Five Towns Jewish Home Issue Aug. 18 2022

YourFiveFavoriteTowns Family NewspaperDistributed weekly in the Five Towns, Long Island, Queens & BrooklynAugust 18, 2022 Around Communitythe PAGES 9, 37 Nassau County Joins with Jerusalem4050“FiveTownsFriendly”CampaignKicksOff49 This Week We’re Talking To… 53 Camp Machaneh Yisrael TownsatofOutpouringSupportOIFFiveBBQ See page 7 Always Fresh. Always Gourmet.

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202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 6 The Jewish Home is an independent weekly magazine. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly. Yitzy Halpern, PUBLISHER publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com Yosef Feinerman, MANAGING EDITOR ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com Shoshana Soroka, EDITOR editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com Nate Davis Editorial Assistant Nechama Wein Copy Editor Rachel Bergida Aliza Nugiel Lani White Design & Production Gabe Solomon Distribution & Logistics P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857 Classified Deadline: Monday 5:00PM classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.comtext443-929-4003 PAYMENT VIA CREDIT CARD MUST BE SUBMITTED ALONG WITH CLASSIFIED ADS Dear Readers, Shabbos Zemanim Friday, August 19 Parshas Eikev Candle Lighting: 7:29 pm Shabbos Ends: 8:29 pm Rabbeinu Tam: 8:58 pm Weekly Weather | August 19 – August 25 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 86°72° 6982°° 83°69° 81°71° 81°71° 82°70° 7083°°

The subject of tipping came up in a conversa tion I had on Shabbos. Many restaurants now have credit card machines that the waiters bring to the table for the patrons to insert their cards and pay for the meal. Those machines are wonderful at keeping business moving. After all, it saves time for the waiter and the customer if there’s no need to head back and forth to the register. But it can create an uncomfortable situation when you need to add in an amount to tip – and you’re doing it in front of your server. Do you feel an obligation to “over-tip” because your waiter is standing over you and watching what you’re doing? And what about if you’re picking up food to “go,” and the credit card machine asks you about a tip. Do you feel an obligation to add in a tip then? Personally, I don’t. I ordered the food to go, and tips should be given when you’re pleased with your service. But I didn’t receive any service if I’m getting my food to eat at my home. Maybe I should tip myself because I’m going to be the one wash ing the dishes! Other people don’t agree with my logic. They still feel guilty when that machine asks for a tip – regardless of where they’re eating their food – and so they add something more to the bill. In many industries, employees rely on tips. Their base pay is low because customers are ex pected to tip them for their service. We once host ed a young man at our Shabbos table who grew up not frum and would bartend on weekends. He would come home with hundreds of dollars in tips after working at large parties. He had a rep ertoire of jokes he would tell as he mixed drinks for patrons, and they loved it. He was part of the entertainment, and they paid him extra for that service.Sometimes, I wish that we could go back to a time when tipping was about expressing your appreciation to someone who helped you. When it was something that came from the heart and helped to communicate a “thank you” in more than just words. I wish that gratuities wouldn’t be something that are expected; instead, they are seen by those who receive them as an added bonus for the service that was provided, as an acknowl edgment and appreciation for a job well done. I’d tip my hat to that. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

Cloudy CloudyPartly T oday was the first time I received a certain type of phone call. It was a rebbe calling me from camp. Since it’s the second-to-last day of camp, and I hadn’t heard from him before, I was concerned. But he assured me right away that everything was fine. Kids were doing great – as a matter of fact, they were celebrating a siyum that day. And my son was doing well. He was just calling to thank me for the monetary gesture of hakaras hatov that I sent that morning. I was surprised. This was the first time that I ever received a thank you call from a staff member at a camp after giving them their tip. I was so im pressed. The rebbe wanted to show his apprecia tion for something that has become standardized and expected. And that’s what made the call so remarkable. Gratuities have become so much part of the norm that they’ve become something that’s almost compulsory.

MostlySunny

CloudyPartlyCloudy Thunder-ScatteredStorms Thunder-ScatteredStorms

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coasters? 31% 69% Yes No LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 8 COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll 8 Community Happenings This Week We’re Talking to…Camp Machaneh Yisrael NEWS Global 12 National 32 That’s Odd 36 ISRAEL Israel News 24 Land of the People by

Steven Sussman Dear Editor, Rivky Itzkowitz’s article on social me dia was powerful. Rivky is clearly some one to be admired. She has the singular quality of being able to take a step back from the crowd and consider if some thing she is doing is truly correct or not.

Deutsch 78 JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha 64 Growing Up by Rav Moshe Weinberger 66 Delving into the Daf by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow 68 PEOPLE Recollections of Rebbetzin Sara Laya Brazil, z”l 60 Bringing Torah to the Hamptons 70 The Wandering Jew 74 Flying with the Bomb by Avi Heiligman 102 HEALTH & FITNESS The Many Pasta-bilities to Eating Better by Aliza Beer, MS RD 84 When Moshiach Comes by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn 86 FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Minestrone Soup 90 LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 80 Parenting Pearls 88 Mind Your Business 92 our Money 110 Let’s Talk Cholent by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 111 HUMOR Centerfold 62 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE Notable Quotes 94 The Inflation Reduction Act? Try the IRS Enforcement Act Instead by Marc A. Thiessen 99 One Year’s Hindsight on Afghanistan by David Ignatius 100 CLASSIFIEDS 104 6478

It is not easy taking that step back. In fact, for many people, I’m sure, the fact that “everyone” is doing something is considered almost a “hechsher” of the fact that that thing is OK to do. They don’t bother to think for themselves and consider if something is acceptable for their life, their family, and their values. I take this as a lesson for my life. I hope to use that concept of “taking a step back” and contemplating if what others are doing is appropriate for me and my life.This is truly a wonderful tactic to em ploy as Elul is quickly approaching. Adina W. Dear Editor, Krias haTorah and chazaras ha’shatz are among the times during davening when people are tempted to start a con versation with a friend. At Rabbi Oel baum’s shlita shul, at those points, Dr. Leslie Bennett would spring up to dis tribute parsha printouts. Fast forward a generation to the re cent meet-and-greet with Republican gu bernatorial candidate Lee Zeldin at the home of Dr. Bennett’s children, Sorolle and Shimmy Idels. Like her father, she, too, was offering up food for thought. Unlike her father, who was trying to keep people quiet, she was trying to get people talking. To create a buzz and impress upon those gathered the im portance of talking to their friends and neighbors regarding the upcoming elec tions. Her impassioned yet measured in troduction of Congressman Zeldin laid out why indeed this election is different from all Thereothers.wasa Rebbe who threw people for a loop when approached for a bracha The Rebbe’s blessing always was: “May the Al-Mighty make sure that many things trouble you.” This is a blessing? The Rebbe explained. We all have problems. The car needs repair; the dry roller Mrs. Barbara

Do you enjoy going on

Dear Editor, I agree with the answers provided by all of the Navidater panelists to last week’s question from the parents who didn’t want their child to date/marry someone from “out of town.”

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 8 Continued on page 10 Contents

Perhaps you were all being “political ly correct,” but you all missed one im portant point! The Zaidy came the clos est, but I think you were all being much too Thesenice! parents a re controlling and possibly narcissistic. Frankly, if their fu ture mechutanim would become aware of their concerns, it is they who I think should be extremely worried! These peo ple sound like overbearing and domi neering parents who in all likelihood will attempt to impose on their children the exact controls that they are worried will be imposed by the in-laws! A nd if I am reading it wrong, at the very least it is THEY who are the shallow ones! I feel sorry for the kids.

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202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 10 Continued from page 8 SCHEDULECLOTHINGDRIVEAPICKUPTODAY!Call(347)837-8256orgotowww.TheChesedCenter.comWEACCEPT:CLOTHING | SHOES | TOYS | HOUSEWARES | ELECTRONICS | ODDS & ENDS THE CHESED CENTER PROVIDES TOYS AND CLOTHING TO OVERFAMILIES.6,000 THAT EXTRA CLUTTER HOUSEAROUNDSITTINGYOURCANMAKE A REAL DIFFERENCE.

The Chesed Donation Center picks up all your unwanted clothing & housewares items and distributes them to local Gemachs within the community. cleaning has to be picked up; you really want the new iPhone but you’re not due for an upgrade; your child’s principal wants to speak to you about a serious be havior problem. But if there’s a major health issue in the family, you wouldn’t be think ing about the room that needs painting or the computer that needs fixing. You wouldn’t even notice the check engine light flashing when dealing with a family financial crisis. Many problems mean no big ones. Usually, there are many critical issues at play in the upcoming elections, any one of which could be decisive regarding who you vote for. It’s not about grandiose political con cepts. It’s about matters that impact our lives and our ability to live in security and freely as observant Jews. Our streets and subways are under attack.Those who want prosecutors to prose cute are under attack. Our yeshivas are under attack. Those who believe the parents are en titled to input on their children’s educa tion are under attack. Those who believe in the constitu tional right to free exercise of religion are underThereattack.are demands for changes in the curriculum of all schools. L ee Zeldin will protect our yeshivas from government mandates to teach that provisions are virtues. He will have the back of those that protect and serve our communities to keep them safe and offer full support to ourHepolice.will demand that those elected to enforce the law will do their job or he will begin the process to remove them from thoseThejobs.national trend and local politics suggest that Lee Zeldin can win. Unless we fail to do our part. Unless we fail to realize what’s at stake.Unless we get complacent and rely on our neighbors to deliver the votes needed for his victory. Jack Brach Dear Editor, Rabbi Duvi Bensoussan gives an ei tzah on how to learn based on the times we find ourselves in. He notes that we are now in achirat hayamim, which requires us to learn the sugya le’acharit – to its end, in depth. By achieving clarity in the sugya with all the commentators we are pushing ourselves and indicating that we want the end of galut and the light of Moshiach. Dovid Kaduri Dear Editor, As the bouncing ball of the Senate, Senator Joe Manchin has made another deal with ultra-liberal Majority Leader Chuck Schumer: spending $750 billion for climate, tax increase, health care, etc., with money we don’t have! Printing more money will escalate inflation and not reduce it! To slap a 15% minimum tax on corpo rations at an inflammatory time like this is insane. They will pass it on to us and may even move their production facilities to more favorable countries. Thus, we will pay additional money for our daily needs and may even lose our jobs. You don’t increase taxes when our economy is in recession! Joe Manchin is a traitor and people like him have no place in Washington. His approval rating in West Virginia is in the tank. Hopefully, his time as Senator will end for good in January 2025. He inz GardenMayerCity, NY Dear Editor, I very much enjoy your publication which delivers Torah, derech eretz and common sense in consistent fashion. Talking about consistency, I wanted to share an idea relating to the Mikdash, as we are coming off of Tisha B’Av. The gematria of Mikdash (444) is the same gematria of tamid (minus the yud). One of the things we are missing because we don’t have the Mikdash is the Karban Tamid. For just that one thing, it’s worth yearning for the Mikdash as it exhibits how consistency is so valued by the Cre ator. Yehoshua Hav Dear Editor, In mesechtas Bava Kama, daf 54 b, it says if someone locks up his animals properly and it escapes and causes dam age then the owner is patur. If he didn’t lock them up properly and they escape and cause damage, then the owner is chayiv. The Mishnah tells us that having an improper fence is tantamount to not havingReadingone. the Gemara we may think, “What kind of person would have an im proper fence? The animals can escape and cause so much damage! Lives can be put at stake!” Let’s try and apply this to us in ways we can understand and are relevant.Many of us and our children have “ko sher phones” – or so we think. The truth is that no flip phone is kosher unless explicitly mentioned in product specifi cations or visibly certified by a reliable/ known hechsher, otherwise, it is a reg ular smartphone with a keypad – like a pig showing off its split hooves in an at tempt to convey that it’s kosher. So, too, we brandish our flip phones to the world advertising that it’s kosher while it’s not. Why is this? To put it simply, flip phones have a hidden SD card that holds all of the original apps and serves to re install them to the phone in case they get erased (reset). However, when a person gets a “counterfeit filter,” it deletes the in ternet app from the phone itself, not the hidden SD card. This can be done simply by plugging the phone into a computer and using a certain free program to in stall or uninstall apps. (In contrast with the tens of thousands of dollars organi zations spend developing proper kosher filters. Anyway, this is how some flip phones have installed apps like Waze or Spotify. This is problematic because in the case of a reset of the phone it’ll re vert to its default state supplied by this hidden drive we mentioned previously, which means the internet is back.

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Hundreds, if not thousands, of people have this “non-filter” on their phones. I once walked into a yeshiva where many, if not most, of the bochurim have this “filter.” a primary goal should be to make rebbeim aware of the fallacies of false fil ters. My yeshiva requires a receipt from a reliable filtering organization that match es your phone. Every yeshiva should have a similar solution. How to tell if the flip phone is improp erly filtered: 1) If there are apps like Waze or Spotify; 2) If in settings there is an option in the main menu called “devel opers options” that can be accessed when pressed on. How to tell if the phone is properly filtered: 1) External labels of name brand filters are great indicators; 2) when the phone is turned off and on, the logo of the filtering organization is displayed; 3) In settings by “about phone, software infor mation,” press “build number” five times it should say “you are a developer”. Upon returning to settings, click developer op tion – you shouldn’t be able to access that option. If you can, it indicates the filter is outdated, unreliable, or isn’t even there.

A Bochur in Yeshiva

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced last month that of ficials made a “substantial” offer for a deal to secure the release of Griner and Whelan, but he has not confirmed media reports that Washington offered to swap Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout, who is serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States, in exchange. Senior Russian officials have repeat edly warned Washington against “mega phone diplomacy,” or efforts to use public pressure to try to obtain Griner’s release in talks. Moscow has demanded that such talks take place behind closed doors and without public comment on the de tails of negotiations. The Kremlin warned last week that any disclosures could “thwart the entire procedure.”

Russia confirmed last week that ne gotiations between Washington and Moscow on a prisoner exchange are un derway, after the United States proposed a deal to release WNBA star Brittney Gri ner and another American prisoner, Paul Whelan, from Russia.

South Korea’s President Yoon Sukyeol pardoned Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Jay Y. Lee on Friday. The justice ministry noted that the business leader was needed to help overcome a “national economic crisis.” Lee is already out on parole after serving 18 months in prison for bribery. As such, the pardon is mostly symbolic. Even so, the pardon will help Lee carry out business activities with fewer legal restrictions and could herald some large investments from Samsung, the world’s biggest smartphone and memory-chip maker.“With urgent needs to overcome the national economic crisis, we carefully selected economic leaders who lead the national growth engine through active technology investment and job creation to be pardoned,” Justice Minister Han Dong Hoon said. South Korea is very much tech- and export-dependent. Asia’s fourth-largest economy is dealing with soaring inflation and weakening demand. Lee, an heir of Samsung’s founding family, welcomed the decision and vowed to work hard for the national economy “with continuous investment and job creation.”Alsopardoned by Yoon was Lotte Group chairman Shin Dong-bin, who was sentenced to a two-and-a-half-year prison sentence on charges of bribery re lated to charges against former President ParkInGeun-hye.astatement, Lotte said Shin would also help in “overcoming the complex globalParkcrisis.”herself was pardoned late last year by her successor, liberal President Moon Jae-in, who struggled to follow through on campaign vows to clean up overthrown after protests swept the country in 2017.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 12 The Week In News

Former Marine Whelan, 52, a security consultant arrested in 2018 and convict ed of spying in 2020, is serving a 16-year prison sentence. He says he was framed.

business and politics. Park had been

A Prisoner Swap for Griner?

Pardon SamsungforLeader

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ivan Nechayev said Thursday that nego tiations about an exchange began after Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov confirmed last week that Russia was willing to talk.

The Biden administration has been under pressure to secure Griner’s release after her arrest at Moscow’s Sheremet yevo International Airport in February. She was carrying two vape cartridges with cannabis oil, containing less than a gram of the substance, which is banned in Russia. Griner asked the court for leniency but was sentenced last Thursday to 9½ years in prison. Her lawyers have an nounced plans to appeal.

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202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 14 Venezuela and MendingColombiaTies

For at least three years the countries of Venezuela and Colombia have felt fric tion in their relationship. Last week, in an attempt to assuage the strains, the nations appointed ambassadors to each other’s capitals, moving to rebuild rela tions between the two countries. The appointments come days after the inauguration of Colombia’s first left ist president, Gustavo Petro, who has ex pressed his intention to normalize diplo matic relations with Venezuela. Venezuelan President Nicolas Mad uro appointed Felix Plasencia, a former foreign minister, as ambassador to Bogo ta, calling him “a man of great diplomatic experience.” Petro named Armando Ben edetti, a former senator, as Colombia’s ambassador to Caracas. Maduro added that Vice President Delcy Rodriguez will be in charge of de signing a plan to reopen Venezuela’s bor der with Colombia and boost trade and investment with its neighbor. The two countries share more than 2,500 kilometers of border.

On August 15, 1947, at the stroke of midnight, British colonial rule final ly ended after 200 years over India. On Monday, the nation celebrated 75 years of independence.Standingin front of the historic Red Fort in Delhi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi pledged to transform India into a developed country in the next 25 years. “The way the world is seeing India is changing. There is hope from India and the reason is the skills of 1.3 billion Indi ans,” Modi said. “The diversity of India is our strength. Being the mother of de mocracy gives India the inherent power to scale new heights.”

Since gaining independence, India has built one of the world’s fastest growing economies, is home to some of the world’s richest people, and, according to the Unit ed Nations, its population will soon sur pass China’s as the world’s largest. But despite the nation’s surging wealth, poverty remains a daily reality for millions of Indians and significant challenges remain for a diverse and growing nation of disparate regions, lan guages, and Followingfaiths.independence, India was in chaos. Reeling from a bloody parti tion that k illed between 500,000 and 2 million people, and uprooted an estimat ed 15 million more, it was synonymous withAveragepoverty.life expectancy in the years after the British left was just 37 for men and 36 for women, and only 12% of Indi ans were literate. The country’s GDP was $20 billion, according to scholars. Fast forward three-quarters of a cen tury and India’s nearly $3 trillion econ omy is now the world’s fifth largest and among its fastest growing. The World Bank has promoted India from low-in come to middle-income status – a bracket that denotes a gross national income per capita of between $1,036 and $12,535. Literacy rates have increased to 74% for men and 65% for women, and the average life expectancy is now 70 years. Some Indians occupy senior roles in some of the world’s biggest tech compa nies, including Google chief executive Sundar Pichai, Microsoft CEO Satya Na della and Twitter boss Parag Agrawal. India has seen a proliferation of bil lionaires – it is now home to more than 100, up from just nine at the turn of the millennium. Among them are in frastructure tycoon Gautam Adani, whose net worth is more than $130 bil lion, according to Forbes, and Mukesh Ambani, founder of Reliance Industries, who’s worth about $95 billion. Still, slums line the streets beneath high-rise buildings and children dressed in rags beg for money. As recently as 2017, about 60% of India’s nearly 1.3 billion peo ple were living on less than $3.10 a day, according to the World Bank, and women still face widespread discrimination in the

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41 Killed in Cairo Fire Dozens of people were killed on Sun day morning when a scorching fire erupt ed at a church in Cairo during prayers. Fourteen people were taken to the hospital for treatment. At least 41 people died in the blaze at the Coptic Orthodox Church of Abou Seifain in Imbaba, which is located in Giza.

The interior ministry, which oversees the Civil Protection Authority, said the fire “broke out in an air-conditioner on the second floor of the church building, which includes a number of classrooms, as a result of an electrical fault.”

Caracas broke off relations with Bo gota in early 2019 after members of the Venezuelan opposition tried to cross from Colombian territory with trucks loaded with food and medicine.

Most people died from smoke inhala tion. Others died in a stampede that en sued after the flames took over the build ing. A large number of people who died were children. “I am closely following the develop ments of the tragic accident ... and I have directed all concerned state institutions to take all necessary measures, and im mediately to deal with this incident and its effects and to provide all aspects of healthcare to the injured,” Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Facebook.Sisihad also ordered the army’s en gineering authority to carry out the pro cess of restoring the damaged church building.Theblaze marks one of the worst tragedies in recent years to hit Egypt’s Christian community, which makes up around 10% of the country’s population. In 2017, twin suicide bombings in churches in the Mediterranean city of Al exandria and the Nile Delta city of Tanta killed more than 40 people. A few months later, gunmen killed nine worshippers at a church south of Cairo. India Turns 75

Maduro’s government alleged that the aid masked an attempted coup by the op position with support from Washington.

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Mexico’s National Guard

President Andrés Manuel López Ob rador of Mexico is now considering hand ing formal control of the National Guard to the army without congress’s approval, a move that could extend the military’s control over policing in a country with high levels of violence. Just a few years ago, López Obrador won approval for creating the force by pledging in the con stitution that it would be under nominal

The Somali military said it captured the terrorist group’s main stronghold in the region, located outside the town of Mahas and also destroyed its hideouts.

President Joe Biden, back in May, agreed to deploy roughly 500 troops to Soma lia roughly 18 months after the previous administration withdrew them just days before the current administration com menced.Asenior administration official told reporters at the time that al-Shaabab has “unfortunately only grown stronger” and “has increased the tempo of its attacks, including against U.S. personnel.”

Gen. Stephen Townsend, the former com mander of AFRICOM, testified in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee in mid-March a nd warned lawmakers t hat the terror group “has only grown stron ger and bolder over the past year.”

India is also involved with world af fairs. Initially, it stayed out of world pol itics, avoiding siding with the United States or the Soviet Union. Since then, it has played on the world stage, with the U.S. seeing India as vital in the fight against China.

EliminatedTerroristsAl-Shabab

“The Federal Government of Soma lia and U.S. Africa Command take great measures to prevent civilian casualties,” a release said. “These efforts contrast with the indiscriminate attacks that alShabab regularly conducts against the civilian population.”

Al-Shabab (which means “the Youth”) is an Islamist insurgent group based in Somalia. While it once wielded power

army and navy as heroic, patriotic and less corruptible, and has entrusted them with building major infrastructure proj ects, running airports and trains, stop ping migrants, and overseeing customs at seaports.

According to U.S. Africa Command, three airstrikes conducted last week in Somalia resulted in the elimination of four al-Shabaab terrorists. No one else was killed in the strikes last Tuesday. On Sunday, 14 al-Shabab terrorists were killed in U.S. airstrikes. The airstrike was conducted by the U.S. military to support Somali troops who were conducting op

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 16 deeply parochial country.

civilian control and that the army would be off the streets by 2024. Despite the National Guard and the military’s forces, the country is still in deep trouble. This past week, drug car tels staged widespread arson and shoot ing attacks, terrifying civilians in three main northwest cities in a bold chal lenge to the state. On Saturday, authori ties sent 300 army special forces and 50 National Guard members to the border city of Still,Tijuana.López Obrador wants to keep soldiers involved in policing and remove civilian control over the National Guard, whose officers and commanders are mostly soldiers, with military training and pay grades. The president no longer has the votes in congress to amend the constitution and has suggested he may try to do it as a regulatory change with a simple majority in congress or by an executive order and see if the courts will uphold that.

erations against al-Shabab.

Ironically, when López Obrador was running for president, he called for tak ing the army off the streets. But being in power — and seeing homicides running at their highest sustained levels ever — apparently changed his mind. He has relied heavily on the military not just for crime-fighting. He sees the

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 17

Why Did Ghani Run?

A walrus has become the main topic of conversation in Norway. Freya became the country’s most celebrated marine mammal. She had

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre

ister

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202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 18 over the capital of Mogadishu and large portions of the Somali countryside, in recent years, the African Union-led mil itary campaign has pushed it back from population centers. Even so, it continues to mount lethal attacks against Western and African Union forces and civilians. The U.S. State Department declared al-Shabab a foreign terrorist organiza tion in 2008. Its leadership declared al legiance to al-Qaeda in 2012.

earlier

This week, Norway decided to eutha nize the pet over concerns for her welfare and the risk to the crowds that flocked to see her antics. The government said it feared the an imal could injure or kill one of the many people who had been gathering just feet away to take photos, throw objects and even swim in the water near Freya as she bathed in the sun or slept. “I am firm that this was the right call [to euthanize her]. We have great regard for animal welfare, but human life and safety must take precedence,” said Di rector General of Fisheries Frank Bak ke-Jensen on Sunday. Her death has shocked the nation. One broadcaster moaned that she was “killed by her audience.”

It’s been a year since the Ashraf Ghani abandoned his people and the Taliban took over Afghanistan. Now, the former president is defend ing his escape in which he says was a split-second decision to blot, asserting that he wanted to avoid the humiliation of surrender to the insurgents. Ghani also told CNN that on the told him that day that Kabul could not be defended. The former leader also alleged that one of the cooks in the palace had been offered $100,000 to poison him and that he felt his immediate environment was no longer safe. “The reason I left was because I did not want to give the Taliban and their supporters the pleasure of yet again hu miliating an Afghan president and mak ing him sign over the legitimacy of the government,” he said. “I have never been afraid.”Critics say Ghani’s sudden and secret departure on August 15 left the city rud derless as U.S. and NATO forces were in the final stages of their chaotic with drawal from the country after 20 years. Ghani also denied persistent alle gations that he took tens of millions of dollars in cash with him as he and other officials fled in helicopters. In a report issued last week, a Con gressional watchdog concurred, saying that it’s unlikely Ghani and his senior advisers transported that much cash on ture, the emphasis on passengers over

Walrus Wars

Freya’s memory had raised 160,000 Norwegian Kroner ($16,500) by Tuesday morning on fundraising platform Spleis.

“This is Norway in a nutshell,” Rune Aae, a biologist who had been t racking Freya’s journey a round northern Europe, told NBC News. “Too often, we kill the animals we don’t like or can’t cope with. It’s an outrage in Norway how we are treating these kind of animals.”

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 19

Despite promises by the Taliban to improve life for local residents, living conditions remain some of the worst in the world a year since the U.S.-led coali tion abandoned the country. The United States is concerned that minority rights have been relegated to the sidelines and secondary education for women has yet to be reinstated. The U.S. and its allies are also con cerned that aid money would be used for terrorism. The recent assassination of al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri in Kabul is a testament to the Taliban’s will ingness to shelter top terrorists despite indications that it’s seeking improved re

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 20 consistent alignment in detailed ac counts from witnesses on the ground and in the air all suggest that there was little more than $500,000 in cash on board the helicopters,” wrote the Office of the Special Inspector General for Af ghanistan Reconstruction, which has tried to monitor the massive U.S. spend ing in the country over the years. The agency added that “it remains a strong possibility that significant amounts of U.S. currency disappeared from Afghan government property in the chaos of the Taliban takeover, in cluding millions from the presidential palace” and the vault of the National Directorate of Security. However, the report said the watchdog was unable to determine how much money was stolen and by whom. It’s been a hard year for Afghanis. Since the Taliban took over, women and girls have been limited in their educa tion and job opportunities. The Taliban has been ostracized by governments worldwide, plummeting the country further into poverty and hunger. Despite those challenges, the Tal iban-led government planned several events Monday to mark the one-year anniversary, including speeches by Tal iban officials and several sports events.

ished state unbearable for a vast majority

nabete and Conchas Norte mines from

Mexican Miners Trapped It’s been two weeks since ten miners in Mexico found themselves trapped in a flooded coalmine. Rescue workers have been hitting setbacks as underground water levels surge higher, thwarting their lifesaving efforts. The miners became confined under ground at the Pinabete mine in the bor der state of Coahuila on August 3 when their excavation work led a tunnel wall to collapse and unleashed flooding. The surge came from the nearby Con chas Norte mine, which closed due to flooding in 1996 and has since accumu lated nearly 2 million cubic meters (528 million gallons) of water, noted Laura Velazquez, head of Mexico’s civil protec tionEngineersagency. now plan to seal off the Pi one another while continuing to pump water out of Pinabete, Velazquez said. Hopefully, they will be able to reach the minersLastthen.week, Mexican officials managed to reduce water levels at the mine, but on Monday, the water levels rushed back to their height at the time of the collapse, reaching more than 135 feet at some points.Arescue team on Sunday was prepar ing to descend into one of the mine shafts when the water flooded back, Velazquez noted.“This sudden entry forced us to stop the whole entry plan,” Velazquez said. A video camera lowered into the shaft re vealed debris of pipes and cables float ing in the “extremely murky water,” she added. A Year Later, a CrisisHumanitarian Afghanistan is nearing another win ter with a failing economy and Western sanctions making life in the impover of its residents. According to a UN re port, almost half the country has nothing to eat. Another report dating back to May indicates that as many as 43% of Afghans consume less than one meal a day.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 21

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 22 lations with the U.S. and the West.

The United States is concerned about a humanitarian crisis and millions of refugees streaming out of the war-torn country. It has already released $1 bil lion of frozen funding through the World Bank and hopes to work with the Taliban to improve living conditions in Afghan istan, but concerns that funding will be channeled toward terrorism aimed at America instead of being given to other impoverished nations continue to stand in the way of more aid.

A woman in her 40s with Down’s syndrome drowned along with her sister and the sister’s 13-year-old daughter last Monday, August 8, when record-break ing rains hit the South Korean capital city of Seoul, wreaking havoc in their path and flooding the women’s home. During a visit to the flooded home, Seoul Mayor Oh Se-hoo vowed to elim inate the city’s underground homes, called “banjihas,” which were construct ed in the 1970s and originally intended to serve as bomb shelters for a possible North Korean nuclear strike. When the far-Eastern nation underwent a financial boom over the coming decades, migrants

Afghanistan remains largely isolated. Not one nation has recognized the new regime since its takeover. While Taliban officials insist that frozen bank accounts belong to the people of the country and should be reinstated, $9 billion in fro zen central bank funds, along with halt ed foreign aid that amounted to almost 80% of the local budget, have moved the country closer to a humanitarian crisis of tragic proportions.

Taliban Leader Killed A prominent Taliban religious leader, Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani, has been killed in a bombing attack at a seminary in Kabul.“Very sadly informed that respect ed cleric [Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani] was martyred in a cowardly attack by enemies,” said Bilal Karimi, a spokesper son for the Taliban administration, on Thursday.Itwasnot immediately clear who was behind the blast. The Reuters news agen cy, citing four Taliban sources, said the attacker was someone who had previous ly lost his leg and had hidden the explo sives in a plastic artificial leg.

“We are investigating who this … per son was and who had brought him to this important place to enter the personal of

The squalid banjihas gained interna tional exposure after the release of the award-winning 2019 movie “Parasite,” which documented a fictional family’s at tempts to escape poverty in South Korea. Since the movie came out, inequality in one of the world’s fastest growing nations has caught the attention of the media, with some calling to outlaw banjihas in the city’s poorer neighborhoods.

The Banjihas of South Korea

and lower-income families began moving into these subterranean apartments. Skyrocketing housing prices in South Korea have exacerbated the prob lem with an average apartment in the nation’s capital more than doubling over the past five years and currently going for approximately $963,000. Some local residents have had little choice but to settle for the dingy banjiha apartments, as the average national salary coupled with living costs make Seoul one of the most expensive locations worldwide –on par with the likes of Singapore, Lon don, and San Francisco.

The coming of winter threatens to complicate matters as residents ready themselves for life without heating and increased food shortages. A year after the American withdraw al, life in Afghanistan has gotten pro gressively worse – and hopes of a new Taliban, better equipped to deal with modern challenges, have all but disap peared.

Despite the government making strides to get rid of banjihas by prohib iting them in “habitually flooded areas” following deadly floods in 2010 and 2011, 40,000 additional banjihas were con structed after the measures were ratified, according to a report by city authorities.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 23

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In a heart wrenching and avoidable tragedy, an IDF soldier was killed in a friendly fire incident in the West Bank on MondayNathannight.Fitoussi, 20, had left the group to pray. When he came back to his

A shocking explosion at a fireworks storage area tore through a popular mar ket in Armenia’s capital on Sunday, killing at least one person, injuring 36 others, and setting off a large fire. The fireworks ignited a fire and plumes of smoke, result ing in people running for their lives and others trapped in the rubble. One person was killed in the incident. At least 36 others were injured. It took more than three hours for firefighters to get the blaze at Surmalu market under control. Pillars of smoke blanketed the center of Yerevan. Res cue workers and volunteers in civilian clothes searched for victims who might be trapped under slabs of concrete and twisted metal. Explosions of fireworks punctuated the air as firemen worked to douse the flames and workers rummaged through rubble to find survivors. The market, about two kilometers south of city center, is popular for its low prices and variety of goods. Soldier Killed by Friendly Fire

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 24 fice of Sheikh Rahimullah Haqqani. It’s a very huge loss for the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,” said a senior Taliban offi cial of the interior ministry, referring to the group’s name for its administration. Haqqani was a prominent scholar in the Taliban who had survived previous attacks, including a large blast in the northern Pakistani city of Peshawar in 2020 claimed by the ISIL (ISIS) group that killed at least seven people. A U.S.-led invasion toppled the Tali ban government following the Septem ber 11, 2001, attacks. Since coming back into power a year ago, the Taliban have said that they have restored security in the country. Despite their assurances, attacks remain an almost constant oc currence. Regular attacks by armed groups, many of them claimed by an ISIL affiliate known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province, ISKP (ISIS-K), have taken place in recent months. Lately, the group has increased at tacks on mosques and minorities across Afghanistan. In June, ISKP claimed re sponsibility for the attack on a Sikh tem ple in Kabul, killing two people. The ISIL affiliate, which has been operating in Afghanistan since 2014, is seen as the greatest security challenge facing the country’s Taliban government.

Fireworks Blast in Armenia

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 25

Wennesland said the visit was part of the UN’s commitments in the cease fire that brought an end to the three-day conflict between Israel and PIJ. “I reiterate that the ceasefire in Gaza is very fragile, and I call on all sides to preserve the calm,” Wennesland said on Twitter.PIJ, meanwhile, has threatened to resume fighting if Israel fails to release Saadi and Awawdeh, who is currently on a hunger strike in protest of his deten tion without charge. Saadi, 61, has been jailed and re leased by Israel seven times over the years, according to the Shin Bet.

Israel Nabs Gold Israel took gold on Monday in the men’s team marathon event at the Eu ropean Athletics Championships in Mu nich, an extraordinary success coming 50 years after the massacre of Israeli athletes in the same city.

The lockdown was maintained for four days amid concerns that PIJ would try to fire anti-tank missiles at Israe li targets along the border. Eventually, the IDF launched a series of airstrikes in Gaza against a senior PIJ command er and several anti-tank guided missile squads, which prompted rocket fire from the Strip. After nearly three days of fighting, a ceasefire agreement was signed, which reportedly included “Egypt’s commit ment to work toward the release of” Saadi and another Palestinian detainee, Khalil Awawdeh, a terror group spokes person, said. But Israel has said that it has no in tention of releasing the prisoners early. Defense Minister Benny Gantz said last week he was “not familiar with a prom ise to release terrorists.”

According to a family friend, “The family has no anger toward the soldier who shot. Not only are they not angry with him, they even feel sorry for him and I have no doubt that they would want to meet him, “said Meir Fitoussi, a close friend of the deceased soldier’s father.“The father is a dentist. They have three daughters…and Nathan was the only son. They left everything in France and came to Israel,” he added. Military spokesperson Ran Kochav said that the shooting soldier was co operating with the ongoing investiga tion. “We will take care of him and try to understand what went through his mind and why this mistake was made,” he said.

26 comrades in the Kfir Brigade near the Palestinian city of Tulkarem, another soldier mistook him for the enemy.

PIJ Leader to Sit in Jail Bassem Saadi, senior Palestinian Is lamic Jihad member, is being held in jail. He had been arrested at the beginning of the month; his detainment sparked a round of fighting between Israel and the terror group in the Gaza Strip. This week, the court at the Ofer mil itary base ordered Saadi be held for an other six days, until August 21. Saadi, the leader of the terror group in the West Bank, was arrested on Au gust 1 by Israeli troops in the Palestin ian city of Jenin. The PIJ, in response, announced it was declaring a state of alert. The Israel Defense Forces, saying it had concrete indications of an immi nent attack on the Gaza border, put the area on lockdown for several days.

The army says the soldier who had killed Nathan had followed the mili tary’s open-fire procedures. The proce dure includes shouting at a suspect to halt, firing into the air, and only using deadly force if the soldier feels threat ened.Nathan was buried at the Netanya military cemetery on Tuesday morning.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe

Last week, UN’s Middle East en voy Tor Wennesland said his office dis patched a team to visit Saadi.

Israel’s Marhu Teferi also won a silver medal in the individual runners’ compe tition, while fellow Israeli Gashau Ayale picked up the bronze. Along with Teferi and Ayale, who are both Ethiopian-born Israelis, the other

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Tragedy Jerusalemin Three people lost their lives last Thursday night when a bus on Shamgar Street in Jerusalem swerved into a bus stop. At least nine others were injured. The driver told authorities that he was attempting to fix a malfunction on then rolled into the crowd. Shoshana Glustein, 40, of Ofakim, who was pregnant, was killed in the crash. Two of her daughters, Chaya Sara, 7, and Chana, 3, were also killed. Their funeral was held on Friday af ternoon in Jerusalem, with hundreds in attendance.Eulogizing his loved ones, Shosha na’s widowed husband Rabbi Dov Glus tein said, “The L-rd gave, and the L-rd has taken away. Everyone has their own time that they should be here in this world.”Headded, “The fact that we are now crying is a mistake. We received Mom for a limited period of time, and we re ceived Sarah and Chana for a limited period of time and it wasn’t meant to wonderful years that G-d blessed us with a family that supports us from all directions. If Shoshana could, she would ask to donate to charity so that we may be blessed with the coming of Moshiach in our days, FourteenAmen.”people were killed in traf fic accidents in Israel in the past week alone. Earlier Friday, two bus drivers – Yoav Hidri and Hanoch Talker – were struck and killed by oncoming vehicles when they crossed Route 4 near the Yad Mordechai intersection near Ashkelon in order to help the victims of another accident.

Police forces and the IDF are working to restore calm and the feeling of security to thePalestiniancity.” terror group Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, was quick to praise the attack, branding it “hero ic” and saying it was “a natural response to the occupation’s daily crimes against our people, our country and major Mus lim and Christian sites.”

of tourism for all religions.

Hamas had recently issued rules for journalists covering Gaza to follow –only to reverse Palestiniansthem.who work with foreign journalists were first informed of the new rules earlier this week in messag es sent by the Hamas-run Gaza interior ministry. They were ordered not to re port on Gazans killed by misfired Pal estinian rockets or the military capa bilities of Palestinian terror groups and were told to blame Israel for the recent escalation.TheForeign Press Association, which represents international media, includ ing The Associated Press, said the guide lines were rescinded after discussions with authorities in Gaza. The FPA said in a statement that “such a move would have constituted a severe, unacceptable and unjustifiable restric tion on the freedom of the press, as well as the safety of our colleagues in Gaza.”

On Saturday night, a terrorist went on a shooting spree in Jerusalem, wounding at least seven people. Four members of one family who had been visiting Israel and hailed from New York were injured. The parents, son and daughter were waiting for a taxi at a bus stop when they were shot near King Da vid’s Tomb. The father was said to be in serious condition, sedated and on a res pirator, while the mother was in moder ate condition. The terrorist had waited for the bus to arrive before shooting at those boarding the vehicle. A 35-year-old pregnant woman who was sitting in a nearby car was shot in the abdomen. She had undergone emer gency surgery and the doctors delivered her baby, who is said to be in serious but stable condition. On Sunday morning, the terrorist, Amir Sidawi, 26, took a cab to the po lice station to turn himself in. Police had been searching for him for hours in the Silwan neighborhood outside the Old City, where the gunman allegedly fled after firing on a bus and cars close to a parking lot near the Western Wall.

be more than that. We are thankful for the

Hamas Wants to Skew Reporting

The rules would have gone much fur ther than existing Hamas restrictions. They appeared aimed at imposing the Is lamic group’s narrative on media cover age of the conflict by implicitly threaten ing Palestinian reporters and translators who live under its heavy-handed rule. Even if the rules are officially with drawn, Hamas has still signaled its ex

Salama Marouf, director of the gov ernment media office in Gaza, confirmed the reversal. “There are no restrictions,” he said. “We welcome all foreign journal ists and media into Gaza and we call on them to come.”

Prime Minister Yair Lapid said, “Let all those who wish us evil know that they will pay a price for any harming of civilians.”Headded, “Jerusalem is our capital and a center

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 28 members of the gold medal squad were Omer Ramon, Yimer Getahun and Gir mawTheAmare.strong showing for Israel came 50 years after 11 Israeli athletes were mur dered by Palestinian terrorists during the 1972 Munich Olympics. Israel’s Olympic Committee said in a statement it was “moved to tears to ex perience the exciting continuity of Israeli sports on Munich soil” 50 years after the massacre.Teammedals are given to the country whose fastest three runners have the best combined time. Team Israel’s gold-win ning result was 6:31:48. The silver medal went to Germany, and Spain won bronze. In the women’s marathon, Israeli runner Maor Tiyouri finished in 28th place with a time of 2:38:04.

the bus and released the brake. The bus

7 Wounded in Shooting Attack

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In recent years, Hamas has required journalists to apply for advance approv al to film in certain locations, such as the Gaza fishing port, the beach, and the gold market in Gaza City’s old quarter.

NEW BOOK

raises conflict of interest. Rabbi Lerner pointed out that since Eretz Hakodesh is a global Jewish move ment which operates to strengthen Jew ish identity and Jews’ connection to Eretz Yisroel, he was very surprised that neither he nor any other such organizations were given any opportunity to participate in the “Jewish Renewal” project. Following this, an in-depth investi gation was conducted, revealing that the procedure for establishing the Office of Jewish Renewal in collaboration with the Panim organization was carried out in an improper manner, raising suspicion of improprieties. At the same time, jour nalist Kalman Libeskind published an investigation in the Ma’ariv newspaper about the involvement of MK Kariv in the project, raising serious questions about the approval of the project. In the investigation published in Ma’ariv, Libeskind points out that there are allegations about the allocation of the money, with the sole goal of funneling funds to Reform and Conservative bodies that are close to Labor and other left-wing parties. These claims gain further valid ity from the fact that the office chosen to lead the project is precisely the Ministry of the Diaspora, which is under the con trol of the Labor Party, at the same time that the ministry’s field of activity is relat ed to matters concerning Diaspora Jewry, while the entire project of the Office of Jewish Renewal is intended for non-profit organizations operating in Israel. The Ma’ariv investigation enumerates the questions that arise surrounding the transfer of NIS 60 million to the organi zation, Panim, of which MK Kariv served as a member, and the fact that the Diaspo ra Ministry did not hesitate in any way to transfer tens of millions of shekels with out a tender, without criteria, to an entity that has no financial management or ex perience.Theestablishment of the Office of Jewish Renewal and the budgeting of the project are the implementation of a clause in the coalition agreement that was signed when the Labor faction entered the government. MK Kariv, who previous ly served as the chairman of the Reform movement in Israel, promoted the intro duction of the clause and took an active role in its promotion and approval in the state budget for 2022. However, it has emerged that the money went to the Pa nim organization, in which MK Kariv was involved as an executive committee mem ber. MK Kariv’s connections with Panim did not prevent him from dealing with the budget. In fact, the chairman of Panim Join Rabbi Berel Wein as he expounds on the most “majestic, magical and emotional prayer service of the year.”

The chairman of the Eretz Hakodesh party, a charedi slate in the WZO, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, has appealed for an imme diate freeze of the transfer of funds to a joint venture of the Ministry of Diaspora and the Panim organization to establish a so-called “Office of Jewish Renewal,” which was approved in the amount of NIS 60 million from coalition funds of the La borAnParty.investigation has revealed that MK Gilad Kariv served concurrently with his tenure in the Knesset as a member of Pa nim’s executive board and that the Dias pora Ministry’s engagement with Panim

They would have also been required to inform Hamas of “any suspicious be havior or illogical questions” outside the scope of journalistic work, and to sub mit a full report to Hamas of what the journalists did in Gaza, in addition to links to all published works.

EHK AnswersDemands

serious questions and concerns of

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In this addendum to Musaf for Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Wein explores the text and highlights the relevance and glory that the prayers and the sounds of the Shofar bring to our lives year round.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 30 pectations, which could have a chilling effect on critical coverage, AP reported. Hamas, which seized power in Gaza in 2007 from rival Palestinian forces, requires all visiting reporters to have a local sponsor — usually a Palestinian journalist or translator hired by the news outlet.Under the now rescinded restric tions, sponsors were told they must ac company the journalists during their re porting and will be held responsible for what they produce. The sponsors were warned that they must “demonstrate national spirit, defend the Palestinian narrative and reject the foreigner’s bias to the Israeli narrative.”

Hamas has also barred Palestinians from working for Israeli media or pro viding services to them. Palestinians are also barred from giving interviews to Israeli outlets.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 31

“In light of all this,” concluded Rabbi Lerner, “we are asking for an immediate freezing of the contract and the opening

Salman StabbedRushdie

cookout.With her death, the 322nd of the year, the number of homicides in Philadelphia is on track toward becoming the highest in police records, passing the bleak mile stone set just last year. So far this year, more than 1,400 people in the city have been shot, hundreds of them fatally, a higher toll than in the much larger cities of New York or Los Angeles. As much as the numbers are alarm ing, consider that the majority of the killings take place in North and West Philadelphia, some of the poorest parts of theThecity.city government has rolled out an array of efforts to address the crisis, including grants for community groups, violence intervention programs, and ear lier curfews. But on one crucial matter, there seem to be no ready answers: what to do about all the guns. In a recent news conference, Mayor Jim Kenney lamented that the author ities “keep taking guns off the street, and they’re simultaneously replaced al most immediately.” For every illegal gun seized by the police in Philadelphia be tween 1999 and 2019, about three more guns were bought or sold legally — and that was before a recent boom in gun ownership.InPhiladelphia over the past two years, as all around the country, the pace of legal gun sales surged, rough ly doubling during the pandemic years. The number of firearm licenses issued in the city jumped to more than 52,000 in 2021, from around 7,400 in 2020. And that doesn’t include the booming illegal gunSomemarket.citizens are begging authorities to bring back “stop and frisk” laws. But a lot of the frustration has been directed at the district attorney, Larry Krasner, whose approach to criminal jus tice has drawn criticism from the mayor,

Hadi Matar, 24, was subsequently ar rested and charged with attempted mur der. He was living in Fairview, New Jer sey, and was supposedly radicalized after a trip to Lebanon years ago. Rushdie has lived with a bounty on his head since 1989, spending years in hiding after Iran urged Muslims to kill him over his novel “The Satanic Verses.” Matar was born in California and recently moved to New Jersey, the NBC New York report said, adding that he had a fake driver’s license on him. He was arrested at the scene by a state trooper after being wrestled to the ground by au dienceRushdie,members.who was born into a Muslim Kashmiri family in Bombay, now Mum bai, before moving to Britain, has long faced death threats for his book. The 1988 novel, viewed by some Muslims as containing blasphemous passages, was banned in many countries with large Muslim populations. In 1989, Ayatollah Ruhollah Kho meini, then Iran’s supreme leader, pro nounced a fatwa, or religious edict, calling on Muslims to kill the author and anyone involved in the book’s pub lication for blasphemy. Hitoshi Igarashi, the Japanese translator of the novel, was stabbed to death in 1991 by an attacker whoIranianfled. organizations, some linked to the government, have raised a boun ty worth millions of dollars for Rush die’s murder. Khomeini’s successor as supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said as recently as 2019 that the fatwa was “irrevocable.”

Murders Soar in Philly Philadelphia is on track to becoming the city with the highest homicides this year. In July, the City of Brotherly Love its Lameer Boyd, 18, was gunned down one hot summer night. Since then, a grand mother was shot in the neck, a popular singer was killed in front of his house, and a woman was killed at a front-porch

counted

of a comprehensive investigation into this matter.”Rabbi

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 32 publicly thanked him on Twitter, stating,

“Thanks to those without whom the proj ect would not have happened.” Rabbi Lerner pointed out that the contract with Panim was conducted im properly and in violation of regulations, while members of Panim participated in meetings with the members of the Office of Jewish Renewal. “The Panim organization is closely connected to the entity that ended up al locating tens of millions to itself,” Rabbi Lerner said. In addition, while the Panim organi zation’s annual budget in previous years amounted to just 1% of the scope of this entire project, strangely, it was not re quired to provide any proof of its ability to manage funds on such a scale.

Rabbi Lerner points out additional legal difficulties involved in the existence of such a project through the Diaspora Ministry, whose formal field of activity, as mentioned before, is the Diaspora, while the directorate’s budget is intended for activities which will certainly take place within the borders of the State of Israel. Apart from that, there was no need to have a “conduit” for transferring the funding.

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On Friday, Indian-born author Sal man Rushdie was attacked as he was be to an audience of hundreds of people in New York. The attacker rushed the stage and stabbed Rushdie, 75, re peatedly in the neck and torso. He may lose his eye because of the attack.

ing introduced to give a talk on artistic freedom

300th killing of the year;

Lerner added that it is for this very reason that the Eretz Hakodesh par ty was“Thefounded.gedolim encouraged us to estab lish Eretz Hakodesh not only to serve as a voice of charedi Jewry, but to fight the corruption of the left and stop the flow of monies going to fund projects of the Reform and Conservative, who, through these undertakings, seek to fight the Or thodox community and draw more and more people away from Torah Judaism. Our uncovering of the duplicity and con flict of interest in this case reveals just how important it is that we keep at it, working on behalf of greater charedi Jewry.”

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 33

CDC GuidelinesChanges–Again

The murderer, a Black man, didn’t take any of Aryeh’s possessions.

Last week, the FBI nabbed about 20 boxes of items when federal agents raid ed former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, in cluding top secret (TS) and sensitive compartmentalized information (SCI) as well as information about the “Pres ident of France,” according to a Friday report by The Wall Street Journal News that Trump was improperly holding federal documents and records at his Palm Beach resort home fi rst broke in early February, when the Na tional Archives and Records Adminis tration (NARA) confirmed that it had been searching for 15 boxes of records. After the 15 boxes were turned over to the NARA, t hat collection led to further suspicion that Trump still possessed ad ditional materials. Federal investigators began interviewing Trump White House and Mar-a-Lago staffers to determine what was moved. The interviews, and a broader investigation overseen by a U.S. attorney, resulted in a grand jury sub poena served on Trump in late May to produce specific documents. After the documents were not quick ly turned over, the FBI and the Justice Department chose to take the unprec edented step of carrying out a search warrant against a former president.

Garland, in a brief statement to the press on Thursday afternoon, said that the Justice Department had filed a mo tion to unseal the warrant.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 34 ire from the police union, and a threat of impeachment from Republican state lawmakers.Krasner, one of the most prominent progressive prosecutors in the country, has long argued that putting a major focus on the arrest and incarceration of people caught carrying firearms without a permit is not only ineffectual but coun terproductive, because it diverts police energy and resources from solving vi olent crime and alienates people whom investigators need as sources and wit nesses.

“The suspect walked up to him, fired multiple rounds and fled the location,” said Cpt. Kevin Kentish of the DC Police. Aryeh was a resident of Baltimore, Maryland. He was known for his gener osity and chessed. At the levaya, a letter was read from his wife, “ThereMindy.isjust no way this is real,” she wrote in the letter. “You took care of me and Zahava like no one else could have and showed me every day how ful ly committed you were. There’s a gaping hole in my heart that only your love was able to fill. Two-and-a-half years with you will never be enough.” Mindy and Aryeh have one child, Zahava, together. Zahava was born less than a year ago.

After leaving isolation, you should wear a high-quality mask through day 10 after your positive test. If you have had two negative rapid antigen tests you can stop wearing your mask earlier, according to the guidelines. You should avoid people who are more likely to get sick from Covid, such as the elderly and people with weak immune systems, un til at least day 11. People with weakened immune sys tems, those who have been hospital ized with Covid, or those who have had shortness of breath due to the virus should isolate from others for 10 days. ‘

AttackerAnti-SemiticKills

The changes in CDC guidance come as public health officials have warned that the U.S. could face a major wave of infection in the fall and winter, as im munity from the vaccines wanes and people gather indoors to escape the colderPeopleweather.with healthy immune sys tems, regardless of vaccination status, should isolate for five days after testing positive for the virus, but you can end isolation at day six if you have not had symptoms or if you have not had a fever for 24 hours and other symptoms have improved, according to the guidelines.

Man

The decision was approved by Attorney General Merrick Garland, and a federal judge signed off on the warrant, believ ing the FBI had shown probable cause for the Trumpraid.and his allies have blasted the FBI search a s political persecution. The former president has described the raid as part of a broader partisan “witch hunt,” contending that his political ri vals aim to prevent him from seeking the presidency again. He has also called for the warrant and other documents related to the search to be made public.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention eased its Covid-19 guidance on Thursday, saying the virus now pos

es a much lower risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death compared to earlier in the pandemic. Now, the CDC is no longer recom mending testing people in s chools who don’t have Covid symptoms. Still, it is saying that testing should be taking place in certain high risk settings such as nursing homes, prisons, and home lessAccordingshelters. to the CDC, people who aren’t vaccinated no longer need to quarantine if they have been exposed to Covid. Instead, public health officials now recommend that these individuals wear a mask for 10 days and get tested on day five. The CDC, in a report published Thursday, said there is a high level of immunity in the population from both vaccines and infections which means the virus now poses a much lower threat to public health.

Mar-a-LagoRaiding

Aryeh Wolf, a 25-year-old Jewish father, was shot and killed last week in Washington, D.C. He had been install ing solar panels on a building and was approached from behind and killed.

President Ebrahim Raisi of Iran is set to speak at the UN General Assembly in September. As Iran has been the origin of vitriol aimed at the U.S. and its allies, seven Republican senators sent a letter to U.S. President Joe Biden asking him to deny visas for Raisi and his gang. But the letters are having no effect.

In the letter written by the senators to Biden on August 2, the politicians noted that “Raisi’s involvement in mass mur der and the Iranian regime’s campaign to assassinate U.S. officials on American soil make allowing Raisi and his hench men to enter our country an inexcusable threat to national security.”

Dealing with a Nuclear Threat

According to JNS, a State Department spokesperson said that it is “general ly obligated under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement to facilitate travel” by UN member representatives. The spokesperson added: “We take our obligations under the U.N. Headquarters Agreement seriously. At the same time, the Biden administration has not and will not waver in protecting and defend ing all Americans against threats of vio lence and terrorism.”

Just recently it was reported that a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps had formulated an assassi nation plot against former U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton. Bolton is not the only U.S. statesman in crosshairs.

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the Measures for the Further Reduction

Officials have also sought to move past the traditional deterrence theory of “mutually assured destruction,” which posits that should any country deploy a nuclear weapon, it would result in a re taliatory strike that would result in the destruction of both sides. That calculation has been tested re cently as Russian President Vladimir Pu tin suggested that it could use a smaller nuclear weapon in Ukraine under the be lief that other nuclear powers would not respond with a retaliatory nuclear strike. “Moscow is using both implicit and explicit nuclear coercion,” Richard said. “They’re trying to exploit a perceived deterrence gap, a threshold below which they mistakenly believe they may be able to employ nuclear weapons.” Should this occur, U.N. Secre tary-General Antonio Guterres said just days ago, “There is probably no U.N. able to respond anymore ... We might all not be here anymore.” The Russian Foreign Ministry, also earlier this week, a n nounced a temporary withdrawal f rom

Despite animosity between the two countries, the United States is forced to protect the leader of Iran.

and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms, commonly known as the New START treaty, which limits nuclear arms. “Russia and the PRC have the abili ty to unilaterally, whenever they decide, they can escalate to any level of violence in any domain. They can do it worldwide and they can do it with any instrument of national power. We’re just not used to dealing with competitions and confron tations like that,” Richard noted.

Protecting the Iranian President

The U.S. military is working “furi ously” to rewrite its nuclear deterrence theory to deal with threats coming from China and StrategicRussia.Command chief Navy Adm. Chas Richard said the U.S. threats are “unprecedented in this nation’s history” during Thursday’s Space and Missile Defense Symposium in Huntsville, Ala bama, adding, “We have never faced two peer nuclear-capable opponents at the same time, who have to be deterred dif ferently,” according to Defense One. This spring, as Russia advanced in Ukraine, Richard said he provided an assessment on what it would take to avoid nuclear war, but China has further complicated that threat. Beijing, in re cent weeks, has heightened tensions in the region following Speaker Nancy Pe losi’s t rip to Taiwan, which Beijing said was a violation of their agreements; the Biden administration maintains that the trip did not represent a change in policy.

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The Dog Ate It

36 tary of State Mike Pompeo, former De fense Secretary Mark Esper, and former State Department Special Representa tive for Iran Brian Hook have also been targeted for killing, along with current officials.Raisi has been under U.S. sanctions since November 2019 for “complicity in serious human-rights violations,” during his time as judiciary chief. Washington accuses him of playing a leading role in mass executions in 1988 while he was chief prosecutor of the Tehran revolu tionaryRaisicourt.became president in June 2021. He missed last year’s General Assembly because of the Covid-19 pandemic. A pre-recorded video of his address was played at the meeting instead.

Nathan and Rachael Lamet’s dogs had a really expensive dinner one night recently.Thecouple from Salem, Oregon, had left a lottery ticket on their ottoman be fore they went to the sleep. Unfortunate ly for them, their dogs, Apple and Jack, were hard at work, chewing the lottery ticket to Whenbits.the Lamets woke up, they were in shock.Rachel told Oregon Lottery, “I went to bed, and when I woke up, it was eaten to the point that I thought it was unable to be checked. But my husband thought it was hilarious and someone might get a good laugh, at the very least. He said it’s for sure a winner.” The Lottery agreed to try to put to gether all the ripped pieces of the ticket and work out all the numbers. Unbeliev ably, the lottery ticket was a winner, al though the Lomets only won $8. “That’s too funny,” Rachael said. “We are definitely getting more chew toys; they go through a lot. We love them, but they are crazy sometimes.” Sounds like they’re in the doghouse.

In the past, presidents of the United States have denied visas to terrorists. President Ronald Reagan’s administra tion denied a visa to PLO leader Yasser Arafat in 1998. Under President Barack Obama, a visa request from the Iranian ambassador to the UN was denied; for mer President Donald Trump rejected a visa for Iran Foreign Minister Javad Zarif in 2020. Hot Shot Gregory Foster is one big hot shot. The Californian recently broke the world record for eating the most ghost peppers in oneLestminute.youthink that these peppers are the same you put into a salad, think again. Ghost peppers, also known as bhut jolokia, were certified by Guinness World Records in 2007 as being the world’s hot test chili pepper – 170 times hotter than Tabasco sauce – and rated at more than one million Scoville Heat Units. Foster chowed down on the sweat-in ducing veggies and swallowed 17 ghost peppers in 60 seconds on November 14, 2021. In total, Foster consumed 3.98 ounces of ghost peppers. He was certified by Guinness earlier this“Thismonth.record attempt is a personal challenge to see how far I can push my self and my love of the super hot pep pers,” Foster said. “A s a chili lover, I’ve been trying to advance the awareness and the excite ment surrounding the super-hot [chilies] out Fosterthere.” already has two other world records, including the record for the most Carolina Reaper chilies eaten in one minute, which he broke in 2017, and the fastest time to eat three Carolina Reaper chilies, which he broke in Decem ber Yup,2021.sounds like a real hot shot.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Unit ed Nations Nikki Haley also called on the Biden administration to deny the visas. “The world’s leading state sponsor of terror attempted to assassinate Amer ican officials inside our country,” she told Fox News. “Under no circumstances should the Biden administration allow Raisi to set foot in our country.”

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe

Three friends traversed all 50 states on an epic road trip that took only 5 days, 13 hours, and 10 minutes.

Nation-Wide Run

Pope chugged the beer and then set off from the shore of the Atlantic Ocean in Galway City and ran westward for 23 hours and 39 minutes, arriving at the opposite coast in Dublin in less than 24 hours. Pope ran a total of 133.5 miles and celebrated in true Irish fashion – with a second pint of Guinness. Pope said the project was born out of a conversation he had with some fellow runners at an event in Britain. “I gave myself a 40 percent chance of actually pulling it off,” Pope told CBC Ra dio. “Maybe there was some sort of kar mic reward in that because I managed to pull the crazy thing off.” He enjoys it in the long run.

Peter McConville of Austin, Texas, set out on the journey w ith friends Pavel “Pasha” Krechetov, also of Austin, and Abdullahi Salah, of Minneapolis. The men started their trip in Vermont and aimed to nab the record from Thom as Cannon and Justin Morris, who visit ed all 50 states with a time of 5 days, 16 hours, and 20 minutes. The trio started out their journey by car before switching to air travel for their journeys to Alaska and Hawaii, where t hey completed the trip w ith a final time of 5 days, 13 hours, and 10 minutes.“Ican’t even describe what that ex perience was, not only because we were so tired, but we were seeing so much at once,” McConville said. “But being able to pull it off? Honestly, like, the best sunrise I’ve seen. It was amazing.”

CriminalConcealed

Guinness World Records discontin ued its record category for speedy travel in 1996 so as not to encourage speeding or reckless driving, but McConville and his friends are now listed as speed record holders by the All Fifty States Club. Did anyone say “road trip”?

50 States in 5 Days

Robert Pope was on the run – na tion-wide.TheBritish ultramarathon runner drank a pint of Guinness right before set ting off on the run that would make him the first person to successfully run the width of Ireland in under 24 hours.

This may be really em-bear-assing, but a thief was caught by police in the UK after he was found stuffed into a stuffed animal.Theteen had been wanted by authori ties in connection with a stolen car. When police searched for Joshua Dobson, 18, in his home, they found him hibernating in a “bear”y interesting place: inside a giant teddy“Whenbear. we went to arrest him, our officers noticed a large bear breathing in the address before finding Dobson in side,” police said. Dobson was officially sentenced last week on the charges and will spend nine months in prison, Rochdale authorities said.The department quipped: “Hopefully he has a bearable time inside.”

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HaRav Hillel David, shlita, was the first to arrive, greeted by hundreds of campers, singing and clamor ing for a chance to shake his hand. HaRav David smiled and spoke with many campers, as he was escorted to the Kollel Bais Medrash, where the meeting was to take place. Some fortunate campers had the opportunity to greet HaRav David privately before the meeting began. Each boy was asked about his learning and if they were enjoying the summer. He encouraged each one of them to keep growing in their avodas Hashem. Soon afterwards, the sounds of the other campers singing could be heard outside as the majority of the Moetzes began to arrive. As the cars began to roll into camp, the excitement on the faces of both the Roshei Yeshiva and campers was quite noticeable. Camp was privileged to now greet Harav Elya Brudny, shlita, Har av Malkiel Kotler, shlita, Harav Chaim Yehoshua Hober man, shlita, Harav Yaakov Bender, shlita, and Harav Shlomo Halioua, shlita. Many campers were able to re ceive a quick greeting and bracha as these giants of To rah and chinuch made their way into the Bais Medrash. At this time, the Moetzes members, as well as the hanhala of Torah U’Mesorah assembled for their meet ing. Nonetheless, as the campers returned to their ac tivities, they were looking forward to a special Mincha and an address from the Roshei Yeshiva. Following the important meeting, where the Gedo lim discussed vital issues of chinuch facing Klal Yisroel, camp rejoined with the Roshei Yeshiva to daven Min cha. While the majority of the Moetzes davened with the campers of grades 4-8, Horav Elya Brudny, shlita, was ushered to the Bais Medrash of the Mesivta aged campers. A special question and answer session was arranged for the Mesivta campers. Questions were sub mitted to the head staff and presented to Rav Brudny. Questions ranged from what a Mesivta bachur should work on to how to combat the challenges of the internet. Rav Brudny told the boys that the “internet” doesn’t need to be in their pockets. One camper asked about the news from the Ukraine and Rav Brudny responded we need to remember how beloved are people who were created in the image of Hashem. The bachurim were spell-bound and didn’t want to move.

Visit Camp

HaRav Hillel David giving a bracha

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Gedolim Romimu

Horav Chaim Yehoshua Hoberman, shlita, in his ad dress to the campers, commented that many people feel that they have ahavas Yisroel, yet they don’t really have it. That is the biggest Churban. The Rosh Yeshiva told a story to bring out his point where there was a child crying in shul who obviously couldn’t find his father. People tried to ask the boy who his father is, but he just kept crying. Only one man lifted the boy and held him and then took the boy outside to the lobby and calmed him down. Then he was able to speak with the boy and ascertain who his father is and reunite them. Horav Hoberman said we can learn two things from the story: To speak to someone in pain, you first must pick him up and not speak to him while he is crying. Secondly, one must be willing to deal with the problem not just the solution. True ahavas Yisroel is when we lift people up and help them beginning to end.

By Rabbi Avrohom Schwartz, Learning Director of Camp Romimu Every day is an exciting day in camp! Color war, leagues, entertainers, intercamp games, trips and more. There is always something “happening.”

Mincha was led by Rav Dovid Katzenstein, Camp Romimu’s Masmidim rebbe and mashpia. Glancing at the “mizrach vant” as the camp began Shmoneh Esrei was itself a rousing scene. The extra kavana in every one’s tefillah was noticeable, as all were inspired by the chance to see and hear from Gedolei Yisroel.

The Chasam Sofer wrote that connecting to Gedolim is connecting to Hashem. On this day, the connection of Camp Romimu was greatly strengthened!

But the Wednesday of the Nine Days was so special that campers and staff will remember it for a lifetime! It was that Wednesday that the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah or Torah U’mesorah would convene for their summer meeting in Camp Romimu. Emotions were at a high as the campers and staff waited for the arrival of these great leaders of Klal Yisroel. Counselors switched their “day off” and rabbeim stayed longer in camp in or der not to miss this day. After lunch, campers returned to their bunk and changed their clothes, following the p’sak of Rabbanan, to give proper Kavod HaTorah.

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County Executive Bruce Blakeman and other local officials joined Northern Jerusalem Governor Israel Ganz to sign a sister city and friendship agreement

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The Dovid and Suri Schwartz Jew ish Experience Center, summer home of Camp Nageela in Falls burg, NY, has been home to more than 20 years of life improving experiences for tens of thousands of young people. During summer camp, the campers learn Torah values including hakaras hatov. On erev Shabbos Nachamu, the camp presented a plaque of appreciation to the Town of Fallsburg. The gift was ac cepted by newly elected Town Supervi sor Kathy Rappaport and Deputy Super visor Sean Wall-Carty in a high-spirited ceremony and parade in Camp Nagee la. The campers heard how the Town of Fallsburg has provided services and been a cooperative government agency for much of the past 22 years, and for that we own them thanks. The campers and the town officials were also treated to a short history of the property upon which the camp stands. It seems that from the 1930s to the early ‘60s, the property had a large kosher hotel called Hotel Furst. Interestingly, in 1958, it hosted one of the earliest Shabbatons for non-religious youth, organized by the recently founded NCSY. Providentially, the ground was prepared for more of the same. Four decades later, Camp Nageela began building on what was then vacant land. (The hotel burned down shortly af ter the Shabbaton.) The land that saw the nascent beginnings of the Teshuva move ment became one of the strongholds that continues that movement. That is a reason for hakaras hatov.

Community

Gabe Solomon, Rabbi Mordechai Shenker, Founding Director of Camp Nageela Rabbi Dovid Shenker, Town of Fallsburg Supervisor Kathy Rappaport, and Deputy Supervisor Sean Wall-Carty

Camp Nageela Thanks Town of Fallsburg Members of the JCC of the Rockaway Peninsula met with Commanding Officer Captain Timothy P. Schultz, Detective Blanchette and PO Scott on Monday, August 8. The meeting focused on the safety of the com munity, including our shuls and schools as the summer nears an end. The safety of the LIRR and A train commuters was discussed as was the recent increase in car burglaries. CO Captain Schultz ex pressed that it is his priority to ensure the safety of our community as the Far Rockaway community continues to grow.

P.O. Scott; Barbara Satt, Director of Holocaust Services & Special Events at JCCRP; Commanding Officer Captain Timothy P. Schultz; Allison Deal, Executive Director at JCCRP; Detective Blanchette; and Pesach Osina, community activist Meeting New Commanding Officer Captain Timothy P. Schultz Did you know? Centripetal force is what keeps you from falling out of a roller coaster while it’s upside down.

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Auschwitz Survivor Mrs. Ita Lustig Visits Gural JCC

For a Special Shema Presentation JSL coaches led basketball skills clinics the last two weeks at Simcha Day Camp, Camp Areivim and Machane Chaim

Not a sound was heard in the so cial hall at the Marion and Aaron Gural JCC last Thursday night as Mrs. Ita Lustig eloquently described her heart-wrenching journey from an innocent young girl in Romania through ghetto life, relocation, work and concen tration camps, Mengele’s selection, the Death March, and her incredible survival of Nazi persecution and the dark, terrible days of the Shoah. Mrs. Lustig, 93 years old, ka”h, spoke softly but powerfully with emotion but composure as she led our captive audience through each demeaning and demoraliz ing step of her Holocaust experience. Al though the audience who attended this special SHEMA presentation were at the JCC because of their support and interest in our Second Generation program, it was clear that this was the first time many of them had heard such an agonizing and detailed account of what a Holocaust sur vivor actually suffered through.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 41 Around the Community

The SHEMA program (Listen! – Stud ies in the Holocaust – Education, Mem ories and Awareness) at the Gural JCC was launched during the difficult days of the pandemic when we tragically lost so many of our precious JCC Holocaust sur vivors and with them their remarkable stories. Cultural Arts and Education Di rector Rachayle Deutsch and social work er Judy Goldberg, who also co-facilitates the vibrant program for Holocaust survi vors that has been a mainstay of our JCC for over two decades, realized that some thing had to immediately be done to pre serve these legacies and memories. They began collecting bios of survivors from their own families and those from JCC friends and neighbors and disseminat ing t hem to the community. Samples of these bios were blown up and mounted on posters around the room the night Mrs. LustigTheyspoke.alsoformed a Second Generation group, including members who agreed to speak at schools to students and teach ers and tell of their parents’ experiences. To date, they have reached thousands of students – virtually and in person – and have begun to make a much-needed im pact in our community and in neighbor hoods far beyond. They hope it is just the beginning.Although the SHEMA initiative focus es on Second Generation efforts, we were honored and privileged to have Mrs. Lust ig as a special guest at our program. Mrs. Lustig did not always speak of her experiences during the Holocaust but in the past years realized how important it is to share her miraculous story. After her presentation, many ques tions were asked. How she carried on and from where she got her strength, the audience wanted to know. “We did what we had to do and kept going,” Mrs. Lustig answered. Undoubtedly, every one there wondered if they could have done the same after so much loss and degradation.Shortlybefore Mrs. Lustig was set to speak for the JCC, she was hospitalized. When her doctor saw the numbers tat tooed on her arm, he had no idea what theyBmeant.eforeshe allowed him to do further testing, Mrs. Lustig insisted that he and his associates know exactly what those numbers stood for. Once again, she held a captive audience as she told the hospital staff her story. Just days after leaving the hospital, Mrs. Lustig lost her brother, a”h, the only other survivor of her family. It is a great testimony to Mrs. Lustig’s fortitude, strength and commitment to speaking up that, despite these two very difficult episodes, she managed to keep her JCC engagement and arrive from her home in Crown Heights accompanied by one of her lovely granddaughters, with dignity andThispoise.SHEMA event was made possible most of all by the support of Mrs. Lust ig and the generosity of the many people who attended the program as well as by the efforts of the dedicated volunteers who help make the evening run smoothly. If you would like to submit a SHEMA bio, become involved in the Second Gener ation group, or support our ongoing initiative, please contact the Gural JCC at (516)569-6733 or email rachayle. deutsch@guraljcc.org.

The Avnet approach is multifaceted. The youngest Tipot campers are taught the basics like throwing, catching, team work and especially giving high-fives. Starting in first grade, boys and girls are instructed in clinics and sharpen their skills by playing in competitive leagues. Counselors are active participants who serve as coaches and assist the sports staff by giving individualized attention to all the “Wecampers.findthat kids are more eager to participate when they know the rules of the game and understand that they are in a safe space where their best efforts are applauded,” Ilana said. “Sports are not just about being athletic. They are a way to teach values, build character and show the power of working as a team.” League playoffs are currently under way, and the final week of camp will be full of suspense and friendly competi tion.“I’m thankful that we have a great sports staff who are all experienced ed ucators and love working with kids,” said Daniel Stroock, camp director. “Winning is important, but being a mensch is the real goal at Avnet.”

There is constant motion across the fields, courts, gyms, and rink at Avnet Country Day School as excited campers are energized to score in their favorite sports. At Avnet, sports are not just a core activity but a thought fully designed program intended to teach campers skills, safety, and sportsman ship. With sports like tee ball, softball, wiffle ball, football, kickball, soccer, bas ketball, hockey, volleyball, gaga, dodge ball and even golf, there is something to engage campers at all ages and stages. “We set out to create a dynamic pro gram to build fundamental skills and en courage a love of play,” said Ilana Mann, Head of Sports. “Sports at Avnet are more critical than ever since many chil dren missed the basics of little leagues and team activities these past few years. We’re here to get them back on track.”

Hillel Day ConstantlyCamp:Upping the Game

H illel Day Camp week 7 flew by so fast, it’s hard to believe when we’ve been having such a blast! We started our week with Six Flags Great Adventure – rides, Chickies, and coach buses returning in the dark. O ur fourth graders enjoyed Adventureland too – the Haunted House and Big Dip per, just to name a few. We also got to experience Israel Day 2022 with our very own Israel Day Pa rade dressed in white and blue! We made banners, danced and sang, and paraded around. A celebration of Israel surely to make anyone proud! IDF Day brought obstacles and fun challenges galore. We made it to gradu ation and proudly displayed our stripes. We continued to build and strengthen our Grit with many obstacles that chal lenged our In-houseWit.activities that consistently entertain. Hillel Day Camp is constantly upping its game. We also had an acrobatic show that was Broadway-quality with Li Liu amazing us with her fantastic t wists, turns and spins. To bring in Shabbat Nachamu in style, the entire camp danced and partied with an amazing concert by Aryeh Kuntzler! T hen Color War breakout with teams yellow and blue – Chanukah and Purim showdown of Color War 2022! We de bated which team to root for. Blue or yel low – who will win? We decided to go for green as a vote for achdus.

Sportsmanship Wins At Avnet

Men and women from Jamaica Es tates and neighboring communities are welcome to join for the remainder of this thought-provoking series. The full schedule and more information can be found at www.yije.org.

L ong summer Shabbat afternoons mean more learning opportuni ties at the Young Israel of Jamai ca Estates. How is a convert considered an immigrant? How did the famous Langer Sibling case affect the landscape of religious politics in Israel? Do we get punished for our evil intentions? From Modern Jewish history, to halacha, to machshava, these are just a sampling of the questions being explored during YIJE’s annual “Perek on the Lawn” sum mer series at YIJE. Over sumptuous Shabbat treats, each Shabbat afternoon before Minchah, seasoned educators and homegrown scholars spend an hour sharing their Torah and insight with fel low community members. YIJE’s char ismatic Mara D’atra, Rabbi Dr. Dov Le rner, kicked off the series this year with “Why I Can Never Be President” as he transitioned from a series related to the topic of conversion, followed by Dr. Avi Freilich on “Two Siblings and a National Crisis” discussing the Langer case. Rab bi Dr. Larry Grossman reflected on his close personal relationship with Rabbi Simcha Krauss, a”h, in his presenta tion entitled, “The Gadol Who Lived in Walking Distance.” Just before the Nine Days, Yoetzet Halacha and YU High School for Girls Head of School Bracha Rutner spent an entire Shabbat as scholar-in-residence. The summer series continues after Tisha B’Av with presentations by Michael Ap pel on Shabbat Nachamu on “Yearning for the Temple – What makes it Holy?” and by Rabbi Moshe Taub of Young Isra el of Holliswood speaking on August 20.

Summer Learning at the YIJE

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Around the Community

The final installment will be a shiur de livered by Dr. Marian Stoltz-Loike, Dean of Touro’s Lander College for Women, on “A complicated Teshuva: Herod and the Rebuilding of the Second Temple.”

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It’s hard to believe that another sum mer at Avnet Country Day School is about to come to a close. Since the campers are too busy to chat, we spoke to some parents to get an “insiders” per spective of what it’s really like at camp. The kids may be the ones learning to swim, racing across the fields, and build ing friendships, but their parents are along for the memories. The first thing to jump out is the ex citement. Alana Kirschner said, “Avnet summer ‘22 if I quoted my kids was the ‘BEST SUMMER EVER’; they are 4 and 5. As a parent, for my children to come off the bus (as first-time bus riders) smil ing from ear to ear fighting to be the first to tell their stories from the day is literal ly the ONLY thing we can ask for. I wish I could attach the pictures from the mo rahs of my kids doing a million activities a day, one better than the next, with new friends and smiling faces. And the tre mendous Yiddishkeit and songs that they come home singing, is only the added bonus. Thank you, Camp Avnet, for the summer of a lifetime. We can’t wait for nextAnotheryear!”

Avnet: A Parents’ Perspective Fishing fun at Camp Matov

notable benefit is the wel coming and warm environment. Eri ka and Avi Buchman explained, “Even though our family is from a different city, Camp Avnet and all the staff welcomed us with such love, warmth, and open arms. They helped us acclimate and transition to camp so easily! We are so grateful to be a part of the camp Avnet family.” Communication and consideration are also key. Mala Goldberg remarked, “I’m a long-time Avnet parent and the administration and staff are great with their communication. I always know what’s coming up in the week ahead, when a late-night trip is due back, when the bus is coming or when special days are approaching. I feel like I get to expe rience camp with my kids!!” The family-like feel and personal at tention are appreciated. Nechama and Ovadya Aryeh pointed out, “Summer in Avnet means extended family. It means being in a large camp, with all the bells, whistles, and amenities that it can pro vide, while making it feel like a small camp that is attentive to each child’s needs. Every staff member seems to al ways be smiling, and that filters down to the kids. The leadership that Daniel provides really impacts the positive envi ronment which he has created. Our kids come home happy each day. What more could parents ask for?” Making memories to last until next summer is the bottom line. Inbal and Yona Hakim-Oglo summed it up, “As parents, what made summer ‘22 at Avnet special for our family was everything! Our girls got so excited every morning to get ready for camp. From fun trips to arts and crafts, Avnet makes sure our kids have the best summer every summer! We can’t wait to see what Avnet has in store for summer 2023. Over the winter months, we’ll miss our counselors and directors but hold on to each memory in our“It’shearts.”sonice to hear the positive feed back from parents, but what we really love most is how they partner with us during the summer to make sure that ev eryone has a safe and memorable expe rience,” Daniel Stroock, camp director, said. “We look forward to seeing every one next year!”

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 44 Around the Community

Sidewalk Sale Success

Chazak, Chazak, Venischazeik!

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 45Around the Community

Written by an anonymous schol ar about 800 years ago, Sefer HaChinuch is one of the great Torah classics of all time. The author lists all 613 mitzvos following the order of the weekly parashah. He explains the source of each mitzvah, suggests a rea son for it and the lesson it contains for us, and provides a summary of its laws. Sefer HaChinuch gives expression to the essence of the mitzvos in a manner that speaks to the heart of the Jew. It pres ents the grandeur of the 613 mitzvos in an unparalleled way, combining basic halachic concepts with fundamental per spectives of Torah hashkafah. More than a decade ago, ArtScroll published the Schottenstein Edition Book of Mitzvos/Sefer HaChinuch, with English translation and elucidation, to great acclaim. Many readers requested an enhanced Hebrew version that in cluded and expanded its unique features, and so ArtScroll’s team of talmidei chachamim began work on the All-Hebrew Sefer HaChinuch/Book of Mitzvos. Now, with the publication of the 7 th volume (Parashas Ki Seitzei – Parashas VeZos HeBerachah) the set is complete. Machon Yerushalayim graciously provided its authoritative Hebrew text of the Sefer Hachinuch. Following the for mat of the Schottenstein Edition Hebrew Talmud, every word and phrase is trans lated into easier Hebrew and elucidated. Extensive notes give the background of the mitzvah, explanations of important concepts, and references to other classic sources for further research. The very popular “Insights” section draws upon major mussar and Chassidic works to ex amine the spiritual meaning of the mitz vah and how we can apply them to our own lives. The Zichron Asher Herzog Hebrew Edition of Sefer HaChinuch is a master piece of halachah, hashkafah and Torah scholarship that will surely become a mainstay in Torah homes and institu tions.

The Zichron Asher Herzog Hebrew Edition of Sefer HaChinuch Now available in a complete 7-volume set!

A ssemblyman Ari Brown (R-Ce darhurst), who also serves as Deputy Mayor of the Village of Cedarhurst, accompanied his daughters and grandchildren to the annual vil lage-wide Sidewalk Sale in Cedarhurst earlier this week. This event allows local consumers to stroll the village to hunt for sales and bargains provided by re tailers and restaurants. The event lasts four days, from August 10 to August 14, bringing patrons from Connecticut and New Jersey to the Five Towns area. “I have been the Cedarhurst Board representative to the Business Improve ment District for the past 24 years. That, along with being Deputy Mayor and Chairman of the Board of Architectural Review, allows me to keep a loving eye on my beautiful village business and re tail districts and promote such popular and important events for our small busi nesses,” Brown said. “Thank you, May or Weinstock, for making these events work so seamlessly. “As your State Assemblyman, I will continue to focus on the backbone of the American economy, that is, small busi ness. I know how to get this done, as proven by my less than 2 percent busi ness vacancy rate in Cedarhurst; so too, I will continue to fight to do the same in New York State,” Brown continued.

Assemblyman Brown with daughters Aliza and Rebecca and grandchildren Ashley and Austin at the Sidewalk Sale in Cedarhurst

Five Towns resident Fraidy Maltz, Pharm.D., has joined the faculty at Touro College of Pharmacy (TCOP) in Manhattan as director of student en gagement and co-curricular activities. She will also serve as associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Practice. At TCOP, Dr. Maltz will develop pro grams and learning experiences that complement the academic curriculum and are required as an important part of pharmacy education. “A lot of learning is in the classroom, but certain soft skills, like communica tion, professionalism, leadership and networking skills, are cultivated through community service and involvement in student professional organizations,” she said. “My goal is to increase opportuni ties for students to engage in community outreach, such as health fairs and vaccine clinics, while promoting their profession al development. This aligns with TCOP’s mission to promote wellness and health awareness in the underserved community and to cultivate these values in students.”

TCOP Dean Henry Cohen, Pharm.D., hailed Dr. Maltz as someone who will bring an “extraordinarily rich and varied perspective” to TCOP, citing her decades of creative and effective teaching in both classroom and experiential settings; ex tensive experience in community phar macy; research, scholarship and leader ship; and community and professional service.“Inher new role creating and evalu ating outside-the-classroom learning ex periences and directing and teaching in our new Model Pharmacy, she will enrich our curriculum and serve as an inspiring example of the career opportunities and rewards available in the expanding field of modern pharmacy.”

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 46 Around the Community

A large crowd joined together in support of Lee Zeldin for governor at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Avishai Neuman of the Five Towns

“Pharmacists work in diverse clinical specialties, like ambulatory care, critical care, oncology and pediatrics, with in dividualized board certification. Other career pathways include working in the pharmaceutical industry, in managed care and long-term care,” she explained. “There are so many different things you can do with a pharmacy degree.” For more information about Touro Col lege of Pharmacy, visit www.tcop.touro. edu

Family of Pharmacists Pharmacy was a natural career path for Dr. Maltz, whose mother and husband preceded her in the field, though she’s the only one in her family to aim for an aca demicAftercareer.two years of study at Tou ro’s Lander College of Arts & Sciences, she transferred to the Arnold & Ma

Five Towns Resident Named Director of Student Engagement at Touro College of Pharmacy

rie Schwartz College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences of Long Island Univer sity (LIU-Pharmacy), where she earned her B.S. and Pharm.D. before completing a residency in community pharmacy. She then joined the LIU faculty where she taught for 20 years. “I was fortunate to have faculty men tors who inspired me to go into aca demia,” she explained. “Interacting with students, watching them grow and prog ress and seeing their success is what I find mostDr.rewarding.”Maltznoted many students think pharmacists are limited to working in conventional settings, like retail pharma cies or hospitals, and are not aware of the many paths pharmacy careers can take.

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Moshe sat in the hospital, numb with pain and grief. His dear mother had just passed away, and while the funeral and burial arrangements were already set, he couldn’t move off his chair. His siblings were all flying to Eretz Yisroel for the kevura, but he was staying behind with his elderly father who couldn’t travel. If only there was a way for him to see the levaya, but he couldn’t ask this of anyone going. They were all grief stricken and definitely not tech savvy. His shoulders felt heavy as he sat in the cold hospital room, his head spinning. Shoshie’s daughter was sick, very sick. Family mem bers were saying Tehillim for her around the clock, and every word was appreciated. She herself sat over her tear stained Tehillim, praying for her dear daughter’s refuah. An image of her dear grandmother suddenly came to mind, and Shoshie sighed, wishing she could visit her kever to beseech her to storm the heavens on behalf of her granddaughter, who was also her namesake. If only the kever would be more accessible, Shoshie thought to herself. Her grandmother was buried on Har Hamenuchos, and it had been years since Shoshie had been there. The shul is quiet. It is time for Yizkor, and those fortunate enough leave the shul as those who stay remain lost in their thoughts. As each mispallel holds their own machzor and memories, they think of all their parents have done for them. And in the moment, they wonder if there is anything they can do in return to honor their memory. Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Yeshiva Darchei Torah, being welcomed to Camp Romimu by Rabbi Shlomo Pfeiffer, camp director. The camp hosted a meeting of Torah Umesorah’s Vaad Roshei Yeshiva.

T hese scenarios are heartbreak ing, but they occur in a similar form every single day. A dream of many members of Klal Yisroel is to be buried in Eretz Yisroel, the land of our forefathers. And yet, when the time comes, family members who want to honor their loved ones’ wishes have no idea where to turn. Who will take care of the matzeivah? Who will upkeep the area and ensure that it is groomed and cared for? Who will make sure there is a minyan there every year on the yahr zeit? B’tzror Hachaim is the answer to all these Basedquestions.intheUSA and Israel, with decades of experience, B’tzror Hachaim takes care of every detail, from help ing with the purchasing of the matzei va, to yearly minyanim on the yahrzeit. They even will go on request for special needs, such as bringing an invitation to an upcoming simcha. For thousands of families, B’tzror Hachaim makes it feel like they have a family member close by who understands and cares for their needs as if it was their own. The language barrier is one that many find difficult to navigate when burying a loved one in Eretz Yisroel, but there is no such issue with B’tzror Hachaim. B’tzror Hachaim is a fully English speaking company, avoiding any such difficulties. They know the ins and outs of every detail that is needed; from selecting the right matzeiva and inscription that will encompass the es sence of a loved one, to maintaining the matzeivah, to visiting upon request. It is a great comfort for those families know ing that all the details are taken care of.

B’Tzror Hachaim Chany sighed as she hung up the phone. She was trying to get through to her second cousin Shmuly unsuccessfully for the past few days. Shmuly lived in Yerushalayim, and she wanted him to assemble a minyan for her father’s yahrzeit that was coming up next week. She herself was unable to travel there this year, but she couldn’t bear to think of not having a minyan at the kever on the yahrzeit. Perhaps she would try calling him again later…

Thousands have already benefited from the services B’tzror Hachaim has to of fer. Call today to see how they can help you, too. 718-750-7550. www.btzror hachaim.com.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 48 Around the Community

L iving in the Five Towns, we are fortunate to enjoy “small town” living on a large scale. The pace of life here is more relaxed than in other large frum communities. We share clos er relationships with our neighbors than people living in other areas. This month, the JWLC (Jewish Women’s Leadership Council of the Five Towns) debuted a community-wide pro gram called “Five Towns Friendly.” The idea behind the initiative is to maintain the attitude of achdus and connection that we focus on during the Three Weeks. In this program, community mem bers are reminded to go out of their way to be “Five Towns Friendly.”

The program is simple yet profound. With small acts of connection towards others, we are creating closer and clos er bonds with our neighbors and com munity members. These connections can be made with those you know well, those you may recognize from seeing on the street, or with community members whom you’ve never met. Either way, the goal is the same: bring an unexpected smile and joy to someone you meet! Residents of the Five Towns were excited to see a Five Towns Friendly ta ble set up at last week’s Sidewalk Sale. There, they were greeted by a friend ly member of JWLC and received a bumper sticker to remind them about the Five Towns Friendly initiative. Lo cal stores in the area have posted Five Towns Friendly stickers to help promote the Residentsprogram. were asked to send in photos and anecdotes about their Five Towns Friendly experiences. One wom an wrote about putting in a quarter into a meter when she saw it was expiring as she walked by. Another person wrote about buying food for someone in need when she was shopping with her child. Another resident wrote about someone calling her “out of the blue” to say she didn’t see her for a while. “It made my day!” she said. The Five Towns Friendly program is not yet over! Email your photo or ex perience to Fivetownsfriendly@gmail. com. All entries will be entered into a raffle, which will be drawn next week. Did you know? The Steel Dragon 2000 in Japan is the longest roller coaster in the world, measuring 1.5 miles long.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 49Around the Community Five Towns Friendly

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 50 Around the Community A fter nearly three years, One Isra el Fund’s Summer BBQ and Fine Israeli Wine Tasting roared back in a big way this past Monday evening, August 15, with a banner crowd of peo ple from all across the entire Five Towns community. The event was hosted by Dr. Joseph and Jenny Felder in their beautiful backyard. Valuable funds were raised to help support the communities and residents on the front lines of Judea and Samaria in our Biblical Heartland of Judea and Samaria. Hearing from Marc Provisor, Director of Security Projects, and Scott M. Feltman, Executive Vice President, those in attendance learned about the valuable projects One Israel Fund provides each and every year to help support these families including its renowned preventive security equip ment as well as its flagship project, the Binyamin Medical Center. The incredible array of BBQ fare was presented by Graze and an amaz ing wine tasting from the Shomron was poured by Adam and Bracha Neustadter of Spruce D’Vine. A special thank you to Jon Glatt and New York Fun Facto ry for sponsoring the gorgeous tent and other rentals to make the evening run smoothly. For more information about One Isra el Fund and the amazing work they do, please visit w ww.oneisraelfund.org You can also find opportunities to visit the Heartland of Israel with One Israel Fund as well as other entertaining con tent on their website as well. OIF Five Towns BBQ

I n what is perhaps the crowning glory of the Nine Days in Camp Revach, we traveled across town on our annual Chessed Marathon. Here, we showed the girls the beauty of chessed and brought out every one’s talents in different and fun ways. We ran a muf fin sale with delicious Gotta Getta Bagel muffins and had a chance to sell them to friends and family. The girls did an amazing job and raised money for tzeda ka, which went towards Hatzalah. We are proud to say that some very special Revach campers made their very own sale and raised money for Hatzalah! We are so proud of Aviva E, Leah H., and Ayelet S. for doing such a tremendous chessed. Michali K, Binah B, and Lily B even donated some of their very own money to our Hatzalah fund. Yasher koach girls for taking the initiative! Every bunk also visited Dollar Tree to buy a gift for a bunkmate. We also packaged P4P (Packages for Patients) packages with toiletries to be delivered to the hospitals from TAG HS’s Chessed Program. To keep everyone nice and cool, campers also were treated to a Berrylicious froyo. But their day wasn’t done yet!

The girls also had a scavenger hunt in Gourmet Glatt. (Thank you GG for your generous sponsor ship!) After, they brought the food to stock the JCC’s food pantry (aka The Shop). S ome bunks also went to the police/fire/Hatzlalah stations and gave them doughnuts to show our hakaras hatov. Thank you to the Weichholz, Greenberg grandparents (the Hillers), Hirmes, Coach Jakes, Pinchasov, Okun, Abramson, Barax, Schwartz, and Lawrence families for hosting our bunks for a picnic lunch! One bunk went to the Leon Meyer Fund to help organize. Another bunk went to the Hirmes house and helped with the bris gemach. We then went on Central Avenue passing around smile cards and water bottles. We even had someone’s card being passed around so many times it even made its way back to the girl who handed it out last year! It was an amazing day filled with such satisfaction from help ing out others. Kol hakavod to all the campers for their amazing chessed! With Hashem’s help, we will have next year’s mara thon in Yerushalayim!

The boys at Camp Matov enjoyed rollerblading last week

Chessed Marathon in Camp Revach

got fleishigs? theServingCatskillsandthesurroundingareas KosherGlatt

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 52 Around the Community Town of SupervisorHempsteadDonaldX. Clavin, TOH Councilwoman Melissa Miller, TOH Councilman Anthony D’Esposito and local officials gave a press conference in front of Lawrence Village Hall this week to talk about upcoming proposed projects in the Five Towns. Supervisor Clavin pledged to hear residents’ concerns about overdevelopment in the Five Towns. He will be leading a Town Hall in September about three specific zones in Inwood and North Lawrence. IClavin:SupervisorHearYou

TJH: We are thrilled to once again have Rabbi Yitzy Haber and Rabbi Zezy Fuld to tell us about this year’s program at Camp Machaneh Yisra el. We are sure that you have many new and exciting things to share. Each year, we are really amazed by your new and innovative ini tiatives. You have truly changed what people think of when they hear the words “day camp.” CMY began the Dynanite program, the amazing “after camp” camp that features fabulous trips and is run by the talented Rabbi AJ Jacobs. RYH: True. And this year we actually had three overnights over the course of the summer. Of course, we didn’t take anything away from our al ready amazing Dynanite program which boasts about 2 late nights each week and 2 overnights. It has been nonstop with trips such as ropes courses, white water raft ing, kayaking, crazy games, fishing trips, yacht rides around the Statue of Liberty, and much, much more.

Two months of amazing summer fun! For the last few weeks, our children have been basking in the sun, swimming, singing, and soaking up the fun every day. How are they spending their time away from their desks?

In this series, we speak with camp directors and head counselors to learn more about our community’s amazing, spectacular, incredible, marvelous, unbelievable (you get the point!) camps.

THIs Week, TJH speaks WITH… Camp Machaneh Yisrael

Located in Yeshiva of south shore, hundreds of campers enjoY non-stop fun at camp m achaneh YisraeL each summer. pick L e? did You saY, “pick Le”? WeLL , then, You are definiteLY a cmY camper! With songs and activities about takingtjhcampfetooh,sports,Lovernights,andruachthethecucumbersfermentedpermeatingairthroughoutdaY,theactionandisnever-endingheart-pounding.daYtrips,unchtimeantics,andsWimming…anddidWeforgetteLLYouabouttheamazingmaXXprogram?rabbiYitzYhaberandrabbizezYfuLdtookaWminutesoutoftheeXcitementtoteLLmoreaboutthefunpLaceatcmY. By SuSan Schwamm

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TJH: I get it. You love to “up your game” each year. I, myself, have seen a few of your weekly camp videos and, honestly, if I were a boy of the right age, yours is the camp I would want to go to. We’ve heard of the very innovative and special Father-Son Tisha B’Av program and an in-camp Shabbaton that you have initiated. Can you tell us more about those? RZF: Our Tisha B’Av program took place on Tisha B’Av morning and was open to fathers and sons to help them get of Tisha B’Av and the Kinos. We received numerous compliments from both the fathers and the boys that it helped them better understand that which they nor mally don’t get to. It was very meaningful and all those who attended felt they had gotten so much out of it. Our Shabbaton is a project we have with the same mission in mind. We in vite our older boys to an amazing Shabbos full of zemiros, ruach, Torah and games. Every year we receive similar comments from the boys, “Best Shabbos ever,” “So pumped that I came,” “The food, cholent and candy was out of this

TJH: How many years have you been going to CMY? Laibel: Two years.

RYH: Well, in customary CMY fash ion, we intend to “blow you away” once more. We didn’t want this year’s inter view to be the same as every other year. So this year you get to hear about the camp from the campers themselves. Would you care to interview some of our campers?

TJH: Seems like you really came prepared. RYH: We really wanted you and your readers to get a better understanding of what it is that we are so excited about.

TJH: Sounds awesome! Let’s call in another camper. I understand that you are part of the Amazing Maxx program. What’s your name and how do you like your program? Moishy: My name is Moishy Shiku fitsky, and I really enjoy the Amazing Maxx program. It’s very different from other camps, and we do some really great stuff. Not only lighting up pickles, even though that was pretty cool. TJH: You sound very enthusiastic. Why don’t you tell us more about the Amazing Maxx program? Moishy: It would be impossible to tell you everything but let me give you a few examples. We’ve been working with wood, experimenting with different items, and we even built a hover craft and took rides on it.

TJH: Anything else you learned that you can use in the future? Moishy: Well, we did learn how to build a fire, and during color war us boys in the MAXX program were in charge of building the fire for the ROPE BURN. It’s a big piece of color war and a huge part of camp, as everyone watches and cheers our team on and we burn through the ropes! We probably won’t need that skill on a daily basis, but knowing how to build things and work through projects is an amazing skill that I am learning at the CMY MAXX program.

TJH: Yes, I see that that could come in handy. Is there something more you’d like to share? Moishy: I guess one of the best things is that we learn how to work together in teams. We’ve done some team building, and as cool as it is to do something your self, it’s sometimes more fun to do it to gether with other guys.

“We Want everY cmY camper to have the camp eXperience of a L ifetime!”

TJH: The truth is that the reason we wanted this interview is because our readers would like to know what’s new in CMY this summer, and so would we. We are always so impressed with what you’ve done in the past, how you’ve changed the whole concept of a city day camp. So, please tell us what you have going on this summer and maybe include some secrets that you haven’t told anyone before. It’s always great to have an “exclu sive.”

RYH: Come on in Mish and Mush, Moishy Shikufitsky, and Labels for Laibel (obviously all names were changed for the privacy of the campers).

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 54 world!” Our parents get in touch after wards telling us very similar comments.

TJH: Wow! That was unexpected! We would really enjoy hear ing from your campers. Let’s hear what they have to tell us about CMY 2022.

TJH: Tell me why you picked CMY and what your favorite part of camp is. Laibel: Well, I chose it because I was hearing really great things about it from my friends. Besides, I knew Rabbi Haber and Rabbi Zezy from before. I figured if they were running this camp, it had to be awesome. My favorite parts are the wacky lunch games that Rabbi Haber and Rabbi Zezy play with us during lunchtime. That way even if lunch isn’t so great (it almost always is), we have an amazing time. Just last week, a camper got to throw choco late chips at my counselor’s face after he put marshmallow fluff all over it to see how many would stick. He won! He had 28 chips stick.

TJH: Well, hello camper. What’s your name and how old are you? Laibels for Label: I’m Label, and I’m 8 and a half years old.

TJH: Sounds like a lot of fun. Is there any other sort of wild thing you want to share? Laibel: Well, I know this sounds a little weird, but in our camp, we are all about “pickles”! And so we are focusing on pickles. Rabbi Picker of the Amazing Maxx program got a pickle to light up! It was crazy! We also have a “Pickle Song” that we sing that gets longer each week. You have to hear it to believe it!

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TJH: My head is swimming from all this action! As I said, you really seem to be having a fantastic time this summer. Rabbi Haber and Rab bi Zezy, these campers really do seem to be having an amazing experience with lots of fun. But, I know that there’s also an educational aspect to your camp. How does that work? RYH: Well, of course there is a ticket box and our amazing rebbeim and staff that all exemplify good middos and set the standard, but we try to bring chessed and Torah to life through games, like with Penny Wars or our annual Siyum Ha Shas Mishnayos. Penny Wars is a weeklong competition bunk vs. bunk game all centered around tzedakah and bringing in coins for tzedakah. It would take too long to go over the rules with you now, but it is amazing. We raised over $4,000 for tzedakah, WITH ALL COINS, all in ONE WEEK! Let’s just say, all the banks in town knew it was Penny Wars week at CMY because there were literally no more pennies in any bank in town as our chil dren asked their parents to clear out the banks.We also have our annual Siyum Ha shas Mishnayos. Now, that is an exclusive. The campers and their fathers have been learning Mishnayos, each taking a Perek with their son, and then we have a Beautiful Siyum HaShas, complete with rabbanim, a beautiful seu dah, fathers and sons, Divrei Torah and dancing. It is truly a memorable event.

TJH: This sounds wonderful. I get the feeling, though, that we haven’t heard even half of what hap pened this summer. RZF: Very true. There were definite ly other amazing moments this summer. But truthfully, what makes this camp so special is not just the exciting and inno vative programming. It’s the out-of-thisworld counselors, rebbeim, and all the rest of our wonderful staff. Everyone at CMY loves working here. Really. And each staff member is professional and dedicated and gives 100 plus percent all the RYH:time. That is so true. Let me give you an example. Rabbi Gewirtz not only plays with the younger campers during their sports periods, he also helps them learn how to play. He teaches them how to physically play the games and also teach es them the rules of the games through a very innovative trivia game he’s developed. So the camp ers not only have loads of fun, but they are much better players by the end of camp. He is totally dedicated to not just make sure the boys have a good time, but to making sure they build their confidence through helping them with the game. He is definitely not alone in his ded ication. The entire staff works together beautifully for the benefit of each and every camper.

TJH: I would say that the Amazing MAXX program truly is amazing. I also understand that the Dynanite program is really lots of fun. What sort of things do you do? Moishy: You got it. Rabbi AJ Jacobs and Jakubowitz (I forgot his first name but everyone in camp just calls him Jakubowitz) make sure that the night pro grams really rock! We have great trips, and we never know what AJ will come up with next. We have overnights and some wacky and crazy shows. One thing I can tell you: CMY is never ever boring! There’s something happening all the time. TJH: You guys certainly sound like you’re having fun. How about you two? Are there other activities that you would like to mention? Mish and Mush: There sure are! We have Monday madness, trampoline parks, and we go on great trips all the time. We’ve done water tubing, water parks, and boating and…we can’t even remem ber all the stuff! We agree that it’s never boring!Moishy: We’ve also had rock climbing, and kumzits after night activities with fires and marshmallows. But, don’t think it’s all about entertainment. Our bunks also have a ticket box for middos where you can get tickets for good middos and get prizes raffled off weekly. The prizes are huge. Every week, the camp is giving out prizes like Keyboards, fooseball tables, drones and so many oth er cool things.

TJH: I have to say that you two have really “blown me away” today. I want to thank both of you and the campers for sharing all that you can about CMY. Any last thoughts?

RZF: First of all, thanks for giving us the opportunity to share the CMY experi ence with you and your readers. I know I speak for both of us and all the CMY staff when I say that uppermost in our goals is to give every single camper an exhila rating and rich camp experience with lots of Torah content. We want every CMY camper to have the camp experience of a lifetime!

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 56 THESE BUILDERS HAVE ALREADY STEPPED FORWARD. WILL YOU JOIN THEM? MR. & MRS. YUSSIE & SUSAN OSTREICHER MESIVTA BEIS MEDRASH BUILDING MR. & MRS. BERISH & HANNAH FUCHS RESIDENCE HALL AND TORAH CENTER THE BIVETSKY FAMILY SHAAR HATORAH ה”ע ביל ה ירא ןב ןבואר םולש נ”על לכימ לאיחי ר”רהומ נ”על ה”ע הדוהי לארשי ןב BEISMESIVTAMEDRASH MR. & YITZCHOKMRS.&SHOSHANAGANGER THEFAMILYSCHRON DEDICATION OF CAMP ORAYSA CAMPUS In Memory of Mrs. Marta Schron ה ”ע HASEFORIMMESIVTAOTZAR ANONYMOUSLYDEDICATED MR. & JUDYBENJAMINMRS.&LANDA MEMORIAL EXHIBIT TO THE YESHIVOS OF PREWAR EUROPE ANONYMOUS DR. & MRS. YOSSI & ZIVIA SCHWARTZ MesivtaCornerstone,BeisMedrashBuilding NAYMAN FAMILY Dedication Wall Mesivta Beis Medrash Building MR. & MRS. MOTTY & HADASA MENDELSOHN Lobby Mesivta Beis Medrash Building MR. & MRS. NASSAN & DEVORAH TREITEL Preschool Cornerstone MR. & MRS. CHAIM & ROCHELLA TREITEL Gymnasium Wing GYMNASIUM WING ה”ע בד תב הוח נ”על Dedicated by Mr. & Mrs. Yaakov & Rivky Jacobovitch ANONYMOUS ResidenceCornerstoneHall ANONYMOUS MR. & MRS. DOVID & LEAH BRECHER Camp Oraysa Sports Complex MR. & MRS. BENZION & MIRIAM HEITNER Entranceway to Mesivta Beis Medrash Building MR. & MRS. CHAIM & BRACHA SCHULHOF MR. & MRS. NISSAN & SARAH GITTY PROFESORSKE

of New Beis Medrash

MR. & MRS. &

MR. & MRS. ALON & GOLDBERGERCHANIE Sha’ar

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 57 Plumbing Training Center Dedicated ל”ז ןהכה לכימ לאיחי ןב המלש םהרבא נ”על ל”צז ןויצ ןב םחנמ םייח ‘רה ןב םהרבא ‘רה נ”על ALL BORO CONSTRUCTION MR. & MRS. URI & KAUFMANESTHER MR. & MRS. CHAIM SHOLOM & RIVKY LEIBOWITZ Associate Dean’s Office MR. & MRS. MOTTY & JACOBOWITZHADASSA Promenade Vestibule MR. & MRS MORDECHAI & ELISHEVA ROSEN Illumination of New Beis Medrash MR. & MRS. ARI & SCHWARTZDANIELLA MR. & KEYVANMRS.&ANNRABBANI MR. & MRS. SHMULI & MIRIAM MENDEL Sha’ar of New Beis Medrash קחצי לאומש ןב הירא השמ נ”על ל”ז ןמדעירפ יולה MR. & MRS. MENASH & MIMI ORATZ Basketball Court in Elementary School Gym MR. & MRS. SHIA & ELANA OSTREICHER Beis MedrashVestibuleBuilding Mr. & Mrs. Simcha & Shani Applegrad Mr. & Mrs. Barry & Paula Bokow Mr. & Mrs. Berel & Sherry Daskal Mr. & Mrs. Binyomin & Leah Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Naftoli & Chani Einhorn Mr. & Mrs. Yechiel & Sima Feifer Mr. & Mrs. Michael & Mimi Fragin Mr. & Mrs. Evan & Chaya Sara Genack Rabbi & Rebbetzen Chaim Aryeh Zev & Avigail Ginzberg Mr. & Mrs. Samuel & Beverly Goldberger Mr. & Mrs. Tzali & Chana Shira Gutman Mr. & Mrs. Ari & Aliza Haas Mr. & Mrs. Moshie & Naomi Horn Mr. & Mrs. Shlomo & Kayla Horowitz Mr. & Mrs. Menachem & Elisheva Jacobowitz נ”על The children, bochurim, and all 45 neshamos of the Miron tragedy, Lag Baomer 5781 ל”צז רדנב םהרבא ברה ןב דוד ‘ר ג”הרה נ”על ל”ז יולה בקעי ברה תב היח היתב תינברהו ה”ע יכדרמ ןב גילעז נ”על ה”ע םולש עטנ ןב רזעלא השמ נ”על ה”ע השמ ןב דוד נ”על ה”ע לאקזחי ןב ןתנ השמ ‘רה ה”ע םהרבא ןב לארשיו Mr. & Mrs. Mordechai & Shana Jacobs Mr. & Mrs. Jeff & Tamar Landy Mr. & Mrs. Yosef & Vivi Moskowitz Mr. & Mrs. Yitzy & Rivky Orbach Mr. & Mrs. Ephram & Ilana Ostreicher Mr. & Mrs. Mutty & Bracha Ribowsky Mr. & Mrs. David & Sima Rosenfeld Mr. & Mrs. Dovid & Chani Roll Dr. & Mrs. Zvi & Dina Schreiber Mr. & Mrs. David & Debbie Seltzer Mr. & Mrs. Andrew & Stephani Serotta Mr. & Mrs. Marvin & Judy Sigler Mr. & Mrs. Morris & Devora Smith Mr. & Mrs. Yehuda & Mindy Zachter ה”ע ןיוועל יולה לארשי נ”על ה”ע ןלפק היתב עבשילאו Beis VestibuleMedrashEntrance

MR. &

MRS. URI & DEVORAH DREIFUS Ner Tamid THE BLOOM FAMILY לארשי ‘ר נ”על ה”ע ןהכה ןימינב ‘ר ןב MR. & MRS. NACHMAN & ESTHER GOODMAN Entrance of Beis Medrash Building RABBI & MRS. TUVIA & CHANA GOLDSTEIN Classroom in the Weiss Vocational Center ה”ע דוד בקעי ןב הדוהי ןמחנ נ”על ה”ע רשא הדוהי תב האל ותשאו ה”ע המלש ןב ביל בקעי נ”עלו Dedication of Rosh Kollel’s Office THE K TEAM Yeshiva Darchei Torah’s new capital project will encompass a Mesivta Beis Medrash and its first-ever Residence Hall. The Beis Medrash building will be comprised of 34,200 total square feet on 4 Stories and will serve 500 talmidim in grades 8-11. It will contain 15 Classrooms. The 43,000 square foot Residence Hall will contain 68 dormitory rooms serving 271 talmidim. To choose from a wide selection of sponsorships at all levels, please contact: Rabbi Zev Bald 718.868.2300 ext. zbald@darchei.org232 Rabbi Baruch Rothman 718.868.2300 ext. brothman@darchei.org406 Get in on the ground floor of this monumental project. darchei.org/building

FUTERSAKHENNY

NACHUM

“That’s fine,” Shlomo Simcha said, “I’ll sing at your wedding. But if you don’t mind my asking, why is it so important to you that I should sing at your wedding? Wouldn’t it make more sense to take all this money he’s offering you and hire an other singer for your wedding?”

This was Chezky’s answer: “My father took ill many years ago and is disabled. All these years, my mother raised us, took care of my father, and also earned money to support the family.

“When I got engaged and we started to plan the wedding, my mother comment ed, ‘It would so nice if Shlomo Simcha could sing at your wedding.’ That’s why I hired you. I hired you because that is what my mother wanted. By having you sing at my wedding, I’m expressing my hakaras hatov for all that my mother did for all of us all these years. “And that’s why no amount of money can make me change my mind.” Shlomo Simcha was touched by this young man’s words. What a beautiful way to show appreciation to a very spe cial mother.

Rabbi Shimon Finkelman: When we help our parents, we are really helping ourselves. A person should look for op portunities to do this great mitzvah, be cause how we treat our parents is very of ey he had earned on Erev Pesach so that she could buy herself a dress for yom tov; how a boy’s life was saved during the Ho locaust because he risked his life to bring his father his tefillin; how Rabbi Dovid Trenk gave chizuk to a talmid who was help ing his father in his store ... there are many more.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 58 Around the Community

My Parents and Me Heartwarming Stories for Teens Published by ArtScroll/Mesorah Publications Get the lift you need. Shabbosmodeoptionavailableon allour lifts. ShabbosLift S Solutions™ Call for FREE consultation (646) 543-8811 Ask about our bonus additiona year warranty and our pre owned Sta rLifts Ceiling LiftsWheelchair LiftsHome ElevatorsStairLifts

Your new book teaches children the values of kibbud av va’eim through the format of stories. Why did you choose that format? What’s the power of a story? Rabbi Shimon Finkelman: Even adults find stories captivating. All the stories in this book are true. True stories about kibbud av va’eim show children (and adults) how the mitzvah should and can be done, and how all kinds of Jews cherished this all-important mitzvah.

Mr. Miller was a very wealthy man, and Shlomo Simcha knew that he would pay him a lot more money than Chezky Stein had agreed to pay. But that made no difference. “I’m really sorry, Mr. Miller, but I can’t sing at your son’s wedding. I already agreed to sing at some one else’s wedding on that same night.” Mr. Miller was quiet for a few mo ments. “I’ll tell you what,” he finally said, “tell the other fellow that I’ll give him $3,000 if he’ll allow you to sing at my son’s calledShlomowedding.”Simchathe chassan “I’m sorry,” Chezky said, “but I don’t agree to this deal. I still want you to sing at my wed ding.”But Mr. Miller was not ready to give up. When Shlomo Simcha told him what Chezky had said, Mr. Miller replied, “Tell him that I’ll give him $5,000.” Chezky still would not agree to release Shlomo Simcha from their agreement. When Mr. Miller heard this, he said, “Tell him that I’ll give him $10,000.”Chezky did not agree. This time, Mr. Miller said, “Look, you sang at the weddings of all my other sons and it added so much to the wedding. We want the same for this son. Tell that fellow that he should name his price. I will give whatever amount of money he wants so that he will allow you to sing at my son’s wedding.”When Shlomo Simcha told this to Chezky, he was amazed at his reply.

What else is included in the book? Rabbi Shimon Finkel man: About one-quarter of the book is a section on the halachos of kibbud av va’eim for teen readers, together with stories to illustrate the halachos * * * The following is a fantastic story from the new book: Not for All the Money in the World The phone rang in the home of Shlo mo Simcha Sufrin, a popular singer who lives in Toronto and is known as Shlomo Simcha.“Shlomo Simcha,” the caller said, “my name is Chezky Stein* and I’m a chassan. I’m getting married on Lag Ba’Omer and I would like to hire you to sing at my wed ding.”Shlomo Simcha checked his calendar; he had not yet been hired to sing on that night. “That date is open,” he told Chez ky. “I’ll be happy to sing at your wedding.” They agreed on a price. Then Shlomo Simcha wrote down where the wedding would take place and what time he was supposed to be there. The next day, Shlomo Simcha received a phone call from an old customer. “Shlo mo Simcha, this is Daniel Miller.* Well, you sang at the weddings of our other sons, and now our youngest son is get ting married. The wedding will be on Lag Ba’Omer.”

one another, the children generally show respect for them. My parents, a”h, taught kibbud av va’eim that way and also in an other way: by showing incredible respect and concern for their own parents. What are some of the messages of the many stories you included?

“There is no amount of money that would cause me to release you from our agree ment. I want you to sing at my wedding.”

By Chaim Gold It hasn’t happened in five years, but now it is happening. Dirshu is again opening registration for its highly successful Kinyan Halacha program, a five-year structured program wherein avreichim learn and are comprehensive ly tested on all the material in Shulchan Aruch Yoreh De’ah required to obtain semicha along with select parts of Shul chan Orach Chaim. Those aspiring to gain a comprehensive knowledge of the sugyos and halachos learned for semi cha, both in America and Eretz Yisrael, are applying for permission to enroll in the coveted program. The Kinyan Halacha program was es tablished in 2006, with the active guid ance of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, the Shevet Halevi, and HaGaon HaRav Nissim Karelitz, zt”l and with the enthusiastic haskama of the senior posek hador of that period, HaGaon HaRav Yo sef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l

Dirshu’s Kinyan Halacha Iyun Program Set to Embark on 4th Five-Year Machzor Program Designed with the Guidance of Poskei Hador, of Previous Generation, Rav Elyashiv, Rav Wosner and Rav Nissim Karelitz

“To Become Poskim Goes Beyond Learning Halacha!”

Kinyan Halacha was designed by the well-known posek, HaGaon HaRav Moshe Shaul Klein, shlita, rav of the Ohr Hachaim neighborhood of Bnei Brak and talmid muvhak of HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l. It is devoted to thorough study of the most common areas of prac tical halacha. The seder ha’limud begins with the Tur and Shulchan Aruch (Mish nah Berurah where applicable) up to and including contemporary psak halacha. Each year a schedule with guidance in what to learn monthly is distributed with mareh mekomos to facilitate that month’s limud. The program takes an av erage of 4-5 hours of learning each day. Nissan and Tishrei are designated for chazarah of the previous five months’ ma terial, with a test at the end of each of those two months. At the culmination of the en tire program, participants who passed the tests will receive a “Cheilcha L’Oraisah” certificate. Although this certificate is not a semicha, it will bear testament to the bearer’s proficiency in halacha “The Essential Gufei Torah”

Partial view of a previous Dirshu Kinyan Halacha testing site in Yerushalayim

Rav Wosner repeatedly empha sized that Kinyan Halacha was a limud halacha program where yungeleit could learn halacha b’iyun with a clear, defined program and goal. For that one must in vest even more time and effort in learning the sugyos combined with practical shi mush with veteran poskim. To be a posek requires a special siyatta d’Shmaya that only comes on an individual basis.

Harav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, addressing the first Kinyan Halacha bechina in 2006

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The special kuntreisim, compiled by some of the greatest poskim of our time, has been one of the major catalysts that propelled Kinyan Halacha to reach far be yond its original goals. The program with its clear hadra cha has become so popular that tens of kollelim throughout Eretz Yisrael have opened horaah programs wherein the entire kollel learn halacha together with the Kinyan Halacha program. Not all these kollelim are part of the official Kinyan Halacha network, nevertheless all have seen the tremendous benefit of participating in a program with a clear framework for learning with chazarah Dirshu is glad to send even those kollelim that are not officially part of the net work, all its kuntreisim and do whatever in their power to offer the support they need to enrich Klal Yisrael with yet more poskim muvhakim The Before and After Dirshu is now reopening enrollment. As a five-year program, Dirshu offers gen erous stipends for avreichim who achieve excellent results. Over the course of the entire program, a yungerman can earn up toOpenings$8,000. for stipends are only for married men who do not have semicha and are not participating in a semicha program. There are a total of eleven bi-an nual tests over the course of the five-anda-half-years. Stipends are earned for each test but are paid at intervals along the way. Anyone who desires to participate in the program should contact Dirshu for an application. Dirshu can be contacted by email: KinyanHalacha@DirshuNJ.org.

Before Kinyan Halacha’s inception in 2006, when HaGaon HaRav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, zt”l, was presented with the de tails of the program by Dirshu’s hanhala led by its Nasi, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, he was extremely impressed saying, “…Learn [halacha] with Tur and Shulchan Aruch, for these are the essentials of [ gufei ] Torah.” He went on to recommend that learning in-depth and following the tra jectory of the halacha from the Gemara through the Rishonim, the Tur with Bais Yosef and onto the Shulchan Aruch with its commentaries provides a person with the Gufei Torah, the essentials of Torah. At that time, Rav Shmuel Wosner, zt”l, and Rav Nissim Karelitz, zt”l, also enthu siastically welcomed the program. In fact, Rav Shmuel Wosner played an instru mental role in guiding the program from its inception, even giving the pesicha shi ur together with Rav Nissim Karleitz in the month of Nissan, 2006 at the Heicha lei Malchus Hall in Bnei Brak.

Around the Community

Rav Moshe Shaul Klein related that Rav Wosner was extremely careful to em phasize that the Kinyan Halacha program should not be construed as a program that “produces rabbonim” or “produces poskim.”

The five-and-a-half-year program is a comprehensive, structured limud hala cha program through which bnei Torah, who are interested in learning halacha l’maaseh, learn all the major common halachic areas associated with semicha, while receiving continuous, practical guidance from prominent poskim.

Rav Klein stressed how Rav Wosner was always very wary of “Batei Medrash L’Rabbanim.” He felt that being a posek goes beyond learning halacha and must be an outgrowth of years of learning To rah in-depth and then halacha in-depth. It is not something that one becomes by attending a “college” that produces rabbis. That is why he guided Dirshu in how they should award those who completed the program with excellence. They were not to be given semicha because that must be done on an individual basis, from rav to talmid. Rather they were to be awarded a “Cheilcha L’Oraisah” document attest ing to the fact that the learner has com pleted and been comprehensively tested on all the material usually learned when learning for horaah Constant Hadracha Perhaps one of the most unique, im portant aspects of the program is the hadracha — the practical guidance for each participating yungerman. Each avreich receives a kuntress outlining all the material being learned for the forthcoming half year. The program also provides mareh mekomos and constant guidance in what to learn and where em phasis should be placed.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 60

M

25 Av

25th

On Her Yahrtzeit,

SaraofRecollectionsRebbetzinLayaBrazil, z”l

The letters that spell “Adam – Man” also spells “miod,” which means “very much so,” implying man’s uncanny ability to stretch forth and expand. Man, created in the image of Hashem, is not subject to the limitations and constrictions of the physical world, but has kochos ha’ne shamah that transcend, supersede, and surpass all boundaries. A Jew, having been granted the gift of hischadshus, is in the realm of l’maalah min hashemesh and therefore possesses the power to project to worlds beyond and above this earthly one. Her love and respect for others, her unusual ahavas habrioys was a natural outgrowth of her enthusiastic love for Hashem in that she recognized that each person possessed a chelek Eloka mimaal within and was therefore worthy of the greatest respect. Her inability to speak loshon hara, her obsession with finding the good in people, her preoccupation with boosting morale, building egos, complimenting and praising others at any opportunity, her ahavas chinam stemmed from an overflowing love for Hashem and all that He created in His image.Atthe same time, she taught the To rah of humility; that because the source of man’s potential for greatness is that he was created in the image of Hashem, he must therefore humble himself be fore Him with the greatest of humility. Her overwhelming anivus didn’t allow her to believe in herself as much as she believed in others. This contributed to a selflessness that inspired her to give and give to others to ensure that each and every one of them would become aware of, and put to good use, all of his G-d-given talents to become the most productive human being he possibly could become, and to serve his Master with absolute shiflus. She infused this philosophy in everyone she knew in the most natural way. She didn’t preach it; she simply lived it. She taught these Toros with a sweet ness that we can still taste. She touched the strands of the souls of all whom she loved and who loved her. With an ex pansive heart and an expansive eye, she gave to others selflessly, not constricted by pettiness, but ruled by humility Me ory

By Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland

and In

A s I sat down 25 years ago and attempted to prepare words of hesped for the sheloshim of Reb betzin Sara Laya Brazil , z”l, I remember wondering, “How can this be true?” How unfathomable it was to think that this vibrant, warm, exuberant, full of life, friend to all, eidela neshama , whose smile still radiated in our eyes, and whose warmth could still be felt, was no longer with us in this world. And then I saw her picture on our refrigerator door, so full of life and love for others, and I realized that just as in her lifetime she was everyone’s nechama and solace, so she would continue, even after her de mise, to comfort and to warm, as the essence of her being had touched our souls and left an eternal bond, never to be broken.Man’stask upon this earth is to build a miniature world, an olam hakaton . That world consists of the effect of his life’s accomplishments on his surround ings. Like Sara Imeinu before her, Reb betzin Brazil’s life on this earth was kulan shavin l’tovah, a conglomerate of building blocks of goodness that com bined to form the most beautiful ed ifice. Her years were too brief, but her days were long, and she and, yibadail lichaim tovim viaruchim , her illustri ous husband Harav Shmuel Brazil, shl ita, built a glorious structure of Torah and chesed and ahavas habriyos ; a glorious structure of hachnasas orchim and kiruv rechokim u’kerovim; a glori ous structure of kavod Shamayim and harbatzas haTorah and hamadas talmi dim and talmidos; a beautiful family of marbitzei Torah and baalei chessed. It was an exquisite edifice, a royal palace, a lighthouse of hope, a ray of sunshine, a fortress of emunah and bitachon, a well spring of song and praise to the Ribbo no Shel Olam. It was a house filled with zemiros that were zomair, that trimmed away all the inhibitions and barriers and allowed one to connect to the tzelem Elokim within and build an aqueduct to the Borei Olam above. All of this emanated from her beau tiful Binyan. Tragically, she only lived forty-four years, but she achieved what few achieve in a hundred years – kulan shavin l’tovah. What was the Toras imecha of this tzadekes? What was the secret of her radiant smile? What was the source of the force that extended her arms to greet and embrace, to warm and to strength en, to give of her simchas ha’chaim to ev ery person, even strangers, with whom she came in contact? How did she mas ter the art of saying “Shalom Aleichem”? How did she personify the quintessential michabeid es habriyos? What possessed her to open her home to such legendary hachnasas orchim, Friday night tishin, numerous melaveh malkas, Thursday night shiurim, to hundreds of bochurim, to many baalei teshuvah, to the disheart ened and dismayed, with such exuber ance and anticipation? What was the underlying foundation of her uncanny genius in relating to everyone, young and old alike? How did she exemplify the middah of being miurav im habriyos, of pashtus and down-to-earthness, and yet maintain a dignity and aristocracy that was majestic and noble? Her Torah was based on her astute appreciation of the tzuras ha’adam –the true dimensions of Man as intended.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 61

If a tzadekes who was so careful about tznius was taken from us, then we are too liberal in our modesty and dress.

The Rama mipaano explains that he was referring to the love that Rochel had for her sister Leah in that she gave her the special simanim and relinquished on her intended marriage to Yaakov Avinu in order to protect her sister from terri ble shame. So too did Yehonason abdi cate his claim to the throne and instead pledged his absolute subservience to Dovid.Such a show of love for others de mands tremendous humility and emu nah and bitachon in Hashem. Such was the love of Rebbetzin Sara Laya for Klal Yisroel and such was her emunah and bitachon. Amazingly, yet not surprising, the gematria of “Sara Laya” is the same as “Yehonason vi Dovid” (541) which is equal of “Yisroel” (541). Indeed, it is on page 44 of his sefer that Rav Shmuel brings this very vort. During these brief 44 years of her life, Rebbetzin Brazil humbled herself to promote others, constantly giving herself for them with an absolute subservience to the D’var Hashem. Twenty-five years ago, I said at that sheloshim that we must react to this terrible tragedy by accepting upon our selves to correct our indiscretions and to soar to new heights in the areas of life in which the chashuva nifteres ex celled. I am afraid that twenty-five years down the road we still need to do the same (I speak to myself). If a tzadekes who did not speak lashon hara was taken away from us so prematurely, then we are speaking too much lashon hara. If a tzadekes who was so miurav im habri yos was taken from us, then we are too makpid, too selfish, and self-centered.

She blew spirit and new life into the less fortunate and despondent by giving them hope and inspiring them to believe in their greatness and potential. goodness. This allowed her to graciously bring countless hundreds into her home to serve their every need as if they were honoring her by virtue of their pres ence. She blew spirit and new life into the less fortunate and despondent by giving them hope and inspiring them to believe in their greatness and potential. She gave sustenance to broken hearts, and quite healthy hearts as well, with her infectious love of life and Hashem. Rebbetzin Sara Laya addressed the needs of the world today in the most down-to-earth, natural, unassuming manner. In this very insecure and ev er-changing world, people need con stant chizuk. She was michazeik all who crossed her daled amos, par excellence. People who came to visit her in the hos pital to be michazeik her found instead that she was michazeik them. In this insecure world we live in, people need warmth. Rebbetzin Brazil nourished people with her smile that most certainly was a fulfillment of the teaching of Chazal on the pasuk of “u’li ben shinayim meichalav” – al tikri uli ben shinayim ela libun shinayim, that a smile can be more nourishing than milk. Her smile, her contagious laugh, her good word, coupled with her com mon sense and sound advice, were so sustaining and nurturing. She made an avodah out of remem bering someone’s name or finding the nekudah in order to compliment them. Whether it was welcoming her husband home at night with a burst of exuber ance, “Tatty’s home!” or telling the caller, “My husband will be so sorry he missed your call. He loves speaking with you,” it was all ois gecheshboned. The ageold practice of returning one’s greeting of “a gut morgin” with “a gut morgun, a gut yohr ” – always giving back more than you receive was the very creed of her life. People of all ages loved her and related to her because they could feel the tremendous respect she had for them. She was makdim shalom afilu linochri shebashuk, always the first to say hello, exemplifying the teaching of her great Rebbe, Harav Shlomo Freifeld , zt”l, that through a shalom aleichem one emulates his Creator and gives life to another. She was a genius at being macha zeik others. For a certain relative who had low self-esteem, she framed his picture and placed it on the piano with the pictures of other family members to make him feel chashuv. Whether she gave emotional warmth with her smile, or with a love note, or physical warmth by placing the children’s clothing on the radiator at night so that they would be warm when they dressed in the cold of the morning, or putting the blankets and pillows in the dryer so that the chil dren could snuggle up in a warm bed, it was always warmth. Whether it was the warm words of praise about wives in the community to their husbands to en courage them to appreciate their spouse, or the kugel she sent to the almanos for Shabbos or to the man who delivered the seltzer or the kugel she served with such love and so graciously to the Friday night oneg where she fared tish from the kitchen, welcoming, encouraging, gen erating the oros of Shabbos, it was al ways with the greatest warmth. Whether it was the Shabbos shiurim she set up each summer, the Tehillim she said with absolute commitment, the many eitzos tovos she gave her friends putting her heart and soul into their situation, it was with ultimate warmth. She encouraged her husband, Rav Shmuel, shlita , a brilliant talmid cha cham and michabair seforim, an un usual mashpia, a dedicated baal avodah, and a unique maamid talmidim (cur rently Rosh Hayishiva of Yeshivas Zeev Hatorah in Yerushalayim) to be miorair the hearts of his fellow Jews throughout the world with his uplifting seforim and hartzika and neshama- inspiring nig gunim. There is practically not a home in the Jewish world that doesn’t bring in Shabbos with Rav Shmuel’s shalom aleichem niggun that he composed on the spot in the early years of his mar riage as a response to his wife’s request for a faster shalom aleichem tune. There are many niggunim that permeate the world, but few are the composition of the hargashos of an ois gearbitered talmid chacham as are Rav Shmuel’s niggunim that have inspired Yidden throughout the Herworld.mesiras nefesh to allow her hus band to toil day and night in order to publish his sefer Bisharei Hamoadim, a sefer that blends the worlds of mussar and chassidus in Rav Shmuel’s inimita ble style, is a credit to her ahavas haTo rah. Indeed, the sefer was distributed in the very day of her untimely petrirah, perhaps a symbol that her task on this earth has been completed to the satis faction of the expectations of the world above.Inthat sefer, Rav Shmuel brings a Rama mipaano who explains the un usual expression that Dovid Hamelech used to describe the love he shared for Yehonason Ben Shaul upon learning of his death as “Niflais ahavascho li meia havas nashim – your love is more won drous to me than the love of women.”

If a tzadekes who was such a rodeif sha lom, such a oheiv es habriyos, was taken from us, then we are too petty, we’re not searching for the chein in one another, we are not sufficiently being maavir on our middos. If a tzadekes whose radiant smile and warm shalom aleichem lit up the room and nourished all who were privileged to know her was taken from us, then we are not friendly enough and we don’t have proper kavod habriyos.

If a loving wife is taken from us, then we need to make sure we are showing proper hakaras hatov and appreciation to our spouse. If a devoted mother is tak en from us, then we must make sure that we clearly understand that we are fully thankful for the privilege we have to be a parent to our children. Let us endeavor to emulate the mid dos tovos of this princess of a person Harabbanis Sara Laya bas R’ Shlomo Menchem, z”l, in all of its glory and de tail, and in the z’chus of the uniting of hearts and souls we will merit to see the binyan Bais Hamikdash bivias goel tze dek bimiheirah biyameinu, amen! In order to perpetuate her life of chessed, Rebbetzin Brazil’s mother Mrs. Marion Berkowitz dedicated Mikvah Sara Laya, located in Inwood, NY, in her memory. The beautiful, state-of-the-art mikvah is open 7 days a week and hous es a women’s mikvah, men’s mikvah and keilim mikvah and services the entire Five Towns and Far Rockaway commu nitiesChasdei(Inwoodmikvah.org).SaraLayaisafund that was founded by her daughter and son in-law David and Chani Wittenberg in memory of their mother. It was founded to fill a need in the community to help ease the financial burden that families face when losing a breadwinner. Chasdei Sara Laya has been zoche to provide financial as sistance towards tuition, therapy, sim chos, and the like. To donate, please visit: chasdeisara laya.org Any memories or photos you would like to share with the Brazil family can be emailed to chanahbw@gmail.com.

Which woman was he referring to?

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Riddle Me This There were two elephants under one umbrella. Why didn’t they get wet? Answer: raining.wasn’t Signs that Summer is Fading Away

3. You finally figured out how to make the perfect barbeque.

4. You stop using your driveway to make scrambled eggs in the morning.

5. You try squeezing into your seersucker suit, because you gotta wear it at least one time over the summer.

9. You start thinking about whether you could get into apple cider or pumpkin spiced lattes.

10. You are seriously considering moving to Florida.

2. You finally found the stash of sunscreen…news flash: it was under the sink!

Why was the hipster wearing a scarf during the summer? He liked wearing scarves before it got cool.

CenterfoldYouGottaBeKiddingMe!

1. You started planning your Chanukah party menu.

7. You are starting to panic about getting the kids into camp for next summer. 8. You are added to sixteen school carpool WhatsApp groups.

6. You start planning your amazing summer vacation…for next year because things were just too busy this year.

Elephant Trivia

2. What is the easiest way to tell whether an elephant is from the African species? a. African elephants are smaller than Asian ones (congrats! In honor of Elephant Day, which was celebrated on August 12, we are celebrating with a “one answer giveaway”) b. Their ears are the same shape as the continent of Africa c. Their skin is smoother than Asian elephants d. They are double the speed of Asian elephants 3. What is the typical amount of food that an average elephant in the wild eats per day? a. 5-10 pounds b. 25-50 pounds c. 80-110 pounds d. pounds250-300 4. How musclesmanycan an elephant trunk have (hint: about as many seltzer bottles that I have roaming around my trunk)? a. 170 b. 340 c. 690 d. 40,000 5. How long are elephants pregnant for? a. 9 months b. 14 months c. 22 months d. 36 months 6. Aside for their ears, what other body parts do elephants use to hear? a. Their feet b. Their trunks c. Their mouths d. Their nose 7. Which of the following activities is an elephant unable to do? a. Jump b. Roll over c. Swim d. Dig Answers 1. C 2. B. Not only are African elephant’s ears in the shape of the continent of Africa, but Asian elephant ears are in the shape of India. 3. D 4. D 5. C 6. A. Elephants communicate through seismic signals which create vibrations in the ground. Studies show that they not only feel the vibrations but that the vibration is transferred to actual sound, thus making their feet like a second set of ears.7.A Wisdom Key 6-7 correct: You crushed it… elephant4-5style!correct: Not bad…you are probably almost as smart as an elephant! (Don’t feel bad — they are brilliant mammals.) Wait, let me see your ears… 0-2 correct: When you hear about the elephant in the room, you probably wonder why you can’t see it.

1. In which two continents are elephants found outside of zoos? a. Asia and South America b. Austria and Africa c. Africa and Asia d. Africa and Antarctica

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M oshe’s discourse to the children of Israel at the end of his life continues in this week’s par sha. I think that it has to be said that Moshe presents a “fair and balanced” review of the events that have befallen Israel during its desert sojourn. The good and the bad, the exalted and the petty, are all recorded for us in his words. And his view of the future of his beloved peo ple is also a balanced mixture of woeful warnings and of great reward, of unlim ited opportunity and of crushing defeats. As always, he is forced to leave the choice of behavior and direction to the people of Israel themselves, but he at tempts surely to guide their choices in the right direction through his words and predictions. This is perhaps the greatest quality of a leader – the ability to clearly outline significant choices in life and so ciety and give guidance to one’s people to make wise and beneficial decisions.

Torah Thought

Parshas Eikev

By Rabbi Berel Wein

People hear what they wish to hear no matter what the speaker really says.

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Leaders who portray only one side of the coin, the bright one – who prom ise only utopian lower taxes and yet in creased welfare programs, peace without sacrifice and social systems of equality and blind justice that do not take into account the realities of human nature – only encourage inevitable disappoint ment, cynicism and apathy in their peo ple and constituents. On the other hand, leaders who gov ern by dire threats, terrible predictions, emphasizing all society’s ills and gener ating only drabness and a bleak view of the future destroy human initiative in a fog of Moshe,pessimism.theparadigm of the great and wise leader, presents, throughout his dis course here in the book of Devarim, both sides of the Unfortunately,coin. over the ages, the Jews have not always chosen wisely. People hear what they wish to hear no matter what the speaker really says. We are prone to misquote, misunderstand, repeat phrases out of context and gener ally ignore what we do not wish to hear andMoshe’sunderstand.attempt to portray the great achievements of the desert – and espe cially of Sinai – and balance them with the reminders of the tragedies and wars that also mark Israel’s journey through the desert had only limited influence on the people. Our sages teach us that the Jewish people simply did not believe Moshe’s dire predictions would ever re ally occur. “G-d simply had too much invested in the Jewish people.” It was a forerunner of our modern “too big to fail” philosophy regarding otherwise corrupt financial institutions. So Moshe’s darker side of the coin was never really believed by the Jewish people. They heard only the good – what they wanted to hear – and ignored the rest. There are many Jews today that unfor tunately listen to the opposite strains of Jewish life. They despair of our future and our wonderful state. They also only hear what they wish to hear, fueled by a biased and ignorant media and nar row-minded intellectuals. They see no grand future for Israel, the people, the state and the land. A well-considered study of Moshe’s words and his realistic and balanced message would certainly be inShabbatorder. shalom.

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The evil inclination’s main goal in this generation is to cause people, both adults and children, to shrug off profound mat ters as insignificant and give great defer ence and respect to trivial things. Many adults today fail to recognize what is and is not important. A frum Jew will scoff at a man studying in kollel for twenty years, calling him a bench-warmer. But a moment later he will discuss A-Rod’s retirement with the greatest admiration and respect. While there is nothing wrong with appreciating a human being’s ability to hit a ball, the inability to understand what is important in life and what is insig nificant is profoundly disappointing.

The Gemara (Sotah 49b) says that “at the time of the footsteps of Moshiach, chutzpah will increase... and [people will perceive that] the wisdom of the scholars becomes putrid.” The chutzpah we see in both children (and adults who think like children) today is a function of the lack of daas, intellectual and spiritual maturity. Being an adult means knowing that major spiritual potential exists in every en counter one has with others. Every single conversion with another person is an op portunity to give a kind word, offer encour agement, or spread positivity and light. Simply consider Rivka Imeinu. She offered a drink to Eliezer, as well as his camels. The Torah spends pasuk after pasuk relating the details of this ostensi bly insignificant act of kindness. Hashem obviously wanted us to understand that we would not be who we are and that our people would not be complete without this act of kindness, which ultimately was the sign by which Eliezer made the match between Rivka and Yitzchak. This couple then formed the foundation of the Jewish people, who are the building blocks of a long process ultimately culminating in the redemption at the end of time. The Torah wants us to understand the deep signifi cance in every act of kindness.

Rashi explains that this refers to the mitz vos one tends to take lightly. The Torah is telling us we must listen to these mitzvos just like we listen to the other laws. We must recognize their importance despite the fact that people usually take them lightly. And the Mishnah in Avos (2:1) says, “Be as careful with a ‘light’ mitzvah as with a ‘heavy’ one, for you do not know the re ward of mitzvos.”

Contemplate the kindness of Shifra and Puah, also known as Yocheved and Miriam. They took care of and comforted suffering Jewish babies during Pharaoh’s mass slaughter of Jewish children. All they did was what comes naturally to any mother. They cooed and comforted crying children. Yet their quiet acts of kindness formed the basis for the birth of Moshe Rebbeinu, our redemption from Egypt, and the Jewish people’s acceptance of the Torah shortly afterward, all of which are the precursor of the ultimate redemption.

Parshas Eikev Up

From the Fire

Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the Mirrer Mashgiach, zt”l, writes that one of the most fundamental principles of Yiddishkeit is to properly understand the importance of things. The pasuk at the beginning of our parshah (Devarim 7:12) says, “And it will be, because you will heed these laws...”

Regardless of a child’s in tellectual acumen, the key sign of intellec tual maturity is the ability to recognize the true importance of important things and not ascribe undue significance to trivial matters. As the Yerushalmi (Brachos 5:2) says, “Without intellectual maturity, how can one make distinctions?”

By Rav Moshe Weinberger

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Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

What is the nature of the transi tion of a young man or woman from a child, who is exempt from the mitzvos and punishments of beis din, to bar or bas mitzvah, when he or she is obligated to observe the mitzvos and is subject to the punishments of beis din (Chulin 12a, Sanhedrin 68b; Chagigah 2a; etc.)? Teshuvos HaRashba (Yi’ud Ris honim) explains that a child under bar or bas mitzvah is halachically not considered a bar daas, possessing mature intellect. No one should be offended by this. Even a genius like the Vilna Gaon was exempt from mitzvos as a child. The Rashba ex plains that the fact that a child is not a bar daas is a halacha l’Moshe miSinai, a direct transmission from Sinai. Let us look at this more closely. What is the precise nature of this change in in tellectual maturity between childhood and adulthood? The Navi Yeshayahu, who of fers us so much consolation regarding the upcoming redemption in the haftarahs we read in the seven weeks after Tisha B’Av, also describes eighteen serious challeng es the Jewish people will face at different times in history. The Gemara (Chagigah 14a) explains, based on pesukim in Yeshayahu, the na ture of the malady of our generation, the last one before Moshiach at the end of time. Our generation is also hinted at in the name of our parshah, Eikev, which means “heel,” the last and least part of the body. But it also a hint at the fact that our generation is the generation of ikvisa d’meshicha, the footsteps of Moshiach. What is the main issue plaguing us? “The youth will elevate himself over the elder and the lightweight over the honored one” (Yeshayahu 3:5). The Gemara explains that this means that for the youth and the lightweight, “serious things appear to him as insignificant.”

Hashem wants us to understand that the details in life are not so minor. Profound significance is hidden within them if only we recognize their true importance and seize the subtle opportunities for greatness hidden in day-to-day life.

It is a sign of childish immaturity to only appreciate things that seem “big” and important. But truly “big” people rec ognize the importance of the things that seem small to others.

Rav Yerucham, who lived at the begin ning of the twentieth century, recounts how, in his time, using microscopes, sci entists were just discovering entire eco systems, whole worlds, in objects and organisms smaller than a grain of sand.

Growing

How can all of this be? It is possi ble that while everyone else comes to Yerushalyim bringing baskets and baskets of luscious fruits to the Beis HaMikdash, one particular Jew brings just one tiny seed to fulfill his obligation and this justi fies such profound prayers? The fact that it can is a lesson to us that we cannot judge the importance of an object or act by look ing at how big or small it is. We must look deeply to see what significance the Torah places on it. Rabbi Joseph Telushkin’s book re leased on the twentieth yahrtzeit of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zy”a (p. 204), he re counts the following story that illustrates this beautifully:In1982, Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, who today directs development for the global network of shluchim, was asked by Rabbi Chaim Hodakov, the Rebbe’s chief of staff, to visit the small Jewish community on the Caribbean island of Curaçao and deliver a speech about Ju daism there. One of those who attend ed Kotlarsky’s talk was a man named Chaim Yosef Groisman, who seemed startled that a representative of Chabad had come to his hometown. Decades earlier, Groisman’s grandmother had told him that if he ever encountered a difficult, seemingly insurmountable problem, the person to whom he should turn was the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Now, indeed, Groisman had a problem, and a representative of the Rebbe had come to Curaçao. Groisman consulted with Rabbi Kotlarsky, who was able to as sist him. Shortly thereafter, he wrote Kotlarsky a warm letter thanking him, and asked him “to tell the Rebbe that a small Jew from Curaçao felt that the Rebbe... touched my soul.” Rabbi Kotlarsky sent a copy of the letter to the Rebbe, who was moved by Groisman’s heartfelt thanks, though distressed by one aspect of the man’s warm regards: “I must take exception to your referring to yourself as ‘a small Jew from Curaçao,’” he wrote to Grois man. “Every Jew, man or woman, has a soul which is part of G-dliness above, as explained in the Tanya. Thus, there is no such thing as ‘a small Jew,’ and a Jew must never underestimate his or her tremendous potential.”

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

Consider the mitzvah of bringing one’s first fruits to Yerushalayim. There is no de fined minimum amount one must bring. Therefore, one may technically fulfill his Torah obligation by bringing even one seed from one of his fruits, thereby fulfilling his obligation for an expansive field. One tiny seed could justify a person using the prayer found in the Torah (Devarim 26:15), “Look down from Your holy dwelling, from Heaven, and bless Your nation Israel and the land that You gave us, just as You swore to our fathers...” And the Gemara (Sotah 39a-b) explains that, when a Jew fulfills the mitzvah to bring first fruits, the ko hanim would offer the prayer, “Master of the World! We have done what you have decreed of us. Now do with us what you promised us!”

Being an adult means knowing that major spiritual potential exists in every encounter one has with others.

HotlineConfidential Call our Confidential Hotline to discuss any issues about relationships or domestic abuse. We provide a listening ear to all. Our referrals help our callers gain access to helpful resources, including legal assistance, counseling, and safe shelters. For more information and to speak with a trained advocate, please visit www.shalomtaskforce.org. No oNe Deserves To Be ABuseD SH al O m Ta S k F OrCe ALoNeNoTAreYou888.883.2323 Call. Text. Whatsapp

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Every Jew, every detail, has such poten tial packed within it. May we merit being big people and may we merit spiritual, in tellectual, and emotional maturity, thereby finally earning the complete fulfillment of that which we say in kedushah in Mussaf on Shabbos: “Indeed I will redeem you, the last ones like the first ones, to be to you G-d, I am Hashem your G-d.”

He saw in this a tremendous lesson. If so much exists in mere physical objects, how much more greatness must be hidden in the thoughts, words, and actions of a Jew. He explains, “This is the work of Mussar, to magnify things. Because of the weakness of our vision and the frailty of our hearts, we do not see the greatness of things. But Mussar is the ‘magnifying glass’ allowing us to gaze deeply into the inner essence of things...to draw out from everything the greatness hidden within every detail.”

intoDelvingtheDaf To Save a Life

By Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow

Ravis.

The Shut Binyan Tziyon suggests what some may consider a radical idea. While it is true that we are concerned about even a farfetched possibility of a threat to human life, that is only when the danger is present right now. He gives the example of someone trapped in rubble. The dangerous situation is present right now. We will therefore vi olate Shabbos even for an unlikely chance that there is a threat to human life. How ever, if the dangerous situation is not pres ent now, but we are merely afraid that one will develop, a different set of rules apply. In this case, we are not concerned about unlikely possibilities. Since in the Gema ra’s case, there was no current threat to hu man life, only the unlikely possibility that a dangerous condition will develop, halacha may not be violated. According to the Bin yan Tzion, we may only violate a halacha (such as Shabbos) for a remote possibility of a threat to human life, if there is already a dangerous situation. If we are merely con cerned that one will develop, then we are not concerned about remote possibilities. Rav Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, the Achiezer, vehemently disagreed. He said that there is not enough of a basis to suggest such a radical halachic difference between present danger and not. Rather, the Gema ra is discussing a dangerous possibility that is not merely unlikely, it is so remote that the Sages said we need not be concerned with it. Perhaps, if no halacha was being violated we would be concerned. However, a farfetched possibility does not override halacha. Indeed, the modern poskim ad mitted to having a hard time defining how dangerous a situation must be to warrant violating Shabbos. Rav Shlomo Zalman, zt”l, discussed the smallpox vaccine. He said one may not violate the Shabbos to ob tain the vaccine because of the farfetched, remote possibility that a one- or two-day delay will make a difference. He did sug gest, however, that when the illness was more prevalent, if one would have to wait a few years before obtaining the vaccine if he didn’t get it on Shabbos, then perhaps Shabbos may be violated. Along these lines there is a contempo rary posek who bemoans the fact that peo ple assume one can desecrate the Shabbos for cuts requiring stitches by saying that they are concerned for the far-out possibil ity that the cut may become infected before the end of Shabbos. Typically, people apply ointment and bandages and would delay treatment for insurance reasons. They certainly can delay treatment for Shabbos. However, there is more reason to be lenient when only rabbinic violations are involved. However, another posek apparently felt that a cut that requires stitches is a reason to violate the Shabbos. Perhaps they are not disagreeing, and it depends how deep the cut

He was exiting the restroom when a 72-yearold passenger fainted right into his arms.

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One mantra that is often repeated in halacha is that nothing supersedes saving a life. Therefore, it is some what surprising that a recent Gemara (Ke subos 39a) seems to take a contrarian view. The question addressed by the Gemara is whether a certain intervention, which might very well be ordinarily prohibited, can be prescribed to prevent a life-threat ening condition from developing. Rebbe Meir rules in the affirmative, exactly as we would have expected. (Or perhaps he holds that the intervention is not actually prohibited.) Astonishingly, the Sages dis agree. They say that the individual should not use the halachically forbidden interven tion. Instead, the individual should rely on the verse in Tehillim (116:6), “Hashem pro tects the simpletons.” How could the Sag es disregard the threat to human life and possibly allow a life-threatening situation to develop?Theanswer is the subject of much de bate. The reader is forewarned that no practical conclusions may be drawn from this article especially in matters of life and death. This article is intended simply to en gender discussion. As a preamble it must be noted that the Shulchan Aruch writes (328:2), “If some one has a dangerous ailment, it is a mitzvah to desecrate the Shabbos. The one who acts quickly is praiseworthy. The one who asks a shailah is a murderer.”

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 Hemp stead, NY. He can be contacted at ASebrow@ gmail.com.

Zilberstein, shlita, quotes his fa ther-in-law, Rav Elyashiv, about an inter esting halacha. He says that if a patient has a small chance (less than 5%) of getting worse before Shabbos is over, Shabbos may be violated to immediately take the patient to the hospital. This is in contradiction to a case where a passenger develops a danger ous health condition on a plane. Suppose there is only a remote chance (less than 5%) that his condition will worsen if the flight continues as scheduled. The plane should continue its flight and not make an emergency landing which would inconve nience hundreds of passengers. If there was a more than five percent chance that the passenger’s condition would worsen, then an emergency landing is warranted. My father-in-law, Rabbi Aaron Katz, was on a Continental Airlines flight to Is rael. He was exiting the restroom when a 72-year-old passenger fainted right into his arms. Being a paramedic, he immediate ly leapt into action. He laid the passenger down and checked her vitals. The flight attendants brought the oxygen which he requested. Rabbi Katz surmised that the woman was having a heart attack. He called out to see if anyone had aspirin. Many people offered Advil, but one pas senger thankfully had baby aspirin. Sur prisingly, the plane was stocked with med icine to treat a heart attack victim but had no IV with which to administer it! There was no EKG or other diagnostic equipment available. The pilot wanted my father-inlaw’s opinion if the plane should make an emergency landing. Using the information available to him, my father-in-law thought it was warranted. However, he asked for clarification, “Which airport would we be landing in?” The pilot answered, “The In ternational Airport in Tehran!” Needless to say, the flight continued straight to Israel. The pilot radioed ahead all the information they had on the patient. Within thirty sec onds of landing, Magen Dovid Adom was on theSheplane.wasin good hands.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 69 being learned by Mishna Accomplished and congratulate Rabbi Ariel Schreier We encourage our grade-school customers to andparticipate.

“What you have to understand,” explains Rebbitzen Baumgarten, “is that people are here on vacation, for a break. They don’t want to have to live up to their ‘so cial status’ obligations. They don’t dress up the same. They want their space. We have to respect that.”

M ost of us are familiar with the concept of shli chus, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s vision of bring ing Judaism to every Jew wherever they may be physically around the world – in China or New York – or spiritually, being somewhat familiar or knowing nothing about their heritage. But, what is it like to be a Chabad shaliach to the rich and famous? To Hollywood stars, famous clothing designers, billionaire industry magnates or just plain insanely wealthy individuals? Is it any different than anywhere else? Rabbi Leibel Baumgarten and his reb bitzen, Goldie, live in East Hampton, summer home to a large population of extremely wealthy and often well-known individuals.

By Malkie Schulman

A Town of Hedges

“All the estates are hidden behind huge hedges; you can’t see anything from the street. Privacy is important to these people. Nevertheless,” says Rabbi Baumgarten, “our job is ‘ufaratzta’ – to spread Yid dishkeit.”Andthe truth is, even in this town of tall hedges, there beats, however faintly, a Jewish heart.

Rabbi Baumgarten refers to East Hampton as a “town of hedges.”

“M y job in this world is to help bring back each and every Jew. Until that’s done, my job is not done,” says Rabbi Leibel Baumgarten, Chabad shaliach of East Hampton, Long Island. “The Rebbe taught us that every single Jew in this world has to be accounted for, and we are responsible to do everything in our power to make sure that hap pens. The whole idea of shlichus,” Rabbi Baumgarten continues, “is that shlichim have to be ready 24/7 for any Jew in need. “For example, just today, an Israeli couple walking down street recognized the menorah atop our Chabad house and came inside. We schmoozed a bit, and I asked the man if he’d like to put on tefillin. Right there, I chapped a mitzvah with this guy. It was worth it to have Chabad house just to help this fellow do the mitzvah of tefillin!”

“Before we agreed to move here, though,” says Rab bi Baumgarten, “I explained to them that we couldn’t come unless there was a mikvah.” The mikvah was built, and it’s actually the only mikvah in the entire Hamptons. Women come from all over to use it. Rebbetzin Baumgarten teaches the laws of taharas hamishpacha (family purity) to mar

“From then on, every single Shabbos during the summer months (from Memorial Day to Labor Day) for four years I would carry my doggie bag with my wife’s delicious challah, kugel and fish and travel to my host’s house. Every Shabbos, our minyan took place at a different wealthy person’s home. A waiter would serve me my kosher food on a paper plate while the rest of the family would be served their ten-course non-ko sher meal on the finest china.”

Bringing Torah To The hamp Tons

Yet despite the religious observance gap, Rabbi Baumgarten stresses that everybody always acted re spectfully around him. Nobody ever turned on the TV or lights or went swimming when he was around. Of course, what they did when he went to sleep was a different story. After four years of roaming, the minyan finally found its place at the beautiful, oceanfront home of Norman and Helene Stark, a shomer Shabbos couple that wanted to have the minyan within walking dis tance. The Starks’ generosity in offering their home over the next 13 years enabled the minyan to continue to expand its membership. The number of people who began to keep Shabbos grew as well. Ron Perelman was one of those individuals who eventually became shomerThen,Shabbos.afteralmost two decades of leaving his fam ily every Shabbos in the summer, the minyan finally brought the Baumgarten family out to East Hampton to live full-time. They bought them a large, 2½ acre property, on which one part is their home and the other part is the Chabad house.

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How It All StA rted It began simply enough, shares Rabbi Baumgar ten. “We were living and doing shlichus in Coram, Long Island, a typical middle-class neighborhood. We had established a Chabad house there and also a small Jewish school. One summer, one of the East Hamp ton residents, Ron Perelman, former owner of Revlon, reached out to me. He wanted to establish a minyan every Shabbat in East Hampton.

Another unique aspect to the East Hampton chal lenge is that most, if not all, its residents live a vastly differ ent lifestyle than the Baumgartens and not just religiously but materialistically as well. For example, when residents do oc casionally have com pany, it’ll be at most two or three guests at a time, with full-time help, as opposed to Rebbetzin Baumgarten who routinely cooks for 45 guests every Shabbos in the summer, without a live-in housekeeper.

tHe rewA rd IS CoMMenSur Ate wI tH t He effort As difficult as the work can be, the rewards can be just as great. Both Rabbi and Rebbetzin Baumgarten

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ried women and to brides, to the observant and the not-yet-observant. What’s interesting and important to note is how many women observe this mitzvah even though they are not fully observant (yet). roug HIng I t In eAS t H AMpton While there are many inspirational and reward ing moments in their lives, living in East Hampton is not always easy. Starting with physical convenienc es – contrary to what you may think, despite the fact that the very rich live here, “There is actu ally nothing conve nient about living in East Hampton,” says Rebbetzin Baumgar ten. “There’s no nor mal garbage pickup, the streets are not properly lit at night, there are certain ar eas where the mail is not delivered, and the nearest hospital is 20 minutes away without traffic. For years, there were not many very good doctors’ offices here either. Also, we have poor phone service because nobody wants a cell phone tower near their house.”

“Most of the people who live here have servants to attend to their needs. Their expectations of how things should run and how fast things should be progressing are different because they have so much more paid help than we do. At one point, years ago, I was away from home,” continues Rebbetzin Baumgarten, “and one of our Chabad friends wanted the local residents to see how our children chip in and help out. We initially weren’t comfortable with that idea, but he insisted, ‘No,’ he said, ‘let them see what it’s like when you don’t have a maintenance person, a housekeeper and a but ler.’ By now, though, the people have a much better understanding and don’t have the same expectations they did when we first moved in.”

PHOTOCREDITRICHARDLEWIN

Another challenge in East Hampton and other G-d-forsaken areas of the world in which shluchim usually live is the challenge of raising children accord ing to Torah values. “When the children were young, we sent them to the Chabad school run by shluchim in Coram or Lake Grove,” shares Rebbetzin Baumgarten. Even when they moved to East Hampton, they would make the one-hour-and-ten-minute drive each day back and forth to the school there. Once the children got older, anywhere from 6th to 8th grade, depending on the indi vidual needs of the child, they were then sent to yeshi va in Crown Heights. During the week, they lived with their grandparents, only coming home for Shabbos. Regarding the concern about their children hav ing non-observant friends, Rebbetzin Baumgarten notes, “Today, it’s a challenge no matter where you live and where you send your children – who knows what they’re hearing? Mainly,” she says, “it’s about davening and saying Tehillim and remembering we’re the Rebbe’s shluchim. We’re taking responsibility for Hashem’s children so He will take responsibility for our children.” “And He has!” maintains Rabbi Baumgarten, “Our married children are all in shlichus, and all our chil dren have an understanding of their role as children of shluchim and the part and the sacrifices we all have to make to do this holy work. Every child deals with it differently, of course, but they all have the knowledge that this is what we need to do. They are part of a team.”The biggest challenge that is unique to a town like East Hampton is its transience. Because it’s mainly a summer destination for most of the residents, it’s less stable than other communities. Sometimes people coming for the summer have no interest in becoming a community. They experience community where they live the rest of the year. They’re involved timewise and financially in the organizations and temples or synagogues where they live and they don’t have an in terest in duplicating that experience here. Especially if the family is here just for one or two summers, then it’s certainly hard to strike a relationship. Neverthe less, despite this built-in instability, over the years the Baumgartens have gotten close to many of the families, especially the ones who do return year after year.

“I’ve found tHAt In tHIS rel A xed AtMoSpHere, people Are More open to MAkIng bIg CHAngeS In tHeIr lIveS .” Rabbi and Rebbetzin Baumgarten

Rabbi Baumgarten has a daily Zoom class for any one who wishes to join. “I teach whatever the class wants to learn – Chu mash, the Torah portion, philosophy, Tanya,” he says. “I’ve found that in this relaxed atmosphere, people are more open to making big changes in their lives.”

A t ypICA l dAy In eAS t H AMpton “Most of a typical summer weekday, during the four weeks of camp, revolves around our day camp,” shares Rebbetzin Baumgarten. “It’s a family affair. Some of our married children return for the summer to help run the Besidescamp.”for taking care of all the day camp neces sities, Chabad of the Hamptons is also the source for kosher food in this part of the world. People visit the area, and “they want to know how to get kosher food.

72 have spent countless hours over the years schmoozing and counseling young and old, helping them make sig nificant life changes. “I remember one Friday night,” reminisces Rab bi Baumgarten, “I sat up the whole night talking to a young woman who was seriously dating a non-Jew. It was the beginning of many subsequent conversations I had with her. Baruch Hashem, today, she is married to someone named Horowitz.”

One of the many special things that the Baumgar tens do is visit different families every Friday. “My wife makes the best challah in the world,” Rab bi Baumgarten asserts, “and we go around from home to home to give out candles and challahs. Some peo ple invite us in, and it’s very special. We call it ‘bikur bayit.’ Sometime, we’ll ask a family if they’d like us to come to their house just to talk about anything they might be interested in.”

The idea behind shlichus is to connect with every Jew on whatever level they will let you. No one appar ently is too out of reach for the Baumgartens. Rebbetz in Baumgarten finds taharas ha'mishpa cha a powerful and beautiful mitzvah that inspires many of the women she interacts with.Enabling Jews to appreciate the warmth of Yiddishkeit gives Rebbetzin Baumgar ten a sense of fulfill ment.“Some of the peo ple who live here fulltime are older, and we’ve gotten to know them over the years. We often visit them once a week, and it’s wonderful to see the joy it brings them. Some of the old timers speak Yiddish and enjoy speaking it with us. Many of the women start lighting candles, and they love it.”

Some are eager to have the rabbi visit and some are not. But, it’s all okay, there’s never any pressure. “This is how we develop a relationship, by visiting them and getting to know them. Sometimes they look at is as a big honor like, ‘Wow, the rabbi is coming to visit me.’”

We provide them with the answers (and the food!). Maybe they need to kosher the kitchen, they want to know about the mikvah or they might need yahrtzeit candles. Sometimes they just call to find out what’s appropriate for a frum family to do in our area. I can be preparing for workshops, speakers or challah bakes, and people will stop by with their questions on anything at any time!”

At this point, as opposed to years ago, Chabad also “A would Serve Me My koSHer food pAper pl Ate wHIle tHe reSt of tHe fAMIly would be Served tHeIr

onnon-koten-CourSeSHerMeAltHefIneStCHInA .” PHOTOCREDITRICHARDLEWIN PHOTOCREDITRICHARDLEWIN

ish subject that the women want to learn about, it usu ally starts with 15 minutes of schmoozing and then 45 minutes of learning.

Year-round, Rabbi Baumgarten is a chaplain for the Suffolk County Prison, attending to all needs, both ma terial and spiritual, of the Jewish inmates. Both Rab bi and Rebbetzin Baumgarten are involved in the op eration of the Chabad preschool and Talmud Torah throughout the year as well as teach ing adults multiple times a “Duringweek.Covid, we started giving Zoom classes,” shares Reb betzin Baumgarten, “and we’ve kept it up. It’s a great way to keep the connection going even when the women go back to their yearround classWhethercommunities.”it’saparshaoranyotherJew

Another beautiful aspect of living here, Rabbi Baumgarten continues, is although in the city every body has their own lives and their temples they go to, because the Hamptons is seasonal, everybody comes to the only Orthodox synagogue in town and that’s Chabad East Hampton. “We also host rebbes of large chasidic groups that are looking for a restful place in the summer. I provide them with a minyan and, of course, they know they can trust us with kashrus.”

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At the end of the day, often a very, very long day, Chabad of the Hamptons has much to be proud of. Thirty years ago, there was no shul, no mikvah, no shomer Shabbos families in East Hampton, no Yid dishkeit at all. Today, there are many shomer Shab bos families, a daily minyan in the summer (weekend minyans during the rest of the year), and many not yet fully observant families taking on more and more mitzvos.So,while no, if Rabbi Baumgarten has set his sights on touching the life of every Jew on the planet, he and his family have not yet achieved that lofty goal, nev ertheless they have certainly made great inroads in thatStartingdirection.with the Hamptons.

hosts frum Jews from Lakewood, Boro Park, the Five Towns, and all over, who come for vacation. On any given Shabbos in the summer, there will be a big mix of Jews in shul. Sometimes they will host a Shabbaton for their constituents and anybody else who wishes to attend and sometimes they’ll just have one or two families over for Shabbos. Of course, that’s always besides their extended family and the 8-9 yeshiva bo churim who come to help out every Shabbos. (Since some families don’t live within walking distance to the shul, the boys will walk to their homes and make a minyan there. After shul, they come back to eat at the ChabadOtherhouse.)changes over the years include the fact that many more people are observant. More people also come to shul. “My son and I are very busy kosher ing people’s homes and putting up mezuzahs,” shares Rabbi Baumgarten. “Even if they’re not yet observant, people often want a mezuzah.”

THANK YOU TO OUR DEDICATED ORAH STAFF OF SUMMER 22! YOU REALLY BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN!!

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One of the big draws of the Chabad shul are the kiddushim every Shabbos. Rabbi Baumgarten even goes as far as saying, “If you want a successful minyan, you must have a professional kiddush.” That means “Hampton-style.” “We set it up with gourmet salads and delicious kugels. The décor is beautiful, and ev erybody loves coming.” Indeed, lots of shidduchim have been made through the kiddushim. “I see a young man and a young woman there, and I introduce them. Some of the guys have a hard time making a commitment, but we push them a little and it works, baruch Hashem,” says Rabbi ShabbosBaumgarten.isnottheonly party day in East Hamp ton. There’s also the Sunday Club featuring a yummy breakfast along with putting on tefillin (for the men). Not to mention the garden parties and the barbecues, another major event that have people from all over the island, including the Five Towns, coming to attend. There are challah bakes, Ladies Torah and Tea every Wednesday, Kosher Pizza Pop Up, and other interest ing programs and events sprinkled throughout the summer months. lookIng bACk… lookIng A HeAd

By Hershel Lieber

We arrived in El Paso, Texas, late Sunday afternoon on January 27, 2014. Our goal was to do a road trip through New Mexico which would include both the Chihuahuan Des ert and El Camino Real. The drive to our final destination Santa Fe was actually less than six hours from El Paso, but we would spread it out over a few days to see the interesting sites along the way. Shab bos we would spend at the Chabad of San ta Fe and then we would make our way back to New York. El Paso borders Mexico, and there is a bridge crossing the Rio Grande River into the city of Ciudad Juarez. Although Juarez is one of the most dangerous cit ies in the world, known for its drug car tels and high murder rate, we decided to walk across the bridge and spend about two hours touring the city. We took a taxi driver who gave us an English language guided tour of the city’s highlights, and we also spent a half an hour at an indoor market browsing Mexican folk art ob jects. There was a proliferation of lowcost drug stores and numerous medical and dental services all competing for the American dollar. As we headed back to wards the States, we realized the stark contrast between the tall office buildings of El Paso and the dilapidated housing and shabby commercial structures of a poverty-stricken city. We also under stood why crime became so rampant in this border town. El Paso has a relatively small Jewish population – less than five thousand peo ple. As such, we were surprised by the excellent display offered at the El Paso At the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Refuge Climbing the White Sands dunes

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Along the El Camino Real trail Jew El Paso to Santa Fe

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Pueblo style housesRelaxing in the Chihuahuan Desert (note my Juarez cap)

At certain times, the skies are filled with over five hundred balloons in every style and color. Holocaust Museum. The building is on the small side, but the exhibition well documents the greatest tragedy that be fell our people in recent history. This was our Tuesday morning program which was followed by a visit to the El Paso Art Mu seum, where we thoroughly enjoyed the Western art depicting the lives and cul tures of both “cowboys and Indians.” That afternoon, we drove into the Chi huahuan Desert and headed to the White Sands National Monument. The nine ty-minute drive itself was a feast for the eyes. The desert landscape against the mountain background was just an intro duction to the “otherworldly” scene that met us at White Sands. As we drove clos er, we were bewildered by the snow-cov ered dunes. We could not believe that the snow would not melt under the strong sun. When we came to the site, we real ized that the snow covering was actually pure white sand! We climbed the dunes and took multiple photos. We are always in awe of Hashem’s magnificent world of nature, and the White Sands was a great example of the beautiful planet that He gave us to live in. The next morning we were out by nine o’clock heading to Albuquerque. We made a number of stops during our two-hun dred-sixty-mile journey. Most notable was the El Camino Real Historic Trail Site. Lo cated in middle of nowhere, the exhibits contained within were charming portray als of the trail which connected Mexico City to Santa Fe. The main focus of the museum was to illustrate the difficulties that people went through traversing the desert and its environment. Besides the town of Socorro, we spent quite a while to wards the evening at Bosque del Apache, a National Wildlife Refuge which is a bird watchers’ paradise. These flooded plains and marshlands attract over 10,000 sand hill cranes and 20,000 snow geese during the winter months. Near sunset, birds re turn in massive flocks to roost from the local fields where they feed. This image was so captivating that we stayed for al most two hours to watch and to listen to the sounds of this phenomenal spectacle. We spent the night in Albuquerque but drove early Thursday morning straight to Santa Fe. We visited the Old Palace of the Governor and the New Mexico Museum of History. We took a tour of the pueblo-style State Capitol but were more impressed with the huge collection of artwork hanging on its walls. Santa Fe’s low-ly ing buildings are all done in the pueblo style in natural sand coloring. The city is an epicenter for regional art and culture. We went gallery hopping and were at tracted to most exhibits. We shopped for pottery with Indian motifs and designs. Other popular buys are colorful shawls and blankets. Although we could not eat anywhere, we could not help noticing the most popular spice, red hot chili peppers, which were sold everywhere. We returned to our hotel room and Hot chilli peppers for salePesi posing with Indian dance troupFolk art in Ciudad Juarez

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106 prepared our dinner. We never have much of an issue with food. We take along packaged dinners which do not need re frigeration, hard cheeses, canned fish, and melba toast. Everything else we buy in local supermarkets. Unless there are kosher restaurants, we heat up our meals in the microwave and have never really gone hungry. For Shabbos, we try to make arrangements either with Chabad or with local families. On Friday morning, we went to the San Ildefonso Pueblo, which is a federally recognized Indian tribal homeland. The small town with its small pueblo-style buildings are centered around an open space which is used for cultural and reli gious ceremonies. A number of residents produce and sell the famous Black-onBlack pottery. There were no public cere monies on that morning so we continued on the Museum of International Folk Art. This museum was so colorful and inter esting and included folk art from all the four corners of the Earth. We were enam ored with the displays and could barely pull ourselves away to get back in time for Shabbos.Ourdecision concerning which hotel davening as well. They were in the pro cess of building a Chabad Shul and center but on that Shabbos we davened and ate in their home. There were about fifteen guests besides the family, which included the Levertovs’ six daughters and the rab bi’s mother. The atmosphere at the table was joyous, and the food was delicious. We had some great conversations with many of the guests, and Rav Beryl asked me to say a dvar Torah. Although we did not have a minyan Friday night, the next morning, in time for Shemoneh Esrei, we had our quorum. I was glad that a minyan formed his two sons who were learning in Kollel. We davened Mincha and then went back to the hotel for our Shabbos nap. Motzei Shabbos after havdalah we were treated to watch videos of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. We have seen this new tradition in many other Chabad kehillos. Chabad, as usual, is a sanctuary that we learned to admire and appreciate during our many travels. On Sunday, we drove back to Albu querque and went to the Indian Pueblo Cultural Canter. For one hour, we toured the exhibitions, and for the next hour, we watched Indian dances and ceremonies – not exactly our favorite musical instru ments and sounds. We made a short stop at the International Balloon Museum. Albuquerque is the known for its Inter national Balloon Fiesta which brings to gether hot air balloon enthusiasts from around the world. At certain times, the skies are filled with over five hundred bal loons in every style and color. We could only imagine the sight, and we bought our grandchildren of each family jigsaw puz zles which showed the colorful spectacle of the flying balloons. One more night, and our trip would come to an end. All in all, we relaxed, we toured, we viewed nature at its finest, we had new experiences, and we connected with other Jews. What more can we ask for?! Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Rabbi Beryl and Devorah Leah Levertov and family

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G rowing up in small apartments in Brooklyn after the war, first Williamsburg and then Crown Heights, our family of five did not have much of anything, small rooms nor any real storage space. But one special suitcase went with us everywhere we moved; it was a big silver metal suitcase that had written in bold black ink our family name, Hoffert. It also had an address and the coun try destination. “Israel” was written in bold script on the front. For years, whenever I would see that suitcase, I wondered why we kept it and why it was marked up in that way. When I finally thought to ask, I was told that after the war we were all packed and ready to move to Israel. Letters from Israel warned us to stay away; the missives were filled with news of food shortages. Hunger, rats, danger and fear. “Don’t come; it’s terrible here. Go to America!”Andso we did. The first time that I came to Israel, I was in my mid-twenties and pregnant with our second child. Our parents en couraged us to make the trip and offered to babysit. We booked an Emunah Tour and prepared to be away for two weeks without our baby boy. There is so much to say about that, but I’ll save it for another time. When we woke up that first morning in Jerusalem, it was to the sounds of a wedding being celebrated right outside our window at the fountain in front of the Kings Hotel on King George Street. There was dancing, music, horn honk ing, and a glowing couple. We had never seen anything like it. We soon came to realize that this fountain formed the centerpiece of many a Jerusalem wedding; this scene would be re-enacted daily by many a chattan and kallah . Our mornings in Jerusalem marked a time of hope and celebration for couples and tourists. All these many years later, when I walk by the fountain, I smile at the memory.From Jerusalem, our tour took us to the historical landmarks that call every Jewish person back to our homeland. Being witness to the places discussed in the Torah made us realize how much there is to see, learn, and experience in this bountiful land we call home.

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By Mrs. Barbara Deutsch

Israel Today Land of Our People

After about a week, we made our way to Tel Aviv, where parts of my fam ily had settled after the Holocaust. The same family who had cautioned us to stay away. We called my grandmother on my father’s side to set up a first-time meeting.InYiddish, I greeted her. “Hi Bubba, this is Barbara, your granddaughter from America,” I said. I had never spoken to her, had no real name for her and no relationship; to me, she was a figure in a picture. Those were the days of no internet and cell phones. The calls were very ex pensive and spotty. I knew that my dad wrote long blue letters in Yiddish to her, and, in the few times a year that they spoke, his voice was loud. In his mind, he could only be heard if he shouted into the phone. After all, Israel is far, far away. I was not really sure that “Bubba” knew that I was planning to visit; I soon found out from the content of her response. “Finally! Did you come to see the land, or did you come to see me?” Certainly not the most welcoming of greetings. Growing up in a survivor family, most of my friends were like me, second generation, with no grandparents who survived the war. I was lucky to have spent time with my mother’s mom, “the Bubba Tzivia”; she lived not too far away from us in Brooklyn. My dad’s mom, Rochel/Bubba, lived in Israel; this visit would turn out to be our first and only in-person encounter. Our second daughter Rachel, who lives in Israel with her family, is named for her. After almost fifty years, the question Bubba asked that day still resonates with me. With families living in Israel, many not being seen for many years, how does one divide the time spent in Israel on an always too short visit? Do we come to see the land or to visit relatives? When we first got to Israel on this vis it, we needed to first fill our lungs with the magnificent life-affirming smells, sights and sounds of Jerusalem. We savored the opportunity to slow down and take a moment or maybe even two. With a whole month in front of us, we wanted to take it slow and so we filled our time with long walks, lazy break

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Do we come to see the land or to visit relatives? fasts, local tours, shiurim, and getting reacquainted with our grandchildren and their parents. The days turned into weeks, and too soon we realized that we needed to make time to see “the relatives.” One might wonder that being with our kids is, in fact, “seeing relatives” but for those who know, they understand the difference. And for those who don’t, well, that’s not for this reflection. We made our calls to set up the times that would work best and made ourMyplans.mother was one of nine with seven who survived the war; two died in infancy. The family consisted of four brothers and three sisters. The sister closest to her in age and the one who looked the most like her was Tante Rai zel.This sister was also the one who warned us to stay away and go to Amer ica.Raizel’s family grew up and pros pered in Tel Aviv as chiloni Jews; not one member of her extended family is observant; actually, the opposite. I grew up knowing her son, my cousin Natan, and his wonderful wife Penina. It was Natan who gave my sonin-law his first job in Israel and set the stage for their Aliyah (I have a lot to say about that!). This trip’s visit would in clude his two sisters, Bella and Tzivia (familiar names). We were very excited to finally see our cousins, his sisters, af ter more than 20 years. When we got to Petach Tikvah, and walked into their penthouse apartment overlooking Tel Aviv, we were overjoyed at his apparent financial successes but shocked at both Natan’s and Penina’s aged and frail appearance. We are the same age and could not believe the change in them in the four years since we had seen them last. When Natan’s sisters walked into the apartment a few minutes after us, we had no comparisons to make about them as we had not seen them in over 20 years. Blessedly, they look strong andWewell.spent a wonderful day together filling each other in on our families, our work and the direction of our lives. Would we be observant had we not lis tened and come to Israel when they did? We laughed over shared memories of the family; our moms, aunt, and cousin who grew up as family in Poland. I cried and cried, overcome with memories of our loss. One of Natan’s sisters, shocking to me, looks exactly like our Aunt Esther; Esther’s own children don’t like her. For me, it was like Aunt Esther stopped by to greet us all these years after her death. Soon it was time to go back to Jeru salem; we left with pledges of keeping in touch and hugs. It was wonderful and precious. Tante Raizel, Aunt Esther, Tante Laya and cousin Toby are smiling as they sit drinking tea with a “kletzel tziker” (sugar cube) in their mouths. As I write this, tears are filling my eyes at the memory of their soft laughter and sisterly love. May their neshomas have an aliyah. I think about how to answer my Bub ba. I find myself wanting to say, “Bubba, I don’t know the answer, perhaps to see both.”As we culminate the Three Weeks and remember the destruction of the Beit Hamikdash , we must make the most of every opportunity to visit Israel, fight for its existence, and never take for granted the people who fought so hard to preserve its existence. We go to Israel, to see the land and the people. Shabbat shalom Barbara Deutsch is currently the associate principal at HANC 609 and a longtime reflective educator, parent, grandparent, and new great-grandparent. Even after all these years, she still loves what she does and looks forward to working with kids every single day. She is vacationing in Israel for the summer.

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Haskamos and praise from Rabbi Asher Weiss, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig, Rabbi Zev Leff, and Rabbi Akiva Tatz.

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions. Our intention is not to offer any definitive conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

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Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Navidaters,Dear

WouldWhat You Do If…

Thanks for taking the time to look at my question. I am having trouble connecting to the guy I’m dating. I like him a lot, I respect him, I think he is great husband material, but when I am out with him I feel selfconscious. He is on the shorter side and doesn’t have the best social skills in public settings. In private, I feel much more comfortable. How do I navigate this properly? Which side do I listen to? The side that tells me to go ahead, or the side that says I’d be self-conscious while married to him?

Dating Dialogue

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1) When you are not with him, do you miss2)him?Ifyour best friend got engaged to him, how would you feel? Relieved or en vious?3)Do you feel self-conscious when you are around the guy you’re dating be cause you think you can do better? Or be cause those around you intimidate you? (There is a difference.) I want you to sit alone with a piece of paper and brainstorm for three full min utes. Write out, non-stop, all the feelings in your head you need to get it out. Write about all the things you like about him and appreciate about him. Read this brainstorm session over when you are nervous. Does this make you feel better? The main question you will have to ask yourself is: are you able to appreci ate all he has to offer to the point where you feel proud to be with him and around him?Hatzlacha gaining clarity!

The Panel If your best friend got engaged to him, how would you feel?

T hank you for writing into the panel. No one can tell you to ignore what may be your intuition telling you this is not the man for you. Being that your email is a snapshot of what is going on, I think you may benefit from speaking with a therapist and/or dating coach to help you figure out your feelings for this guy. If you have a history of “pickiness” or any anxiety about settling down, that would be explored in session and po tentially ruled out. Being that you ha ven’t given any indication of pickiness or anxiety, my response is simply going to look at the facts given. It is wonderful that you en joy your guy’s company in private. This man is real husband material in your eyes. Excellent! When the two of you are out together is when the trouble be gins for you. You become self-conscious about his height and social skills. Let’s separate the two. When it comes to his height, I ask you to real ly think about whether or not you find him attractive. If physical attraction is important to you (as it is to the vast ma jority of human beings on planet Earth), and you find yourself unattracted, I don’t think we should sugarcoat that and tell you that attraction will grow. You will most likely never find his height attrac tive. Don’t beat yourself up about this. It’s human nature, and it’s perfectly acceptable. Countless people get mar ried to someone they find unattractive. Sometimes the attraction grows and sometimes it doesn’t. Do you want to take that risk? It seems to me that you are attracted to him physically, in private...perhaps when you are not being seen by others. I am wondering if you are self-conscious strictly around others because you had some idea of yourself with a taller or bigger man. If this is the case, and you do have strong feelings for this person, and you are attracted, I urge you to work through your self-consciousness in ther apy. Many people find themselves com pletely attracted to someone who has

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The Shadchan Michelle Mond Thank you so much for trusting our column with your query. It is impos sible for any of us to tell you exactly what to do, but what we can do is try to help you tap into your inner voice. At the end of the day, you are the one who is going to be married to him (or break up with him). Ask yourself these questions to help tap into your true feelings:

Pulling It All Together

The Navidaters

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler (Dr. Galler and his family are in Israel for the wedding of his granddaugh ter, Elianna Bluestone. He found time to send an abbreviated response.)

The Rebbetzin Rebbetzin Faigie Horowitz, M.S. Ifind it difficult to respond to your que ry. You offer very little context, but you are clearly in touch with your feelings and have noticed his poor social skills. On the other hand, connection is missing, and connection is not merely built on social skills. You are posing the question in a zero-sumEngagingmanner.inactivities that increase connection will help your relationship grow. Read John Gottman’s recent book Eight Dates and see if connection can grow through warm, caring listening and deep communication. Although the book is meant for people who are already committed to one another, his book not only offers tips but research-based tools for helping a relationship thrive. I would also suggest you work with a therapist to explore your either-or approach as well as your relationship with this particular fellow.

Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

It’s important for a wife to be able to respect, and be proud of, her husband. If your boyfriend does not currently present himself in a manner that you can be proud of, do not imagine that things will change after marriage. A woman marries a man expecting that he will change, but he doesn’t. A man marries a woman expecting that she will not change, but she does.

The Single Tzipora Grodko Dear Confused Dater, Usually, one finds it difficult to respect someone who makes them feel insecure or self-conscious in public settings. Respect is one of the most im portant ingredients needed for a healthy successful relationship. I wonder if your respect for him outweighs your discom fort of his weak social skills and Noheight.one can tell you how you “should” feel, and the facts are that no one can really understand the challenge better than you. I would strongly recommend seeking some form of coun seling to gain clarity on this matter since I don’t know the complexity of your life leading up to these thoughts and feelings. I do believe that it comes down to this: does your respect, appreciation, and connection outweigh the challenges of feeling uncomfortable with the details you mentioned? That may take more time for you to figure out, and if that’s the case, then take your time. Time is very reflective and helps us form clarity and confidence. Give yourself time, seek a mentor, and clarity will come.

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and certified trauma healing life coach, as well as a dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in pri vate practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 718-908-0512. Visit www. thenavidaters.com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email JenniferMannLCSW@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice. a completely different physical stance than what they imagined for themselves. They just have to work through shedding the old ideas and image of the physique. So, if your family is very tall and you’d be bringing a smaller man around, per haps he doesn’t look like your father or brothers or cousins (what you are used to.) If you love this man, you can work on this...potentially.Again,Ireallydon’t have an idea of what his social skill issues are. If he is on the spectrum (as many adults are and are undiagnosed...I believe a lot more than we realize), if addressed, he can work on gaining social skills. If he has social anxiety, he can work on this as well. But you need to understand that if you move forward with him, you would have to be in complete acceptance of who he is and go in with the assumption that he will not change. We cannot get mar ried to someone with the hope that he/ she may change. The way to navigate this (in my humble opinion) is to ask yourself, Can I imagine my life without him? How would I feel waking up in the morning knowing he isn’t in my life? If you’re feeling kind of neutral to relief knowing this “situation” is over, you may have your answer. If you’re feeling as though you cannot be without him, then...that sounds like an answer, too. While you cannot speak about his height with him (because that is com pletely out of his control and unfair), you can and should speak about the social is sues with him and see what he says. The height is a you issue. The social skills is an us issue. I get the sense that you like this guy. I don’t think you’re ready to walk away. Go for a few individual therapy or dat ing coaching sessions with a professional who will not tell you what to do but who will help guide you to figure out what you actually want to do. All the best! Jennifer

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We cannot get married to someone with the hope that he/she may change.

Health & F tness

The Many Pasta-bilities to Eating Better

F rom lentil to chickpea, companies are trying anything to imitate one of the most desired foods in the world: pasta. “Healthy pasta” is one of the new trends in the food industry. What is everyone trying to recreate? Pasta can be traced back thousands of years. There is evidence linking the origin of pasta to many cultures and places like Africa, Asia, and even the Middle East. The truth is that the Chi nese were the first to make “noodles” out of bread flour. The Greeks and Af ricans also had their own form of pasta as well. Despite pasta’s long history, it is still mostly known for being associated with Italy. The pasta we all enjoy today most likely originated in Asia but was brought to Italy by Arab traders. In the 14th century, many famous pasta shapes such as spaghetti, macaro ni, and gnocchi were produced in Italy. During the Italian Renaissance, pasta production and consumption increased because wheat was available and afford able to all. After Thomas Jefferson vis ited Italy and tasted the most delicious dish of pasta, he introduced it to the United States, and it has been history everThosesince!who were behind the simple combination of flour and eggs or water had no clue it would become a world wide sensation. One cup of cooked spa ghetti contains 221 calories, 1.3 grams of fat, 43g carbs, 8g protein, 0.8g sugar and 2.5g fiber. Although it’s low in sugar and fat, it’s high in calories and carbo hydrates. The simple carbs that are in white pasta quickly turn into sugar in side the body, which then spikes blood sugar levels. On a 2,000-calorie diet, it is recommended to have no more than 225g of carbs a day. Three cups of pas ta is 129g carbs, more than half of that! When you order pasta in a restaurant, you are likely being served 3-4 cups. After adding the creamy sauces and cheese, the calorie and carb count flies up quickly. Additionally, pasta contains very little fiber, which means that you most likely won’t feel so full soon after eating it. To make white pasta, the germ, bran, and most nutrients within the wheat kernel are removed, which makes it so high in calories and low in fiber. Then, it’s fortified with added nutrients like iron and folic acid. Whole wheat pasta is made from the entire wheat kernel, so it has more natural nutrients, pro tein, and fiber. There are less calories and more fiber, but it is still a high carb option, with about 30 net carbs per cup. For those hoping to achieve weight loss and for those with diabetes, avoid white pasta mainly because it spikes the blood sugar, it is low in fiber, and although it has some protein, it’s not a complete source of protein like chicken, fish, eggs, or dairy. Instead, look for a pasta alternative that is low in carbs. On occasion, the best pasta option would be a high fiber (such as Fiber Gourmet) or whole wheat pasta, as mentioned. If you are craving pasta but also trying to watch your weight and sugar, there are interesting alternative options: Zucchini pasta or “zoodles” (spiral ized zucchini) is a low-carb, low-calo rie option with only 17 calories and 3 carbs in one cup. It is rich in antioxi dants, fiber, and water which can pro mote healthy digestion. You can either

By Aliza Beer MS, RD, CDN

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HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 85 buy the zucchini already spiralized or you can do it yourself. As a meal, roast it and then pair it with a no-sugar to mato sauce and meatballs or cheese for protein. You can also roast it on a tray with olive oil, crushed garlic, and salt as a side dish. I love throwing some raw zoodles into my salad; it gives the salad an interesting texture and makes it feel “fancy!”Hearts of palm pasta is another great low-carb pasta alternative. There are only 20 calories and 4g carbs per cup. Hearts of palm contain several nutrients such as potassium, phos phorus, copper, and zinc. Potassium helps to regulate blood pressure, iron and copper helps with the formation of red blood cells, phosphorus makes our bones and teeth strong, and zinc aids in immune function and cell division. Hearts of palm is also high in polyphe nol antioxidants which are associated with reduced inflammation. That re duces the risk of diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. The high fiber and water content also leads to feelings of fullness! “Spaghetti squash” is a popular low carb and calorie alternative to pasta be cause it can be shredded into spaghet ti-like strands that can be topped with any pasta sauce. It’s filled with beta car otene and antioxidants. To make spa ghetti squash, microwave the squash for about two minutes to soften it and then slice it in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds, place both halves face down on a tray, and then roast it in the oven until it’s soft enough to shred into “pasta.” There are many other “healthy pas tas” on the market such as chickpea, lentil, brown rice, and black bean. While they are certainly higher in protein and fiber, they still contain a lot of carbs. For example, a serving of Banza (chick pea pasta) contains 13g of protein, 5g of fiber, and 32g of carbs. As we men tioned before, regular white pasta has 8g of protein, 2.5g of fiber, and 43g of carbs. Banza has much more protein, although it’s still filled with carbs. The fiber in the pasta helps you digest slower and feel fuller for longer, which is why it is considered a better option. Cauli flower gnocchi has 22g of carbs, 6g of fiber, and only 2g of protein per cup. For someone who isn’t trying to lose weight but wants to fuel their body properly, these options are more nutritious than regularWhenpasta.craving an Asian sesame style noodle dish, any type of Shirataki noo dle is a good idea! These noodles have about the same number of calories as a handful or arugula. They are made from a soluble fiber that absorbs a lot of water. While they don’t contain any vitamins or nutrients, they are high in fiber so they will keep you full. You can use them in soup, with tomato sauce and cheese, or with soy sauce and vegetables (in a stir-fry). If you are a pasta lover but are aim ing for a healthier lifestyle, it is import ant to understand the various pastas on the market and how they each af fect our bodies. The low carb options paired with protein can be delicious and satisfying while attempting to lose or maintain weight. While a serving of white pasta is always okay to eat once in a while, understanding the nutrition of pasta, especially compared with al ternative pasta ideas, will help in being mindful of the food we eat and staying healthy. Aliza Beer is a registered dietitian with a master’s degree in nutrition. She has a private practice in Cedarhurst, NY. Patients’ success has been featured on the Dr. Oz show. Aliza can be reached at alizabeer@ gmail.com, and you can follow her on Instagram at @alizabeer.

After Thomas Jefferson visited Italy and tasted the most delicious dish of pasta, he introduced it to the United States, and it has been history ever since!

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How would I spend my time?

Dr. Deb

When Moshiach Comes

Recently, I realized I actually need a vacation. Not want, but need. It was the first time in a long time that I felt that way. See, I had been so pleased to take so many couples under my wing that I didn’t realize how crowded my schedule was getting until someone said that there was no room to make appoint ments and I had to start giving up lunch. Pretty soon it was lunch and supper and gym because my program offers peo ple individual visits for a while but then, like the harmony joining the melody, there are individual and joint visits when people are ready to hold honest but compassion ate conversations. So there was no time left for me. Not only that, but my program, which is 13 weeks long got stretched to 6 months when I offered the last set of couples “extra time” as a bonus. It seemed to me a great idea because not every couple could finish in 13 weeks; some did, some didn’t. Like music or basketball, learning to honor one’s own body and be aware of the feel ings that are generated, so as to soothe and assure our feelings (parts) that “we” can handle things, can take longer for un practiced people. So it was kind of a test for me, too, to see exactly how long it would take if those extra 13 weeks were provided, basically, for free. I was happy to do it and enjoyed every minute of it. Until I ached for an extra hour in my day just to go to the store because I’d run out of vegetables. So I told nearly everyone that had come into my program that I would wrap up at the end of July but that they could opt for a month-by-month extension with one of the new therapists working with me. That worked out fine; they were all ap preciative of the miles that they’d come in understanding the inner recesses of their souls –and those of their partners. Then I started getting ready for my next trip to Eretz Yisroel after two years. Thinking about going on tiulim and per haps taking a conversational Hebrew course, as well as seeing my family and old friends, seemed incredible. Which got me thinking: Suppose Moshiach were to come tomorrow morn ing what, exactly, would I do with my life? How would I spend my time? I knew immediately that for rest and relaxation I would probably want to plant flowers. For fun, I would cook and invite friends over; I love food, I have to say. And, of course, go back to the amazing shiurim I have been missing as I got so busy. But… Picturing all this, I realized that some thing would be missing in my life. Some thing thrilling, wonderful, breathtaking, something I’m passionate about. And that would be doing exactly what I’ve been do ing all these years: being a therapist. Not only that, when I hear the heart-wrenching stories people tell me, do I even have a right to turn away? Suppose I were a medical doctor enjoying a nice walk on a beautiful day, tired from weeks and weeks of hard work and just taking time to relax, when suddenly someone collapses on the sidewalk. Would I have the right, ethically, to go on my way when I know what to do to help? I don’t think so. If G-d gave me the ability to help, that is exactly what my life is for – service, avodah to Hashem. So why would it be different during times of Moshiach? Then again, maybe there wouldn’t be any emotional pain in that tekufah, I don’t know. The only thing I do know is that if there were emotional pain, I’d want to roll up my sleeves and keep helping peo ple heal. That is the essence of what I want to leave you with on this, my last article in this wonderful paper. I’m still here, and you can still reach me by getting on my email list at drdeb.com.

By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb.com/myw-masterclass.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 87 COMMUNITY CENTER OF THE PENINSULAROCKAWAY 264 BEACH 19TH STREET FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691 FOR MORE LRODKIN@DARCHEI.ORG718.868.2300INFORMATION:EXT.386 KEEP POOLCOOLYOURTHISSUMMER dive into our outdoor olympic-sizeRates: Weekday: $10 Sundays & July 4: $20 Pool Dates: June 29th - August 28th Men’s Hours Monday - Thursday 5:00pm - 6:30pm Friday 3:00pm - 5:30pm Sunday 2:30pm - 7:30pm Women’s Hours Monday - Thursday 6:45pm - 8:15pm Friday NO HOURS Sunday 9:45am - 2:15pm WENLYREN O VATEDPOOL Half and Full MembershipsSummerAvailable

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By Sara Rayvych, MSEd G enerally, each organization works to make their program sound bigger and better than the others. With so many wonderful organizations, it only makes sense that each wants to show its uniqueness. As an interviewer was asking about each camp in a recent interview, she kept using words like “amazing,” “incred ible,” and other such adjectives to de scribe the camp’s trips and activities. I was truly impressed when one director gently corrected her and described his program as “wholesome.” Rather than build hype, he wanted to focus on the wholesomeness of what he offered his campers.Thecamp director’s comment caused me to reflect back on all the summers my boys attended that camp; he was right – the activities, trips and special events could all be described as “wholesome.” This was actually one of the things that attracted me to the camp. I appreciated that my children could enjoy a variety of activities without needing everything in the world to continuously get bigger, better, and fancier. We are now finishing up another camp season and preparing for the up coming school year. In between there is a vacation week that some love and oth ers don’t. Between shopping for clothes, school supplies and knapsacks, the kids still expect a “vacation.” I will not even bother going into the debate of isn’t camp considered “vacation”? So many parents feel pressured to make vacation “bigger” and “better.”

Parenting Keeping WholesomeIt

Pearls

It occurred to me how meaningful this time period could be if we enjoyed a “wholesome” vacation. Often, our family has done wholesome trips and they were often less stressful and more enjoyable than the bigger, better, and high-pres suredBeingones.brutally honest, the continu al need to make everything bigger and better than before is an emotional and financial stress that families don’t need. Spending enjoyable time together as a family is what creates true memories. Please note: I am not suggesting you cancel an already planned trip that your child is excitedly awaiting. Also, this is a discussion that is relevant to any va cation period, including chol hamoed. Keep It Simpler The trips have become long-distance journeys to exotic locations. Parents have described to me the expectations for winter break as progressing from lo cal trips to snowtubing and then to loca tions that require flight plans. We easily overlook the enjoyment of a family BBQ, perhaps inviting some extended family or close friends. It’s more important what we make out of our plans and less so what those plans actually are. We all know of amaz ing family trips that turned into misery and simple trips that were beyond ex pectations. We underestimate the influence we have on our children. The most exciting vacation is less enjoyable if parents are tense and yelling. Alternatively, when parents are having fun along with their children, the kids absorb the love. Par ents will easily forget about themselves when planning an outing. You’re part of the family, too, and deserve to have your needs taken into account. Keeping trips less stressful for parents can make a better vacation for everyone. Children thrive on fresh air and movement. Outdoor destinations are a natural fit for youngsters. Anything that involves physical activity and/or being outside will be an automatic bonus with many children – particularly those who are low on attention span. Children enjoy learning and handson activities. We tend to assume that children are not interested in learning but that is far from the truth. When children get to interact with their envi ronment, they are both naturally learn ing and having fun. We have so many wonderful options that are local and provide a wholesome, enjoyable experience for the crew. We

Activities: I cannot advise axe throwing for young children but bowling and rock climbing are fun and physical activities. Roller skating and ice skat ing are also among the many options to keep youngsters busy and active. Game night at home and roasting s’mores can be a mini adventure for kids. Even gro cery shopping can be an exciting outing when done with a bounce in your step. As parents, we know that trips are often great for the children but brutal for the adults. Maybe we’d all benefit if we tried to keep the stress a little lower. Staying closer to home is one way as is keeping whatever we can more basic. Meals can be simplified, and we can try to avoid the pressure to pack too many activities into one day.

Financial Facts

The tree in my backyard grows crab apples, not cash. Finances are finite, and there are already many expenses for frum families. There are so many reasons to enjoy wholesome trips – even without financial limitations – that I hesitated to bring this issue up. I am including a brief mention anyway. Sadly, there are often expectations that we spend beyond our means. Even when we stay within our budget, the ex pectations can be raised for other fam ilies that may have less. So many fami lies are struggling under the burden of ordinary expenses. We have the oppor tunity to give our families a wonderful vacation period – all within reasonable budgets.Teaching our children to appreciate the wholesome world Hashem gave us and avoiding the tendency to go bigger and better are both worthwhile middos to inculcate in our youth. Let’s have a wonderful time with our children and make the most of this brief vacation. Please daven for a refuah sheleima for my father, Avraham ben Bina 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 Rayvy chHomeschool@gmail.com.

Spending enjoyable time together as a family is what creates true memories. live in New York, a travel destination that people all over the world dream of going to. We may not beat Eretz Yisroel but that’s an unfair expectation. I will include some ideas but it’s up to parents to check that any suggestion is age-ap propriate and meets their family’s stan dards.Museums: Yes, there are many that are boring and offer little appeal to children. Those tend to overshadow the more exciting ones we have. Rock Hall Museum is right here, and with advanced planning you can arrange tours. The Long Island Children’s Mu seum, The Nassau County Firefighters Museum and the Cradle of Aviation are all neighbors to each other in Garden City. The New York Hall of Science and The Queens County Farm Museum are not much further. These are just a se lection of local museums that interest a variety of Animals:ages.Most kids like animals and there’s so much to appreciate about Hashem’s world. The Bronx Zoo is mas sive and can take multiple trips to see, and the children’s section is very handson. The New York Aquarium and Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery both give visitors a chance to enjoy Hash em’s aquatic creations. If you go to the hatchery, the kids may enjoy feeding the fish – the fish jump out of the water wildly when everyone throws the food in unison.Parksand outdoor spaces: Besides Cedarhurst Park, Grant Park and Ei senhower Park, there are many areas for kids to enjoy the outdoors, get their en ergy out, and have a blast. Tanglewood Preserve is in nearby Rockville Centre. The preserve is free but for a nominal fee visitors can see the rescued animals. Old Westbury Gardens is beautiful and changes seasonally. Their historical house may interest visitors, too.

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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. love soup all the time, even during the summer months. traditional soup is full of vegetables and protein from the beans. One large serving for me for dinner is enough to keep me full until the morning. virgin olive oil chopped onion celery chopped carrots 1 (19 ounce) can cannellini beans shredded cabbage (14.5 ounce) can stewed tomatoes tomato paste cubed potatoes vegetable broth garlic, minced TBS dried parsley teaspoon salt cup elbow macaroni (raw) ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese Preparation Heat oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots; sauté for a few minutes. Add beans, cabbage, tomatoes, tomato paste, potatoes, broth, garlic, parsley, and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat. Simmer for approximately 1 hour until vegetables are barely tender. Add pasta, and simmer for 30 minutes more. Season according to taste, and serve hot with grated cheese and crusty bread.

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AC: Well, it was started by my grand father, who came from Europe with noth ing. He was a plumber in Europe and that’s what he ended up doing when he came here. He struggled hard to put food on the table but had a good reputation for being a master plumber, and he saw an opportunity in the 1930s of putting oil burners into boilers that were still burn ing coal. He had a great following and de cided, “Hey, I could deliver the fuel, too. I don’t have to give it to other people.” And that’s how he got into it. My father had no interest whatsoever in being in the business. He was studying to be an engineer, then the war broke out and he served in Europe. And when he came back, unfortunately, my grandfa ther was very sick, and somebody had to take over the family business. That’s how my pop ended up at Cohler Fuel. Since then, the business has evolved, but it also hasn’t evolved. A lot of the same business ethics and mindset that we had way back then continue today. And that’s part of our strength. The customer service. The dedication to making sure the customer is warm, safe, and always responded to when they need it. Those are old school values that that we still maintain today. And I attribute a lot of that to our contin ued success. YS: Ben, you’re a part of a multigenerational team. How did you get in volved? BC: I was seeing how difficult it was for my father to do everything by himself, practically. Until this day, he still does everything that he did back then, but he has me piggybacking and quarterbacking, and that’s the camaraderie of a father and son business. When you’re doing things together, side by side, nothing can stop you. That’s part of the main reasons why we’re still here doing what we love to do. I saw that my father was just strug gling to do everything by himself, he was spread too thin. Everyone felt that I was too young (myself included). But I guess you could say I had an inner confidence. I knew I could do this. I would observe, I would watch, and I was 11 years old when I got my first customer. So, I just started from there and then I just gradually kept expanding my reach within the business into all the different aspects of it, and slowly but surely, I started to break into the customer service side, holding their hands, pacifying them, and just nursing T his column features business insights from a recent “Mind Your Business with Yitzchok Saftlas” radio show. The weekly “Mind Your Business” show –broadcasting since 2015 – features interviews with Fortune 500 executives, business leaders and marketing gurus. Prominent guests include John Sculley, former CEO of Apple and Pepsi; Dick Schulze, founder and Chairman Emeritus of Best Buy; and Beth Comstock, former Vice Chair of GE; among over 400+ senior-level executives and business celebrities. Yitzchok Saftlas, president of Bottom Line Marketing Group, hosts the weekly “Mind Your Business” show, which airs at 10pm every Sunday night on 710 WOR and throughout America on the iHeartRadio Network. Ben CohnAllan Cohn

O n a recent 710 WOR “Mind Your Business” broadcast, Yitzchok Saftlas (YS) spoke with Cohler Fuel President Allan Cohn and Vice President Ben Cohn. * * * YS: Allan, let’s jump right in. Can you share with us the history of this multi-generational company?

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Allan and Ben Cohn: Obsessed with Keeping the Customer Happy Mind Y ur Business

YS: Now, over the last few months, the price of oil has gone up quite a bi t. Can you tell us how your company has maintained great customer ser vice, while at the same time the price of oil is out of your control? BC: It’s just a matter of communi cating with the customers. You have to educate them, and you have to maintain a certain level of calmness while you’re in crisis. You don’t want to dig the hole even deeper. What I tell people is that the market is the market. I can’t control the outcome of that, that’s out of my hands, it’s out of my control. That’s commodities.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 93 them along and making them feel that they’re family. This is a family-oriented business; we want our customers to feel as if that they’re part of the family.

That’s Wall Street. You know, we’re regu lar people here on 14th Avenue in Brook lyn. It’s two completely different worlds. But in order to weather the storm and the turbulence of it, what I stress to the cus tomers is: let’s control what we can con trol. And that’s the maintenance. That’s what I emphasize the most to everybody. When I try to get new customers to deal with me, I tell them, “Do you want to talk about the price, or do you want to talk about actually saving money?” They’re two completely different things.

“You have to want to get up every day and do what you do.”

YS: Ben, you oversee the company process from start to finish. Could you talk a bout the importance of pro cess and (no pun intended) running a company like a well-oiled machine? BC: Every day is a different challenge. You never know what to expect. Every property, every situation, every issue is unique within itself. I really praise and attribute our success to having the right people around. My father and I, we can only do so much. But what makes us look as good as we look are the tremendous people around this and treating them right. Because then it trickles down to the customers, to the vendors, to the suppli ers. It’s that culture that we like to inhabit and incorporate which has led us to still being on our own two feet. We’re inde pendently owned and operated, and not under the umbrella of any of the big cor porations or conglomerates that are with in our industry today that have basically scooped up all of our smaller competition, particularly over the last decade.

YS: So, Ben, you started off in the office, and then and then went into the field. Whereas Allan, you started off in the field and then went into the office. Maybe you could discuss what you saw as advantageous from each of your vantage points? AC: Everybody has to go with their strengths, and as I was growing up, I was always fixing bicycles, working on cars. I love diagnosing problems. I used to go out with the old-time mechanics when I was 16-17 years old, and I liked it. But I swore I’d never worked with my father after that. So, you know, man plans, and G-dBC:laughs.And it’s also timing and the per sonnel around you, that could really open up opportunities for you to expand on your horizons. It was just a matter of having the right people within our office in order to free me up and put myself out there to get my hands dirty. To roll up my sleeves, so to speak. That came in the later years. I’m still expanding on it. I’m still working on it and will continue to do so. And that in itself would help propel Cohler Fuel for the foreseeable future.

YS: How important is this aspect that a person’s gotta love what they’re doing?

AC: You have to have a passion. You have to want to get up every day and do what you do. You’re not going to contin ue succeeding if it’s drudgery, if it’s just something you think you have to do to pay a bill. There’s a lot that goes into running this business. We’re running a fuel busi ness, delivery business, service business, installation business, and there’s a lot of factors that go into keeping all the gears meshed and running properly. There’s a lot of back-office stuff that goes on. We mentioned how everyone has to go to their strengths. My strength was always that I love to work with my hands. I love to diagnose problems, think out of the box, and come to solutions. But when I went and I finished college, I didn’t want to sit at a desk all day. So, I came to my father, and he said, “Well, you’re going to do it my way. You’re going to not just do service, you’re going to learn how the trucks operate, you’re going to go out and do sales (even though you don’t like it). You’re gonna know how to do all this stuff and if you want to do service after that, that’s fine. But you got to know how to run and wear many different hats.” And Ben and I both do. BC: We really have to love what we do, because it’s a reflection on not only us, but our company, our reputation. People feel it when they know that you are going out of your way for them, that you’re making sure they’re happy. It’s like a doctor taking care of a patient. A caring doctor wants to make sure that their patient is in the best care, in the best condition. They follow up with them, they check up on them, and they see to it that they’re on the pathway to recovery. So, you could attribute and relate that to our business. Obviously, we’re not doctors, but we’re professionals in terms of boilers, service maintenance, and fuel deliveries. That’s very important to people’s day-to-day lives. Throughout the year, we have a lot of interactions with our customers; it’s not just invoice in and invoice out. They’re dealing with us for all different concerns; they have tenants, they have small chil dren, elderly people living in their homes or in their investment properties. And they interact with us probably more than any other vendor that they deal with.

YS: At Cohler Fuel, you’re always stressing th e importance that the customer must always be happy. Why is it so key that a company must be obsessed with the customer being happy? BC: Well, the key word is “obsessed.” And that’s what we are – obsessed. We are perfectionists when it comes down to the nitty gritty detail. And that in itself is what keeps the customers coming back. It’s not about the short-term easy buck. I don’t like pushing bills on people. I don’t like to just pump out invoices. And peo ple recognize that, they really appreciate that, they’re seeing that I’m not trying to just get one over on them. I’m looking to do the right thing by them. And the re sults speak for itself. We have enough on our plate that keeps us busy day in and day out. There’s no shortage of people knocking on our door, wanting to deal with us and want ing to do business with us and give us a chance to prove who we are and what we’re all about. We have customers that I’ve even brought in myself personally, from 2001-2002. That’s 20-plus years ago, and they’re still dealing with me to day. There are customers that even dealt with my father’s father whodeal with me and love me and my father. So, we like to just keep the trend synchronized, the same exact formula. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. That’s my philosophy. YS: Your company, thank G-d, has a very high retention rate. You have customers and team members that hav e been with the company for decades. What’s the secret? How do you pull that off? AC: I would say, always doing the right thing and always being there for them. And that starts from day one. But you can’t stop there. You can’t let your guard down. You’ve got to be there for them. People are cold; people need service. They can’t wait. They want it done right, and they don’t want excuses. BC: I know, a lot of the stuff we’re talking about could be cliché. But it really boils down to not letting anything get in the way of taking care of your customer. That’s priority number one. Even if it’s midnight, you’re not going to leave some one in 15 degrees without heat or hot wa ter. It’s really that simple. I know it’s cliché. I know you’ve heard this from your other guests on your show. But it really is just a matter of actually committing yourself to doing it the right way consistently.

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George Bush had an executive order that said, “You know what? I’m not going to do this.” And that was adjudicated. But now we go after a president and go to his house with 30 agents. In the past, when a high official was called for a Congressional subpoena, [Obama A.G.] Eric Holder just said [he’s] not going and [he’s] not turning over any of the [documents regarding “Fast and Furious.”]

They’re afraid in the short term. But in the long term, they believe they’re morally superior to America, and therefore any means necessary are justifiable for their morally superior ends. Right now, we don’t have the rule of law in Washington. Whether you’re targeted or exempt depends on your ideology. So in the past, when there was a dispute over the archives, the presidential papers, Barack Obama just said, “I’m not going to turn them over” to the Freedom of Information [Act]. He spent over $30 million resisting efforts to do that.

The idea that you would put him in shackles or you’d confront him with his family and grab his phone is just ridiculous. But this is what we’re doing, on an ideological basis. And when you start to do that, you don’t have a democracy anymore, and I don’t think we do.

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

- Victor Davis Hanson I created it. - Dr. Anthony Fauci during an interview last week joking about having created Coronavirus, which killed more than a million Americans to date

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Go ahead, Mayor, make my day. There could hardly be anything better to aid my campaign than to have [my opponent’s] campaign aided by a bunch of New Yorkers. That won’t be viewed positively in the state of Texas.

- Tweet in response by Jared Rench

- Whole Foods CEO John Mackey on The Reason podcast They’re marching through the institutions. They’re…taking over education. It looks like they’ve taken over a lot of the corporations. It looks like they’ve taken over the military. And it’s just continuing. You know, I’m a capitalist at heart, and I believe in liberty and capitalism. Those are my twin values. And I feel like, you know, with the way freedom of speech is today, the movement on gun control, a lot of the liberties that I’ve taken for granted most of my life, I think, are under threat.

My concern is that I feel like socialists are taking over.

- Tweet by CNN columnist Dean Obeidallah Equity as a concept says recognize that everyone has the same capacity, but in order for them to have equal opportunity to reach that capacity, well, we must pay attention to this issue of equity.

- Gov. Abbott (R-TX) responding to the threat

- Vice President Kamala Harris From the department of redundancy department…

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 96 I already called all my friends in Texas and told them how to cast their vote and I am deeply contemplating taking a busload of New Yorkers to go to Texas and do some good old-fashioned door knocking, because we have to — for the good of America — we have to get him out of office.

– NYC Mayor Eric Adams talking about Texas Governor Gregg Abbott, after the latter sent busloads of illegal aliens to New York City

- Ibid. At this point I LITERALLY view people who still support Donald Trump no different than the despicable, vile people who supported Bin Laden after 9/11.

- Ibid. 93,654 – number of employees the IRS currently has 86,852 - number of additional employees that are being hired by the IRS due to the passage of the Democrats’ “anti-inflation” bill

- Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi after the House passed the “anti-inflation” bill which contains numerous global warming taxes Their obstruction hastens the end of a livable Earth

- Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani after Salman Rushdie was stabbed by a radical Muslim extremist in New York By insulting the sacred matters of Islam and crossing the red lines of more than one and a half billion Muslims and all followers of the divine religions, Salman Rushdie has exposed himself to the anger and rage of the people.

In this attack, we do not consider anyone other than Salman Rushdie and his supporters worthy of blame and even condemnation.

- Bill Maher, HBO My concern is that I feel like socialists are taking over.

How can they vote against the planet? Mother Earth gets angry from time to time, and this legislation will help us address all of that.

Every Democrat in Washington and the United States Senate believes it’s a good thing to hire 87,000 new IRS agents to come after you and your taxes. This is supposed to be for the rich, but let me tell you, the rich have a bunch of lawyers and accountants. Well over half of all the audits conducted in the United States today are conducted on people who make less than $75,000.

97

- Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA) talking about the Democrats’ “anti-inflation” bill

- Ibid. Salman Rushdie, living in most Muslim countries without getting stabbed every day is unthinkable.

So don’t come at me with “Islamophobic”; “phobic” means fear, right? Well, Sal had a good reason to be fearful. And when you say “phobic,” it’s just a way to shut off debate… and we should have a debate about this. Sorry, but you know, these things don’t go away. Islam is still a much more fundamentalist religion than any of the other religions in the world.

- CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir criticizing Republicans for not voting for the “antiinflation” bill

- Whole Foods CEO John Mackey on The Reason podcast They’re marching through the institutions. They’re…taking over education. It looks like they’ve taken over a lot of the corporations. It looks like they’ve taken over the military. And it’s just continuing. You know, I’m a capitalist at heart, and I believe in liberty and capitalism. Those are my twin values. And I feel like, you know, with the way freedom of speech is today, the movement on gun control, a lot of the liberties that I’ve taken for granted most of my life, I think, are under threat.

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- Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) It is a special kind of stupid to raise taxes on businesses during a recession.

– Jeffrey Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute think tank, in response Don’t worry, you are next.

- JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon

- Message that author J. K. Rowling received in a Tweet after Salman Rushdie was stabbed by a radical Muslim terrorist (Twitter did not suspend the account that the threat originated from) They kind of look at America and say, “You have been incompetent and lazy.” There is truth to that.

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 98 I just want to say a number: zero. Today, we received news that our economy had 0% inflation in the month of July — 0%. Here’s what that means: while the price of some things go up, went up, last month, the price of other things went down by the same amount. The result? Zero inflation last month.

- President Joe Biden after there was a reported slight dip in inflation, which is still at a 40-year high It’s a bogus math trick…. Using the same tactic, you could also observe a one-month 19.2% increase in electricity!

- President Joe Biden after there was a reported slight dip in inflation, which is still at a 40-year high It’s a bogus math trick…. Using the same tactic, you could also observe a one-month 19.2% increase in electricity!

– Jeffrey Tucker, president of the Brownstone Institute think tank, in response Don’t worry, you are next.

- JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon I just want to say a number: zero. Today, we received news that our economy had 0% inflation in the month of July — 0%. Here’s what that means: while the price of some things go up, went up, last month, the price of other things went down by the same amount. The result? Zero inflation last month.

- Message that author J. K. Rowling received in a Tweet after Salman Rushdie was stabbed by a radical Muslim terrorist (Twitter did not suspend the account that the threat originated from) They kind of look at America and say, “You have been incompetent and lazy.” There is truth to that.

By Marc A. Thiessen

Political Crossfire

ive him points for honesty. In a Senate floor speech, Sen. Ber nie Sanders, I-Vt., called Pres ident Joe Biden’s massive climate tax and spending bill what it is: “the socalled Inflation Reduction Act.” “I say ‘so-called,’ by the way,” Sanders added, “because according to the [Congressio nal Budget Office], and other economic organizations that have studied this bill, it will, in fact, have a minimal impact on inflation.”Amore accurate name for the bill might be the “IRS Enforcement Act.” The bill increases the budget of the Internal Revenue Service by $80 billion over 10 years. What might the IRS do with all that money? The Biden administration has told us. In May 2021, Biden’s Trea sury Department produced a 22-page analysis of his American Families Plan agenda, which said that adding nearly $80 billion in new resources over 10 years to the IRS budget would allow it to hire 86,852 full-time employees over the next decade – to audit more returns and pry more money out of taxpayers to fund the administration’s radical climate agenda. According to Sen. Mike Crapo (Ida ho), the ranking Republican on the Sen ate Finance Committee, 57% of the $80 million in the final bill is for enforce ment. So, let’s be conservative and es timate that it could add at least 49,600 IRS agents and auditors. That could increase the size of the IRS workforce (which currently has 78,661 full-time staffers) to more than 128,000. To put that in perspective, the largest NFL sta dium – MetLife Stadium in New Jersey – has a maximum capacity of 82,500. This new army of tax collectors would be larger than the actual armed forces of 24 of our 29 NATO allies. It would also be 6 and 1/2 times the size of our Border Patrol, which has just 19,536 agents try ing to handle the worst border crisis in American history. If you told Americans that their gov ernment was going to spend $80 billion to hire tens of thousands of people and asked what the new federal workers should focus on, carrying out IRS audits probably would not rank high on most people’s lists. Indeed, improving tax col lection does not even make the list of the American public’s top priorities.

(c)change.2022, Washington Post Writers Group

This new army of tax collectors would be larger than the actual armed forces of 24 of our 29 NATO allies.

G

While Biden is growing the IRS bud get by $80 billion, he did not even re quest enough funds for the Defense De partment to keep up with inflation. In the midst of the first unprovoked land invasion in Europe in decades, and with China menacing Taiwan, Biden is starv ing our military while lavishing cash on the IRS. If he gave $80 billion to the Pentagon instead, it would be enough to buy six new Gerald R. Ford-class air craft carriers, 22 Virginia-class attack submarines, 18 Zumwalt-class destroy ers or more than 800 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters. As for hiring tens of thousands of new IRS employees, the U.S. Army is facing the worst recruiting crisis since the creation of the all-volunteer force in 1973 and could find itself short 25,000 troops at the end of this year. Perhaps the commander-in-chief should focus on recruiting and retaining soldiers instead of hiring more tax collectors. That’s if he can hire them. Good luck finding tens of thousands of new work ers in this economy. One of the main reasons we are experiencing the worst inflation in four decades is because we have a historic labor shortage. There are 10.7 million unfilled jobs in the United States today, and 59% of small business es report they cannot find workers, in cluding 80% of restaurants, 76% of man ufacturers, and 71% of travel and lodging businesses. The demand side of the econ omy is overheating because of all the free government money Biden has provided, while the supply side can’t keep up be cause of a lack of workers – which means shortages and higher prices. If Biden really cared about reducing inflation, he would be focused on help ing private businesses find workers – not competing with them for workers by dip ping into the labor pool to hire people away from the productive sector of the economy.Thisbill is not about reducing infla tion; it is about increasing tax collection. That’s why Democrats are giving their bill a fake name. Because they know that they can’t tell Americans the truth – that they are hiring an army of tax collectors so they can spend hundreds of billions more of your tax dollars on climate

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Try the IRS Enforcement Act Instead

The Inflation Reduction Act?

By David Ignatius

Political Crossfire One Year’s Hindsight on Afghanistan: A Good Decision, Horribly Executed

All the senior Pentagon leaders argued against complete withdrawal, proposing instead to keep 2,500 troops in Kabul as a “term insurance policy” against a terror ist resurgence, as retired Marine Gen. Jo seph Dunford put it in a recent interview. When Biden decided in April that he wanted to withdraw U.S. troops by the end of August, despite Pentagon objec tions, the generals grudgingly saluted.

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Commanders wouldn’t ask troops to die for a mission that the president had de cided wasn’t worthwhile. But State resist ed open discussion of U.S. evacuation.

A year after the fall of Kabul, the Biden administration’s withdraw al from Afghanistan looks better as a pragmatic decision to end a costly war. But haunting images remain from an unnecessarily chaotic exit that reflected a chain of policy misjudgments. “The last year has borne out the wisdom of getting out,” argues a senior White House official. Though I was skep tical at the time, his judgment seems cor rect. Imagine if we were still fighting the Taliban when Russia invaded Ukraine in February, or as China threatened Taiwan. As for the terrorism threat, last month’s drone killing of al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahri suggests it might be manage able from a distance, as the administra tion has What’sargued.stillagonizing, though, is the decision-making process, in which differ ent parts of the administration pursued what amounted to contradictory policies.

“That would have been a profound sign of lack of confidence in the Kabul govern

The Pentagon wanted to get out as fast as possible once President Joe Biden de cided in April 2021 to withdraw. But the State Department sought to maintain its embassy and diplomatic presence in Ka bul, even as the country was crumbling. The Pentagon and State timetables didn’t match, and nobody ever forced a reconciliation. As a result, State pressed ahead with a diplomatic mission for which it didn’t have adequate time or re sources. The military, which had opposed Biden’s withdrawal decision, opted to protect its troops. “Speed is safety” was the Pentagon mantra, while at State it was something closer to “stay the course.” “They wanted an elegant solution while we were withdrawing, and some times those things don’t go together,” says retired Marine Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, who as commander of the U.S. Central Command was in charge of U.S. forces during the withdrawal. The war in Afghanistan from the be ginning was a story of overly optimistic assumptions about our Afghan partners’ ability to contain the Taliban, and that continued to the end. Nobody predicted that a panicked President Ashraf Ghani would flee the country and that the Af ghan army would suddenly collapse –and perhaps nobody could have. But the Biden administration could have hedged better against the possibility of such “black swan” disasters – and, indeed, some officials tried, unsuccessfully, to do just that. U.S. officials began developing plans for an emergency evacuation in March 2021, knowing that Biden, long a critic of the war, might want a rapid departure.

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 101 ment,” a senior State Department official toldTheme.Pentagon completed its speedy re moval of troops and equipment in July, leaving only a small force of 650 U.S. troops to protect the Kabul embassy and airport. By then, the Taliban was rapid ly seizing provincial capitals. National security adviser Jake Sullivan called a meeting in early July to ask whether the United States should try to retain con trol of Bagram airbase, long the center of American power about 40 miles north of the capital, as an alternative escape route.

capable.McKenzie traveled to Doha, Qatar, that day to meet Abdul Ghani Baradar, the most senior Taliban official in contact with America. McKenzie carried a map that showed a 30-kilometer circle around Kabul. He planned to ask the Taliban to withdraw to that line until the evacuation was complete. But on his way to Baradar’s suite on the 23rd floor of the Ritz-Carlton in Doha, McKenzie was told that Ashraf Ghani was gone and the Taliban was in downtown Kabul. McKenzie altered his pitch. If Taliban fighters let the evacuation proceed safe ly, then U.S. military forces gathered at the airport wouldn’t attack them. Bara dar threw a wild card: “Why don’t you secure the city?” McKenzie, knowing that retaking Kabul might require tens of thousands of U.S. troops, demurred. His mission was to secure the evacuation. The Taliban agreed, and the chaotic final airlift began, with U.S. forces even tually evacuating more than 80,000 ci vilians – at a cost of 13 American troops killed in a terrorist attack by an Islamic StateWritingbomber.an epitaph for a failed 20year war – and its chaotic last months – is difficult. But McKenzie, the last commander of American troops in this too-long conflict, offers this: “We wanted out. We got out. We subordinated every thing to the desire to leave.” And a year later, for all the mistak en judgments that were part of leaving, it’s good that America’s longest war is over.(c)2022, Washington Post Writers Group

The pyramid of illusions crumbled on August 15. Ghani fled the presiden tial palace at midday, as Taliban fighters streamed into the capital unopposed. The unthinkable had happened. The State De partment had quit the embassy two days before and regrouped at the airport. An emergency evacuation was finally ines

Pentagon officials argued that main taining Bagram after withdrawal of the main 2,500 U.S. troops wasn’t realistic. The Afghan military was no longer capa ble of providing perimeter security there, the generals explained, and the United States would have to send 3,000 troops back to Afghanistan to keep the base open, McKenzie recalls. Kabul airport would be a better exit point, the admin istrationLookingdecided.back, the failure to plan earlier and better for possible civilian evacuation was a critical mistake. As the situation deteriorated over the summer, administration officials should have tried to “extend the timetable for withdrawal” or called a temporary “timeout,” argued Carter Malkasian, a former State De partment official, in a recent interview. Malkasian served extensively in Afghan istan and wrote a superb history of the war, published last year. The Taliban surge accelerated in late July and early August. But still, officials resisted issuing a “NEO,” the term for a “noncombatant evacuation operation.”

Looking back, the failure to plan earlier and better for possible civilian evacuation was a critical mistake.

The National Security Council held dep uties and principals meetings on August 8 and 9 to urge consideration of the NEO, and the consensus at those meetings was against issuing the order – and that the Afghan army could hold Kabul, according to one participant. Days later, senior lead ership of multiple agencies came around to believing the NEO was necessary.

One of the advantages that the United States had entering World War II was the heavy bombers that the Army Air Corps had in their ar senal. The B-17 Flying Fortress had been in service since 1938, and the B-24 Lib erator had been incorporated into the United States Army Air Force in mid1941. Both of these proved versatile and were the mainstay of the bombing raids on German targets in Europe. However, the vast distances between islands and land masses in the Pacific proved too far for the range of the existing bombers. Boeing went back to the drawing board and, together with the Air Corps, agreed to a design that had a larger payload and had a range of 3,000 miles. The B-29 Su perfortress would soon become the plane that delivered the atomic bomb and would end the war with Japan. Previously, in 1942, land-based medi um range B-25 bombers incredibly had been launched off a deck of an aircraft carrier and continued on to Tokyo. Called the Doolittle Raid, the planes could not land back on the carrier and went to Chi na and Russia to land. Sending medium and heavy bombers off of carriers wasn’t a sustainable scenario, and the raid was carried out more to boost morale than to actually cause much damage to enemy targets. A long-range heavy bomber and within range airfields were needed. The B-29 could carry up to ten tons of bombs, could fly 350 mph, and could go as high as 31,850 feet, as well as having the longer range. The heavy bomber had four engines, cabin pressurization, and most importantly had a range of over 3,000 miles. Between 10 and 14 crew members flew on combat missions with several gunners manning the array of up to 12 machine guns. Close to 4,000 B-29 bombers were built between 1943 and 1946, and they saw service up until their retirement in 1960.

First Lieutenant Jacob Beser was the only person to have flown on both strike planes during the missions. The Jewish airman was with the 509 th Composite Group through its training period as the officer in charge of the radar maintenance sections. During the atom bomb mis sions, he was the radar counter-measure observer and was there to make sure that the bombs didn’t explode too early. He had to ensure the Japanese “did not jam the bomb’s fuse frequencies and prema turely detonate the Fat Man” (the name given to the bomb that was sent on the Nagasaki mission). Beser was awarded the Silver Star for actions while on board

While on the August 9 mission, Levy was the photographer and took the famous photo of the mushroom cloud over the city.

First Lieutenant Jacob Beser Mushroom cloud over Nagasaki; photo taken by Charles Levy Some of the Enola Gay's crew

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In addition to carrying both atomic bombs, the B-29 also went on many mis sions to bomb Japanese targets in cities like Tokyo. The B-29 did not see action over Europe and was first flown to Amer ican bases in China. These planes were flown over the Himalayan “Hump” and first saw combat in June 1944 against Japanese railroad targets in Thailand. On June 15, Superfortresses bombed main land Japan for the first time since the Doolittle Raid more than two years ear lier. Airfields for the bombers were built on the newly captured Pacific islands of Tinian, Saipan, and Guam. From these bases, they bombed Tokyo and other cit ies on a regular basis. In April 1945, the bombers laid minefields off the coast of Japan to further hamper their shipping lanes that were already being attacked by American submarines. Sixty-five B-29s of the Silverplate se ries were modified to carry atomic bombs and were only armed with tail guns. Lt. Col. Paul Tibbets handpicked the partic ular planes that he wanted to carry the bombs. The plane named the Enola Gay piloted by Tibbets dropped the infamous atomic bomb on Hiroshima, and the Bockscar piloted by Major Charles Swee ney dropped the bomb on Nagasaki.

By Avi Heiligman

Forgotten Her es Flying with the Bomb

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 103 for the atomic missions. Two other Jewish airmen flew on the atomic bomb missions. On board the Bockscar for the Nagasaki mission on August 9 was radio operator Sergeant Abe Spitzer from the Bronx. He had flown on the observation B-29 Great Artiste for the Hiroshima mission on August 6. First Lieutenant Charles Levy was the bombardier for the Great Artiste on the Nagasaki mission. While on the August 9 mission, Levy was the photographer and took the famous photo of the mushroom cloud over the city. While the atomic bomb missions gar nered a lot of press, other B-29 crews flew dozens of missions in the last year of the war without much fanfare. Brooklyn na tive 1st Lieutenant Bernard Greene gradu ated top in his class for bombardiers and navigators and was assigned to the 61st Squadron of the 39th Bomb Group. His crew named the B-29 they were assigned the “City of Cleveland” and flew 22 mis sions by war’s end. The Jewish bombar dier even flew as a pilot on two missions after the former pilot had been reassigned and before a new pilot took his place. As with many B-29 missions, they flew through heavy anti-aircraft fire called flak and one mission over an air craft plant in Kobe, Japan. Greene’s plane took a heavy beating. An engine had been knocked out, while another was heavily damaged due to gunfire from an enemy fighter. Hydraulics to the bomb bay had been shot, and the electrics were dam aged. This made it impossible to release the bombs or even close the bomb bay doors. Greene made his way to the bomb bay and manually released the bombs. The pilot had to take evasive maneuvers to avoid enemy fighter planes which made it more difficult for Greene to complete his job. The plane limped back to Iwo Jima for an emergency landing. Since their hydraulics were shot, rendering the brakes useless, they had to use parachutes to slow them down. For his actions that day, Greene, along with six other mem bers of his crew, was awarded the Distin guished Service Cross. The missions that Greene’s crew flew lasted up to seventeen hours, and they even flew a mission over Kobe the day the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiro shima. On September 2, as the surrender was taking place on the battleship USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, many B-29s, in cluding Greene’s plane, circled during the ceremony. However, they ignored an order to return to base once someone no ticed that they were experiencing trouble. Three Navy F6F Hellcats came over and motioned them to leave, and they did so reluctantly. The men who flew missions in B-29 Superfortresses are remembered for their bravery in the air and for their part in ending World War II.

Bernard Greene’s yahrtzeit is on 22 Av; the author thanks his son Fredric for the information about him that is includ ed in this article. Avi Heiligman is a weekly contribu tor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for fu ture columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 109

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 110 Your Money Splitting Hairs, Volume #2,379

By Allan Rolnick, CPA 2022 is a cynical time, full of cyn ical men and women bending and breaking the rules that govern every aspect of our lives in a cynical race to do whatever cynical thing they can justify to themselves to squeeze out extra crumbs of money, or power, or both. (You’d be amazed to see the things some people can justify.) That’s why it’s so refreshing to stumble across inspiring stories where common sense triumphs over bureaucracy, stories where someone recognizes the injustice in the red tape, rages against the machine, and champions the spirit of the law over the constipated written letter. This isn’t one of those stories. If you drink, now would be a good time to fetch one.Martha Albrecht and her husband spent a lifetime assembling a collection of native American jewelry and artifacts. In 2014, the widowed Martha decided to share her collection with the communi ty and selflessly gave 120 pieces to the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. (TripAdvisor.com ranks it #9 of 297 things to do in Santa Fe.) When Albrecht filed her 1040 for that year, she deducted $463,676 – the value of the gift – on her Schedule A. Naturally, there was paperwork. You can’t expect the IRS to swallow a $463,676 deduction without paperwork.

Specifically, Albrecht filed a five-page “Deed of Gift” outlining the terms of the donation. Page One identified her as the donor and the museum as the donee. Page Two specified that “the donation is uncon ditional and irrevocable; that all rights, titles and interests held by the donor in the property are included in the dona tion, unless otherwise stated in the Gift Agreement.” Pages Three, Four, and Five listed the pieces included in the gift. As required, she attached the Deed of Gift to her tax return for the year. Here’s the problem. Internal Reve nue Code section 170(f)(8)(A) says you can’t deduct any contributions over $250 without a “contemporaneous written acknowledgement” from the doner dis closing whether or not they provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift. And Martha Albrecht’s deed didn’t include that explicit language. Uh oh. (As a general rule, the more numbers and letters you see in a code section, the more hoops you can expect to jump through to get your deduction. In short, what section 170 giveth, subsection (f)(8) (A) taketh away.) The IRS disallowed the deduction (obviously, or we wouldn’t have much of a story), and Albrecht took them to Court. So, did the Court see through the paperwork to the spirit of section 170? LOL. The deed wasn’t just missing the necessary contemporaneous written ac knowledgment. It also didn’t include a provision stating it constituted the entire agreement between the parties – leaving open the possibility that there was a side agreement including additional, super sedingBottomterms.line: “We appreciate what ap pears to have been a good faith attempt by petitioner to substantially comply with the Code by executing the deed with the Wheelwright Museum. Substantial com pliance, unfortunately for petitioner, does not satisfy the strict requirements of sec tionDon’t170(f)(8)(B).”goblaming the IRS for this lit tle Kafkaesque episode. They don’t make the rules. Congress does. It’s a great re minder that, while most people think that taxes are about numbers, they’re re ally about words. We’re Americans, and we’re world-class masters at manipulat ing words to mean what we want them to. (We put mayonnaise on potatoes and call it a salad – with a straight face, even.) Yet here we are, trapped in the million+ words that we laughingly refer to as the tax Here’scode. the lesson from today’s story: Planning is great, but implementation is where the rubber meets the road. We’ll help you get it done right! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com. Yet here we are, trapped in the million+ words that we laughingly refer to as the tax code.

Your Money Splitting Hairs, Volume #2,379

By Allan Rolnick, CPA 2022 is a cynical time, full of cyn ical men and women bending and breaking the rules that govern every aspect of our lives in a cynical race to do whatever cynical thing they can justify to themselves to squeeze out extra crumbs of money, or power, or both. (You’d be amazed to see the things some people can justify.) That’s why it’s so refreshing to stumble across inspiring stories where common sense triumphs over bureaucracy, stories where someone recognizes the injustice in the red tape, rages against the machine, and champions the spirit of the law over the constipated written letter. This isn’t one of those stories. If you drink, now would be a good time to fetch one.Martha Albrecht and her husband spent a lifetime assembling a collection of native American jewelry and artifacts. In 2014, the widowed Martha decided to share her collection with the communi ty and selflessly gave 120 pieces to the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. (TripAdvisor.com ranks it #9 of 297 things to do in Santa Fe.) When Albrecht filed her 1040 for that year, she deducted $463,676 – the value of the gift – on her Schedule A. Naturally, there was paperwork. You can’t expect the IRS to swallow a $463,676 deduction without paperwork. Specifically, Albrecht filed a five-page “Deed of Gift” outlining the terms of the donation. Page One identified her as the donor and the museum as the donee. Page Two specified that “the donation is uncon ditional and irrevocable; that all rights, titles and interests held by the donor in the property are included in the dona tion, unless otherwise stated in the Gift Agreement.” Pages Three, Four, and Five listed the pieces included in the gift. As required, she attached the Deed of Gift to her tax return for the year. Here’s the problem. Internal Reve nue Code section 170(f)(8)(A) says you can’t deduct any contributions over $250 without a “contemporaneous written acknowledgement” from the doner dis closing whether or not they provided any goods or services in exchange for the gift. And Martha Albrecht’s deed didn’t include that explicit language. Uh oh. (As a general rule, the more numbers and letters you see in a code section, the more hoops you can expect to jump through to get your deduction. In short, what section 170 giveth, subsection (f)(8) (A) taketh away.) The IRS disallowed the deduction (obviously, or we wouldn’t have much of a story), and Albrecht took them to Court. So, did the Court see through the paperwork to the spirit of section 170? LOL. The deed wasn’t just missing the necessary contemporaneous written ac knowledgment. It also didn’t include a provision stating it constituted the entire agreement between the parties – leaving open the possibility that there was a side agreement including additional, super sedingBottomterms.line: “We appreciate what ap pears to have been a good faith attempt by petitioner to substantially comply with the Code by executing the deed with the Wheelwright Museum. Substantial com pliance, unfortunately for petitioner, does not satisfy the strict requirements of sec tionDon’t170(f)(8)(B).”goblaming the IRS for this lit tle Kafkaesque episode. They don’t make the rules. Congress does. It’s a great re minder that, while most people think that taxes are about numbers, they’re re ally about words. We’re Americans, and we’re world-class masters at manipulat ing words to mean what we want them to. (We put mayonnaise on potatoes and call it a salad – with a straight face, even.) Yet here we are, trapped in the million+ words that we laughingly refer to as the tax Here’scode. the lesson from today’s story: Planning is great, but implementation is where the rubber meets the road. We’ll help you get it done right! Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

Yet here we are, trapped in the million+ words that we laughingly refer to as the tax code.

Rivki Rosenwald is a Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist working with both couples and individuals and is a certified relation ship counselor. Rivki is a co-founder and creator of an effective Parent Management of Adolescent Years Program. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or at rivkirosen wald@gmail.com.

It’s almost like the 614th commandment: serve cholent!

HomeJewishThe|202218,AUGUST 111 Life C ach Let’s Talk Cholent!

By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., LMFT, CLC, SDS

T here are addictions and aversions. And there’s rarely an in-between. People either love it and must have it, or they literally can’t take the smell or the look of it. Though, you’ve got to give them that the look is not it’s winning quality. This will never show up in a gourmet mag azine. Except maybe as a “don’t serve”! Still, there are the true devotees. Someone once told me they had to put a venting system in their home because the smell of the cholent kept them up want ing it all night. They wanted to have it but had to wait, of course. So the expense of their venting system was well worth it. People start consuming it as early as Thursday evening! Kiosks and all-night marts offer it then for cholent enthusi astsAnd high school kids have been known to bring it to school, pot and all, Friday morning as a pre-Shabbos night specialty.ByFriday evening, many have it as an after-meal treat. Hey, what better sleep ing pill exits?! And Shabbos is, after all, the day of rest! The heaviness of this stuff usually puts you out. Even throughout the night Friday, little mice-like scurrying can be heard around the crockpot. Usually, a con demning open newspaper alongside a used bowl is a telling proof in the A.M. that someone couldn’t resist it last night. On Shabbos morning, many gladly trade their bowl of cornflakes for a bowl of cholent. Even infants and tots are on board for this breakfast, I guess cause it tastes good to them, and truthfully, their food never looks much more invit ing anyway. And definitely no self-respecting kid dush will be thrown without it! Finally, lunch would be completely de ficient if cholent weren’t offered as a reli able staple on the menu. It’s almost like the 614th commandment: serve cholent! Now, just like no two people are ex actly the same, no two cholents are the sameTheeither!ingredients for this dish are somewhat limited, yet the outcome is rarely alike. Everyone has their own for mula. Culturally and personally, everyone has their little tweaks and secrets. For instance, hardboiled eggs usually used for an egg salad or hotdogs often saved for ball games are often discovered camouflaged in this very monochromatic stew.Interestingly, the three main ingre dients, beans, potatoes, or meat, may or may not be present. They may be sub stituted with barley, sweet potatoes, onions, and rice or any other interesting element. It mostly depends on your fam ily history or traditions. Of course, there’s one essential in gredient they all wisely share: water. Because, that way there’s some hope this heavy stew will actually migrate through your system. Fortunately, many cholents have a healthy dollop of grease to guar antee this!

I’ve witnessed some other ingredi ents floating around in there, too. I’m sure many have their own little tricks to make it taste just the way they like. For instance, when no one’s looking, my dad likes to experiment. He throws in things like breakfast cereals or nuts to see the effect the surrounding ingredients will have on them. Honestly, I’m not sure how the taste gets affected, but they all wind up the same color. That’s cholent – the aroma and the taste, not the color, is its appeal.The bottom line is that once you’re hooked on cholent, in whatever form it speaks to you, there’s no way you can easily go a weekend without it! Just supports the saying that love can be blind, as long as there are oth er features you find to focus on!

202218,AUGUST|HomeJewishThe 112