The Jewish Home by Yitzy Halpern

137 SPRUCE STREET

516-569-2662

— See page 5, 46 & 47—

Around the Community

THEJEWISHHOME A PUBLICATION OF THE FIVE TOWNS & QUEENS COMMUNITY november 8 - november 14, 2012 | Distributed

kly In The Five Towns, Queens & Brooklyn WeeWEEK

Reaching Out to Each Other After the Storm

Kumzitz in Queens to Benefit Those Hurt by Hurricane Sandy Page 34

Hatzalah Volunteers Work Round the Clock to Help Those Hit by the Storm Page 32

Community of Bayswater Bans Together After Storm

Page 70

four more years Page 63

In-sight in the Dark

Page 36

Learning Continues in Yeshiva Ketana After Hurricane Sandy Page 36

City of Long Beach Struggles to Get Back on Their Feet After Storm Page 33 ROO RFO I NO G FSIIN D IG N G SGIUD T TIEN RS G

ISLAND ISLAND ROOFING ROOFING & E X &T E EX TR E IR O I O RR SS

G U T T E RChezky S Levovitz

516.303.ROOF 516.303.ROO 7 6 6 3 7 6 6

FULLY FUL LICENSED L Y L I C& E INSURED NSED & • COMMERCIAL I N S U R E D &• RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL &

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Contents >>Letters to the Editor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 >>Community Readers’ Poll. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Community Happenings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

>> News Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 National . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Odd-but-True Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Four More Years. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

>> Israel Israel News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

>> People TJH Talks with Dr. Deb Hirschhorn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55 Captain Polina Gelman, Hero of the Soviet Union. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74

>>Parsha The Shmuz. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

>> Jewish Thought Ask the Rabbi. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Kristallnacht’s Timeless Lessons. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 A Clearer Perspective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68

>>In the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy Vital Information Regarding Your Water Heater and Boiler after the Storm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Dear Readers, Just a little over a week ago our community was pummeled by Hurricane Sandy. She hit with such force—tearing down trees and power lines, flooding homes and washing possessions away. Many were left with close to nothing after the storm—their homes and cars were tossed about and their families displaced. But it is in times like these that you see the true spirit of people. The storm has banded our community together and has brought us closer to each other. Volunteers and organizations have been working tirelessly for over a week providing food, shelter, clothing and gas. They have been assisting with the rebuilding of our community and more importantly, have been providing muchneeded encouragement. We are truly lucky to be able to connect with each other and be there for one another at this time. May Hashem give us the strength we need to rebuild our community and homes once again. Last night, the much-anticipated presidential elections finally came to a close. Both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars campaigning for the presidency. Ultimately, the American people chose to have President Barack Obama lead the country for the next four years. We are lucky to live in a democracy where our leaders are chosen by our voices and not by force. But even in an election where majority rules, there will be many people who are unhappy about the outcome of the election. I have to admit that although I did not think that Mitt Romney would win, I was hoping that he would and felt disappointed when I heard the final numbers. I felt that he stood for conservative values and indeed, throughout the country, many states voted on bills that will erode the moral fiber of our great nation. It saddened me to learn that many Americans don’t believe in the same values that we uphold. This week we are all still trying to get back to our routines after Hurricane Sandy. Children are going back to school, stores are opening and people are trying to clean up their homes and rebuild. It is my hope that we should all come back to our homes safely and be able to return to our routines very soon. The Editor

In-sight in the Dark. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63

Yitzy Halpern

Helping Our Children Post Hurricane Sandy. . . . . 64 Understanding the Emotional Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Publisher

publisher@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Classifieds

Heroes Everywhere . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Recipes: Soups to Warm Your Family. . . . . . . . . . . . 86 Travel: Colorado. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

Savvy Savta. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 The Undefeated, by Rivki Rosenwald. . . . . . . . . . . . 83 Your Money. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Nechama Wein 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

Shabbos Z’manim Friday, November 9 Parshas Chayei Sara — Candle Lighting: 4:25 Shabbos Ends: 5:24 Rabbeinu Tam: 5:53

>> Lifestyles Ask the Attorney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

ads@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Editorial Assistant

Social Smarts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76

>> Food & Leisure

Shoshana Soroka

Nate Davis

classifieds@fivetowns jewishhome.com 443-929-4003

>> Parenting

Yosef Feinerman

managing editor

fri. Nov 9

sat. Nov 10

sunny

Weekly Weather sun. Nov 11

mon. Nov 12

tues. Nov 13

wed. Nov 14

thurs. Nov 15

sunny

partly cloudy

few SHowers

sunny

mostly cloudy

>> Humor Centerfold. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

>> Art From My Private Art Collection: Talents and Passions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

>> Political Crossfire Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73

>> 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.

Compiled by Jannah Eichenbaum

Do you believe in global warming? Yes 45% No 55%

Share your voice! Next week’s question will be: Where did you go once Hurricane Sandy hit? · I stayed at home · I went to friends or relatives · I went to a shelter · I left town Send your answers to editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

Every week, TJH will be printing the results of a poll conducted in the Five Towns/Far Rockaway. *Each question answered by a minimum of 50 people.

Let your views be known!

Letters to The Editor Dear Editor, I found it very ironic that the very week you spoke about the “State of Housing in the Five Towns” and how everyone wants to live in this area, people would do anything to just get their mess of house away! Hashem is sending us a message that no area is great and perfect except for our one and only, Holyland! Something to think about! A Reader Dear Editor, During Hurricane Sandy, as I lay under four blankets wearing two layers of pajamas to keep warm, I was thinking of a photo taken by the famous photographer Roman Vishniac in prewar Poland of a young child in her bed under many blankets. Poverty – not a power outage – did not allow her to have heat in her home so she spent much of her winter days and nights under the covers in order to stay warm. My next thoughts were of passages I read in Holocaust books describing fancy restaurants in the Jewish ghettos filled with laughing, well-dressed Jewish customers enjoying the warmth and the food, while right outside on the street lay freezing, little

children with outstretched arms, begging for a piece of bread. Back then, just as now before Hurricane Sandy struck, there were the “have nots” and the “haves.” Now, after the hurricane, some of the “haves” have turned into the “have nots” – but the “have nots” still remain the same. Everyone can choose for themselves what spiritual message is behind this devastating hurricane…but one thing is for certain. Throughout history, in serene times and in troubled times, the Jewish people have been tested by G-d – time and time again – to see if the “haves” reach out to the “have nots.” During troubled times, I think we can all agree that there is no nation like Klal Yisrael – who extends itself, beyond and above, to help out the “have nots” in whatever shape or form that help is needed. Perhaps our greater test from G-d lies in what we do when we are in those serene times. When we have our heat blasting in our homes, do we think about – and extend our hands to – those who lay under four blankets wearing two layers of pajamas to keep warm? A Reader Continued on page 14

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

Readers Poll

en v ` T ay i z w e yc S HI

‫כינוס עול‬ ‫ה‬ ‫ת‬ ‫ת‬ ‫ו‬

‫שב‬

‫רה‬

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

dxy iig zyxt zay b"ryz oeyg e"k-c"k NOVEMBER

9-11,

2012

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Bezras Hashem this coming Shabbos, Dirshu will be holding an inspirational “Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah” – which will mark the momentous achievements of many thousands who have learned with accountability in an unprecedented way – by Yidden from all segments in Klal Yisrael. While the Shabbos program is completely sold-out, the Grand Siyum/Melava Malka is open to the public, at no cost. The program will be graced by Gedolei Yisrael, Roshei Yeshiva, Rabbonim from across North America and abroad – all gathered for an uplifting maamid of Kiddush Shem Shomayim and Kavod HaTorah.

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9 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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For those unable to attend the Grand Siyum/Melava Malka, Dirshu has arranged for this inspirational program to be broadcast live:

`"hily orieen x"enc` w"k HaGaon HaRav Binyomin Breier, oriee, dcedi oexkfc u"nec HaGaon HaRav Chaim Bressler, o`hpxwq ,dyn zia zaiyi ,daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Reuven Feinstein, cplii` ohrhq'c daiyi ,daiyi y`x

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HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Zalman Gipps, `wpitq ,sqei awri zx`tz ,llek y`x HaGaon HaRav Avrohom Yehoshua Katzberg, flra iciqgc zcd iwifgn ldwa u"nec HaGaon HaRav Aryeh Malkiel Kotler, deab yxcn zia ,daiyi y`x

– BY PHONE – 718-506-9099, Radio Kol HaTorah

HaGaon HaRav Moshe Mordechai Lowy, ehpxeh l`xyi zceb` fkxn ,`xz`c `xn HaGaon HaRav Dovid Olewsky, xeb, l`xyi zia zaiyi ,daiyi y`x

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HaGaon HaRav Yeruchim Olshin, deab yxcn zia ,daiyi y`x HaGaon HaRav Yisroel Reisman, zrce dxez daiyi ,daiyi y`x

– KOL HALOSHON – United States: 718-906-6400 Canada: 416-800-2146

HaGaon HaRav Fischel Schachter, zrce dxez daiyi ,xeriy cibn HaGaon HaRav Zev Smith, dxez ixeriy oebx`e ,dklda ineid sc ,xeriy cibn

To listen LIVE: Press * and choose “Special Asifos”

HaGaon HaRav Yitzchok Sorotzkin, ce`eewiilc `zaizn ,flh daiyi y`x

To listen to the archives: For English: Press 1, then press 7 for Special Topics, Press 4 for Special Asifos,

HaGaon HaRav Yechiel Mechel Steinmetz, `xieewq ,sqei awri zeclez ldwc ,u"nec HaGaon HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel, dyn oexkf dlecb daiyi ,daiyi y`x

Press 1 for Dirshu Kinnos Olam HaTorah.

*list in formation

ycew zay i`ven HIGHLIGHTS

RECEPTION:8:15PM

PROGRAM:8:45PM

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HaGaon HaRav Berel Povarsky

Address from:

‫כ”ק אדמו”ר מוויען‬

`"hily

Address from:

HaGaon HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel

daiyi y`x 'faept zaiyi

`"hily

daiyi y`x dyn oexkf dlecb daiyi

Presentation of the highlights from the Dirshu World Siyumim, featuring: Admor M’Belz, `"hily HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky, `"hily HaGaon HaRav Aharon Leib Shteinman, `"hily HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Wosner, `"hily and many other Gedolei Yisrael Grand siyum / melava malka catered by Parkway Glatt Kosher Caterers, Gedalya Jacobowitz HASHGACHA BY NIRBATER RAV, SHLITA Shlomei Daskal accompanied by CHOIR AND ORCHESTRA LED BY RUVI BANET

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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 8 , 2012

The Week Global The World’s Most Prosperous Countries

A country that used to be famous for its career opportunities no longer makes the list of the 10 most prosperous countries in the world. According to a new study by the Legatum Institute, prosperity increased globally but the United States fell to 12th place in its rankings of the world’s most prosperous countries. This means that the U.S. has weakening perfor-

mance across five of the Index’s eight sub-categories. The 2012 index analyzed 142 countries in eight categories: economy, education, entrepreneurship & opportunity, governance, health, personal freedom, safety & security and social capital. More than half of the most prosperous countries are located in Europe. According to the study, overall prosperity in Europe has increased despite the economic crisis, though several European countries have seen their scores drop in categories analyzing economic development. The top spot goes to Norway followed by Denmark, Sweden, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Finland, Netherlands, Switzerland, and Ireland in spot number 10. The report projects that fewer U.S. citizens agree that working hard results in success. “The American Dream is in jeopardy,” the report writes. It may be relevant to note that the Legatum Institute is part of the Legatum Group, a Dubai-based private investment company founded by New Zealand billionaire Christopher Chandler.

In News Terrorist Offers Hurricane Assistance

In the trauma of post-Hurricane Sandy, people are willing to accept any help they can get—except if it’s from one of the world’s most wanted terrorists. The U.S. has gladly denied assistance from Pakistani terror leader, Hafiz Saeed. Saeed is an Islamist militant who is alleged to have masterminded the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks that left

more than 160 people dead. He issued a written statement on Wednesday saying his organization was willing to send supplies and volunteers to help the U.S. East Coast recover. “We are ready to send food items, medicines and doctors to the U.S. for the people affected by the storm,” said Saeed. “America [may] fix bounties on our heads but as followers of the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him), we feel it is our Islamic duty to help Americans trapped in a catastrophe.” Saeed noted that the charity he heads provided aid in Sri Lanka and Indonesia after the 2004 tsunami. In response to Saeed’s offer, the U.S. Embassy in Pakistan declined via Twitter. “We respect the Islamic tradition of help to the needy,” said the tweet, “but we can’t take Hafiz Saeed’s offer seriously.” A few months ago, on April 2, the State Department announced a $10 million reward for information about Saeed. It said the bounty had “everything to do with Mumbai and his brazen flouting of the justice system.” Saeed Continued on page 15

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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 8 , 2012

In light of the recent hurricane, South Shore Cognitive Therapy is offering a session free of charge to members of our community. • Understand how you and your family were affected psychologically and emotionally by the storm. • Learn evidence-based practical coping strategies.

Please see article on page 65.

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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 8 , 2012

MULTIPLE S R E V I R D

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Letters to Continued from page 7 The Great Adventure Monday, October 29th at 6:00 p.m. I was on the computer when all of the sudden, the power went off. It was the beginning of Hurricane Sandy. At that moment, I was the only one who had a flashlight. I jumped out of my chair and went to get my siblings who didn’t have a flashlight and then went to get my parents. That night we had a candlelight dinner when all of the sudden the wind pushed our window open. Everybody was petrified besides my father. I jumped and caught the falling window. I put the window back in place and told our father to secure the windows in our house. That night we went to sleep all together in my parents’ room. We didn’t realize that the window was facing the way the wind was hitting. We couldn’t fall asleep because the wind was hitting the window so hard that my father was scared that it would shatter so he told us to go into my room. It was a lot quieter than the other room and we were able to sleep a lot better. However my father stayed up because he was nervous about outside. He saw the water

was slowly rising up to our 1st step of our house. An hour later, he saw that it was up to the 2nd step and got very nervous. He knew that we were in a very dangerous situation so he ran outside to our backyard and leaped over the fence that was about 6 feet! Then he banged on our back neighbor’s door about 20 times and woke up the whole house. He apologized and then asked if our family could stay there. “Of course,” they replied with a smile. My father ran back into our house and screamed, “Everybody up, follow me.” He took us to the backyard. The water level was about 1 foot high so all of our shoes were wet and some water even got into our shoes. My father told me to climb over the fence and he would pass my siblings over. Shaking, I climbed over the fence and caught my two sisters and two brothers and my father helped my mother over the fence. We got inside the house and ran to the couch. It was about 11:30. We were all up when my little brother Yehuda, who is 2, thought it would be funny to yell on top of his lungs. We quieted him down before their baby woke up. At about 3:00, my father decided to go back. We climbed

the Editor over the fence and went to bed. The next morning, we found out our basement was flooded to about 3 feet. Wow, what an adventure we had! Best Regards, Moshe Harary, Age 11 Dear Friends and Neighbors, All those of you who are affected by the storm, I would suggest you would call the following number in order to register with FEMA, 1-800-621-3362, as soon as possible. Perhaps it would be best if you contacted them at www.disasterassistance. gov. They will request information regarding your losses and coverage. It will take approximately 15 minutes to

complete the application. They will ask for a contact telephone number. It is imperative that the phone number you give them to reach you, will be the one on which they can reach you. Also, it is extremely important that someone be available at your property at the scheduled appointment. If you miss them, you will be put on the bottom of the list. Please be truthful as this is federal funds and one does not want to be fraudulent. Please take as many pictures as possible of the damage and keep all damaged items in garbage bags, if possible. Also, call your homeowner’s insurance to start claim process with them. Irving Langer

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.

Continued from page 10 responded to the announcement of the bounty by publicly taunting the U.S. government. “I am here, I am visible,” said Saeed on April 4. “America should give that reward money to me.” State Department spokesman Mark Toner reacted to Saeed’s taunts by stressing that the reward was for specific information leading to his arrest or conviction, not his location. “We all know where he is,” said Toner. “Every journalist in Pakistan knows where he is.” Toner said it was unfortunate that Saeed was free to give press conferences, but that the U.S. hopes “to put him behind bars” and is seeking information that would “give the Pakistani government the tools to arrest him.” The $10 million bounty makes Saeed among the top five most-wanted on the U.S. terror list; al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri is worth a $25 million reward. The U.S. also offered up to $2 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Saeed’s brother-in-law, who is the deputy leader of Lashkar-e-Taiba. With friends like these, who needs enemies?

Russian Sub Nears the U.S. Russia has been continually flexing its naval and aerial power against the leader of the free world. Just recently, a Russian nuclear-powered attack submarine was found cruising within 200 miles off the East Coast of the United States. This is the first time that a Russian Seirra-2 class submarine was detected near the United States coastline. Just last week, a Russian electronic intelligence-gathering vessel, the Russian AGI ship, was granted safe harbor during the recent storm in the commercial port of Jacksonville, Florida. The port is within listening range of Kings Bay, Georgia which is a homeport for two guided missile submarines and six nuclear missile submarines. The submarines are known targets for Russian attack submarines. “A Russian AGI and SSN in the same geographic area as one of the largest U.S. ballistic missile submarine bases—Kings Bay—is reminiscent of Cold War activities of the Soviet navy tracking the movements of our SSBNs,” an official said. Another official said that the submarine “poses no threat whatsoever” and that “things worked the way they were supposed to.”

Man Goes To Jail for Tweeting

Be careful what you say when touring this small country. Bahrain is located on an island near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is a constitutional monarchy headed by the king, Shaikh Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. Last week, a man who insulted the king on Twitter was sentenced to six months in jail as the nation cracks down on rebellion amid increasingly violent protests. The man, whose name was not released, was one of four on trial for “defaming” King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa. The decision was met by hundreds of protesters who took to the streets to voice their anger over a ban on protesting. The monarchy brutally stamped out a pro-democracy uprising last year but tensions between the government and protesters have been building once again. In recent weeks, there have been organized marches almost daily and some even ended in violent clashes with molotov cocktails and tear gas. Two protesters have been shot dead by security forces throughout this ordeal. A ban on protesting was announced this week which only served to fuel tensions. Bahrain’s Interior Ministry said that “repeated abuse” of the right to freedom of speech had forced them to make the move, adding that the ban was intended to be temporary. As protesters gathered following Friday prayers, activists said a 12-yearold was among those injured as riot police fired tear gas, with the canister hitting him in the head. The UN Secretary General Ban Kimoon has urged Bahrain to lift the protest ban saying it could “aggravate the situation” in the country, while the US has said it is “deeply concerned” by the ban.

Islamists Rally In Egypt On Friday in Cairo, more than 1,000 Islamists rallied for the implementation of sharia Islamic law, highlighting divisions in society as rival factions push to reshape Egypt.

In News Liberals fight against the role of Islam with Islamists who dominate a 100-strong assembly that is in the process of drawing up a new constitution which must be approved in a ballot before a new parliamentary election can be held. The protesters chanted, “Islamiya, Islamiya,” in Tahrir Square, the center of the uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak who spent 30 years keeping Islamists quiet. “No to liberalism, no to secularism, I don’t want anything other than sharia,” the protesters shouted many waving black flags emblazoned with Islamic slogans. There have been many rallies since the fall of Mubarak but Friday’s rally in comparison to those was relatively modest and small in numbers. The Muslim Brotherhood, which helped President Mohamed Mursi rise to power earlier this year and which takes a less conservative approach, was not involved in the protest. So far drafts of the constitution that have been drawn up by the assembly indicate more Islamic references than the previous constitution. This worries the more liberal-minded Egyptians and

Christians, who make up about a tenth of the nation of 83 million. The main concern of the new constitution is the imposition of social restrictions.

Statue of Lance Armstrong to Be Burned

Lance Armstrong took a tumble from the spotlight in recent months. As if being stripped of his Tour de France titles wasn’t enough, the English town of Edenbridge has plans to burn a 30 foot statue of the professional cyclist Lance Armstrong. The massive figure will be set afire on Saturday in celebration of Guy Continued on page 18

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

The Week

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

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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 8 , 2012

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Fawkes Day which was on November 5. It is a tradition in England to set off fireworks and to burn bonfires and images or statues on this day to commemorate the discovery of Guy Fawkes’ plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. Armstrong isn’t the first celebrity to be carefully selected for this blazing tradition. Edenbridge has a history of choosing celebrity athletes to burn in effigy. Previously they built replicas of soccer stars Wayne Rooney and Mario Balotelli to burn. C’mon, give the guy a break! He already got his punishment.

Ex-Neo Nazi Regrets Joining Taliban Evil just got eviler when a former neo-Nazi turned jihadist attacked an American-base near the Afghan-Pakistan border. Now that man is telling German courts that he deeply regrets his

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decision to become a terrorist. The 27-year-old man has been identified only as Thomas U. He signed up for the German Taliban Mujahidin (DTM) and traveled with his wife to the war-torn Afghan-Pakistan border. He is now calling that move a “terrible mistake.” In court, the jihadist lamented his fellow combatants’ drug habits, lacking hygiene, contracting hepatitis A and the loss of his friends on the battlefield. He said his wife missed every day comforts such as shopping at the supermarket and using a cell phone. In 2010, Thomas’s wife became pregnant so the couple attempted to escape to Istanbul, Turkey but were arrested. She gave birth in a Turkish prison. He expressed his relief at escaping the dreadful conditions. “My wife was very unhappy because traditionally women are treated badly,” he added. Thomas U is being charged with being a member of the DTM and participating in an attack on an American base. According to the report, he paid 5,000 euros to travel to the Afghan-

Pakistan border in 2009, and was locally trained in the use of firearms and explosives. He even appeared in a Taliban propaganda video, boasting that the attack “disrupted the Christmas spirit” on the base. Some mistakes are just too big to undo.

Japanese Town for Sale Location! Location! Location! Izumisano is a city in the western region of Osaka. It owes its creditors well over 100 billion yen which is about 1.25 billion in dollars and has put itself up for sale. This city is located near Kansai International Airport and many believe this is the reason for its financial downfall. “The city spent a lot of money building roads and other infrastructure because the airport was built in this relatively remote place,” an official said on condition of anonymity. “The mayor believes the city government needs to seek new ways to make profit.” The city is seeking a sponsor prepared to put out at least a billion yen. Sponsors will also need to sign a tenyear contract affirming an association with the city, for example by moving their headquarters there. The plan was originally announced in June but surprisingly, there were no takers. However, there were quite a few inquiries, mostly from some of the city’s 103,000 residents who are not in support of the plan. They feel the name of the city has a rich history and is not something that should be bought or sold. Izumisano is well known for its towel-making industry (think Bed, Bath, and Beyond).

Israel Peres Supports Abbas’ Remarks Last Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told Channel 2 that the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem are Palestine – and the rest is Israel. He added that while he would like to visit his birthplace Safed, a city in northern Israel, he has no desire to live there. Abbas further stated that as long as he’s president he would ensure there would “never” be a third intifada. In response to those remarks made by the Palestinian president, Shimon

19 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Peres said that the PA’s leader “proves with his words and his actions that Israel has a true partner for peace.” “Israel is a peace-seeking country and as such we must extend a brave hand in peace to a leader like Abu Mazen [Abbas]. The brave opinions that he has voiced [indicate] a real hope for peace.”

“Abbas is rejecting terror,” Peres said in a statement. “He knows very well that the solution to the Palestinian refugee problem won’t be found within Israel and won’t compromise Israel’s character.” Peres feels that Abbas’ opinions should be taken seriously, as they are in line with the stance of the Israeli government and the majority of the public “who supports a two-state solution.” Rumors have been circulating that Shimon Peres might soon pursue an elected office, and many are speculating that his statements are heavily politically inclined. However, Palestinians weren’t too pleased with Abbas’ remarks. Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh, blasted the Palestinian president for the comments he gave to the Israeli media, alleging that they contradict longtime Palestinian territorial demands. Haniyeh called Abbas’ remarks “extremely dangerous.”

Teddy Bears Sent from U.S. to Israel to Make Sick Children Smile

frequent fliers don’t have a name that you would recognize. They are not executives, diplomats or dignitaries. They are furry little friends on a mission to bring smiles to the faces of sick children in Israel. Clair Ginsburg from New Jersey started an organization called “Operation Bear” that collects used teddy bears from the United States and sends them to an Israeli hospital. Since the pilot flight nearly ten years ago, Ginsburg has sent more than 130,000 teddy bears overseas. “I think we’re very lucky,” Betty, who stood at the terminal holding a stick with a teddy bear attached to it, said. “Because we’re at retirement age and we’re doing something that makes us feel great.” The operations begin in New Jersey with Claire packing the toys into duffel bags to be carried by volunteers to Israel. Upon arrival in Israel, the volunteer meets the Wolfes, who then sort through the bears to make sure they are clean and in good condition. Then it’s off to the Meir hospital in central Israeli city of Kfar Saba where the bears finally arrive at their destination. Then the goods are given to Debbie, the head nurse at the hospital and daughter to Eddie and Betty Wolfe. “We have 50,000 children coming every year,” Debbie said, “and each child receives a teddy bear.” These bears make a 5,600-mile journey just to make ill children feel a little bit happier. That’s a true act of kindness…Tizku L’mitzvos!

In News World’s First Cardboard Wheelchair Rolls Out of Israel

Israeli entrepreneur Nimrod Elmish is excited about his latest project: the world’s first cardboard wheelchair. It took an entire Israeli team to construct the cheap alternative for many with handicaps. “Welcome to the startup nation,” Elmish said. “We have seen you can build agriculture in the middle of the desert. We recognize a major problem in the world and we find the best solutions. We can always find a solution – you just need persistence and patience.” There has been tremendous feedback and global interest in their first venture which was recyclable cardboard

Every week, Betty and Eddie Wolfe visit Ben Gurion Airport to pick up some extremely important passengers arriving from the United States. These 1.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

The Week

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

The Week bicycles. Elmish and automation expert Izhar Gafni of I.G. Cardboard Technologies have been working 0n this new project that is made with less than $10 worth of durable recycled cardboard, plastic bottles and recycled tires. “Anything that you make out of wood, plastic or metal can be made out of our material,” Elmish said. “Cardboard bikes, wagons, wheelchairs, chairs for airplanes or trains, toys, even cars. We’re not building cars yet. But I say, ‘yet.’ We believe that nothing is impossible and anything is possible.” This can change peoples’ lives across the world. An international non-profit organization that provides wheelchairs for the disabled in developing nations heard about the cardboard bicycles and got in touch with ERB, the parent company of I.G. Cardboard Technologies. Since 2001, the organization has bought 120,000 metal wheelchairs from Chinese manufacturers every year to ship to Africa, at an annual cost of more than $6 million. “It will cost him a one-time fee of $6 million to build a factory for the production of cardboard wheelchairs in Africa and then almost

nothing to produce them,” Elmish said. “He can produce as many wheelchairs as he wants once the factory is running. All we need is access to old car tires, plastic bottle recycling and cardboard recycling.” The maintenance-free cardboard wheelchair weighs about 20 pounds and can withstand water and humidity. It can carry riders weighing up to 400 pounds.

In News man rights. When a civil war broke out in Ethiopia in the 1980s, the Jews living there faced persecution. Israel sprang into action, and in two dramatic airlift operations, one in 1984 and another in 1991, managed to transplant over 20,000 men, women, and children.

Israel Launches Operation Dove This week, Israel officially launched “Operation Dove” to bring home the last of Ethiopia’s Jews. The first flight in Operation Dove landed in Tel Aviv on Monday with 240 of Ethiopia’s “Falash Mura.” The Falash Mura are part of an Ethiopian tribe that used to go by the name of “Beta Israel.” Sometime during the past two centuries, a large number of Beta Israel tribesmen converted to Christianity. For some, the conversion was forced, for others adopting Christianity was the only way to gain full hu-

Unfortunately, a large number were left behind and were eventually moved into refugee camps. Some have been waiting there for over 10 years to be reunited with family and friends in Israel. The goal is that between now and March 2014, Operation Dove will see the rest of those Ethiopian Jews returned to Israel.

widest and 200 meters (yards) at its narrowest, was created after the Yom Kippur War in which Syria tried to retake the strategic region. Marco Carminjani, an official with the U.N. body supervising the zone, said he could not immediately confirm the entry of the tanks but did say that if true, it would be a violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement between the two countries. There have been concerns in Israel that violence from Syria’s civil war could spill across the border. On several occasions, misfired shells entered Israel and in September, a rocket fired from Syria landed in central Golan Heights. There also is concern about what would happen if the Assad regime is toppled in Syria and power falls into the hands of Islamic fundamentalists or chaos ensues.

National Uncle Sam Hears You on the Bus

Syrian Tanks Enter the Golan Heights This weekend, the Israeli army said three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone of the Golan Heights. The incident is the first of its kind in 40 years and was not regarded as an incident of hostility toward Israel but as a face-off against Syrian rebel forces. Nevertheless, Israel complained to the U.N. peacekeeping force in the area after the incident occurred. There have also been reports that two Syrian armored personnel carriers have crossed into the zone and several mortar shells have fallen in the area as well.

The demilitarized zone, which is about 7 kilometers (3.5 miles) at its

When riding on the bus, make sure you watch what you say! City officials in Baltimore have authorized the recording of private conversations on public buses “to investigate crimes, accidents and poor customer service.” There will be signs to alert passengers that open mics will be recording their personal conversations. Ten buses have been outfitted with the new equipment; by next summer, half of the city’s fleet will be equipped with the updated surveillance equipment. Right now, buses are being videoed and officials say the new audio will “complete the information package for investigators and responders.” David Rocah, a staff attorney with the Maryland chapter of the ACLU, said he is “flabbergasted” by this update. “People don’t want or need to have their private conversations recorded by MTA as a condition of riding a bus. A significant number of people have no viable alternative to riding a bus, and they should not be forced to give up their privacy rights.” The attorney general’s office has

23 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

The Week said that this does not violate state wiretapping laws.

Sifrei Torah Damaged In Hurricane

It’s been a devastating week on the East Coast as people begin to face the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricane Sandy. Perhaps the most painful damage is

the loss of many Sifrei Torah. One community in Brighton Beach suffered tremendous damage and The Mazel Day School run by Chabad that services the Russian-speaking Jewish community got flooded. The school’s ground floor which houses the Beis Midrash sustained the greatest damage. So far, the damage there has been estimated at $450,000, which does not include the cost of repairing the Sifrei Torah, that are worth alone hundreds of thousands of dollars. “It breaks my heart, makes me cry,” said a woman whose children study in the school after viewing the damage. “I can’t even show the pictures to my children.” School principal Chani Okonov says the destruction caused by the storm “left the Jewish community heartbroken.” According to Okonov, “Years of hard work, love and attention were dedicated to the establishment of this school, which is the only Jewish educational institution in the area.” Many community members have been volunteering to help clean-up and restore the school and synagogue. “The

In News volunteer work is heartwarming,” says Okonov, “but financial support from external sources is critical for the restoration of the school, which has a crucial role in the Jewish-Russian community.” Our thoughts are with this special community. May they have the strength to rebuild and continue to make a kiddush Hashem.

odd numbered license plates can fill up on odd days of the month. The system was put into practice in twelve counties over the weekend. The governor has said that the southern part of the New Jersey does not have a gas shortage and was not included in the plan.

Time to Fall Back

Residents Line up For Hours for Gas Too little has been said about the gas shortage in the tri-state area. Due to the storm and what seems to be like politicians’ blunderings, much of New York and New Jersey is hit with a major gas shortage. Residents have been lining up for hours, desperate to buy gas. Many need to go back to their homes or jobs or are looking to leave town but don’t have the gas necessary for the trip. Some are considering not going to vote because they are concerned about wasting the precious commodity.

One Brooklyn resident told TJH that he waited on a gas line for three hours in the early morning on Sunday only to find out that there was no gas at the gas station. Those waiting on the line were waiting in the hopes that a gas tanker would come to fill up the station’s reserves and then they would be able to get gas. Another resident waited for almost five hours on a gas line until he was able to fill up his tank. Even then, the gas station was only accepting cash and he filled up his car with as much gas as he could afford. People have been waiting on lines with gas canisters to fill their tanks as well. Some feel that the lines are shorter that way, but then they can only get a limited amount of gas, not enough to fill a tank. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has instituted an odd-even system to help ease gas shortages in his state. Reminiscent of the gas shortages in Jimmy Carter’s era, cars with even numbered license plates can fill up on even days of the month and cars with

This past Sunday at 2:00 a.m., the clocks “fell back” an hour. This means brighter mornings but darker evenings (and dark afternoons for those still without power). Perhaps you were wondering when this system was put into place… Daylight saving time was first suggested by Ben Franklin, who originally meant it as a joke. He wrote in 1784 that Parisians’ night-owl ways could perhaps be cured by forcing them to live by the sun’s light. But daylight saving wasn’t put into place until World War I, when Germany instituted the biannual time change to save fuel for the war effort. Britain soon followed suit. Then in 1918, when the United States joined the war, they took on daylight saving time as well. After the war ended, however, Congress eliminated the time change. Farmers were upset because they had to do their jobs by the sun no matter what time the clock read. When President Woodrow Wilson tried to defend daylight saving time, Congress actually overrode his veto of their repeal. Then World War II broke out. And American officials instituted daylight saving time once again to save energy for the war. But post-World War II, the United States was less rural than postWorld War I. This time more people supported keeping daylight savings so they could enjoy the summer sun after working hours. For a few years, the country was divided and confused. Some towns kept daylight savings, while others didn’t. According to David Prerau, author of Seize the Daylight: The Curious and Contentious Story of Daylight Saving Continued on page 29

Moreinu HaRav

Yartzeit

Aharon Kotler

Commemoration

Celebrating a Yovel of Torah Growth

Join Klal Yisroel

in commemorating the historic 50th Yartzeit and enduring Torah legacy of Moreinu HaRav Aharon l"wevf

l`xyi ihay cgi ,mr iy`x sq`zda dxkf` Sunday, November 18, 2012 / b"ryz elqk 'c Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, New Jersey

COMPLETE AZKARAH SCHEDULE

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

‫בית‬ ‫מדרש‬ ‫גבוה‬

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

26 ‫בית‬ ‫מדרש‬ ‫גבוה‬

Additional Azkarah Events Thursday Night Yahrtzeit Program / ukxf ‘c ouhk rut November 15 Location: Time:

Israel Henry Beren Hall, 617 Sixth Street 5:45 - 7:45 pm: followed by chrgn

HARAV DOVID SCHUSTAL

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫דברי זכרון‬

HARAV CHAIM LEIB EPSTEIN

‫ ברוקלין‬,‫ ישיבת זכרון מלך‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫דברי חיזוק והכרת ערכה של תורה‬

HARAV HILLEL ZAKS

‫ קרית ספר‬,‫ ישיבת חברון‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫לימודים פון אונזער רבי‬

Motzoei Shabbos / Siyum HaShas and Melava Malka Program Location: Time:

Israel Henry Beren Hall, 617 Sixth Street 8:30 - 11:00 PM

HARAV YERUCHIM OLSHIN

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV MOSHE HILLEL HIRSCH

‫ בני ברק‬,‫ ישיבת סלבודקא‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV SHOLOM SCHECHTER

‫ ירושלים‬,‫ ישיבה נר משה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV SHMUEL KAMENETZKY

‫ ישיבה ד’פילאדעלפיא‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

Zemiros:

Reb Abish Brodt

27 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

‫בית‬ ‫מדרש‬ ‫גבוה‬

MAIN YARTZEIT PROGRAM At Beth Medrash Govoha, Lakewood, New Jersey

ukxf ‘s

/ SUNDAY, NOV. 18

ohkkuf hatr • vchah hatr • ktrah hkusd • irvt crv hshnk, hbez ,up,,avc vrfzt ktrah hpkt ,uccru • vchahv hrduc • vchahv hshnk, • vrucj hatr • ohrunst Location:

Seventh Street, Corner of Private Way

(Former site of Bais Eliyahu)

12:45 - 1:10 pm:

vjbn iurfz hrcs

1:10 - 2:30 pm:

(English translation will be available for the drashos that are in Yiddish)

HARAV MENACHEM JUNI

‫ מקסיקו‬,‫ ישיבת כתר תורה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫דברי פתיחה‬

HARAV ARYEH MALKIEL KOTLER

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬ The Zeide’s Fire

HARAV MATISYOHU SALOMON

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫משגיח‬ ‫– תורה לשמה‬Our Foundations of Life HARAV UREN REICH

‫ ישיבה גדולה וואוד לייק‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫ והסנה איננו אכל‬-‫רב אהרן‬ 2:30 - 3:00 pm:

k"eumz irvt crv ,nab rfzk vru, rpx ,ch,f ;ux

3:00 - 3:10 pm:

AZKARAH VIDEO PRESENTATION

3:10 - 3:30 pm:

GROUNDBREAKING, NEW MERKAZ HATORAH

• Dedication of Bais Medrash Bais Yitzchok

• Dedication of Binyan Herzka

3:30 - 4:00 pm:

vru, rpx ,xbfv and ohsuehr Dancing from Seventh Street & Private Way to the Beren Building / Maon Zafir

Continued on page 27

Lakewood Community Shabbos of Azkarah ‫ פרשת תולדות‬Shabbos Schedule

Fifth Street & Private Way

Fourteenth St. & Ardenwood

Squankum Road

Ridge Avenue

HARAV ARYEH MALKIEL KOTLER

HARAV YERUCHIM OLSHIN

HARAV DOVID SCHUSTAL

HARAV YISROEL NEUMAN

REB OSHER GREEN

HARAV CHAIM FASMAN

‫ כולל דלוס אנגלס‬,‫ראש כולל‬

‫ ישיבה גדולה וואוד לייק‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

REB MEIR SCHICK

HARAV YITZCHOK WASSERMAN

‫בית דוד‬

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV SHOLOM SCHECTER

‫ ירושלים‬,‫ ישיבה נר משה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬ HARAV ZEV TIKOTZKY

‫מכון משנת רבי אהרן‬

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬ ‫מתלמידי ר’ אהרן‬ ‫ממקורבי ר’ אהרן‬

4:31 :‫שבת‬

‫מנחה וקבלת‬

5:29 :‫מעריב‬ Bendheim Bais Medrash

1193 West County Line Road

Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Yaakov Mueller 641 Fifth Street

Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Menashe Frankel 1415 Ardenwood Avenue

‫עם מזמרים‬

Case & Autumn Roads

Raintree

‫בית החסידים ד’גור‬

‫ בית מדרש גבוה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV UREN REICH

4:21 :‫שבת‬

‫מנחה וקבלת‬

‫ דנווער‬,‫ ישיבה תורת חיים‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

322 Ridge Avenue

‫קול שמשון‬

Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Ohr Yechezkel 307 Ridge Avenue

4:26 :‫שבת‬

‫מנחה וקבלת‬

323 Squankum Road Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Lazar Weinman 28 Twelfth Street

‫עם מזמרים‬

‫עם מזמרים‬ Glen Avenue

Glen Avenue Cont.

‫תפלת שחרית‬ 8:15

‫בית מדרש נחלת יעקב‬ HARAV MEYER HERSHKOWITZ

HARAV SHMUEL MILLER

REB AVROHOM TANNENBAUM

‫ מקסיקו‬,‫ ישיבת כתר תורה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV NOSSON NUSBAUM

‫קהילת יעקב עקיבא‬

‫מנחה וקבלת שבת‬

‫ סטמפארד‬,‫ ישיבה בית בנימין‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬ ‫מתלמידי ר’ אהרן‬

‫מנחה וקבלת שבת‬ 4:24

‫נר דוד‬

‫ ישיבה בית ישראל‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV MENACHEM JUNI 4:24 :‫שבת‬

‫מנחה וקבלת‬

1371 Alvarado Avenue Oneg Shabbos: 8:30

‫קהילת יעקב עקיבא‬

HARAV MOSHE HILLEL HIRSCH

‫ בני ברק‬,‫ ישיבת סלבודקא‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

Central Avenue & Central Court

1395 Central Avenue

‫ באלטימאר‬,‫ ישיבה נר ישראל‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫תפלת מוסף‬

4:42 Chanichei Hayeshivos 142 Hollywood Avenue

125 Glen Avenue South

‫עטרת בנימין‬

‫מנחה ושלוש סעודות‬ 3:50 Columbus Avenue Shul

1405 Tanglewood Lane

1371 Alvarado Avenue

Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Mr. & Mrs. Moshe Geller 334 Autumn Road

‫עם מזמרים‬ 3:54 :‫מנחה ושלוש סעודות‬ ‫אור יעקב‬

Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Reuven Millet 203 Columbus Ave. South

1512 Laguna Lane

‫עם מזמרים‬

Pine River

Sterling Forest

Tori Court

Westgate

HARAV CHAIM BRESSLER

HARAV YAAKOV M. HIRSCHMANN

‫ קרית ספר‬,‫ ישיבת חברון‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

HARAV HILLEL ZAKS

HARAV CHAIM LEIB EPSTEIN

REB PINCHOS GRUMAN

RABBI YECHIEL SPERO Noted Author

8:30 :‫תפלת שחרית‬ Bais Medrash of Westgare 100 Ropshitz Court

‫עם מזמרים‬

‫ סקרנטאן‬,‫ ישיבה בית משה‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬ HARAV SHLOMO MILLER

‫ כולל אבריכים ד’טאראנטא‬,‫ראש כולל‬

4:24 :‫מנחה וקבלת שבת‬ Bais Medrash of Pine River 501 River Avenue Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Yehoshua Bressler 70 Ponderosa Drive

‫עם מזמרים‬

‫ כולל אבריכים ד’טאראנטא‬,‫ראש כולל‬

‫ ראש מכון מהר’’ל‬,‫מזקני רבני לוס אנגלס‬

4:19 :‫מנחה וקבלת שבת‬ Cong. Sterling Forest Ashkenaz 144 Hadassa Lane (Downstairs) Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Aharon Hirschmann 208 Hadassah Lane

‫עם מזמרים‬

4:26 :‫שבת‬

‫מנחה וקבלת‬

1395 Central Avenue

‫ ברוקלין‬,‫ ישיבת זכרון מלך‬,‫ראש ישיבה‬

‫ב”מ בית אהרן‬

41 Clearstream Road Oneg Shabbos: 8:30 Rabbi & Mrs. Shuki Katz 11 Tori Court

‫עם מזמרים‬

PLEASE NOTE: We will attempt to accommodate out-of-town guests who want to participate in the ,ca program. If you need accommodations, please call 732-367-1060 x 4275 or email Eventinfo@bmg.edu.

Bottom Line Marketing Group: 718.377.4567

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Time, a 35-mile bus ride from Moundsville, West Virginia to Steubenville, Ohio, took riders through seven different time changes. Finally, in 1966, Congress passed the Uniform Time Act, stipulating that while states were not required to implement daylight saving time, they had to make a decision and the entire state needed to follow it. The federal government chose the “spring forward” and “fall back” days for changing clocks.

New York City Marathon Run Out of Town To run or not to run? Perhaps many are confused about the drama surrounding this year’s New York City Marathon. Originally, Bloomberg said that the marathon would go on and serve as a demonstration that the city was recovering from the storm and moving forward. However, other elected officials from around the city disagreed and said holding it so soon after a major storm would be an insult to hard-hit residents still cleaning up and still grieving over the many people who lost their lives due to the storm. “We would not want a cloud to hang over the race or its participants, and so we have decided to cancel it,” Mr. Bloomberg and the organizers said in a joint news release. “We cannot allow a controversy over an athletic event— even one as meaningful as this—to distract attention away from all the critically important work that is being done to recover from the storm and get our city back on track.” Mary Wittenberg, chief executive of the New York Road Runners, had attempted to recast the marathon as a “Race to Recovery,” highlighted by a fundraising drive to support relief efforts. Already those efforts have raised $1.1 million from the Rudin family, a longtime sponsor of the marathon, a $1 million commitment from the Road Runners, $500,000 from ING, the event’s title sponsor, and what will likely be hundreds of thousands more from runners who have been asked to donate $26.20 to recovery efforts. “They’re running this race to help New York City and the donations from all the runners in the clubs will be a big relief to our efforts,” Mr. Bloomberg said. Pressed further to defend the deci-

sion and asked whether the race would divert police resources needed elsewhere in the city, Mr. Bloomberg said it would not, and he invoked former Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s decision to hold the marathon after the September 11 attacks. He said police would no longer be needed by Sunday to oversee traffic at intersections where lights are out and that the return of mass transit will significantly improve quality of life for the city’s residents. He has repeatedly noted the marathon’s ability to bring business and tax revenue to the city. “You have to keep going and doing things and you have to grieve. You can cry and you can laugh, all at the same time,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “That’s what human beings are good at.”

However, in the end, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and organizers made a decision to cancel the race that was scheduled amid growing concerns that if the event would happen it would divert resources from cleanup efforts in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. Bloomberg was pressured by many public officials who insisted that the event be cancelled. Speaker Christine C. Quinn said in a statement that holding the marathon “is not a decision I would have made,” but added that people needed to move forward and focus on assistance. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer and Public Advocate Bill de Blasio were also among those calling for the marathon to be postponed or canceled, as well as several others from hard-hit areas in Queens and Staten Island. At the Jacob Javits Center, where the pre-marathon expo was being held on Friday, volunteers stopped admitting runners for check-in, although long lines still awaited direction from organizers. Some runners were shocked and disappointed to learn that the race had been cancelled. Others felt that the city had made the right decision.

In News That’s Odd Gun Found in Library Book

It’s quite a page-turner but this story is not a work of fiction. A book donated to the Porter County Public Library in Valparaiso, Indiana this week was found to have an antique gun hidden inside its pages. An employee opening a copy of Robert Stone’s “Outbridge Reach” found the book hollowed out with a historic-looking handgun inside, Valparaiso police said. The weapon was described by police as a gold, wooden handle, A.S.M. brand, .31-caliber, single shot, black powder gun. Due to the volume of donations received by the library, officials said there’s no way to know who donated the book. Police said, however, the gun hadn’t been reported stolen. And I thought reading was good for you!

World’s Smallest Hotel Room

Tokyo has opened up hotels targeting businessmen who miss the last train home or just need to stay overnight in order to get to work early the next day. In order to keep rates down in the overpopulated city, the hotel has come up with a way to cram a lot of rooms into a little space. Each hotel room is called a “capsule” and is 6.5 feet by 3 feet with a height of 4 feet. (Wow, these businessmen must be really small…) The capsules are stacked side by side with two units top to bottom, with steps providing access to the second level rooms. Luggage is stored in a locker. A curtain or a fiberglass door at the open end of the capsule ensures privacy. Washrooms are communal and some hotels include restaurants (or at least vending machines), pools, and other entertainment facilities. Rates at the hotel are usually around ¥2000-4000 (US$25–50) a night.

Card of Gold

This bank card is worth its weight in gold—literally! Sberbank-Kazakhstan has announced plans to issue a limited edition Visa Infinite Exclusive card made exclusively of pure gold, 26 diamonds and inlaid mother of pearl. And yes, this card will truly be exclusive, especially since it will cost consumers $100,000 to obtain the card. $65,000 will go towards minting the card itself (customers will also receive a plastic version as well—I’m guessing that one will be free!) and the remaining $35,000 will remain in the user’s account. But lest you think that you’ll be putting your money down for nothing, cardholders can expect top perks such as life and health insurance, concierge service, discounts at hotels and restaurants, and lounge access at airports. Cardholders will also receive a free iPhone and Montblanc card case. Oh, and there’s a $2,000 a year fee after the first year. Galym Tabyldiev, the head of Visa in Kazakhstan, commented, “Visa Infinite Exclusive is more than a bank card: it opens its doors to the owners of exclusive services and privileges.” The bank says it plans to issue only

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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I have to admit that I am not into video games, but after hearing how much someone spent on one, I’m wondering if there’s something to it. Harv Bennett just sold a copy of the incredibly rare Atari 2600 game Air Raid for over $33,000. The Pomona, CA man found the game in the family storage shed after he read about the scarcity of the game. He put the collectible up for auction online and he received $33,433.30, a new record for the Air Raid game. Bennett is a good dad and he says the money will go to his daughter, Alana. “She just bought a house and it’s a real fixer-upper. Almost all the money I’m giving to Alana to help her with her house,” he said. Just last week, an eBay auction of another boxed copy of this game ended up being sold for only $14,000. Bennett’s copy was in better condition and contained the original instruction manual. Believe it or not, the highest all-time record price paid for a video game was $55,000 for Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda. Seems like this may be a good business.

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A municipal court judge came up with a unique way of punishing a woman in Cleveland who did something truly silly. The woman was caught on camera driving on a sidewalk in order to avoid a school bus that was unloading children for school. Her license has been suspended and she was ordered to pay a fine. But that is not what’s newsworthy. 32-year-old Shena Hardin has been ordered to stand at an intersection for two days next week from 7:45am to 8:45am. She is to wear a sign that reads, “Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” Seems like the punishment truly fits the crime in this case.

In News Man Saves Cabbie During Sandy As Hurricane Sandy’s winds and rain hit Manhattan, a man spotted a taxi trapped in the street. The water around it was getting higher and higher. When he realized the driver was still in the car, he rushed to help. Jon Candelaria, a 25-year-old who works in accounting, was in his apartment near the East River, looking out the window as the streets below filled with water. He saw the taxi do a 360-degree turn and end up in the rising flood. Candelaria, dressed in basketball shorts, threw on a jacket and sneakers and rushed down into the street. Candelaria said the water was chestdeep and freezing. He could see the cab rocking and briefly thought about how he could be electrocuted by falling power lines, but pushed that thought from his mind and kept going. When he got to the driver, the water was already up to his chin. “I’m glad I got there on time.” he said. “I put him on this shoulder. I was like, ‘Please don’t panic, don’t freak out. The water is very high.’ And he was like, ‘All right.’” Candelaria said he struggled to carry the man in the flood, his energy draining. “But I was like, ‘I can’t stop in the middle of the water. What am I going to do?’” He recalled. “So I just kept going with everything I had. Kept pushing. Every little energy, every little strength I had. I just kept going.” When they made it back, the two men took a moment to pose for a photo together before going their separate ways. Candelaria said he does not even know the taxi driver’s name. “I wasn’t trying to be a hero,” he said. “I just couldn’t watch a man die in front of me. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself for the rest of my life, knowing I could’ve done something and I didn’t do it...For me that was my life-changing event.”

NEWS

Community

Reaching Out to Each Other After the Storm Dear Readers, It is hard to imagine that just last week our community was hit by the ferocious winds and tumultuous rains of Hurricane Sandy. The storm left many houses flooded and in the dark. Hundreds lost their homes, their pos-

sessions, and their sense of security. But our community is strong and we are here for each other. In this time of need, we have mobilized to help each other by offering meals, shelter, clothing, loans and assistance to those who need it most. Organizations such

Chai Lifeline, Achiezer Open Crisis Hotline for Five Towns/Rockaway

as Achiezer, Hatzalah, Young Israel of Bayswater, Shomrim, Chai Lifeline, Chabad, JCCRP, Met Council and so many others have become pinnacles of chessed, doing all that they can to help people get back to a sense of normalcy. We still have a way to go to get

back to our normal routine, but it is the beautiful connection we have with each other that warms our hearts at this time. May Hashem give us strength at this time of rebuilding.

YCQ Uses Modern Technology To Continue Torah Learning Despite Storm

Families, Schools, Institutions Can Get Immediate Assistance at 1-855-3CRISIS Chai Lifeline, the international children’s health support network and an acknowledged expert in the field of crisis intervention, and Achiezer, the Rockaways/Five Towns community resource center, have joined forces to help area families, schools, and institutions cope with mental health crises and emotional discomfort resulting from Hurricane Sandy. Help is available now at 1-855-3CRISIS. The organizations are collaborating on a free hotline for families, schools, and communal organizations. They are distributing suggestions for school administrators and teachers for assisting students who show evidence of posttraumatic stress. Guidelines for families are being disseminated at stores throughout the area. “This has been a life-changing event for many families accustomed to being on the giving side,” said Rabbi Simcha Scholar, executive vice president of Chai Lifeline. “They have seen their

homes, and sometimes their businesses, devastated by the storm. We are extremely concerned and want to help in every way possible.” Dr. Norman Blumenthal, a psychologist and Five Towns resident who directs Chai Lifeline’s Department of Crisis Intervention and Bereavement, noted that signs of stress and trauma may become evident even weeks after the storm. “It’s possible that parents or teachers will only see the signs of trauma when life returns to normal. Adults shouldn’t be surprised if they or their children exhibit symptoms of anxiety or fear weeks later. Professional help is available, and no one should hesitate to ask for assistance,” he emphasized. For more information, call the hotline at 1-855-3CRISIS or contact Chai Lifeline’s Department of Crisis Intervention at crisis@chailifeline.org. Copies of the suggestions and guidelines will also be posted at www.chailifeline. org.

(L-R) Rabbi Mark Landsman, YCQ Principal; Rabbi Moshe Hamel, YCQ Assistant Principal JHS Limudei Kodesh

At Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ), the study of Torah is not limited to the four walls of the classroom. Although YCQ’s 900 talmidim and talmidot were not able to come to Yeshiva to study Torah during Hurricane Sandy, thanks to the coordination of Rabbi Mark Landsman, Menahel, and the ingenuity of Rabbi Moshe Hamel, Assistant Principal, the Yeshiva brought Torah right to the students’ homes. On Tuesday and Wednesday, October 30-31, each student from grades one through eight was encouraged to dial into one of the Yeshiva’s rebbeim or morot of their grade for a teleconference in which they were treated to an inspiring shiur followed by a lively discussion, all over the phone. The reaction to this “storm” of Torah by phone was most enthusiastic. “It is amazing how much the administration of YCQ values the uninterrupted stream of Torah study for its talmidim and applies modern technology to make it happen,” said one pleased parent. Rabbi

Mark Landsman extended heartfelt hakarat hatov to the numerous rebbeim and morot who volunteered to provide a meaningful and entertaining Torah time for our students. “This is just one example of the dedication and devotion of YCQ’s wonderful staff to our talmidim,” he said. The following rebbeim and morot graciously participated in the well-received teleconferences: First Grade, Morah Shira Fendel; Second Grade, Morah Reut Berkowitz; Third Grade, Morah Shoshana Kadosh; Fourth Grade Boys, Rabbi Shmuel Soffer; Fourth Grade Girls, Morah Rivka Weinberg; Fifth Grade, Rabbi Joshua Rohr; Sixth Grade Girls, Morah Michelle Farbman; Sixth Grade Boys, Rabbi Aloni Russek; Seventh Grade Girls, Morah Shoshana Fischman; Seventh Grade Boys, Rabbi Ephraim Bernstein; Eighth Grade Girls, Morah Alyssa Schussheim; Eighth Grade Boys, Rabbi Chaim Pearl; Eighth Grade Science, Mrs.Ellen Orlanski.

31 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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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 8 , 2012

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Community

Reaching Out to Each Other After the Storm JCCRP Hurricane Sandy Relief Efforts By Kathy Rosenberg The Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) together with Met Council on Jewish Poverty has been actively involved in relief efforts for those adversely affected by hurricane Sandy. One example is that after receiving an e-mail from a Russian woman who rescued her grandfather from 1915 Seagirt Blvd in Far Rockaway, the JCCRP became aware of the deplorable conditions many elderly Russian immigrants have been subjected to as a result of the power outage in the area and was galvanized into action. According to the e-mail: “…tons of elderly Russians live there – they have nothing, no power, no water, no food. It was heartbreaking to see the people in the stairways, sitting on walkers and looking desperately at us.” Many of these elderly people are not as lucky as this young woman’s grandfather. With no one to rescue them, they remained cold and hungry. The JCCRP contacted Met Council who sent staff to assess the needs of the immigrants in 1915 Seagirt Blvd and neighboring JASA buildings. Then, with the help of Yeshiva Uni-

versity students, food and water were distributed. Met Council sent out repairmen from their Metropair program who were sent to help residents of areas badly hit, and they removed large pieces of garbage, furniture, damaged carpeting and fixed locks. So much chesed has been done by so many and kudos go to: Chasdei Lev and Brach’s and Shick Caterers for the food they have been providing, Achiezer and many private individuals from all over the United States who have risen to the occasion and offered help. Because the JCCRP office building at 1525 Central Avenue in Far Rockaway was without power and Kneseth Israel (the White Shul) had generators, its base of operations was moved to the White Shul at 728 Empire Blvd. If you need assistance with applying for FEMA funds or replacement food stamps or if you need trauma counseling, please call the JCCRP at (718) 3277545. The JCCRP is proud of its affiliation with Met Council and UJA Federation of NY who are at the forefront of providing relief in this time of crisis.

The Volunteers That Never Sleep! Braving the ferocious wind, rain and floods, our local Hatzalah was on call nonstop throughout the hurricane, responding to hundreds of emergencies and rescues.

NEWS

Community

Reaching Out to Each Other After the Storm The Town of Long Beach Suffered Tremendous Damage Due to Hurricane Sandy This update is as of Sunday, November 4th. We pray that everyone had a peaceful and relaxing Shabbos wherever they spent Shabbos. Long Beach remains in a dire and

unimaginable state. This Shabbos, however, everyone joined together and created an amazing Shabbos and testament to our emunah and the sanctity of Shabbos. Everyone who remained in the community joined the minyanim at the Young Israel of Long Beach. The davening was punctuated with a great deal of singing, spirited dancing and overall sense that we were in a taivah protected and secure in the kedusha of Shabbos. We received an amazing amount of food which was sent by Brachs, Michael Schick P, Chabad of Albany, and food allocations from Achiezer. Having said that—the situation in Long Beach is one of complete destruction. Families have lost everything; have been left homeless and displaced. Businesses have been decimated. Most of the shuls have been flooded with some sefer Torahs compromised. Yeshivas (Mesivta of Long Beach, HALB) have suffered severe damage. Stores are boarded up and food-shopping is not available. The post office is closed. You can enter Long Beach only if you show identification with a Long Beach address or for some other compelling reason. We do have running water, toilets flushing and there is sanitation pickup. As of now, water should not be used for drinking but will probably be OK for Monday. Where do we go from here? Authorities say that power will not be restored for weeks rather than days. People need to make long term alternative arrangements. The cold weather and absence of lights, food and cooking facilities

makes living for any duration impossible. Due to the smallness of our Jewish community in Long Beach we lack the resources of some of the surrounding Jewish communities. We must, however, make every effort to help and be of assistance to all the people in need just from the standpoint of basic necessities. We are working with the city and trying to tap into their aid and are speaking to Achiezer, FR Jewish Community council and the UJA. To assist us in our effort, we are establishing the YILB Charity Relief Fund. Contributions can be sent either by mailing checks to YILB Relief Fund c/o HASC Center, 1221 East 14th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11230. (There is no mail in LB) or go to the www.yilb.org website and contribute through credit card. These funds are going to be used to help individuals in desperate need. On Sunday, one could see a major effort in terms of cleaning up. There were huge trucks and front end loaders picking up the piles of discarded materials from people’s basements. At the YILB, we have established the availability of meals on a daily basis. Meals will be served after Shacharis which is at 7:00 AM and after Mincha, Maariv which will be at 4:30 PM. Supplies were being delivered throughout the day. Whoever wanted to eat throughout the day was welcomed. Crews were sent out to comb the buildings on the ocean front to search out any stranded individuals. An entire busload of volunteers came through the efforts of Chabad to help in any way necessary. HALB held a parent meeting and they are being relocated to different locations in the Five Towns. There will be no bus transportation until the traffic lights are working. The Mesivta of Long Beach will be relocating to the OORAH campus in upstate New York. The Glatt Mart butcher store suffered significant damage. Gasoline remains a scarce commod-

ity, although generators were installed at the Hess station in Long Beach and Island Park. The lines are prohibitive.

Through intervention with City Hall, we were able to get gas for our shul generators.

Important updates from the City of Long Beach and the Far Rockaway/Five Town Communities FEMA FEMA Representatives are stationed at the Ice Arena to provide information and assistance. Document all your damage (e.g., take photographs, save receipts). Residents can file claims at fema.gov or Nassau Community College. You can contact the NCC FEMA representatives at 770-216-3335 or 1-800-621-3362. Damage Assessment Building inspectors continue to visit EVERY home in the City. Homes will be graded either Green (OK), Yellow (Needs Electrical Work), or Red (Condemned). Voting Elections are taking place in Long Beach on Tuesday; if you normally vote at Temple Emanu-El or East School, you will vote at East School; everyone else will vote at Lindell School; for more information, please contact the Nassau County Board of Elections at 516-571-VOTE (8683). Water & Sewer The City again flushed hydrants; water is now being tested; safe drinking water estimated mid-week. PLEASE CONSERVE WATER; too much use will slow the restoration process. Food/Water/ Clothing Distribution Food and water are available at East & West School and Waldbaum’s Plaza daily from 9am to 4pm. Donated Food, Water. Clothing and Household Item Distribution is at the Ice Arena. Sanitation Sanitation crews are picking up debris, bagged garbage and bulk items seven days a week. You MUST separate your large elec-

tronic devices (e.g., TVs, refrigerators) separate from regular garbage. All garbage must left at your curb. Power LIPA’s damage assessment is complete; city officials joined with the Governor and County Executive to demand a timeline for restoration and are holding LIPA accountable; 50 LIPA crews are working in the City today. Keep your circuit breakers off. Health & Public Safety Strict curfew to protect resident safety now 6pm-6am due to Daylight Savings time. LBFD has established a medical infirmary, triaging patients in the back of the bus depot. Though a mandatory evacuation is in effect, there will be no forced evacuations. LBPD patrolling in non LBPD vehicles; many LBPD vehicles damaged in the storm. LB City Court matters transferred to NC District Court in - 99 Main Street in Hempstead. 12 to 24 ambulances on site daily; dial 911 for emergencies. LB Animal Shelter is conducting a search & rescue of pets: please contact 516-941-5345 or 516-410-8029. Mitchell Field shelter is still accepting pets. Post Office Your mail will be available at the Garden City Post Office on Stewart Ave. and can be picked up next week. Electronic Devices Verizon has established a station in Kennedy Plaza to charge your electronic devices, make free short phone calls anywhere in the world, and access the internet. T-Mobile cell phone access in the central downtown of Long Beach has been restored.

33 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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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 8 , 2012

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Chabad Of Hewlett Creates Free Loan Society For Those Affected By Hurricane Sandy Help Available for Local Families in Need A fund has been created to provide free loans to families in need in our community, Rabbi Tenenboim of Chabad of Hewlett announced on Tuesday. The Chabad of Hewlett, which recently opened their doors in the Hewlett community, will be providing interest-free loans for community members that have suffered losses as a result of Hurricane Sandy. These monies can be used when insurance or other recovery money is slow to distribute and local families have needs that just can’t wait. Rabbi Tenenboim says, “As we look forward to the long term recovery of our neighborhood, we know that people will need help to get ‘their feet’ on the ground’ until insurance or other money become available. We would like to announce the formation of a Gemach: Chabad of Hewlett - Free Loan Society.” A GEMACH is a free-loan fund which subscribes to the positive Torah commandment of lending money as well as the Torah prohibition against charging interest on a loan. “Thank G-d the electricity went back on and so many people are doing better. We

know of no injuries, but know there are still many families suffering,” says Tenenboim. The fund has been set-up by the Chabad of Hewlett community after hearing so many stories of difficulty and suffering. It is expected that after the pain of Hurricane Sandy has passed, the fund will continue as a resource to the community. Chabad of Hewlett has provided hot meals and other essentials to those whose lives have been disrupted in the past week since the hurricane. They have also helped with housing arrangements, and have made visits to the isolated elderly and others. Those who are in need of assistance, please call Rabbi Tenenboim at 516-537-8770 or email to Rabbi@Jewishhewlett.com. “Those who want to help build capital in the fund through a contribution should also contact me.” Tenenboim continued, “Any amount is appreciated and those who give will have the satisfaction that the funds will be used locally in our community.” “Together as a community we can make a real difference.”

35 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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Reaching Out to Each Other After the Storm Working Together to Help Restore the Bayswater Community The lights are still out in the Bayswater community. However, there is a power emanating from within. A source not powered by electricity but by perseverance and dedication. It is the unbelievable result of a group of men and women from the Bayswater community who have come together to assist others during Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. Walking into 2716 Healy Avenue is an amazing sight. The facility that is normally Young Israel of Wavecrest & Bayswater and that houses the Young Israel Senior League is now a fully operational hurricane relief center. It services hundreds of families that have been coming for help during this desperate time. The center offers several free on site services including 3 meals a day, hot coffee, a food pantry, clothing distribution, laundry services, as well as social services. There are volunteers running the

emergency hotlines operating from the center. Since the first drop of rain, they have been working to rescue those in need. They are dispatching crews to assist with pumping out floodwater, removing debris, and hooking up generators. They are organizing heated shelters for people to sleep at night – all free of charge. Security is a major concern for an area without power. They have been keeping Bayswater safe with a neighborhood watch team of over 75 patrolmen as well as hired off-duty police officers. The assistance does not stop in the neighborhood of Bayswater. Crews have been sent out for rescue and recovery efforts in the surrounding neighborhoods of Long Beach and Belle Harbor as well. This remarkable effort is not run by an organization. There is no name, no logo, no letterhead. These are volun-

teers – people of action – who are working around the clock to help those in their community and in the neighboring communities. While other people run away, they run to help. While others sleep soundly, they barely stop to sleep. They are not fundraisers. However they do need money to continue their ongoing operations. If you would like to donate to the relief action, please visit www.yiwb.org and click the “donate” button on the lower right hand side. One hundred percent of all donations for The Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund made through www.yiwb.org are used toward helping and assisting others. The Bayswater Community is truly incredible. They are doing all that they can to support people during this critical time. Their continued devotion and results with the relief are inspiring. I wish them much success with this undertaking and the rebuilding of their community.

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Lomdei HaDaf Celebrates Momentous Inaugural Siyum By: L. Halevi “Lomdei HaDaf,” the new organization recently formed to serve as a onestop resource center for “everything Daf Yomi” is exceptionally incredible.

The organizers prepared for around 75 people, and were pleasantly surprised that well over 100 people attended. The attendees were treated to an uplifting

There are so many resources available for the Daf Yomi learner via shiurim, CDs, seforim, email, books, apps, and countless other aids, yet many people do not know about them and they thus remain underutilized. Lomdei HaDaf, the brainchild of a few ba’alei batim, was founded with the express goal of being a gateway for Daf learners to take advantage of the many resources out there that they would otherwise not have found on their own. As an additional goal and perhaps equally as important, Lomdei HaDaf serves as a grassroots network for Daf learners across the country, and eventually around the globe, to connect and network with one another, give Chizuk to one another by sharing what’s working for them, and ultimately help them all stay focused and on board as Daf learners. One of the key elements of Lomdei HaDaf is the organization of small, local siyumim to celebrate the completion of each mesechta. “Each individual masechta that is completed is a monumental achievement in its own right,” says Ira Zlotowitz, co-founder, “as well as an impetus to start the next one, and the next, until the goal of the ultimate siyum on the entire Shas is reached.” Lomdei HaDaf’s inaugural siyum and evening of chizuk took place this past Wednesday in Brooklyn, NY. The event was not advertised in any official media, rather the information was emailed by Daf learners to their friends in the Brooklyn area who in turn forwarded it to their own friends, and so on.

and exciting evening, which left them with a drive to continue full force with their journey through Shas. As one attendee commented, “This is the third time I started Daf Yomi, yet unfortunately I have yet to complete it. Now, I am very confident that with all the new tools available to me, and with the advent of a network of fellow Daf learners to belong to, this cycle will be the one I finish!” Many others echoed similar sentiments. The crowd was treated to powerful Divrei Chizuk from the inimitable orator, Rav Yissocher Frand shlita, who arguably motivated more people to join the Daf Yomi bandwagon than any other single individual via his speech at the recent Siyum Hashas. “The yetzer hara sits quietly by and allows many people to start Daf Yomi thinking that as soon as the freshness of Mesechta Berachos is over, their motivation will wane and they will drop out on their own with Maseches Shabbos or Eiruvin,” said Rav Frand. “Now with the Daf Yomi wave keeping people motivated for Mesechta Shabbos like never before, the Yetzer Hara is working extra hard to demotivate them.” “This organization,” thundered Rav Frand, “is the remedy for this Yetzer Hara! It is providing the Daf learners with the motivation to keep going, Mesechta after Mesechta, Seder after Seder, right through the 2,711 dafim in Shas!” Rav Frand’s speech was a perfect follow up to his powerful speech at the Siyum HaShas as many first-time Daf

learners who attended the gathering were inspired to start by Rabbi Frand’s inspiring drasha in MetLife stadium. His speech in its entirety, as well as the rest of the evening’s program, is available for download on Lomdei Hadaf’s website, http://www.lomdeihadaf.org. Following Rav Frand was a siyum on Masechta Brachos, after which the assembled heard some Divrei Torah and chizuk from Rav Benzion Schiffenbauer, followed by a Daf Yomi shiur on that day’s Daf. Rav Schiffenbauer shared some personal experiences of how the learning of a seder kavua changes a person for the better, unifies his family, improves his shalom bayis and creates true and lasting friendships. “I get a lot of complaints from wives on a variety of issues,” said Rav Schiffenbauer, “but never has a wife complained to me that her husband leaves to learn the Daf!” Although Lomdei HaDaf is a brand new organization with a brand new concept of strengthening Limud of Daf Yomi, this inaugural event was graced with the presence of the heads of two of the most important Daf Yomi-related organizations in Klal Yisroel: Agudas Yisroel, the champions of Daf Yomi, and Artscroll/Mesorah, which enables anyone to take part in the “Gemara experience” with written translations and commentary in print and now their app which allows people to use it even without internet connectivity. Also in attendance were the heads of two of the many new websites and apps, Daf HaChaim and iDafyomi.com. These and the other resources that will be available on the Lomdei HaDaf site will allow people to see, listen and/or prepare, learn or review the Daf online each day. The presence of these organizations at the event attests to their belief in Lomdei HaDaf’s importance and success b’ezras Hashem. Lomdei HaDaf’s goal is to periodi-

cally facilitate such events in various locations around the country. Events in Far Rockaway, Monsey, Lakewood and Baltimore are already being planned. “In the past,” explained Lomdei HaDaf co-founder Mr. Avrumi Bergman, “the toughest time for Daf Yomi learners was when traveling. Not being able to attend a regular shiur and having to keep up on their own often led to people falling behind and ultimately falling out totally. Today there are numerous resources available, from finding a chavrusa to actual online shiurim, and much more. Lomdei HaDaf is making all this accessible – in one convenient location – to anyone, anywhere, anytime, effectively ensuring that Daf learners are able to remain Daf learners.” Lomdei HaDaf is an organization launched by the people learning the Daf, for the people learning the Daf, and all decisions regarding all future Siyumim, events, services and other plans will be decided by the Daf learners who sign up as members on the Lomdei HaDaf website. The time to be a Lomed HaDaf is now. The time to join Lomdei HaDaf is now. At the next Siyum HaShas you can be a participant, not just a spectator.

We’d Like to Hear From You Please send all correspondence to:

editor@ fivetownsjewishhome.com.

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Picture Perfect Snapshots of Dirshu Amidst Hurricane Sandy By Yosef Sosnow “It is all because of Sandy.” That is not really the true answer, but that is what I told him… “Him” is the person who asked me, “What is pshat that Dirshu is making a big Shabbos Kinnus Olam HaTorah in the DoubleTree Hotel in Tarrytown? What is the point?” he asked. I answered, “It is all because of Hurricane Sandy.” What I meant is that Hurricane Sandy gave me additional focus on why Dirshu members and their wives will be converging on the DoubleTree in Tarrytown this Shabbos and culminating on Motzoei Shabbos for the Grand Siyum Melave Malka. Let me first say that I am bit biased in favor of Dirshu. I have been a member of Dirshu for more than four years during which time I have taken monthly tests every month. I know how much the ‘mechayev,’ the accountability of Dirshu, has done for my learning, I recognize how that ‘mechayev’ has ren-

dered all excuses not to learn, to be just that…excuses. Hurricane Sandy brought things into focus with “Kodak Moment clarity.” A Few Snapshots “Let me paint a picture,” I told my friend, “not an imaginary picture, but a true picture of Dirshu during and in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Then you will truly understand what we are coming together to celebrate this Shabbos.” The picture starts in Far Rockaway. Rabbi Dovid Teitelbaum, a long time Dirshu Kinyan Torah monthly Daf Yomi test participant and a Rebbi at the Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island, is in the picture. He is in the Agudas Yisroel Shul of Long Island learning the Daf, chazering – reviewing for his test. It is pitch-dark in the shul and he is using a flashlight. For davening, the shul had distributed the flashlights it uses on Tisha B’Av… Rabbi Teitelbaum is using his flashlight

to learn… “I was the only one in the shul…the wind was howling, it was dark, very, very dark. I was a bit scared, but my goal was clear, I had to learn the Daf and review the previous blatt…the test was just a few days away. Banishing my fear I plugged ahead, ‘Tanu Rabbanan…’ I couldn’t help it, but at that moment, unbidden, a song that I once heard on a Journeys tape came to mind… ‘He sits late at night by the candlelight…’ I felt so connected to the previous generations who sat at their Gemaros in the dark, learning Hashem’s Torah. If not for Dirshu I don’t think I would have been in that darkened shul, my head in the Gemara, its tiny letters illuminated only by the pale light of the flashlight…” As for this columnist, the thought of the Tisha B’Av flashlight brought to mind the words of the Shulchan Aruch that we just learned in Hilchos Rosh Chodesh in the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha.

The Shulchan Aruch writes that the night of Pesach always falls on the same weeknight as the previous Tisha B’Av… yes, the Geulah will be on the same night as the suffering…The Shulchan Aruch writes that this is hinted in the words, “Al matzos umerorim yochluhu— matzah, redemption and maror, bitterness are eaten together”…Yes, the sweet, redemptive beauty of that learning in the Hurricane Sandy pitch-dark shul was certainly an antidote to Sandy’s goluslike qualities! A Ten-Year-Old Learning for the Test by Candlelight Ten-year-old Nochum Shanik offers another moving Dirshu/Sandy snapshot. As he was leaving the generator-powered emergency Far Rockaway testing site at the Bnos Bais Yaakov School on Beach 9th Street, we spoke to Nochum Shanik. Nochum may be the youngest Dirshu Kinyan Torah test taker. A mere

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ten-years-old, he is taking the monthly Daf HaYomi Test! I asked Nochum, “How were you able to prepare for the test with Sandy’s fury pounding Far Rockaway?” He replied, “Although I was not able to attend my usual shiur, my father and brother learned the Daf with me.” “Did you have electricity?” I asked. “No, we learned the Daf with a candle at home…” Can we even imagine what must be going on in the celestial worlds, when a ten-year-old boy, in the midst of a raging storm, while the world as he knows it is being turned upside down, at a time of blackout when there is no power, no gas, little clean water in the neighborhood… is sitting and learning by candlelight with his father and brother so that he can take the test in a generator powered basement of a school…?! It is people like Nochum Shanik and Rabbi Dovid Teitelbaum who are the real guests of honor whose accomplishments will be hailed at the Dirshu Shabbos. And they are not the only ones. The “Dirshu Cell Phone” Our camera turns its focus to Lakewood, NJ. The city was devastated by Sandy but there were still some 250 test takers packed into the generator powered Lakewood Cheder dining Room. One test taker, Avrohom Pardes, related, “On Monday night my chavrusah and I were learning in a bais medrash close to home…the wind was howling, the window panes were shaking, but we kept on going. We heard tree branches – ripped up by the gale force winds – smash against the outer walls of the shul and then, suddenly, the room went black… we lost power…With barely a moment’s hesitation my chavrusah took a flashlight out of his pocket, fastened it around his head with a belt like a utility worker… and continued learning…I opened my cell phone and we learned by the pale light until we finished our quota…we had a test Sunday.” Certainly, there were others learning that night but the focus and urgency with which Dirshu members learned is unique and perhaps even unparalleled. The Chassan in the Middle of Sheva Brachos! It is not only Sandy, however. Let us take our camera across the Atlantic to London, England. This past Friday at the Dirshu test in London, there was an incongruous sight. While all of the test takers were wearing different types of hats and yarmulkes as is characteristic of

Dirshu achdus that crosses all communal and ideological lines, there was one unexpected sight – a yungerman wearing a brand new spodek, the high shtreimel worn by Polish Chassidim. A spodek on Friday morning?! Rav Binyomin Eckstein, director of Dirshu London, explained, “He is a chosson just two days after his chasunah in the middle of sheva brachos!” Yes, on Friday morning, two days after his chasunah, with Shabbos sheva brachos just a few hours away, this chosson felt compelled to take his Dirshu test… One final Far Rockaway snapshot. At the testing site we spoke to Yonasan Lazer. “My chavrusah, Aharon Pfeifer, and I are both chasanim. We spent the entire Sunday chazering for our Dirshu bechina on the first part of Masechta Shabbos. While everyone was discussing where to get gas, worrying about their freezers and when the lights would go out, we just sat there in the bais medrash and learned and learned, just breaking for lunch and supper as we chazered for the bechina. Dirshu just changes your focus…” Celebrating the Accomplishments of the True Picture Perfect Dirshu Heroes So I told my friend, “If you want to understand pshat in the Dirshu Shabbos, just look at our dear friends, Rabbi Dovid Teitelbaum, Nochum Shanik, Avrohom Pardes, Yonnasan Lazar, Aharon Pfeifer and our chosson from London, then multiply those by thousands! It is their accomplishments that deserve to be celebrated. It is their heroism, yedias haTorah and yegias haTorah that we will celebrate; it is the siyumei haShas of thousands, the siyum on Kinyan Halacha that will provide Klal Yisroel with poskim muvhakim, it is the completion of the ‘forgotten chelek,’ Chelek Daled of Mishna Berurah that we will celebrate on Motzoei Shabbos!” I concluded by telling my friend, “If you want to see maror transformed into matzah, take the maror, the bitterness of Sandy and the bitterness of the golus and make it into matzah that will be the harbinger of the geulah; if you want to participate in a true, gala seudas mitzvah that celebrates true heroism; the place to be is at the Grand Melave Malka in Tarrytown this Motzoei Shabbos. Dirshu will celebrate and hail these heroes; listen to the words of gedolim; sing, dance and eat a seudah…everything will be there except the oro shel livyason, may that also be added, bemheira biyameinu!

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Around the Community Chabad of Queens College Holds Pink Shabbat A table full of pink cookies, nail polish, ribbons and a highly motivated group of students from Chabad of Queens College translated into spreading a tremendous amount of breast cancer awareness and $159.18 of funds raised for Sharsheret. Sharsheret is a national not-for-profit organization supporting young women and their families facing breast cancer. The students put together an amazing week line up of programming that lead into Chabad’s 6th annual Pink Shabbat which was held on Friday, October 26. From baking cookies, tying ribbons, twisting challahs and chopping vegetables, a motivated group of young women put a tremendous amount of energy into Pink Shabbat. The group decided that they could probably raise more funds by asking for donations while offering free cookies than attempting to sell anything. And it so it went. A fun evening of baking and thinking pink lead the way to tripling their initial fundraising goal of $50! In addition to baking, the young women researched the disease and compiled an attractive quiz board so students on campus could test their knowledge and raise their awareness. “It was truly inspiring to watch these young women search the web for statistics and means of prevention as they compiled their quiz board. Making themselves aware, broadening their understanding and having a great time too,” Tzipah Wertheimer, program coordinator of Chabad of Queens College, explained. Shayna Rosenblatt of Monsey got involved because “breast cancer could really affect anyone and it’s very important to be aware. Additionally, I think that it is something that is very easy to spread awareness and become more knowledgeable especially if it can help prevent tragedy by learning about selfexaminations.” As the week progressed, the interest in Pink Shabbat grew by leaps and bounds. “We knew it was going to be a large crowd,” Wertheimer explained. “By Monday we were expecting 50, by Tuesday it looked like it would be in the 60’s and by Friday we had over 80 students RSVP’d on Facebook. The Chabad House can seat approximately 45 students. We wouldn’t turn anyone away so were faced with a challenge.” Sarah Litchman of Teaneck said, “I really enjoyed Pink Shabbat! The best part of the evening for me was seeing so many fellow students coming together to

support a very great cause. Breast cancer is a serious disease that has effected and continues to affect many families every day, so I think it was a great thing to be able to take this opportunity to combine supporting that cause, and bringing Jewish students together to enjoy a nice home cooked meal at the Chabbad Shabbos table.” Julie Fromm of Plainview said, “Pink Shabbat was an unbelievable success! Not only did we have an extremely large turnout filled with people who seemed to really be enjoying themselves, but it was also very apparent that the importance behind Pink Shabbat was truly captivated.” “We put our heads together and the girls and I came up with a plan,” Wertheimer continued, “we made a huge buffet-style dinner with an extra washing station outdoors and planned for a sit down ‘tisch’ style dessert for the official program.” The girls, along with Wertheimer, made the food themselves on Thursday night. The dessert program included the reading of powerful essays written by breast cancer survivors and taken from Voices, a powerful publication put out by Sharsheret. “Pink Shabbat was truly incredible and inspiring. I think it’s important to take such a meaningful cause and tie it into a Shabbat setting,” explained Rosenblatt. The students enjoyed Pink Rice Krispy treats made by Sarah Litchman and pink frosted brownies made by Wertheimer’s nine-year-old son, Mendel. Shachar Lobl of Queens was thrilled by the large turnout. “A lot of new people and freshmen came. It even brought people from other campuses! It felt very ‘college-y.’ It was an event that even a dormitory college would be proud of.” “Thank you for brining Sharsheret once again to Queens College,” Ellen Kleinhaus of Sharsheret wrote in a note to Chabad of QC. “We are very excited about the growth of the involvement and awareness within the students. Looking forward to your success in spreading the word.”

Senator Tony Avella Visits Yeshiva Har Torah On Monday, November 5th, the local State Senator of District 11 in Queens, Senator Tony Avella, toured the facilities of YHT and spoke with our 5th grade classes. In preparation of the school-wide presidential election held on Tuesday, November 6th, we had invited a local elected official to speak with us about the voting process. Senator Avella had been very busy touring the district and surveying the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, but took the time to speak to the 5th graders about the election process and how the local government works. The students had spent much time preparing questions and learning about the electoral college and

the voting system. Senator Avella was quite impressed with how knowledgeable and informed the 5th graders were. YHT thanks the Senator for taking the time to visit our school!

L-R: Rabbi Silverman, Senator Avella, Rabbi Menchel, Mr. Steinberg, Rabbi Rosenthal

AIM Queens to Open This Week Aim Queens will be starting once again this week. The first event will take place iyH this coming Motzei Shabbos, November 10th at 8:00 pm at Bnos Malka Academy, 7102 113th Street in Forest Hills. The opening speaker will be the highly acclaimed Mrs. Amit Yaghoubi, back by popular demand! A refreshing exercise class, given by

Mati Kaminetzky, coupled with a pizza Melave Malka to top off the night will be offered. The program is open to all high school girls in the Queens area. AIM is free of charge. For sponsorship availability or more information, please email aimqueens@gmail.com or call Chanie at 646-713-8561.

BYQ Learns About Seasons In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. This could not be more evident than in the first grade at BYQ where students are learning about the various seasons of the year. Autumn is known as a time for harvest and gathering any food which has grown over the summer. To illustrate this concept

and bring it to life for these girls, their teachers arranged for them to touch and feel the inside of a pumpkin. The first grade girls really enjoyed this activity as they were able to experience what a pumpkin not only looks like, but feels like as well.

WE E E T N A R A GU RE O M % 0 3 THAN ANYONE ELSE!

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Five Towns Parents to Launch New Yeshiva Tiferet Academy to Focus on High-Tech Learning, Sustainable Tuition by Avi Muchnick Yeshiva education hasn’t grown much in the last 30 years, unless you consider the tuition costs. It used to be that sending your child to a yeshiva offered a far superior education to those that could be had in public schools. But advancements in technology and educational techniques in the last decade have left government funded secular education moving to the head of the charge in educational innovation, while yeshivas have lagged behind. A group of dedicated parents from the Five Towns aim to change that in 2013 by launching Tiferet Academy, a model of 21st Century Learning and sustainable tuition. It’s our goal to bring the yeshiva education system into the future. How a 21st Century Classroom Works Colloquially referred to as 21st Century Learning, (or sometimes “Blended Learning”), the educational model Tiferet uses splits every classroom into 3 rotating groups of students called sections. 21st Century classrooms are more spacious than traditional classrooms to more easily accommodate the sections. Let’s say a class has 24 children: - One section of 8 children learns with a master teacher in a traditional, but more intimate setting that allows for more face-to-face time; - One section of 8 children reviews the materials collaboratively under the supervision of an assistant teacher, often with a hands-on project that helps clarify the materials and make the lesson relatable; - One section of 8 children uses technology (computers or tablets) which assesses their understanding of the materials in real-time, in order to help students move at their own individual pace and alert the teacher to any knowledge gaps which requires filling. Each child is given equal access to all three sections throughout each school day. The resulting approach to learning offers students the ability to gain greater face time with their teachers, develop social skills with their peers, and learn at a pace that is tailored for their unique needs. And as an added bonus, it allows for greater cost efficiency by increasing the size of the classroom, while providing even more individualized teacherstudent attention than traditional classes.

This ultimately translates into lower, sustainable tuition costs for parents. In the secular schools that have piloted this system in the last decade, grades have improved in astonishing ways. Acton Academy in Austin, Texas implemented 21st Century Learning for math and reading courses, and saw a 2.5 grade level bump in both subjects in one year. Rocketship Education, a network of California elementary schools incorporating 21st Century Learning, saw the percentage of students who were advanced or proficient in English rise from 40% to 80% in 2010 under their model. Math skills rose from 50% to 90%. The results speak for themselves. How Existing Yeshiva Classrooms Work Tiferet’s approach greatly differs from other established yeshivas whose classrooms haven’t changed since the early 1900’s (an educational model which was originally based on preparing children to work on assembly lines in factories). Traditional classrooms generally have one teacher lecturing to 20+ children at once, moving at the average pace of the classroom. In other words, teachers teach to the middle. Additionally, teachers are often unaware if their students have completely mastered a particular lesson until they see exam results. To their credit, yeshivas have tried to make efforts to stay modern, but adding a smart board to a classroom and giving children 1-2 hours a week in a computer lab isn’t fully utilizing the educational power of technology to its full potential, and it is also not the 21st Century Learning model that has seen tremendous pedagogical success outside of the yeshiva system. In our model, every teacher and every parent knows exactly how their child is performing in every aspect of the coursework, on a daily basis. With 21st Century Learning, students are educated and assessed in real-time. There are no unknown knowledge gaps in the covered material. Knowledge is absorbed consistently, not crammed in for a test and then possibly forgotten a day later. Financial Sustainability Tiferet Academy was founded by a group of dedicated parents in the 5 Towns who were concerned with the

growing yeshiva tuition crisis and knew things needed to change. We feared that if parents did not take action now, the yeshiva system would eventually collapse as a result of increasing numbers of parents unable to afford full tuition. Without a financially sustainable Jewish educational system, the future of the Jewish people is in jeopardy. Tiferet aims to achieve lower, more stable tuition at a 35-40% discount over local Jewish day schools through the following: -21st Century Learning educational models are naturally more efficient than the traditional educational models. They allow for a manageable increase in class size while dramatically increasing meaningful teacher-student interaction time; -Additionally, 21st Century Learning models allows for us to decrease the administrative overhead by empowering teachers to take on some administrative duties and allowing us to share some administrative costs across multiple 21st Century Learning schools; -We are not building mandatory scholarship funds into tuition fees, instead relying on separate fundraising and community efforts; and -We are planning for the future from day 1. We are already fundraising to create an endowment that can help subsidize school costs. The net effect of these practices will save the average family of 3 children close to $200,000 over the course of K8th grade. And potentially means savings of many millions of dollars for the community per year… Money that can be earmarked for tzedaka, community projects and most importantly, enable families to comfortably afford to bring more Jewish children into this world. Tiferet’s Values Beyond making sure that tuition is affordable, we want to make sure that our children receive an education of the highest caliber. At the very least, it should surpass the public school system we are paying to keep our children out of. Tiferet Academy embodies the following core philosophies: - Torah dedication: Creating a love for Torah, mitzvoth and Israel, with a special focus on instilling good middot and a life-long passion for learning;

- Real world skills: Teaching children crucial skills like personal financial management, healthy lifestyles and entrepreneurial skills; - Operational responsibility: Practicing complete fiscal responsibility and transparency from Day 1, so as to stabilize spiraling tuition prices and operate efficiently; - Visibility: Facilitating clear communication between parents and the school, by providing real-time window into their children’s learning progress; and - Evoke change. Becoming a model that other schools can learn from. We plan to share our plans and resources with all local yeshivas that wish to adapt our model. We want to be an agent of positive change in the Jewish community. Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, Rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, said it the best in regards to our movement: “Every opportunity for the sake of some of our kids enhances possibilities and holds out greater promise for all of our kids.” Part of a Growing Movement We aren’t the only group of concerned Jewish parents trying to bring the yeshiva system into the future. A group of parents in Bergenfield, New Jersey, shared our concerns and opened Yeshivat He’Atid (translated “Yeshiva of The Future”) in September 2012 under the guidance of Rabbi Natanel Gralla of Woodmere (and previously of HALB). The community in New Jersey embraced 21st Century Learning and Yeshivat He’atid opened its doors with 116 students. “Yeshivat He’Atid plans on differentiating the learning experience and creating a custom made curriculum for each student,” said Rabbi Gralla. “The efficiencies in our design allows students to learn at a pace they are comfortable with, in an appropriate modality and at a significant cost savings.” Another 21st Century Learning ye-

shiva is planning to open its doors in Westchester in 2013. Yeshivas incorporating technology in Baltimore and Los Angeles are already open and thriving. As more Jewish schools begin to adopt the 21st Century Learning movement and offer richer forms of educational content in their curriculum, the number of Judaic studies providers will rise. Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, Regional Director of NSCY has founded Aleph Beta Academy (www.alephbeta.org), a digital platform for Jewish learning in partnership with Rabbi Fohrman, a prolific author and noted lecturer who also served as a lead writer and editor for Artscroll’s Talmud translation project. Aleph Beta is one of a new wave of providers beginning to develop next generation Judaic curricula. “Aleph Beta Academy is developing rich interactive digital coursework for Judaic topics,” said Rabbi Lightstone. “As the education world at large incorporates more next generation learning methodologies for secular studies, Judaic studies are sure to follow suit.” Other organizations are helping in-

novate on Jewish education as well. The AVI CHAI Foundation, a private foundation that has donated staggering amounts to Jewish education and Israeli causes, has helped fund Tal AM, a digital curriculum covering Hebrew language, Torah, and prayer, as well as introductions to rabbinic literature and Jewish history in older grades. Tal AM software is already in use in more than 400 Jewish day schools worldwide. Guided by Experienced Leadership Tiferet recently selected Rabbi Avrumi Sacks, an experienced and technologically savvy educator with 20 years of experience, to serve as Head of School. Rabbi Sacks most recently served as the Principal and Director of Education at the Hillel Academy of Pittsburgh from 2009-2012, where he oversaw PreNursery-12th Grade. Before that he served as Assistant Headmaster at Ramaz Lower School from 2005-2009, having originally started at Ramaz in 1996 as the Director of Educational Programs. Rabbi Sacks’s warm, engaging relationship with students and

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21st Century Learning to othparents alike, as well as his er yeshivas. unique perspective on cor“We are excited to help rectly leveraging technolsupport the 21st Century ogy inside the classroom, Learning movement and see were the key factors in the it expand to more and more Tiferet Board’s decision to Jewish day schools in the trihire him. state area and nationwide,” “Tiferet Academy has said Jeff Kiderman, Executive a unique mission to bring Rabbi Avrumi Sacks Director of the Affordable Jewish day schools back to the forefront of the educational world Jewish Education Project. “We applaud and I look forward to helping the entire the tireless efforts of the growing and Tiferet family champion that cause as dedicated Tiferet Academy team and we the Head of School,” said Rabbi Sacks. invite prospective families to join Tiferet “I am excited to meet all prospective and AJE in playing a leadership role in parents and tell you more about Tiferet day school quality and affordability.” Academy in person at our Open House Tiferet Academy will be holding its on November 18th.” inaugural Open House in the Lawrence Tiferet will be contracting with Woodmere Academy auditorium on NoEdElements, a consulting company with vember 18th, 7:30pm at 336 Woodmere expertise in implementing 21st Century Blvd in Woodmere. More information Learning, having done so in over 70 and preregistration information can also public and private schools nationwide. be found at www.tiferet.org. Tiferet is financially backed by doAvi Muchnick is a resident of Woodnors with ties to the Five Towns, as well mere, proud yeshiva parent of three chilas the Affordable Jewish Education dren and technology entrepreneur. He is Project, an organization that backed Ye- the spokesperson and a founding Board shivat He’Atid and plans to help spread member of Tiferet Academy.

With Increase in Divorce, OHEL Focuses on Helping Children of Divorce At OHEL, we have been passionate about helping children of divorce for many years. Now, with the significant increase in divorce, OHEL is providing a number of new services and programs to best meet the growing challenges and needs of such children. On Sunday, November 18 2012, OHEL will be presenting a webinar for divorcing or divorced parents, family and friends entitled, “Don’t Let the Children Get Caught in the Middle.” On Monday, November 19th 2012, we will provide a second webinar for Rabbis and educators entitled, “Reinforcing Anchors for Children of Divorce.” The Sunday night webinar, designed specifically for parents who are divorcing or divorced and for concerned family, friends and community members at large will provide valuable information about divorce and its impact on the child’s social-emotional, cognitive, academic, behavioral and spiritual development. The theme of the webinar is “Don’t Let Your Child Get Caught in the Middle.” How do children feel when they are caught between divorcing parents? Participants will be able to hear the child’s perspective on divorce, and learn valuable do’s and don’ts on how parents should behave towards and communicate with their children and

with each other. In addition, parents will learn important information about selfcare. Parents going through a divorce experience a myriad of emotions that not only impact on their children, but on themselves as well. Men and women who are divorcing or who are divorced need to learn that the best way to care for their children is by first learning how to best care for themselves, utilizing positivity and healthy emotions. The Monday night webinar will be geared specifically for Rabbis and educators. In addition to the general information provided on Sunday’s night webinar, Rabbis and educators will be provided with valuable Hashkafic insights on divorce and its impact on parents and children. For this webinar, we have included excerpts of interviews with several prominent Rabbis and edu-

cators in our community and will present their thought-provoking insights and innovative ideas. This webinar is fundamental and essential for Rabbis and educators who play a significant role in our communities and who act as role models, askanim, and spiritual guides.

OHEL’s mission through this initiative is to provide much needed information and chizuk to parents and children experiencing the anguish of divorce, as well as practical help and support groups for children of divorce to enable such children to thrive.

45 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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A Glowing Force: Harav Aharon Kotler zt”l’s Determination Infused with Consideration By: Shimmy Blum Think of the name Harav Aharon Kotler zt”l and the image of an unrelenting firebrand on behalf of Torah immediately conjures up. The gadol hador whose trailblazing efforts are largely the catalyst behind Torah learning in America to this very day is indeed compared to a fire by just about everyone who has ever encountered him. However, Rav Aharon’s fire embodied a glowing warmth just as much as it did determination and force. Yes, the tzaddik who revolutionized America touched the hearts of his talmidim with care and encouragement, and they have as a result been instrumental in warmly passing the torch of Torah to today’s generations. As Rebbetzin Kotler z“l was known to quip, “The Rosh Yeshiva loves his grandchildren so much, almost as much as he does his talmidim.” The love and dedication towards the growth of his talmidim – the soldiers of his unprecedented Torah revolution – is one thing, but what is perhaps even more amazing is his care and concern for every Yid, indeed every human being. The Holocaust survivor with the piercing eyes is not the man you would assume would insist on driving through the manned toll booth, as opposed to the new convenient mechanical one, because it isn’t “kavod haberiyos” to drive

by and ignore the toll collector. Yet, it was Rav Aharon who insisted on that. You would not expect the leading Rosh Yeshiva in America, involved in multiple urgent klal fronts, to insist on interrupting his activities to answer the phone because “ah Yid ruft” (a Yid is calling). Yet, that is what Rav Aharon requested from his staff, not allowing them to ask callers to call again later. Nor would you expect the aging Rosh Yeshiva to insist on meeting a Yid he never met for a non-essential matter at 11:00 pm after an exhaustive day. Yet, that is precisely when Rav Aharon insisted that this stranger come to his house because “oib du rufst mir, hut ir duch ah problem” (if you are calling me, you obviously have a problem at hand). His respect and care towards every fellow human being was indeed exemplary, but the most amazing manifestation of this trait was when his fiery ahavas Yisroel and ahavas haTorah joined forces. It was not just every talmid of Bais Medrash Govoha that was treated like an only son. Every ben Torah –anywhere – felt an unimaginable bond. “The Rosh Yeshiva was very demanding of us,” relates Rabbi Eliyahu Roman, shlit”a, a lifelong marbitz Torah, “but at the same time he was mekarev with both hands.” Rabbi Roman learned in Lakewood

under Rav Aharon during the Rosh Yeshiva’s final two years on this world, but Rav Aharon’s effect began well earlier, when he was a young Philadelphia raised teenager learning in the new Philadelphia Yeshiva founded by Lakewood talmidim. As a young all-American bachur, Reb Eliyahu had no plans to remain in the Bais Medrash for the long term, but that all changed in 1957, when he and a group of friends spent Simchas Torah in Lakewood. “It was the first time I had met him, but I immediately became a big ‘chassid,’” he recounts. Although Reb Eliyahu was nowhere near becoming a Lakewood talmid yet, Rav Aharon made it his business that the bochur become a lifelong ben Torah. When he once told the Rosh Yeshiva of his dream to become a lawyer, Rav Aharon grabbed him by both lapels and told him, with shining eyes and a beet red face, “No! No! You will sit and learn and come to Lakewood, become a lamdan, and stay in learning!” It is nearly 55 years later and Reb Eliyahu chuckles at what he calls the “shock treatment” he got and the turning point that was in his life. He was inspired towards diligent hasmada and found himself amongst the ninety or so Lakewood talmidim a few years later. The stories about Rav Aharon that Reb Eliyahu freely shares could fill a book,

but the following one perhaps best illustrates Rav Aharon’s inimitable blend of demanding and caring for every ben Torah: When Reb Eliyahu once met the Rosh Yeshiva while still learning in Philadelphia, he told Rav Aharon that he planned to work during bein hazmanim to help cover his living expenses. The Rosh Yeshiva did not approve of those plans. “During bein hazmanim you have to review the sugyos you learned during zeman!” he exclaimed. Rav Aharon proceeded to pull out of his pocket the hundreds of dollars that Reb Eliyahu needed to cover his expenses, a hefty sum those days. Lakewood talmid or not, young Eliyahu Roman was a ben Torah and Rav Aharon did everything he coul to influence him towards a life of fruitful Torah learning. After decades of teaching talmidim in various North American communities, the former attorney aspirant has a hard time pinpointing as to which aspect of his life remains influenced by his years around Rav Aharon – over fifty years ago. “It affected everything,” he states.

Mercy Medical Center Recognized Again For Excellence in Stroke Care In continuing recognition of its commitment and success in implementing excellent care for stroke patients, Mercy Medical Center has received its second consecutive Get With The Guidelines®Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award from the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association. Get With The Guidelines is the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association’s hospital-based quality improvement program that enables healthcare teams to save more lives and reduce healthcare costs by following evidence-based guidelines and recommendations. “Mercy Medical Center is one of only a small percentage of hospitals across the country to receive this prestigious award,” commented Dr. Aaron E. Glatt, Executive Vice President and

Chief Administrative Officer of the hospital. “This recognition reflects the dual mission of the hospital to provide the highest quality care and to do so with compassion and caring.” To receive the award Mercy achieved 85 percent or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Achievement indicators for two or more consecutive 12-month periods and achieved 75 percent or higher compliance with six of ten Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Quality Measures. Those measures include aggressive use of medications, anticoagulation therapy, prevention of Deep Vein Thrombosis, cholesterol-reducing drugs and smoking cessation – all aimed at reducing death and disability and improving the lives of stroke patients. Mercy also is a New York State-Des-

ignated Stroke Center with a dedicated multidisciplinary Stroke Team that includes emergency physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, radiologists, nurse practitioners, nurses, vascular surgeons, and rehabilitation specialists. Stroke Center designation indicates that Mercy’s team meets nationally-recognized criteria for a strict protocol or program of care for patients presenting with symptoms of stroke with a rapid, definitive treatment plan.Mercy Gold Stroke Award A member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, Mercy Medical Center in Rockville Centre is ranked among the top hospitals in New York State in the 2012 ratings of Best Hospitals by U.S. News and World Report and is a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence designated by the American College of

Radiology, as well as a Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® designated by the American Society For Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Mercy also is the recipient of an Outstanding Achievement Award from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons and two consecutive Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Awards from the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association. And, in recognition of the value it places on superior nursing care, Mercy has received Pathway to Excellence® designation from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence® is a registered trademark of the American Society For Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). Used by permission of ASMBS. All rights reserved.

47 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

SALE DATES NOVEMBER 11 - 17, 2012

PILLSBURY FLOUR ALL VARIETIES 5 LB

5.99

DUNCAN HINES YELLOW CAKE MIX

16.5 OZ

1.99

MAXWELL HOUSE INSTANT COFFEE REGULAR ONLY $ 9 OZ BONUS SIZE

4.99

COKE, DIET COKE, ZERO, FRESCA, SPRITE, DR. PEPPER R 2 LITER 5$

CRUSHED, SLICED, CHUNK 8 OZ

79¢

SNAPPLE ICED TEA ALL FLAVORS 64 OZ

DAWN LIQUID DISH SOAP

HEINZ KETCHUP

ORIGINAL ONLY 12.6 OZ

36 OZ

1.99

99¢ MARSHMALLOW FLUFF

BARILLA PASTA ALL VARIETIES (EXCEPT PLUS, JUMBO SHELLS, LASAGNA, MANICOTTI) 16 OZ

DOLE PINEAPPLE IN WATER OR SYRUP P

16 OZ

OCEAN SPRAY CRANBERRIES

WHOLE BERRY OR JELLIED - 14 OZ

DOMINO SUGAR

CONFECTIONERS 10X, DARK OR LITE BROWN, BROWNULATED 14 OZ/16 OZ

89¢

GALIL CUP-A-SOUP CHICKEN FLAVOR 12 COUNT

6.99

BY THE CASE 25 COUNT GLAD FORCE FLEX DOUBLE STRONG 30 GALLON OR 40 COUNT SCENTED 13 GALLON TALL KITCHEN BAGS

6.99

JOLLY RANCHER AWESOME TWOSOME

1.8 OZ

69¢

TUSCAN MILK 1% ONLY 64 OZ

2 $ 00$

7 1.79

TROPICANA ORANGE JUICE

REDDI WIP TOPPING

.....................

ASSORTED 64 OZ

ASSORTED 59 OZ

ASSORTED 6.5 OZ

FRIENDSHIP SOUR CREAM

HA’OLAM SHREDDED CHEESE

ASSORTED 16 OZ

ALL VARIETIES (EXCEPT REDUCED FAT) 8 OZ

1.99

2.99

OF TOV CHICKEN NUGGETS

ORONQUE PIE SHELLS

AUNT JEMIMA WAFFLES

BIRD’S EYE BUTTERNUT SQUASH

UNGER’S FRENCH FRIES

137 SPRUCE STREET

CEDARHURST, NY 516-569-2662

21 OZ/20.4 OZ

2.49

LIBBY’S 100% PURE PUMPKIN 15 OZ

BLOOMEOS COOKIES

KEN’S DRESSING SING G

ASSORTED 20 OZ

2.99

KEEBLER 9” PIE SHELLS 6 OZ

FABULOSO ALL PURPOSE CLEANER ASSORTED 33.8 OZ

1.99

BUMBLE BEE SOLID WHITE TUNA IN WATER OR OIL 5 OZ

ALL FLAVORS 16 OZ

CANADA DRY, 7-UP, SUNKIST, A&W 2 LITER

PRINGLES ALL FLAVORS 6 OZ

NABISCO OREO COOKIES ALL VARIETIES 11 OZ - 15 OZ

2.99

AXELROD COTTAGE CHEESE

ASSORTED 16 OZ

1.99

EXTRA LARGE EGGS DOZEN

SABRA SALSA

ALL VARIETIES 16 OZ

YO CRUNCH YOGURT

ASSORTED 6 OZ

ASSORTED 32 OZ

10.99

BREYER’S S ICE CREAM ALL FLAVORS 48 OZ

3.99

UNGAR’S GEFILTE FISH REGULAR OR NO SUGAR 22 OZ

4.99

.............................................................

16 OZ

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BEN & JERRY’S ICE CREAM ALL FLAVORS $ 16 OZ ASSORTED 12.3 OZ

DUNCAN HINES DECADENT TRIPLE CHOCOLATE OR CARROT CAKE MIX

COOL SAVINGS ON FROZEN

FROZEN SUPER SALES

2.99

24 OZ

DAIRY DEALS

DAIRY SUPER SALES GOLDEN FLOW CHOLOV YISRAEL MILK

12 OZ

.....................

1.99

9 OZ, 12 OZ, 8 OZ, 16 OZ

BARILLA MARINARA & PASTA SAUCES

.....................

HEINZ CHILI SAUCE

.....................................................................

8 OZ

BARILLA OVEN READY OR CURLY LASAGNE, JUMBO SHELLS, MANICOTTI

.....................................................................

4 LB

.....................................................................

SANKA INSTANT DECAF COFFEE

.....................

DOMINO SUGAR

SUPER SALES ON GROCERIES

.....................

GROCERY SUPER SALES

MORE SAVINGS!

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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 8 , 2012

12 OZ

1.99 FAX 516-569-8376

CRINKLE CUT 32 OZ

DAGIM FLOUNDER FILLETS 16 OZ

3.99

EGGO CHOCOLATE CHIP WAFFLES 12.3 OZ

2.99

Under the Strict Supervision of the VAAD of the 5 Towns

PREMIUM MEAT & POULTRY 2ND CUT

VE VEAL $ CH CHOPS.......

9.49 LB

SQ SQUARE CU CUT RO ROAST.....

FRESH CHICKEN

7.99 LB

VEAL CHOPS.......

10.49 LB

FAMILY PACK

NECK & SKIRT

GROUND BEEF.............

2.49 LB

3.79 LB

SUPER FAMILY PACK

9.99 LB

FAMILY PACK

HONEY MUSTARD CHICKEN LEGS..........

3.99 LB

FRESH PRODUCE PRE-CHECKED & PRE-PACKAGED SOUP ENS GREENS

BOSC PEAR........... PINK GRAPEFRUIT

GOLDEN DELICIOUS APPLES........

$ 19

SLICING TOMATO......

99¢ 4

99¢ 89¢

ROMAINE LETTUCE....

1 LB SESAME CHICKEN PLUS 1 LB FRIED RICE.....................

NEW!

BUBY’S CHICKEN SOUP WITH CHICKEN, NOODLES & MATZO BALLS..................................... GARDEN HEALTH SALAD........

12.99 $

7.99 QT

3.99 LB

2 $

3 99¢

FRESH SCALLION

$ 19

49¢

SPANISH ONION.......

DAIRY 18” HOT PIZZA...............................

THE FRESHEST & TASTIEST SUSHI IN TOWN!

11.99 $

4.49QT

ALIZA BEER NUTRITIONAL MEALS 6 ADDITIONAL VARIETIES TO CHOOSE FROM!

ORDER YOUR SHABBOS PLATTERS EARLY! AVOCADO ROLL

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MANGO CRUNCH

4.50

5.50

4.95

SUSHI POPPERS

HOT DOG BUNS................... PACKAGE OF 8

FLAT ONION BOARD...........

5.49 LB $ 1.49 EA

9.95

WHITE DRAGON ROLL

SPICY TUNA AVOCADO ROLL

10.95

5.95

CALL 516-569-2662 AND ASK FOR THE SUSHI DEPARTMENT DON’T SEE IT? ASK - WE WILL BE HAPPY TO MAKE IT FOR YOU!

1.49 EA

OSSIE’S FISH

3 OZ NOVA.............................

2 $

WINNER BEST SUSHI AWARD!

VEGETABLE SOUP.......................

BROWNIES & BROWNIE FINGERS..............................

READY TO HEAT & EAT!

WOW!

6 COUNT

ZOMICK’S BAKERY

BREADED LEMON PEPPER FILLET....................................

POST COCOA OR FRUITY PEBBLES

MACABEE PIZZA BAGELS

DELI & TAKE OUT TAKE OUT

13.99 2.99

5 LB BAG

CAULIFLOWER

15 PACK

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BOUNTY PAPER TOWELS

MINUTE STEAK........ READY TO BAKE!

PULLETS - WHOLE OR CUT IN 1/4S OR 1/8S

10.99 LB

END CUT

BUYS OF THE WEEK!

PARVE APPETIZING THIS WEEK AT SCHWARTZ’S DIP ISLAND!

5.99 LB

3.99 EA

FLORAL SPECIALS! $ MINI CARNATIONS................. 4.99 BUNCH $ AUTUMNAL MIXED BOUQUET 14.99 BUNCH & UP

SALMON FILLET...................

OSSIE’S FROZEN GEFILTE FISH ROLL............................

FAMILY PACK

8.99 LB 5.99 EA

HOLLAND TULIPS...................... $16.99 BUNCH

SUNFLOWERS............................ $14.99 & UP BUNCH

1.99 EA 2.49 EA

MUSHROOM DIP

EUROPEAN STYLE EGGPLANT DIP

DIET VEGETABLE SOUFFLE............... SALT & PEPPER KUGEL..................... WHITE POTATO SALAD...................... AT THE COUNTER

STORE HOURS: SUNDAY 7-7PM MONDAY 7-7PM TUESDAY 7-8 PM WEDNESDAY 7-10 PM THURSDAY 7-12 AM FRIDAY 6:30 AM UNTIL 2 HRS. BEFORE CANDLE LIGHTING

3.49 EA

2.99 EA

2.99 LB

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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 8 , 2012

Around the Community Leisure Time Tours Offers an Unparalleled Pesach Experience

Bais Yaakov of Queens

Op en HOuse Wednesday, November 14th, 2012 Meet our loving staff, observe our inspiring chinuch, experience our students’ happiness and love of learning! 9:00 a.m. – Meet the administration 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Tour the school

1:00 p.m. – Meet the administration 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Tour the school

124-50 Metropolitan Avenue, Kew Gardens, New York 11415 If you require additional information please contact Mrs. Yocheved Granek at 718 847 5352.

For the past 55 years, Leisure Time Tours has been America’s first and largest Passover Tour Operator. It was this company who was first to introduce Glatt Kosher Passover Programs at some of the finest hotels in the United States and Europe. This year, Leisure Time Tours will host 5 Passover programs in Florida, Arizona, Westchester, New York, as well as Venice, Italy. In Boca Raton, Florida, for the past 13 years, they offer the world famous Boca Raton Resort & Club. This Waldorf Astoria Resort boasts a gorgeous half-mile stretch of private pristine beach, 30 clay tennis courts, 2 champion golf courses and a world-class spa. The resort’s award winning chefs join Prestige Caterers year after year to produce outstanding Passover cuisine under NK Glatt Kosher Supervision In Palm Beach, Florida, in cooperation with Kosherica, they are offering the AAA 4-Diamond PGA National Resort. Every room and suite has been completely renovated in 2012. This luxury resort features 5 tournamentready golf courses, 19 tennis courts and a European spa. The entire hotel will be Kosher for Passover. Foremost Ram Caterers will be coordinating their outstanding gourmet cuisine under the Glatt Kosher supervision of the ORB. In Europe, they are offering the 5-star beach-front resort, Hotel Excelsior in Venice, Italy. This world-renowned resort offers a fabulous swimming pool, tennis courts and fitness facility and is ideally located for fascinating touring and shopping. The entire hotel will be

Kosher for Passover. They are thrilled to announce one of Israel’s most prestigious chefs, Ariel Porat the Executive Chef of the Dan Accadia Hertzliya, is joining their team this year. The hotel will under the Glatt Kosher Supervision of Rabbi G.M. Garelik of Milan. In Phoenix, Arizona, they are offering the worldclass Arizona Biltmore Resort. This Waldorf Astoria Resort boasts 8 swimming pools, 6 whirlpool spas, 7 tennis courts, two 18-hole putting courses and a 20,000 sq. ft. state-of-theart spa complex. Chicago’s most elegant kosher caterer, Stuart Morginstin of Danziger Kosher Caterers, will make Pesach at the Biltmore an unparalleled Passover culinary experience under the Glatt Kosher Supervision of the Phoenix Vaad Hakashruth . In the Northeast, just 30 minutes from NYC, they are offering the Hilton Rye Town in Westchester, New York. The entire hotel will be Glatt Kosher for Passover. The hotel has completed a $30 million dollar extensive renovation which includes all guest rooms and suites. Its recreational facilities include an indoor swimming pool, whirlpool, expanded fitness center and indoor tennis complex. Prestige Caterers will be coordinating their outstanding gourmet cuisine under the Glatt Kosher supervision of the ORB. All of Leisure Time Tours programs include outstanding Glatt Kosher cuisine, traditional Orthodox synagogue services, two magnificent Seders, and a full and exciting array of activities, including lectures, dazzling entertainment, and professionally run children’s camp and teen programs. For further information and full color brochure, you can contact Leisure Time Tours at 718-528-0700 or 800- 223-2624. Their website is www.leisuretimetours.com.

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Dirshu: Daf HaYomi B’Halacha – Deserving Our Portion by Rabbi Yechiel Spero I recently had the privilege of spending Shabbos in Thornhill, Ontario with a group of approximately 100 families, who are mostly baalei teshuvah. The shul’s daily schedule includes a shiur given by its rabbi, Rabbi Yossi Michalowitz, on the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha. With the hope and dream of finishing the complete cycle of the Mishna Berurah, a group of congregants wakes up early every morning to attend this shiur. One of the class’s attendees confided in me that he feels overwhelmed by the daunting task of trying to complete the entireTalmud. But he finds the practicality and satisfaction of learning the Mishna Berurah through Daf HaYomi B’Halacha much more palpable. “When you get a late start in the game, it is important for a newcomer to be able to also finish something,” he explained. And, G-d willing, at the end of this cycle, he will be finishing all six volumes of the Mishna Berurah. Can one begin to fathom the nachas the Chofetz Chaim, z”tl, its author, must derive from this program? *** In this, the final essay in a series of four, presenting Dirshu and its innovative programs, we will further explore the wonderful and fascinating world of Dirshu, the brainchild of Rav Dovid Hofstedter. We will learn more about the members of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program – those individuals who have earned more than their minimal portion and have secured the appellation of bnei Olam HaBa. In what has been hailed “the new Daf HaYomi,” Dirshu, in its never-ending desire to enhance the quality of Torah learning, has revolutionized the learning of Mishna Berurah as well. With clear schedules and charts detailing a program where one not only learns, but also reviews and masters the entirety of the Mishna Berurah – the magnum opus of the Chofetz Chaim, Rav Yisrael Meir HaKohen Kagan – Dirshu has further enhanced the erudition of both laymen and scholars, along with their appreciation for the learning of halacha. Through the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, anyone who invests a half hour or so a day to learn one Daf of Mishna Berurah can become knowledgeable in practical, everyday halacha. ***

Boruch, a young man growing up in Australia, attended public school for most of the day. Every day when school was over, he traveled by bus to attend a Talmud Torah type of school for an hour. His knowledge of Gemara was virtually non-existent, since the teachers in the after-school program taught mostly Chumash and some Navi. When he was a bit older, Boruch traveled to the other side of the world to attend the Telshe Yeshivah in Cleveland, Ohio, and received his introductory bechinah (test) from Rav Mottel (Chaim Mordechai) Katz, the Rosh Yeshivah, z”tl. Unable to take any sort of a bechinah on Gemara, he managed to stumble his way through a bechinah on Chumash, but in his own words, “I didn’t do very well on that test either.” However, a few years later, the yeshivah offered a monetary incentive to anyone who took a bechinah on Maseches Bava Basra, the longest masechta in Shas. Rav Mottel could hardly imagine that this boy was going to attempt to take a bechinah, but he couldn’t turn him away. After a few questions, though, Rav Mottel was shocked; Boruch knew the material perfectly. Today, Rav Boruch Hirschfeld, shlita, a strong Dirshu proponent, serves as the Rosh Kollel of Torah Life, a kollel in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and is a wellknown posek in the Midwest. Originally, Rav Boruch participated in the bechinos given by Dirshu on the Gemara. He took the cumulative tests and gained much from them, as the program forced him to review, retain, and master the Gemara. After a number of years, Rav Boruch, who had been learning Mishna Berurah with a group of baalebatim (laymen), became intrigued with the prospect of learning the subject matter along with Dirshu’s Mishna Berurah program. The group joined as the Dirshu program was in middle of Hilchos Shabbos, and the bale batim felt a sense of pride and accomplishment

with each passing page. The Dirshu schedule created a greater sense of responsibility to the learning. The group had been learning random subjects, skipping from one topic to another; now, because of Dirshu, there was a plan, a mission, a goal. However, when they reached the fourth section of the Mishna Berurah, Hilchos Eruvin, a problem arose. Al-

though the fourth chelek is the shortest chelek of Mishna Berurah, it is the most difficult. So difficult, in fact, that Rav Boruch suggested to Rav Ahron Gobioff, Dirshu’s Director of Operations in North America, that he recommend to Dirshu’s founder, Rav Dovid Hofstedter, that Dirshu omit that chelek of the Mishna Berurah from the program, and move on to the fifth chelek, which contains easier subject matter. In Rav Boruch’s opinion, if Dirshu’s goal is mastery, learning Hilchos Eruvin could dissuade some men from continuing to learn Mishna Berurah. But the vision and foresight of Dirshu could not be denied. They stood up to the challenge, and in the end, according to Rav Boruch, chelek daled was “oleh al kulam – rose above them all.” It created an “ohr chadash – a new light,” which illuminated Hilchos Eruvin as never before, as talmidei chachamim gained new insights into the most elusive and complex piskei halacha of the Chazon Ish, and laymen understood the deeper concepts of lavud, gud asik, and pi tikreh yoreid ve’soseim (legal loopholes that validate an eruv). In fact, Rav Boruch and his group took a field trip

around the neighborhood and observed where the various halachos applied. *** Rav Nissim Karelitz, shlita, one of the premier poskim of our generation, lauded the accomplishments of Dirshu and the impact Dirshu has made through systematic testing in various halacha programs. Regarding the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program, Rav Nissim was quoted as saying, “The correct way to remember one’s Mishna Berurah learning is by making written or oral summaries, every individual according to what works for him.” From the future posek hador to the layman who wishes to increase his minimal knowledge, Dirshu has enabled thousands to remember the halachos they learn, to build for and spread the light of the Al-mighty, and to become bnei Olam HaBa. “Dirshu Hashem Ve’uzo Bakshu Fanav Tamid – Search out Hashem and His might, seek His presence always” (Tehillim 105:4). What more praiseworthy way to seek Hashem could there be? *** On the 12th day of Cheshvan, 5773, thousands of participants of the Daf HaYomi B’Halacha program of Dirshu began learning the fifth chelek of Mishna Berurah, the section of Hilchos Pesach. It will provide them with a thorough and comprehensive preparation for the Yom Tov, as they will conclude the limud prior to Pesach. What an incredible feeling of accomplishment they will merit! And through this limud, they will experience – and be able to spread – so much light. Dovetailing the dream of Rav Meir Shapiro, zt”l, the founder of the Daf HaYomi program, Dirshu’s Daf is transforming the landscape of halacha forever. With Pesach less than six months away, can you afford not to join?

51 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

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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 8 , 2012

You Gotta be

Riddle

Kidding!

Submitted by Chani Kornfeld Seymour comes running into shul one night, all out of breath and very excited. “What is happening Seymour?” asks Yankel. “Oh, you would never believe it, Yankel,” says Seymour. “I was trying to catch the bus back from work and I missed it. So I chased it to the next stop, and I missed it again. I kept missing it and before I knew it I chased it all the way to here.” Yankel says, “So, why are you so excited?” Seymour replies, “What do you mean; it’s amazing I got here and saved the money that I would have had to spend on the bus.” To which Yankel replies, “You should have chased a taxi, you would have saved a lot more money!” ******** And, just in case you needed to know: Question: Why wouldn’t the shrimp share his treasure? Answer: Because he was a little shellfish

Submitted by Chavi Shortz It is a dark night, and there is a family of five that needs to cross a bridge suspended over a deep valley. The only light available was a lamp which could only burn for thirty minutes. Up to two members can cross each time. Different members take different amounts of time to cross and the time they take must be at the pace of the slower one. The time taken for each member is as shown: (G)Grandpa (F)Father (M)Mother (S)Sister (B)Brother

- - - - -

12 minutes 8 minutes 6 minutes 3 minutes 1 minute

For example, if the father and the grandpa were to cross together, it would take twelve minutes, leaving eighteen minutes for one of them to return and get the rest moving. Can you help the family to get across? Answer on next page

A Guide to U.S. Newspapers

The Wall Street Journal Read by the people who run the country.

The New York Times Read by people who think they run the country.

The Washington Post

Read by people who think they should run the country.

USA Today

Read by people who think they ought to run the country but are actually holed up in cheap hotels and too cheap not to read the free newspaper that is thrown by the their hotel door.

The Los Angeles Times

Read by people who wouldn’t mind running the country, if they could spare the time, and if they didn’t have to leave L.A. to do it.

The Boston Globe

Read by people whose parents used to run the country.

The New York Daily News Read by people who aren’t too sure who’s running the country,

and don’t really care as long as they can get a seat on the train.

The New York Post

Read by people who don’t care who’s running the country either, as long as they do something really scandalous, preferably while intoxicated.

The San Francisco Chronicle

Read by people who aren’t sure there is a country, or that anyone is running it, but whoever it is, they oppose all that they stand for.

The Miami Herald

Read by people who are not running the country, but are enjoying a nice 80 degree day on the beach, while you freeze your head off.

The Jewish Home

At least a portion of it—particularly the Centerfold—is written by someone who would do a very good job at running the country, is funny, smart and of course, very humble.

3. Hurricane Galveston took place in 1900 and is the biggest hurricane in recorded history, with over 8,000 lives lost. Where did Hurricane Galveston take place? a. Texas b. Florida c. North Carolina d. Louisiana 4. How long did the longest lasting hurricane in recorded U.S. history last? a. 4 days b. 2 weeks c. 31 days d. 6 weeks 5. On July 17, 1943, Joseph Duckworth made history by doing what? a. Flying his plane into the eye of a hurricane b. Accurately predicting a hurricane’s path for the first time c. Eating 6 pies of pizza during the course of a 36 hurricane. (A record recently broken by the TJH Centerfold Commissioner.) d. Being blown 2 miles in hurricane winds and surviving.

Got funny?

Let the Commissioner decide. Send your stuff to

centerfold@fivetownsjewishhome.com

6. Specific names of hurricanes are retired when what happens? a. Every 65 years a new batch of names is used. b. The hurricane merges with other storms. c. The hurricane they are named for is particularly devastating. d. A person with the same name files a lawsuit. 7. Australian Clement Wragge, who is often considered to be the father of modern meteorology, was the first to name tropical cyclones in the late 1800’s. What did he name them after? a. Politicians he disliked. b. Friends from his 12th grade class who stated in the yearbook that Wragge would probably “blow it in life.” c. He would open up the Australian Centennial News obituary section and pick a random name. d. He would raffle off the honors to community members. 8. In 2004, what rare hurricane-related weather phenomenon occurred? a. A hurricane and a blizzard converged. It was named a blizzacane. b. There was a hurricane in the South Atlantic. c. The U.S. did not have any hurricanes. d. There were 3 hurricanes in one month which all produced 83 mile per hour winds. 9. What is a major cause of hurricane formation? a. Bad thunderstorms b. Warm ocean water c. A full moon d. Changes in barometric pressure from low to high 10. Which is worse: a Category 1 storm or a Category 5 storm? a. Cat 1 b. Cat 5

Answer to riddle: B+S Cross = 27 minutes remain B Back = 26 minutes remain B+M Cross = 20 minutes remain S Back = 17 minutes remain F+G Cross = 5 minutes remain B Back = 4 minutes remain B+S Cross = 1 minute remains. The family reunites at the other end, leaving one minute of light to be happy together.

2. In what year did the Great Atlantic Hurricane destroy five ships, including a U.S. Navy destroyer and causing 344 deaths? a. 1919 b. 1932 c. 1944 d. 1963

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

1. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when it involves winds that go how many miles per hour? a. 51 b. 74 c. 83 d. 94

Answers 1. B 2. C- While this hurricane caused 46 deaths and $100 million in damage in the United States, the worst effects occurred at sea where it wreaked havoc on World War II shipping. Five ships, including a U. S. Navy destroyer and minesweeper, two U. S. Coast Guard cutters, and a light vessel sank due to the storm causing 344 deaths. 3. A 4. C- Hurricane/Typhoon John, which developed in the Pacific Ocean in 1994 and lasted 31 days. 5. A- Joseph Duckworth was an Air Corps. Lieutenant Colonel in World War II. In 1943 he flew an AT-6 single engine trainer into a small but strong hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico near Galveston, Texas, becoming the first person to safely fly through a hurricane. 6. C 7. A 8. B- In March 2004, a hurricane in the Southern Atlantic Ocean made landfall in Brazil. Though Brazilian officials called the storm “extra-tropical,” this was the first hurricane-strength storm to appear in the Southern Atlantic since satellite tracking began in 1966. Tropical storm systems normally occur in the Northern Atlantic, the Indian Ocean, and throughout the Pacific Ocean. 9. B- Water temperatures of 80 Fahrenheit or more contribute to hurricane formation. 10. Category 1 has winds around 74 mph, while a Category 5 has over 155mph. Hurricane Intelligence Category Scale 7-10 correct: You are a Cat 5. (Could you please stay out of NY next time? Thanks. I was going to run the marathon...not.) 4-6 correct: You are a Cat 2 1/2 (Just kidding, there is no Cat 2 1/2, but you probably didn’t know that.) 0-3 correct: You are a Cat 0. The answers my friend are blowing in the wind... but you can’t seem to find them. You are the type of guy who would actually need a weather man to know which way the wind blows.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Your Home

Yossie Hardoon

Vital Information Regarding Your Water Heater and Boiler After the Storm

any of my customers have had their boilers and water heaters submerged under water or flooded. I am trying to advise people about what needs to be done. Instead of discussing it with each person, I have decided to compile my opinion based on my research. As I sit down to write this, I’ve spent the past several days discussing the issues with heating experts and boiler manufacturers. Before Hurricane Sandy, I’ve never had to deal with floods of this scale. My goals are to do only what is necessary to make the systems safe, get them back up and running, while trying to save my customers as much money as possible. FACT: Government agencies such as FEMA, AHRI, and other boiler manufacturers sent me a statement from Burnham boilers yesterday (November 5, 2012) saying that any gas appliances such as boilers and water heaters that were submerged in water MUST be re-

placed. They should not be relit by anyone. (My colleague, Ahron Koster, personally spoke to Peerless boilers, Slant Fin boilers, and sent me a statement from Burnham boilers yesterday.) Even if someone were tell you (as I began telling my customers last Wednesday after the hurricane) before this research that they can save boiler by replacing ALL submerged controls and cleaning the pilot tubes and scrubbing boiler sections etc., it is so labor intensive that it would require at least 10 hours of labor, and the appliance still could explode. Material cost will never be less than $500—probably close to $1000. And that’s without labor charge. A replacement boiler costs usually in $5000-$8500 range depending on the type, forced water or steam, how many zones, how large boiler etc. To spend maybe $3,000 on something that will still be full of problems is a waste of money. In addition, any problems you

Please do not have an unqualified person wire your boiler to a generator. Believe it or not, not all electricians are familiar with boilers. They must know the function of all boiler controls before wiring it. I just came from a call where a local shul sent around a group of people doing chesed to different families to get them heat. The person bypassed with his wiring the low water cut off on a 24 volt steam/gas system. The low water cut off is the most important safety feature on a steam boiler. In addition, he wired a 120 volts to a 24 volt gas valve. Aside from destroying the gas valve, which is an expensive component, if his idea would have worked, he would have left them in a precarious situation. What is better: some cold or the irreplaceable loss of a family? In addition, anyone whose gas boiler or water heater was submerged in water should have the gas valve shut off and not to be turned on before a qualified plumber/HVAC contractor can come look at your appliance. This includes water heaters whose main burner tray got submerged in water. This means if you got about four inches of water you should not light your water heater by yourself. You need a person with experience to watch how the flame is burning and behaving before leaving it alone. You cannot possibly know this even if you know how to light your water heater. Any doubts that you have, do not proceed.

have in the future, such as G-d forbid, a small explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning, the insurance companies won’t cover it once the appliance went through a flood. Some of the reasons why a boiler needs to be replaced are as follows: 1. Carbon monoxide poisoning. The passageways between sections get blocked with salt, mud, etc. When the boiler is turned on, if combustion gases can’t go up your chimney, they pour into your house instead. 2. Fire hazard. Water conducts electricity. Electrical controls that get wet can short the hot and neutral wire and catch fire. 3. Explosion. When gas lines get water in them from a flood, salt water and raw sewage and the toxins in them can make natural gas explode. 4. Wears out quicker. Once salt water goes on the cast iron sections, it will wear out quicker, causing a leaky boiler. 5. Chemical contamination. Sections that get contaminated cause the combustion process to be altered. Residue on sections from a flood can be flammable depending on what it picked up. 6. Sand, silt and mud. Debris gets soaked into the insulation causing them to mold. They go into burner tubes and results in explosions or bad combustion. If you are a skeptic and think the agencies are just not caring about your situation or maybe the boiler companies are just trying to sell new boilers then listen to my most recent experience at the house of Avrohom and Fryde Rekant of Lawrence, New York. I went to his house Thursday believing I could replace only the controls and clean up the boiler. Here is what happened so far: I replaced all electrical controls that got submerged and the circulator pump. Here is what I did concerning the gas end: I replaced the gas valve and thermocouple. I removed the pilot orifice—it was clean. I emptied out water from the pilot tubing and blew out whatever water was left. I removed all the burners’ tubes and emptied them out from water and wiped them down and put them back. I cleaned the burner manifold tube and soaked the water as much as possible with paper towels and cleaned out the burner manifold orifices. The pilot was burning nicely with a clean blue flame.

PROBLEM: When I turned the boiler on, when the main valve opened up, some of the time there was a delay of 2-3 seconds and the flame lit with a small boom. (Yeah, actually a small explosion!) I got the flame explosion 3 out of every 4 tries, meaning 1 out of 4 was normal and smooth. I tried to adjust the pilot flame thinking that the pilot flame was a little small and I found it already at its maximum before I touched it. I obviously did not leave the customer like that. I shut down boiler. That’s where I ended last night and that’s where I’m done with thinking I know better than FEMA and the boiler manufacturers. He needs to replace his boiler. End of Story. Oh and by the way, he just replaced it before Pesach. Finally, please look at the following links on your computer (if you have a generator or power) You will see issues in black and white. Throw the appliances out. http://www.heatinghelp.com/forumthread/143163/SUBMERGED-Boilersand-Water-heater-What-absolutelyneeds-replacing#p1277915 http://www.heatinghelp.com/forumthread/143072/Flood-Clean-Up-Cautions (I am “Joseph” in the posts on the forums and “bn” is my colleague Ahron Koster.) I have a lot of money-saving ways to help with your heat in the interim period, but have not had time to write it. Hopefully there will be addendum article next week. I would like to thank TJH for taking this article with its due seriousness. I would like to thank Ahron Koster for calling the boiler companies and using him as a chavrusa to sharpen this “sugya.” He’s a great plumber from Kew Gardens He can be reached at 917-6130193. He does work in the Rockaways and Five Towns. I would like to thank the Rekants for their patience and calm demeanor even now as they still have no heat. I can be reached at 718-986-6007 or email josephfar@kewnet.com. I’m happy to help you out. You can text me or email me your questions. Yossie Hardoon of HHI SERVICES LLC is a licensed Heating Contractor in NYC.

55 Susan Schwamm

TJH Interviews Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

TJH Columnist and Author of The Healing is Mutual TJH: Dr. Deb, it’s a true pleasure meeting with you. So many of our readers love reading your weekly column. What made you interested in pursuing the field of Marriage and Family Therapy? DD: It’s a pleasure meeting with you as well. Thank you for your time. I was always interested in the field of what makes people tick. I think it’s because my mom would always say to me, “Why do you think children do that?” and it got me started… TJH: I know you just recently moved to the Five Towns. Did you grow up in New York? DD: Yes, I grew up in New York and moved to Laurelton when I was ten. After my husband and I married, we moved to Florida. My husband’s mom is a “snow bird,” and my mom needed the warm weather for her heart. All my kids were born there and we moved back recently because two out of four children of ours live here. We are very happy to be back; very happy to be home. Believe it or not, I love the weather here. TJH: You are a marriage and family therapist. Can you explain to us what exactly that is? DD: Sure. A marriage and family therapist deals with relationships within the family. I work with people in hard marriages but I also work with people who have tense relationships with their elderly parents or whose parents are interfering with their marriages. Families also come to me with parenting issues with their children and their teenagers. Just going to a therapist who has taken one course in family counseling is not enough when you need to work out these relationships. It is just not enough. A marriage and family therapist has extensive training and specializes in these relationships. TJH: I was able to get a copy of your new book, The Healing is Mutual. I found it wonderful and I loved the insight and information offered in the book. DD: Thank you. I have written a bunch of books and this is the first book I am publishing. This book is for cou-

ples. It is not just a book for the abused or the abuser in a hurting relationship. Both people in that relationship need to be healed. Even the abuser is hurt and needs healing. TJH: What exactly do you mean by that? DD: Well, the abuser is hurting someone else because he or she is hurt. There are two ways the abuser is hurt. The first way predates the marriage. He or she was brought up with some issues—either he was actually abused during his childhood or he was spoiled. Being spoiled is a type of abuse. A spoiled child is not given the opportunity to be resourceful, to think about others. Everything is about him. He misses key things. True happiness comes from understanding the way we affect others. It makes me happy to know that you care about me. If I think I am so wonderful, I don’t have the same feeling of happiness as when I know that someone else thinks I am so wonderful. We all have mirror neurons. They start developing when we are young; we try to imitate what others do. That’s the way that babies learn the way of the world. But a spoiled child misses these cues. They don’t care and are not cued into how their actions affect other people. They don’t know how to care for others. The other way an abuser can be hurt is by actually being abused in his or her childhood. There can be physical abuse, but having an abusive childhood can be found in the small things as well. When a child comes home and says, “Mommy, I made the team,” and the mom just says, “Oh, that’s nice,” his experience is not being validated. That’s slight abuse. And this abused child then brings his baggage into the marriage. Now this person goes into the marriage. And he or she assumes that their spouse understands everything that was missing in their life. They think their spouse will fill the gaping hole. But their spouse doesn’t know what was missing and can’t possibly fill that void. The only person who really knows what’s missing within them and can possibly fill that emptiness is the person themselves. We can heal ourselves; no one else can heal us.

TJH: I found it interesting that the focus in the book shifts from abuser to abused. DD: Yes. The book threads its way back and forth between the abuser and the victim. In an abusive relationship, the role of abuser, victim and observer (usually their child) will end up rotating. Many times, someone who is abused will say, “I’m sorry I stooped to his level.” They were in an abusive relationship and they felt so stuck that at a certain point, they lashed back at their abuser. This is normal and in this case, the abused person is now the abuser in a certain sense. TJH: That is an interesting twist. DD: We discussed this in one of my articles one week, where the perpetrator can also feel like he’s a victim in the marriage. He feels like he is not being treated well so he will misread cues and will start misinterpreting certain actions as bad. His mind trains him to see that only bad things are being done to him. Even when his spouse is doing only good things to him, his mind distorts what is being done to him. In fact, the perpetrator can be a double victim. One is real (from his childhood) and the other is in his mind. And then he can even be a victim in three ways if his spouse lashes out at him at one point. This person needs a lot of healing. TJH: How does that person come to heal himself? It seems as if the hurt is so engrained in his psyche. DD: Well, the first thing that the perpetrator has to do is see the sources of abuse in his history so he can recognize the abuse and not do it to others. He or she needs to find ways to feel good about themselves and make themselves happy. And then they are on the way to healing. TJH: Does this mean that everyone who suffered from an abusive childhood will be an abusive spouse? DD: No. Just because a person had an abusive childhood does not mean they will become abusive. I believed it all depends on mazal. Maybe one parent was good to you and you wish to emulate that parent. Maybe you have a place of refuge or a friend’s house where things

are normal and you can learn from them. I know of a story of a woman who was abused for many years. But two weeks out of every year she went to her grandparents’ home and got to know what “normal” was and was able to perceive what a normal life looked like and heal. If you don’t know what you’re seeing or what you’re saying is hurtful, then you don’t even have a chance to be normal. TJH: Is the book intended for only those in hurtful relationships? It seems as if everyone can learn something from it. DD: I believe that everyone should read my book since many people don’t even realize that they are hurting others with their words. It could be what they are saying is so slight, but is hurtful all the same. The book will open awareness for them. The book has a “toolbox” to help readers move on with their healing. I also created a home study course. I asked professional actors who are members of our community to act or and narrate the book. There are also pamphlets that are included in the home study course to help people create affirmations for themselves. TJH: What are your suggestions for someone who just started to date someone who may be abusive? DD: Do not marry someone who is hurting you. I don’t care if you love them—why open yourself up for that? If you’re dating, you will not be able to heal each other. My book is meant for people who are married and have a history together and want to save their marriage. But when you’re just dating, it’s best to stay away. One other point, when you are dating someone, try to get to know them and their family in a way that’s natural to them. Don’t just sit around the table with them. Do “normal” things with them, like changing a tire with them. This way you’ll get to know them and be able to see the real picture. TJH: Dr. Deb, I am so happy we were able to meet and chat! Our conversation was truly enlightening and I really appreciate your time. DD: My pleasure! It was wonderful meeting with you as well.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

Focus on People

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Ask the Rabbi Fortune Tellers, Fate and Faith Dear Rabbi, Does Judaism recognize the powers of black magic and sorcery? What is the Torah’s position on fortune tellers and witches? I was told that this was a problem and that it was in the Torah. Is this true? Is it forbidden to see a psychic or palm reader who can tell the future?

powers) might be a Biblical violation. (This is not intended to be a halachic ruling. For any practical questions, consult a competent rabbinic authority). Others maintain that in days of yore, there were those who were able to harness dark powers that defied the laws of science. However, the nearly universal rabbinic approach today is that genuine magic and the ability to predict the future no longer exists. If it did, some old gypsy women would have better stockpicking performances than Warren Buffet and they wouldn’t be living in those tattered tents or trailers. Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky zt”l once explained that the existence of these powers was only necessary during the times that G-d performed open miracles. There had to be an alternative force that also seemed to have supernatural power to maintain a balance and have an “even playing field” for there to be true free will. We no longer merit today to witness miracles that defy the laws of nature, and so, real magic no

The Rabbi Responds: The Torah does specifically prohibit the practice of magic and various forms of witchcraft, sorcery and divination to reveal the future. It must be noted that post-Talmudic authorities disputed whether supernatural means of divination and magic even exist. Most notably, Maimonides maintained that these practices are foolish superstitions and nothing more than a hoax. To quote Houdini (born Ehrich Weisz to religious, Yiddish-speaking Jewish immigrants), “There’s a trick to every trick.” According to this view, even practicing what appears to be magic (i.e. fooling people into believing in supernatural

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longer exists. In any event, if one follows the opinion of those who dispute Maimonides, it might not technically be a Biblical prohibition to perform magic tricks or watch them performed today. However, one thing everyone agrees on is that regardless of whether or not there is a prohibition to go to a psychic or fortune teller, it is definitely a pure waste of time and money. Palm reading does have sources in rabbinical literature, and there are a few rabbis today who purportedly know how to read palms. Palm reading may be different from sorcery which claims to be based on magic, while palm reading is considered a science and discipline. Be aware though, that the vast majority of palm readers are charlatans, and if they charge a fee for their predictions, I can confidently predict (free of charge) that their predictions (like “you will win the 50 million Powerball next week”) won’t happen or they will be very vague (“I see clouds of darkness ahead...”) or based on what you tell them (“Your fu-

Yehoshua Levy

ture is fraught with uncertainty, and you will be anxious…”). The closest you’ll get to an accurate prediction about what lies ahead in your future is looking at the calendar on your cellphone. In reading the verses from the Torah (Deut. Chap 18), we see that a desire to know the future is a sign of a weak faith in G-d. We should trust that He has our best interests in mind and the power to execute His will. While there does exist a concept of fate, the Talmud teaches us “ain mazal l’Yisrael.” Our “fate” is not binding, and through faith and prayer, our fate can be changed. Even to seek out a reputable palm reader is usually discouraged. May the A-mighty bestow upon you abundant blessings in the future, Yehoshua Levy 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.

57 R’ Ben Tzion Shafier

Parshas Chayai Sarah

Middos -Central to all Avodas Hashem

liezer, the faithful servant of Avraham, was charged with finding a wife for Yitzchak. Knowing full well the gravity of his mission, he also recognized its difficulty. The woman he would choose was to be a partner in creating the genetic transmission to shape a nation; she was to be the mother of the Jewish People. The issue was: how to find her? Of the untold number of eligible women, how would he determine which was the right one? The Torah tells us Eliezer’s system: And it will be that the maiden to whom I will say, “Please give me to drink,” and she will answer, “Please drink, and I will give your camels to drink as well.” She will be the one that You have proven to be the wife for Yitzchak.

Not a Sign, but a Test Rashi explains that Eliezer wasn’t using an arbitrary sign; this was the determinant of the woman best suited to enter into the house of Avrohom. A woman who was so giving that she would go out of her way to help a complete stranger, even by offering to care for his camels, was the one to be the wife of Yitzchak. And that in fact is what happened. No sooner did Eliezer get to the well than he met Rivka. He asked her for something to drink, and as the Siforno explains, he was astounded by her reaction. The speed with which she moved, the energy with which she ran to fill the jug of water – it was amazing. A camel walking in the desert can drink enough in one sitting to last several days. Eliezer watched, mouth agape, as Rivka ran back and forth, refilling her jug time after time, until he and his ten camels were sated. He knew that he had found the right girl. So without even asking her name, without inquiring into her family, he betrothed her to his master, to Yitzchak. Midos Are But One Part of the Package The difficulty with this Rashi is that Eliezer used one limited criteria to find the perfect match for Yitzchak. Let’s grant that this woman had perfect middos and was truly a baalas chessed – that is but one part of the person. Eliezer didn’t ask her a word about her religious

beliefs. Perhaps she was an idol worshiper like her father and her brother. She might well have been a “stargazer,” as were many people living at that time. It seems that Eliezer picked one limited focus to the exclusion of everything else, and in doing so, he took a great risk. The answer to this question lies in understanding the centrality of middos

When I see another person suffering, there is actually a battle going on inside of me. Part of me cries out with that person. “Oy, a Jew in pain! What can I do to lighten his load? How can I help?” And part of me just couldn’t care less. There is a part of me that just isn’t interested in him or anything else for that matter. All it cares about is fulfilling its needs and desires.

Part of me feels a deep sense of inner peace and accomplishment, knowing that I am fulfilling my purpose in Creation. in our Avodas Hashem. When Hashem created the human, He made us of two distinct parts. There is a part of me that is preprogrammed to do everything that is good, right and proper. There is a full half of me that only wants to be generous, magnanimous, and giving. This is my neshamah, born of the highest elements in the cosmos. It yearns for a loving relationship with my Creator. And then there is another part of me: the Nefesh HaBahami. This part is the same living substance that occupies every animal in the world. It is made up of pure drives and instincts. It has no wisdom; it operates out of passions, appetites, and hungers. And it cares about nothing other than filling those hungers. And so, the human is comprised of two distinct, competing parts. These two elements manifest themselves in everything that we do. One or the other is constantly gaining primacy over the person. The more that I allow my pure neshama to come to the fore, the stronger its urges and desires for greatness become. The more that I give in to my animal instinct, the stronger that it becomes. The human is in constant battle, with one or the other gaining primacy. These two parts manifest themselves in everything that we do.

Therefore, every situation in life is a test – a test to see which part comes to the fore, which part gains control over me. When I do engage in an act of kindness, the battle becomes even more pitched. Part of me screams out inside, “What are you doing? You need that money! Why are you giving it to someone else? Who cares about him? Take care of your needs!” And part of me feels a deep sense of inner peace and accomplishment, knowing that I am fulfilling my purpose in Creation.

What Rivka Was Demonstrating What Eliezer witnessed at the well was a human being who reached such a high level of perfection that he was awestruck. For a woman to run out, time after time, filling jug after jug of water for someone she didn’t know was a complete act of selflessness. It demonstrated that she had reached a fabulously high level of self-perfection. She clearly had conquered her nature. Her physical side was diminished, and her neshama was shining brightly. She may not have had all of the knowledge of serving Hashem, but once introduced to it, she would cling to Hashem with a powerful bond. For this woman to come to perfect Avodas Hashem was merely a matter of adding water to instant soup. This concept has great relevance to us in that it helps us understand why chessed is so central to everything that we do. Hashem is the ultimate Giver. He created this world to give of His good to man. However, that good has to be earned. To allow for this, HASHEMashem put us in the perfect laboratory of growth called life. We were put into a body that only desires and knows its own needs, and our Nishomahneshama is given the challenge of overcoming those natural instincts and learning to care for others so that it can reach spiritual heights. When man conquers his inner nature he emulates Hashem, making himself more like his Creator. By perfecting himself this way, he lives up to the reason he was put on the planet.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

The Shmuz

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Jewish History

Rabbi Berel Wein

Kristallnacht’s Timeless Lesson

Converting the fires of Kristallnacht into the fire of Judaism and Jewish life

ost of the time evil cloaks itself with some form of apparent righteousness. Lenin, Stalin, Pol Pot and Chairman Mao killed millions for what they claimed were just causes that would benefit humankind. Many in the Moslem world mask their evil behavior and terrorism with the cloak of religion and faith. To a certain extent, however, the brutal behavior of the evil of the Nazis and Germans towards the Jewish people was an exception to this rule. Here was raw evil unmasked and unashamed with no excuses presented and no justification advanced. And this clear revelation was on world display on the night of Kristallnacht. Synagogues burned to the ground, Jews killed and arrested and sent to concentration camps, Jewish stores and homes destroyed and vandalized – all

of this occurred on that black night in November 1938. It became clearer to those who wanted to see it that the Final Solution was going to become a reality. Kristallnacht was the watershed event in the destruction of European Jewry. The only question after Kristallnacht was whether anything could be

to this question of life and death turned out to be one of helplessness and almost surrender. Thus Kristallnacht should have removed the blinders from the eyes of the Western world as to what awaited them a few short months later from Germany -- a world war that would destroy tens of millions and de-

Jews were always persecuted not for their own personal behavior or human failings but for the faith and value system that they represented. done to save European Jewry from the planned disaster that Hitler ym”sh and his cohorts wished to visit on the Jewish people. Unfortunately the practical answer

stroy Europe for generations. Part of the tragedy of Kristallnacht is that it did not send the necessary wakeup call to those who could have yet stood up to Germany. And so the deluge arrived. War Against G-D It was not a random event that synagogues were destroyed and scrolls of Torah were desecrated. The Nazi regime in Germany was basically antireligion and anti-G-d, and the Jewish people represented – and still represent – faith and awe of the Al-mighty. Individual Jews, even though millions of them may have abandoned Jewish practice and faith, were nevertheless caught in the net of the Jewish faith and tradition of Torah. Hitler stated that the Jewish problem was genetic and not one of individual behavior. Most of the Jews in Germany were assimilated, proud Germans who placed their Germaness over their Jewish ancestry. But Jewishness can never be separated from Torah, and if there were Jews who did not understand this, the Nazis certainly did. Kristallnacht was the attack against Judaism, against Torah, against G-d Himself, so to speak. Jews were always persecuted not for their own personal behavior or human failings but for the faith and value system that they represented.

Judaism was the antithesis of all that Nazism and its barbarism stood for. And therefore Kristallnacht marks the beginning of that all-out war against Judaism, the Jewish people, Torah and the G-d of Israel. And we can say of Kristallnacht what the great martyr of Roman times, Rabbi Chanina ben Tradyon said of the scroll of Torah in which he was wrapped and burned alive: “The scrolls and parchment may burn to ashes but the letters of the Torah still float in the air.” The synagogues and Torahs of the Jews of Germany were reduced to ashes and the Jews were killed, but the words and values of Torah and the souls of the murdered still float in the air, giving the world no rest and still raising matters of conscience. Fire That Builds Kristallnacht demands of us to strengthen our ties to Judaism and to stand strong on behalf of the values and lives of Jews the world over and in defense of the Jewish state. It is tragic beyond words that Hitler should gain posthumous victory over Torah and the Jewish people. Saying “never again” is wishful and in itself impractical. Only actions and constructive efforts can guarantee “never again” as a reality. Every Jew has a responsibility to one’s self and to one’s family future – as well as to Jewish history and destiny – to strengthen one’s attachment to Judaism and the Jewish people. The fires of Kristallnacht must be converted to the fire of Judaism and Jewish life within the souls of the Jewish people. Fire destroys and fire warms; it can be constructive or destructive. Those choices remain with us, and Kristallnacht and its events focus our attention on these choices. May the memory of Kristallnacht light the fire of a greater Jewish future within all of us. Reprinted with permission from aish.com.

Ope n H ouse

Ms. Naomi Lippman Principal, General Studies

Novem ber 11t h 10:00 A M

nalippman@haftr.org

Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen Principal, Judaic Studies geoppen@haftr.org

Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School 635 Central Avenue Cedarhurst, NY 11516 516-569-3807 路 haftrinfo@haftr.org

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In-sight in the Dark

veryone was on edge fearing what was forecasted to be the most devastating storm to ever head our way. It threatened to leave us victim to billions of dollars’ worth of damage. There was fear of surging waters reminiscent of a tropical tsunami. The mass transit system would be paralyzed and over 8 million people would be left without electricity. While I too was suffering from the storm’s dark and destructive impact, there was a small flicker that lit up my life. A glimmer of light that would forever change who I am. In anticipation of the storm’s arrival, it was announced that there would be a few days off from school. I saw this as an opportunity to spend time with a dear camper of mine from Camp HASC (Hebrew Academy for Special Children). It wasn’t the most ideal time to be hosting a child with special needs but I couldn’t resist. After convincing the young boy’s mother that I would keep him safe, she agreed to let him stay with me for a few days during the storm. After all, she knew the days ahead would confine her other children to their fourth floor apartment. I picked him up Sunday night before the wrath of Sandy made its way to our area. Although we arrived at my house late in the evening, and a few hours past his bedtime, I couldn’t help but welcome him with a little celebrating. I blasted his favorite music and danced with him late into the night. His laugh echoed through my house as he jumped with excitement. The winds outside intensified. We just kept dancing.

I spent the following day, Monday, spoiling my camper with his favorite activities. The time passed quickly. Like many families, we sat around the television watching the storm’s impact effect our neighboring states. We witnessed the danger and intensity of a storm that was only a few hours away from us. The storm delivered its hardest punch late Monday evening and sure enough, our power was suddenly knocked out. The

in the usual way. Helping him with big and small things gives me great joy and satisfaction. Guiding his movements as he embraces my hand is something I consider a rare privilege. I feel blessed to help this angel spread his wings to their fullest. Living in the dark made me more attuned to the way he navigates in his world. This was a learning experience for me and a lesson on how I can help

We must stay awake in order to keep another warm even though we ourselves may get tired. We must focus on assisting others and help reassemble their broken hearts.

moment we were enveloped by the darkness, those around me panicked to grab hold of the nearest flashlight. My camper did not flinch. He is completely blind. Like most children, he loves to swim, swing, spin, and can jump for hours without tiring. He has a soft spot for chocolate and giggles uncontrollably when tickled. One would never know that he was blind and non-verbal just by looking at his docile and sweet face. He is unable to take care of many of his basic needs, such as cutting his food into bite-size pieces, brushing his teeth, and stepping off a sidewalk. He can’t get dressed by himself. He can’t walk by himself. He can’t communicate

him in the future. However, the bigger lesson wasn’t realized until a few days after I had dropped my camper back at his home. I spent days completely disconnected from the world. I had no cell phone coverage, no power, no internet and no heat. The lifestyle of toasting bagels in a frying pan and strictly calculating gas mileage became the daily routine. The minutes passed like hours while waiting for the instinctual squint when a light goes on in a dark room. But that wouldn’t happen anytime soon. The early sunset left many of us sitting through long, lonely, black nights. During this time I was inconve-

nienced by many things. But what I had realized was that none of this mattered when I had my camper with me. I didn’t need light, I didn’t need the internet, I didn’t need my phone. When I spent my time and energy giving to him, I abandoned my personal needs. I felt happy and fulfilled spending time doing for someone else. While he was over, I barely slept at night fearing the blanket may slide off this child and leave him in the cold for even a minute. I chose to stay awake in order to quickly tuck him back in. In the weeks ahead, life shouldn’t be about our own discomforts. Many of us are not living in the normal conditions to which we are accustomed. Some people have minimal electric power but are still disconnected from phone service and the internet. Others have no power, no heat, no hot water and no generators. For many, conditions are far worse—flooding and homelessness. We are going to be forced to look at our neighbors and fellow Jews who have suffered unbelievable tragedies. We must stay awake in order to keep another warm even though we ourselves may get tired. We must focus on assisting others and help reassemble their broken hearts. By acting in this way, these seemingly large inconveniences that we are feeling will be replaced by the joy and fulfillment of changing another’s destiny. This is the glimmer of light, like a small flame in a darkened room, that can light up our lives.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n N O V EM B E R 8 , 2012

Inspiration

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Health & Fitness

Benjie Stern, PhD

Helping Our Children Post Hurricane Sandy

atural disasters can be especially traumatic for children and youth. Experiencing a dangerous or violent flood or storm is frightening even for adults, and the devastation to the familiar environment (i.e., home and community) can be long lasting and distressing. Our entire community is impacted, further undermining a child’s sense of security and normalcy. These factors present a variety of unique issues and coping challenges, including issues associated with specific types of natural disasters, the need to relocate when home and/ or community have been damaged, the role of the family in lessening or exacerbating the trauma, emotional reactions, and coping techniques. Children look to the significant adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions after the immediate threat is over. Parents’ adjustment is an important factor in children’s adjustment, and the adjustment of the child in turn contributes to the overall adjustment of the family. The negative effects of hardship can be alleviated and children can develop the strength and skills necessary to deal with adversity. Children can develop resiliency when they have safe, supportive environments; have access to caring, supportive adults; have opportunities to develop self-control; and are taught with strategies that help them become successful learners. Healing in the aftermath of a natural disaster takes time; however, advanced preparation and immediate response will facilitate subsequent coping and healing. The following are some tips for parents to empower our children with positive coping strategies following difficult events: • Reassure children that they are safe and that trustworthy people are in control. As with all things, parents and caregivers are important role models. Your reactions and responses to traumatic events will affect how your children deal with those same events. It is okay to let children know that you are sad or hurt by an event, but it is important that they see you in control and feel your sense of security

and resolve to protect them. • Spend extra time with the children and help them return to their normal routines as quickly as possible. To help increase a sense of security, try to maintain family schedules for daily activities such as eating, playing, and sleeping. If a child needs more physical contact with you for a period of time, be available. Physical affection is very comforting to children who have experienced trauma. If possible, avoid unnecessary separations from your children immediately following a traumatic event. Build extra family time into your daily schedule and delay extended time away, such as travel, if at all possible. • Talk to the children, answer their questions. They may ask— or may be wondering—“Is that going to happen to me?” or “Is that going to happen to Mommy or Daddy?” These children should be reassured with information about the steps that the adults in their lives are taking to keep them safe. Children may also have questions about death and dying. You

what they are viewing. For example, very young children believe re-runs of the event are more events happening around them. In addition to monitoring media images, monitor your conversations about the event, as conversations, too, may be troubling for your children. • H e l p children express their feelings. Immediately after a traumatic event, help your child calm down by showing that you can calm yourself. Suggest that the child draw a picture of his or her feelings or use a doll or stuffed animal to talk to, with you, about the event. Listen to the child’s description of events and talk to him or her in a calm, loving

Children look to the significant adults in their lives for guidance on how to manage their reactions after the immediate threat is over.

should answer their questions as truthfully as possible at a level they can understand. • Give children the amount of information that you believe they can understand. This often involves turning off news reports of the event and significantly controlling or limiting their exposure to threatening images on TV. In the days after September 11, many families appropriately turned off the television news because the repeated videos of airplanes flying into the World Trade Center towers and horrific scenes around plane crashes were too upsetting for their children. Furthermore, children may not understand

way. Sometimes helping your children find a positive way to cope with what has happened can help in the healing process. Examples include sending a special picture to a helper (police, fire, rescue), sending a card or drawing to a child touched by the event, or making something special for the daycare center/classroom. What About Communication Between Home And School? Increased communication between home and school is particularly important after a traumatic event. Teachers need to know what has happened in a child’s life, and parents should be in-

formed of sudden changes in a child’s behavior or performance at school. Students with special needs may have increased difficulties in the aftermath of trauma. Other children may not

want to go to school or may express fears about school that they never had before. A child’s school performance and interactions with friends may suffer after a traumatic event. It is important that families maintain communication with their children’s schools so that family members and school personnel can work together to help children deal with their feelings and cope with the consequences of the event. If the trauma has an impact on the school or community, it is important for school personnel to communicate to families how they will be handling the aftermath. Effective preparedness planning needs to include school administrators, teachers, and parents.

Dr. Stern has been visiting local schools conducting crisis intervention groups seeking to mitigate the social and psychological effects of the stressful event. Dr. Stern, a psychologist at Magen David Yeshivah, has a private practice in Brooklyn and Five Towns specializing in the treatment of anxiety, depression, and OCD for children and adolescents. To schedule a consultation, please call (917) 864-6274.

Jonathan Cohen, PsyD and Sarah Schwartz-Gluck, LCSW

Understanding the Emotional Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy

n the wake of the hurricane that left our neighborhoods devastated, we may look around at our homes, our neighbors’ homes, and feel like the world has irrevocably changed. A natural disaster of this magnitude may trigger a range of emotional reactions in people of all ages. While some of us may be annoyed because we can’t get a wifi connection, others may be losing hope that there will be any kind of normalcy in the future. Why do some people seem to coast along throughout the aftermath of the hurricane while others feel shattered and unable to start over? There is a range of normal reactions to stress, and many factors that influence our ability to cope. When faced with an overwhelming source of stress, the human mind tends toward a fight/flight/freeze reaction. We are often equipped with an adrenaline rush designed to help us survive. This survival instinct can serve to help us cope with disaster, clean up our homes, manage our families, call insurance companies, gather food and resources, and support our loved ones. Eventually, the adrenaline rush wears off and we may be left with some emotional and physical symptoms of trauma. Some common reactions to natural disasters include: • Nightmares • Flashbacks or intrusive thoughts about the disaster • A sense of helplessness or hopelessness • Heightened physical arousal such as difficulty sleeping, angry outbursts, problems concentrating or startle reactions to stimuli such as noises • Onset or exacerbation of phobias or anxiety • Avoidance of anything that reminds one of the disaster, or refusal to acknowledge or deal with the disaster. In children: • Clinginess • Regressive behavior—acting younger than one’s chronological age. Children may start bedwetting, seeking a teddy bear or blanky, or speaking in baby language. • Shyness in children who are usually outgoing • Behavioral problems • Difficulty with separation • Somatic complaints: stomach-

aches, headaches, etc. These are just some of the many ways that traumatic experiences may affect victims following an event such as a natural disaster. Most of these reactions are normal and are not a cause for worry. Any of the above reactions can become a problem when they interfere with normal functioning at work/school, or in one’s social life. For instance, feeling a sense of helplessness and suffering anxiety can be a natural reaction to stress. However, when that helplessness and anxiety stops one from communicating with his spouse, or causes him to be short tempered with his children, this becomes an unhealthy reaction. If a child complains of a headache prior to going back to school, this can be a normal reaction. However, if the headache has no medical basis and becomes

• Rigid belief systems: that is, the tendency to have set ideas about how the world, ourselves and others “should” be, and difficulty adapting when the world does not meet those expectations. • A v o i d a n t tendencies: that is, the tendency to avoid dealing with problems. (“it’ll work itself out” or “I will take care of it later”) Some tips for coping with trauma and preventing the onset of PTSD: Seek Support. Perhaps the most critical determination of how one will process the effects of a natural disaster is the amount of social support one obtains. If you have someone who can listen to you, take the time to talk about how you were affected by the hurricane. Whether you lived with no electricity, were forced out of your comfort zone and had to ac-

Feeling a sense of helplessness and suffering anxiety can be a natural reaction to stress. a chronic problem preventing him/her from attending school, then it may be an unhealthy reaction to the stressful event. An experienced mental health professional can help determine whether one is suffering from PTSD—posttraumatic stress disorder—a condition that can be treated with scientific, evidence-based therapies such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Risk factors for PTSD Years of trauma research show that while PTSD can affect anyone, there are certain factors that can make some people more vulnerable to developing posttraumatic stress disorder. These include: • A major life event in the 9 months preceding the natural disaster (death in the family, marriage, divorce, a big move) • Past emotional difficulties such as anxiety or depression

cept help from strangers, lost your possessions, or were a volunteer helping others, it is important that you express what you experienced. Research shows that every time one talks about a traumatic event, the brain has a chance to reprocess what happened; taking an event of significant magnitude and breaking it down into manageable proportions. If it is difficult to talk, writing and drawing can also be effective ways to express your experience. Take care of yourself. Make sure to get adequate sleep and nutrition as much as possible. When we are tired and/or hungry it becomes harder to deal with difficult situations. This is true despite how tempting it might be to work long hours to correct problems related to the traumatic event. Encourage healthy coping in children. First, try to maintain consistent rules for children. Keep rules consistent

with rules that existed before the hurricane hit. For instance, if your child is usually required to eat his vegetables, then he should still have to follow that rule even though there has been a hurricane. Same goes for brushing teeth, not fighting with siblings, and helping to unpack groceries. The reason for this is that children may already feel like their world is dramatically different, or like the hurricane has changed everything. Simple and consistent household rules can help reassure them that the world will retain a sense of order. Second, encourage children to express their thoughts and feelings about the hurricane and how they were affected by it. Help them talk about their experiences. Validate their feelings, no matter how trivial the feelings seem. (“I know it’s annoying when you can’t charge your iPod.” “It’s OK to feel angry that your playroom was flooded.”) Third, maintain family routines as much as possible such as bedtime songs or stories. There is no need to suffer the emotional effects of Hurricane Sandy alone. If you or a loved one is finding it difficult to cope, please seek help from an experienced mental health professional. The sooner you seek help, the easier it will be to heal. 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 disorders. Sara Schwartz-Gluck, LCSW is a trauma specialist who has treated adult and child survivors of trauma throughout NY and NJ. South Shore Cognitive Therapy is available to assist the community during this time. If you need help due to Hurricane Sandy, or if you are unsure whether you are managing the stress in a healthy manner, please call our office to schedule a consultation free of charge. During this session, a trauma specialist experienced in working with children and adults will perform a brief assessment and discuss practical techniques for effectively managing the stress in this time of crises.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Health & Fitness

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Rabbi Benjamin Blech

Heroes Everywhere

Why did Hurricane Sandy suddenly turn average citizens into heroes?

urricane Sandy brought with it horrible devastation and tragedy. But in its aftermath, there is one small measure of consolation. While the storm created unparalleled havoc, it also gave rise to unimaginable acts of heroism. Even as nature demonstrated its capacity for ruthlessness, human beings rose to the challenge with acts of incredible kindness and courage. Volunteers willingly risked their lives to search for survivors in darkened homes that could at any moment be swept away by raging waters. Rescuers carried endangered strangers on their backs to safety, down stairwells from the highest of floors and through streets flooded almost to the point where breathing became impossible. Elderly, bed-ridden people on upper floors of high risers in Manhattan in need of food and water were visited by anonymous people who, without the use of elevators, brought them life-saving help. The cruelty of the storm was, in countless ways, bested by human compassion. What we witnessed were acts of loving kindness beyond comprehension. People risked their own lives to help others – not just their neighbors but even total strangers. In a world far too often dominated by competitiveness and indifference, how are we to understand this remarkable display of heroism on the part of so many? What suddenly turned average citizens into heroes? I think Bob Riley was right when 

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he wrote that “Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.” Heroism is just another word for the biblical truth that G-d created us in His own image. G-d is inside of us. He longs for us always to fulfill our mission to be like Him. As the Midrash tells us, the Torah begins and ends with stories of G-d’s compassion. G-d clothed the naked in the Garden of Eden, even after they sinned, in the first story in Genesis, and G-d buried the dead, after Moses completed his years on earth, as recorded at

benevolence disclaimed any right to be singled out for commendation. They explained they simply did what they had to do because they realized “there was nobody else there to do it.” When they understood it was up to them, there was no way they could deny the call of their conscience. Simply put, we are holy when we acknowledge our uniqueness. We act nobly when we know we can’t transfer responsibility to others. When we are unable to rationalize passivity with the excuse that somebody else could just as well shoulder the bur-

In order to become heroes we need the feeling that the world depends upon us. the end of the book of Deuteronomy. So too we must take G-d’s deeds as paradigms for our behavior. And deep within us, the still small voice that speaks to us from our souls echoes that very same message. The real question isn’t about the times we live up to our spiritual potential. What we need to explain is why so often we choose to ignore the call of the sacred within us. Why is it that only in response to hardships we become so willing to be holy? And after reading a host of stories about heroism after this past hurricane I think I finally found the answer. Invariably people who were interviewed about their acts of bravery and

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

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

den we have no choice but to allow our innate godliness to prevail. There’s a legendary story told about a very small Jewish community somewhere in the hinterlands that had exactly 10 observant Jews. They managed to have a synagogue with regular daily services. In spite of the difficulty of getting a minyan, a quorum of 10 Jews required for communal prayer, they never faltered. Every one of their members knew that without their personal participation a vital religious need would go unfulfilled. Week after week, month after month, the community with but 10 observant Jews successfully continued their services. And then a new family came to town. To the initial delight of the congregation, the head of this household willingly accepted responsibility to join the minyan as well. And from that day forward, with now 11 possible minyangoers, this synagogue never again had a prayer quorum! When every single one of the participants knew that they were essential, that without them their dream of daily services would be impossible, they were successful. Once the realization dawned that somebody else could be the essential “10th man,” no one again took their commitment with the same seriousness. In order to become heroes we need the feeling that the world depends upon us.

How remarkable that Maimonides makes precisely this point when he discusses how we must prepare ourselves for the annual days of judgment from Rosh Hashanah through Yom Kippur. Throughout the entire year, a person should always look at himself as equally balanced between merit and sin and the world as equally balanced between merit and sin. If he performs one sin, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of guilt and brings destruction upon himself. [On the other hand,] if he performs one mitzvah, he tips his balance and that of the entire world to the side of merit and brings deliverance and salvation to himself and others. This is implied by [Proverbs 10:25] “A righteous man is the foundation of the world,” i.e., he who acted righteously, tipped the balance of the entire world to merit and saved it. (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Repentance 3:4) The first step to spiritual self-actualization is to recognize that all of our deeds are weighed on the heavenly scales and every action, good or bad, could tilt them to reward or punishment. But there is something even far more challenging than the mere recognition that everything we do has personal consequences. It is daunting and on one level truly frightening; yet, if mankind were to take it seriously, it has the potential to truly change the entire world. Imagine if everyone understood that as individuals we have the power to affect the destiny of our planet. Imagine if we saw the direction of history influenced by our willingness to be heroes on a daily basis. Imagine if we didn’t need hardships to bring out the holiness within us. If only we grasped the truth of Maimonides’s teaching. We might, each and every one of us, recognize that we and we alone are capable of being the “10th man.” And because there is no one else as important as us in the entire world when it stands in the balance of G-d’s judgment, we might become inspired enough to always live our lives with the same kind of heroic spirit that was evident in the aftermath of hurricane Sandy. Reprinted with permission from aish. com.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Inspiration

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

A Clearer Perspective

Our Job is to Care and Take Care of Those Who Were Hurt in the Storm

ver a week has passed since Hurricane Sandy wreaked unprecedented damage throughout our region. I am writing this article as I wait on a gas line. If you had told me two weeks ago that this would be happening, I’d have assumed Israel had carried out a strike on Iran. How easy it is for the Ribbono Shel Olam to move us around like pawns in a chess game. No...to completely transform it into a different game altogether. Thousands will feel the resounding effects for weeks and months, and the challenge they face cannot be put into words. This experience has been surreal. Like many, I was skeptical that the warnings and evacuations were overblown. There have been other storms that did not live up to the hype. There was this collective feeling that New York was invincible. I took it seriously enough to stock up on basic supplies, and insist my parents leave their home in “Zone A,” but deep down I expected a dud. Boy, was I

wrong. On the radio the morning before the storm, one weatherman implored people to evacuate. “I know many New Yorkers think they’re tough. They figure they’ve gotten through the worst blizzards imaginable, this will be a breeze. Well, you can shovel thirty inches of snow. But you can’t shovel the ocean.” These words echoed through my head as we heard the reports of the ocean literally swallowing neighborhoods, and as my mother was texted by her neighbor who remained home, asking that she pray for her, as she witnessed the Atlantic rising around her. (B”H, she turned out fine.) My role as a columnist often entails me examining life events and expounding their deeper meaning about what lesson we can learn. Frankly, several fundamental insights have struck me as I’ve witnessed this perilous storm and its aftermath. As I’ve thought about how to express them, I keep arriving at the same conclusion. It just doesn’t feel appro-

priate discussing these things while so many of my friends’ and neighbors’ lives have been shattered. It would be callous to treat this as just a news tidbit. Many thousands of frum Yidden, right in my backyard, have had their homes ravaged. They are homeless, at least for now. Others remain in their homes despite inhuman conditions, either with nowhere to go or for fear of abandoning their houses to looters. Their lives have been turned upside down. Lot and his family were prohibited from looking at the destruction of S’dom because they themselves did not deserve to be saved. We know what happened to Lot’s wife. I always understood the p’shat to be that when we witness someone suffering, even if we feel sympathy and sorrow for them, there’s always a part of us that thinks, Baruch Hashem it wasn’t me. And perhaps we feel on some subconscious level that we were spared because we didn’t deserve it. They therefore had no right to feel that way, because they in

Rabbi Yaakov Margulies

fact did deserve it. That was S’dom. In our situation, where so many good and righteous people are suffering, we undoubtedly must abide by this standard. My only message here is to the people fortunate enough to have been spared the devastation. Our job right now is to feel total empathy toward our fellow Yidden. This could have happened to anyone. We must truly internalize the realization that Hashem has shown us that the most shocking, unexpected circumstances can befall anybody, anywhere, at any time. We must be grateful for every second of life and every moment of pleasure and do whatever we can to help those who desperately need us. Rabbi Yaakov Margulies is an ordained rabbi, and teaches gemara in a Yeshiva high school. He also mentors and counsels people of all ages, focusing on personal growth, and emotional, spiritual, and intellectual development. To schedule a one-on-one session or a lecture, please call 917-841-5012 and leave a message, or email editor@fivetownsjewish home.com.

BS”D

Rabbi Dovid Weinberger’s Alter of Slabodka Mussar Vaad Returns!!! A unique chance to hear directly from our Rov on topics that touch on the weekly parsha and fundamentals of emunah and bitachon. This a very special opportunity to understand one of the greatest mussar personalities come alive with valuable insights into our purpose in the world and important perspectives on everyday living - we encourage all to attend!!

NOTE NEW TIME AND DATE!!!! Followed by optional Mishmar & Cholent

In memory of Levi Yitzchak ben HaRav Avraham Elimelech a”h

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

David Lightman and Curtis Tate McClatchy Newspapers

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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 8 , 2012

Election 2012

marathon that started and stayed close.

The campaign will be remembered as a

Obama Wins but Faces Same Divide in Congress

resident Barack Obama on Tuesday won a second term in the White House, but it won’t be an easy path ahead. Washington the day after the election remained divided along much the same partisan lines as before: a Democratic president, a Republican-controlled House of Representatives and a Democratic-majority Senate. It was a close election to the finish. Obama defeated Republican challenger Mitt Romney with more than 300 electoral votes and broke 50 percent of the popular vote. The election was a referendum on who could better ease Americans’ economic pain and uncertainty, and voters chose to give Obama four more years to tackle problems he came to be blamed for as much as he inherited. Obama marched across the nation, scoring victory after victory in battleground states such as Virginia, Ohio, Colorado and Nevada, where the economy had mounted just enough of a comeback to convince voters. He held onto the coalition that led him to victory in 2008: women, Latinos, African-Americans and young people. Only two states Obama won last time—North Carolina and Indiana—went to Romney. Obama, the second Democrat to win a second term since World War II, won 26 states and the District of Columbia, sweeping the Northeast and West Coast and winning most of the Rust Belt battlegrounds, including Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Romney won 23 states, largely dependably Republican states across the South and into Texas and the Great Plains. Obama held a 46,000-vote lead in Florida early Wednesday. Initially, Obama trailed Romney in the popular vote, raising fears of another split between the Electoral College and the popular vote split that would have been reminiscent of Florida in 2000. But by early Wednesday, with returns still coming in from Western states, the president led by more than 2 million votes.

Obama’s vote total early Wednesday stood at 50 percent to Romney’s 48 percent, with 96 percent of precincts reporting. Romney conceded just before 1 a.m. in Boston. “This is a time of great challenges for America and I pray that the president will be successful in guiding our nation,” he said in a short speech before a subdued crowd of supporters. About an hour later, Obama took the stage in Chicago, and a huge crowd cheered. “Tonight, more than 200 years after a former colony won the right to determine its own destiny the task of perfecting our union moves forward,” the president said. “It moves forward because of you.” Obama said he looked forward to sitting down with Romney in the coming weeks to begin to address the nation’s looming challenges, including a set of automatic spending cuts and tax increases. Romney, who is 65 and has pursued the presidency twice without success, made no announcement of his immediate plans, but his wife, Ann, earlier indicated that this campaign would be his last. Obama took office in January 2009 with a mandate to revive an economy still struggling to recover from the Great Recession of 2007-2009, the worst downturn since the Great Depression. Six of 10 voters Tuesday said the economy was the most important issue, well ahead of health care or foreign policy. Three of four voters said the economy remained poor or not so good. Obama touted the economy’s steady progress on his watch. Romney cited stubbornly high unemployment and mounting federal debt as he argued the recovery’s pace was too slow. In exit polls, slightly more than half said Obama was more in touch with people like them, compared with 44 percent for Romney. In Congress, Republicans held their majority in the House of Representatives, according to projections. All 435 voting seats are up for re-election every two years. Democrats retained control of the Senate. Republicans had

Romney giving his concession speech on Tuesday night

President Obama celebrates his win with his family

needed a net gain of four seats. Turnout was reported heavy, particularly in swing states as well as storm-battered New York and New Jersey. Experts still expected it to remain below 2008 levels, finding voters less engaged. About 32 million people had voted early, either in person or by mail. Obama was dogged throughout the year by voters expressing qualms about his stewardship of the economy. He was unlikely to match the 52.8 percent share of the popular vote he got in 2008, or match the 365 electoral votes he won that year, when he pledged to start a new era of “hope and change” politics. The campaign will be remembered as a marathon that started and stayed close. Neither Romney nor Obama could open up much of a lead, and both parties spent unprecedented billions of dollars for ads and efforts to turn out their voters. Obama was vulnerable from the beginning. Within weeks of taking office in January 2009, he pushed through an $831 billion economic stimulus plan aimed at easing the recession’s impact. In 2010, he won approval of a historic overhaul of the nation’s health system, which will require nearly everyone to obtain coverage by 2014. Both measures were passed with virtually no Republican support, and often bitter partisan wrangling. Republicans saw a huge political opening, and fueled by the grassroots tea party movement, the party won control of Congress in 2010 by protesting what it called Obama’s overreliance on and expansion of government. At the same time, the economy struggled to recover. The nation’s unemployment rate, 7.8 percent the month Obama took office, went to 10 percent that October and was 7.9 percent last month – more ammunition for the Republicans. Obama, though, got some breaks. The economy did recover. Unemployment has dropped from its highs. Consumer confidence inched up. And Romney struggled at first to win the hearts of the

conservatives who drive the Republican Party. Obama exploited Romney’s past, recalling his support of Massachusetts’ abortion rights laws and his support for the state’s health care law, considered a model for the federal program. Obama was also able to target specific groups of voters who Romney tended to alienate. The president pushed hard for women’s votes with reminders Romney now sided firmly with anti-abortion forces and had to call for “binders full of women” in order to find qualified women to fill jobs while governor. In states with legions of auto workers such as Ohio, he recalled how Romney urged letting the domestic industry go bankrupt without any help from the federal government. Romney won the nomination only after an unexpected struggle against a weak field, and not until the summer and fall did the party base begin rallying around him. The choice of Ryan helped energize the right, but Romney’s biggest boost came during the Oct. 3 debate in Denver. Romney’s assured performance that night galvanized conservative support and seemed to give him new momentum. He briefly opened up a larger lead over Obama, only to see it fade as the president came back and did well in the next two debates. What may have helped Obama most was superstorm Sandy. Leaders traditionally benefit from a rally-round-the-flag effect immediately after crises, and Obama suspended campaigning for three days last week so he could monitor and manage emergency responses. Wednesday, he visited battered New Jersey, touring the devastation with Republican Gov. Chris Christie, who had given the party convention’s keynote address. Christie had warm praise for the president’s efforts. Reprinted with permission from McClatchy newspapers.

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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 8 , 2012

Election 2012

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Quotes

Compiled by Nate Davis

“Say What?” “Did I vote?” - An elderly man at a polling station after being resuscitated from an apparent heart attack “Only an idiot drives on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus.” - The sign a Cleveland Municipal Court judge ordered Shena Hardin to wear while standing in an intersection for two days next week as punishment for—you guessed it—driving on the sidewalk to avoid a school bus “My name is Barack Obama, you know, the President of the United States.” - President Obama during an election day cold call to a potential voter, who put him on hold after first picking up the phone “This idea never made much sense to me, but we change our clocks, and all I know is we get an extra hour. An extra hour wrapped in a blanket waiting for the electricity. Yeah, that’s good. Thanks a lot.” - David Letterman “No, I don’t think so.” - Joe Biden when asked after he casted his vote whether this was the last time he’d appear on a ballot “The good news is the promise of continued massive unemployment among young people.” - Ann Coulter, after President Obama won reelection “Mayor Bloomberg lifted his three or more people per car rule tonight. No one was allowed to cross the bridges between 6 a.m. until midnight unless they were in a car pool because the tunnels

flooded. It’s known as ‘car pool tunnel syndrome.’” - Jimmy Kimmel

$20 billion. And most of that is in paper towels.” –David Letterman

“We look to our pastors and priests and rabbis and counselors of all kinds to testify of the enduring principles upon which our society is built: honesty, charity, integrity and family...We look to our parents, for in the final analysis everything depends on the success of our homes.” - Mitt Romney in his concession speech

“New Jersey took a pounding. Governor Chris Christie was actually knocked over.” –David Letterman

“The stock market was closed for two days, yesterday and today. You know what that means? Although our lives were in danger, at least for two days our money was safe.” –Jay Leno “I believe in America. I believe in

“This Sunday is the end of Daylight Saving Time. So to all my younger viewers, remember to set your clocks back — and to my parents, remember to put a fresh piece of tape over the clock on your VCR.”

the people of America. And I ran for office because I'm concerned about America. This election is over, but our principles endure... I so wish that I had been able to fulfill your hopes to lead the country in a different direction, but the nation chose another leader. And so Ann and I join with you to earnestly pray for him and for this great nation.” —Mitt Romney in his election concession speech on November 6th “Well, back to the drawing board.” –Donald Trump after hearing Barack Obama won the election

- Jimmy Fallon

Your Garage Door Design Center “The International Olympic Committee is investigating Lance Armstrong for the bronze medal he won at the 2000 Olympics. A little tip for the IOC: If Lance was on steroids and he came in third, you might want to take a peek at the guys with gold and silver.” –Conan O’Brien “New Jersey is in bad shape. Governor Christie announced water restrictions. No one is allowed to water their lawns, but they just got 18 feet of water so that seems like a reasonable request.” –Jimmy Kimmel “Economic losses [from Hurricane Sandy] could reach

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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 8 , 2012

Notable

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Forgotten Heroes

Avi Heiligman

Captain Polina Gelman Hero of the Soviet Union

ombat, throughout the history of the world, has always been done by men whether as infantry, sailors or airmen. Women in the military usually have rear echelon jobs. They are needed to perform jobs vacated by men who are on the battlefield. However, in the time of war, there have been exceptions—from the times of Tanach to modern day combat. There are stories from the American Civil War of women dressing up like men

a Po2 of the 588th Regiment

and joining infantry regiments. Some of the most incredible tales of women in combat occurred during World War II on the eastern front. The Russians desperately needed manpower and put women into some limited combat roles. Mainly they were used as snipers, medics and to ferry aircraft to the front lines. There were even special air units comprised entirely of women that saw combat. One of these was the 588th Night Bomber Regiment

nicknamed the “Night Witches.” Their star navigator and communications chief was a Jewish woman by the name of Polina Gelman. Polina Gelman was born to a Jewish family in Berdichev on October 24, 1919. She was eager to help her nation defeat the Nazi beasts and volunteered for duty. At first she signed up for a nursing course, gave blood and dug anti-tank ditches, but when the Komsomol Central Committee called for volunteers in the women’s aviation regiment, she applied and was accepted. She was assigned to pack parachutes while her friends studied to be navigators. Polin was originally turned away from air units because she was too small, but 1941 she prevailed and was accepted into training and skilled as a navigator. In 1941, the Russian Army created three all-female air regiments. The 586th Regiment was a fighter unit and the 587th flew twin-engine dive bombers. The third and most decorated of them was the 588th Regiment which flew the obsolete Polikarpov Po-2 night bomber. The unit, headed by Colonel Marina Raskova, changed their name to the 46th “Taman” Guards Night Bomber Aviation Regiment. The nickname, Night Witches, came from the Germans who dreaded the planes that

came in the middle of the night and able to carry two 250 pound bombs, precisely dropped their bombs on high so many nights Gelman had to go out value targets. The problem for the Ger- multiple missions. mans wasn’t that they didn’t have night Some of her missions had dramatic fighters or planes fast enough to shoot moments. (For most of the time on a down the outdated biplanes. It was, in mission, a pilot is not doing much and fact, the opposite. The German Mess- the work is monotonous. The few minerschmitt 109 and the Folk-Wulf 190 utes over the target are dramatic and in flew too fast to accurately set their op- those moments anything can happen.) tics on the Po-2. If the German fight- Once, during the bombardment of Gerers would slow down enough to shoot man positions near the town Eltigen at the Russian bombers, the German (on the Kerch Peninsula), she saved the would fall out of the sky because it life of the crew, which had to make an surpassed its “stall” speed. Also, the emergency landing. Gelman defended Po-2 flew at low altitudes—too close the position all night until the plane for comfort to the ground for the Ger- was fixed and they were able to take man fighters. off. Once airborne, they succeeded in The 588th saw a lot of action on fulfilling their mission to deliver to the the Eastern Front near the Caucuses besieged town of Eltigenu the needed Mountains and the Crimean Peninsula. ammunition, medicines and food it They were highly effective in this re- needed to survive. On May 15, gion because their 1946, the Pretwo-seater biplane sidium of the Sueasily navigated preme Soviet of the around the narrow USSR awarded the mountain passes. prestigious title of As such, they were “Hero of the Soviet given missions other than that of Union” to Captain close air support Polina Gelman for bombing. Humaniheroism and valor tarian and support displayed in the missions became struggle against the part of their daily German fascists. flying schedule as After the war, they flew supplies she stayed in the to the front. Gelmilitary, studied man, in particular, foreign languages Polina Gelman flanked by other was a favorite to go and was sent as members of the Night Witches on these missions an advisor and because of her sutranslator to Cuba. perb navigation skills which became In 1957, she moved to Moscow and handy in the mountains. Altogether, taught in a college until her retirement she flew an astounding 860 missions. in 1990. She died on November 25, By contrast, most American airmen 2005 and is buried in Moscow. Polina and airwomen (the female service was Gelman was a hero in an era where called the WACs—Women Air Corp) heroes stood out while fighting for her were sent off the front lines after 25-35 country’s survival in a time when the missions. For her amazing record and future looked bleak. her ability to avoid the enemy, Gelman was awarded the esteemed title of Hero Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to of the Soviet Union. Soviet era records show some un- The Jewish Home. He welcomes your combelievable statistics about Gelman’s ments and suggestions.for future columns flying career. She dropped 113 tons of and can be reached at aviheiligman@ bombs on Nazi positions that started an gmail.com. approximate 150 fires. The Po-2 was

W. Zehava Schechter, Esq

The Home I Want To Buy Doesn’t Have a Certificate of Occupancy What is a Certificate of Occupancy? Is it important to get? Why do I need it? Todd from Far Rockaway asks: I am about to sign a contract to purchase a house. My lawyer told me that the house does not have a Certificate of Occupancy. He said that it is the seller’s responsibility to procure all Certificates of Occupancy. He also said that if the seller cannot get all CO’s, I should not worry and the sale will still go through. Here are my questions: What is a CO? Do I need it to legally move into the house? If not, what is the point of the CO? The Attorney Responds: You are about to make one of the biggest purchases in your life (if not the largest). Purchasing a home is a major investment. You have probably spent considerable time attending open houses, looking at available houses with a real estate broker, and speaking to friends in the neighborhood to find the right house for you and your family.

Your work is just beginning as you and the seller sign a contract of sale. Perhaps you are applying for a mortgage. You and your lender (the bank lending you money to purchase the house), if applicable, will order a title report to make sure all is in order with your future home prior to closing (completing the purchase with a transfer of ownership to you). The title report, among

other things, confirms that all permits and certificates required by the local city or town building department are in place. The purpose of these certificates is to protect you by insuring that all

without a CO or CC. But, why would you? When you sell the home, you will have the headache of dealing with the permits and certificate application and also have to pay the money to an expe-

If you are taking a mortgage, the lender may not let you close without the required certificates.

construction performed in your home (for example, plumbing and electricity) meets the town building codes. Your attorney is correct that it is the responsibility of the seller to provide all necessary Certificates of Occupancy (CO) concerning habitable space (dormer, extra bathroom, garage conversion, finished basement, etc.) and/ or Certificate of Completion (CC) for nonhabitable space (deck, shed, porch, fence, etc.). If you are taking a mortgage, the lender may not let you close without the required certificates. If you already know that there is a CO/CC issue, it makes sense to check with your mortgage broker or loan officer to see if this will delay the approval of your loan. Take a look at your city or town’s building department website to see which improvements require CO’s/CC’s. The list usually includes, but is not limited to: pools, fences, porches, sheds, decks, garage conversions, central air conditioner units, and dormers. If any of these items exist at the house, the seller will need to provide a CO/CC for each. If the lender agrees, you may close

diter (who has contacts with the town’s building department and will assist you in the process of obtaining the required certificates). This process could cost thousands of dollars and take up to one year (or more) depending upon the extent of work required during which time money owed to you as future seller will be held in escrow pending the granting of the certificates. It is preferable not to be in this situation. In addition, if the town finds out independently that you (or the prior owner) improved your home and did not obtain the requisite permits and certificates, you will be fined and have to pay more to get them – which the town will enforce. Make sure they are in place before you purchase. If you are considering new work requiring a permit or CO/CC in your home, be sure to obtain the permit before you do the work and follow up after the work is completed to insure receipt of the applicable certificate. If the seller does not want to get the certificates and if you and the lender agree, one option is for the seller to give you a sum of money to cover the cost of this process so that you may take care of getting the CO or CC after closing. There are advantages and disadvantages to doing this. If you get to this point (closer to closing), discuss the issues with your attorney who is familiar with the specific details of your case so you may make a fully informed decision.

A few side notes about CO’s/CC’s: When the town is alerted to additional habitable or non-habitable improvements, the assessment on your home may rise leading to an increased real estate tax. Be sure to file a real estate tax grievance every year (usually January through March) with your county’s Assessment Review Commission. The tax on your home cannot rise based upon your application for review; it will either stay the same or be reduced. You have nothing to lose. Of course, if you have improved your home and not obtained the necessary permits, you will have to reveal this to the county on your grievance form and it may prevent you from obtaining a justifiable real estate tax reduction from your current assessment. It is better to be safe than sorry. Make sure all permits and certificates are in place. B’hatzlacha! W. Zehava Schechter, Esq. specializes in real estate law, estate planning and administration, and business law. Her private practice is located on Long Island. Please send your comments to SchechterLaw@ gmail.com. The questions addressed in this column will be answered by attorneys who are part of the CNG Networking Group. 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, Non-profits, 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.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Ask the Attorney

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

‫בס"ד‬

KOLLEL CHATZOS

Rifka Schonfeld

the Segulah with the Power of Torah

Chaya Sarah

THE MYSTERY ILLNESS My story began a few weeks ago, when my daughter suddenly fell ill. After visiting the doctor, he informed us that unfortunately, she appeared to be afflicted with an unspecified internal disease with many painful side effects. We became extremely distressed after he explained that this was untreatable by ordinary physicians and that we would need to search for a qualified specialist. He ran some tests to confirm his theory and scheduled one more appointment before making his final diagnosis. So what does a mother do in such a dire situation? I called “Kollel Chatzos” and left a message.

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Even before “Kollel Chatzos” called back, it seemed that my good intentions and “decision” to donate to this worthy cause started showing positive results, and my daughter’s situation began Segulahs improving rapidly b”H! by the Haktoras-Very time “Kollel Chatzos” reached Popular! me, I related the entire saga, and asked to become a torah The famous “Segulahs partner for six months thereby submitting my daughter’s name Haktoras”- which the holy for them to learn in her merit. Ari Hakodesh and Zohar The next morning at the prescheduled appointment, the doctor checked and re-checked the test results and determined that the mystery ailment was disappearing and so would any residual side effects. Ironically, we had already scheduled an appointment to the specialist, which we cancelled, and found out later that the visit would have cost the “exact” amount we had pledged to “Kollel Chatzos”.

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Is My Gifted Child Emotionally Stunted? Q: My eight-yearold daughter is always at the top of the class – getting A’s and excellent educational evaluations from her teachers. I have never had a problem with her academically, but lately, I have been noticing some social issues. She’s compassionate and idealistic; however, she doesn’t seem to interact with other children her age. She spends her free time in school talking to the teacher or kids in older grades. Also, she expects so much from herself and seems to fall apart when she doesn’t do things exactly as she expects to. Should I be worried about her? A: In the past, there was a lot of discussion concerning intellectually advanced children and their stunted emotional development. Today, however, it is clear that gifted children are not underdeveloped emotionally. Rather, recent studies have revealed that gifted children show better emotional adjustment than non-gifted children. Still, this advanced social development can lead to disadvantages (and corresponding advantages): • A tendency to gravitate towards their “mental age peers.” Like your daughter, gifted children tend to enjoy speaking to people who are on their mental level. This often means that they will have trouble communicating with children who are not as bright as they are. Therefore, it makes sense that your daughter spends her time with her teachers or children of different ages. • The upside: It’s true that your daughter might have trouble relating to children her own age, but as she gets older, she will be comfortable in all sorts of situations. Once she enters high school, her peers will have caught up with her and she will do equally well at interacting with her classmates as well as adults. • An inclination towards perfectionism and self-criticism. Children who are extremely smart will often be hypercritical of themselves. Their minds envision an amazing final product that their bodies might not be able to accomplish. For instance, a gifted five year old might picture a storybook, replete with illustrations; however, his fine

motor skills might not be developed enough to create his vision. This can be frustrating and exasperating for children whose intellectual abilities do not match their physical capabilities. • The upside: Your daughter’s perfectionism will inspire her to keep trying and eventually to succeed. As long as you continue to encourage her and applaud her efforts, she will gain skills through trial and error. Eventually, through her desire for perfection, she will succeed. • A dominant, forceful personality. Gifted children can sometimes seem overbearing and bossy with their peers. Frequently, they will enter a roomful of children and create elaborate games that they want others to follow. If the other children are not interested, a gifted child might be left playing by herself. • The upside: While it’s true that forceful personalities might have negative effects on social interaction, assertive children are also the leaders in the classroom. With time and a little finesse, a gifted child’s ability to imagine and organize games will make her the one everyone turns to for advice and entertainment. As a parent, the best thing you can do for a child who is intellectually gifted is to create a supportive family environment. Just because your daughter is bright, it does not mean she will have an easy time with her peers. However, to every downside there is a significant upside – embrace those challenges and turn them into triumphs! 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.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

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! • ChAllenging honors and advanced placement track • School-wide program to hone each student’s writing skills • sAt PrePArAtion in all grades • Individually tailored College guidAnCe beginning in 10th 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.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

From My Private Art Collection

Rebbetzin Naomi N. Herzberg

Talents and Passions

often wonder what it would be like to have nothing to do. For me, that never happens. I try not to think of myself as a busy bee, but rather as a busy person that enjoys the art of being busy. Busy with what, you might ask? I am usually busy with everything and anything. It is not that I do not like to relax, but rather that to me, relaxation means having more time to be busy with something else that I never have time for. I anxiously wait for the moment when I can write another line, paint another picture, listen to another story, or for that matter, be busy with a new idea that I can develop. I thank Hashem each day for giving me so many interesting and challenging opportunities throughout my life. In the process of sharing my passions with the readers of this column, I have gained enormous support and encouragement from so many well wishers that enjoy sharing their talents and passions with me as well.

Do you have a talent that you would like to develop or a passion for something that requires your time? Do you take the opportunities that are handed to you seriously and go after these opportunities with excitement? Do you follow your passions and try new things that offer you tremendous satisfaction? It can be cooking-related, artrelated, listening or writing, etc. It does not matter. Unfortunately, many people feel that if it is not a money maker, then it has no value. I beg to differ. There is no price to pay, or money to be made, that will equal the payment that you will receive from self-satisfaction. You are

never too old! Make up for lost time and take those art lessons, whether they are in pencil sketching, charcoals, pastels, water painting or oil painting. Why not learn how to sew or how to quilt? It is never too soon to start developing your hidden talents or to pursue your passions. As you can tell, mine happen to be in art and design. Some talents may be obvious and some you may have to search for from within, and then internalize your feelings about them. Keep busy and share is my advice. My mother, she should live and be well, always says “the golden years are rusty.” Do not wait

Savvy Savta

until they are too rusty to be able to remove any layer of rust, even with rust remover! Pursue your dreams while you have the strength and stamina to do so. When you ask a busy person to do something, you can be almost sure that it will get done! So, be a busy bee and keep yourself busy with all the possible hobbies that you desire. The years do pass, busily, whether you develop your talents and pursue your passions, or not. Remember, that if you do not try, you will never know, and you will have been busy with other things. 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.

Moderated by Sarah Schwartz-Schreiber

My Father-in-Law is Interfering in Our Lives Dear Savvy Savta: My five-year-old Sammy, a very little (less than fifth percentile for weight) boy, is giving us a hard time at meals. He will eat pasta, challah, and potatoes. He abjectly refuses to eat protein in the form of fish, chicken or meat. While the Shabbos table is often a battleground, my husband and I employ various tactics to gently “compel” our little darling to finish a minimal amount of healthy food. So what’s the problem? At a recent Yom tov meal, my father-inlaw sabotaged our efforts by threatening our child with starvation and corporal punishment if he doesn’t eat like a “mensch.” He yelled at us for being terrible parents and not properly disciplining our children. After that scene, I am wary about going to my in-laws for Shabbos. What to do? Upset with the Shver Suri from Midwood responds: Your shver is certainly testing your self-control vis-à-vis kibbud av v’aim. I think the problem is generational. Yes, your parents, often children of Holocaust survivors, tolerated no monkey business when it came to picky eating or baal tashchis.. On the other hand, your generation takes a more measured, psychologically sound, approach to mealtime tug-of-war. The question here is not whose method is

more effective. Step back from this last altercation and, in the presence of your mother-in-law and husband, have an informal intervention with the shver. Explain that you always appreciate his input; he is older and more experienced. Still “Sammy” is yours to feed and raise; as his parents you are both doing your best to parent him effectively. Your approach is based on Torah values and current child-rearing methodologies. What matters most is that your child sees you

and your husband as his disciplinarians. Conclude this chat with, “And that is why we respectfully ask you not to undermine our parental authority.” Natalie from West Hempstead responds: There are many times when my children hear different things from myself and from my parents or in-laws. For example, I am not particular about them clearing their dishes off the table while my mother insists that they do so. I am very particular about them eating properly with forks and knives and my mother does not mind if they eat their chicken drumstick with a napkin and fingers. But I have learned that children are very smart and they understand that what’s done in other people’s homes is not necessarily done in ours. And they learn to adapt. So I wouldn’t worry about Sammy getting mixed messages. I wouldn’t want him to frightened, though, about going to my in-laws’ home so I would mention this to my father-in-law in an

informal conversation: Sammy has particular tastes and the doctor says it’s OK for him to be picky. I want him to feel comfortable in your home, so please speak with him gently so he’ll feel comfortable and excited to visit you. Hopefully your father-in-law will get the message. Shani from the Lower East Side responds: As a mother-in-law myself, I understand the desire to help your children and grandchildren and give advice when necessary. That being said, I have learned from experience that parents do not appreciate the extra advice, and I am better off keeping my mouth shut unless I see something really terrible. Perhaps your father-in-law would appreciate a quiet conversation at a later time where you can explain your methods. Once he knows that you know what you are doing, I am sure he won’t continue to interfere.

Life Coach Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS

Allan J. Rolnick CPA

Watching Out for the Cliff

rdinarily, we use these articles to discuss fun items related to taxes and finances. We know that you can read the usual boring articles about the usual boring tax topics pretty much anywhere else. And most of you are happy to let us worry about “the details.” Every so often, though, we need to discuss more serious issues, even if it’s just to let you know that we’re on top of them. That’s the case today with the so-called “fiscal cliff”—Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke’s clever term for what happens on January 1, when a bunch of current tax rules expire and some new rules take effect. Here’s a quick rundown of what to expect: • The Bush tax cuts expire. That means the top rates on ordinary income goes from 35% to 39.6%; the top rate on capital gains goes from 15% to 20%; and the top rate on qualified dividends jumps from 15% to 39.6%. Much of the debate over tax rates focuses on income at the top. But the expiration of the Bush tax cuts affects all of us. The lowest 10% rate will disappear entirely, and everyone who actually pays income tax will pay more. • The 2011-2012 payroll tax cuts expire. That means Social Security and self-employment taxes go up by 2% on all earned income up to $113,700. Two percent may not sound like a lot—but it means higher taxes for about 163 million working Americans. • New taxes imposed by the 2010 “Obamacare” legislation take effect. The Medicare portion of Social Security and self-employment taxes goes up from 2.9% to 3.8% on earned income topping $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers). And there’s a new 3.8% “Unearned Income Medicare Contribution” (which sounds so much better than “tax”) on “net investment income” (interest, dividends, capital gains, rents, royalties, and annuities) over those same amounts. • The Alternative Minimum Tax exemptions revert back to where they stood in 2000. Under current law, those exemptions aren’t adjusted for inflation.

So, every couple of years, Congress “patches” the system by temporarily raising the exemptions to where they would be if they were indexed for inflation. The AMT currently hits about 4½ million Americans—but without the “patch,” that number explodes to 33 million. • Oh, and don’t think dying solves your tax problem. That’s because estate taxes, which currently start at 45% on estates over $5 million, will jump to 55% on estates over just $1 million. So, January 1 is our fiscal cliff, and we’re hurtling towards it like Thelma and Louise. What can we do? Well, plenty of legislators have proposed extending part or all of the Bush tax cuts, extending the payroll tax cuts, patching the AMT, and raising the estate tax exemption. But actually passing anything will be a challenge—Congress has passed just 132 bills this year, and 20% of those were to name post offices! The partisan gridlock has many observers convinced that we’ll actually go over that fiscal cliff. (Maybe it’ll be like those old Road Runner cartoons, where the coyote runs off a cliff and keeps right on going, just fine, until he looks down. That’s when he realizes he’s standing in thin air, then plummets 1,000 feet to the bottom of the canyon.) If that winds up being the case, we may see Washington wait for the election results and pass something noncontroversial like the AMT patch before the end of the year. Then in 2013 they’ll pass legislation extending at least part of the Bush tax cuts and make it retroactive to January 1. We’re not writing today to take sides on any of these issues, or tell you where taxes should go. But we want you to know that we’re watching everything closely to help you make the most of your opportunities and avoid land mines where possible. 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.

The Undefeated

his is no time to make light of the out, they finally cried “uncle.” They hurricane and its terrible fallout just needed a few inches of their bed to for so many. And it is no time get some shut eye. Then of course they to agonize over the election which said everyone back in! as I write this is another uncertainty. 3) Miraculously, my sisters and However, everyone needs to find some I have begun discussing something way to snatch victory from the jaws other than the shidduch crisis. “Have of defeat. you met a nice boy or girl for anyone?” So let me say this—if you are read- has been replaced by “Have you seen ing this, you are already in better shape than a lot of people. Because it means you either have internet up and running or enough gas to pick up a paper in town. Both major luxuries these days! Luckily, no one envies the people who kept their homes and their power. These people are running a 24-hour round the clock sleeping, catering and a nice LIPA truck?” (Maybe you can showering center. People have moved invite a nice LIPA employee in and ofin on them en masse and the hospitality fer to fix him up with a good looking and giving is overflowing. This is the transformer?) kind of overflowing we welcome! 4) My husband has discovered that There are tough situations ahead for the LIRR, then the subway along with many of us. Howthe walk to and ever, we are a from the train community which instead of getyou can read as ting to work by We will be there for “Come Unity.” car, has added We will be there a whole hour to one another and it for one anothhis life. While er and it is this he walks, he lifts is this knowledge knowledge that his 90 pounds of that should give should give many reading, his two of us strength. laptops, his seven many strength. Here are some pieces of assorted miracles that acequipment along tually came out of with his backup this experience. batteries. Though 1) After one week at home with no the commute takes him the exact same electricity, my daughter was actually amount of time, all this added activity dragging me out the door to deliver her and lifting replaces his hour exercise to school this morning. Can someone program he usually does before leavreturn my real daughter to me?! ing each morning. He has found an ex2) My parents finally said “uncle.” tra hour to do “more” work. That means they finally said enough. On top of all this, I’m getting this It takes a lot for them to turn away article off to you without internet, their children, grandchildren and great lights, phones or gasoline—and that’s grandchildren. But yesterday when 12 miracle number five. kids were on the floor of their room Let’s keep praying for bigger and and four were fast asleep in their bed better miracles and let’s keep being as their generator suddenly petered there for each other!

83 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Your Money

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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

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 and 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.

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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.

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

In the Kitchen Soups to Warm Your Family on Autumn Evenings

Roasted Eggplant Soup Ingredients 3 medium tomatoes, halved 1 large eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds), halved lengthwise 1 small onion, halved 6 large garlic cloves, peeled 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried 4 cups chicken stock or vegetable broth 3/4 cup Feta cheese, optional (if you don’t mind making this dairy) Directions Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange tomatoes, eggplant, onion and garlic on a large baking sheet. Brush or drizzle vegetables with oil then roast them for 20 minutes, pausing only to remove the garlic cloves and returning the pans to the oven for another 25 minutes, until the remaining vegetables are tender and brown in spots. Remove from oven and scoop eggplant from skin into a heavy, large saucepan or soup pot. Add the rest of the vegetables, the thyme and the chicken or vegetable stock and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook until onion is very tender, about 45 minutes. Cool slightly.

Tortellini and Vegetable Soup Ingredients 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 2 ribs celery, diced 1/2 pound baby carrots, diced 1/2 white onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 2 cloves garlic, minced 3 Tbsp chopped fresh basil Directions In a heavy bottomed 8 quart pot, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery, and carrots to oil. Stir to coat vegetables in oil. Cook covered for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent. Add basil, peppers, garlic, red pepper, tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, broth, and water. Return to a rolling boil. Add tortellini and cook according to package directions.

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes 2 tsp salt 1 tsp fresh ground pepper 2 (14.5-oz) cans fire roasted diced tomatoes 4 cups water 2 cups vegetable broth 19-oz package cheese tortellini

Using an immersion blender, puree soup to desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Serve in four bowls, sprinkled with goat cheese, if desired.

Low-Cal Broccoli Soup Ingredients 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 1 stalk celery, chopped 2 cloves garlic, chopped 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or parsley 8 cups chopped broccoli (stems and florets) 2 cups water 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth, “no-chicken” broth or vegetable broth 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer or soy milk (optional) 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste Directions Heat oil in pot. Add onion and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and thyme (or parsley); cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 10 seconds. Stir in broccoli. Add water and broth; bring to a simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cook until very tender, about 8 minutes. Cool soup and puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir in non-dairy creamer (if using), salt and pepper.

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Expertly tailored hand made custom suits for men Hundreds of fabrics and styles We will come to your home or office day or night Design the suit you've always wanted From $649 Call 516-619-6264 Bubby babysitter available Newborn and up Excellent references - Long hours Centrally located in Far Rockaway TLC 718-327-1932 Lose weight and get back your health Join one of the most well researched weight loss programs Safe and effective Call 347-927-1789 P.S. Looking for weight loss coaches At last now in the Five Towns your own personal floral designer and party decorator. Fresh or silk flowers that look so real you won’t believe your eyes. Available to travel to your home and design something stunning and unique to complement your home and party décor. Call (917) 500-1394 for a personal consultation. Space available in government subsidized day care In Queens/ UPK Program. A frum environment. Hours: Monday- Thursday 8:00 am – 4:00 pm Fridays 8:00am-12pm. Breakfast, Lunch and Snack are served daily. Free transportation available. Children must be born in the year 2008 (four year olds). For more information or to apply contact Goldie at 718-846-7300 ext112. Photos 4 your Simcha Professional Photography and Video We love what we do and it shows in our work! We are dedicated to make an everlasting impression! Competitively priced! Check out our website & specials. www.photos4yoursimcha.com or call Yaakov 718-868-1800

Piano Lessons Experienced teacher has slots open for the summer. Learn music theory, play songs by ear and play by notes. Many happy references. Recital at the end of the summer! Email basyagralla@yahoo.com or call 646-573-7137

Want Home cooked food for Shabbos without the Hassle???? Call Alex Idov, personal chef- serving Far Rockaway & Lawrence (678)644-6168 gematria613@aol.com Reasonable rates- Extensive menu options-References available Attention Parents!!! Is your child having a hard time with organization? The school year is here; give your child a head start. For more information, call 718-801-3229 or email judahjdavid@gmail.com

Tutoring Service Available

Experienced math teacher will prepare you for next year on any level you need Shomer Shabbat Call Yossi 516-581-3930

FREE TUTORING/CHAVRUSA with a Rebbe with over 30 years experience. Morning, afternoon, evening hours. Learning in Yesod Yosef Doughty Blvd, Inwood 917-399-5154 Hair Course Learn how to wash and style hair and wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009 3 reasons to use Mileage Doctor 1) You have millions of airline miles and don’t know what to do with them 2) You want millions of airline miles 3) We will even book your mileage tickets and save you the hassle Check out mileagedoctor.weebly.com Tutoring services available Experienced morah at TAG Grades 1-5 (Hebrew and English) For more information please call Mrs. Vilkov 718-337-6141

Tutor 4 You Exp'd, caring Spec. Ed. Teacher (Masters, licensed K-12) Excellent references. Extensive local Yeshiva Experience Mrs. Lieberman 516-569-8074

Eran Photography Weddings, Bar/Bat Mitzvas, Brisim Family portraits and more Portable studio available Please contact @ 310-766-9105 eranphotography@gmail.com

Experienced Certified Life Coach for Men only Call Chaim 516 924 7694

Yiddish In 10 Lessons All Classes Delivered Via Interactive Tele-conferencing (by phone) Next Class begins on Wednesday August 22 at 8PM For More Information Call Chaim 516-924-7694 conversationalyiddish@gmail.com

Electrician - Chandeliers, Shabbos timers, ceiling fans, AC lines, cameras, intercom work. Call Michael Guberman 917-681-1213 - 24-hour service

"Demonstrating Healthcare with Integrity" Feeling uncomfortable, vulnerable and overwhelmed as to what to do when your loved one comes home from the hospital? We are here for you... SR SENIOR CARE SERVICES, Inc. Give us a call and ask about the services available. 973-592-5601 SRSCS, Inc. will help you solve your Home Health care issues. SRSCS, Inc. is supporter of our clients’ Bill of Rights. 6% OFF GROCERY BILL! A major credit card is offering 6% cash back for groceries all year round with no expiration date. Plus a $150 sign up bonus send a blank email to bonusgelt@gmail.com I will auto-respond with your link Struggling with Shalom Bayis? The Shalom Bayis Hotline 732-523-1112 Caring rabbanim answering your questions for free So far very positive results BS’D! Attention: Schools, Sisterhoods, Party Planners, Etc. Hundreds of beautiful baskets at a fraction of the cost- Up to 90% off! Call 516-374-4646

Real Estate for Sale 3 SHOPPING CENTERS FOR SALE North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama For details and setups .Buyers please contact MELVIN STEINMETZ, Broker mstein100@aol.com Far Rockaway, Brand New 2 fam.

2 BR over 3 BR. Lrg Bsmt. LR/DR C/A, drvway, Walk to the beach. Only $495K. Won't last , buy with as little as 3% down. Call 718-643-7700

Bayswater, New to Market Large ranch, excellent condition, cul-desac, frum block, 4 bedrooms, alarm, large finished basement, 2 zone heat, huge backyard, waterfront view $470K Negotiable/$2,000 Rent Owner- 718-327-7154. Far Rockaway. brand New Construction, 2fam house, Lrg 3BR, 2baths over 6BR, 3baths, Lrg LV/DR, C/A, drvway, huge bsmt. Walk to the beach. Only $765K. Call 718-643-7700

House For Sale in Far Rockaway Fully detached, move in condition, four bedrooms, one and half bathrooms, enclosed yard, eat in kitchen. Asking $575,000. 516-234-8665

Luxury Apartments for Short/Long Term rentals in Miami Newly Renovated, magnificient views. Buildings w shul, shabbos elevator, heated pool, beach & boardwalk access email: miamiluxuryrentals@yahoo.com Inwood Colonial for SALE Remodeled large 4 bd 2 full baths Lv, Fdr Fam Rm,Sun Rm, Huge Bsmt. & yard walking dist to Yeshiva Ketana Only $ 405k E Davenport, Agent 516-513-4099 Moonlight Cottages, Modern Orthodox, beautiful, newly renovated and expanded, furnished, 3BR, 2 full bath large wrap-around porch, 2 pools, separate swimming available, great day camp. Call 718-353-2334 Bayswater- massive 2 family home in a great area, close to all the shuls, beautiful cabinets & granite counter tops, lots of bedrooms, all tiled bathrooms, hardwood flooring all through the house, fireplace, etc., needs tlc, very motivated seller, asking 449k, call Yitzchok 847-691-6397. House for sale in Oceanside by owner Large Americana split with panoramic views of Middlebay Golf Course All new kitchen and bathrooms 4BR 3.5 baths huge den and sunroom 516-536-0079

Real Estate For Rent 1st floor apt on beach 9th $1300 a month includes heat and water perfect for young couple washer & dryer hook up Walking distance to lirr for more info call or text 347-637-8346

TJH TJH CLASSIFIEDS CLASSIFIEDS Post your Real Estate, Help Wanted, Services, Misc. ads here every Thurs. Weekly classified ads up to 5 lines and/or 25 words 1 Week………………$20 - $10 2 Weeks……….……$35 - $17.50 4 Weeks…………….$60 - $30

Call or Text 443-929-4003 Or email ads to:

classifieds@fivetownsjewishhome.com

Include valid credit card info

Deadline Monday 5:00pm

Contact miri @ 718-327-5153

Belle Harbor Area Beach 118 St. Extra large modern 2 room studio apt. Furnished or unfurnished Short or long term Near Boardwalk, Shuls, Yeshiva, shopping, all transportation. Owner 917 543 0497 INWOOD BAIS MEDRASH for rent INWOOD GYM for rent Complete Beis Medrash ideal for Kollel or small Yeshiva. Fully equiped gym. Both 1 1/2 blocks from LIRR. free parking 917-399-5154

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mymanagement360@yahoo.com Executive Assistant: PT, Exec Assis for Lawrence office, Must have superb Cedarhurst&Colonial organizational phone skills. inexperience, Excellent condition Micr.Office ability to sched 3 bedrooms, 1Bath, den, & acquire appointments withcellar top CEO's. Fenced closea walk shuls Ability backyard, to multi-task must.toEmail 2250 Sale 300S resume to Rent chayaweinberg@yahoo.com . Call 516-569-4628 Cell 516-547-8930 Leaders in Online Jewish Marketing are hiring Sales Superstars. Do you fit the bill? 3 Bedroom For Rent Send your resume toApt. sales@thejmg.com Far646-351-1808 Rockaway x 111 or call us @

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Looking for Shadow/tutor five towns In a 3 family house on 3rdinfloor, also girls yeshiva high basement ideal forschool office Pleaseapt. call with 347-524-3864 Sunny 2 porches

Available August Call 516-225-4558

Seeking Job

Hewlett Neck Ocean Front Mansion for Rent 9,000 square feet, Experienced P-3 Provider, withfully M.S. in furnished, with TV and WiFiState Education and Permanent N.Y. Sleeps 20, kosher kitchen, insidetoeruv, Teacher CertificationAvailable work to allinshuls with walk students all grades Mondays through mornings Can rent weekly or Thursdaysmonthly, Perfect for until 11any A.M. and anytime after 5:30 P.M.; Simcha or vacationers and anytime CallSundays 631-484-6781 Please call Tsivia: 516-526-2385

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motivated individual to handle Office space available for rent AR/collections and general office work, in Lawrence by owner. must be organized, detailed oriented and Shared waitingexcellent room with other health professional, salary + benefit professionals. packagerelated and room for growth, please Utilities covered and internet email resume to access available. jobopening36@gmail.com

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For rent 2 bedroom apartment Far rockaway near BBY Available NOW Kosher Kitchen New appliances Call 516-225-4558 Real Estate for Rent/Sale Cedarhurst colonial in excellent condition Three Bedrooms 1 Bath - Den, cellar, fenced backyard close walk to synagogues Call 516-569-4628 or 516-547-8930 (cell)

Gemachs Seeking to donate 2 family house in Little Falls, NY to a non-profit organization. Accepting Offers.718-974-9428

Business Opportunity

motivated individual to handle AR/collections and general office work, must be organized, detailed oriented and professional, excellent salary + benefit package and room for growth, please email resume to jobopening36@gmail.com

Executive Assistant: PT, Exec Assis for Lawrence office, Must have superb organizational & phone skills. Micr.Office experience, ability to sched & acquire appointments with top CEO's. Ability to multi-task a must. Email resume to chayaweinberg@yahoo.com. Leaders in Online Jewish Marketing are hiring Sales Superstars. Do you fit the bill? Send your resume to sales@thejmg.com or call us @ 646-351-1808 x 111

Online Trainers Wanted Learn to operate a Mini-Office Outlet from home. Free online training, flexible hours, great income. www.SelectFreedom.net Lost white gold diamond

Looking for Shadow/tutor in five towns girls yeshiva high school Please call 347-524-3864

home based business earn in first 18 months ACan piece of$100,000 jewelry was found on July Excellenton training 19th in Cedarhurst, the street near 347-333-1789 LIRR station.Call If you know who it belongs

Experienced P-3 Provider, with M.S. in Education and Permanent N.Y. State Teacher Certification- Available to work with students in all grades Mondays through Thursdays- mornings until 11 A.M. and anytime after 5:30 P.M.; and Sundays anytime Please call Tsivia: 516-526-2385

Misc.

bracelet/covered watch either at Change yourorhealth and wealth Kennedy Airport in Boro Park. If found Partner please with young couple to build viable call 347.578.4165

to, please contact rwilam@gmail.com.

Can you spare it? Donate it. Clear out a closettoand help aour needy We are looking replace reserved spot familyintoday. in a 3 yearHeimishe old play group Far Rockaway. The group is receipts well established is a Taxplay deductible availableand upon warm, caring educational environment request. Calland (866) GIVE2LIVE(448-3254) suitable for boys and girls that turn 3 years old in 2012. The playgroup hours are 9AM1PM Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Thursday and 9AM -12PM on Erev Shabbos. Please contact Yael Gladstone @718-471-2751 for more Midyear opening at TAG High School for information.

Job Available

teacher proficient in global and/or European history. Up to five periods a day available. Relevant and The Yeshiva of Far degree Rockaway experience required. Email admits students of any race,resume color, to mshepard@tagschools.org. national and ethnic origin to all the rights,

privileges, programs and activities generally or made available to Res.accorded Hab. Positions Available students at the It does not Work part time withschool. a special needs young discriminate onPays the basis ofhour race, color, adult. $14 an national and ethnic origin in No Certification Necessary. administration of its educational policies, Great opportunity to do Chesed and get admissions policies, scholarship and loan the same programs,paid and at athletic and time other schoolCall Metropolitan 718-633-3334 administered programs. ext. 0

For Sale by Owner Huge 2 Family House In heart of Far Rockaway Completely renovated large 4 bedroom apt. Over very spacious 3 bedroom apt. Oversized property Lots of parking

Firm in 5 Town area seeking

Lots of children on block Near shuls and schools

Please call 917-929-3241

Seeking Job

Misc. Lost white gold diamond bracelet/covered watch either at Kennedy Airport or in Boro Park. If found please call 347.578.4165 A piece of jewelry was found on July 19th in Cedarhurst, on the street near LIRR station. If you know who it belongs to, please contact rwilam@gmail.com. We are looking to replace our reserved spot in a 3 year old play group in Far Rockaway. The play group is well established and is a warm, caring and educational environment suitable for boys and girls that turn 3 years old in 2012. The playgroup hours are 9AM1PM Monday â&#x20AC;&#x201C;Thursday and 9AM -12PM on Erev Shabbos. Please contact Yael Gladstone @718-471-2751 for more information.

The Yeshiva of Far Rockaway admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national and ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other schooladministered programs.

For Sale by Owner Huge 2 Family House In heart of Far Rockaway Completely renovated large 4 bedroom apt. Over very spacious 3 bedroom apt. Oversized property Lots of parking

Lots of children on block Near shuls and schools

Please call 917-929-3241

91 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Far Rockaway Room for Rent Furnished bedroom with full bathroom available in 2BR apartment. Available immediately . (Heimish) Female only. $500/month including utilities

92 T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Leisure & Travel

Susan Schwamm

From Sea to Shining Sea : Colorado

here is so much to do in Colorado including fishing, skiing, mountain climbing, and biking. It’s no wonder that Colorado has the lowest obesity rate in the country! Tourists visiting Colorado will enjoy the crisp, clean air and the mountainous peaks, the grand mesas and the flat plains. Many love the steaks in this state and others come to sample the wines here. Some Things You Won’t Want to Miss Grand Mesa Lakes Colorado’s Grand Mesa is one of the largest flattop mountains in the world. Its unique landscape sets it apart from the rest of the state; it’s unusual for so many lakes to be found so close together at such a high altitude. There are 300 lakes and reservoirs within the Grand Mesa National Forest and the high altitude offers cooler temperatures in the summer. Many majestic trees line the lakes and each region is unique in what it offers to its visitors. Some areas are great for a weekend trip. Others are great for those looking to camp out in an RV with the family. Try to take the time to drive to the end of the mesa—the view from the edge of the Grand Valley can’t be beat. Denver How can we visit this state without touring its capital? There’s so much to do here and most of it is

easily accessible by walking or taking the downtown bus. Spend some time at the Colorado State Capitol. Denver is nicknamed the Mile High City because it’s exactly one mile above sea level. You can stand exactly one mile high (5,280 feet above sea level) on the west steps and then climb to the rotunda for a panoramic view of the snowcapped peaks. Believe it or not, it’s against the law to block the view of the 200 mountains visible in the background. Have fun at the U.S. Mint, where free tours are offered to show you how our money is being made. The 16th Street Mall is a great place to “people watch.” The mile-long pedestrian promenade has 28 outdoor cafes and is lined with 200 trees! The Denver Zoo and Denver Botanical Gardens are great places to take the kids. And for those of you who love the smell of hops, Coors Brewery offers tours of its facilities and those over 21 can sample some special beverages. Lory State Park Once you’re here, you’ll find it hard to remember that you’re only a fifteen-minute drive from the city.

Lory State Park offers 26 miles of hiking and biking trails; visitors will delight in the rocky hills, emerald valleys, and pine forests. The park has something for everyone—rock climbers, volleyball players, horseback riders, birdwatchers and of course, picnickers. In the winter, spend time here with your snowshoes and cross-country skis. In the summer and spring, many take advantage of the canoeing and kayaking here, while others enjoy the shore-lounging fishing. As a special treat, take advantage of the full and almost-full moon hikes offered by the park’s rangers. Colorado State Fair If you’re in town for the end of the summer, make sure to drive down to the Colorado State Fair. After doing this for 140 years, the organizers have got it down pat and visitors will be delighted with the good ol’ Western fun. There’s live entertainment, amazing competitions, quirky vendor booths and of course, fried foods galore. Some Coloradans come on down to check out the rodeo and others enjoy the late-night carnival, petting zoos or the live concerts. There is certainly something fun for everyone!

516-837-0971

Voted #1 Party Place in the Five Towns SPORTS PARTIES. DANCE PARTIES COMBO PARTIES: YOU NAME IT - WE DO IT! Lots of Value . Lots of Fun BOOK YOUR BIRTHDAY PARTY TODAY

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

www.fitwizeny.com info@fitwizeny.com 83 Columbia Ave. Cedarhurst

T h e J e w i s h H o m e n n o v e m b e r 8 , 2012

Boca Raton Resortt Boca Raton, Floridaa

A Waldorf Astoria Resort rt Palatial resort exudes luxury & beauty. Gorgeous half-mile stretchh of pristine private beach. Tower building completely renovated. 300 clay tennis courts. 2 championship golf courses. World class spa.. PRESTIGE CATERERS - NK GLATT SUPERVISIONN

Rye T Town Hilton R l Westchester, New York We

Ent Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach 30 minutes from NYC. Situated on 45 lush acres. Newly renovated spacious and elegant guest rooms & suites, all with luxurious amenities. spa Indoor swimming pool and whirlpool, expanded fitness center & Ind indoor tennis complex. ind PR PRESTIGE CATERERS - ORB GLATT SUPERVISION

Hotel Excelsior VENICE, ITALY

Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach

This world renowned 5 Star, beachfront resort features beautiful amenities & many exciting activities. Multi million euro renovation currently in progress. The resort boasts a fabulous swimming pool, tennis courts, etc. Complimentary shuttle boat to/from San Marco Square. Gourmet cuisine, religious services, and esteemed scholar-in-residence & orator, Rabbi Adam Mintz of Manhattan, enhance your Pesach experience. SUPERVISION BY RABBI GARELIK OF MILAN

A i Bil re Arizona Biltmore Phoenix, Arizona na

World-class resort on 39 lush acres. 8 swimming pools, ols, 6 whirlpool spas, bicycles, jogging paths, 7 tennis courts, two 18-hole ole ex. championship golf courses. State-of-the-art complex. In cooperation with VIP Passover er TH DANZIGER CATERERS - PHOENIX VAAD HAKASHRUTH

INCRED IB LOW PR LE ICE! STARTIN G AT 2,565 E ONLY URO P PER PE

ERSON (INCLUDES TAX & SERV ICE CHARGE S)

PGA N P National i lR Resort Pa Beach, Florida Palm

Entire Hotel Kosher for Pesach Ent AAA 4-Diamond world-class luxury resort. Each room and suite features a private balcony. Five tournament-ready golf courses, 19 tennis courts, and a European Spa. In cooperation with Kosherica CATERING BY RANDY ZABLO & HIS TEAM FROM FOREMOST RAM CATERERS - ORB GLATT SUPERVISION

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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 8 , 2012

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Spotlight Design

Often imitated, never duplicated