new blazer for his buddy. A handful of the 20 people at the barbecue, it turned out, knew all about this mysterious figure and were eager to explain the singular way she’d earned them money.

Every weeknight at 9 p.m., they said, La China turned up on the Telegram channel of a crypto currency exchange called RainbowEx. There, she texted instructions to buy some type of crypto — invariably an obscure and thinly traded one, known in the industry as a memecoin — at a particular price. The same message said to sell the coin when it reached a certain, higher price, which it always did soon after.

It was as steady as a clock. Everyone on RainbowEx bought the coin, the value of the coin rose, everyone sold. Up ticked the balance in their RainbowEx accounts.

Nobody knew who La China was, where she was or whether she even existed. She was just a photograph of a young Asian woman on RainbowEx’s Telegram channel. The guy with the new blazer took out his phone and showed Flaiman photos of La China-enabled purchases by locals. A car, a motorbike, a television. Some people were renovating their homes.

These were major splurges in San Pedro, a place known for an annual crop of oranges, a large paper factory and little else when it came to moneymaking op -

portunities. Not that other parts of the country were thriving. For decades, Argentina has endured bouts of hyper-inflation, and two years ago the annual rate stood at a battering 211%. (It’s 2.8% in the United States.) More recently, the rate has fallen to about 67%, which around here counts as sweet relief.

Some at the barbecue that night thought RainbowEx might be far more than just a novel way to afford a stylish coat. It could be the foundation of an alternative economy, creating profits that are invisible and untaxed. La China could provide economic security, succeeding where the government had failed.

There were skeptics at the party, too. RainbowEx investors received 20% of the profits earned by newcomers they recruited, a classic feature of a pyramid scheme. Plus, the exchange purported to offer returns of as much as 2% a day, which works out to roughly 137,000% in a year. Fantastical numbers.

Flaiman, 44, stayed at the barbecue until 3 a.m. on Sunday. That day, Lilí Berardi, the newspaper’s publisher, heard from a friend who’d been invited to join

RainbowEx. In the weeks that followed she met others who’d signed up, and when she asked them concerned questions, they had variations of the same retort.

“What do you care what I do with my money? It’s my money.”

The sentiment, like La China, soon went viral. In the months to come, nearly one-fifth of the population of San Pedro, about 16,000 people, would invest in RainbowEx, piling tens of millions of dollars into the exchange. One resident said that by September 2024, the streets were quiet at 9 p.m. because everyone was waiting for the latest tip.

Eventually, tiny San Pedro would become a national story and reteach a lesson as old as money: People who think they’re on the verge of life-changing wealth will believe almost any fiction. And at the heart of this fiction stood a character who seemed purpose-built for the moment — a few parts crypto whisperer, a few parts folk hero.

“La China was in our sights for a while,” Berardi said in a recent interview, “but how do you warn people who don’t want to be warned?”

A Knack for Oddball Stories

Argentina has been a hotbed of financial scandal for years. Even Javier Milei, the country’s president, has been tainted. In February, he briefly promoted a memecoin, arguably the most disreputable financial instrument of the digital age. $Libra, as the coin is known, collapsed soon after Milei gushed about it on the social site X. Small investors lost about $250 million. (The president deleted his post and has ordered an investigation.) Get-rich-quick schemes pop up constantly, targeting everyone from feminists to fans of Lionel Messi.

San Pedro, locals say, is fertile ground for hucksters. A former agricultural trading hub, it sits on the Paraná River about 100 miles northwest of Buenos Aires, and has a walkable, grid-like downtown, with an ice cream shop on nearly every block and stray dogs snoozing on sidewalks. It’s small enough that everyone seems to know everyone else.

Berardi, 65, is the media doyenne of this social network. In a recent interview in La Opinión’s office, she wore a caftan-like printed dress and a rope necklace, emitting an earth mother serenity that, from the evidence of her career, hides inner coils of steel.

The daughter of an Italian immigrant, she was born in San Pedro and was initially headed for a career in law. In 1983, when Argentina’s military dictatorship ended, a free press began to flourish, and two years later she joined the staff of the town’s only radio station. She founded La Opinión in 1992. The print version was a casualty of COVID, in 2020. La Opinión now operates a website and a weekly radio and streaming show, hosted by Berardi, with a devoted local following.

The offices are a warren of small, cluttered rooms located on a side street downtown. In the back there’s a museum-style exhibition of La Opinión’s history, showcasing typewriters, cellphones and other hardware of the trade, plus awards. Sto -

ries are shellacked to the walls. The whole operation today has nine paid staffers. Money remains tight. One of the rooms has been transformed into a $70-a-weekend-night accommodation for tourists.

While much of La Opinión is mundane — a recent story ran with the headline “He left his bike in the schoolyard and it was stolen” — San Pedro has a knack for producing big, oddball stories. In 2007, it was the tale of a Jamaican national and selfstyled entrepreneur named Max Higgins, who raised money for what he said would be South America’s first Disney theme park, called Disney Mundo, on the outskirts of town. He unveiled the plan after landing in a helicopter on the putative site of the future attraction, flanked by men dressed in Middle Eastern garb, said to be partners from the United Arab Emirates.

Berardi recalled studying the photos of the gathering and noticing that the headscarves on the Middle Easterners looked a lot like tablecloths. The scheme crumbled not long after Walt Disney Co. announced it had never heard of Max Higgins, and La Opinión ran stories about contractors who complained he hadn’t paid them. Some 5,000 people, mostly from Central America, lost their investment. Higgins was later discovered barefoot and homeless in a Buenos Aires park, carrying a briefcase. News accounts in October of last year reported that he’d been committed to a psychiatric hospital.

When Berardi and Flaiman first heard about La China they thought immediately of Disney Mundo. That project had been doomed from its inception, a lie so public and bold that it’s hard to fathom why Higgins thought it would fly. And yet some residents of San Pedro were angry at La Opinión. They had imagined thousands of jobs and waves of visitors, a vision so appealing that they resented anyone who’d ruined the dream.

The La China matter was far trickier. Disney Mundo was the promise of an unrealized fortune. RainbowEx, it seemed, was already paying. And as the summer went on, the number of local investors kept rising.

“In May, we started to gather information,” Flaiman said. “And in the middle of gathering that information, we knew we were at risk.”

The reporters quickly figured out that ground zero for RainbowEx was the workforce at Papel Prensa, a paper factory and the country’s largest newsprint supplier. A few men there had started calling themselves local representatives of a foundation called the Knight Consortium, purportedly based in Singapore and said

to have links to RainbowEx.

The nature of those links was never quite clear, but the Knight Consortium gave RainbowEx a reassuring and civic-minded face. Five percent of profits from the exchange, the consortium said, would fund local food banks and provide uniforms for youth soccer teams. To ensure the organization got credit for this largesse, it put up banners and flags with the foundation logo next to everything it underwrote. RainbowEx wasn’t just a

ting ready for retirement, and I thought, I could make $1,500 a month with this.” That would double his monthly retirement income.

Joining RainbowEx was easy, even for crypto newbies like Rodriguez. First, they downloaded the app from a website — it never appeared on Apple or Google’s app stores. Then, they visited one of the local private lending institutions called financieras. A clerk there would convert Argentine pesos into Tether, a cryptocurrency

When he studied RainbowEx’s code, he made a startling discovery: all of the trades on it were fake.

means to get rich, was the message. It was a shadow welfare system, too.

Word of this generosity spread fast, outpaced only by murmurings about RainbowEx’s returns. Carlos Rodriguez, a 66-year-old vehicle inspector, recalls that friends were buying new TVs, new washing machines. Butcher shops were selling out of meat for barbecues.

Rodriguez had his doubts, but his grandson prodded him. Put a little in.

See what happens. At some point he started to think he’d be the only guy in town without a refurbished roof. Ultimately, he invested $1,700 — in Argentina’s dollarized economy, everyone speaks in U.S. greenbacks — a significant sum for him.

“Every day, my grandson would tell me, you won $13, you won $15, you won $17,” he said, sitting in a Howard Johnson’s restaurant one morning. “I’m get-

ince of Buenos Aires, half of the town is hooked on a Ponzi scheme that claims to yield 1.5% daily.”

Though the post didn’t gain much attention, Berardi and Flaiman took notice. They had yet to publish a word about La China. In a recent interview, they offered a number of reasons. They were not 100% certain that it was a scam. They lacked the means for a deep investigative dive. They were busy with other stories.

Going against the Knight Consortium would also mean attacking an organization that had the aura of a Robin Hood. And there was this: They would be writing about their friends.

“Maximiliano Firtman could say everybody that invested in RainbowEx is an idiot,” Flaiman said. “Well, those idiots are my neighbors. They play basketball with me, they are waiting in line at the supermarket with me. Could I say, ‘All of you are idiots’? No, that was not my place.”

The reporters still didn’t grasp how huge La China had become, they said. But it became impossible to ignore because of an event that took place on Sept. 21. That evening, the Knight Consortium held a glitzy, dressy gala at the Emperador Hotel in Buenos Aires. A video recording on the platform’s Telegram channel captured a sit-down meal attended by a few hundred La China investors. The entertainment included professional tango dancers, singers and a big band ensemble.

pegged to the U.S. dollar. Anyone with cash and a mobile phone could walk into a financiera and walk out ready to trade.

By September, La China had an almost cultish following in San Pedro. People sold possessions or took out loans to bulk up their RainbowEx balance. Nighttime soccer games paused for La China breaks. Some people at the paper factory pocketed so much money, they quit their jobs.

“Together We Knight”

A phenomenon this big could not be contained to town lines. A Buenos Aires web developer and part-time investigative journalist named Maximiliano Firtman, who had been looking into financial scams, started getting tips about San Pedro. On Sept. 15, he posted a kind of heads-up on X:

“I am told that in San Pedro, prov-

Everything about the event suggested that the Knight Consortium had deep pockets and impressive leaders. La China was said to be too busy to attend, but two nattily dressed executives — Timothy Murphy, the marketing director, and Jeremy Jones, the chief operating officer — gave speeches and handed out checks and gold plaques to the most prolific recruiters to the scheme. They posed in front of a huge backdrop emblazoned with the words “Together we Knight, together we shine,” in both Spanish and English.

Firtman studied a video of the event and ran images of the executives, who were presented as Americans, through facial recognition software. One came up as a partial match for a Polish actor named Filip Walcerz, the other was a perfect match for another Polish actor, Maurycy Lyczko.

The discovery gave Firtman a pleasant jolt. Best known for writing and lecturing about software, Firtman, who is 44, has in recent years turned the study of financial scams into a kind of hobby. He can spend hour after hour in bloodhound mode once he’s discovered an intriguing odor. When he studied RainbowEx’s code,

La China, who gave nightly tips

150 he made a startling discovery: all of the trades on it were fake. The nightly swaps of Tether for memecoins through the crypto exchange were pure show. It would later prove to be a deflating revelation for people who thought they were engaged in a cutting-edge activity — crypto trading. In fact, other than acquiring Tether, there was no buying or selling of crypto and no profits. People’s account balances went up only because whoever ran RainbowEx was manipulating the numbers.

It was all an elaborate simulation, one that survived on new recruits. The returns that allowed investors to buy new air-conditioners was just money whisked from the accounts of fresh victims. Like every Ponzi scheme, it was doomed.

On Oct. 1, Firtman spoke on a national radio show about his findings. The next day, La Opinión published its first story about La China. “Knight Consortium representatives in San Pedro assure that ‘this is not a scam,’” read the headline, which quoted those representatives, anonymously, sounding desperate and annoyed. If that initial story treaded lightly, it was followed, on Oct. 5, with an article that flatout called RainbowEx a pyramid scheme. Two days later, Clarin, Argentina’s largest newspaper, published a story by Firtman stating that the two Knight Consortium “executives” were actually Polish actors, one of whom had appeared on Spanish and Polish soap operas and dramas.

That did it. A national TV network soon showed up in San Pedro to do people-on-the-street interviews about La China. The following morning, radio and television reporters from across the country were swarming the town. San Pedro had become national news.

Suddenly infamous, RainbowEx blocked investors trying to withdraw their money. The next week, La China announced that the exchange might be forced to exit the country and would relocate to a new website, called Rainbow PRO. Send $88 worth of Tether, she instructed, or your account will be deactivated. About 2,600 people paid this ransom, a total of more than $220,000. It vanished, too.

As La China investors realized that their original outlay and their fake earnings had disappeared for good, they did not focus their rage on the elusive La China. They blamed the reporters at La Opinión.

On social media, anonymous posters claimed that Berardi and her husband were RainbowEx investors who’d maliciously pulled their own money out right before tanking the whole enterprise. An anonymous caller vowed to bury her. Someone

else posted this warning on social media: “If our paths cross in the street, I’ll kill you.” She filed a complaint with the local court and slept with the windows open, she said, the better to hear intruders.

“No one came, though,” she said. “Online, everyone is brave.”

In mid-October, an anonymous hacker posted to the dark web a database with thousands of names of La China investors and a ledger showing how much each person put in and how much, if anything, they withdrew. La Opinión published information from this hack and shared the database with authorities.

It turned out that City Council members had put money into RainbowEx. So had an entire class at a local high school. So had the chief of police. Some people had extracted $100,000 or more. Far more wound up with losses, on average about $2,000. A few lost their entire life savings.

“I’m

Not the One Who Scammed You”

On Dec. 19, the prosecutor’s office in San Pedro raided 22 locations and arrested seven people. Among those

the scheme. She has until the end of the year to wrap up her investigation. About $3.5 million worth of Tether has been seized, and $46 million is missing.

Nobody seems to know where it is.

The woman whose image was used as La China piped up from Taiwan to say, via her Instagram account, that her photo had been stolen and that she knows nothing about RainbowEx.

“I’m not the one who scammed you,” she wrote.

The Polish actors hired to play Knight Consortium executives were hardly more helpful. They said they were flabbergasted to learn that they had a cameo in a fraud, which they discovered when Firtman contacted them via Instagram in early October. As they explained in an interview posted to YouTube, the pair had been hired by a woman named Ashli from an Asian talent agency, with whom one of the men had previously worked. The two were asked to fly to Buenos Aires for an acting gig, which earned them $1,500 in crypto.

This is what we do for a living, they explained, speaking from Poland, sounding pained and apologetic. We are actors. We

Plus, the exchange purported to offer returns of as much as 2% a day, which works out to roughly 137,000% in a year.

picked up was Luis Pardo, a 31-year-old who once worked at the paper factory. He was reportedly among the first to join RainbowEx, and he attended the September gala; in the video of the event he is holding a plaque and grinning beside one of the Polish actors. Records would later show Pardo withdrew more than $200,000 from the scheme.

Paulo Cordara, a lawyer for Pardo and another person arrested, was interviewed on the radio by Flaiman in December and said that his clients didn’t create the Knight Consortium, have no idea who did and merely recommended that others invest in RainbowEx because it worked for them.

“They didn’t know this was a scam,” Cordara said, “and turned out to be victims who were also scammed.”

Pardo and two other San Pedro residents remain in prison, held on fraud charges. The prosecutor, Maria del Valle Viviani, said in an interview that she considered the three to be essential players in

tical software platform each time. He’s found iterations in Africa, Europe, Asia and North America, where examples have surfaced in Alabama and Washington state. At least 200 versions are currently active, Eldritch said in a phone interview. Each has a different name, and many have La China-like characters dispensing crypto instructions. In a now-expired variant in Italy, the La China persona was called Dolly.

play a role, reading lines written by someone else. We never knowingly deceive.

Firtman was initially skeptical. He came around when he saw that the actors had spent a few days in Buenos Aires and posted photos of their romp around the city to their personal Instagram accounts. One was appended with #Relax. Authorities, apparently figuring the two were oblivious to the scheme, have shown little interest in questioning them.

Same Fraud, Different Logo

In early October, as Berardi sought a better understanding of RainbowEx’s mechanics, she interviewed on her radio show a cyberthreat specialist named Mauro Eldritch, a native of San Pedro who now lives in Uruguay. He told listeners that the exchange was a highly vulnerable mess. Since then, he’s learned much more.

RainbowEx is a version of a scam that has popped up around the world, he said in a recent interview, using a nearly iden-

“These are basically all the same product,” Eldritch said, “with different backgrounds, different designs, different logos.” He traced the original template for these “crypto exchanges” to a Chinese web developer site called DCloud, where it was uploaded in 2021. At the time, it was the scaffolding for a basic and aboveboard crypto app; the parts that facilitate fraud have been added by others. Many others, in fact. The scam appears to be run by a decentralized array of fraudsters, without any apparent coordination. In the RainbowEx case, determining who the perpetrators are, and arresting them, has proven to be a challenge. The Argentine authorities have asked Interpol to arrest two Malaysians, whose names have not been released. They are also looking for millions of dollars worth of crypto that disappeared from San Pedro accounts. Eldritch’s best guess is that the platform is seeded like a virus into different communities, where it is then passed from one person to the next. (Many get a variation of the Knight Consortium to help give it legitimacy.) There were RainbowEx investors in other towns in Argentina, but nowhere did it thrive quite as it did in San Pedro. The place was big enough to attain critical mass and small enough to spread quickly. It also had the right combination of trust and desperation.

Today, the town has a new divide — winners and losers. Thousands of personal dramas have quietly played out. Wives learned that husbands had lied about the amount they had invested, and vice versa. People had to apologize to friends and relatives they’d recruited.

Berardi is still puzzling over the unhappy swath La China cut through San Pedro. She doesn’t know if relationships in the town will fully heal. And she doubts that important lessons have been learned.

A local woman recently told her that she’d invested in something called CryptoMaster, trying to recover what she had lost with RainbowEx.

CryptoMaster has already collapsed.

Forgotten Her es Top Aces of the IAF

By Avi Heiligman

The concept of an ace pilot originated during World War I to designate pilots that had scored five or more aerial victories. While standards varied for various air forces, a kill had to have been confirmed before being added to a pilot’s tally. Ace pilots often became celebrated fliers and are among the most skilled and daring aviators to take to the skies. There are over 45 Israeli pilots that have attained the status of ace pilots; and most aren’t well known to the public.

The Israeli Air Force debuted in 1948 and consisted mainly of ragtag aircraft that had been acquired through purchase on the secondary market and from leftovers from World War II. Most of the experienced pilots came from around the world and had served during World War II. Recruitment of the pilots extended to both Jewish and non-Jewish pilots and aircrew. Jack Doyle was of the 92 non-Jewish Machal volunteers that came to Israel in 1948 to serve in the fledgling IAF.

Born in England, Doyle’s family moved to New Jersey when he was young. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force before the U.S. entered World War II and became a fighter pilot. In 1943, he was sent to North Africa to join the 417 Squadron flying Spitfires. After the Allies forced the Germans out of Italy, the squadron continued to follow the fighting into Italy. On March 29, 1944, Doyle scored his only aerial victory of the war when he shot down a Me-109 fighter and damaged another. It was his 185 th sortie,

and his plane was considerably damaged. The canopy refused to open, so he landed wheels-up on the beach at Anzio. Doyle was wounded during the mission and was eventually taken to a Canadian surgeon who removed bits of metal from his body. He was given credit for shooting down one enemy plane with several more in the probable and damaged categories. Doyle wouldn’t fly again during World War II. He was recruited to fly during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence and joined the IAF’s 101 Squadron. His reasons for flying for Israel were to help the Jewish state and the people that had suffered so much during the Holocaust.

During his time in Israel, Doyle shot down four more planes and earned the title of ace pilot. On December 28, 1948, he was flying with his wingman Gordon Levitt and encountered four Egyptian planes near the Fallujah Pocket. The pilots used hand signals to communicate, and Doyle motioned that the bogies (a term for a suspected hostile aircraft) were flying low. Doyle dove down, shot one down and damaged another. Levitt was also credited for a kill. Two days later, Doyle recorded another aerial victory over an Egyptian Macchi. In the few weeks of the war, Doyle scored two more kills to become an ace.

He returned to Canada after the war and flew again for the Royal Canadian Air Force.

Yisrael Baharav has the fourth-highest number of aerial victories in the IAF

by downing twelve enemy aircraft, but unlike many other ace pilots, his story is not well publicized. Born and raised in Sdot Yam, Baharav is a descendent of the Radmosk Rebbes. He joined the IDF in 1963, became a pilot, and became a member of the IAF Aerobatic Team. His first mission was against enemy ground targets, and he helped his wingman land safely. Yochanan Roser’s plane was hit and he lost an eye during the mission but was directed by Baharav, who guided him back to base.

During the Six Day War, in June 1967, Baharav took part in the first wave of Israeli planes to hit Egyptian ground targets in Operation Focus.

Several air battles took place during the War of Attrition, and Israeli pilots won most of the engagements against the Egyptian and Russian enemy pilots. On October 6, 1969, Baharav was flying the Mirage III with the 101 Squadron when he shot down two Egyptian MiG-21 fighters with cannon fire. On March 25, 1970, he scored his third victory, and two days later, he became an ace pilot with two more kills. A few months later, Baharav added two more MiG-21s to his tally. On July 30, 1970, five Soviet-manned planes were shot down by the IAF. Baharav was on standby during the battle and did not participate.

Just three weeks before the Yom Kippur War broke out in 1973, a large air battle took place over Syria. Twelve Syrian fighters were shot down, including two

MiG-21s by Baharav. He took one down with cannon fire and the other with an Aim-9 missile. On the second day of the Yom Kippur War, as he was taking off, the wheel on the Mirage III exploded, and his hand was badly burned during the crash. After receiving treatment at a hospital, Baharav returned to his squadron. The squadron commander, Avi Lanir, was shot down, taken prisoner, tortured and killed while in captivity by the Syrians. Baharav then took command of the squadron and shot down a MiG-21 on October 23 over Damascus.

On the last day of the war, Baharav and three other pilots were flying Israeli-built Nesher fighter jets that had recently been introduced into the IAF. Baharav shot down two more Egyptian MiG-21s west of Suez.

During his career, he scored twelve aerial victories over MiG-21s, which is more than any other pilot in history. For his leadership and devotion to duty during the Yom Kippur War, he was awarded the Medal of Distinguished Service.

Doyle and Baharav are two of the heroes aces of the IAF. These Forgotten Heroes’ stories are history that deserves to 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.

Israeli Spitfires used in 1948

Yisrael Baharav

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Whether or Not

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

We love the weather reports, though I’m not sure why. They are usually as dependable as going outside and speculating.

However, we are especially tuned in this time of the year. Because whatever our Pesach/our vacation plan, we want to make sure it’s the best choice.

If it’s trekking to the Catskills, we want to be sure there’s some inkling of sun after the cold winter so we can walk off some of

some concerns. Our main point is, it’s gotta be at least better than cleaning and cooking or why all the shlepping?!

And if we stay home, we are hoping for great weather, too. We are ready for it!

Wherever we are, the weather is a big part of Pesach because spring is in the air and we want it to put a little spring into our steps.

Spring is in the air, and we want it to put a little spring into our steps.

that eating outside and to sunbathe a bit.

If it’s skiing somewhere, we want to be sure there’s actually snow to ski on.

If we decide to do Florida, we want to be sure that it’s not the rainy season.

If it’s abroad, we know the sites don’t change, but we hope the food is at least good to decent in these far-off places.

Basically, wherever we go, we have

So, like I said, good luck to us all ‘cause it’s usually anyone’s guess what the weather will be.

So, enjoy the company. The laughter with friends and family. The crunching. The dipping, the searching, and the singing!

And especially the holiday! Freedom – to figure out what you’d like to do each day of chol hamoed, no matter what the weather brings!