November 29,2012

137 SPRUCE STREET

516-569-2662

— See page 5, 58 & 59—

Around the Community Generations Join Together at Yeshiva Darchei Torah Dor L’Dor Melave Malka

THEJEWISHHOME Still Wonderful A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY november 29 - december 5, 2012 | Distributed

ly In The Five Towns, Queens & Brooklyn WeekWEK

Page 51

Baltimore Wowed Bayswater Community with Jewish Carnival Extravaganza

Page 50

Shalhevet Co-Sponsors Pro-Israel Rally at Israeli Consulate Page 55

Efryim Shore distributes Smiles as He Learns to Walk Again Page 78

The Iron Dome

and How It Helps Protect Countless Lives

Page 67

Fathers and Sons Join Together to Learn on Thanksgiving at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov Page 64

See Pesach/Travel Section Starting on Page 104

See our ads on pages 20 & 73

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Contents >> Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 >> Community Community Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Readers’ Poll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

>> News Global . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 National. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Odd-but-True Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

>> Israel Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Israel and Hamas: Moral Clarity, Moral Fog, Moral Hypocrisy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 The Iron Dome and How it Helps Protect Countless Lives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Preparing for Chanukah in Jerusalem. . . . . . . . . . . 70 My Israel Home: The Community of Baka. . . . . . . . 74

>> People In Memory of My Father, Rabbi Chaplain Colonel Jack Ostrovsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 Cover Story: Still Wonderful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78

>> Parsha

Dear Readers, When you work in the business of printing news, you always have to be one step ahead. Yes, Thanksgiving just passed, but we have been working on our upcoming Chanukah issues that are due out next week. It’s amazing that I’m thinking in terms of latkes and oil; I feel as if Succos just passed and I was just prepping yom tov dishes and decorations for the sukkah. Usually, during the month of Cheshvan, we are given a nice amount of time to relax with our families and get back to some sort of routine after the rush of Tishrei. But this year, Hurricane Sandy blew in and derailed our plans of normalcy and predictability. So many of us are still not back to our routine and are still trying to make sense of what occurred. But once Chanukah comes, hopefully all our homes will be filled with light and warmth, and we will be able to celebrate the Festival of Lights together with our family and friends.

Being that Chanukah is around the corner, I love to bring the spirit of the chag into my home. My two-year-old daughter, Aviva, has been learning about Chanukah in her playgroup. Tonight she spontaneously sang me a song about the colors of the menorah. I’ve never heard that song before but it was so precious, sung in her sweet, soft voice. Hopefully we’ll have time this week to bake special Chanukah cookies and turn on the Chanukah CDs that we’ve accumulated throughout the years. I am truly looking forward to spending time preparing for this holiday with my children this year.

Efryim Shore is a man you’d love to meet. He is bound to bring a smile to your face and suggest that you share that wonderful smile with others. Although Efryim lost the use of his lower limbs in 2004 to a rare disease, he never lost his indefatigable spirit, and with determination and Hashem’s help, he pushed himself to walk again.

Now Efryim swims daily (he swam his 3,000th mile this summer!) and hikes with friends. And he shares his contagious love of life with everyone he meets. After reading about Efryim, you will be awed and amazed, and most of all, you will be smiling!

During the IDF’s recent Operation Pillar of Defense, the Iron Dome made 421 interceptions, saving countless lives and destruction. Much has been said about the anti-missile system, but what exactly is it and how does it work?

Avi Heiligman writes about this amazing system and how it was developed. After hearing so much about it, I was eager to learn more.

The Shmuz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88

As always, we look forward to hearing from our readers. Please feel free to email me at editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com.

>> Jewish Thought

Wishing you a wonderful week,

Ask the Rabbi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86

Shoshana

A Touching Story, by Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz. . . 87

>> Parenting Social Smarts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Helpful Scissor Hints for Children. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Yitzy Halpern Publisher

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Classifieds

>> Health & Fitness Why Divorce is Worse Than the Alternative,

by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Editorial Assistant

Nechama Wein

Travel: Florida. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104

Ask the Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Copy Editor

Rachel Bergida Berish Edelman Mati Jacobovits Design & Production

Editor

P.O. BOX 266 Lawrence, NY 11559 Phone | 516-734-0858 Fax | 516-734-0857

Friday, November 30 Parshas Vayishlach — Candle Lighting: 4:11 Shabbos Ends: 5:13 Rabbeinu Tam: 5:41

Recipes: The Aussie Gourmet: Yummy Fried Foods for the Family. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

>> Lifestyles

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Shabbos Z’manim

>> Food & Leisure

Recipes: Salads Fit for a Meal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108

Shoshana Soroka

Nate Davis

classifieds@fivetowns jewishhome.com 443-929-4003

Leave Me Alone…Really. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

Yosef Feinerman

managing editor

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Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 Lock, Stock and Barrel, by Rivki Rosenwald. . . . . 101

>> Humor Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

>> Art From My Private Art Collection: The How and What of Art and Feelings. . . . . . . . . . 82

>> Political Crossfire Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89

>> Classifieds

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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.

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Do you want a Shabbos table that is energized and Torah-centered?

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Start exciting Shabbos table conversation with a fascinating collection of halachic questions based on the parashah. These true-life shaylas, presented to Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita, the noted rav and posek, as well as a son-in-law of Rav Elyashiv zt”l, are the perfect starting point for fascinating Torah conversations, for youngsters and adults alike.

Challenge your family or guests with these thought-provoking halachic questions, and watch the energy around the table begin to surge.

Two rabbis once traveled to a faraway town to collect money for poor people.

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Letters to Urgent Letter to the Klal, Three weeks post-Sandy. Far Rockaway, the Five Towns, Long Beach, Belle Harbor, Bayswater and surrounding Long Island communities are still awash in the agony of families whose homes are unlivable. The telling strain of living as daily guests in the homes of others is beginning to erode their very foundations.

Displaced children are far from their own schools. They are not able to take even the most fundamental steps needed to pick up the pieces of their lives as they must come to grips with the “new normal” they face.

To date, Achiezer has given out over $1,300,000 during Phase I in which emergency funds have been disbursed to nearly 530 families in the aftermath of the first weeks. The $2,000-$3,000 disbursed to families only covered the basics like food and generators despite tremendous losses of homes, belongings and pay checks.

The critical task three weeks after the devastation is to get these families back home

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

Please send all correspondence to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

the Editor before the fabric of their lives unravels further. They face the daunting challenge of getting their homes and lives operational again. In order to facilitate this goal in the most expedient manner possible, Achiezer has begun Phase II. Operation Coming Home is a community assistance program that helps to repair homes and gives immediate cash assistance of up to $10,000. Consequently, Achiezer needs $5,000,000 to address the rebuilding efforts of as many as 500 families so that, at the very least, families can take the difficult first steps of replacing boilers, removing pervasive mold, and replacing sheet rock. Even with contractors providing work at cost, the expenses are overwhelming.

Go to www.achiezer.org to see a heart-rending video demonstrating the challenges Achiezer is helping these families overcome. Your ongoing monetary support is vital to help these families get back on their feet.

Please respond by donating in any amount at https://www.achiezer.org/donate. php or calling our hotline (516) 791-4444. May your participation be a zechus for you and all of Klal Yisroel.

Sincerely, Trustees Rabbi Baruch Bender – Director/Founder, Achiezer Rabbi Yaakov Bender – Rosh HaYeshiva, Yeshiva Darchei Torah Rabbi Zvi Bloom – Executive Director, Torah Umesorah Rabbi David Greenblatt - Davis Memorial Fund Rabbi Yehiel Kalish – National Director of Government Affairs, Agudath Israel of America Lloyd Keilson Ben Lowinger Ronald Lowinger Morris Wolfson Letter to the Editor continued on page 14

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Letters to Dear Editor, I read your article about JWed with great interest. My wife and I met online on Frumster several years ago. Back then, I can’t say that it was the “norm” for couples our age and in our community to find their perspective mates online. We both started using Frumster after more traditional dating did not help us in finding the “right one.”

Personally, I went online at first with much trepidation—after all, who would

I find out there and why were they looking for their shidduch online? (After all, I thought, I was only doing it out of necessity.) But sure enough, I met wonderful girls and my wife met wonderful boys with whom to date. Baruch Hashem, we both met each other and are looking forward to celebrating our fifth year anniversary in June.

Chaim W. Hempstead, NY

Readers Poll Compiled by Jannah Eichenbaum

Would you rather be stuck for 2 hours on the Van Wyck in traffic or in line at the DMV?  In traffic on the Van Wyck 67%  In line at the DMV 33% The upcoming questions for our Chanukah issues: On Chanukah do you feel that children should get one big present or 8 small presents?  One big present  Eight small presents On Chanukah, does your household light only one menorah or many menorahs?  One menorah  Many menorahs

Send your answers to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

the Editor Dear Editor, I love reading your paper every week and I appreciate the articles that you publish. I recently read your feature on frum online dating and began to wonder about how the dating world has evolved. Years ago, back in the days of “Fiddler on the Roof,” shidduchim were arranged through matchmakers and the couple barely had a say in the matter.

It was more of a match between families than between a man and a woman.

As the world became more open and children were given more credence, the matchmakers were still involved, but the children dated and decided on their own before agreeing to the match.

Nowadays, in some circles, the matchmaker is no longer in the picture. Now the couple meets on their own or are introduced by mutual friends. They develop sort of a friendship and get to know each other before deciding if they want to spend the rest of their life together.

I wonder: So much has changed. So much has evolved. Is our community better off now than we were seventy years ago?

I look forward to hearing thoughts from your readers.

Agnes Kramer Cedarhurst, NY Dear Editor, I would like to express my Hakoras Hatov to Accentuation by Design that distributed gorgeous sets of furniture to couples devastated by Sandy. Not only did the couples get the beautiful furniture, they were given choices. This was true chesed. Hashem should bless them with hatzlacha and parnassa.

Barbara Hurwitz Kew Gardens Hills

We’d Like to Hear From You Please send all correspondence to: editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com.

Global Judges Revolt Over Mursi’s Power Grab

Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi has faced a rebellion from judges who accuse him of expanding his powers at their expense, deepening a crisis that has generated violence in the street and bared the country’s deep divisions. Issued late on Thursday, the decree marks an effort by Mursi to merge his influ-

In News

ence after he successfully sidelined Mubarak-era generals in August. It would effectively make all of his rulings lawful and immune to judicial review, essentially granting full control and power to him and his ruling party.

It also protects the Islamist-dominated assembly writing Egypt’s new constitution from a number of legal challenges that have threatened the body with suspension, and offers the same protection to the Islamist-controlled upper house of parliament.

The Judges’ Club, a body representing judges across Egypt, called for a strike. The meeting was interrupted with chants demanding the “downfall of the regime” – the rallying infamous cry in the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak last year.

Mursi’s political opponents and supporters, representing the divide between newly empowered Islamists and their critics, called for rival demonstrations on Tuesday over a decree that has triggered concern in the West.

Egypt’s highest judicial authority, the Supreme Judicial Council, said the decree was an “unprecedented attack” on the independence of the judiciary.

The Judges’ Club, meeting in Cairo, called on Mursi to rescind it.

That demand was reiterated by prominent opposition leader Mohamed ElBaradei. “There is no room for dialogue when a dictator imposes the most oppressive, abhorrent measures and then says ‘let us split the difference,’” he said. “I am waiting to see, I hope soon, a very strong statement of condemnation by the U.S., by Europe and by everybody who really cares about human dignity.”

More than 300 people were injured on Friday as protests against the decree turned violent. Three offices belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, the movement that thrust Mursi to power, were attacked.

The Emotional State of the World Is the city of happiness really in the state of mind?

According to a recent Gallup poll, Latin America leads the world when it comes to positive emotions. Not sur-

prisingly, negative emotions are highest in the Middle East and North Africa.

Gallup also measured the emotional states of people in 150 countries by asking residents whether they experienced five positive and five negative emotions the previous day. To measure the presence or absence of emotions, Gallup averaged the percentage of residents in each country who said they experienced each of the 10 positive and negative emotions.

The five least emotional countries were Singapore, Georgia, Lithuania, Russia and Madagascar, in that order.

The most emotional country was the Philippines. The U.S. was the fifteenth most emotional country.

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The Week

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The Week Gallup did not call me, but if they would have I probably would have told them that I am not emotional, just always happy. Actually, sad. No, happy.

OK, both. I don’t know. I will figure it out someday—I just want to be left alone.

112 Killed in Factory Fire in Bangladesh

At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raged through a seven-story

garment factory just outside of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, late last Saturday.

By Sunday morning, firefighters had recovered 100 bodies, fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub reported. He said another 12 people who had suffered injuries caused by jumping from the building in attempt to escape the fire later died at hospitals.

The death toll could rise as the search for victims continues.

The factory was operated by Tazreen Fashions. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities have ordered an investigation.

Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.

Relatives of factory workers were desperately searching for their loved ones.

Sabina Yasmine stumbled upon the body of her daughter-in-law, who died in the fire, but had no trace of her son, who also worked at the factory.

“Oh, Allah, where’s my soul?

In News Where’s my son?” cried Yasmine, who works at another factory in the area. “I want the factory owner to be hanged.

For him, many have died, many have gone.”

Firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor of the factory alone; the victims had been trapped inside the factory since there were no emergency exits. The fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors.

“The factory had three staircases, and all of them were down through the ground floor,” Mahbub said. “So the workers could not come out when the fire engulfed the building. Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower,” he said.

Bangladesh’s garment factories make clothes for brands including WalMart, JC Penney, and H&M.

World’s Largest Mall

in cooperation with Universal Studios International that will be the largest in the region, aiming to attract six million visitors a year.

The emirate is already home to Dubai Mall which is listed as one of the world’s largest shopping, leisure, and entertainment destinations, boasting 62 million visitors this year. “The current facilities available in Dubai need to be scaled up in line with the future ambitions for the city,” Sheikh Mohammed said in the statement.

Dubai’s tourism is growing by 13 percent a year, according to the statement, with hotel occupancy hitting 82 percent in 2011 while hotel revenues grew 22 percent last year, exceeding 16 billion dirhams ($4.4 billion).

The emirate suffered a tremendous debt crisis in 2009 but since restructured the mountain of debt owed by its corporations, and its economy has returned to growth after contracting in 2009.

Europe’s “Baby Boxes” Under Attack

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Early this week, the Gulf desert citystate announced a new development to open the world’s biggest mall and a park “30 percent bigger than” London’s Hyde Park.

Dubai leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum named the plan for a “new city within Dubai” after himself. He did not comment on the expected cost of “Mohammed bin Rashid City.”

Residential areas will also be featured within the city. But the main attraction is the “Mall of the World” which will have the capacity to host 80 million visitors a year with a goal of becoming the “largest in the world.”

The mall will be connected to a family entertainment center to be developed

Berlin’s Waldfriede Hospital wanted to help mothers who find themselves in desperate situations and are unable to care for their infants. They created the city’s first so-called “baby box.” The box is a warm incubator that can be opened from an outside wall of a hospital where a parent can anonymously leave an unwanted infant. A small flap opens into the box, equipped with a motion detector. An alarm goes off in the hospital to alert staff two minutes after a baby is left.

“The mother has enough time to leave without anyone seeing her,” Stangl said. “The important thing is that her baby is now in a safe place.”

Technically these windows are illegal but authorities tend to turn a blind eye since they are the better alternative in many cases. In some grave situations, desperate mothers commit acts that aren’t forgivable.

Continued on page 18

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The Week In recent years, human rights advocates have expressed their concern.

They think that these windows are bad for the children while being “safer” for the parent’s shame and merely avoid dealing with the problems that lead to child abandonment.

At a meeting last month, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child said baby boxes should be banned and is pushing that agenda to the European Parliament. There are nearly 100 baby boxes in Germany. Poland and the Czech Republic each have more than 40 while Italy, Lithuania, Russia and Slovakia have about 10 each. There are two in Switzerland, one in Belgium and one being planned in the Netherlands.

In the last decade, hundreds of babies have been abandoned this way.

Speculators estimate that one or two infants are typically left at each location every year, though exact figures aren’t available.

Officials at several facilities with baby boxes say biological parents sometimes name the infant being abandoned.

“The girl is called Sarah,” read one note left with a baby in Lubeck, Germany in 2003. “I have many problems and a life with Sarah is just not possible,” the letter said.

Countries that support this anonymous abandonment method contend they save lives. In a letter responding to U.N. concerns, more than two dozen Czech politicians said they “strongly disagreed” with the proposed ban. “The primary aim of baby hatches, which (have) already saved hundreds of newborns, is to protect their right to life and protect their human rights,” the letter said.

But many others don’t see this as a good option.

“They are a bad message for society,” said Maria Herczog, a Hungarian child psychologist on the U.N. committee. “These boxes violate children’s rights and also the rights of parents to get help from the state to raise their families,” she said. “Instead of providing help and addressing some of the social problems and poverty behind these situations, we’re telling people they can just leave their baby and run away.”

In some countries like Australia, Canada and Britain, it is illegal to abandon an infant anywhere. In the U.S. there are “safe haven” laws that allow parents to anonymously give up an infant in a secure place like a hospital or police department.

Germany’s health ministry is considering other options. “We want to replace the necessity for the baby boxes

In News by implementing a rule to allow women to give birth anonymously that will allow them to give up the child for adoption,” said Christopher Steegmans, a ministry spokesman.

New Name for Mexico?

Mexico’s official name is “United Mexican States” or “Estados Unidos Mexicanos.” The name was adopted in 1824 after independence from Spain in imitation of Mexico’s democratic northern neighbor. This name is mainly used only on official documents, money, and other government material.

Still, President Felipe Calderon called a news conference on Thursday to announce that he wants to make the name simply “Mexico.” “Mexico doesn’t need a name that emulates another country and that no one uses on a daily basis,” he said, implying that the name sounds too similar to The United States of America.

“It’s time for Mexicans to return to the beauty and simplicity of the name of our country, Mexico,” Calderon said.

“A name that we chant, that we sing, that makes us happy, that we identify with, that fills us with pride.”

Calderon first proposed the name change as a congressman in 2003 but the bill did not make it to a vote. The new constitutional reform he proposed would have to be approved by both houses of Congress and a majority of Mexico’s 31 state legislatures. Calderon leaves office on December 1.

South Korean Man Sentenced to Prison for Tweets A South Korean man has received a suspended 10-month prison term for re-tweeting North Korean propaganda posts.

The Suwon District Court cited the National Security Law in its ruling on Wednesday against Park Jeong-geun.

The law prohibits praising and glorifying North Korea. Park could have potentially received seven years in prison.

The court says it suspended the prison term partly because Park promised not to repeat his act. The court claimed that Park’s action threatened national security since Twitter has a widespread influence over South Korean society.

Parks says he did not intend to praise Pyongyang but he was actually trying to ridicule North Korea.

Seoul and Pyongyang technically are still at war because their 1950-1953 conflict ended with a truce.

Hungarian Politician Wants to Draw Up List of Jews A Hungarian far-right politician urged the Hungarian government to draw up a list of Jews who pose a “national security risk” to the country.

Marton Gyongyosi is a leader of Hungary’s third-strongest political party, Jobbik. He said that the list is necessary because of the recent conflict involving Israel and Palestinians.

Gyongyosi, 35, who leads Jobbik’s foreign policy cabinet, told Parliament: “I know how many people with Hungarian ancestry live in Israel, and how many Israeli Jews live in Hungary. I think such a conflict makes it timely to tally up people of Jewish ancestry who live here, especially in the Hungarian Parliament and the Hungarian government, who, indeed, pose a national security risk to Hungary.”

But his remarks have stirred controversy in a country where 500,000 to 600,000 Jews were murdered in the Holocaust. “I am a Holocaust survivor,” said Gusztav Zoltai, executive director of the Hungarian Jewish Congregations’ Association. “For people like me this generates raw fear, even though it is

In News clear that this only serves political ends.

This is the shame of Europe, the shame of the world.”

Gyongyosi is the son of a diplomat who grew up mostly in the Middle East and Asia – Egypt, Iraq, Afghanistan and India – and whose office is decorated by Iranian and Turkish souvenirs. He tried to downplay his comments on Tuesday saying that he was only referring to citizens with dual Israeli-Hungarian citizenship. “I apologize to my Jewish compatriots for my declarations that could be misunderstood,” he said and confirmed that he would not resign.

The government condemned his remarks.

“The government strictly rejects extremist, racist, anti-Semitic voices of any kind and does everything to suppress such voices,” the government spokesman’s office said.

Sarkozy Faces Charges of Campaign Funds Corruption

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy is being questioned regarding funds for his presidential campaign this past May. He faces the possible charges based on allegations that he took advantage of an elderly heiress to get illegal cash for his campaign.

It’s a sign of how polarizing the former president is for the French: many were suspicious of his close ties to the wealthy and threw him out of office; supporters see him as the only person able to save the country’s economy and wish he’d return. On Thursday, the former president was named a key – and potentially indictable – witness after 12 hours before a judge to answer questions about whether he accepted the funds or not.

The illegal campaign donations allegedly came from the pocket of 90-year-old L’Oreal heiress, Liliane Bettencourt. Bettencourt’s former acContinued on page 22

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 2 9 , 2012

The Week

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The Week countant told police she gave 150,000 euros ($192,000) in cash to the campaign when she was told that she would be passed on to Sarkozy’s campaign treasurer.

In July, the ruling judge ordered the seizure of Sarkozy’s diaries, including his calendars.

The amount shocked many in France since the spending limit on political campaigns is strictly limited. The maximum amount that a single donor can contribute to a campaign is 4,600 euros ($5,930). Candidates are not allowed to exceed 22 million euros ($28 million) in spending on an entire presidential campaign. (By comparison, an estimated total of $4 billion was spent on campaigning for this year’s U.S. presidential elections.)

It’s been reported that Bettencourt, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, has since been placed under legal protection since the start of this investigation.

Sarkozy’s lost his immunity from prosecution when he lost the election in May. The former president was given the status of what in France is known as an “assisting witness,” with the pos-

sibility of facing charges later on allegations of abusing someone in an impaired state, swindling and abuse of confidence.

“Given the extremely strict rules and controls, illegal financing is completely impossible,” said Claude Gueant, who was Sarkozy’s campaign director at the time, his chief of staff and later his interior minister.

Bettencourt’s money was contested long before Sarkozy entered the picture. Her daughter accused a celebrity photographer of abusing her mother’s alleged mental frailty – and bilking the elder heiress out of 1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) in cash and artworks. The elder Bettencourt’s ex-butler leaked details of household conversations, including one in which the mother seems confused about whether or not she gave an island in the Seychelles to the photographer as a gift.

Bettencourt is regarded as Europe’s richest woman.

Despite these allegations, a poll released on Thursday showed that a majority among the conservative party still think Sarkozy will be the best presidential candidate for the 2017 elections.

In News Text Alerts for Saudi Men if Their Wives Cross the Border

A new service is being provided for the concerned Saudi Arabian husband.

They can opt to receive a text if their wife leaves the country. This alert service was put into place by the government using an electronic system that tracks any cross-border movements.

Male guardians are alerted by text if a woman under their custody leaves the country.

One kink in the system is that the

text is delivered even when wives are traveling together with their husbands.

Saudi women’s rights activist Manal alSherif, who last year urged women to defy a driving ban, said a man had contacted her to say he had received a text from the immigration authorities while at the airport with his wife.

“The authorities are using technology to monitor women,” said Saudi author and journalist Badriya al-Bishr, who criticized the “state of slavery under which women are held” in the kingdom. “This is technology used to serve backwardness in order to keep women imprisoned,” she added.

Under laws influenced by the strict Wahabi interpretation of Islam, women are not allowed to leave Saudi Arabia without permission from their male guardian (a husband, father or brother). A woman’s male guardian must give written consent by signing what is known as the “yellow sheet” at the airport or border.

Protests from ordinary Saudis soon appeared on Twitter mocking the decision. “Hello Taliban, herewith some tips from the Saudi e-government!”

Continued on page 26

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The Week read one post. “Why don’t you cuff your women with tracking ankle bracelets too?” wrote a woman identifying herself as “Israa.” “If I need an SMS to let me know my wife is leaving Saudi Arabia, then I’m either married to the wrong woman or need a psychiatrist,” tweeted Hisham.

Last year, King Abdullah granted women the right to vote and run in the 2015 municipal elections, a historic first for the country. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the world that forbids women from driving.

conflict.

Haniya’s office reported that Ahmadinejad’s call came in late on Friday to praise Gaza’s “victory after eight days of Israeli aggression,” referring to the Operation Pillar of Defense which ended with a Wednesday ceasefire.

Iran Congratulates Gaza on Its “Victory” Over Israel Iran’s President Mahmud Ahmadinejad has officially congratulated Gaza’s Hamas prime minister Ismail Haniya in a telephone call on a “great victory” over Israel. Haniya in turn “thanked Iran for its support.”

Tehran confirmed that it had supplied military aid to Gaza during the

In News people of Palestine and Hamas ... and that our assistance to them has been both financial and military.”

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards chief General Mohammad Ali Jafari admitted that Tehran had provided the “technology” for the Fajr 5 missiles used to target Tel Aviv, but denied supplying the actual weapons. He said they were being “rapidly produced” in Gaza.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal thanked Iran and Egypt for their support during the conflict, saying Iran “had a role in arming” his Islamist movement.

Iran does not recognize the State of Israel and actively supports Palestinian movements such as Hamas and other terrorist organizations.

Skyscanner claims to be Europe’s leading travel search site, operating in over 25 languages with more than 25 million visits and over 11 million unique visitors per month.

Now I know where I’m not going on my next vacation.

Murderer on FBI Most Wanted List Arrested in Mexico

World’s Rudest Countries “We stand beside the Palestinian people,” the Iranian president added.

Iranian Parliament speaker Ali Larijani said, “We are proud to defend the

Here’s one survey that we are proud not to lead…

According to a recent survey, France is the rudest country in the world to visit with nearly one-fifth of votes, based on travel website Skyscanner.com‘s ranking.

“This seems to be a fairly common stereotype, albeit not one which is necessarily true,” Sam Baldwin, Skyscanner’s travel editor said.

Russia, the U.K. and Germany rounded out the top four most unfriendly countries to visit. The U.S. was ranked seventh after China.

The survey was simply based on responses from website visitors and not on any formal data or information. This most recent poll generated more than 1,200 user responses with 60% of the respondents from the U.K. and Ireland.

Brazil, the Caribbean, the Philippines and Thailand were ranked the least rude countries for travelers.

A spot recently opened up on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives.

Gang member Joe Luis Saenz was arrested in Mexico on Friday night and returned to Los Angeles to face charges of murder, kidnapping and rape, U.S. officials said. He was taken into custody in Guadalajara late Thursday following a joint operation with the Mexican government, said Bill Lewis, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles office.

Investigators believe that Saenz shot and killed two rival gang members in July 1998 to retaliate for an assault on one of his associates.

Authorities estimate that Saenz is about 37 years old and had suspected he was hiding in Mexico working as an enforcer and hit man for a Mexican drug cartel.

Saenz had been on the FBI’s mostwanted list since 2009, putting him among the ranks of Osama bin Laden, Boston crime lord James “Whitey” Bulger and other infamous criminals.

There was a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to his arrest.

Brazilian President Fires Officials in Light of Corruption Accusations Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff acted quickly upon getting wind of

a new scandal of government officials allegedly involved in a bribery ring, including the country’s deputy attorney general. She ordered the dismissal of all individuals involved.

Federal police raided government offices in Brasilia and Sao Paulo on Friday and arrested six people for running an influence peddling ring that sold government approvals to businessmen in return for bribes. Among those under investigation is the former personal secretary of ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rosemary de Noronha, who has headed the regional office of the presidency in Sao Paulo since 2005.

The current president has been earning approval of the people for not tolerating corruption.

But the ruling Workers’ Party was rocked by the scandal which tarnished Lula’s legacy even though he was not implicated. The new corruption case can potentially affect the reputation of ex-president Lula, who remains Brazil’s most influential politician.

Authorities have been investigating the bribery ring since 2010 when an official in the government accounting office who was offered $150,000 for a favorable report got nervous, returned the bribe money, and reported the corrupt activities.

Russia Supplies 240 Tons of Bank Notes to Syria ProPublica, an investigative journalism newsroom, has recently published the records of overflight requests between Russia and Syria which highlight 240 tons of “bank notes” being flown from Moscow to Syria since March 2011 on a Syrian government plane.

Because of intense fighting in the country, the regime of Bashar al-Assad

is in desperate need of cash. Recent sanctions by the United States and European governments have banned the minting of Syrian currency. As a result, an Austrian bank which had previously printed the Syrian bank notes has ceased to do so.

“Having currency that you can put into circulation is certainly something that is important in terms of running an economy and more so in an economy that is become more cash-based as things deteriorate,” said Daniel Glaser, assistant secretary of the Treasury for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes. “It is certainly something the Syrian government wants to do, to pay soldiers or pay anybody anything.”

According to the flight records, there were eight round-trip flights between Damascus International Airport and Moscow’s Vnukovo Airport. Each carried 30 tons of bank notes back to Syria.

The flights took a circuitous trip back to Syria to avoid going over Turkish airspace since the relationship between the two countries have been tense.

In June, Reuters reported that Russia had begun printing new Syrian pounds and that an initial shipment of bank notes had already arrived. But the report was denied by the Syrian Central Bank, which claimed the only new money in circulation were bills that had replaced damaged or worn bank notes.

Such a swap, the bank contended, would have no effect on the economy.

But that does not seem to be the case. Ibrahim Saif, a political economist based in Jordan and a resident scholar at the Carnegie Middle East Center, said 30 tons of bank notes twice a week is a significant amount for a country like Syria. “I truly believe it’s not only that they’re exchanging old money for new notes. They are printing money because they need new notes,” Saif said. “Most of the government revenue that comes from taxes, in terms of other services, it’s almost now dried up,” noted Saif.

Yet, “they continue to pay salaries. They have not shown any signs of weakness in fulfilling their domestic obligations.

In News The only way they can do this is to get some sort of cash in the market.”

Terrorist Responsible for Mumbai Attacks Executed The terrorist who committed the 2008 Mumbai attacks that claimed the lives of 166 people including Rabbi Gavriel Holzberg and his wife Rivka finally received the justice he deserved.

India executed the only surviving man responsible for the horrific attack.

The Pakistani national was the only suspect of the 10 militants to be caught alive after November 26, 2008.

Mohammed Ajmal Kasab, 25, a member of Lashkar-e-Taiba, was hanged at the Yerawada Prison in Pune, southeast of Mumbai, at 7:30 a.m. local time Wednesday. The execution came several hours after India’s President Pranab Mukherjee rejected his legal appeal.

The 60-hour killing spree in 2008

swamped local eateries, the Chabad center, and luxury landmark hotel, the Taj Mahal Palace. Pictures of the gunman sporting a black T-shirt and lugging an AK-47 rifle as he stomped through Mumbai’s train station were published around the world in hope of securing his conviction and death sentence.

Kasab was buried inside the prison where he was hanged, officials said.

India said it would hand over the body to Pakistan if a request was made, underlying the sensitivities and severely strained relations between the two nations.

Reuters said it spoke on the telephone on Wednesday to one of the group’s senior commanders, who said Kasab was a “hero” whose death would “inspire other fighters to follow his path.”

The Pakistan Taliban said it was shocked by the hanging. “There is no doubt that it’s very shocking news and a big loss that a Muslim has been hanged on Indian soil,” Taliban spokesman Ihsanullah Ihsan told Reuters.

However, rightfully so, there were

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The Week celebrations in India. “When I heard the news of Kasab’s execution today, I remembered those horrifying moments of the attack,” said Vishnu Zende, who was working at Mumbai’s train station on the day of the attack. “My eyes were filled with tears.”

Greek Man Arrested for Stealing Most of the Country’s ID

Talk about a man with many faces.

Greek police have arrested a man on suspicion of stealing the personal data of about two thirds of the country’s 11 million population. In addition, the 35-year old computer programmer was suspected of attempting to sell the 9 million files containing identification card data, addresses, tax ID numbers and license plate numbers.

“We are investigating what the source of the data was and how they were used by the man arrested, and also the possibility of him providing them to someone else,” police spokesman Christos Manouras told reporters. Police are investigating if the man obtained the data files by hacking into a government server or if he had an accomplice within the governmental offices.

The suspect’s name was not yet released but the evidence is highly incriminating. The files were discovered after police raided the suspect’s home.

Israel Israel-Gaza Call a Ceasefire Last Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire, ending eight days

of fighting that caused casualties and spread fear across the country.

“The United States welcomes the agreement today for the ceasefire in Gaza,” U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said at a news conference alongside Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr. “This is a critical moment for the region.”

The ceasefire started at 9 p.m. Cairo time (2 p.m. ET) and both sides fought up to the last minute. Hundreds took to the streets of Gaza City to celebrate the ceasefire. Loudspeakers of local mosques filled the air announcing, “Allahu akbar (G-d is greatest), dear people of Gaza you won. You have broken the arrogance of the Jews.”

Several hours prior to the ceasefire announcement, an explosion on a bus in Tel Aviv traveling down a busy street injured 19 people. “This was a terrorist attack,” Ofir Gendelman, a spokesman for Netanyahu, said.

The White House condemned the attack as “outrageous.” In a statement, it reaffirmed the United States’ “unshakable commitment to Israel’s security and our deep friendship and solidarity with the Israeli people.”

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri praised the bombing, but stopped short of claiming responsibility. “Hamas blesses the attack in Tel Aviv and sees it as a natural response to the Israeli massacres...in Gaza.”

During the Cairo news conference, Clinton thanked Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Mursi for his mediation efforts and pledged to work with partners in the region “to consolidate this progress, improve conditions for the people of Gaza, provide security for the people of Israel.”

In Jerusalem, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the agreement, adding that he had spoken with President Barack Obama and had agreed to fight together against “weapons of terror.” “Israel cannot sit with its arms folded against its enemies,” he said in a news conference.

In News Netanyahu acknowledged U.S. diplomacy and Mursi’s leadership in negotiating the cease-fire while complimenting Israel’s resolve and the armed forces. “I am proud to be your prime minister,” he said.

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the army had been effective, achieving maximum destruction to Hamas with minimum loss of civilian life. He called the Iron Dome defense system “an exceptional success.”

The exiled leader of Hamas, Khaled Meshaal, said, “If Israel complies, we are compliant. If it does not comply, our hands are on the trigger.”

Israel Supports Gaza Even During the Fighting

There are many things that make Israel exceptional and the recent conflict with Gaza raises some extraordinary facts.

It is a fact that Gaza is not selfsufficient and receives a lot of aid from Israel. Nearly all of Gaza’s water and majority of their electricity are provided

by Israel.

Many commentators have expressed their deep frustration that Israel did not pull out all the stops to defeat Hamas and end the Gaza missile threat. Yet, despite the generosity of Israel and their relatively minor response to the rockets launched from Gaza, the media is pointing fingers at Israel.

Even more shockingly, during the fighting, the Bank of Israel continued to send Brinks trucks carrying millions of dollars to Hamas during the war. Hamas has not developed their own banking system; the organization fundraises in Arab states in U.S. dollars. The currency in Gaza is the shekel and Israel transfers millions of shekels to Gaza to be exchanged for dollars each month.

Many feel that Israel is in fact being too kind. Popular Israeli commentator Dr. Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya responded to this ludicrous situation saying, “We represent

the first instance in history of one side feeding and financing its enemy, even during a time of war between the two.”

The Bank of Israel may actually be breaking the law. In Israel and in most other Western nations, it is illegal for government or financial institutions to monetarily support organizations classified as terrorists. Hamas is undoubtedly a terrorist organization but Israel justifies helping it manage its finances by calling it humanitarian aid. Millions of those shekels pay government salaries including those with the “job” of firing missiles into Israel. Without those millions of shekels, Hamas could not pay government salaries, and most Gazans would be out of a job. (Some of those “government” jobs include shooting missiles at Israel, by the way.)

Now to make matters more complicated…

Earlier this month, a New York court ruled that victims of Hezbollah terror have the right to sue a Lebanese bank that has a branch in New York City. The bank handled financial transfers for a charity connected to Hezbollah. This ruling has opened the door for Israeli and other victims of Hamas terror to potentially sue the Bank of Israel through its branches and subsidiaries if it continues to assist the terrorist organization.

Hamas Leader’s Son Speaks Out Against Hamas

Mosab Hassan Yousef, the son of one of the founders of the Hamas terrorist organization and author of the book “Son of Hamas,” feels that Israel made a big mistake by agreeing to a ceasefire with Gaza’s terrorist rulers.

Yousef spent several years abroad following a decade in which he risked his life working undercover as an agent

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& The leadership and members of the Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater Who stepped forward without hesitation and created a 24 hour non-stop chessed center that overflowed with kindness and caring.

There was no need too small or too difficult, there was only yes, yes and “how else can we help?”

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T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 2 9 , 2012

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The Week for the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). His code name during that time was “The Green Prince.”

“What is important is that at the moment there is a ceasefire, and I think we need to look at things and digest all of what happened,” Yousef told Israel’s Channel 2 News in a special interview.

“I believe the Shin Bet did its best,” he added. “Let’s not forget that our enemy is a barbaric one which uses women and children as human shields, and in these situations we are very limited, because we care about the lives of innocent citizens.”

Discussing the possibility that Israel would eventually need to attempt to topple the Hamas regime in Gaza, the former Shin Bet agent said, “This is necessary, but we have to work very hard for it. This is necessary not only for Israel – but for the benefit of humanity. Hamas was born to destroy. It cannot build.”

“I have trouble believing that Hamas will be able to one day build a modern state,” said Yousef. “I hope their lies will be exposed to the Palestinian public.”

Yousef praised Israel saying that, “Israel helps the Palestinian people more than anyone else: every day it provides electricity and even the salaries paid to employees come from banks in Israel. There is also humanitarian aid that enters Gaza.”

Finally, addressing Hassan Yousef, his father, and other Hamas leaders, he said, “I want to say to the members of the organization, including my father, who are listening to this interview – brave people do not hide behind children and fire missiles. If they had even a bit of courage, they would be able to leave Gaza instead of hiding like rats.”

The Man Behind Israel’s Social Media War

Sacha Dratwa’s passion is snowboarding but he also has a very important and unique job.

The 26-year-old Belgian immigrant to Israel leads a team of social media soldiers. Since 2010, Dratwa has been leading Israeli Defense Forces’ YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook operations.

This has spread awareness about the true colors of Israel’s military globally.

Dratwa told Tablet magazine, “We believe people understand the language of Facebook, the language of Twitter.”

The following scenario describes Dwatwa’s job. After a photo of a baby killed by an Israeli missile was posted on Twitter, Dratwa’s team immediately tweeted information about an Israeli girl injured by a Hamas rocket. It is important to make sure that the world gets all the facts about what is going on in Israel and gets the right information all the time. Essentially, Dratwa is the “face” of Israel to many as people nowadays rely on social media for their information and news.

Hezbollah Threatens Israel

In News said they have more than 20,000. Israel estimates the number at several times that.

Nasrallah that the Fajr-5 attacks “shook Israel.” He rhetorically asked, “How is it [Israel] going to stand thousands of rockets that will fall on Tel Aviv and other areas if it launches an aggression against Lebanon?”

Nasrallah, wearing a black-turban, addressed tens of thousands of supporters in Beirut via a video link. Supporters gathered to mark Ashoura, the annual Shiite commemoration of the 7th-century death of Imam Hussein, the Prophet Muhammad’s grandson.

“The battle with us is going to be all over occupied Palestine,” Nasrallah said, “from the border with Lebanon to the frontier with Jordan to the Red Sea. The Israelis should listen well to me.

From Kiryat Shemona to Eilat.”

Since the 2006 war concluded, both Israeli and Hezbollah officials have been warning each other that the next fight between the two groups will be more destructive.

Hezbollah was created in 1982, a short time after Israel invaded Lebanon. Israel withdrew in 2000 to a border drawn by the U.N., but Lebanon claims Israel still occupies a tiny part of its territory.

Palestinians Accused of Spying for Israel Brutally Killed Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, said it would fire thousands of rockets into Israel in any future war and target cities in the country’s heartland.

The warning came days after an eight-day Israeli Gaza conflict ended with a truce.

Nasrallah said Gaza militants had won “a clear victory” against Israel with their rocket bombardment.

Hezbollah, like Hamas and other Gaza militant factions, preserves a rocket arsenal stash and frequently threatens to make use of it. Hezbollah fought an inconclusive 34-day war with Israel in 2006 that left 1,200 Lebanese and 160 Israelis dead. Hezbollah fired nearly 4,000 rockets at Israel during the 2006 war and is believed to have upgraded its arsenal since then. Nasrallah did not say how many missiles and rockets his group possesses, although in the past he

Six Palestinians accused of siphoning information to Israel during its airstrike campaign have been killed in the Gaza Strip. The six men were shot dead on Tuesday after being “caught redhanded” working for Israel.

One of the alleged spy’s body was dragged after the streets behind a convoy of motorcycles. It appeared that people witnessing the seen were celebrating.

Al-Aqsa radio station reported, “They possessed hi-tech equipment and filming equipment to take footage of positions.”

Surprisingly, Hamas’ deputy leader Moussa Abu Marzouk condemned what he called the “unlawful” killings. Abu Marzouk urged the Islamist Hamas administration ruling Gaza to ensure that no one takes the law into their own hands via Facebook. “Punishing collaborators and especially those involved in the killing of our leaders must only

be carried out in accordance with the law and through the legal procedures,” he said. “The way those collaborators were killed and the images after their death were completely unacceptable.

Those who did it should be punished and it must not be repeated,” said the Hamas official, who is currently in Cairo.

Israeli security officials acknowledge they rely on a network of Palestinian informants to identify targets.

The New York Times reported that another man, named Ashraf Ouaida, was killed by masked gunmen on Friday because he was suspected of collaborating with Israel as well. He was shot multiple times and his body was left with a sign around his neck accusing him of helping Israel kill 15 Palestinian leaders and beneath a billboard featuring a Hamas fighter holding a rocket.

Palestinians Name Children After Missiles

Palestinians in Gaza are looking to commemorate the fighting that took place last week in a unique way. Mothers and fathers are naming their children after their heroes in the battle—including missiles and rockets that were significant in the fighting.

On Friday, Muhammad al-Shafi’I Abu Nassat named his son Fajr after the Fajr missile. He said the naming was in gratitude to Iran who was responsible for supplying the rocket to the Palestinian people and helped them strike “the enemy for eight days.” Amira Abu Assus also named her child Fajr but for a different, although slightly related, reason. Fajr is Arabic for “dawn” and she chose the name before the fighting commenced. She said she knew her baby would have “a bright future within the Palestinian resistance. He would carry the rockets whose names he bears so as to free Palestine from Israeli occupation.”

Adham Murtaja named his son Ahmed Jabari after the Hamas military

chief who was assassinated by the IDF at the beginning of the fighting. He wanted to prove to Israel that the assassination will not stop the Palestinian nation from producing more heroes.

Israeli Vice Prime Minister Hacked

A group calling itself the ZCompanyHackingCrew has taken credit for the defacing of the Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Blogger accounts belonging to Israeli Vice Prime Minister Silvan Shalom. The same group has posted what it claims are the partial contents of Shalom’s Gmail inbox along with contact information and a variety of seemingly confidential documents.

In News protect yourselves and ensure that your passwords are hacker-safe, especially if you are the vice prime minister of Israel.

The ZCompanyHackingCrew posted what appears to be Shalom’s personal phone number, as well as that of his chief of staff. It also apparently lists six of his email addresses, 20 screenshots of his various emails in his Gmail account, his entire contact list (names and email addresses), as well as confidential documents. This data was supposedly pulled from Shalom’s Gmail account, of which the group claims it has gained control.

Facebook said they investigated the matter. “After an investigation by Facebook Security into Vice Prime Minister Shalom’s Page, we have concluded that the inappropriate posts did not in any way represent a compromise of Facebook,” Facebook’s spokesperson said. “We are in contact with the Page administrators and have already assisted in remediating the Page and any affected accounts. We don’t comment on individual cases, so we won’t be able to provide any specifics,” a Google spokesperson said.

The hacking group’s Twitter account explained that Shalom was “hacked to show solidarity with Gaza and raise voice against Israeli brutalities.”

Lesson to be learned from here is to

Magic Wand Tests Successfully After the success of the Iron Dome in Operation Pillar of Defense, Israel has successfully completed one round of tests of the Magic Wand interceptor missile system. The system is designed to intercept any object launched from a distance of at least 70 kilometers and is designed to provide protection from missiles fired by Hezbollah in Lebanon.

If all goes as planned, it is expected to be fully operational in 2014.

Defense Minister Ehud Barak congratulated the engineers who have been working on the system. “The great success of the Iron Dome batteries during Operation Pillar of Defense proves beyond a shadow of a doubt the tremendous importance of anti-missile systems,” Barak said. “Israel is a world leader in this department thanks to the Israeli defense industries and its devel-

opers.”

A senior official at Israel’s Rafael Advanced Defense Systems said, “The Magic Wand’s radar tracked the target from the beginning until interception.

Unlike the Iron Dome, it’s a system without batteries that operates as a national unit.”

National The United States of Shoppers Americans may have many differences, but we are united by our love of...shopping.

According to a study by the National Federation of Retailers, a record 247 million shoppers visited stores and websites over the Black Friday weekend, up from 226 million last year. The average holiday shopper spent $423 last weekend, up from $398 last year. Total Continued on page 34

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The Week spending reached an estimated $59.1 billion.

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As pointed out by The Weekly Standard, according to census figures, there are approximately 247,500,000 people in the U.S. over the age of 14. That means that if the shopping survey is accurate, practically every person over the age of 14 shopped last weekend.

Tax Rates Across the Upper Class Have an Interesting Curve Reportedly Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary. This may explain why…

According to new data released by the IRS, people who make $1 million or more a year had an average tax rate of 20.4 percent in 2010. Tax filers who earned $30,000 to $50,000 paid an average rate of 4.8 percent, while those who made between $50,000 and $100,000 paid 7.7 percent. Those making under $30,000 had a negative effective rate, meaning they paid no federal income taxes after deductions and credits.

But there is a limit. Rates go up as income goes up only to a point.

The average tax rate peaks at 25.1 percent for those making between $1.5 million and $2 million. Then it falls to 20.7 percent for those making $10 million or more.

So in fact, the highest paying taxes are paid by those who earn between $1.5 million and $2 million. (Somehow I don’t feel too bad for them.)

In News The theory behind this system is that generally tax-payers who earn more than $2 million have investments that are taxed at the 15 percent capital-gains rate, compared with the top ordinary-income rate of 35 percent. Those making $10 million or more earned nearly half of their income from capital gains and dividends.

Among the top 400 earners in America, whose average income is more than $200 million, the average rate is 18 percent, which is more than three times the rate paid by the middle class.

American Activists Want Twitter to Ban Hamas Many are protesting for Twitter to ban Hamas from utilizing the social networking site to incite hate.

A letter sent to FBI Director Robert Mueller called on the U.S. to vindicate a similar request made by seven House Republicans in September, calling for Twitter to ban the accounts of U.S.designated terrorist groups, including Hamas, Hezbollah and Somalia’s al Shabaab.

“Allowing foreign terrorist organizations like Hamas to operate on Twitter is enabling the enemy,” wrote Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas) in an e-mailed statement.

“Failure to block access arms them with the ability to freely spread their violent propaganda and mobilize in their War on Israel.”

“Anti-American foreign terrorist groups around the world are doing the same thing every day,” added Poe, who is a member of both the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Judiciary panel’s subcommittee on terrorism. “The FBI and Twitter must recognize sooner rather than later that social media is a tool for the terrorists.”

An FBI spokesperson said that the agency “will respond to members of Congress directly. Our response is being considered internally.”

Christians United for Israel (CUFI), the largest pro-Israel organization in the United States, launched a similar campaign earlier this week titled “No Twitter for Terrorists.” The campaign urges supporters to send letters to the U.S. Attorney’s office and other lawmakers demanding that the terrorist group no longer be able to exploit the social networking platform.

CUFI maintained that technically Twitter is forbidden by law from proContinued on page 38

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The Week viding services to Hamas because, as an officially designated terrorist group, it is illegal for any U.S. company to provide it with material support. “By allowing Hamas to have a Twitter account, you are providing it with an important ‘service’ and extremely effective ‘communications equipment’ which are central to its primary mission of terrorizing the Israeli people and using civilian deaths to score political points,” CUFI asserted.

LIPA Sends Bills to Customers Who Lost Power for Weeks

Hurricane Sandy left many New Yorkers frustrated with the Long Island Power Authority. What really set customers off was that they received their normal electric bill despite spending weeks without power in the cold. Long Island residents received an estimated rate that covered the entire billing cycle, and the statements made no mention of potential refunds to account for the prolonged blackouts.

“I can’t get LIPA to acknowledge my existence on earth to talk to me about anything,” Jonathan Saporta told the New York Times after getting hit with a $649 bill for a home he left in October and a $281 bill for his new place. “But I guess they had power, so they could print my bills. Nice, right?”

LIPA did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Many blame the government-run utility for not properly preparing for the storm and the 25-year-old computer system used to pinpoint outages and update customers did not help customers who were begging for an answer.

At its peak, Sandy knocked out power to 8.5 million customers in 10 states.

Con Ed intends to refund its Manhattan customers who lost power $3 and customers from the outer boroughs $6. Those figures represent a portion of customers’ fixed monthly bills, which

exclude power usage.

“I am not paying any of my bills, that much I promise,” Saporta said.

“They can put me into collections, and I’ll fight them tooth-and-nail. It’s simply criminal.”

I say it’s about time to say lights out for LIPA.

In News 100 Cars Crash in Texas Pileup

Illinois May Grant Driver’s Licenses to Illegal Immigrants Illinois may soon become the most populated U.S. state to grant a form of driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants.

The nation’s growing Hispanic population boosted the power of Democrats in national and state elections on November 6.

A bipartisan group of Illinois politicians announced they would propose such a law when the legislature convenes on November 27. As the fifth most populous state, Illinois would be the biggest state to adopt such a law.

Only two other states allow illegal immigrants to get licenses: Washington state and New Mexico. Utah allows driving permits. A California law that allows immigrants with federal work permits to receive driver’s licenses will take effect January 1, 2013.

Supporters feel the law will be beneficial to public safety, allowing Illinois immigrant motorists to get tested on their driving skills and purchase insurance.

“When you have a quarter of a million undocumented drivers on the road, it’s definitely a safety concern,” said Ron Holmes, spokesman for Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, who is backing the measure along with fellow Democrats Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.

Unlicensed, uninsured drivers are involved in almost 80,000 accidents in Illinois each year, resulting in $660 million in damage, according to the Illinois Highway Safety Coalition. Unlicensed immigrant drivers cost $64 million in damage claims alone.

The Safety Coalition said on its website that since New Mexico made the change in 2003, the rate of uninsured motorists fell from 33 percent to under 9 percent.

According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the number of Latinos in Illinois was over 2 million, or nearly 16 percent of the population.

Kuhn at the National Weather Service station in League City. Officially, the fog caused visibility of less than a quarter-mile, but meteorologists suspect it was likely closer to one-eighth of a mile.

“The caliber of fog we had today was severe,” he said. The conditions for fog were ripe, he said, with heavy saturation in the air and no wind.

Brooklyn Man Arrested for Murder of Three Shopkeepers There were an estimated 100 vehicles involved in a pileup on Interstate 10 in Texas on Thanksgiving morning.

Authorities believe the cause of the collisions was the dense fog that covered the region.

State troopers estimate that 80 to 120 people were injured. The injured were transported to hospitals in Beaumont, Port Arthur and Winnie.

The initial crash occurred in the eastbound lane and spiraled a chain-like reaction of crashes. The second crash happened in the westbound lanes, officers say.

At least four separate wrecks involving more than 100 vehicles, including many tractor-trailers and at least one tanker, had closed Interstate 10 near Beaumont for most of the day.

Officials said emergency calls started coming in about 8:45 a.m. while witnesses said the accidents happened around 8:30 a.m. By 9:30, the freeway was closed in both directions for about 2 miles near mile marker 833, said Stephanie Davis, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Beaumont district.

Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Rod Carroll said the fog was so thick that deputies didn’t immediately realize they were dealing with multiple accidents. Carroll said uninjured drivers tried to help as authorities sorted through the wreckage.

“It is catastrophic,” Carroll said.

“I’ve got cars on top of cars. It’s just people helping people,” Carroll said.

“The foremost thing in this holiday season is how other travelers were helping us when we were overwhelmed, sitting and holding, putting pressure on people that were injured.”

The fog started around midnight Wednesday, said meteorologist Phil

A man suspected of killing three Brooklyn shopkeepers has been charged after he made statements implicating himself. Investigators also have forensic evidence linking him to the murder scenes. Police had been investigating the series of deadly shootings of Brooklyn business owners of Middle Eastern descent since the first one occurred in July.

Salvatore Perrone, 63, was charged with three counts of murder Wednesday afternoon, authorities said.

Responding to a tip call, authorities arrested Perrone in Bay Ridge on Tuesday while looking to question a person they called “John Doe Duffel Bag,” the balding man with a mustache who was seen on surveillance video near the scene of the latest slaying and who was linked to a video in an earlier incident.

Law enforcement sources say Perrone made statements admitting that he was near the scene of the shooting at the Valentino Fashion Inc. in Bay Ridge on July 6. Mohamed Gebeli, 65, an Egyptian immigrant and a Muslim, was found shot in the back of his shop.

Detectives found .22-caliber gun shell casings at that crime scene and also at the scene where Isaac Kadare, 59, also Egyptian but Jewish, was shot in the head in his Amazing 99 Cent Deal store on August 6. The latest victim, 78-yearold Rahmatollah Vahidipour, a Jewish man from Iran, was killed in his women’s clothing boutique on Flatbush Avenue on Friday. The same casings were found at that scene. The locations of the shops are each about 4 miles apart, with addresses that contain the number eight.

“It’s reasonable to assume he was going to continue doing this,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said in a news conference Wednesday. “He went to other locations and asked questions that indicated he may have been planning to

come back.”

A law enforcement official said a Ruger rifle was found in a duffel bag at Perrone’s friend’s Brooklyn home.

The bag also contained 30 copper-coated hollow-point bullets, latex gloves, women’s clothing, a 12-inch steak knife with a substance that may be blood, a fabric color chart, and black plastic bags with a substance that may be blood on it.

Authorities say the duffel bag appears to be identical to the one seen in the surveillance video at the scene of two slayings. The weapon found uses .22 ammunition, consistent with ballistics found at each of the three crime scenes connected to the case, law enforcement sources said.

Law enforcement sources say Perrone’s friend and ex-wife are cooperating with detectives. Sources say he is a fabric and garment salesman, and has several prior arrests, including for stalking and burglary in Pennsylvania.

Detectives who specialize in hate crimes and FBI analysts who specialize in behavioral analysis joined the case this week, authorities said.

“The possibility of a bias motive here is something that can’t be excluded,” Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Monday.

That’s Odd A Donut Made His Day Jia Jiang was on his third day of a 100 day adventure when a donut just made his day. You see, Jiang is on a quest to overcome his fear of rejection by making at least one crazy request a day. By making the requests and getting rejected, he hopes to overcome his fear of rejection.

But on day number three, Jiang approached a Krispy Kreme employee and asked for five doughnuts to be linked together in the colors and shape of the Olympic symbol. He thought his odd request would be denied immediately. But Jackie Braun, a shift leader in Austin, Texas, took time to sketch the symbol on the back of a receipt before filling it for the astonished Jiang.

“It’s only my third day and I have already failed. But I did so with such amazement and happiness,” Jiang recounted. “I was honestly just hoping for a ‘no’ and to go home.”

Just fifteen minutes later, Braun handed Jiang a Krispy Kreme box with

the glazed Olympic ring arrangement inside—and amazingly, gave it to him for free. “It wasn’t exactly what he wanted. To my eyes, it wasn’t perfect, so I didn’t think I should charge him for it. It was the best I could do in the time allotted.”

“Wow, Jackie, I’m a fan,” Jiang told her. And now he has launched a video and Facebook page called “Give Jackie at Krispy Kreme a Raise” in adulation.

Braun is unfazed by the attention.

“It was a simple thing,” Braun, who’s been with Krispy Kreme for five years, said. “The Olympic symbol was the only unusual part, because they’re not on TV right now. But we do orders like that every day. We’re here to make people happy.”

Wow, I guess working with doughnuts makes you, like, the nicest person ever.

JFK’s Hidden Portrait One couple thought that a $5 find at a garage sale would be worth a lot but they had no idea what treasure they picked up when they made the purchase.

Pam Dwyer and her husband bought a picture of a horse for just $5 at a garage sale in Sun City, Arizona. Her husband said, “I just have this gut feeling that there’s something behind that [horse].”

In News And there was. After lifting the picture of the horse, the couple found a detailed and beautiful original portrait of President John F. Kennedy signed and dated from 1961.

But the story doesn’t end there.

Carmelo Soraci, the artist, was an infamous forger who was jailed for passing bad checks and ended up in Dannemora Prison in New York for 21 years. While there, he learned the art of stainedglass making and built and installed stained-glass windows in the chapel in Dannemora and Sing Sing Prison.

The portrait was valued $2,500 to $5,000.

Well, you know what they say: “A horse is a horse, of course, of course.”

Unless it’s JFK.

$105,761.80 in Parking Tickets No, that is not a typo.

Jennifer Fitzgerald has now been placed in a category of her own. She has set a City of Chicago record for receiving the most parking violations ever

and for accumulating the most parking fines in the city’s history. The total she owes is $105,761.80. And here’s the clincher—it’s on a 1999 car worth $600 and one she claims she doesn’t even own. (Great defense—I couldn’t have thought of it myself!)

Fitzgerald, 31, is now suing the city, her former friend and United Airlines for the 678 tickets that she is being made to pay. Her former friend, Brandon Preveau, bought the car from Fitzgerald’s uncle for $600 in 2008 and put all the legal documents in Fitzgerald’s name.

When their relationship went sour, Preveau took the car and used it to drive to the airport where he used to work for United Airlines. He then abandoned the vehicle and that’s where all the trouble

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Although the car was in the lot for more than 30 days and cars parked there for over 30 days are to be towed to the pound, Fitzgerald’s car just sat there and was ticketed for two and a half more years—over 677 more times!

Fitzgerald only caught wind of the situation when she received 391 notices from the Department of Revenue for the myriad tickets against her. She tried to rectify the situation, but without keys to the vehicle and access to the secured lot, her hands were tied.

The city has sent collection agencies after her for the monies she owes.

Fitzgerald is now suing the city and the airport for ticketing the vehicle at a time when it should have legally been in the pound. Her license has been suspended and she is hoping for some way out of this legal mess.

My advice for Five Towns residents: If you think there’s rampant ticketing the Five Towns, don’t move to Chicago!

Man Gives Stores to His Workers This story will make you wish you lived in Minnesota and worked for Joe Lueken.

You see, Joe owns and manages two grocery stores—one in Minnesota and one in North Dakota. He is retiring at the age of 70 and plans to travel with his wife Janice for the next few years.

The stores are successful and he has received offers from businesses to buy the supermarkets, but Joe has a better idea of what to do with his businesses.

He plans on giving them to his workers.

On January 1, 2013, Joe will transfer ownership of the stores to the stores’ 400 or so employees. They will participate in an employee stock ownership program, receiving shares of Lueken’s Village Foods based on length of service and salary – and at no cost to them.

In News

Joe revealed his motivation, “My employees are largely responsible for any success I’ve had, and they deserve to get some of the benefits of that.” He added, “You can’t always take. You also have to give back.” He stressed the importance of “doing the right thing” for people, empowering them to help themselves and others.

Joe will be leaving his employees in trusted hands: Last week, he named longtime employee Brent Sicard as the company’s new president and CEO. Sicard started out as an overnight janitor at Lueken’s Village Foods in 1998 and has worked his way up.

as there is a deliverable address, the postal service will deliver it.”

Theresa died in 1954 and Pauline died in 1962, according to records at nearby Woodlawn Cemetery in Elmira.

After a little research, Adam Rundell was able to locate their relatives. “We offered the postcard to them,” Adam said. “They seemed interested but so far haven’t picked it up.”

If the Leisenring family doesn’t want the postcard, that’s OK with the Rundells, Laura said. “It finally made it to this house,” Laura said of the postcard. “We’ll find a place for it in our home.”

Postcard Delivery— 70 Years Delayed

California’s First Vending Machine to Offer Caviar

Nearly seven decades ago, a postcard was sent to two sisters in Elmira, Pennsylvania. The postcard never arrived to the right people but it arrived to the intended address, almost 70 years later and to a set of different sisters.

The postcard, sent July 4, 1943, from Rockford, Illinois was intended for Pauline and Theresa Leisenring, who once lived in the home along Bridgman Street in Elmira. It was sent by their parents, who were visiting their brother at the Medical Center Barracks at Camp Grant.

The card reads: “Dear Pauline and Theresa, We arrived safe, had a good trip, but we were good and tired. Geo. looks good, we all went out to dinner today (Sunday). Now we are in the park. Geo has to go back to Grant at 12 o’clock tonight. Do not see much of him. We are going to make pancakes for Geo for supper tonight. See you soon.

Love Mother, Dad.” Last week, the postcard arrived at the home of Adam and Laura Rundell.

“It was delivered in mint condition. We were so shocked,” Laura said. “It’s a treasure that just showed up in the mailbox with our address on it.”

“We hear about things like this happening every once in a while,” said Karen Mazurkiewicz, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Postal Service in Buffalo.

“Generally, if old mail pieces are uncovered in a postal facility, they are put in the mail with information about where the items are found.”

Often letters or postcards are eventually found in an old mailbag or behind machinery. “Since we didn’t have much big machinery in 1943, my guess is a non-postal individual found it and put it in the mail,” Karen said. “As long

plans to install a new heating and air system. He knew it was going to cost him a few dollars but he never dreamed he’d make any money many off of this home improvement.

While installing the equipment, workers discovered a secret gold stash hidden away in the house. The total value of what they found was $300,000 worth of gold. The total cost of the HVAC installation was around $6,500.

After hundreds of HVAC installations, Steve Ottley said the jackpot discovery was one of a kind. “I still can’t believe it today,” he said. “It’s unreal.

We kind of just looked at each other and said ‘wow.’”

Steve honestly admitted that for a split-second he considered sneaking off with the golden discovery. “I’ve had similar incidents happened to me where jewelry and gold was taken from me,” he said.

Where the gold came from is still a mystery and the homeowner has insisted on remaining anonymous.

That’s some cold, hard cash.

Ocean Turns to Blood in Australia In recent years we have seen vending machines offer more than just a bag of potato chips and an ice cold Sprite.

We’ve seen pastrami sandwiches and iPhones but this vending machine in Burbank, California has an elegant and costly treat to offer.

Beverly Hills Caviar has unveiled its first touch-screen vending machine at the Burbank Town Center, offering “a large selection of the world’s finest selection of caviar, truffles, escargot, bottarga, blinis, oils, Mother of Pearl plates and spoons, gift boxes and gourmet salts.”

Prices range from under $50 up to $500.

“Oh, my G-d, too expensive for me.

I can’t afford that,” one passersby said of the products offered by the vending machine.

Earlier this year, the LA-based cupcake bakery that started the cupcake craze began dispensing the treats via an ATM called 24-Hour Sprinkles.

I guess the rich do live differently.

Workers Discover Gold While Renovating Home One Sacramento homeowner made

No, the ocean didn’t exactly turn to blood on several Australian beaches, but the bright red color of the water made some swimmers swim to safety.

Sydney’s famous Bondi Beach and Clovelly Beach have been closed so authorities can test the water. The red algae in the water turned the ocean blood-red, which isn’t toxic, just possibly irritating to some people’s skin.

A lifeguard on one of the beaches said, “It has got quite a fishy smell to it. It can irritate some people’s skin but generally not much more than that.”

I’d rather wait until it clears up. For now, I’ll take a swim in my bathtub.

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Commemorating Kristallnacht at Shalhevet

Friday, November 9th, was the day the world commemorates the atrocities of Kristallnacht. Shalhevet teacher Mrs. Lowenstein, together with students Rivki Eckstein and Zahava Schwartz, put together a wonderful program aimed at helping students to understand the history and importance of this commemoration. The program began with Mrs. Lowenstein who introduced the term “Kristallnacht” and showed a video starring individuals who lived through it. The program was followed by a presentation from Rivki Eckstein and Zahava Schwartz who explained

the importance of the day in relation to the rest of World War II and the Holocaust. Shalhevet students viewed a meaningful slideshow of pictures of Poland and concentration camps taken

by Rivki and Zahava who visited there this past summer. Rivki and Zahava narrated alongside the slideshow, sharing personal anecdotes and their relationship with each picture. “The program was moving,” commented Sapir, grade 9. “It meant a lot to see my fellow students presenting on this topic and sharing their experiences with us.”

NEWS

Community

Bais Yaakov Of Queens Continues ”Kids To Kids Heartfelt Connection”

Bais Yaakov students continue to think of ways to connect to other children, especially those in need. Following overwhelming responses from parents and children of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway who received “sweet treats for Shabbos” that Bais Yaakov students packed and decorated after Hurricane Sandy, the students want to do more. Rabbi Gewirtz is ecstatic with the program as it takes a life of its own.

“The students at Bais Yaakov have ne-

shamos filled with Kol Yisroel Areivim Zeh Lozeh; their love of others inspires us.”

Last week, they worked on designing cards and sending heartfelt messages to children in Israel who are under attack. The cards were handmade and beautifully decorated by the girls.

They included messages of chizuk and achdus which they hope will support the children who receive them. In turn, the students at BYQ were inspired with what they sent, their words gave them a sense of achdus, too. ”The girls words were their own, from their hearts,” said Mrs. Somerstein.

“Integrating learning with caring and incorporating ‘lilmod laaso’’ are how our children make connections between what they learn and what they should aspire to do, we are so proud of them,” said Mrs. Bergman.

The cards were packed up and taken to Israel by the pre-school director, Mrs. Kirschbaum, who coincidentally is on her way to Israel. Once there, they will be delivered and distributed to different areas. In all, the students hope to connect with nearly 1000 children! Although the Bais Yaakov students hope the need for such connections passes quickly and peacefully, they were, once again, moved with the project as they continue to learn to care for others.

Mrs. Reisbaum, coordinator of the project with the girls, reflects on the outpouring of some of the girls’ sensitivity, “It is moving to hear the expressed caring for Klal Yisroel. I look forward to working with them on their next idea.”

NEWS

Community Ateres Yaakov Blood Drive – Another Huge Success!

Last Tuesday, Mesivta Ateres Yaakov once again hosted an incredibly successful blood drive on their premises. The drive was organized by seniors, Chaim Schulman and Yishai Zwiren, benefiting Bikur Cholim of Maimonides Hospital. It was l’refuah sheleimah R’ Zev Golombeck, an active member of our community and a dedicated parent and friend of the Mesivta. The drive drew in throngs of people from the community excited to donate and assist this worthy cause. When the pints were finally tallied, the closing count was 101 pints. The Mesivta wanted to thank the organizers of the event, Bikur Choim and all those who participated.

The right hand connects him to his commander; the left hand connects him to his Creator!

The Flatbush Basketball League – Back for Another Season Follow your favorite team right here in your favorite newspaper.

Week 1 Recap: In the Elementary Division: Quality Carpet swept by ITP with a score of 47-35. Ezzi Frischman and Moshe Frank combined for 33 points for Quality, while Yanky Weber had 17 for ITP. Perfect Collision- 40, Lazer Marble34: Yosef Kapetas led with 12 for Perfect, while JoJo Valensky led all scores for the Lazer.

Pizza Nosh-58, Art World-53: In a battle between Gideon Valensky’s squad and Coby Katz’s it was Gideon who led with 25 for Pizza Nosh while Coby had 27 in the loss.

The Jewish Connection-34, The Jewish Press-33: In a game between the newspapers, it was Dovid Reiser’s 20 points that put The Connection on top.

Chaim Perlow had 16 for The Jewish Press.

In the High School Division: Visual Image-42, China Glatt-36: Heshy Safirstein came out strong for Visual Image with 20 points, while Avrumi Frischman’s 14 were not enough to pull off the win for China Glatt.

Repairs on Wheels rolled over

Batampte Pickles with a 42-24 win.

Arele Birnbaum and Lazer Schneck were too strong for Batampte as they combined for 28 points.

Nosh Express-27, The Jewish Home23: In this close game, it was Chesky Richmond’s 15 points that gave Nosh Express the victory.

Aura Electric-28, Pizza World-22: This game was close until the fourth quarter. Binyamin Lipschutz and Moshe Terebelo were unstoppable combining for 25 out of 28 points for Aura.

Plaza Auto Leasing-55, Ave. M Bagels-30: In this one, it was Mendy Brukenstein and Aron Soloff who dominated the game with 17 and 12 points respectively. Simcha Wrotzlovsky’s 25 for the Bagel squad just weren’t enough.

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HANC Celebrates Thanksgiving Students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Early Childhood Center and Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead were very excited to learn about and celebrate Thanksgiving.

Students at the Early Childhood Center learned all about the cooperation that took place between the Native Americans and the settlers and how the Na-

tive Americans helped the settlers learn how to plant and grow corn. And then the students celebrated with their very own Thanksgiving feast! Students from each class contributed a goody that all the children enjoyed, including pumpkin bread and turkey shaped cookies. The students dressed for the feast wearing their Native American headdresses and beaded (painted pasta) necklaces. It was

a wonderful celebration!

The 1st graders at the Elementary

School started their Thanksgiving celebration by baking pumpkin bread and then they had got a surprise visit from “Squanto” and had a blast making Pilgrim people, with the assistance of the 6th grade girls.

It was great to see how nicely the 6th grade girls interacted with and helped out the first graders. And it was an extra special treat for the siblings who had the opportunity to work together.

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families!

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S P EC IA L

DIS CO UN TS FO R

HURRICANE SANDY

VICTIMS

PROPRIETOR NATHAN SINGER

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Baltimore Wowed Bayswater with Jewish Carnival Extravaganza!

Nearly 2000 People Attend Exciting Event for Sandy Victims at The Young Israel of Wavecrest and Bayswater on Sunday.

As Far Rockaway and Long Island residents move farther along in their

Chesed Fund’s Storch commented, “We took our cues from their community. These families and children have suffered so greatly in the past month. Initially, of course, what they needed most was emergency equipment, which we brought. But now, what they need most is financial support, encouragement, and inspiration. We wanted to help them get back to life in the best way possible. I’m proud of the Baltimore volunteers and the spirit of the Bayswater community who all helped to make this an extraordinary day to remember.”

soft pretzels. The marvelous carnival attractions and fare were generously donated by Jonathan Ely of Traveling Tykes of Lakewood. The hamburgers and hot dogs were donated by Seasons, Glatt Mart, and Aaron’s, all of New York.

Thousands of prizes were given out and raffled off. Plush stuffed animals were donated by The Petting Zoo and many toy prizes were donated by A to Z Savings of Baltimore. Among the gifts given out were photo albums, so that the flood

Rabbi Feuer, Captain Maloney, and Frank Storch of The Chesed Fund

Magician Noam Davids

recovery process from Sandy’s devastation, they found a reason to celebrate this past Sunday at the “Welcome Home” Carnival held at YIWB in Bayswater.

The sensational Carnival, funded and produced by Mr. Frank Storch’s The Chesed Fund of Baltimore, was a rousing success. The thrilled crowd was overwhelmed by the generosity and deep kindness they felt from the Baltimore Jewish community.

Along with about 2,000 others, NY State Assemblyman Phillip Goldfeder of the 23rd district and Captain Kevin Maloney of the 101st Precinct in Far Rockaway were in attendance. Eighty-five percent of Assemblyman Goldfeder’s District in New York and Queens were impacted by the storm; fifty percent of his District were just about wiped out and rendered homeless. Far Rockaway residents suffered tremendously. Captain Maloney gave an uplifting speech to the audience.

Lipa Delights Young and Old

The crowd enjoyed terrific entertainment by renowned Hasidic singer, Lipa Schmeltzer, funny comedian and parakeet show presenter, The Parrot Rebbe, and talented young magician, Noam Davids. One-man-band Yehuda Mond provided lively music throughout.

The Carnival was jam-packed with joy. The room was filled with over 16 awesome games and booths and 3 tremendous moon bounces. Carnival-goers munched on free delicious treats such as hot dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, and

The Parrot Rebbe Entertains the Audience

victims could start new memories.

Also part of the festivities was the donation of a 4-Wheel drive, 15 passenger van by Shomrim of Baltimore and Frank and Danielle Storch to YIWB. The Bayswater Jewish community was appreciative for the help with their transportation and safety and security needs.

But none of the details could capture the general mood of merriment, joy, and gratitude that permeated the Carnival.

Rabbi Eliezer Feuer of Young Israel exclaimed, “What a day, unbelievable! It was actually a pretty cold day in NY but Baltimore brought warmth and happiness with them. It was so much deeper than the popcorn, hot dogs, and the music – it was incredible achdus (unity) and

ahavas Yisrael, (love of fellow Jew) an enormous celebration of recovery.” Rabbi Feuer added, “Frank Storch is a tzaddik (a righteous man) – his joy is from bringing other people simcha. The entire event was just very classy.”

Rabbi Feuer also remarked about the Baltimore volunteers who ran the carnival. “These girls were amazing. They connected with people in such a special way.” A busload of 50 girls from Baltimore’s Bais Yaakov High School for Girls and Bnos Yisroel High School for Girls had left their homes before 4:30am to head to Bayswater. Baltimore’s Suburban Orthodox Synagogue Toras Chaim graciously sponsored the bus trip.

Chesed Fund event director, Mrs. Marla Lewis, effused, “People followed us onto the bus to thank us, to give us blessings. They told the girls that they

had given them that final step of recovery. A lot of people there lost nearly everything, including their happiness.

They said we gave them back their joy.”

To donate, please send check to YIWB-Hurricane Relief Fund, 2716 Healy Avenue, Far Rockaway, NY 11691 or visit their website at www. yiwb.org. Donations are tax-deductible.

NEWS

Community

Yeshiva Darchei Torah Dor L’Dor Melave Malka Yeshiva Darchei Torah was home to a massive celebration of Torah learning last Motzaei Shabbos, as talmidim, fathers and grandfathers gathered to learn Torah together in the Yeshiva’s Mesivta Beis Medrash. The huge crowd spilled over into adjoining rooms and even into faculty offices. The Kol Torah was thunderous as two and three generations enjoyed quality time together studying the word of Hashem.

After learning, the assembled were treated to brief remarks from Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Yaakov Bender, a special musical performance by Rabbi Boruch Levine, and an inspiring address from Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, himself a YDT grandfather.

The proceedings then continued in the Yeshiva’s new dining hall with a delectable Melave Malka prepared by the kitchen staff.

One parent surely spoke for many others when he wrote: Dear Rabbi Bender, We would just like to thank you for putting together such a beautiful and uplifting melava malka last night. Our son was so excited to go and thoroughly enjoyed the program. The singing and dancing was a great chizuk to us after all that our community has gone through.

We are very proud to be part of the Darchei family.

The Surfing Rabbi Reconnects with Friends at Ateres Yaakov Many rabbonim visit Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, but few elicit the kind of response Ateres Yaakov talmidim give Rabbi Yom Tov Glaser, fondly known as the Surfing Rabbi. Rabbi Glaser surprised the hanhala and talmidim of the Mesivta with an unscheduled visit this past Thursday. On a tour promoting his popular workshop “The Possible You,” Rabbi Glaser would not pass up an opportunity to schmooze with his friends at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov. He spoke about the potential of every Jew and gave advice on how to tap into that power. He closed by inviting all the talmidim to his home for Shabbos during their time learning in Eretz Yisroel after they graduate.

Learning together at the Yeshiva Darchei Torah Dor L’Dor event last Motzaei Shabbos.

A poignant moment as three generations unite in the timeless study of Torah

Rabbi Boruch Levine regaled the overflow crowd with inspiring niggunim

Rabbi Paysach J. Krohn, a Darchei Torah grandfather, inspired the talmidim, their fathers and grandfathers.

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Around the Community Chabad “Indoor Mall” – A Huge Success

Lisa Ehrlich, Chanie Alenick and Leba Koren get ready to be personal shoppers at Chabad’s “Indoor Mall”

Chabad’s “Indoor mall” boutique was held last Monday evening and was a phenomenal success. Responding to the needs of the community, those whose belongings were lost in the hurricane were invited to a premier shopping experience at Chabad. Set up beautifully by store in a heated outdoor tent, courtesy of The Party Source and Aaron and Necha Fischman, hundreds of families were greeted by their own personal shoppers who helped them shop for a new wardrobe for their families. The experience mimicked an upscale shopping experience where people were able to replace their lost belongings, including designer men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, shoes and toys all at no cost.

A beautiful component of the evening was that these local stores were very focused on giving back to the community. A tremendous thanks goes to our generous sponsors for donating the merchandise and allowing Chabad to serve the community. Thanks to 100%

Kids, 5 Towns Judaica, A Little Different, Ana & Eva, A Shoe Inn, Beltstation. com, Breezys, David’s Den, Debbie’s Closet, Denny’s, Dimples, Incredible Feet, Infinity, Judaica Plus, Junee, Junee Jr., La Toys, Morton’s, Orly, Secret Me, Sox Plus, The Party Source, Zoe Ltd, and Zucci Bea for their amazing contributions.

Susie Kassai and Michal Weinstein were the event coordinators and were instrumental in setting up this event and we thank them for their hard work and dedication. Thank you to the many volunteers who spent the day setting up the event.

Many appreciative families expressed tremendous gratitude and ended the evening feeling embraced by the community.

Chabad continues its efforts to help Hurricane victims. Please help out by donating to www.chabad5towns.com/ hurricanesandy.

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Get a tax-deductable receipt while helping others! PLUM benefits The Rabenstein Learning Center and Weiss Vocational Program.

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Community

JLIC Torah Educators At Queens College Re-Define The Role Of Community

By Batya Rosner Since Rabbi Robby and Shoshana Charnoff arrived this September as the inaugural Torah Educators of the Orthodox Union’s Seif Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) program at Queens College, they have placed a strong emphasis on what they have termed, “transforming a commuter school mentality into a Queens College Jewish Community.”

The Charnoff’s priority on community became even more significant after Hurricane Sandy struck and the focus of their work expanded from not only building a community but to comforting a community as well. They therefore had to face a challenge unique to the JLIC Torah Educators in the 13 years of the program’s existence.

JLIC (currently found on 16 campuses across the United States and Canada) partners with Hillel: The Foundation for Jewish Campus Life to support Jewish students attending secular universities by hiring Orthodox rabbinic couples to work as part of the Hillel professional team. The couple serves as Jewish educators; role models and community organizers on campus; and has developed a unique methodology centered on relationship building, Jewish learning, enhancing of community and communal infrastructure; pastoral and halachic counseling; and student leadership development.

Together with the Queens College

Hillel staff, the Charnoffs immediately focused on practical efforts to assist students in need.

They recognized that many students commute to Queens College every day – not only from Queens, but from Nassau County as well – proving a challenge for many due to limited gas supply; ruined cars; delays in public transportation; and other factors, such as homes without heat or power.

The Students Are Enthusiastic Rabbi Ilan Haber, Director of JLIC, declared, “When I visited the campus a month ago and spoke to student leaders, I was pleasantly taken aback by the enthusiasm and pride that the students have in their burgeoning community; and the role that they attributed to the Charnoffs in galvanizing and supporting that community in the short time they have been on campus. The Charnoffs bring great warmth, energy and talent to their work. However, their role as communal leaders was on particular display in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. They stepped up their efforts during a time of crisis, and came through for students and families that were experiencing great personal difficulties and trauma. They provide an excellent support system and role models to the students.”

In the difficult period following Hurricane Sandy, the Charnoffs have worked around the clock, dedicating their time, energy, and care to encourage

and support the entire Queens College Jewish community.

“Something like this forces us reevaluate what it means to have a rabbinic figure on campus and what it means to create a campus community,” emphasized Rabbi Charnoff. “In the wake of Hurricane Sandy, our goal as Queens College JLIC Torah Educators is to respond in a way in which we can help college students beyond the assistance offered by their shul or home communities. We want them to be able to focus on their schoolwork and social lives and resume as normal a life as possible as college students.”

“I Will Never View This Job The Same Way Again” Rabbi Charnoff asserted that his recent efforts “on the one hand strengthened what we initially set out to do. On other hand, I will never view this job the same way again. As a JLIC rabbi, I never imagined taking leadership on this kind of communal level – the entire experience continues to be a real eye-opener, as there was seemingly no pre-existing model for how a campus rabbi should respond to such a crisis. We are doing our best to create the model.”

To meet these challenges, the Charnoffs worked with students who live in the area to find temporary homes for commuter students. With approximately 50 Orthodox students residing in the Queens College dormitory and hundreds in apartments within the outlying area, everyone who needed somewhere to go was offered a place to stay. Additionally, they worked with Hillel staff to extend the Hillel’s hours that week from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. offering students the ability to have a well-lit, warm, dry place to hang out with friends, study, or just disconnect for a while.

Shoshana Charnoff explained, “Part of the role that I played in Hurricane Sandy was to sit down with the students who were directly affected, and to just literally let them vent. They are in a situation where they can’t really vent to their families who are going through it with them, and they don’t necessarily feel comfortable talking about what they are going through with their friends... seeing that off the bat, I have been a sort of emotional resource for them, which is a role that I have been very happy to fill.”

Not wanting the students to feel like they were imposing on their hosts,

Rabbi Charnoff went door-to-door to local kosher establishments seeking food donations for communal student meals throughout the week. Additionally, the Charnoffs wanted students, “to feel like they were not only being cared for by the QC Community, but by the greater Kew Gardens Hills community as well.”

In terms of the response, “local vendors such as Sushi Fusion, Carlos and Gabby’s, Mechie’s Deli Counter at Season’s Kosher Supermarket, and L’Bella Pizzeria really came through for the students, and went above and beyond in their generous donations,” he said.

In addition to the communal foundations created hand-in-hand with the Hillel staff and its student leaders, Shoshana Charnoff has made it her personal goal to build and cultivate the community of women at Queens College through monthly Rosh Chodesh programs at their home. “Our first ever JLIC Women’s Rosh Chodesh event – Candy Sushi and Shiur – was a big hit with the female students. It created a relaxed social environment and also an enlivening forum for Torah,” she shared.

Eliana Sohn, an English major and active participant in JLIC programs, noted, “To create thriving Jewish life on campus takes effort, and the Charnoffs make my campus experience a lot more full. Whoever wants time with them, they make the time for. Whoever wants to take a leadership role, they team with and empower. They have totally committed themselves to our community, and to make sure that everyone feels welcome – they make us feel like we haven’t asked them to do any of this, because they see it all as their mission and responsibility. It’s something to really look up to.”

Looking forward to Shabbat with the students each week, the Charnoffs expressed, “Our weekly Shabbatot on campus have typically seen no less than 40-50 students -- for Shabbatonim, up to 80. Our biggest personal Shabbat initiative is that we open our home for seudat shlishit every week for anywhere from 30-80 students, followed by maariv and havdallah. That plays a big role in letting the students know that we are here for them both on and off campus. The phenomenal turnout at this early stage is a great indication of what is to come.”

Free Lecture at Mercy Medical Center Mercy Medical Center invites the community to a free lecture on “Emotional First Aid After Disaster Strikes” to be presented at the Freeport Memorial Library on Monday, December 3rd at 7:30 p.m.

The hour-long presentation will be given by Dr. David Flomenhaft, Director of Mercy’s Outpatient Behavioral Healthcare Services. Dr. Flomenhaft is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with a doctoral degree in Clinical Social Work from New York University and nearly three decades of professional experience.

The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy and the nor’easter that followed includ-

ed as much emotional as physical damage. This presentation will discuss how to cope with the wide range of intense, confusing, and sometimes frightening feelings that result from natural disasters.

There is no charge for attending the presentation. Advance registration is recommended but is not required to attend.

The Freeport Memorial Library is located at 144 Merrick Road. For registration, travel directions and information, call the Library Reference Desk at 516-379-3274 ext. 505 or by e-mail at: frreference@freeportlibrary.info

Yeshiva Har Torah Hosts Open House On Tuesday, November 20th, Yeshiva Har Torah hosted its annual open house to a capacity crowd. It was standing room only as prospective parents filled the Beit Midrash to learn about the Yeshiva. The program began with Tehillim for the situation in Eretz Yisrael, followed by greetings from the board president, Mr. Yossi Spirgel.

Rabbi Gary Menchel, the Menahel of YHT, began with a Dvar Torah stressing the importance of combining both a general and a religious education, as seen through the story of Yitzchak and Eisav. He spoke about our child-centered environment and how committed we are to academic excellence. Morah Vivian Rosenberg, the childhood director, walked the prospective parents through the wonderful and exciting programs they offer in Nursery and Kindergarten and shared exam-

ples of the interdisciplinary approach to learning which incorporates Parsha with literature, writing, art, math science and social studies. She invited parents to “see the excitement that we feel.”

A YHT alumnus, and current beloved 5th grade Morah, Aliza Gewirtz, spoke of her lifelong connection to YHT, beginning as a student and continuing till today as a teacher, social worker and girls basketball coach in the school.

Groups then formed for a walking tour of the beautiful new (and expanded) facilities, where parents had the opportunity to see mini-lessons and demonstrations presented by faculty. The excitement was palpable as parents stayed late into the night talking to administration and teachers about the many offerings of Yeshiva Har Torah.

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Shalhevet Co-sponsors Pro-Israel Rally at Israeli Consulate Midreshet Shalhevet, located in North Woodmere, stood strong with the State of Israel. The entire school showed their solidarity with Israel in this time of need by co-sponsoring a rally hosted by Stand With Us, one of the United States’ largest pro-Israel advocacy groups, outside the Israel Consulate in Manhattan.

In preparation for the rally, students feverishly made posters with slogans supporting Israel’s right to defend itself. The groundswell of support from the students resulted in a loud and active presence by Shalhevet.

At the rally, others in attendance noted that the Shalhevet students were among the most vocal. Shalhevet’s passion was noticeable even among the large number of students from throughout the tri-state area. Mr. Avi Posnik, regional director of Stand With Us, recognized Shalhevet’s contribution over the loudspeakers, thanking the school and the students for their participation and passionate support.

Pro-Israel advocacy is a core educational value taught in Shalhevet and it was clear that the students learned their lessons well.

Levi Yitzchak Library Marks Its 2nd Anniversary Remembering Levi on What Would Have Been His Bar Mitzvah Rabbi Menchel, Menahel

Morah Aliza Gewirtz

The Levi Yitzchak Family Center, Inc, an innovative Jewish Library and Media Center, will be celebrating its 2nd Anniversary on Sunday, December 2, 2012 from 11AM – 5PM. The Library’s anniversary coincides with what would have been the Bar Mitzvah of the Library’s namesake Levi Yitzchak Wolowik O”BM. Levi Yitzchak is the son of Rabbi Zalman and Chanie Wolowik, the Chabad Shluchim for the Five Towns.

Two years have passed since the Levi Yitzchak Library opened and like Levi, it has left an indelible mark on the Jewish landscape on the South Shore of Long Island. Levi, a prolific reader, possessed an endearing quality that radiated happiness and joy to whomever he encountered. This quality undoubtedly was learned from his parents who give so much to our community always with an open hand and a warm smile. While the Library is a monument to Levi’s neshama which was returned to Hashem

(G-d) at the tender age of nine, this year’s birthday is perhaps bittersweet for the Wolowik family as they would be celebrating their son’s Bar Mitzvah.

The Wolowiks have channeled their love and memories of Levi into creating a dynamic and innovative center where adults and children can nurture their intellect and Jewish spirit inside the LY Family Center. The Wolowiks in their inimitable enthusiastic and upbeat manner have transformed tragedy into the determination to fulfill a dream.

To mark the occasion, the Library is planning a day of events, workshops and festivities for children of all ages.

The theme of the day will relate to a Bar Mitzvah and will include activities that relate to 13 mitzvos that will be highlighted throughout the library. Children young and old will have the opportunity to perform mitzvos such as tefilah, ahavas Yisrael and simcha in the library.

It’s sure to be an event you don’t want to miss.

55 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 2 9 , 2012

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‫ב”ה‬

Yud Tes Kislev Farbrengen Monday Night,

Yud Tes Kislev 5773 December 3 2012, 8:00 PM

Bais Medrash Ateres Yisroel 827 Cornaga Ave. Far Rockaway, NY Guest Speaker Mashpia

Reb Mendel Wolosow ‫שליט"א‬ A project of Chabad Lubavitch of Far Rockaway 718.868.0116 • FrChabad@gmail.com

Reb Mendel Wolosow

- noted Mashpia to hundreds of Talmidim, sought after teacher of Chassidus, computer programmer at Adorama.

Yud-Tes Kislev is the anniversary of the passing of R. Dovber, the Maggid of Mezritch, in 1772, and anniversary of the release from capital sentence and imprisonment of his disciple, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, in 1798 and is celebrated as a Chassidic holiday amongst Chabad Chassidim.

Yud-Tes Kislev marks the "birth" of Chassidism: the day it was allowed to emerge from the womb of mysticism into the light of day, to grow and develop as an integral part of Torah and Jewish life.

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Mesivta Ateres Yaakov

Ruth & Hyman Simon High School 131 Washington Ave, Lawrence New York 11559 | Phone: 516.374.6465 | Fax: 516.374.1834

Prepare yourself for College and a career!

n

n Challenging honors and advanced placement track n School-wide program to hone each student’s writing skills n SAT Preparation in all grades n Individually tailored college guidance beginning in 9th grade College program for seniors

Save the date for our upcoming Open House on December 2nd 2012 at 1:30

Interviews have begun!

Contact the Yeshiva Office for an application and appointment.

Rabbeim for Life.

Education for Life.

Torah for Life.

Please join us for

Melave Malka to benefit the

a

Ossie schOn feld MeMOrial T Oy fund Ossie Schonfeld Memorial

...making a difference in a child’s life - one toy at a time.

The Ossie schOnfeld MeMOrial TOy fund established in 2001 to honor Ossie Schonfeld the legacy of our beloved fatherMemorial

gyb ohhj ovrct ic ;xuh r vwwg skgpbga ...making a difference in a child’s life - one toy at a time. the oSSie SchoNFelD MeMorial toY FuND provides toys and gifts to children in eretz Yisroel who suffer from serious medical conditions. What Schonfeld Memorial better time than Ossie chanukah, the festival of lights, to light up the faces of these innocent young ...making a difference in a child’s life - one toy at a time. neshomos.

Please join us and become a part of our father’s legacy. Your generous support can make a difference in a child’s life. the Schonfeld Families

This Chanukah and all year long...

M otz ei Sh a b b oS Parshas Vayishla ch DeceMber 1, 20 12 at 8:00 pm

Guest Speaker RABBI ZECHA RIA WALLERST EIN Weathering The Storm Featuring our FAMOUS SUSH I BAR AND DES We look forwar d to greeting you pe rsonally at our home 850 broadway Woodmere, New York 11598 JUDy AND RO BBIE SCHONFE LD For more inform ation please call 516.

791.2158 or e-mail ossies toyfund@aol.com

SERTS

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Rambam Music Video Goes Viral A video about achdus/brotherhood and a love of Eretz Yisrael featuring the Rambam Mesivta choir, The Harmonidies, has received over 10,000 views on YouTube in less than two weeks. The song, featuring Jewish lyrics to the music of “Some Nights” by the band Fun, is striking a cord with an audience that is responding with ecstatic applause and tears of joy and inspiration.

The video begins with the members of Harmonidies, Captain Eric Grossman, Captain Tani Martin, Moses Bibi, Shlomo Laufer, Joseph Yizhaky, and Yossi Zimilover, posing in the same position but transitions into them wearing different outfits. They go from being dressed in white shirts and black pants into casual clothing and end with them wearing Israeli Defense Forces t-shirts. The idea

is to have them represent the diverse Jewish groups living in Israel and to a certain extent, the world. Throughout the video, pictures featuring men and women learning Torah are juxtaposed to images of Israeli soldiers wearing Tefillin against a backdrop of tanks and other military vehicles. “The message behind the video is that the people learning Torah and the people defending Israel are in fact both soldiers in Hashem’s army,” explained Rambam’s Assistant Princi-

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pal, Hillel Goldman, the author of the song’s lyrics.

Much of the success of the video belongs to Eric Grossman, Chanani Levy, and Jonathan Deutsch who spent countless hours finding pictures of Jewish people praying, learning, and defending the Holy Land. “The pictures are showing the oneness of Jews everywhere getting involved whether you are learning in Kollel, in the army, non-religious, Modern Orthodox…We are all one people,” elucidated Tani Martin.

“In the making of the video, from the very start, we all had one goal in mind: To inspire all Jews around the world that no matter how different we all are, at the end of the day, we are one nation, and all live by the spoken and unspoken motto of ‘Kol Yisrael Arevim Ze La’ze ’ and the ultimate recognition that everyone in Klal Yisrael is indeed responsible for one another,” expounded Eric Grossman. “And it was inspiring for us to see how true this theme is by seeing how we all came together in the aftermaths of Hurricane Sandy and the hardships faced in the conflict with Gaza.”

“It is an uplifting, professionally made, wonderful reflection of what

Rambam Mesivta stands for and the Maccabeats should watch their backs,” joked Rambam’s Principal Rabbi Yotav Eliach who can be seen in the video wearing his IDF gear from when he was stationed in Jericho in 1992.

The video was also a reflection of how the community of Rambam Mesivta works together for a common noble cause. The music was arranged by Rambam Gemara Iyun Rebbe, Rabbi Ari Boiangiu, with the help of Aryeh Kunstler. Mr. Kunstler was very generous to Rambam by allowing them the use of his studio and skills. The school’s MSG Varsity technical team, under the leadership of Jack Benzakein and Binyamin Wallin, as well at the school’s IT expert, Mr. Chanan Zupnik, allowed for a video that looked and sounded professional and reflected the vision of The Harmonidies. Additionally, special recognition has to go to Rosh Mesivta Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman and Rabbi Yotav Eliach for instilling these values into their talmidim. Judge Ronald Goldman, Eli Lava, and Dovi Cohen also assisted in this endeavor.

To see the video go to YouTube and type in, Some Nights Jewish Lyrics.

NEWS

Community

Yeshiva Darchei Torah Holds Levaya for Ruined Sefarim, Casualties of Hurricane Sandy PHOTOS courtesy of Tsemach Glenn

Rav Yaakov Bender addressing the levaya of hurricane shaimos at Yeshiva Darchei Torah on Sunday

One of the tragic consequences of the hurricane that ripped through New York and New Jersey was the loss of thousands of sefarim and Torah manuscripts to flooding. A total of three tractor-trailers’ worth of these shaimos was accumulated just from the Rockaways and the Five Towns. When Rav Yaakov Bender, Rosh HaYeshiva of Darchei Torah in Far Rockaway, was informed that these trucks would be headed to upstate New York where their contents would be buried according to Halacha, he asked that one of them make a stop at the Yeshiva, so that a levaya could be held with the participation of the talmidim, rabbeim, parents and community members.

Shortly after 9:00 on a blustery, overcast Sunday morning, well over a thousand students from kindergarten through Kollel gathered outside the Yeshiva campus to say Tehillim and hear members of the Hanhala put the event into perspective. The back of the truck was open, revealing the haphazard pile of garbage bags and loose sefarim, remnants of what were once proud residents of bookcases in hundreds of Jewish homes.

Rav Zevi Trenk, menahel of Mesivta Chaim Shlomo, referred to the public burning of 24 cartloads of the Talmud which took place in France in 1242. That catastrophe, which occurred during the week of Parshas Chukas, is seemingly alluded to in the Targum Onkelos of that week: “Da hee gezeiras Oraysah – this

is a decree of the Torah.” The reason for a tragedy of this magnitude is something beyond human understanding, Rav Trenk explained; it is a Heavenly decree that we must accept without question. At

Rav Yehuda Deutsch, Rav Zevi Trenk, Rav Moshe Lerer, Rav Yaakov Bender and Rav Eliezer Selengut walk behind the tractor-trailer of ruined sefarim

must be filled with more Torah learning and by approaching its study with a heightened seriousness.

A poignant and heartbreaking moment, one that brought home the depth

Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky speaking at the levaya

the same time, he emphasized, we must be cognizant of Hashem’s kindness, that the damage wrought by the hurricane was on material things, on ‘wood and stones,’ and that not one member of our communities perished from the storm.

Rav Shlomo Avigdor Altusky, Rosh Yeshiva of Beis Medrash Heichal Dovid, emphasized that with the loss of these holy sefarim there is now a deficit of kedushah, holiness, in the world. This void

of the loss, occurred when a visibly emotional Rav Moshe Lerer, a Yeshiva grandparent who lost all of his sefarim when the hurricane hit his Belle Harbor home, led the massive crowd in Tehillim.

Among the priceless possessions he lost were letters handwritten by the saintly Chofetz Chaim over 80 years ago.

Eventually, the truck’s doors were closed, and the vehicle began to move.

The driver took it slow for about a block,

allowing the talmidim and rabbeim to quietly follow it, accompanying the holy cargo as it began the last leg of its journey.

Rav Bender later explained that the purpose of this levaya “was to give the children an understanding of what it means to have a sefer. People in Klal Yisroel over the years were moser nefesh to learn from one sefer. Today, with the advent of so many sefarim, sometimes we tend to lose the value of what a sefer is.”

He expressed the hope that the talmidim would now learn to cherish sefarim, to treat them with more reverence and to kiss them when putting them away.

“Losing a sefer is like losing part of our being,” Rav Bender concluded. “The children will go away with a very strong understanding of [this value]. Holding this levaya was l’halacha correct, and in chinuch habanim it is certainly a very big help.”

After watching the truck drive off into the distance, the talmidim made their way to their classrooms and to the beis hamedrash, where they opened their sefarim—whether Alef Binah, Gemara or Kovetz Mefarshim—with a heightened sense of awe and purpose, beginning a new week of learning Torah and increasing holiness in the world.

63 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 2 9 , 2012

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The Ossie Schonfeld Toy Fund Making Kids Smile

“The Future of Fitness” Now Open in Cedarhurst The world’s first and only automated personal training studio has arrived in Cedarhurst.

A fitness company, like none you’ve ever seen before, has arrived in Cedarhurst: Koko FitClub. Thanks to amazingly innovative technology, it’s now a whole lot easier for locals to get fit and healthy. Dubbed “the future of fitness”

by The Los Angeles Times, Koko offers a fast, effective, technology-fueled way to exercise that has earned a passionately devoted following around the country.

Now it’s Cedarhurst’s turn to find out why Koko FitClub Cedarhurst, owned

by Hinda Mizrahi, is part of a fast-growing community of Koko FitClubs opening across the United States and Canada.

Started in 2008, the company has locations in 26 states and Canada.

Driving the growth of this innovative fitness company is its one-of-a-kind mix of technological efficiency and completely personalized guidance, providing members with results they used to only see from expensive personal training regimens. The difference? With Koko’s proprietary Smartraining System—high tech, automated personal training— Koko members realize those “personal training” results, and better, through 30 minute workouts at a fraction of the cost of hiring a personal trainer. Says Hinda Mizrahi, “What Koko members around the country are achieving through Smartraining is amazing. Many come from personal trainers to save money, or have left their old gym because they were bored and not seeing positive changes in their bodies or their health.

Once they find Koko, results exceed all their expectations and they are hooked!”

Hinda Mizrahi sums up the Koko experience: “Even former gym haters have fun at Koko FitClub. Every workout is

new and engaging. And members stay motivated by pounds lost and strength gained, knowing for certain that they are always getting the best workout for them, without ever having to think about it or plan it out for themselves.”

To join Koko FitClub or schedule a consultation and complimentary Koko Smartraining session, just walk in or call (516) 295-5656 or find them on the web at Cedarhurst.kokofitclub.com.

About Koko FitClub Koko FitClub’s independently owned, automated personal training studios are opening across America and Canada. Hailed by BusinessWeek as “what the fitness industry needs” and winner of the prestigious Nova7 award for innovation in the fitness industry, it’s a completely unique take on the personal training studio. Instead of human trainers, Koko FitClub features Koko’s patented Smartraining System Technology, developed with assistance from the Founding Director of the MIT Center for Sports Innovation. The personalized, progressive Smartraining programs are simple, efficient and highly engaging with proven results rivaling those of elite personal training at just a fraction of the cost. For additional information. visit www.kokofitclub.com.

About Koko FitClub Cedarhurst Koko FitClub Cedarhurst is located at 134 Cedarhurst Avenue, with an additional location at 1270 Peninsula Blvd, Hewlett soon to open. Drop by or sign up on the web at cedarhurst.kokofitclub. com or contact Koko by phone at (516) 295-5656.

NEWS

Community MAY Father Son Breakfast – 10, Thanksgiving Parade – 0

Last Thursday, Ateres Yaakov held their annual Thanksgiving Day FatherSon Breakfast. Always an enjoyable event, fathers joined their sons at the Yeshiva for a morning of growth in ruchniyus and gashmiyus.

The morning began with a warm, yeshiva shacharis followed by a lavish, catered breakfast. To begin the program, the Menahel Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe gave introductory remarks to the over 400 in attendance. He then introduced senior Ariel Kadish who made a siyum on Maseches Brachos. The program also featured representative talmidim from both the Yeshiva Gedolah and the Mesivta. Moishe Koegel, who is learning for his 3rd year in bais medrash, spoke about the midah of hoda’ah glaringly represented in our avos and imahos.

11th grader, Tzvi Allman, followed by zoning in on the incumbent obligation to have hakaras hatov towards our parents, as it is intertwined with the obligation to have hakaras hatov to Hashem.

The highlight of the breakfast was a return visit from HaRav Eytan Feiner, shlit”a, Rav of Kehilas Kneseth Yisrael (The White Shul), who once again astounded the audience with his encyclopedic knowledge of Torah and random trivia and, in his unique way, tied it all together! He enlightened the crowd to the power of water, and how Hashem uses water as His “go to” weapon be-

cause water is already perfected and is part of “Hashem’s world.” He explained how man is made up of 70% water and is a microcosm of the world, and, as a result, retains within the power to achieve incredible feats. He applauded the MAY talmidim for assisting in the relief effort around the community after Hurricane Sandy and shared a number of amazing anecdotes and miraculous stories that had come his way in the aftermath of the storm.

Certificates and awards were distributed by Rabbi Sam Rudansky, General Studies Principal, to those students who won the annual Fall Essay Contest. The program concluded with the Student Government raffle of various prizes, including an Xbox 360, and some very happy winners.

NEWS

Community

The Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island Pre-School Sensory Experience The youngest students at the Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island are benefiting from the sensory-based learning that is an integral part of their classroom experience. By providing children with hands-on activities that appeal to the senses, the teachers in the pre-school division are allowing their students to truly experience the material they are learning. By touching, manipulating, moving, molding and otherwise physically interacting with different substances that are thematically related, the children explore and integrate new information in a

thoroughly enjoyable way.

Sensory play promotes socialization, language, mathematical thinking, scientific exploration, and discovery.

It fosters fine motor development and is very soothing and relaxing for the young children.

YKLI’s nursery teachers, Mrs. Yael Hyman and Mrs. Goldie Richmond, devise creative ways of helping children learn and enthusiastically apply the principles of sensory-based learning in their classrooms. Sensory tables, bins, and centers are an open invitation for hands-on exploration.

They are available to the children on a daily basis and change throughout the week.

Picture a bin full of shiny pennies during Aseres Yemai Teshuva.

The children were busy picking up and dropping pennies into tzedaka boxes, pushing, pouring,

Mir Yerushalayim Special Shabbos of Chizuk for Far Rockaway/ Lawrence Community Hit by Hurricane Sandy Mir Yerushalayim has been fortunate to have many alumni and friends who live in the Far Rockaway/Lawrence area. Unfortunately, many of their close Talmidim and Yeddidim were severely affected by the Hurricane a few weeks ago and are trying to bring back their lives into normalcy once again.

Mir Yerushalayim has always had a very close kinship with the entire community and is happy to join the community this coming Shabbos by bringing two of their most distinguished Rabbeim, Harav Hagaon Yosef Elefent shlita, and Harav Hagaon Nissan Kaplan shlita, to share with them Divrei Chizuk and inspiration for the entire weekend.

They will be speaking at many neighborhood Shuls throughout the Shabbos. An Oneg Shabbos is scheduled at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Ariel Aber at 86 Harborview West in Lawrence. The Shabbos will culminate with a Melavah Malka at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Dovid Scharf at 8:30 PM at 15 Keewaydin Road, where the entire community and alumni from the New York area are invited to join. A kumzitz with dancing will follow in the spirit of ish es rayeu ya’azoru u’leachiv yomar chazak. We hope that this special gathering will give the community the chizuk they so desperately need as they attempt to go back to their daily activities.

scooping, and laughing as they opened the bottoms of the tzedakah boxes.

When the leaves began changing colors and falling off the trees, the boys didn’t just go out to see the trees, rake and jump in the leaves, they experienced it in their classroom. Bins full of leaves, acorns, pine cones, and moss allowed the boys to feel, manipulate and smell the season. Now, for winter, the children are involved in many centers including one where they are chopping ice cubes to get to the toy hidden inside. Parsha time brings bins full of soup making materials, sand or an assortment of rocks. The teachers add tools and open ended materials, such as measuring cups, scoopers,

tweezers, ladels, and medicine droppers etc. These centers are always surrounded by curious children who are encouraged to touch, mash, crush, process new information, and make meaningful connections.

The sensory learning centers are not only appreciated by the children who delight in the hands-on activities, but also by the YKLI administrators who recognize the immense value in sensory learning. Always seeking the most effective means of providing students with ageappropriate leaning opportunities, Mrs. Frumie Feig, YKLI’s Early Childhood Director, is committed to supporting the integration of the engaging centers into the school’s programming. These wonderful early childhood learning activities foster a sense of curiosity that will ultimately lead to intrinsically motivated inquiry as the children mature.

The students can look forward to more excitement as the YKLI pre-school team continues the iterative process of developing and refining sensory-based learning for its youngest cohort.

All women in the community are invited to join us for an

Inspiring and Uplifting Musical Evening on Motzai Shabbos, Parshas Vayigash 9th of Teves - December 22nd at 7:30 P.M for

A Women’s Kumsitz & Special Musical Tribute to

Rochel Baron, A”H At the home of Mrs. Ariele Wolfson 501 Cedar Hill Road, Far Rockaway

Divrei Bracha prior to the musical program

by Rabbi Yehoshua Kurland The program will feature a sing-along kumsitz & include musical performances by Batya Travis, Karen Daitchman, Mindy Sussman Rebbetzin Aviva Feiner, Surie Weiss, Chava Willig Levy, Kathy Rosenberg & Debbie Waltuch with members of “The Karliner Mincha” cast.

Musical Accompaniment by Kayli Joseph.Suggested donation $18

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Israel Today David Harris

Israel and Hamas: Moral Clarity, Moral Fog, Moral Hypocrisy

S

ince the escalation of Hamas missile strikes against Israel began on November 14, there have been three basic kinds of reactions – moral clarity, moral fog, and moral hypocrisy.

Moral clarity distinguishes between the aggressor and the victim, the arsonist and the fireman, and includes the courage to say so.

Fortunately, this latest round of Hamas-triggered violence has evoked voices of moral clarity.

U.S. President Barack Obama has been among them.

On November 18, he stated firmly: “And there’s no country on earth that would tolerate missiles raining down on its citizens from outside its borders. So we are fully supportive of Israel’s right to defend itself from missiles landing on people’s homes and workplaces and potentially killing civilians. And we will continue to support Israel’s right to defend itself.”

So has Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper: “We have been concerned obviously for some time about the presence of a terrorist group, Hamas, in charge in the Gaza Strip…

[W]e support Israel’s right to defend itself against such terrorist attacks…”

Add to the list German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard, among others.

But then there are those who quickly descended into a moral fog. They couldn’t – or simply wouldn’t – allow themselves to leave the 50-yard line.

Their words were so exquisitely crafted that they managed to achieve perfect moral balance, or equivalence, between Israel and Hamas.

For them, there is no distinction be-

from the world of diplomacy: On November 18, India, a country that knows a thing or two about being the target of jihadist-inspired violence against civilians, nonetheless de-

In the same spirit, would equal and abutting space have been given to photos of the funerals of Osama Bin Laden and one of his victims?

tween a democratic nation, Israel, that left Gaza to its own destiny in 2005 and seeks only one goal, a peaceful border, and Hamas, a jihadist group that is on the terrorism lists of the U.S. and European Union.

For them, the Hamas Covenant, dripping with venom for Israel and Jews, proclaiming the virtues of death in the service of jihad, and extolling the vision of Shari’a-based rule, is irrelevant to the discussion.

And for them, the fact that Gaza has become an arms magnet, as weapons flow in from the likes of Iran and Sudan, doesn’t prompt any obvious conclusions.

No, for those opting to live on the 50-yard line, the important thing is not to risk making moral choices, but rather to see it all as some extended face-off between the Hatfields and McCoys.

Here are two examples of many

clared: ”We are deeply concerned at the steep escalation of violence between Israel and Palestine, focused around Gaza, that threatens the peace and security of that region.”

And the Swedish foreign minister also walked the morally neutral tightrope: “We need to appeal to both sides to cease all attacks both against and from Gaza as soon as possible.”

In the media, meanwhile, how many headlines have revolved around antiseptic wording like “Hamas-Israel spiral of violence,” or “Hamas-Israel conflict escalates”?

And how about the November 16 front page of the New York Times, which displayed two photographs of equal size – the first of the funeral in Gaza City of Ahmed al-Jabari, the Hamas military commander, and, just below, the funeral of Mira Scharf, an Israeli mother killed by Hamas?

In the same spirit, would equal and abutting space have been given to photos of the funerals of Osama Bin Laden and one of his victims?

Then there is the third reaction – moral hypocrisy.

Among the several candidates, the runner-up has to be Russian UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.

As the death toll in Syria exceeds 37,000, Russia continues to block meaningful action by the UN Security Council. Still, Ambassador Churkin found the time Monday evening to spearhead a proposed Security Council resolution on the Gaza conflict that included no reference to Hamas’ rocket attacks against Israel.

Yet, without any hint of embarrass-

ment or sheepishness, Churkin had the nerve to criticize the U.S. and its allies who objected to the text, saying: “Unfortunately it looked like a little bit of a filibustering attempt. Maybe I am mistaken, maybe it’s just a laid-back attitude in a situation where we cannot afford procrastination.”

Alas, despite Ambassador Churkin’s valiant efforts, the hands-down winner in this category is Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

He has abandoned the longstanding ties between Turkey and Israel, just as he has dismantled the secular tradition of Atatürk in his effort to lead a new wave of political Islam.

That, in turn, has led Turkey, a NATO member no less, to champion Hamas, an avowedly anti-Western group.

Erdogan has branded Israel a “terrorist state” for having the audacity to defend itself against a group that seeks its destruction. He has vociferously denounced Israel’s use of military force, while never condemning the hundreds of missile attacks against Israel this year alone.

Yet the very same Erdogan has shown no hesitation to go after the PKK, the Kurdish group that seeks not Turkey’s annihilation, but greater rights and freedoms for the Kurdish minority.

In taking on the PKK, Erdogan has repeatedly unleashed the full power of the Turkish military, and has not hesitated to cross international borders in pursuit.

An International Crisis Group expert wrote this month: “Erdogan’s response so far [against the Kurdish insurgency] has been a new round of inflexible rhetoric, a military-only strategy on the ground, and a public denial that anyone was on a hunger strike at all [when more than 600 Kurdish prisoners in Turkish prisons are on exactly that].”

Yet Erdogan has the audacity to assail Israel mercilessly for merely exercising its right to defend itself against those who would destroy it.

If nothing else, this latest Hamas assault on Israel provides an opportunity to sort out the who’s who of moral clarity, moral fog, and moral hypocrisy. To say the least, the picture is mixed.

David A. Harris is the Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee.

67 Avi Heiligman

The Iron Dome

and How it Helps Protect Countless Lives

A missile is successfully shot down by the Iron Dome

B

y now almost everyone has heard of the Israeli-made and manufactured Iron Dome system. It has successfully shot down hundreds of rockets and missiles launched from Gaza since it was first put to the test in April 2011. During the recent Operation Pillar of Cloud, the system proved itself over and over again saving countless lives.

In the 2006 Second Lebanon War and the ongoing conflict with Gaza, Israelis have endured thousands of shortranged rockets ranging from Katyusha, Kassam and Grad weapons systems.

The responsible terrorist organizations, Hezbollah in the north and Hamas from Gaza, keep on receiving shipments of deadly ammunition despite the Israelis best efforts. The IDF needed a defense system to protect millions of citizens that were within range of the rockets.

After looking at several proposals, in 2007, the IDF selected the Iron Dome created by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems. The Israeli company worked closely with the IDF to develop the badly needed system which was needed immediately as rockets were still being launched from Gaza. The United States helped finance the system because they are interested in using it for their own defense.

The Iron Dome system, built entirely

by Israeli companies, is a mobile air defense system that can successfully shoot down short-range rockets and missiles.

What it cannot do is intercept ballistic missiles (missiles that can carry nuclear, biological or chemical warheads or convention missiles that fly on a flat trajectory). There are other air defenses in the IDF’s arsenal that were created for that such as the Arrow and David’s Sling,

A missile is launched from the Iron Dome system last week

which was also developed by Rafael.

There are only two systems in the world that can stop ICBM’s or InterContinental Ballistic Missiles and currently Israel doesn’t have either of them. How-

Letzion, just south of Tel Aviv. These have a range of 6-11 miles and were the ones raining down on Sderot and Ashkelon. There are many homemade rockets that are being launched from Gaza

If the rocket is on a crash course to cause damage, the Iron Dome comes to life. It shoots a missile that causes a mid-air collision with the incoming rocket. ever, Israel is not under the immediate threat of ICBMs and if they would need one, the Arrow system could possibly be configured to stop such an attack.

The system works by computer.

First, the Iron Dome detects an incoming missile and determines the current location of it and where approximately it will land. If the rocket is projected to land in an unpopulated or an area of no strategic importance, then the Iron Dome won’t fire. Most of the Palestinian rockets are unguided and for the most part, land in empty fields. However, if the rocket is on a crash course to cause damage, the Iron Dome comes to life. It shoots a missile that causes a mid-air collision with the incoming rocket.

There are many types of rockets that were being launched from Gaza.

The most common types are the heavy mortars and Qassam rockets. Katyusha and regular Grad rockets have a range of about 12 and a half miles and can hit the outskirts of Kiryat Malachi. Upgraded Grad rockets have a range of 30 miles which can hit the city of Rishon

and many of these malfunction and land on Palestinians, who in return claim that the Israelis were the ones responsible.

Also, in the mix were Fajr-5 rockets and other longer ranged missiles produced

by Iran.

The first battery of the Iron Dome went to the defense of Beer Sheva and on April 7, 2011, a grad rocket was intercepted near Ashkelon and the next day the same battery successfully intercepted four more rockets. Before Operation Pillar of Cloud, the system worked about 90% of the time. The operation saw some failures and a few glitches in the system and the success rate went down slightly. The Palestinian rocket that killed three chariedim in Kiryat Malachi was the result of an Iron Dome system malfunction, causing the system to not detect the incoming missile.

Currently, the IDF has five Iron Dome systems in action with several more on order. Each battery (system) has 15 launchers and can hold up to 60 missiles at any time. The cost for each battery is about $50 million (Ameri-

The Iron Dome helped shape the outcome of Operation Pillar of Defense

can) and each missile costs upwards of $50,000. In the grand scheme of things, it’s a small price to pay considering the destruction that just one rocket can cost if it lands on a populated area in Israel, not to mention the countless lives it that potentially could have been lost, chas v’shalom.

Many lives are being saved with this new state of the art missile defense system and countries around the world have taken interest in purchasing the Iron Dome units. South Korea, for example, faces the threat of war with North Korea (technically they are still at war since the 1950s) but with the Iron Dome, they’ll have less to fear.

By all standards, the Iron Dome has greatly improved the situation for Israelis that are not only living in the south but in the north as well. The threat of rockets from Hezbollah terrorists living in Lebanon is ever-present as was evident in the 2006 Lebanon war when 4,000 rockets were launched on Israeli cities and towns. The difference between the two wars was the Iron Dome because as experts say, the system was the determining factor of whether ground troops should enter enemy territory or not. In 2006, the IDF didn’t have a choice but during Operation Pillar of Cloud, the Iron Dome bought Israel time to work out a truce before the fighting escalated. The IDF is always looking to improve on the system to ensure a peaceful Middle East for years to come.

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions.for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

Forgotten Heroes

68 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

S S I O TH ABB SH Shabbosof Chizuk

ive Towns Far Rockawa ‫איש את רעהו יעזרו ולאחיו יאמר חזק‬ ‫ י‘‘ז כ�לו תשע‘‘ג‬- ‫שבת פרשת וישלח • ט‘‘ז‬ NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 1, 2012

To my dear friends, residents of the Five Towns and Far Rockaway communities,

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UMN N

OF

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I AS S OCI

In light of the situation, we are pleased to announce that on Shabbos Parshas Vayishlach, the Rebbeim of Yeshivas Mir Yerushalayim will be visiting the Five Towns/Far Rockaway community to hold gatherings of chizuk. We extended a personal invitation to all Talmidim, their parents, family and friends to participate in the gatherings to be mechazek one another during this difcult time. In the zchus of increased Torah study, Yiras Shomayim, and acts of kindness may we merit to see Hashem’s Blessings.

AL

ARTECH 732.961.3091

It is now a month since the area was struck by the erce winds of the recent hurricane.

We think of you as we daven and beseech Heaven for rachmanus that each of your losses should be recovered and that the watchful eye of the Ribbono Shel Olam protect all of us from misfortune and distress. May we share only good news and kindness, and Hashem’s salvation should constantly be with you.

H I VA S M I R Y E R

5227 New Utrecht Avenue • Brooklyn, New York 11219 • P: 718-972-0500 • F: 718-851-1999 • E: info@themir.org

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· US

H A L AY I M

C

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ION

O F Y E S H I VA S M

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Shabbosof Chizuk ive owns ar Rockawa ‫איש את רעהו יעזרו ולאחיו יאמר חזק‬ A SPECIAL COMMUNITY

‫ י‘‘ז כ�לו תשע‘‘ג‬- ‫שבת פרשת וישלח • ט‘‘ז‬ NOVEMBER 30 - DECEMBER 1, 2012

HARAV HAGAON YOSEF

HARAV HAGAON NISSAN

ELEFANT

KAPLAN

Friday night · 4:15 pm

Friday night · 4:15 pm

SHLITA

SHLITA

Agudas Yisroel of West Lawrence 631 Lanett Avenue

Beis Medrash of Harborview (Bais Pinchas) 218 Haborview South

Shachris · 8:45 am

Drasha before Krias Hatorah

Shachris · 8:30 am

Shiur before davening · 8:15 am Drasha before Mussaf

Khal Zichron Moshe Dov ·110 Beach 9th Street

Bais Medrash Heichal Dovid 215 Central Avenue · Lawrence

Khal Machzikei Torah (Rabbi Greenberg shul) 1A Jarvis Court

Mincha & Shalosh Seudos · 4:00 pm

Shabbos afternoon · 3:00 pm

Congregation Shaaray Tefila 25 Central Avenue

Agudas Yisroel of Long Island ·1121 Sage Street

Mussaf

Halacha Shiur

Mincha/ Shalosh Seudos · 3:45 pm

Knesess Israel “The White Shul” · 728 Empire Ave. HARAV YOSEF ELEFANT & HARAV NISSAN KAPLAN

FRIDAY NIGHT • 8:30 PM ONEG SHABBOS HOST

MR. & MRS. ARIEL ABER 86 HARBORVIEW WEST • LAWRENCE, NEW YORK

ALL ALUMNI FROM THE GREATER NEW YORK AREA ARE INVITED TO JOIN TOGETHER FOR A

MELAVA MALKA MOTZEI SHABBOS • DECEMBER 1, 2012 • 8:30 PM HOST

MR. & MRS. DOVID SCHARF 15 KEEWAYDIN ROAD • LAWRENCE MEZAMER

RABBI BARUCH LEVINE

ARTECH 732.961.3091

TALMID OF THE YESHIVA

Due to the effects of the recent hurricane in the Far Rockaway and Five Towns area, there will be no fundraising event held this year FIVE TOWNS & FAR ROCKAWAY ALUMNI & FRIENDS OF THE MIR 5227 New Utrecht Avenue • Brooklyn, New York 11219 • P: 718-972-0500 • F: 718-851-1999 • E: info@themir.org

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

ALU M NI AS

S S I O TH ABB SH

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Israel Today

Photo Credits: Kuvien Images

Preparing for Chanukah in Jerusalem

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov

Ruth & Hyman Simon High School 131 Washington Ave, Lawrence New York 11559 | Phone: 516.374.6465 | Fax: 516.374.1834

Become the Ben Torah you want to be!

Molding Bnei Torah in a superior learning environment which is becoming a true Kol Torah for the entire community.

Give your son the opportunity to be part of a dynamic yeshiva with challenging Limudei Kodesh & Limudei Chol academic programs.

Save the date for our upcoming Open House on December 2nd 2012 at 1:30

Interviews have begun!

Contact the Yeshiva Office for an application and appointment.

Rabbeim for Life.

Education for Life.

Torah for Life.

“

Some of us just came back from a delightful time at the pool, spa and sauna, with the sun shining in gloriously... While everyone in town was digging out of the snowstorm, in PRV we were jumping into the pool!

Miriam Deutsch

”

“

A very hearty, though snowy, thank you for the 5:30 a.m. snow shovelers at PRV this morning. It was so heartening to hear the sounds of shoveling against the driveways, sidewalks, and roadways. Our service was doing what needed to be done by keeping everything clean and safe in a timely manner.

THANK YOU and stay safe.

Mordechai Goodman

”

...at Pine River Village you won’t need a shovel. Our expert grounds crew do it all for you. For that matter you won’t need a rake or lawn mower either. No matter what the season you can relax while the job gets done for you. And with homes starting at just $289,900, Pine River Village is now more affordable then ever. Just some of the many reasons to give us a call and come see for yourself why Pine River Village is the place for you.

VISIT OUR BOOTH AT THE AGUDATH CONVENTION Pine River Village is an equal opportunity housing development. All information is subject to change without notice. Renderings are for illustrative purposes only.

Sales Office: 500 Pine Street, Lakewood NJ, 08701 732.415.7191

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

Sell Your Shovel, Buy A House...

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72 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

IS DOING THE NYC TRIATHLON ON YOUR BUCKET LIST? Do the NYC TRIATHLON Make A Difference in Someone,s Life Go Rock Climbing Do Meaningful Charity Work for OHEL

Join TEAM OHEL and compete in the Aquaphor New York City Triathlon on Sunday, July 14, 2013

The Aquaphor New York City Triathlon is an Olympic distance race consisting of a 1500m swim, a 40k bike, and a 10k run.

Each year, over 3,000 athletes brave the waters of the mighty Hudson River before biking along Manhattan's West Side Highway. Finally, athletes put on their running shoes for a run through New York's famed Central Park!

To reserve your charity spot contact Laurie Szenicer at 718-686-3316 E-mail: Laurie_Szenicer@ohelfamily.org

Mesivta Ateres Yaakov

Ruth & Hyman Simon High School 131 Washington Ave, Lawrence New York 11559 | Phone: 516.374.6465 | Fax: 516.374.1834

Pursue your interests and broaden your horizons!

Our many Student Life activities include:

v Active Student Government and many clubs v Varsity & Intramural Sports and competitions v Mock Trial | Torah Bowl | Debate Team | ARISTA v Extensive Chesed program v Torah and other Student Publications

Save the date for our upcoming Open House on December 2nd 2012 at 1:30

Interviews have begun!

Contact the Yeshiva Office for an application and appointment.

Rabbeim for Life.

Education for Life.

Torah for Life.

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T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

74

My Israel Home Gedaliah Borvick

Baka: A Great Family-Centric Neighborhood

B

aka is a lovely upscale community located in southern Jerusalem. Baka is Arabic for

“valley,” which alludes to Emek (or Valley of) Refaim, which runs along the western border of the neighborhood.

Situated between the German Colony to the north and Talpiot to the south, Baka was established in 1892 when the railroad line from Jerusalem to Jaffa was completed. In the 1920s, during the British Mandate period, wealthy Christian and Muslim Arabs built magnificent homes and moved into the neighborhood. With the outbreak of the War of Independence in 1948, the Arab residents abandoned their homes and fled the neighborhood.

Soon afterward, the Israeli govern



ment moved immigrant families, primarily from Morocco, into the deserted buildings. Unlike their predecessors, the new inhabitants were indigent, and each family received one to two rooms for their usage. In addition, the government built low-cost stuccofaced “shikunim” housing projects in empty lots to provide shelter for the thousands of Jewish immigrants who had been expelled from neighboring Arab countries. Baka was renamed Geulim, meaning “redemption,” because the immigrants felt redeemed from the bonds of the Diaspora. As is the case with a number of Jerusalem neighborhoods (such as

Katamon, whose official name is Gonen), the new Hebrew name Geulim was





  

never accepted by the public.

After 1948, neighboring Old Katamon and the German Colony attracted academics, doctors, lawyers, and political leaders. As a result, Baka started to gentrify as families desiring to live near these prestigious communities started purchasing homes in Baka. Initially, many buyers had shunned Baka’s run down housing stock for modern residential buildings.

But starting in the early 1980s, it became fashionable to purchase and renovate the attractive Arab-style houses which boasted high ceilings and oodles of charm. The community, within a half-hour walk of the Kotel, became a magnet for religious families. Today, Baka boasts many thriving synagogues, including Nitzanim, Yedidya and the Yael shul, plus the neighborhood is home to a number of outstanding elementary and high schools.

For a relatively small community – population 10,000 – Baka has a broad range of religious observance. The population is about 60% religious – primarily Dati Leumi or national religious – and relations between the observant and secular residents are positive and respectful.

In addition, Baka has a large percentage of English speakers, as a quarter of its residents were born in the United States and other English speaking countries.

One bastion of the Baka community was Ulpan Etzion. Founded in 1949, Israel’s first Hebrew-language school

is the model for all ulpans across the country. A few years ago, their lease expired and the school was forced to vacate its large 18 dunam (4.5 acre) campus that was located in the center of Baka. The program moved to nearby

Armon Hanatziv, and the former campus is now a residential development site. I am working with the developer, an experienced and financially sound company, in marketing the 180-unit project, whose first buildings will be ready for occupancy within three years. Initial buyer interest from within the Israeli community and from foreign buyers has been strong, confirming the huge pent up demand for luxury housing in this tight-knit, welllocated and welcoming community.

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

Please visit his blog at www.myisraelhome.com.

75

Remembering My Father, Our Hero

O

f all the myriad titles which my father successfully and valiantly achieved and earned in his lifetime, the ones that were most valued and cherished, and of which he was most proud of, were “Dad”, and “Zayde Jack.” His family always came first, above all else, and his deep love and devotion for my dear mother, a”h, for my sister and myself were a blessing and special gift from Hashem to us.

How is it possible to put into a few words, a 21-year military career of dedication to serving our country and K’lal Yisroel, reaching out, protecting, caring, and saving thousands of Yiddishe neshamos, Jewish souls? My father was the link to Yiddishkeit for so many soldiers who clung to him, turned to him and depended on him spiritually, emotionally and physically. Rabbi Jack, as he was fondly called, was Hashem’s shaliach, and his life was devoted and immersed in doing Hashem’s work. He accomplished great feats, raised above many challenging life situations, and did so much for so many.

My father taught by example. Selflessness and caring for others before him. Always remembered for his beautiful, radiant smile, and his endearing way of greeting every human being with “sever panim yafot.”

He was a career military chaplain and succeeded in achieving the high and distinguished rank of Colonel. He was the highest-ranking Jewish chaplain in the United States Army in his time. My father taught us the power of reaching out to others and having emunah in Hashem. He did an abundance of Kiruv work in the army, and prevented much intermarriage from taking place.

His chaplain’s office, whether in the United States, in the many places that he was stationed, or in Europe, was a safe haven for soldiers who were alone and away from their families and loved ones. He gave Chizuk and guidance, held them, comforted them, and consoled them. Dad and Mom’s home was a home with an open door and open hearts. I remember many visits from soldiers at all hours of the day and evenings. The young Jewish soldiers were always guests at our Shabbos table. The warmth in my parents’ home was palpable. With the immense, dedicated and unified efforts of both our parents,

Esther Mochan

Rabbi, Chaplain Colonel Jack Ostrovsky, Rav Yaakov Ben Yitzchok Eliezer z”l whether in the states or in Europe, my sister and I were privileged and blessed to be raised in a home that was filled with Torah and chesed.

My father was a man of the world, yet he was firmly steeped in Torah values. He could give Divrei Torah on any subject.

Dad had great emunah, and was always confident that Yad Hashem, the hand of G-d, protected him always. This was especially evident during his year in Vietnam. He told us of a bunk bed that he slept in, that was in a hut surrounded by other huts of soldiers. A grenade and artillery attack was made on their camp. The attack leveled all the huts that surrounded my father’s hut and killed and injured many of the soldiers in these huts. Even the soldier who was sleeping in the lower bunk of the same bed as my father’s was injured. Dad was sleeping on the top bunk and was untouched by any shrapnel. He considered this a true miracle, and only one of the many signs that he had of the Shield of Hashem with him at all times. Although there was always constant danger in the battlefield, Dad put up the first sukkah in Vietnam for the young Jewish soldiers.

To my father, every Jewish neshama was sacred. While flying in a helicopter over the battlefield area, my father heard over the radio that there was a man wounded and had to be left because it was too dangerous to go down on the ground to get him. He called in to his commander, and asked the name of the wounded soldier. They would not give the name, as this was against the protocol, so he pulled some strings, and some “rank,” and called another source, and found out that the soldier had a Jewish name. He instructed the helicopter pilot to turn back and go down and pick up the wounded soldier. The pilot tried to convince my father not to go down into this dangerous territory, but my father insisted, and was able to bring this soldier into the helicopter and take him to safety. He would never leave a Jewish soldier to die, even if it meant risking his own life to save him. My father al-

ways joked that on that day, he got a slight “demotion” for not listening to protocol and the commander, but that he knows for sure, that he got a “promotion” in Shamayim, and that’s all that really matters.

My father was awarded many medals, and was highly decorated over his 21-year career for his valiant and dedicated service to our country.

He received two “Legion of Merit” awards for his meritorious conduct in Performance of Outstanding Services.

It is rare for this award to be given at all in an officer’s career, but my father received the award two times.

When my sister and I were in our mid-teens, my father commuted to Fort Dix, New Jersey, where he was stationed at that time. He was the Chief Jewish Chaplain there. My mother stayed with us in New York so that my sister and I could continue in our Yeshiva high school that we were attending. After my father completed his years in Fort Dix, the government offered him to go to Europe for another 3 year tour. They told him that as soon as he would go overseas, he would be promoted to General. This would have given him the honor of being the first Jewish Chaplain General in the history of the United States Army. Although this would be very tempting to most, without any hesitation, my father declined the offer. He knew that uprooting his family at this juncture would be detrimental for us, and we would not have the “Yiddishe” schooling and socialization that he knew was so important for his teenage daughters. My father never looked for any honor or kavod. His family came first. He was an “anav,” a humble man, a true Tzadik.

Another clear example of Dad’s emunah in Hashem was when he was being wheeled into the operating room for a major surgery a number of years ago. I was with him as they were about to wheel him into the operating room.

The nurse took his blood pressure, and it was a perfect 120/80. She was shocked, as most patients about to undergo such a procedure are agitated and very ner-

vous. They often have such elevated blood pressure levels that sometimes it is necessary to cancel a surgery. When the nurse asked my father how he was able to be so calm, his response to her was simply, “I have nothing to worry about…G-d is watching over me, He is with me, taking care of me , and He will protect me.”

Emunah and bitachon always.

My father was a Chazan, and he was blessed with a beautiful voice. His davening on Rosh Hashona and Yom Kippur moved the Kehilla to tears. He and my mother met while singing in choir together at the Young Israel of Bushwick in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was a start of a life of “harmony” and love, a fabulous journey, which separated them only in her death. They were two birds that flocked together. Two hearts that beat as one. Our home was always filled with song, love, laughter, comfort, joy and warmth.

My father never complained and never wanted to be a burden on anyone. He was the supreme giver…never a taker. The aide who helped out with dad for the last couple of years told us at his funeral that Dad was a “prince.”

She said it was such an honor and a privilege to work for such a prince of a man. A perfect gentleman with a regal presence.

My mother and father will be together again, and this is a great nechama to us all. Dad was looking forward to seeing Mom again. His life felt empty for the last two years without her. A perfect analogy was spoken about them during the Shiva. One of the grandchildren said they pictured Bubby Malky standing under the chupah, and Zayde Jack slowly walking down the aisle to greet her. The joy, excitement, and euphoria that they are feeling are as strong, if not stronger, than those felt by a Choson and Kallah on their wedding day.

We are certain that together they will watch over us, and over K’lal Yisroel, just as they did in life and send refuos, yeshuos and brochos to us all.

My father is deeply missed. He was a pillar of strength. A beacon of light.

Dad, you are very much loved, you are our Hero, and we salute you.

Esther Mochan lives in Kew Gardens Hills, New York.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

In Memory

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

76

You Gotta be

Kidding!

Riddle

Submitted by Shimmy Hirsh Billy Bob was on vacation in the depths of Louisiana. He wanted a pair of genuine alligator shoes, but didn’t want to pay the high prices.

After unsuccessfully haggling with of one of the shopkeepers, Billy Bob says, “Maybe I’ll just go out and catch my own alligator, so I can get a pair of shoes at a reasonable price.”

Later in the day, the shopkeeper sees Billy Bob standing waist deep in the water, shotgun in hand. Billy Bob takes aim at an alligator, kills it and hauls it onto the swamp bank.

Lying nearby are several more of the dead creatures. The shopkeeper watches in amazement as Billy Bob flips the alligator on its back and shouts in frustration, “Shucks, this one isn’t wearing any shoes either.”

Submitted by Feigie Rosenstein Two coins add up to 30 cents, and one is not a nickel. What are they?

Answer on next page

*************** A neutron walks into a bar and asks, “How much for a beer?” The bartender says, “For you? No charge.”

When the going gets tuff, the boss gets going...to Miami Beach.

If you can stay calm, while all around you is chaos...then you probably haven’t completely understood the seriousness of the situation.

Doing a job RIGHT the first time gets the job done. Doing the job WRONG fourteen times gives you job security.

Eagles may soar, but weasels don’t get sucked into jet engines.

Rome did not create a great empire by having meetings...they did it by killing everyone who opposed them.

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity.

Plagiarism saves time.

Never put off until tomorrow what you can avoid altogether.

TEAMWORK...means never having to take all the blame yourself.

The layoffs will continue until morale improves.

The whole group is just as dumb as the sum of the parts.

Hang in there, retirement is only thirty years away.

Go the extra mile. It makes your boss look like an incompetent slacker.

INDECISION is the key to FLEXIBILITY. Aim Low, Reach Your Goals, Avoid Disappointment.

Mistakes won’t kill you...they will make you the boss eventually.

If at first you don’t succeed, try again...it’s not like it’s all that important to actually land the plane on your first try.

It is 90% perspiration and 40% about just doing the math.

77 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

1. Which retailer racks up the highest amount of sales per square foot of its stores in the U.S? a. Apple b. Coach c. Tiffany’s d. Bergdorf Goodman

son!! Think you a se g in p p o sh It’s il mega-chain? ta re a e g a n a m can nd see how well Take this quiz a , dustry. After all you know the in il know about reta to g in th t rs fi e th e lps you improv e h g in th o n t a is th competitors. more than your

3. If you were starting a retail clothing store, which one of the following would you model it after (taking into account public opinion surveys conducted by Forbes magazine each of the past 3 years)? a. Kohl’s b. Nordstrom c. Macy’s d. Dillard’s 4. Which of the following has the most stores in the U.S.? a. Starbucks b. McDonald’s c. YUM!Brands d. Subway 5. After being in line for how many minutes do consumers start losing their patience (according to a study conducted by shopping and marketing guru Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping)? a. 3 minutes b. 5 minutes c. 7 minutes d. 8minutes 6. Match the store with their 2011 revenue The Home Depot

$64,221,000

Costco

$49,282,000

Starbucks

$62,075,000

Wal-Mart

$8,038,000

Lowe’s

$316,083,000

Answers 1. A-is for Apple. With a total of 390 stores, Apple does $4,592.20 in sales per square foot. Tiffany’s comes in second with $3,017 per square foot.

2. D-Mall of America draws 40 million visitors each year, which is more than Disneyland, the Grand Canyon and Graceland combined!

3. A-For each of the past three years, Kohl’s has been rated by consumers as the top retail store in a survey conducted by Forbes Magazine. It excelled in virtually every attribute from the quality of its customer service and hassle-free return policy, to ease of parking, and even in the “thought put into dressing rooms” category. The three follow ups are Nordstrom, Macy’s and Dillard’s (in that order). Sorry all you Century 21 people, you don’t make the cut.

4. D-As of July 2012, Subway had 25,014; YUM!Brands had 18,050; McDonald’s had 14,087; Starbucks had 10,787.

5. A-According to a study conducted by Underhill, when a wait takes longer than three minutes, shopper’s perception changes and they get impatient. “So if the person was actually waiting four minutes, the person says, ‘I’ve been waiting five or six minutes.’ If they got to five minutes, they would say, ‘I’ve been wait-

Got funny?

Let the Commissioner decide.

Send your stuff to centerfold@fivetownsjewishhome.com

ing 10 minutes,’” Underhill says. (Surprised huh? You thought it was a minute and a half right? You are the one who rolls your eyes at me when I am ahead of you on line...as if I have any control on how quick the cashier scans my stuff.)

6.

The Home Depot

$62,075,000

Costco

$64,221,000

Starbucks

$8,038,000

Wal-Mart

$316,083,000

Lowe’s

$49,282,000

Consumer Key 5-6 Correct: I hear Walmart is looking for a new CEO. You would be a prime candidate.

2-4 correct: You are not bad, not great. If I purchased you, I would hold on to the receipt just in case I wanted to return you.

0-1 correct: Your retail knowledge per square foot of brain is embarrassing.

Answer to riddle: A quarter and a nickel. The quarter isn’t a nickel.

2. Which of the following has the most visitors per year? a. Graceland b. Grand Canyon c. Mall of America d. Disneyland

78 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

Cover Story

Gavriel Horan

When Efryim lost his mobility, his connection to G-d and people helped him move again.

He made sure to keep on smiling – and vowed to pass along the smiles too.

Efryim and his son Ezra

ut of the blue, Efryim Shore became paralyzed from the neck down.

It was the second day of Rosh Hashana in 2004. Efryim Barry Shore came home from a full morning of prayers feeling a little tired. After a light lunch, he decided to take a nap. Efryim climbed into bed, never knowing that it would be the last time he climbed into bed on his own for a long time.

He woke up feeling groggy, tried his best to get dressed and then collapsed into a chair, unable to move. His teenage son Ezra ran to shul to get a local doctor. “You don’t look too good,” the doctor said. Together, they managed to carry Efryim to a taxi and sent him off to the hospital. “Don’t worry – I’ll be home tomorrow,” he told his wife Naomi.

As the day progressed, it became harder and harder for Efryim to move his body, until he was completely paralyzed from the neck down.

“In the morning I was standing in shul just like you,” he recalled. “That night I was in the hospital – a total quadriplegic.”

Guillain–Barré Syndrome The next thing he knew, he woke up in a hospital bed with a woman doctor looking down at him. “Good morning Mr. Shore,” she said, introducing herself as a neurologist. “We believe that you have a very serious – possibly fatal – condition known as Guillain– Barré Syndrome (GBS). We’re going to administer some tests to confirm that.” He had never heard of Guillain–Barré Syndrome and wasn’t even sure how to pronounce it.

Guillain–Barré Syndrome, named after the two

French doctors who identified it in 1916, is an autoimmune disease that causes the destruction, removal, or loss of the myelin sheath surrounding a nerve. This results in the rapidly progressive inflammation of nerves that causes loss of sensation, muscle weakness, and paralysis. The myelin sheath acts as an electrical insulator to nerve fibers. An average of 2 out of every 100,000 people is affected by Guillain–Barré each year.

“So I can’t do everything, but you do what you can, with what you have, from where you are – and keep smiling!”

GBS was confirmed after a spinal tap, delivered without anesthesia, showed a high level of protein in his spinal fluid. They administered Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to arrest the development of the condition, but they were uncertain if they could reverse the paralysis process.

Intensive Care Efryim spent the next 11 days in the Intensive Care Unit. All he could move was his head from left to right. “To be in the ICU for so long was very intense – no pun intended,” Efryim recounts. “Every 20 minutes doctors and nurses came in to do tests. I was so well taken care of it is almost beyond comprehension.”

Efryim spent four and a half months in various hospitals, including ten days in a telemetry unit, followed by four months in rehabilitation hospitals.

“I was surrounded by so much love,” Efryim recounts. “My wonderful wife prepared healthy homemade kosher food for me every day. The hospital staff was bowled over by everything this woman did for me.”

After his release, Efryim spent the next two years in a hospital bed in his home, three years in a wheelchair, one and a half years with full length braces and walker, finally graduating to the ankle braces and walking stick that he uses today. For seven months after the incident he couldn’t pick up a plastic fork. The first time he tried to feed himself, the food ended up on his forehead but today he is literally back on his feet.

The Power of Water His road to recovery was long and hard. Efryim attributes his success to what he calls P.T.L.: Prayer, Therapy, and Love – in that order. “The prayers of everyone in addition to my own brought down the spiritual power to make everything work out. Until today I meet people who tell me that they’ve been praying for me all these years. I am so thankful for their help.

The physical therapy was necessary to get my body working again and the love gave me the strength to persevere. But the love has to go both ways – giving and receiving.”

Today he continues to undergo daily physical therapy but his greatest improvement came about unexpectedly. When he was getting wheeled home after his lengthy hospital stay, Efryim’s neighbor, Vince Newman, asked him with real concern what had happened.

can’t get up the curb by myself, and I can’t walk up way: become a giver and spread the message of hope stairs without a banister. But I can be thankful for a to make sure the world is living with peace, happiness, banister when I find one or for the person who shows love, and joy. It changes the whole world—literally.” up at the right time to help me up the curb. So I can’t do everything, but you do what you can, with what Life is Wondrous you have, from where you are – and keep smiling!”

Efryim is still an avid hiker. He regularly walks In fact, “Keep Smiling” has been Efryim’s motto along the trails of the Santa Monica Mountains with for nearly two decades. Over the help of his attendant, walk18 years ago, Efryim received ing stick, and leg braces. Whena card in the mail from Rabbi ever he meets someone on the Moshe Goldberger of the Yetrail he asks them if they’re shiva of Staten Island. The card having a good day or a great said “Keep Smiling.” On the day. “We’re gonna upgrade back was written the following: you,” he says before handing A smile costs nothing, but them a “Keep Smiling” card. gives much. It reaches those He next asks them if they have who receive without making someone they love, and then poorer those who give. It takes gives them another card to give but a moment, but the memory to their loved one. Then he says can sometimes last a lifetime. “now that you’ve given, you Efryim taking his first steps None is so rich or mighty can receive,” and gives them that he can get along without it and none is so poor but another card. that he cannot be made richer by it.

One time when Efryim gave a fellow hiker a card, Serial Entrepreneur A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters his face lit up. “This is just what I needed,” he said. He In the midst of his remarkable recovery, Efryim, goodwill in business, and is the countersign of friend- went on to tell them about how bad his life was going. who considers himself a “serial entrepreneur,” con- ship. It brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discour- He had just lost a job and everything looked gloomy. tinued using his business skills. “I can’t move around aged. A smile is sunshine to the sad and is nature’s best Two days later, Efryim got a call from a rabbi who very well but my mouth and mind seem to be work- antidote for trouble. told him that that man told his story on National Public ing okay—I might as well use them.” He’s now on his Radio to millions of listeners. fourth internet startup, this one titled, YouNeverLose.

“Stories like that happen all the time,” Efrayim com, an innovative and fun auction site that offers a says. “There’s nothing artificial about it. Just be yourEfryim attributes his success self. It’s a gentle reminder that life is wondrous.” He no risk opportunity to win prepaid/gift cards from top national brand names at huge discounts. Launched a later helped Aish’s Rabbi Ephraim Shore make cards few months ago, it has already garnered CBS TV cov- to what he calls P.T.L.: Prayer, for the “Don’t Blame, Don’t Complain” campaign to erage, an AOL Finance article, a write up in Investor’s Therapy, and Love – in that order. hasten their son Yaakov’s recovery from a serious car Business Daily and scores of other news and blog outaccident. Although not related, the two now have more lets. Directing a crew of 17 in several diverse locations in common than their name alone. including Israel, Efryim has the title of Founder and “Complaining is not the Jewish way,” he says with CVO: Chief Vision Officer. The website has already Yet it cannot be bought, begged, borrowed or sto- a hearty laugh. “Believe me, I’ve had some things to become profitable on an operational basis and he is len, for it is of no value to anyone until it is given possibly complain about in my own life, but we live out speaking with investors to raise more funding for away. Some people are too tired to give you a smile. with the axiom that light is greater than darkness. Start what he believes can be a lucrative venture. Prior to Give them one of yours, as none needs a smile so spreading the light and the darkness will disappear! this, Efryim’s notable ventures included a wholesale much as he who has none to give.

Get it, love it, internalize it, live it!” diamond business, an international calling service, and Efryim immediately contacted Rabbi Goldberger Fax4Free – bought out by eFax for over $10 million. and requested permission to reproduce it. He printed Positive Thinking 1,000 cards and gave them away to everyone he met.

Efryim attributes his positive attitude to a converKeep Smiling Since then he and his distri- sation he had with his aunt at the age of seven. Efryim, Throughout the long bution network have given originally from Boston, was looking out the window and arduous ordeal, Efryim out over 250,000 cards. The on a stormy New England day. It was cold and rainy somehow managed to stay goal is to reach a million. and Efryim could think of many reasons to be upset. positive. “This is where I am, (Anyone interested in help- “What a horrible day,” he exclaimed. Just then his this is what God wants from ing him meet this goal can aunt came up behind him and chided him for seeing me. What can I do about it?” order cards for free at www. the negative. “What are you talking about?” she asked. he asked rhetorically. “Why thedailysmile.com.) Efryim “The rain and snow are so good for the world. It helps should I be angry? I’m alive. has had the card translated the plants to grow, it fills the river basins, and gives us I’m talking.” His mother into 17 languages, including water to drink. We can’t survive without rain!” used to say that when people Hebrew, Yiddish, and Farsi.

“That was a seminal moment in my life,” he recalls. suffer they say “why me?” – Most recently, the card has “My eyes were different from then on. I realized that I accenting the “me” meaning, been translated into Braille. had a choice whether to see the good in a situation, or why do I have it so bad. She “They can’t see smiles, but to focus on the opposite. Sometimes in the midst of a would encourage him to say people can see their smiles,” very hot or rainy day you can find yourself beginning it differently, with an accent Efryim explains. “If a blind to grumble and complain. Stop yourself right before on the “why”: “Why me?”person has what to smile the negative words leave your mouth and say, ‘Thank meaning why was I chosen for, it can inspire others to God I’m alive; I’m walking; I can smile!’” Efryim’s to experience this and what smile too. It’s the essence signature on his email says “www” but it isn’t folcan I learn from it? of Judaism! The great Rabbi lowed by a domain name. Instead he gives new defini“But let’s be realistic,” Avigdor Miller zt”l once said tion to the acronym – “What a Wonderful World!”

Efryim says. “I’m still living that it’s better to have an inAs far as he’s concerned, it truly is. it. I can’t run or jump, I need sincere smile than a sincere Using his walker to hike around the hills assistance 12 hours a day, I frown. This is the Jewish Reprinted with permission from aish.com.

79 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

“I can help you walk again,” he said with confidence.

Although they had waved good morning to each other for years, Efryim never knew that Vince was a leading expert on Aqua Therapy – physical therapy in the water. Using a special disability lane in a nearby pool, he was able to help people who were unable to walk to swim and through swimming eventually walk again.

At first Efryim could just float in the water using a plethora of floating devices that surrounded his body.

But within six months, he was able to move all his limbs in water. Before long he was able to swim a backstroke and within a year he was able to walk in the water. He continued swimming daily, all the while regaining his strength and in 2006, he amazed himself when he swam the equivalent of a full mile. It took him 96 minutes. The next year he challenged himself to swim two miles every day. Now it takes him 52 minutes to swim a mile and he swims three miles at a time without stopping – six days a week. This summer, he completed his 3000th mile. His lesson to others: “Never give up, persevere. There’s no end to what you can do—just keep doing it!”

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From My Private Art Collection

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg

A

The How and What Of Art and Feelings

rt provides us with an avenue where we can express our inner feelings and ideas. I am often asked how does the ability for self- expression evolve and is there a formula that will guarantee a positive result, if followed?

There are various thinking modes that are required in order to be creative.

A person’s attitude is important when beginning the creative process and then continues to develop in various stages. This development is referred to as the “creative flow.”

It begins with the first stage of preparation which involves becoming an explorer and a researcher. It encompasses an attitude that combines our minds wondering, curiosity, desiring, exploring, being attentive and organizing our thoughts. The thought process includes cognition, logic and deep memories.

Next begins a stage referred to as

manipulation which involves a lot of experimentation. There must be present an attitude that contains a significant amount of intellectual freedom for the creative juices to work. The thought process needs to diverge and so, it also relies on intuition.

Moving forward enters the following stage of incubation, which will allow for the unconscious to take over. A person’s attitude must involve some risk-taking possibilities, have tolerance and be of the mindset that there may be some possibilities

of failure. Remember that it may be ambiguous, so room needs to be left for imagination. The thought process should lean towards a relaxing state.

Play some soft music, it sets the tone.

Next begins the stage that is referred to as illumination, which is known as the special moment.

The attitude at that time is one that should be relaxed, allow for diversion, excitement, show revelations and be inspirational.

That thought process requires one to be insightful.

Finally we reach what is called

verification and implementation which requires an attitude of determination, intellectual discipline and organization. The thought process requires one to be able to do an analysis and to use many types of thinking skills.

It is extremely healthy and refreshing to get touch with your feelings, which ignite the spark for creativity.

The art experience is a perfect avenue to explore. There is no right and no wrong. Remember to keep in mind: there is always room for experimentation.

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg is a professional art educator, artist and designer.

Among her known artwork is a floral sculpture presented to Tipper Gore, Blair House, Washington, D.C. Presently she is the Director of Operations at Shulamith School for Girls. Please feel free to email nherzberg@optonline.net with questions and suggestions for future columns.

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Early Intervention Services For children birth - 3 years with special needs.

Services Provided l

Evaluations

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Feeding Therapy

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Special Education

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TO REFER YOUR CHILD TO THE EARLY INTERVENTION PROGRAM CALL 311.

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

For more information about CHALLENGE call:

718.851.3300

ONE ISRAEL FUND CHANUKA TRIPS with THE

Hasmonean Hills

Eve Harow

December 10 Kislev 26

Our day begins at Beit Choron; with views of Hasmonai battlefields and a visit with Yehudit Tayar of Hatzala Yosh. On to Nerya in the Talmon area, heartland of the Hasmonai rebellion, and a jeep ride thru centuries old olive groves. Dairy lunch at Bad beBad, the local modern boutique olive oil press near Givat Yekevim, site of Second Temple presses and hiding caves. East to the springs near Neve Tsuf to meet a rep of Tazpit and hear of their behind-the-scenes work for the safety of the communities. We’ll tour Khirbet Nesia, contender for Biblical Ai, with its Second Temple olive press and unique Mikva. Even if its Chanuka it can’t just be about olive oil, so last stop is to taste the award winning wines at Psagot Winery, then back to our old/new capital, Jerusalem.

Bask

IN THE

ITINERARY SUBJECT TO CHANGE AS DETERMINED BY SECURITY AND WEATHER CONSIDERATIONS

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December 13 Kislev 29

Warm Jordan Valley

Magnificent views will accompany our descent via the back road to Mevuot Yericho, the unique community and haven for at-risk girls. Then meet Omer and Na’ama at their Einot Kedem ranch, with special prices on their quality olive oil. After a delectable dairy lunch at Cafe Cafe we’ll check out the enormous Foot behind Argaman; can this be the Biblical Gilgal? Beyond the border fence to the Zorganika Date Plantation and Jordan River Valley. Rejuvenate with Argan oil, grown outside Morocco only at Meshek Oren in Netiv Hagdud, along with figs and grapes. Please join us as we take you off the beaten track for an unusual, wonderful, delicious day.

The bus will leave promptly at 8:30 am from the parking lot near the Sonol Gas Station at the bottom of the Liberty Bell Park, and return at approximately 6:00 pm.

Cost for each day including lunch: $65 adult; $55 children under 12 For reservations and further information visit

www.oneisraelfund.org/daytrips

or send email to daytrips@oneisraelfund.org Israel: Zahava Englard 052.484.6034 In US: Ruthie Kohn 516.239.9202 x10

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Ask the Rabbi Yehoshua Levy

Rabbi Wanted

WE EE GUARANOTRE 30% M THAN ANYONE ELSE!

A few years ago I became involved with a Jewish outreach rabbi, and as our relationship developed, I began to become more observant. Today I am fully observant and I try to keep all the laws of the Torah. My current struggle is not about faith or “frumkeit,” but rather how to handle the challenges the changes in my life has brought in its wake. Some close relationships have become strained and even my relationship with my parents has suffered. My rabbi is very busy with reaching out to other non-observant Jews and it seems that I just can’t get his attention like I used to. He is very astute and knows me better than anyone, but he just isn’t there for me anymore. I have no regrets about becoming observant and believe with conviction that I need to do my best to keep the Torah. I know for myself that there’s no turning back, but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if I would’ve been better off had I never been enlightened and my life wouldn’t be so complicated now.

Where do I turn to?

Please withhold my name.

The Rabbi Responds: Based only on what you describe and not having talked to your rabbi or even knowing him, it unfortunately sounds to me that you have been neglected with the attention and guidance you need and would expect to receive.

While most rabbis I know that engage in outreach are caring individuals who truly are concerned with the welfare of their fellow Jew both in mundane and religious matters, I guess there can be a few that get carried away with an agenda, and lose focus of what it’s really about. I once heard a story about a secular Jew who became fully observant, but refused to cover his head with a kippa (or yamulka). His rabbi asked him numerous times why he made so many difficult sacrifices for the sake of his religion, but wouldn’t wear a kippa.

Finally, the fellow confessed: “Rabbi, you have always been there for me, and I feel like you are my lifeline. I value our relationship more than you can imagine.

I fear that once you finished your job with me, I’ll lose you. So I won’t wear that kippa, because you aren’t finished with me.” (I’m not advising you to stop covering your head, and I am sure the rabbi assured him that he could wear the kippa, and that their relationship would

never be neglected.)

If I would be bold, I would venture to say that in many cases, because making difficult life-altering choices can result in many potential problems, someone who is guiding another individual making those changes must assume responsibility for helping him with his issues long after the process of “becoming observant” is over. If he’s not willing to assume that responsibility, it may be better to refrain from doing outreach, because he is risking making another person’s life more difficult, confusing, and complicated.

Avraham our forefather was commanded by G-d to leave Charan, the land of his birthplace. He took with him the families that joined his revolutionary movement that preached monotheism and abandoned idolatry. The burden of taking these families was not part of G-d’s command, but Avraham understood that he was now responsible to be there for them for the rest of their lives. King David, too, while a fugitive, took a band of homeless people, criminals, and bankrupt, depressed, social outcasts, and rehabilitated them, making them into a group of loyal and noble men. When David was crowned, and ascended the throne of Judah in Hebron, he took these men with him and housed them around Hebron, because he felt responsible for them even after they were on the right track. That needs to be the approach of anyone involved in this kind of work.

Practically speaking, I think that even if you are right in your assessment, you should approach your rabbi, and be open with him. I am confident that his response will be positive. You shouldn’t be second fiddle because now you are religious. If that doesn’t work, find another rabbi. Most rabbis don’t go into the field for the money or prestige.

(There’s not much of either unfortunately.) They do it because they care, and if you seek, ye shall find.

Please note, the information written above is not meant as a rabbinic ruling. If you have any questions, please consult your rabbinic authority for clarification.

Yehoshua Levy, a teacher of Torah, is a writer and lecturer who dares to think outside the box to bring his thought-provoking insights and facts to his readers. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

87 Rabbi Jonathan Gewirtz

A Touching Story

E

dwin Pasternak (his real name) was a kindly fellow living in a nursing home. Joshua Schwartz (not his real name) worked in the office of the home, and didn’t know many residents, but he knew Mr. Pasternak.

Aside from his characteristic, softspoken “Hullo, Joshua” (he always called people by name), Mr. Pasternak had another habit that stood out. He would buy items from the vending machines and leave them, along with little notes, for the women who worked in the office. His notes would include comments on his day, a beautiful sunrise he had seen, or, as he had been a stagehand on Broadway, he would recommend plays or films he regarded highly and thought they might enjoy.

The women rarely ate the sugary snacks Edwin dutifully purchased, but they were touched by his thoughtfulness. They would smile and show each other the notes they had received from

him. Joshua felt this was Mr. P’s “Yiddishe neshama,” his Jewish soul, making itself known by his generosity and giving nature.

One Monday morning when Joshua came to work, he found out that Mr. Pasternak had passed away over the weekend. He was saddened, and then asked to see the burial arrangements.

He realized in horror that though the funeral home did offer Tahara services and Jewish burial, those were not on the list for this gentleman.

When the Administrator of the nursing home walked in, Joshua explained the situation. An hour later, a wonderful organization called Chesed Shel Emes had been contacted and the arrangements were made to give him a Jewish burial. Though he had some family, they were not involved, and they didn’t care what happened to the body.

Baruch Hashem, through Joshua’s intervention, he was laid to rest as a Jew. The story doesn’t end there. A year later, as the weather turned cooler, Joshua thought about Mr. Pasternak. He looked up the man’s yahrtzeit and ar-

When Joshua mentioned Mr. Pasternak to one of the nurses two years after he had died, she smiled and clucked, “Edwin was such a nice man.” You don’t forget people like that.

Perhaps, the thing that earned him

Perhaps the thing that earned him the merit of being remembered in death is that he did things that deserved to be remembered in life.

ranged for someone to say Kaddish for him on that day. A year after that, on a Friday morning, while Joshua went through some old paperwork, a name popped up. It was Edwin Pasternak.

Joshua checked the date of death and realized that the following Monday evening would be Edwin’s yahrtzeit.

On Tuesday morning, Joshua learned with some people in his shul in memory of Mr. Pasternak, to give his neshama a merit to rise higher in Shomayim. His plan to do so was almost derailed by the arrival of an important personage, but he was given the nod to say the Divrei Torah, so Mr. Pasternak had a merit on his yahrtzeit again.

For a man who was not an observant Jew, who did not keep the Torah or mitzvos, it was clear that Mr. Pasternak had some zechus, some special merit, that earned him a Jewish burial, something denied even to some devout Jews, as well as being remembered on his yahrtzeit. Joshua got me thinking about this story, and I’d like to suggest a possible answer.

What stood out about Mr. Pasternak was how he touched others. He always called people by name. That makes people feel appreciated and cared about.

If you take the time to say “Good morning, Joshua,” that means you aren’t just seeing another human form which you robotically acknowledge. It shows you are aware of that person and care enough to let him know it.

He was a giving person. He never asked for anything in return; it just made him happy to make others happy.

the merit of being remembered in death is that he did things that deserved to be remembered in life.

I know of another fellow who passed away many years ago. Though I knew him personally, I don’t often think of him. He, too, was without family, although he had been active in his shul and was sure to let people know he was in the room. As I recall, he was actually quite opinionated and not quick to listen to others’ point of view.

When Joshua told me this story, I thought about him, and how he, who had been a Shomer Shabbos fellow, didn’t leave much of an impression on me and I couldn’t tell you when he died or that I thought of him often, if at all, but Edwin, who had just been a “nice old man,” was remembered fondly by so many. It struck me that the frum fellow had no one saying Kaddish for him or caring about his yahrtzeit, but the non-observant one had a Ben Torah keeping him in mind.

The lesson, I think, is that HaKadosh Baruch Hu approved of and appreciated Edwin’s treatment of others, and how he touched their lives in such a pleasant way. For that, he was rewarded with a proper Jewish burial and a memory that lives on and earns him merit.

Taking a cue from this, as we go about our lives we must focus on ensuring that the feeling we give others is one of warmth, appreciation, dignity, and caring. We touch people all the time, but not always is it deeply. Sometimes we simply scratch the surface or brush past people. Those are people who will likely forget us. Even the people we cause pain to will ultimately forget us when we’re gone.

However, if we make it our business to let people know how important they are to us, even if it just means calling them by name and wishing them a good morning, then in life, in death, and for all eternity, we will be truly unforgettable.

EXCITING NEWS! The first book of articles from The Observant Jew is being prepared for publication and there are a number of sponsorship opportunities available.

If you are entertained and inspired by these articles, help spread the joy and reap the rewards of inspiring others. For more information, e-mail info@jewishspeechwriter. com and grab this opportunity before it’s gone. © 2012 by Jonathan Gewirtz. All rights reserved.

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The Observant Jew

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The Shmuz

R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Parshas Vayishlach An Accomplice to Evil Reflections on Mumbai

“The sons of Yaakov came upon the corpses of the city that had defiled their sister.” Bereishis 34:27

S

hechem, the son of Chamor, set his sights on Dina. He carefully laid a trap to entice her out of her tent, and then kidnapped and defiled her. When Yaakov and his sons heard what had been done, “They were extremely distressed . . . [and said] “So shall not be done!”

Shechem became infatuated with Dina, and came to ask for her hand in marriage. “Name your price and I will pay it,” he said to Yaakov. The brothers of Dina answered Shechem, “To marry into our family, a person must have a Bris Milah.” Shechem and Chamor agreed, and they convinced the people of their town to be circumcised as well.

On the third day of their Milah, Reuvain and Shimon took up their swords and killed out every male in the city.

After they were finished, the posuk says, “The sons of Yaakov came upon the corpses of the city that had defiled their sister.” The Siforno is bothered by the expression “the city that defiled their sister.” After all, it was Shechem alone who committed the act, not the city.

The Siforno answers by explaining that in that society, forcibly taking a woman was not considered abhorrent. If it had not been socially acceptable, Shechem never would have done it. Therefore, it is considered as if they were all participants.

The problem is that the Siforno doesn’t seem to have answered his question. Granted the entire town may have been responsible for creating the social atmosphere that accepted such conduct, but all they did was to give Shechem the opportunity to act as he wished. They didn’t join him in the act. They didn’t aid him. They didn’t tempt him to do it.

The most we can blame them for is giving the opportunity to Shechem to do as he chose. If so, how can the posuk say the city defiled Dina?

A Cog in The Wheel of A Killing Machine On April 14, 1944, the deportation of Hungarian Jewry began. Within 56

days, almost 500,000 men, women, and children were transported to Auschwitz for their final solution.

Imagine that you were a German train switch operator at a station near Auschwitz. You came of age at a time when Hitler had been long accepted as the Fuehrer. From your youth, you were indoctrinated with the belief that the fatherland was the glory of all true

kills. As such, you are a killer.

The Siforno is teaching us that even if a person is not an active participant in an act, he can be considered responsible for its happening. In a normal society, basic human rights are a given.

If the society has failed to keep safeguards in place, then that society has failed in its most basic responsibilities.

Every member of that group is there-

When a mass murderer has succeeded in his wanton killing, and his hometown comes out en masse to celebrate, that town is a participant in the murder.

Germans, and that Hitler alone was the savior of the new Germany.

It would be hard for you to deny your knowledge of where this human cargo was headed, as the air hung heavy with the smell of burning flesh. But you never killed anyone. In fact, you may not even have completely bought into the racial theory thing. Your job was just to keep those trains rolling. So you aren’t guilty of murder.

Are you?

At the Nuremberg Trials, the Nazis defended themselves with the mantra, “We were only following orders.” Each participant denied his guilt by claiming he was just a cog in the wheel – not a murderer himself, not a decision-maker – just a lackey. Yet, even the secular world didn’t accept this because being a cog in the wheel of a killing machine makes you a part of a machine that

fore held accountable for that failure.

In the case of Dina, the townspeople made it possible for Shechem to do what he did. Without their easing the standards, it never would have happened. Once they lowered the accepted behavior, they paved the way for him, so they are held responsible for what he did.

A Perspective on Mumbai T h i s concept is especially relevant in our times when the murder of innocent people has become an accepted manner of protesting for one’s political rights. Inflicting terror on men, women, and children is almost part of the political process – because it advances my cause.

And who is to blame? Certainly in a society that fosters such beliefs, every member of the society is guilty. When a mass murderer has succeeded in his

wanton killing, and his hometown comes out en masse to celebrate, that town is a participant in the murder. If a culture encourages the brutal torture of civilians by teaching it as an expression of religion and a “beautiful thing,” then every member of that group shares responsibility for the outcome. If the National Palestinian Authority TV programming regularly shows messages of hatred that promote murder and self-mutilation, then the TV anchors, the actors, the scriptwriters, the camera men, and all of the support staff are part of the crime.

However, the guilt doesn’t end there.

Let CNN Be the Judge The first and primary role of government is the protection of its people.

That is self-evident – unless the population is Jewish. In that case, not only isn’t self-preservation axiomatic, it is painted as amoral.

While it is quite unclear who empowered the media to be the judge and jury on issues of morality, judge they do. Their bias is clear in every report of the so-called peace process and “liberation” attempts.

Every CNN reporter who through his perverse version of social consciousness excuses away murder as a justified expression of “Arab anger and humiliation” becomes a willing accomplice with acts of terror. By creating a world order that condones the killing of Jews, they become accomplices to the very acts they are reporting. While they haven’t pulled the pin on 20 kilos of explosives, their words have created the social climate that encourages this, and as such, they are guilty.

Every media outlet whose bias and prejudices condemn Israel for defending itself makes it more acceptable for global terrorism to go on unchecked, allowing and encouraging more of the same.

The events that we are suffering through, and the clear obstruction of truth that enables them, are but one last stage of our long and bitter exile. May Hashem speedily redeem us.

Quotes

“Say What?”

“Thank you Iran.”

- Text written in Arabic, English, Hebrew and Farsi on numerous large billboards on three major road junctions in the Gaza Strip “You know who had a good Thanksgiving dinner? Tim Tebow. He said it was the first time since he joined the Jets that someone asked him to pass something.”

- Jay Leno “Mr. Obama’s worst precincts were in Orthodox Jewish areas like Ocean Parkway and Williamsburg in Brooklyn and Kew Gardens Hills in Queens. In a few precincts in Borough Park, Brooklyn, Mr. Romney won more than 90 percent of the vote.”

- From a recent New York Times analysis of 2012 election voting in New York State “I’m sure Governor Romney is finding out now who his real friends are. There were one or two well-known figures who were late committing to support him, were the most eager to curry favor when it looked like we would win and are now out there trashing the governor. In politics, when you win you are a genius and when you lose everyone calls you an idiot. But to see the way certain craven hypocrites are acting right now really sticks in the craw.”

- Dan Senor, a former top foreign policy adviser to Romney “First of all, give an honor to G-d and our lord and savior Barack Obama. Barack Obama.”

- An actor addressing an award ceremony last Sunday night “France is now accusing the U.S of hacking into the French president’s computer early this year. A cyber war would be new territory for the French—they never surrendered on line before. “ - Jay Leno “No pledge taker has voted for a tax increase.

You’ve had some people discussing impure thoughts on national television.”

- Americans for Tax Reform’s Grover Norquist on CNN responding to Republicans who are turning their back on his anti-tax pledge

“It’s time for the president to present a plan that rises above these reckless and radical voices on the hard left, that goes beyond the talking points of the campaign trail, and that has a realistic chance of passing the Congress.”

- Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell “Women are here to stay. And when I’m sometimes asked when will there be enough? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked.

But there’d been nine men, and nobody’s ever raised a question about that.”

- Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg discussing the Supreme Court at University of Colorado Law School “So let’s forget about the rich and ultra-rich going on strike and stuffing their ample funds under their mattresses if — gasp — capital gains rates and ordinary income rates are increased.

The ultra-rich, including me, will forever pursue investment opportunities.”

- Warren Buffett in an November 25th op-ed in the NYT, arguing for higher taxes on the wealthy “A pledge you signed 20 years ago, 18 years ago, is for that Congress. For instance, if I were in Congress in 1941, I would have signed a ... declaration of war against Japan. I’m not going to attack Japan today. The world has changed.

And the economic situation is different.”

- Rep. Peter King on “Meet the Press” explaining why he may consider voting for tax hikes despite his 1996 commitment to anti-tax activist Grover Norquist’s pledge against raising taxes “I hope his wife understands that commitments last a little longer than two years or something.”

- Grover Norquist, on CNN, responding to Rep. Peter King’s assertion

Compiled by Nate Davis

“We live in a culture now where it is greedy to want to keep the money you earned, but it is not greedy to want to take away that somebody else earns. Everything is turned upside down.”

- Libertarian radio host Neal Boortz on Fox News’ “Hannity” “Israel’s Iron Dome system has been amazing – it intercepted 90% of Hamas’ missiles. Usually to see that many interceptions you have to watch Tony Romo play.” - Jay Leno “It’s just that animal instinct, that hunger for sales – you are on the prowl.”

- A Black Friday shopper explaining to NBC why he woke up in the wee hours of the morning to go shopping

“Impatient? Me? What a thing to suggest! Yes of course I am. I’ll run out of time soon.”

- Prince Charles last weekend at an event to celebrate his 64th birthday, joking about his 60 year wait to become King of England (it will happen when Queen Elizabeth—his mother—passes away) “The Post Office announced that they lost $16 billion this year and they are now going to review their business model. Let me tell you something, if you are losing $16 billion a year, you don’t have a business model, you have a going-out-of-business model.” - Jay Leno “I was very excited and felt warm by the embrace thinking this is really going to happen. I’m going to get the help I need because he promised that. I’ve gotten no help. I’ve gotten nothing but ‘No, you’re not covered for this. No, you’re not covered for that.”

- Donna Vanzant, who was hugged and consoled

by President Obama when he met with Hurricane Sandy victims in New Jersey on October 31, 2012

“Today was Cyber Monday which is the biggest shopping day of the year. Which, of course, makes tomorrow Identity Theft Tuesday.”

- Jay Leno “The bottom line is that I’m more disturbed now than I was before.”

- Sen. Lindsey Graham after a private meeting with Ambassador Susan Rice about why she publicly hid the truth about the Benghazi attacks on September 11, 2012

President Barack Obama hugs Donna Vanzant, on October 31, 2012. (Official White House Photo)

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Notable

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Health & Fitness

Jonathan Cohen, PsyD and Sara Schwartz-Gluck, LCSW

Leave Me Alone…Really A View into Social Anxiety

If I talk in public…

“People will think I’m dumb” “They’ll laugh at me” “I’ll never be able to express what I’m thinking in my head” “I’ll turn red and stutter”

T

hese are some examples of thoughts that resound in the minds of children, teens, and adults who grapple with social anxiety. In school, children with social anxiety often stand at the edges of the crowd, watching and listening, but rarely saying anything.

They wish they could just be like everyone else, but they believe that they don’t measure up in some way.

Once they’ve graduated school, the socially anxious young adult may make life choices that will allow him or her to have minimal contact with people.

Careers are chosen that involve sitting in a cubicle, invitations to parties and get-togethers are turned down, while in day-to-day life, adults with social anxiety disorder rush in and out of public areas in order to avoid casual conversation. Social anxiety traps its sufferers in a prison constructed of their own minds.

The Psychology of Social Anxiety There is a stage of adolescence that many of us are familiar with – that time in life where we are self conscious about everything. We worry that we are wearing the wrong outfit, that we may say something “uncool” or that people will find out our families are not as normal as they look. An early psychologist called this the perceiving of an “invisible audience” at all times. Some people move through that stage, and realize that their peers are more likely to be worrying about their own appearances than to be judging anyone else. But for some, the invisible audience sticks, taking up a stand of bleachers in their minds, constantly analyzing and criticizing. Selfevaluative and self-critical thoughts frequently place those with social anxiety into extreme discomfort when they need to be around others. “You have such a huge blotch on your face; there is no way you could go out today.” “You know you’re going to get red and stutter

when you talk to your boss, just stay at your desk and look down.”

A routine situation like standing on line at the cafeteria is experienced as if the person is the center of people’s attention. Others are watching. And judging. And deciding that we are not good enough. Some sufferers liken their life to reporters viewing their every move and waiting to photograph them at the one moment when they look disheveled. In social anxiety disorder, we view ourselves as a social object.

This can be exhausting. Imagine all your worst critics crammed into one space, telling you all those terrible things about yourself that you hope are not true. Imagine dealing with these thoughts every minute of every day.

Anxious thoughts about the negative judgments of others have a direct effect on our central nervous system. Physiological anxiety symptoms of worry— muscle tension, headaches, and nausea—give way to outright panic attacks when encountering unfamiliar people or in situations of possible scrutiny by others. People who struggle with social anxiety may be able to get to work or school, and perform well. However, they will often do everything they can to avoid taking risks. They will sooner stay at the same job for 20 years than risk facing their boss and asking for a promotion. They will accept a lower grade on a test, even if it was due to the teacher’s error, because talking to the teacher would require climbing an Everest of fear.

How Does Social Anxiety Develop?

Although people vary on the introvert-extrovert continuum, some people are naturally more inhibited and fearful, their central nervous systems more reactive to stressors. This alone will not

produce Social Anxiety Disorder or any other anxiety disorder. Research has highlighted a combination of factors that contribute to social anxiety.

Negative Beliefs about the Self: We each have certain beliefs about ourselves. These beliefs lead us to interpret situation that occur in different ways, and can trigger certain reactions. For instance, if Dana’s belief is “I am a strong person,” she may feel confident. Then, when she faces a challenge such as a road test, she may remember all the things she learned in driver’s ed, and pass her test. Say Dana believed “I can’t do anything right,” she may feel insecure. Then, when facing the same road test, she may find her hands shaking and her brain freezing as she tries to execute a parallel park over and over again. Same driver’s ed course, same person, same road test – but each belief led to a different outcome.

• Perfectionism: Research shows that perfectionism is associated with being critical of one’s self. Some people naturally have perfectionistic tendencies. They tend to push themselves to perform perfectly. Then, if they think they won’t say something perfect, they choose not to say anything at all. People with perfectionistic tendencies would often prefer to give up than try and fail.

• Negative Experiences: When people have received negative responses to their attempts at socializing, they may be more likely to analyze each thing they think of saying so they can avoid a repeat of those bad experiences.

For example, if Chaya excitedly tells her 4th grade friends that her favorite food is sushi, and everyone makes fun of her, she might think twice, or seven times, before sharing any personal details again. She may not know why they laughed at her, but she can decide to make sure there is no chance of it hap-

pening again – by staying quiet next time.

• Parental Modeling: Children often learn behaviors and unhelpful beliefs from watching those around them.

When parents, who can be important role models in a child’s life, do things like avoid social functions or express fear before making a phone call, children may learn that interacting with others is scary and should be avoided.

• There are many possible causes for social anxiety. It can happen to anyone, and most of the time, there is no one person or event responsible for causing social fears. However, parents, friends, and teachers can be influential in recognizing when someone is suffering and encouraging them to get help.

There are many available treatments for social anxiety. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is one treatment that has been proven to work over and over again in a range of studies. During CBT sessions, people can learn to recognize what goes on in their minds and bodies when they are faced with uncomfortable social situations. They can learn to identify exactly which beliefs are holding them back. Then, they can change those beliefs and learn to trust their own abilities. If you or someone you know suffers from social anxiety, remember that while this is a very real and painful disorder, there is no need to deal with it alone.

South Shore Cognitive Therapy (SSCT) uses the latest scientific and evidence-based cognitive and behavioral treatments to alleviate emotional problems. Our experienced clinicians offer intensive and customized treatment plans that enable our clients to maintain a high level of personal control throughout the treatment process. Jonathan Cohen, PsyD is the director of SSCT and has advanced training in evidenced-based therapies for emotional and behavioral problems. Sara Schwartz-Gluck, LCSW is a Clinical Social Worker who works with children and adults, and has lectured at schools and mental health organizations throughout NY and NJ. They can be reached at 516-568-7493 or on the web at www.south shorecognitive.com.

I

Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

TJH Staff

Why Divorce is Worse Than the Alternative

debated about this article. After all, aren’t people mentally too distracted with the cleanup of their lives after Sandy? On the other hand, I’ve found that stressed marriages and families become more so under the conditions we’re all living in now.

Under Sandy, there’s been less sleep, less exercise – unless you call packing boxes and breaking plaster exercise.

There’s been no routine and there’s been the rootlessness of being guests in someone else’s home or in a hotel. There have been the money worries – and a shortage of it; and of course, the short tempers, the blame, the second guessing, and the lack of time or patience to exchange ideas. We don’t know what is going on in our partner’s head or heart.

These are the kinds of things that distance us from our loved ones and make us wonder if divorce isn’t the next reasonable step. I’m here to tell you why I don’t think it is.

Divorce is never divorce, especially when there are children. Through them, we remain connected to this difficult person forever. The children not only remain connected but now lack the feeling of permanence and stability that comes from knowing the parent is always there; they are both divided and connected at the same time, a recipe for insecurity.

We remain connected wondering if we really did the right thing. That is especially true of the person who initiated the divorce, the person with the conscience and the sensitivity. That is why initiators remain depressed for years afterwards no matter how terrible the marriage was.

There is only one solution to a bad marriage: Heal the people in it.

Someone asked me recently if I believed in pre-marital counseling for young couples with strife in their relationship. I said, “Absolutely not; they should break up.” If they are in pain and they have not yet gotten married, I can only assume that one or the other does not have the tools to get along. The tempers, the blame, the second guessing, the lack of patience, and other behaviors like that are not good middos. Why should a young person start a new life with pain?

Why should a young person introduce a child into a home of hurt? And most important, why should a young person be

responsible for correcting the flaws in another person who is a stranger?

But once people are married, everything changes. One does become responsible for the other; one is the eizer of the other. If you are on the end of receiving pain from a spouse, then you have two reasons to help this spouse: first, to stop your own pain, and second, to transform this other person into one with good middos.

“But, Dr. Deb,” you want to ask, “can anyone really change another person?”

Here’s my answer: The myth is that we can’t change others, only ourselves.

Our own stories tell us the opposite.

Have you not been affected by a good shiur? A mind-opening discussion? Tefillah? Life experience? Of course we

cult people. He did not make it easy on any of us. What was He thinking?

He put together two people who were bound to have conflicts and sure enough, they weren’t married one day, when they had such a major issue that they both got kicked out of Gan Aden. According to S. R. Hirsch, Adam HaRishon could have chosen not to eat the fruit; instead, he elected to get himself in trouble because he recognized he was Chava’s partner and decided to cast his lot with her. It seems it is not only women who are the eizer for their spouse; it works both ways.

Now, you are going to tell me that your spouse is beyond change. The truth is that Hashem wants us all to work on ourselves. He desires that we do teshuva until the day we die. Your spouse is no

You are in the best position to influence the person you are with. Indeed, the very fact that we are considered to be the eizer of one another indicates to me that this must be what Hashem had in mind. have! Once years ago, when I was going through a long period in which I thought I was too busy with children in the morning to daven, I went to a Shavuous tea during which some women spoke.

One recited a poem about davening.

And it affected me so powerfully that the very next morning, I said shacharis and have been saying it ever since. Just from a poem!

Kal v’chomer, you are in the best position to influence the person you are with. If you don’t think it’s possible then you have not been using all of the tools at your disposal. Indeed, the very fact that we are considered to be the eizer of one another indicates to me that this must be what Hashem had in mind.

He created a world of very diffi-

exception. And you are in the best position to influence those changes.

Most people are not equipped to do that job themselves. That would be like saying that if your spouse is physically sick, you can’t treat them. Obviously not. But you certainly can rush them to the doctor. In addition, there are things you can do yourself: • Don’t be angry back. It is so tempting to meet anger with anger – and such a mistake. All it breeds is anger, not shalom. And your goal is shalom.

• Be patient. Helping your spouse unlearn a lifetime of bad ways of thinking or reacting takes patience and will need repetition, lots of it.

• Remember the love you had.

When you are miserable, go in your

head to the good that was there and keep your focus on that. Focusing on the misery you feel now will not help one bit.

• Be strong. If you start doubting yourself, if you start believing things about yourself that bring you down, you can neither help yourself nor your spouse. I am certain marriage is one of the reasons we say, “Chazak! Chazak!

V’Nischazeik!

• Get help. There are lots of resources out there and some are free but excellent. Many websites have tips; there are great books in the stores and online. And this city is blessed with a plethora of therapists when you want another human being helping.

• And there are ways you can get your spouse to agree to get help or be helped: • Say “We’re not happy” or even “You’re not happy” rather than suggesting that your partner has a personal problem or saying, “I’m not happy.”

• Take responsibility. If there is some part of the problem that you really could be contributing to, admit it.

It’s very human to make mistakes and showing that side of yourself sets a good example.

• Leave helpful material visible.

I’ve heard that people have left copies of pages from my book on the kitchen table for “someone” to discover.

• Ask “What would you like me to change?” While that requires a lot of bravery, it’s powerful. When you’ve worked on something in yourself for your spouse it makes it a lot easier to ask for reciprocity. And then you can always say you need professional help to accomplish your goal.

Don’t think for a moment that I’m saying this process is easy. It isn’t. And it could take years. But the result is a healthy, happy, loving relationship. And that’s better than divorce even with all the work.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn has had over 35 years clinical experience. She has been in numerous publications, both professional and for the public, and has appeared on TV and has been featured on radio. She practices Marriage-Friendly Therapy. She has a local practice in Woodmere, N.Y. See her website, http://drdeb.com, or call her at 646-54-DRDEB.

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DrDeb

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In the Kitchen Naomi Nachman

In Honor of Kislev

Yummy Fried Foods for the Family

I

am the queen of deep-frying. I have made and eaten deep-fried ice cream, cheese cake, Oreos, fish and broccoli, just to name a few. For health reasons, I try not to do it too often. Every once in a while I make deep-fried food for the family. I feel that during Kislev we have a free pass to eat a little more fried food than usual.

The key to deep-frying is getting the oil nice and hot before you put in the food.

You can purchase an oil thermometer from any housewares store. I place it in the pot while the oil heats up. The magic number for perfect deep-frying is 360°. If it gets hotter than 360°, the food burns; if it’s much lower, your food will get soggy. I just keep fiddling with the flame to keep the oil temperature balanced at that magic number. Another key is not to over-crowd the pan and to work in batches. Putting in too much food at once lowers the oil temperature. Using your thermometer, make sure the oil reheats between batches.

Oils such as peanut and avocado oil have a low smoking point (i.e., the immersed foods will be less likely to burn) but are expensive to buy and have a very distinct taste. Olive oil has a very high smoking point which means your food will burn too easily. When I deep-fry, I typically like to use canola oil – which doesn’t have a strong flavor and has a perfect smoking point.

Caramel Doughnuts Ingredients 1 tablespoon dry yeast ¼ cup warm water ¼ cup sugar ¾ cup soymilk 6 tablespoons canola oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups unbleached flour 5 cups canola oil for frying 1 cup dolce de leche Confection sugar for dusting

Preparation Sprinkle yeast over the water and sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over it. Let stand for 5 minutes until foamy.

Blend milk, yeast mixture, remaining sugar, oil, eggs and salt plus 2 cups of the flour. In intervals, add remaining flour to make smooth, soft dough. Cover and rise for 1-1/2 hours.

Punch dough down and then let it rest again for 10 minutes. Roll out the dough until ¼ inch thick. Cut rounds about 3inches. Place on a floured surface and let rise again for an hour.

Heat oil in a pan until oil hits 375°. Drop doughnuts top side down into the oil.

Keep oil at constant temperature and fry 3-4 at a time. Turn the doughnuts once, about 1-1/2 minutes per side.

Inject with dolce de leche and then roll in sugar.

Naomi Nachman moved from Australia approximately 20 years ago and, in 2004, started “The Aussie Gourmet” to cater weekly and Shabbat/Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities. Naomi is also sought after to teach cooking classes throughout the NY/NJ Metropolitan area (from Scarsdale to Boro Park, Manhattan to Teaneck, the Hamptons and Connecticut… and of course, The Five Towns). She has also taught classes in Florida, Australia and Israel. Naomi is a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, a cooking CD and a variety of newspaper articles. Naomi currently lives in Woodmere, NY with her husband and 4 daughters.

Spicy Sweet Potato Latkes

Ingredients Marinade 1 tablespoon brown sugar 4 cloves garlic, crushed 4 teaspoons cream Malaga wine 1 teaspoons teriyaki

Ingredients 2/3 cup canola for frying 1 large Idaho potato, peeled and grated 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and grated 1 small onion, peeled and grated 1 egg, beaten

1 pound skinless salmon, cut into small cubes 1 package square wonton wrappers 2 cups canola oil

Preparation Mix together all ingredients for the marinade and marinate salmon for one hour.

Place a piece of salmon in the center of a wonton wrapper. Fold each corner of the wonton into the center to form an envelope.

Bring a large pot of oil, approximately two cups, to 350° on an oil thermometer.

Fry for a few seconds (do not cook too many at once) until cooked through and brown. Watch for burning.

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons coriander 1 tablespoon curry powder Salt

Preparation Drain the shredded potatoes, pressing them down in a colander to get their moisture out. Then add the sweet potatoes and onion. Add the egg and flour to the bowl and then season with spices and salt and mix well. Take a heaping tablespoon of the batter and lower into hot oil. Add more oil, as needed, and fry latkes in batches until deeply golden on each side.

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The Attorney Responds: If you hire a home health aide, the aide must be a legal employee, a United States citizen or a person with a green card permitting employment. Further, the aide must be paid wages and benefits that are in accordance with the law, and taxes must be withheld for fulltime employees.

However instead of hiring the aide, one may choose to pay a third party such as an agency that employs the home health aide, and deals with legal compliance. Many rely upon recommendations by the health care provider and social workers in choosing that third party.

I am worried. My elderly friend has a caregiver who does not let the family see him, blocks our calls, etc. What should I do?

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If you suspect this is happening, it is important to stay involved and keep in contact, regardless of apparent rejection by the elderly relative or friend. See the relative or friend in person and do not rely on telephone calls alone. He or she may be under pressure or improper influence by the caregiver who monitors the calls. If there is a physician’s diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s dis-

ease or other evidence of diminished capacity on the part of the elderly person, then consult an attorney about bringing a Guardianship proceeding to appoint a family member to be the Guardian of that person’s property.

In the event that your loved one passes and the will excessively benefits the home health aide or caregiver, there may be a basis to object to the will on the grounds of improper execution of the will, lack of capacity to execute a will, or undue influence by the home health aide. Undue influence is a moral coercion, which restrained independent action and destroyed free agency, or which, by importunity which could not be resisted, constrained the person to do that which was against his or free will and desire, but which he or she was unable to refuse or too weak to resist.

You should consult an attorney about objecting to the will on these grounds.

Stephen H. Weiner, Esq. has twenty-seven years’ experience in Civil Litigation and Trials, Estate Litigation and Estate Administration. He can be contacted at weiner@ sweinerlaw.com or 212-566-4669. He is a member of CNG, the Community Networking Group for observant attorneys in Queens and Long Island.

CNG Networking Group is an Orthodox Jewish networking group which meets in Queens and Long Island. The attorney sub-group of CNG has 8 members with various specialties: Trusts & Estates, Real Estate, Matrimonial, Criminal, Personal Injury, Trademarks/Copyright, Tax, Nonprofits, Litigation. We welcome questions from readers on a wide range of legal matters. Please submit your legal questions to SchechterLaw@gmail.com. While we do not provide specific legal advice, we hope to present readers with a greater understanding of the issues presented and potential means of resolving difficulties. No column is a substitute for competent legal advice.

Please consult with the attorney of your choice concerning specific legal questions you may have.

Devorah Gerber Schmeltz

Helpful Scissor Hints for Children Dear Devorah, (see picture B) A good trick is to place My four-year-old loves doing craft a sticker on your child’s thumbnail and projects with her older sister. Al- remind her that the sticker should be though I don’t expect her to work on facing the ceiling. the level of her sister who is six, I do Simple scissor cutting activities find that she has include cutting a very hard time along straight cutting. Many lines, then zig times I have zag and curvy Simple scissor cutting seen the older lines.

Afone help my ter mastering activities include younger daughthese basics, ter reposition one can move cutting along her scissor and onto cutting out straight lines, I sense that my simple geometolder daughter ric shapes like then zig zag often takes over circles, triangles and curvy lines. and does the and squares. cutting for her Keep in mind it younger sibling. is easier to cut I am aware that out heavier paoccupational per such as contherapists work on fine motor skills struction paper than flimsy paper (e.g. such as scissor cutting. Do you have magazine type paper). any tips or suggestions on helping my Good luck! daughter learn how to cut better with scissors? Thank you!

Tamar K., Far Rockaway Dear Tamar, The first step in scissor cutting is placing the scissor correctly in one’s hand.

Scissors come with two holes, one large and one small. The thumb should be placed in the top smaller hole and index and middle finger on the bottom larger hole. (see picture A).

The arm should be positioned in a way that one’s thumbnail is always facing the ceiling as some children tend to twist their wrist and arm when cutting.

Picture A

Devorah (Gerber) Schmeltz, MS OTR/L is a 2003 alumnus of Downstate Medical Center’s OT Program. She is a senior occupational therapist at United Cerebral Palsy’s Brooklyn Children’s Program. Devorah maintains a private practice, Bumble & Tumble Occupational Therapy P.C., in Far Rockaway, NY providing pediatric occupational and physical therapy. Department of Education vouchers/RSAs are gladly accepted. Your questions and comments are welcome.

She can be reached at BumbleTumble Therapy@gmail.com or 917-971-5327.

Picture B

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Social Smarts Rifka Schonfeld

Are Boys Better at Math?

Q: Girls are less skilled at math and science: fact or fiction?

A: The U.S. Department of Education elucidates a common misconception: Although there is a general perception that men do better than women in math and science, researchers have found that the differences between women’s and men’s math and sciencerelated abilities and choices are much more subtle and complex than a simple “men are better than women in math and science.”

Until recently, the scientific community believed that male-female differences in math and science were caused by biology. In other words, because boys’ and girls’ brains are wired differently, the two genders are better suited for different subjects. The notion is that boys have superior spatial abilities, making them better suited for certain mathematical manipulations. Girls, on the other hand, are supposed to be better at language and writing. However, recently, this biological argument has been debunked.

In the past two decades, researchers have focused on the influence of the children’s environment on their math and science achievement. Think about what toys boys and girls are given to play with, even from a very young age. Boys are encouraged to play with blocks, Legos, racing cars, and other moving objects. On the other hand, girls are pushed to play with dolls, toy kitchens, and dress-up clothing. While boys’ toys often involve principles inherent in math and science, girls’ toys focus on imagination and creativity. From these early experiences, it’s easy to understand why girls gravitate to English and history and boys are drawn to math and science.

However, a recent article in October’s edition of Psychological Bulletin reports that after an examination of 1.3 million students, males and females have equal math skills. So, aside from the different ways that children play, what accounts for the perception that boys are better at math than girls?

Interestingly, perhaps it is this stereotype that reinforces the idea. In other words, when parents, teachers, or school counselors believe the stereotype, they are less likely to encourage or support a young girl’s decision to take

math and science in high school and beyond. Studies have shown that when parents believe boys are better at math than girls, they are willing to let their daughters drop out of math class when the going gets tough. With sons, however, the same parents will encourage persistence. Jasna Jovanovic of the National Network for Child Care writes, “In the classroom, teachers, often unaware of their own biases, call on boys more, praise boys more for correct answers, and are more likely to ask boys for help in science and math demonstrations. The message girls get is that they are not as good as boys.”

So, what can we do to encourage girls to excel in math based on their natural abilities?

• Choose toys thoughtfully. Encourage your daughters to play with building toys and support your boys in imaginative play. Break free from stereotypes and expand your child’s horizons.

• Talk to your child’s teacher.

Find out what your child is doing in math and science at school. Does your child come home excited about fun experiments in school?

• Promote math and science courses in high school. Competitive colleges want to see students who took advanced math and science courses – don’t let your daughters shy away from these classes.

• Avoid stereotypes. Let your children know that both boys and girls can excel in math. Confidence is integral to success.

Today, women can have any job they want: accountants, doctors, lawyers, financial analysts, psychologists, and many more. Let’s continue to encourage all of our children to achieve their potential.

The opinions expressed in this article reflect the view of the author and those cited by her.

In all matters of hashkafah and chinuch, readers should seek reliable rabbinical guidance.

Mrs. Rifka Schonfeld, founder and director of Strategies for Optimum Success (S.O.S.) in 1980, services all grade levels in secular as well as Hebrew studies. A long-time kriah and reading specialist, she offers evaluations, as well as G.E.D. preparation, social skills training and shidduch coaching.

She can be reached at 718-382-5437 or at rifkaschonfeld@verizon.net.

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Your Money Allan J. Rolnick CPA

Jedi Tax Planning

F

ilmmaker George Lucas has been a Hollywood success since 1973, when he spent just $775,000 to produce American Graffiti – then watched it go on to gross over $200 million. Lucas has influenced a generation of filmmakers and films, as director (19 titles), producer (67 titles), writer (81 titles), and even an actor (he played an uncredited “Alien on TV Monitor” in the first Men in Black). Of course, he’ll always be best known as creator of the Star Wars series, which popularized the “space opera” genre for a galaxy of fans.

Last month, Lucas announced that he’s selling his production company, Lucasfilms, to The Walt Disney Company for $4.05 billion in cash and stock. And it should hardly come as a surprise ending that he found a way to beat the IRS that’s almost as powerful as launching a proton torpedo down the Death Star’s exhaust port.

How did he do it? Elaborate special effects? Computer-generated imaging?

Nope. He did it just by selling now, in 2012.

We have no idea how the evil Empire collected taxes a long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. (We suspect that R2D2 kept awesome records in case he was audited; Darth Vader hid his money on Endor, a forest moon bearing a striking resemblance to the Cayman Islands; and Chewbacca never bothered to file at all.) But here in the U.S., gains from the sale of a business are treated as capital gains and subject to tax up to 15%. Lucas is taking half of his proceeds in Disney stock, so that part escapes tax for now. (He’ll pay if he sells those Disney shares sometime down the road.) But that still leaves up to $2 billion in fully taxable cash gains.

And that means up to $300 million in tax for Uncle Sam. At least, that’s how it works this year. On January 1, the Empire strikes back, when those Bush-era rates ex-

pire. Unless Washington gives us a new hope, that capital gains rate jumps to 20%. President Obama has said he wants to extend the current rates for income under $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers), and the Senate has passed a bill to do just that. But if the 20% Clinton capital gains rate returns, at least for guys in Lucas’s bracket, selling in 2013 could have cost him up to $100 million more in immediate tax.

January 1 also marks the start of a new phantom menace, the “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution,” on investment income, including capital gains, for those earning above that same $200,000 threshold. The new Medicare tax is “just” 3.8% -- but 3.8% of $2 billion is still a hefty $76 million.

The sale also represents smart estate planning for Lucas, who is 68.

While generations of fans hope to see him shepherd the final three Star Wars films to the theatre, the sale will spare his heirs the challenge of managing his affairs at his death. Lucas has already announced plans to donate the bulk of his estate to educational charities, and the gifts he’s already made, including $175 million to his alma mater University of Southern California, will surely ease the tax bite on that transfer.

Selling a business is one of the toughest productions any entrepreneur directs. Making the most of that opportunity takes bits of Luke Skywalker’s drive, Han Solo’s skill, and Obi-Wan Kenobi’s wisdom. And keeping the most of your proceeds takes the right tax advice. That’s why we’re here -- to give you a plan to keep the most of your legacy. May the Force be with you!

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.

Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Lock, Stock and Barrel

A

lright!

Here we go…

I’m plunging head on right into that avoided domain and admitting outright that it exists. That very real, very challenging quality. We all have it and yet try to deny it, often, to ourselves and others.

Still it’s been around since the beginning of time and it shall persist till eternity. Dare I say it, acknowledge it, deal it with it?!!

Envy—that very searing, depleting awareness of what others have that I don’t that drills holes so deeply into so many of us.

Yet…if I were to give you everything I have and I mean everything— what you see and what you don’t—what you think I have and what you don’t know I have—would you take it?

So many people isolate a quality, talent, possession, lifestyle that someone else has, but do they say, “I would trade places with him/her lock, stock and barrel, switch my life with his/hers

completely?”

“Aye, there’s the rub,” as Shakespeare says, does anyone truly know the hidden challenges another faces or will face?

So envy picks and chooses. It in and of itself is spoiled! It doesn’t want to take a risk. It’s not happy with you but it’s not willing to cross over to me either. It wants a little of everybody.

Envy wants to pull and pluck from here and there—take something A has and B has and C has. Imagine what a mess you might be when it’s done.

Perhaps you wouldn’t even recognize yourself at all by the time you pieced together the new features that envy collected. And what if that new person now felt discombobulated and suddenly envied someone whose total being jelled together more easily.

So you see, though we are stuck with envy, when we unleash it and let it run wild we may actually find ourselves in worse shape than when we started out.

Perhaps the better side of wisdom is

to recognize its existence but not necessarily indulge its whims.

Harness it, since it’s hard to ignore it. Just like a young child who wants every toy it sees— distraction may be the ideal technique. The child’s urge doesn’t disappear, it gets sidetracked and the child can enjoy life some other way.

Just because envy is here to stay, doesn’t mean it has to have its way.

Trust me, everyone’s got hidden challenges, whether they know it or not!

The happiest people are those who accept their makeup, whatever it is, and gain inspiration from others, but never want to be the other person.

Cause believe me, when you get there and find it all out, all they have to cope with, the day will come that you look back on the “you” you used to be and wish you could be that guy or girl

again.

Envy is not your friend. But it need not be your enemy either. Think of it like an appendix. Maybe it had a purpose at one time, but now you’re just stuck with it. Forget about it and hopefully it won’t flare up; because unfortunately there’s no operation to remove it. When it does flare up, and it may, remember it’s out for itself, it’s not there to help you.

Worst case, dial 1-800-ENVY-NONO or go to www.envy.com and guess what—no one will be there. Because it’s worthless!

Have a great week, and please don’t envy my brilliance, it comes with the pressure and challenge of getting this article done by Monday, every week.

Get what I mean!? It’s always a package deal!!!

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

Life Coach

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103 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

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Leisure & Travel

Susan Schwamm

From Sea to Shining Sea : Florida

W

elcome to the Sunshine State!

Florida was first discovered by Spanish conquistador Ponce de Leon in 1513 on his quest to find the fountain of youth. Certainly, when one thinks of Florida, one conjures up images of sun, fun and beautiful beaches so it does seem to make one young again. But Florida is not just Miami—there is so much to explore and it’s a wonderful adventure to enjoy with the family.

Things You Won’t Want to Miss Orlando Millions come to Orlando each year to visit the theme parks in the city. Disney seems to always outdo itself—it is constantly adding on to the attractions in the Disney parks. Some families make Disney their vacation destination year-in, year-out. And truthfully, Disney has something for the young and old. In fact, my grandmother (she should live and be well) joined my parents and nieces and nephews in Disney this year and I don’t know who had a better time—the great-grandchildren or the great-grandmother! But make sure to visit the other parks as well. Seaworld is wonderful—who doesn’t love Shamu? Universal has amazing rides for adventure lovers. And there is shopping here is as well. For those really looking for thrills and if you have time, take the drive to Daytona Speed International in Daytona Beach, about an hour away from Orlando. Here you can test drive Lamborghinis, Aston Martins and Porsches after just a short lesson. Don’t worry—you’ll have a professional driver riding shotgun to make sure you stay on course and do just “minimal” damage.

Miami Miami is the perfect spot to relax. This prime vacation destination has beautiful beaches, wonderful shopping, fun places and things to do with the kids, and delicious, kosher food to tantalize the taste buds.

Of course, when visiting Miami make sure to spend time at the beach. There is no better place to relax with a good book and a cold drink. Spend time on the boardwalk and meet up with some friends for lunch.

For the more adventurous, perhaps go scuba diving in Florida’s reefs or go parasailing or paragliding. Banana-boats are fun for the kids and a night sail on a yacht is perfect in the balmy weather. At the Anne Kolb Nature Center in nearby Hollywood, visitors can get up and personal with nature and watch loggerhead turtle hatchlings being released to the sea. More than 70 percent of the nation’s turtle nesting take place in Florida, so when you’re here on a visit, make sure to check this out.

Everglades National Park The Everglades National Park is visited by one million visitors every year. It was created to protect a fragile ecosystem and as such it offers a unique and wonderful opportunity to explore and see nature in its true form. Alligators, crocodiles, wading birds, and fish are able to live here unmolested. There is so much to do in the 1.5 million acres that make up the park.

Boating, kayaking, camping and fishing in the wilderness help connect you to the beauty of the Everglades.

Ranger tours and hiking trails are great ways to get to know the park a little better.

St. Petersburg The St. Petersburg Pier is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The five-story inverted pyramid shape is iconic and has been featured in movies and films. Many like to visit the pier for fishing, boating, weekly festivals and the Pier Aquarium. There are local bands playing here every weekend and coming here is a relaxing part of vacation. Art aficionados will delight in the Salvador Dali museum in St. Petersburg, which houses the most pieces by the artist than any museum outside of Europe. The museum is home to 96 oil paintings, over 100 watercolors and drawings, and showcases seven of the eighteen masterwork paintings by Dali. The Florida Holocaust Museum also calls St. Petersburg its home. It is one of the largest Holocaust museums in the United States and houses an actual box car from Poland that was used to transport Jews to concentration camps. If you have time to enjoy the outdoors, take the trip to Fort De Soto Park, located just outside of St. Petersburg.

Here, while sitting on the beach, around the campfire, or in a kayak you can revel in the beauty of nature and in the wondrous birds and animals that call the park their home.

107

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In the Kitchen Salads Fit For a Meal

These salads are delicious, nutritious and oh-so-filling!

Spinach Salad with Oranges, Pomegranate, and Almonds Ingredients Spinach leaves 2 oranges, peeled and sliced 1 pomegranate, peeled and seeded Slivered almonds Dressing 1/2 cup POM juice 1 tbs red wine vinegar Juice of one orange 2 tbs agave nectar 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper-to taste Directions Add fresh spinach to a large salad bowl. Add the oranges, pomegranate seeds, and almonds. To make the dressing, in a small bowl, add the POM juice, vinegar, orange juice, and agave nectar. Whisk in the olive oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Toss the salad with the dressing and serve.

Spinach and Edamame Salad Ingredients 1 bag (10 oz. size) frozen edamame 1 can (14.5 oz. size) chickpeas, drained and rinsed 1 cup dried cranberries ½ cups pumpkin seeds 2 whole carrots, finely sliced 2 whole lemons, juiced ½ cups extra virgin olive oil 1 pinch coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 10 cups baby spinach, divided Directions Cook the edamame in boiling water according to package directions.

Drain. Once cooked, let cool about 5 minutes.

In a large bowl, toss the edamame with the chickpeas, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds and carrots.

In a small bowl or jar, whisk or shake the lemon juice with the oil, along with a good pinch of salt and pepper.

Arrange about 2 cups of spinach on a plate, and top with the edamame mixture. Dress the salad with the lemon dressing.

Ingredients 1 small butternut squash, peeled and chopped 3 Granny Smith apples, core and chopped 1/2 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper freshly ground black pepper About 10 cups mixed salad greens 1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds 3/4 cup feta cheese (optional, if you want to keep the salad pareve) For the Maple Mustard Dressing 4 cloves garlic 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard 1 tablespoon brown grainy mustard 2/3 cups pure maple syrup 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 1 cup canola oil Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions Preheat the oven to 400째. Place the butternut squash and apple chunks on a large baking sheet. Add olive oil, maple syrup, salt and pepper and toss. Roast the squash and apples for 25-30 minutes, turning once, until tender. Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

While the squash and apples are roasting, make the maple mustard dressing.

Combine garlic, mustards, syrup, vinegar, salt and pepper in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. With the machine running, pour in oil in a slow steady stream to emulsify. You should have about 2 cups of dressing. You will not need it all for the salad. You can store the leftover dressing in the refrigerator for about two weeks.

Place the mixed greens in a large salad bowl and add the butternut squash, apples, dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, and feta cheese. Drizzle dressing over the salad to moisten and toss well. Serve immediately.

Note: you can also serve this salad with a store-bought balsamic or cranberry dressing.

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Maple Roasted Butternut Squash and Apple Salad

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 2 9 , 2012

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