Jewish Voice and Opinion June 2011 by Susan Rosenbluth

THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism

June 2011

Vol. 24 • No. 8

Sivan 5771

A Palestinian State on the PA’s Terms: The General Assembly Can’t Deliver; the Security Council Won’t; Can It Be Stopped?

fter a week of high-profile four-act political theater last month between US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, played out on stages throughout Washington, DC, the next ArabIsraeli flash point will likely come this September at the United Nations, where the Palestinians are threatening to prevail upon their friends and allies throughout the international community to legitimize their claim and recognize “Palestine” as a state. While Messrs. Netanyahu and Obama pointedly disagreed

The “Father of Return” holds the key which symbolizes the “right of return,” and carries on his back “burdens” which together constitute the entire State of Israel. The burdens include the Balfour Declaration; the 1948 Nakba (Catastrophe); the 1967 Naksa (Setback); and Wye, Oslo, Taba, and Sharm alSheikh, all sites of meetings which led nowhere.

not only on where the proposed borders between Israel and the potentially future state of Palestine would lie, but also on the wisdom of discussing such pinpointed facts while the Palestinians are still refusing to negotiate directly with the Jewish state—or even recognize that there is such an entity as a Jewish state—it was clear that Israeli and US leadership agreed the UN is not the venue to settle the dispute. In his speech designed to preempt the Israeli prime

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Turkey Plans June Elections and “Freedom Flotilla II,” but a UN Commission May Show That Israel Respected International Law

n June, the eyes of those concerned about deteriorating relations between Israel and Turkey will have two events to watch: Turkish national elections on June 12, in which the question will be whether or not Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will retain sufficient power to continue his anti-Israel policies; and, at the end of the month, a planned “Freedom Flotilla II,” in which as many as 15 ships, organized by a group that is close with

Mr. Erdoğan, may once again try to break Israel’s blockade of Hamas-run Gaza. At the end of May 2010, the blockade was unsuccessfully challenged by the virulently antiIsrael Free Gaza Movement and the Turkish group, IHH, a significant fundraiser for Hamas, who sent a flotilla of ships to bring what they said was “humanitarian” aid into Gaza without prior Israeli inspection. Now there are reports that a UN panel charged with

Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial at Last.. 3 The Current Crisis . ....................... 4 Kol Ami: Exiling a Parent?............... 5 Artists 4 Israel ............................... 11 Vaad Atlantic................................ 12 Melave Malka for Hebron............ 13 Mainstreaming Children.............. 14

investigating the 2010 Mavi Marmara incident is about to inform Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon that Israel was within her rights according to international law. If true, this would be a reversal of the findings of a UN Human Rights Commission report last year, which said Israel’s Gaza blockade was illegal. That commission’s report, which Israel rejected, said it was a crime for Israeli soldiers to kill civilians onboard

Inside the Voice

Summer Respite for Seniors........ 15 Touring Spain & France............... 21 The Log........................................ 22 New Classes................................. 28 Mazal Tov.................................... 28 Chesed Ops.................................. 29 The Class of 2011........................ 30

the ships, and that the Israeli intervention had violated the rules of international law. Linked According to Uri Bar-Ner, a senior advisor to the chairman of the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL) and a former Israeli ambassador to Turkey, the Turkish elections and the timing of “Freedom Flotilla II” are linked. The new flotilla had been scheduled to take place at the

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Ess Gezint: Easy Dairy................ 34 Honor the Professional ............... 37 Josh Meier’s Chidon.................... 38 Index of Advertisers . .................. 39 Letters to the Editor .................... 40 “A Timeless People” ................... 42 Walk to Shul . .............................. 43

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Congress Approves Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial at Arlington

t the end of May, one week before Memorial Day and after years of efforts by patriotic American Jews, the House of Representatives in Washington unanimously approved a bill to allow the building of a monument at Arlington National Cemetery commemorating Jewish chaplains who served the US Armed Forces and died while on active duty. The memorial provision won passage in the Senate after consideration by the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Erection of the monument does not need Presidential approval. There already are monuments to Protestant and Catholic

chaplains, as well as one for chaplains who served during World War I. It is hoped that the new memorial, which will honor the memory of 13 Jewish chaplains who died while on active duty in the US armed forces, will be dedicated as soon as this September. Long-Time Coming “Members of the Jewish faith have served our country since the days of the American Revolution, and Jewish chaplains have bravely served alongside. Their valor should be remembered in the same way that of other chaplains is remembered,” said Rabbi Harold Robinson of the Jewish Welfare Board’s Jewish

Chaplains’ Council. A Marine and Navy chaplain with the rank of admiral, Rabbi Robinson was among those who lobbied hard for the new monument. Army Colonel Jacob Goldstein, a Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi who is one of only seven Orthodox-Jewish chaplains currently serving in the army, called the new monument “very, very important” and “long in coming.” “By not having a Jewish memorial, it almost says we don’t serve,” he said. Seven Were Orthodox Seven of the 13 Jewish chaplains who will be named on the new monument were Orthodox rabbis.

Rabbi Meir Engel, for example, born in Tel Aviv in 1914, initially volunteered to serve in the US Army in 1943. After serving in the Pacific Theatre and Occupied Japan, he left the military for civilian pulpits, until he was recalled to duty during the Korean War. From 1954 to 1957, he served as the Jewish Affairs advisor to the US Army Command in Heidelberg, Germany, and after tours of duty at Fort Dix and Fort Ord stateside, he because the first JewishAmerican chaplain to serve in Vietnam. He died in 1964 at the US Naval Hospital in Saigon.

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THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2011; 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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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”

re we the only ones who get the distinct impression that, for President Obama, Israel’s borders are defined depending on which audience he is addressing? It’s as though whoever puts the speech on his teleprompter has to figure out which lines (pun intended) will get the most applause. Pundit Dan Friedman suggests Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu now take the bull by the horns and demand that the President consider the “injustice and hardship” endured by Mexicans since American forces annexed Texas in 1845. “Tens of thousands of ordinary Mexicans were driven from the only homes they had ever known and forced to live in poverty and squalor south of the border imposed by American aggression. This festering wound will never heal until America takes bold steps to return to the internationally accepted lines of 1845, because the settlement activity that has taken place in occupied Mexico is clearly illegal,” Mr. Friedman imagines Bibi saying. Asked if this hardline position could damage the US-Israel relationship, Mr. Friedman suggests Bibi tell the President that Israel’s commitment to America’s security is “rock solid” as is the unshakable friendship between the two countries. Gee, who was it who said, “Part of friendship is being able to tell your friend the truth”? Our friend, Haifa University Prof Steven Plaut, also has some comparisons to make. He points out that the term “Nakba” or “catastrophe” and “ethnic cleansing” that the Arabs use to define the birth of the State of Israel in 1948 must be re-examined. How about: “The Arab armies seemingly entered Palestine (in 1948) to protect the Palestinians from the Zionist tyranny, but, instead, they abandoned them, forced them to emigrate and leave their

homeland, imposed upon them a political and ideological blockade and threw them into prisons similar to the ghettos in which Jews used to live in Eastern Europe, as if we were condemned to change places with them. The Arab states succeeded in scattering the Palestinian people and destroying their unity.” Who said that? Why, none other than Mahmoud Abbas, the current “president” of the PA, in an article published in the Beirut magazine, Falastin el-Thawra, in March 1976. In the New York Times last month, Abbas told his own “Nakba” story, in which he said he and his family were expelled from Safed to Syria after the UN’s partition resolution of 1947. He left out the reason they left Safed: They expected retaliation for the massacres launched by Arabs against Jews of the city in 1929. It’s sort of like the interview in Ha’aretz with Ismail Fahr a-Din, a resident of the Golan Druse village of Majdal Shams, who claims to remember the Palestinian refugees of 1948 streaming into the town, then still under Syrian occupation. One problem: the witness is 57years-old, born six years after Israel’s War of Independence. *** A group of wise men of Chelm, displaced to San Francisco, have managed to get the issue of circumcision of male children on the ballot. While they talk only about Jews, it is clear that Muslims, too, would be affected. Hey, with Jews, they get angry letters and op-eds. With Muslims, these hapless would-be reformers get fatwahs. Among other complaints, the anti-circumcisionists claim the procedure impairs the sex drive. We suggest they talk to housekeepers in fancy hotels frequented by the circumcised Dominique Strauss-Kahn or Egyptian banker Mahmoud Abdel Salam Omar. Or how about the girls Tweeted by Anthony Wiener? S.L.R.

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Kol Ami: Economic Exiling a Parent?

ecently, an Orthodox rabbi from outside the New York Metropolitan area was asked to help reconcile a Jewish mother and daughter who have been estranged for more than 20 years due to a bitter custody battle when the daughter was a small child. The daughter, who attends the rabbi’s shul, is getting married and, although the mother, who lives in NJ, begged to attend the wedding, the daughter adamantly refuses to permit her to come. The rabbi refused to help the mother, saying that the daughter has the right “to choose who she wants and doesn’t want to involve in her life,” and, he added, “The Talmud teaches us that sometimes the only way one can honor their mother is by completely distancing oneself from their mother.” Last month, a few spiritual leaders were asked: Is the rabbi correct? Y

The response given by the out-of-town rabbi is in violation of Torah law. The daughter cannot halachically choose to exclude her mother from her life. The Talmudic reference is erroneous. It refers to a psychotic mother whose behavior could

Without knowing the exact details of the case, I have to say my initial reaction is to disagree with the rabbi’s advice. I face many such situations in which a child is distanced from a parent and wants the parent completely out of his or her life.

Without knowing the particulars of this obviously tragic case, I must point out there are extreme circumstances that would justify such a painful response. Typically, it would be a situation in which the parent is so abusive (physically,

If we take it as a given that these are the facts, I would strongly recommend a sincere and robust attempt at reconciliation. The rabbi should sit down with the mother and daughter and see what, if anything, he can do to ameliorate the situation. If,

Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler Monsey, NY

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Englewood, NJ

Rabbi Steven Pruzansky Teaneck, NJ

Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Fair Lawn, NJ

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Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial Rabbi Samuel Rosen, who was born in Poland in 1907, came to the US after studying at the Lomzer Yeshiva. He earned smicha and a law degree at Yeshiva University. In 1942, he joined the military as a chaplain and served until his death in 1955 at Randolph Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. North Africa and France When he died in 1944, Yiddishspeaking Rabbi Irving Tepper, who had earned smicha at the Hebrew Theological College in Chicago in 1939, had served in the front lines of North Africa and Europe during World War II. Attached to an infantry combat team in the Ninth Division, he was part of the first wave to land under fire in Morocco on November 8, 1942. He saw action with his battalion in Tunisia and Sicily, and was among the first to land in France on D-Day, June 6, 1944. A beloved chaplain remembered for being at the side of his soldiers, the fivefoot-six, slender Rabbi Tepper was described by an officer as “a frail bundle of enthusiasm, 120 pounds, dripping wet.” A private wrote from France to a USO worker he had known at Fort Bragg that Chaplain Tepper was doing “a great job.” “Whenever he has services, the boys turn out in great numbers as a means of repaying him for what he did for us. He was in the thick of the African campaign and took chances that he did not have to take, but he wanted to be with us all the

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time. Chaplain Tepper is not only a great chaplain, but a great soldier. The boys are all crazy about him,” the soldier wrote. Davening under Fire Devoutly religious, he insisted he would never allow artillery or mortar fire to interfere with his prayers. “No German is going to prevent me from davening my three times daily, 88s or no 88s,” he wrote from Africa to the Committee on Army and Navy Religious Activities of the National Jewish Welfare Board (JWB). Describing his marching equipment, he said he carried the Jewish chaplains’ guidon and flag on his shoulder, and in his belt he always had some JWB siddurs, songsters, and calendars. “These were my rifle and ammunition,” he wrote. With His Address In his last letter to the JWB, he offered greetings “from a liberated area in France.” “Since the newspapers have carried my division’s exploits, you are no doubt familiar with my recent doings. Nothing spectacular except doing chaplain’s work up at the front—beside getting some real scares and ducking 88s and other objects, which, thank G-d, did not have my address on them,” he wrote. Soon after writing that letter, on August 13, 1944, Chaplain Tepper was killed by a shell and buried in France. He was 31. The Flying Rabbi Rabbi Louis Werfel of New York had

physical disabilities that exempted him from overseas duties. Nevertheless, he requested war-theatre duty, and because his duties as an Air Force chaplain involved covering large distances by plane, he became known as “the flying rabbi.” He graduated from Yeshiva College in 1937 and, three years later, received smicha from YU. After serving at the Mt. Kisco Hebrew Congregation, he took a position with Knesseth Israel Synagogue in Birmingham, Alabama, where he also became a visiting chaplain at nearby Fort McClellan. In 1942, he decided to enlist as a chaplain. “This application is submitted after careful deliberation and is motivated by a recognition of what I consider to be my duty as a rabbi in Israel,” he wrote. Jewish US and French Troops In June 1943, he was assigned to North Africa, where he assisted not only US troops, but also Jewish soldiers in the Free French Army. Just before he died, Chaplain Werfel requested from the National JWB 10,000 copies, in French translation, of the board’s siddur. On December 24, 1943, he was killed while on his way to conduct Chanukah services as part of his duties with the 12th Air Force Service Command in North Africa. He was 27. Father and Son The account of the Brooklyn-based father-son honorees, Rabbi Herman Rosen and his son, Rabbi Solomon Rosen, is the poignant story of a young man’s obvious effort to complete his father’s legacy. When Army Chaplain Rabbi Herman Rosen died in a drowning accident in Brighton Beach in 1943, his son, Solomon, then just 19, put aside his studies at the Mesifta Rabbinical Seminary, to serve with the US Army as a paratrooper. In 1945, he survived an air disaster when the B-29 in which he was flying exploded over Texas, killing 11 men. He and a few others managed to parachute to safety. Back in School Following his discharge, Solomon Rosen resumed his studies, earning smicha in 1946. He immediately enlisted as a chaplain, graduating with highest honors from the Chaplains School at Carlisle Barracks in Pennsylvania.

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com In May 1947, he was newly married and the newest Jewish chaplain in the US armed services. He had just completed arranging and conducting services for the Jews in his area and was en route back home to Brooklyn, when he became one of 11 Air Force officers to be killed in a plane crash in eastern Oklahoma. He was 24 years old. Karate Chaplain Army Captain Rabbi Morton H Singer was born in New York in 1936 and managed to combine religious studies at Yeshiva Tifereth Yerushalayim on the Lower East Side (from which he received smicha in 1965) with athletics. He was athletic director at a shul in Great Neck and a youth leader at the Bronx Union YMHA. He was the 1959 Eastern Intercollegiate weight-lifting champion and a Brown Belt karate expert who also taught judo. After serving as a non-combatant volunteer in Israel’s 1967 Six-Day War, he volunteered for Paratrooper School and for service as one of four Jewish chaplains in Vietnam. Retired Navy Lt Gary Siegel, who served in Vietnam, recalled going with Rabbi Singer to visit wounded soldiers in hospitals. The last time Mr. Siegel, now 68, saw Chaplain Singer was at the beginning of Chanukah 1968. After conducting services in Da Nang, Chaplain Singer flew to a Marine Corps installation at Chu Lai to conduct services there. On December 17, he was on his way back to Da Nang when his plane was struck by enemy fire and crashed. Upon his arrival in South Vietnam, shortly before his death, Chaplain Singer wrote to the JWB Commission on Jewish Chaplaincy, explaining, “The men here need our service and look forward to our visits and ministration. There is no more responsive congregation anywhere than the men in the field.” Larger Than Life His daughter, Dr. Vera Silberberg, was three when her father died. She said she grew up reveling in stories about the weight-lifting Orthodox rabbi who, she said, loved “cars, rock ‘n’ roll, and faith.” A dentist in Sherman Oaks, California, she said the new memorial that will bear his name along with the others is important. “From his daughter’s perspective, I

Sivan 5771 think it would have been important for him—not really for his own namesake, but so everyone who has perished should have their names equally there,” she said. The effort to have these men’s names memorialized — as well as those of Rabbis Nachman Arnoff, Frank Goldenberg, Henry Goody, Samuel D Hurwitz, and David Sobel — was a cooperative effort of several military and Jewish organizations, including the American Legion, the American Jewish Committee, the Orthodox Union, and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. The Four Chaplains One of those who will be memorial-

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ized on the new monument has already been recognized many times over. Rabbi Alexander Goode was one of the celebrated Four Chaplains who gave their lives to save other soldiers when the USAT Dorchester was torpedoed by a German U-boat on February 3, 1943. A Reform rabbi who also earned a doctorate in Oriental Languages from Johns Hopkins University, Rabbi Goode was accepted as a military chaplain in the US Army in 1942. In January 1943, he began his first— and only—naval voyage on the Dorchester, which was transporting over 900 sol-

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Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial diers to Britain via Greenland. He and three other chaplains, Methodist Rev George L. Fox, Roman Catholic Priest John P. Washington, and Reformed Church of America Rev Clark V. Poling, were on the ship to minister to the troops’ spiritual needs. Torpedoed When the ship was struck by the torpedo shortly after midnight, the troops onboard realized that it was not only sinking rapidly, but that there was an insufficient number of lifeboats and life jackets for all the men. Survivors recall hundreds of men packing the decks and scrambling for lifeboats, several of which had been damaged. In the ensuing chaos, the four chaplains not only remained calm themselves, but they also organized the frightened soldiers, distributing lifejackets

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from a locker. When the supply of lifejackets ran out, each of the four chaplains gave his own to another soldier. When the last of the lifeboats had drifted off, the chaplains stayed onboard and prayed with those unable to escape the sinking ship. The Dorchester sank beneath the waves less than 30 minutes after it was hit, with 672 men still onboard. Survivors, many of whom recall bodies freezing in the icy water, said the last anyone saw of the four chaplains, they were standing on the deck, arms linked as they prayed together. Rabbi Goode, who was 32, was survived by his wife, Teresa, a niece of Jewish performer Al Jolson, and their daughter, Rosalie. Posthumous Honor Each of the four chaplains was posthumously awarded the

The proposed memorial to the fallen Jewish chaplains Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart, and, in 1948, an act of Congress designated February 3rd as “Four Chaplains Day.” The Four Chaplains’ Medal was established by an act of Congress in 1960. But while the names of the three Christian chaplains have been inscribed on monuments in Arlington Cemetery, until now, neither Rabbi Goode’s name nor that of any of his fellow Jewish chaplains has been so honored. But, with the bipartisan vote in Congress last month, that will now change. Private fundraising—most although not all of it Jewish—has netted more than $50,000 for the project. This is important because the congressional resolution urges for the provision of space “for a memorial marker, to be paid for with private funds, to honor the memory of the Jewish chaplains who died while

on active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States.” Expression of Gratitude “The honor for these brave service members is long overdue,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jeff Miller (R-FL), who serves as chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. “I can think of no better expression of our nation’s gratitude for our Jewish War Chaplains than the passage of this resolution during Jewish American Heritage Month, and a week before Memorial Day.” He pointed out that the 13 Jewish chaplains who will be honored “stood beside our troops and lent their strength during good times and bad, on the battlefield and off.” “This memorial will serve as an inspiration to all to learn their stores that are such an important part of our nation’s history,” said Mr. Miller. Long Overdue Rep Steve Rothman (D-NJ),

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Jewish Chaplains’ Memorial

a co-sponsor and strong supporter of the bill, agreed, saying he was proud to support the memorial to honor the memory of the 13 Jewish-American chaplains “who heroically lost their lives in World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam.” “This memorial is long overdue, but nonetheless very welcome,” he said. Another local Congressman, Scott Garrett (R-NJ) said he supported the bill “to honor the memory of Jewish chaplains who died while serving on active duty in the United States armed forces.” Rep Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) stressed the important service offered by chaplains, especially for the many soldiers for whom “faith plays such an integral part in whether they will be successful in battle or even survive the ordeal of war.” “This long-delayed memorial will be an expression of a nation’s gratitude to our Jewish chaplains who gave their lives while keeping the faith of American soldiers alive. We will never know, in any tangible sense, the impact these brave and selfless chaplains had on Americans who fought in defense of our country. Only G-d knows the full breadth of their service.

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We only know that the United States of America would not be the nation it is today without them,” he said. Jewish Fallen Heroes On the Shabbat of Memorial Day weekend, just a few days after Congress acted on the new memorial, Jewish War Veterans of the USA and the National Museum of American-Jewish Military History (NMAJMH) sponsored what they hoped will be the first annual National Service Honoring the Jewish Fallen Heroes of Iraq and Afghanistan. Held at the 6th and I Historic Synagogue in Washington, DC, the service included reading the names of the more than 40 Jewish servicemen and women who have died in the War against Terror in Iraq and Afghanistan. According to the organizers, tributes to these Jewish soldiers were part of Shabbat services in synagogues throughout the country. NJ Residents Several of those to whom tribute was paid had been Jewish residents of New Jersey, including 2nd Lt Seth Dvorin, 24, of East Brunswick; Spc Marc Seiden, 26, of Brigantine; and Sgt Alan Sherman, 36, of Ocean Township.

Some of the families of New Jersey Jewish fallen heroes traveled to Washington for the service. Rimma Tarlavsky and her husband, Yuri, lost their son, Capt Michael Tarlavsky, in 2004 when his unit was attacked in Najaf, Iraq. He was 30 years old. Born in Latvia when it was still part of the Soviet Union, Michael Tarlavsky was five when the family left in 1979, settling first in New Orleans and then in Clifton, NJ. Melinda, Daniel, and Benjamin Kane traveled from their home in Cherry Hill to Washington to honor their son and brother, Lance Cpl Jeremy Kane, who was killed in 2010 while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province in Afghanistan. He was 22. “Shabbat of Memorial Day weekend was set aside to read the names of the 40 Jewish fallen heroes in solemn tribute and memory, just as we remember all brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country throughout our history,” said NMAJMH president David Magidson, who led the tribute at the 6th and I Synagogue. “Our most fervent prayer is that no new names be added to the Roll of the Fallen in the years to come.” S.L.R.

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Artists 4 Israel Support Jewish State with Creativity

By Betty Schwartz inding herself infuriated by the almost pervasive demonization of Israel in certain circles, artist and art-educator Sheryl Intrator-Urman found a satisfying response. She decided to sublimate her fury into creativity and encourage other artists to do likewise. In conjunction with Artists 4 Israel, a collaborative, non-profit group that uses art to advance positive perceptions of the Jewish state, Ms. Intrator-Urman, an Englewood resident, has developed the “Response Art Exhibitions.” She and her colleagues use the power of art to communicate their passionate conviction that Israel has the right to exist within safe and secure borders. Using her connections to Jewish art groups throughout the tri-state area, Ms. Intrator-Urman invited artists to attend one or more lectures about Israel by noted authors, executives, and political personalities. Then the artists did what they do best: created works of art in response to the ideas they had just heard. Now that the talks have been completed, the art works are in-progress, with exhibitions planned throughout the area. The final competitive juried show will be held at the Arts 4 Israel Brooklyn gallery, and there is still time for interested artists to participate. Local Educators The first show was held on Sunday, May 15, at the JCC on the Palisades in Tenafly, in conjunction with a Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, celebration. The featured art works were created in response to a talk given by Dr. Alex Grobman, historian and author of The Palestinian Right to Israel. Dr. Grobman, who serves as executive director of the America-Israel Friendship League, put forth the argument that the Palestinians have no such right. “Nothing in the Arab—including Palestinian—media, political statements, religious sermons, or educational systems suggests that they have, in any way, accepted the right of Jews to govern any part of the Holy Land. This is not a political issue, but, rather a religious one. According to the Palestinians, every inch of Israel is considered holy to Islam and cannot be shared with the ‘infidels.’ A Jewish state, created and run by Jews, whom the Muslims consider to be, at best, second-class citizens, is an affront to their interpretation of Islam,” said Dr. Grobman.

Ahuva Mantell at JCC Response Art Exhibit Most of the participants at the JCC show were artists who teach in various Bergen County Jewish educational institutions. “Reaching out to art teachers was a natural for this exhibit,” said Ms. IntratorUrman. “These teachers have dedicated their careers to art and Jewish education and feel a tremendous bond with Israel.” “Passover, Freedom, and Israel” Ksenija Pecaric, who teaches art at Yeshivat Noam in Paramus, said she was happy for the opportunity to hone her artistic skills in a way that combined her love of art with her devotion to the State of Israel. The Teaneck resident, who holds a master’s degree in Fine Art and Art Education from the Pedagogical University in Krakow,

created a collage based on the theme of “Passover, Freedom, and Coming to Israel, the Promised Land for the Jewish People.” She found the Response Art Series “a nice opportunity to show support for the land of Israel.” Perilous Dance Ahuva Mantell, director of the art program at the Frisch Yeshiva High School in Paramus, said Dr. Grobman’s lecture resonated with ideas about which she had been thinking for some time. A graduate of the School of Visual Arts, Ms. Mantell said some of her work is “instinctual” while other pieces are the result of “strategic planning and reworking.”

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Atlantic County Has a New Vaad Atlantic and Plenty of Activities

n Atlantic County, NJ, which has a growing all-year-round Jewish-Orthodox community as well as a booming number of summer visitors to the various shore resorts, the rabbinic association in charge of halachic and kashruth concerns has long been the Atlantic County Orthodox Vaad Harabonim and Vaad Hakashruth. This year, under the guidance of its new rabbinic director, Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, the Vaad officially changed its long and unwieldy name and has become Vaad Atlantic. The Vaad, which, in Hebrew means “association,” was formed in 1989 under the leadership of Rabbi Rapoport’s father, Rabbi Shmuel Rapoport, director of Chabad of Atlantic County (sometimes

Artists 4 Israel

Ivy Weiner, art teacher at the Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, in Teaneck, displayed a piece entitled “The Dance That Never Ends,” a mixed-media work featuring two figures dancing on the land of Israel, surrounded by hostile neighbors, represented by colors of fire and smoke. Ms. Weiner said Dr. Grobman’s talk had inspired the idea of the two figures dancing in an effort “to win this little piece of land.”

called Chabad at the Shore), and Rabbi Mordechai Weiss, then-spiritual leader of the Young Israel of Margate. For 22 years, the Vaad has served the needs of the Atlantic County Orthodox-Jewish community as well as visitors to the shore who turned to the rabbis for guidance relating to kosher food, minyanim, mikvah, and other such issues. New Director Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, who assumed the role of director this past April, brings to Vaad Atlantic his many years of experience working closely with a wide variety of major kashruth organizations. Recognized as one of Atlantic City’s “top 40 under 40” young leaders, Rabbi Rapoport, who just turned 30, also serves as programming director

of Chabad at the Shore. He resides in Ventnor with his wife and young daughter and readily admits that his passion is teaching and inspiring others to live more meaningful lives. In addition to offering a number of classes, including a popular lunch-and-learn, he has established a branch of Chabad’s Jewish Learning Institute, which offers a range of sophisticated courses on Jewish tradition and philosophy, many of which can be taken for credit at recognized institutions of higher learning. Many Activities Located on Ventnor Avenue in the heart of Ventnor City, midway between Margate and Atlantic City, Rabbi Rapoport’s Chabad Ventnor Shul offers

services on Friday nights and Shabbat morning at 9:30am. In the summer, Chabad at the Shore offers Camp Gan Israel for children, a number of Shabbatons and guest speakers, a kosher cruise, and an annual Jewish Summer Fest on the beach. There is an eruv which covers most of Margate and Ventnor. Not too far down-beach, in Margate, Chabad offers “Krafts for Kids,” a store-front venue in which children learn about their heritage in a hands-on fashion. Each Friday, children and their families can bake their own challah loaves. “All our programming is open to the entire community— residents and guests—regardless of Jewish background or affilia-

and a mixed-media installation that focused on the themes of “green” Israel surrounded by hostile desert nations trying to conquer it. Owning Land Ms. Intrator-Urman, who speaks about art at area day schools in addition to teaching privately and serving as director of Art for Learning summer art camps, contributed three paintings on the subject of the “two-state solution.” They are based, she said, on Dr. Grobman’s point that, in Islamist countries, non-Muslims are not permitted to own land. Ms. Intrator-Urman’s daughter, Arielle, currently a student at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, exhibited photographs focusing on the land and its borders. Other lectures in the Artists 4 Israel series were given at other times by Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-president of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organi-

zations; attorney and author Alan Dershowitz; and representatives from the Jewish National Fund and the David Project, an organization dedicated to creating strong voices for Israel through dynamic educational seminars, workshops, and curricula. Art work based on the topics of these talks will be exhibited throughout the summer. Winning Audiences Ms. Intrator-Urman said these first fruits of her labors in the Response Art Exhibit at the JCC made her “proud and happy,” and, she said, she is looking forward to seeing the artworks based on the other lectures. The interested in participating in future Art 4 Israel Response Art Exhibits, whether as artists, viewers, or patrons, can contact Ms. Intrator-Urman at artforlearning@yahoo.com “All these great artists are creating work that I hope will reach a wide audience and inspire people to think about what they see,” she said. Y

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Public Opinion Roberta Ide, who teaches art to children privately after school, exhibited a painting entitled “Who’s Your Puppet Master?” Calling art her “obsession” that she creates when she is passionate about a subject, she said her painting depicted the role of the media in forming public opinion. Michael Preston, a local artist who teaches in many venues, works mainly in pottery and photography, but, for this exhibit, contributed paintings

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Sivan 5771

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In loving memory of A David Romanoff a”h for his selfless and tireless dedication to Hebron, continuing the legacy which he started – NJ Jewish Communities United for Hebron

Help Keep The Ma’arat Hamachpela in Jewish Hands!!!

Festive Melave Malka / Kumsitz MOTZEI SHABBAT, PARSHAT SHELACH June 18, 2011, 17th of Sivan 5771, 10:00pm At the Romanoff home 840 Park Ave, Elizabeth, NJ 07208

(enter through side gate directly to the tented garden) Featuring Guest Speaker

Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum Hebron Director of Tourism Yoni Bleichbard, Hebron Chief Security Officer Ari Lieberman, Hebron Fund Executive Director Highlights of this unique program include: Bonfire and BBQ � Presentation by Elizabeth teens on their experiences in Hebron � Meet and greet our guests from Hebron � Musical Entertainment featuring Ira Heller � Hebron Proclamation Scroll �

— Suggested minimum donation $36 for adults and $5 for students — Co-Chairs: Jay Buchsbaum, Kenny Mandel Rabbinical Committee: Elizabeth Rabbi Elazar M. Teitz, Rabbi Avrohom Herman, Rabbi Yaakov Dombroff Springfield Rabbi Chaim Marcus Livingston Rabbi Mordechai Feuerstein, Rabbi Shlomo Krupka Hillside Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz, Rabbi Mordechai Kanelsky West Orange Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler Planning Committee: Moshe Antelis, Jeffrey Cohen, Howard Goldsmith, Ira Heller, Dr. David Hirschorn, Meir Shlomo & Rimona Hornung, Marty Knecht, Bruce Koblentz, Shlomo & Rena Lieberman, Ari Romanoff, Molly Rothstein, Sruli Safrin, Dr. Harris Saltzburg, Jeff Strashun

For more information please contact: The Hebron Fund 1760 Ocean Avenue, Brooklyn N.Y. 11230 U.S.A. Tel. 718-677-6886 Fax. 718-677-6883 hebronfund@aol.com • www.hebronfund.com

The Cave of Machpela Authority P.O.Box 105 Hebron, Israel 90100 Tel. 972-02-996-5333 • www.machpela.com

The Jewish Community of Hebron P.O. Box 105 Kiryat Arba - Hebron 90100 Israel Tel. (972)-2-996-5333 Fax. (972)-2-996-5304 office@hebron.com • www.hebron.com

Official Corporate Sponsor for Melave Malka / Kumsitz 2011 www.bluestreakmotors.com l Tel. (908) 965-1800 l Cell. (908) 803-2837

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

June 2011 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

At the Children’s Education Initiative, Mainstreaming Is a Valuable Approach By Chassia Boczko, Psy.D ainstreaming is the cutting edge of education science. Educating children with learning and emotional profiles in a mainstream setting has many advantages. At the Children’s Education Initiative, a mainstreaming program located in the Yeshiva of Spring Valley in Monsey, youngsters with disabilities are given “appropriate” role models; stigmatization is avoided; and the program enables gradual mainstreaming of children with disabilities into the regular classroom. David (not his name) and his parents are a typical case study. When David’s parents elected to place their son in our newly developed program for children with learning delays and social and emotional concerns, it was a decision they made with a heavy heart. After three years in which their child tried hard but could not succeed, they had no choice but to remove him from the school his siblings had attended. With the move, they hoped he would finally receive the education he needed.

Thriving Fortunately for David, in his new program, every student worked towards individualized social and academic goals. David was provided with good peer models on whom to model social skills, and his teachers used opportunities for “teaching moments” to help him learn social skills. David gained academic knowledge he had never been able to grasp before, and, equally important, he learned how to maintain attention, follow direction, control his impulses, and adapt socially. After a few short months, his parents and teachers set new goals that included academic mainstreaming. In this warm, caring, and highly skilled teaching environment, David blossomed. Soon, he was participating in classroom discussions. He made friends, and the classroom became a nicer, warmer, and more inviting place. David was succeeding, for the first time in his life. Key Factors Successful mainstreaming of students with special needs depends on several key

factors. First, there must be an accurate identification of the social/emotional and learning strengths and weaknesses of the student. Second, it must be recognized that success requires a solid collaboration between teachers from programs, parents, therapists and the student himself. A third factor is the effort taken to help the student make the transition effectively. In addition, success will depend on the degree to which the classroom and/or school is involved in creating a pro-social environment in which all attempts at friendliness will be encouraged and supported. At the Monsey-based Yeshiva of Spring Valley mainstreaming program, known by its acronym, CHEIN, we try to employ all these key factors. All inquiries and applications should be made by calling 845-821-4274. Y Chassia Boczko, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist and consultant to the Children’s Education Initiative, a mainstreaming program in the Yeshiva of Spring Valley in Monsey, NY.

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Palestinian State

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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minister before his arrival, Mr. Obama said Israel would have to retreat to the pre-1967 lines “with some agreed upon swaps,” however, he also said that no vote at the UN would ever create a Palestinian state, a strong indication that the US would veto a resolution recommending Palestinian membership in the 192-member world body. Can’t Happen At the UN, the president of the General Assembly (GA) said there is no way a Palestinian state could become a member of the UN without a recommendation from the Security Council. Joseph Deiss told a news conference at the end of May that if the US or any of the other permanent members of the Security Council (Britain, France, China, or Russia) used its veto, the GA would not be able to vote on membership for Palestine. If the issue were to pass in the Security Council, then the GA could vote on membership, and there is little doubt the Palestinians would be able to muster the required two-thirds majority. Thus far, 112 nations, many from the so-called developing world, but a number from Europe and Latin America as well, have recognized “Palestine.” The Palestinians predict that by September, they will have 135, which is more than two-thirds of the GA. Mr. Deiss, a former president of the Swiss Confederation and a former foreign minister who led Swiss voters to approve joining the UN in 2002, said there is a distinction between UN membership and recognition of Palestine as an independent state, and the latter is certainly one of the PA’s goals. Imitating Israel According to Prof Fouad Ajami of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and co-chair of the Hoover Institution’s Working Group on Islamism and the International Order, the Palestinians are trying to appropriate Zionism’s narrative, hoping to duplicate the GA vote on November 29, 1947 which has often been viewed as Israel’s basic title to independence and statehood. But the UN vote was not the decisive factor, according to Dr. Emmanuel Navon, a professor at Tel Aviv University’s Abba Eban Graduate Program for Diplomacy

Studies, who said the fear expressed by some Israelis and their supporters regarding the coming declaration of PA statehood and potential recognition by the UN, is nonsense. “What is approaching is not a Big Bang, but a Big Flop,” he said, stressing that GA resolutions, as opposed to Security Council resolutions, are not legally binding. “They are mere recommendations. The GA does not and cannot establish states,” he said. In fact, the GA cannot even admit new members to the UN without the approval of the Security Council. “If one of the five permanent members

of the Security Council puts its veto, the ‘State of Palestine’ will not be accepted to the UN,” said Dr. Navon, pointing to the issue of Kosovo. Its admission to the UN as a state was vetoed by Russia. Hard Work According to Dr. Navon, contrary to widespread misconception, the UN did not establish the state of Israel. On November 29, 1947, the GA merely approved the recommendation of the UN Special Committee on Palestine to divide the British Mandate between a Jewish state and an Arab one. “This approval was a non-binding opinion,” he said.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Palestinian State

What established the Jewish state, he said, were “seven decades of labor and a war of independence in which Jews fought by themselves without any help from the UN.” Palestinian Errors Mr. Ajami agreed. “The Palestinians and Arab powers had rejected partition and chosen the path of war. Their choice was to prove calamitous,” he said, stressing that the Palestinians have also misread what actually transpired at the UN in 1947. “True, the cause of Jewish statehood had been served by the vote on partition, but the Zionist project had already prevailed on the ground,” he said, explaining that Jewish statehood was a fait accompli as much as a decade before the vote, when a military powerful enough to defeat the Arab armies had been formed, political institutions were in place, and gifted leaders came to the fore, willing to accept what reality dictated. According to Mr. Ajami, the “hard work” toward statehood was accomplished during the 30 years between the Balfour Declaration of 1917 and the UN vote on partition. “Sadly, the Palestinian national movement has known a different kind of leadership, unique in its mix of maximalism and sense of entitlement, in its refusal

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continued from page 15 to accept what can and can’t be had in the world of nations,” he said, adding that, despite their attempts in the UN this coming fall, “for the Palestinians, there can be no escape from negotiations with Israel.” Palestinian “Success” Former US Ambassador to the UN John Bolton was not as certain. He acknowledged that the GA’s recognition of “statehood” does not mean UN membership and that, in any case, a GA vote is not legally binding, but, he said, it would nevertheless constitute a major Palestinian success. The GA’s actions “can be politically powerful,” he said, recalling the 1975 “Zionism is racism” resolution. “A resolution recognizing a Palestinian ‘state’ could also declare its boundaries to be the 1949 armistice lines, with or without President Obama’s caveat about ‘agreed upon swaps’ of land,” he said. Counting on Obama According to Mr. Bolton, the Palestinians’ objective is to “remove the issues of statehood and boundaries from the realm of bilateral negotiations with Israel, making them fait accompli.” He believed that, last year, when the Palestinians tried to pass a similar resolution in the Security Council, they did not believe Mr. Obama would order an American veto.

Former Secretary of State James Baker:

“I will recommend to the President that the United States make no further contributions, voluntary or assessed, to any international organization which makes any changes in the PLO’s status as an observer organization.”

Who knew James Baker prevented a Palestinian State in 1988 by threatening the UN? “Many thought the administration might even vote ‘yes’ rather than abstain,” said Mr. Bolton. When the Palestinians realized the US would oppose their push for statehood in the Security Council, they turned to the GA where there is no veto. An Old Story Dr. Navon and Mr. Bolton pointed out that the “creation” of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital was actually proclaimed on November 15, 1988, by then-Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat (who had himself named “president”), and admission of this “state”

to the UN has already been recommended many times by the GA. In December 1988, the GA adopted a resolution acknowledging “the proclamation of the State of Palestine.” One hundred and four states voted in favor of the resolution; 44 abstained; two—the US and Israel—voted against. The only change that occurred after that vote is that, in the UN, the term PLO was replaced with “Palestine.” Mr. Bolton recalled that, in the wake of the name change, the Palestinians began campaigning to join UN bodies

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Palestinian State

such as the World Health Organization, reasoning that since the UN agency charters allow only states as members, the admission of “Palestine” would prove it, too, was a state. “Ridiculous in the real world, but not in the UN,” said Mr. Bolton, pointing out that the PLO effort gained overwhelming international support. Major Threat When the new administration of George HW Bush complained that “Palestine” did not in any way meet the customary international legal standards for statehood, Third World countries rallied to “Palestine’s defense,” and, said Mr. Bolton, Europe’s response was “weak” because its diplomats believed Washington’s opposition was merely to appease “the Jewish lobby.” According to Mr. Bolton, then-Secretary of State James Baker, finding himself faced with the near certainty of de-

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continued from page 16

feat, issued a public warning: “I will recommend to the President that the United States make no further contributions, voluntary or assessed, to any international organization which makes any changes in the PLO’s status as an observer organization.” Mr. Bolton explained that no politician of Mr. Baker’s skill would make such a pronouncement unless he knew that the President would accept it, “and this was rapidly understood internationally.” Little more was said at the UN about the PLO’s push for statehood. According to Mr. Bolton, the lesson for the Obama administration is plain. “If President Obama wants to block a GA Palestinian statehood resolution, he should act essentially as Messrs. Bush and Baker did,” said Mr. Bolton. If Mr. Obama cannot or will not act, Mr. Bolton sug-

gested turning to Congress, which, he said, “should legislate broadly that any UN action that purports to acknowledge or authorize Palestinian statehood will result in a cutoff of all US contributions to the offending agency.” Criteria According to Dr. Navon, the most widely accepted criteria for statehood in international law were spelled out in the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States. A proposed state must have a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states. Most observers say the need to present a suitable government and defined territory before going to the UN lay behind the push by PA President Mahmoud Abbas to reconcile his Fatah faction, which controlled the PA areas of Judea and Samaria, with the terrorist

organization, Hamas, which rules in Gaza. While the unification deal seems, on the surface, to present the PA as having a unified government, Dr. Navon pointed out that Hamas’s identity as a terrorist group will work against them. “The Palestinians will try to obtain the ‘moral laundering’ of Hamas, and they can count on the support of countries such as Russia, Turkey, Norway, and Switzerland. Israel will try to convince the EU not to remove Hamas from its black list,” he said. Undefined Territory Another Palestinians’ problem is that its “territory” is undefined. “It is disputed,” said Dr. Navon. “Hamas openly claims all of ‘Palestine,’ that is Israel, while Fatah will officially do with the entirety of the West Bank, Gaza, and East Jerusalem although a review of PA

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com schoolbooks, TV programs, and public speeches in Arabic suggests otherwise.” According to Dr. Navon, Mr. Abbas’s claim that the entire area of Judea and Samaria “belongs” to the Palestinians “lacks both historical and legal basis.” In fact, the so-called 1949 “Green Line” was a temporary armistice line between Israel and its Arab aggressors. UN Security Council Resolution 242 does not require an Israeli withdrawal to those lines. Between 1949 and 1967, the West Bank was ruled—and annexed— by Jordan. There never was a Palestinian state in the West Bank or anywhere else. “The Palestinians are trying to obliterate these facts by arguing that their territorial claims are backed by international law. They are not,” said Dr. Navon. However, there is no disputing that, legal or not, most countries endorse the Palestinians’ territorial claims. Former President George W Bush, in his famous letter to then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in April 2004, pointedly did not accept those claims. His letter, which stated that “it is unrealistic to expect that the outcome of final status negotiations will be a full and complete return to the armistice lines of 1949,” has not been accepted by Mr. Obama. Leverage According to Dr. Navon, while the September vote will not recognize the Palestinian state, Mr. Abbas probably has three related goals. He will want Israel and its supporters to abandon the demand that the Palestinians renounce their claim to the “right of return;” he will want Hamas to be granted legitimacy despite its refusal to recognize Israel or forswear violence; and he will want to delegitimize any Jewish presence beyond the

Green Line, including in Jerusalem’s Old City. No one denies that the Palestinians are using the threat of unilateral recognition by the GA as leverage to force Israel to accede to Arab demands, including recognition that all of Judea and Samaria, including the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, must be given to them as well as the so-called “right of return,” the demand that all Palestinians who fled their homes in 1948 and 1967—and their descendants—be permitted to flood back into Israel, demographically destroying the Jewish state. Mr. Netanyahu has long called for direct talks with the PA, whose leadership has refused to sit down unless Israel formally agrees to halt all construction in Judea and Samaria. Israel took that step for ten months in 2010, but the Palestinians did not take advantage of the freeze and there were no talks. Although Mr. Netanyahu has not conditioned negotiations on whether or not the Arabs meet Israeli demands ahead of talks, the prime minister has made it clear that he considers Palestinian recognition of Israel as “the Jewish state” and the understanding that if the so-called refugees are going to be resettled anywhere, it will be outside Israel’s borders, to be essential. PA leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas, vowed never to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and have called the “right of return” nothing less than “sacred.” Israeli Demands Mr. Netanyahu told Congress that while Israel was prepared to be “generous” with the Palestinians in their quest for statehood, he would insist on retaining areas in Judea and Samaria with large Jewish population centers. He also would demand that Palestine remain demilitarized and

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

that, at the end of negotiations, its leaders declare an end to the conflict. “You see our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state,” said Mr. Netanyahu, explaining that the Palestinians will not recognize Israel as such. In his speech, Mr. Netanyahu said that attitude must end and that, just as Israel has said it will accept a Palestinian state, Palestinian leaders must say, “I will accept a Jewish state.” “Those six words will change history. They will make it clear to the Palestinians that this conflict must come to an end; that they are not building a state to continue the conflict with Israel, but to end it,” said Mr. Netanyahu. Funding Terror Those conditions were difficult at best for Mr. Abbas’s Fatah faction, which controls the PA areas of Judea and Samaria. But now that there is a unity coalition between Fatah and the terrorist organization, Hamas, which rules in Gaza and is dedicated to the destruction of the Jewish state, negotiations have become impossible. There are already repercussions for the Palestinians. Fearing that funds could go to the terrorists, Israel has stopped the flow to the PA of tax money collected by the Jewish state on behalf of the Palestinians.

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Thus far, Israel has frozen approximately $88 million. Each year, Israel collects more than $1 billion (approximately twothirds of the PA’s annual budget) on behalf of the PA. Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said the funds will stay in Israel’s hands until it is clear that none of the money will reach the coffers of Hamas. “If the Palestinians can prove to us that there is not a joint fund between the PA and Hamas in Gaza, the funds might be unfrozen,” he said. “We ask the entire world not to fund Hamas, so we must not do so even indirectly.” Threats Enraged, PA officials, who complained that the Israeli government’s decision would make it impossible to pay Palestinian civil servants’ salaries, said they would turn to international bodies, including the UN, to demand that Israel unblock the funds. Mr. Abbas threatened to advance his timetable for requesting a UN General Assembly unilateral declaration of PA statehood. Transportation and Road Safety Minister Yisrael Katz, a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud Party, said if the PA has itself declared a state, Israel should respond by applying its own sovereignty throughout Judea and Samaria.

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Palestinian State

June 2011 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

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Strengthening the EU While Israel can be fairly certain that if the issue comes before the Security Council in September 2011 the US would veto a resolution calling for the Palestinian state, especially after Mr. Obama’s statement and the proximity of the 2012 Presidential elections, but it is unclear how other members of the Security Council, especially Britain and France, would vote. It is also far from certain what Mr. Obama, once ensconced in a second term, might do. In an effort to strengthen EU countries against accepting Palestine, especially as long as Hamas is a working partner, the Italian Chamber of Deputies in Rome, organized by the foreign affairs think-tank, Summit, directed by Italian MP Fiamma Nirenstein, urged opposition to the PA’s planned quest for endorsement at the UN. At the conference, entitled “New Scenarios in the Middle East: The FatahHamas Agreement, Unilateral Palestinian Declaration of Statehood, and Threat of a Third Intifada,” co-sponsored by the World Jewish Congress and attended by senior Italian government officials and parliamentarians, Dan Diker, WJC Secretary General Designate, said if the EU,

which was a witness signatory to the Oslo Accords, were to back a premature resolution endorsing a Palestinian state on the 1967 lines, “it would severely undermine its integrity as an honest broker.” “Europe’s credibility test is whether or not it will reject the Palestinian unilateral gambit,” he said, adding that European and US law makes the Fatah-Hamas coalition government a non-starter. “Abbas has thrown sand in the eyes of President Obama by accepting his support for a Palestinian state and then partnering with a terror group,” said Mr. Diker. Illegal According to the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, a UN resolution to recognize a Palestinian State would not just be meaningless, it would be “illegal.” According to a letter to UN SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-Moon, drafted by lawyers of the Legal Forum for Israel and Ambassador Alan Baker, director of the Institute for Contemporary Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, and signed by attorneys throughout the world who are involved in matters of international law, a UN resolution recognizing a Palestinian state would not just be meaningless; it would be

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“illegal” and “in stark violation of all the agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, as well as contravening UN Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338.” These measures call upon the parties “to achieve a just and lasting peace in the Middle East” by negotiating in order to achieve “secure and recognized boundaries.” Perhaps the most stinging irony would be that while the UN has maintained a persistent policy of non-recognition of Israel’s sovereignty over Jerusalem, despite the Jewish state’s historic rights to the city, in voting for the PA resolution, the UN would be recognizing a unilaterally declared “Palestinian state,” the borders of which would include eastern Jerusalem. “This would represent the ultimate in hypocrisy, double standards, and discrimination, as well as an utter disregard of the rights of Israel and the Jewish people,” said the attorneys. The attorneys also pointed out that a unilateral action by the Palestinians “could give rise to reciprocal initiatives in the Israeli Parliament,” including declaring Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. S.L.R.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Jewish Heritage Tours Takes Sightseers to Spain and Gibraltar and Southern France

his summer, Jewish Heritage Tours will once again sponsor one tour to Spain and Gibraltar and another to France. The tour is open to families, couples, and singles. For years, Jewish Heritage Tours has been the US leader in glatt kosher guided trips to Western Europe and Africa. Spain and Gibraltar The trip to sunny Spain and Gibraltar, which will leave on July 3 and return July 12, offers visits to the cities of the Gedolei Rishonim, including Barcelona (Rashba, Ba’al Ha Chinuch), Gerona (Ramban, Rabbeinu Yonah, and Rabbeinu Azriel), Toledo (Rosh Tur, and Ramah of the Abulefia family), Cordova (Chasdai Ibn Shaprut, the Rambam, and Rebbe Yehuda HaLevi), Granada (Rebbe Shmuel HaNagid), Malaga (Ibn Gvirol), Seville (Ritva and the Abravanel family), and many more. The city of Lucena is not normally found on itineraries of “Jewish Spain,” but it is probably the country’s oldest Jewish settlement. There, the home of the 11th century CE Rabbeinu Yitzchak Alfasi, will be visited. Near Barcelona and Gerona lies the small, virtually unknown town of Besalu, home to one of the oldest medieval mikva’ot in the world. Trip participants will have the opportunity to include a

visit to this remarkable site as well as to extend their vacation to include a visit to Israel, before or after the tour. Participants will receive a thorough overview of Spanish-Jewish history and an in-depth appreciation of its various rabbis and leaders from HaRav Dr. Nosson Dovid Rabinowich, who will serve as the trip’s Jewish guide. His special field of interest is the Geonic and Medieval periods. In addition, Jewish Heritage Tours offers personable and knowledgeable local guides to teach participants the secular history of Spain and assist in appreciating the country’s art, museums, and architecture, especially in Barcelona. Trip to France The primary objectives of Jewish Heritage Tours’ trip to Paris, South France, and Monaco, which leaves Aug 10 and returns Aug 18, are to help participants appreciate the natural beauty of Provence; learn about the fascinating Jewish heritage in Provence and the Languedoc regions, especially during the period of the Rishonim; visit the gravesite areas of the revered Rashi and his family, including his saintly grandsons, Rashbam, Rivam, and Rabbeinu Tam; and discover Paris, one of the world’s most mesmerizing cities. In addition to the Jewish history, taught by Rabbi Dr. Rabinowich, participants will enjoy such highlights as the Versailles Castle, residence of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and the famous French

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classic gardens; and Avignon, home of the majestic Palace of the Popes, where the Jews of Provence and Languedoc were welcomed and protected after being expelled in the 14th century. For obvious reasons, these Jews were known as “the Pope’s Jews.” The tour will include the intriguing and captivating cities of Marseilles, Cannes, Nice, and Monaco, the secondsmallest independent state in the world. Monaco may be small—only 324 square miles—but it boasts awesome architecture, breath-taking gardens, and, of course, its world-famous casinos. Standard Luxury All Jewish Heritage Tours offer voluntary introductory Jewish history lectures, chumash shiurim (on the Spanish trip, these will focus on the Rambam’s and Ibn Ezra’s commentaries), and Daf Yomi, emphasizing the Rosh’s and Rashba’s commentaries, all taught by Rabbi Dr Rabinowich. Guests will enjoy two glatt kosher meals, plus a filling box-lunch, daily, served by Jewish Heritage’s personal US caterer. All land travel is with ultra-modern buses, and the four-star hotels are superb. On all Jewish Heritage Tours, special attention will be provided to accommodate singles, and major discounts will be offered to synagogues, schools, and organizations. For more information on the trips to Italy and France, call 917-753-5178. Y

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Sun., June 5

Bergen County Bicycle Tour, for cyclists of all ages and skill levels, children under 12 should be accompanied by parent or guardian, helmets are required, to benefit the Adopt-a-Soldier Platoon that sends care packages to US troops and helps and visits the wounded, ride starts at Bergen Community College, Paramus, 45-mile ride, 8am; 25-mile ride, 8:30; 12-mile ride, 9am; and 5-mile ride, 10:30am, 201-336-7347 Nusach Hatfiloh, through the Belz School of YU, at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8am, 732572-1188 Shiur, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30am Davening, Breakfast, and Bikur Cholim, at Daughters of Miriam, Clifton, minyan at 8:45am, samapprais@aim.com Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Shomer Shabbat Cub Scout Pack 613 Participation in the Salute to Israel Parade, leave Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 9:30am, jschachter2@gmail.com AMIT Mothers in Israel Spa Brunch, private home in Teaneck, 9:30am, 212-477-5465 Nusach Hatfiloh, through the Belz School of YU, at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 10am, 732572-1188 Israel Day Parade, Bergen County Federation’s Theme is “Northern NJ Marches to the Beat of the Shuk,” bus leaves JCC of Paramus for parade in NY,

June 2011

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11:30am, 201-820-3908 TV: Israel Day Parade, WWOR-TV, channel nine will broadcast the parade and stream in live at www.my9tv.com, 12-2pm “The Melting Pot,” by Israel Zangwill, Cong B’nai Jacob, Jersey City, 1pm, 201-435-5725 Reception and Meet Artist Stephen Henderson, “The Rebbe Series: In the Footsteps of the Shtetles,” JCC, Tenafly, 1-3pm, 201-408-1411 Yiddish Concert, Jewish Home at Rockleigh, 2:30pm, 201750-4231 Musical Review: “They Changed Broadway: 100 Years of Contributions of Jewish Writers, Performers, and Composers to the American Musical Theater,” to benefit Jewish Family and Vocational Services of Middlesex County, at the Marasco Performing Arts Center at Monroe (NJ) Twnshp High School, 3pm, 732-985-7348, 732-777-1940, or 609-395-7979 Cong Ahavath Torah Dinner, honoring Ruthann and Kenny Eckstein and Debbie and Steven Siegler, featuring a “Special Tribute to Our Builders,” Englewood, 6pm, 201-568-1315 Bais Medrash of Bergenfield Sisterhood Shavuoth Bake Sale and Shiur, for women, Nechama Price, private home in Bergenfield, 7pm, bmobsisterhood@ gmail.com “Purpose and Passion: InDepth Study of the 13 Principles of Emunah,” Ayala Berney, private home in Suffern, 8pm, 845356-0170 “The Hidden Structure of

Aseret Hadibrot,” Rabbi Dovid Fohrman, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm

Mon., June 6

Holy Name Medical Center Golf Classic, Hackensack Golf Club, Oradell, morning and afternoon shot-gun starts, 201833-7143 “Destination Torah: Different Paths of the Jewish Textural Tradition,” Rabbi Steve Golden, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, 201408-1426 Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Linda Storfer, Riverdale YMHA, noon, 718548-8200 “Baby Bloom,” pre-Shavuoth flower sale to benefit the Puah Institute for Jewish Fertility issues, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 3-9pm, 718-544-7748 or 201-837-5209 Celebrate Shavuot, for children 2½-5 with an adult, create unique masks, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 4pm, 845-362-4400 Pre-Shavuoth Bake Sale, spons by Cong Netivot Shalom, private home in Teaneck, 5-8pm, 201-837-7849 Bnot Bake Sale, Platters, and House Gifts, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 5-9pm, miriam. kopel@lsdco.com Albert Einstein Synagogue Chanukat HaBayit, honoring the YU Women’s Organization, Dr. Edward and Chaya Burns, and Jed and Sandra Shivers, at the shul, Bronx, 6pm, ChanukatHaBayit@gmail.com “The Centurions: 19th Century CE,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 7:30pm “Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World—The Gift of Purpose,” Rabbis Boruch Klar and Mendy Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 An Evening of Comedy and Music: Improv Comedy, Play Readings, and Musicals-inProgress, featuring Black Box Studios, at Teaneck General Store, 7:30pm, 201-530-5046 MetroImma Chat: “What Moms Need to Know about the

The Log: Law,” Lisa Pierson Weinberger, Esq, on MetroImma Facebook, http:// facebook.com/metroimma, 8pm, anais.mizrahi@yahoo.com

Tues., June 7, Erev Shavuoth

The Maccabeats, Yeshiva University a cappella group, at Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, through Shavuoth, June 9, 201791-7910 Pre-Shavuot Program, for seniors, Debbie Druce, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 11:30am, 973-736-1407 “The Arab Awakening and Halachic Perspectives on Monarchy,” Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:15pm Siyum Tanach and Community Shavuoth Dinner, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 9:15pm “The Third Commandment: What Do We Mean by ‘Graven Images?” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler and artists Milton Ohring and Herb Stein, includes discussion of issues related to Shavuoth, Jewish identity and peoplehood, plus dairy refreshments, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-833-0515 Tikun Leil Shavuot, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, “Envy and Jealousy in Teaneck? A Curriculum for Children’s and Adult’s Coveting,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, 11pm; “The Hillary Clinton Picture: Modesty, Truth, Loyalty, Rabbi Shalom Baum, 12am Junior NCSY Ice Cream and Learning, for grades 5-8, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 11pm, 201-247-7961 All Night Learning Sessions, with Rabbis David Bassous, Reuven Drucker, Yaakov Luban, Steven Miodownik, and Zvi Weiss, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 11pm “Reversals of Fortune and Role Reversals,” for women, Rachel Frazer, private home in Teaneck, 11pm, 201-907-0780 or 201-836-0347 Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, “Shevuot and Shavuot,” Yosef Weinberger, 10:30pm; “The Mystery behind Ruth’s Conversion,” Rabbi Eli Belizon, 11:15pm “The Ten Commandments:

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com

Sivan 5771

“Separate Yourself Not from the Community”

The Meaning and Message,” for women, Rabbi Yehuda Halpert, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, private home in Teaneck, 11:30pm, hsberkowitz@gmail.com “The Attempt to Ban Kosher Slaughter in Europe Today: An Historical and Halachic Perspective and Our Challenge to Respond,” Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 11:30pm “Becoming Reb Moshe: The Evolution of Reb Moshe Feinstein as the Posek HaDor through His Teshuvos and Other Writings,” Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 11:45pm, 973-778-7117 Limud B’Chavrusa and Shiurim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, “Kabbalas HaTorah,” Rabbi Shlomo Singer, 11:45pm; “Maamad Har Sinai: The Gift of Eternal Life,” Rabbi Yosef Grossman, midnight, 862-371-3186 All Night Learning Sessions, “The Power of Bitochan,” Rabbi David Bassous; “Torah Riddles,” Rabbi Reuven Drucker; “Kol Yisrael Areivim,” Rabbi Yaakov Luban; “Coffee and the Jews: A Love Story,” Rabbi Steven Miodownik; and “The Date Line and Sod Ha’lbur: A Review,” Rabbi Zvi Weiss, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 11:45pm All-Night Learn-a-Thon, Chabad Center, West Orange, 11:59pm, 973-731-0770

Wed., June 8, Shavuoth

Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, “Responsa from the Decalogue,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, 12:05am; “What Are You Looking at? The Concept of Ayin Hara,” Rabbi Ari Zahtz, 2:15am; “The Rise and Fall of the Neo-Philistines,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, 3:30am Tikun Leil Shavuot, for women, spons by Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, “The Second Luchot and the Birth of Torah She Baal Peh,” Rivka Kahn, 12:05am; “Skirting around the Issue: A Look into Whether Pants Are Halachically Considered Begged Ish,” Ariella Steinreich, 12:45am; “Shavuot: The

Royal Wedding,” Adeena Eizikovitz, 1:25am; “How Do We Read the Torah? Plain Meaning vs Assigned Meaning of the Mitzvot,” Miri Koolyk, 2:05am; “Midrashic Insights into Har Sinai,” Chana Sce, 2:45am; “Born in the USA, Should I Make Aliyah Today?” Rivka Kaminetzy and Chaya Kanarfogel, 3:25am; “Mashiach Myth Busters,” Talia Moss and Ilana Teicher, 4:05am, 201-833-4307 Youth Shiurim, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, for grades 5-7, includes ice cream, 12:05am; for grades 8-12, Rabbi Sheldon Morris, 12:05am; ice cream, 12:45am; Rabbi David New, 1am Shavuos Night Shiurim, Cong Agudath Israel of Highland Park, Rabbi Yaakov Luban, 12:05am; Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman, 1am; Rabbi Yisrael Hoffman, 2am; Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe, 3am; Rabbi Reuven Drucker, 4am Tikun Leyl Shavuot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, “The Oral Law: What Did the Jewish People Receive at Sinai?” Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, 12:05am; “In the Eye of the Beholder: Perspectives on Marit Ayin and Dan L’Kav Zechut,” Alan Schwartz, 1:15am; “Sanctifying Shavuoth in the Thought of Rav Soloveitchik,” Danny Edelman, 2:15am; Dr. Ronnie Perelis, 3:15am, 201-801-9022 Limud B’Chavrusa and Shiurim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, “She Insulted Me, So I Insulted Her: Shalom Bayis, Prerequisite for Kabbalos Torah,” Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, 12:45am; “Going Back to Egypt: Halacha and Hashkafa,” Rabbi Moshe Silverstein 1:20am; “Shtei Halechem and How We Can Connect to It,” Rabbi Jacobowitz, 2am; “How to Unleash Your Learning Potential,” Rabbi Avraham Goldhar, 2:45am; “Organ Transplants in Halacha,” Rabbi Mordechai Rindenow, 3:30am, 862-371-3186 “Reb Moshe Feinstein’s Influence on the Development of American Jewry through His Halachic Authority,” Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 1am, 973-778-7117 “Ve’Ahavtem et Hager: The

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Treatment of the Convert in Jewish Law and Liturgy,” Rabbi Yehuda Halpert, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Teaneck, 1am, hsberkowitz@gmail.com Tikkun Leil Shavuot, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, “The Gelatin Controversy Revisited: A Halachic Analysis,” Rabbi Duvie Weiss, 1:10am; hot food break: Mac N Cheese and More, 2:10am; “With So Many Problems Facing Our Community, Should We Still Be Doing Outreach?” Rabbi Steven Burg, 2:35am; “Talmudic and Contemporary Proposal for a Modern Orthodox Vocation School,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, 3:45am Senior NCSY Finals Study Session and Learning, for high school students, with ice cream and snacks, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 1:30am-morning davening, 201-247-7961 Shiur, Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, noon, 201-801-9022 Dessert, honoring the aliyah of Simone and Ethan Goldsmith,

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private home in Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-837-7478 Children’s Learning Program, Rabbi Elie Rothberger, boys, grades 1-3; Morah Devorah Rabinowitz, girls, grades 1-3; Rabbi Avi Wasser, boys, grades 4-6; Morah Aviva Weinraub, girls, grades 4-6, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 4:30pm “V’Taan Lahem Miriam— And Miriam Spoke Up: Miriam’s Unique Role in the Events of Liberation from Egypt and the Creation of the Jewish Nation,” Robyn Shoulson, spons by AMIT, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 4:30pm, dershowi@msn.com Children’s Torah Rally, especially for public school children, spons by Chabad House of Rutgers and Cong Ohav Emeth, includes songs, reading of the Ten Commandments, a late cheesecake Kiddush, ice cream, and a magic show, at Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 4:30pm Youth Shiur, for grades 1-4, Rabbi Shalom Baum, includes ice

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

The Log

June 2011

Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

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cream, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm “The First and Second Luchot: What’s the Difference?” for women, Lynn Kraft, Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 5:15pm, 201-833-4307 ext 233 “I Firmly Believe in the Coming of the Messiah: How Many People Does It Take to Redeem the Jews?” for women, Shuli Taubes, Cong Zichron Moshe, Teaneck, 5:30pm Shiur, Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-801-9022 “The Yetzer Harah of Talmud Torah,” Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:10pm “Out Damn Spot: Tumah from a Different Perspective,” David Schlussel, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201801-9022

Thurs., June 9, Shavuoth

Beth Aaron Boys Choir, Anim Zemirot and Adon Olam, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 11am Ice Cream Kiddush, Young Israel of Teaneck, 11:30am, rebeccagilad@hotmail.com Siyyum for Community Learning Shmuel II, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 11:30am, 201801-9022 Shavuoth Luncheon, featuring the Maccabeats and activities for children with Etan and Kayla Bluman, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, noon, 201-791-7910 Learning for Women, shiurim by Rebbetzin Ruth Glasser, Chani Maybruch, and Mahnaz Shmalo, Young Israel of PassaicClifton, Passaic, 4pm Women’s Learning Program, “Anochi Hashem: Dimensions of

Faith,” Esther Lewis; “Pesach to Shavuot: Path to a Purpose,” Robin Schwartz; “What Is the Midrash Telling Us When It Says That Hashem Is Holding the Mountain over Our Heads (Shabbat 88b)?” Sharon Garber; and “The Free Will of the Jewish People,” Shuli (Atkin) Fuchs, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 4pm “Chosen Children: Sex Selection in Torah and Tradition,” Dr. Miriam Wahrman, spons by the Teaneck Women’s Tefillah, private home in Teaneck, 4pm, 201-837-0544 “Shavuot: A Genuinely Human Holiday,” for women, Shayna Goldberg, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 5pm, 201833-4307 ext 233 Shiur, for women, Yael Goldfischer, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 5pm, 201-384-0434 “Kindness and Kings: The Relevance of Megillat Ruth,” for women, Rebbetzin Debbie Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm “Megillat Ruth: Layers of Heroism, Tikkun, and Chesed,” Adeena Mayerfield, private home in Teaneck, 5pm, fernamper@aol. com or imapt1@aol.com Shavuoth Bee, for grades K-5, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 6pm “Cheesecake and Chicken in the Same Oven? Shavuot Kashrut Considerations,” for women, Rabbi Yehuda Halpert, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, private home in Teaneck, 6pm, hsberkowitz@gmail.com “Two Days of Yom Tov and Only Half-Shabbat? What’s the Full Story?” for grades 6-8, Rabbi Jonathan Knapp, Cong Keter To-

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.

rah, Teaneck, 8:15pm “What in the World is Akdamot All About?” Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201801-9022

Fri., June 10

Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, scholarin-residence, Young Israel of Teaneck, through Shabbat, June 11 “The Sephardim in Israel Today,” Dr. Ilana Sasson, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718548-8200 Our Way Family and Singles Shabbaton, spons by the OU program for the deaf, featuring Dr. Ronald Hoffman, Steve Lependorf, Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, and Jennifer Rosner, leading workshops on “Peer Pressure,” “Socialization,” “Spirituality,” and “Hearing Loss and Amplification,” at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, through Sunday, June 12, 212-613-8127

Shabbat, June 11

Bais Medrash of Bergenfield Lunch, honoring Rabbi Ezra and Adina Wiener, childcare available, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 12:30pm, Yisrael@gmail.com Nerot Dessert, for women, featuring Adina Lederer and honoring Yoetzet Halacha Shayna Goldberg, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 5pm Shabbat Afternoon Get Together with Rabbi Eliezer and Rebbetzin Sharon Zwickler, for congregants of Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, whose names begin with R or S, private home in West Orange, 5pm, 973-736-1407 Shiur, for women, Devora Ehrlich, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 5:30pm

Motzei Shabbat, June 11

Documentary: “No Guns for Jews,” historic use of “gun-control” to disarm and oppress Jews, with Rabbi Dovid Bendory, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10pm

Sun. June 12

Rutgers Jewish Xperience Breakfast, featuring college students and community members touched by the organization, at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 9am, office@rutgersjx.com

Health Fair, co-spons by St. Barnabas Medical Center, JCC, West Orange, 9am-1pm, 973-322-2988 Village of Wesley Hills MultiFamily Garage Sale, Village Hall parking lot; if rain, inside Village Hall, 10am-3pm, 845354-0400 Jewish Singles Scavenger Hunt, ages 30+, bring cell phone or digital camera and team up to hunt and then photograph items, registration at Is-A-Berry Frozen Yogurt on Palisade Ave in Englewood, 12:30pm; hunt begins in Englewood, 1pm, 201-264-9515 Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David Community Picnic, includes BBQ, games, sports, kumsitz, and arts and crafts, at Mayapple Hill Field, West Orange, 1-4pm, mbard11562@aol.com Afternoon of Crafts, to make centerpieces for the shul’s dinner, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 3pm, 973-669-7320 Guns and Beef Night, featuring presentation by Marc Prowisor, director of security for the One Israel Fund, spons by Golani Rifle and Pistol Club, to benefit the One Israel Fund, food by Kosher Experience, at Gun for Hire, Belleville, 4pm, 201-928-0855 “The iGeneration: iPod, iPad, iPhone—from Self-Centered to Self-Improvement,” Rabbi Paysach Krohn, for men and women, includes buffer dinner, Cong Ahavat Yisrael of Wesley Hills: Young Israel of Monsey and Wesley Hills, 6pm, 845354-3494 “An Intimate Look at Life inside the White House and an Analysis of Current Events,” former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and WOR’s Steve Malzberg, at Cong Sons of Israel, Manalapan, 7pm, 212-922-0839 Hebrew Phrase Class, Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger, Jewish Women’s Outreach Program, in preparation for the women’s trip to Israel, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 7pm, 201-384-0434 “Songs of Hope and Praise,” Shira Community Chorus on the Palisades, with director Matthew Lazar, three centuries of Jewish

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com popular, secular, and liturgical music, including a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the kibbutz movement, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1465 Sen Robert Casey (D-PA), spons by NORPAC, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-801-9078 or nzf826@aol.com “Purpose and Passion: InDepth Study of the 13 Principles of Emunah,” Ayala Berney, private home in Suffern, 8pm, 845356-0170

Mon., June 13

“Applied Judaism,” Rabbi Steve Golden, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, 201-408-1426 “Harold Arlen: International Folk Singer and Lecturer in Ethnomusicology, Jazz, and Musical Theatre,” Leona Schwab, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-408-1455 Current Events, Stan Goldberg, JCC, Tenafly, 1:30pm, 201408-1457 Friendship Circle of Passaic County Evening of Volunteer Recognition, for those who have volunteered to work with specialneeds children, featuring Passaic County Sheriff Richard Berdnik and NABA Welterweight Champion Dimitri Salita, honoring Ariel Altaras, Alex Belgrad, Elana Demby, Alex Green, and Amanda Griglack, at the Chabad Center, Wayne, 7pm, 973-694-6274 “Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World—The Gift of Every Moment,” Rabbis Boruch Klar and Mendy Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 “The Psychological Roots of Atheism, Fanaticism, and Mature Religious Belief,” Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, for the 20th yahrzeit of Rabbi Isaac Swift, z”l, Cong Ahavath Torah, 7:45pm, 201-568-5780 Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva Parlor Meeting for Parents, featuring Helene Lockspeiser, Chaya Friedman, and Henie Deutsch, private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-572-5052 ext 132

Tues., June 14

Kavvanah: A Tefillah Experience, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9:30am, 718-796-4730

“Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World— The Gift of Purpose,” Rabbi Levi Wolosow and Boruch Chazanow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 10am, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, Denville, 7:30pm, 973-551-1898; Rabbis Yitzchok Dubov, Levi Shemtov, and Hershel Weiszner, spons by Chabad of Riverdale, at the Riverdale YMHA, 7:30pm, 718-549-1100; Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad Center, South Brunswick, 7:45pm, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Dov Drizin, Valley Chabad, Woodcliff Lake, 7:45pm, 201-476-0157 Cong Beth Abraham of Bergenfield Dinner, honoring Ari and Sharon Wieder and Yitz and Sharon Motechin, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck 5:30pm “Creating Your Perfect Family Size,” Dr. Alan Singer, Highland Park Public Library, 7pm, 732-572-2750 Pulse 5 in Concert, featuring Yonatan Potash, Jared Auslander, and Ezra Koppel, who are performing to benefit the music therapy program for children at EMUNAH’s Beit Elazraki, at Space Odyssey, Englewood, 7pm, www.emunah.org/pulse5 Project YES Keep Our Children Safe Workshop, Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Yeshiva Darchei Noam, Monsey, 8pm, 845-3527100 ext 114 Positive Parenting: “Enhancing Spirituality at the Shabbat Table,” Rabbi Larry Rothwachs, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 862-377-3375

Wed., June 15

“Linking Business Philanthropy with Employee Volunteer Program Efforts,” spons by the NJ Business Volunteer Council, at IKEA, Paramus, 8:30am, 201489-9454 ext 114 Kosher Lunch and Learn, includes kosher Chinese and sushi, CASE Museum, Jersey City, 12:45pm, 973-943-2306 Book Review Club: “Brooklyn,” by Colm Toibin, facilitated by Lucille Schroeder, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 Smart Board Training, for Hebrew teachers, Gershom Tave, at

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Temple Emanuel, Woodcliff Lake, 1pm, gershom@tikuntov.com “Genetics for Life: The Impact of the BRCA Gene and Breast and Ovarian Cancer in Your Jewish Family,” includes medical and psychosocial issues and a cancer survivor, Niecee Singer Schonberger, and Shera Dubitsky of Sharsheret, spons by Jewish Family Service and Sharsheret, at the YMHA, Wayne, 7pm, 973595-0111 or 201-837-9090 “Second Generation and Social Interaction,” monthly discussion group for Second Generation, children of Holocaust survivors, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Seven Blessings,” novelist Ruchama King, includes book signing, JCC. West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3421 “An Update on Community Response to the Assault on Israel’s Legitimacy,” Martin Raffel, Jewish Community Relations Council, UJA, Paramus, 7:30pm, 201-820-3946 Society of Israel Philatelists (Stamp Collector) and AmericaIsrael Numismatic Association (AINA Coin Collectors) Meeting, Young Israel Ohab Zedek of North Riverdale/Yonkers, 7:30pm, judaicaexpo@yahoo.com Hoboken Hadassah Closing Dinner, CASE Museum, Jersey City, 7:30pm, hobokenhadassah@ gmail.com “Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World— The Gift of Purpose,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:30pm, 973-694-6274; Rabbi Levi Wolosow and Boruch Chazanow, Chabad House,

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Manalapan, 7:30pm, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 845-368-1889, 7:30pm; Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500, 7:30pm; Rabbi Moshe Katzman, Chabad of Staten Island, 7:30pm, 718-370-8953; Rabbi Mordechai Baumgarten, Chabad Center, Rockaway, 8pm, 973-625-1525 Community Synagogue of Monsey Sisterhood Book Club, discussing “Olive Kitteridge” by Elizabeth Strout, private home in Monsey, 8pm, 845-356-7320 or 845-356-7695

Thurs, June 16

La Leche League of Bronx/ Riverdale, Mia Damond Padwa, pregnant women, babies and small children welcome, healthy snacks, Riverdale YMHA, 9:30am, 718543-0314 Trip to the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater to See “The Adventures of Hershele Ostropolyer: A Comic Tale Full of Song,” in Yiddish with English subtitles, bus leave the YMHA, Wayne, 11:15am, 973-595-0100 Kosher 20-Minute Meals or Less, Chef Meredith Spiegel, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-362-4400 Sandra Gold Founder’s Day Concert, featuring students and teachers of the Thurnauer Scool of music, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201408-1465 Bergen County High School of Jewish Studies Dinner, honoring Howard and Taran Chernin, Elayne and Ofer Kalina, Jay Fialkoff, and Rachel Blumenstyk, at Temple Beth Rishon, Wyckoff, 7pm, 201-410-9105

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Jesse Mintz, M.D., FAAP Neuro-Developmental Pediatrics

10-D Auer Court, East Brunswick, NJ (732) 254-7100 Fax (732) 254-7474

Are you tired of doing homework with an uncooperative child? Do teachers say that your youngster is disruptive and cannot sit still in class? Does your child shy away from team activities?

If some of these concerns apply to your family, then perhaps an evaluation would be of beneﬁt both to you and to your child. Specializing in youngsters with difﬁculties regarding behavior and attention as well as those with learning and developmental issues.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

The Log

June 2011

Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

continued from page 25

Jewish 12-Step Meeting, JACS—Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-837-9090, ask for IRA (Information and Referral) or 201981-1071 AMIT Alisa West Orange Chapter Pushka Dinner: When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Lemonade, those attending should bring pushkas and recipes, parve or dairy, that contain lemon as an ingredient, private home in West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-202-9828 or 917-750-6987

Fri., June 17

Technology Workshop: “Plain English IT: Maximizing Your Technology While Minimizing Your Pitfalls,” Richard Luna, includes email pitfalls (secure file and email transfers), secure communications, and network security, Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Hackensack, 9:30am, 201-489-9454 ext 114 “What Is Zionism Today in Israel? Why Aren’t Young People Excited about Israel Anymore?” Shayna Malka Weiss, Riverdale YMHA, 718-548-8200 “A Taste of Shabbat,” for parents and children 1-5, Daniel Sonnenschein, songs, stories, and crafts, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 12:30pm, 845-362-4400

Shabbat June 18

“I Wish I Understood Everything I was Saying Minyan,” Rabbi Steven Weil, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:45am Sushi and Shmoozing, for teens, sushi Kiddush and discussion with Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 11:30am, 201-801-9022 or info@ netivotshalomnj.org Atara Spring Tea, featuring “The Power to Save, the Power to Destroy: A Behind the Scenes Look at the Influence of Women,” Yael Weil, and honoring Gila Elbaum and Daphna Roth, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck 4:30pm, amybrody24@gmail.com Shabbat Afternoon Get Together with Rabbi Eliezer and Rebbetzin Sharon Zwickler, for congregants of Cong Ahawas

Achim Bnai Jacob and David, whose names begin with T-Z, private home in West Orange, 5pm, 973-736-1407 Goodbye Party, honoring Story Hour Lady Lee Saal, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 5pm, 973736-1407

Motzei Shabbat, June 18

“Keep the Ma’arat Hamachpela in Jewish Hands,” melave malka and kumsitz, spons by NJ Jewish Communities for Hebron, featuring Rabbi Simcha Hochbaum, Hebron director of tourism, and Ari Lieberman, with a bonfire, BBQ, raffle, and music, in memory of David Romanoff, z”l, private home in Elizabeth, 10pm, 718-677-6886

Sun., June 19, Father’s Day

Minyan Appreciation Day: Davening, Breakfast, Bikur Cholim, featuring divrei Torah by Rabbis Ira Kronenberg and Benjamin Yudin, honoring all “minyanaires” who have visited Daughters of Miriam, especially Ronald Prost, a resident of Daughters of Miriam who attends shul daily and welcomes everyone; and Jerry and Jonathan Karp, who have attended the minyan since before they were bar mitzvah, at Daughters of Miriam, Clifton, minyan at 8:45am, 201-753-5719, 201-280-8198, or samapprais@aim.com Torah Academy of Bergen County Scholarship Breakfast, honoring Shifra and Larry Shafier, private home in Teaneck, 9am, 201-837-7696 ext 150 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Bootcamp Exercise for Girls and Women, Marla Rottenstrich, includes a raffle, goods-and-services auction, and salad bar, to benefit the Young Israel of New Brunswick Mikvah renovations, babysitting, at YIEB, 10am, 732354-5913 Ben Porat Yosef Scholarship Walkathon, at the school, Paramus, 10am, ronent@benporatyosef.org Chug Ivrit, for intermediate

to advanced Hebrew speakers, men and women, spons by Hadassah but open to non-members, private home in Highland Park, 11am, 732-819-9298 Cong Ahavas Yisroel of Highland Park Trip to Somerset Patriots Baseball Game, children can have baseballs autographed, 12:30pm; game at 1:35pm; afterwards children can run around the bases, 732-777-1589 Free Hatzolah and Bikur Cholim Health and Safety Fair, featuring over 30 health and safetyrelated booths, workshops ranging from advances in skin care to healthy cooking; vision, dental, hearing, blood pressure, and glucose screenings; children can explore an ambulance, police car, and fire truck, at Bnos Bracha Yeshiva Katana od Passaic, 1-5pm; magic show with Ben Cohen, 1:45 and 2:30pm; “The Twins from France” acrobats, 3pm, 973-249-8811 Cong Ahavas Israel of Passaic Dinner, honoring Dan and Rochel Pollack, Meir and Jenney Solomon, and Rabbi Shmuel Landesman, at the shul, 5:30pm, 973-919-9524 Yeshiva Tiferes Naftoli Dinner, honoring Yaakov and Miriam Dobin, Holiday Inn, East Windsor, 5:30pm, 732-446-5841 or 732-247-0621 Clifton Cheder-Bais Yaakov Dinner, honoring Menachem and Bina Zarkhin, Allen and Kami Tischler, and Rabbis Daniel Presberg, Avrohom Dov Bayer, and Dovid Nojowitz, Zichron Moshe Hall, Passaic, 6:30pm, dinner@ cliftoncheder.org

Mon., June 20

Last Day to Drop Off a New or Gently Used Stuffed Animal, for Avigayil Altman’s bat mitzvah project, through Bears from Bergenfield, toys will be distributed at Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, call 201-928-1611 “Destination Torah: Different Paths of the Jewish Textural Tradition,” Rabbi Steve Golden, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, 201408-1426 Frisch Yeshiva High School Family Golf and Bike Outing, at

Minisceongo Golf Club, Pomona, NY, 10am, 201-267-9100 Cong Ohr Torah of West Orange Chai Anniversary Dinner, honoring Elaine Scherman, Rabbi Richard Kirsch, and Stephen Flatow, shul, 6pm, larry@18thstory. com Drawing of the Rabbi Pesach Ramon Yeshiva Raffle, Edison, 6pm BBQ for Children in the Cong Keter Torah Breakfastand-Learn Program, private home in New Milford, 6:45pm, Sabrina@ketertorah.org Israeli Film Club: “Nina’s Tragedies,” discussion led by Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845362-4400

Tues., June 21

“Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World—The Gift of Every Moment,” Rabbi Levi Wolosow and Boruch Chazanow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 10am, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, Denville, 7:30pm, 973-551-1898; Rabbis Yitzchok Dubov, Levi Shemtov, and Hershel Weiszner, spons by Chabad of Riverdale, at the Riverdale YMHA, 7:30pm, 718-549-1100; Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad Center, South Brunswick, 7:45pm, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Dov Drizin, Valley Chabad, Woodcliff Lake, 7:45pm, 201-476-0157 Holocaust Lunch and Learn, survivors, liberators, and POWs, facilitated by Barbara Wind, Aidekman Family Center, Lautenberg JCC, Whippany, noon, 973-428-9300 Riverdale Jewish Center Dinner, honoring Ilene and Sheldon Kupferman, Andrea Harris, and Kate and Daniel Davis, shul in Riverdale, 5:30pm, 718548-1850 Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center Dinner, in memory of Joanne Masini, z”l, and honoring George Brimage and Ailon Mark, shul in Livingston, 5:30pm, 973-994-2620 Positive Parenting: “Talking to Your Children about Intimacy from a Torah Perspec-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com tive,” Dr. Sara Diament, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 862-377-3375

Wed., June 22

“Can You Spare It: A Fundraiser to Support the Student Philanthropy Program at Yeshivat Noam,” at Bowler City, Hackensack, 9:30am, 201-244-6702 Jewish Educational Center Dinner, honoring Mady and Ethan Kra, at the JEC, Elizabeth, 6pm Alzeimer’s Workshop: “Communication: The Key to Understanding Behaviors,” Stein Assisted Living Residence, Somerset, 6:30pm, 973-586-4300 or 732-568-1155 Confidential Abused Women’s Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Oasis in Time: The Gift of Shabbat in a 24/7 World—The Gift of Every Moment,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:30pm, 973-694-6274; Rabbi Levi Wolosow and Boruch Chazanow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 7:30pm, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 845-368-1889, 7:30pm; Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500, 7:30pm; Rabbi Moshe Katzman, Chabad of Staten Island, 7:30pm, 718-370-8953; Rabbi Mordechai Baumgarten, Chabad Center, Rockaway, 8pm, 973-625-1525 “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 Israel Night, Rebbetzin Peshi Neuburger, Jewish Women’s Outreach Program, in preparation for the women’s trip to Israel, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-384-0434

Thurs., June 23

Support Group for Caregivers, those caring for an older adult who is physically frail or suffering from memory loss, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1450 Cong Etz Chaim of Livingston Dinner, honoring Suzanne and Miles Berger and Dr Arie and Fran Schwartz, Crystal Plaza, Livingston, 6:30pm, 973597-1655

“Gilad Shalit—The Captured Soldier and How You Can Help,” Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845362-4400

Fri., June 24

Rabbi Yitz Etshalom, scholar-in-residence, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, “Datan and Aviram: The Curious Midrashic Fate of Two Biblical Villains,” “Sequence and Meaning: The Implications of Yesh Muqdam uMe’uhar baTorah (or not) on Studying Sefer BaMidbar,” and “Commemorating the Exodus: The Ahistoricity of Yetziat Mitzrayim in Midrashic Thought,” through Shabbat, June 25, 201-801-9022

Shabbat, June 25

Shira Hadasha-Style Shabbat Service, Minyan Tiferet, private home in Englewood, 9:15am, minyantiferet@gmail.com Mystery Shabbos, host and guests of lunches, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck apartments, in private homes in Teaneck, noon, hsberkowitz@ gmail.com Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Chanoch Waxman, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, “The Elusiveness of Unity: Why Didn’t Korach’s Band of 250 Accept Moshe’s Leadership,” noon; “Cloning as a Jewish Philosophical Dilemma,” before mincha; “Conflict, Truth, and the 40 Faces of Torah,” seudah shlishit, 973-736-1407 Shabbat Afternoon Get Together with Rabbi Eliezer and Rebbetzin Sharon Zwickler, for congregants of Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, who have not yet met with the rabbi and rebbetzin, private home in West Orange, 5pm, 973-736-1407

Sun., June 26

Project Open Hearts, Open Homes: Three Weeks in Bergen County, Life without Fear, providing respite and comfort to a dozen disadvantaged Israeli teens, ages 11-14, who have been victimized by terror and war; they will participate in programs at the JCC in Tenafly, through Sun., July 19, 201-408-1469 Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, Shul Picnic, noon, 732-5721188

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Cong Keter Torah Children’s Fun Day and BBQ, Votee Park, Teaneck, 12-2pm, 201907-0180 Singles BBQ and Shmooze, for ages 45-64, JCC, Tenafly, 4pm, 201-569-7900 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811

Mon., June 27

Youth Leadership Program, for students entering grades 8-10 in September, spons by the Volunteer Center of Bergen County, to provide skills and training usually available only on the corporate level, at Bergen Community College, Paramus, through Thurs., June 30, 201-489-9454 ext 118 Last Day to See Painting Exhibit “The Rebbe Series: In the Footsteps of the Shtetles,” by Prof Stephen Henderson, JCC, Tenafly, 201-408-1411 Jewish Business to Business Expo and Conference, Lake Terrace, Lakewood, 1-8pm, 718633-0733

Tues., June 28

“Jewish Burial,” Rav Hershel Schachter, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm 973-736-1407 Wed., June 29 “How Israeli Films Reflect on Modern Israeli Society and Politics and Shape Israel’s Image to the World,” Dr. Eric Goldman, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201-833-0515 ext 200

Thurs., June 30

Trip to New York for Dinner at My Most Favorite Dessert and Shiur by Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis at the Hineini Cen-

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ter, spons by the Chabad Center Women’s Circle, leave Wayne, 5:15pm, 973-694-6274

Fri., July 1

“A Taste of Shabbat,” for parents and babies under one year, Aviva Kohl, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10:30am, 845-362-4400

Shabbat, July 2

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am

Sun., July 3

Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490

Tues., July 5

Contemporary Israeli Poetry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Summer Soul Searching: Psalms, Rabbi Akiva Block, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1426 Positive Parenting: “How to Communicate with Your Teens in an Age of Social Media,” Dr. Alex Bailey, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 862-377-3375

Wed., July 6

“Simply Tsfat” in Concert: Music of Breslov Chassidim and Other Niggunim, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 7pm, 917747-3240 Confidential Abused Women’s Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090

Fri., July 8

“A Taste of Shabbat,” for parents and babies under one year, Aviva Kohl, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10:30am, 845-362-4400 Y

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion Sundays

June 2011

Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

New Classes this Month

Practical Halacha: Kitzur Hilchos Shabbos, Rabbi Gershon Tave, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30am, 973-594-4774 Gemara, Rabbi Yosef Posen, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 9am, 732-985-1111 Breakfast and Mishna, Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9:30am Gemara, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:30am, 973-594-4774 Torah-Kid Leagues, skills-building sports league for baseball, soccer, golf, and flag football, for boys 5-12, private location in Highland Park, 10am, 732-985-1050 Sefer Tehillim, for women, Rebbetzin Rivka Eichenstein, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 11am, 732-985-1111 Bat Mitzvah Class, Rebbetzin Debra Spivak, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7pm, 973-669-7320 “The Issur of Revenge and Bearing a Grudge,” Rabbi Zev Rivkin, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8:15pm, hermankc@gmail.com

Mazal Tov

Mazal Tov to the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Rebecca Barel, Atara Goldstein, Avigayil Keiser, Ilana Markowitz, Aliza Posner, Gabrielle Safier, and Julie Sohnen; and the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Yitzchak Zev Alpert, Avery Bell, Josh Chesner, Sam Fineberg, Yehuda Fuksbrumer, David Goodman, Mordechai Kallus, Benjy Kleiner, Layvi Yitzchak Litton, Oren Mendelow, Zachary Metzman, Aiden Shaina Ruskin, Noah Schechter, Josh Silberstein, Yadin Spielman, Noah Spitzer, and Meir Tolchin Mazal Tov to Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, Toradojo students who were promoted: Danielle Felderman (yellow belt), Moshe Frohlinger (orange belt), Refael Frohlinger (orange belt), Sarah Simah Frohlinger (yellow belt), Dalia Goldstein (yellow belt), Tavi Lando (green belt), Eli Novick (yellow belt), Rowi Novick (orange belt), and instructor Gene White (3rd degree) Mazal Tov to Rabbi Eliezer Kaminetzky on being honored by the Highland Park Police PBA on his 20 years of service as their chaplain Mazal Tov to Cong Shomrei Torah of Fair Lawn on receiving a new Torah donated by Ralph and Rabbi Joshua Cheifetz in memory of their parents and brothers Mazal Tov to SAR students for placing in the American Bible Contest, Jonah Chill (1st place, Middle School), Massye Kestenbaum (2nd Place, High School), and Adin Goldstein (5th place High School) Mazal Tov to Phillip Kata on winning an Alisa Flatow Memorial Scholarship to attend Yeshivat Shaarei Mevaseret Zion in Israel Mazal Tov to Cong Beth Aaron Junior NCSY on being named chapter of the year Mazal Tov to students at the Jewish Education Center’s Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy High School in Elizabeth on being selected to compete in the Gildor Family Projects and Inventions international competition to be held in Israel in June Mazal Tov to Ayelet and Ari Feder, Rabbi Dr. Bernhard and Rebbetzin Charlene Rosenberg, and Soshie and Elliot Feder on the birth of their daughter and granddaughter, Chava Esther Mazal Tov to Cong Shaya Ahavat Torah of Parsippany’s Tuesday Talmud class on their recent siyyum celebrating the completion of their two-year study of the Book of Sotah Mazal Tov to Fred and Carole Samuel on their 50th wedding anniversary Y

Mondays

Intermediate Israeli Folk Dance, Sara Burnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-362-4400, begins June 6 Widowed and Widowers: You Are Not Alone, Judy Brauner, LCSW, JCC, Tenafly, 6:30pm, 201-408-1456 Learn with Your Son: Maseches Bava Metzia-Second PerekEilu Metzios, on five levels from beginners to advanced, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 7pm, 862-371-3186 Parsha, for women, Rebbetzin Rivka Eichenstein, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8pm, 732-777-6840 “Heading Somewhere: The Biblical Book of Numbers,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, 8:15pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Navi Shiur: Sefer Shmuel II, for women, Aviva Orlian, private home in New Hempstead, 8:15pm, 845-364-5148 Uncoupling: Coping with Divorce and Separation, Judy Brauner, JCC, Tenafly, 8:15pm, 201-408-1456 Tefillah, Rabbi Dr. C Presby, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-985-1111 Become Self-Sufficient in Your Learning, Eilu Metzions on 5 Levels, Beginners-Advanced, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 862-371-3186 Hilchos Shabbos, Avi Bodlander, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 9:30pm, 732-985-1111

Tuesdays

Navi Shiur: Sefer Ovadya, Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 11am Parshas HaShavua with Chumash Skills, Rabbi Doniel Weiner, Passaic Torah Institute, 11:15am, 973-594-4774 “Ivrit in Your Feet” Hebrew-English Soccer Program, for children 4-5 years old, Edi Shvartz, Seton Park, Riverdale, 4-5 year olds, 4pm; 6-8 year olds, 5pm, ivritinyourfeet@gmail.com Nach Shiur: Shmuel Alef, for women, Rabbi Nachum Muschel, private home in Monsey, 4:14pm, 845-356-3832 Parsha and Pizza, for grades 1-8 (separate classes by age), Rabbi Josh Schulman, spons by Yeshiva University at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm, begins July 5, 201-923-5960 Weekly Bike Riding, spons by HudsonJewish.org, meet at the Korean War Memorial, Jersey City, 6:30pm, susan@hudsonjewish.com Beginners Art, for girls, Chana Jacobs, private home in Monsey, 7pm, 845-893-9975 “Arabic for the Curious,” Aaron Rubin, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-408-1426, begins June 28 Tefillah Shiur, Rabbi Dr Abraham Twersky, Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 7:45pm Talmud, Rabbi Shalom Lubin, Cong Shaya Ahavat Torah of Parsippany, 8pm, 973-896-6577 Partners in Torah, YMHA, Clifton, 8:15pm, 862-591-2920 Halacha, Avi Kamelhar, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-985-1111 Shiur: Maseches Sukkah, Lieber Schachter, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, ryan@bmob.org

Wednesdays

Parsha, for women, Rebbetzin Miri Cohen, private home in Highland Park, 9:15am, 732-249-5116 Telephone Shiur: “Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life: Based on the Teachings of Rabbanit Sara Yosef,” for women, taught by Chaya Hinda Allen, 10am, 215-745-3996 Sefer Ohel Rochel: The Three Women’s Mitzvos, Batsheva Berger, private home in New Hempstead, 10:30am, 845-362-2349 “Ethics in Action,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 11am Chumash: Sefer Bereishit, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 12:30pm, 201-837-2795

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com One-on-One Tutoring and Chavruta Learning, for boys and girls, 5-18, Rabbi Josh Schulman, spons by Yeshiva University, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm and 5:45pm, 201-923-5960, begins July 6 Pre-Teen and Teen-Age Girls Sewing Circle, Marge Kohlhagen, ncludes personal items as well as a joint project to be donated to charity, private home in Bergenfield, 7pm, 201-385-7995, begins June 29 “The Five Levels of Pleasure,” Rabbi Marc Spivak, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7pm, 973-669-7320 Knitting on Cedar Lane, Joanne Samad, at the Teaneck General Store, Teaneck, 7pm, begins June 15, 201-530-5046 Tanach Shiur, for women, Rachel Frazer, CareOne, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-862-3300 “A Look at Ibn Ezra,” Rabbi Marc Spivak, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 8pm, 973-669-7320 Hands-On Parenting Workshops, Perl Abramovitz, private home in Passaic, 8pm, 718-640-1878 ext 3 Support Group for Orthodox-Jewish Divorced Women, Lynn, private home in Monsey, 8pm, yehudisf@yahoo.com “The Issur of Revenge and Bearing a Grudge,” Rabbi Zev Rivkin, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8:15pm, hermankc@gmail.com Halacha, Rabbi Yisroel Hoffman, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-985-1111 Become Self-Sufficient in Your Learning, Eilu Metzions on 5 Levels, Beginners-Advanced, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 862-371-3186

Thursdays

“Sefer Tehillim Revealed: Lessons for Life in All Its Complexity,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:45am “Approaches to Human Suffering in the Book of Job,” Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck 10:50am “Arabic for the Curious,” Aaron Rubin, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-408-1426, begins June 30 Halacha, Rabbi Yitzchok Pollak, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-594-4774 Parsha, Rabbi Doniel Isaacs, Passaic Torah Institute, 9pm, 973-594-4774 Shiur: Maseches Sukkah, Lieber Schachter, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, ryan@bmob.org Parsha, Rabbi Y Eichenstein, Cong Agudath Israel, Highland Park, 9:30pm, 732-985-1111 Mussar Based on the Parsha, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes cholent, Passaic Torah Institute, 10:05pm, 973-594-4774

Fridays

Parsha HaShavua with Chumash Skills, Rabbi Doniel Weiner, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:45am, 973-594-4774 Carlebach Minyan, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 7pm “The Meaning of Minhag,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, between Kabbalat Shabbat and ma’ariv

Shabbat

Perush Hatefilo, for children, Rabbi Jonathan Feldman, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 10am Father-Son Learning, Kehillas Beis Sholom, Clifton, 2:30pm, scott@injurylawyer.com Shiur and Oneg for Bar Mitzvah Boys, Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger, private home in Bergenfield, 3:30pm, 201-384-0434 Mother-Daughter Learning Program, Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 4pm, 201-385-4814 Father-Son Learning Program, Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 5pm, 201-387-0027 Pirkei Avos in Depth, for men, Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 5:15pm, 862-371-3186 Chumash Rashi/Ohr Hachayim, with seuda shlishis, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 6:30pm Perek in the Park, Cong Etz Chaim, private home in Livingston,

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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6:30pm, 973-597-1655 Pirkei Avos, for women, includes brachos party for children, private home in New Hempstead, 4:20pm, 845-362-2349

Motzei Shabbat

Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532); 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), 10:30pm

Specials

“Ten Minutes of Torah,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, Mon, Wed, Thurs, 7:15pm, between mincha and ma’ariv Kollel B’nei Torah of West Orange, Sephardic Minyan of Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, Mon-Wed, 8:15pm; Thurs, 8:30pm YU-Keter Torah Summer Kollel Night Seder Beit Midrash for Men, Rabbi Eli Belizon and Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:45pm, Mon-Thurs, July 5-Aug 12, elibelizon@gmail.com Yeshiva Unversity-Rinat Yisrael Women’s Beit Midrash Program, includes Gemara, Halacha, and Tanach, with Stern College students, Mon-Thurs, July 5-28, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, evenings, Pulitzer@yu.edu

Chesed Ops

Passaic and Teaneck now have Chaverim organizations that will help, free of charge, if your car doesn’t start or if you are locked out of your house or a car (call for medical help if a child is in the car), run out of gas, or get a flat tire. Chaverim of Teaneck will also provide disaster relief and shiva house assistance, and will lend a helping hand to the elderly and infirm. Both groups are looking for volunteers. Passaic Chaverim can be reached at 973-447-4811 and an application to volunteer can be accessed at http://www.passaicchaverim. org/Passaic-Chaverim/application-form. Chaverim of Teaneck can be reached at 201-800-HELP (4357) or at chaverim.teaneck@gmail.com. OHEL is looking for mature and responsible volunteers to drive children in its foster care divisions to visits with their birth parents at OHEL’s Boro Park office, 718-686-3103 In honor of her bat mitzvah, Tovah Weiskopf is collecting lip balm and non-aerosol deodorant for “A Package from Home,” an organization that sends care packages to combat “lone” soldiers in Israel who do not have families in the Jewish state. Call 201-384-7338 In honor of his bar mitzvah, Eitan Schneier is collecting new comic books and other reading matter for the teen patient lounge at Hackensack University Medical Center. To drop off appropriate books and comics, call 201-692-1157 The National Museum of American-Jewish Military History, which operates under the aegis of the Jewish War Veterans of America, lists over 40 Jews who have given their lives in the defense of the US in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Memorial Day, these Jewish servicemen from NJ were honored: 2nd Lt. Seth Dvorin, US Army, 24, of East Brunswick; Spec Marc Seiden, US Army, 26, of Brigantine; Sgt Alan Sherman, US Marine Corps Reserve, 36, of Brick; and Capt Michael Tarlavsky, US Army, 30, of Passaic. Y

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

June 2011

Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

Mazal Tov to the Class of 5771(2011) Mon., June 6 Torah Academy of Bergen County, at Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 7:30pm Sun., June 12 Bruriah High School for Girls, Elizabeth, 9:15am Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, at Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10am Bat Torah—The Alisa Flatow Yeshiva High School for Girls, Paramus, 10am Yeshiva Ktana Girls High School, Passaic, 10am Jewish Educational Center Mesivta for Boys, Elizabeth, 10:45am Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 1pm Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, River Edge, 4pm Mon., June 13 Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy 8th Grade, Livingston, 6pm Adolph Schreiber Hebrew Academy of Rockland County (ASHAR), Monsey, 7:15pm Moshe Aaron Yeshiva High School Girls Division, at Raritan Valley Academy, Piscataway, 7:30pm Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 8pm Tues., June 14 Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, Livingston, 7pm

Moshe Aaron Yeshiva High School Boys Division, at Raritan Valley Academy, Piscataway, 7:30pm Yeshivat Beit Hillel 8th Grade Girls, Passaic, 7:45pm Wed., June 15 Yeshiva Beit Hillel 8th Grade Boys, Passaic, 7:45pm Thurs., June 16 The Moriah School of Englewood, at the Bergen Tech, Hackensack, 7pm SAR High School, Riverdale, 7pm Yavneh Academy, at Paramus High School, 7:30pm Sun., June 19 Jewish Educational Center 8th Grade Boys, Elizabeth, 9:15am Bruriah 8th Grade Girls, Elizabeth, 10:45am Mon., June 20 Yeshiva Ktana of Passaic 8th Grade Girls, Passaic, 6:30pm Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, at Middlesex County College, Edison, 7pm Tues., June 21 Yeshiva Ktana of Passaic 8th Grade Boys, Passaic, 6:30pm Wed., June 22 Yeshiva Ohr Simcha of Englewood, at Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 6pm Y

Kol Ami

continued. from page 5

This is the continuation of the Rabbis’ responses to the Kol Ami question begun on page 5.

R. Tendler

not be controlled. The Talmudic sage cited in the reference feared that he could not fulfill his filial responsibilities to his mother and, therefore, chose to continue his Torah studies elsewhere. It does not allude to a mother who wants to attend her daughter’s wedding. Rabbi Moshe Dovid Tendler Monsey, NY

R. Pruzansky emotionally, verbally, or psychologically) to the daughter that continued interaction, even casual, is inimical to the child’s best interests and welfare. Since the commandment of “honoring parents” proscribes a child from responding harshly to a parent—even an abusive parent—the proper fulfillment of that commandment then requires the child to avoid contact with and absent himself/ herself from that parent. That being said, this should be an extreme and exceedingly rare response. If a reconciliation is at all possible, it should be attempted. Life is short. Rabbi Steven Pruzansky Teaneck, NJ

R. Boteach

I always try to reconcile the parent and child. This is not only because the Torah obligates us to honor our parents, but also because the reconciliation is vital to the psychological wellbeing of both parent and child. It is absolutely unhealthy for both parent and child to be estranged from one another. We all need the love and approval of our mothers and fathers, and, therefore, it is incumbent on us to do whatever we can to resolve such painful relationships. If I were the rabbi in this case, I would insist on speaking, separately at first, to the mother and the daughter to learn what the grievances are and where the hurt lies. Then I would move heaven and earth to bring about a reconciliation. Rabbi Shmuley Boteach Englewood, NJ

R. Yudin

after that effort, the daughter still insists that her mother’s presence at the wedding would put a damper on the day for her, she does have the right to refuse to allow her mother to be present. Rabbi Benjamin Yudin Fair Lawn, NJ

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Turkish Flotilla end of May on the anniversary of the first one, which, in 2010, was stopped from approaching Gaza by Israeli security forces. When anti-Israel activists on one of the ships, the Turkish IHH’s Mavi Marmara, refused to heed Israeli warnings to stop, Israeli armed forces boarded the ship. On the ship, Israeli soldiers were attacked by activists wielding knives, metal rods, clubs, and live gunfire. In self-defense, the Israelis struck back, killing nine Turkish activists, including one with dual American citizenship. Seven Israeli soldiers were wounded. On the other ships in the flotilla, activists offered only passive resistance, and there were no injuries. Losing Arguments Because Turkish elections are scheduled for June 12, the new flotilla’s sailing has been postponed until the end of the month. “With Erdoğan playing for centrist votes in the up-

ALAN L. MUSICANT

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coming elections, his supporters, such as the IHH, do not want to do anything that could alienate those voters,” said Mr. Bar-Ner. Mr. Erdoğan’s government argues that Israel has no right to stop the flotilla on the “open seas,” but most experts on international law disagree, maintaining that the blockade, an effort by Israel to keep weapons out of the hands of Gaza-based Hamas terrorists who frequently target missiles at Israeli civilian centers, is legal. International Passengers According to some reports, the new flotilla will include ships leaving from Marseille, France; Genoa, Italy; and a port in Germany. Other countries that may be represented in the flotilla include Sweden, Belgium, Greece, Spain, the UK, and Ireland. There may also be groups of Americans, Canadians, Latin Americans, Africans, and Asians.

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

In response to these reports, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asked the relevant governments to “use their influence to discourage such flotillas, which carry the potential to escalate into violent conflict.” Mr. Ban maintained that assistance and goods destined for Gaza should be routed through legitimate crossings and established channels. Canadian Warning Israel has long claimed that attempts to breach the naval blockade are political rather than genuinely humanitarian. The Jewish state has offered to transfer any bona fide aid shipments directly to Gaza, provided it can inspect the cargo to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas and other terrorist groups. The Canadian government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper has warned against Canadian involvement in the new flotilla.

“Canada recognizes Israel’s legitimate security concerns and its right to protect itself and its residents from attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including by preventing the smuggling of weapons,” said Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird. American Reaction News that Turkey is planning to allow a reprise of last year’s flotilla escapade has not been met with cheers in the US. At the beginning of May 2011, a bipartisan group of 36 members of Congress wrote to Mr. Erdoğan, asking him to prevent Freedom Flotilla II from sailing and to “work with the Israeli government in a productive way as it continues to allow legitimate aid, but not weapons, to enter Gaza.” In their letter, the congressmen emphasized Israel’s right to defend itself and argued that, if the ships approach Gaza, Israel would be forced to board

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them and search for weapons, raising the risk of another crisis. Echoing the Congressmen’s letter, US President Barack Obama reportedly called Mr. Erdoğan to express his hope that “Turkey and Israel will find opportunities to improve their relations in the interest of regional stability.” Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Philip Gordon told the US Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on European Affairs that, since the incident with the Mavi Marmara, Israel had eased the blockade of Gaza and “made very clear that there are alternative ways to

get humanitarian assistance to Gaza.” “So any government or NGO that wants to send genuinely humanitarian goods to Gaza has a way of doing it that is uncontested. And we very much believe that and have been very clear with the Turkish government that that’s the case,” said Mr. Gordon, adding that he had told the Turkish government that any support for a new flotilla would “not help Turkish-US ties.” Turkish Rejection According to the Turkish press, the Turkish government has rebuffed the American requests. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said those supporting

the planned flotilla are acting in a private capacity. He said that while Turkish-government officials have advised organizers and participants “of the dangers they face,” the government could not tell civilians to stay away from Gaza. “We have shared our views about the safety of our citizens with all related parties. That was the case last year and it is not any different this time,” said Mr. Davutoglu. He said that while Ankara has “never encouraged any convoy,” it “cannot give instructions to civil society” not to embark on the attempt to break Israel’s blockade. According to some sources, if the Turkish government were to intervene now, it might raise questions as to why Ankara did not stop the first flotilla in May 2010. PA Participation Among those planning to join the new flotilla are members of Fatah, the Palestinian faction headed by PA President Mahmoud Abbas. According to Nabil Shaath, a senior member of the Fatah Central Committee, senior Fatah officials will be permitted to participate in the flotilla because “it is a humanitarian effort meant to lift the blockade on Gaza.” Asked if officials would need permission from Hamas or the IDF to participate, Mr. Shaath said, “We don’t need authorization to reach our homeland—not from Hamas and not from Israeli security forces.” Rejected by the EU Mr. Bar-Ner explained that Turkey, which used to be a close ally of Israel, dropped its ties with the Jewish state after the European Union rejected Turkey’s application for membership. At that point, Ankara began looking for allies in the Iranian-SyrianHezbollah Islamist extremist axis. “There was a change in foreign policy after the EU refused to accept Turkey. Various sources explained it to me in a nutshell: The EU did not want 70 million Muslims to be part of their Christian club. In addition, the EU was afraid of having to support them in a heavy way,” said Mr. Bar-Ner. In the aftermath of this rejection, he said, the Turkish military, which had ruled the country since the days of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, lost power. Mr. Atatürk, the founder and first president of the modern Turkish state, died in 1938, leaving a legacy of a secu-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com lar Turkey, which was dependent on its military for support. Unintended Consequences According to Mr. Bar-Ner, when Mr. Erdoğan came to office, he was told by the Europeans that, if Turkey wanted to join the EU, the country would have to limit the power of its military. “This served Erdoğan’s purpose, and so he gladly reduced the influence of the military in favor of his own Islamists, which was certainly not what the EU meant,” said Mr. Bar-Ner. Although the Turkish military is a shadow of its former self, it is not entirely powerless, according to Mr. Bar-Ner, and the prime minister will have to watch himself carefully so as not to lose popularity. Smaller Majority According to Mr. Bar-Ner, Mr. Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP) will probably remain in power after the upcoming elections, but, he said, the party may command a much smaller majority than it currently enjoys. “Erdoğan likes to say that the AKP is not a political party with a religious axis, implying that he would like it to be seen as not Islamist, but, rather, mainstream conservative in the European tradition. However, critics accuse it of harboring a hidden Islamist agenda, and it certainly has its roots in an Islamist party that had been banned when secularism was the rule in Turkey,” said Mr. Bar-Ner. According to Mr. Bar-Ner, the biggest challenge to the AKP’s bid to retain power will come from the center-left CHP, the Republican People’s Party, the faction identified with the military. “The AKP may lose many voters to the CHP and other parties, which means Erdoğan will need the support of others in order to govern,” he said. That could work to Israel’s benefit, he said, because while under Mr. Erdoğan, there has been a shift in Turkish governmental policy away from the Jewish state, the Turkish people as a whole are not anti-Israel. Not a Moderate But Mr. Erdoğan’s posturing as a moderate in Turkey has not prevented him from speaking out in favor of terrorism elsewhere. On May 12, Mr. Erdoğan declared in an interview with Public Broadcasting’s Charlie Rose that Hamas is not a terrorist organization despite its being classified as

Sivan 5771 such by Israel, the US, and the EU. According to Mr. Erdoğan, calling Hamas a terrorist organization is a sign of “disrespect” for the Palestinian people. “It is a resistance movement trying to protect its country under occupation,” said Mr. Erdoğan. Referring to the first flotilla incident in May 2010, Mr. Erdoğan said he is still waiting for an “apology, compensation, and lifting of the embargo on Gaza” from Israel. He has also ordered his government to petition Israel to identify the names of the Navy commandos who stopped the IHH flotilla last year from reaching Gaza. According to press reports, Turkey has accused Israel of premeditated murder and wants

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an investigation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Shimon Peres, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and Defense Minister Ehud Barak. Threats It seems he will have a long wait. According to Turkish media, the current Israeli Ambassador to Turkey, Gaby Levy, told diplomats in Ankara that his government sees the new flotilla as having been organized for “provocative purposes.” “If a similar situation emerges again, there will not be violent actions as in the Mavi Marmara, but, be assured, all that is necessary will be undertaken [by Israel],” Mr. Levy reportedly said in a statement

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June 2011

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Ess Gezint: Easy Dairy for Shavuoth and Summer Suppers

Seeing Shavuoth as a time of new beginnings, Sheila Zucker of Riverdale likes to try fresh, simple takes on traditional favorites. While dairy does not always mean light, in Ms. Zucker’s hands, these dairy dishes certainly mean uncomplicated. And what could be better for a holiday that doesn’t ask us to build huts in the backyard or turn our whole households upside down? All it requires is to sit back and enjoy dairy-based desserts. Chag Sameach, everyone. Y

Baked Broccoli and Cheese 1 cup ricotta cheese ½ box noodles Salt and pepper, optional 2 eggs 1 cup cooked broccoli, chopped Preheat oven to 350º and grease a square or round baking dish. Cook the noodles according to package directions. Beat the eggs and add to the noodles along with broccoli, cheese, and salt or pepper, if using. Spoon the mixture into the baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes. Serves 2-3 people.

Apple Crumble

2 apples, peeled, cored, and ¾ cup flour sliced 2 tsp sugar, divided 1 tsp raisins 1 tsp cinnamon 6 Tbs margarine Preheat oven to 350º. In a small bowl, combine the flour, 1 tsp sugar, cinnamon, and margarine, forming a loose, crumbly mixture. Place apples slices and raisins in a round or square baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 tsp sugar and top with the crumb mixture. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Delicious plain or with whipped cream or milk. Serves 3-4 people.

Tuna Croquettes

1 egg 1 onion, diced 7-oz can white tuna, drained Salt and pepper, optional 1 Tbs breadcrumbs or matzo Vegetable oil for frying meal In a small bowl, beat the egg. Then add tuna, breadcrumbs, onion, and salt and pepper, if using. Mix well. Heat some oil in a skillet and drop four large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan. Brown on both sides until done. Serves 2-3 people.

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Turkish Flotilla

interpreted in the Turkish media as a veiled threat. Asked about this exchange, Mr. Davutoglu said, on the contrary, his government had summoned Mr. Levy to send “serious warnings” to Israel that Ankara expected Jerusalem “not to repeat the human tragedy it caused last year.” “It should be known that Turkey will give the necessary response to any repeated act of provocation by Israel on the high seas,” said Mr. Davutoglu. Trying to Defuse Some observers said reports that Egypt has now opened its border with Gaza might diffuse the situation, making the flotilla unnecessary. Under now-deposed President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt had kept its border with Gaza closed. But organizers of Freedom Flotilla II said, despite Egypt’s action, they remain determined to press ahead with their plans largely to force Israel to give up the blockade.

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For a while, there were hopes that if the new UN panel, headed by former New Zealand Prime Minister Geoffrey Palmer and including former Colombian President Alvaro Uribe as well as Israeli and Turkish representatives, concludes that Israel was within its rights, it might persuade the Turks to end their involvement. In its presentation to the UN, Israel leaned heavily on the report issued by its own Turkel Commission, which was asked to investigate the May 2010 incident. The probe, which was led by Israeli retired Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel and overseen by two international observers, Northern Irish former First Minister and Nobel Peace Prize winner William David Trimble and Canadian former military judge Ken Watkin, found that Israel’s blockade of the Hamasrun Gaza Strip and the Jewish state’s operation to stop the Mavi

Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Marmara, were in accordance with international law. No Reconciliation News that the UN investigation appears to back Israel’s case over Turkey’s has been met with outrage in Ankara. According to some Turkish media, there is speculation that Turkey will withdraw from the panel if the final report appears to favor Israel’s point of view. Mr. Davutoglu, who blamed Israel for the current panel’s delay in issuing its report, said Turkey would not necessarily withdraw from the panel, but, he added, Ankara’s response “will be strong.” He stressed that “contrary to the wishes of the Americans,” the UN mission was not to reconcile Turkey and Israel, but, rather, “to serve justice.” “Why were nine civilians killed? Who dares to kill civilians in international waters? We want this to be described. We do not want a mediator with Israel,” he said.

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Obstacles According to Mr. Bar-Ner, one of the more positive rumors circulating about the planned second flotilla is that some of the groups slated to participate are finding it difficult to raise the money necessary to purchase ships. In addition, the ships may find it impossible to secure insurance. Shurat Din, a legal center in Tel Aviv, warned Lloyd’s of London that it could be liable for massive damages if it insures ships that are used by suspected terrorist organizations to sail to Gaza. The warning came on May 17, just as the Israeli navy fired warning shots at a Malaysianchartered ship carrying sewerage pipes to Gaza from the Egyptian port of al-Arish, forcing it to turn back. The Malaysian group that organized the delivery said that the ship was a few hundred yards off the Gaza coast when an Israeli

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Turkish Flotilla naval vessel forced it back. The ship, dubbed â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Spirit of Rachel Corrie,â&#x20AC;? set sail from the Greek port of Piraeus with passengers from Malaysia, Ireland, India, and Canada. It was named for the young American member of the virulently anti-Israel International Solidarity Movement who, in 2003, was accidently killed in Gaza by Israeli troops while she was trying to prevent them from destroying tunnels used for smuggling weapons to terrorists. No Insurance In response to the letter from Shurat Din, Lloydâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s said it would refuse to underwrite a vessel backed by terrorists or related organizations or any trip that would be in breach of sanctions. Nitsana Darshan Leitner, an Israeli attorney who heads Shurat Din and specializes in cases involving victims of terrorist attacks, said that under

June 2011

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continued from page 35 international law, no link has to be established between a specific terrorist attack and a particular Gaza-bound ship sponsored by a terrorist organization. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The law in the US and Israel and maybe in other countries is that, when it comes to terrorism, it is very strict that anyone aiding and abetting a designated terrorist organization, the liability is on you for any terrorist attack that the organization carries out,â&#x20AC;? she said. Election Complications He recognized that the upcoming elections in Turkey may have an impact on Ankaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s decisions regarding foreign policy. In early May, it was anticipated that, in addition to the CHP, the right-wing TurcoIslamist Nationalist Action Party, MHP, would also play a major role. This past month, however, many politicians affiliated with

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the MHP resigned in the aftermath of a sex-video scandal, which their supporters say was engineered by the AKP and Mr. ErdoÄ&#x;an. As a result, several MHP politicians have already joined the pro-Kurdish Peace and Democracy Party, or BDP. Kurdish Sympathies The scandal erupted just as violent clashes between ethnic Kurdish protesters and Turkish police broke out in the middle of May. At least 12 members of the terrorist Kurdistan Workerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s party, or PKK, were killed by the countryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security forces. According to Mr. Bar-Ner, there are about 6.5 million Kurds in Turkey, mostly in the eastern part of the country, not far from Northern Iraq, where Kurds have established their own, partially autonomous Kurdistan. According to many reports, the Kurds have good, if unofficial, relations with Israel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Turks are afraid of an independent Kurdistan, because they fear the Kurds living in Turkey would want their own independent state to merge with the Kurdistan in northern Iraq,â&#x20AC;? said Mr. Bar-Ner. Armenian Genocide Even more problematic for the Turks is the increasing global awareness of their role in murdering as many as 1.5 million Armenians and expelling some 500,000 more between 1915 and 1918. The Turks have steadfastly refused to recognize their participation in this catastrophe, and there is a running debate over whether or not the episode constituted genocide. Last March, the US House Foreign Affairs Committee approved a non-binding resolution recognizing the Armenian genocide. At least one lawmaker, Rep Dan Burton (R-IN) opposed the measure, fearing it would alienate Turkey, which he identified as

an important Mideast ally. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have sympathy for the people that suffered during that time. We understand tragedies occurred. We understand horrible atrocities occurred. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no question about that. But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re in the 21st century. We have troops in the field, and we run the risk of losing a base of operation in Turkey,â&#x20AC;? he said. After the resolution passed, Turkey, in a pique of rage, recalled its US ambassador in protest. In the Middle Israel was placed in the middle. For many years, some Armenian activists who want the US to take a position on the Armenian genocide blamed Israel for lobbying against such recognition. When Israeli-Turkish relations were good, Israel was accused of working to protect its friend and ally. When relations between Israel and Turkey soured, those who still want to protect Turkey have accused the Jewish state of working to punish Ankara by removing its support, thus allowing increased recognition of the Armenian catastrophe. On May 18, for the first time, the Knesset held an open discussion on recognition of the Armenian genocide. With a number of Armenian religious and lay leaders watching in the visitorsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gallery, MKs from across the political spectrum, including the right-wing religious Shas and the secular left-wing Meretz, spoke in favor of recognizing the Turkish massacres and deportations of Armenians as genocide. For years, consecutive Israeli governments, concerned about damaging relations with Turkey, blocked attempts by MKs to raise the subject of the Armenian genocide. This year, the government of Prime

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“Honor the Professional According to Your Need”

Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made no such attempt. Ending the Denial After the discussion, MKs voted unanimously to refer the subject for a further hearing in the Knesset’s Education Committee, where it will be broadcast publicly. “I am certain that, as Israelis, who have heard so many times people attempting to deny the horror that was brought upon our people, it is impossible for the

Knesset to ignore this tragedy,” said Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin. “The historical facts supporting it are solid and wellbased. There is still an argument between the Turkish nation and the Armenian nation, but this argument cannot justify even a sliver of denial regarding the Armenian people’s tragedy. We find it difficult to forgive other nations who ignore our tragedy, and thus we cannot ignore another nation’s tragedy. It is our

moral obligation as human beings and as Jews.” Mr. Bar-Ner, who did not deny the Armenians had suffered “a major massacre,” was not as certain that the tragedy could be defined as “genocide.” “It has yet to be determined if the Muslim rulers of the Ottoman Empire gave orders to massacre the Christian Armenians, like Hitler did to the Jews, or if the murders were committed without a spe-

cific plan. It does not matter to the victims, but it does when it comes to classifying it as ‘genocide,’ which is a planned attempt to wipe out a people,” said Mr. Bar-Ner. In any case, he said, between the planned Turkishsanctioned flotilla and Israeli efforts to help the Armenians, “it may be too early to expect an improvement in the TurkishIsraeli relationship any time soon.” S.L.R.

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Memories of the Chidon HaTanach Last Forever

n 2009, Joshua Meier, now 15, was the Middle School first-place champion in the US National Chidon HaTanach competition, based on the Jewish Bible, for high school students. In 2010, he represented the United States in the international contest, Chidon HaTanach HaOlami, held in Jerusalem on Yom Ha’atzmaut. This year, the Teaneck resident, the son of Dr. Ronny and Elizabeth Meier, spoke at the National Chidon HaTanach in New York, telling prospective contestants that while he thought the experience would be mainly competitive, it was, in fact, an “extraordinary” combination of tourism, hands-on learning, and, most of all, friendship-building. He explained to the future contestants that he had been told that participating in the Chidon in Israel would be “the trip of a lifetime, but I soon learned that was an understatement.” “Before I arrived in Israel, I thought my experience would mainly be shaped by the competition, Tanach, and sightseeing. I had no idea that the bonds I made with other people from all over the world would have made the biggest impact on my life. We learned so much from one another, whether Tanach-related, personally, communally, or culturally. I can now say that I competed in the Chidon HaTanach on Yom Ha’atzmaut in 2010, but,

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more importantly, I can say that I have friends in 40 different countries around the world,” he said. Chapters to Study The Israeli government pays for each student’s plane fare and all expenses in the Jewish state during the competition, which was originally founded by David Ben-Gurion as a competition for adults. In the months leading up to the international competition, American participants in the Chidon are given a set of chapters of Tanach to study. Each is given one book of the Torah, one in Early Writings, and a third in Writings. Those participating in the high school division are given a book of Later Prophets as well. In all, each student studies a total of between 70 and 100 chapters. Throughout the year, participating students, divided into Hebrew middle and high schools and English middle and high schools, take three tests. Each region of the US crowns its own “Regional Champion,” and these winners plus those who have scored higher than 85 percent on the tests, go on to the US national competition. National Test The national test involves some purely factual questions, such as “Who said this to whom?” or “Who is this section discussing?” There are also questions that test the participants’ understanding of the text. The second part of the test involves showing students similar phrases in Tanach and asking them to match the citations. Students must be able to complete quotes from the Bible and show proficiency in understanding Biblical family trees. The first place winners in each division earn the right to compete in Israel. Once in Israel, the international competition is based on 400 chapters of Tanach. Because Israelis have a linguistically natural edge, the winner is usually a resident of the Jewish state. Therefore, there is a separate “Diaspora Contest” for the top students from outside the country. Bible Camp Although Josh Meier made clear that competing in the Chidon was a marvelous experience, participating in the “Bible Camp,” which takes place in Israel the week before and week after the contest, was thrilling. During Bible Camp, the youngsters travel throughout Israel, meet dignitaries, participate in the Gadna

youth military program, and, of course, study Tanach. In New York, Mr. Meier told the prospective contestants that his arrival at the Rabin Youth Hostel in Jerusalem gave him the opportunity to meet many of the people with whom he had been communicating through email and Facebook over the past months. “Although we were all from different countries, spoke different languages, and were all competing, the atmosphere was so friendly and inviting,” he said. New Friends As he and his three roommates—two Israelis, Avner Netanyahu (yes, the son of the Prime Minister), Elad Nachson, and Ariyeh Sigaloff of Argentina—unpacked their bags, “we could not help but to quiz each other on Tanach,” recalled Josh. “It was amazing how well they knew the material, and I enjoyed discussing Tanach with them. Although we were asking each other questions, I quickly learned this was no longer a competition; we were each helping to increase the others’ grasp of the material,” he said. The unpacking that should have taken a few minutes stretched to more than an hour as the boys, through their studying, “began to become great friends.” Biblical Sites As the Bible Camp progressed, Josh delighted in the number of sites, especially in the Old City of Jerusalem, whose fame came straight from Tanach. “I was no longer the only one quoting phrases from the Tanach as we traveled through the streets. Everywhere we went, people were reminded of the months of studying we had all undergone,” he said. He found Shabbat in the holy city of Tzfat and hiking with the Jewish National Fund and planting trees in the north of Israel highlights of the trip. “In retrospect, I realized these trees really represented each of us as competitors. We all began our journeys as small seeds, unaware of our surroundings, but through our trip together, we grew as a forest and became one,” he said. Staying Close While Josh did not compete this year, he watched the International Chidon live online, in the middle of the night, while skyping with his Chidon friends from all

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June 2011

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Letters to the Editor Use the Facts to Come to a Logical Conclusion

All sane people want peace and no wars. But it is the interpretation of the “facts” which determine our opinions pertaining to which steps will lead to peace or to war. Winston Churchill and Neville Chamberlain each had the same information in 1938 relating to Hitler’s demand for the Sudetenland of Czechoslovakia. Churchill, out of power, vehemently opposed appeasing Hitler by forcing Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland for “peace.” Chamberlain, the sitting British Prime Minister, chose otherwise and forced Czechoslovakia to surrender the Sudetenland to Hitler. Several months later, Hitler attacked Poland with his Blitzkrieg and World War II began. Nobody can say for certain that there would not have been World War II if Chamberlain had not forced Czechoslovakia to cede the Sudetenland. However, it is not debatable that Hitler would have had a much more difficult time if his tanks had been forced to attack the highly mountainous area of the Czech Sudetenland. The Wehrmacht’s Blitzkrieg would have been ineffective against an entrenched Czech military force rather than the killing fields of the flat lands of Poland, where Hitler’s Blitzkrieg was supremely effective. Hitler might have had second thoughts about starting World War II if he had had to deal with treacherous, stiff Czech-fortified mountainous resistance. The Palestinian leadership ostensibly insists that Israel return to the 1967 borders in order for the two people to live in “peace.” The US, the countries of the E.U., many Israelis, and many American Jews believe that if Israel returns to the 1967 borders, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will be resolved. All of us have the same basic facts, but my analysis of them compels me to conclude that Prime Minister Netanyahu must take the Churchillian position in this debate. There are three formal Palestinian documents all of which call for Israel’s destruction: The undated Fatah constitution, the Hamas constitution which surfaced in 1988, and the PLO Charter (Covenant), created in 1964 when Israel did not occupy any part of the “West Bank” and was, by definition, living within its “1967” borders. The PLO Charter was amended in 1968 (after the 1967 War when Israel gained, for the first time, the “West Bank”) with no changes to the provisions calling for Israel’s total destruction. Since then, the Palestinian leadership has allegedly voted to eliminate the specific “Israel destruction” clauses and other objectionable sections, and to redraft a new charter. As of this writing, no specific Palestinian eliminations of the objectionable clauses have appeared, and no new charter has ever been published. The failure to modify the charter, combined with public pronouncements by the Palestinian leadership demanding “return of the refugees,” plus the fact that Hamas is a client state of Iran and has agreed to unify with Abbas’ Fatah, means there is no reasonable logic to conclude that return to the 1967 borders will actually lead to peace. On the contrary, Israel should insist that all three documents and the “right of return of the refugees” be specifically nullified by the 2/3 majority vote of the Palestinian population in a public referendum. Then the Palestinians must enact a law which precludes a Palestinian political party from running for the legislature if it

promotes the destruction of another country. These and other relevant security issues must be resolved to Israel’s satisfaction just as the US and its allies were satisfied before they returned control to Germany and Japan after World War II. William K Langfan Palm Beach, FL

Free Clinics, Free Malpractice Insurance, Better Care

As physicians in private practice and co-founders of the Zarephath Heath Center, a free clinic for the poor in central NJ, my husband, John, and I and our colleagues now see 300-400 patients per month without charge. After working closely with the poor, we are convinced that the Medicaid program is not only too expensive, it actually is harmful to the poor on many levels. Its extraordinarily low fee schedule prevents it from giving adequate access to physicians. We have suggested an alternative that has caught the attention of many lawmakers in NJ, including State Senators and Assemblyman as well as representatives from the Governor’s office and from the NJ Department of Human Services. We call our proposal the Volunteer Physicians Protection Act (VPPA) and have set up a website (www.NJAPPS.org) that contains most of the information to explain our extraordinarily simple plan: Physicians would donate four hours per week in nongovernment, non-taxpayer-funded, free clinics in exchange for state medical malpractice coverage for their private practices. This means no claim forms and no coding, just free care in free clinics. Physicians, who know the poor need medical care, not “coverage,” are voicing their approval and willingness to participate. We are not suggesting that Medicaid be ended, but, rather, changed into a program that would entail minimal administrative burden and cost. Liability for our work in the free clinic is already covered by the Federal Tort Claims Act. Now we are asking the state to extend the coverage it already gives to medical school attendings, residents, and students, to the practices of physicians who will volunteer four hours a week simply to caring for poor people. The taxpayers will be the real beneficiaries, saving huge amounts of money because the only costs will be if a lawsuit is brought against the private practice of a volunteering physician. We believe that, if this plan is instituted, the incidence of frivolous lawsuits will drop dramatically as none of the defensible suits, those in which the physician did nothing wrong and did not deviate from any reasonable standard of care, will get very far. According to medical malpractice insurance executive Peter Leone, $40 million has been paid annually in NJ for just this sort of claim. He believes the plan to have the state reward physicians who provide charity care, with medical malpractice coverage for their entire practices, would have several benefits. First, taxpayers would be relieved of the enormous burden of the Medicaid system. The poor would have better access to care, and physicians would be able to practice in an environment in which they are not expected to order every possible test on their first encounter with the patient. For more information, check out our website and contact me. Alieta Eck, MD Piscataway, NJ

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Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) Only Israeli Leaders Make the Decisions

On September 29th 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlin, signed the Munich Agreement, awarding the Czech Republic, her defensive formation of armored fortresses, and the second largest munitions plant in Europe to Adolph Hitler and Nazi Germany. Afterwards, Chamberlin flew home to England where he declared that his cowardly concession had created “peace in our time.” It did no such thing. It created a war in his time that would claim millions of lives. By November 1940, Chamberlin was dead of natural causes, and it became the responsibility of millions of other people who permitted him to reward the Nazis for their aggression and to sacrifice themselves for his appeasement of the Nazis. Perhaps Chamberlin was intimidated by the death of so many English soldiers on the battlefields of Europe in WW1 which had concluded less than 20 years earlier. Perhaps Chamberlin was merely acknowledging the Nazis’ superior martial forces and armaments. Although history consigns blame for this mistake on Chamberlin, ultimately it was neither his decision, nor that of Prime Minister Edward Daladier of France, nor the decision of Il Duce Benito Mussolini of Italy that doomed the millions of victims who would perish in the coming war. It was, rather, the decision of Prime Minister Edward Benes of Czechoslovakia. The Czech people had not elected Chamberlin or Daladier to govern their country, and they could not blame representatives of other countries who refused to honor their commitments to fight for another people’s freedom. And although the British and French recognized their mistake and honored their commitment to Poland, the Poles stood virtually alone against Nazi Germany less than a year later. Their French and British allies were unable to mount an offensive against the Nazis that could have saved the Poles from the Blitzkrieg that destroyed their country. Fast forward to September 2011 when the UN, which has served primarily to bring the Islamic nations of the world together to demonize the Jewish state of Israel, will vote to create a Palestinian State. The UN has allowed thugocracies like Libya to serve on its human rights commission and has considered the application of Syria, even as the ruling elites of those hellholes regularly butcher their fellow citizens. Mr. Obama recently spoke about the UN plan, blessing the withdrawal of Israel to the indefensible Auschwitz borders of 1967. But Jews should feel confident that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not Mr. Benes. With the hindsight of the Ho-

locaust to reassure him, Mr. Netanyahu will have no illusions about what fate awaits the Jews of Israel should he agree to this Faustian bargain. In this cruel world, we have learned that a free people that loses the will to fight loses the right to be free. And before any land won by force of Jewish arms in Israeli wars is surrendered on the altar of a false peace, a serious deal that surrenders the right to demonize Jews must be proposed and agreed to. Fat chance of that. Israel has no need to occupy her neighbors. Israel wants to live in peace. And although the international community, encouraged by Islamic fanatics, will never lose interest in savaging Israel, we can at least hope they will not achieve Israeli complicity in their efforts. Richard Reisman Bergenfield, NJ

It Would Be a Non-Starter

I commend President Obama for reiterating to the entire world— including the 22 Arab countries that surround Israel—that the United States has an unshakable commitment to the safety and security of the Jewish State of Israel. I agree with the President that the United Nations is not the place to negotiate the final parameters of peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, and that Israel should not be forced to talk with parties, such as Hamas, that don’t recognize its right to exist and seek to drive it into the sea. A two-state solution agreed upon by the Israelis and Palestinians should be negotiated through direct talks, but it is important to remember that a full return to the 1967 borders would be indefensible for Israel and that talking with terrorists who want to destroy Israel is a non-starter. Rep Steven Rothman (D-NJ) Washington, DC Steve Rothman, who represents the 9th District, is a member of the House Appropriations Subcommittees on Defense and State and Foreign Operations. 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 FAX number is (201) 569-1739. The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

A Timeless People Is a Glorious Celebration of the Orthodox “Counter Revolution” Sweeping Jewish America

Book Review by Catriel Sugarman espite the somewhat misleading generic blurbs about “vibrant Jewish communities” on the dust jacket, A Timeless People, written by Rabbi Dr. Saul Landa and just published by Gefen Publishing House, is a glorious celebration of the Orthodox “counter-revolution” that is sweeping across Jewish America. The book concentrates on 18 growing American-Orthodox communities, six in the Northeast, four in the South, four in the Midwest, and four in the West. A coffee-table sized book, its 380 pages feature over a thousand pictures, many taken by the author and never published before. Others are gleaned from community archives and private collections. There are pictures of synagogues, old and new; immigrants

June 2011 Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice & Opinion”

with their push carts; dilapidated five-story walk-ups on the Lower East Side, complete with flapping laundry; venerable sages and peddlers; kosher butcher shops from the 20s; Purim se’udot from the 30s; new flourishing yeshivot; and scads and scads of children. One picture is indeed worth a thousand words! Unexpected Gems Rabbi Landa traces the historical and cultural development of these communities from their earliest beginnings, relating their triumphs and setbacks and effortlessly joining together reminisces from “old timers” with narrations of congregational rabbis and day-school activists. This delightful book is full of unexpected gems. For example, there is a picture of a bronze yahrzeit plaque com-

memorating Berush ben Mordechai Dov, better known as Bugsy Siegel, the mobster who first put Las Vegas on the map. Who knew that Reb Berush’s forefathers sang in the Beit HaMikdash? That’s right, Bugsy was a Levi and his family seems to have been members of the famed Bialystoker Shul in the Lower East Side. Did you know that the first Jewish Day School in the US was founded by the New York Spanish Portuguese Synagogue in 1731? By 1854, there were seven such schools. Unfortunately, their demographic and financial base was too narrow to cope with the advent of the free public school system, and all of the early Jewish day schools folded. Personal Discoveries On a personal note, my heart fluttered when I saw a picture of the antique Aron HaKodesh of the Lloyd Street Shul in Baltimore, the old Shomrei Mishmeret where I was bar mitzvah over a half a century ago. But even I didn’t know that the kaleidoscope-like stainedglass Magen David above the ark was the first Star of David used as ornamentation in a Jewish institution in the US. There is a plethora of other such tidbits scattered through the book, and Rabbi Landa invites his readers to follow him as he visits “fellow Jews in their homes and synagogues, exploring archives and attics for clues to the past.” Rabbi Landa has no doubt that readers will find this a rewarding journey, and I agree with him wholeheartedly. Do I recommend A Timeless People? I couldn’t put it down! Y

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Sivan 5771

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Page - 43

Live Where You Can Walk to Shul

Tanach Contest other the world. At the same time, they were emailing their Israeli friends, including Avner Netanyahu, who was sitting in the audience in Jerusalem. Although Josh attends the Bergen County Academy of Sciences, a magnet public high school in Hackensack, he manages to attend minyan every morning as well as later in the day for mincha and ma’ariv. In addition, he learns with Rabbi Menahem

continued from page 38 Meier for two hours every day, studying Gemara, Tanach, and related Jewish studies. According to Josh’s mother, Rabbi Meier, who had been her son’s coach for the Chidon HaTanach for two years, “is an incredible teacher and role model for our child.” “As Josh’s talk to the future contestants shows, the Chidon impacts students for years to come,” said Mrs. Meier. S.L.R.

Vaad Atlantic

continued from page 12

tion,” said Rabbi Rapoport. Advisors His father, Rabbi Shmuel Rapoport, will remain a member of Vaad Atlantic’s advisory committee, along with Rabbi Avi Richler of the Chabad of Mullica Hill and Rabbi Max Fox, spiritual leader of Atlantic City’s Orthodox Congregation Rodef Shalom. Vaad Atlantic serves all Jewish communities in southern South Jersey, which generally

means south of the Atlantic City Expressway, which connects the shore community to Philadelphia. This includes some smaller Orthodox communities, such as Vineland and Gloucester. For more information, about Vaad Atlantic, visit www.vaadatlantic.org or call 609-6300613. For more information on Chabad at the Shore, visit www.chabadac.com or call 609-822-8500. S.L.R.

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