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he American airstrike assassination of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, in Baghdad early on Friday follows a major miscalculation on the part of Tehran in the decision to up the ante against the United States. While the extent of Iran’s response is not yet clear, military planners in the region, including in Israel, will need to prepare

for the most severe scenarios. Even though Iran may seek to launch a calculated retaliation, which would exact a price without going to war, no one can be sure of where events will go next. Indications of Iran’s intent to escalate in the region were already apparent in late November, when U.S. Gen. Kenneth F. McKenzie, the head of the military’s Central Command responsible for the

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A Hate Crime In My Hometown

The Siyum HaShas and The Survivors’ Talmud By Gwen Horowitz

Are you concerned about your child’s development?

Issue #9

Qassem Soleimani receives a medal from Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. (source: Wikimedia Commons)

By Nachi Troodler

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January 10, 2020 13 Tevet, 5780 Parshat Vayechi Candle Lighting: 4:36 pm

Iran Crossed Red Line with Trump Administration; US, Israel, Region Braces for Response By Yaakov Lappin/JNS

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he Survivors’ Talmud is an edition published in the United States Zone in Allied-Occupied Germany at the request of Holocaust survivors in the displaced persons camps. At the Rabbi Mordecai Terebelo, Menahel 13th Siyum HaShas, at Politz Hebrew Academy and rabbi held on January 1 at at Congregation Ahavas Torah, MetLife Stadium in New examines the gemara together with Jersey, the siyum was his students. made by Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky using a volume was an overflow crowd of from this printing. More than nearly 20,000 people at the 90,000 people were present at MetLife Stadium, and there CONTINUED ON P. 26

’ve driven down Forshay Road in Monsey hundreds of times. Having grown up in Monsey less than two miles from there, I’ve traveled that road on countless occasions during the course of my lifetime. However, as I drove down Forshay Road on Sunday afternoon, December 29, things were noticeably different. News trucks lined both sides of the street, TV reporters were doing live interviews, and there were hordes of people walking in various directions. Approximately 15 hours earlier, on Motzei Shabbat, December 28, a man walked

into the home of Rabbi Chaim Leibish Rottenberg as people were gathered there to celebrate the seventh night of Chanukah. After entering the rabbi’s home, he unsheathed a large machete and began stabbing people, seriously wounding several of them. The attacker then attempted to enter Rabbi Rottenberg’s shul, Congregation Netzach Yisroel, which is located next door to the rabbi’s home, but thankfully those inside the shul heard the commotion from the house and locked the door, thereby preventing the attacker from getting in and likely saving lives.

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W IDF DATA SHOWS ROCKET ATTACKS UP, TERROR ATTACKS DOWN IN 2019

(JNS) The Israel Defense Forces released a report on Sunday summarizing Israel’s military activity in 2019. According to the report, terrorist acts declined in 2019, while rocket-fire at Israeli population centers rose—1,295 rockets were launched from Gaza, with 729 landing in open areas and 478 being intercepted by the Iron Dome air defense system, according to the report. About 85 percent of the rockets targeted population centers. The tally was the highest in a single year since 2014, when Israel fought its third war against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Terror attacks stood at 51—approximately one per week—in 2019, down from 76 in 2018. The Israel Air Force carried out over 1,800 combat deployments and over 40,000 flight hours with unmanned aerial vehicles in one of its busiest years in the past decade, also taking part in 213 rescue missions which evacuated 158 wounded people, primarily civilians. The report also showed that the IDF thwarted hundreds of cyber-attacks against Israel over the course of the year, including the first by Hamas.

PALESTINIAN TERRORIST CONVICTED FOR 2018 MURDER OF ARI FULD

(JNS/Israel Hayom) An Israeli military court has convicted the Khalil Jabarin, 18, for the 2018 murder of Israeli-American Ari Fuld. The court at the Ofer military base convicted Jabarin on a charge of voluntary manslaughter, the court’s equivalent of murder. Fuld was stabbed in the back by the then-16-year-old Jabarin at the shopping center at the Gush Etzion junction on Sept. 16, 2018. Fuld drew his sidearm and managed to shoot his attacker, preventing him from assaulting other civilians in the area, before collapsing and being rushed to a hospital, where doctors declared him dead. For his heroism, Fuld was posthumously awarded a civilian medal of valor. His family put out a statement expressing their satisfaction with the verdict and called for Israel to implement a death sentence for terrorists. “We’re happy about the ruling to convict the loathsome terrorist on the severest charge possible and we hope he will receive the maximum sentence. In a functional world, this terrorist criminal would get the death sentence to deter anyone who is thinking about going out and attacking Jews. There is one solution for

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future deterrence—the death sentence for terrorists,” the statement said. The family asked that the nation’s leaders wage a fierce battle against terrorism. “We are appealing to the prime minister and the defense minister; we will carry the pain with us for the rest of our lives. Your job is to be strong. To defend the citizens of Israel on all fronts, to put down roots in our homeland, to deepen our hold on this good land, to strengthen [our] sovereignty in all parts of the homeland without bowing down to terrorism or being weakened by despicable murderers,” said the statement.

IRAN WITHDRAWS FROM NUCLEAR DEAL, PLANS TO ENRICH URANIUM ‘WITHOUT RESTRICTIONS’

(JNS) Iran announced on Sunday that it will enrich uranium “without restrictions” in what would be an apparent move to withdraw from the 2015 the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal. The development, reported by Iranian state TV, comes just days after the United States killed the head of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force, Maj. Gen, Qassem Soleimani, in an airstrike in Iraq on Thursday. “As 5th & final REMEDIAL step under paragraph 36 of JCPOA, there will no longer be any restriction on number of centrifuges This step is within JCPOA & all 5 steps are reversible upon EFFECTIVE implementation of reciprocal obligations,” tweeted Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, who also mentioned that Iran will still cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Ahead of Sunday’s announcement, Iran has been installing dozens of advanced centrifuges to accelerate uranium enrichment, violating the 2015 agreement. A centrifuge enriches uranium through spinning uranium hexafluoride gas. Iran is allowed to operate solely 5,060 older IR-1 centrifuges, per the nuclear accord, which also allows the Islamic Republic to have far less advanced centrifuges for research purposes, not to enrich uranium. Over the summer, Iran has vowed to exceed the agreement’s limits on research and development. In July, the IAEA confirmed that the regime surpassed the uranium-enrichment limit under the agreement. In November, the agency stated it discovered uranium traces at an undeclared site in Iran, verifying such allegations made by the United States and Israel. The traces have been deemed to be a uranium product that has been mined and partially processed, but not enriched.

HEZBOLLAH’S NASRALLAH THREATENS US FORCES IN THE MIDDLE EAST

(JNS) Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said on Sunday that the U.S. military “will pay a price” for the assassination in Iraq of Iranian Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani, the AP reported. In a speech broadcast on large screens in southern Beirut, Nasrallah said that U.S. bases, warships and soldiers in the region were all fair targets, but that American civilians should not be targeted because it would play into U.S. President Donald Trump’s hands. “The suicide attackers who forced the Americans to leave our region in the past are still here and their numbers have increased,” said Nasrallah, according to the report. “When American troops return [home] in coffins, when they come vertically and return horizontally to the United States of America, then [U.S. President Donald] Trump and his administration will know that they lost the region and will lose the elections,” he added. The speech was interrupted as the crowd chanted “Death to America,” according to the AP. Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands across Iran mourned Soleimani’s death on Sunday, according to Reuters. State TV showed huge crowds chanting and crying. Separately on Sunday, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Trump about the situation. “Given the recent rise in tensions in Iraq and the region, the President of the Republic highlighted his total solidarity with our allies in light of the attacks carried out in recent weeks against the coalition in Iraq,” Macron’s office said in a statement, according to Reuters. “He also expressed his concerns regarding the destabilizing activities of the Quds Force under General Qassem Soleimani and highlighted the need for Iran … to avoid taking any measures that could lead to an escalation in the situation and destabilizing the region.”

PALESTINIANS IN GAZA STRIP MOURN IRAN’S SOLEIMANI, BURN US AND ISRAELI FLAGS

(JNS) Hundreds of Palestinians gathered in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip on Saturday to mourn the death of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ commander Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq on Friday, Reuters reported. “We are loyal to those who stood with the resistance and with Palestine and we hold the U.S. administration and the Zionist occupation fully responsible for the consequences of this deplorable crime,” said Hamas official Ismail Radwan. The leaders of the terrorist groups

TABLE OF CONTENTS World Newsbriefs ............................................. 4 Israel News .................................................6-7, 10 Publisher’s Perspective ................................. 8 Editor’s Letter ...................................................... 8 Op-Ed....................................................................... 9 Community Happenings .......................11-12 Chanukah Happenings .........................14-17 Community News ....................................18-23 Features ........................................................26-30 Divrei Torah..................................................31-32 Torah from Eretz Yisrael by Rabbi Moshe Taragin...................32 Health & Wellness ..................................33-34 What?! I have ADHD Too? by Dr. Dovid Levy................................. 34 Food & Wine ..............................................35-36 House to Home by House of Kosher ........................... 35 New Year’s Resolution by Jonathan Chodosh ....................... 36 Schools..........................................................38-40 Sports..............................................................41-42 Home & Living..........................................42-43 Home Maintenance for the New Year submitted by Israela Haor-Friedman.......................................42 Buying Your First Home by Anne Goldberg ............................... 43 Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which are both supported by Iran, took part in the mourning tent set up in the center of Gaza City. Flags of Israel and the United States were stomped on and later burned at the event, the report noted. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday he had spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about Iran. Pompeo tweeted: “@IsraeliPM @Netanyahu and I just spoke and underscored the importance of countering Iran’s malign influence and threats to the region. I am always grateful for Israel’s steadfast support in defeating terrorism. The bond between Israel and the United States is unbreakable.” January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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ISRAEL NEWS Iran Crossed Red Line with Trump Administration CONTINUED FROM P. 1 Middle East, warned that Iran was planning a major attack on the scale of its cruise missile and drone assault on Saudi oil fields in September. Hours before the American airstrike on Soleimani’s vehicle in Baghdad, American Defense Secretary Mark Esper repeated the warning that Iran is planning further strikes on the United States and its regional interests, and said that America will take preventive action to defend the lives of its forces and civilians. The intensification had been gradually brewing, with an American contractor killed in a rocket attack that was launched by the Iranian-backed Kataib Hezbollah militia on a military base in northern Iraq on Dec. 27. America’s reply was crushing: An airstrike on the militia’s bases in Iraq and Syria on Dec. 30, resulting in dozens of casualties, including Iranian officers. That was a warning Iran failed to heed. The Iranians sent militia-supporting mobs to attack the U.S. embassy in Baghdad on Dec. 31, representing an Iranian attempt to keep up the pressure on America while maintaining plausible deniability.

Soleimani was involved in all of those incidents, and his arrival in Iraq on Friday was an indication of his intent to continue to activate his influence to the detriment of American forces. He has spent years building a multinational terrorist army and destabilizing the region. In fact, he was the right-hand man of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, reporting directly to him and tasked with implementing Khamenei’s radical vision of Iranian hegemony in the region. Soleimani built proxy forces that are deployed in Iraq (home to some 100,000 armed Shi’ite militia members), in Syria and in Lebanon (home to the most heavily armed non-state terror army in the world). Soleimani provided significant assistance to Gaza’s terror factions, enabling them to fire rocket on Tel Aviv, as well as to forces in Yemen, which fire missiles at Saudi cities. He fed Iran’s proxies with advanced weapons, training and cash, and drew up their doctrines and missions. He also ordered a long series of armed attacks on U.S. interests and bases, as well as against the civilians, armies and strategic targets of Arab countries in the Persian Gulf. ‘Designed to prevent operation Iranians were planning’ Soleimani was working to surround Israel with missile bases and terror

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U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the White House on Dec. 19, 2019. (credit: official White House photo by Tia Dufour) groups, and was ideologically committed to Israel’s destruction. He was hard at work building a war machine in Syria, after helping Syrian President Bashar Assad win the civil war—a war that prevailed as a result of mass killings and countless

war crimes against Sunnis in order to rescue the pro-Iranian Damascus regime. Soleimani’s goal was to spread Iran’s radical Shi’ite agenda throughout the

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ISRAEL NEWSISRAEL NEWS COMMUNITY NEWS Iran Crossed Red Line with Trump Administration CONTINUED FROM P. 6 region, neutralize American influence and intimidate states that stood in his way. He brutally repressed Shi’ites in Iraq, who were fed up with their Iranianinfluenced corrupt government. Under Soleimani’s directive, militias in Iraq turned into death squads, mercilessly gunning down hundreds of protesters on Iraqi streets—meaning that many Iraqis will not be upset to see his departure from the scene. In their choice to step up attacks on the world’s top superpower, Soleimani and the Iranian regime made a number of critical errors in recent weeks. Attacking Americans in Iraq was one; Khamenei’s taunt of Trump on Twitter, saying that the U.S. president was powerless to act in Iraq was another; and the mob attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad was a third mistake, which touched on a highly sensitive American nerve. The U.S. establishment has painful memories from the embassy siege in Tehran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution and the 2012 attacks on U.S. government facilities in Benghazi, Libya. The Iranians displayed a major miscalculation in failing to understand how

the U.S. would view these incidents, and when Soleimani arrived in Baghdad— apparently to plan more attacks—the miscalculation only grew. “The highly vigorous American response points to the fact that from the U.S.’s standpoint, the Iranians crossed a red line, and it seems the Americans had intelligence that the Iranians were going to cross further red lines,” Maj. Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror, former national security adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, told JNS. “The American response is a warning to the Iranians, but also it is designed to prevent the operation that the Iranians were planning,” added Amidror, a senior fellow at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies. “Since we do not know how the Iranians will respond, the assessments are not important. We must assume that the Iranians will respond, and we have to be ready for this response.” That readiness should include intensive intelligence-gathering activity with a major focus on identifying Iranian preparations to strike. The Iranian response might well include attacks on Israel. “We have to be ultra-cautious,” emphasized Amidror, “because no one knows how the Iranians will respond.”

A Hate Crime In My Hometown CONTINUED FROM P. 1 The suspect was subsequently arrested in New York City and federal hate crime charges were filed by prosecutors against the alleged attacker. The heinous and cowardly attack drew instant condemnation from across the political spectrum, both in the United States and Israel, with Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and many of the Democratic presidential candidates issuing public statements denouncing the anti-Semitic attack. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo met with Rabbi Rottenberg and called the attack “an act of domestic terrorism,” while a host of elected officials, including Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, Representatives Nita Lowey and Eliot Engel, and NYS Attorney General Letitia James, visited the area and met with local communal and political leaders. I had the opportunity to speak with Josef Gluck, who was hailed as a hero after the attack and recognized by officials as likely having prevented further injuries in light of his actions as the situation was unfolding. Gluck, whose grandfather first moved to Monsey in 1966, tried to shepherd people away from

the machete-wielding attacker in Rabbi Rottenberg’s house, hurled a coffee table at the assailant, and took down his license plate number as he fled the scene, thereby providing law enforcement with valuable information that helped lead to his arrest. “The Rav just finished hadlakas neiros, saying some Torah and giving out Chanukah gelt, and the guy came in and started hitting people right and left,” he told me as he described the chaotic and terrifying scene. Taking a group of people with him, Gluck ran out through the kitchen, circled back around the front of the building and reentered the house through the front door. In the process, he tried to help Josef Neumann, who remains in critical condition and who doctors fear may never regain consciousness due to the severity of the injuries he sustained at the hands of the attacker. “I grabbed the coffee table and threw it in his face,” Gluck said. After being struck by the table, the assailant exited the home, as did Gluck. The attacker walked over to Rabbi Rottenberg’s shul next door, but when he looked at the glass doors to the shul and saw that they were locked, he got into his car. As he was pulling away, Gluck took down his license plate number and provided it to the police.

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THE PUBLISHER’S PERSPECTIVE

“T

his is 20/20.” For over two decades, Barbara Walters, a famed journalist and the longtime host of ABC’s newsmagazine 20/20, would welcome viewers to the program with her trademark phrase. Now, what used to merely be a catchy slogan has in fact become a reality. Today, we can legitimately say, “This is 2020.” With the start of a new decade, many people tend to engage in some degree of retrospection and consider how the previous ten years have been. For me, the past decade was full of ups and downs. I lost some loved ones and had to endure a number of challenges, but I also got to celebrate two Bat Mitzvahs, one Bar Mitzvah and the birth of a child. Additionally, in the past decade, my oldest daughter made aliyah and our family moved to a wonderful new community. The last ten years have been exciting, and I feel so fortunate for all of the blessings that Hashem has bestowed upon me. The beginning of a new decade is also a wonderful opportunity to motivate oneself to achieve greater personal and

religious growth. What did I accomplish over the past ten years? Equally important, if not more so, what didn’t I accomplish? Where was I lacking as a person, a spouse, a parent, a Jew? What more can I do to make greater strides in my personal, familial, communal, professional and religious life? The questions abound and there’s no time like the present, the beginning of a new decade, to begin addressing them. In the area of religious and spiritual growth, there are plenty of opportunities to act upon in order to motivate and inspire us to pursue greater heights. For example, Jews around the world, including over 90,000 people in MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, recently celebrated the Siyum HaShas. Ever since Rav Meir Shapiro put forth the idea of learning a daf of Gemara each day, the Daf Yomi program has taken off. From 20,000 people at Yeshivas Chachmei Lublin in 1923 for the second Siyum HaShas, to over 50,000 people at Madison Square Garden, Continental Arena and the Jacob Javits Convention Center for the eleventh Siyum HaShas in 2005, to the thirteenth Siyum HaShas on January 1, 2020, Daf Yomi has made incredible strides. Sure, it requires a huge

EDITOR’S LETTER

ith Chanukah and all of its calorieladen treats behind us, many people turn to the new calendar year with a renewed focus on weight loss and exercise regimens. Oftentimes people begin new diets this time of year that are trendy and in vogue without too

much research into their health benefits and risks. (PSA: It is always wise to check with your healthcare provider before starting a new diet.) There is also a temptation to purchase gym memberships that are often discounted in the month of January (tip: deeper discounts are usually offered at the end of January as gyms need to meet certain quotas). However, are these ideas in fact the healthiest and most

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commitment to study 2,711 pages of the Talmud day in, day out over the course of 7 ½ years. However, people who have completed the Daf Yomi cycle have told me how fulfilling and uplifting it is and have spoken with great pride about the tremendous feeling of accomplishment that the process engenders. It’s not just Daf Yomi. There’s also Mishna Yomit, where you can learn two mishnayot a day and complete all of Shas Mishnayot in just under six years. There’s Nach Yomi, where you can learn one chapter of Tanach each day and learn all of Tanach in just over two years. Furthermore, there’s Mishna Berura Yomi, where you’re able to learn all of Mishna Berura in five years. The fact is, if you’re seeking new learning opportunities and are prepared to make a daily commitment, there are numerous means through which you can accomplish your goal. Whether it’s bolstering your spiritual growth, spending more time with your family, taking better care of yourself, or becoming more active in your community, the start of a new decade is an opportune time to take those next steps. This is 2020. Let’s make the most of it. Nachi Troodler Publisher

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cost-effective way to jump-start your new healthy lifestyle goals? If a person is not in the habit of working out at a gym, how likely is it that they will find instant motivation in beginning an exercise routine simply because they have paid a membership fee? I think when it comes to trying new diets and exercise regimens one must first think about what they enjoy. For instance, if dancing in public is not in your comfort zone, then a Zumba class is probably not for you. It would make sense to investigate what local options are available (Yoga, Pilates, IntenSati, classes are all offered in our area) and try a class. Gyms frequently offer one free trial class before requesting a financial commitment. Another avenue worth exploring is employee health benefits which often include financial reimbursement for select fitness programs. This may only be a partial reimbursement, but even still it is money back in your pocket just for visiting a qualifying gym the requisite number of times per month. When it comes to improving one’s health in general and regarding weight loss in particular, I believe “slow and steady wins the race.” I don’t think there is an immediate remedy to losing weight and fad diets are certainly not

Founder/Publisher Nachman Aaron Troodler Editor Lisa Stein Associate Editor Gwen Horowitz Contributing Editor Meryl Troodler Layout & Design Adam Negnewitzky Jewish Link Marketing Solutions Bookkeeper Gila Negnewitzky Sales Representative Danielle Daitch Consultants Moshe Kinderlehrer Jewish Link Media Group Contributors Carly Chodosh Jonathan Chodosh Dovid Halpern David Magerman Sam Maron Ari Nestlebaum Dr. Frani Pollack Yaeli Sokolic PJL Media Group, LLC P.O. Box 956 Bala Cynwyd, PA 19004 www.PhillyJewishLink.com Phone: 484-424-5200 Email: publisher@PhillyJewishLink.com Advertising: ads@PhillyJewishLink.com To submit news, events and photos: news@PhillyJewishLink.com The Philadelphia Jewish Link welcomes letters to the editor, which can be emailed to editor@PhillyJewishLink.com. Letters may be edited for length, clarity and appropriateness. We do not welcome personal attacks or disrespectful language and replies to letters through our website comment feed will not be posted online. We reserve the right to not print any letter. The Philadelphia Jewish Link, an independent publication, promotes Judaism and Zionism, and vigorous debate on these topics. The opinions reflected in articles from our contributors do not necessarily reflect PJL’s positions. We reserve the right to accept or refuse submissions and edit for content and length. We also reserve the right to refuse advertising that in our opinion does not reflect the standards of the newspaper. We are not responsible for the kashrus of any product advertised in the Philadelphia Jewish Link. The PJL does not endorse any medical or nutritional claims by writers in our paper. The Philadelphia Jewish Link asks our advertisers to use pictures of women and men in their advertisements when women and men are mentioned.

“one-size-fits-all” (pun intended). In this issue of the Link you will find recipes from Jonathan Chodosh as well as House of Kosher that might appeal to those looking to drop a few pounds. If you have other suggestions as to how to kick-start the new calendar year on a healthy note, please reach out to me so that I can share them with all of our readers! Lisa Stein Editor January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

OP-ED

The Multiple Faces of Anti-Semitism By Ben Cohen/JNS

or all their insistence that antiSemitism is one thing and antiZionism something else entirely, however, on the streets of European and American cities, the two work hand-in-glove. Several years ago, in an article for Commentary magazine, I offered a distinction between two kinds of anti-Semitic mindsets. I named the first one “bierkeller” anti-Semitism and the second one “bistro” anti-Semitism, as a way of illustrating the cultural gulf between these two forms. Bierkellers, or “beer cellars,” were the drinking establishments in Germany that during the 1920s and ’30s were the domain of Nazi thugs. They also provided an arena for Adolf Hitler to refine his foaming gutter rhetoric targeting communism, liberalism, and most of all, the Jews. There was no attempt to camouflage or prettify any of this rhetoric, which loudly declared that the Jews were Germany’s misfortune. The thorough dehumanization of the Jews in Nazi propaganda prepared the ground for a decade of persecution that culminated in the Holocaust.

Participants at the “No Hate. No Fear” rally in New York City on January 5, 2020 (credit: Rivka Segal) Bierkeller anti-Semitism, then, was unmistakable and instantly recognizable. But “bistro” anti-Semitism—named a bit mischievously in honor of the cozy restaurants and bars where metropolitan intellectuals tend to gather—was, I argued, harder to identify. That is because Jews as Jews are rarely the direct targets of these writings, speeches, parliamentary resolutions and so on. Instead, the bistro mindset relies upon qualifiers, codes and

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euphemisms that seek to separate “Jews” and “Judaism” from “Zionism,” “The State of Israel,” “The Jewish Establishment” and the other bugbears of progressives who advance anti-Semitic arguments while indignantly deflecting the charge of antiSemitism as a reputational smear without foundation. This contrast between the full-throated anti-Semitism that denies the Jews their humanity and the camouflaged

anti-Semitism that denies the Jews their nationality isn’t the only difference. Arguably more important is the observation that the “bierkeller” form of antiSemitism explicitly aims to visit physical violence upon Jews, whereas in its “bistro” form, protestations against Jewish power and privilege manifest in the main non-violently form: for example, boycott campaigns, demonstrations against proIsrael and Zionist speakers on university campuses, the constant opprobrium poured upon the Jewish state in the halls of the United Nations, and by leading human-rights NGOs like Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Still, as the years have gone by, the gulf between crude anti-Semitism and its more polite expressions (between the “bierkeller” and the “bistro”) has narrowed considerably. Among the examples I would cite is the British Labour Party, where the anti-Semitic rhetoric that destroyed its reputation over the last five years was, more often than not, of the “Rothschild Bankers Rule the World” variety. (Not to mention blaming Jews for the trans-Atlantic slave trade, accusing

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ISRAEL NEWS

Not Just Another Iranian General By Eyal Zisser/JNS

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or Iran’s friends and foes alike, Qassem Soleimani was second only to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. Tehran will struggle to find another strategist of his caliber. For many in the Middle East, Gen. Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force, the Islamic Republic’s elite extraterritorial black-ops arm, embodied Iran’s desires, aspirations and directives with respect to the country’s operations worldwide. He was also the man who controlled the purse strings with respect to funding the weapons that have so often ignited the region. For Iran’s friends and foes alike, Soleimani was second only to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei—an ailing, elderly man who sits in an ivory tower in Tehran, detached from the harsh regional reality on the ground. Little wonder then that Iran’s regional allies—Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Syrian President Bashar Assad and the leaders of the pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and Yemen—have

been left feeling orphaned by the U.S. drone strike that killed him in Iraq on Friday morning. Presidents, defense ministers, chiefs of staff and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders have come and gone in Tehran over the past few decades, and no one remembers their names. But since Soleimani was named head of the Quds Force in 1997, he has steadily and resolutely consolidated his position within the regime, and more importantly, Iran’s grip on the Middle East. Soleimani was the driving force behind the Russian-Iranian move to prop up Assad’s regime in Syria during the eight-year civil war that threatened to unseat him, and also behind Tehran’s decision to transform the Houthis, a mostly moderate Shi’ite faction, into a powerful, radicalized Iranian proxy in Yemen, with the power the threaten both Saudi Arabia and Israel. Soleimani’s assassination in Iraq came as he worked to complete the

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COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS BNEI AKIVA

More than 80 young men and women attended Bnei Akiva of Greater Philadelphia’s Shabbaton, which was hosted by Bnei Akiva of Lower Merion at Lower Merion Synagogue.

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Yosef Aryeh Naumets recently made a siyum on Maseches Shabbos at CBS’ community learning night.

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A contingent from Bensalem, PA traveled to MetLife Stadium for the Siyum HaShas.

There was a great turn out for the breakfast and learn program on December 25 hosted by the Bensalem Kollel, where the Kollel and alumni learned with the locals that gave up their time off to come learn Torah. Attendees enjoyed a fascinating class given by Rabbi Ahron Zev Kipper on the works of the Jewish calendar. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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More than 300 people attended Lower Merion Synagogue’s Gala Reception on Motzei Shabbat, December 21 to pay tribute to Guests of Honor Stuart and Shari Rudoler and Outstanding Service Awardees Eliot and Israela Friedman. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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COMMUNITY NEWS More Than 25,000 March Across the Brooklyn Bridge in Solidarity with the Jewish Community (Courtesy of UJA-Federation of New York)

ozens of elected officials from the Greater New York region joined more than 25,000 New Yorkers on Sunday, January 5, 2020 at “No Hate. No Fear.” a solidarity march with New York’s Jewish community, across the Brooklyn Bridge. The march was organized by UJAFederation of New York (UJA) and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY), as well as ADL-NY, AJC-NY, and the New York Board of Rabbis following the violent, anti-Semitic attacks in Monsey, Brooklyn, and Jersey City. “Today we do not simply walk over a bridge, we begin building better bridges between all denominations of Jews, and between Jews and non-Jews,” said Eric S. Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York. “Building bridges means putting aside our differences, religious and political, and calling out anti-Semitism and all forms of hate wherever we see it. The purpose of today’s march is to loudly and publicly proclaim that an attack on a visibly Orthodox Jew is an attack on every Jew, an attack on every New Yorker, and an attack on every person of good will.”

“The showing today of over 25,000 people representing the full spectrum of the Jewish community of New York, and many from the non-Jewish community, is a reflection of the seriousness of the plague of antiSemitism affecting New York,” said Michael Miller, executive vice president and CEO of JCRC-NY. “We will continue to work with our political leadership locally, statewide, and nationally to address this scourge to ensure the safety and security of the Jewish community and all communities in New York.” Following the march, New Yorkers of all backgrounds gathered in Brooklyn’s Cadman Plaza where a number of community leaders and heads of faith-based organizations including Cardinal Timothy Dolan spoke about the recent attacks, the rise of anti-Semitism, and the need for people of all faiths to fight injustice. Additional speakers and performers during the program included Eric Goldstein, Michael Miller, Maccabeats, Devorah Halberstam, Jonathan Greenblatt, Gil Monrose, David Harris, Mehnaz Afridi, Janice Shorenstein, Frankie Miranda, Joe Potasnik, Bishop Anthony DiMarzio, Blake Flayton, Matisyahu, Eric Ward,

Elected officials march across the Brooklyn Bridge during the 2020 “No Hate. No Fear.” march. (From right to left) Congressman Gregory Meeks; Governor Andrew Cuomo, UJA CEO Eric Goldstein; Senator Chuck Schumer; Mayor Bill DeBlasio; U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand; JCRC CEO Michael Miller; and New York State Attorney General Letitia James. (courtesy of Jake Asner, UJA-Federation of New York) Chaskel Bennet, Rabbi Avraham Gopin, Shulem, MaNishtana, Lawrence Aker, Rev. Que English, Eli Cohen, Amy Bressman,

Bari Weiss, and Isaiah Rothstein, as well as a video message from Rabbi David Niederman.

Reflections on the NYC Rally Against Anti-Semitism from Yoni Ari

oni Ari, the Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council, organized a group of Philadelphia residents to attend the New York rally against anti-Semitism on January 5. He had this to say after the event: When I visited Yad Vashem and the Holocaust Museum, I always wondered how people did nothing when they saw Jews being harassed and injured. How did they remain silent during the pogroms and the destruction of Jewish businesses during Kristallnacht? How did they fail to act when Jews were murdered simply because they were Jewish? These thoughts have guided me and are at the core of my decision to devote

(credit: Yoni Ari, Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council) my life to activism on behalf of our people and homeland. For me, “Never Again” means that I cannot stand by and say that anti-Semitism anywhere in the world does not personally include me

(credit: Yoni Ari, Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council)

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(credit: Yoni Ari, Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council) because I was not personally involved. Because I am involved, and I cannot stay silent. It is time for us all to be active fighters in the war on anti-Semitism! We cannot

(credit: Yoni Ari, Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council)

(credit: Yoni Ari, Philadelphia Regional Director of the Israel American Council) sit quietly when Jews are attacked in New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Paris, or elsewhere. The near-daily acts of violence perpetrated last month on our brothers and sisters must represent the red line at which we stand up. Jews are being persecuted just because they are Jews. And as in pre-war Germany, the first targets are those Jews most easily identifiable by their dress and neighborhoods. Today, I was proud to lead an Israel American Council delegation of more than 50 people from Philadelphia and South Jersey in the Solidarity March against anti-Semitism. “No hate. No fear.” United we stand against anti-Semitism. #JewishANDproud January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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COMMUNITY NEWS A Hate Crime In My Hometown CONTINUED FROM P. 7 Despite the courage he displayed and his heroics in the face of great adversity, Josef Gluck does not consider himself a hero. “I went back not to confront the guy; I went back to try to save lives,” he told me. “I went back to see if I could help anyone and save anyone.” When I asked him how he had the presence of mind to take down the attacker’s license plate number as he made his getaway, Gluck demurred yet again. “That was completely hashgacha pratis (divine providence)… I didn’t even think about it,” he humbly said. In a sign of the faith and resilience of the Orthodox Jewish community, Gluck proudly told me how Rabbi Rottenberg proceeded with a Melave Malka about an hour after the attack. In addition, we spoke about the Hachnasas Sefer Torah celebration that took place outside Rabbi Rottenberg’s home on the Sunday afternoon, the day after the attack, as well as the Chanukah festivities that occurred as scheduled on Sunday night and Monday. “Life goes on, netzach Yisrael lo yishaker, (the Eternal One of Israel will not lie), we have to keep on doing what we need to do,” he said. The Monsey attack came in the midst of a rash of anti-Semitic attacks in Brooklyn, NY, in which people were attacking Jews in broad daylight, and in the wake of the deadly shooting at a kosher supermarket in Jersey City. A report that is forthcoming from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino reveals that anti-Semitic hate crimes in the nation’s three largest cities, New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, have reached the highest numbers they have seen in the past 18 years. The Anti-Defamation League released a report last spring which found that antiSemitic assaults throughout the U.S. increased by more than 50% in 2018 and anti-Semitic episodes are near all-time highs. In light of the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents across the region, several Orthodox Jewish elected officials in New York City – State Senator Simcha Felder, State Assemblymember Simcha Eichenstein, and New York City Councilmembers Chaim Deutsch and Kalman Yeger – made a formal request to NY Governor Andrew Cuomo in which they asked that he declare a state of emergency, appoint a special prosecutor to investigate anti-Semitic hate crimes, and deploy the NY National Guard “to visibly patrol and protect Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods.” “Simply stated, it is no longer safe to

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Members of Rabbi Chaim Rottenberg's community in Monsey, N.Y., gather in front of the house where five people were injured in a knife attack during a Hanukkah party. (credit: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) be identifiably Orthodox in the State of New York,” they wrote in their correspondence to the governor. “We cannot shop, walk down a street, send our children to school, or even worship in peace.” The mere fact that these types of requests have to be made in the United States in 2020 is mind-boggling. Jews feeling as if they have to look over their shoulders when they walk down the street is reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 1930s, yet that is the reality facing us today. Examining the root of the problem is critical and assessing how and why antiSemitism has been allowed to shift from the periphery to the mainstream is absolutely essential. One of the hallmarks of American democracy is the freedom of religion, and we cannot stand idly by as our nation deteriorates into a society where Jews wearing a yarmulke are afraid to walk in the streets, lest they be targeted by hatemongers. I had the opportunity to speak with Town Supervisor Michael Specht of the Town of Ramapo, in which Monsey is located. As the top elected official in the Town, Supervisor Specht met with Rabbi Rottenberg an hour after the attack in his home. As the Supervisor of a municipality that has an unusually large population of Orthodox Jews, including a sizable Chassidic community, Supervisor Specht knows all too well the dangers facing the Orthodox community and is cognizant that anti-Semitism is becoming far too common today. “In Rockland County (where Monsey is located), the anti-Semitic and specifically anti-Chassidic rhetoric that comes from people throughout the county, including elected officials who should know better, stirs it up,” he said referring to the increase in anti-Semitism. “Over the years there’s been an ever-increasing dehumanization of the Orthodox community and a clear pattern of increasingly ugly rhetoric.”

He had sharp criticism of anti-Semitic social media pages “that stigmatize Orthodox Jews, treat them as one monolithic group instead of individual human beings, and ascribe the worst mode of what any Orthodox person does… people read that and it has to have some sort of an effect.” He added that the social media companies need to be more diligent in policing themselves and not allowing hateful anti-Semitic speech on their platforms. “Pressure needs to be put on the social media platforms that monetize this type of speech,” he said. Supervisor Specht noted that NYS Attorney General Letitia James is forming a group to investigate and address hate on social media. “People who perpetrate this hate have to be held accountable for what they’re saying and doing… We need effective enforcement of hate crime legislation to help deter people from doing this in the future,” he said. As far as working collaboratively with federal and statewide elected officials on the issue of anti-Semitism, Supervisor Specht said, “My hope is that our federal and state officials will be able to put the resources and public spotlight on this hatefulness and hopefully stigmatize the anti-Semites, instead of the anti-Semites stigmatizing the Jewish community.” The anti-Semitism disseminated through social media platforms is undoubtedly cause for alarm. People have the unique ability to operate under the cloak of anonymity and feel emboldened to say things that they likely would never say openly. The ability to promulgate prejudice to thousands of people in an instant is a game changer and something that warrants further examination by regulatory agencies and the federal government. Tweeting anti-Semitic tropes and posting prejudiced points of view are ways through which people incite others, and more oversight is needed to curb this dangerous new development that is breeding bigotry on a frightening scale.

In a display of how seriously NJ officials are taking the threats posed by anti-Semitism propagated on social media, just last week, NJ Governor Phil Murphy and Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued a statement concerning anti-Semitic content on a notorious Facebook group called “Rise Up Ocean County.” “In April 2019, the Director of our Division on Civil Rights, Rachel Wainer Apter, sent a letter to Facebook expressing concerns with a page on the company’s social network entitled ‘Rise Up Ocean County,’” said the Governor and Attorney General. “We had serious concerns with racist and anti-Semitic statements on the page, including an explicit goal of preventing Orthodox Jews from moving to Ocean County, and we made clear our view that the page appeared to violate Facebook’s terms of service. We have continued to follow up with Facebook since that initial letter in April, and we renewed our concerns as recently as this week.” “We appreciate that Facebook has taken some steps to address anti-Semitic content on the page, but much more can be done, and we believe that Facebook must make lasting reforms to stop the spread of hate on the Internet,” they added. “The Murphy Administration will continue to call out hate whenever and wherever we see it, and we will continue working to make New Jersey a safe and inclusive place for all of our residents.” As I contemplated what happened in Monsey and what has been taking place in far too many Jewish communities far too often, I considered not just how we got to this point, but how we, as a community and as a society, must respond. There is no question that the frightening factors surrounding the recent rash of anti-Semitic attacks in the United States must be addressed swiftly and substantively by the people in power who have the wherewithal to effectuate change. Rather than being reactive and making public statements condemning violent incidents of religious intolerance after they have occurred, our political and communal leaders must focus on being more proactive and taking significant steps to preempt future attacks. We need to get ahead of this crisis and prevent it from spiraling further out of control. In addition, we need to broaden our perspective and look outward for help. The Jewish community should not have to combat bigotry solely by ourselves. Anti-Semitism has indeed become far too prevalent and we need to work collaboratively – Jews and non-Jews alike – to extinguish the firestorm of hatred and bigotry that has engulfed our nation. Improved education, enhanced deterrents and greater vigilance are key

CONTINUED ON P. 21 January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

COMMUNITY NEWS

OU Women’s Initiative Launches Nach Yomi Program “Torat Imecha” (Courtesy of the OU)

he OU Women’s Initiative, a division of the Orthodox Union, is launching a new Nach Yomi initiative called “Torat Imecha,” building on the success of the Shoshana Grossman Nach Yomi program. Torat Imecha is dedicated by Eta Brandman Klaristenfeld in memory of her aunt Malka Nussbaum, Malka Esther bat Tzvi Yoseph. Starting with the Nach Yomi program cycle on January 9, women scholars will deliver a daily podcast on the books of Prophets (Nevi’im) and the Writings (Ketuvim) at the pace of a chapter a day. Shiurim will be given

by women and geared toward learners of all levels who would like to participate in the twoyear study cycle. There will be an introductory video for each Sefer given by Rabbanit Shani Taragin, noted international scholar. “Torat Imecha is another terrific program from our Women’s Initiative. When OU Torah Initiatives started the Nach Yomi cycle two years ago, there was a desire from the community to have Nach presented by women,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane. “We’re excited to offer this program as the new cycle begins.” “This series presents a world-class roster of female scholars who will teach Nach Yomi from their perspective, bringing

nuance and erudition to the participants in these exciting new shiurim,” said Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Allen Fagin. “Building on the overwhelming response to our Rosh Chodesh initiative, Selichot, Shavuot and Simchat Torah programming, we are taking Torah learning to the next level. We are creating Nach Yomi content by women to engage and inspire the community in a powerful way,” said OU Women’s Initiative Founding Director Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman. To subscribe to the daily Torat Imecha shiur and to access more content, visit https://www.ou.org/women/ torat-imecha-sign-up.

Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman

Extending Birkat Tanchumim to the Family of Rabbi Israel Axelrod

he following is a statement that was sent out by Caskey Torah Academy: Caskey Torah Academy regrets to inform you of the passing of Rabbi Israel M. Axelrod. Rabbi Axelrod was the principal of TA and then became the Dean Emeritus. He led Torah Academy through its growth from a small school in Wynnefield through

the move to our current location. Rabbi Axelrod loved each student at Torah Academy and was beloved by each student. There was nothing he would not do for each child: greeting them with an infectious smile as they entered the building; fixing zippers; pulling teeth; making sure each student had her or his lunch. Rabbi Axelrod ensured the

Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia CEO Stepping Down

he Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia (JFGP) announced that CEO and President Naomi Adler is leaving her position, effective January 31, 2020. In an email announcing her departure, JFGP Board Chair Susanna Lachs Adler noted that Naomi Adler, who has been at the JFGP since May of 2014, “has played a critical role in the success of the organization, and while we will miss her and her leadership, we wish her the best as she pursues the next chapter

in her career.” “We cannot thank Naomi enough for the dedication, passion, and enthusiasm she has given to our Jewish Federation,” Lachs Adler added. “She will be missed by the staff, our Board of Directors and Board of Trustees, and agency partners alike.” The JFGP is going to convene a Search Committee over the next several months that will be tasked with searching for a new chief executive.

A Hate Crime In My Hometown

also davened that these vicious attacks against our community would come to an end. I’m not naïve and I realize that we’re not going to change the world overnight and suddenly eradicate the prejudice that is plaguing our community. Nonetheless, I do believe that we have to start somewhere and the time to do so is now. Only by joining together and speaking in a united voice with a common purpose can we effectively combat anti-Semitism. Like Josef Gluck, who confronted a man with a machete who was intent on killing Jews, we too have to boldly confront those who hate us and say loudly and clearly, “Never Again.”

CONTINUED FROM P. 20 ingredients to ensuring that this does not become the “new normal.” On Sunday afternoon, December 29, less than 24 hours after a man walked into a rabbi’s home and began stabbing Jews, I stood in a shul not too far from the site and davened Mincha. The events of the previous night were foremost in my mind, and I thought about the victims of the attack and prayed that they should have a refuah shleimah. However, as I stood in a shul in Monsey a short distance from the horrific events of the night before, I January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

well-being of each of his talmidim. He infused the school with warmth and caring and provided the foundation that enabled our school to grow academically while maintaining this special character. In addition to his position at Torah Academy, Rabbi Axelrod was also a former rabbi of Congregation Raim Ahuvim.

The shul is planning to have a shloshim gathering on Monday, January 27, at 8:00 pm to remember Rabbi Axelrod. They will be making a siyum on Mishnayos Seder Nezikin. Please email abotwini@temple. edu if you would like to learn a masechta. May the Almighty comfort the Axelrod family among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Coming Together For Heather By Rabbi Ira Budow

years ago, I met Lea Kedar who was a dedicated staff member at Abrams for 35 years. Today, her two sons send their kids to our school and they are both wonderful families. One of her son’s, Yinon Kedar, is married to Dr. Heather Kedar, a dentist in Bucks County who I have known for over a decade. Heather is one of the nicest people that I know. I called her from Israel with a dental problem and she didn’t hesitate to call me back and was fortunately able to help me. I, like many people in our community, know Heather from her frequent trips to our school. She is an active parent and friend to all, even though she has suffered from several serious health issues. Nine years ago, she battled leukemia. After a lengthy and painful treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. Then, the unthinkable happened and she is now facing a recurrence with leukemia. Here is her story, as shared with me by her husband. Yinon reminds me, in retelling the story, that with this terrible disease they do not live day-today, but in 15 minute intervals of time.

He explains that, “Every 15 minutes or so another life-threatening thing is happening. The grind is incredibly difficult, and the mental side is devastating as well. She is the bravest person I have ever met, and I love her more every day.” In order to fully understand the strength that Heather has and the contribution she and her family make to our community, one must understand how God has blessed them. Heather has two vibrant children. Her youngest, Hannah, is in seventh grade. She’s one of the tallest and most athletic students in our school. No one would guess that in 2007 she was born three months early and weighed 1 pound 9 oz. A long sufferer of Crohn’s disease, Heather’s life was in jeopardy and in order to save her life, Hannah had to be delivered early. Even after her birth, Hannah struggled with medical issues and needed intensive care for nearly a year. Heather needed to have emergency bowel resection surgeries and she was left with a colostomy bag for a few months while her body healed from the surgery. Not even a full year later, Heather began to feel sick around Thanksgiving and after weeks in and out of the hospital, she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The year is one of the worst I have ever seen. Heather fights the disease like a true

Rav Hershel Schachter to Speak in Elkins Park

his coming Sunday, January 12, at 6:00 pm, Young Israel of Elkins Park and the Chelkeinu Initiative will present a shiur by Rav Hershel Schachter: “Thoughts on Tefillah: The Punishment of the Nachash” at 7715 Montgomery Avenue in Elkins Park, PA. The event is for men and women and admission is free. Refreshments will be served. Rabbi Schachter, a noted Talmudic scholar, has had a distinguished career with RIETS at Yeshiva University for over 50 years. He joined the faculty in 1967, at the age of 26, the youngest Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS. Since 1971, Rabbi Schachter has been Rosh Kollel in RIETS’ Marcos and Adina Katz Kollel (Institute for Advanced Research in Rabbinics) and also holds the institution's Nathan and Vivian Fink Distinguished Professorial Chair in Talmud. In addition to his teaching

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champion. Undergoing several rounds of intense chemotherapy and battling high fevers, she ultimately weighs 98 lbs. at 5ft 9 inches tall. She has been in the hospital for nearly 40 days. Leor and Hannah are 3 and 1 years old and she finally goes into remission, but in October 2010 the leukemia returns after 18 months. This time she must undergo an extremely dangerous bone marrow transplant. Because of her history with Crohn’s disease the transplant is even more dangerous and Heather is unable to use the same amount of pain medication as other patients. She is in the hospital another 40 days receiving intense chemotherapy as well as full body radiation. I want to take a moment to talk about our community and the support we provided her during these struggles. Meals were sent, tehillim were recited, and everyone who knew this young family was praying for them. Heather herself is a fighter. Anyone who knows her knows she is a hard working mom who balances a successful career with commitment to her shul, school and community. In 2011, after

nearly a year out of work she was finally cleared to start working again. Last month, after 9 years in remission following her bone marrow transplant, the leukemia returned. Devastated yet again, Heather and her family face a difficult road ahead. We must, as a community, rally to support this incredible woman. She would do the same for any of us. A Jewish nation is compared to a body. If one part hurts, the entire body hurts. Heather’s body has been hurting for well over a decade. Many of you do not know her – so why try to help her? It is not your responsibility. One of the greatest mitzvot is reaching out to someone that you do not know and helping them. As a community we need to come together at this time. I have the reputation of being a fundraiser, but I am not fundraising for my school. I am trying to help a family in need that deserves our help. Please consider donating to the Kedar family through their GoFundMe campaign, Hugs for Heather at h t t p s : / / w w w. g o f u n d m e . c o m / f / akevv-hugs-for-heather.

CBS Kollel Chanukah Mesiba

n Thursday night, December 26, CBS Kollel of Somerton hosted an amazing Chanukah mesiba at the CBS Community Center and Shul for all of the men in the community. There was singing and dancing, a digital trivia game, and delicious food made by Shlomo Panayev. Everyone enjoyed the music

provided by the one-man band, Rabbi Eliyahu Bass, and a Dvar Torah given by Rosh Kollel Rabbi Meir Riber. The trivia game, run on kahoot.com, had everyone hooked, and the top winner chose a frisbee for his prize. It was an experience to remember, and the CBS Kollel looks only to improve their efforts to impress.

KTA Menahel Set to Retire; New Menaheles is Named By PJL Staff

O duties, Rabbi Schachter lectures, writes, and serves as a world renowned decisor of Jewish Law. A prolific author, he has written more than 100 articles. For more information, contact Dov Simons at chelkeinu@chelkeinu.org.

n December 24, Kosloff Torah Academy (KTA) announced the pending retirement of their long-time Menahel, Rabbi Baruch Lichtenstein. The announcement noted that during Rabbi Lichtenstein’s 22-year tenure, the school has “grown into one of the most well-respected girls’ high schools in both religious and secular studies… The academic diligence that he has emphasized and the dedication to Klal Yisroel that he has instilled in our students have earned our school an elite reputation.”

The December 24 announcement also shared the appointment of Mrs. Cheryl Epstein as the incoming Menaheles beginning in the 2020-21 school year. Mrs. Epstein has served as the school’s General Studies Principal, member of the History Department, and adviser for postHigh School programs. In the current school year, she is the Dean of Students. On a national level, Mrs. Epstein is a sought-after consultant and trainer for faculty members. KTA will be honoring Rabbi Lichtenstein at its annual dinner on May 17. Further information about the dinner will be published by the school shortly. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

COMMUNITY NEWS Tens of Thousands of Jews Worldwide ‘On The Same Page,’ Celebrating 13th ‘Siyum HaShas’ By Dov Lipman/JNS

mid rising global anti-Semitism, Jews from all backgrounds throught the world gathered on January 1 to celebrate the conclusion of the 13th sevenand-a-half-year cycle of Talmud study. Tens of thousands of Jews around the world joined together on Jan. 1 to celebrate the 13th Siyum HaShas—“the completion of the Six Orders [of the Talmud]”—the culmination of a seven-and-a-half-year study cycle in which each of the 2,711 pages of the Babylonian Talmud’s 63 tractates are learned in sequence. The cycle is part of a project called Daf Yomi (“daily page”). Rabbi Shalom Rosner, one of the most prominent Daf Yomi teachers, whose class is recorded and listened to by thousands, told JNS: “Daf Yomi creates a mechanism that enables all Jews to be connected through that daily page. Wherever a Jews is around the world, that page holds them together and unites them. Just like the Jews at Mount Sinai stood as a unified people to receive the Torah, we are unified as a people today, studying our traditions with all learning the same topics and words as their fellow Jews each day.” One Daf Yomi cycle takes about seven years and five months to finish. The completion of each tractate is typically celebrated with a small siyum, or “celebration,” and the completion of the entire cycle is celebrated at an event known as the Siyum HaShas. This year’s celebration of the completion of the 13th cycle, organized by Agudath Israel of America, included MetLife Stadium and other arenas in the United States and Israel. According to Elly Kleinman, chairman of the first siyum at MetLife Stadium and one of the sponsors of this year’s event, while

planning the siyum event is always a massive undertaking, this year’s was especially complicated. “The planning and logistics for the siyum celebration are an enormous undertaking. This year’s event was even more complex because we added a second major venue, Barclay’s Center, where the Brooklyn Nets basketball team plays, and we also connected to celebrations around the world via satellite.” In addition, the resurgence of anti-Semitism around the world and in the United States over the past year meant that security was a bigger concern that in the past. “Aside from reserving the venues, marketing the event, distributing tickets, video production, coordinating satellite feeds and live streaming, and planning the speakers and musical performances, we also had to prepare contingency plans for possible bad weather. And especially, given the rise of anti-Semitism, we needed to coordinate security with federal, state and city law-enforcement and counter-terrorism agencies,” explained Kleinman. “Keeping 92,000 Jews safe in an openair stadium requires a staggeringly complicated coordinated effort which included protecting the airspace above the stadium,” he added. In the end though, the weather cooperated and everything went smoothly. “Despite the fact that it was extremely cold, the weather for this siyum was manageable and law enforcement did a remarkable job keeping everyone safe,” he said.

‘WHAT AN INCREDIBLE THING’

The Babylonian Talmud, also known as the “Shas” (an abbreviation of shisha sedarim, Hebrew for the six orders of the Mishnah), is the primary source for Jewish

law. Edited and compiled in 500 C.E., it contains the teachings of thousands or rabbis on ethics, history, customs, philosophy and religious law—many passed down from teacher to student since the time of Moses. The Daf Yomi idea was first proposed in December 1920 in World Agudath Israel publication Digleinu by Rabbi Moshe Menachem Mendel Spivak, and was put forward at the First World Congress of Agudath Israel in August 1923 in Vienna by Rabbi Meir Shapiro, then rabbi of Sanok, Poland. “What an incredible thing,” Shapiro told the nearly 600 delegates at the gathering. “A Jew travels by boat and takes [tractate] Berakhot under his arm. He travels for 15 days from the land of Israel to America, and each day he learns the daily page. When he arrives in America, he enters a place of worship in New York and finds Jews learning the same page that he studied that day, and he gladly joins them. Another Jew leaves the States and travels to Brazil or Japan, and he first goes to the synagogue where he finds everyone learning the same page that he himself learned that day. Could there be greater unity of hearts than this?” The resolution was adopted on Aug. 22, 1923. The first cycle began on Sept. 11 of that year, and the first Siyum HaShas took place on Feb. 2, 1931, accompanied by public celebrations throughout Europe and in Jerusalem, Baltimore and Philadelphia. Over the decades the project grew, and by the 10th siyum in 1997, some 70,000 people celebrated in the United States. By the 11th siyum in 2005, after the advent of the Internet, which features many websites with recordings of rabbis teaching the page, and with the release of the Artscroll Schottenstein English translation of the Talmud, a whopping 120,000 participated

in celebrations in the United States, and 300,000 joined siyums all around the world. The project grew so large that organizers of the main celebration for the completion of the 12th cycle in 2012 had to rent out the MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets. Celebrations were also held in basketball arenas in the United States and Israel, with smaller celebrations taking place in cities throughout the world. While Daf Yomi originally began as a project of the ultra-Orthodox Agudath Israel organization, which still organizes the main celebration, it has now spread to many other populations. World Mizrachi, a religious Zionist organization, held a sold-out celebration at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem that included female speakers. Rabbi Doron Mizrachi, CEO of the Mizrachi World Movement, told JNS that “the goal of this event was to have a celebration which was as broad and unifying as possible—with attendees and speakers from Hebrew- and English-speaking populations, Israel and Diaspora communities, and men and women.” In addition, an organization called Hadran-Advancing Talmud Study for Women has arranged the first ever siyum for women, who study the daily page and are now completing the entire Talmud. Kleinman, who also sponsored the Daf Yomi Commission for Agudath Israel, which oversees all operations related to the spreading of the project and the planning of the main celebration, told JNS, “Suffice it to say that when all is said and done, Rabbi Meir Shapiro’s dream and vision of the Jewish people being literally and figuratively ‘on the same page’ has come to fruition and continues to inspire as the number of those studying the daily page continues to grow with each siyum and each new generation.”

Tip of the Iceberg: the KTA Annual Production By Rivky Isaacson, Theater Director

he stage is a magical place, a place where a new world opens and a story unfolds. The audience engages in the characters’ dilemmas and considers relatable challenges in their lives. High school musical theater takes the magic to another level, a level of learning and growth that starts from the moment of first auditions. Through theater, students learn how to incorporate constructive feedback. They have the opportunity to celebrate the richness and depth of human January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

expression and to comprehend our world a little better. They also build confidence and camaraderie, as students from all grade levels work together and lead. Every student knows that the show cannot go on without her, and she sees how important her voice is to the group. At Kosloff Torah Academy, each student is part of our annual performance. Auditions are held the first week of school, and weekly after school and lunch practices begin days later. The hallways are full of music, song, and laughter during practice sessions.

This year’s play is adapted by Peri Miller from the book, The Tip of the Iceberg, by F.H. Einhorn. The performance, for women, girls, and boys under age nine, will take place at KleinLife at 10100 Jamison Avenue in Philadelphia on Motzei Shabbos, February 1, and Sunday, February 2. Mrs. Ellen Weiss once again joins as musical director; Mrs. Doris Lipsky again directs our costume crew with her handy sewing machine and needle. To enhance our production this year, we have partnered with Philadelphia Scenic Works to set a most realistic stage.

As the director of the KTA performance, I take pride in providing our students with the tools that they need to showcase their special talents in a variety of ways. From the dancers to the singers to the actresses and, of course, to the outstanding backstage crew, it is truly incredible to watch our girls blossom as they shine in their individual roles. We hope that those who attend will be treated to the Philadelphia performance of the year and that they will once again enjoy a most spectacular and professional theatrical performance. Please join us. Tickets are on sale now at www.ktahs.org/play.

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kosloff Presents kosloff torah torah academy academy Presents

TIP OF THE st

st at 8:30 pm MotzEi ShabboS, February 1 MotzEi ShabboS, February 1 at 8:30 pm nd nd at 12:00 pm February 2 and Sunday, and Sunday, February 2 at 12:00 pm

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January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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FEATURES The Siyum HaShas and The Survivors’ Talmud CONTINUED FROM P. 1 Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Hundreds of thousands more tuned in from locations around the world. Rabbi Paysach Krohn told the incredible story of this gemara prior to Rabbi Kamenetsky making the siyum. He related that Rabbi Aharon Paperman was a United States Army Chaplain who had been sent to the DP camps to assist survivors. Shortly after his arrival, a survivor named Rabbi Yaakov Hirsch Sieger, z”l, asked him for a Bava Kama. Rabbi Paperman was shocked. He responded that he was there to rehabilitate people with food, medicine and clothing. Rabbi Sieger said: “Four years ago, I was in my kitchen in Hungary and I was learning a gemara. And the Nazis, yemach shemam, they took me away. I haven’t seen a gemara in four years. I need a gemara. I want to see those letters. I want to learn a Mishna. I want to learn a Baraisa. I want to hold a Mesechta in my hands. Please chaplain, if you could only get me a gemara.” Rabbi Paperman and other Jewish leaders were unable to procure seforim for the survivors. The Nazis had destroyed countless priceless volumes. What was sent from the U.S. was not nearly enough to satisfy the thirst for learning. Rabbi Shmuel Abba Snieg was the Chief Rabbi of the U.S. Zone and Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Rose was a DP Camp Rabbi. Both were Dachau survivors and were determined to provide gemaras to the survivors and had a plan to print an entire set in Germany. They approached Rabbi Philip Bernstein, a staff member of General Joseph McNarney, the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Occupying Forces in Germany. Rabbi Bernstein, together with a deputation of DP camp rabbis, traveled to meet with the General in Frankfurt and explained the importance of the Talmud to Jewish life. General McNarney facilitated the army’s agreement to print 50 sets with any additional paper beyond that to be produced by the Jewish community. The

Students at Politz Hebrew Academy examining the gemara

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Rabbi Avraham Shmidman and PJL Publisher Nachi Troodler with the gemara Each volume of the Talmud also includes this dedication: This edition of the Talmud is dedicated to the United States Army. The army played a major role in the rescue of the Jewish people from total annihilation and after the defeat of Hitler bore the major burden of sustaining the DPs of the Jewish faith. This special edition of the Talmud published in the very land where, but a short time ago, everything Jewish and of Jewish inspiration was anathema, will remain a symbol of the indestructibility of the Torah. The Jewish DPs will never forget the generous impulses and the unprecedented humanitarianism of the American forces, to whom they owe so much. Rabbi Samuel A. Snieg, Chairman and Chief Rabbi of the U.S. Zone After Rabbi Krohn’s video presentation, the DP Camp Gemara was presented by Rabbi Zev Paperman, son of Rabbi Aharon Paperman, z”l, and Rabbi Chaim Sieger, son of Rabbi Yaakov Hirsch Sieger, z”l, to Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky who made the Siyum HaShas.

Rabbi Avraham Shmidman of Lower Merion Synagogue studying the gemara Joint Distribution Committee agreed to provide the resources so the initial goal of 3,000 sets could be met. This was a tremendous commitment as there was a severe shortage of paper and a full set of Talmud could not be found from which to copy. Two sets were eventually sent from New York for this purpose. When the paper was procured, the edition was printed

at the Carl Winter Printing Plant which had printed Nazi propaganda during the war. The delays in printing due to the paper shortage meant that by the time the project was finished, less than 15,000 Jews were left in Germany. The army made a special order that 40 of the sets they had paid for be left for these Jews and Jewish institutions in Germany. The remaining sets were shipped around the world to Jewish communities. The title page of each volume shows a concentration camp surrounded by barbed wire. Above the camp are images of Israel connected by the words (in Hebrew): “From bondage to freedom, from darkness to a great light.” An additional dedication page in the first volume reads: In 1946 we turned to the American Army Commander to assist us in the publication of the Talmud. In all the years of exile it has often happened that various governments and forces have burned Jewish books. Never did any publish them for us. This is the first time in Jewish history that a government has helped in the publication of the Talmud, which is the source of our being and the length of our days. The Army of the United States saved us from death, protects us in this land, and through their aid does the Talmud appear again in Germany.

The Survivors’ Talmud – A Philadelphia Connection Rabbi Yitzchak Leizerowski, Rabbi of Bais Medrash HaRav/B’nai Jacob Dershu Tov, graciously shared the story of the role his father, HaRav Boruch Leizerowski z”l, played in the Survivor’s Talmud. HaRav Boruch Leizerowski, z”l, was a long-time leader of the Philadelphia Orthodox community. He served as the Rabbi of several congregations and as the head of the Philadelphia Beit Din. Rabbi Leizerowski was a talmid of the Chofetz Chaim in Radun, Poland (now Belarus). After leaving yeshiva, he was a Rabbi in Lodz, Poland. When the Nazis took over the city, he was sent to the Lodz Ghetto and stayed there until he was captured during its liquidation and shipped to Auschwitz. Upon his arrival at Auschwitz, he stood in line with hundreds of other Jews for Josef Mengele to make his selection. He realized that healthy people were being sent to the right while children and the infirm were

sent to the left. The Rabbi had injured his leg while hiding from the Nazis and had a noticeable limp. He gathered his strength to hide his limp, but then, on considering the horrors around him, realized his fate was in Hashem’s hands and approached Mengele without hiding his injury. He was sent to the left and assumed this meant he would be murdered. Instead, the people on the right were sent to the gas chambers while those on the left were taken to a building for food and medical care. He soon found out the reason; the Red Cross would be visiting the next day and taking pictures of how well the Nazis were caring for the ill and elderly at their “work camp.” Rabbi Leizerowski was sent from Auschwitz to Dachau and was eventually liberated there by American troops. He was hospitalized for over a year and, upon release and despite his relatively young age, was appointed as the Chief Rabbi of Munich in 1946. Rabbi Leizerowski was appointed to the position because of his unique ability to connect with Jews of different backgrounds. The survivors in Munich and in the displaced persons camps were what he termed a “cholent of Jews” – Litvaks, Gerrer Hasidim, Bobovers, Breslovers, and others. Rabbi Samuel Snieg was the Chairman and Chief Rabbi, much older than Rabbi Leizerowski, and the Chairman and Chief Rabbi of the United States Zone during this time. The two had known each other before the war. Rabbi Snieg approached Rabbi Leizerowski for help in procuring the paper needed to print sets of Shas. Rabbi Leizerowski went from one officer to the next until he received the commitments needed. Shortly thereafter, five U.S. army vehicles arrived filled with paper. It was poor quality, but everyone involved was overjoyed that the printing could begin. The newly printed Talmuds were distributed to Rabbonim in DP camps, and in the cities of Eastern Europe where survivors gathered. Rabbi Yitzchak Leizerowski was unable to attend the Siyum HaShas on January 1 but watched the livestream. While he watched Rabbi Paysach Krohn’s telling of the story of the Survivors’ Talmud, he was sitting next to the set that belonged to his father, and one which his father learned from throughout his life in the U.S. The set is now both well-used and wellworn but a treasured family heirloom. He shared that this Shas held tremendous meaning for his father. Even after the unspeakable horrors of the churban, there were survivors with such faith that their first requests were for tefillin, siddurim, and seforim. The Survivors’ Talmud is a symbol of the unbreakable connection of the Jewish people to the Torah. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

FEATURES What’s an Orthodox Trial Lawyer to Wear in Court? By Rabbi Evan Aidman

awyers and litigants must dress for court in a way that will not detract/distract from the client’s case. What if the attorney’s culture, religion and/or personal preferences dictate a certain mode of appearance that is out of the ordinary? Must a lawyer alter this to conform to ordinary expectations? Or can the attorney with confidence honor his or her preference without prejudicing the outcome for the client? One example of this dilemma involves Orthodox men who are members of the trial bar. They are faced with the question of whether to remove their kippot when entering a courtroom. The Talmud says that the purpose of wearing a kippah is to remind us of the Higher Judge who is above us.” Wearing a kippah reinforces the idea that God is always watching. A dilemma for observant trial lawyers occurs in situations in which the client’s credibility is going to be stridently attacked by the defense. If the client is going to be painted as a fraud, for example, should the lawyer remove his

kippah? If the judge, jury or arbitration panel might reasonably conclude that the client’s case is fraudulent, what might they conclude about the lawyer who presented that case? Might this not reinforce anti-Semitic stereotypes suggesting that Jews are dishonest in business and Judaism promotes dishonesty? If so, does this not suggest a situation when removal of the skullcap would be mandated? The issue here goes beyond professional responsibility. Also at stake is whether there will be a chilul Hashem, a creation of contempt for the Master of the Universe. If the jury were to conclude that the frum lawyer is dishonest, that could create contempt for the One Above from whom the lawyer draws guidance. One important factor is the location of the litigation. In Philadelphia, perhaps one can reasonably hope that a person’s religious or cultural leaning will not prejudice the judge or jury against the lawyer and/or his client. But what about a trial in the middle of the state? There is seemingly legitimate concern that a judge or jury in a rural area would view an overtly Orthodox Jew with cynicism if not outright prejudice.

A paramount concern for all trial lawyers is serving the client’s best interest. If the lawyer sincerely believes that the kippah will prejudice the judge or jury against his client, his professional responsibility requires that he remove the kippah. Jewish law is lenient in this regard. Consultation with one’s Rav is important. But the harder question is determining whether that prejudice truly exists, or whether the lawyer is simply uncomfortable with looking different in front of his colleagues. This is perhaps particularly difficult for an attorney who adopts an Orthodox lifestyle mid-career. His newly displayed piety may draw unwanted attention because of the dramatic change in appearance. On the other hand, some jurors and judges may assume that a religious attorney would be especially scrupulous about honesty. Perhaps an Orthodox Jew may score credibility points with some judges, jurors and arbitrators. If so, this would suggest keeping the cap on. Since we can never truly know what others are thinking, this ends up as a case-by-case judgment call. General principles provide guidelines, but one’s gut feeling may trump those principles.

An important part of becoming a successful litigator is honoring your own personality by being true to yourself when trying cases. Judges, jurors and arbitrators know artifice. They can usually tell when we or our clients are putting on a persona. They see through the cynical lawyer who attempts to appear empathetic. If something seems unnatural or deceptive, that can’t be good for the client. Should the kippah-wearing trial lawyer just let the chips fall where they may? That is the conclusion I ultimately came to when I became a fully-observant Jew at the age of 36. I choose to wear my kippah in court, except perhaps when I am trying a case in a rural venue or when my client will be attacked as a fraud. I am who I am, and I believe my clients are best served when I stick with that principle and remain true to myself. It is my hope that this internal and external sincerity will ultimately work best for my clients. It is my observation that, after 20 years of wearing my kippah in court, there is no harm to my clients. Rabbi Evan Aidman is a 1983 graduate of Penn Law School. He has a solo law practice in Narberth where he focuses on personal injury litigation. He lives in Bala Cynwyd with his wife, Ayala and their five children.

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“Noa”

By Rabbi Ira Budow

was raised in Bayonne, New Jersey. In Bayonne, there were many synagogues and most of them were Orthodox. My family belonged to the Talmud Torah on 20th Street on Avenue C. I have wonderful memories of being there and one of the highlights of my life was praying next to my beloved grandfather, Abraham Budow, until I was seventeen. Talmud Torah was a magnificent synagogue built in the European style. There was a huge balcony for the women and the men prayed in a large area below. On the High Holidays the Talmud Torah was packed. One of my memories was watching a woman pray the Musaf prayer and the paragraph, “On Rosh Hashanah one is inscribed and

on Yom Kippur the fate of a person is sealed.” During that prayer I noticed this European lady crying uncontrollably. For years, I saw this woman cry during the Musaf service, this woman cried on that

prayer three times a year. I found out that she was a Holocaust survivor. Her crying made sense to me now – she really understood the seriousness of this prayer – who will live and who will die, so she knew what was at stake. I myself would say this prayer, but truthfully, I could never get close to the emotion of that prayer until fifteen years ago. My youngest child, Arielle, commuted to a Hebrew day school in Deal, New Jersey. On an icy day she was involved in a terrible car accident. Arielle’s back was broken, and she had to have two major surgeries. I remember driving in my car to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, listening to the CD of Cantors in Prayer. One of the melodies was “Our Father ‫וכלמ‬,” and the melody was centered about asking Hashem for our needs. I remember vividly the Cantor said, “Our God write us into the Book of Life.” I sobbed uncontrollably

in my car. At fifty years old, I finally understood what was at stake. I understood like the woman in the balcony how fragile life is. At fifty years old, I was faced with the mortality of one’s life. Baruch Hashem, my daughter recovered after two major surgeries and an HIV scare. She married but the doctor warned us that giving birth would not be easy for her. Three years ago, my wife, Susan Fuchs, noticed that I was getting tired easily. Susan, being a doctor, insisted I go to a doctor. She arranged for me to see Dr. Gregg Pressman, a cardiologist in Philadelphia. (Doctor Pressman is a wonderful doctor.) After a very brief examination it was determined that I needed open heart surgery. After hearing that during the surgery one’s heart is stopped, I realized that I was facing my own mortality.

CONTINUED ON P. 29

Why Life Insurance Can’t Wait By Miriam Wartell

“I

’m interested but I’m not ready yet.” That’s something I often hear from potential clients. Let’s face it, life insurance isn’t the most exciting or easy topic to talk about but it’s a necessary one. Just a couple weeks ago, my coworker lost a friend. It was someone that he had, even recently, approached about life insurance many times. His friend was in his 40s when he died suddenly of a heart attack. The family had no major savings and it is unknown how the family will get by financially. My coworker went to the funeral with his head held high, he knew he tried, but ultimately and unfortunately, it was his friend’s decision to put off getting life insurance. As an Agent and Financial Professional, that really hit me hard. I have a job where I need to try and convince people to do something that I really think should be common sense. As my boss has said many times, “Why is it that when we buy a car, we can’t leave the lot without buying car insurance, yet after having a baby, parents can leave the hospital without buying life insurance?” I think that says it all. Some people do plan well, but others not. There are also some people who can’t even handle the topic. There are those who think things could never and would never happen to them and there are those who have never thought about

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it either way. All I know is that there are far too many online fundraising pages for families who thought they were too young, too busy or never thought about it and didn’t do that type of planning. I wish people would see how affordable and easy it can be to have peace of mind. There are also people with other types of “just in case” plans like owning real estate, but real estate isn’t liquid and if the real estate is being passed to anyone other than a spouse or business partner, it can potentially have major tax implications. And by the way, estate taxes are usually due within nine months. The idea of life insurance is immediate, liquid, income tax-free money to whoever is named the beneficiary. Some people rely on their savings, but how could someone save up enough money to offset what they would have brought in during their working career? For example, if someone is 37 and they plan to work until 67, they should plan on replacing 30 years’ worth of income or at least enough to maintain the same or similar style of living. After a loss, who wants to think about living in a minimalistic way? A family should be able to have enough money to cover the expenses of living in the same home, having the kids attend the same schools and being able to buy the same things that they normally do. The less of a change in lifestyle, the more manageable the situation will be. (May we never know from this.) I understand that this is hard to think about, but it’s something serious to be addressed. When it comes to financial planning, every household should know that they have enough money to cover

expenses and the vehicles to provide it. I also highly recommend that people consult an attorney and get wills. Life insurance through work is great to have but should only be viewed as an “extra.” It’s usually the equivalent of one year’s salary, in some cases more, but the idea of adequate life insurance is to cover the amount of a person’s working capital. Even when a person in retirement passes away, the spouse only gets to keep the higher of either amount of their Social Security checks, not both. Some choose to use their retirement money and other savings or investments in lieu of life insurance and for some people that can be okay. A person should consult a tax professional if this is their plan so they understand what types of taxes may occur. Just know, many types of assets are also subject to the probate process so those assets may also not be transferred right away. Not to mention, any assets used to replace a person’s income then takes away from the reason those assets were saved in the first place. So, here’s the thing about life insurance, we should plan to live a long life and get policies to reflect that. While Term life insurance is great for covering a new mortgage or when there are young kids, it’s meant for a short duration of time. Term insurance will typically lock in a price for a specific period of time, after which, it will blow up in price. If a person has a health issue after their Term insurance has passed its specified time, they could be stuck paying a hefty premium if they continue to keep their policy in-force. For this reason, I often recommend people

get at least a small Whole Life policy to lock in their rate for the rest of their life and also to provide extra peace of mind when their Term insurance is past its duration. Whole Life insurance also allows you to build cash-value, money you can access (through loans or withdrawals) while you’re living. Whole Life policies can help people with things like saving for college or weddings, starting a business or supplementing a retirement plan.* More importantly though, it’s life insurance that you know will get used. This is not to say that Whole Life insurance is right for everyone, but it is helpful to many. If nothing else, it makes the conversation about life insurance a little easier because let’s face it, it’s much easier to plan for 120 than any other time in the future. *Cash-value withdrawals and loans will reduce the policy’s cash value and death benefit amount. I’ve recently begun hosting “life insurance parties” as an easy way to discuss the topic in an open forum with community members or friends. I call them “Dessert and Learns” because it’s a fun and easy way to provide education on the topic. If anyone is interested in hosting one, you can feel free to contact me. Dessert and Learns work best in groups of 5-20. To host an event, or for information about life insurance in general, please call Miriam at 267.269.0515 or email her at mwartell@ft.newyorklife.com. Miriam Wartell is a Financial Services Professional with New York Life. Miriam has been working in the Financial industry since 2014, providing education to clients to help them make informed decisions. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

FEATURES “Noa” CONTINUED FROM P. 28 The day of the surgery I remember praying and wondering if indeed I would wake up. After a quadruple bypass, I woke up depressed; I realized that I had to face the end of life. I now had to face this reality. I received comfort from a great rabbi, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin from Efrat, Israel. Rabbi Riskin was a renowned rabbi from New York during the seventies. He was even written up in Time Magazine as the rabbi of Lincoln Square Synagogue in New York City. Then Rabbi Riskin got up and made aliyah to Efrat, a town that didn’t even have plumbing when he arrived. Rabbi Riskin is a prolific writer and I have read many of his books. He has a series on the Torah, and I loved reading

The Multiple Faces of Anti-Semitism CONTINUED FROM P. 9 “Zionists” of having “collaborated” with the Nazi regime and a slew of other murky fantasies that had nothing to do with Israeli settlement policy.) I would also cite France, where the phenomenon of deadly violence against Jews— from terrorist attacks to home invasions—is now entering its third decade. No case better symbolizes the crisis of French anti-Semitism than that of Sarah Halimi, the 65-yearold Jewish woman who was tortured and beaten to death by one of her Muslim neighbors, Kobili Traoré, in a Paris public housing project in April 2017. Despite substantive evidence of Traoré’s past criminal record, his attendance at the Islamist Mosquee Omar in Paris, and witness testimony of his antiSemitic cries as he battered Halimi to death, he will evade criminal trial on the grounds of

his commentaries. During the time of my recovery, I read a commentary on grandchildren. The rabbi wrote that if one wants to measure the success of one’s life, look at their grandchildren. If your grandchildren are following in the ways of the Torah, your life is a success and one’s legacy lives on. I have been very blessed with being involved with my two grandchildren’s lives. Aria and Shiri go to a Hebrew day school – Ohr Chadash Academy in Baltimore, Maryland. I am thrilled that they are following in the ways that Susan and I taught their mother, Arielle. I teach them about tzedakah by emptying my pockets of change and letting them put the money in the tzedakah box. I take them to the supermarket, and I have fun buying them their favorite things.

A few weeks ago, Arielle gave birth to her third girl. Hashem blessed Arielle in allowing her to give birth in a relatively easy way. A highlight of my life took place on Shabbat when I went to synagogue to name our new addition along with her husband, Alen, and the girls, Aria and Shiri. My son-in-law, Alen, was born in Iran and he attends the Persian Synagogue in Baltimore. The synagogue has many different customs that I am not used to. My son-in-law gave me the honor of naming the new baby. The Ashkenazi prayer of a baby naming calls for the blessings of our forefathers; Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, etc. To my surprise, the Persian prayer asks for the blessings of our matriarchs; Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, Leah, Miriam, Abigail and Queen Esther. I smiled when I read the names of these women and I

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temporary insanity caused by cannabis consumption. No wonder that the chief rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, described the decision by Paris prosecutors not to try Traoré as a “license to kill Jews.” Moreover, during the last year, “visible Jews”—those who wear religious clothing or Jewish symbols—have been assaulted in numerous outrages across the globe, from Buenos Aires to Brooklyn to Berlin. In November, I reported on one such incident—a physical attack on a young, kipahwearing Jewish man in the changing room of a gym in the German city of Freiburg by a man shouting “Free Palestine!” and “You Dirty Jew!” For the assailant, clearly, there was no need to separate the Palestinian cause from the anti-Jewish one; in the moment that he grabbed the young man’s kipah, spat on it and threw it into a garbage can, they were one and the same struggle. The resurgence of crude, violent antiSemitism in both the United States and

Europe at the close of this last decade inevitably casts the polite anti-Semitism of progressive circles in a new light. For all their insistence that anti-Semitism is one thing and anti-Zionism something else entirely, on the streets of European and American cities, the two work hand-in-glove. Rhetoric that demonizes Israel for allegedly smuggling human organs, for example, has fused with more traditional fixations over Jewish bankers, Jewish lobbyists and Jewish secrecy. The net result is not just that anti-Semitic hate crimes have multiplied in nearly every country with a Jewish community, most notably in America; it’s that anti-Semitism drawn from all parts of the political and cultural spectrum is now on open display, and painfully so. White supremacists, radical black nationalists and Islamists all coexist and contribute to the overall growth of anti-Jewish animus, while populist right-wing and left-wing politicians alike have shown themselves ready to co-opt

felt my new granddaughter was in good company. Incidentally, she was named Noa. Who was Noa? Noa was one of the daughters of Zelophehad, who asked for a land inheritance in the land of Israel. Since there were no brothers born in the family, these daughters asked for their father’s inheritance. God agreed that these women were deserving because of their love of the land of Israel. With my son-inlaw, daughter and my granddaughters, my future is truly bright. My life lives on with my family and truly a real mazel tov to myself, my wife Susan, Alen and Arielle. Rabbi Ira Budow has been the Head of School at Abrams Hebrew Academy for 39 years. One of his greatest accomplishments has been taking 700 people to Israel. His favorite pastime is seeing his grandchildren grow up.

anti-Semitism when it is politically expedient to do so. Anti-Semitic dog-whistles and tropes increasingly poison all manner of political disputes—from the ultranationalist AfD party in Germany’s parliament denouncing immigration to progressive Democrats on Capitol Hill denouncing American policy in the Middle East. Neither of those two last groups would appreciate being bracketed with the other, but that merely demonstrates how ideologically adaptable anti-Semitism can be, particularly when digital communication allows for the spread of anti-Semitic ideas that blur traditional political, religious and national boundaries. How we respond to these developments as a Jewish community is among the critical tests we will face in the coming decade. Ben Cohen is a New York City-based journalist and author who writes a weekly column on Jewish and international affairs for JNS.

ISRAEL NEWS Not Just Another Iranian General CONTINUED FROM P. 10 Iranian takeover of that country, in an attempt to push the United States out using terrorism and violence. But even before that, Soleimani was the mastermind that came up with the concept of placing an Iranian proxy in Lebanon. Once Hezbollah was formed, the head of the Quds Force was instrumental in making it into the formidable military force it is today, possessing an arsenal of more than 150,000 missiles. Every move, large and small, taken by Iran’s proxies in the region needed Soleimani’s approval, and he was also the creative mind behind many of them. His death is bound to have a paralyzing effect—if only a temporary one—on these proxies, whose leaders now look to the January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

sky, fearing they might meet a similar end. Iran and its allies are not interested in an all-out war from which they can only emerge with nothing, so they are likely to try not to cross red lines when exacting their revenge, lest they drag the entire region into war. Soleimani was masterful strategist and tactician alike, and Tehran will struggle to find someone as skilled, as daring and as charismatic to take his place. To say that his replacement, his deputy Gen. Esmail Ghaani, has big shoes to fill is a serious understatement. In the short term, the Iranian public will rally around the ayatollahs’ regime over the apparent American affront to the country’s honor. But in the long run, the debate in Tehran over whether investing billions of dollars in subversion and terrorism in the region is really serving Iranian interests is likely to resume.

Eyal Zisser is a lecturer in the Middle East History Department at Tel Aviv University.

This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.

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The Scene From The Dirshu World Siyum at Binyanei Hauma By Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

otzei Shabbos Chanukah officially served as the start of what promises to be a phenomenal couple of weeks filled with siyumim and Torah celebrations in many locations around the world. But tonight, Motzei Shabbos Parshas Miketz, the seventh night of Chanukah, December 28, 2019, we are at Yerushalayim’s Binyanei Hauma, getting ready to celebrate the initial Dirshu siyum in Yerushalayim. The beautiful event begins as do so many Dirshu events – with music. Music encapsulates so much of Jewish life and the culmination of the conclusion of the entire Shas is no different. If there is any time to sing and dance, this is it. The hall is filled with an incredible sense of happiness and accomplishment – the auditorium fills with exuberant Yidden, the majority still bedecked in their Shabbos clothing. This is a major night of celebration. A night when gedolei hador and young talmidei chachamim join together to celebrate the accomplishments of so many sincere bnei Torah. Can you imagine what it feels like for a person who spent the last seven and a half years learning Shas and is now standing poised to cross the finish line? He has given his all, day after day, winter and summer, when he was awake and when he was tired. He made no excuses and never wavered in his goal. And that is all by a regular misayem of Shas. This, however, is a Dirshu siyum – which means that the people here who finished

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Shas didn’t just learn through the daphim. Instead they did it the Dirshu way. With passionate learning culminating in rigorous tests given on a regular basis. And while most people do not like being tested, the members of Dirshu love being tested and thank Dirshu for the opportunity to take their learning and make it part of them. Rav Yitzchok Ezrachi, Rosh Yeshiva of the Mir, begins the night with a resounding speech spurring his listeners to action. The thrust of his speech is simple and powerful. He explains that the tnai, the condition for learning Torah, is that a person love the Torah. The Torah can tell when a Yid loves to

learn its words and waits for an opportunity to learn a few more lines and another daf. The Torah has its own language – it’s not always easy to understand that language, and in order to understand it, you have to really want it, and you have to daven for the z’chus like great tzaddikim throughout the ages. The members of Dirshu speak the language of Torah learning. They speak the language of people who love the Torah and want to make its words part of their very neshamos. As the strains of Ma’oz Tzur fade away, Rav Dovid Hofstedter is introduced to speak. Hearing the name of the nasi of Dirshu, the crowd bursts into spontaneous applause – something that occurs every time his name is mentioned. Rav Dovid discusses the mesiras nefesh he has witnessed among the members of Dirshu. “Where does this mesiras nefesh come from?” he asks the crowd. He then relates how he has asked this very same question countless times to Dirshu members around the world. “I ask them, ‘Did you ever dream that you would one day be able to reach the madreigos in learning which you have attained? Did you ever believe that you would be able to take tests on the entire Shas or Mishnah Berurah?’ Time after time, they answer me with the same answer, telling me that no, they never believed they would be able to reach the goals they have achieved. “‘We don’t have the kishronos, we know that we don’t. What we have done is beyond our capabilities, beyond what we ever imagined possible. B’derech hateva we should not have been able to do any of this!’ “And yet we have thousands and thousands of people around the world taking

multiple tests on so many complex subjects – even though they never thought they could. “So how is this possible?” Rav Dovid then shares a fascinating insight with his listeners on the topic of Yaakov Avinu and the pachim ketanim, the tiny jugs – which our ancestor Yaakov remained behind on the riverbank to fight for. He explains that we, the children of Yaakov Avinu, have inherited his mesiras nefesh – the same mesiras nefesh that Klal Yisrael exhibited when it came to the “pach hashemen,” the little jug of oil that was used in the Beis Hamikdash to light the Menorah for eight days – against all odds. It is this mesiras nefesh that we can use to do things we imagined were impossible, to learn and know and accomplish. “Even when it looks like there’s no chance,” Rav Dovid said, “we can do all sorts of incredible things and accomplish that which we never believed possible. We can do it – it’s our yerusha, our inheritance from Yaakov Avinu. At the moment when it seems like all the koach is finished, that’s davka when we see that we have the strength to do the impossible!” The Admor of Erlau recited the words of the Hadran, and the crowd waited in anticipation. Silence filled the room as the final Kaddish was recited. The tense silence that precedes an outpouring of excitement. This was it. Here it came. The big moment. The moment everyone had been waiting for – for the last seven and a half years, from the last time so many thousands of Yidden had come together for the very same celebration. And then the final words of Kaddish were uttered. A resounding “Amen” was heard and the sound of music resounded through the hall as every one of the thousands of people joined hands and became a huge mass celebrating the simcha shel mitzvah. What a moment it was! “Ana, ana, ana…” “V’taher libeinu…” “Ashreichem, ashreichem, ashreichem, talmidei chachamim!” What a moment! What a night! What glory for Torah and those who learn it! It was a triumph for the members of Dirshu who toiled long and hard to reach this point. They know the taste of hard work, but more importantly, they know the taste of success, the taste of Yaakov Avinu’s mesiras nefesh, the taste of the “pachim ketanim,” the taste of the “pach shemen,” the taste of the thousands of years of Torah learning combined with true mesiras nefesh. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

DIVREI TORAH Saying Shema: Judging Others or Judging Myself? By Rabbi Jonathan Bienenfeld

he pasuk of “Shema Yisrael” may well be the best-known in the entire Torah. Taught from the earliest of ages and then repeated multiple times in our daily tefilos, it is a verse embedded in our Jewish consciousness. So, we’ve memorized our lines, but do we know our audience? Shema Yisrael appears in the Torah in Parshas Va’eschanan, as part of Moshe’s last charge to his people before they cross into Eretz Yisrael without him. In this context, the “Yisrael” that Moshe refers to is the Nation of Israel. Moshe is addressing the gathered nation and informing, reminding, reiterating to them the importance of belief in one, unified God. When we repeat these words as part of our morning and evening tefilos, we likely step right into Moshe’s shoes. The “Yisrael” in our declaration matches that of his. We call out to the rest of the nation to remind them that “Hashem Echad.”

The Rambam (Hilchos Tefilah 1:4) informs us of another moment in history in which the same words were spoken to a completely different audience. In this week’s parsha, Parshas Vayechi, Yaakov gathers his children as he lays on his deathbed. According to the Midrash, Yaakov intended to reveal to his children when the Messianic Era would commence, but his ruach hakodesh—his holy spirit—departed, and he was rendered incapable of accessing the information he wished to share. Yaakov was concerned that this was perhaps a function of the company he was keeping; had one of his sons veered from the path of service to Hashem? Yaakov boldly poses the question to his gathered children and receives the resounding answer: “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu Hashem Echad.” In this version, the “Yisrael” referred to is not the Nation of Israel, but Israel himself, i.e., our patriarch Yaakov. Yaakov’s children address their father and resolutely insist that they have remained dedicated to the covenant. Why does the Rambam mention the context in which this verse was originally recited? What difference does it make if we recite the Shema of Moshe or that of the sons of Yaakov?

The answer is the audience. When we recite Moshe’s Shema, we’re speaking to the nation about their faith. When we recite the Shema of Yaakov’s children, we’re speaking to Yaakov Avinu, responding to an inquiry about our own faith. To step into their shoes is to feel our ancestor questioning our own religiosity, faith, and observance. What kind of Shema do we typically recite? Do we spend more time saying the Shema of Moshe Rabbeinu, or that of the B’nai Yaakov? Is our religious expression defined more by our questioning of why others aren’t doing more, or of why we aren’t doing more ourselves? Do we comfort ourselves through the assertion that others need to take “Hashem Echad” more seriously, or do we own up to the need for a personal assessment, detached from comparison to others? In reminding us of the first Shema ever recited, the Rambam is guiding us to consider the declaration contained within these holy words as one that is deeply personal. “Hashem Echad” is a credo that I must be personally responsible for, not only dictate to others. In this light, Shema is a twice-daily exercise in personal ownership; an opportunity to assess what steps I myself could be

taking to solve life’s greatest problems, before assessing how others have fallen down on the job. There is an old quip that tells of an elderly man relating how his view of life changed as he aged: “When I was a young man, I thought I would change the world. When I grew older, I thought I would change my community. When I grew older still, I thought I would change my family. I now hope that I can just change myself.” Rav Yehuda Amital, the late Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivat Har Etzion, would comment that, unfortunately, this assessment is all wrong; it is precisely those who cannot change themselves who attempt to change the rest of the world. Reciting the Shema is meant to remind us that if the world needs change, we best look first to change ourselves. Rabbi Jonathan Bienenfeld is the Rav of the Young Israel of Cherry Hill and a Rebbe at The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia. Read and subscribe to his blog at rabbijonathanbienenfeld.com. Rabbi Bienenfeld co-hosts “The Portion,” a podcast available on all major platforms. You can listen to a collection of his shiurim at yutorah.org.

Chazak, Chazak! By Rabbi Meir Riber

ith the peals of “Moshe Emes” still resounding in our ears, and the echoes and energy of Simchas Torah still reverberating, (but hopefully with our Sukkahs down by now), we find ourselves yet again rounding first base and making our first siyum on the newest cycle of Chamishei Chumshei Torah. All of Klal Yisroel this week will be concluding Sefer Bereishis, and will begin Sefer Shemos, together with that timeless roar from the crowd of “Chazak, chazak, v’nischazeik.” Let us take advantage of this auspicious and appropriate moment to investigate the origins of this minhag and appreciate just what we are saying. The Rema in Shulchan Aruch, at the end of section 139, essentially quoting a Beis Yosef, tells us the following: “He who is called to read from the Torah should hold [the poles of] the Torah, as it is written in Yehoshua, ‘lo yamushu… chazak v’emutz’” (translation: the Torah shall not slip away from your grasp… be strong and be bold). The Rema continues: “And for this reason the custom is that he who concludes the Torah, every time, should be addressed with ‘Chazak.’” While this is clearly the source for our practice, the question arises, however, as to January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

what scenario exactly the Rema is describing. He mentions “he who concludes” – but concludes what? The options are manifold; are we talking about concluding the aliyah, the sefer, or perhaps the entire Torah? He also mentions “every time” – again, what is this referring to? We find in fact two different ways of interpreting and applying this minhag. The Kaf Hachaim records that the custom is to wish everyone who gets called to the Torah, upon the completion of their aliyah, “Chazak u’varuch.” This is indeed the common custom amongst the Sephardim. (In addition, it would seem that this is the source for the modernday invocation of “Chazak u’varuch” essentially having become in the Sephardi world the equivalent of “Yasher koach” in Ashkenazi culture). The Levush, on the other hand, writes that the correct application of this minhag is to reserve the adulations exclusively for the oleh that completes one of the five chumashim. Indeed, this is the prevailing practice amongst the Ashkenazim. (As a historical aside, it is interesting to note that the Avudraham records that the custom in France was to say Chazak after every aliyah, while the minhag in Spain was to save it for the end of a sefer. It would transpire that this would be another instance of Sephardi and Ashkenazi minhagim being transposed with one another.)

What exactly should the tzibbur be saying? Again, the Rema’s words here are quite terse; he mentions a mere “Chazak.” As we saw, the Kaf Hachaim modifies that to “Chazak u’varuch.” The accepted minhag among the Ashkenazim is the threefold “Chazak, chazak, v’nischazeik,” which has its roots in the Levush mentioned earlier. Interestingly, there are other minhagim in the Ashkenazi literature mentioned as well. Both the Eliya Rabba and the Aruch Hashulchan rule that the correct formula is to say “Chazak, chazak, chazak,” three times, which in addition is appropriately the gematria of “Moshe.” This is also cited as the personal practice of the Chasam Sofer. As the Rema tells us, the public recital of “Chazak” is in actuality the tzibbur addressing the one who was called to the Torah. That gives rise to an intriguing halachic application, one which deserves to be disseminated. As the crowd calls out, “Chazak…,” the oleh should not say it together with them. This is for two reasons. First of all, they are speaking to him and telling him to be strong; it would be odd for him to join them in addressing himself, and akin perhaps to a performer receiving an ovation to participate in the applause. Aside from that, being that it is really the tzibbur’s line and not the oleh’s, for him to accompany them would in fact be a hefsek, an unnecessary interruption, between the aliyah and

concluding bracha. Rather the one called up should remain silent, and enjoy all the wishes, blessings and benedictions. On a final hashkafic note, let us appreciate the actual function and purpose behind this practice. As we know, the Torah contains not just Hashem’s instructions for Jewish life, but the very purpose of our lives, a cosmic mission statement. One who is called up to the Torah, and certainly one who is present for the milestone of completing an entire section of the Torah, has received a hefty chunk of that mission statement and is now tasked with carrying it out. We are there at his side to encourage him and support him in moving forward with this. And even more so, we find in halacha that the one who is called up is a sort of delegate of ours, representing the entire tzibbur. As such, it is essentially the entire community, via our agent, being charged anew with this responsibility. We therefore wish the oleh, and indeed ourselves, “Chazak, chazak, v’nischazeik” – may we all be strengthened and emboldened in executing these responsibilities and achieving our mission statement! Rabbi Meir Riber served as a Rebbi and Mashgiach in Yeshivas Aish HaTorah Jerusalem for over 10 years. He moved a year ago with his family to Philadelphia, where he is now Rosh Kollel of the CBS Community Center and Shul and community Rav in the Somerton area.

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DIVREI TORAH

“Do Not Bury Me In Egypt” By Rabbi Dov Lipman

s Yaakov’s death approaches, he asks Yosef to promise to bury him in Israel where his father and grandfather are buried. Notice the first words that Yaakov says: “…Do kindness and truth with me, please do not bury me in Egypt” (47:29). What does Yaakov mean when he says “do kindness and truth with me?” Why does he focus on not being buried in Egypt? Rav Samson Raphael Hirsch explains: “Yaakov knew quite certainly that Yosef would bury his father with all possible splendor. But he says ‘with all the chesed do not forget the emet.’ I would rather not be buried at all than be buried in Egypt. The stress is on the request not to be buried in Egypt… Yaakov had lived seventeen years with his family in Egypt, and noticed what a powerful influence the ‘and they acquired property in it’ (47:27) was beginning to have on his descendants: they already began to see the

Jordan in the Nile and to find their stay in Egypt no exile. Sufficient motive for him to press with such ceremonious solemnity that they should not bury him in Egypt, but that they should carry him to their old true homeland. Motive enough for him to say to them, ‘You hope and wish to live in Egypt, I do not wish even to be buried there.’” Yaakov knew that Yosef would act with chesed toward him via a very respectful burial in Egypt. But Yaakov wanted chesed that was based on truth. And truth means a recognition that Egypt is foreign to the Jewish people and that they must not allow the failure which Yaakov was already seeing come to fruition – becoming comfortable in exile. Hence, the emphasis on the negativity of Egypt. The failure of the Jewish people becoming too comfortable in countries outside the land of Israel is a mistake we have repeated throughout our history. Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi explains that when the Jewish people returned to Israel from Babylonia in the time of Ezra, “only a few returned, and most including the greats remained in Babylonia... they wanted exile and subjugation so they

shouldn’t be separated from their homes and their interests.” Yaakov’s “do not bury me in Egypt” was addressed to them. Rabbi Yechiel Halperin states: “After seventy years of exile many have returned from Babylon to Eretz Yisrael and Yerushalayim. But none returned from Worms. The community in Yerushalayim wrote and urged them to join their new settlement… but the complacent Jews of Worms dismissed this invitation out of hand: ‘You stay where you are in the great Yerushalayim and we will continue to stay where we are in our little Yerushalayim.’” Yaakov’s “do not bury me in Egypt” was intended for them. Rabbi Yaakov Emden taught: “We have been persecuted; we have toiled but found no rest... All because we have completely forgotten about living in the Land of Israel. Not one in a thousand awakens to take hold of it to live there. Perhaps one or two per country in a generation… We imagine while we are dwelling peacefully in the Diaspora that we have found a replacement Land of Israel and Yerushalayim.”

Yaakov’s “do not bury me in Egypt” was meant for them. Rabbi Yissachar Shlomo Teichtal wrote: “The Shelah and Chatam Sofer bemoan the fact that some Jews become completely absorbed in the Diaspora… They only care and desire to make an honorable living and build a big house with a courtyard made of hewn stones. They build it to last for many years, so that they can bequeath it to their children and grandchildren, who will be born on foreign soil, for they hope to see many offspring and live long lives in exile. In this way, we lost hundreds and thousands of years in exile.” Yaakov’s “do not bury me in Egypt” was directed at them. May we all be blessed to heed Yaakov’s plea to Yosef and recognize that even if we live outside of the Land of Israel, we should not allow ourselves to become too comfortable. Our sights as a people must be towards a return to Israel. Rabbi Dov Lipman is a former MK and the author of seven books about Judaism and Israel. He is a member of the Mizrachi Speakers Bureau (www.mizrachi.org/speakers).

The Siyum HaShas, MetLife and Goshen By Rabbi Moshe Taragin

ach of the fiftytwo sections or parshiyot of the Torah are separated from the previous section by an empty space of at least nine letters. There is only one exception to this rule – the beginning of Parshat Vayechi – which is fused to the conclusion of Parshat Vayigash without any intervening empty space. Rashi cites a midrash which views the textual closure as a metaphor for the ‘closing of the Jewish imagination.’ The collective Jewish “vision” was shuttered and therefore the section of the Torah describing the sojourn in Egypt is textually sealed. What led to this shuttering of vision? Some cite Yaakov’s death as the cause for this closure of the imagination. Yaakov was a throwback to a different and earlier era when Jews inhabited their homeland in Israel. His entire life pivoted upon the struggle for his land. When he died, the Jewish connection to this homeland frayed and without this anchor their historical imagination was dimmed. Others claim that the slowly encroaching anti-Jewish discrimination and subsequent persecution sunk Jewish hopes for the future, effectively

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obscuring their vision. Whether it was Yaakov’s death or the onset of oppression, life in Goshen severed Jews from their past homeland and entangled them more deeply within Egyptian culture. As the Jews no longer envisioned a different ‘place’ the text provides no visionary ‘space’ between Vayigash and Vayechi. There is a third factor dimming Jewish imagination: the Jews attained relative success and prosperity in Egypt. Despite the surrounding famine, they were comfortably nestled in Goshen, benefiting from Yosef’s continuing support. The final verse of Parshat Vayigash emphasizes their success – in contrast the struggles of the overall population – by describing the Jews of Goshen as entrenched and prosperous.” Beyond their material welfare they enjoyed socio-political popularity; Yosef had rescued Egypt from catastrophe and transformed it into a regional superpower. This talented Jewish family from the North was responsible for Egypt’s dazzling success. The Jews felt too comfortable to see beyond the high walls of Goshen. Sometimes we forget that we belong elsewhere because of the oppression of others; other times our imagination closes because we feel too comfortable in our current conditions. Last week’s Siyum HaShas celebration was a great milestone for the American

Jewish community and a triumph for Jews across the world. The images of over 90,000 Jews gathering in a stadium and glorying Torah, reflect the great advance of Torah study in an age of national redemption and restoration of national pride. Against the backdrop of surging violent anti-Semitism, the celebrations also constituted an act of defiance and courage. Our people will not allow hatred and bigotry to silence our celebration of Torah and our affirmation of the Jewish mission in this hostile world. By any account, last week was a grand affirmation of the American Jewish experience. However, the assembly also punctuated one of the unique challenges of Jewish life in America. Occupying a sports venue signals how relatively “comfortable” and “public” Jews feel within the American cultural space. I personally travel to many Jewish communities around the world, and I am often asked to describe the differences between the U.S. Jewish community and other Jewish communities. Without question, the ‘confidence index’ of U.S. Jews far surpasses that of other Jewish communities. In most other communities Jews tend to live on the “margins” of society, building robust and sturdy communities but clearly possessing a sense of living outside the mainstream culture. The notion of a publicly Jewish event of the magnitude

of the Siyum HaShas is unimaginable elsewhere. In contrast to Jews in other countries, Jews in the U.S. are much more confident about their role and position within American cultural fabric as they have entered almost every sector of society. In past generations Jews participated in the “classically Jewish” fields of medicine, law, education and finance; in the last generation Jews have begun to enter even less classically Jewish areas such as sports, entertainment, politics and many other cultural sectors. Many stadiums provide year-round kosher food and even schedule minyanim within the stadium venues. Again, these descriptions are astonishing to nonAmerican Jewish audiences who typically attend these broader cultural events as ‘outsiders’ rarely exhibiting their Judaism. It was this supreme confidence which was on display at MetLife Stadium last week. As our numbers in Goshen increased our success skyrocketed and our social profile became more prominent. The success of Jewish life in the U.S. is, among many other factors, a product of sheer numbers. However, it is precisely this confidence, which can sometimes shutter the imagination of American Jews to that ‘other place’ to which every Jew belongs. Living in smaller scaled

CONTINUED ON P. 43 January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

Developmental Delays: The Green Smoothie Challenge By Christina Sciarretta

What You Need to Know

By Penina Popper, OTR/L

very March, it feels like I am “Didpulling your child start crawling myself out of ayet?” pit of “How old washealth your baby he took crappy andwhen way too his firstmonths steps?” of cold, dark, damp many “Mine can say three words together at weather, and if you live here at a time, can you believe it?” theConversations shore, you know with milethe about that meeting weather have had, thisyou year no stones is we often something willishear different! I don’tand know about you, but proud parents caregivers talking exciting watch yourraining child as itabout. feelsIt’s to me like to it has been they learn and explore the world around for 87 years. I cannot understand them while discovering new abilities. As how people live in year-round rain, soon as a child masters new skills, parlike Seattle or London. We, here in ents and caregivers want to share the Atlantic County, news with friends are andbeach family. people. It’s also We don’t tothrive in gloom and darkcommon compare your child’s skills ness. We come to life in sun, sand, and abilities to those of other children or even compare them to what your older and salty air. As such, I always find kids did when he/she the recharge same age. myself needing a was total But what if you hear about other kids in March. That recharge comes in passing milestones before your child the form of a giant cup full of green does? It can be extremely nerve-wrackawesomeness anddevelopment good vibes.seems ing when a child’s I use than the month of Marchbe toexpected replenslower would normally or is not typical of children of similar age. ish my depleted body with the vitaAnxious parents and caregivers may be concerned about developmental delays, and what they mean.

HERE ARE FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW: 1.

As you watch your child grow, remember that each child develops at his or her own pace and there is a range of what is considered “normal.” For example, some babies start crawling as young as six months, while others may still be scooting around at ten months. Both of those babies are within the range of typical development. Usually, developmental milestones are classified into five categories: 1) fine and gross motor development, 2) speech and language development, 3) cognitive skills, 4) social/emotional development and 5) daily living activities. This article will focus on motor development with subsequent articles addressing the other key areas of development. What is considered a developmental delay? It is much more than just temporarily lagging, being “a little behind” or “slower to develop.” A developmental delay means that a child is not reaching their developmental milestones at the

If you’re a parent like me, you know that healthy eating is just about last on the to-do list for most of the year, so it’s important for us to take time to stop and reset. If you go too long without proper nutrition, it will creep back up in awful ways, like chronic disease, illness, aches and pains, low energy, moodiness, etc. I’d like to encourage you all to join our community, take charge of your health, and consider taking the challenge yourself or with your family or team! (Of course, as with anything healthrelated, it is always important to discuss the benefits and risks with your physician.) All you have to do peace, love, and good vibes, my friends! What makes a green smoothie? Leafy greens of your choice spinmins and nutrients that it is missing, Smoothie. I have found that blending due to the over-abundance of carbs nutrient-rich leafy greens with other ach, kale, collards, swiss chard, etc Other veggies of choice: carrot, and sugar and lack of anything green veggies, fruit, and liquid (yogurt, coor healthy… anyone else? Come conut water, almond milk, etc.) bring cucumber, beets, etc Fruit of your choice (I almost alon, somebody! Enter the Green my body and mind back to life. It is a total rejuvenation! For 31 days, I ways use bananas and one or more commit to consuming a homemade of the following: pineapple, mango, green smoothie every single day. By berries, cherries, papaya, avocado, the end of the month, I almost don’t apple, etc Liquid of your choice: yogurt, cocoeven recognize myself. My skin is radiant, my hair is shinier, my energy nut milk, almond milk, ice, water, etc Extras: chia seed, flax seed, protein level is sky-high, my mental clarity is improved, my sleep is deep, my wake powder, hemp seed, cacao powder, is easy, I’m usually a bit more trim, I etc Here are just a few of the benefits begin to crave healthier foods, and I feel unbelievably freaking awesome. of green smoothies: • Increased energy I decided that I just couldn’t keep this • Improved digestion magic to myself, so I created The Sci• Improved mental clarity and arretta Collection’s Green Smoothie focus Challenge! • Supports overall health I can’t lie, it is a bit scary to see • Improved mood how much change happens, just • Glowy skin from nourishing my body properly. (Images from: http://doctorimanrozali.blogspot.com/2012/04/remembering-developmental-milestones.html?m=1)

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January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

the areas mentioned above, or what’s known as a global development delay when there are at least two areas of development which are affected. There is no specific cause for developmental delays. However, there are some risk factors as pointed out by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

(CDC). This can include complications at birth such as low birth weight, infections during pregnancy and multiple births. Other risk factors can include lead exposure, poor nutrition, specific illnesses or medical conditions amongst others. Act early if you are concerned about your child’s development. For children with developmental delays, identifying challenges and

seeking assistance early is the key to progress and success. Early intervention is a program that provides services to children from birth to age three who have, or are at-risk of, developmental disabilities. Services are provided at no cost to the families of eligible children, regardless of insurance coverage. Early Intervention assists

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CONTINUED ON P. 37

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS What?! I Have ADHD Too?!

Tackling Adult ADHD By Dr. Dovid Levy

ften, when I first meet with the parents of a child who has ADHD, at least one of the parents suddenly realize that, “Hey! Those symptoms sound a lot like things that I have experienced as a child and still experience to this day!” After further assessment, this will often result in a parent getting diagnosed with ADHD along with their child. This makes sense, given that ADHD is largely genetic with a 30%-40% chance that a child who has ADHD will have a parent with ADHD as well. There are a few reasons why an ADHD diagnosis in adulthood can go unnoticed. First, hyperactivity, which is arguably the most noticeable symptom of child ADHD, expresses itself very differently in adulthood. While hyperactivity is expressed more overtly in childhood (jumping out of one’s seat, running around at home or in the classroom, etc.), in adulthood,

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hyperactivity is more of an inner experience of uncomfortable restlessness. While this does not generally manifest in adults climbing up walls in their workplace, this restlessness does express itself through feeling fidgety and having a hard time sitting still for long periods of time. Therefore, an adult who has ADHD often prefers a very active job. Impulsive behavior may also express itself more intensely during childhood, such as through physical aggression or emotional dysregulation. For adults, though, impulsive behavior may express itself through lower degrees of intensity, taking the form of risky spending patterns, poor family decisions, and monopolizing conversations. The more overt symptoms of adult ADHD fall into the attention/organizational category. Common symptoms may include poor sustained attention, forgetfulness, losing things frequently, procrastination, poor organizational skills, and trouble starting and finishing tasks. These symptoms will often significantly impact their performance at work and affect their relationships.

Another reason why ADHD can get overlooked in adults is because they are often very successful and accomplished individuals, such as doctors, lawyers, and CEOs of companies. This is because there is a connection between ADHD and success. Just think about it. If you flip the three main symptoms of ADHD on their head, you come out with three valuable character strengths. Impulsivity becomes creativity. Distractibility becomes curiosity. And hyperactivity becomes energy. Add hyperfocus to the mix, and you’ve got an impassioned, determined, and creative innovator who can channel all these qualities into high levels of achievement. Thus, ADHD does not have to be an impediment to success. It can be the ROAD TO SUCCESS. It is important to note, however, that even successful people who have ADHD may struggle with symptoms of restlessness, impulsive decision making, organizational challenges, and sustaining attention, and that is why treatment is of utmost importance.

Adult ADHD treatment can be divided into three elements: Medication. The gold standard for treatment for adults who have ADHD is stimulant medication, which improves the brain’s capacity to sustain attention and better regulate one’s behavior. It should be noted that stimulant medication can include side effects, such as a decreased appetite, sleep problems, stomach aches/ headaches, and irritability, and therefore it is important to consult with a psychiatrist regarding medication. Sometimes a psychiatrist will prescribe non-stimulant medication when the stimulants do not work or when the side effects are intolerable. Medication also helps implement any of the organizational skills that are being learned. Organizational skills training. Medication itself will not significantly improve organizational and time-management skills. For this, you need to learn specific strategies that target the improvement of executive functioning

CONTINUED ON P. 35

January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

toLaunches Home ‘MochaHouse Crème’ at Mocha Bleu a scoop or two of your favorite protein powder and voila!

By House of Kosher

withCookies a highold. A communal forThese families, By Elizabeth Kratz Lunch table is done! Healthydesserts Date and Nut are perfect for satisfying your sweet craving without the guilt. Recipe by Esther Chana Schechter friends or small group meetings is in er level dessert case. I gotCrème this recipe a friendJust back in when I was Photography by Shani Josefovits time to living enjoyin area,from perfect resh baked pastries, new or- the new Mocha Israel. It’s the perfect treat for a healthy midnight snack. ganic house coffees, crois- for high school students coming along with the new Bonus, my kids love them too. Happy cooking! t’s that time of year when we make commitments to sants and muffins, not to men- in for a quick gelato or sandwich. desserts, Mocha Bleu better eating and healthy living. The trick is to really The couches and small tables just is also debuting a line tion gelatosmoothbe prepped.topped Having crepes, a fridge and pantry stocked with JAZZBERRY SMOOTHIE nextGetting to the coffee aremilk quiet in of house coffees from ies andgrab milkshakes, and two types healthy n’ go items makes all the difference. 1 cuparea coconut the morning and perfect for friend- Jim’s Organic. of grabandgoonsavory sandwiches, the whole family board helps everyone stay motivated 1 cup frozen berries and a positive andCrème, encouraging vibe! meetups The Lemonafter carpool 1 cup plain Greek yogurt While Nespresso and business are keeps all part of Mocha a new Oregano Dressing is perfect for that basic salad that 1-2 tbsp. honey meeting place now debuting at Mo- meetings, with coffee and muffins. cappuccino, espresso needs just a little bit of a kick! (Tip: save theThere extras in Blend and for enjoy. a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes is aample space children and other Italian cofcha Bleu. mason jar and keep in the fridge for easy use.) It’s super until cookies are slightly browned and firm to the touch. The new counter-purchase of- in strollers and free wifi. With a fee drinks are still easy to make and stays fresh for a while. The Jazzberry HEALTHY DATE AND NUT COOKIES new shiny woodandchrome available, Jim’s Orferings are sample Smoothie can perfect easily beto turned into awith full meal; just add white 14 oz. dates LEMON OREGANO DRESSING naim said. Chalav yisrael Italian ge‘jewelrystyle’ ganic, a local New Jersey company a friend while having morning cof- Frigomecccanica 1 cup ground coconut 6 tbsp. olive oil custom-designed in that sources beans from all 6over fee or an afternoon treat with the pastry case, 3/4 cup walnuts tbsp.the lemonlato, juicemade once a week by an Italian 3/4 cup oat bran, or flaxseed (ground), or oats (ground) 1/2 tsp. oregano kids; the ambiance is as comfort- Italy and intended for everything to world, developed a smooth blend chef, headlines the new menu ofeggs eye-level, Mo- called Papua New Guinea 2just tbsp.for honeyferings. The difference between ice able at 7:30 in the morning as it is be seen easily5from Combine all ingredients in a food processor. Using salt and cream and gelato is that gelato genat 10 p.m.. Mocha Crème is open six cha Bleu’s owner Naftali Abenaim is Mocha Bleu. Mocha Bleu’s new icedpepper an ice cream scoop divide into cookie size portions on Mix well to combine and pour over a fresh cut salad. days a week and on motzei Shab- bringing his most exciting dessert house coffee and decaf coffee is an- erally contains heavy cream rather bat in winter. Priced comparably to and coffee ideas out into the open. other blend, called Sweet Nothings. than milk as the majority of its base, other coffee options in the neigh- Temperature controlled to just the “We developed this roast with them giving it a higher fat content and a borhood, Mocha Crème is launch- right degree, Abenaim explained to get it just right. It’s smoother and more decadent, creamy taste. “It’s ing as Mocha Bleu turns 10 years that he could do more and different sweeter than your average,” Abe- best to just close your eyes and

F I

Tackling Adult ADHD CONTINUED FROM P. 34 skills. Such strategies include the efficient use of a planner, how to best externalize time, effective self-reinforcement, organizing a workspace, and breaking down tasks into their more manageable parts. Mindfulness/self-compassion practice. Often, adults who have ADHD also struggle with emotional challenges, such as depression and/or anxiety. While these comorbidities can be due in part to genetics, they may also be due to negative interactions with parents/teachers that occurred during childhood. Unfortunately, ADHD is often misunderstood and therefore mishandled, resulting in earlier experiences that make one feel dumb, lazy, or intolerable, which, understandably, can result

in depressive or anxious symptomatology as an adult. That is why interventions that specifically target emotional growth are integral for adults who have ADHD. A mindfulness and self-compassion practice will help one better manage their emotional challenges in a way that acknowledges their painful experiences yet moves toward a more compassionate approach towards one’s self. With the right treatment approach, adults who have ADHD can lead lives filled with meaning, success, and fulfillment. Dr. Dovid Levy is a clinical psychologist who provides individual and group psychotherapy treatment, and he runs various parenting workshops on raising children who have anxiety, ADHD, and emotional difficulties. He practices in Narberth, PA, and can be reached at 845.201.9748 or at drdovidlevy@gmail.com.

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FOOD & DINING

New Year’s Resolution By Jonathan Chodosh

ight after the secular new year (read: after Chanukah) is the perfect time to reflect on the poor food choices we made and buy a gym membership we will probably use twice. Those that know me know that I am far from a diet expert; however, I do make an excellent salad. Salads don’t need to be those things we eat to punish ourselves for sufganiyot. Salads are a nutritious and fun way to eat many foods. Sometimes they don’t require any cooking either. We will run through a few concepts in salad assembly that will help take your post latke salad to the next level. Salads all have three major components. The base(s), garnish(es) and the dressing. Don’t believe me? Think of any good salad that doesn’t have all three. From tuna salad to the Caesar salad they serve at your local Tavern & Market, they all contain these three essentials. The base is probably the most important of the three major components. This is your lettuce in the classic idea of a salad, but it could also be a grain, root vegetables like beets, pasta, tuna and much more. This will give volume and substance to your salad. It will also define how substantial and dense your salad is. If you are cooking something for your salad, prepare it with that in mind. Don’t overcook or undercook your pasta but do rinse it, dry the lettuce all the way, prewash your grains so they don’t clump together, wash any canned items such as beans to remove the canning liquid. This is going to be the majority of the salad so let’s make sure it is good and not mess it up. The garnish is what makes the salad. It is all the toppings. It is probably the

most forgiving place to be creative in. This is where you can add different textures and protein to a salad. That is why croutons are so important to the Caesar salad. Without the croutons it is not as enjoyable. Novel textures come in soft forms too, such as avocado or cooked sweet potato chunks. I also recommend raiding your leftovers for inspiration in this department too. Easy and highquality items to keep around that work as great garnish are slivered/chopped nuts, dried fruit, olives, and pickled vegetables. The dressing is often the part that is store bought in a squeezy plastic bottle. It is priced lower than ketchup and we often treat our instant ramen noodles with more respect (which make great garnish by the way). The dressing is what ties it all together. It isn’t complicated to make yourself in largeish batches so you won’t keep making it over and over again. You can make and store it in a repurposed disposable water bottle for convenience. Dressings are notoriously full of fat, salt and sugar. Here are some strategies to make dressings for your salads that have a smaller footprint. The vinaigrette is the classic salad dressing. It is now called ‘Italian Dressing.’ It is a base of vinegar that is flavored that can mix temporarily with oil due to the use of mustard. Mustard is the emulsifier that helps a vinaigrette do its thing. This is the regular fat version but feel free to reduce some of the oil.

SIMPLY EPIC VINAIGRETTE

1 cup white vinegar 2 tsp. dry garlic 2 tsp. oregano flakes 1 tsp. black pepper 1½ tsp. dry mustard 2 tsp. salt (more to taste) 1½ cups salad oil Classic assembly is to mix everything

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in a bowl except the oil and drizzle in the oil while whisking vigorously. There are some other ways to achieve this too. My preferred method is to use an immersion blender. This makes everything come together in under 20 seconds instead of getting a dead arm. An even simpler way is to pour all the ingredients into a bottle, tighten the cap and shake vigorously. Make sure there is room in the bottle for things to move around. Oil choice is important when it comes to making your salad dressing. This is the perfect place to use your high-quality olive oil, flaxseed oil and sensitive nut oils. Sometimes people mix robustly flavorful and expensive oil with a less costly one to make dressing.

VARIATIONS

Berry Vinaigrette Add 1 cup of berries and ½ cup sugar, remove the garlic and oregano. Blender method is required. Semi-Classic Caesar Add 1 small can flat anchovies or 2 tbsp. anchovy paste, 1 egg yolk (mix with vinegar and let sit for 30+min), add extra 1 tsp. black pepper and 3 cloves fresh garlic. Blender method is required. Soy Sesame Dressing Remove oregano and salt, add ¼ cup soy sauce, 1-2 tbsp. roasted sesame oil, ½ cup sugar. Light and creamy dairy dressing My favorite light dressing is based on dairy. A dressing needs to have a slightly thick texture. The traditional way to achieve that is by adding enough oil so that the liquid thickens. Use a thick and sour dairy product instead to make a lower fat yet full flavor alternative. Classic Tzatziki Dressing 1¼ cup full fat yogurt (4-5% fat is much lower than other salad dressings)

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½ cup shredded cucumber 2 cloves fresh garlic, minced or 2 tsp. dry garlic 1 tsp. black pepper 2 tsp. salt 1 tsp. oregano 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil Mix it all together and enjoy. This dressing needs to be refrigerated and used quickly because it uses fresh cucumbers.

VARIATIONS

Use peppers or celery instead of cucumber. Incorporate the variations from the vinaigrette section into the yogurt base. Add some vinegar for a bigger acid bite to your dressing. Everyone I know falls into one of two camps. The political climate in our country is being destroyed by factions that demand either sweet or salty slaw. Which camp do you fall in? Here is a lighter recipe to your creamy cabbage salad solution. Cole Slaw ¼ cup vinegar 1 cup mayonnaise ¼-½ cup dill pickle juice 1 tsp. dry garlic 1-2 tsp. salt pepper to taste For sweet slaw add ½ -¾ cup sugar.

VARIATIONS

Jalapeno Slaw Blend fresh jalapeno peppers with the seeds and membrane removed for mild jalapeno slaw. Soy Sesame Slaw Remove pickle juice, increase vinegar to ½ cup add ¼ cup soy sauce, 1-2 tbsp. roasted sesame oil, ½ cup sugar. Citrus Slaw Reduce mayonnaise to ½ cup, remove pickle juice, add ½ cup citrus juice of your choice increase salt to 2½ tsp. (I also heard there’s this guy that sells dips out of a wine store locally who also makes great salad dressings. Just something I’ve heard.) Jonathan Chodosh is a food scientist and the owner of Teavon Food Group. You can find his vegan products (gelato, tapas salads, and dips) at Jack Levin’s Wine Store, or order by reaching him directly at jonathan@teavonfood.com. Follow him on social media @nerdydadfoods and @teavonfoodgroup. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

HEALTH AND WELLNESS Developmental Delays: What You Need to Know CONTINUED FROM P. 33 and empowers families to meet their child’s and their own needs and entitles children, regardless of race, ethnicity or income, to services based on the child’s individual eligibility. Services may include: speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, special instruction, social work, nutrition, vision, hearing and/or behavior services.

HOW DO I KNOW IF MY CHILD’S PHYSICAL AND MOTOR DEVELOPMENT IS ON TRACK?

Motor development refers to the development of a child’s bones, muscles and ability to move around and his or her surroundings. Motor development can be further divided into two sections: gross motor development and fine motor development. Gross motor development is the development of skills which require whole body movement and involve the large muscles in the child’s body, such as running, walking, sitting and standing. Fine motor development on the other hand, involve the small muscles in a child’s body which control small movements in the hands, wrists, fingers, toes, feet, lips and tongue. Typical motor skill development follows a predictable pattern and the progression goes from simple to complex. Development also begins from top to bottom with head control as the first necessary skill followed by gradually gaining control over one’s legs and feet. The charts below are gross and fine motor milestones of typically developing children:

COMMON CONCERNS OF PARENTS/CAREGIVERS ABOUT DELAYED MOTOR AND PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

“My child’s growth doesn’t seem normal.” “My child gets tired very quickly and easily.” “When my child is playing with peers of the same age, he or she isn’t keeping up.” “My child’s movements are very stiff and tight.” “My child is very limp and weak.”

OTHER SIGNS OF AN EARLY MOTOR DELAY

-Child doesn’t reach for, grasp, or hold objects by 3-4 months old -Child doesn’t roll over in either direction by 5 months -Child can’t sit up without support by 6 months January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

-Child doesn’t try to reach for toys by 7 months -Child doesn’t crawl or stand with support by age 1 -Child can’t walk by 18 months You are the one who knows your child best. If any of the above concerns sound familiar, it’s important that you share them with your pediatrician. Early diagnosis and intervention are critical in improving the long-term outcomes for developmental delays. The sooner early intervention begins, the better, but it’s never too late to start. Goldstar Rehabilitation, Inc., is known for their top-notch services provided to children from birth to three years of age. It

is a therapist-owned and operated agency committed to providing superior quality services to children in need of therapeutic interventions. All of the therapists at Goldstar are licensed in Pennsylvania and are committed to employing evidence-based practices as they seek to achieve meaningful outcomes for children and families. Goldstar Rehabilitation provides a full range of services including speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and special instruction. Providing therapy services to children in their homes, daycares, and community settings, Goldstar’s therapists thus enhance the abilities of parents and caregivers to help their children acquire the

skills necessary to function appropriately within their natural environments. If you suspect that an infant or toddler has a disability or delay or is at-risk of having a disability, please contact your local Early Intervention Office: Montgomery County: (610) 277-7176 Philadelphia County: (215) 685-4646 Delaware County: (610) 713-2406 Bucks County: (215) 444-2828 All Counties: 1-800-692-7288 (CONNECT Helpline) To learn more about how you can track your child’s development please visit the CDC’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early” informational guide at: www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/index.html.

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SCHOOLS PERELMAN JEWISH DAY SCHOOL

KOHELET YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL (KYHS)

(credit: Perelman Jewish Day School) Rabbi Dr. Dovid Halpern, Kohelet (Stern) alum and co-author of The Rabbi’s Brain: Mystics, Moderns, and the Science of Jewish Thinking, taught students an important lesson from the parsha about the power of our attitude to shape our reality.

KYHS students and faculty took part in the Siyum HaShas in MetLife Stadium.

CASKEY TORAH ACADEMY (CTA)

ECP Chanukah Plays

5th Grade boys received their Gemaras from Rabbi Shmuel Kamenetsky

Middle School Chanukah Color War

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January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

SCHOOLS THE MESIVTA HIGH SCHOOL OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA

Students and faculty took part in the Siyum HaShas at MetLife Stadium.

Rabbi Shalom Rosner, Ra”m at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, delivering a shiur to the Bais Medrash Kotton at the Mesivta.

CHEDER CHABAD

Kitah 4-5 girls planned and ran a Chanukah party for the first-grade girls in an effort to build Ahavas Yisroel and a connection with them. The activities they planned included a puppet show about Ahavas Yisroel, an art project, and a dreidel game.

Kitah 6-7 girls brought the joy of Chanukah to an assisted living facility, playing music, singing songs and sharing menorahs with the residents. They also enjoyed frying donuts and making milkshakes with their teacher.

MESIVTA YESODEI YISROEL OF ELKINS PARK

Our 3rd grade boys visited the Bryn Mawr Fire Station on Chanukah. The boys designed and read beautiful thank you cards, thanking the firefighters for keeping our school and community safe! They sang Chanukah songs and left menorahs for the Jewish firefighters. The boys were then treated to a tour of the station.

ABRAMS HEBREW ACADEMY

POLITZ DAY SCHOOL OF CHERRY HILL

Students enjoyed a special Chanukah Chagiga.

Pre-k students enjoyed some special Chanukah fun.

January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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SCHOOLS KOHELET YESHIVA LAB SCHOOL (KYLS)

KOHELET YESHIVA MIDDLE SCHOOL (KYMS)

Project Home visits KYMS to teach students about homlessness in our community as part of a student’s Bat Mitzvah Chessed Project.

Students enjoyed the mild weather and had a blast playing outside.

Students were excited to get back to school after winter break.

CONGREGATION BETH SOLOMON PRESCHOOL PROGRAM

KYMS students meeting before school each day with Dr. Schur to learn Daf Yomi.

KYMS students preparing for the Kohelet Yeshiva Siyum on all of Mishnayot.

POLITZ HEBREW ACADEMY

Students put on a special show for the parents of the community.

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January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

RTS

KOHELET YESHIVA MIDDLE SCHOOL VS. KELLMAN BROWN ACADEMY (BOYS & GIRLS GAMES)

KOHELET YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL VS. THE MESIVTA HIGH SCHOOL OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA (JV GAME)

The Kohelet Yeshiva Middle School boys and girls basketball teams each earned a victory against Kellman Brown Academy on Sunday, January 5.

The Mesivta High School of Greater Philadelphia and Kohelet Yeshiva High School JV teams faced other on Sunday afternoon, January 5. Despite a strong performance by Kohelet’s Eli Wallace, the Mesivta Mustangs earned a 4935 victory behind the solid play of Yisrael Weinberger (15 points) and Dovid Weintraub (14 points). In addition, Ezra Erlbaum had big minutes off of the bench for Mesivta (7 points) and Ephraim Shmidman distributed the ball well and had 9 points and 6 assists.

KOHELET YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL VS. THE MESIVTA HIGH SCHOOL OF GREATER PHILADELPHIA

The Mesivta Mustangs and Kohelet Kings met for the first time this season on Sunday, January 5. Mesivta jumped out to a 14-6 lead after 1 quarter and ended the first half holding a 26-17 lead over Kohelet. The Kings had a strong 3rd quarter and cut the Mustangs’ lead to just 5 (37-32) heading into the final period. However, Mesivta bounced back and ultimately pulled away for a 51-40 victory. Senior guard Noah Mogyoros had a stellar performance on both sides of the ball and scored a game high 25 points, while junior Bennett Stein chipped in 8 and Max Miller added 6. For Kohelet, junior Isaac Melman led the Kings with 11, senior Eric Dolitsky had 10 and junior Ori Bach added 9. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

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RTS

KOHELET YESHIVA HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS BASKETBALL

On Monday, January 6, the Kohelet Yeshiva High School girls basketball team hosted International Christian High School. Led by freshman Barbara Sasson with 16 points, senior Ma’ayan Schwartz with 12 points, and Hilla Ben-Shoshan with 8 points, Kohelet cruised to a 56-6 victory.

HOME

LIVING SECTION

Home Maintenance for the New Year Submitted by Israela Friedman

he beginning of a new year is always a great time to address those basic but important home maintenance tasks that may get forgotten throughout the year. This January, when you’re packing up your holiday decor or just getting ready to start a new year, take some time to go over these important tasks to help jump start your New Year.

CHECK SMOKE AND CARBON MONOXIDE DETECTORS

Some home systems are vital to ensuring your home is safe, and smoke

and carbon monoxide detectors are on that list. Often, these systems are only refreshed when they start chirping and causing havoc in your home, but they should be checked multiple times a year to ensure they’re working the way they’re intended. If the detectors are not hardwired to your home or plugged into a wall outlet, now is the perfect time to replace batteries. Take some time and perform a test on every detector, familiarizing yourself with the sound - each alarm sounds different. This is also a good time to check any fire extinguishers you may have in your home. These important safety tools should be checked monthly, ensuring the pressure gauge needle is in the green – if it’s not, the extinguisher should be serviced or replaced. The last thing you want is for one of these important devices to fail you when you need it the most.

CHANGE OUT HOME FILTERS

Several home systems use filters: a furnace, water filtration system, HVAC

I love Lower Merion & I am a Proud Resident! Please call me and together we can find the place you’ll love too.

and heat pumps, and other systems that may be in your home. Whether you’re in a sunny climate or a winter one, January is a great time to change out your filters. Filters help keep dirt, debris and other particles from getting into your home, so ensuring you replace them in January guarantees a fresh start for the new year and will help your home’s systems work to their optimal performance. This is also a great time to clean your kitchen’s exhaust hood and air filter, and don’t forget your refrigerator – the beginning of the year is the perfect time to clean behind and below the appliance.

REFILL A WATER SOFTENER

Hard water can be brutal on a home, especially if minerals are allowed to build up over the years. For most homes with a water softener system, the softener is stored out of site, which can mean it can be forgotten. If you have a water softener, now is the time to replenish the salt it needs to function (and for most softeners this only needs to be done once a year). The salt is used to strip out the excess minerals from the water, ensuring your home is free of hard water.

UPDATE A DISASTER KIT

Passionate about the place you call home A passion for the place you call home

ISRAELA HAOR-FRIEDMAN REALTOR®

610-730-0731 cell

Israela.friedman@foxroach.com www.Israelafriedman.foxroach.com 610-649-4500 office

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No one can anticipate a natural disaster but having a disaster kit in your home helps prepare you for the unexpected. In the new year, take time to update or replenish your kit - check dates on any non-perishable food items, restock batteries and water, and add any missing items that will come in handy in case of emergency.

DO A PERSONAL INVENTORY

The holidays can mean a time of new belongings. Now is a great time to do a personal inventory of all your high value items, like electronics, jewelry, or art. If you’ve added to your personal collections, take a moment to update your records and contact your homeowner’s insurance to update your plan if need be. The new year is also the perfect time to go through all your things and get rid of items you don’t need or want anymore. Cleaning out clutter not only helps add space to your home, it can also act as a positive change for the new year. With a new year comes the opportunity to get your home ready for the months to come and doing these tasks at the beginning of the year will help you remember when you did them. Taking time now to get your home updated will save you time in the future. Here’s to a happy and healthy start to 2020. If you have questions on how to update your home for the year to come, feel free to contact me at israela.friedman@foxroach.com. Israela Haor-Friedman is a licensed realtor with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Fox & Roach Realtors in Haverford, PA. She is a member of The Gail Kardon Team and can be reached at 610.730.0731 or at israela.friedman@foxroach.com. January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

HOME

LIVING SECTION

Buying Your First Home

how much you can afford for a down payment. By determining this a year ahead of time, you have time to save for the down payment and potentially be able to put even more down. The more money you can offer upfront, the better interest rate you’ll receive as well. This shows the bank that you are a serious buyer.

By Anne Goldberg

ou’re going for it – you are finally ready to purchase your first home. So, what should you do to prepare? It is never too early to get ready. A year before you place an offer on your first home, you’ll want to ensure that you have taken these four steps. From organizing documents to scoping out the neighborhoods you are considering, you’ll want to make the home buying process as easy as possible by being prepared.

CHECK YOUR CREDIT

Is your credit in tip-top shape? Do you need to pay a few bills down to increase your score? You should address this 6-12 months before you purchase your first home to make sure that your credit score is high enough to qualify for the interest

The Siyum HaShas, MetLife and Goshen CONTINUED FROM P. 32 Jewish communities outside of the U.S. also provides greater contact with the homeland of Israel. With fewer home-grown educators and rabbis these communities are more frequently piloted by Israelis. In countries with less domestically manufactured kosher food, much of the kosher food is imported from Israel. With fewer kosher holiday options, many people vacation primarily in Israel. Finally, with so much extended family living in Israel, most non-U.S. Jews visit Israel more frequently. Living in the U.S. with greater Jewish resources raises confidence but also can obscure the role of the land of Israel as the epicenter of Jewish past and future. It is easier to become imprisoned in modern day Goshen. The gathering in MetLife Stadium was a triumph of the American Jewish community, but it also showcased the challenge of living with success and selfconfidence while not ignoring that “other place.”

SCOPE OUT NEIGHBORHOODS

rate you want. I always recommend to my buyers to speak to a lender early in the game. Not only will it help you learn what you qualify for, but if there are steps to be taken to help you qualify for a better rate, you will have time to take action. Your credit score is what determines if you qualify for a loan and what your interest rate will be. The better the credit score The frightening rise of violent anti-Semitic crimes in the United States in general, and in the New York area in particular, has many people searching for answers: Eighty years after Hitler’s assault on our nation, are we witnessing a revival of that nightmare? Is it time to move? We all hope that these comparisons are unfounded, and that the robust American democracy will thwart this bigotry. Last Sunday’s March of Solidarity reaffirmed the strength of the Jewish community as well as highlighted the general population’s support of religious freedom and distaste for intolerance. The pictures spoke volumes about the prospects of continued Jewish success in the U.S. and the suppression of anti-Semitism. However, these reprehensible acts of hatred must remind us that, despite the resourced Jewish life in the United States, no Jew outside of Israel is truly home. It is one thing to live as a Jew in the U.S. but quite another to live as an inmate of Goshen. Rabbi Moshe Taragin is a rebbe at Yeshivat Har Etzion, located in Gush Etzion, where he resides.

you have, the lower your interest rate on your mortgage will be. Give yourself a year to make sure that your credit score is in good shape.

ORGANIZE DOCUMENTS

When you apply for a mortgage loan, you will need two recent pay stubs, your previous two W-2s, your tax returns and your past two months’ bank statements. Purchasing a home can be a lengthy process, but you can make it easier and more efficient if you gather this information sooner rather than later.

DETERMINE YOUR DOWN PAYMENT

You’ll need to determine how much your budget allows for a mortgage and

Do some research to determine which neighborhoods you may want to live in. Which are located in the best school districts? Is the neighborhood close to amenities and convenient for transportation? Are your neighbors too close for comfort? Is there an HOA fee? Make sure to answer these questions beforehand so that you can focus only on homes that are in the neighborhoods you want to be in. As they always say… location, location, location. For a detailed run-down of all the items and logistics you must consider before purchasing your first home, please do not hesitate to give me a call. Anne Goldberg is a Realtor at Keller Williams Main Line Realty. She can be reached at annegoldberg@kw.com or phone/text 973.985.9053.

Are you, or someone you know, looking to buy or sell a home or invest in real estate on the Main Line or greater Philadelphia? I’d be happy to help. Give me a call!

ANNE GOLDBERG, REALTOR Mobile: 973-985-9053 Office: 610-520-0100

Email: annegoldberg@kw.com Website: annegoldberg.kw.com

Making Realty Dreams Reality

720 W. Lancaster Ave Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 Each office is individually owned and operated.

January 9, 2020 / 12 Tevet, 5780

Anne was extremely helpful throughout the process of buying our first home. She was responsive at all hours to our endless stream of questions and guided us through from start to finish with a steady hand. She found us a home that both suited our needs and budget.

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