THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism
December 2010
Vol. 24 • No. 4
Tevet 5771
A Chanukah Miracle: Aid from a Hostile World Helped Israel Survive Catastrophic Fire
It was no secret that this past November was the driest month in Israel since 1962. Despite fervent prayer services conducted in the religious and secular communities, no relief came. The Kinneret remained at more than 700 feet below sea level, just 31 inches above the forbidden “black line.” It had lost almost eight inches in just the last month. As a result, at the beginning of December, just as families were lighting Chanukah menorahs, northern Israel suffered the country’s worst-ever wildfire. By the time it came
When the winds blew, this inferno advanced at a rapid rate as a wall of fire reaching more than 130 feet high.
under control, 43 people had died; about 20,000 had been evacuated from villages, prisons, and hospitals in and around the Carmel Forest as well as in Haifa; and about 12,500 acres of forest and farmland had gone up in smoke, taking more than 5 million trees. The worst such disaster to strike Israel in modern times, the fire plunged the country into chaos for 77 hours, from Thursday, Dec 2, through Monday, Dec 6, when finally some precious rain fell. Colder temperatures and
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WikiLeaks Upshot: Israel and the Arab States Agree Iran Must Be Stopped with or without a PA State; Why Is Obama Lying?
As bad as the WikiLeaks scandal is for the future of trust between the US and governments throughout the world that must rely on American intelligence security, for supporters of the Jewish state, the more than 800,000 leaked classified US documents and 250,000 State Department cables lend credence and support to positions taken by the Israeli government. In fact, many observers agree that Israel is one of the few countries in the world that actually stands
to benefit from the WikiLeaks revelations. In contrast to Arab and even American leaders, Israeli officials have taken the same positions privately and publicly on issues such as Iran. The leaks prove, however, that there is a great disparity between the messages Arab leaders give to their masses and what they say in private. Worse, the leaked documents indicate that President Barack Obama may have intentionally tried to mislead Israel when de-
Huckabee Speaks for Beit El............. 3 The Ima’s Dispute ........................... 3 Kol Ami:Obama’s Next Move?....... 4 The Current Crisis.......................... 5 TEAM Scholarships..................... 16 Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah Fair........ 18 Koshercruises.com....................... 20
manding that the Jewish state make substantial one-sided concessions to the Palestinians in order to gain Arab support to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons. The leaked diplomatic cables, which were published on the WikiLeaks website, show that despite the Obama administration’s insistence that for the Muslim world there is linkage between the Iranian problem and a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,
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Arab leaders, like the Jewish state, are far more concerned about Iran’s nuclear program than they are about the IsraeliPalestinian issue. Truth Columnist David Frum said that while the behavior of those responsible for the leaks is reprehensible, their “bad actions do not invalidate the information contained in the leaks.” For example, while Saudi
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Ess Gezint: Newly Wed Kosher... 46 Index of Advertisers . ................. 49 Arabs Celebrate Fire.................... 53 Law & Spirit of Outreach............ 54 Honor the Professional................. 57 Letters to the Editor..................... 57 Walk to Shul . .............................. 60
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December 2010
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Mike Huckabee at the Beit El Dinner Excoriates the “Freeze” and Asks: How Many Rockets Would the US Allow to Fall Here? extract peace out of an enemy who does not even recognize the authority of Israel to exist?
It’s counter-intuitive to everything peace is supposed to be
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Settling a Kashruth Dispute on Cedar Lane in a Menschlik Way
A At the Beit El dinner, Mike Huckabee, center, conferred with ZOA’s Mort Klein (left) and Eugen Gluck, honorary chairman of the dinner and a driving force behind American Friends of Beit El. To former Arkansas Governor and current Fox News host Mike Huckabee, the “socalled freeze” President Barack Obama tried to force on Israel in Judea and Samaria “makes
no sense whatsoever.” “A cessation of the ability of people who own their own land in their own country not to be able to do with that land as they please just in order to
fter several weeks of dissension, the issue of Ima’s kosher restaurant on Cedar Lane in Teaneck may finally be settling down. All it will take is a meeting between the rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County on one hand and the Brooklyn-based OK laboratories on the other. The meeting is scheduled for mid-December at the Englewood office of The Jewish Voice and Opinion. At issue is who determines
whether a restaurant is sufficiently kosher for the community to patronize it. Should it be the local non-profit vaad comprised of resident, often beloved rabbis in the community; or, rather, a large, well-known, and internationally respected kashruth agency. Who makes the decision whether the owner of the restaurant is sufficiently reliable? Caught in the middle of
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THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2010; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Susan L. Rosenbluth Phone (201)569-2845 Managing Editor: S. Edelman, Advertising: Rivkie Stall The Jewish Voice & Opinion (ISSN # 1527-3814), POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631, is published monthly in coordination with The Central Committee for Israel. A one-year subscription is $18. Periodicals postage is paid at Englewood, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Jewish Voice and Opinion, POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. All advertising in the Jewish Voice and Opinion must conform to the standards of the Orthodox Rabbinic kashruth. Editorial content reflects the views of the writer and not necessarily any other group. The Jewish Voice is not responsible for typographical errors.
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Kol Ami: Economic Obama’s Next?
President Barack Obama’s plan to force Israel into a second, much stricter construction “freeze” in Judea and Samaria has failed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had earlier demanded that, before any additional “freeze,” the PA recognize Israel as a Jewish State (the PA refused). Although Mr. Netanyahu seemed interested in a US promise that, if he acquiesced to this new “freeze,” Israel would receive a promise of no more such construction bans as well as delivery of several new warplanes, it later turned out to be a “bait-andswitch” scheme. The promises were made by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, but once the “freeze” was declared, they would have been rescinded, citing Mr. Obama’s disapproval. At the ZOA dinner in Manhattan, the question was: What will Mr. Obama try next? Y
It doesn’t matter what Obama demands. Israel should not go to the negotiating table with a group that will not recognize it as the Jewish state. Alan Stern Brooklyn, NY
Obama has three faces: one for the US; another for the Israelis; and a third—his real face—for the Arabs. He will try to force Bibi to divide Jerusalem and, as a Holocaust survivor, I just pray Israel won’t give in. Lilly Roth New York, NY
The negotiations failed because the Palestinians won’t sit down unless all construction stops in the eastern part of Jerusalem, which they want, including the Old City and the Kotel. Obama might try to pressure Bibi into agreeing to divide Jerusalem, but Bibi won’t do it. Netanella Refael Forest Hills, NY
It’s all a charade. Obama’s real agenda is to force Bibi to bring Kadima into the government, because that, Obama hopes, will be the prelude to “freezes” in Judea and Samaria and Jerusalem. This must be countered by the right-wing of Likud. Dr. Marvin Belsky New York, NY
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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”
Thousands of artifacts from the life of the late, unlamented PLO terrorist leader and all-around sheynkeit Yasir Arafat are being collected for a new $3.4 million museum being built in Ramallah on the site of the Muqata, the PLO’s headquarters where the man who literally invented modern terror, including air hijacking and suicide bombing, spent the last two years of his life. The Yasir Arafat Foundation, which was inaugurated in Cairo in 2008 by a group that includes such luminaries as current PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, are looking for relics that will let the world see “the real Yasir.” We suggest the kiddush cup he received at his bris, his and Suha’s tenayim, his original shaving kit (still in mint condition), and his favorite keffiyeh with the New York Yankees insignia. And no one should forget the guest book from the Bill Clinton White House in which Arafat signed his name no fewer than 24 times in eight years, or the UN flag that few at half-mast when his death was announced. A choked-with-emotion UN SecretaryGeneral Kofi Annan called it “a grave day for the world.” Hey, Annan spoke with an accent. Maybe he meant “a gay day.” The source of funding for the museum still is not clear, but, somehow, we would not be surprised to hear that President Obama’s stimulus leftovers will be requisitioned. It wouldn’t be the first time American tax-payers forked over money to glorify Yasir A. *** When the Arafat Foundation goes trawling for funds in Washington, the terrorist’s supporters might well run into some fellows from the Smithsonian who decided the holiday season was a great time to put up an exhibit depicting the Christian deity not in a manger, but, rather, on the cross covered with
ants—and worse. The Smithsonian called it “homoerotic,” which was not exactly the way Gary Bauer, president of the American Values organization and board member of Christians United for Israel, described it. Last month, at the Zionist Organization of America dinner in Manhattan, where Mr. Bauer was not only the keynote speaker, but also the recipient of the Defender of Israel Award, he praised the soon-to-be Speaker of the House, John Boehner, who demanded that the Smithsonian remove the offensive exhibit or risk losing federal funding. It was promptly eliminated, leaving left-wing art lovers howling, “Censorship.” Mr. Bauer dared left-wing artists to test their commitment to free speech by creating depictions of Mohammed in circumstances usually reserved for Christian sensibilities: ants, vats of urine, or elephant dung. “Try getting that displayed in the Smithsonian,” said Mr. Bauer. Our friend Bill Donahue of the Catholic League asked, “If it’s wrong for the government to take taxpayers’ money to promote religion, why is it okay to take taxpayers’ money to assault religion?” *** Blogger DovBear asks us to guess Shlomo’s Jewish affiliation? He’s an absolute whiz at Tanach, who also knows grammar and Gemara better than almost anyone else in the world. He’s got an encyclopedic knowledge of midrash, too, but at times he’s been caught being disrespectful towards it. There’s a rumor around the shul that his adult daughters are a little modern—Women’s Tefillah Groupies—but no one has any proof, and everyone’s too shy to ask him. Is Shlomo: (a) Yeshivish? (b) Modern Orthodox? (c) Conservadox? In fact, friends, he’s Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (Rashi). S.L.R.
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Huckabee
December 2010
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about,” he said, adding that he finds it “absolutely unbelievable that our own government would ask Israel to cease building bedrooms in their own lands and in their own neighborhoods, when we have not been that strong in demanding that Iran quit building bombs that could target Israel and the rest of the world, including the United States.” Mr. Huckabee made his remarks at the Beit El Dinner on December 5, held at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in Manhattan. Sponsored by American Friends of Beit El and the Beit El Yeshiva Center, the dinner celebrates the accomplishments of this Samarian community, especially its establishment of the Arutz Sheva News and Music station. Where Peace Begins Addressing the 1500 Beit El
supporters, Mr. Huckabee (who ran in the Republican primaries for President in 2008 and is considered the frontrunner should he decide to run again in 2012) said if the US is really serious about “bringing the Palestinians to some sort of peace, it must begin with the recognition of the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state.” “And then it must also happen with the understanding that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel,” he said. That, he said, would exert pressure on the Palestinians to come back to the negotiating table. 15th Visit Mr. Huckabee, who said he has been in Israel 14 times, is planning his 15th trip at the end of January, when he will be accompanying a tour of 200 Americans.
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“The right of the Jewish people to a homeland did not originate with the Balfour Declaration nor with the UN, but with G-d Himself, and He is the one who set the boundaries,” he said. Rather than asking Israel to cease building, Mr. Huckabee said peace would come when the Jewish state is asked “to accelerate the building as much as possible, which would result in placing more Israelis in those areas.” “This is exactly what it should be like for every person who loves the freedom and the future of Israel,” he said. Bordering Violence He likened the situation in the Israeli city of Sderot and elsewhere in the Jewish state to conditions between El Paso, Texas, and neighboring Juárez, just over the border in Mexico, which he described as “one of the most murderous places on the face of the earth.” El Paso, by contrast, is one of safest, and, he said, officials in the Texan city work very hard to keep the Mexican violence at bay. “Right at El Paso’s border is a line of extraordinary violence, but they don’t have to welcome it into their own city,” he said. Over the past few years, he has developed a response whenever someone asks: Why
don’t the Israelis just give up something in order to get peace. He suggests the questioner reflect on what would happen if Canada decided to start lobbing rockets into Buffalo, NY. “How many rockets would it take before every single living American would say: ‘Enough. We must stop this and do whatever it takes to allow no more of those rockets into the peace and safety of our community.’ Anyone who hears the question says it would take just one. I tell them that Israel has endured thousands. Don’t you think it’s time that we recognize their right to protect themselves against that level of violence?” he said. He stressed that the relationship between the US and the Jewish state “is not just organizational; it is an organic relationship, because there is no nation on earth that is more like us than Israel.” That closeness, he said, should prompt the American administration “to make it clear to the whole world, without equivocation and without apology, that we will stand with Israel and offer our support— even if it means using military action against Iran—to make certain that nuclear capability is never in the hands of another maniacal madman.”
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WikiLeaks vs Pollard Condemning the people behind the WikiLeaks scandal in which thousands of classified US documents have been published on the Internet, Mr. Huckabee said the one “positive impact is that we now know publicly what we always believed privately, and that is that even the Arab nations of the Middle East recognize what a threat Iran is, and the Arabs are as interested in getting Iran out of the nuclear business as Israel is and as the US ought to be.” He noted that while Jonathan Pollard has been in prison for 25 years for “giving some information to a friend [Israel],” WikiLeaks, which may have been assisted by an American soldier, has given some 250,000 top-secret documents to “our enemies.” He said it was “ironic” that “some people aren’t as upset about [the WikiLeaks scandal] as they were about the Jonathan Pollard case.” He praised Israel as the “stabilizer” of the Middle East and said the $3.5 billion the Jewish state receives from the US each year “is a lot less than the money we would have to spend if Israel were not there as a strong and stable nation.” “Israel is the single greatest ally we have in that part of the world,” he said.
At Yad Vashem Recognizing that many of those attending the Beit El dinner were Holocaust survivors or their children, Mr. Huckabee recalled a trip to Israel 17 years ago when he and his wife, Janet, first brought their daughter, now 28 and married, to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Complex in Jerusalem. Before taking her to the museum, Mr. Huckabee said he and his wife, who were comfortable bringing their two older sons, John and David, worried it might be too intense for Sarah, then only 11. “We decided she needed to see what happens when people stand by and look the other way when all kinds of evil is being done to others. We wanted her to see it. We wanted her to know why people have to stand up and speak out and not allow evil to go unchallenged,” he said. Understanding He recalled watching his daughter as she learned about little children who were forced to wear yellow Stars of David “not to distinguish them in a positive way, but to isolate and humiliate them and separate them from the other children,” and then went on to view photographs of the concentration camps and the Warsaw Ghetto,
where Nazi soldiers took pictures of themselves “shooting children as if it were sport.” “She was appalled. She could not believe something like this could happen. But it could not be denied,” he said. When the tour was completed, his daughter was silent, and Mr. Huckabee said he wondered, “Did she get it? Does she understand? Does she fully comprehend why we never, never can allow this to happen again? If it happened there, it can happen here or anywhere.” His worries about her ability to integrate what she had seen were put to rest when his daughter borrowed his pen to write in the guestbook: “Why didn’t somebody do something?” No Palestine in Israel While visiting Israel in the summer of 2009, on a trip arranged by Shani Hikind of the Ateret Cohanim-Jerusa-
lem Reclamation Project, Mr. Huckabee visited a number of communities in Judea and Samaria, including Beit El. He told reporters at the time that while his visit to the Jewish state was not intended as a provocation, he would not hide his conviction that two sovereign nations could not control the same piece of territory. He agreed that the Palestinians deserve a state of their own, however he stressed “it just can’t be in Israel.” A former Baptist minister, Mr. Huckabee told supporters at the Beit El dinner that Israel is not just an issue for Jews. “Many people with many different faiths believe in a strong Israel. They believe in Israel based on issues of security as well as promises made in the Bible. This land belongs to the Jewish people alone,” he said. S.L.R.
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December 2010
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TEAM Education Services Offers $2,000 Scholarships for FastTrack MBA and ofEducation Masters Degrees Starting in February hundreds or thousands apbers of the community to apply yeshiva or who has a Talmudic
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oting the current poor economy, TEAM Education Services is offering men and women with bachelor’s degrees from yeshivas, seminaries, or rabbinic programs as well as those from secular institutions the opportunity to earn valid MBAs and Master’s in Education from accredited schools for under $6,100 in tuition. An acronym for Teaching Education Assessment and Management, TEAM, a New York-based educational organization, takes an innovative approach towards helping members of the Jewish community achieve valid highereducation credentials. TEAM provides students with the opportunity to earn MBA’s and general Education Degrees at steep tuition discounts while addressing all student needs and concerns. “In this economy, it doesn’t help to know that there is a pool
plying for the same position. Chances of getting a callback are dramatically reduced as a result. An accredited degree from a highly regarded university will propel students into higher salary brackets, enabling them to achieve financial goals previously beyond their reach,” said TEAM’s program director Aaron Braunstein. A higher-education degree allows prospective employees “to stand out from the crowd,” he said. Other advantages, he said, include “receiving tax credits for college courses, meeting like-minded people, increasing knowledge base, and understanding job functions from a better vantage point.” “You may find out as you go that earning a degree was a personal dream just waiting to rise up inside you,” he said. Scholarships To encourage qualified mem-
now, TEAM is offering additional $2,000 scholarships for programs leading to the MBA or MS Ed starting in February. Those who take advantage of this opportunity can complete their graduate degrees in Business (MBA), education, or special education from fully accredited schools in as little as six months. In addition, BA services are available to those who have been unable to apply the maximum amount of credits toward a secular bachelor’s degree. TEAM guarantees 90 credits can be applied towards a secular BA for any student who has credits from post-high school
Ima’s
law or Rabbinic degree. Leveling the Field According to Mr. Braunstein, TEAM was created to enable Jewish students with yeshiva or seminary backgrounds “to receive training and skill sets from top-tier schools in a positive yet appropriate environment.” “TEAM balances the need for classroom experience with sophisticated technology training which is essential in today’s workplace. In addition, TEAM receives thousands in tuition reductions from their partner colleges. Those savings are passed directly to each
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the dispute is Ofira Zaken, who last spring opened the Teaneck daughter-branch of Ima’s, an extremely popular Jerusalem-based Middle Eastern meat restaurant run by her mother. Opening the Store There are some facts with which no one involved in the story disagrees. When Mrs. Zaken, who resides in Fair Lawn, opened Ima’s, she applied for and received supervision from the RCBC. For a variety of reasons, she was told she must have a mashgiach tmidi, a full-time kashruth supervi-
sor, and she agreed. The trouble started a few weeks later when Mrs. Zaken and the mashgiach, provided by the RCBC, had a falling out. There are some indications that the mashgiach’s salary of $15 per hour was the problem, but there also may have been other difficulties that caused Mrs. Zaken to decide no longer to employ him. At this point, the story gets sticky. Mrs. Zaken says she was under the impression that she could find another mashgiach who was accept-
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December 2010 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
Koshercruises.com Plans Summer 2011 Excursions
oshercruises.com, a preeminent kosher cruise operator, based in Fort Lauderdale, has unveiled its summer 2011 cruise lineup. On the agenda, after its successful 2010 summer season, are glatt kosher cruises to the Baltic region, Alaska, the Greek Isles, and Spain and Italy. Dates, full itinerary descriptions as well as deck plans and pricing are available online at www.koshercruises.com. The website also features highlights from previous cruises to Bermuda and the Greek Isles to give potential clients a glimpse of the luxury kosher vacation experience. Last summer’s Greek Isles sailing,
led in conjunction with Lasko Kosher Cruises and Yeshiva University, featured the preeminent London Beth Din for Kashrut supervision. Passengers came from throughout the US and Canada, as well as from South America, Australia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. Lectures were provided by YU’s President Richard Joel, Rabbi JJ Schacter, and Dean Karen Bacon, as well as Dr. Steven Bacon from Touro College. Among the highlights were special excursions to Jewish points of interest in Bari/ Trani, Italy; Rhodes, Greece; and Dubrovnik, Croatia. A delicious Oneg Shabbat with
singing and an outstanding Melaveh Malka BBQ capped off the seven-day cruise. Appreciated Efforts “Our Rav HaMachshir, Rabbi Dome and his staff of mashgichim did an incredible job supervising,” said Arlene Lasko, principal of Lasko Kosher Cruises and host of the cruise to the Greek Isles. “The rabbis were available 24 hours a day to answer any questions and were also at
TEAM
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and every student year after year. When scholarships are available, such as now for the February program, the application process is short and TEAM guarantees the scholarship award,” he said. The MBA and MS Education programs begin in February, 2011. Anyone who holds a degree from a yeshiva can apply with no other prerequisites needed. The total cost is approximately $8,100, but with the instant $2,000 available for the upcoming February start date, the tuition is only $6100. TEAM students pay as they go and additional financial aid is available as well. All TEAM education programs offer flexible times and locations. Separate classes for men and women are offered in Queens, Brooklyn, and NJ. Fast-Track According to Mr. Braunstein, as soon as prospective students take the initial step by calling or registering online, a personal TEAM advisor will guide them on the fast-track for efficient application and preparation process. “TEAM knows the workplace and the necessity of being supported while students embark on their new education direction,” he said, adding that a degree in Talmudic Law or a Rabbinic degree coupled with a Master’s in Education (MS Ed) or a Master’s in Business (MBA) can be “the ticket for many of our young, aspiring giants to land that first opportunity which will take him or her to the next level.” For more information and to begin the process, call TEAM at 347-560-TEAM or go to www.GoTeamEd.com. “TEAM has been a great success because each and every student is cared for and supported. TEAM alumni will attest to it every time,” said Mr. Braunstein. Y
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com the ready in the tea rooms and during all food preparation. We truly enjoyed having them as part of our team, as did our cruise passengers.” Robert Epstein of Australia, who participated on the Greek Isles cruise, said his family appreciated “all the effort that was made to make our vacation so enjoyable.” “To know that every meal was abundantly and creatively prepared, served on time and with great style was wonderful. And your warm and friendly personalities added to our enjoyment,” he said. The trip to Bermuda, which embarked from Cape Liberty in NJ, drew a predominantly northeastern audience. The laid-back ambiance on this sailing focused on the beach. Families joined together as newly found friends for group jet-ski and snorkeling trips; and singles and teenagers challenged each other to card games. The stellar entertainment on board ranged from hilarious comedic acts to stunning Cirque de Soleil style performances. Each day, the tea room proved to be the most popular meeting spot for kosher cruise passengers, offering themed snacks that included make-your-own sundaes, sushi, falafel, and a burger bar. Exotic Ports This summer, Koshercruises.com will repeat the always popular Greek Isles itinerary, this year scheduled for August 22nd. The season will launch on June 26th with the Baltics cruise (with stops in Denmark, Sweden, and Russia); followed by Spain and Italy (among the ports of call are Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Rome) on June 27th. Another sailing to the Baltics is scheduled for August 21st. The season will end with an Alaska cruise on August 14th, which is always a breathtaking, thrilling adventure. All cruises depart from various ports in Europe, except for Alaska, which embarks from Vancouver, BC. This year, Koshercruises.com sailing will be aboard both elegant Costa and luxurious Celebrity cruise liners. Another Yeshiva University and Lasko Kosher Cruises partnership for one of the listed sailings is in the works. Luxury-at-Sea All Koshercruises.com cruises offer premium accommodations, three fresh, gourmet glatt kosher, cholov Yisroel
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meals daily plus afternoon tea and late night snacks. Koshercruises.com staffs each cruise with a Rav Hamachshir and mashgichim who painstakingly kasher a designated portion of the galley in advance of the sailing and subsequently maintain 24-hour presence in the kitchen. In addition to glatt kosher dining, Koshercruises.com offers daily minyanim in a dedicated shul on board and memorable Shabbatot-at-sea in accordance with Orthodox law. All Koshercruises.com vacations at sea include enriching programming, featuring lectures by esteemed rabbis and personalized tours that visit Jewish historical and cultural points of interest.
As an independent yet integrated group of each cruise, guests are always free to partake in all of the ship’s entertainment, activities, and exhilarating excursions. Koshercruises.com is a family-owned tour operator catering to the discerning kosher traveler. The company partners with top-tier cruise lines to offer a myriad of vacation destinations with embarkations from different ports of call around the world. Koshercruises.com also designs and coordinates custom itineraries for large groups. For more information or to reserve a cabin for your next kosher cruise vacation, call 718-928-5554 or visit www. koshercruises.com. Y
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December 2010 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
OHEL’s New Camp Kaylie Offers Scholarship Competition and OHEL’s Northern NJ Office Addresses Day School Educators
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fter its successful pilot program last summer, OHEL’s Camp Kaylie, which fully integrates campers with no disabilities together with high-functioning children with developmental disabilities, will open for summer 2011. In separate programs for boys, in July, and girls, in August, Camp Kaylie will provide children from 10-16 years of age with activities tailored to the specific abilities of each camper, including competitive individual and team sports. “Camp Kaylie represents the fulfillment of a long-held vision by the board of OHEL to develop a camp for kids of all abilities, where typical campers with no disabilities, enjoy an exceptional summer camp experience with peers who have developmental disabilities,” said Moishe Hellman, president of OHEL. Located in Wurtsboro, NY, in the Catskills, Camp Kaylie will also offer campers a challenging and stimulating daily learning program that will include chavrusas, shiurim, and parsha study. Asked if Camp Kaylie will differ from camps, such as those run by the Hebrew Academy for Special Children (HASC), which already meet the needs of Jewish campers with developmental disabilities, Mr. Hellman explained that while other Jewish camps meet the needs of certain developmentally disabled children, Camp Kaylie has been designed to serve a different population: those who are high functioning and can be integrated into a camp program with children who have no disabilities.
Magnet Competition The camp’s director is Rabbi Peretz Hochbaum, who comes to Camp Kaylie with experience as a teacher and principal as well as having served as educational director of Camp Raleigh. The mashgiach ruchani is Rabbi Shalom Rosner who served as head of educational programming at Camp Mesorah.
As part of Team OHEL in the NYC Marathon, Mordechai Bodek of Passaic enabled children with developmental disabilities to attend camp Kaylie. The camp is currently registering campers as well as offering staff positions. For more information, go to the website, www.camplaylie.org or call 718-686-3261. To drive awareness of the unique opportunity offered by Camp Kaylie, OHEL is holding a Bumper Magnet competition which will allow prospective campers to win $1,250 for camp. To enter, families must affix a Camp Kaylie magnet to their cars, and, each week, from Dec 3-24th, two winners will be announced on Nachum Segal’s JM in the AM program on 91.1 FM. Bumper Magnets can be ordered by calling 718-686 3261.
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NJ Breakfast While OHEL Children’s Home and Family Services is the parent organization behind Camp Kaylie, the social-services agency is involved in many other activities as well. In New Jersey, for example, OHEL has made its presence felt through its new Regional Family Center, on Palisade Ave in Teaneck. Last month, the center held a working breakfast to familiarize Northern NJ yeshivoth and day schools with its services. Representatives from the Frisch Yeshiva High School, Yeshiva Ketana of Passaic, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, SINAI Special Needs Schools, the Moriah School of Englewood, Ben Porat Yosef, Yeshivat Noam, Jewish Educational Center, Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Yavneh Academy, and the Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy participated. The breakfast provided an opportunity for the schools to understand the services OHEL provides and to explore how the agency can enrich the lives of students, parents, and educators. Programs in NJ For example, Rabbi Meir Mark, OHEL’s coordinator of NJ school-based services, explained the agency’s Adolescent Leadership Program. Modeled on OHEL’s successful program in Long Island, the NJ program is designed to empower high school students to maximize their individual strengths, practical leadership ability, and team-building skills in order to impact relationships with their peers and the greater community. In addition, OHEL has opened a NJ branch of its Teacher Training Program, which has been a robust success in New York. The program consists of eight sessions in which teachers explore diverse mental health issues, including developing student self-esteem, bullying prevention, and conflict resolution. Hillel Sternstein, coordinator of OHEL’s Trauma Service, provided an overview of the agency’s clinical services, including individual and family therapy for all age groups and trauma treatment for victims of abuse. Meeting Needs Other OHEL representatives at the breakfast included Arlene Ettengoff, director of OHEL’s Institute for Training,
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Jewish Heritage Tours to Morocco and a Specially-Priced Trip to Italy
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n Dec 23, Jewish Heritage Tours is sponsoring an exciting excursion to warm and exotic Morocco. Just a few weeks later, Jewish Heritage Tours will conduct a remarkably low-priced tour of Italy. Participants in the Morocco tour will arrive early Friday morning in Marrakech and return on Sunday, Jan 2, in the late afternoon, rested and ready for work on Monday. In nine-and-a-half days, they will discover a satisfying portion of this fascinating country and its Jewish history. The trip offers the opportunity to daven at the tzion of the holy tzadik and Baal Mofeis, Rebbe Amram of Diwanne in Quezanne; the holy Rebbe Yehudah Ibn Attar in Fez; the holy Rebbe Chaim Pinto in Essouira; the holy Rebbe Rafael Ankawa in Sali (the birthplace of the holy “Or Ha’Chaim Ha’Kodesh”), and many other great Moroccan tzadikim. Participants will visit the “Slat Laazama” shul in the Mellah in Marrakech, established in 1496 by Jews expelled from Spain. According to local legend, a daily minyan has always been held at this unique shul. Another legend claims that the holy “Mechaber,” Maran Beis Yosef, visited the Mekubalim who learned in various rooms in the shul’s courtyard. Ha Rav Nosson Dovid Rabinowich, prof of Medieval Jewish history, author, teacher, and noted Talmud chacham, will accompany the trip, serving as rav, mashgiach, lecturer, and Jewish guide. In addition, personable
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which offers programs and workshops for professionals, and Dr. Jessica Kornwasser, a member of OHEL’s NJ Advisory Board. Donny Frank, who serves as coordinator of the OHEL Regional Family Center of Northern NJ, said he welcomes inquiries about OHEL’s programs as well as OHEL’s general clinical services. He can be reached at 201-692-3972 or at nj@ ohelfamily.org. OHEL’s CEO, David Mandel, explained that OHEL’s 40-year mission is to meet the growing and distinct needs of each community. He also noted OHEL’s on-going efforts to secure a foster-care contract in NJ to provide for the needs of Jewish children in need of foster homes. Y
and knowledgeable local tour guides will help the group appreciate this land of contrasts, known for its magnificent imperial cities (Rabat, Meknes, Fez, and Marrakech), palaces, mosques, exquisite gardens, colorful markets, white sandy beaches, rich culture and history, archeological wonders, and hospitable people. Space on this trip is limited and reservations can be made by contacting JHTours@gmail.com or 1-888-253-9167. Italy The Jewish Heritage Tours tour of Italy is designed so that active and retired teachers can participate during President’s
Week at the end of February. Although the trip is co-sponsored by the Association of Orthodox-Jewish Teacher, non-teachers are also welcome to take advantage of this low-cost trip. Conducted by Rabbi Rabinowich, the trip will include Rome, Siena, Pisa, Florence, and Venice, including the famous Carnival of Venice, celebrated at the end of Feb. The special low price offer expires on Dec 31 and space is limited. For reservations and a day-by-day itinerary, visit www. ahavathtorah.com or contact JHTours@ gmail.com or 917-753-5178. Y
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Arabia, Qatar, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates do not officially recognize Israel, the WikiLeaks documents show that, behind the scenes, there are reasonable relations between Arab and Israeli diplomats. In particular, Arabs have asked Israelis to carry messages to US government officials and have urged tougher action against Iran. A WikiLeaks cable from March 2009 quotes Yacov Hadas, deputy director of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, telling an American diplomat: “The Gulf Arabs believe in Israel’s role because of their perception of Israel’s close relationship with the US, but also due to their sense that they can count on Israel against Iran. They believe Israel can work magic.” Qatar and Israel This is not to say that the documents show any kind of relational consistency. In January 2009, when Israel launched Operation Cast Lead against Hamas in Gaza in order to stop the escalating number of Qassam rockets being launched at Israeli civilian targets, Qatar, the last Arab Gulf State to have open ties with the Jewish state, closed its Israeli trade office, essentially leaving Israel with no open diplomatic channels to the Persian Gulf states that it used during the 1990s. But as a 2009 cable shows, by March of that year, the Qataris
were already inviting an Israeli delegation back to Doha to discuss reopening the trade mission. Nevertheless, that same month, the queen of Qatar hired a US public relations firm to run a public-awareness campaign in America to highlight the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. High-Level Talks The leaked documents show that, over the years, Israel has had access to the highest levels of the Qatari government. According to one cable, in October 2006, the emir, also known as Prince Hamad, told Israeli officials “he believed Iran was determined to develop a nuclear bomb no matter the cost.” “According to Hadas, Hamad complained at the time that he felt the US would not listen to him and tended to believe what it heard from Iran,” said the document. Qatar was not Mr. Hadas’s only Arab contact. According to the leaked documents, he said the UAE was “increasingly hostile” to Iran, but also noted that the Emirates allowed Iran to launder money and had extensive financial dealings with the country. The Emirates are “not ready to do publicly what they say in private,” the cable quotes Mr. Hadas as saying. Quiet Consultations Neither are other Arab
countries, according to the WikiLeaks documents. For example, some cables show that Israel consulted with Egypt and the PA’s Chairman Mahmoud Abbas before initiating the Cast Lead campaign against Hamas in January 2009. The documented discussions indicate that, despite the fact that they issued public statement’s against Israel’s counterterrorism program, Egypt and Mr. Abbas were pleased with any Israeli action that would weaken Hamas. In telegrams to US Deputy Ambassador Luis Moreni, Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak “explained that the government of Israel had consulted with Egypt and Fatah, asking if they were willing to assume control of Gaza once Israel defeated Hamas.” According to Mr. Barak, the response from Egypt and the PA was no, no one wanted Gaza. Many observers now recall that, during the threeweek Operation Cast Lead, Mr. Abbas was uncharacteristically silent. Actions Based on Fantasies The plethora of cables published by WikiLeaks show that US officials have been clearly listening to and recording what Middle Eastern leaders have to say about Iran. The question left unanswered is what the US is willing to do about
the information gleaned from the sources. Thus far, the Obama administration seems content to deal with its own fantasies based on public pronouncements rather than act on the information offered privately by leaders in the region. The official line maintained by the Obama administration is that ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, even at the expense of deeply held Jewish values and security, is the key to Middle East peace and the only way to bring other countries in the region on board to help stop the Iranian threat. Israel, on the other hand, suggests that Iran should be dealt with first because managing Teheran’s two proxies in the region—Hamas and Hezbollah—will be easier if Iran is defanged. Fabrication At his very first meeting in the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mr. Obama called for a complete halt to all Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria, suggesting that was the only way to mollify the Arab world so that they would magically come to see that Iran should be opposed. Israelis say the WikiLeaks documents show that this argument is a fabrication. They say there is no need to force Israel to consent to an unacceptable,
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com anti-Israel solution to the conflict with the Palestinians in order to bring the “moderate” Arab nations to view a nuclear Iran as a serious problem. Saudi Arabia, the Persian Gulf States, Egypt, and Jordan already agree that Iran is a threat and are just waiting for the US to act against Teheran. Jordan, for example, has voiced concern about the possibility that Iran would provide an umbrella for opposition groups
such as the Muslim Brotherhood. Egypt feels challenged by Iran’s continued nuclear development, as shown by the conviction in Cairo last April of 26 men who were spying for Hezbollah and plotting attacks in Egypt. No Israeli Warmongering In addition, WikiLeaks has debunked the theory, promulgated by many left-wing pundits close to the administration, that only Israel is
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pushing for military action against Iran. The documents show that Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah is one of several leaders of US allies in the Muslim world who, like Israel itself, has been urging the US to cut Iran down to size. In 2008, referring to Iran as “evil,” King Abdullah asked the US to “cut off the head of the snake” while there was still time before the completion of
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the Islamic Republic’s nuclear weapons program. In a March 2009 discussion with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, King Abdullah reportedly said, “You as Persians have no business meddling in Arab matters.” Then the king told White House Counter-terrorism Adviser John Brennan and other US officials, “There is no doubt something unstable about them.”
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Must Be Stopped According to another cable, the king of Bahrain, who provides the base for the American Fifth Fleet, told US leaders that the Iranian nuclear program “must be stopped.” “The danger of letting it go on is greater than the danger of stopping it,” the king said, according to another cable. The head of defense in the United Arab Emirates, Crown Prince Muhammad bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, told US Gen John Abizaid that America needed to take action against Iran “this year or next.” In July 2009, Mr. Zayed, echoing the sentiments of many Israelis and their
supporters, said, “Ahmadinejad is Hitler” and warned against the dangers of appeasing Iran. No Linkage For his part, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has called the Iranians “big fat liars,” and his assistant defense minister, Maj-Gen Muhammad al-Assar, was quoted in a 2010 cable as saying that “Egypt views Iran as a threat to the region.” The Emir of Qatar, Prince Hamad, who, judging by the leaked documents, seems to enjoy playing the US and Teheran against each other, closed a meeting with the Americans by telling them that
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“based on 30 years of experience with the Iranians, they will give you 100 words; trust only one of the 100.” “Not one of these Arab leaders ever suggested that the US should act against Iran only after achieving some breakthrough on the Palestinian-Israeli front or linked the two issues,” said Israeli columnist Jonathan Rosenblum. Die-Hard Ideology But despite the fact that the WikiLeaks disclosures put paid to the fiction that Israel is behind the fuss over Iran’s nuclear weapons, the ideology has not died. After the WikiLeaks documents were posted, Juan Cole, the anti-Israel conspiracy theorist favored by the Obama administration, published an article in The Guardian announcing that Israel is to blame for the Saudis’ fear of Iran. According to Mr. Cole, if the Arab public were not so upset over Israeli aggression in Gaza, the Saudi leadership would not have been so worked up over Iran. “It is this sort of non sequitur that allows the Obama administration to continue pretending that the world is not a hard place and that there are no problems that cannot be solved by pressuring Israel,” said Caroline Glick, managing editor of the Jerusalem Post. Why Is Obama Doing It? In light of the leaked documents, many observers have questioned why Mr. Obama has made such broad overtures to Iran and its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Last year, Mr. Obama taped a New Year’s message to the Iranian people and even sent a “friendship” letter to their “supreme leader,” the Ayatollah Khamenei. Republican commentator, Gary Bauer of the American Values organization, pointed out that virtually since assuming office, Mr. Obama “has used the existential threat of a nuclear-armed Iran as a cudgel to force an ever-increasing number of concessions from our ally, Israel.” “In recent months, the administration has repeatedly said it couldn’t act against Iran until an Israeli-Palestinian deal had been reached that would unite the Arab world. But if Arab leaders are themselves demanding tough action against Iran, why is Obama putting so much pressure on Israel?” said Mr. Bauer.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com His Own Plan Mr. Rosenblum suggested that at least part of the reason lies in Mr. Obama’s “determination to reach out to the Muslim world and his conviction that creating a Palestinian state is the key to doing so,” Another part of the explanation, according to Mr. Rosenblum, is that Mr. Obama “sees fundamental justice on the Palestinian side.” “Pushing a Palestinian state is thus his means of laying claim to the great deeds worthy of his vanity,” said Mr. Rosenblum. Failed Process Mr. Frum said it is now clear that the peace process Mr. Obama has been pushing failed because the Palestinians were encouraged to hope that if only they held out a little longer, they would be offered even more. “We engage in these wearisome and elaborate proceedings because we assume that the Israeli-Palestinian dispute holds the key to regional peace. But now the whole world can see: It’s not true. Governments in the region do not in fact care very much about the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. They are transfixed by Iran. They are terrorized by the threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon,” said Mr. Frum. Mr. Frum said that not only is Mr. Obama “over-invested” in the Palestinian issue, but the WikiLeaks cables show he is “under-invested” in the problems of Iran, Pakistan (a major non-NATO ally whose legal status allows it buy sophisticated US weapons, but whose nuclear arms are not secure), and Turkey (a NATO ally that is allowing Iran to smuggle nuclear components across its territory, who closed its bases to the US during the first Iraq war and who enabled armed agitators to stage confrontations with the Israeli navy). Leaks of Truth The WikiLeaks cables should also put an end to theorists who have argued that the “Israel Lobby” in the US, encouraged by the Jewish state itself, has been single-handedly endangering geopolitical stability by attempting to plunge the Middle East into a war with the US. The leaked documents show that a broad coalition of Arab countries, especially those in the Persian Gulf area, have been privately telling American leaders about their fear of Iran and, in some cases, the desperate need to take military action. Many analysts have noted Arab leaders’ penchant for keep their true position
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on Iran hidden from their people, obviously fearing that if the Arab public knew how opposed their leaders were to Iran, it might lead to a backlash. However, perhaps more in hope than expectation, some Israelis are wondering if, in light of the leaked documents, Arab leaders will now be more prepared to stop separating their private opinions on Iran from their public statements to their people. If that were to happen, it might set the groundwork for a regional coalition encompassing Arab states and Israel to stand against Iran, irrespective of whether or not there is a Palestinian state. “Whatever the wider repercussions of the WikiLeaks cable deluge, it has exposed the hypocrisy of those Arab leaders who publicly blame Israel for their woes while privately pleading for military measures to thwart their true enemy, Iran. And it
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has exposed the incompetence, too, or malice, of the analysts—many of whom may have had significant influence on the Obama administration—who took those Arab leaders’ public utterances at face value, and utilized them in a bid to ratchet up pressure on, and to besmirch, Israel,” said the Jerusalem Post in an editorial entitled “The WikiLeaks Effect.” Scary Gap Pundit Lee Smith, in a piece called “Deadly Fictions,” suggested sarcastically that the WikiLeaks documents are so “good for Israel” that, perhaps, the site’s founder, Julian Assange, who has positioned himself as left-wing whistleblower dedicated to exposing the evils of the US, may instead be “a clandestine agent of Dick Cheney and Bibi Netanyahu.” Further, said Mr. Smith, Mr. As-
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sange’s muckraking website may in fact be “part of a Likudnik plot to provoke an attack on Iran.” While Mr. Smith was being facetious, the Iranians have taken that argument seriously, dismissing the WikiLeaks documents as Israeli-backed attempts to undermine their goals. Turning serious, Mr. Smith recognized that the WikiLeaks documents do not reveal a conspiracy of any kind, but, rather “a scary and growing gap between the private assessments of American diplomats and allies in the Middle East and public statements made by US government officials.”
“The publication of these leaked cables is eerily reminiscent of the Pentagon Papers, which exposed a decade-long attempt by US officials to distort and conceal unpalatable truths about the Vietnam War, and manipulate public opinion. The difference is that while the Pentagon Papers substantially vindicated the American left, the WikiLeaks cable dump vindicates the right,” said Mr. Smith. Pro-Israeli Positions In addition to the realization that Arabs are as concerned as Israelis about Iran’s march towards a nuclear program and that it is not just Jews who think Mr. Ahmadine-
jad is evil incarnate, Mr. Smith listed other examples of pro-Israel positions vindicated by the WikiLeaks documents. The documents, for example, dispute the US government’s public assessment of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan as a model Middle Eastern leader who has adopted the middle ground between religious enthusiasm and secular democracy. Rather, the documents show that, privately, the Americans see him as “an exceptionally dangerous” Islamist. “US diplomats have concluded that Erdogan’s anti-Israel rhetoric is not premised on domestic Turkish electioneering or larger geo-strategic concerns, but rather on a personal, visceral hatred of Israel,” said Mr. Smith. The leaked cables describe Mr. Erdogan as having “little understanding of politics beyond Ankara.” He had also surrounded himself with an “iron ring of sycophantic (but contemptuous) advisers,” the cables said. Respect for Israel By contrast, the cables suggest that the director of Israel’s Mossad, Meir Dagan, has been “sought out by almost every senior US official visiting Israel.” Other Israelis also have the respectful ear of the Americans. In one cable, Israeli Military Intelligence chief Maj-Gen Amos Yadlin is quoted as saying that “covert means need to be used to stop Iran.” In 2009, according to another cable, Mr. Dagan told Rep Robert Wexler (D-FL) that Israel was not in a position to underestimate Iran and be surprised like the US was on 9-11. Even earlier, in 2007. Mr. Dagan told Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns that Israel and the US needed to do more to recreate regime change in Iran. He told Frances Fragos Townsend, assistant to the US President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, that IDF operations against Hamas in Judea and Samaria were preventing the terrorist group from taking over the Fatah-controlled territory, and he said he believed “nothing will be achieved” in the peace process. Embarrassing Details The leaked documents indicate that Muslim and Arab leaders, on the other hand, spoke a great deal on subjects they may now find embarrassing. According to a report in the London-based Arabic
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com newspaper Al-Hayat, WikiLeaks documents show that Turkish authorities allowed money and weapons to pass across Turkey’s borders with Iraq, en route to Al-Qaeda terrorists there. In addition, the documents allegedly show that Turkey was involved both directly and indirectly in carrying out terror attacks in Iraq, including blowing up a bridge in Baghdad. One of the reports mentioned by Al Hayat allegedly shows that an American intelligence agency wrote a cable saying that “large amounts of water have arrived from Turkey, large waves will hit Baghdad in a few hours. Some people are widening the irrigation canals.” The message is believed to refer to the arrival of weapons from Turkey that were intended for terror and warfare in Baghdad. Al Hayat says the WikiLeaks documents show that ammunition seized in a terrorist’s home in Iraq in 2009 bore the markings “made in Turkey.” What some analysts find baffling is that, despite American recognition of Mr. Erdogan’s policies, Mr. Obama is still supporting Turkish membership of the European Union. Further, Mr. Erdogan has been publicly assured that the White House will oppose any resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. “The administration continued to reaffirm the friendship between the two countries even in the face of Turkey’s involvement in the terror flotilla and the country’s blocking of increased sanctions on Iran,” said foreign affairs specialist Seth Mandel. Ignoring Intelligence Some of the most damning information contained in the leaked documents centers on Iran, but it is intelligence that the Obama administration seems eager to ignore. For example, during the 2006 Second Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah, Iran, in violation of the Geneva Convention, used its own Red Crescent organization, which is a member of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, whose pledge of neutrality allows it access into war zones, to smuggle weapons and troops from the Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force into Lebanon. It used the same ambulances to smuggle weapons and troops into Iraq to fight against US soldiers. Although members of the Obama administration still believe they can woo the
Tevet 57671 Syrians away from Iran, America’s Arab allies do not think it is possible. According to one leaked cable, the UAE’s Sheik Bin Zayed “showed no confidence that Syria could be separated from the Iranian camp.” Mr. Bin Zayed was quoted directly as saying, “If you want my opinion, I think not.” Syria and Iran Mr. Bin Zayed suggested that Syria would continue hedging on key regional issues, including Iran, support for Hezbollah, and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, for the foreseeable future. “What comes through most strongly from the WikiLeaks documents is that US Middle East policy is premised on
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a web of self-justifying fictions that are flatly contradicted by the assessment of American diplomats and allies in the region,” said Mr. Smith, pointing out that, ever since the second term of President George Bush, “Washington has ignored the strong and repeated pleas of its regional allies, from Jerusalem to Riyadh, to stop the Iranian nuclear program.” Perhaps most disturbing, he said, is the extent to which both the Bush and Obama administrations have concealed Iran’s war efforts against the US and its allies in Iraq, Lebanon, Israel, and the Arab Gulf states. “US servicemen and –women are
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being dispatched to combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan where they are fighting Iranian soldiers and assets in a regional war with the Islamic Republic that our officials dare not discuss, lest they have to do something about it,” said Mr. Smith. Doing Nothing Other WikiLeaks revelations that confirm pro-Israel positions include the fact that, despite the insistence of successive American administrations, Saudi donors remain the primary financiers of Sunni terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, and, protestations to the contrary, Israel will accept a two-state solution; the Palestinians will not. In addition, the documents confirm that one week after Syrian President Bashar al-Assad promised the State Department he would not send “new” arms to Hezbollah, the US complained it had information that Damascus was providing sophisticated weapons to the terrorist group. Nevertheless, the US government did nothing. Similarly, the US ignored Israel’s repeated pleas to press Egypt to block smuggling of military equipment into the Gaza Strip. According to a 2008 leaked cable, Lebanon’s defense minister, Elias Murr, offered US officials advice on how Israel
could defeat Hezbollah in a future war. Vowing to keep the Lebanese army out of the fighting, Mr. Murr suggested the Jewish state avoid bombing bridges and infrastructure in the Christian areas, thus keeping public opinion from turning against them. The memo also revealed that the US conducted secret spy flights over Hezbollah locations. Venezuelan Jews The WikiLeaks also revealed concerns raised by Venezuelan Jews in meetings with US diplomats regarding the increasingly hostile environment created for them by the government of President Hugo Chavez. The Jews said they see a “dark horizon” for their community, according to a WikiLeaks document. In the dispatch, a US diplomat described a gloomy meeting with members of the Confederacion de Asociaciones Israelitas Venezolanas, a local Jewish organization, who feared the leftist government’s growing ties with Iran, and the language chosen by Chavez to protest against Israeli policies. “While Chavez’s rhetoric once clearly differentiated criticism of Israel from that of the Venezuelan-Jewish community, since 2004, they believe he has merged his anti-Zionist views with antisemitic ones,” wrote
US political counselor Robin D. Meyer. Members of the Jewish community complained about having to meet with the foreign minister rather than the interior minister to raise their concerns, giving the impression that they were perceived by Caracas as foreigners. Jewish leaders suggested strengthening ties with the US Embassy in case of an outburst of violence against the community. Another leaked confidential document from 2008, in which US Ambassador to Moscow John Beyrle recounted his meeting with senior Russian Rabbis Adolf Shayevich and Pinchas Goldschmidt, touched on antisemitism, the community’s ties with the Kremlin, and Russian Jews’ relatively new affluence. John Kerry Splits Jerusalem Supporters of Israel who, in 2004, voted for George Bush over Sen John Kerry (D-MA) may have felt a jolt of vindication from the WikiLeaks documents: Last February, Mr. Kerry told Qatari leaders that the Golan Heights should be returned to Syria, that a Palestinian capital should be established in the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, and that he was “shocked” by what he saw on a visit to Gaza. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Mr. Kerry endorsed the Palestin-
ians’ demand that control of the Al-Aqsa mosque and the establishment of “some kind of capital in East Jerusalem” is “non-negotiable.” For Israelis, the senator continued, Israel’s character as a Jewish state would not open for negotiation. What could be resolved through negotiation, he said, is the “non-militarization of an eventual Palestinian state and its borders.” Although Mr. Kerry resisted the Qatari leaders’ assertion that Hamas was ready to accept the State of Israel, he agreed that urgent action was needed to rebuild Gaza. Keeping Busy While WikiLeaks documents will probably keep Western government officials and journalists busy for months, authoritarian governments and tightly controlled media in places such as China and across the Arab Middle East have suppressed virtually all mention of the documents, avoiding any public backlash that could result from such candid portrayals of their leaders’ views. Thus, the Arab public has been kept in the dark on issues ranging from accounts of their leaders drinking alcohol and siding with Israel on advocating a US military strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. “Most Arabs don’t know what’s come out in these
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com WikiLeaks documents. If they did know, there would be an angry reaction,” said Shadi Hamid, director of research at the Brookings Institution’s Doha Center. Fearing a Backlash He noted that opposition Islamist groups, such as the Islamic Brotherhood in Egypt, might try to capitalize on documents that underscore their arguments that Arab leaders are subservient to the US and do not reflect the interests of their own people. In many Arab countries, criticizing a leader is a line that is not crossed; in Jordan, it is illegal to criticize the king. Most mainstream Arab media outlets are government-owned, and the portion of the public with Internet access is far lower than it is in the West. In the Arab countries, those papers that did discuss the leaked documents concluded it was another conspiracy, a popular concept in the Muslim world.
“It’s all deliberate,” Mozah al-Malki, a prominent Qatari psychologist, told Qatar’s Peninsula newspaper. “We can clearly see through the ploy. The idea of the so-called leaks is to further intensify tension between Iran and the Arab gulf states.” Suing In Turkey, Mr. Erdogan, who suggested that Israel was behind the WikiLeaks scandal, demanded that the US “punish” diplomats who reported claims in the leaked cables that he and his family are corrupt. In a sometimes furious televised address at the start of an investment conference in Ankara, Mr. Erdogan said he was “working to do what is necessary about these diplomats.” He said the US had apologized, but, he said, “It is not enough.” One of Mr. Erdogan’s senior aides explained that lawyers from the Turkish justice ministry were examining the feasibility of suing the US
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under international, US, and Turkish law. Judging from the way he has been treated by the Obama administration, Mr. Erdogan has every reason to suspect he will be successful once again. Saying It Publicly Asked to comment on the leaked WikiLeaks documents, Mr. Netanyahu said, “If only Arab leaders would say publicly what they say in private, there would be peace.” He pointed out that, increasingly, countries in the region recognize Iran as the central threat, but they “have a gap because, publicly, they are attached to the Israeli-Arab conflict but privately they realize that this narrative is not true.” “They realize that the central threat is from Iran and now this has been revealed even though it was always known,” he said. Who Is the Threat? The WikiLeaks documents, he said, may turn out
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to be very good. “The question is where this leads. If the Arab leaders continue to speak the truth only privately, it won’t help; but if they start saying it publicly, it can pave the road to peace,” he said. “It can eliminate the theory that Israel is the obstacle to peace and show that we have mutual interests. Our region has been hostage to a narrative that is the result of 60 years of propaganda, which paints Israel as the greatest threat. In reality, leaders understand that view is bankrupt. For the first time in history, there is agreement that Iran is the threat.” But Israel’s Minister of Industry and Trade Benjamin BenEliezer of Labor said the WikiLeaks may be good for Israel for a different reason entirely. “The US has stopped pressuring Israel to freeze Jewish building in Judea and Samaria because Washington is busy controlling damage caused by the WikiLeaks,” he said. S.L.R.
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Apply Now
Alisa Flatow Memorial Scholarship Fund Applications, for those planning to be spend the academic year 2011-2012 pursuing Jewish studies in Israel, Dr. Wallace Greene, deadline in Feb 15, 2011, www.alisafund.org Bronfman Youth Fellowships in Israel Applications, for North American Jewish students who will be in 12th grade in Sept 2011 and are looking to spend five weeks of intellectually engaging study in Israel, summer 2011; deadline to apply online at www.bronfman. org is Jan 20, 2011, ava.charne@ byfi.org or 518-475-7212 Yiddish Book Center Summer Program, offers college students a tuition-free, six-credit, seven-week intensive course in Yiddish language, history, and culture, June 12-July 29, 2011, at the book center in Amherst, MA; no prior knowledge of Yiddish required, deadline to apply is Feb 1, 2011, 413-256-4900 Holocaust Remembrance Project Essay Contest, for high school students, no more than 1200 words analyzing why it is vital that the remembrance, history, and lessons of the Holocaust be passed on to a new generation and suggesting what young people can do to combat and prevent prejudice, discrimination, and violence in our world today, spons by the Holland & Knight Charitable Foundation, prizes include college scholarships from $250 to $5,000, deadline is April 15, http://holocaust.hklaw.com/index.asp Orthodox Union Kosher Essay Contest, for grades 7-12;
December 2010
essays should range from 7501,000 words; suggested topics include: “How Does Eating Kosher Enhance Your Jewish Identity?” “What Does the Kosher Symbol on the Label Mean to Me?” “Is Eating Kosher More Than Just a Way of Eating?” “Kashruth and Kedushah—A Connection?” deadline is March 24, 2011, safrane@ou.org Video/DVD Contest, 12th graders are invited, as a class, to produce a 15-minute video entitled “Going Kosher—What Do I Do? How Do I Do It?” whose purpose is to educate and guide individuals and families looking to become kosher. Videos must include hashkafa (philosophy) and halacha (Jewish law) as well as practical suggestions and instructions to accomplish the goal. The deadline is March 1, 2011, safrane@ou.org
Fri., Dec 10
Special Talents Art Show, exhibit by individuals with special needs, JCC, Tenafly, through Tues., Dec 28, 201-408-1490 Technicolor Kabbalat Shabbat, using the tunes from “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat,” Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 4:30pm, 718-796-4730 Shabbat Dinner for Teens, with Rabbi Nathaniel and Rebbetzin Rachel Helfgot, for teens at Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 5:30pm, ravnatih@gmail.com “Post-Election Challenges,” Malcolm Hoenlein, scholar-in-residence, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, 5:30pm, 973-597-1655 Oneg Shabbat, for teens in grades 9-12, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:45pm, leiser144@aol.com
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion” “The Sistine Chapel: The Hidden Jewish Messages of Michelangelo,” Rabbi Benjamin Blech, scholar-in-residence, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 7:30pm Rav Pinchas Teitz, z”tl, Yahrtzeit Shabbos: “Living the Legacy of a United Torah Community,” spons by the Jewish Educational Center, featuring “Rav Pinchas Teitz and the Elizabeth Kehilla: A Daughter’s Recollections,” Dr. Rivka Blau, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, 8pm; and “Elizabeth— Before It Was Elizabeth,” Rabbi Yaakov Blau, Elmora Ave Shul, Elizabeth, 8pm, 908-353-0029 “What Is this Midrash Telling Us? VaYigosh,” Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm “Freedom of Inquiry, Heresy, and Orthodox,” Rabbi Jeremy Wieder, Cong Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8pm “A New Generation: Learning from the Past, Growing into the Future,” Rabbanit Malke Bina, scholar-in-residence, spons by Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, private home in West Orange, 8pm, 973-324-0914 or 973-736-1407 “Sibling Rivary: Catholic-Jewish Relations in 2010,” Howie Beigelman, scholar-inresidence, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn Scholar-in Residence, Rabbi Edward Davis, spons by the Community Synagogue of Monsey and Cong Bais Torah, at the Community Synagogue, through Shabbat, Dec 11 “Shabbat Gilad,” initiated by Ari Hagler, 12, in conjunction with his upcoming bar mitzvah; he is asking schools and synagogue rabbis to focus on Gilad Shalit and the mitzvah of pidyom Shvuyim, redeeming a captive, for their drashas, through Shabbat, Dec 11, info@shabbatgilad.com
Shabbat, Dec 11
Young Couples and Family Minyan and Luncheon, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:45am Tefillat Esther: Women’s Tefillah, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 “The Holy Jewish Treasures
The Log:
in the Vatican: A Miracle on a Mission to Rome,” Rabbi Benjamin Blech, scholar-in-residence, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 10:30am Rav Pinchas Teitz, z”tl, Yahrtzeit Shabbos: “Living the Legacy of a United Torah Community,” spons by the Jewish Educational Center, featuring at 11am, “Welcoming,” Rav Avrohom Herman, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, and Rav Jonathan Schwartz, Elmora Ave Shul, Elizabeth; at noon, “Rav Pinchas Teitz and the Whiskey Brouhaha,” Rav Yosef Blau, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth; “The Innovation of Daf Hashavua: The Other Side,” Rabbi Yaakov Blau, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth; and at 3pm, “Divrei Torah,” Rav Yosef Blau, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, and Rabbi Yaakov Blau, Elmora Ave Shul, Elizabeth, 908-353-0029 “An Orthodox-Jewish Legislative Wish List,” Howie Beigelman, scholar-in-residence, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 11am “Uniting against the Pharaohs,” Malcolm Hoenlein, scholar in residence, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, 11:30am, 973-597-1655 “Developments in Women’s Torah Learning over the Last 40 Years,” Rabbanit Malka Bina, scholar-in-residence, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, noon “Shiur Ramat Rachel—Judah and Joseph: From Brotherhood to Nationhood,” CB Neugroschl, in memory of Rochi Lerner, z”l, for men and women, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 3pm Women’s Shiur, Susan Weissman, Cong Adath Israel, Passaic, 3pm “What Your Name Reveals about You: Your Personality, Your Character, and Your Future,” Rabbi Benjamin Blech, scholar-in-residence, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, seudah shlishit “Yosef: Dreamer or Interpretor?” Rav Aharon and Rabbanit Malke Bina, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, seudah shlishit “Q&A,” Howie Beigelman,
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com
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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community”
scholar-in-residence, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, seudah shlishit
Motzei Shabbat, Dec 11
Café Night, featuring comedian Elon Gold and Modi Rosenfeld, light dinner, coffee bar, cash bar, and Chinese Auction, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm Project Ezrah Dinner, honoring Rabbi Zvi and Rebbetzin Efrat Sobolofsky, Chaya and Mark Goldsmith, Dr. Michael and Fayge Novogroder, Patrice and Marc Shoenbrun, and Leah and Reuven Escott at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-569-9047 Jewish Educational Center Elmora Ave Shul Dinner, honoring Rav Elazar and Rebbetzin Elisheva Teitz and Jeff Goldstein, commemorating the 15th Yahrtzeit of Rav Pinchas M Teitz, z”tl, JEC, Elizabeth, 8pm, 908-353-0029 Cantor Yehuda Green in Concert, Cong Shaarey Israel, Suffern, 8pm, bradin987@ymail. com or 845-369-0300 Worldwide Women’s AudioVisual Presentation: “Unleash the Potential within Each Mo-
ment—Monumental Moments,” featuring Rebbetzin Tehillah Jaeger, Chanie Juravel, Rena Tarshish, and Seryl Berman, Reenas Bais Yaakov High School, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-572-4713 “Ethics in the Field: An Inside Look at the Israel Defense Forces—How the IDF Ensures Israel’s Security While Upholding a Rigorous Military Code of Ethics,” IDF Col. (Res) Bentzi Gruber, multi-media presentation, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm Sandy Shmuely in Concert and “A Night at the Auction” emceed by Nachum Segal, Cong Bnai Shalom, West Orange, 8pm, 973-731-0160 Chanukah Disco Ball, spons by Hillel, Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, 732-545-2407
Sun., Dec 12
Final Hours to Purchase a Raffle Ticket, to support Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County, prize is a sevenday cruise for two on a Celebrity Cruise Line ship to the destination of your choice, proceeds support JFVS’s kosher food pantry, Ko-
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
sher Meals on Wheels, and other programs, 732-985-7348 Bergen and Hudson UJA Super Sunday, making calls from Paramus, 9am-9pm, 201820-3950 Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout Pack 613 Den Meeting: Respect, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:30am, jschachter2@ gmail.com “Chevra Kadisha Practices and Procedures,” Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 9:30am Defensive Driving, Riverdale Jewish Center, 9:30am, 718548-1850 MetroWest UJA Super Sunday, fundraising phone-a-thon, 9:30am-8pm; babysitting, for children and babies six months and up, 9:30am-12:30pm; vendors, 10am6pm; Gift of Life Bone Marrow Registry Drive, 10am-3pm; blood drive, 11am-6pm; Community Service Projects for families, interactive story time, and Mama Doni Kids Concert, 2-4pm; Teen Program for grades 9-12, 5-8pm; includes canned food and children’s book drives, Aidekman Family Jewish
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Community Campus, Whippany, 973-929-3010 Super Sunday, phone calls for the Jewish Federation of Greater Clifton-Passaic, 10am-2pm, 973777-7031 “Keeping up with the Steins: Towards a Meaningful Bar/Bat Mitzvah,” Rabbi Mordechai Becher, spons by Gateways, at the Monmouth Torah Links Hebrew School, Morganville, 10am, 845-352-0393 Adult, Child, and Infant CPR and First-Aid Training, including adult bleeding-control, splinting, and how to use an automated external defibrillator, for men over the age of 12, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10am, zvi@ kurlander.com Chug Ivrit Hebrew Club, for intermediate to advanced Hebrew speakers, spons by Hadassah, for men and women, not necessarily members of Hadassah, private home in Highland Park, 11am, 732-8199298 or 732-572-4701 Pre-Collegiate Learning Center of NJ Open House, for visitors to discover PCLC’s cus-
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
The Log
December 2010
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
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tomized, high-quality, $5,000-peryear tuition Jewish day school high school education, private location in New Brunswick, 2pm, 908-6160321, www.pclcnj.com Children’s and Teens’ Circle, for special-needs children and teens, Zeesy Grossbaum, spons by the Friendship Circle, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, River Edge, 2pm, 201-262-7172 Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute and Neve PTI Dinner, featuring Rabbi Paysach Krohn, honoring Rabbis Shlomo Singer and Baruch Bodenheim, Mordechai and Rivka Golombeck, Chaim and Chava Pinchuck, and Gary and Marcia Schrager, Ohel Rivka Hall, Passaic, 6pm, 646-284-3377 Speed Dating for Frum Singles, ages 25-38, with shadchanim, spons by the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists and the Torah Lishmah Institute, at Cong Ohab Zedek, Riverdale, 6pm, 347-275-7246 Film: “The Yankles,” former pro-baseball player and excon finds redemption coaching an upstart Orthodox-Jewish baseball team, JCC, Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Hebrew Institute Community Choir of Riverdale in Concert, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-543-6527 Cong Beth Aaron Sisterhood Book Club, “Adjusting Sights” by Haim Sabato, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-837-0651 “Fall is in the Air” Cooking Demonstration and Tasting, Executive Chef Jack Filipovich, spons by Cong Netivot Shalom,
private home in Teaneck, 8pm, yurowel@yahoo.com “After the Announcement of Homosexual Unions, What Is All the Jewish News That Is Fit to Print?” Gary Rosenblatt, Sam Norich, Andrew Silow Carroll, and Rebecca Boroson, with Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-833-0515 “The Law and Spirit of Outreach,” Rabbis Herschel Schachter and Ephraim Buchwald, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience and the RCBC, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-966-4498 Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey Dedication of Its New Building, featuring Malcolm Hoenlein, River Edge, 8pm, shira.isenberg@verizon.net Young and Young-at-Heart Couples Chanukah Party, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-317-8182
Mon., Dec 13
Online Shiur: “Are ‘the Settlements’ the Problem?” Rabbi Mordechai Becher, 12:30pm http:// www.projectsinai.org/presenter/ rabbi_mordechai_becher/ How To Pass the Test to Become a Notary Public, private home in Chestnut Ridge, NY, 5pm, 848-525-1827 Webcast Workshop: “Networking without a Network: Job Search Strategies for Job Seekers with Limited Contacts,” Lavie Margolin, spons by the Orthodox Union’s Wall Street Initiative, register at www.oujobs.org or 212-613-8391, 5:30pm Chopstix Kosher Party, to benefit Tomorrow’s Children of Hackensack University Medical
Center, organized by Elie Y Katz with food from Chopstix, Dougie’s, Pickleicious, Chickie’s, and Poppy’s, featuring live music and entertainment for the whole family, at the Moose Lodge, Teaneck, 6-9pm, 201-715-5179 “The Jewish National Fund’s Role in Building the New Community of Halutza for Gush Katif Evacuees and JNF’s Role in Presenting a Positive Israel Story on US College Campuses,” Rabbi Eric Lankin, JNF Teaneck Council buffet dinner and dessert reception, honoring Bob Levine, Dr. Mark and Lorna Pascal, Betty Samuels, and Rabbi Steven Sirbu, private home in Teaneck, 7pm, jsiskind@#jnf.org Jewish Stuttering Association Support Group, for teenage boys, private home in Far Rockaway, 7pm, 347-855-7520 Israeli Defense Forces Musical Ensemble in Concert, featuring music and a talk by an IDF Air Force pilot, Cong Adath Shalom, Morris Plains, 7pm, 212-2443118 ext 14 Skills Needed to Manage Personal Finances in Today’s World, for teens, Diane Nissen Friedman, Diane Sundermann, and Jonathan Newman, CareOne at the Cupola, Paramus, 7:30pm, 201-447-1137 “Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Agunah Crisis—Secular Law and Halacha,” Michelle Greenberg-Kobrin, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 “The Centurions—6th Century CE,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Tues., Dec 14
Friendship Circle for Special-Needs Children and Teens Sports Night, Zeesy Grossbaum, at the Moriah School of Englewood, 5:30pm, 201-262-7172 Camp Informational Meeting, Riverdale YMHA, 6:30pm, 718-548-8200 Jewish Stuttering Association Support Group, for men, private home in Boro Park, Brooklyn, 7pm, 347-855-7520 Parent Bound Informational Meeting about In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) in Israel, how to access it and save thousands
of dollars, halachic supervision by Puah, featuring a representative of the Israel Ministry of Tourism and six major hospitals, 92nd Street YMHA, Manhattan, 7:30pm, 845-738-0050 Fair Lawn Diamond Jubilee Band in Concert, featuring works by Bach; Handel’s “Judas Maccabaeus;” “Fiddler on the Roof;” “Three Moods of Chanukah,” arranged by jazz saxophonist Lenny Niehaus; “Eine Kleine Yiddishe Ragmusik” by Adam Gorb; and Kol Nidre by solo baritone saxophonist Lew Archer, Thomas Jefferson Middle School, Fair Lawn, 7:30pm, 201-794-2137 or 201-670-8383 Sisterhood Book Club: “Nemesis” by Philip Roth, private home in West Orange, 8pm, 973-669-0938 Refresher Course in Pregnancy and Childbirth, Yoetzet Halacha Bracha Rutner, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 “Rosie and Shmuley Come Together,” Rabbi Shmuley Boteach and Rosie O’Donnell, Bergen Performing Arts Center, Englewood, 8pm, 201-227-1030 “Sin and Sanctity in the Suburbs—A No-Nonsense Look at Parshat Kedoshim: Dirty Money and Charity,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm
Wed., Dec 15
Friendship Circle Teen Scene, for special-needs teens, at the Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-7172 Book Club: “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein, facilitated by Arlene Sander, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 “Transforming Trauma to Resilience,” Dr. Irit Felsen, spons by Teaneck Second Generation, a monthly discussion group for children of Holocaust survivors, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Through Others’ Eyes: Photo Exhibit, Video and Talk,” Jewish and Palestinian high school students from the Givat Haviva Institute, Riverdale YMHA, 7:30pm, 718-548-8200 “The Future of Judaism in Latin America,” Rabbi Alberto
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Zeilcovich, spons by the Hispano Hebraico Club (Jewish-Spanish Club), Jewish Center of Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-0515 ext 200 Yeshiva University High School for Boys Parlor Meeting, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, 212-960-5400 ext 6676 Rav Herschel Schachter, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 “The Evolution of Aggadah: The Torah and the Nations of the World,” Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8:15pm Zumba, for women, Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 8:15pm, 201-261-1919
Thurs., Dec 16
La Leche League of Bronx/ Riverdale, Mia Damond Padwa, pregnant women, babies and small children welcome, healthy snacks, Riverdale YMHA, 9:30am, 718-543-0314 Last day for exhibit: “The Holocaust: Massacre of the Innocents,” by Grace Graupe-Pillard, Rider University Art Gallery, Lawrenceville, 609-896-5168; Tues-Thurs, 11am-7pm; Sunday, 11-4pm Personal Aliyah Planning Meetings and Counseling, spons by Nefesh B’Nefesh, UJA, Paramus, 12-8:15pm, 866-4-ALIYAH (866-425-4924) Jewish Bereavement Group, for widows and widowers, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 1:45pm, 201-837-9090 Orientation for Potential Friendship Circle Volunteers to Work with Special-Needs Children and Teens, Zeesy Grossbaum, Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 5pm, 201-262-7172 Shorashim Boys Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-8330515 ext 205 Kosher Cooking with Whole Grains, Chef Meredith Spiegel, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “If You Knew Suzy: A Mother, a Daughter, a Reporter’s Notebook,” Katherine Rosman, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1411
Fri., Dec 17, Asara B’Tevet
Singles Shabbaton, for ages 22-32, Cong Anshe Chesed, Linden, through Shabbat, Dec 18, DandRshabbatons@gmail.com
Last Day to Donate a New or Gently Used Coat, the Moshe Aaron Yeshiva High School in South River is collecting coats for children and adult to be distributed by the Staten Island Bikur Cholim, 732-613-7460 “A Taste of Shabbat,” for children 2-4 with adult, Aviva Kohl, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 11:45am, 845-362-4400 Seudah and Lecture: “Orthodoxy in 18th and 19th Century America,” Rabbi Dr. Jacob Schacter, scholar-in-residence, and Oneg Shabbat, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 4:30pm, 732-247-0532 Family Shabbos Dinner, Chabad of Rockland, New City, 4:30pm, 845-638-2874 “What Is this Midrash Telling Us? Va Yehi, Rabbi Jeremy Lebowitz, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm Men’s Club Cholent Challenge, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, mensclub@bethaaron.org Cholent Cook-Off and Oneg, with divrei Torah, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8pm, debbiemtyler@yahoo.com Leil Limud, a series of shiurim held simultaneously, spons by Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, in private homes, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Oneg Shabbat, for teens, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:30pm Rayim Yachad Shabbaton, hosted by Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, through Shabbat, Dec 18, 201-796-5902
Shabbat, Dec 18
“Who’s Not in the Room? Faith, Doubt, and Leaving Religious Life,” Dr. Michelle Friedman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11am, 718-796-4730 Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Dr. Jacob Schacter, drasha, 11am, and “Act and Emotion in the Service of G-d,” Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, seudah shlishit, 732-247-0532 Oneg for Girls in the Bat Mitzvah Program, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 3pm, 973-736-1407 Tot Shabbat, for children newborn to age 5 and a parent, Ali Blech, stories, songs, games, and a snack, spons by Cong Arzei
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Darom, private home in Teaneck, 3pm, 201-836-0078 Bat Mitzvah Girls Learning Program, Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger, private home in Bergenfield, 3:15pm, shiragreenberg18@gmail.com Parent-Daughter “Pearls of Prayer,” Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Riverdale Jewish Center, grades 3-6 with a parent, seudah shlishit, 718-548-1850
Motzei Shabbat, Dec 18
Recreation Night, grades 3-5, separate swim and gym, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201833-0515 ext 205 Friendship Circle Family Fun Night, for families with specialneeds children and teens, at Bounce U, Paramus, 7pm, 201-262-7172 Movie Night, for grades K-4, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:15pm Comedy Night, includes dinner, Cong Kehillat Bais Yehuda, Wesley Hills, 7:30pm, 845-202-0058 Jewish Learning Experience Dinner, celebrating JLE’s 25th year, honoring Rabbi Michael Taubes, Sam & Judy Berkowitz, and Gary & Sharon Rubin, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:45pm, 201-966-4498 Bikur Cholim of Passaic Melave Malka, featuring HaRav Meir Stern and Dr. Dovid Lieberman, dinner and music, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 8pm, 973-249-8811 “An Evening of Comedy,” Elon Gold and Mark Schiff, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-1315 “Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in 21st-Century America,” Rabbi Dr. Jacob Schacter, spons by the Orthodox Forum, at Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 “The Return of the Lego Man: Bulding Jerusalem from Lego,” for the whole family, Cong
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Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, youth@rinat.org Film and Discussion: “Herzl and Gevatron,” Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730 Chanukah Dinner and Celebration, featuring “Questions about the Rabbi” selected by Rebbetzin Karen Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm
Sun., Dec 19
The Hebrew Youth Academy/ Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy/ Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School Day of Learning, open to alumni, friends, spouses, and community members, two learning sessions by Rabbis Joseph Reifman, Reuven Greenberg, and Shimshon Jacob, and Diane Bohs, spons by the schools’ Alumni Society, includes babysitting for children 3-10 years old, brunch, and tours of the school, Livingston, 9am, alumni@ jkha.org or 973-251-2008 Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout Pack 613 Trip to the Intrepid Museum, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:30am, jschachter2@ gmail.com Caregivers Support Group, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 9:30am, 973-736-1407 Beginners Shabbos Morning Service, followed by Kiddush, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at the Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498 CPR and First-Aid Training, for men over the age of 12, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10am, zvi@kurlander.com Film: “Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work,” Lafayette Theatre, Suffern, 11:30am, 845-353-2568 Nefesh B’Nefesh Aliyah Fair and Speed Aliyah Meetings, Josh
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The Log is a free service provided to the Jewish community in northern and central New Jersey, Rockland County and Riverdale. Events that we list include special and guest lectures, concerts, boutiques, dinners, open houses, club meetings, and new classes. Announcements are requested by the 25th of the month prior to the month of the event. Due to space and editorial constraints, we cannot guarantee publication of any announcement. Please email them to : susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com.
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The Log
December 2010
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Sussman, “Introduction and Welcome: Aliyah Planning Workshop,” 1pm; “Navigating the Educational System in Israel” and “Retiring in Israel,” 1:30pm; “Job Search Strategies for the Israeli Market” and “Retiring in Israel,” 2:30pm; “The Israeli Healthcare System” and “Your Taxes in Israel,” 3:30pm; “Aliyah Rights and Benefits” and “Social Networking in Israel,” 4:30pm; plus a series of “Speed Aliyah Meetings” on employment, aliyah rights and benefits, and the Go North Program; at the UJA, Paramus, 1-866-4-ALIYAH (1-866-425-4924) Sporkle Trivia Game, spons by Cong Beth Aaron Junior NCSY, grades 6-8, private home in Teaneck, 1pm, 201-247-7961 or 908414-4235 Conference: “Jobs, Marriage, and the Future,” spons by Yad HaChazakah-The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center, for young Jewish adults with disabilities from 16-30 years old, parents, and professionals, Manhattan, registration, 1pm; Welcome, Michael Levy, 1:30pm; “Job Preparation: What’s Involved?” Sharon Shapiro, 1:40pm; “Machon L’Parnasa: A Frum-Friendly Way to Prepare for the Workforce,” Rabbi Joshua Cheifetz, 1:40pm; “Starting You Own Business: An Example of Success,” Yoek Yitzchok Bodek, 1:40pm; “Marriage: Ways to Find Your Bashert,” Yisroel Lacks, 2:50pm; “Preparing for the Future: Building Support Systems and Accessing Resources,” Gitel Brukman, 3:55pm; “Independence and Responsibilities: Legacies Passed from Parent to Child,” Michael Levy, 3:55pm; “Next Steps,” Sharon Shapiro, 4:45pm; 212-2846936 or info@yad-jdec.org Children’s and Teens’ Circle, for special-needs children and teens, Zeesy Grossbaum, spons by the Friendship Circle, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, River Edge, 2pm, 201-262-7172 Girls Swim and Gym, for grades 6-8, spons by Cong Keter Torah, at the Jewish Center of Teaneck, 3:30pm, ysavetsky@ hotmail.com Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School Dinner Theater: “Death
by Dessert” by Nathan Hartswick, includes dinner and Bnai Jazz during intermission, 5:30pm, 973-597-1115 ext 1164 Cong Ohr Torah (Edison) Dinner, honoring Rabbi Benjamin and Helen Kramer and Irwin and Mildred Goldblatt, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Somerset, 6pm Alisa Chapter of AMIT Mother- or Father-in-Israel Evening at the Morris Museum, for men and women, includes a private docent tour of the Guinness Collection followed by a champagne-dairy dessert reception, Morristown, 6:30pm, 973-731-1038 “Make Your Own Sisterhood,” Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, aasisterhoodrsvp@gmail.com Girls Night Out Zumba Class, for women and girls ages 10 and up, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm “Mesorah in a Changing World: Women Rabbis, Parnassa, Tznius, Etc,” Rav Mayer Twersky, spons by TorahWeb, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm “Dina D’Malchusa Dina: Paying Cash, Domestic Help, Taxes, Backyard Camps, Etc,” Rav Hershel Schachter, spons by TorahWeb, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:45pm
Mon., Dec 20
“Songs of Kurt Weil,” Leona Schwab, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-408-1426 “The Centurions—7th Century CE,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Tues., Dec 21
Blood Drive and Double Red Cell Donation, for those 1775, Cong Shomrei Torah, Wayne, 3:30-9pm, 973-696-2500 “Sin and Sanctity in the Suburbs—A No-Nonsense Look at Parshat Kedoshim: Infidelity or Recommitment in the Suburbs,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm
Wed., Dec 22
Friendship Circle Cooking Circle, for special-needs children and teens, Zeesy Grossbaum, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, River Edge, 5:30pm, 201-262-7172
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion” Shorashim Girls Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 6:45pm, 201-8330515 ext 205 Confidential Abused Women’s Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-339-8492 Teleconference: “Prophylactic Surgery for Breast and Ovarian Cancer: How Will It Affect Me?” Dina Roth Port and Shera Dubitsky, spons by Sharsheret, 8pm, to register call 866-474-2774 “The Evolution of Aggadah: The Torah and the Nations of the World,” Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8:15pm Zumba, for women, Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 8:15pm, 201-261-1919
Thurs., Dec 23
Support Group for Caregivers, Vivian Green Korner, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1454 Jewish Bereavement Group, for widows and widowers, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 1:45pm, 201-837-9090 Shorashim Boys Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-8330515 ext 205 Junior NCSY Snow Tubing, for grades 6-8, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7pm
Fri., Dec 24
Friendship Circle Yedidainu, for special-needs children and teens, Zeesy Grossbaum, Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 10am, 201-262-7172 Community Dinner, Riverdale Jewish Center, 5pm, 718548-1850 Gateways Winter Retreat, featuring Rabbis Mordechai Becher, Jonathan Rietti, Mordechai Suchard, and Yonason Shippel, also Debbie Greenblatt, Chaya Reich, and Dr. Chaim Presby, Hanover Marriott, Whippany, through Sun., Dec 26, 845-352-0393 “What Is this Midrash Tell-
ing Us? Shemos,” Rabbi Tzvi Weiss, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm Dr. Marc Shapiro, scholarin-residence, Beis Medrash of Bergenfield, through Shabbat, Dec 25, hochbergj@sullcrom.com
Shabbat, Dec 25
Luncheon, for grades K-1, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon
Motzei Shabbat, Dec 25
Parent-Child Learning Session, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 6pm, 732-618-9473 Aryeh Kunstler in Concert, spons by the Jewish Educational Center, at Bruriah High School, Elizabeth, 7:45pm, 908355-4850 ext 118 Cong Ahavas Achim of Highland Park Chanukat Habayit, to dedicate the shul’s newly expanded building, includes guest chazzan, Kiddush, melave malka, Torah study with the Vaad Harabbonim of Raritan Valley, and a youth program, 8pm, 732-247-0532 “The Discovery Seminar: Multimedia Presentation Combining Psychology, Philosophy, History, and Computer Science into the Why of Being Jewish,” includes “Bible Codes” and what really happened at Mt. Sinai, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at the Jewish Center of Teaneck, 8pm, 201-966-4498 Film: “Against the Tide,” the story of the controversial Holocaust operative Peter Bergson, produced by the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm Film and Discussion: “Going with the Flow: A Guide to Transcending Stuttering,” Dr. Phil Schneider, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730
Sun., Dec 26
Tefillah Workshop with Insights and Singing: “Getting a Handle on the Words and Music of Tefillah,” Cantor Joseph Malovany, audio recording permitted, Cong Keter Torah, 8:30am, 201-907-0180 Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva Scholarship Breakfast, honoring Miri Gordon with the school’s Educator Excellence Award, Edison, 9am, 732-247-3073 or 732-572-5052 ext 207 Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Pack 613 Den Meeting: Respect, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:30am, jschachter2@gmail.com JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 7pm, 973-379-3811
Mon., Dec 27
Winter Experience Jewish Day Camp, for children 3-13, spons by the Chabad Center of Passaic County, Wayne, 9am-4pm, through Fri., Dec 31 (until 1pm on Friday), 973-694-6274 Friendship Circle Winter Camp, for special-needs children and teens, Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 10am-3pm, through Thurs., Dec 30, 201-262-7172 Personal Aliyah Meetings, Zev Gershinsky, spons by Nefesh B’Nefesh, UJA, Paramus, 12-8:15pm, 1-866-4-ALIYAH (1-866-425-4924) “The Centurions—8th Century CE,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Tues, Dec 28
Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout Pack 613 Tantaqua District Bown-a-Thon, meet at Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 7pm, jschachter2@gmail.com “Sin and Sanctity in the Suburbs—A No-Nonsense Look at Parshat Kedoshim: The 2010 Avoda Zara,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm
Wed., Dec 29
Friendship Circle Teen Scene, for special-needs teens, at the Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-7172
Thurs., Dec 30
Shorashim Boys Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-8330515 ext 205
Fri., Dec 31
Manischewitz Cook-Off Cooking Competition Deadline to Share Your Favorite Recipes and Compete for $25,000 in GE Profile Kitchen Appliances; recipes must include one of the Manischewitz all-natural broth flavors, have no more than a total of eight ingredients, and be prepared and cooked in one hour or less. Contestants must be US citizens at least 18 years old. Entry forms at www.
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manischewitz.com Deadline for Areyvut’s Bnai Mitzvah Video Essay Contest, for students in grades 5-10, create a video that captures why and how you incorporated, or will incorporate, the values of chesed, tzedaka, and tikkun olam into your bar or bat mitzvah celebration and how you have continued your project, deadline is Dec 31, 2010, info@ areyvut.org or 201-244-6702 Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men in Concert, spons by Areyvut, at Cong Beth Sholom, Teaneck, 10am, 201-244-6702 NCSY Yarchei Kallah Shabbaton for Jewish Public School Students, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, through Shabbat, Jan 1 “What Is this Midrash Telling Us? Va Yeira,” Justin Hornstein, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm
care, YJCC, Washington Twnshp, 7:30pm, 201-666-6610 “The Centurions—9th Century CE,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Bat Mitzvah Girls Learning Program, Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger, private home in Bergenfield, 3:15pm, shiragreenberg18@gmail.com
“What Is this Midrash Tell-
Shabbat, Jan 1
Sun., Jan 2
Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout Pack 613 Den Meeting: Positive Attitude, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:30am, jschachter2@ gmail.com Beginners Shabbos Morning Service, followed by Kiddush, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at the Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498
Mon., Jan 3
Deadline to Apply for the Yiddish Book Center Fellowship Program, for college graduates who are passionate about Yiddish language and culture and want to work at the book center in Amherst, MA, with a stipend, for a year, beginning Sept 2011, 413256-4900 ext 142 “Empowering Women with Power Tools,” especially for women who are divorced, widowed, or single mothers whose budgets cannot handle professional electricians and plumbers, spons by UJA of Northern NJ’s Bonim Builders, can include transportation and child-
Tues., Jan 4
Contemporary Israeli Poetry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 “Sin and Sanctity in the Suburbs—A No-Nonsense Look at Parshat Kedoshim: Holier Than Thou,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm
Wed., Jan 5
Confidential Abused Women’s Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Zumba, for women, Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 8:15pm, 201261-1919
Fri., Jan 7
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ing Us? Bo,” Rabbi Motti Miller, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm
Motzei Shabbat, Jan 8
Parent-Child Learning, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 6pm, 732-618-9473
Sun., Jan 9
“Swab Your Cheek for Ezra,” Ezra Fineman, 18 months, has a rare primary immune deficiency called Hyper IgM Syndrome and he needs a stem cell transplant. Those between 18 and 60 can join the registry, Temple Emanu-el, Closter, 9am-1pm, help4ezra@gmail.com Uncle Moishy Concert, Riverdale Jewish Center, 11am, 718543-2553 “How a Trip to Israel Changed My Life and Made Israel My Cause,” African-American Pastor Rev Dr. Dee Dee Coleman, Detroit, and Jeff Mendelsohm, AIPAC national outreach director, at the Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 7pm, 212-750-4110 Y
Mazal Tov
Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Sholom Becher, Adam Blank, Yechiel Mordecai Dovid, Andrew Gellerstein, Calev Glick, CJ Glicksman, Shlomo Greenberg, Alex Gross, Yaakov Aharon Heideman, Levi Jacob, Yair Knoller, Benjamin Lefkowitz, Ben Lutz, Samuel Merkin, Ben Nissim, Natan Pittinsky, Yoni Pomper, Ben Prince, Mishan Rosenzweig, Isaac Stein, Jacob Tepler, Brian Tuch, Yehuda Tzvi Victor, Jacob Weinstein, Noam Wieder, and Eitan Wolfson; and the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Lauren Aduculesi, Talia Chasen, Ariella Ciment, Anna and Julia Greenblatt, Jodana Hirt, Jordana Hornblass, Nechama Levie, Rebecca Meller, Talia Levie, Malki Rubin, and Olivia Schwartz Mazal Tov to Rabbi and Rebbetzin Menachem Zupnik, Mr. and Mrs. Yonah Wolf, and Dr. and Mrs. Elliott Samet on being honored by Cong Bais Torah U’Tefilah at the shul’s 25th anniversary dinner last month Mazal Tov to Rabbi Yosef and Rebbetzin Sheryl Adler on the dedication in their honor of the new sanctuary at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck Mazal Tov to Joan Newman on being honored by the Sisterhood of the Community Synagogue of Monsey Mazal Tov to NJ State Sen Loretta Weinberg on receiving the Hadassah North Jersey Region Myrtle Wreath Award for her work as a leading advocate for health care and women’s issues Mazal Tov to the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva for its winning Torah Bowl teams and E2K students, RPRY’s afterschool math and science enrichment program. The E2K students in grades 5-8 took third place against 14 other yeshivots throughout the world. Mazal Tov to Miriam Rosenbluth, Shira Shalmon, Yaakov Siegel, Mira Simantov, Reva Lewitter, Rachel Zemble, Moshe Davis, Yair Tennenberg, Matthew Waizer, Aryeh Berman and the E2K facilitators, Harry Chefitz and Sari Shalm-
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion Sundays
December 2010
New Classes this Month
“The Power and the Glory: Learning the Book of Shmuel 1,” Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8:30am Breakfast and Learn, for children in grades 5-8, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm “Messianism in Chassidic Thought,” Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner, private home in Highland Park, 9am, 732-247-0532 Teenage Sewing Class, private home in West Orange, 9am, 718-473-7561 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Avrumy Fein, Riverdale Jewish Center, 9:15am, 718-548-1850 Gemara, Zev Felsen, Cong Etz Ahaim Sephardic, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-247-3839 “Mesillat Yesharim,” for women, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim Sephardic, Highland Park, 10am, 732-247-3839 Children’s Sewing Class, private home in West Orange, 10:30am, 718-473-7561 Boys Self-Defense Class, spons by the Cheder of Passaic, at the Karate Studio, Clifton, 6pm, 862-485-4385 Girls Self-Defense Class, for women and girls ages 10 and up, Denise Cattaneo, spons by Cheder N’shei, at the Karate Studio, Clifton, 7pm, 862-485-4385 Chabura on Revadim Method of Talmud Study, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm
Mondays
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
“WISE: Women, Independent, Strong, Enriched,” confidential program providing integrated employment and counseling for domestic-abuse victims, Sheila Steinbach, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-837-9090 Mommy and Me Music Class, for children 6 months-3 years, Keli Teichman, private home in Teaneck, 10am, 973-473-7515 “Tehillim with a Taste of Parsha,” for women, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 11am The Gentlemen’s Kollel, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Riverdale Jewish Center, 1pm, 718-548-1850 Hebrew Crash Course, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:30pm, 718-796-4730 Learn B’Chavruta, for boys in grades 7-8 to learn with Torah Academy of Bergen County juniors and seniors, refreshments, TABC, Teaneck, 7pm, 646-706-2553 or 201-663-0818, ends Dec 27 Women’s Tehillim Group, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7pm, 973-731-7909 “Stories of Elisha and Eliyahu,” Rabbi Avi Weiss, private home in Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730 “Haftorah Hesitations No More: Learn Haftorah Torahtrop,” for men and women, Lynn Cohen, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730, begins Dec 13 “Go Learn, Love, and Live Torah,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:45pm, 201-833-0515 Navi Shiur, Rabbi Ian Shaffer, Young Israel of Fair Lawn, 7:55pm “Rav Chaim of Volozhin’s ‘Nefesh Hachaim’” Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim Sephardic, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-3839 Advanced Hebrew Ulpan, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730 Advanced Talmud, Rabbi Jeff Fox, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, rebjeff@gmail.com Navi Shiur, for women, Aviva Orlian, private home in New Hempstead, 8:15pm, 845-364-5148 Gemara Shiur: A New Chapter of Berachas, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 9pm Gemara Masechet Megillah, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, private home in Highland Park, 9pm, 732-247-0532
Aruch Hashulchan Chabura, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9pm, 201-637-7470 “Insights into the Siddur,” Rabbi Pinchas Weinberger, Young Israel of Teaneck, 9:15pm
Tuesdays
Gems of Torah, Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:30am, 732-247-0532 Torah in the AM: Navi Chavura: Book of Kings, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am Mishnayot Yoma/Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Avigdor Weitzner, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-247-0532 Gemara: Baba Metzia 49b-60b, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am Parshat HaShavua, for women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10am Knitting Group to Make Woolen Hats for IDF Soldiers, private home in Monsey, 10am, 845-426-2980 Pirkei Avot, Rabbi Avi Weiss, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 Parshat HaShavua, for women, Rabbi Ari Zahtz, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:15am Navi Shiur: Sefer Trei Asar, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 11am “Relationships in the Torah: The Good, Bad, and Ugly,” Sara Hurwitz, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11am, 718-796-4730 “A Touch of Class,” Riverdale Jewish Center Rabbinical Team, includes lunch, Riverdale Jewish Center, noon, 718-548-1850 Gym Night, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, grades 4-5, 7pm; grades 6-8, 8:15pm Lego Boys’ Club, for ages 5-12, private home in Passaic, 4:30pm, 973-246-5223 Beginners’ Hebrew, Tzipi Salzhauer, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 6:45pm, 845-362-4400, begins Jan 11 Frum Boy Scout Troop, for boys 11-17, Rabbi Chaim Davis, YMHA, Clifton, 7:45pm, chaimakiva@gmail.com “Rabbinics and Beit Midrash,” Rabbi Moshe Silver, Cong Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-3839 Masechet Berachot, Rabbi Tuly Polak, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm Basic Judaism, Sara Hurwirz, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718-796-4730 Parsha Shiur, Rav Meir Goldwicht, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm “Tehillim: More Than Just Tears,” Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 8:30pm Parshat HaShavua, for women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm Parsha HaShavua, Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8:30pm, 718-548-1850 Gemara, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 9pm Igros Moshe, Rabbi Dr. Mel Zelefsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm Masheches Sukkah Shiur, Lieber Schachter, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, 201-637-7470
Wednesdays
Tefilla Shiur, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:45am Mommy and Me Music Class, for children 6 months-3 years, Keli Teichman, private home in Teaneck, 10am, 973-473-7515 “Women and Jewish Law,” for women, Shayna Goldberg, Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Teaneck, 11am, 201-833-4307 ext 233 Lunch and Learn, for seniors, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, lunch, 1pm; shiur, 1:30pm
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Navi Shiur: Sefer Shoftim, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 2pm, 732-247-0532 Matan Bat Mitzvah Class, Rebbetzin Debbie Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7pm “Tehillim: Finding Ourselves in Conversation with G-d,” Rabbi Chaim Poupko, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 7:30pm Tanach Shiur: Sefer Yehoshua, for women, Rachel Frazer, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-836-4309 Chicks with Sticks, knitting (and learning how to knit) hats for Israeli soldiers, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7:30pm, 718-548-1850 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Pinchas Weinberger, Young Israel of Teaneck, 8pm Gemara: Masechet Peah, Rabbi Duvie Weiss, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm Chumash, for men, Rabbi Guy Dvir, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David Sephardic Shul, West Orange, 8pm “Ahavas Yisrael: The Women’s Project,” Ayelet Schabes, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8pm Shmooze on the News B’Ivrit, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400 Intermediate Ulpan, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730 Shiur on Mishna Berurah Hilchot Pesach, Rabbi Richard Wolpoe, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:20pm Bava Kama Shiur, Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:30pm “Hidden Secrets of the Three Mitzvot of Women,” Mandana Bolour, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8:30pm Topics in Masechta Brochos, Rabbi Yisroel Hoffman, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm, radler@ebglaw.com Aruch Hashulchan Chabura, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9pm, 201-637-7470 “Kitchen Kashruth,” Rabbi Mordechai Gershon, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 9pm
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Women’s Tehillim Group, private home in West Orange, 9:15pm, 973-731-7909 Halacha Sugya Shiur, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm
Thursdays
Gemara Sukkah (Iyun), Rabbi Shlomo Nussbaum, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:35am, 732-247-0532 Torah in the AM: Navi Chavura: Book of Kings, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am “WISE: Women, Independent, Strong, Enriched,” confidential program providing integrated employment and counseling for domestic-abuse victims, Sheila Steinbach, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-837-9090 Chassidic Insights into the Parsha, Rabbi Mechel Horowitz, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:35am, 732-247-0532 Gemara: Baba Metzia 49b-60b, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am “Book of Joshua,” Rav Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 Speech-Related Shiurim, for women, Prima Pizza, Passaic, 10:30am, 973-471-9866 Study of Job, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10:50am Mishmar, for 8th-grade Jewish boys in public, Jewish day school, or yeshiva, regardless of learning background, Rabbi Herschel Grossman, at Yeshiva Ohr Yosef, New Milford; fun dinner and a chance to mingle with the yeshiva’s high school boys, 6pm; learning program for each boy at his own level, 6:30pm; Ma’ariv, 7:20pm; pick up at the yeshiva, 7:40pm, 201-247-7667 or 201-836-1544 Beginners’ Ulpan, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:30pm, 718-796-4730 “Crash Course in Judaism,” spons by the National Jewish Outreach Program, West Orange Public Library, 7pm
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New Classes
December 2010
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
continued from page 31
Siddur Hebrew, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730 Chumash Shiur, Rav Eli Mansour, Cong Beit Tefillah, Paramus, 7:45pm, sylvan2112@yahoo.com Informal, Down-to-Earth, English-Language Weekly Torah Portion, Rabbi Simcha Schwartz, Temple Beth Abraham, North Bergen, 8pm, 201-868-1813 Chabura on Sefer Nefesh HaChaim, Rabbi Herschel Grossman, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm Gemara: Masechet Brachot, for men, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, via satellite, Cong K’Hal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188);Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck (201-907-0180); Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic (973773-2552), Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532), 9pm Men’s Shiur, led by various rabbis, private apartments in Teaneck, 9:15pm, JDA211@aol.com Parsha and Chassidus, Moshe Weinberg, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm Masheches Sukkah Shiur, Lieber Schachter, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, 201-637-7470 Parsha Shmuz, for men, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 9:30pm “Halacha from the Parsha,” Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:15pm
Fridays
Moed Katan, Rav Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:20am, 718-796-4730 Women’s Tehillim Group, private home in West Orange, 10:15am, 973-731-7909
Beis Medresh Program, for men and boys, Rabbi Michael Zauderer, Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 9pm, 201-385-1761
Shabbat
Clifton-Passaic Branch of B’nos, for girls in grades K-5, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 2:30pm Class, for children ages 8-11, Rabbi Marc Spivak, spons by Cong Ohr Torah, private home in West Orange, 3:20pm, 973-669-7320 Mishna Berurah, for ages 11-15, Rabbi Robert Grosberg, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, between mincha and ma’ariv, 973-669-7320
Motzei Shabbat
Saturday Night Learning, for parents and children in grades K-6, Riverdale Jewish Center, 6:30pm, 718-548-1850 Bais Medrash of Bergenfield Parent-Child Learning, featuring stories, pizza, and prizes, 6:30pm, 201-637-7470 or Yisrael@gmail.com Parent-Child Learning, Young Israel of Teaneck, 6:30pm Mishmar, for children and parents, includes pizza, donuts, prizes, and raffles, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 7pm Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-2470532); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic; JEC, Elizabeth (908-591-5929); Cong Khal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck; Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320), 7:30pm “Women in Halacha,” Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Young Israel of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-548-4765 Y
On-Line Courses
“The Bible and History,” Prof Gary Rendsburg; “Introduction to Rabbinic Literature,” Prof Azzan Yadin; “Jews Under Islam,” Prof Mark Cohen; “Israeli Political System,” Prof Yaacov Yadgar; “History of Zionism,” Prof Roni Stauber, Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers University, 732-932-2033
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Carmel Fire
but most of its residents, as well as those from Ussefiya, had been evacuated earlier in the day. The same was true of the religious Kibbutz Nir Etzion (home of a popular moshav hotel), the Ein Hod artists’ village, and the nearby Arab village of Ein Hud. By Friday, billowing smoke could be seen by residents of Haifa, some of whom were also evacuated from their homes. South of Haifa, in the ancient beachside town of Atlit, residents expected to be evacuated, but they were not. The neighboring village of Nir Etzion, from which the Atlit fortress is visible, was evacuated, but residents were unable to reach Atlit because emergency services, fearing flames could reach unsuspecting motorists, had cut off both north-south arteries. The Denya neighborhood of Haifa, a well-to-do community of private homes abutting the university, was evacuated but was relatively undamaged after the fire. “The guy at the supermarket where I shop for Shabbos joked that if the wind changes, his store would have a sale on barbecued chicken but without the need to put them on the grill. The other joke was about the sudden shortage of marshmallows,” said Prof Steven Plaut
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New Minyanim
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possible rain showers were forecast for the next few days, which were expected to end the fiery nightmare. Ill-Fated Bus The first news of the fire came on Thursday morning when a Magen David Adom volunteer EMT from Ussefiya, a Druze community near Haifa, reported seeing flames from the valley. When wind shifts caused the fire to rage out of control in the Carmel Mountains, a bus carrying recruits training to become prison guards was sent to the Damon Prison near Kibbutz Beit Oren to help evacuate prisoners, most of them Arabs from the Palestinian Authority caught entering Israel illegally. The 40 recruits on the bus, Druze and Jewish Israelis, died. According to a firefighter who witnessed the tragedy, one minute, the fire was well clear of the road through the mountains; the next, flames had engulfed the vehicle. “The fire had moved almost a mile in less than three minutes. The bus had no chance,” he said. Some witnesses reported seeing flames rising more than 150 feet in the air. Affected Communities Kibbutz Beit Oren, which had just celebrated its 70th anniversary, was heavily damaged,
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of Haifa University. How Did It Start? For several days, speculation ran high on just what caused the fire. While some immediately suspected arson, two Israeli-Arab teenagers— brothers, ages 14 and 16—were arrested on charges of having neglected to extinguish properly a campfire. According to press reports, the young residents of Ussefiya had made the fire as part of a nocturnal picnic. On Monday, Dec 6, after the fire was finally extinguished, the Haifa District Court released the teenagers. The judge said he had chosen to be lenient because, in addition to their ages and the accidental nature of the incident, there was insufficient evidence connecting them to the fire. Many Israelis—officials and laymen—pointed out that the teenagers’ indiscretion could not explain the numerous secondary fires that raged near Haifa. “They were Arab terrorist attacks, and they were deliberately set,” said Dr. Plaut. He pointed out that multiple fires were set in the industrial zone near Kiryat Bialik, north of Haifa and not far from Acre, as well as fires deliberately set near Tiv’on Nesher. By mid-day on Friday, the University of Haifa was closed, prompting Dr. Plaut to consider hanging a banner
from his office window: “Yesha is here.” “Copycat Arson” On Shabbat, there were reports from firefighters and rescue workers that Arabs were throwing firebombs in different areas, such as the Druze village of Daliat al-Carmel on the slopes of the mountain, where the fire had already been extinguished. According to reports, the arsonists’ goal was to rekindle the flames. An Arab resident of Nazareth was arrested while trying to start a fire near his town, and several other Palestinians were caught while trying to start a fire in a wadi next to the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem. That fire was doused and no injuries were reported. Police said these fires were “copycat arson,” blazes being set by individuals or, perhaps by organized groups. “This is a full-fledged ecological terrorist assault against Israeli Jews,” said Dr. Plaut. Ignored by the Media These concerns were largely ignored by Israel’s predominantly left-wing media. “The Arab arson terror is a problematic topic because it raises questions the media aren’t comfortable with about Arab-Jewish relations, and it raises horrific questions about what we may face in terms of
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December 2010 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”
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internal Arab-caused chaos in the next war and what measures may be required to address it,” said Dr. Aaron Lerner of the IMRA news agency. Dr. Plaut said it was ironic that the predominantly left-wing Israeli media repeat, “without questioning, the lies about Jewish ‘settlers’ supposedly setting fires to Arab orchards in the West Bank, even after Arabs themselves and leftists have been photographed in the act of setting those fires as provocations to blame ‘settlers.’” “These are the same media playing coy about the causes of all these smaller secondary fires around Haifa,” said Dr. Plaut.
Surprising Assistance If there could be said to be a bright spot in the disaster, it was the outpouring of assistance offered to the Jewish state, despite ongoing diplomatic tensions due to Israel’s refusal to acquiesce to the Palestinians’ failure to compromise before resuming negotiations. Help came to Israel from more than a dozen countries, including Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Croatia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey, Egypt, France, Britain, Bulgaria, Canada, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, the Netherlands, and even the Palestinian Authority, which sent three firemen.
NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg, in coordination with Israeli Acting Consul General Ido Aharoni, members of the New York Fire Department, and Tom Harbour, director of Fire and Aviation Management for the US Forestry Service sent a Boeing 747 loaded with fire-retardant chemicals. Lack of Equipment The efforts of Israel’s 1,500 firefighters working on their own had been hampered by the country’s lack of firefighting planes and fire-dousing chemicals. The assisting countries sent the necessary chemicals, as well as planes, helicopters, and fire trucks from which water could be dumped on the flames. They also sent hundreds of firemen. “The irony of Greek planes flying over Israel helping to put out fires on Chanukah was not lost on Israelis,” said Israeli pundit Naomi Ragan, adding that Israelis were “very, very grateful for the help of some of our neighbors and all of our friends; truly a blessed and welcome surprise.” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed, calling the foreign aid “heartwarming” and assuring Israelis that there was “no shame in receiving foreign assistance in putting out a fire of this magnitude.” “We’ve helped other countries in the past; now they’re helping us,” he said. More Experience He said, as soon as the fire broke out, he had two goals: saving lives and extinguishing the flames, “which effectively means aerial efforts with international cooperation.” Most of the countries that came to Israel’s aid have had their own experience with massive brushfires, and, all, according to Mr. Netanyahu, received help from other countries during those catastrophes. “I spoke with approximately 30 heads of state and government, presidents and prime ministers, in the first three days. I must tell you that their mobilization, the warmth of their remarks, their willingness, the desire to help immediately, sometimes even before we managed to request it, must warm the hearts of all Israelis. There is very great solidarity here and there is very great cooperation, of course in keeping with their abilities. People brought what they have. Governments brought what they have, as per the distances which were often considerable; but not even this deterred people,” he said.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Super Planes The Ilyushin plane sent by Russia carried approximately 10,000 gallons of water. One of the planes ordered by Israel to help was the Boeing “Supertanker,” the largest plane of its type in the world with the added unique advantage of being able to operate at night. Israel Aerospace Industries chairman Yair Shamir brought the plane to the attention of Mr. Netanyahu’s military secretary, Maj-Gen Yohanan Loaker. Within 15 minutes, Mr. Loaker had checked out the plane on the Internet and called the company in Arizona. Within an hour, Israel had contracted to rent the plane, whose capacity is 24,000 gallons. Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said most of the foreign firefighting aid came as a result of efforts by his ministry, which included persuading Germany to ask for aid from Turkey. The Turks sent two planes, which came as a surprise to many Israelis given the crisis in Turkish-Israeli ties. Mehmet Ersoy, head of Turkey’s emergency situations agency, told reporters his government’s decision to send aid was a “humanitarian gesture” to the Jewish state. Regional Network Mr. Netanyahu said the “displays of admiration and assistance,” especially from the Muslim countries with whom relations with Israel are strained, were “very important.” After a “very good and warm talk” with PA President Mahmoud Abbas, who reportedly expressed condolences for the Israelis who had died, Mr. Netanyahu said he told the Palestinian leader “we’re in the same neighborhood; the fire that affects us also affects you.” Mr. Netanyahu said he intends in the next few weeks to acquire an aerial force for the State of Israel “which we need in the era of global warming and in the era of brushfires.” “We are, in effect, creating a regional network. After we purchase the planes, the planes will join a regional network that I believe we can establish here for the benefit of all our people,” Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Abbas. Honoring the Foreign Fighters On Monday, Dec 6, ceremonies were held throughout the day at Israel Air Force
Tevet 57671 bases marking the departure of the international fire-fighting teams. Nearly 200 foreign crewmen received IAF medals in appreciation for the services, and all the delegations received a special honorary greeting from IAF Commander Maj-Gen Ido Nechushtan. “You have earned this honor for putting out the deadly fire in the Carmel. You have shown responsibility, determination, camaraderie, and courage,” he said. Also on Monday, the Prison Service’s Nachshon Unit returned 200 inmates to the Damon Prison in the Carmel. Helping Each Other In Israel, communities and individuals opened their hearts, homes, and purses to
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help their fellow citizens whose homes were damaged in the massive blaze. The Yesha Council, for example, set up a community operation to host families who had been evacuated from their northern homes. As his own family made preparations on Friday Chanukah for the Sabbath, Rabbi Yehuda Dunin, director of the Achuzat Carmel branch of Chabad Lubavitch of Haifa, sent volunteers to the nearby fire lines with sandwiches, water, and boxes of Chanukah donuts. The day before, in the collection of communities known as the Krayot that neighbor Haifa, Chabad Rabbi Shmuel Oirechman and his family hosted 50
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December 2010
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Ess Gezint: Newly Wed Kosher
Few communities boast anything cuter than Teaneck’s apartment dwellers. Predominantly young Orthodox couples, with a some lovely singles and adorable families mixed in, the Teaneck Apartment community not only has its own minyan, but now, thanks to Yael and Jason Gevertzman, it has its own cookbook as well. Newly Wed Kosher: A Marriage of International and Traditional Kosher Cuisine is the Gevertzmans’ consolidation of many of the recipes they have enjoyed preparing together since their wedding in 2009. This truly beautiful and highly useful book—with the authors’ adorable photo—is available from www.newlywedkosher.com.
Plum Sauce Chicken Legs
8 chicken legs ⅛ cup plus 1 tsp rice wine ¾ of a 12-oz jar red plum vinegar preserves 3 scallions, finely chopped Preheat oven to 350º. Place chicken in a pan. Mix ½ of the jar of plum preserves, ⅛ cup of rice wine vinegar, and 2 of the scallions and pour over the chicken pieces. Bake covered for 20 minutes and then uncovered for another 40 minutes. Combine the remaining ¼ of the jar of plum preserves, 1 tsp vinegar, and 1 scallion. Serve as a dipping sauce with the cooked chicken. Serves 4-6.
Thai Pineapple Fried Rice tional) 1 Tbs vegetable oil ½ small box raisins 2 cloves garlic, diced ½ can peas 2 small shallots, chopped Garlic powder and salt 2 cups cooked white rice 2 Tbs soy sauce ½ (20 oz) can pineapple chunks ½ tsp curry 20 cashews or other nuts (opSauté garlic and shallots in oil over medium-low heat for 7 minutes. Add rice and cook another 2 minutes. Add pineapple chunks, cashews, raisins, and peas. Cook for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle with garlic powder and salt. Combine soy sauce and curry. Drizzle over the rice mixture. Serves 6-8.
Cake Truffles
1 box cake mix (or yellow or chocolate cake recipe) ¾ (16 oz) container choco-
late or vanilla icing 20 oz bittersweet chocolate Bake cake according to directions or recipe. Let cake cool slightly. Break cake into small pieces. Then mix icing into the cake until fully combined. Use chocolate icing for chocolate cake; vanilla icing for yellow cake. Roll pieces of this mixture into half-inch balls. Should yield 40-50 cake balls. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Then place balls in freezer bags and freeze. Do not cram too many in each bag or they will stick to one another. They can remain frozen for months, but at least for one day. Before serving, melt 5 oz of chocolate for every 15 balls. Use the microwave or stove top, stirring constantly. Using a toothpick, dip each ball into the chocolate, making sure the entire ball is covered. Place on a cookie sheet or plate to cool. Refrigerate and serve.
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Carmel Fire
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Russian-born children from the Ohr Avner Chabad School in Kfar Citrin. According to Michael Dor, an Ohr Avner supervisor, the children and staff left the school before they received the official evacuation order so that there would be no panic. “We were in touch with their parents and also made sure there was something on Russian TV to let everyone know they were okay,” he said. More Than Enough Throughout Israel, notices appeared on newspaper websites, offering to accept families. “We have space for five families,” read one post on the website of Yediot Achronot. “We have space for three,” read another. Israeli organizations, such as the Jewish Agency, the Migdal Or Association, the Noar Ha’oved ve Halomed and Ezra youth movements offered assistance, sometimes going door-to-door to collect donations for evacuated families. By the weekend, Israeli authorities said they had more volunteers than they could use. Politics By Motzei Shabbat, when the flames were coming under control, Israel’s media turned its attention to the politics of the fire. Reflecting the position of the Israeli left, many
members of the media blamed Interior Minister Eli Yishai of the Sephardic-religious Shas Party, faulting him for Israel’s lack of preparedness to deal with such a large fire. “In a proper country, after such a failure, you simply go home,” said Yaron Dekel, host of a popular Israel Radio talk show, echoing the sentiments of many members of the Israeli left-wing press. The Ometz good governance watchdog group called on Mr. Netanyahu to fire Mr. Yishai, pointing to his “ministerial responsibilities for the failures.” Ometz claimed the State Comptroller’s Office had recently given Mr. Yishai’s Interior Ministry a draft report pointing out the shortcomings in the Fire Service, which, the organization said, explicitly warned that the service would be hard-pressed in a national disaster. In addition, there were reports that Mr. Yishai had refused a donation of a fire truck from a US Christian group due to ideology. Stronger Bibi While some on the left tried to blame him, too, Mr. Netanyahu seems to have been strengthened politically by the ordeal. A new poll, conducted by the Walla web portal on December 6, showed that while Likud currently has 27 seats, if elections were held
now, the party would win 32 seats. Mr. Lieberman’s Israel Our Home would rise from its current 15 to 18. Kadima, on the other hand, would fall from 28 to 26, and Labor would fall from its current 12 to a mere eight seats. The Walla poll showed that while Shas currently holds 11 seats in the Knesset, if elections were held now, the party’s representation would drop to nine. Although prior to the Carmel Fire, the Israeli left had attacked Mr. Yishai for his position that foreigners and their children who had entered Israel illegally should be expelled, some observers argued that the level of criticism after the fire seemed based on other concerns. “If Yishai were somehow forced from office, the left hopes it would lead to Shas’s leaving the coalition, allowing Kadima to take their place. The interest in transforming
the Netanyahu government into a Kadima-Labor-Likud coalition is a much more likely explanation of the media campaign,” said Dr. Lerner. Looking for Blame Mr. Yishai, who termed the calls for his resignation “a lynching,” is expected to ask for a governmental committee of inquiry to determine why Israel was unprepared for such a large forest fire and what should be done in the future to rectify the situation. Mr. Yishai said years of neglect had led to the current situation. In 2001, he said, the government of then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon voted to eliminate air support for firefighting. According to Israeli Treasury Minister Yuval Steinitz, more than $27.5 million had been allocated for improvements in firefighting several months ago.
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“The question was not financial, but operative,” said Shas MK David Azulai, who defended Mr. Yishai. Mr. Azulai said the treasury had ignored Mr. Yishai’s demands for firefighting funds. Mr. Yishai, he said, wanted to make the firefighting service part of a national agency funded directly by the treasury. Until now, local authorities have funded the firefighters. For their part, firefighters objected to losing their local funding, arguing that if a national “firefighting ministry” were established, they should be allowed to join a national union.
Assessing the Lack Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said it is no secret that Israel lacks large firefighting planes needed to spray water and firefighting chemicals from the air. “There is no doubt we should have bought large planes without waiting,” he said, explaining that the cost of repairing the damage caused by the Carmel fire will far outweigh the cost of even the most expensive firefighting planes. “And when it comes to human life, the issue of cost is, of course, irrelevant,” he said.
Young Victims The youngest of the victims killed by the fire was Elad Riven, a 16-year-old volunteer fireman who died during rescue operations at Beit Oren. An only child, he studied at the science-oriented Re’ali High School in Haifa. When he saw the flames, he joined his unit at the site. “Elad was a hero who ran toward the fire instead of running away from it and saving his life,” said his mother on IDF Radio. According to a close friend, his mother, who had tried to dissuade him from going, initially blamed herself. “Later on, she realized he could not have been stopped. He would have found a way to get there,” said the friend. Heroes and Heroines Lt-Col Lior Boker, 57, head of operations of the Police Northern District, who was driving behind the bus of prison-guard recruits, was killed when his car, too, was caught in the flames. Lt-Col Ahuva Tomer, 52, the popular commander of Haifa Police, was in critical condition in Rambam Hospital for four days before she finally died of her burns. After expressing concern for mothers and children waiting behind for the prison-guard cadets, she had insisted on following the ill-fated bus, despite warnings from some of her underlings not to do so. “Ahuva was a true example of a woman of valor, a true fighter, and a valued commander in the Israeli Police,” said Public Security Minister Yitzchak Aharonovitch. She had made history in Nahariya when, in 1997, she became the first woman to head an Israeli police station. In 2009, she was selected to head Israel’s largest municipal police district in Haifa. Prison Chaplain Among the prison-guard cadets who died in the fire was prison chaplain, Rabbi Uriel Malka, 32, who is survived by his wife and five children, all under the age of 9. An officer in the IDF’s Paratrooper Commando Unit, Rabbi Malka, who studied at the Karnei Shomron Hesder Yeshiva, had taught in Winnipeg and Denver. His last text message, sent to Rabbi Yehuda Vizner, chief rabbi of the Israel Prison Service, read: “I am on my way to rescue Jews. We’ll be in touch.”
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December 2010
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Arabs Celebrate Carmel Fire as “Punishment from Allah” and Condemn Muslim Governments That Helped “the Enemy”
srael’s Muslim neighbors who sent firefighting equipment and workers to help the Jewish state received little praise from many of their co-religionists. Instead, the rescue teams were jeered and cursed, while Israel’s suffering in the fire was cheered as an act of Allah. In Lebanon, members of the Hezbollah terror organization celebrated the wildfire, underestimating Israel’s ability to learn from its mistaken lack of preparedness.
Carmel Fire
“The great Carmel fire has embarrassed Israel’s firefighting capabilities and proved its almost complete incompetence,” crowed Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV network. “The enormous blaze that broke out on the Carmel proved that Israel is not prepared for war or a mass terrorist strike that would cause many casualties on the home front.” Striking at the Weak Picking up the theme, some readers, commenting
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At his funeral, Rabbi Vizner said, “We’ll have to be in touch in this world through activities he would have done and will now be done in his memory.” Many of the other victims were young Jewish and Druze men and women in their 20s and 30s. In addition to parents and siblings, many left preg-
nant wives, husbands, and young children. High Cost Once the fire was extinguished, Israelis and their supporters around the world turned their attention to rebuilding. Mr. Netanyahu said it was his mission to rehabilitate not only the people who were injured,
on Arab media websites, called for Muslim leaders to strike at Israel while the Jewish state was perceived as weak. “This is the right time for Iran. If one fire has caused panic in the Zionist entity, where are Mahmoud Ahmadinejad [of Iran] and Hassan Nasrallah [of Hezbollah]? And where is Syria? One rocket could set thousands of fires,” wrote Ahmad Sarrawi from Australia on Al-Jazeera’s Website. Quoting liberally from a left-
ist Israeli daily, Al-Manar called the help Israel had requested “an opportunity that wouldn’t be offered to the Zionist entity in the case of war.” “The disaster has shown that the Israeli enemy was unable to face the incident alone, pushing Israeli officials to ask for international help,” said Al-Manar. “Punishment” Throughout the Muslim world, it seemed a majority of those who commented on the fire were convinced it had
but also the homes and forests that were damaged. “Something very precious has been hurt in the Carmel forests. We can rehabilitate it, with the assistance of other bodies, such as the Jewish National Fund and overseas agencies who have already expressed willingness to volunteer,” he said. Estimates of the cost of the fire range from more than $825 million to over $1 billion, which will be paid by the state and insurance companies. Not included in those figures is the eventual development cost for restoring the forest to its former glory, which, officials said, will take decades. In addition to allocating $16.5 million in aid for local councils and communities that were damaged, the plan calls for government compensation for the cost of evacuations, absorptions, firefighting efforts, clean-up, and dealing with infrastructures. The government has agreed to station mobile structures in communities where homes were burned. Restoring Nature A comprehensive plan will be formulated to restore animal and plant life damaged
in the fire, including animal parks, campgrounds, and the Carmel Farm. The Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel has called on the government not to replant, but, rather, to rely on the forest’s natural ability to rebuild itself. This includes leaving burnt trees where they are to prevent soil erosion and damage that would be caused by heavy machinery. “The rehabilitation must be based on the area’s natural ability to renew itself given the seed bank in the soil, and not by bringing in saplings from outside. We have to give the area a chance to renew itself naturally, with intelligent intervention on our part. We should strive to create an ecologicallyvaried area,” said SPNI. The group said this means not planning pine trees because “they are generally foreign to the Carmel and help fires spread.” Throughout the Jewish world, Emergency Forest Fire campaigns have been initiated by charitable organizations, such as the Orthodox Union, the Jewish National Fund, Agudath Israel, and the National Council of Young Israel. S.L.R.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com nothing to do with the negligence of two Israeli-Arab teenagers from the Druze village of Ussefiya. Rather, they wrote, it was Allah â&#x20AC;&#x153;punishingâ&#x20AC;? Israel for occupying Arab lands and killing Palestinians, especially during Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip. Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh said the fire was a divine expression of anger. â&#x20AC;&#x153;These are plagues from Allah,â&#x20AC;? he said in a Reuters video interview recorded on Sunday, Dec 5. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Allah is punishing [the Israelis] from a place they did not expect it.â&#x20AC;? Echoing that sentiment, Barir from Detroit wrote: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Allah gives time, but never neglects. The Israelis are being punished for their deeds. We hope their end is nearing.â&#x20AC;? Condemnation While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed appreciation for the â&#x20AC;&#x153;important assistanceâ&#x20AC;? the Jewish state received from Jordanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s King Abdullah II, Egyptâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s President Hosni Mubarak, and PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, and expressed hope that â&#x20AC;&#x153;perhaps something good will come of this disaster,â&#x20AC;? most Muslim posters bitterly condemned the Arab countries for agreeing to help extinguish the blaze. Only a tiny minority of Muslim readers and viewers expressed sympathy for Israel over the tragedy and loss of lives. Most Muslim commentators on the Internet seemed to agree with Munif Munir who wrote, â&#x20AC;&#x153;May Allah punish all Arabs who helped put down the fire.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We pray to Allah that the fire will grow and spread to oil wells in the Arab world. O Allah, burn the Jews before the Day of Judgment,â&#x20AC;? said Sajjad Fadi. Someone who identified simply as Latif asked Allah to â&#x20AC;&#x153;take revenge against [the Jews] and displace them together with our corrupt [Arab] governments.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;This fire is the result of prayers from our prisoners held in occupation jails. The fire of Hell will be even stronger. May those Arabs who are helping the Jews burn with them in Hell,â&#x20AC;? said Latif. Praising â&#x20AC;&#x153;The New Holocaustâ&#x20AC;? Other posts that appeared on the Internet included: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sounds strange that Arabs are sending aid to our enemies. Allah is punishing the Jews by making the fire. No military force or US veto can stop the fire;â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank Allah for this new Holocaust and shame on the Egyptian authorities who rushed to save the
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Zionists while continuing to lay siege against our brothers in the Gaza Strip;â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thank Allah for burning the Jews the same way they burned our Muslim brothers in Palestine.â&#x20AC;? Noting that 40 of the Israelis killed by the fire were prison guard recruits, Qusay Rafid wondered â&#x20AC;&#x153;how many prisoners did the wardens torture?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Allah has answered the prayers of the oppressed,â&#x20AC;? Mr. Rafid continued. From the UK, Zuheir Dabbagh wrote: Thank Allah, we bring the good news to the Muslims that the land has gotten rid of 40 criminals.â&#x20AC;? Public Jubilation In and around Haifa, some Israeli Arabs joined in the cheering. Radio Haifa interviewed several people who witnessed celebratory car-honking and other acts of public jubilation in the Arab village of Furadis, south of Haifa, as the
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fire raged. Although most Israeli newspapers ignored the accounts, it was reported that a few Arab-Israeli citizens uploaded gruesome photographs of charred bodies of fire victims to a Facebook page. Other Arabs expressed their pleasure by clicking â&#x20AC;&#x153;like.â&#x20AC;? When Israeli police announced there would be an investigation into the matter, the Facebook page was reportedly closed. However, the photos have already been sent throughout the Muslim world. A group calling itself â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mujahedeen of Palestineâ&#x20AC;? uploaded the pictures of the bodies onto a YouTube video along with text that says â&#x20AC;&#x153;Mohammedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lions came out at night to set alight the land of the occupiers.â&#x20AC;? Arson Most Israeli media also ignored the
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Arab Celebration
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rash of arson attempts by Palestinian and Israeli Arabs during the fire. The Jerusalem Post called these secondary fires “mind boggling” and “a cynical exploitation of Israel’s sorrowfully inadequate firefighting capabilities.” “These local terrorists are willing to cause further ecological damage and endanger the lives of both Jews and Arabs in the name of hateful and narrow political goals,” said the Post in an editorial. According to the Israeli Police Inspec-
tor-Gen. David Cohen and Yoel Zilberman, head of “Hashomer,” a grassroots network of about 1,000 unarmed volunteer guards that operates in the Galilee, during the three days that the fire raged, there were between 30 and 40 arson attempts by Israeli Arabs in northern Israel. Several Molotov cocktails were thrown along Route 70, a highway in the coastal plain and Western Galilee in northern Israel. Like the media, Mr. Netanyahu appeared intent on dousing any flames of
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anger such reports might arouse in the Israeli public. He made no mention of the attempted arson attacks or the expressions of glee by Arabs while the fire raged. Concerted Effort Hashomer was originally created two years ago to contest acts of arson and vandalism perpetrated by Arabs against Jewish farmers in the Galilee. According to the Jerusalem Post, arson attempts have been occurring throughout the past year at a rate of about two per day. The rate increased dramatically during the fire. The Post called these incidents “part of a concerted effort by lawless Arab Israelis to take control of Jewish farmland in the Galilee.” According to the paper, when crops are repeatedly burned down, the land is often left fallow, which, in some cases, allows Arab farmers to move in. Additional tactics include killing livestock and perpetrating violence against the Jewish farmers themselves. Noting that most Arab Israelis are not vandals, the paper recognized the “disturbing phenomenon of homegrown terrorism that has contaminated a small but violent minority.” This minority, the paper said, receives psychological backing from “a larger Muslim world with decidedly antagonistic attitudes toward Israel.” More Divine Punishment The concept that the fire was a punishment from on high was seconded by the Shas party’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who implied that the fire raging on Mount Carmel was a chastisement from G-d for religious offenses, such as desecration of the Sabbath. He recommended that Jews “study Torah, engage in good deeds, repent, observe Shabbat, and know the entire halacha, and thanks to this, G-d will apply a full recovery.” “When the people of Israel repent, G-d safeguards them with a wall of fire, but not of the incinerating type,” said Rabbi Yosef. Personal Account In its editorial, entitled “Who by Fire,” the hareidi newspaper Hamodia said that, in response to the wildfire, the people of Israel should scrutinize their actions and ask themselves if they had
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Tevet 771
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“Honor the Professional According to Your Need”
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
December 2010
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Letters to the Editor
Clemency for Pollard Last month, I was joined by more than three dozen of my colleagues in calling for clemency for Jonathan Pollard in a letter to President Barack Obama. I have followed Mr. Pollard’s case from its beginning and I understand the strong emotions related to his continued incarceration. Imprisoned since 1985, Mr. Pollard was convicted in 1987 of passing classified information to an ally. At the time, concerns were expressed about the severity of his penalty—life in prison with no parole. The fact that Mr. Pollard’s sentence has been unduly harsh compared to sentences of other individuals convicted of similar crimes is wrong. Such an act of clemency would not in any way imply doubt about his guilt, nor cast any aspersions on the process by which he was convicted. The crime he committed was very serious, but the time that he has served, 25 years, has fully met the needs of punishment and deterrence. Also, Mr. Pollard has long expressed remorse for his actions. Rep Steven Rothman (D-NJ) Washington, DC Our representative in Congress, Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), recently co-authored a letter to President Barak Obama urging a grant of clemency to Jonathan Pollard. Congressman Pascrell has long advocated on behalf of Jonathan, and visited him in prison in 1998. The letter was co-authored by Reps Barney Frank, Steve Rothman, and Anthony Weiner, and was signed by 39 other members of the House. The co-authors recently held a press conference to publicize Jonathan’s plight, and pointed out that while there is no question of his guilt, the life sentence which he received at the insistence and urging of then Defense Secretary Casper Weinberger is grossly disproportionate to any similar offense. The longest sentence ever handed down for such a crime was 6 years in prison. Excerpts from the press conference can be viewed at: http:// www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/140818 It is very important to contact Congressman Pascrell to express our appreciation for speaking out on a matter of significant concern to the Jewish Community. All too often, our representatives in government hear from us when we express unhappiness, but rarely do they receive words of praise. The Congressman can be reached via e-mail at http://pascrell.house.gov/contact/ Needless to say, continued follow up with the White House on this matter is crucial. Eliot Tannenbaum West Orange, NJ
Guest Worker Program As an independent Jewish conservative, I should state upfront that I am a proponent of strong enforcement of our borders, including deploying the military to prevent illegals from entering the country, along with vigorous profiling at our airports and other points of entry. That said, I think that a well administered “Guest Worker Program” would be a win-win situation for everyone. I say that because I lived and worked in Japan for eight years and have some hands-on experience as to how their system works. My initial entry into Japan in the early spring of 1991 was legal. This is important. Prior to arriving, I was required to get a visa and have a sponsor to stay more than three months and work. Within a short period of time after arrival, I had to go to the Municipal Office and be fingerprinted and photographed for an ID that I was required to carry at all times. I also had to inform the local authorities of where I was living and for whom I was working. For sure, the police did come and check that I was actually living where I said I was. This procedure of informing the locals as to where I was living and who was sponsoring me was an annual event. When I left the country on occasion to visit the States, I had to go to the immigration office and get a return visa so I could re-enter the country. An up-to-date ID Card was a necessary component to the trip to immigration. All the time I was in Japan, I was never randomly asked to show my ID except when I once ran a stop sign. On that occasion, the police were extremely interested in seeing that little piece of information. As a guest worker, I had to pay taxes, file tax returns, and was allowed to participate in their national health program. Of course, I could not vote. Because there is no practical way, at this time, to round up and deport 12 million illegal aliens, we could and should implement something similar to Japan’s system. Pragmatically, we have to accept the fact that they are here. We can offer them a choice: participation in the program, incarceration, or deportation. Granting them citizenship is nonsense. It would be a slap in the face to everyone who had to work hard for the privilege, which required staying in line, often for many years. Errol Phillips Received by email
The Raoul Wallenberg Stamp Sheet It was a wonderful idea to present readers who wrote the best stories about Raoul Wallenberg with tickets to see “Wallenberg the Musical.” I was very moved by the stories in October edition and, of course, especially by the story about our Raoul Wallenberg Stamp Sheet by Sylvan Zeidman of Linden, NJ [“Kol Ami: Thanking Raoul Wallenberg,” Oct 2010]. Raoul Wallenberg Unit of B’nai B’rith in Melbourne, Australia, is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year with the launch of the Raoul Wallenberg Stamp Sheet and Envelope set which appears to be the first of its kind in the world. It comes with photos of Wallenberg, his biography, and an envelope with a “Schutzpass,” similar to the “protective passport” he used to save thousands of Jews. The Stamp Sheet and Envelope set is attracting attention
worldwide, and I thought it would be of interest to your readers, particularly philatelists and those who know about the righteous deeds of the Hero of our Time, Raoul Wallenberg. Many have never heard the story of Raoul Wallenberg and it is, therefore, worth repeating. His outstanding work in Budapest in 1944-45 in saving thousands of Jewish lives is an example for people everywhere and makes him a role model for younger generations. The Stamp Sheet ($20 per sheet plus $12 international postage and handling; up to three can be sent for the same postage amount) is available by order. Checks can be sent directly to the Raoul Wallenberg Unit of B’nai B’rith. Those who are interested may email me for further information: judi@judischiffphotography.com. Judi Schiff Kew, Australia
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Tevet 771
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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch)
Hands Off Mother Rachel In October, UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) passed a decision that was anything but educational. Slapping history and logic squarely in the face, UNESCO declared the burial places of the Jewish people’s forefathers, the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron and Rachel’s Tomb outside Bethlehem, to be “Palestinian sites” [“UNESCO Recognizes Rachel Tomb as…a Mosque; New US Congressional Leadership Says It’s Time to Leave UNESCO,” Nov 2010]. This is so patently offensive and crudely insulting to Jewish belief that it borders on outright antisemitism. Ancient Jewish, Christian, and even Moslem sources all disprove UNESCO’s assertion. So to UNESCO, all I have to say is this: keep your hands off Mother Rachel and our other illustrious forebears. They belong to the Jewish people, whether you like it or not. Michael Freund Jerusalem, Israel
The United Nations has once again reared its antisemitic head. The executive board of UNESCO has declared two of Judaism’s holiest sites (Tomb of the Patriarchs and Rachel’s Tomb) to be mosques and is demanding that Israel remove the sites from its National Heritage list. In an effort to erase Jewish history and supersede Jewish religious sites with Islamic institutions, Muslims have intentionally built mosques upon numerous synagogues and Jewish holy sites. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office decried the ludicrous nature of the UNESCO decision: “The attempt to detach the Nation of Israel from its heritage is absurd. If the nearly 4,000-year-old burial sites of the Patriarchs and Matriarchs of the Jewish Nation—Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah—are not part of its culture and tradition, then what is a national cultural site?” In cooperating with efforts to erase Jewish historical ties to Israel, UNESCO is aiding and abetting those who hope to obfuscate Israel’s Jewish past and undermine Israel’s Jewish future. Please take this seriously, go to the website, and sign this petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/rabbiv/petition.html Please also pass this on to as many people as you can. Let our voices be heard. Ellen Zyroff San Diego, CA
An End to Following Suicidal Demands Let’s stop blaming Hamas, the PLO, the UN, Barak Obama, or anything or anyone else, and identify the real reason Israel is dying the death of a thousand cuts, instead of becoming the respected super-power of the Middle East. Every prime minister since Ben-Gurion has preferred weakness and self-abasement to manhood, honor, pride, self-respect, and loyalty to their land and religion. None learned anything from the Holocaust. All have been willing to bargain away, forever, the land and holy sites of the Jewish patrimony in exchange for worthless guarantees of “peace.” They all disgraced Israel by holding “peace” talks with terrorists who murder Jewish men, women, and children, and they slavishly followed the suicidal demands of US State Department-driven policies that have the unchanging goal of replacing Israel with “Palestine.” Benjamin Netanyahu could be the last prime minister of Israel. He refuses to take advantage of the historic rejection of Obama by the American people and continues to carry out Obama’s demands and those of Hillary Clinton that are resulting in a defenseless, waterless, over-crowded Israel that could never survive in the Middle East. George E Rubin Bronx, NY Writing to Rabbi Rubashkin Rabbi Sholom Mordechai HaLevi ben Rivka Rubashkin is being held in prison at the Otisville facility in upstate New York. He appreciates when people write to him, and he makes an effort to respond to everyone. His address is: Rubashkin, Sholom 10755-029 FCI Otisville Federal Correction Institution P.O. Box 1000 Otisville, NY 10963 Hashem should free all of us from this bitter golus now. Yehudis Feinstein New York, NY The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and style. Please send all correspondence to POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. The phone number is (201) 569-2845. The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com
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Ima’s
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
December 2010
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able to the RCBC, pay for his training, and then take him on at a mutually agreeable salary. The RCBC says they had never made such an agreement and that Mrs. Zaken was required to keep the original mashgiach they had selected for her. Uniform Standards Like many other hashga-
cha agencies, the RCBC insists that the mashgiach not be an employee of the food establishment. Further, all RCBC mashgichim standards, salaries, and job descriptions are uniform. For this reason, despite requests by some owners, an RCBC mashgiach is not allowed
Arab Celebration
caused the disaster. Like Hamodia, other hareidi papers, including Yated Ne’eman and Hamevaser covered the catastrophe extensively. One of the stories covered by all three papers was an incident that occurred in Nir Etzion, a religious kibbutz south of Haifa, which fell directly in the path of the fire. Nir Etzion is best known for its factory which makes kosher TV dinners and other prepared foods. The rabbi of the kibbutz
ALAN L. MUSICANT
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is also a PhD student at the University of Haifa. When the flames approached the kibbutz, he left his doctoral papers and rescued only the Torah scroll which was in the kibbutz synagogue. Observers said that although fires repeatedly approached the kibbutz from several directions, in each case, the flames stopped at the eruv. Although the kibbutz suffered smoke damage, there was no fire destruction. S.L.R.
to serve as a cashier or as part of the clean-up crew. “A mashgiach always works for the agency,” said Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, a past-president of the RCBC and the spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck. Relinquishing or Withdrawing? At a rather contentious meeting the next day, the rabbis threw down the gauntlet. Mrs. Zaken was told that she would have to stay with her original mashgiach if she wanted to remain under the supervision of the RCBC. Asked if she accepted those terms, she said she did not know, which, to Mrs. Zaken, meant that she was relinquishing the RCBC’s hechsher. Almost immediately, she sought and received a hechsher from a Brooklyn-based rabbi who seems to have worked on his own. The RCBC issued
its usual notice to the community that Ima’s was “no longer under the supervision of the RCBC.” Although it is hard to tell exactly how successful her business was, by the end of the summer, Mrs. Zaken wanted to come back to the RCBC. She sent them a letter, asking if she could reapply for a hechsher and was turned down. The local vaad said they were not interested in providing her with supervision. Rabbinic Advice Upset, she approached her own rabbi, Rabbi Berel Zaltzman of Bris Avrohom, a Chabad shul in Fair Lawn, and asked for advice. Rabbi Zaltzman suggested she contact Rabbi Don Yoel Levy at the OK. This, too, was complicated. According to Rabbi Levy, as a rule, the OK will not go into a
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Live Where You Can Walk to Shul
community for kashruth purposes if there is a local vaad that gives hechsherim. The agency makes an exception when it is invited into a community by a local rabbi. In the case of Ima’s, the OK was invited by Rabbi Zaltzman. The OK’s next step was to contact the RCBC. Rabbi Levy explained that whenever the OK takes over supervision of a store or restaurant, he tries to arrange a meeting with the previous kosher supervisor. Conference Call The busy schedules maintained by the OK rabbis and the members of the RCBC permitted only a phone call, during which the RCBC claimed that they had withdrawn Mrs. Zaken’s hechsher for “cause.” Mrs. Zaken then produced a tape recording of her meeting with the RCBC representatives which she had made surrepti-
tiously when they came to her restaurant after she had fired their mashgiach. The tape, in which all the parties spoke in Hebrew. showed that it was indeed she who had given up the hechsher. The RCBC implied to Rabbi Levy that there might have been other meetings between Mrs. Zaken and the rabbis of the vaad after the taped one, but, on the tape, it is clearly Mrs. Zaken who relinquishes the hechsher. Convinced she was telling the truth, the OK gave Ima’s their hechsher. Raising the Temperature A flurry of ensuing letters between the two rabbinic groups, accusing one another of misrepresenting the situation, did nothing to calm the situation. Finally, on a Shabbat in the middle of November, a letter exhorting members
of the community to avoid Ima’s was read aloud from the bimas of about a half-dozen local shuls. The letter, which was written with the input of several RCBC rabbis, explained that the hashgacha originally granted the store by the vaad had been “revoked after a number of substantive violations” of their agreement. The letter recognized the OK as “generally reliable,” but, the community was told, “in this particular instance, its hashgacha does not meet the parameters of the RCBC nor the standards to which our community has become accustomed.” Reminding members of the community that the RCBC has worked closely with other hashgacha agencies in the community, the letter said, “We
respectfully urge everyone to respect the RCBC standard that has been the mainstay of kashrus in Bergen County for decades.” “Ima’s Restaurant, despite the OK hashgacha does not meet that standard,” said the letter. Other Letters In the weeks since that notice was read in shuls, several other RCBC rabbis have devised their own individual letters, all with essentially the same message, which have been sent to synagogue email lists throughout Bergen County and beyond. A letter written by Rabbi Michael Taubes, who, as a member of the RCBC Kashruth Committee, participated in the conference call with the OK, continued on the website at jewishvoiceandopinion.com
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