Kol Habirah - June 22, 2017 by Jewish Link Marketing Solutions

Next Issue: July 20th

Theme: Home Improvement

June 22, 2017 | 28 Sivan, 5777 June 23 | 29 Sivan 5777 Parshat Korach Light Candles: 8:20 pm Shabbat Ends: 9:26 pm

CANDLE LIGHTING

CONNECTING THE DC, MD, & VA JEWISH COMMUNITY

A Call for Unity After Virginia Shooting By Jackson Richman

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Capital Commentary/ Op-Ed Contributor Wednesday, June 14, could have turned into a day of mourning as a gunman opened fire and injured five

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Imagine what it feels like to plan and execute a mission on enemy ground despite heavy fatigue, working to maintain a level of physical fitness and mental

readiness that would allow you to take action at a moment’s notice. Imagine what it feels like lead a troop of soldiers only one or two years your junior into battle in blistering heat or frigid cold, knowing that the lives of your comrades and of the people in your country hang in the balance, your successes and failures critical to their survival.

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From left: IDF Sgt. First Class (Res.) Maor; gala chairs Carol and Robert Burman; and IDF Staff Sgt. (Res.) Gabriel. (PHOTO CREDIT: MAGNETIC MEMORIES).

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Jewish Businesses in Montgomery County Respond to Minimum Wage Hikes

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Supporting Israeli Soldiers With FIDF By Atara Mayer

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people, including House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who is, as of this writing, in critical condition. This incident has prompted bipartisanship and unity nationwide amid a time of toxic political divisions and mistrust. The Jewish community is no exception to the call for achdut, or unity.

ISSUE #10

Joshua and Sara Katz with their childre outside Ben Yehuda Pizza in Silver Spring, Maryland. (PHOTO COURTESY OF JOSHUA KATZ)

By Gabe Aaronson Special Correspondent On July 1, the minimum wage in Maryland will increase to $9.25 an hour, and in Montgomery County it will increase to $11.50 an hour. Local Jewish businesses have responded in different ways to minimum wage hikes. County officials voted in 2013 to raise the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $11.50 an hour over four years, and this is the final year of scheduled minimum wage increases. Some businesses have made few changes other than increasing wages. Laurie Wexler, executive director of Sunflower Bakery in Rockville, Maryland, said they simply pay more to their minimum wage workers and try to keep sales

robust enough to cover higher labor costs. Sunflower Bakery may be a special case, however, because they are a nonprofit with a focus on offering job training to adults with learning differences. Many of their job trainees are interns who receive a stipend but are exempt from minimum wage. Additionally, according to their website, only 51 percent of their budget comes from sales; the rest comes from private donations and public grants. Other businesses have made more fundamental changes to their business operations. Josh Katz, owner of Ben Yehuda Pizza and Cafe in the Kemp Mill neighborhood of Silver Spring, Maryland, said he has cut items from the menu, automated some kitchen work, reduced operating hours, and raised prices slightly.

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

ABOUT US

Kol HaBirah: Mission and Goals traversing various geographic and ideological boundaries and strengthening the bond of community. 3. Credible Reporting and Respectful, Open Dialogue Kol HaBirah is committed to fact-based news reporting and providing a space for the respectful exchange of ideas on issues that matter to the broader Jewish community. We encourage diverse perspectives but will strive to avoid including content and views that may appear offensive or hurtful to specific people or groups of people. 4. Traditional Torah Values – Kol HaBirah proudly upholds traditional Torah values

The mission of Kol HaBirah is to serve, connect, and strengthen the Greater Washington Jewish community. To achieve this, we will provide:

1. Community Enrichment and Support Kol HaBirah will increase the visibility and utilization of our Jewish community’s businesses, organizations, programs, initiatives, and services. This will be achieved through our news and feature reporting, our robust community resources section, and advertising opportunities. 2. A Community Newspaper for All Jews Kol HaBirah will foster connection through the sharing of news, ideas and resources,

(e.g. not employing staff on Shabbat; promoting Kosher restaurants, events, and news) and will strive to maintain these values while respecting the values of the entire Jewish community. 5. Support for the United States and Israel Kol HaBirah is committed to the safety and support of the government and citizens of the United States and Israel.

We believe Kol HaBirah will further establish the Greater Washington Jewish community’s presence on the map as a leading and vibrant Jewish community in America and beyond. Thank you for your continued support, and keep reading!

EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD • Alan Fisher

• Phil Jacobs

• Steven Lieberman

• Ahuva Orlofsky

• Fred Shapiro

An affiliate of the Jewish Link of New Jersey, Jewish Link of Bronx, Westchester & Connecticut & Queens Jewish Link

MEET THE STAFF

ADVERTISER's INDEX Category

Kol HaBirah

Support our Advertisers

Events

Home Improvement

Hillel Goldschein, Publisher Hillel@kolhabirah.com

Rachel Kohn, Editor in Chief Rachel@kolhabirah.com

Simcha and Catering

Health and Wellness

Housing

Bari Perlmutter, Production Manager Bari@kolhabirah.com

Kami Troy, Senior Editor Kami@kolhabirah.com

Sarah B. Cohen, Editorial Staff Jackson Richman, Capital Commentary/Op-Ed Contributor Gabe Aaronson, Special Correspondent Haley Cohen, Community News Intern

Professional Services

Travel Organizations

Real Estate

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mention to our advertisers that you saw them here!

Retail

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

Page 4, 6

Grand Slam Sunday: Jewish Community Day

Annual Yad Zlata Benefit Concert

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Atara Foods

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Kindness Animal Hospital

Homecrest House

Eden Kosher Homes

Columbia Group

Lippman, Semsker, & Salb Transactional and Litigation Lawyers

Seth Opert at First Savings Mortgage

Chad Freeman at McLean Mortgage Corporation

Joey Franco Mortgage Broker

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Jewish Federation of Greater Washington

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Barbara Ciment Team, Realtors

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KOL HaBirah Voice of the Capital

IN THIS ISSUE Community News.......................................................... 7-17 Shabbaton for Jews who are Deafblind Convenes in Baltimore by Yael Zelinger.................................................9 Three Icons of the Six Day War Share Their Story at FIDF Events in DC and Virginia.......................................11 JPDS Sponsors McCain Lecture at Sixth and I Synagogue by Ben Barber.........................................15 Israel News.........................................................................18 A Different Kind of Pro-Life Group, EFRAT, is Honored in Washington, D.C. by Cheyenne Plott............18 Capital Commentary................................................... 20-22 Budget Cuts Loom But It’s Still Business as Usual for Most Federal Employees by Suzanne Pollak...............................20 OU Advocacy Mission Brings a Three-Point Agenda to the Hill by Zev Palatnik....................................................21 Op-Ed............................................................................ 23-24 The Case for Keeping the Ten Commandments by Howard Slugh.................................................................24 Features....................................................................... 25-32 Gala Season in DC........................................................ 26-31 JCRC Honors Trio of Local Leaders by Briana Naiman................................................................27 Torah Perspectives..................................................... 33-34 Principles from the Parsha: Korach’s Confrontation With Moshe by Joshua Z. Rokach.......................................33 Health & Wellness....................................................... 35-37 Health and Halacha by Audrey Siegal.................................35 JScreen, the Leader in Jewish Genetic Screening, Doubles its Disease Testing Panel by Hillary J. Kener...............................................................35 Sports........................................................................... 38-39 Sunday Doubleheader Ends With Double Wins for the Thunderbolts by Roey Herzfeld................................39 Food & Dining.............................................................. 40-42 Interfaith Iftar at Char Bar by Jackie Feldman.....................40 Arts & Entertainment.................................................. 43-45 Movie Review: ‘Past Life’ by Jodi Berman Kustanovich...............................................43 Larry Shor’s Greater Washington: Kaufman Camp...................................................................45 Fun and Games.................................................................46 Travel............................................................................ 47-48 Connecting to the Land, Not the Phone: A Day Wit IsraeliDruze Youth by Aquila Mendez-Valdez...............................48 Advice........................................................................... 49-52 The Cost of Buying a House by Moshe Kaplan...................50 Dating: Long-Distance Relationships............................ 51-52 Young Professional Spotlight: Samantha Zenlea ..........53 Student Spotlight: Alex Frame.........................................53 Community Calendar........................................................54

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Would You Like to Support Kol HaBirah? Support Our Advertisers! After calling me up to the Torah for an aliya this morning, the gabbai turned to me and whispered: “I really like Kol HaBirah.” It’s been both an intense and meaningful first half of the year, but we have made it to our 10th issue and are stronger every day! For those who aren’t aware, Kol HaBirah has been around for almost five months now. We are a community service and a for-profit business with a powerful mission: we exist to connect and support the diverse Jewish communities within Greater Washington and Greater Baltimore. How have we been doing thus far? Seventy-four percent of respondents from our recent online survey “Agree” or “Strongly Agree” that “Kol HaBirah is providing a valuable service for the Greater Washington/Baltimore Jewish communities.” A few snippets of anecdotal feedback from our survey include: “It’s a widely-distributed paper covering a large footprint, but it truly is ‘local.’” “I love how Kol Habirah focuses on community; almost anything going on can be found here.” “It is a great resource and it is already connecting the metro D.C. Jewish communities together.” “I like to see stories that are written by community members it makes Kol HaBirah feel like a newspaper ‘for the people, by the people.’” “Seems to have articles/news across observance spectrum, religious (Jewish) and ideological diversity in coverage.” “Stories cover the community’s wide gamut of interests.”

As Kol HaBirah’s founder and publisher, I am absolutely thrilled to see the above responses. These terms — local, widely-distributed, for the people, by the people, diverse, open to various political and religious viewpoints, connecting communities — all reflect the vision we had for Kol HaBirah’s community impact before we even published our first article. It is so great to see that in the eyes of many in our community, that vision is being realized.

If an advertiser is a familiar face, let them know you saw their ad in Kol HaBirah. Thank them for investing in this valuable community service. Before I get ahead of myself, though, I must recount a challenging but humorous chain of events (humorous to me at least) that occurred one day a few weeks ago. I reached out to a potential advertiser (who happened to be a very observant Orthodox Jewish woman) and she told me she had indeed heard of Kol HaBirah before. I was excited to hear she was familiar with us, but that feeling was shortlived: She told me that she would never let it in her house again, as the paper didn’t reflect Jewish values. Later that day, I was told by one of our delivery drivers that a certain synagogue on the other side of the observance spectrum informed him that copies of Kol HaBirah were not welcome there. When I contacted the institution to ask if we had perhaps offended an-

yone, they told me that the paper did not reflect their Jewish values either and they did not wish for it to be delivered anymore. I believe that both parties in these stories were correct. We do not solely represent their Jewish values. We represent the Jewish community, which includes a diversity of Jewish values. Those who relate to that mission will appreciate that, regardless of their niche in the Jewish community, while those who do not relate to that will tell us with varying degrees of diplomacy to get lost. Thankfully, this has not happened too many times — and since my father still lets Kol HaBirah in his house, I believe we are in good shape. But let’s get to the business side of Kol HaBirah. I have been laser-focused on advertising sales the last few months, after realizing very quickly that sales isn’t something that happens by itself. Kol HaBirah’s revenue model is pretty basic. We are a free publication, which means we are funded by advertising alone. There are no investors, and we aren’t actively looking for paid subscriptions at the moment. Our advertisers are the reason we are thriving, and we are extremely thankful to all those who advertise with us. As a community member reading this issue of Kol HaBirah, I ask: Are you in the 74 percent category that feels we are providing a community service? Do you wish you can do something to help us continue? Well you can do something that will help us instantly and it won’t require much effort. Look closely at the advertisements in this issue. Do you know any of the businesses or organizations? Do they offer a product or service that you, your family members, or friends can use or participate in? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, I ask that you act on it. If an advertiser is a familiar face, let

Support Kol HaBirah:

tell our advertisers you saw them here! 6

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

These terms — local, widely-distributed, for the people, by the people, “diverse, open to various political and religious viewpoints, connecting communities — all reflect the vision we had for Kol HaBirah’s community impact before we even published our first article. him or her know you saw their ad in Kol HaBirah. Thank advertisers for investing in this valuable community service. Go slightly out of your way to contact an advertiser to ask about their rates, to investigate if their product or service is a good fit for you or someone you know. Refer someone you know to our advertisers. Make sure to tell them you are reaching out because they advertised with Kol HaBirah. When I say this helps us instantly, I could not be more serious. I was contacted by an advertiser recently who told me he wanted to renew his commitment because our readers are ordering his service. In another example, a reader told us she ordered from a particular catering company after seeing their ad in our paper, and she made sure to tell them she found out about their deals thanks to Kol HaBirah. You can bet that catering company will continue to advertise for the foreseeable future. On the flip side, I have seen some advertisers drop out because they have not experienced the returns they were hoping for. The extra step you can take here will not only help us tremendously, but it will help our local businesses and our organizations, those who are working tirelessly to serve and invest in the community. You may not have a need to advertise, but you no doubt feel strongly about supporting our community. Help us continue to support the community by actively supporting our advertisers. Kol HaBirah’s next issue will be hitting the stands on July 20. In the meantime, we will be taking a few weeks to recharge and gear up for the High Holiday season and the second half of this groundbreaking year. We hope you enjoy this issue even more than the last one and will support our advertisers featured in this issue. Enjoy the beginning of the summer, and we look forward to seeing you next month! Best Regards, Hillel Goldschein, Publisher

WWW.KOLHABIRAH.COM

COMMUNITY

NEWS

Groundbreaking Ceremony Kicks Off Expansion and Renovation of DC’s Only Jewish Day School Mayor Muriel Bowser and community leaders gathered for the renaming and groundbreaking event. By Ronit Greenstein and Hannah Seidel It was a milestone moment for the school and for the Jewish community of Washington, D.C. On June 6, community members of the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital gathered to celebrate the school’s renaming and to break ground for a significant renovation and expansion of the Kay and Robert Schattner Center North Campus. With joy and excitement, Head of School Naomi Reem announced that JPDS-NC is now the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital. Reem and Board President Kinney Zalesne were joined at the ceremony by the family and friends of Milton Gottesman – Ambassador Alfred Moses, and Ruth, Bob, and Bill Gottesman – who together are honoring Milton’s memory by naming our school after him. The middle school, which launches in the fall of 2017, will be the Moses Family Middle School. Both the North and South Campuses will remain the Kay and Robert Schattner Center. Muriel Bowser, mayor of the District of Columbia and a longstanding friend of the school, spoke at the ceremony, offering congratulations and reminiscences of the school’s growth over the years. “I am proud that this school will continue to provide high-quality education here in Washington, [now through] the seventh and eighth grades,” she said. Brandon Todd, DC Councilmember for Ward 4, and local ANC representatives Dave Wilson and Stacey Lincoln were also in attendance. Bob Zahler, Presi-

dent of the Board of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, and former Head of School Susan Koss were part of the celebration. The renovated and expanded facility will re-open in the fall of 2018 for students in grades two through eight, who will enjoy a new state-of-the-art space tailored to meet the needs of elementary (grades two to five) and middle school (grades six to eight) students. The facility will feature new and renovated classroom spaces, a beit midrash (study hall), two libraries, two science labs, a design lab with a 3D printer, studios for art and music, new athletic facilities including a full-sized gymnasium and a rooftop field, a middle school commons area, a natural playscape, and an outdoor learning space. A number of technological and construction innovations will grant the new building LEED Silver certification. The school’s early childhood program (grades Pre-K to one) will continue at the school’s South Campus, which underwent a significant renovation in 2013. The expansion was made possible by an extraordinary $20 million gift – among the largest ever to a Jewish day school – from the family of Milton Gottesman and from Ambassador Alfred Moses, both longtime supporters of the school. The school also received an additional two million dollars from the Gottesman family to enhance the renovation, as well as a one-million-dollar gift and a $500,000 matching gift challenge from the Laufer family. Milton Gottesman’s special commitment to children and education brought

From left to right: outgoing JPDS-NC Board President Kinney Zalesne, incoming Milton Board President Steven Laufer, Head of School Naomi Reem, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, Ambassador Alfred Moses, Bob Gottesman (behind), Ruth Gottesman, and Bill Gottesman. (PHOTO CREDIT: MIRANDA CHADWICK)

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Bob, Ruth, and Bill Gottesman pose in front of the timeline of the school’s history. (PHOTO CREDIT: MIRANDA CHADWICK)

Fifth and sixth grade students admire the logo of the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital as it is revealed for the first time. (PHOTO CREDIT: ALEXANDRA TAYLOR)

him to JPDS-NC during the school’s early years. He connected strongly to the vision of a Jewish day school in the District, and provided significant funds toward the purchase of what is now the North Campus building. The Gottesman Auditorium was named in recognition of this early contribution. Milton’s family provided additional support at the time of the North Campus renovation in 2010. After Milton’s passing in 2005, his connection to JPDS-NC continued through his family, who honor his legacy in their philanthropy. Their gift represents the family’s commitment to education, pluralism, Jewish identity and continuity – values that Milton celebrated. Naomi Reem said, “Milton’s quiet generosity, dedication to making a difference, and love for Judaism and Israel are qualities that will live on through his legacy at this school. We are proud of presenting Milton Gottesman as a role model for our students as we rename our school after him.” At an all-school celebration that day, faculty, staff, and students in grades pre-K to eight gathered in the school’s Gottesman Auditorium. Students erupted into cheers and excitement as they

were shown the school’s new logo and colors for the first time. The logo was revealed on a T-shirt worn by the school’s mascot, a panda, who joined the students’ cheering and dancing. One wall of the auditorium was decorated with a timeline of JPDS-NC’s history, beginning with the school’s founding in 1988 and continuing through the opening of the renovated and expanded North Campus in 2018, when the school will celebrate its 30th anniversary. Students, staff, and alumni visitors were invited to sign their names on the wall corresponding to the year they first arrived at JPDS-NC, and to write their memories as part of the timeline, creating a colorful and tangible representation of the school community’s connection and growth over the years. Now in its 28th year as the only Jewish day school in Washington, D.C., JPDSNC – now Milton – has become a crucial institution in the city, serving as a center for learning for young families, a gateway to Judaism, and a key contributor to the renaissance of Jewish life in the District. JPDS-NC currently enrolls over 340 students in grades Pre-K through six and its middle school launches in the fall of 2017.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Community Safety and Service Awards Honor Exceptional Children, Teens, and Adults in the Baltimore Community By Frank Storch On Sunday, June 4, in Baltimore, the Chesed Fund and Project Ezra recognized nearly 40 individuals who went above and beyond in areas of community service, safety, or security. Winners were chosen based on nominations received from fellow community members.

their students’ lives by performing the Heimlich maneuver on them when they were choking. Bill Currie, a community liaison officer, was awarded a plaque for his continuous efforts to help keep the Baltimore community safe. Major Richard Gibson of the Baltimore Police Department was also recognized for quickly jumping in to apprehend suspects in a string of recent carjackings. New this year was the “Rabbinical Award,” in memory of Rabbi Simcha Sha-

From left: Frank Storch, Rabbi Yaakov Wealcatch, Nochum Cohen, and Bruce Kauffman. (PHOTO CREDIT: BORUCH BITMAN/SIMCHA FOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY)

“I was so excited to get my award and gift certificate to Tov Pizza,” said sevenyear-old Akiva Horan. Akiva won an award for collecting over $1,500 for Ahavas Yisroel while standing in the cold on Purim with his nine-year-old brother, Ari, and four-year-old sister, Chayale. Chayale was proudly showing of their plaques off to all their neighbors and friends, Akiva said. “The ceremony was so meaningful to them,” said his mother, Rochel. “They were mesmerized listening to the speeches and were so excited to have the opportunity to meet the policemen that were being recognized. I know this event will impact and influence them to want to do more chesed [acts of kindness] for the community in the future!” Winners ranged from Beth Tfiloh students raising money for Chai Lifeline with a special dance performance to two Talmudical Academy teachers who saved

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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fran z”l, given to Rabbi Meyer and Beth Pasternak for their dedication to the tzibur (public). Also new was the “Good Neighbor Award,” in memory of Paul Naden z”l, presented to Deborah Montague for bravely stopping someone from physically threatening her neighbor, Toby Passe, who had infants in her care. Sponsors Bruce and Lois Kauffman attended the event and very much enjoyed the warm and proud feelings shared between friends and family. Frank Storch is the founder and director of The Chesed Fund Limited & Project Ezra of Greater Baltimore, Inc., two community organizations that focus primarily on security and safety. He is the author of free guides on maintaining safety in schools, in camps, while traveling abroad, and more, and is currently working on a guide on shul safety. Visit chesedfund.com for more info or contact Frank at 410-340-1000 or chesedfund@gmail.com.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Shabbaton for Jews Who Are Deafblind Convenes in Baltimore A one-of-a-kind weekend retreat for Jewish adults living with dual vision and hearing loss By Yael Zelinger Over the weekend of June 16-18, 18 Jewish deafblind adults from across the United States, Canada, and Israel came together for a fully-accessible Shabbat to socialize and learn about their shared heritage at the Pearlstone Retreat Center in Reisterstown, Maryland. The fifth biennial Deafblind Shabbaton is a unique endeavor. The entire program is orchestrated around their unique needs, needs that are dissimilar to any other population. Upward of 70 volunteer staff, including interpreters, support service providers, and deaf rabbis joined the group to make every aspect of the Shabbaton accessible. Focusing on the theme, “Building a Jewish Deafblind Community,” participants experienced workshops run by deaf, hearing, and deafblind leaders. They made and decorated gingerbread cookies to bake together, representing the connection of isolated individuals into a community. A Jewish deafblind

Sprint representative demonstrated how Sprint can service the deafblind community and help them stay in touch. Hands-on workshops, such as braiding challah and deafblind-friendly prayer services, introduced the participants to Jewish concepts and traditions. To wrap up the weekend, a conversation was led by a deafblind retired pharmacist on how to make and sustain a Jewish deafblind community throughout the year. The need to interact with people who have shared challenges and experiences as well as a shared religion cannot

be overstated. Although deafblind people can be productive members of society, they are typically isolated from each other and from most Jewish opportunities. 10 years ago, when this was recognized by Rabbi Lederfiend, director of Our Way of Yachad, The National Jewish Council for Disabilities (Yachad/NJCD), he approached the Louise D. and Morton J. Macks Center for Jewish Education in Baltimore and Dr. Sheryl Cooper, director of Towson University’s Deaf Studies Program. From their very first conversation, Center for Jewish Educa-

tion (CJE) CEO Rabbi Larry Ziffer, COO Mrs. Amian Kelemer, and Dr. Sheryl Cooper were eager to make this happen. Registration fees were kept to a minimum so that no person would be excluded. Donations from the Crane Foundation, Vital Signs, LLC, and individuals helped fund the program. The core committee comprises one paid staff member, Yael Zelinger, the Disability and Inclusion Associate at the CJE, and co-chairs Mrs. Sara Leah Kovacs, who is deafblind, and Dr. Cooper.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Need Resources on the Six-Day War? There’s a Toolkit for That By Kol HaBirah Staff With Israel marking the 50th anniversary of the Six-Day War, a digital toolkit of comprehensive resources is available to assist Jewish institutions and individuals in learning and reflecting on this pivotal moment in the history of Israel and the Jewish people. The toolkit, “1967: Miracles & Challenges,” was created by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s Israel Action Center (IAC) and The Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. “Surrounded on all its borders and threatened with annihilation, Israel’s decisive military victory against the combined armies of Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Lebanon was, indeed, a modern-day miracle. Half a century later, we celebrate and

remain grateful for the reunification of Jerusalem — which has allowed unimpeded access to the holy sites of all religions, including access to our holy Kotel — and for Israel’s improved strategic situation,” said Ron Halber, JCRC’s executive director. “However, as Jewish communal professionals work to program for their communities, they must grapple with the fact that the outcome of the Six-Day War created unresolved challenges for Israel, which have caused significant soul-searching and divisions within the American Jewish community and beyond. This toolkit can help institutions and individuals better address these nuances.” With sections on History, Reflections, Personal Narratives, Geography, and Arts & Culture, the kit includes links to a diverse range of media resources, including

(SOURCE: JCRC)

articles, interviews, and videos, as well as original lesson plans and program suggestions developed by the JCRC staff. The materials are designed for both adults and youths, as well as for community programming, according to the creators. IAC Director Jennifer Raskas developed the lesson plans. “We encourage Jewish professionals and lay leaders to use this 50th anniversary year both to look back with amazement and sobering insight at the war and the elations that followed it, as well as to look ahead and to imagine a brighter future for Israel and a less-polarized Jewish community,” she said. Lesson plan topics are Elation, Despair and Hope, which examines the emotional impact the Six-Day War had and its continuing ramification for Israelis and Jews globally; Unity and Division, which analyzes the ways in which the war and its ramifications have both unified and divided Israeli society, Jerusalem and the Jewish people; and A Journey Through Jewish Sources, which links Judaic texts to the significance of the war’s 50th anniversary. The toolkit has writings from prominent figures such as Nobel winner and

JCRC Israel Action Committee Director Jennifer Raskas (SOURCE: LINKEDIN)

Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel, journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, Member of Knesset Michael Oren and Forward Editor Jane Eisen; in addition, videos, interviews, and book suggestions are included. A section provided by Toldot Yisrael, a Jerusalem-based nonprofit organization, in cooperation with Yad Levi Eshkol, features brief clips that relate to Jerusalem and the period surrounding the Six-Day War. Fighter pilot Danny Shapira, for example, shares an account of his mission to bomb Cairo’s airfields on the war’s first day, while military commentator Chaim Herzog, who would later become Israel’s president, said Israel’s victory was “as if a page had been taken out of the Bible and we were privileged to see it.”

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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Three Icons of the Six Day War Share Their Story at FIDF Events in DC and Virginia By Dovid Nachshon Albright “The objective for the paratroopers that day 50 years ago was El-Arish on the Sinai Peninsula. Then, new orders came. Jerusalem itself was under attack by Jordanian forces and there were numerous civilian casualties. Now however they had a new goal: beat back the murderous Jordanian army and liberate the Jewish population under attack…” Thus begins the incredible true story of three icons of our modern Jewish heritage — Zion Karasenti, Yitzhak Yifat, and Haim Oshri — immortalized 50 years ago in the famous photo by David Rubinger and brought to the Greater Washington community last week by Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) to commemorate that fateful fight. These men stood then and stand now as representatives of all the heroes of the Six Day War, and all battles where Jewish soldiers fought and continue to fight to protect their people and their land.

Ziggy Karesanti (foreground) and Dr. Yitzhak Yifat. (PHOTO CREDIT: DOVID NACHSON ALBRIGHT)

Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Executive Vice President of American Friends of Lubavitch, hosted the gentlemen for a Shabbat lecture on Friday June 16 at his DC synagogue. Rabbi Shemtov later described the event to Kol HaBirah via email as “packed to the gills” with several hundred local young Jewish professionals. “The paratroopers were very impressed and happy with the youthful crowd,” he wrote. When asked for his impressions from the night, Rabbi Shemtov was effusive. “Are you kidding?!” he wrote. “To speak with people who experienced first-hand the miracle of the Six Day War and the liberation of the Kotel and the Temple Mount! The event was uplifting, emotional.” On Sunday, June 18, all three heroes were honored along with their fallen comrades at the Chabad of Northern Virginia in Fairfax. Over 100 paratroopers gave their lives in the battles outside and within the

walls of Jerusalem’s Old City. After securing the ground outside the walls, IDF paratroopers overcame Jordanian snipers lurking near the Lion’s Gate. After finally passing through the gate, the soldiers made their way slowly and deliberately through the labyrinth of narrow streets. Then, to their amazement, they found themselves at the Temple Mount, standing in front of the Kotel. The cry went up: “The Har HaBayit is ours!” Hardened soldiers wept, some prayed pressing their faces to the enormous stones of Solomon’s Temple. Soon after that, IDF Chief Rabbi Shlomo Goren arrived carrying both a shofar and a Torah scroll. Zion Karasenti, who was standing next to Rabbi Goren as he blew the shofar, heard at that spot for the first time in 2000 years, recounted his personal story: Karasenti was born in Tiberias to a family that for generations lived in the land. His father fought in 1948 in the War of Independence. Jerusalem was always in his thoughts and dreams and hopes. On that particular day, at the beginning of the Six Day War, the first objective for the Paratroopers was El-Arish. Then, to their dismay, word came that the objective had changed. Once the new objective — Jerusalem — was announced, the morale of the division grew. The orders were given: get back into the transports and head to Jerusalem. But Jerusalem was not a part of the original battle plan. “HaKodesh Baruch Hu (G-d Himself),” said Karasenti, “had other ideas.” The fighting around the Old City was intense. Then, at 10 in the morning, they saw Jerusalem from near the Mount of Olives. Paratrooper Karasenti, exhausted and covered in blood, prayed: Blessed are You, Lord G-d King of the Universe, who kept us alive, sustained us, and brought us to this time. New orders came: take out the Jordanian snipers. They fought their way to the Lion’s Gate. Then he heard shouts going up “Har HaBayit shelanu! [The Temple Mount is ours!] Kadima! [Onward!]” They entered the narrow streets of the Old City, clearing out the snipers. Moving forward, he passed through a small metal gate and saw the Kotel in front of him. Exiting slowly, mindful of any remaining snipers who might be hiding, he then saw what he never had seen before — the Israeli flag flying from the stones of the Kotel. Jerusalem, the Temple, all of it, was in Israeli hands. Karansenti remained in the IDF and fought in most of Israel’s wars. As a civilian, he founded a dance company and appears in shows all over Israel. After leaving the IDF, Haim Oshri worked as an agricultural instructor. He

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completed his degree in chemistry and worked at the Weitzman Institute, researching enzymes. Subsequently he was appointed as manager of the only factory in Israel producing cheese enzymes. He was awarded a patent that was bought by Tnuva. He was nominated for the Kaplan Award for lifetime achievements. He also fought in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Dr. Yitzhak Yifat graduated from the Technion in Haifa with a degree in medicine, specializing in gynecology. In 1994, he was awarded the Medal of Excellence by the Israeli Medical Association. He continues to volunteer as a doctor in the IDF, and was in Sderot during the difficult years of rocket bombardment from Gaza. Over 200 people were in attendance at the Fairfax event, representing the Jewish communities of Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland. Alex Pomerantz, the new director for the Viginia chapter of Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) , reflected on the event: “It is inspiring to see such an outpouring of love and support from the Northern Virginia Jewish community for the brave soldiers who defend the State

In foreground, Haim Oshri. (PHOTO CREDIT: DOVID NACHSON ALBRIGHT)

of Israel. I am honored to be a part of the FIDF family and excited to see Virginia’s support for the cause grow.” Also in attendance for FIDF were its National Director and CEO Maj. Gen. (Res.) Meir Klifi-Amir and Ari Dallas, executive director of the MidAtlantic Region. In addition to Rabbi Deitsch, other Chabad rabbis of the Northern Virginia area also helped host the event: Rabbi Mordecai Newman (Alexandria), Rabbi Leibel Fajnland (Reston-Herndon), Rabbi Chessy Deitsch (Tysons Corner), and Rabbi Shmuel Perlstein (Manassas). Translating for the speakers was Sgt. Gabriel, an IDF paratrooper himself. In addition to traveling as their translator, Sgt. Gabriel is also the recipient of the FIDF IMPACT! Scholarship for higher education.

CHAD FREEMAN at McLEAN MORTGAGE CORPORATION

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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COMMUNITY NEWS

The Mayberg Foundation's JEIC Provides Innovation in Jewish Education By Jackson Richman Capital Commentary Contributor The Jewish Education Innovation Challenge (JEIC) brought together nearly 100 Jewish educators and community leaders from across North America last month to participate in its 5th annual Innovators Retreat at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. The retreat showcased 11 revolutionary ideas in Jewish day school education and opened them up for feedback from top educators, funders and social entrepreneurs in the field. These models, seven of which are brand new and four of which are already being tested, were designed by grantees of the JEICs Day School Educators’ Challenge and the ten designers currently participating in the JEIC team challenge known as “HaKaveret.” HaKaveret is a joint venture of the Mayberg Foundation, the Lippman Kanfer Foundation for Living Torah, and Arnee R. and Walter A. Winshall. The HaKaveret design team included two members of the Greater Washington Jewish community: Sharon Freundel of Washington, D.C., Director of Jewish Life

at the Milton Gottesman Jewish Day kids will learn Gemara,” Freundel School of the Nation’s Capital; and said, “but there isn’t enough dialogue Ruchel Green of Siver Spring, Maryin the classroom about G-d … Espeland, a preschool teacher at the Silcially the older the kids get, the less encounters they have with G-d.” ver Spring Learning Center. Freundel makes a distinction be“As a Jewish day school graduate, teacher, and parent of five children tween “the intellectual G-d and the who are in Jewish day school themspiritual G-d.” “The intellectual G-d is the selves, I am optimistic that this prospiritual G-d,” she said. “The spiritual gram is a catalyst for changes that The Hakarevet Design Team, including local members G-d is the personal G-d.” The prowill improve Jewish day schools Sharon Freundel (second from right) and Ruchel Green across America,” Green said. (third from right) gram, she said, should entail quesGreen worked on a model tions such as: called “JDS [Jewish Day School] for All.” It spending the majority of their day in pubWho is the G-d you believe in? focuses on Jewish educational program- lic schools to participate in high-qualiDo you believe in G-d as the creator ming for public school students, conduct- ty Jewish learning with full-time profes- [who is not involved in our lives anymore]? ed by the local Jewish day school itself. sional Jewish day school educators and Do you see G-d’s involvement in your life? She said this model is cheaper than con- content-rich curricula.” “The reason that there are so few conventional day schools and “has the poAs a result, said Green, Jewish day versations about this in the classroom is tential to expand the reach of Jewish day school communities will become larger, because the teachers are not comfortable schools.” The model also consists of on- more diverse, and more representative of with it,” Freundel said. “The project we’re creating is to get teachers more comfortaline classes for middle and high school the broader Jewish community.” students who have demanding extracurFreundel co-designed a model called ble in their own spirituality so that they ricular activities that would make attend- “Encounters with G-d,” which seeks to cre- are more comfortable bringing these open ing after-school programming difficult. ate a program for teachers and students conversations into the classroom so that “Many Jewish children will never to become more comfortable express- kids can figure out what their spiritual asexperience the benefits of Jewish day ing their belief in the Almighty. Freundel pects are and how they connect to G-d.” school,” Green said. “What if Jewish day said the program would offer learning opPresident Ronald Reagan famously schools kept their full-service program portunities that allow for discussions on said, “Change in America begins at the dinbut also offered another type of pro- what role G-d plays in partcipants’ lives. ner table.” It sounds like change in Jewish gram? JDS for All will allow students “The kids will learn Chumash and the education begins in a setting like the JEIC.

Jewish History Comes Alive With Rabbi Koss By Miriam J. Friedman SILVER SPRING (Md.) — While brainstorming activities for seniors and other members of the local Jewish community who are at home during the day, Ruthie Konick and I envisioned a class in Jewish history. Since December 2010, Rabbi Saul Koss has been making this reality come alive with Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington and Young Israel of Shomrai Emunah’s Jewish History Class, his vast knowledge of Torah complementing his deep appreciation of our past. “Jewish history has called out to me since my college days,” said Rabbi Koss. “How we have survived as a people under the greatest of odds is fascinating! When I prepare for a class, I research the topic from its beginnings to the present, to include the long-lasting effects it has on us today. This relates to all facets of our history, whether it be a chag (holiday), an event, or a specific prayer. Where, when, and why did it start, how did it evolve, what are the various iterations, how is it noted in different components of our people?” After six-and-a-half years of so graciously hosting this program, Marvin Konick will no longer be holding it in his apartment as it will move to the penthouse in the same building. The

(SOURCE: DISTANT SHORES MEDIA/SWEET PUBLISHING)

class will now be held in the University Towers penthouse, 1111 University Blvd. West, Silver Spring, MD 20902. It takes place on the first Monday of the month from 2-3 p.m., barring any holidays. See shul and listserv announcements for further details. About 15-20 people come together each month to enjoy a tour of Jewish history through the millennia. Sometimes, the content relates to an upcoming holiday, such as Passover; at the April 2017 class, participants delved into the development of the Haggadah. Other times,

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various topics of interest are discussed (for example: gematria, the numerological system by which Hebrew letters correspond to numbers). As the group asks questions or makes comments, it adds another dimension to the talk and widens our scope, enhancing the topic. Suggestions for future topics to cover are always welcome. Following an engaging and informative lecture, there is time to socialize over refreshments, often related to the theme of that day’s calss. I would like to offer my sincerest ha-

karat hatov and thank you to Mr. Konick and his daughter-in-law Ruthie Konick for facilitating this wonderful learning opportunity in the community. I know I am not alone in appreciating how much they have done each month, from buying the food to setting up the chairs to ensuring everyone’s comfort in myriad ways. Of course, all of this segues into my hakarat hatov and thank you to Rabbi Koss, who prepares and delivers each class so diligently to a varied audience each month (and it does vary!). Rabbi Koss knows exactly how to address anyone of any background, and individuals with a strong knowledge of Judaics feel just as comfortable as those with less exposure. All of these facets help make Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington and Young Israel of Shomrai Emunah’s Jewish History class such a success! In order to keep this program running smoothly, we would like to welcome any volunteers to help out, including sponsors for refreshments drivers to take people to and from the class. Please contact Miriam Friedman at mfriedman2@yahoo.com or 301-754-1517 or BCGW at 202-331- 4481 if you are able to be of assistance. Thank you and we hope you can join us soon!

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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JPDS Sponsors McCain Lecture at Sixth and I Synagogue By Ben Barber On May 24, Senator John McCain (RAZ) spoke in front of an audience of several hundred at the 11th annual Yitzhak Rabin Memorial lecture at the Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C. He reminded them that American values, from courage to responsibility, are not only alive, but strong. The annual lecture is sponsored by the Jewish Primary Day School of the Nation’s Capital, which currently serves pre-kindergarten through grade 6, but will soon add a middle school and will be renamed Milton Gottesman Jewish Day School of the Nation’s Capital. Construction of the new middle school, located along 16th street at Military Road, was made possible by a $20 million gift, half from long-time DC lawyer and former ambassador to Romania, Alfred Moses, and half from the New York-based Gottesman Family Fund. The school, which currently enrolls over 300 students from all Jewish denominations, has always focused on conflict resolution, said Director of Development Joshua Suchoff. After Rabin was assassinated, the DC primary school worked with the Rabin family to dedicate a library, and then created the public lecture series.

McCain was seated with writer and senior fellow at the Brookings Institution Leon Wieseltier, who engaged the senator with a variety of questions, some from the audience and members of the press. McCain showed a strong sense of humor during his lecture, unsurprising when one think of the more daunting things he has faced in lifetime. The senator was a young fighter pilot when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam and held for five years. His captors discovered McCain’s father and grandfather had served as admirals of the U.S. Pacific fleet and the Vietnamese offered him his freedom. McCain, however, refused to accept release until hundreds of other U.S. prisoners of war were also released. In the 1990s, McCain was instrumental — along with fellow Vietnam veteran John Kerry — in ending the last vestiges of the war and opening U.S.-Vietnam diplomatic and trade relations. “Rabin reminded me of other warriors” such as Ronald Reagan who believed in “peace through strength,” said McCain. “That’s why Israel exists,” McCain said. “Rabin reminded me of Eisenhower — a leader who knew the horrors of war and wanted to prevent it.” Given the tense political blanket that has enveloped Washington since the

Senator John McCain (R-AZ). (SOURCE: UNITED STATES CONGRESS/WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

presidential campaign, McCain assured the audience: “I am not here to bash Obama.” But he did say that Obama had put strains on traditional allies when he drew a red line warning Syria not to use chemical weapons — and then did not act. “If American leadership moves to the sidelines, it lets others step in,” he said. “If we abandon our [principle] that all of us are created equal, then we will abandon the role that made us different in world history,” he added. McCain said that “we don’t expect every country to be like America, but we can expect progress” towards women’s

and human rights. We should do what we can to move them forward, he added. “Some countries in Central Europe we freed through the Cold War. Now they are drifting back to authoritarian rule.” McCain said that when Ronald Reagan spoke up on behalf of political prisoners in Russia, like Natan Sharansky, the news spread like wildfire in the Gulag prisons. “We gave them hope — that is what America is about,” he said. McCain said America should not cozy up to Russia and abandon human rights. He reminded the audience that after World War II, the United States launched the Marshall Plan, spending billions to help the war-damaged European countries — including former enemy Germany — rebuild their economies. “That act of generosity — billions of dollars — helped build democracies and hold elections.” These days, McCain warned, Central Europe is dealing with unwanted refugees, leading some to turn towards extreme nationalists. And even in Sweden, they are so afraid of Russia they have installed conscription. McCain warned of Shiite Iran’s spreading influence from Lebanon to Syria, Iraq and Yemen. He predicted that Israel will draw closer to the Sunni Arab nations to oppose the Shiite push. “That will happen,” he said.

COMMUNITY PHOTOS

Charles Krieger Jewish War Veterans Post 567 Installs News Officers in Leisure World Ray Kurlander, JV Commander; Marvin Franklin, Quartermaster; Jerry Jacobs, Adjutant; Bob Kessler, Chaplain; Ed Hinkle, Officer of the Day; Helene Bass and Nancy Scher as women representatives; and myself as Judge Advocate. Post 567 is one of 12 posts in Maryland dedicated to maintaining allegiance to and love for the United States, fighting against bigotry and anti-Semitism, supporting Israel, and

honoring the memory of our heroic dead. It should be noted that the Jewish War Veterans was the first veteran’s organization, emanating from the need to combat anti-Semitism that grew out of the Civil War. Meeting for the first time in 1896, JWV has been an active force for all veterans, Jewish causes including Israel, and the United States since then. Membership in Post 567 is not limited to residents of Leisure World. Veterans living in the general area are welcome to call 301-438-1444 for more information.

Incoming officers: Jerry Jacobs, seated, and standing left to right Ed Hinkle, Bob Kessler, Milton Loube, Danny Bass, Erwin Burtnick, Marvin Franklin, and Ray Kurlander.

Colonel Erwin Burtnick

Incoming Post Commander Milton Loube

(PHOTO CREDIT: FRED SHAPIRO)

By Fred Shapiro At its June 11 brunch in Leisure World, Charles Krieger Post 567 of the Jewish War Veterans installed Milton Loube as post commander for the 2017-2018 term of office. He replaces Marvin Franklin, who held the office for the past three years. Loube and the slate of new officers were sworn in by Department Commander of Maryland Colonel Erwin Burtnick.

Loube served in the Navy as a radioman aboard the USS PC 572 (patrol craft) and aboard the USS Saipan CVL48 light aircraft carrier. He was instrumental in bringing Post 567 to Leisure World. The incoming officers served in the Army, Air Force, and Navy, spanning the years from World War II to the Korean War. Joining Loube as officers of the post are Danny Bass, SV Commander;

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

COMMUNITY PHOTOS

Grandparents Day at the Torah School By Debbie Kalwerisky Bubby! Savta! Zaide! Saba! Grandma! Grandpa! These were some of the sounds that greeted us on May 19 as we entered the halls of the Torah School of Greater Washington (TSGW) for the annual nachas-fest known as Grandparents’ Day. From near and far, the grandparents trooped in, excited to enjoy a morning with their grandchildren, visiting their classrooms, taking pictures, and eating lunch together. Over 200 grandparents started the day with a delicious welcome breakfast while we listened to presentations describing the school’s continued growth, the addition of a new wing, and an exciting proposed expansion. The video featuring the kids and faculty of TSGW was a highlight of the morning. Let’s face it, what grandparent doesn’t crane their neck for a glimpse of their very own movie star?! Grandparents were then directed through the halls by capable volunteers

to discover first-hand how our grandkids spend their days. In one classroom, Bubby sat with Sarale while they did a Chumash worksheet together; Avrumi and Zaide learned how plants grow; Miriam showed off her PowerPoint presentation skills; and outside Dovid and his Saba played soccer. After picture time (with lots of props and laughs), it was off to lunch where the guests “wrapped” it up with a chance to eat together, trade cookies with the kids, and kvell at the warm environment that is nurturing their neshomas. Yasher koach to Rabbi Yossi Charner, the TSGW faculty and administration, the PTSA organizers, and all the volunteers for giving us a window into our grandchildren’s worlds for one special morning each year. Debbie Kalwerisky lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband Jeff. They are members of Congregation Beth Tefillah in the Atlanta suburb of Sandy Springs. Debbie is the Executive Director of Congregation Ariel in Dunwoody, Atlanta. The Kalweriskys are the proud Bubbie and Zaida of TSGW students Aviva Bracha, Gila, and Meir Azran, and baruch Hashem many more beautiful einiklach!

Rabbi Moshe Rappaport with his grandson Tuvia Charner

Dr. Sandra Cypess with her granddaughters Shoshana and Hadassah Cypess

Rabbi David Lapin with his daughter Mrs. Livia Dunkin and her and his granddaughters (top right) Eliana Dunkin, (below her) Kayla, (to the left of Kayla) Naomi

Temple Isaiah of Howard County Families Have a Ball at 5K and One Mile Fun Run Temple Isaiah hosted its 13th Annual Matzohball 5k and 1 Mile Fun Run on Sunday, June 3, at Centennial Park in Ellicott City, Maryland. The event was part of drew its largest turnout yet, with over 350 runners and walkers. The event has dozens of corporate and family sponsors from the community, and the proceeds benefitted Temple Isai-

ah, DreamBuilders, GRASSROOTS, and Hope Works. When the race was over, participants could stick around at the park for for Maryland Family Wellness Day, a free community event sponsored by WePromoteHealth.org with family activities, community booths, entertainment, and prizes.

A Final Goodbye to Eli’s (PHOTO CREDIT: ERIC MCCORMICK PHOTOGRAPHY)

(PHOTO CREDIT: ERIC MCCORMICK PHOTOGRAPHY)

What is now a pile of rubble making way for new high-rise construction on the southeast corner of 20th and N Street NW was once the best kosher restaurant in Washington, D.C. Of course, that was when it was the only kosher restaurant in Washington, DC. Its successor Char Bar is but a few blocks away. (PHOTOS BY STEVE RABINOWITZ)

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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COMMUNITY PHOTOS

Anne Frank House Recognized for 30 Years of Service

250 USY Students and Staff Gather at Camp Louise for the Seaboard USY Spring Convention

By Sasha Bloch

From left: Lisa Stand, DC Councilmember Mary Cheh, and Ellen Ficklen. (COURTESY PHOTO)

By Sue Ducat Anne Frank House, a nonprofit organization providing housing to formerly homeless people with mental health issues in Washington D.C., turns 30 this year. The organization, which was founded in 1987 by members of Adas Israel Congregation in Cleveland Park, currently house 10 clients, all in individual apartment units, in Wards 3 and 4. The DC Council issued a resolution in May (pictured) honoring Anne Frank House, and it was presented at Adas Israel on June 17. “Anne Frank House’s years of suc-

The Seaboard Region of United Synagogue Youth (USY) held its largest Spring Convention in many years, with students from eighth grade to 12th grade participating in fun and educational activities. Over the course of the

weekend, elections were held for the regional executive board, chapter awards were given out, and Jordan Kalfon, incoming seaboard regional president, gave his State of the Region Address. Over the course of the weekend, Seaboard USY raised over $1,200 in for the organization’s tzedakah (charity) fund.

cess –and the expansion of the number of supportive housing units they are able to provide – is due to the dedication and passion of its all-volunteer board and the commitment of its professional partners,” DC Councilmember Mary Cheh told Kol HaBirah. “Anne Frank House’s strong network of volunteers build caring, one-on-one relationships with clients, thus providing them with a strong sense of security, self-reliance, and belonging in the community. They are an invaluable community partner and a vital resource for those experiencing homelessness in Ward 3.”

(COURTESY PHOTO)

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

ISRAEL NEWS

Race to Lead Israel’s Labor Party Tightening By Briana Naiman Guest Contributor With Israel’s primary for Labor Party leadership heating up, former defense minister Amir Peretz continues to lead polls, but the race for second place is tightening, with the gap narrowing between Knesset Members Avi Gabai and Erel Margalit. Nine candidates, including current party leader Isaac “Boogie” Herzog, are

MK Erel Margalit (SOURCE: HAARETZ)

seeking the leadership spot. If no candidate reaches a 40 percent threshold in the July 4 election, a runoff will be held July 13. A recent Smith Institute survey of party members found that Peretz still leads the field with 28 percent, but support for Gabai has dropped from 26 percent to 21 percent, while backing for Margalit has edged up from 15 percent to 16 percent. When asked, however, which candidate they believe Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu least wants as Labor Party leader, 23 percent say Margalit, while 21 percent say Peretz, and 18 percent Gabai. Herzog and former IDF Chief of Staff Omer Bar-Lev trail far behind at eight percent and five percent, respectively, and all others combine at just three percent. Twenty percent have no opinion. When it comes to saying who they think best would confront Netanyahu, 29 percent choose Margalit, 23 percent Peretz, and 17 percent Gabai. Asked who can represent Israel internationally, 29 percent say Margalit, 22 percent Herzog and 17 percent Gabai. Peretz rates only eight percent. An entrepreneur with nearly 30 years of experience leading successful startups,

large companies, and social and cultural endeavors, Margalit has been in the Knesset since 2013. A member of the Knesset’s Security and Foreign Affairs Committee, he heads the Cyber Security Taskforce. The late Yitzhak Rabin’s sister, Rachel Rabin, and his son, Yuval Rabin, are both among those who have endorsed Margalit. In a Jerusalem Post opinion piece, Yuval Rabin called Margalit “a man of action” and “the best candidate to be the next chairman of the Labor Party and Israel’s prime minister.” Ambassador (ret.) Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli consul-general in New York, and former peace negotiator Gilead Sher have both endorsed Peretz, who also served as a former Israeli defense minister and deputy prime minister. Gabai, a former member of Netanyahu’s government, was a founder of the centrist Kulanu party; he joined the Labor Party in late December 2016. On the question of who works for marginalized populations, Labor voters choose only Margalit and Peretz — at 24 percent and 23 percent, respectively — with no other candidate registering more than five percent, and with 13 percent having no opinion.

MK Avi Gabai (SOURCE: YNETNEWS)

And as for who can best represent Israel internationally, Margalit again leads all his rivals, this time with 29 percent of Labor Party respondents. Twenty-two percent favor Herzog and 17 percent at nine percent and eight percent, and all others totaling just two percent, with 13 percent saying they don’t know. The poll was completed June 12.

A Different Kind of Pro-Life Group, EFRAT, is Honored in Washington, D.C. By Cheyenne Plott On June 15, 2017 dozens of Jewish leaders from Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Israel, and the U.S., along with Christian leaders and legislators, gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. in honor of the 40th anniversary of EFRAT, an innovative Israeli organization dedicated to helping Israeli women choose life for their babies. Characterizing itself as a modern-day Miriam, EFRAT aims to saving the lives of Jewish babies whose mothers think they have no other option but abortion by providing them with access to financial assistance, counseling, and other resources and forms of support.

Michael Kierszenbaum, Woli Stern, US Senator Rand Paul, Dr. Eli Schussheim, and Ezra Friedlander. (PHOTO CREDIT: SHMUEL LENCHEVSKY)

“We at EFRAT believe that every woman has the right to make decisions regarding her body,” said EFRAT president and honoree Dr. Eli Schussheim. “Therefore we do not pressure women, nor do we make demonstrations or condone violence. We just offer our support and assistance.” The luncheon tribute was coordinated by The Friedlander Group. While it featured speeches from U.S. legislators, the main focus of the event was to honor Schussheim and his friend and longtime nonprofit partner, Woli Stern. When the Israeli Parliament legalized abortion in 1977, Dr. Schussheim, a surgeon, was deeply grieved that 60,000 pregnancies were being terminated each year. He teamed up with Herschel Feigenbaum, a Holocaust survivor and the founder of EFRAT, to seek an increase in the Jewish birthrate by decreasing the number of abortions. To date, EFRAT has saved more than 70,000 lives in Israel. To get a sense of the impact of this in such a small country: this is the equivalent of saving an entire city. After an opening prayer for the victims of the recent shooting attack at a Congressional baseball practice, U.S. Rep-

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

Participants on the steps of the US Capitol (PHOTO CREDIT: SHMUEL LENCHEVSKY)

resentatives Trent Franks (R-AZ), Doug Lamborn (R-CO), Andy Biggs (R-AZ), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Doug Collins (R-GA), and Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) delivered remarks championing the cause of life and praising Efrat for their successes. “We need more groups like yours,” said Rep. Andy Biggs (R-AZ). Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) discussed how fundamental the right to life is, saying “it’s hard to figure out how to get to all these other rights [freedom of religion, freedom of speech, etc.] when you don’t exist.” Many of the legislators echoed Rep. Trent Franks (R-AZ) statement that every child “has the image of God stamped on his soul.” Among the Jewish and Christian leaders present, Richard Hellman, Founder of the Christians’ Israel Public Action Campaign (CIPAC), described the importance of having a thriving Jewish population and that it’s “important for Israel to be a

Jewish state — free, democratic, respecting the same Judeo-Christian values that we do here in the United States.” Joshua London, the Co-Director of Government Relations for the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), underscored the significance of a growing Jewish population, saying that EFRAT is the “most effective organization at attempting to solve a holy demographic issue.” Dr. Schussheim presented Stern, who has directly saved more than 6,300 lives, with a “Book of Life” listing all the names of the children saved through his efforts. Dr. Schussheim tearfully noted that many of these children were now having children of their own. Dr. Schussheim said he grieves the fact that Israel is still losing about 40,000 lives to abortion each year, but he remains hopeful that EFRAT will continue to expand their work as they look to the future.

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

CAPITAL COMMENTARY Budget Cuts Loom But It’s Still Business as Usual for Most Federal Employees By Suzanne Pollak With President Donald Trump’s proposed budget calling for cuts of 20 to 30 percent in multiple departments, the constant barrage of ugly political discourse (coming from both sides of the aisle), and memos restricting what those working in the trenches of the vast federal bureaucracy may say to the press — well, maybe working for the federal government isn’t nearly the cushy job everyone says it is. “It’s difficult,” confided one federal employee who has worked at the U.S. Department of Labor for decades. Still, he said, “the beat goes on,” as does his daily work. He, like others interviewed for this article, agreed to be interviewed on the condition of anonymity due to concerns about job security. Trump’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018 calls for increasing the budget for defense and homeland security by five and seven percent, respectively, but funds for the Environmental Protection Agency are slated to be reduced by 31 percent, the State Department 29 percent, agriculture by 21 percent, and labor by 20 percent. What happens next is in the hands of Congress. In the meantime, there has been a clampdown on communication with the press. Earlier this month, employees of the Department of Commerce were “provided with very, very clear guidance” that if they were contacted by the media, no matter how local, they were to keep mum. “I am not happy with that, but there is no leeway,” said one employee who received these instructions. Despite the proposed budget cuts and the heightened tension in federal agencies, however, the people interviewed for this article generally took a wait-and-see attitude as work carries on. An employee of the National Cancer Institute, a division of the National Institutes of Health, said while the current hiring freeze has been “disruptive,” he has weathered such edicts before; dur-

(SOURCE: GOOGLE IMAGES)

ing governmental shut-downs, for example, and the automatic budget cuts during sequestration. He also is not happy with proposed cuts to his retirement plan that would virtually amount to a salary cut, but he knows it could be worse. What really troubles this individual, who is a long-time federal employee, is his fear that young people will no longer want to work for the government. Working for the government is “a public service,” he said, one worth taking a reduced salary for the betterment of the country. He worries the perception of a negative environment in the field will drive away the next generation of public servants. He is not worried about losing his job. The National Cancer Institute won’t

Working for the government is “a public service,” he said, one worth taking a reduced salary for the betterment of the country. He worries the perception of a negative environment in the field will drive away the next generation of public servants. be eliminated, he said, because “Congress is full of old men, all worried about their prostate.” An employee with the Department of Defense, one of the few offices targeted for a budget increase, said he works down “in the trenches” and is therefore unaffected by any changes brought on by a Republican administration. He did point out that while the Department of Defense is slated for increased funding, programs are still being slashed and employees are being moved to other offices to work on different projects. This, combined with attrition, has resulted in fewer employees where he works. “They emptied the ranks in the subdivision of my agency,” said the Silver Spring resident. “At our level, what we see is poaching of our personnel, so it is harder to get things done.” Projects now take longer to complete and parts are on hold until some-

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

one with the proper expertise can work on them since the former experts have moved elsewhere. That being said, personnel moves are not new or unique to the present situation, he added, They have been going on for several years. He hasn’t noticed a morale change among his coworkers, either. “Attitude-wise, for the most part, we tend to hang in through thick and thin,” he said. One Labor department employee with more than 40 years under his belt agreed. “People are trying to keep a stiff upper lip and continue with the work,” he said. Having worked under several presidential administrations, including Ronald Reagan, this employee said he’s built up “some antibodies” to help him weather budget cuts. However, he noted, while Reagan was conservative, what is happening now “is crazy.” “In an official meeting, it’s very careful. You don’t get into [politics],” he said. “Our office head speaks about what is going on. It’s all very careful. It’s sort of neutral. We know how to speak in career settings.” When all is said and done, he said, the attitude of career federal employees is that as long as the law remains, the country will go on. One new employee at the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid is not feeling so stoic. She is working on marketplace data for a Trump Administration that wants to “dismantle the whole marketplace.” Her immediate supervisor and director left right before the inauguration, creating instability in her office. While she expects changes, however, she also is confident that Medicaid will not go away. An employee with the National Science Foundation feels the same. Her department “is sheltered from the storm,” she said, as it is not involved in hot-button topics like global warming, although her office is in a larger department tentatively slated for a 20 percent budget decrease. While her work continues, outside the office, she finds it troublesome that she has been asked how she can work for an administration that is accused of not believing in science, she said. It’s not only federal employees worried about budget cuts and jobs. A ripple effect also has Montgomery County employees concerned, as local governments rely on the federal government to help fund many programs. Employees working in housing “are preparing for major budget cuts,” par-

Cover of the President's proposed budget for the 2018 fiscal year. (SOURCE: OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET)

ticularly in the area of housing vouchers, said one county employee. With housing, money starts with Congress, which allocates it to the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). HUD then allocates funding to individual states, which in turn divide they money further for allocation to local communities. HUD is slated for a six billion dollar decrease in Trump’s budget proposal, the county employee said. His office has already held meetings on how to reduce the county’s dependence on the federal government, he said. “The problem is, right now, it’s all speculation,” he pointed out. “We don’t know how this is going to shake out.” As for the Department of Commerce employee who spoke of being banned from speaking to the press, her stress level hasn’t changed. Her manager reassured the staff that all incoming presidents have an agenda, and they all “push the boundaries,” she said. Generally, she said, it’s calm in her office, where she has been working for about a decade. Outside of work, however, “I feel much more political than I ever have,” she said. She knows friends and congregants who voted for Trump; when in their homes, she answers their specific questions but doesn’t disclose anything beyond that, she said. “I am doing work I am happy in. I haven’t been asked to do anything” illegal or immoral, she said. “I can make it four years. I don’t know about eight.” Suzanne Pollak is the senior writer/editor at Jewish Council for the Aging of Greater Washington. She was a reporter at The Courier Post in New Jersey and The Washington Jewish Week, and she now writes for The Montgomery Sentinel.

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CAPITAL COMMENTARY OU Advocacy Mission Brings a ThreePoint Agenda to the Hill By Zev Palatnik More than 125 lay and rabbinic leaders of Orthodox Jewish communities from across the country convened on Capitol Hill and at the White House June 15 for the Orthodox Union Advocacy Center’s annual Leadership Mission to Washington, D.C. Throughout the day-long mission, the delegates focused on advocating for three issues critical to the Orthodox Jewish community: advancing school choice policies, which would help ease the financial burden of sending children to Jewish day schools; increasing funding for the federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, which supports improvements in security measures for Jewish community institutions around the country; and passing the Taylor Force Act, which will suspend U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority until it ends its practice of paying financial stipends to the families of terrorists. “Coming to Washington is a very visible reminder of our commitment to those we represent and our appreciation for this country’s leaders who work tirelessly on behalf of the Jewish people

and Israel,” said Orthodox Union President Mark Bane. The day’s events kicked off with an opening session featuring Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.), chair of the Education Committee. Chairwoman Foxx spoke of her deep commitment to school choice policies. Engel spoke of his commitment to pass bipartisan legislation — like the Taylor Force Act — to put an end to the Palestinian Authority’s terrorist stipends. Orthodox Union delegates then met with their congressional representatives in smaller groups to discuss the policy agenda. After those meetings, the entire group reconvened for a luncheon with U.S. senators. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) announced the 98-2 vote that had just occurred in favor of new sanctions on Iran, for which he received a standing ovation. Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the United States must make sure Iran is held accountable for its actions. “They haven’t moderated a bit,” Schumer said. “They’re still exporting terrorism.”

He also called for accountability from the Palestinian Authority. “Abbas has to stop making payments to terrorists and their families, and all elected officials should call them out” for this practice. He further stated he will support legislation like the Taylor Force Act if the Trump Administration cannot get the Palestinians to end the stipends. The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) was among several senators who also spoke about the need to pass legislation like the Taylor Force Act. In a sign of the bipartisan nature of their interests, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) also addressed the OU delegates, noting that he was one of the original sponsors of the Taylor Force Act and that Congress must immediately take action to stop funding Palestinian terrorism. Cruz also spoke about his support to relocate the U.S. Embassy in Israel. “Now is the time to recognize Jerusalem as the one eternal, indivisible capital of Israel,” Cruz said. “It is long past time to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, where it belongs.” Other senators who spoke during the lunch were Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Bill Nelson (R-Fl.), John Hoeven

(R-N.D.), and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), all of whom voiced their strong support for the OU Advocacy’s work and their ongoing efforts on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people. The OU leaders then traveled to the White House. There, they met with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos to discuss school choice initiatives; Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason Greenblatt, who spoke about advancing the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; and Deputy Assistant to the President Sebastian Gorka, who provided insights into national security policy. “We are grateful that so many prominent leaders of our community came to Washington and successfully advanced the critical policy priorities of security for Israel, security for American Jewish schools and synagogues, and school choice,” said OU Advocacy Center Executive Director Nathan Diament, a resident of Silver Spring, Maryland. “Coming to Washington reminds all of us that we have great strength when we join together and speak with a unified voice in our nation’s capital,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin. “Our national delegation of leaders deeply appreciated the many representatives and senators who met with us and will be our partners on our policy priorities.”

Celebrate your Wedding or Bar/Bat Mitzvah with a D.C. view

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

CAPITAL COMMENTARY The Untold Story of the Jewish Effort to Pass the G.I. Bill By Anna Selman On June 22, we celebrate the anniversary of the G.I. Bill, a historic act that was the first major piece of legislation dealing with the postwar era challenges to come. With veterans coming home to already fully staffed factories, the G.I. Bill, officially known as the Service Member Readjustment Act of 1944, helped stop another recession by providing education and housing opportunities to veterans—allowing them to create new jobs and businesses in America’s new booming economy. However, the Jewish effort behind the G.I. Bill is little known to the public. In 1944, there were large groups of World War II veterans already living in the United States—discharged for either disability or family reasons. A column in The Jewish Veteran explained, “Vets are being discharged more than 8,000 a week. More than a million have been honorably discharged since Pearl Harbor.” Many of these veterans brought with them unique postwar challenges similar to those war-related disabilities we see in today’s veterans. With over 50,000 Jewish World War II veterans discharged in 1944, the Jewish

War Veterans of the United States (JWV) was one of the first veteran’s organizations to anticipate the needs of the returning soldiers. Their national headquarters already had staff working on job placement, vocational training and treatment for disabled veterans. It was no surprise when the American Legion announced their “GI Bill of Rights,” JWV was one of the first organizations to join on in support of the legislation. JWV was most effective in its campaigning and behind the scene work with Congressional members. Not only did JWV leadership meet with Congressional leaders, the organization also started a vigorous phone and letter-writing campaign after their National Commander Archie Greenberg called their membership to action: “JWV favors S. 1767, the so-called GI Bill of Rights, for World War II Veterans sponsored by the American Legion and VFW. Contact your local congressman immediately and urge them to support this vital bill for veterans. Send National copies of all congressional letters.” JWV is credited with starting the first letter writing campaign. “After a while, all the other (veteran) organizations started

Archie Greenburg awarding the Silver Star to veteran and boxer Barney Ross (CREDIT: JEWISH WAR VETERANS OF USA)

picking it up,” stated Past National JWV Commander Jerry Cohen. The campaign was so successful that the G.I. Bill passed in the next two months. The Director of the American Legion’s National Rehabilitation Committee recognized the JWV in an article—stating, “the American Legion is indebted for many contributions in men and ideas—namely, the Jewish War Veterans of the United States!” However, JWV’s greatest contribution to the G.I. Bill was their aggressive campaigning for racial and religious protections to be put into the bill. JWV was particularly vested in promoting racial and religious diversity in the bill because there was a vast concern among American Jewry of a resurgence of anti-Semitism after the war. These concerns mainly stemmed from op-eds published in various newspapers that stated American Jews were responsible for the United States’ involvement in World War II. Not only did JWV want to show that American Jews shared in the burden of the fighting, JWV also gave credit to other minorities, particularly to those in the African American community. The G.I. Bill entitlements opened up jobs and educational opportunities that would otherwise not be available to these groups. All of this would not have been possible without the vision and direction of JWV National Commander Archie Greenberg. His leadership and direction helped safeguard protections for veter-

ans in the future. As the debate continues around the G.I. Bill and veteran benefits, it is nice reminisce about where we started, but we also need look forward to all the work that needs to be done in the future. This year, JWV National Commander Carl Singer has made strengthening the G.I. Bill one of his priorities. He and fellow members of JWV met with Congressional representatives in February to talk about their views on the G.I. Bill. “Some schools have been taking advantage of veterans with the G.I. Bill because someone else is paying the bill. We need to provide them (service members) with guidance on good schools to pick,” said Singer. JWV also co-signed a letter alongside 37 veterans’ organizations urging members of Congress to take action on modernizing the current G.I. Bill. “JWV exists to our soldiers and veterans. Whether it’s visiting a single veteran at a nursing facility or going to Congress to speak on behalf of all veterans, we are there and we will be there. It is vital that we get our message out. Not for recognition, but for support from the many people and organizations that endorse our mission,” said Singer. If you would like to get more involved in the current G.I. Bill debate, please contact your local JWV chapter. Anna Selman is the Programs and Public Relations Coordinator at Jewish War Veterans of the USA.

Carl Singer Testifying Before Congress (CREDIT: JEWISH WAR VETERANS OF USA)

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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OP-ED A Call for Unity After Virginia Shooting ÁÁ CONTINUED FROM P. 1 Like the rest of the country, the American Jewish community has been divided along partisan lines. While 71 percent of Jews voted for Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, only 24 percent of them voted for now-President Donald Trump. Articles such as “Dear Allies, Don’t Downplay Anti-Semitism in Trump’s America” and “Jews Must Oppose Trump’s New Order” only further the divide between American Jews. On a trip to Selma, Alabama, with the Hillel of my now-

Ultimately, we need our political debates in the Jewish community to reflect the value of v’ahavta l’raycha kamocha: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. alma mater George Washington University to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the march from Selma to Montgomery that lead to the 1965 Voting Rights Act, the Shabbat drasha (lecture) by GW professor Dan Schwartz was a political rant against those who supported and voted for Trump.

“To avoid politics would be untrue to Selma and untrue, frankly, to the moment in American history and Jewish history in which we find ourselves,” he said. While the following counterpoint may appear hypocritical to the overall point of this article, respectfully, Schwartz doesn’t speak for me nor for my fellow Jews. During the 2016 election and after, Jewish groups cried that Trump’s beliefs don’t coincide with Jewish beliefs, yet his opponent’s foundation received money from Gulf States like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which notoriously violate human rights in general and women’s rights in particular. Is benefiting from countries that violate these rights consistent with Jewish beliefs? I’m afraid that uttering this refutation would have been met dismissively. Which only underscores the lack of mature and substantive dialogue in the Jewish community. Nachama Soloveichik eloquently stated in National Review, “There has long been an expectation in Jewish circles that members of the tribe should support leftist policies and candidates. The thinking is that the Jews’ centuries-long persecution compels them to support the party that professes to protect persecuted minorities. Like women and African Americans, leftists are often shocked to stumble across the existence of conservatives who are Jewish, female, or black.” “This is a new form of liberal audacity that seeks to tell Jews what to believe and how to practice their faith. It is not just a moral imperative to raise taxes,

House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, one of the five victims of last week's shooting. (SOURCE: GOOGLE IMAGES)

support gay marriage, and legalize abortion. It is now a religious imperative, as if G-d Himself descended on the National Mall and decreed it so,” Soloveichik said. “American democracy and Jewish tradition share a common appreciation for the power of debate. Not only is debate sanctioned, it is encouraged. Disagreement and challenge help us achieve greater understanding and clarity, provided we do it respectfully and constructively. When leftists exploit Judaism as a political weapon, they discredit their own position as well as the religion they claim to uphold.”

Drain the Swamp or Tame the Swamp? By Josh Siegel In the 2016 elections, there was one local vote that I think deserves to be talked about a little more. Question B on the ballot for Montgomery County was passed, instituting term limits of three terms of four years for the County Executive and for County Council members. This is a dramatic measure that will abruptly force four of the nine councilmen out during the next election cycle. This could have disastrous effects down the road. One issue is a lack of experience among lawmakers. Being a legislator requires a certain amount of expertise, which some people don’t possess. A 2010 Wayne State University study found that there has been a decrease in checks over the executive branch of local government in areas that have term limits. Many of the elected officials in the study did not even know that this was one of their responsibilities upon entering office, which indicates a lack of experience coupled with a lack of veteran mentoring. The absence of checks to

the executive power can pave a path for abuse of that role. County Councilmember George Leventhal has concerns over this issue. In an interview with Bethesda Magazine, he called Question B “a dumb, unnecessary protest gesture.” Leventhal is an example of a councilman who has achieved a lot over the course of his career — he passed a number of initiatives to set up new homeless centers and to combat hate crimes, for example — but

study found that lobbyists and special interest groups wind up having even more influence with inexperienced legislators at any level, because those legislators rely more on outside resources. The study found that since Michigan instituted term limits for state legislatures, lobbyists and special interest groups as sources of “importance and guidance” on any bill has spiked. According to the same study, lobbyists are also one of the top three reasons whether bills get debated or not.

One of the sources frequently cited by supporters of term limits is a 2013 Rasmussen poll showing that 74 percent of respondents would favor term limits for their elected officials. What is never mentioned is that in the same poll, 60 percent of respondents indicated they would be in favor of removing every elected official. will be pushed out during the next election cycle by the new term limits rule. One of the arguments used by those in favor of term limits is that instituting term limits will “drain the swamp.” In fact, the same Wayne State University

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This begs the question: Have rich businessmen, such as President Donald Trump, been pushing for term limits to “drain the swamp” and fight for regular, working class people, or for personal gain?

Although there is a need for Jews to speak out against injustice, pushing an agenda that may alienate fellow Jews can be antithetical to achdut. Ultimately, we need our political debates in the community to reflect the value of v’ahavta l’raycha kamocha: Love your neighbor as you love yourself. All Jews, regardless of background or religiosity, must be included in the dialogue, especially among their fellow yids, including when connecting politics to Jewish values. Let’s judge our fellow Jews not by their background, rather by their character. Let’s take off the blinders and hear different points of view even if you have a preconceived notion about how one side thinks of an issue. Maybe just hearing that other side, even if you still disagree, can provide perspective. The Talmud teaches that the second Beit HaMikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, was destroyed because of sinat chinam, baseless hatred. It’s terrible that people hate the Jews, but it’s worse that there’s hatred among Jews. The first step in solving a problem is recognizing that there is one: American Jews, like other groups in America, are having the trouble conducting mature and substantive conversations about today’s pressing issues. Let us pray that, along with a full recovery for Scalise and those affected by the shooting, what transpired on that fateful Wednesday morning inspires a step toward unity among our fellow Jews and Americans.

The man who got the signatures to put term limits up for a vote is named Robin Ficker. He is a wealthy local businessman who is a former Maryland House of Delegates member and a political consultant. He has run for local office many times in the last 10 years, each time without success. Now that term limits have passed, he is suddenly among the frontrunners to be elected County Executive in 2018. How convenient. One of the sources frequently cited by supporters of term limits is a 2013 Rasmussen poll showing that 74 percent of respondents would favor term limits for their elected officials. What is never mentioned is that in the same poll, 60 percent of respondents indicated they would be in favor of removing every elected official. This brings up a fundamental problem: People hate their elected officials, yet they are doing nothing about it. If you hate your elected official, then vote them out. Term limits will do little to solve this problem. There is just as much a chance of your next elected official being as unpopular as your current one. Josh Siegel is a ninth grade student at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland. He lives in Potomac, Maryland, with his parents and two brothers.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

OP-ED

The Case for Keeping the Ten Commandments By Howard Slugh In its next term, the Supreme Court may determine whether a New Mexico city can constitutionally display the Ten Commandments in the case of Felix v. City of Bloomfield. Many Jews have previously expressed apathy or even hostility to public displays of the Decalogue. This is a mistake. Jews should seek to reaffirm the Ten Commandments’ importance, as they are a Jewish contribution to America. If it seems like courts are constantly reviewing Moses’s tablets, it’s because they are. This is, at least partially, because the law is ambiguous. In 2005, the Court heard two Ten Commandments cases based on similar facts. In one case, the Court ruled in favor of the Ten Commandments; in the other it ruled against them. The Court should accept this new case and clarify that cities and states can legally honor the Ten Commandments’ historical significance. Monuments depicting the Ten Commandments are enduring reminders of the profound role that originally Jewish ideas played in American history. The tab-

lets are represented at historically and legally significant locations including the Supreme Court, Library of Congress, National Archives, and Department of Justice. Justice Breyer explained that the Ten Commandments often appear at such locations because of the “historic relation between those standards and the law.” Justice Rehnquist considered it “undeniable” that “the Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development of secular legal codes of the Western World.” In 1997, both houses of Congress passed resolutions recognizing that “the Ten Commandments have had a significant impact on the development of the fundamental legal principles of Western Civilization.” Justice Scalia described the Decalogue as “a foundation of the rule of law.” Justice Gorsuch described the tablets as “an archetypal symbol for the law itself.” The Ten Commandments — though venerated by several religions — are recognizably Jewish in origin. Moses, a Jewish leader, was the lawgiver that first communicated them to the world. The Commandments initially appeared in writing in the Jewish Torah. Justice Stevens recognized this fact, noting that one reason for displaying the Decalogue is to convey a message of “respect for Judaism.”

(SOURCE: MY JEWISH LEARNING)

One might maintain that, even accepting these facts, the Ten Commandments should be barred from government property due to the well-known slogan of “the separation of Church and State.” If the Constitution truly required segregating anything touched by religion from government, then the Ten Commandments would have to be banished from government property regardless of their historic significance.

If the Ten Commandments are recognized as truly historic, they can be displayed regardless of their religious origins and significance. Fortunately, the popular axiom is not applicable to the topic at hand. The Constitution does not require immaculate separation; nothing in the Constitution prohibits the government from recognizing the role that religion has played, and continues to play, in American life. If the Ten Commandments are recognized as truly historic, they can be displayed regardless of their religious origins and significance. The First Amendment only prohibits the government from making laws “respecting an establishment of religion.” That phrase is ambiguous, and courts have developed several tests for determining what constitutes an “establishment.” These tests include asking whether religious coercion has occurred, whether the relevant law has historical precedent, and whether the government “endorsed” either religion in general or one religion in particular. In applying the “endorsement test,” courts look to see whether a “reasonable observer” would identify the governmental action as religious or secular. The Felix case demonstrates why a ruling against the Ten Commandments diminishes their standing in American history. In Felix, the court of appeals con-

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

cluded that the city violated the First Amendment by displaying the Ten Commandments near City Hall. The court applied the endorsement test — the only test that could conceivably have come out against the city — and determined that an objective observer would conclude that the monument endorsed religion. The court reached this conclusion even though the Commandments were displayed alongside monuments to other historically important documents including the Bill of Rights, Gettysburg Address, and Declaration of Independence. In other words, the court concluded that a reasonable observer walking into City Hall would perceive the Ten Commandments as out of place alongside other historical documents. Seeing the Decalogue in public would alert him that something was amiss, leading him to conclude that the government placed it there to establish a state religion. This is the message that Jews should oppose. There is nothing suspicious about seeing the Ten Commandments in public. A reasonable observer, seeing the Ten Commandments at city hall, would understand that their presence reflects their “impact on the development of secular legal codes of the Western World.” Such an observer would not give the matter a second thought. The plaintiffs in Felix are two self-described Wiccans who claimed that seeing the Ten Commandments made them feel “excluded.” The Court agreed, noting that “public display of the Ten Commandments can risk making outsiders of non-adherents.” This is false. Monuments depicting an important influence on American law and history do not make an outsider of any American. The court of appeals in Felix imagined itself a reasonable observer detecting an establishment of religion. The Supreme Court ought to reverse that decision and send a clear message — scrubbing an historic Jewish influence from the public square is unreasonable. Howard Slugh is an attorney practicing in Washington, D.C. He is a guest contributor to Kol HaBirah.

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FEATURES Jewish Businesses in Montgomery County Respond to Minimum Wage Hikes ÁÁ CONTINUED FROM P. 1 “If the labor costs are going to increase, then we have to find other savings to offset that,” he told Kol HaBirah. Cutting the menu was the first step for Ben Yehuda. “A few years ago, we did an analysis of our menu,” Katz said. “We found that 93 percent of our sales were pizza and French fries, and seven percent was everything else.” Cutting less popular items like soup and baked ziti from the menu allowed the restaurant to save $30,000 per year on food ingredients. Afterwards, the restaurant began cutting hours. “Someone just asked me why we close so early on Friday when Shabbos starts so late these days,” Katz said. He answered that since he must now pay his workers more, he had to eliminate operating hours that don’t generate enough sales. He added that the minimum wage has actually meant higher wages for all workers. If the new employees receive a pay increase, then the veteran employees already making above minimum wage also want a pay increase. Automation has also played a role. When Katz first acquired Ben Yehuda five years ago, a typical shift had seven employees on duty: two cashiers,

two line cooks, two kitchimum wage higher than the en workers, and one dishfederal minimum of $7.25 washer. Since then, Katz has an hour. The law set a fourbought a dishwashing mayear timeline for increasing chine and a dough machine Maryland’s minimum wage (which cuts and rounds the to $10.10 an hour by 2018. pizzas) to mechanize work In 2013, Montgomery Counpreviously done by hand. ty, Prince Georges County, While Katz said that he and Washington, D.C., set would never fire an employa timeline to increase their ee due to automation, he own minimum wage rates to admits that a new machine $11.50 by 2017. may allow him to eliminate Virginia’s minimum wage a position when an employis equal to the federal one: ee leaves voluntarily. Now $7.25 an hour. Lt. Gov. Ralph a typical shift includes five Northam, who won the employees: one cashier, one Sunflower Café staff with co-founders Laurie Wexler (far right) and Democratic nomination for line cook, two kitchen work- Sara Portman Milner (second from right) during visit by Maryland governor on June 13, said he ers, and one busser. wants to raise the minimum Comptroller Peter Franchot (center) and Jewish Federation of The final step involved Greater Washington CEO Steve Rakitt (far left). wage to $15 an hour, but he raising prices. Katz said he (SOURCE: CAFÉ SUNFLOWER/FACEBOOK) has little prospect of getting has resisted doing this as the staunchly Republican much as possible, raising prices slightly fewer jobs due to automation and cuts House of Delegates to agree. only twice in the past four years. How- to worker hours. A 2015 Purdue UniverIn Maryland, too, there is a push to ever, Katz said, each time the minimum sity study found that minimum wage raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. wage rises it is necessary to consider increases result in higher prices. On January 17, the Montgomery County Katz would prefer to keep the ex- Council passed a resolution raising the price hikes as one of several options for tended hours and menu. “We are here to minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2020 keeping the business running. In many ways, Ben Yehuda’s reserve customers. It’s called the hospitali- for large businesses with 25 or more emsponses to the minimum wage in- ty business for a reason,” he said. Howev- ployees and by 2022 for smaller busicrease are exactly what most economic er, he feels the minimum wage increases nesses. County Executive Ike Leggett models predicted. A 2014 Congression- forced his hand. vetoed the resolution, but said in his Nonetheless, Katz said he supports a veto letter that he would support a $15 al Budget Office analysis predicted that a minimum wage hike would lead to higher minimum wage than the federal- an hour minimum wage if it exempted ly mandated $7.25 an hour. His main con- small business and youth workers. cern is that ramping up to $11.50 in four Businesses that have already been cutyears is too much, too fast. He said it’s ting costs to counter the higher minimum difficult to run a business when the min- wage may find that there is no fat to trim imum wage stagnates for almost a dec- if the minimum wage increases to $15 an ade and then is suddenly raised by 58 per- hour. In this case, consumers can expect cent over four years. Katz said businesses to see higher wages translate to higher could better plan their costs if the gov- prices. If customers aren’t willing to pay ernment increased the minimum wage more for pizza, then a $15 an hour minionce and then automatically increased it mum wage could put Ben Yehuda out of each year based on inflation. business, Josh Katz told Kol HaBirah. Indeed, the history of the federal Non-kosher restaurants could have minimum wage includes long periods it even worse. Most Ben Yehuda workers without an increase punctuated by already make more than the minimum several straight years of eight to 13 per- wage, according to Josh Katz. Howevcent increases. Most recently, the federal er, a Domino’s Pizza delivery man in minimum wage stayed at $5.15 an hour the University Towers elevator told Kol from 1997 to 2007, increased three times HaBirah that nearly all Domino’s workfrom 2007 to 2009, and has remained at ers make minimum wage. If the mini$7.25 an hour since 2009. mum wage does increase to $15 an hour, Since the passage of the Maryland then pizza purveyors and patrons alike Minimum Wage Act of 2014, Mary- will need to pay more dough as workers land is one of 29 states that sets a min- take home a larger slice of the pie. Hourly Minimum Wage Rate Comparison Virginia

Maryland

Montgomery County

Prince George’s County

2014

$7.25

$8.40

2015

$7.25

$8.25*

$9.55

2016

$7.25

$8.75

$10.75

2017

$7.25

$9.25

$11.50

$11.50**

2018

$7.25

$10.10

$11.50

* The minimum wage in Maryland increased to $8.00 an hour on January 1, 2015 and increased to $8.25 an hour on July 1, 2015 ** The minimum wage in Prince George's County will increase to $11.50 an hour on October 1, 2017.

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FEATURES

Caring for Captured and Wounded Enemy Soldiers: A Fundamental Core Value of the IDF By Itzhak Brook One of the greatest challenges of a medical corps team member is to care for captured and wounded enemy soldiers. I served as an army medic in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during the 1967 Six Day War in the battle over Jerusalem, and as a battalion physician in the 1973

The IDF medical corps’ oath. (SOURCE: IDF MEDICAL CORPS)

Yom Kippur War in the Sinai Desert. In both wars, I cared for many captured and wounded enemy prisoners. The Six Day War in 1967 broke out two weeks before the end of my last year at Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem. I had worked as a nurse in the emergency room of the Hadassah University hospital for the prior two years and I was stationed at that hospital when the war started. I also went out with the ambulances to evacuate the wounded back to the hospital and cared for them during the ride. During the first 72 hours, we took care of over five hundred wounded soldiers and civilians, among them many Jordanian and Egyptian prisoners of war. All the wounded received the same care at the hospital, whether they were Jordanian, Egyptian, or Israeli. I cared for many enemy soldiers and struggled to save their lives. For me, they were human beings in need of medical attention. Watching my medical school teachers and the medical teams at Hadassah fight for the lives of men who were fighting against us set an ethical standard for me that I adhered to when I became a physician.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

Itzhak Brook, MD, in the Sinai Desert in 1972. (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR)

As a battalion physician in the Yom Kippur War, I took care of several wounded Egyptian soldiers, providing them with the same level of treatment that I gave my own injured men. Even though I had mixed feelings about treating the wounded enemy soldiers, I saw them first and foremost as human beings in need of help. While my natural instincts and years of medical training urged me to help any wounded warrior to the best of my ability, I could not deny the feeling of animosity toward the enemy in the heat of battle. I managed to overcome these misgivings, however, in the hopes that our captured soldiers would be treated as well as we were treating the Egyptians. Caring for these enemy prisoners of war humanized our adversary to me, and I felt inner satisfaction that I could still honor the sanctity of the human life, a value with which I had been raised. A particular instance, an experience with an injured Egyptian prisoner of war, changed my perspective and humanized our adversaries to me. The prisoner was a fighter pilot whose plane was downed by an Israeli jet. As I mended his broken leg and bandaged his burns, he showed me a picture of his family as a sign of gratitude. In the picture were two young children, the same ages as my own two children. I realized at that moment that he too wanted to see his children again. Following this encounter, it became emotionally easier for me to treat other wounded Egyptian soldiers. Many of these wounded soldiers were visibly scared to death when I approached them. I could see the fear in their eyes, as if they expected that I would harm them. I wondered if their fear was based on knowing what they would have done to me should I have been a prisoner of war. I also assumed that years of anti-Israeli propaganda depicted us as monsters. Most of these soldiers were tense and apprehensive throughout the treatment and looked in disbelief as we worked to care for their

wounds. I was proud that I could overcome my anger and treat these individuals as I would have wanted to be treated in a similar situation. I knew that as a Jew and as a medical professional it was my duty to do so.

I realized at that moment that he too wanted to see his children again. Following this encounter, it became emotionally easier for me to treat other wounded Egyptian soldiers. The medical corps of the IDF had always provided medical care for all injured soldiers, even if the injured are their adversaries. This is one of the core values of the IDF and is also spelled out in the oath taken by all the physicians of the Israeli Medical Corps. Indeed, this policy is being implemented today as the IDF has opened a field hospital near the Syrian border and cares for victims of the civil war in that country. Even though there is an official state of war between Syria and Israel, over three thousand injured and sick Syrian nationals have so far been treated at this hospital. It is my hope that those wounded enemy soldiers and civilians that we cared for in 1967, 1973, and today have served as emissaries for peace and reconciliation after they returned to their homes. Hopefully, their testimonies have advanced the cause of peace. Dr. Itzhak Brook served as a medic in the Six Day War and as a battalion physician in the Yom Kippur War. He is a Professor of Pediatrics in Georgetown University. Dr. Brook is a speaker for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and author of the book “In the Sands of Sinai: A Physician’s Account of the Yom Kippur War.”

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FEATURES GALA SEASON IN DC Supporting Israeli Soldiers With FIDF ÁÁ CONTINUED FROM P. 1 Sound stressful? Now imagine you had to do all of this at the age of 19. Are you in college? Do you have a son or a daughter in college? What is her major? Which clubs does he participate in when he’s not studying? Education is important, and many teenagers embark on this road to higher education immediately after high school. Some, though, choose to defer their plans in favor of service in the Israel Defense Forces. What must it be like to strap on a combat vest instead of a backpack? To carry a rifle instead of a textbook? To fight fatigue at 4 a.m. while guarding a post instead of fighting fatigue while studying in the library? To separate yourself from your family, friends, language, and culture? Serving as a soldier in the IDF is not easy. It’s not easy for native Israelis, who see it as a matter of course, and it’s not easy for new immigrants who choose to serve as lone soldiers in Israel’s military. Enter the Friends of the IDF (FIDF). FIDF exists to support and strengthen the men and women of the IDF. The FIDF offers financial, emotional, and social support to ensure that these soldiers never feel alone. My job in the army was to guide new immigrant soldiers from civilian life to military life. Many of my soldiers were in the country by themselves, an added challenge above general military hardships. The FIDF stepped in and provided my soldiers with food for Shabbat, social events to help them feel connect-

ed, and financial assistance. But that’s not all the FIDF does. The FIDF provides Israel’s military personnel with education, it supports bereaved families and injured soldiers, and it constructs recreation centers, synagogues, memorial sites, and so much more. I was honored to attend the MidAtlantic Regional FIDF gala dinner in Washington, D.C. on June 4. The event drew over 750 guests to the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center and raised over $700,000 to support well-being and educational programs for IDF soldiers. The speakers included IDF Sgt. (Res.) Emma, who immigrated to Israel from the U.K. and served as a Lone Soldier in the Military Police Corps; IDF Staff Sgt. (Res.) Gabriel, who served as a combat paratrooper; and IDF Staff Sgt. (Res.) Maor, who now runs a global tech-real estate company that is conducting business in Washington, D.C. It was wonderful to see people of all ages and backgrounds, some of whom take annual trips to Israel, some of whom have never set foot in the Holy Land, come together to support this amazing organization. I walked around the room and struck up conversations with guests, wanting to uncover each person’s connection to the FIDF. Gefen Chazan is a shlicha (Israeli emissary) at Gesher Jewish Day School and Congregation Olam Tikvah in Fairfax, Viriginia, through the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. Originally from Haifa, she served in the IDF as a sniper instructor, but she now has a dual “local” connection to FIDF — the executive director for FIDF’s MidAtlantic Region,

IDF Sgt. (Res.) Emma speaking at the FIDF Mid-Atlantic Region Annual Gala. (PHOTO CREDIT: LEWIN CREATIVE GROUP)

Ari Dallas, is also a congregant at Olam Tikvah, and they collaborate on Israel programming for their community. “There is a great population of Jewish people in America, a strong one that can help us, and we can learn from them and they can learn from us,” said Chazan, “There is a great relation between understanding that Israel as a democracy in the Middle East sees the same point of view as America, so they can work together as allies since they are sharing the same values.” Jodi Winter of Vienna, Virginia, has never lived in Israel; David Sussman of Potomac, Maryland, travels to Israel for work and knows people who’ve served in the IDF or whose children have served; and Asher Kotz was from Kibbutz Alonim before he married a Californian and ended up in the DC area — but these three indi-

JCRC Honors Trio of Local Leaders Briana Naiman Guest Contributor Three local leaders were honored Thursday night by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington (JCRC) for contributions to the greater Jewish community and advancing the JCRC’s mission by means of Israel advocacy, government relations, intergroup relations, and social justice. The awards were given during JCRC’s annual gala, held at Beth Shalom Congregation and Talmud Torah, Potomac. The three honorees were Stuart Lessans, who received the Breslau-Goldman Award; Sheldon Grosberg, the Community Leadership Award; and Rabbi William Rudolph, the Distinguished Service Award. Lessans, a retired ophthalmologist and eye surgeon, is dedicated to the enrichment of Jewish education and volunteer programs. In 2015, he and his wife, Ellen, provided funds to guarantee that the Jewish Federation of Greater Wash-

ington’s Good Deeds Day would remain an annual event. Good Deeds Day recruits thousands of volunteers from local Jewish organizations to lend their time helping those less fortunate at home and in Israel. He also donated to the JCC of Greater Washington’s annual book festival, now named the Lessans Family Annual Book Festival, and to the Jewish history department of the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, now named the Sara and Samuel J. Lessans Jewish History Department in honor of his parents. Grosberg is the former president of the Jewish Council on Aging and the founding executive director of the Garden of Remembrance Memorial Park in Clarksburg, a Jewish cemetery serving the greater Washington community. He is a member of the board of directors of the JCRC, the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, the Jewish Community Relations Council, B’nai Israel Congregation, Treasure Oak Community

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Association, Washington Adventist Hospital, Mobile Medical Care, and Save a Child’s Heart. Rudolph, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth El of Montgomery County in Bethesda, served the congregation for more than 30 years, including as senior rabbi from 2001 to 2015. While at Beth El, Rudolph helped initiate numerous programs including the Interreligious Learning Institute, Friday night musical services, and the Israel Media Series. In addition to continuing on a parttime basis at Beth El, Rudolph leads the Fauquier Jewish Congregation in Warrenton, Va., and was instrumental in founding the D.C. area’s Ramah Day Camp, as well as the Jewish Millennial Engagement Project, which aims to engage unaffiliated Jewish singles and couples in the Washington region. Following the awards ceremony, JCRC Executive Director Ron Halber addressed gala attendees and urged them to maintain their civility in spite of in-

viduals of different backgrounds and levels of familiarity with life in Israel all see supporting FIDF as an important way of supporting Israeli soldiers. People see the gala as an opportunity to not only provide their financial support but network with likeminded supporters of Israel as well. What I found time and again was a genuine feeling that Israel is a stronghold in the world, that its existence in the world as the only democracy in the Middle East is of paramount importance, and that the only way to ensure her existence, is to support the men and women protecting her. They all seemed to echo FIDF’s sentiments: Their job is to look after Israel. Our job is to look after them. Atara Mayer served as a basic training commander in the Education Corps at Michveh Alon, a base located in northern Israel.

creasing political polarization within the Jewish community. “We must remember the mitzvah of Ahavat Yisrael, the love for fellow Jews, and the words of Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, who said, ‘I don’t need you to agree with me, I need you to care about me,’” Halber said. “Compromise is not a dirty word, it is actually a sign of strength.” Political disagreements aside, Halber reaffirmed JCRC’s role as a leader in the Greater Washington community. “If Jewish history has taught us anything, it is to be humble and G-d-fearing, but at the same time confident and optimistic. Against this backdrop it is more important than ever that our community has an organization that listens, builds unity and achieves concrete results — that organization, my friends, is your JCRC.” Leena and Erwin Groner and Galia Messika Greenberg and Edward Greenberg chaired the gala, the JCRC’s annual fundraising event. Briana Naiman is a freelance writer living in Silver Spring, Maryland.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

Montgomery County (MoCo) Sales Report!

Lower Listing Inventories in Many Areas Are Holding Back Sales! The graphs below show the seasonal up-tick in the overall MoCo market. Inventory of Active Listings, was down sharply, -15.5% this May over last year, see Figure 1, while, Monthly Sold Volume was down sharply, -8.1%, Figure 2. Average Close Prices were seasonally higher, with a solid increase of 5.9%, Figure 3. The quickening pace in the market is reflected in the sharp seasonal change of Days on the Market (DOM) of Sold Listings, dropping from 44 DOM in May 2016 versus 42 DOM in May 2017, Figure 4. Inventory of Active Distressed Listings, continues to drop

Most Expensive Sales Across County Subdivisions 6/10/17+ Aspen Hill

Bradley Hills

Chevy Chase View

sharply and was down -44.6% below last year, May, 2016, See Figure 5.

Figures 1-5, Montgomery County Residential Sales Activity Source: MRIS, Bright MLS

Fig 1. Inventory Active Listings

Courtesy of Scott Gunn Real Estate Group, LLC

4503 Landgreen St Sold Price: $462,700

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

8818 Chalon Dr Sold Price: $2,200,000

4108 Dresden St Sold Price: $950,000

Copenhaver

Dumont Oaks

Fallsgrove

Courtesy of Compass

3,100 2,900 2,700 2,500 2,300 2,100 1,900 1,700

M 2016

J F 2017

Figure 1 Inventory of Active Listings, is down sharply -15.5% below last year, May 2016.

12508 Exchange Ct S Sold Price: $1,065,000

319 Lyric Ln Sold Price: $345,000

427 Nature Ln Sold Price: $970,000

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

Courtesy of Champion Realty, Inc.

Courtesy of RE/MAX Metropolitan Realty

Georgetown Village

Hampshire Greens

Heritage Walk

Fig 2. Volume Sold Listings

1,600 1,500 1,400 1,300 1,200 1,100 1,000 900 800 700 600

6326 Rockhurst Rd Sold Price: $605,000

M 2016

J F 2017

16600 Doral Hill Ct Sold Price: $911,000

10800 Mazwood Pl Sold Price: $1,249,000

Courtesy of Weichert, REALTORS

Courtesy of Donna Kerr Group

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

King Farm

North Farm

Old Georgetown Village

1015 Crestfield Dr Sold Price: $650,000

1 Chancelet Ct Sold Price: $870,000

Figure 2 Monthly Sold Volume was down sharply -8.1% below last year, May 2016. Could be due to lack of inventory, See Fig 1.

Fig 3. Average Close Price

$550,000 $525,000 $500,000 $475,000 $450,000

M J 2016

J F 2017

5841 Tudor Ln Sold Price: $662,400

Courtesy of Rory S. Coakley Realty, Inc.

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

Courtesy of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Olney

Potomac Crest

Potomac Village

3757 Carrisa Ln Sold Price: $680,000

7900 Turncrest Dr Sold Price: $1,030,000

10204 Counselman Rd Sold Price: $1,950,000

Figure 3 Average Close Prices is up a solid 5.9% above last May 2016 another positive indicator of growing market strength. Fig 4. Days on the Market (DOM) Sold Listings

80 70 60 50

Courtesy of RE/MAX Realty Centre, Inc.

Courtesy of Keller Williams Realty Centre

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

Rockville Estates

Turnberry Courts LW

Villa Cortese LW

627 Aster Blvd Sold Price: $690,000

2904 Leisure World Blvd #416 Sold Price: $230,000 Courtesy of Weichert, REALTORS

Courtesy of Long & Foster RE, Inc.

White Flint Station

Woodmoor

Woodside

40 30

M 2016

J 2017

Figure 4 Days on the Market (DOM) of Sold Listings was down slightly to 40 DOM in May 2017 versus 44 DOM last year, a modest change, showing home sales are moving well!

Fig 5. Inventory of Active Distressed Listings

300

Courtesy of RE/MAX Town Center

250

14800 Pennfield Cir #403 Sold Price: $300,000

200 150 100

M 2016

J F 2017

Figure 5. Inventory of Active Distressed Listings, is down -44.6% below last year, May, 2016.

This Report is Specially Prepared for Readers of Kol HaBirah, Courtesy of Barbara Ciment Team

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

11800 Old Georgetown Rd #1318 Sold Price: $395,000 Courtesy of Redfin Corp

10307 Ridgemoor Dr Sold Price: $625,000

Courtesy of W.C. & A.N. Miller, Realtors, A Long & Foster Co.

1202 Pinecrest Cir Sold Price: $906,143

Courtesy of Keller Williams Capital Properties

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The Barbara Ciment Team Serves All of Montgomery County #1 Office Producer 25 Years in a Row & Counting

• Experienced, Productive, Ethical, Lots of Professional Contacts • Authorized Leisure World® Specialist • $20 Million Closed & Pending Sales ... Already in 2017

The Barbara Ciment Team “Your Home Team” • Barbara and Mel Ciment and My Team’s Buyer Specialists: Emily Lurie and Judi Shields

Barbara Ciment

Associate Broker, Realtor Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc 6000 Executive Blvd, Suite 100 North Bethesda, MD 20852 Office: 301-468-0606

Emily Lurie

barbara@ciment.com

301-346-9126

Judi Shields

www.ciment.com

Our Current Activity Across Montgomery County Arcola

Burnt Mills

Creekside LW

Fairland

Fairways South LW

2300 Parker Ave Under Contract Asking Price: $500,000

900 Mcceney Ave Represented Buyer in this Sale Sold Price: $860,000

2901 Leisure World Blvd #119 For Sale: $439,000

2716 Old Briggs Chaney Rd For Sale: $615,000

3330 Leisure World Blvd #706 For Sale: $279,000

Greens At Leisure World

Grosvenor

Kemp Mill

15115 Interlachen Dr #321 For Sale: $279,000

15100 Interlachen Dr #917 For Sale: $195,000

10500 Rockville Pike #1601 Represented Buyer in this Sale Sold Price: $362,000

609 Winona Ct For Sale: $445,000

717 Belgrade Rd For Sale: $439,000

Kemp Mill

Kemp Mill Farms

North Springbrook

Northwood

907 Lamberton Dr For Sale: $699,000

11728 Kemp Mill Rd For Sale: $549,000

905 Brentwood Ln For Sale: $535,000

230 Randolph Rd For Sale: $512,000

10802 Cavalier Dr Sold: $390,000

Springbrook Forest

University Towers

Wheaton Forest Area

12211 Remington Dr For Sale: $695,000

607 Stonington Rd For Rent: $3,900

508 Stonington Rd For Sale: $1,900,000

1121 University Blvd #402 Under Contract Asking Price: $120,000

10905 Pebble Run Dr Under Contract Asking Price: $405,000

All data from MRIS: Bright MLS, as of June 18, 2017 subject to revision. Information deemed reliable, but not guaranteed. Copyright 2017. Reports in this Kol HaBirah Issue Sponsored By Barbara Ciment Team, Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc WWW.KOLHABIRAH.COM

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FEATURES GALA SEASON IN DC

An Elegantly Bipartisan Evening With American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) By Kami Troy Senior Editor In the nearly 20 years I have known Rabbi Levi and Nechama Shemtov, I have never known them to do anything halfway — and their American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) Lamplighter Awards event on June 6 was no exception. Held in the beautiful Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., no detail was overlooked in creating an atmosphere of quiet elegance mixed with excitement about the high-powered honorees. Additionally, over 20 current members of Congress, ambassadors of several countries including the United Arab Emirates, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, and the EU, and Administration officials were in attendance. While mingling with the illustrious guests — one of whom was my husband — I marveled at the Shemtovs’ ability to connect with an enormously diverse group of people. This diversity extended to both sides of the political spectrum, as well as a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and age cohorts. Honorees at the dinner included Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, World

Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva, and for- from Around the World for Kinus HaShmer Washington, D.C., Mayor Anthony luchos,” March 2 issue of Kol HaBirah.) Williams. The evening began with a d'var Kahn welcomed House Minority Torah given by Mrs. Nechama Shemtov, Whip Steny Hoyer to the stage to introwho spoke about Bircas Kohanim (the duce Speaker Ryan, in a bipartisan moPriestly Blessing recited by Kohanim) re- ment that is not at all unusual to see at an lating to the importance of the raising AFL event. Hoyer spoke of his long relaof hands as a call to action and bringing tionship with Ryan and noted that while down Hashem’s blessing. they are very different politically, they are Tom Kahn, longtime friend and supporter of the Shemtovs and proud Democrat, spoke about the Capitol Jewish Forum, one of AFL’s (American Friends of Lubavitch [Chabad]) longtime projects, which hosts events for Jewish staffers and members on the Hill. (Incidentally, one of my first dates with my husband, then a junior Hill staffer, was to a megillah reading hosted by, you guessed it, Rabbi Shemtov and the Capitol Jewish Forum. At that more secular time Speaker Paul Ryan and Rabbi Levi Shemtov. of my life, I thought it was one of the (PHOTO CREDIT RON SACHS) stranger sights I had come across, but without Tevi meeting the Shem- both “institutionalists,” with a deep retovs while working on the Hill, our lives spect for the traditions of Congress. would have turned out quite differently “This means a lot to me. It really — see my piece “Chabad Women Gather does,” said Ryan when he was called to

receive the Leadership Award. He also noted that “among both Republicans and Democrats, Steny Hoyer’s word is gold.” One of the highlights of the evening for me was hearing Israeli Ambassador Ron Dermer speak out strongly about recent changes he has witnessed in U.S. policy toward Iran and the U.N. “Although you don’t read about it every day in the mainstream press, Israel is less isolated than it has ever been,” he said before delivering what was, in my opinion, the best line of the night: “The critical thing we needed was a tailwind from the U.S., and now we have that in the form of Hurricane Haley, along with Hurricane Trump,” referring to U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Nikki Haley and President Trump. Manette Mayberg of Kemp Mill, a long-time friend and supporter of AFL, remarked, “The Shemtovs continue to provide political Washington with inspired leadership demonstrated by the unique spirit of bipartisanship, which defined the evening.” As for the aforementioned Tevi Troy, he was thrilled with the dinner’s success but not surprised: “From Rabbi and Nechama Shemtov, I expect nothing less.”

Am HaTorah Celebrates First Full-Time Rabbi and Honors Long-Standing Member By Bernice Berman Beckwith Sunday, June 11, the 17th day of Sivan, was a significant and exciting day for the Washington, D.C., Metro area as Am HaTorah Congregation celebrated its first full-time Rabbi and Rebbetzin, Yehoshua and Serena Singer. Despite the many challenges the small Am HaTorah Congregation has faced over the decades, Am HaTorah has continued to thrive by working hard to serve the Jewish community through devotion and teamwork. In the few short years since their arrival, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Singer have built upon this strength, bringing many new and innovative classes and events to Bethesda, while embracing the personal needs of their congregants. Last summer, Am HaTorah felt it was time to capitalize on these developments. Together, the community stepped forward and officially hired Rabbi Singer as its first full-time rabbi, allowing him to devote his time and energy to further expanding our events, classes, and discussions. It was most fitting that Am HaTorah also chose this year to honor a selfless and devoted congregant, Rafi Marizan. Marizan exemplifies the strength of Am HaTorah’s community. He is a true friend

to many, a man of many skills, which he is ever ready to devote to his synagogue and community. Who hasn’t enjoyed a Shabbos meal at Marizan’s, shared with 30 or 40 people, all cooked and served by Marizan himself? Rafi is a cornerstone of our shul’s growth, and is always looking for ways to

Am HaTorah's Rabbi Yehoshua Singer (L) and Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt, Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim, Queens, New York (R). (PHOTO CREDIT: DIANE SPIRER)

improve the spiritual and physical aspects of Am HaTorah. Marizan regularly donates food for the weekly kiddush, flowers for Yom Tov, and is called on whenever there is a communal need. Rafi adds humor and warmth to each Torah discussion, and can often be found at three different shuls on any given morning, helping to ensure they each have a minyan.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

The evening was filled with joy and excitement, and Am HaTorah was joined by friends, family, and several community leaders in celebrating this exciting milestone. Of special significance: Rabbi Eliyahu Reingold, Rosh Kollel of Kollel Zichron Amram of the Yeshiva of Greater Washington – Tiferes Gedaliah, and Rabbi Yitzchok Charner, headmaster of the Torah School of Greater Washington. Despite the myriad pressures at the end of the school year, each cleared his schedule to join in this momentous occasion. Rafi Marizan’s children and grandchildren came from across the country to share in this special evening. Marizan’s son, Chaim Marizan, from Lakewood, New Jersey, shared thoughts on behalf of the family. Chaim highlighted many of his experiences growing up in a house devoted to other people’s needs. He explained how he and his siblings had all been deeply impacted and learned from their father’s generous spirit, and from his devotion to the community. One of the highlights of the evening was the speech given by Rabbi Akiva Grunblatt, Rosh Yeshiva of the Rabbinical Seminary of America, better known as Yeshiva Chofetz Chaim. Rabbi Singer studied at Chofetz Chaim for 15 years, and received

Honoree Rafi Mariza (L) with grandson Efrayim Marizan (R) from Pittsburgh. (PHOTO CREDIT: DIANE SPIRER)

his ordination there. Rabbi Singer enjoys a special relationship with Rabbi Grunblatt, and attributes much of his development and growth to Rabbi Grunblatt’s influence. Rabbi Grunblatt discussed the challenges in personal growth, and how real growth is the culmination of many small lessons over many years. Although Rabbi Grunblatt recognized Rabbi Singer’s leadership and devotion to Jewish learning early on, this was not what made Rabbi Singer who he is today. Rabbi Grunblatt went on to explain how he had witnessed Rabbi Singer’s slow and steady growth over many years. It was this commitment and persistence that is the key to true and meaningful spiritual growth. Perhaps the excitement, significance, and beauty of the Am HaTorah Congregation Anniversary dinner may be summed up in this way: A person was only created to help another person, to be of benefit to others. Our honorees exemplify this very notion.

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FEATURES GALA SEASON IN DC

Sulam Annual Gala at the Hyatt Regency Bethesda Photos by Daniel McGarrity Photography

Shearim teacher Linda Goodwin and student Elana Orlofsky.

(From left) Sulam graduate Adam Kupfer along with Zack Fogel, Izzy Orlofsky, Sulam Director of Marketing Ahuva Orlofsky, and Jessica Werbin enjoying the Silent Auction and cocktail buffet at the Sulam Annual Gala June 14.

Sulam graduate Adam Kupfer sharing some reflections of his time at Sulam.

Shelly and Jeff Kupfer accepting the Sulam Impact Award; presented by Sulam Director, Lianne Heller and their son, Adam.

Student Emuna Shiller, introducing the latest Sulam Video along with Sulam President Judd Lifschitz.

Judd Lifschitz presenting the Sulam Founders Award to Shari and Harvey Goodman.

STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS

Korach and the Wisdom of Crowds By Rabbi Jonathan Gross A parsha bears his name, yet a single line is all that is attributed to Korach.: “You have taken too much! The entire congregation is holy and G-d is within them, so why have you elevated yourselves over the congregation of G-d?” With this single line, Korach seduced a nation to turn on Moshe, their teacher and savior. Korach was not advocating for democracy. Korach argued that the nation should reject the authority of a leader, and defer instead to the Wisdom of the Crowd. In the age of the internet, Korach’s argument is more pervasive and persuasive than ever. Why should I defer to the expertise of a rabbi, a doctor, a teacher, a lawyer — any authority — when I can just ask Google? Isn’t the wisdom of the entire world superior to the wisdom of any individual? One argument against the Wisdom of the Crowd is the crowd will give you the most popular answer, and the most

popular answer is not always the correct or the best answer. The top results in any Google search, be it Jewish, medical, legal or on some other topic, are not necessarily from the most reliable sources. On the other hand, sometimes what we are told is the Wisdom of the Crowd is in reality the wisdom of a few individuals disguised as the crowd. In his book “You Are Not a Gadget,” digital heretic Jaron Lanier uses Wikipedia to demonstrate this point. People tend to think that Wikipedia represents the collective wisdom of the world, but the truth is very different. Wikipedia boasts 500,000,000 unique

(SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

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visitors to the site each month. That means that half a billion people, 1/14th of the world’s population, are getting much of their information from Wikipedia. But where does that information come from? In order to be an editor for Wikipedia you must open an account with them. According to Wikipedia, of the half of a billion people who use the site, only 19 million users have accounts. And it gets worse. Of the 19 million accounts, only 69 thousand are active at least once a month. That means that .0001 percent of Wikipedia users are feeding the content for the rest of the Crowd. What seems like the Wisdom of

The Crowd is really just the wisdom of the few. According to the Midrash, there was someone at the time of Korach who saw through his argument. At the beginning of the parsha, Korach had a follower named Ohn Ben Pelet. He appears in the first confrontation against Moshe, but then he disappears and we never see his name mentioned again. His wife saved him. After hearing Korach’s argument, she pointed out that Korach was a fraud who sought to cloak himself in the voice of the people in order to oust Moshe and seize power for himself. The Wisdom of Crowd is an illusion, often exploited by those who seek power. The story of Korach reminds us that the Crowd has no wisdom, only individuals do, and it is wise to be skeptical whenever the Crowd appears to speak, and to endeavor to discover who is really speaking. Rabbi Jonathan Gross was the chief rabbi of Nebraska for 10 years. He is the author of a number of books, including “Ai Vey: Jewish Thoughts on Thinking Machines” and “Values Investing: An Omaha Rabbi Learns Torah from Warren Buffett.” His books and writings can be found at www.ThatsGross.org.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FEATURES LEARNING FROM HISTORY

Travel in the Service of Dictators By Rafael Medoff Former basketball star Dennis Rodman traveled to North Korea earlier this month, to meet with dictator Kim Jongun, whom Rodman has called his “friend for life.” Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon, for his part, has just returned from the Palestinian Authority-controlled territories, where he had only nice things to say about that totalitarian regime. And a delegation of prominent American wrestlers recently competed in a tournament in Iran, where they tweeted excitedly about the “warm reception” with which the regime greeted them. The term “fellow traveler” first gained currency in the 1920s, as a way of referring to individuals who were sympathetic to, but not actual members of, the American Communist Party and similar radical movements. Sometimes, the individuals involved literally traveled to the Soviet Union, where they made statements that helped soften the Stalin regime’s international image. Numerous American intellectuals and cultural celebrities trod that path. Among them was Isadora Duncan, one of the leading figures in American dance in the 1920s,

who returned from Soviet Russia bursting with enthusiasm for the Communist cause. She soon began concluding her performances by waving a red scarf over her head, while shouting, “This is red! So am I! It is the color of life and vigor!”

Visits by celebrity athletes and authors, whatever their intentions, can be all too easily exploited to serve a very unwelcome agenda. During the 1930s, Nazi Germany eagerly welcomed visitors, especially from the American academic community. This sordid story has been chronicled in Professor Stephen Norwood’s critically-acclaimed book, The Third Reich in the Ivory Tower. American University chancellor Joseph Gray, for example, returned from a visit to Nazi Germany “full of praise” for the Hitler regime. Gray reported to the American public in 1936 that German cities were “amazingly clean” and that “everybody was working in Germany.”

That same year, more than twenty U.S. universities sent delegates to take part in celebrations at the Nazi-controlled University of Heidelberg, scene of some of the earliest mass book-burnings. In fact, the chief book-burner, Nazi Propaganda Minister Josef Goebbels, presided over one of the receptions for the American delegates. Columbia University’s representative, Professor Arthur Remy, reported that mingling with Goebbels and company was “very enjoyable.” Professor Norwood describes how American students, too, visited Nazi Germany, thanks to a program of student exchanges with German universities, in which Columbia, Harvard, Yale, Princeton and other American universities took part. Even after a German official candidly asserted that his country’s students were being sent abroad to serve as “political soldiers of the Reich,” Williams College was the only one of those institutions to terminate the exchanges. During the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler used visits by foreigners to help camouflage the mass murder of the Jews. As part of this disinformation strategy, the Nazis in June 1944 invited a delegation from the International Red Cross to visit Theresienstadt, the Jewish ghetto that the Nazis had created in Czechoslovakia. Theresienstadt was a transit point for Jews being shipped to the gas chambers in Auschwitz, but the Nazis sought to present the camp as a final destination, where Jewish prisoners lived happily. In accepting the invitation, the Red Cross was well-intentioned. But it was naive in the extreme not to realize how its representatives would be exploited. In the days before the visit, the Na-

zis worked the Jewish inmates at breakneck speed to pretty up the site. Houses were freshly painted — but only those portions that would be visible to the Red Cross inspectors as they walked down the street on the preselected route. Schools, stores, a bank, and a cafe were quickly built to give the appearance of a normal village. Deportations to Auschwitz were increased so as to temporarily relieve overcrowding in the camp. With Theresienstadt’s flower beds neatly trimmed and its orchestra well-rehearsed, the Red Cross delegates could see only what the Nazis wanted them to see. The visitors’ subsequent reports to Red Cross headquarters were critical of some aspects of Theresienstadt, but also described conditions there as “relatively good.” They agreed with the Germans’ contention that it was a final-destination camp — even though the Red Cross knew that the population of Theresienstadt at the time of the visit was 30,000 less than it had been shortly before. From the Germans’ point of view, the visit was a success. The policies of North Korea, the Palestinian Authority, and Iran today are obviously quite different from those of the Nazis during the Holocaust. Nevertheless, considering the murderous threats those regimes have made against America and Israel, one shudders to think how far one of our own era’s totalitarian madmen might go if given the chance. Visits by celebrity athletes and authors, whatever their intentions, can be all too easily exploited to serve a very unwelcome agenda. Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, and author or editor of 16 books about Jewish history, including The Historical Dictionary of Zionism.

TZEDAKAH BEFORE SHABBAT

Kids Kicking Cancer By Fran Kritz Some of the most effective non-profits in the world were started by people who turned their pain into light for others. That’s certainly the case with Kids Kicking Cancer, started in 1998 by Rabbi Elimelech Goldberg of Detroit, Michigan after his two-year-old daughter died of leukemia. With programs across the country, Kids Kicking Cancer provides weekly classes for children, both inpatient and outpatient, in the mind-body techniques used in the martial arts. The mission, according to Rabbi Goldberg, who holds a black belt in a martial arts discipline, is “to ease the pain of very sick children while empowering them to heal physically, spiritually and emotionally.” Specially trained black belt martial

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

artists teach breathing, visualization, and relaxation techniques, in addition to traditional martial arts moves to help empower the children who use the techniques during treating and testing, and to help them cope with their illnesses. The classes, martial arts uniforms and transportation to and from classes are all provided free of charge. To learn more about this unique and impactful organization and donate to its efforts, visit kidskickingcancer.org. Fran Kritz is health care policy journalist. Her writing has been published by MSNBC.com, The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, Forbes Magazine and the New York Jewish Week. Fran and her husband Neil split their time between Jerusalem and Silver Spring and are proud members of the Kemp Mill Synagogue.

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TORAH PERSPECTIVES Clearing The Path to Your Heart By Avraham Hanuka It says in Pirkei Avot “velo habaishan lamed,” that “the timid doesn’t learn” (2:5). Rabbeinu Yonah of Gerondi, in his classic commentary on the Mishnah in Avot explains that boshet (timidity) is always a great trait to have, except in an educational setting. We see this idea in the verse in Tehillim “vadebera bedoteicha neged melachim velo evosh,” “I will talk in your laws opposite kings and I will not be timid” (119:46). When running away from King Saul and standing in front of the kings of the world, King David was not embarrassed to speak about the Torah and mitzvot even though they laughed at him and mocked his words.

In his Sefer Zichron Avot, a Kabbalistic commentary on Avot, Rabbi Eliezer Nachman Poah, an early Italian scholar and student of the great Rama from Pano, has a very novel interpretation of the words “velo habashain lamed.” He explains that whoever sins needs to be embarrassed of his sins, like it is written in the great vidui (confession) of the Rabbeinu Nissim which we recite in the mussaf repetition of Yom Kippur: “boshti vegam nechlamti keganav hanemtzah bamachteret — I am shamed and embarrassed, like a thief that is found in a break-in.” Someone who has not repented appropriately, he continues, cannot learn Torah, because his unforgiven iniquities block off the wellsprings of wisdom from Heaven

to understand the Holy Torah, as is quoted in the Tana Debei Eliyahu Rabbah (the teachings of Eliyahu HaNavi): “Until you beseech Hashem to open your heart to the Torah, you should first ask him to forgive your iniquities” (chapter 14). In other words, the atonement for your sins should precede the understanding of the Torah. We find this by the Tanna Reb Eliezer ben Hurkanos and other great scholars, that before their hearts opened up to the wisdom of the Torah, they received word that their teshuva (repentance) was accepted. Hence, someone who is not embarrassed, i.e. who has not gone through sincere repentance, cannot learn because he is blocked from the wellsprings of wisdom needed to understand Torah.

Principles From the Parsha: Korach’s Confrontation With Moshe By Joshua Z. Rokach This week’s parsha revolves around a serious schism within the nascent Jewish nation. Korach, Moshe’s cousin and leader of a cabal of 250 prominent citizens, challenged Aaron’s legitimacy as high priest. Like most people who disguise their personal ambitions as matters of principle, the dissenters wrapped themselves in theology. They complained to Moshe and Aaron, “For the entire congregation is comprised of holy people and G-d is in their midst, and why do you elevate yourselves over G-d’s congregation?” (Numbers 16:3). Rashi elaborates: Korach and his followers contended that every Israelite stood at the foot of Mount Sinai and they all heard G-d transmit the principles of the Jewish faith (“I am the Lord, your G-d” and “You shall have no other gods”). Therefore, the dissidents argued, Moshe had no rabbinic authority over his fellow Jews. He could not unilaterally anoint his brother as high priest. Korach said Israel did not need the office of high priest nor a religious leader. Each person would live a pious life guided by the light of his own reason. One can easily refute this argument. Korach ignored the fact that commandments three through 10, which the people insisted that Moshe, acting as G-d’s conduit, proclaim, form as central a part of Judaism as commandments one and two, which G-d articulated directly. In addition, Moshe ascended to heaven to learn the Torah and mitzvot and their meaning and exposition. Without this context, the Jewish people could not

obey the Torah as G-d commanded. The people must see Judaism as an integrated religion and they always need rabbinic guidance and teachers. Korach mounted a challenge to Moshe from the other direction. Not only did he consider every Jew the equivalent of Moshe, he questioned Moshe’s competence. Korach entered into a legal dispute. He claimed that, in fact, he knew Torah law better than Moshe.

(SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA)

The previous parsha (Numbers 15) concluded with the command that we Jews put tzitzit (fringes) on each of the four corners of our garments. Verse 38 states, “On the corner [you shall place] a thread of blue [wool] and it shall become tzitzit.” Verse 39 continues, “You shall [look at] it and you shall remember my mitzvot …” Moshe taught that although G-d requires one blue strand in combination with seven additional strands of wool, a single blue string suffices in a pinch. Korach argued that if one blue thread fulfilled the requirements for tzitzit, surely a garment dyed entirely blue would as well. Moshe rejected this reasoning out of hand. Korach posed another halachic challenge. The Torah requires placing a me-

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zuzah on doorposts (Deuteronomy 6:9; 11:19). Korach taunted Moshe with the argument that a room full of Torah scrolls, which encompass the Five Books of Moses, should not require a mezuzah because the scrolls contain the passages that are inside a valid mezuzah. Moshe rejected this reasoning as well. On the surface, Korach had a point; Moshe conceded that one strand of wool dyed indigo from the blood of the Murex trunculus snail sufficed to remind Jews of the mitzvot. By extension, an entire garment dyed indigo from the blood of that same snail should have the same effect. Therefore, wearing an indigo cloak should fulfill the requirement of tzitzit. Similarly, we hang a mezuzah containing two chapters of Deuteronomy in order to protect the room behind the doorpost. Surely, filling the room with scrolls containing the entire text of the Torah should accomplish the same result. While superficially correct, Korach elevated form at the expense of substance. We wear a garment with fringes attached to remind us of the commandments G-d requires us to heed. Rashi (Numbers 15:39) writes that the numerological value of the Hebrew letters in the word tzitzit (600), plus the number of strands (eight), and knots (five) total 613, the number of mitzvot G-d asks us to remember when gazing at those fringes. The blue strand reminds us of G-d’s Throne of Glory. Conjuring the Throne of Glory fills us with the proper awe with which to fulfill our religious obligations. Looking at the blue thread of tzitzit, even in the absence of the other seven, re-

My dear readers: we should learn from the verse “velo habashain lamed” to never be timid to ask about how to serve our Creator. We should also not forget that if we want to be able to learn His Torah so we can merit to serve the King of kings, we must realize how embarrassing it is to sin against Hashem, our Creator and the giver of all goodness. If we don’t pursue this mindfullness and follow through with a willingness to repent when we have done wrong, we won’t be able to really serve our king. Avraham Hanuka is a simple Jew. Originally from Brooklyn, Avraham learned for 14 years at Ohr Ha’Meir in Peekskill, New York; Beth Medrash Govoha of America (also known as Lakewood East) in Jerusalem; Passaic Talmudic Institute in Passaic, New Jersey; and Beth Medrash Govoha in Lakewood, New Jersey. He lives in now Silver Spring, Maryland, with his wife Tali.

minds us of G-d and His 613 mitzvot. Even the shadow of the tzitzit invokes the 613 commandments we must obey and, in that setting, the indigo thread induces awe. On the other hand, wearing clothes dyed in indigo, but without the symbols of tzitzit, does not induce in us the necessary subservience to G-d and His commandments that the mitzvah entails. Korach made the same mistake in his challenge concerning the mezuzah. Torah study alone does not protect us. The two texts we place into the mezuzah (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; 11:13-21) proclaim our love for G-d. Without love, Torah study can lead to destruction. The Talmud (Berachot 19a) describes the prayer that the rabbis would recite at each ordination ceremony. Quoting Psalms 44:14, they asked that the graduates use their knowledge as a salve for healing, not a sword to incite communal strife. The story of Korach teaches us several valuable lessons as we travel through life. We must avoid the arrogance of ignorance. We inflict damage on ourselves if we think that we know everything and see no need to consult experts. At the same time, we must avoid the arrogance of intellectual laziness. We inflict damage on ourselves if we act blindly in a fact-free environment. We must observe the mitzvot regardless of whether we agree with them or understand them. Just as important, G-d obligates us to try our best to know what we are doing. Joshua Zev Rokach is gabbai of the Nusach Sefard minyan at Young Israel Shomrai Emunah (YISE) in Kemp Mill, Maryland, and former gabbai of the main minyan at YISE and at Kesher Israel in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C. He has taught a weekly Talmud class at both synagogues, and has served as an officer and a member of the Board of Directors of both synagogues as well. A retired attorney, Joshua has lived in the Greater Washington area since 1976 and in Kemp Mill since 1986.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

TORAH PERSPECTIVES

Satisfied? By Rabbi Stephen Baars Why is peace of mind so elusive? In any previous era, maybe it would have been easy to answer such a question. How can people feel satisfied when life is so brutal and short, or the threat of war too imminent, or disease and tragedy were ever present? These, however, are not the issues most of us are struggling with on a day to day basis — so what gives? Attaining a sense of equilibrium today is like balancing a grand piano on the end of a short stick. You do have that moment where it balances perfectly, but it’s very short lived and a moment later inevitably it will fall to one side or the other. So too, as soon as you achieve a sense of balance in your life, boom, it falls. It’s as though it’s unavoidable. Let me try and explain. There is a documentary called “Supersize Me,” about a person who tried to live eating only fast food. The results were not pretty. The human body, like any machine, can only function with the right kind of input. It needs certain nutrients or things start to shut down.

The soul similarly needs fulfillment, and when we try to feed the soul unhealthy “snacks” the results are not how they appear on the packaging. Instead of finding peace, love and happiness, we end up with anger, depression and despondency. Like fast food, just because we want it, doesn’t mean it will do us any good! The following story appears in the classic 16th century book of Jewish ethics, “The Ways of the Righteous”: A lustful man and a jealous man met a king. The king said to them, “One of you may make a request which I will fulfill, provided that I give twice as much of the same to your companion.” The jealous man did not want to ask first, because he didn’t want his companion to receive twice as much. The lustful man did not want to ask first, because he wanted what belonged to both of them. The lustful man finally pressed the jealous man to ask. The jealous man asked the king to pluck out one of his eyes, because then his companion would have both eyes plucked out. As absurd as that story is, it is not an exaggeration of the effects of jealousy. Wanting things that others have is not only inane, because invariably you won’t get them; but even if you do, you are less than likely to find any form of balance or tranquility.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

This week’s parsha tells the story of Korach, who was consumed with jealousy. He just could not bear that a relative was appointed to a higher leadership position than himself. Ethics of the Fathers (4:21) says “Jealousy, desire and pride take a man out of the world.” This kind of jealousy does not leave room in your heart to want anything healthy, just like eating a meal of junk food leaves you with no desire to eat anything healthy afterwards. Even if you could, it won’t counter the damage already done. Jealousy is a powerful motivator. But don’t waste it on the things that don’t bring you true satisfaction. Our Sages tells us that jealousy can be for the bad but also for the good. Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, the Ramchal, explains that rather than eliminate jealousy, we can use it for things that really bring peace of mind. If you only want something purely because it’s more than someone else’s, then it’s negative jealousy. It’s really based on a desire to deprive that person, because you would be just as happy with what you already have, if your neighbor didn’t have it at all. However, if you want what your friend has, but want him to have it too, then you will find peace. This doesn’t

happen with anything you can buy at Nordstrom or Best Buy — it's when you see another with more kindness or more patience than you and you want those traits, too. If you are keeping score of accomplishments, don’t burn the scorecard; rather, use that drive to improve yourself rather than expending energy on coveting other people’s things and status. You have no idea what a transformation you will have in your life when you keep track of all the goodness, kindness, and wisdom you have achieved, as opposed to looking at the amount of dollars, designer clothing, and sports cars in the driveway. Imagine for a moment a world where the most loving and wise people were sought after more than the people making movies and buying gigantic yachts. If you can imagine such a world, you can live in such a world. Originally from London, Rabbi Stephen Baars resides in Rockville, Maryland, and serves as executive director of Aish Seminars. He did nine years of post-graduate studies at the Aish HaTorah Rabbinical College in Jerusalem, and has been an educator and marriage counselor for the past 25 years. Rabbi Baars and his wife, Ruth, are blessed with seven children. Learn more about Rabbi Baars at www. getbliss.com and www.core9.live.

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HEALTH & WELLNESS Health and Halacha By Audrey Siegal Ah summer! Although for a while we seemed to be getting a late start this year, the summer sun finally has arrived. No sooner than we finish complaining about the cold start to the season, we will have the opportunity to bemoan the heat and humidity. Many of us will meet the steamy Washington landscape head-on and engage in outdoor activities. We know the number one warning that comes with summer is to protect oneself and one’s family from dangerous UVA and UVB rays. Easier said than done. Today, I want to touch on two aspects of sun protection. First, the basics: what is the best way to have fun this summer and stay as safe as possible? Secondly, how do we protect ourselves halachically on Shabbat, which for many of us, might be the day we are the most exposed. For a quick overview of Sun Protection 101, I turned to Dr. David Green, a board-certified dermatologist practicing in Bethesda and Annapolis, Maryland. I learned that there are three levels of sun protection, and the very best is avoidance. UVB rays cause the rough spots on the surface of the skin that can lead to skin cancer and UVA rays cause the visible signs of aging. It is best to avoid catching both rays to the extent that you can. We know, however, that the beach, the boardwalk, and boats all beckon and so

level two is to wear protective clothing, including hats and even umbrellas. Level three, sunscreen, helps protect exposed areas, including the face, arms, and legs. There are many choices of sunscreen, but the best ones to apply, according to Dr. Green, are those that have the highest sun protection factor (SPF). SPF is a relative measure of how long a sunscreen will protect you — but only from the UVB rays from the sun. If you properly apply SPF 50, you will get 1/50 of the amount of exposure to the sun’s UVB rays as you would normally get in the same amount of time if you were not wearing any sunscreen. How long is that? Well, it depends on your complexion and susceptibility to the sun’s rays. If you would normally develop a sunburn, i.e., redness, after 10 minutes of sun exposure without sunscreen, theoretically, you would be protected for 500 minutes with a SPF 50 sunscreen if properly applied. Remember the word properly — we will come back to that shortly. It is important to understand that SPF rating does not connote any protection against UVA rays from the sun. By using a sunscreen that is labeled broad spectrum, you are also provided with some protection against UVA rays. However, the amount of protection is not well understood. So, don’t be surprised if you develop a sunburn or suntan in spite of properly applying a sunscreen with a high SPF level of pro-

tection. The UVA rays also can produce sunburn. To properly apply sunscreen, you should use a lot and really slather. Generally, dermatologists recommend one to one and a half ounces of a good SPF sun screen for about two hours of outdoor activity. The key is, if you must be out when

(SOURCE: NUTRITIOUS LIFE)

the sun is strongest, to put on enough sunscreen, reapply and cover up with clothing, hats, and sunglasses to the extent possible. The sun shines through the clouds, so a cloudy day is no protection. This discussion only “scratches the skin’s surface” and truly needs to be followed up by a conversation with your doctor. It is a good idea to learn as much as you can about best practices and your own personal risk factors, and to keep updated as new products come on the market. Now, for a quick review of the halachic issues with sun protection on Shabbat. While normally it does not matter what form of sunscreen you use,

on Shabbat, according to halacha, one should use spray. I checked with a local Rabbi who outlined the reasons why: The general problem that can come up with sunscreen is the problem with all lotions, the prohibition of memareyach (smoothing). Depending on the thickness of a lotion or salve, it could be a biblical prohibition with actual solids (like deodorant sticks) or a rabbinic prohibition with semi-dense solids like hand cream. However, spreading liquids like liquid hand soap or perfume on skin is not a problem. Therefore, the best thing to use is the liquid spray sunscreen. There could, however, be another halachic problem with the liquid spray which is connected to the scent. There is a rabbinic prohibition to spray a garment with a scent-like perfume. If the sunscreen is scented, then one should make sure to spray on skin and not on clothing. Once again, I have only given a basic outline of the issues and everyone concerned about the halachic aspects of sunscreen on Shabbat should consult their own rabbi. Wishing everyone an enjoyable and safe summer! Audrey Siegel is the executive director of Bikur Cholim of Greater Washington. She is a former New Yorker who has enjoyed living in Silver Spring with her family for the past 27 years. Audrey hopes to hike or bike every nature trail in Montgomery County, so wave if you see her along the way.

JScreen, the Leader in Jewish Genetic Screening, Doubles its Disease Testing Panel JScreen will be running an onsite screening at Sixth and I Synagogue on July 14 from 5:30-7:15 p.m.

By Hillary J. Kener JScreen, the leader in at-home genetic screening for people of Jewish descent, today announced that it increased its testing panel from 100 to more than 200 disease genes that could affect a couple’s future children. JScreen is based in Emory University School of Medicine’s Department of Human Genetics and provides convenient, affordable access to help singles and couples throughout the United States plan for healthy families. One in three people of Jewish background are unknowingly carriers for at least one Jewish genetic disease. Within the spectrum of Jewish backgrounds, there are many common genetic diseases, including Tay-Sachs, thalassemia, spi-

nal muscular atrophy and others. With the expanded panel, JScreen can now identify more disease genes from people of different backgrounds. The only way to know you are a carrier is to either have an affected child or get screened, and the organization’s primary goal is to help people have healthy babies to help ensure the health of future generations. With JScreen, a non-profit initiative, prospective parents have a unique opportunity to access screening at low cost. Participants register online for screening kits and mail their saliva samples to the lab for testing. JScreen’s test is significantly more comprehensive than other tests that can be ordered online. And, in contrast to other screening programs, JScreen functions under the direction of an MD specializing in genetics; the cost includes genetic counseling via phone or secure video-conference. Through genetic counseling, couples found to be at increased risk gain an understanding of their risks and available options to help them have healthy children.

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“Genetic testing alone is not enough. Counseling is a necessary part of the process. Labs that report results directly to consumers put people at risk for misinterpreting the information they need to make family planning decisions,” says Karen Arnovitz Grinzaid, Emory Genetics faculty, and JScreen’s executive director. The JScreen test uses state-of-the-art genetic sequencing technology to determine carrier status for diseases common in Jewish groups and in many other ethnic groups. In addition, JScreen’s test includes genetic conditions common to the general population, making the test applicable to everyone. With the focus on pre-conception testing, thousands of couples have gone on to have healthy babies, thanks to JScreen’s technology and services. JScreen will be running an onsite screening at Sixth and I Synagogue on July 14 from 5:30-7:15 p.m. The first 50 people to register will receive a highly-discounted price of $36 (with insurance). After that, screening is $149. Pre-register by visiting www.JScreen.org and selecting

“Sixth and I” from the “how did you hear about JScreen” dropdown. Enter your insurance information on step 2 and on step 4, enter coupon code “6inCity” and click “apply.” Hillary J. Kener has been featured in magazines, newspapers, and television creating awareness around the importance of genetic screening throughout the country. Hillary is a published author and is very active in multiple charitable organizations.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

HEALTH & WELLNESS The Biggest Misconception About Psychotherapy By David Shrank The most common reason people seek a psychotherapist or clinical social worker is to “fix” their problems — a few meetings with an expert, and their problems will be solved, they think. Nothing is further from the truth when it comes to psychotherapy. The job of a good psychotherapist is to understand one’s clients and point out areas in which they can become more self-aware, and hopefully this leads them to make internal changes. Psychotherapy is about self-discovery. It’s about getting relief from issues that cause psychological pain while addressing those issues at the source. Most people feel that their problems will heal with time. When they don’t, they seek a psychotherapist to tell them what to do in order to stop this mental and emotional pain. They don’t realize that by the time they see a psychotherapist, their issues have exhibited themselves in so many ways that it can take time to alleviate the current pain and determine its source. Very often, when a client believes they have found the source, they actually must go much deeper to find

the real source of the mental and emotional pain, which can take tremendous work and constant self-discovery. A good therapist will guide a client through his or her deepest inner secrets in order to uncover various issues that have manifested themselves into larger difficulties over time. Only by discovering one’s core difficulties can a person fully alleviate and grow beyond them. This process can also happen over an extended period of time. It is not expected that a person will stay in therapy continuously for years. It is common to see a psychotherapist for a year or two and then take a year or two off before going back to therapy. While taking a break from therapy, you should still maintain constant awareness to continue learning about yourself. It can also be helpful to be aware of others and what behaviors bother you in others. You should learn more about why you are upset or annoyed by someone else instead of putting the blame immediately on the other individual. The more self-aware you are — both internally and in relation to your environment — the more effective psychotherapy will be and the more control you will have over your anxiety, depression, and any other emotions you may experience.

Silver Spring Practitioners

Rebecca Aloni, LCPC

Maureen Betz, LCSW-C

Levi Y. Breuer, Psy.D.

Ariella Lipkin, Psy.D.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

(SOURCE: CLIPART)

Those who see a psychotherapist to be “fixed” will not find success. Those who go to a psychotherapist to be told what to do to get better won’t necessarily find their answer. Those who seek psychotherapy to better understand and discover themselves, which will provide insight into how to address their issues, will find success. If you begin seeking therapy with a psychotherapist for the wrong reasons, a good therapist will effectively lead you

to the right path, guiding you to success. It’s still your job to make use of psychotherapy effectively. No one should fear their issues. Instead, be open to understanding and improving upon them. David Shrank, MSW, LCSW-C, LICSW is the founder and CEO of Empowerment Behavioral Therapeutic Services (www.ebtscvs.com). He can be reached at David.Shrank@EBTServices.com or by phone at 240-565-2558.

Practitioners in Other Locations

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HEALTH & WELLNESS Maryland's Best Kosher kitchen designs for over 25 years! When It Comes to Hiking, Preparation is Key for Fitness Fun By Justin Walls Warmer weather means more opportunities to enjoy the outdoors. I personally enjoy hiking long distances to take in the sights and enjoy nature. It’s important to be in good physical health to walk long distances and climb to higher elevations. A fast-paced walk can elevate your heart rate about 50-60 percent and burn a couple hundred calories. Being prepared can avoid some of the un-pleasantries of hiking, such as sore knees and thighs, foot and ankle injuries, heat exhaustion, and that cranky feeling of being in the sun too long.

to be equipped to handle your hydration, temperature, and sun exposure at a minimum, and providing yourself with the necessary calories and insect repellent is also important. My recommendation is to get a solid backpack equipped with water bottle pockets on its sides and three pockets to store different sized items. I recommend the UA Storm backpack for carrying your supplies. Pack two 16 oz. water bottles on those side pockets to keep you hydrated, along with a high quality, new bottle of sunscreen, sunglasses, and baseball cap for sun protection. I recommend investing in Mission-brand cooling towels such

(SOURCE: PIXABAY.COM)

The first part of preparation is to be in decent cardiovascular shape. Planning a few weeks in advance of a hike will give you adequate time to avoid muscle soreness and stave off injury. Check out the fitness regimen in the inset; this program will allow you to walk a four to six mile hike at around 20 minutes per mile, or even further if you pace yourself at around 25 minutes per mile. A training program will get you ready for the day of the hike, but you’ll also need to make sure you are prepared for your hiking environment. You will want

Three-Week Walking Fitness Prep Week One - On three non-consecutive days this week, walk half a mile in ten minutes and hold one ten-second plank afterward. Week Two - On three non-consecutive days this week, walk a mile in twenty minutes and hold three planks for ten seconds each. Week Three - On three non-consecutive days this week, walk two miles in under forty minutes, hold three planks of ten seconds each, and perform 10 repetitions of push-ups on the back of a bench.

as EnduraCool or Hydroactive because its cooling technology can last for hours to keep your body temperature down. Wearing the Mission towel like a scarf around your neck and tucking the ends on top of your chest will give you optimal cooling against a hot midday sun. Drink water regularly to keep internal body temperature down as well as staying hydrated. Hikes longer than two hours should also include additional carbohydrates and electrolytes to keep your energy levels up while burning calories during the hike. Packing snacks like sandwiches or pretzels are a good way to quickly generate more energy during the hike, and electrolyte sources like Gatorade or Jelly Belly Sport Beans (with or without caffeine) can replenish vitamins lost through sweating. Finally, my preferred insect repellent is DEET-free lemongrass, which has a much more pleasant smell than regular DEET-containing brands. Happy trails! Justin Walls is a certified personal trainer (American College of Sports Medicine), specializing in youth fitness, senior fitness, myofascial release techniques, joint pain/arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, aqua fitness, running, and walking. He also has expertise in lifestyle/ health management and meal planning, and a background

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Visit www.studiooneda.com for more! 1848 Reisterstown Rd., Ste. A Baltimore, MD 21208 Tel: 410-484-2600 www.studiooneda.com Studio.One@aol.com

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Doubleheader Sponsored by iGlasses Ends With Double Wins for the Thunderbolts By Roey Herzfeld SILVER SPRING (Md.) — The Silver Spring-Takoma Thunderbolts took both games of their doubleheader against the Baltimore Dodgers on June 18. The Thunderbolts and Dodgers play for the Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League (CRCBL), a summer baseball league located in the greater Washington, D.C., area, and a member of the National Alliance of College Summer Baseball (NACSB). The CRCBL has had recent success, with 42 players taken in this year’s MLB draft including Logan Warmoth, going 22nd overall to the Toronto Blue Jays. Other notable past players of the CRCBL include Kyle Zimmer, the fifth overall selection of the 2012 draft, and Hunter Renfroe, current outfielder for the San Diego Padres. Sunday’s doubleheader was sponsored by iGlasses@4Corners, a full-service optical shop in in the Woodmoor shopping center in Silver Spring. David Pollak, “a baseball

fan since the Dodgers played in Brooklyn,” has been a financial supporter of the Thunderbolts since iGlasses@4Corners opened five years ago. Along with his wife Judy and optometrist Bruce Kellner, the trio have been a mainstay in optometry in the DC area for over forty years now. Although sitting at the lower part of the league’s standings coming into Sunday’s doubleheader, the Thunderbolts leaped to half a game away from first place because of two huge wins over Baltimore. Game 1 was a thunderous beat-down. The Thunderbolts provided enough support for pitcher William Brown by scoring eight runs by the second inning and then went on to win 13-4. Community-member Miriam Licht got to throw the ceremonial first pitch before the second game, and Rabbi Wolvovsky of Chabad of Silver Spring and his family could be spotted enjoying the doubleheader as well. Game 2 looked to be a sure success as well for Silver Spring until Baltimore came back from three behind to score four runs in the top of the seventh inning. Carson An independently owned Jewish optical store that offers something for everyone and with any insurance or no insurance at all. Repairs done onsite, many orders can be made same day. 10101 Colesville Rd. Silver Spring, MD. 20901

Klepzig singled in a run to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh leading up to a nail-biting finish of an exciting day of baseball. The Thunderbolts got through the top of the inning with no damage, and Brant Baylock ended the doubleheader in dramatic fashion with a walk-off single to send the fans home happy. Thanks again to iGlasses@4Corners

for their support to the Thunderbolts and for giving us these incredible opportunities to enjoy America’s favorite pastime in our community. Roey Herzfeld is a sophmore at the Berman Hebrew Academy, where he plays on the school baseball team . He attends Ohev Shalom - The National Synagogue in Washington, D.C.

2017 NBA Draft Has Local Flavor By Jason Landy From time to time, a kid growing with a great passion for the game of basketball will daydream of playing ball under the game’s brightest lights in the NBA. For one local talent, his dreams of making it to the professional ranks will become a reality at the NBA Draft.

son, a 6-foot-8 wing out of Kansas, and Dennis Smith, a speedy point guard out of North Carolina State. Many experts expected Jackson to leave college after a year. There really isn’t anything this guy can’t do on a basketball court. He’s young, long and extremely athletic. He shoots the ball well and can get to the rim at ease. As for Smith, I think his secret is keeping a positive attitude. Smith

s s a gl e 50% OFF withh mention of this ad n Be ready for that summer sun. Look cool Su Sal in the summer heat and protect your eyes at the same time. Using Insurance or not, it makes no difference. Buy that rst complete pair of glasses and you get 50% off a pair of sunglasses. No restrictions apply. Buy one pair, get 50% off you complete Sunwear purchase.

Markelle Fultz (SOURCE: 247 SPORTS)

Need a new exam rst? No problem. Dr. Bruce Kellner has appointments that can be made by phone, email and On-line. Paperwork for new or returning patients can submit online before you even arrive. On your phone, tablet or computer. Previous patients can even request Passcodes to save time. Visit us at www.iglasses4corners.com to learn more about us, our offerings and all the things you can do through our enhanced Patient Portal.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

After starring at D.C. area powerhouse Dematha Catholic, Markelle Fultz took his talents cross-country to the University of Washington, where he averaged 23 points per game. Even though the Huskies did not make the NCAA tournament, Fultz carried the team most nights. After a stellar freshman campaign, most analysts project Fultz as an NBA lottery pick possibly going top overall. Not bad for a kid that did not make the varsity squad as a sophomore! Two other ballplayers with good professional prospects are Josh Jack-

definitely has an explosive NBA skill set, as he is a great creator and finisфher. He played on a losing squad this past season, but as an NBA point guard will be looked on as a leader of his team. Well, the draft is near, and I know I can’t wait to see where these guys wind up. Jason Landy is a native of the Washington, D.C. metro area. He studied at Montgomery College in Rockville, Maryland, and wrote for the sports website Bleacher Report.

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SP RTS Virginia Tech's Zach Jones Interns With Israeli Baseball Team By Hannah Elovitz When Hillel at Virginia Tech Executive Director Sue Kurtz heard that the Israel Association of Baseball was seeking American baseball fans to intern with their teams, she immediately thought of Zach Jones. Jones, then a junior at Virginia Tech, was involved with the Virginia Tech baseball team. Kurtz connected Jones with the Jewish Agency Israel Fellow, Or Shaked, and sent him on his way to Israel for a fourmonth internship with Masa Israel and Destination Israel. Jones sat down with Hillel News for a Q&A. Here are highlights from the conversation: What kind of internship did you have? Did you suit up? I did a little bit of everything. Upon arriving in Israel, we met with the director for Israel Baseball, Nate Fish, who informed us that although we would all be given a team to coach, as well as a team to play on, we would also have individual responsibilities that would be given to us based on our personal interests. In my

case, I was given the task of creating the first ever statistics program for the Israel Premier League, the highest adult baseball league offered in Israel. How is the Israel Premier League set up? Is it like MLB? This league is not professional. There are no sponsors or team owners, and we certainly did not get paid to play. In 2007, there was a professional baseball league in Israel, but after the first year, it was shut down due to its numerous problems. There are five teams that make up the Israel Premier League: The Jerusalem Lions, The Tel Aviv Comrades, The Modi’in Miracles, The Ra’anana Raiders, and The Academy. The Academy is a team comprised of the 11 or 12 best 16 to 18-yearold baseball players in Israel. These kids were all members of their respective national teams, and practiced baseball every day. The field, which was located at the Baptist Village in Petah Tikva, was a home away from home for these kids who were from all over the country. What was coaching like? The Jerusalem Lions was a group comprised of kids who played for the Israel national team for their age group, as well as kids who just loved play-

ing the game. Unlike most teams, I did not have the opportunity to practice, or even meet with my team before our first game. When I arrived at the game with my supervisor, I could tell that there was a sense of distrust among the players; and why wouldn’t there be? I was a complete stranger who was going to take over a team I didn’t know. Communicating with the team was troublesome, as most of the kids lived in the Jerusalem area but my program had me staying in Tel Aviv. As such, I was unable to go to a lot of their practices, though I would often see a few of my players in Petah Tikva, as they were members of the Israel Baseball Academy. This academy was crucial in communicating with my team, as I was able to start developing relationships with at least a few of my players. Did you have a breakthrough moment with your players? As the season progressed, I could see that I was starting to earn the trust of my team. There was one kid on the team named Daniel — a good kid, but not exactly the best player on the team. One game, my team came in after playing in the field, and I took him over to the side. I asked

him to show me his stance, and I kindly showed him mine. My stance looked fluid and comfortable, while his was uncoordinated and uncomfortable. I asked him to show me how he was holding the bat, and then, while still holding the bat, to point his index fingers. You can tell if you’re holding the bat correctly if your index fingers are pointing in the same direction. This helps keep your top hand wrist up as you swung. This prevents your wrists from “breaking” or “rolling over” and, as a result, not hitting a weak ground ball to the infield. Sure enough, his fingers weren’t in the same direction. I told him to fix it, and in his next at bat, I was stunned when he made solid contact with the baseball. His teammates were even more stunned, and many of them came to me asking to help them like I helped Daniel. On that day, I had not only earned the trust of the entire team, but I had earned respect through my baseball knowledge. Did this experience change you? I changed in the way I watch the game. Instead of watching to see what happened, I found myself paying closer attention to individual players — how they played the game, their body language, and anything else that I saw that I thought would affect the way they played the game. So the big change was going from viewing the game as a player, to viewing the game as a coach; both are very different.

Don’t Blame Kevin Durant — Blame Yourself By Efraim Andrew Wakschlag Last summer, Kevin Durant made the weakest move in the history of sports. After losing to the Golden State Warriors in a very close playoff series, Durant decided to jump ship and join the team that had just beaten him, forming what has become known as a “super team.” At that point, the Golden State Warriors already boasted former most valuable player (MVP) Stephen Curry, as well as Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and an overall healthy bench. While what Durant did was shocking, in the end he had every right to do it. This was atrend that started in the summer of 2011, when LeBron James, Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade joined forces to form a super team on the Miami Heat. On a side note, it must be stated that to think that LeBron and Durant’s moves were comparable is asinine. LeBron left a franchise that did not provide any serviceable help for a franchise that finished fifth in the Eastern Conference. Kevin Durant left an MVP candidate and the third best team in the Western Conference to play for the best team in the National Basketball Association

(NBA), essentially a team that was able to win without him. In any case, both moves were weak. There is, however, an explanation as to why LeBron, Durant, and others have left their cozy confines in search of a championship ring. Go to a middle-aged man who insists Michael Jordan is the greatest player in NBA history, no counter arguments allowed, no matter how logical. Tell him Michael Jordan had help winning those championships. Tell him Jordan played alongside Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman, two of the best defenders at their position in NBA history. Tell him that Jordan also played alongside Steve Kerr, owner of the highest three-point shooting percentage over the course of a career. Tell him Jordan only won championships after the decline of the Bad Boys Pistons and Larry Bird’s Celtics. Tell him Jordan and the Bulls lost in the second round of the 1995 playoffs to the Orlando Magic. Tell him all these things. Do you know what he will respond? Jordan is 6-0 in the NBA Finals, case closed. Apparently, winning championships is the only thing that matters when it comes to being considered the greatest. Well, in my opinion, those who have come to overrate the value of winning championships are the ones who have

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ruined the NBA. Specifically, I am referring to people who think Bill Russell is greater than Wilt Chamberlain because Russel’s teams were more successful, and to people who think Magic Johnson is greater than Larry Bird because Johnson has won more championships. These people believe that they can measure greatness solely by counting the number of championships a player happened to have a hand in winning. So, to all of the people who say that a player can’t truly be considered great unless he has won multiple championships: you are the reason why Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Kevin Garnett came together in Boston, and you are the reason why Chris Bosh sacrificed the opportunity to be a franchise player in Toronto and chose to be an inconsistent third wheel player in Miami. You are the reason why Dwight Howard left Orlando to play with Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash in Los Angeles, and you are the reason why LeBron James left Cleveland and Kevin Durant left Oklahoma City. You have no one else to blame but yourselves for these frustrating transactions which have reshaped the landscape of the NBA in recent years. The superstar balance in the NBA will only shift back to normal once you stop heaping inordinate praise upon the holder of a championship ring and instantly placing

(SOURCE: UPROXX)

him on a lofty, untouchable pedestal. So, fans who were upset when LeBron and Durant formed super teams, when they next talk of NBA basketball with their friends, should make sure to point out that, when measuring greatness, it is crucial to account for factors other than the quantity of championships a player has won. It was the failure of fans to do this that has led to the false perception among players that championship rings are the ultimate measure of greatness. Efraim Andrew Wakschlag is originally from Silver Spring, Maryland, and currently lives in Chicago. He attended the Yeshiva of Greater Washington and graduated from Yeshiva University in 2014. He is a prolific writer on the NBA, and authored “10 Squared: An Unconventional Analysis on the NBA” while attending Yeshiva University.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FOOD & DINING Interfaith Iftar at Char Bar By Jackie Feldman On June 8, my organization, Sephardic Jews in DC, partnered with Noor Shakfeh, a Syrian American community organizer, and Char Bar to bring the Muslim and Jewish communities together over a delicious iftar meal. Ramadan is one of the holiest holidays for those of the Muslim faith, celebrating the first revelation of the Quran to Mohammed. The holiday is one month long and takes place in the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar year. During the holiday, many Muslims traditionally fast from dawn to sunset.

Jackie Feldman, Noor Shakfeh, and Michael Chelst

In the Washington, D.C. area, this means many Muslims are fasting for 16 hours a day, and the evening meal breaking the fast, called an iftar, is a holy and a very celebratory occasion. The interfaith iftar brought together close to 70 Muslim and Jewish people to celebrate the holiday together. For me, the celebration was both a social and learning experience. I got a chance to meet so many interesting people and learn about the holiday rituals and traditions first hand. For Shakfeh, hosting the iftar meal at Char Bar was a critical component. As a friend to many practicing and traditional Jews and Muslims, she wanted to ensure the event was as inclusive as possible to allow both those who keep kosher and halal to attend. The event was also a fantastic opportunity for Char Bar and the catering company “Gold Standard Catering” to showcase their delicious traditional dishes from Arab/Sephardic/Mizrahi and Ashkenazi communities. Both Shakfeh and I worked closely with Char Bar to craft a menu that would incorporate food from both the Middle East (to celebrate Arab and Sephardic

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

(COURTESY PHOTO)

cuisine), as well as traditional Ashkenazi food, like matzah ball soup and brisket. As guests entered Char Bar, they were greeted with sweet Medjool dates and ice cold water, which are traditional Ramadan foods to break the fast. We then sat down to a delicious buffet meal together and got a chance to engage with each other one-on-one and meet new community members. Overall, the celebration was a great success and a wonderful opportunity to engage with members of the Muslim and Jewish communities.

Sephardic Jews in DC would like to again thank Noor Shakfeh for allowing us to cohost and Char Bar restaurant. To all those celebrating, Ramadan Kareem! Jackie Feldman is a young professional living and working in Washington, D.C. She runs the group “Sephardic Jews in DC,” which hosts events in the metro DC area that celebrate Sephardic culture, religious tradition, and customs. She also has her own food blog that features a healthier spin on many traditional Jewish and Sephardic recipes: https:// healthysephardiccooking.wordpress.com/.

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FOOD & DINING RECIPE

It’s All About the Numbers By Rachel Berger It’s all a numbers game. How many are home on a given night? How many of those who are home will actually eat what’s for dinner? Tricky calculations. With summer underway, and three out of four kids away for July, the numbers are now in my favor. I now have a little more flexibility in the things I can cook. With no more worrying about allergies, likes, and dislikes, I can actually try something unusual or different. But, ironically, now that I am cooking for half the family, I almost feel like, well… like there’s no one to cook for. It almost doesn’t feel worth it. (No offense to the family members who are still home!) But, we gotta eat, so cook I must, and cook I will. Now that I have free reign, so to speak, I feel I must try some ingredients that are usually banned from the house. I should rephrase that, because nothing is actually banned from the house, it’s just that no one eats them except me. Exotic ingredients, unusual combinations, never before seen recipes — you get the point. To some people, this may be everyday fare, but for

current standings there is only one member of the family who won’t eat tomatoes or eggplant. The other two eat it all! So, others, they are dishes which will never the numbers work in my favor and I win! see the light of day. Moroccan Chicken with Eggplant, ToI’ve decided that I am going to try matoes and Almonds one or two new recipes a week this sumAdapted from “Bon Appetit” (2004). Almer. Not a crazy, overwhelming amount though the ingredient list is long, it is well of cooking, but enough to feel creative worth the effort! and exciting. And guess what else? I don’t 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided mind eating leftovers, so there will be no 3 cups quartered and sliced onion complaining. No “What? Chicken again?” 6 garlic cloves, minced or “We already ate that!” Or, at least not as 1 tablespoon sweet paprika much complaining with fifty percent of 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt the complainants gone. 1 teaspoon turmeric So, to start off my sum1 teaspoon ground corianmer of exciting cookder 1 teaspoon ground fennel ing, I will make a Morocseed can chicken recipe that is 1 teaspoon black pepper amazing. How do I know 1/2 teaspoon cumin it’s amazing? Because I’ve 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger made it before, way before 2 cups drained diced tomathe kids knew they could make requests, and before I toes really knew what they liked (from 28 oz. can) and didn’t like, or what they 1 cup water really hated! 3 tablespoons fresh lemThis chicken has toma- (PHOTO CREDIT: RACHEL BERGER) on juice 8 chicken thighs, skinned toes and eggplants and almonds. By the numbers, two don’t like to- 8 drumsticks, skinned matoes, three don’t like eggplant, and one 1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into is allergic to almonds. A dish like this is 1 inch cubes generally a non-starter as it’s usually not 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted worth it with those numbers, but with the Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic. Cover and cook until the onions are soft, stirring occasionally. (About 5-7 minutes.) Add all the spices and stir for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add tomatoes, water and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in the skillet. Spoon some sauce over the chicken. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and simmer another 20 minutes, until chicken is tender. While chicken is simmering, place diced eggplant on baking sheet and toss with remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Bake until soft and brown, about 25 minutes. Chicken and eggplant can be made 1 day ahead, but keep refrigerated separately. Stir eggplant into chicken, and simmer uncovered 10 minutes to heat through. Season with more lemon juice, salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer chicken to a large shallow bowl and spoon vegetables on top and sprinkle with almonds and cilantro. Rachel is a Real Estate attorney, currently brushing up on her math skills. You can find The Kosher Dinner Lady on Facebook and Instagram. You can contact her at Rachel@thekosherdinnerlady.com

A family-style, Kosher Assisted Living Home catering to eight residents who enjoy the benefits of a small group with 24-hour supervised care. The ONLY Jewish owned and operated kosher small Assisted Living home in Montgomery County.

Eden Kosher Homes, LLC Terrie Ship, RN, MSN Jonathan Edenbaum, MHA Owners

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For information, contact Terrie at 240-876-7043 11500 GAINSBOROUGH ROAD, POTOMAC, MD 20854

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FOOD & DINING FINDING YOUR DRINK

Exotic Drinks By Armand Kohn After a brief hiatus from writing and a week of sobriety, I can say that I sincerely missed both writing and drinking. It is fortunate that I made my heroic return during the travel issue as exotic drinks are some of my favorite. Exotic drinks describe a wide variety of cocktails. They are sometimes known as tiki drinks and can be served in anything from a hollowed-out coconut to a flower vase. They are among the most complicated of cocktails but they are ohso worth it. They commonly use rum as a base and have a delicious mix of fruit and liquor. In my humble opinion, there are few experiences as satisfying as drinking one of these while reclining in a beach chair, watching the sun set over the ocean. The region best known for its rum is, of course, the Caribbean. The general way rums are differentiated is by their country of origin: Puerto Rican rums come from Puerto Rico, and Jamaican rums come from Jamaica, and so on. A more interesting bit of knowledge is that, in most cases, Spanish-speaking countries

in the Caribbean produce lighter rums than the English-speaking regions. With rum’s tropical origins in mind, I present to you a drink which perfectly captures the characteristics of an ocean paradise: the Blue Hawaiian. A base of light rum is the canvas upon which the flavors of orange, pineapple, and more sour citrus fruit play. This drink calls for blue curacao, which is essentially a blue version of triple sec. This orange-flavored blue liquor gives the drink a stunning blue color, only accentuating the beach vibe of this drink.

Just remember — time flies when you’re having rum. Regardless of whether you are drinking this with your toes in the white sands of a faraway isle or in the sandbox in your backyard, this drink will surely give you the vacation feel you seek. Just remember — time flies when you’re having rum.

Blue Hawaiian Collins glass filled with ice 1 ounce of white rum 1/2 ounce of Blue Curacao 2 ounces of pineapple juice 2 ounces Sweet Sour Add the ingredients in order listed to the glass. Garnish with an orange slice and a cherry. And remember it is always okay to adjust the recipe to your taste preferences. *** If you have any questions or comments I will be happy to address them in the following week at the end of my article. Please send them to Findingyourdrink@gmail.com. Good luck behind the bar. Armand Kohn is a certified bartender and University of Maryland alumnus. He now resides in Michigan where he works as a medical researcher while pursuing a master’s degree in basic medical science. (SOURCE: GOOGLE IMAGES)

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

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ARTS& ENTERTAINMENT

Each to the Rhythm of Their Own Drum: LBJA’s Spring Music and Art Show By Sara Levi The steady beat of the drum calls to the audience. Our children’s united voices rise up for all to hear. Energy flows through the packed auditorium. Three boys lead a moving “Hatikvah” with a talented student accompanying on the piano. Everyone feels the spirit. Uniting a Jewish families of different backgrounds under one roof, LBJA runs a vigorous Judaic and secular studies educational program. LBJA’s curriculum rests on three pillars, however, not just two: The third is the school’s fine arts program, which offers students a variety of opportunities for growth, excellence and expressing their individuality. Tonight marks the end of a successful learning year, but the show is just starting. The walls are lined floor to ceiling with an extensive array of original visual art. The colors and depth make me stop and take a closer look. These kids are good. I understand why LBJA students have won prizes in multiple art contests in the area.

Emily Gould, LBJA’s art teacher, engages all kindergarten through 5th grade students (next year, the school is expanding to include 6th grade as well) with a vibrant visual arts curriculum. Over 1,000 pieces of artwork surround the audience of parents, families, and community members who came out to see the show. The students’ work displays skill and understanding of multiple artistic themes and mediums.

Each student selected one piece of artwork for a special auction at the show. (PHOTO CREDIT: SARA LEVI)

When walking into the gallery, Japanese Hokusai waves welcome you from across the room. Imagination flourishes through Dr. Seuss-inspired works. Delectable donuts (and some crumbs) tempt view-

Movie Review: ‘Past Life’ Washington Jewish Film Festival By Jodi Berman Kustanovich With Past Life, Israeli Director Avi Nesher brings the story of a family in Israel — the father, Baruch, a Holocaust survivor with a dark past; the mother, Lusia, a proud and elegant but unsettled woman; the daughter Sephi, a classically trained vocalist and aspiring composer; and her sister Nana, a turbulent writer and hippie struggling with the demons of her childhood. While on tour in Berlin, Sephi coincidentally meets someone from her father’s past who accuses him of heinous acts committed during the war. She returns to Israel and shares this secret with her sister. The two girls become determined to learn the truth of their father’s past — one seeks exoneration for their father, and the other, plagued by a difficult childhood, seeks confirmation of his terrible deeds as a means of validation for the hatred of her father. What their father ultimately reveals is a complicated tale that does little to provide any of them comfort. The film captures a common family dynamic among Holocaust survivors and their children: parents who did things in order to survive that they are still deeply ashamed of and don’t want to talk about, and children who seek an-

swers and insight about their parents’ post- traumatic stress from the war and how it affected their upbringing. Nesher, himself a child of Holocaust survivors who never learned details of his parents’ stories, perhaps uses this real-life history to settle his own unanswered questions. As if all of this isn’t enough for one movie, there are additional dramatic storylines. Nana discovers that she has to fight a life-threatening illness, and wants her husband and sister to keep it a secret from her parents. Sephi, a student in the prestigious Israeli Music Academy, is berated by her professor for pursuing education in music composition, especially when, as he reminds her, there are no famous or successful women composers. He insists that she is wasting time that she could be spent sharpening her skills as a vocalist. In my opinion, most of the characters were caricatures rather than fully developed characters, even as the actors in the roles did their best to deliver a wide emotional range. The actors were effective, elevating even the most trite dialogue. Several moments of tension in the story were contrived and melodramatic, though there were several truly resonant scenes, particularly when the father recounts his past. (Pop culture buffs will notice the similarity between his story and the emo-

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ers like much of Wayne Thiebaud’s cake and pastry paintings. Monumental architecture reminds us of our proximity to the nation’s capital. Paintings of colorful fruit bowls bring to mind the master Henri Matisse. Students get a taste of pop art by mimicking Andy Warhol’s bright images. And that’s only a fraction of art on demand. It’s time for the performance. Nakisa Karimian, LBJA’s esteemed music teacher, instructs students in vocals, piano, violin, recorder, and drums. The entire school opens the show by singing two songs, one with drums. With a schedule of about 20 acts, students showcase their skills. Students clap and cheer for their classmates and friends as they take their turn on stage. Even the younger students sit still. They pretend to conduct as their older buddies perform. The school is a family and the students are at home. These kids are proficient and capable. Their teachers seem to have a knack for bringing out creativity in their protégés. I'm treated to original and fun pieces of music. Some students surprised us with their own

tional tale Hawkeye struggled with in the series finale of MASH.) This back and forth between authentic emotion and inauthentic cliché makes the movie uneven as it unfolds. At times I thought: How many emotional grenades will they throw into the story (many of which are dropped and never dealt with again), and are these complicating details necessary?

(SOURCE: TEASER TRAILER)

However, even with these criticisms, the story at the core of the film is compelling and engaging. One sympathizes with the challenges that each character must resolve. And when Sephi finds a way to take this history of pain and turn it into something beautiful and important, there is a calm that each character discovers that makes the film worth seeing. There is an emotional resonance that

The percussion ensemble keeps the tempo as the LBJA choir serenades the audience. (PHOTO CREDIT: SARA LEVI)

compositions! Many students performed more than once, on multiple instruments. As a finale, one of the after-school clubs, our baton twirlers, performed a whimsical routine, cartwheels included. As an LBJA parent, I hear about students’ work throughout the year, but there’s something special about seeing everything displayed at once that really accentuates the power of the art. Every student at LBJA creates to their own rhythm, but together their song is strong, and their faces shine all the brighter for it tonight. Sara Levi is a freelance graphic designer as well as a public school art teacher. She is a mother of three (all five and under) who lives with her family in Kemp Mill, Maryland. She can be reached at Sara.G.Lewis@gmail.com.

all people watching will relate to and appreciate. One need not have lived the life that these characters have lived to be able to relate to the power of finding quiet in troubled relationships, discovering inspiration in bitterness, and experiencing peace as a result of forgiveness. It is impossible to review this film without talking about the music — the film begins and ends with powerful choral music. The opening scene has the chorus singing “Kumi Ori,” which means, “arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord shines on you.” The music at the end of the film does just that, as it shines a light on a dark past and brings the glory of reconciliation, the glory of secrets revealed, the glory of relationships transformed. It is powerful to see Sephi the vocalist give her father his own voice, and Sephi the composer change people’s lives through the power of her composition. Released locally on June 16; check your local theater listings for show times. Rating: Not Rated Running Time: 109 min. Jodi Berman Kustanovich has worked in the Jewish community for the last 20 years, and does consulting and training through her company Berman Leadership Strategies. A lifelong Oscars enthusiast, four years ago Jodi began her now popular “Jodi’s Oscars Blog,” in which she sees every single film nominated for an Oscar, and posts a review of each daily during Oscars season. Her mottos is, “I see all the movies so you don’t have to see the bad ones.” Follow her on Twitter at @jodibee.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT FREE TO SEE

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. year-round, July 3-7 to 7:30 p.m.; closed Dec. 25. Exhibits are open indefinitely except for the following: • *21st Annual Nature’s Best Photography Exhibit, second floor, through September. • *100 Years of America’s National Park Service, second floor, through August.

By Dinah Rokach A visit to the Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C., is a great way to satisfy the itch to explore distant places without straying far from home. Return in time for dinner having crossed the United States, seen wild animals on distant continents, traversed the world’s oceans, and explored foreign art and culture. You may want to start in the outdoor pollinator garden on the corner of 9th Street and Madison Drive. Since the museum does not allow food inside, take a stroll through the fragrant gardens, sit on one of the benches, and enjoy a snack. Walk to the museum entrance on Madison Drive and, along the way, explore the urban bird habitat garden to your right. Enter the museum at either the Madison Drive entrance off of the National Mall or the Constitution Avenue entrance at 10th Street for handicap accessibility. You’ll have to pass through a magnetometer and your bags will be searched.

Special Event:

Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C. (SOURCE: SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE)

narrated by this promising young photographer from Mineola, Long Island. He the winner at age 17 of the Youth Photographer of the Year Award and currently a freshman at Standord. Rosenzweig is the grandson of a Holocaust survivor from Romania who met and married a Singaporean Jew in Israel. Before moving to the United States

Award-winning photograph of two cheetahs by David Rosenzweig. (SOURCE: SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTE)

Upstairs, on the second floor, head to the gallery of the Nature’s Best Photography Award Winners 2016. The Museum displays 82 fine art prints, the winning images in each of the competition’s categories, selected runners-up, as well as the grand prize winner as judged by a panel of experts. The exhibit takes you a game preserve in Africa, the waters of the Arctic Circle, and many more distant and exotic scenes from the jungles, deserts, and oceans of our planet. Among the exhibit highlights, the most endearing photographs depict mothers of different species across the animal kingdom playing with their young. See David Rosenzweig’s prize-winning photo, taken in the Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa, of a leopardess snuggling her cub. Watch a video

Tuesdays only free admission to the Butterfly Pavilion where you can stroll among live butterflies; second floor, west side. Entry only by same-day timed ticket. Tickets are distributed at the Pavilion box office starting at 10 a.m. Lines form at museum opening, so get there early to secure tickets.

40 years ago, Rosenzweig’s grandparents lived in Johannesburg, South Africa. His grandfather was a Hebrew teacher and very active as a Jewish community leader, and his father was raised there as well. Rosenzweig feels that his deep interest in Africa — manifested in his photography, his undergraduate studies, and his travels to the continent to work on issues of conservation and development — is linked to his family’s time there. He is also a young man deeply rooted in his Jewish heritage. “I take the values and core tenets taught to me by Judaism and apply them to everything that I do in life,” Rosenzweig told Kol HaBirah. “Here at Stanford, I have found a wonderful Jewish community based at the Hillel. I am very proud of my Jewish faith. It permeates

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

everything that I do, including my wildlife and conservation photography!” You’ll no doubt return to the museum each year for the latest annual display of winners. The 2017 winners will be exhibited in the fall. Leave the rear of the exhibit, turn left, and pass the Korea Gallery for a quick glimpse of her culture. Enter the 100 Years of America’s National Park Service exhibit to your left for a whirlwind photographic tour of our national parks in their splendor. Head downstairs, enter Ocean Hall on the ground floor and, to your right, explore the coral reefs, coastal shores, and arctic ocean exhibits. Exit the hall, pass the Discovery Room to your right, and enter the Focus Gallery on your left in the Voices of Africa exhibit. The Mud Masons of Mali is a moving masterpiece about a magical mystery place. Meander to the rear, have a seat, make yourself at home, and watch the four short movies in Bambara with English subtitles and narration. The Mud City of Djenne, a World Heritage site, is the main subject. Take a side trip to the Africa exhibit to your left as you leave the Mud Masons of Mali. It’s a fascinating and exotic multi-media presentation that sheds much light on the mysterious continent. Author Jules Verne imagined travelling around the world in eighty days in a hot air balloon, and Steve Fossett’s record-breaking solo trip around the earth by hot air balloon took just under 15 days, but you won’t need an exotic conveyance or even need to leave your time zone to see some of the world’s wonders at the Smithsonian. Bon voyage and let’s go!

Natural History Museum 10th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. naturalhistory.si.edu (202) 633-1000 Admission is free.

Getting there: By Metro: Blue, orange, or silver line Smithsonian station. Walk up 12th Street to Madison Drive. Right to 10th Street entrance. Red line to Gallery Place station. Walk south on Ninth Street to Constitution Avenue. Left on Constitution to 10th Street entrance. Green or yellow lines to Archives-Navy Memorial station. Walk south on Seventh Street, right on Constitution Avenue to entrance on 10th Street. Metrobus: Numbers 305, 315, 325, 335, 345 to 10th St. and Constitution Avenue stop.

David Rosenzweig on safari. (PHOTO CREDIT: DAVID ROSENZWEIG PHOTOGRAPHY)

(Check wmata.com for service advisories before heading out.) DC Circulator: Red National Mall route, stop number four, Madison Drive and 12th Street. Walk to 10th Street entrance. Sundays 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Dinah Rokach moved to Kemp Mill in 2013. She is the sister of Joshua Rokach, a long-time resident, whose minyan she attends. As a retiree, she is free to see the many attractions in the area and is happy to share her discoveries.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT LARRY SHOR’S GREATER WASHINGTON

Kaufmann Camp By Larry Shor As the summer camp season begins, it brings to mind the camp I attended growing up here in Washington: Kaufmann Camp. From 1952 until it closed in 1984, nearly 25,000 kids from the Greater Washington area spent a part of their summers there. Each summer, there were three sessions to choose from, and each one was three weeks long. The camp was located on the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County, right between the two shtetlach of Plum Point and Dares Beach. Seed money for the camp came mostly from the Kaufmann family, the owners of Kay Jewelers, although others participated as well. This support allowed thousands of Jewish kids to attend the camp, regardless of their families’ ability to pay. The camp was run for most of its duration by Phil Fox and his wife, Sis. They were dearly beloved by everyone associated with the camp, and gave their hearts and souls to it. And, for us kids, we all loved it too. There were things about the camp that were so unique that, even now, we still get a laugh remembering them. The

At night, after a long, fun day, we would read by flashlight after lights out. bunks were two box-like structures with Some nights the counselor would tell us a bathroom between them. Beds had to a ghost story, which was perfect for right be made with “hospital corners,” foot- before bed! One night he told us a stolockers had to be placed under our beds, ry that I still remember nearly 50 years and all of our things had to fit in an open later: it was about he and his six friends pine cabinet called a “cubby.” The wa- who all graduated high school togethter came from wells, and we cut its acid er. Each year, on the anniversary of the taste by putting fruit-flavored tablets graduation, one would die in some tercalled Fizzies into it. rible manner. As we sat there in terror, When we went to swim, we at first by the light of a single flashlight, the story reached its climax as would go to the bay, but it he told us that that night became infested with jellywas the anniversary, and fish that could turn a perthat he was the last one son’s legs into swollen stems alive. At precisely that of pure pain. Later, we remoment, a figure burst joiced upon being taken to into the bunk and bea swimming pool, assuming gan to choke the counseit would have no jellyfish. lor. It was pre-planned, of It was great how everyone course, but I tell you that would dive right in, until our if it was possible for a eyes began to burn, at which 12-year-old to have a heart point we realized the pool attack, I think I would was filled with bay water! Me, my sister Karen, and have had one! Although Showers were always an my dad. not a religious camp, the adventure, too. The show- (PHOTO COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR) Foxes were able to instill ers were in a cinderblock square, and would have made a third in us a sense of Jewish camaraderie and arm a handy thing to have: one to pull unity. The camp even had its own song! the chain to make the water come out, Every Friday night, even if we didn’t one to hold the soap, and one to hit the fully understand at the time what Shabsnakes that crawled in. bat was, we knew it was special; we had

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to wear all white clothing, and we were served fried chicken. Then, it was off to the rec hall for services. Many times, I was given the honor of making Kiddush, perhaps because I could do it without a siddur (prayer book). I even won the talent contest during each of the four years I attended, which helped make up for the sting of not being able to get a girl to slow dance with me and having to stand there like a shlump while the Association hit “Cherish” played over the loudspeaker. The worst trouble we ever got in was when I was about 12 and we were caught smoking cigarettes (this was the 60s!). As punishment, we had to clear a trail in the woods for one solid week. They never told our parents, though; what happened at Kaufmann, stayed at Kaufmann. Many campers, including my sister Karen, went back for years as counselors. But by the middle of the 1980s the money dried up and the times changed. The Fox’s retired in 1979, and the camp limped along until it closed in 1984. Today, the property belongs to the family of the famous writer Tom Clancy. Every one of us who ever went there smiles when we think of it. It was a different, innocent time, and we were lucky to have been a part of it. NEXT TIME: My Friend, The Colonel

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

FUN & GAMES

THEME: THE 4TH OF JULY ACROSS 1. Like Catherine or Peter, in Russia 6. Norwegian band of "Take on Me" fame 9. "I call first ____!" 13. "Home on the ____" 14. Charlie Parker's style of jazz 15. Comedian Silverman 16. Not upright 17. Greek H 18. Acrobat maker 19. *Like the July 4th holiday 21. *Pre-state state 23. Thanksgiving tuber 24. Hold as a conviction 25. Ides mo. 28. Expunge 30. Catching like a cowboy 35. ____ 'n' Andy 37. Trash containers, e.g. 39. Of war and sea? 40. It wasn't built in a day 41. Happily ever when? 43. Car with a bar 44. Loud noise 46. Dublin land 47. Lecherous look 48. Lampoon 50. Pouches 52. Not sweet, as in wine 53. Plant anchor 55. Brown truck delivery company 57. *Traditional July 4th meal 60. *Fire____ 64. Filthy dough 65. Bird word 67. Tee off 68. Enclose in a recess 69. Big coffee server 70. Dine at home 71. Shakespeare's metrical unit 72. Hi-____ 73. Type of wheat DOWN 1. Tennis' Steffi

2. Denote as "PG," e.g. 3. Children's author Blyton 4. "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft ____" 5. Foursome 6. Cain's brother 7. *Like a dog 8. Rapidly 9. Type of cabinetry joint 10. De-wrinkler 11. "Rosemary's ____" 12. Anything female 15. Omega 3 source 20. Naked protozoa 22. "____ the fields we go" 24. ADA member 25. Jacobs and Anthony, e.g. 26. ____ ____ or a spy 27. *____ candle 29. *"____, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness" 31. ____ Mall, London 32. Like a Harvard building? 33. Name-chooser 34. *Old ____ 36. Seal with a kiss and do this 38. Plural of serum 42. Happen again 45. Patient's bed 49. Interesting person, acronym 51. Queen of these 54. Happen 56. Junk yard stuff 57. Wild feline 58. Ballistic missile acronym 59. Dungeness, e.g. 60. Flipside of pros 61. Flying toy 62. Reagan's reference to Russian "empire" 63. As opposed to own 64. Hula girl's flower 66. Metal-bearing rock

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

Answers to crossword

Answers to sudoku

● Each row and each column

must contain the numbers 1 through 4 (easy) or 1 through 6 (challenging) without repeating.

● The numbers within the heavily outlined boxes, called cages, must combine using the given operation (in any order) to

produce the target numbers in the top-left corners.

● Freebies: Fill in single-box cages with the number in the top-left corner.

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TRAVEL My Maimonidean Dilemma By Paul J. Blank As a member of the Jewish Text Department at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School, I teach courses in both halacha (Jewish law) and theology. The goals of these courses are, of course, different. What they have in common, however, is the influence of Maimonides (1135-1205). In courses that deal with halacha, we read the Mishneh Torah, Maimonides’ codification of Jewish law. In courses that deal with theology, we read “Guide for the Perplexed,” Maimonides’ attempt to explain Judaism in a rational way. Reflected in these writings is Maimonides’ ability to accommodate different interests, despite inherent tensions and even contradictions. Many years ago, I was visiting Tiberias, Israel, the burial place of Maimonides. I decided to go for an early morning run without any particular destination. A sign pointed in the direction of Mai-

Statue of Maimonides in his birthplace of Cordoba, Spain. (PHOTO CREDIT: PAUL J. BLANK)

(SOURCE: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS)

monides’ grave and, to my surprise, the gate to the cemetery was open. I bounded up the steps and found myself directly in front of Maimonides’ grave. I stood there in awe until I realized that I was not dressed appropriately; I felt particularly conscious of the fact I was not wearing a kippah and quickly, almost instinctively, put my hand on top of my head. This action was consistent with Maimonides’ halachic ruling in the Mishneh Torah (Hilchot Tefillah 5:5) that one should have his head covered when engaged in prayer. It seemed appropriate to extend this to the act of visiting a gravesite. After a few moments, however, I began to feel uncomfortable. Putting my hand on top of my head seemed wholly inconsistent with Maimonides’ rationalist approach found in “Guide for the Perplexed.” To be sure, even in this philosophical work, Maimonides does mention the practice of the sages covering their heads to show reverence to G-d (Guide 3:52). However, this is merely a historical note and, in any event, I did not consider putting my hand on top of my head while wearing sagging gym

shorts and a sweaty t-shirt to be particularly reverent. Indeed, to continue to put my hand on top of my head seemed superstitious and unworthy of Maimonides. I removed my hand from my head… but this also did not feel right. Finally, unable to resolve my dilemma and no longer feeling the awesomeness of that moment, I left the gravesite. A few years later, I traveled to Cordoba, Spain, the birthplace of Maimonides, and faced a similar dilemma. Cordoba is one of Europe’s most ancient cities, with an uninterrupted Jewish presence from the second century until the Spanish expulsion in 1492. The most significant period for the Jews was between the eighth and 11th centuries, when, under Islamic rule, Jewish intellectual, spiritual, and cultural life flourished. This period is called the “Golden Age” of Spanish Jewry. Today, there is no recognizable Jewish community in Cordoba, but tourists can still visit Cordoba’s old Jewish quarter, known as the Juderia. There is a synagogue built in 1315, as well as a small Jewish museum, the Casa de Sefarad, which contains items from pre-expulsion Jew-

ish homes and an exhibition on the Sephardic tradition. There is also an area dedicated to Ladino music. The centerpiece of the Jewish quarter is a statue of Maimonides, erected in 1965. It is located in the Plaza de Tiberiades, a name that creates an interesting link across space and time between Maimonides’ birthplace and his place of burial. It is ironic that the statue is in Cordoba; born after the “Golden Age” of Spanish Jewry, Maimonides eventually fled the city during a time of persecution of Jews and settled in Egypt. The statue depicts Maimonides sitting with an unidentified book in his lap (one could speculate that it is either the Mishnah Torah or “Guide for the Perplexed”). He has a beard and is wearing a long gown and turban. It is a tradition for those visiting the statue to rub Maimonides’ foot; over the years, it has become very shiny. This time, unlike my earlier experience in Tiberias, I approached the statue of Maimonides with a plan. I decided that I would take two photographs. For the first, I did not do anything special. For the second, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a kippah, and put it on my head! Thus, in one photograph I am standing next to the statue of Maimonides without a kippah and in the other with a kippah. I believe that this solution was something that Maimonides, himself, would have approved of. Maimonides was the author of both the Mishneh Torah and “Guide for the Perplexed” he was a rabbi, a philosopher, and a renowned physician). In both of his writings, and in his personal life, he was able to accommodate different interests, despite inherent tensions and even contradictions. Standing in front of his statue and taking inspiration from his example, I was finally able to resolve my Maimonidean dilemma. Paul J. Blank is a teacher at the Charles E. Smith Jewish Day School in Rockville, Maryland.

Around the World, No Passport Required By Haley Cohen Community News Intern See the world this summer without having to deal with jet lag and pricey airline tickets. Mark your calendar and enjoy these events around DC. June 25, 5:00 p.m. Michal Rataj and String Noise The Embassy of the Czech Republic presents Czech composer Michal Rataj and the classical, avant-punk violin duo String Noise as part of the project PragueNew York Effects. Admission is free.

Location: Embassy of the Czech Republic 3900 Spring of Freedom St. NW Washington, D.C. 20008 June 28, 5:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Dutch Drinks DC The Embassy of the Netherlands will host their third bi-monthly happy hour. Event is 21+. Location: B Too 1324 14th St. NW Washington, D.C. 20005 June 30, 6:00 p.m. French Embassy Reception Meet and socialize with French professionals, business people, and diplo-

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mats. Open bar featuring French wines and drinks. Tickets: $45-$75 Dress code: Reception/Cocktail attire Event is 21+ Location: Embassy of France 4101 Reservoir Rd. NW Washington, D.C. 20007 July 28, August 25 - September 10, 7:00 p.m. Sweden in the Park Swedish and Nordish folk dance lessons hosted by the Embassy of Sweden. Location: Glen Echo Park 7300 MacArthur Blvd. Glen Echo, MD 20812

(SOURCE: GOOGLE IMAGES)

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

TRAVEL

Connecting to the Land, Not the Phone: A Day With Israeli-Druze Youth By Aquila Mendez-Valdez Israel is home to approximately 140,000 members of the Druze faith, but today there are a dozen or so young students waiting patiently for me as I park my car next to the Shrine of the Prophet Bha’a Aldeen, a local Druze holy site. By this point, I have spent several months in Israel and have only heard whisperings about the Druze community. They remain something of a mystery to the outside world, with terms like “secret religion” and “hidden in plain sight” used at times to describe them. But Green Horizons, an organization that offers outdoor educational activities to Israeli youth, is hoping to shed new light on their fasci-

nating world by connecting Druze youth with nature and Israel as a whole. For today’s adventure, I’m joining a group of mostly eighth and ninth graders led by Mohammad Hamid. Everyone is from Beit Jann, a small village nestled high in the hills of Israel’s Upper Galilee. Hamid tells me we are going to hike up Mount Ha’Ari, meaning “lion” in Hebrew and named so because locals say lions lived in the area thousands of years ago. For the modern-day Druze youth, iPhones and Instagram have connected them to the outside world, but these hiking excursions are one way to renew their relationship with the land. Most of the kids speak both Hebrew and Arabic, and are currently learning English

in school, so they’re excited to practice their language skills with this American that’s joined the group. “We get together once a week and we have a lot of fun,” Ravea Nafaa, the most outgoing of the bunch, tells me. “We go camping all around this area, and even though we go to the same school, Green Horizons has brought us closer together.” After a few icebreaker games, we settle into a circle for mint tea and generous servings of manakeesh, a traditional pizza-like snack that the parents have prepared. Each of us gets to choose our preferred topping — tomato sauce or thyme, plus a whole tomato or cucumber for a side dish. I confess that I’ve never eaten a tomato or cucumber whole

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

like that before, and the hilarity of my awkward attempt at trying to is not lost in translation. Hamid also assigns each member of the group a task so that cleanup is done quickly. Beit Jann has one high school with around 200 kids in each grade, so the weekly Green Horizons meetings are a breath of fresh air and a unique learning experience for the students. “For many years, I dreamt of expanding our programs for Druze youth, and I am very happy that this year we have successfully opened three groups,” Lavi Zamir, CEO of Green Horizons, told me before my visit. “While we count Jewish National Fund (JNF)-USA as a partner, we hope to continue to raise the resources necessary to give every Druze kid the chance to be a part of this important program.” I was told how, after graduation, the boys will go to the army, while the girls will go off to university. Although the Druze people are part of Israel’s Arab minority, they have a long and proud history of serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “The Druze community is an integral part of Israeli society. I have fought alongside and commanded many Druze soldiers, and have friends from the community,” Zamir told me, explaining the uniqueness of Israel’s Druze population. Young women, however, do not serve in the military, but they still have ambitions to become doctors and teachers and explore the world outside their village. Green Horizons aims to prepare each of them for their journeys with challenging excursions, all of which are led by experienced counselors, like Hamid. “We learn how to make fires and survive in the wild, and it’s always an adventure,” says Jana Shaheen, one of the younger participants in the program. Standing at the edge of a scenic lookout, Hamid says Beit Jann is known as the “Switzerland of Israel,” drawing tourists who come for the horseback riding and stunning panoramic views. “Parents enroll their kids in this program in the hopes that it will get them outside and interacting with the environment around them. And it does,” he says. Zamir also explains that the program helps Druze youth meet their Jewish counterparts from nearby communities. “They travel and learn together, and it’s in this way that they understand how intertwined their communities are to each other and to the State of Israel,” he said. Looking out across the land, the kids call out the names of the cities dotting the landscape below us, and point to the highway that will take me home. Green Horizons may inspire them to take that road to far off lands and make a difference in the world, or they may come back to Beit Jann to lead a group of their own someday. No matter which path they take, one thing is certain: they will not only know how to survive, but thrive.

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ADVICE DEAR RIVKIE

Mother-Daughter Dueling Dear Rivkie, I am a teenage girl in a family with multiple siblings. My problem is that my mother and I often seem to be embroiled in one fight or another. Sometimes I don’t even know what it is I did wrong, so I don’t know how to apologize. What’s more, my mother seems to get along with my siblings better than with me. What can I do about this situation? Thank you, Fighting Faigy Dear Faigy, Zeeskeit, I feel your pain. Not only are you a teen, which is tough, but you feel misunderstood and upset. The good news is, I have some ideas to help you. First of all, know that your mother loves you very much, even if it seems like you fight a lot and that she doesn’t fight as much with your siblings. A mother’s children are like jewels. All are beautiful, sparkly, and extremely valuable, but they are all different from one another and she has to take care of each one a little differently. The hardest is a diamond, while the emerald is the softest, and rubies and sapphires lie in between. So, a

diamond might be more resilient, while an emerald needs a softer touch. This analogy is going on a little too long, but hopefully you get the gist. Another reason a parent might butt heads with a child is that they are very similar in personality. It could be that your mother admires the qualities in you that are different from her, while the qualities that you share can make her feel frustrated. This is especially true if you both have a short fuse and blow up easily, or are overly sensitive and take things the wrong way at times, which can quickly lead to hurt feelings and misunderstandings. A tool I have employed recently with people I may have trouble communicating with in person: texting. Yes, dear Faigy, this can be a valuable tool in relationship building. Listen closely, though. DO NOT text when you are angry, upset, or any other negative emotion whatsoever. This method is only to be used when you want to communicate something that you feel is easier not said face to face. Some examples: “Mommy, I need to talk to you but I don’t know where to start,” or “Mommy, let’s try to make up

from the argument we had a little while ago,” or “Mommy, I need you to give me a hug.” Moms love all these things! Remember that your mother is only human, just like you are, even if she is a mom. So you can’t just say whatever angry thing you want and expect her to be cool with it. Because she knows you aren’t little anymore, she wants to hold you accountable for your actions and words because she knows you can communicate better as you get older than, say, when you were four. Another thing to remember is that your mother loves you no matter what and sees you for the rare gem that you are. She wants the best for you and she also wants to learn to communicate better with you. So show her how. Keep the lines of communication open, send her a text when you are clear-headed, use Bitmoji to lighten things up (my 14-yearold daughter thinks I do a lot of Bitmoji and she thinks moms shouldn’t use it, but I bet you’d love to get one from your mom, am I right?), and do your best to control your temper. One last thing: We all have middos (character attributes) upon which we need to improve. Choose one or two to work on together with your mother,

"Another thing to remember is that your mother loves you no matter what and sees you for the rare gem that you are." (SOURCE: PINTEREST)

which could be an opportunity to bond with each other. Look at it as a summer assignment, a way to better yourself and improve your relationship. Faigy, I’m proud of you for asking this question. With a little work on your part and on your mother’s, you can be on your way to a beautiful relationship. Strengthened by extra work and commitment, it can become as strong as a diamond. All the best, Rivkie Have a question for Ask Rivkie? Send it to askrivkie@kolhabirah.com and you might get your answer in our next issue!

Summer Vacation Situation By Laura Goldman With school complete and summer in front of us, there can be a moment of dread when we realize that the three to eight hours a day in which the kids were occupied and supervised by others during the school year are now our responsibility again. Some of us will send the kids to camp. Others will do “Camp Mommy/Daddy” or go on vacation. Still others will have their children at home “hanging out.” Most will do some combination of these. Whatever choice you make, summer is a terrific opportunity to encourage kids. As with any of us, kids want to feel like their voices are heard and that they are capable and relevant people. During the summer break, when the pressure and the rigid schedules of the school year are relaxed, there are numerous opportunities for kids to step up and try their hand at things that they normally are unable, or we are unwilling, to let them do. For example, if you haven’t yet planned a family vacation, or you would like to take the kids on a day outing, you could take the opportunity to involve the children in the decision making. Consider sitting down with the fam-

ily and brainstorming ideas of where to go. If your children aren’t familiar with what is available, you might ask them about the type of vacation/outing they would like to go on; hiking, boating, activity centers, historic sites, and visits to family are just a few examples. Once everyone agrees upon a type of vacation, you could offer choices of several places that would satisfy that criteria. Then involve them in the tasks necessary to making that outing a reality. Ask an older child to research how to get to that place, or ask them if they would like to work on it with you. Ask younger children to decide on what toys, snacks, and videos to bring along. In involving the children, you enable them to feel like an important part of the decision, which increases their sense of self-worth. And you also earn the coveted “buy-in” from the kids, which should make the trip much more enjoyable. Another benefit to involving the children is that they will get exposure to and training in a new set of skills. They will learn how to organize a trip, listen to others, collaborate, research logistics, and plan for necessities. While at the beginning of training the child is more of an observer, soon thereafter the roles switch and the child begins to take responsibility for pieces of the project with the parent as overseer. Before long,

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(SOURCE: DIRECT ENERGY)

the child can do things without oversight. I have a friend whose son, by the age of 13, was savvy about accumulating and using airline miles and took responsibility for booking all the family airline reservations. Summer is also a great time to teach kids how to assume more of the responsibility for themselves and the family. Children as young as five can learn how to set a table and clear dishes. Children eight and older can start learning how to do basic cooking, laundry, and cleanup. They can learn how to clean a bathroom, sew on a button, spray the table, or make a menu. They can learn how to make their own lunch — a skill that will come in very handy when they start school again. While the objective is not to cre-

ate Cinderellas, the summer is a great opportunity to enable children to learn how to contribute meaningfully to the family and become more self-sufficient. Needless to say, training and engaging kids takes a good deal of time. And while it is summer vacation for the kids, it might not be for the parents. Work on one skill at a time and be patient — with yourself and them. And employ your child’s creative brain in decision-making discussions as often as possible. Then watch for the results: the blessing of engaged and self-reliant kids.

Laura Goldman is a parent educator and coach. She is the principal and founder of Arise, LLC, a leadership and parent coaching practice. She can be reached at laura@arisenext.com.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

ADVICE

The Costs of Buying a House By Moshe Kaplan Buying a home is part of the American dream. Thousands of Americans will realize their dream this summer when they purchase their first house. But how much does a house really cost? Once you decide you’re interested in a house, you’ll want a home inspection ($500) to determine if the house has any serious issues. If you uncover any major issues and decide to walk away, you’ll be out $500, but that’s far cheaper than spending tens of thousands of dollars doing repairs. You can also use the findings from the home inspection to negotiate a lower price from the buyer. In Maryland, you’ll also want a radon test to check if the house has dangerous levels of radon, a carcinogenic, odorless gas. The buyer is often responsible to install the mitigation (around $1,000), but the radon test will add another $150 to your inspection. With the results of your homeowner’s inspection and radon test, you can be confident that you truly want the

house. But what’s your plan to pay for it? If you have the cash on hand, you’re set. But if you don’t have the roughly $400,000+ needed to pay for the house outright, you’ll need to take out a mortgage. Your down payment should be at least five percent of the house’s value, and preferably 20 percent in order to get a better interest rate and avoid paying mortgage insurance. That will require $20,000 to $80,000, depending on what percentage you put down. You’re so far at about $650 for the inspection and preferably $80,000 for the down payment. But there are still closing costs that can run $10,000 to $20,000. The closing costs consist of the payments due at closing, including your loan fees, taxes, and insurances. The loan fees include the fee for originating the loan, or actually lending you the money ($0-$2,000) and the lender’s appraisal ($500). Transfer taxes and government recording fees aren’t cheap either, although there is a discount for a first-time homebuyer ($2,000 to $4,000). Lender’s title insurance ($2,000) protects the lender from third-parties claims and liens to the property — although you’ll be the one paying it. It is also wise to get your

own title insurance ($1,500) — you don’t want to be stuck with suing the seller to get your money back if they couldn’t legally sell you the property! Last, you’ll also need to prepay the interest until your first mortgage payment ($0-$2,000) and the next year’s homeowner’s insurance ($1,000) and property taxes ($2,000). Congratulations! You’re the proud owner of 20% of a house! By now you’ve locked $80,000 in your home equity, dropped $11,000 on various fees at closing, and signed up for a roughly $2,000 per month payment. And you haven’t even moved in, painted, or furnished yet! When you rent an apartment, the most you’ll ever spend in a month is your rent. Toilet broken? Not your problem. Roof leaks? Not your problem. Air conditioner is out? Still not your problem. No matter what goes wrong, you’re only responsible for paying your rent — your landlord is on the hook for everything else. Once you own a house, these problems are all yours. Now you need to be the one to find the plumber, schedule a time for repair, and pay them to fix it. This means your mortgage payment will be

the minimum you’ll be spending each month. Most months will be uneventful, but you’ll need to plan and save for the big-ticket costs and repairs like your roof, furnace, air conditioner, and boiler. Prepare for this eventuality by setting aside some money each month in advance. So, with all these expenses, why does anyone buy a house? Because once you buy a house, it’s yours. You’ll never be forced to move because your landlord needs the space or the rent is too high. If you want to, you can knock down a wall, extend a room, or build an addition. And at the end of your 30-year mortgage, you’ll own the house outright, substantially decreasing your monthly expenses during retirement. Home ownership isn’t for everyone, but it has excellent benefits for those who can make it work. Don’t let the high costs scare you away — very few people regret purchasing their home. But it’s important to be aware howmuch it will cost so that you’re not living paycheck-to-paycheck in a beautiful house which you can’t afford to maintain. The goal is to strike a balance: Purchase a house you are happy with that is also within your means. Good luck to all homebuyers this summer!

JOB SEARCH NUGGETS

Skype Interviews By David Marwick for KempMillJobAssist

also important. Harsh lighting can make you look washed out.

In the previous issue, we discussed phone interviews, and today we move on to Skype interviews. Skype interviews are increasingly used to vet candidates. Crystal Chen says that her company, Coursera, “uses Skype for a good 90 percent of our first-round interviews.” Perhaps this is an extreme example, but it is likely a herald of things to come. To convey the complexities, Chen says that a Skype interview is “like being on TV, except you’re filming, directing, and acting in this role.” The basic rules about preparing for an interview are the same whether it is conducted in person, by phone, or by Skype, but following the medium-specific tips below can make your Skype interview more successful.

Setting Make sure that you will not be disturbed during the interview — by people or pets barging into your room, or by noise from another room. Have a neutral background that will not compete with your attire. Soft but adequate lighting is

Equipment Have the right equipment. Chen suggests: “Don’t rely on the built-in microphone unless you want to sound like you’re in a bat cave. Get a dedicated microphone and test it out.” Michaela Gianotti adds that using a headset will help your audience “hear you more clearly and with less distracting background noises.” Similarly, make sure you have a solid internet connection, because a dropped call distracts from the interview and may reflect poorly on you. Lisa Rangel of Chameleon Resumes suggests: “Test yourself by filming yourself answering some sample questions.” It’s good to have a backup plan in case your internet connection fails you. Options include a landline, cellphone, or Google chat. Rescheduling the interview is a last resort.

Attire “Avoid standing out,” advises “Ace Your Interview” author Lisa B. Marshall. “You want them to remember what

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

you said, not what you wore.” As Rangel notes, “Prints and patterns can overpower the screen and make it hard for the interviewer to watch you.” She also suggests: “Full dress for the call.” That means dressing head to toe, not just head to waist. Wearing your comfy Hawaiian shorts with your collared shirt and suit jacket is fine — unless you need to stand up for any reason. Marshall provides extensive suggestions, especially for women, on colors, makeup, and jewelry.

Body Language You want to keep your eyes on the camera, not on the view from your screen. Chen quotes a tip from Paul Bailo, author of “The Essential Digital Interview Handbook,” for helping you appear to be looking right at the interviewer: Download a photo of the hiring manager, print it, and make a hole in the photo to allow the camera lens to see through. “Now you can look at the photo, which makes it more human to conduct your digital interviews,” says Bailo. Moreover, make sure your body language expresses that you’re engaged. “As you’re communicating, lean forward,”

suggests Bailo. “This will show interest and concern and will engage your audience. It will also convey eagerness and willingness to listen.” Just be careful not to overdo it. “Even more so than in an in-person interview, avoid excessive physical movements.” “Put on your best newscaster face,” says Rangel. “You have to be a little more animated and expressive than you would in person to convey your enthusiasm.”

Additional Tips You should have all backup materials (job description, cover letter, resume, etc.) readily accessible on your computer, so that you don’t need to riffle through a stack of papers to find something. Also, turn off all notifications, so that you won’t be disturbed during your interview. Bottom line: Check out everything ahead of time: the background and lighting, the microphone and computer connection, your attire, and your “look” on camera. David Marwick is KempMillJobAssist’s workshop coordinator. He studied economics at George Washington University and worked as an economist for George Washington University and the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

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ADVICE

Singles Sound Off: Long-Distance Relationships Anonymous Female Single: A few years ago, I was pretty big on long distance dating. I have warm memories of waking up early and making the trek to New York City to meet someone. I’d arrive in midtown by late morning, scurry off the bus to apply makeup in a Starbucks restroom before my date would pick me up. Yup, those were the days. Oh wait-did I say “warm memories”? The only thing warm about this situation was my bottle of Diet Coke after a 4+ hour bus ride. I was ready for a committed relationship and as my list of local dateable men dwindled, I deduced that dating out of the area was my best chance at finding my person. I networked with friends who would set me up and I resolved to visit New York often for the purpose of dating. Here is what would typically happen: we go out and it is pleasant, cordial. My date drops me off at the bus stop that will take me home. He calls me the following day with The Speech. “Hey, I had a great time, and I’m so flattered you’d come all this way to date me but I don’t think we are for each other.” A well-formulated, scripted heap of nonsense. You want to show gratitude? Afford me the same opportunity I gave you. I can’t say I

was deeply enamored with any of those dates but the difference is that I was willing to see where it would go. I was too determined on my goal of marriage to realize why he wasn’t. The men I went out with had a plethora of young women to date in the Tristate area, so why should he bother schlepping to the DC area? I get the sense that if he had felt fireworks, he would pursue me — but then, that’s how I felt even when I was living in NYC: disposable. This sense of entitlement would lead anyone to feel neglected and under-appreciated, qualities that are unattractive in a long term partner. So I established some new boundaries — I’d be happy to go out, as long as my date would travel or meet me part way for the first date. This would serve as a litmus test for where their priorities lay and would hopefully lead me to potential dates who cared. I spoke to one of my friends, Serena*, who shared her thoughts on the challenges of long distance dating. The aspect she found the most difficult in establishing a relationship was communication. “The guys were not as good at sending their thoughts over text,” she said. “They would send brief texts while I would text all of my feelings and thoughts. Not

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seeing them makes me feel like they’re not interested because they aren’t reciprocating with thoughts and feelings.” I also asked one of my friends, Kayla*, about how she met and dated her husband — in another country. “Before we actually met, we had talked on FaceTime and Skype every night for a couple of months, so we already had a connection, she said. “Meeting solidified the fact that we wanted to be together.” Kayla mentioned that although dating lost distance was challenging, the potential was there. “That is what made us want to invest in the relationship,” Kayla explained. “When you’re invested in something and you feel like it’s going somewhere, you’re going to work harder to get it. We both wanted it and that’s why I feel it worked.” Frequent and effective communication is a cornerstone of any successful relationship and long distance dating is no exception. In fact, it just may be significantly more critical to communicate when people date long distance to compensate for the fact that they aren’t together as often. I’m not one to dispense marriage advice or instruct others on how to navigate Jewish dating, but I can tell you this: dat-

ing, whether long distance or down the block, is a two-way street. Both parties must put in true effort and willingness to explore the possibility of a relationship. * Names have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals mentioned.

Anonymous Male Single: With the advent of the age of artificial intelligence, it seems inevitable that new technology will be put to uses both brilliant and dubious. Appropriately linking disparate computer processes into one cohesive and coherent neural network seems to stand as the sine qua non for a truly creative artificial mind, but the day when we will all be rendered obsolete seems to stand far in the distance. One researcher, Janelle Shane, has experimented with her own artificial neural network for purposes ranging from creating new recipes (“Step 4: Discard head and turn into a nonstick spice”) or superhero names (“Superbore”), but most recently she has applied it the oldest of art forms: the pickup line. With gems like “I have a really falling for you,” to “Are you a camera? Because I want to see the most beautiful than you,” to

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June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

ADVICE DATING

In-Town Versus Out-of-Town: Going the Extra Mile While Dating By Rachel Burnham There are differences of opinion regarding the issue of “long distance” dating; that is, between those who live “in-town” (i.e., the Tri State area) and those who reside “out-of-town.” In-towners often insist on dating only within their zone, because the world outside is hard to get to. To make it there, you have to travel, make time, and spend money. While I have to agree with the in-towners that the inherent difficulties of dating out-of-town are hard to avoid, I would caution them not to let their faith in hashgacha pratis — Hashem’s hand in our dating success — to inadvertently paint them into a corner. It is reasonable to request Hashem’s assistance in dating, but less reasonable to dictate the terms on which that assistance can come. If you will only accept a date with someone with a specific look or career and living in certain zip codes, there is very little wiggle room for His plan to play itself out. All other things being equal, if one is faced with two people to date it would

be fair to opt for the more conveniently accessible person. All things are never equal though. There are too many people who refuse to even consider someone out of their self-imposed comfort zone. While you might have dating options in convenient proximity, that doesn’t mean they are necessarily better for you as a dating option. In fairness, this cuts both ways. Just as there are guys who won’t venture farther south than Exit 13 on the New Jersey Turnpike, there are girls who refuse to move their lives north of that exit. Relationships fundamentally require compromise; travel and/or relocation might be a good place to start. While I encourage singles to travel that extra dating mile for a relationship that has promise, I do recognize that this travel can be both expensive and disruptive to a tight working schedule. Here are some tips to make for a more smooth and productive distance dating experience. Measure Twice, Cut Once: Considering the greater investment you’ll be making in this relationship, it’s fair to spend more time making sure the relationship has promise before you begin. You might even want to mention to references that

you’re calling from out-of-town to impress on them the importance of your getting accurate information. 2017 Holds Options: While I believe it’s wise to have first dates in person whenever possible, beyond the initial meeting/s you can certainly make use of Skype, FaceTime, and other communication tools to further your long-distance relationship. For video chatting, I’d recommend making sure you have a high-quality web cam, even lighting, and an uncluttered background. Halfway is Okay: Sometimes it’s not necessary for one or the other of you to travel the full distance. If you’re in Silver Spring and he’s in New Jersey, why not spend the afternoon in historic Philadelphia? Make a Date Out of It: If you’re traveling anyway, why not find out if there are dating options for you at your destination. If you’ve got a conference in Chicago, call a friend of yours in the Windy City and ask if there are any eligible singles they can recommend. If you’re spending Yom Tov in Israel, don’t forget that close to half of the Jewish world’s singles live in that Middle Eastern strip.

Most importantly, remember that dating — like life — is a journey! If you don’t learn to enjoy the ride, both figuratively and literally, you’ll be losing opportunities for some of the most fascinating and thrilling experiences. The shortest route to your longest relationship might not be as short as you anticipated! Rachel Burnham earned both her BA in psychology and MA in occupational therapy in New York City. While OT may be her profession, her deepest passion lies in Jewish outreach, which she’s been active in her entire adult life. Rachel also coaches Jewish singles to successful marriages, giving them clarity and peace of mind as they navigate the path to love, connection, and lifelong companionship. You can contact her at Rachel@d8gr8.com.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Growing with Gesher By Alex Frame On June 15, I graduated from eighth grade at Gesher Jewish Day School (Gesher JDS) in Fairfax, Virginia. It has been an amazing experience. Graduation is a big step. For many it is going to a new school, meeting new people, and having new expectations and experiences. For me, it is all of that plus a new home in a new state as I prepare to attend boarding school at the American Hebrew Academy (AHA) in North Carolina. As I thought about my impending adventures, I found a connection in parshat Shelach. In Shelach, many things happen, but the event I want to focus on is Moshe sending the twelve spies to the soon-to-be land of Israel. You may know that this mission turned into a complete disaster. When the spies returned, 10 out of 12 of them told Bnei Yisrael that there were giants living in the land, the fruits were massive, the land devours its inhabitants, and the land is too heavily fortified. This led the peo-

ple to want to return to Egypt rather than enter the land of Israel. The question we have here is why would Moshe send the spies in the first place when the people asked him to? Why didn’t he just say no? We learn that Moshe, one of our greatest teachers, was concerned that sending the spies would be a mistake. He was concerned that the Jewish people had just come from slavery, and Hashem had been protecting them in the desert with visible miracles so they would not be able to make independent decisions. But like all good teachers, Moshe knew that sometimes you must let people, your students, make their own decisions, even if the outcome is not good. Bnei Yisrael was about to go into a new land, where they would have to make daily important choices. Moshe understood that he needed to allow them to start making their own choices already so that they would be prepared when they entered Eretz Yisrael, the land of Israel. This brings me to my Gesher JDS teachers. Back when I was starting out in kindergarten, my teachers made most

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

of my decisions for me. They understood that I was learning how to be a good student with good character. Like all good teachers, my teachers knew that I was not ready to make important choices independently. But year-by-year, they guided me and gave me small freedoms so I would be prepared for the next grade and stage. Now, fast forward to eighth grade with Mrs. Rosenblatt. She understands that the teachers before her have paved the way forward for me. They have given me the resources and tools to make good educational and social decisions and she encourages me to do just that. Now, back to the spies. You may be asking yourself why the spies decided to speak so negatively about what they saw

Singles Sound Off: LongDistance Relationships ÁÁ CONTINUED FROM P. 51 my personal favorite, “You look like a thing and I love you,” Shane’s computer seems like it may be stuck in an awkward phase of its social development. The awkwardness, weakness, and imbalance of intent introduced by this

in Israel. The sages teach us that once the spies got into this new foreign land, they thought about not having G-d’s miracles anymore. They were afraid that if they moved to the land of Israel, they might not be successful without the daily visible miracles of Hashem. Now, back to Gesher. As I move to a new land, North Carolina, and high school, I will not have my Gesher teachers “visible.” However, what I have learned from the spies’ mistakes was that I am able to bring the values and lessons I learned here at Gesher to my new home. I know that with my Gesher education, my emuna, faith, that Hashem is with me, and I will be able to be successful. Thank you Gesher JDS and mazel tov to the class of 2017.

development in technology is actually one that will be perpetuated further with any use of electronic communication between a couple that is dating, especially if it’s long distance. The optimal way to build a relationship is face to face, experiencing each other and learning to communicate together as

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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SPOTLIGHT

Samantha Zenlea Interviewed by Batya H. Carl Samantha Zenlea, 28, is originally from Framingham, Massachusetts, and currently lives in "the Q Street Dorms" (aka. with all of the other Jews in Georgetown). She studied biology and government as an undergrad and got her Masters in public health. She does Medicare and Medicaid advocacy for a nonprofit. 1.) Describe a recent trip you took. What is your favorite memory from it? I went to New York last week for my cousin’s bar mitzvah. A favorite memory is chatting away with him over Shabbat dinner (at the top of our lungs, of course). He was so excited that when his mother insisted he give me a 10-minute break to eat, he lasted 45 seconds before running back to keep talking about his favorite books. 2.) What are you looking forward to the most this summer?

Hanging with all the cool kidz at the pool Shabbat afternoons! A great place to watch community kids learn how to swim and be generally adorable, eat good snacks from Costco, and catch up with friends. 3.) What is your greatest accomplishment thus far? Remaining close friends separately with my college and current roommates. Seriously, living with girls can be the worst, but for me it’s been the best. 4.) What is on your Amazon Wish List? I don’t have an Amazon Wish List, because the In My Head Wish List is a way better method of organizing my life. Items on my mental wish list include a new laptop (I’m practical, see?), various Doctor Who DVDs (planning ahead for the day Amazon loses the rights), and plane tickets to destinations TBD (I know, not purchasable on Amazon — just go with it). 5.) How do you like to spend long Shabbat afternoons in DC?

See #2. See you there! 6.) What is the most beautiful place you have been to? Hawaii (or Ha-VA-ii as they say there) was pretty darn gorgeous. London was also beautiful in a totally different way. I also drink the Kool-Aid and love the beauty of the monuments in DC. Basically, I can make an argument for a lot of places. 7.) What does happiness look like to you? Sunday Fundays with my friends. Visiting my family for holidays or just

because. Traveling the world. Re-reading “Harry Potter” or re-watching “Friends” for the umpteenth time. In other words, there is more than one way to skin a cat. (Although to be clear, I am not condoning the skinning of cats.) 8.) “How deep is your love?” Poor Calvin Harris, shunned by T-Swizzle. 9.) What never fails to make you laugh? My big brother. I often repeat his jokes and observations to anybody who wants to hear them, much to the consternation of those who spend enough time with me to hear my stories repeated several times. 10.) Which relationship (fiction or real life) would you hope to emulate in your own life? My grandparents, who were married for 61 years and enjoyed going to Costco together as much as going to Europe together. Interested in connecting with this week’s featured young professional? Email Ypspotlight@kolhabirah.com.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

My Experience at the Comey Hearing By Roey Herzfeld “You have to go, an event like this happens once in a lifetime,” said my 10th grade history teacher at Berman Hebrew Academy. “This is real history,” In one of the most hyped Congressional hearings in recent history, on June 8 former FBI Director James Comey testified before the Senate Select Intelligence Committee regarding Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. After Trump fired Comey on May 9, America was eager to gain insight into the president’s decision and the inner workings of an administration perceived to be fraught with controversies. Nearly a month later, Comey was given the chance to tell his side of the story America watched and listened on their TVs and smartphones. “It’s my judgment that I was fired because of the Russia investigation,”

Singles Sound Off: LongDistance Relationships ÁÁ CONTINUED FROM P. 52 a unit. Spending long stretches of time apart means resorting to baser forms of communication, which lend themselves to miscommunication, along with an inability to properly develop true connection and emotion for each other. All of this is based upon relationships that have actually commenced. Oftentimes, individuals who are dating don’t

said Comey at one point. “I was fired in some way to change, or the endeavor was to change, the way the Russia investigation was being conducted.” Comey made it clear that he believes he was fired because of the work he did regarding Russia, but left the “obstruction of justice” claim against Trump up to the prosecutors to determine. This showed Comey’s understanding of his previous role, which he’d held since 2013, and the government’s system of checks and balances; he was the one who gathered information, and Congress was and still is there to examine and act upon it. One thing that stood out for me was how a president can put pressure on someone without explicitly expressing himself. In a private conversation he had with President Trump regarding the FBI’s investigation of former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak and his involvement with Kremlin-fund-

ed news channel Russia Today, Comey testified that the president said “I hope you can let this go.” Senator Kamala Harris (D–CA) summed it up well: “In my experience of prosecuting cases, when a robber held a gun to somebody’s head and said, ‘I hope you will give me your wallet,’ the word ‘hope’ was not the most operative word at that moment.” Facing orders from the leader of the free world, Comey took it as direction and faced an ultimatum: Stop the investigation or lose your job. Comey chose the latter, and faced the consequences. In his answers to the committee, Comey’s revelations of shady dealings extended beyond the current administration to the Obama administration as well. He said former Attorney General Loretta Lynch to describe the Clinton email situation as a “matter” rather than an “investigation” during the 2016 election in the interests of decreasing pub-

have the time or resources to invest in a long-distance relationship, and will therefore prioritize dating individuals local to their area of residence rather than exploring potential mates who live further away. If you feel left by the wayside, it may be time to consider making the leap into city life to get a little closer to the action. None of this is to say that a long-distance relationship can’t work; rather that it will inevitably introduce strain into any relationship. If your relationship is solid (if not perfect), you’ll survive, and if

it isn’t, it will create real issues. Anecdotally, just this week I heard about a marriage that has worked happily with the couple living apart for a year at a stretch (with intermittent visits), while a couple who dated seemingly blissfully for two months while living in the same vicinity immediately broke into strife and discord when separated by the Great Plains for a period of 10 days. Your relationship is what you make of it, and if you are committed to each other and making things work, then

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lic suspicion against the administration’s choice of successor. As I sat surrounded by members of our elected officials, I remembered the words of Senator Mark Warner’s opening statement: “It’s not about who won or lost [the election]. And it sure as heck is not about Democrats versus Republicans.” The issue our government is grappling with right now is bigger than a conflict between parties, bigger than a foreign policy issue, and bigger than a firing of an FBI director. Regardless of party, people in power in our government are using that power to force government public servants such as James Comey into no-win situations, and this is more widespread than Trump and Lynch. It is a threat to the institutions we hold dear and it is time our government cleaned up its act. Roey Herzfeld is going into his junior year at Berman Hebrew Academy in Rockville, Maryland. He attends Ohev Sholom - The National Synagogue in Washington, D.C. and is a regular contributor to Kol HaBirah’s Sports section.

“Many waters cannot quench love, nor can the rivers drown it” (nor, I would add to the wise words of King Solomon, the separation of a measly few thousand miles). If this is a situation you find yourself in, every effort should be made to maintain good lines of communication, maximizing the amount of time in close proximity, and remembering now and then to reach out and let your special someone know: You look like a thing, and I love you.

June 22, 2017 • 28 Sivan, 5777

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

Community Calendar June 2017 Sunday

Monday

24 Sivan

25 Sivan

Female Physicians Affinity Group Time: 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Location: 8215 Old Georgetown Road, Bethesda MD 20814

Tuesday

26 Sivan

Wednesday

27 Sivan

Third Annual AJC Washington Symposium Time: 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Location: Washington Hebrew Congregation

1 Tammuz

2 Tammuz

Annual Yad Zlata Benefit Concert Time: 7:00pm Location: Berman Hebrew Academy

3 Tammuz

Thursday

28 Sivan

Friday

29 Sivan

6 Tammuz

Saturday

30 Sivan

Introduction to Judaism Date: Thursday, June 22, 2017 Time: 7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Location: Edlavitch DCJCC

4 Tammuz

5 Tammuz

7 Tammuz

MIDC Day at the Israeli Embassy Time: 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM Location: MIDC Day at the Israel Embassy

July 2017 Sunday

Monday

8 Tammuz

9 Tammuz

Tuesday

10 Tammuz

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

11 Tammuz

12 Tammuz

13 Tammuz

14 Tammuz

18 Tammuz

19 Tammuz

20 Tammuz

21 Tammuz

Happy Fourth of July!

15 Tammuz

A Conversation with Rav Herzl Hefter Time: 10:30 am - 12:30 pm Location: Kemp Mill Rec Center (120 Claybrook Drive)

16 Tammuz

17 Tammuz

Fast - 17th of Tammuz

Want your event included? Please email your community event to communitycalendar@kolhabirah.com Events are subject to change; please visit host website before planning.

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