THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism
February 2012
Vol. 25 • No. 5
Shevat 5772
Israel Named One of Top Three Nations in Cyber-Space Terrorism Preparedness, and Not a Moment Too Soon: State Faces Thousands of Cyber-Attacks Each Day In early January, a cyber-
attack against Israel, in which credit card information (including the three-digit security codes) of some 15,000 Israelis was stolen by a selfidentified Saudi hacker, set off a series of further attacks and counter-attacks, culminating in the Jewish state’s decision to establish a special cyber-warfare administration within the Department of Defense. Before the month was over, numerous Israeli and Arab corporate and stock exchange websites were hacked and temporarily disabled;
millions of Arab and Israeli email addresses, social-network identities, bank accounts,
and consumer and credit card data were compromised; and a pro-Israeli hacker said he
received a death threat from the Iranian government. According to Reserve MajorGeneral Isaac Ben-Israel, now a professor at Tel Aviv University and a cyber-security advisor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel is hit with 1,000 cyber-attacks every minute, and while not all of them are dangerous, he considers them all to be serious. Israel’s Advantage There is evidence that the Israel-Arab cyber-war is just beginning. However, Israel, worldrenowned as a “super power” in the field of information-security continued on page 41
Signs of the Times: War with Iran Is Probably Inevitable In an interview believed to
have been coordinated with the highest echelons of the Israeli government, Dan Gillerman, Israel’s former permanent representative to the UN, told reporters that Israel has made a decision “not to allow that rogue, fundamentalist, extremist, terror-supporting regime in Iran to acquire nuclear weapons.”
Mr. Gillerman did not pretend that an attack on Iran was being planned with Washington, but, rather, he anticipated that, when it was over, Israel might well be condemned by most of the United Nations, including the United States. “I would rather see Israel, a living Israel, condemned, than a dying Israel receive the sympathy and condolences of the international community,” he told reporters.
Religion and Economic Liberty..... 5 Kol Ami: Republican Candidate?..... 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 NORPAC Endorses Rothman ...........11 Trying to Intimidate the Torah.....16
Small Hope Mr. Gillerman said that while Israel still holds out hope that the international community will rise to the occasion and do what is necessary to stop Iran from completing its quest for nuclear weapons, recent events in the Security Council, in which Western nations could not even muster sufficient votes to condemn Syria for massacring its own people, were not building
Inside the Voice
Purim Puppets...................................26 The Log................................................28 New Classes This Month................38 Mazal Tov.............................................39 Beth Aaron Boys Choir....................40
Israel’s confidence level. Mr. Gillerman said the UN’s inability to protect Syria’s civilian population from slaughter at the hands of President Bashar Assad’s regime is “a dangerous signal of American weakness as well as that of the President.” Both Syria and the Hezbollah terrorist group in Lebanon are “nothing more than proxies for Iran,” said Mr. Gillerman. continued on page 25
Ess Gezint: Kosher Harry Potter....46 Index of Advertisers ........................49 Honor the Professional ..................51 Letters to the Editor ........................52 Walk to Shul........................................55
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Conference in Jerusalem to Examine Why Religion and Economic Liberty Go Hand-in-Hand In honor of the 100th birthday of the
late economist and Nobel Laureate Milton Friedman, two free-market think tanks and an organization devoted to religion-and-liberty studies will be sponsoring a conference in Jerusalem this spring. Scheduled for May 20th-24th, the conference is entitled “Economic Liberty and Religion: A Match Made in Heaven?” According to one of the organizers of the conference, Frayda Levy of Mountain Lakes, NJ, the principal goal of the program is to explore why religion flourishes in Frayda Levy combination with economic liberty and why state-support diminishes the positive more religious, with a higher probability of efficacy of religion. joining churches, synagogues, mosques, “In fact, when oct the state does not interfere jewish voice 2011:Layout 1 10/3/2011 18:08 Page 1 and other places of worship,” said Ms. Levy. with religion, individuals tend to become
Needing Each Other The conference will discuss the reasons that “religious citizens tend to be pillars of a civil society upon which economic liberty rests.” Among the conference’s sponsors are: the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies (JIMS), a free-market think-tank in Israel; the Action Institute, a Michigan-based ecumenical think-tank dedicated to the study of free-market economics informed by religious faith and moral absolutes; and the Atlas Network, a Washington, DC-based foundation that supports free-market think-tanks throughout the world. According to Ms. Levy, conference organizers hope the program will help religious communities and those who
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THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2012; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Susan L. Rosenbluth Phone (201)569-2845 Managing Editor: Sharon Beck, Advertising: Rivkie Lichstein-Stall The Jewish Voice & Opinion (ISSN # 1527-3814), POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631, is published monthly in coordination with The Central Committee for Israel. A one-year subscription is $18. Periodicals postage is paid at Englewood, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Jewish Voice and Opinion, POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. All advertising in the Jewish Voice and Opinion must conform to the standards of the Orthodox Rabbinic kashruth. Editorial content reflects the views of the writer and not necessarily any other group. The Jewish Voice is not responsible for typographical errors.
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Kol Ami: Republicans on Jewish Issues? Although four Republican candidates are still in the race for President, most pundits say only two of them—Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich—are viable. Most American Jews are registered Democrats, but each Republican candidate has Jewish supporters who believe their candidate is not only better on the issues, but also able to beat President Barak Obama in the fall. The question this month was: Which of the two top candidates do you think would be better on so-called Jewish issues, such as Israel and, perhaps, school choice? Y
Both Romney and Gingrich have long been on record as supporting Israel’s defense of its citizens from terrorists and the likes of Iran. Both candidates have also long been on record as supporting schoolchoice. Who you prefer may depend more on whether you prefer impulsive or pragmatic, imperious or ingratiating. Michael Poppers Elizabeth, NJ
I would say Gingrich because he is passionate, cares deeply, and will fight for what he believes is right. Not only is this admirable, but it indicates his willingness to fight for a cause, such as support for Israel, even if world opinion is against it. I am deeply afraid that Romney would not stand up for Jews continued on page 11 Miriam Leah Droz Brooklyn, NY
Israel is an imperative, and, for the Jewish people, a viable candidate must believe that a strong, secure Israel is the lynchpin to peace in the Middle East. Gingrich has been more outspoken and seems better to grasp that issue. As an issue, school-choice pales by comparison. We’d all like to pay less tuition for our children and grandchildren. Israel is a continued on page 11 Dr. Carl Singer Passaic, NJ
Based on hard-core Jewish issues, it seems clear that Gingrich is the better choice. His honest portrayal of the fiction of the Palestinians as an independent nation says it all. Moreover, he has stated emphatically that, if elected, he would move the US Embassy to Jerusalem without hesitation. continuted on page 11 Dr. Daniel Schwartz Teaneck, NJ
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”
Lassie, Come Home Dept: In Western Europe, jihad has been declared against Man’s Best Friend. Fido could be an endangered species, because practitioners of the religion of peace consider dogs ritually unclean. Critics say it reflects the growing assertiveness of Muslims in Europe as they attempt to impose Islamic Sharia legal and religious norms on Western society. You think? In The Hague, a Dutch-Muslim city councilman, Hasan Küçük, has called for a ban on dogs. The Turkish-Dutch politician vehemently opposed a proposal by the Party for the Animals to make the city more dog-friendly. Mr. Küçük said that keeping dogs as pets is tantamount to animal abuse, and he called for the criminalization of possession of dogs. Paul ter Linden, who represents the Dutch Freedom Party on the council, countered that, in the Netherlands, pet ownership is legal and “whoever disagrees with this should move to another country.” With Muslims now accounting for more than 12 percent of The Hague’s population, it might be Mr. ter Linden—and his pooch—who are soon looking for a new home. In Lérida, Spain, in the northeastern region of Catalonia, where 29,000 Muslims make up about 20 percent of the city’s population, two Islamist groups have demanded that dogs be banned from all areas in the city frequented by Muslims. When the municipality refused, there was an unexplained wave of dog-poisonings. Local residents walking their dogs report being harassed by Muslim immigrants. Britain, however, has become “ground zero” for Europe’s canine controversies. Blind passengers are routinely ordered off buses or refused taxi rides because Muslim drivers or even
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other passengers object to the “unclean” guide dogs. Police sniffer dogs, trained to spot terrorists in train stations in the UK, are no longer permitted to come into contact with Muslim passengers, and those dogs used by police to search mosques and Muslim homes are now fitted with leather bootees (really!) to cover their paws so that they do not cause offense. Muslim prisoners in British jails are given fresh clothes and bedding after sniffer dogs search their cells. In Scotland, the Tayside Police Department apologized to the city’s 3,000 Muslims for featuring a puppy on a postcard used as part of a campaign to publicize a new non-emergency telephone number. But the Best-in-Show must go to the French singer and actress Marie Laforêt, 72, who recently placed a help-wanted ad on an Internet website. She specified that “people with allergies or orthodox Muslims” should not apply “due to a small Chihuahua.” Although Laforêt said she made the stipulation because she knew Muslims viewed dogs as unclean, the case against her was taken up by an anti-discrimination group misnamed the Movement against Racism and for Friendship between Peoples. Laforêt said she thought the ad showed she was being respectful, but the practitioners of the religion of peace rejected her defense. Rin-Tin-Tin, call your office. *** Did you ever notice that no one cares who does the dying; they pay attention only to who does the killing. In the UN, reports that Egyptians, Libyans, Syrians, or Africans are massacring one another receive yawns. But let the killing be by a Jew defending himself and… Well, you know, they tried to kill us, we won, let’s eat. Happy Purim, everyone. S.L.R.
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Economic Liberty and Religion support economic liberty understand why they need each other. “We also hope to educate Jews and Israelis—especially those who don’t believe in economic liberty—about why Jews and Judaism excel with free markets,” said Ms. Levy. Bringing People to Israel Israeli officials expressed pleasure that the conference will attract to Israel many economic conservatives who have not yet visited the Jewish state. According to Ms. Levy, among those registering for the conference are people who say they have long wished to visit Israel, but never before had the opportunity. “We will be exploring the Jewish and Christian heritage of economic and political freedom,” said Ms. Levy, who characterized the conference as “a unique opportunity for Christians and Jews who share a commitment
to liberty to participate in thought-provoking lectures on free-market economics, individual rights, philosophy, and religion by world-class scholars.” Those who have been invited to address the conference include Andrew Breitbart, publisher of the Washington Times; Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute; Carmel Chiswick, professor of economics at the University of Illinois; David Friedman, professor of law at Santa Clara University; Steve Grosby, professor of Religion at Clemson University; Jonathan Jacobs, professor of philosophy at John Jay College; and Dean Don Siegel of the SUNY Albany School of Business. Israelis who have been invited include Seth Frantzman of the Jerusalem Post; Arye Hillman, professor of economics at Bar Ilan University; Rabbi Dr.
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continued from page 5 Isaac Lifshitz of the Shalem Center in Jerusalem; Dr. Iddo Netanyahu, brother of the Prime Minister; and Dr. Netanyahu’s wife, Daphne Netanyahu, editorin-chief of Maraah Magazine, an online publication dedicated to presenting points of view not usually seen in the regular media. The topics they will discuss include “Religion and Voting Patterns,” “Judaism and Liberal Philosophy,” “Civil Society and Religion: How Religious Organizations Are the Foundations of Civil Society,” “Morality and Economics: Is Capitalism a Moral System?” and “Why Religion Flourishes Best without State Sponsorship.” Tourism In addition, participants will be able to enjoy expertguided tours of some of Israel’s most important historic and contemporary sights. The program in May will open with a dinner at the David Citadel in Jerusalem, where greetings will be extended by officials from the office of Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman. Other sites the group will visit include Jaffa and Tel Aviv, on a tour entitled “A Journey through Israel’s Economic Miracle”; a winery tour in the Judean Hills to appreciate “a modern industry based on an ancient tradition and private entrepreneurship”; and a tour of Jerusalem, entitled “Jerusalem: From the Jewish Underground to Menachem Begin—History of a Fight for Freedom.” Ms. Levy explained that in some quarters, the current series of Republican primaries has convinced some voters that they will have to choose between political candidates, such as Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich, who seem to emphasize socially conservative
issues; and Mitt Romney and Ron Paul, who seem to focus on fiscal conservatism. “This conference, along with the think-tanks supporting it, will prove the choice is not an ‘either-or,’” said Ms. Levy. JIMS The hosting think-tank, The Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies, takes as its mission to promote social progress in Israel through economic freedom and individual liberty. Founded in 2003 by Robert Sauer and Corinne ParentiSauer, it regularly publishes economic policy papers and editorials. Recently, it addressed the issue of how much Israelis pay in taxes (an average of 58 percent of their incomes) and how much of the economy is controlled by the government (51 percent). “Israelis pay between 30 percent and 50 percent more for basic items than consumers in other OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development] countries due to lack of market competition, and small- and medium-size businesses have little access to credit due to the lack of competition in the domestic financial market,” said Ms. Parenti-Sauer, who will be addressing the conference along with her JIMS colleague, Zev Golan. Other topics expected to be address by JIMS include the issue of why poverty in Israel is increasing, despite the fact that the Jewish state spends more than a quarter of its annual public budget on welfare; and why “corruption and inefficiency in the government inhibit economic growth and social progress.” Economic Freedom Naming the conference in honor of Dr. Friedman is
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Economic Liberty and Religion emblematic of the esteem in which the late economist is held, and not only by conservatives. The British-based Economist magazine described him as “the most influential economist of the second half of the 20th century…possibly of all of it.” An economic advisor to President Ronald Reagan, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and free-market leaders throughout Eastern Europe, Dr. Friedman opposed Keynesian economics, a school of macroeconomic thought based on the ideas of his colleague, John Maynard Keynes. Keynesian economics, which President Barak Obama is accused
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of following, advocates monetary policy actions by a country’s central bank and fiscal policy actions by the government which can overrule free-market principles. Dr. Friedman, on the other hand, extolled the virtues of a free-market economic system with minimal government intervention. He maintained that the economy functions best when people have opportunities to make free choices unfettered by government regulations. School Choice Dr. Friedman’s devotion to freedom went beyond economics. He was instrumental in eliminating conscription into the US armed
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forces (which he said was his proudest accomplishment), and his support for school choice prompted him to establish the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. He argued that drafting young men into the armed forces prevented them from shaping their lives as they saw fit. Instead, he advocated a paid volunteer force, although he did suggest mandatory military training as a reserve in case of war. In education, he proposed supplementing publicly operated schools with privately run, but publicly funded institutions through a system of school vouchers. Nobel Prize In 1976, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics “for his achievements in the fields of consumption analysis, monetary history and theory, and for his demonstration of the complexity of stabilization policy.” The son of Jewish immigrants from Hungary, Dr. Friedman was raised in Rahway, NJ, and educated at Rutgers University before leaving for graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he made his mark as the leader of the Chicago school of economics. He died in 2006 at the age of 94, leaving his wife and frequent co-author, Rose, who died three years later, and two children. Natural Connections Ms. Levy said it is very appropriate to name the upcoming conference in Jerusalem in Dr. Friedman’s memory. “We will be exploring the natural connections between religion and economic and political freedom. We will be discussing why Capitalism is not only the most efficient economic system, but also the most moral,” she said. For more information on the conference, visit the Jerusalem Institute for Market Studies website, www.jims-israel.org, or the conference’s website, http://www. jims-conference.org/Pages/Home.aspx. Kristina Crane of the Atlas Network can be reached at 202-449-8438, and John Couretas of the Action Institute can be contacted at 616-454-3080. “I hope people will join us at the conference and help us celebrate the freemarket principles which have enabled Jews to survive and prosper,” said Ms. Levy. S.L.R.
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NORPAC Endorses Steve Rothman for Congress in NJ 9th District NORPAC, the New Jersey-based,
non-partisan political action committee, has decided to endorse one of the two incumbents in the Democratic Congressional primary race in New Jersey’s redrawn 9th District. In primaries, NORPAC does not usually back candidates choose between two incumbents, but the organization has opted to view the 9th District race as open, and has endorsed Representative Steve Rothman. NORPAC’s mission is to support congressional candidates and sitting members of Congress who demonstrate a genuine commitment to Israel’s strenth, survival, and security. The primary is scheduled for June 5, 2012. Dr. Ben Chouake, president of NORPAC, admitted that if the districts had not been redrawn, the organization would be holding fundraising events for both Representative Rothman and Representative Bill Pascrell. Mr. Rothman currently represents the 9th District, while Mr. Pascrell represents the 8th District. Because of redistricting, however, Mr. Rothman, 59, who is recognized
Kol Ami
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life-and-death issue; school-choice is only money, or perhaps a political football. Dr. Carl Singer Passaic, NJ if we ever needed him. In fact, the worse the situation might grow, the more apathetic he might become. Miriam Leah Droz Brooklyn, NY other hand, Romney’s “parve” attitude toward Israel is a concern. He said his first trip as President would be to Israel, but, on all other issues, he has been mostly silent, which is a statement of its own that he is not staunchly pro-Israel, although clearly not as staunchly anti-Israel as is Obama. I fear that, with Romney, the old peace rhetoric—“a road to nowhere”— will continue. While Gingrich has his weaknesses, he would be a source of amazing support for Israel without the “let’s-play-nice” game of political chess that has prevailed way too long. Dr. Daniel Schwartz Teaneck, NJ
as one of the most pro-Israel voices in Congress, will be facing Mr. Pascrell, 75, whose record on Israel is mixed. Must Be Registered Further, Dr. Chouake is calling on the pro-Israel community in Mr. Pascrell’s former district which includes the large Orthodox population in Passaic and Clifton, to make certain to be registered as Democrats, if only for the sake of the primary. “After the primary, individuals can revert immediately to Republicans or Independents, and, even if they remain Democrats, they can vote for whomever they choose—Democrats or Republicans— in the general election. But all pro-Israel Republicans and Independents in the newly redrawn 9th district must register as
The
Democrats in order to vote for Rothman in the primary,” said Dr. Chouake. NORPAC is currently in discussion with The Jewish Voice and Opinion, which has also endorsed Mr. Rothman, to arrange several meet-and-greet functions in Passaic for the community to get to know the candidate and ask questions. NORPAC is also planning at least one fundraising event for Mr. Rothman in Bergen County. Clear-Cut Race Dr. Chouake recognized that given its mission, NORPAC was not compelled to make an endorsement in the primary race. Theoretically, in a case in which both candidates are incumbents who have supported Israel, NORPAC could have
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NORPAC endorses officially opted not to take a position, allowing members to decide whether or not to hold fundraising events for one or both contenders. Such might be the case in the redistricting-fueled primary contest between California Democratic Representatives Howard Berman and Brad Sherman, both of whom are regarded as strongly pro-Israel. According to Dr. Chouake, the situation in New Jersey between Messrs. Rothman and Pascrell is “more clear-cut.” “Pascrell has an okay voting record, but he cannot be compared to a lifetime leader on our issues such as Steve Rothman who, when it comes to Israel, is way ahead of almost everyone else. Other members of Congress go to him for counsel on Middle East issues. He is an expert on the Middle East, and his seats on House Appropriations
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subcommittees make him invaluable,” said Dr. Chouake. Funds for NJ and Israel In the House Appropriations Committee, Mr. Rothman sits on the Subcommittee on State and Foreign Operations and the Subcommittee on Defense. In these positions, he has helped secure funds for Israel for a variety of programs, all of which have also helped the United States. Dr. Chouake pointed out that, on local New Jersey issues, Mr. Rothman has been “a top-notch legislator who has worked hard for Appropriation Committee funds for programs resulting in projects and jobs in the his district.” Dr. Chouake refused, however, to demonize Mr. Pascrell, who, he said, NORPAC would probably have endorsed had he been running against “an unknown challenger.” “While both Pascrell and
Rothman would carry the status of ‘friendly incumbent’ in an ordinary election, there is such a wide difference in their records that Rothman must receive our preference and endorsement in this particular race,” said Dr. Chouake. Josh Block, a former longtime spokesman for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) agreed, calling Mr. Rothman’s “record of pro-Israel leadership…second to none, and, in this particular race, the differences couldn’t be clearer.” “Gang of 54” No one disputes Mr. Pascrell’s votes in favor of Israel’s foreign aid, but in 2010, he became one of the so-called “Gang of 54” Congressmen who signed a resolution attacking Israel for defending itself against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. The Congressional letter Mr. Pascrell and 53 other Congressmen signed called on President Barak Obama to pressure Israel into lifting its defense blockade on Gaza. The embargo was imposed by the Jewish state after the terrorist group, Hamas, won control of Gaza. The Congressional letter signed by Mr. Pascrell charged Israel with “imposing a de facto collective punishment of the residents of the Gaza Strip.”
“Pascrell actually sided against American support for Israel’s right to defend herself against weapons-smuggling and attacks by terrorists,” said Mr. Block. Support for CAIR Mr. Pascrell, whose district includes large Arab-American communities in Clifton and Paterson, has had relations with CAIR, the Council on AmericanIslamic Relations, which has been accused of supporting terrorist groups, including Hamas and Hezbollah. The “Gang of 54” letter, for example, was written by Rep Keith Ellison (D-MN), the first Muslim to serve in Congress. Supporters of Israel said that, in signing it, Mr. Pascrell allied himself with some of the most anti-Israel voices in the United States, many of them associated with CAIR. In March 2007, Mr. Pascrell arranged for CAIR to meet in a conference room on Capitol Hill. A few days later, he received a community service award from the NJ chapter of the American Muslim Union. J Street Most striking in the Jewish community are the sectors from which Messrs Pascrell and Rothman have drawn support. The “Gang of 54” letter won applause for Mr. Pascrell from the far-left J Street,
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com a group that purports to be “pro-Israel and pro-peace.” Critics say J Street is part and parcel of Washington’s antiIsrael lobby, and has been closely allied with groups that sponsor and support boycott, divestment, and sanctions efforts against Israel. Mr. Rothman has been scorned—some would say demonized—by J Street. He incurred their wrath in April 2011 when, in the wake of the terrorist murder of an entire family in Itamar, Israel, he and others wrote to Mr. Obama requesting his administration’s help in insisting that PA President Mahmoud Abbas “fully renounce any and all Palestinian incitement against Israel and the Jewish people.” In his letter to Mr. Obama, Mr. Rothman and his co-signers said, “Television programs run by the Palestinian Authority and textbooks in government schools continue to praise martyrdom and terrorists and
February 2012/Shevat 5772
call for an armed struggle against the Israelis. Incitement, especially by official institutions, damages the prospects of reaching a peace agreement between the Palestinians and America’s strategic partner and indispensable ally, the Jewish State of Israel, and only encourages terrorism.” Standing up to Friedman It was neither the first nor last time that Mr. Rothman took such a position. In 2009, he authored a letter, signed by dozens of his colleagues, urging Mr. Abbas “to truly end anti-Israel and anti-Jewish incitement.” Just this past December, Mr. Rothman reacted angrily to an anti-Israel piece in the New York Times by columnist Tom Friedman. Mr. Friedman argued that the standing ovations Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had received from Congress were not for his policies, but because the Israeli lobby AIPAC had “bought
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and paid” for them. Mr. Rothman responded by calling Mr. Friedman’s allegation a “defamation against the vast majority of Americans who support the Jewish state of Israel…scurrilous, destructive, and harmful to Israel and her advocates in the US.” “Mr. Friedman is not only wrong, but he’s aiding and abetting a dangerous narrative about the US-Israel relationship and its American supporters,” said Mr. Rothman, adding that he gave Mr. Netanyahu a standing ovation “not because of any nefarious lobby, but because it is in America’s vital national security interests to support the Jewish state of Israel and it is right for Congress to give a warm welcome to the leader of such a dear and essential ally.” “Mr. Friedman owes us all an apology,” said Mr. Rothman. Opportunity to be “a Super Vote” According to Dr. Chouake, pro-Israel voters who do not
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take advantage of the opportunity to cast their ballots for Mr. Rothman in the NJ primary this June might have to apologize to themselves if Israel were to lose a strong voice in Congress. Dr. Chouake sympathized with Jewish Republicans who might have looked forward to participating in the GOP Presidential Primary, but he said that by June, the Republican Presidential nominating process should be all sewn up. “By June, NJ votes in the Republican Presidential primary will be irrelevant. It will be a done deal. The reality is, proIsrael voters in NJ’s 9th District should be involved in this year’s Democratic Congressional Primary,” he said. He had no argument with those who will probably support a Republican over whichever Democrat wins the primary. “All voters should aim to be relevant and maximize the
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power of their vote. The ninth district is very gerrymandered and drawn so that only a Democrat could win the general election. This means the real election is the primary. Those who want to make a difference need to register as Democrats to be able to pick the best candidate in the primary, which is the only competitive election for that Congressional seat. Because of low turnout and the fact that only registered Democrats can vote in that election your vote has a super vote, tenfold effect. ” said Dr. Chouake. Republican Primary In fact, there probably will be a Republican Congressional primary this year in the 9th District, where two candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring and another is still trying to decide whether to run. Saddle Brook residents Blase Billack, an associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at St John’s University, and Bruce Wrede, a senior technician at the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, have both declared their candidacies. “I cannot just sit back anymore and passively accept the failure of our government to represent us, our needs, and our values,” said Mr. Billack on his campaign website. Rabbi Boteach Just before the end of January, the controversial Orthodox Rabbi Shmuley Boteach filed a letter of intent with the
Bergen County Republican Organization—a necessary first step toward becoming a candidate. Rabbi Boteach, who resides in Englewood with his wife and their nine children, said his candidacy will depend on whether he can raise the necessary funds, which he thinks should be at least $1 million. Now Rabbi Boteach has two months to decide whether or not to run. He has told reporters that he wants “to bring Jewish values into the political discourse,” and that the focus on issues like abortion and homosexual rights has deflected the country’s attention from “real values-oriented issues” like divorce. As a Congressman, Rabbi Boteach said he would introduce legislation making marriage counseling tax-deductible. Boteach, 45, who calls himself “America’s Rabbi,” is a syndicated columnist and prolific author with 27 bestseller books and numerous television and radio appearances to his credit. He also aspires to be named Britain’s Chief Rabbi after the current Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks retires. Fury at Libya Although he had denied it, some of Rabbi Boteach’s critics said his immediate impetus to run for Congress seems to be the issue of taxes, and whether or not the City of Englewood will rezone his house to recognize it as a functioning synagogue and thus eligible for tax-exempt status. Rabbi Boteach first mentioned the possibility of running for political office
in 2009. He was angered by then-Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s boasted plans to pitch a tent outside the house that had been purchased by the Libyan mission to the UN in 1982. The Libyanowned building is next door to Rabbi Boteach’s home. Rabbi Boteach was furious for several reasons: that Mr. Qaddafi, who had just secured the release of the terrorist responsible for murdering 270 people in the 1988 Pan Am Lockerbie bombing over Scotland, would come to Englewood; that workers at the Libyans’ 25-room mansion had installed a 2,000-foot black metal fence and cut down some of the Boteach family’s trees as well as a stretch of their own chain-link fence; and that the Libyan-owned house, as part of the Libyan diplomatic mission, was tax-exempt,. Blaming the Politicians Rabbi Boteach blamed the house’s tax-exempt status on Mr. Rothman, who was Mayor of Englewood when the Libyan mission bought the property. In fact, as mayor, Mr. Rothman tried to put the house back on the tax rolls, taking the matter to court, twice, and losing both times. Mr. Rothman, however, forced the Libyans to agree, in writing, that the only residents who could stay at the house even just for one night, without the express permission of the State Department, were the Libyan ambassador and his immediate family. Mr. Qaddafi never received permission. Nevertheless, it has remained a bone of contention for Rabbi Boteach, who stopped paying his own property taxes in 2011 to protest that the house belonging to the Libyan government was still tax-exempt. “I refused to subsidize Qaddafi’s government with my tax money once the Libyan government started bombing its men, women, and children. President Obama himself had declared Qaddafi’s government illegitimate. Sure this was no longer a legitimate embassy. The city could not force us to subsidize the Libyan government’s murderous campaign against its citizens,” he said. Home Synagogue The issue took on new meaning this past fall, when Rabbi Boteach decided to seek a property tax exemption for
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his home, in which he has held weekly and holiday services, classes, and other functions, including communal Sabbath meals, for the past 11 years. Over the years, he said, “many friends told me I should apply for a property-tax exemption for which we were amply qualified. After all, the tiny city of Englewood had about 80 official houses of worship that were exempt, many of which were not nearly as active as ours.” Boteach said that he finally decided last year to apply for the change for two reasons: first, the desire on the part of those who come regularly to his home synagogue to make the prayer services, classes, and communal meals permanent, “including having an assistant rabbi [to] lead services when I lectured at other locations;” and second, his “battle with the city over the Libyans’ tax exemption.” “Why should a terror-sponsoring government be exempt from taxes when not only have they done nothing for the city, but they actually killed New Jersey residents without incurring a single challenge in 30 years from Englewood for their tax exemption?” he said. Wrong Venue? When he first applied to the Englewood Board of Adjustment for his property-tax exemption, he was told he could not be granted a hearing on the matter unless the taxes on the house were current on the day of the hearing, which was scheduled for Oct 24, 2011. Although he reluctantly paid the back taxes he had been withholding, he discovered that, as frequently happens, the busy Board of Adjustment had delayed his hearing. The rabbi suspected it might have something to do “with my three-year campaign against the city for allowing Qaddafi’s terror house to exist in our midst tax-free.” He and his lawyer decided to try a change of venue, and made a new application to the Englewood Planning Board, which, in a taped session made public by Rabbi Boteach, decided that although it had the option to hear the case, it was not compelled to do so. Claiming the issue was too complicated for them, the Planning Board, following the advice of its own counsel, referred the matter back to the Board of Adjustment. Improper Behavior? A call to Englewood Mayor Frank
Huttle confirmed that if Rabbi Boteach takes his plans to the Adjustment Board, he will have his hearing on the issue. However, Rabbi Boteach thinks otherwise and is convinced the city has behaved improperly and possibly with malice against his application. “Is it only synagogues that get the book thrown at them? Is there any hope that our application will ever be heard by the City? And can they at least accord a synagogue the same courtesy they extend to terrorists?” he said. It is unclear how much of this issue will inspire his campaign for Congress—if indeed there is a campaign—but some supporters have said that win or lose,
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he would inject spirit and meaningful discussion into the entire election cycle. “Precious” Primary Votes For Dr. Chouake, the stakes involved for the pro-Israel community are too great for “street theater.” Primary votes in general are “precious and valuable commodities,” he said. Because the turnout for primaries is usually smaller than for general elections, each vote counts for a greater percentage. For example, he said, because no Republicans or Independents can vote in the Democratic primary, it may be assumed that only 10 percent of registered voters will show up.
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
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Torah Declaration Signatories Intimidated and Pressured; Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam Temporarily Suspended When the identities of the now more
than 200 respected Orthodox rabbis, community leaders, and mental-health professionals who signed onto the Declaration on the Torah Approach to Homosexuality were released publicly
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in early January, many of the signatories experienced weeks of relentless pressure by homosexual activists and their supporters, seeking to compel them to recant or at least remove their names from the list.
While most of the efforts in the United States to intimidate signatories have taken the form of quiet threats, in the Netherlands the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, one of the signatories, was briefly suspended amidst claims that he
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“That means each vote cast actually counts as ten votes,” he said. Changing Affiliation According to Assemblyman and Passaic City Council President Gary
Schaer, a member of the Passaic-Jewish community who has also endorsed Mr. Rothman, there are approximately 2,300 Orthodox voters in Passaic and Clifton. While Mr. Schaer said the vast majority
of them are Independents, others in the community say most of them are registered Republicans. Mr. Rothman’s supporters are hoping they will change their affiliation to Democrat just to vote for him in the primary. Switching party affiliation, even just for the primary, is simple. It requires merely filling in the form available at all municipal buildings and sending it to the proper county clerk’s office no later than 55 days before the primary. This year, the forms must be received by April 2. In Passaic, the address is Passaic County Clerk Kristin M. Corrado, 401 Grand St., Paterson, NJ 07505. In Bergen County, the form should be sent to Bergen County Clerk John Hogan, One Bergen Plaza, Room 130, Hackensack, NJ 07601. Absentee Ballots Immediately after the primary, the voter can switch back to his or her party of choice. In the general election, regardless of his or her party affiliation, a voter can select any candidate. As in all NJ elections, mail-in ballots are accepted in the primary. Voters do not need to give a reason for deciding to use a mail-in ballot, which can be obtained at any municipal clerk’s office or online by going to http://www.njelections.org/ mail-in_doe.html and clicking on the correct county. The deadline for getting a primary mail-in ballot to the county clerk’s office this year is May 29. “The important thing to remember is if you don’t vote for Mr. Rothman in the primary, you, G-d forbid, may not get to vote for him in the general. With voices like Rothman’s in Congress, NORPAC can continue to accomplish its most worthwhile goal: to aid in the survival of Israel, the Jewish homeland, and the Middle East’s sole democracy,” said Dr. Chouake. S.L.R.
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did not understand the “unique soul” of Dutch-Orthodox Jews who, according to the president of the community, welcome homosexuals to their congregation and discourage therapy for them. While the situation in the Netherlands has been somewhat resolved, the pressure inflicted on many others who signed the Declaration has continued, outraging and shocking the 25-member committee that wrote the document. Healing The Committee for the Declaration on the Torah Approach to Homosexuality consists of Orthodox rabbis, parents, “strugglers” (those still undergoing therapy), and “success stories” (those who underwent therapy and today are living heterosexual lives, many with spouses and children). Because so many members of the committee have either dealt with the issue or are still undergoing therapy for unwanted same-sex attraction (SSA), the entire committee decided to keep its membership anonymous. “Our identity isn’t important; our message is,” said a member of the Committee. “Having gone through gender-affirming therapy for unwanted SSA, many of us know, first hand, that healing from the emotional wounds that caused it is not easy, but it is possible, and the result can be lives filled with Torah-sanctioned love and intimacy, in harmony with OrthodoxJewish beliefs and values.” Hope and Change The Declaration maintains that the only Torah-approved course of action for those with unwanted SSA is psychological, genderaffirming therapy coupled with teshuva, or repentance, and the loving, compassionate support of the Jewish community. The rabbis who have signed the Declaration represent the chassidish, yeshivish, Chabad, Sephardic, Modern Orthodox, and Yeshiva Universities communities, including, for example, Rabbis Yisroel Belsky, Moshe Green, Shmuel Kamenetsky, Sam Kassin, Avrohom Y. Nelkenbaum, Yisroel Neuman, Steven Pruzansky, Yisroel Reisman, Hershel Schachter, Moshe Soloveichik, Moshe Dovid Tendler, and Abraham J. Twerski M.D. The Declaration, which can be viewed in its entirety along with the names of all its signatories at www.torahdec.org, dismisses the modern trend, even in some
religious circles, to view homosexuality as a permanent, unchangeable characteristic or trait. Rather, it considers unwanted SSA as any other behavior that can be controlled, altered, and healed, such as addictions or even weight control. “Unwanted” The key word, according to the Committee, is “unwanted.” “No one is harassing those who are happy homosexuals. They don’t need us. We wrote the Declaration for those who are unhappy and want to change in order to live lives in consonance with the Torah. We’re proof that it can be done. It isn’t easy, but it’s possible,” said the Committee member.
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Nevertheless, several of those who signed the Declaration, including two mental-health providers and a respected teacher in a well-reputed Modern Orthodox school, have been subjected to a systematic campaign of pressure and intimidation from gay activists and their supporters. Many signatories have been harassed, and there have been demands that targeted individuals be fired and that health practitioners lose their professional licenses. “In the Free World, even in this era of political correctness run amok, freedom of speech and the right to practice and espouse one’s religious faith have always
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been sacrosanct. We view the bullying, verging on fascism, exhibited by activists for the so-called gay agenda as nothing less than outrageous. Their systematic campaign to harm individuals who signed the Declaration is an attempt to deny Jewish religious leaders and professionals the right to speak out for eternal Torah truths,” said the Committee member. Wrath of the Country Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, who, when he signed the Declaration, was serving as the Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, discovered that expressing nothing more than the traditional viewpoint of classical Judaism could bring down the wrath of an entire country. The spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Israel, the Young Israel of Avenue K, in Brooklyn, Rabbi Ralbag is also the head of the Beth Din Agudas Harabbonim of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis. He is the posek and head kashruth coordinator of the Triangle K kashruth organization. He received advanced rabbinic ordination, smicha Yoreh Yoreh Yodin Yodin, from the Lithuanian Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem and his Dayanus smicha (ordination to serve as a religious judge) from the Yeshiva Badatz of Ashkenazim Perushim in Jerusalem. As Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, he traveled to the Netherlands several times a year from Brooklyn or Jerusalem to rule on religious issues. According to reports from the Netherlands, when the Amsterdam-Jewish community board, De Joodse Gemeente Amsterdam or the Nederlands-Israëlietische Hoofdsynagogue,
known as the NIHS, learned that Rabbi Ralbag had signed the Declaration, he was suspended from his position. Homosexuals Welcome According to a statement issued by Ronnie Eisenmann, chairman of the NIHS, which identifies itself as “an OrthodoxAshkenazi congregation,” the board was concerned that the rabbi’s signature might indicate that the Amsterdam OrthodoxJewish community “shares his view.” “This is absolutely untrue. Homosexuals are welcome and all Jewish couples are accepted as full members in the Amsterdam-Jewish community so long as they are recognized as ‘couples’ under Dutch law,” said Mr. Eisenmann. He said the Jewish community in Amsterdam “regrets that the chief rabbi cosigned this document and distances itself from this view.” In addition, he offered “heartfelt apologies to anyone who may have been hurt by the rabbi’s signature.” No Absolutes It was somewhat unclear exactly what kind of community Mr. Eisenmann represents. Although it calls itself “Orthodox,” Mr. Eisenmann issued a statement indicating that the board would not “decide on matters that go on behind closed doors.” “Approximately 80 percent of our members do not live entirely according to the Torah, and that includes sexual orientation. It is not our place to judge,” he said. Mr. Eisenmann told Dutch reporters that while, in the US, there are still debates on the issue of gay marriage, in the
Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag Netherlands, “that was over with 30 years ago.” Judaism, according to Mr. Eisenmann, “is not absolute, but is influenced by place, time, and circumstances” A Different Neshoma Esther Voet, former editor-in-chief of a Dutch-Jewish weekly and the current vice-director of the Centrum Informatie en Documentatie Israël (Center for Information and Documentation Israel) or CIDI, which identifies its mission as monitoring antisemitism in the Netherlands and challenging criticism on Israel, supported the decision to relieve Rabbi Ralbag of his duties. “The CIDI rejects any distinction as to race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation,” she said. She maintained that there is a “cultural gap between the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community of Brooklyn and the relatively liberal Dutch-Orthodox community.” “The Dutch-Jewish neshoma (soul) is unique. We have special rules, like waiting only one hour before eating meat and dairy. We need a chief rabbi who is aware of our traditions and that’s something you cannot fly in two times a year,” she said. Affecting the Non-Jews The uproar in the Jewish community spilled into the general Dutch population when, after newspapers reported on Rabbi Ralbag’s position, it was discovered that an Amsterdam-based Christian health organization, Different, whose treatments have been covered by the
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PAYMENTS AVAILABLE TO ADDITIONAL HOLOCAUST VICTIMS FOLLOWING NEGOTIATIONS Following negotiations with the German government, the Claims Conference has obtained changes to eligibility for the Article 2 Fund and the Hardship Fund, enabling certain additional Holocaust survivors to receive payments. All changes are effective January 1, 2012. Article 2 Fund Jewish Holocaust survivors may be eligible for a payment from the Article 2 Fund who do not already receive a pension from a German source (Article 2 Fund, CEEF, German Federal Indemnification Law – BEG – Bundesentschaedigungsgesetz, PRVG, Austrian OFG – Opferfürsorgegesetz, Israeli Ministry of Finance under the Nazi Persecution Disabled Persons law 5717-1957) and: (i) were incarcerated in a ghetto as defined by the German Government for at least 12 months; or (ii) lived in hiding for at least 12 months, under inhumane conditions without access to the outside world in Nazioccupied territory and Nazi satellite states (Nazi instigation); or (iii) lived under false identity for at least 12 months in Nazi-occupied territory and Nazi satellite states (Nazi instigation). Holocaust survivors who are age 75 or over and who were incarcerated in a ghetto as defined by the German Government for at least three months (but for less than 12 months) and who do not already receive a pension from a German source (as listed above), may be eligible for a pension of €240 per month. To be eligible, applicants must also meet the other criteria of the Article 2 Fund. Full details are at www.claimscon.org. Payments for approved Article 2 applications under these new criteria will be retroactive to the date that applications are received at the Claims Conference office, but no earlier than January 1, 2012. Hardship Fund Applicants may be eligible for a one-time payment of €2,556 from the Hardship Fund if they fled between June 22, 1941 and January 27, 1944 from areas of the Soviet Union that were up to 100 kilometers from the most easterly advance of the German army (Wehrmacht ) but were not later occupied by the Nazis. Those eligible will include Jews who fled from Moscow and Stalingrad. Eligible victims will also include those who fled from Leningrad after June 22, 1941 but before the siege of that city commenced in September 1941. To be eligible for the one-time payment from the Hardship Fund, applicants may not have received any previous compensation from a German source or receive a pension (as listed above under Article 2). Hardship Fund payments may be made to eligible applicants who were citizens of certain Western European countries at the time of Nazi persecution and also at the time of that country’s Global Agreement with Germany. “Western Persecutees” who think they may be eligible and have not already applied to the Hardship Fund should file an application. Western Persecutees are only eligible to receive a payment from the Hardship Fund if they have not received a previous payment from a German source, including from a Global Agreement. Full details are at www.claimscon.org.
For information contact: Claims Conference 1359 Broadway, Room 2000 New York, NY 10018 Tel: 646-536-9100 Email: info@claimscon.org www.claimscon.org
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Dutch universal health-care system, has been providing gender-affirming therapy for homosexuals for decades. According to the manager of Different, psychologist Anouk Van Tooren, the treatment helps clients manage their psychological issues and, she said, approximately 30 percent of patients are cured of homosexual inclinations. “We see many people who have been psychologically injured or damaged in their youth. Sometimes it is a lack of gender role models, sometimes there have been incidents of incest,” she said. While the Dutch agency in charge of
insurance said the government did not support Different’s claims or treatment, it had been, nevertheless, obligated to pay for it. After the Torah Declaration become public, there were indications that furious members of the Dutch Parliament were determined to stop funding therapy that was connected to healing homosexuality in any manner. False Accusations Newspaper reports in the Netherlands, where the Jewish community is mounting an uphill battle to preserve shechita, kosher-slaughter, against a determined
campaign by so-called animal-rights activists, were supportive of the NIHS’s action against Rabbi Ralbag. Based solely on the Declaration, some media reports accused the rabbi of calling homosexuality “a disease;” others accused him of engaging in “hate speech.” The Dutch homosexual-activist group, COC, called the Torah Declaration “baseless, unfounded, malicious, dangerous, and not representative of how the Jewish community generally thinks about homosexuality.” COC demanded that, for Rabbi Ralbag to maintain his position, he would have to withdraw his signature from the Torah Declaration and “enter into a dialogue” with Jewish homosexuals and members of COC. In the Netherland, demands by COC are not unusual. Its leaders have been quoted as insisting that pedophilia must be viewed as “a gay issue” and that the age of consent for sexual activity should be abolished. Not an Illness In his own defense, Rabbi Ralbag stressed that the Declaration never calls homosexuality an illness, but, rather, simply expresses the Torah viewpoint that it is unacceptable behavior. “It’s really irrelevant if homosexual inclination or attraction is hereditary or acquired through the environment. There is a debate on this issue among psychologists. If one wants to live a Torah life, then one can change it. That is what the Declaration was about,” he said. He told Dutch reporters he did not understand the outrage against the Torah Declaration, which he called a document filled with “love and compassion.” Freedom “If we had issued a call to stone gays, it would be different. However, we offer them hope,” he said, adding that traditional Christian as well as Jewish religious leaders have expressed the same position he holds on this issue. “It is their task to do so,” he said. Dr. Gerard van Aardweg, a Dutch psychiatrist who treats homosexuals, endorsed the Torah Declaration and commended Rabbi Ralbag for recognizing that while homosexuals have no disease (‘ziekte”), they do “suffer from emotionaldevelopment problems, like people with depressions or personality defects
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stemming from childhood.” “It is important to state that, despite so many claims, there is no scientific evidence that anyone was born homosexual. It is also important that the religious freedom for homosexuals who do not want to live according to the gay lifestyle must be protected,” he said. Questioning the Debate Janny Groen, writing for the Dutch daily de Volkskrant, asked Committee members if they were anti-gay. She also wondered about the level of the debate over homosexuality in the AmericanJewish community. The Committee responded by characterizing the Torah Declaration as “a very sincere, loving document that, while adhering to Biblical commandments, nevertheless, demands love and compassion for those who are suffering and respect for those who are trying to heal.” The group pointed out that, in the US, where homosexuality is certainly legal and where many states recognize “domestic partnerships” and even statesanctioned marriage between those with SSA, “the issue is still a matter of debate among health-care professionals as well as in many religious communities.” “The Orthodox-Jewish community does not recognize homosexuality as sanctioned behavior. It does recognize that there are individuals who have SSA. The challenge faced by the Committee and those who signed the Torah Declaration was to see what kind of therapy it could recommend for those with unwanted SSA and who want to live lives in consonance with traditional Jewish law, known as halacha,” the Committee wrote to Ms. Groen. Members of the Committee pointed out that while some Jewish-religious leaders have declined to recommend therapy to those with unwanted samesex attraction, the Committee and the Declaration’s signatories believe that approach condemns homosexuals to lives of celibacy or sin, as defined by the Torah. “To deny therapy to those who desperately want to change their samesex attraction is cruel and unjust,” said the member of the Committee. Intolerance Rabbi Ralbag characterized his suspension as indicative of “intolerance” on the part of the Amsterdam-Jewish community’s leaders, who, he said, are
denying the community’s rabbi the right to express an halachic position. “This is unheard of,” he said. In light of his suspension as Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, Rabbi Ralbag asked for the removal of that identification from his name on the list of signers. His other credentials remain on the list along with his name. International Support When Rabbi Ralbag’s predicament became known, widespread support for him and the Torah Declaration was expressed throughout the Orthodox world. In the United States, a letter to Mr. Eisenmann and his colleague, Chanan Hertzberger, chairman of the Jewish Council of Amsterdam, from Agudath
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Israel of America, expressed “dismay” at Rabbi Ralbag’s suspension. “The Torah forbids homosexual acts in strong and unequivocal terms. Encouraging people with homosexual orientations to explore means of dealing with their urges in a manner that is Jewishly appropriate is precisely what one would expect an Orthodox rabbi to promote—and what a Torah-loyal Jew challenged by same-sex attraction would welcome,” wrote Rabbi David Zwiebel, Agudath Israel’s executive vice-president. He stressed that nothing in the Torah Declaration “shows any lack of compassion for Jews facing same-sex attraction challenges.” To the contrary,
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he wrote, the document explicitly insists that such Jews “deserve our full love, support, and encouragement.” Heard, Not Stifled In addition, Rabbi Zwiebel noted, the Declaration “sends an encouraging message of hope that Jews challenged by same-sex attraction do have the ability to live their lives in accord with the norms of the Torah.” While Agudath Israel, as an organization, has not signed the Torah Declaration, Rabbi Zwiebel said the group’s rabbis have “taken note of the testimony of a number of professionals as well as individual members of the community who were challenged by same-sex attraction, that therapies have proven to be helpful in changing or ameliorating homosexual orientations.” “This testimony deserves to be heard, not stifled,” said Rabbi Zwiebel. He concluded his letter with an expression of concern that “a lay body like the Jewish community of Amsterdam would suspend a religious leader like Rabbi Ralbag from his post simply for expressing his religious conviction.” “Such action delivers a terrible blow to the principles of rabbinic authority and
rabbinic autonomy that have long been the hallmarks of Jewish communal life, and establishes an extremely dangerous precedent for the future,” he wrote. “Scandalous” In London, Rabbi Yisroel Lichtenstein, who serves as the Chief Dayan of the Federation Beit Din in the UK, agreed. “It is scandalous that a rabbi should be muzzled for expressing a religious, moral stand,” he said. In an open letter to Mr. Eisenmann, Rabbi Lichtenstein said Rabbi Ralbag’s suspension because of his position on the Declaration “has been viewed worldwide with great concern.” “It is unheard of for a religious leader to be suspended from his position because of a religious moral position, especially in the case of a rabbi who is expressing a Torah view. Your community claims to represent all strands of Judaism including Orthodoxy. I’m afraid, by this action, the community cannot claim to represent Orthodoxy in any manner, shape, or form, and will be considered henceforth as representing [liberal or progressive] Judaism,” wrote Rabbi Lichtenstein. He warned that the “fallout
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consequences” of the Amsterdam-Jewish community’s actions would be “immense,” and that the “world rabbinate cannot sit by whilst a community that claims to be Orthodox acts in this fashion.” Concerned with the Secular In Moscow, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER), equated the behavior of the Dutch-Jewish community with that of the ultra-Orthodox fringe in Israel that is attempting to prevent women from participating in all aspects of public life. “In Israel, an insular and self-absorbed community showed no respect for anyone falling outside of their bubble and, in Amsterdam, a community that is too concerned with what their secular peers believe, has penalized their Chief Rabbi for restating the Torah’s opposition to samesex unions. As contemporary traditional Jews, we have an obligation to uphold Torah values while living as responsible citizens,” said Rabbi Goldschmidt. The CER represents Orthodox spiritual leaders in 50 Eastern and Western European countries. As Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam, Rabbi Ralbag was a member. Among the newest signators to the
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Declaration is Rabbi Goldschmidt’s rabbinic colleague, Rabbi Mordechai Shlomo Bald, Chief Rabbi of Lviv and Western Ukraine and spiritual leader of Congregation Beis Aharon V’Yisrael in Lviv. Schism? Members of the Torah Declaration Committee said that while they welcomed the rabbinic leaders’ words of encouragement, they viewed with alarm the potential rupture caused by the Dutch community’s action. “The claim that Dutch-Orthodox Jews follow a different Torah than the rest of us—not just an interpretation, such as how long to wait between meat and dairy, but a discrepancy based on black-and-white Biblical text—takes us frighteningly close to a schism. Does this mean, as Rabbi Lichtenstein says, that, henceforth, the Dutch-Orthodox community is to be viewed by other, mainstream Orthodox Jews as merely a branch of the liberal movements? Why should anyone trust their hechsher on food, to say nothing of their reliability on issues such as conversion?” said the Committee member. Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, spiritual leader of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, the largest Orthodox synagogue in New Jersey, an attorney, judge on the Beit Din of the Rabbinical Council of America, popular author and commentator, and a signatory of the Declaration, pointed out that the fact that Dutch Jews wait even one hour between eating meat and dairy “proves they recognize the difference between meat and dairy.” “Would that they also recognized the difference between men and women,” said Rabbi Pruzansky. “Indeed the same Torah that demands a separation between meat and milk prohibits same-sex relations. I am unaware of the special Dutch custom or ‘soul’ that has dispensed with that prohibition.” Sociological Issue He argued that the Dutch-Jewish community action against Rabbi Ralbag is indicative of a deeper sociological issue. “The problem seems to be that the Netherlands is such a permissive society, with legal and open prostitution and a declining commitment to marriage, that Jews who have grown up in such an environment might be psychologically and spiritually incapable of embracing the Torah’s morality in these matters. They
are spiritually shell-shocked,” he said. He suggested that the Dutch community recall the words of Jewish sages who stressed that the deference due to rabbis should mirror Jews’ respect for G-d. “The honor and dignity of a communal rabbi, who is the voice and moral compass of his community, is sacrosanct. It is the rabbi’s decision that is to become public policy because it is the authority of his scholarship, erudition, and grounding in the morality of Torah that shape the outlook,” he said. Historic Community He noted that the stature and history of the Amsterdam community “is legendary in the Jewish world,” in that, for centuries,
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it “represented the dignity of Judaism and has always been known for its traditional reverence and fealty to its distinguished rabbonim. “It is unbecoming for such a community to debase its rabbi in such a public and demeaning fashion,” said Rabbi Pruzansky, suggesting that the Amsterdam community “engage in soul-searching” in order to “return to its honorable roots.” As a signatory to the Declaration, Rabbi Pruzansky said the document had been “drafted with sensitivity and compassion, and mindful of the great struggle for anyone who finds himself in that situation.”
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
Torah Declaration
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“It seeks to reaffirm the Torah’s clear prohibition and, at the same time, reach out to members of our community who seek our assistance and guidance. It reflects the eternal truth and unchanging morality of Torah,” he said. Sticky Position In addition to receiving condemnatory letters and messages from Orthodox rabbis throughout the world, Mr. Eisenmann and the Amsterdam Board were told by Rabbi Goldschmidt that the Conference of European Rabbis, as the umbrella group to which Rabbi Ralbag belonged, insisted on talks with the community “in an effort to work through the issue.”
Dutch-Jewish historian Bart Wallet, who teaches at the University of Amsterdam and serves as co-secretary of the board of the Dutch Association for Jewish Studies, said the situation with Rabbi Ralbag and the Torah Declaration placed the NIHS board in a difficult position “locally and internationally.” “The NIHS is formally Orthodox, but it has a broad following. Naming Ralbag as chief rabbi took care of the right wing, but the declaration on homosexuality upset the majority of its supporters. Now there is a real threat the organization may splinter,” he said. Death Threat Shortly after a CER representative
arrived in Amsterdam, the NIHS sent an invitation to Rabbi Ralbag, asking him to come to Amsterdam for a meeting, a request the rabbi declined, explaining that he had received threats on his life and would not travel to the Netherlands for several weeks. “I have strong indications that my wife and I would not be sure of our lives if we came to the Netherlands now,” he told Dutch reporters. While he did not say what the nature of the threats were or how they had been delivered, he said he took them “extremely seriously.” Mr. Eisenmann expressed disappointment in the postponement of this visit, and said he had seen no evidence of any threats. He added that he personally would guarantee Rabbi Ralbag’s safety. Reinstatement On February 1, the NIHS announced that Rabbi Ralbag had been reinstated as Chief Rabbi of Amsterdam. While there had been some suggestions that he would apologize for having signed the Torah Declaration, he did not. “I do not believe I have to apologize to anyone for my Torah-based beliefs,” he said. “Nevertheless, I sincerely regret and apologize to anyone pained by the inaccurate portrayal of my views.” He went on to explain that if a person wishes to live “a Torah lifestyle, then that person must refrain from this form of sexual conduct.” “I am not here to excommunicate anyone from the community of Torah believers. Nor did I ever say that homosexuality is a disease or a sickness. When I use the word ‘healing,’ I am referring to a ‘healing of the soul,’ a ‘spiritual healing.’ My message was one of inclusion, not rejection,” he said. Brief Reconciliation The CER seemed pleased to put the episode behind them. “We welcome the reinstatement of Chief Rabbi Ralbag as a wise step in the best interests of the Amsterdam community,” said the organization in a prepared statement. Characterizing the Amsterdam community as “known the world over for its proud commitment to its traditions,” the statement said the CER rabbis were “pleased [the NIHS]
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War This Spring?
February 2012/Shevat 5772
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Long Fingers “They are the long fingers on the tentacles of the twisted mind of that evil regime in Teheran,” he said, calling events in Syria “a preview, in Israel’s own backyard, of how evil a regime can be.” “The arms used to slaughter thousands of Syrian women, babies, and children, are supplied by Russia and by Iran,” he said. Israel, he said, was not prepared to “stand by and wait until that evil regime in Iran acquires nuclear capability.” “That will be doomsday, the end of civilization as we know it,” he said. Being Prepared Israel has made no secret of its preparations for war on all fronts. It has recently conducted large-scale defensive and offensive military exercises and, projecting heavy missile bombardment of every town, road, and base, has called up reservists. It has engaged in large-scale parachuting exercises using more than 1,000 paratroopers, a signal that it is willing to deploy ground troops on foreign soil in addition to relying on its air force and rockets. The Obama administration has made it clear that it is worried Israel will do what it has threatened, and not sometime in the future, but, rather, in all likelihood, this spring. It will probably come before
Torah
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has decided to address any issues relating to the articulation by its Chief Rabbi or other officially appointed rabbinic figures of traditional, halachic positions, in a positive and consultative manner.” However, the NIHS board spoke about the need to re-examine the current long-distance relationship between the community and its Chief Rabbi. According to a member of the Jewish community who had been involved in the reconciliation talks between the NIHS and Rabbi Ralbag and spoke to the Jerusalem Post on condition of anonymity, the solution was possible because “both parties found a formulation that allowed them to climb down from their positions.” “The message was that Rabbi Ralbag won’t be Amsterdam’s Chief Rabbi for long,” said the member of the community. S.L.R.
Iran enters what the Netanyahu government has described as a “zone of immunity,” that time period before Teheran has sufficient enriched uranium in deep underground facilities to make a weapon. Once that happens, only the US would be able to stop Iran militarily. Many analysts say Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not want Israel’s future to depend on Washington during a time that the incumbent President is preoccupied with a reelection campaign. How to Respond While the US has signaled its displeasure at the thought of an Israeli attack on
Iran, Washington has not decided how it will respond if and when an attack comes. First and foremost, it seems Mr. Obama is concerned with the effect such an attack would have on domestic politics. Iran might respond by targeting US ships in the region or by closing the Strait of Hormuz, the only sea passage to the open ocean from the Persian Gulf. Approximately 20 percent of the world’s oil passes through the strait, which means choking it could result in a spike in oil prices. Significantly higher gas prices this summer would harm Mr. Obama’s
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
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War This Spring? reelection campaign. On the other hand, with Israel’s popularity high in the US, as shown by all the presidential candidates (including Mr. Obama) bending over backwards to prove their pro-Israel credentials, the White House is not eager to create a rift between Washington and Jerusalem, especially over the issue of Israel’s security. Sitting It Out Some analysts say the Obama administration may try to stay out of any conflict with Iran, despite Israeli actions, and hope Washington could convince the world— and Teheran—that Jerusalem had acted on its own. According to columnist David Ignatius, that may be what Israel is counting on: a “short-war” scenario of about five days of limited Israeli strikes followed by
February 2012/Shevat 5772
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a UN-brokered cease-fire. “The Israelis are said to recognize that damage to the nuclear program might be modest, requiring another strike in a few years,” he said. But the US non-involvement option might not be possible, given the war-sounds emanating from the mullahs. Thus far, the language from Iran has been just as bellicose towards the United States as it has been towards Israel. Toughing It Out After the Obama administration’s announcement of the latest round of sanctions, which some say came as a last-ditch effort to prevent Israel from acting, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning that Teheran would not cave into pressure and that work on its nuclear capabilities would continue.
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The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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Page - 28 Apply Now
February 2012/Shevat 5772
Yiddish Book Center, for high school juniors and seniors who would like to spend a week, July 29-Aug 5, in Amherst, MA, studying essential works of Jewish literature, no prior knowledge of Yiddish is required, includes grant for tuition, room, kosher meals, and books, deadline is March 15, 413-256-4900 Submit Art Work Exploring the Beauty of Nature in Northern NJ and Nahariya, Israel, and Telling a Story through Art, winners will travel to Israel to participate in Jewish Federation of Northern NJ’s Partnership 2Gether Exhibit in Nahariya in the Summer of 2012, Art will also be displayed at the offices of the Jewish Federation, open to those 18 and older, all media that can be displayed as wall hangings, including videos, 24-x-36-inches, submit by email by March 12, 201-820-3907 Team Sharsheret just received more slots for the soldout NYC Haf-Marathon on Sun, March 18, to run for the cause of helping young Jewish women
facing breast cancer, athletes@ sharsheret.org The Rambammers of the Men’s Sunday Morning B’nai B’rith Softball League, for those over 18, held in Fair Lawn, lamaloh@verizon.net Students Are Needed to Lain Megillat Esther on Purim at the Iranian UN Mission in NYC, AJohnRocker@aol.com Through February, the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Teaneck’s Holy Name Medical Center will receive 5 percent of all registered purchases made with a Saks Fifth Ave Credit Card, 201-833-3000 ext 3899
Fri., Feb 10
“A World of Difference: How to Get Others to Think for Themselves,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, private office in Linwood, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Family Kabbalat Shabbat, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 5pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com “Esoteric Origins, HandsOn Insights,” Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Jeffrey Berger/Stephanie
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion” Shatkin Scholar-in-Residence, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, includes Friday night dinner, 5pm, e.weixelbaum.1@alumni.nyu.edu NCSY Oneg, for high school students, private home in Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-862-0250 “How to Have Happiness and Excitement in Our Daily Lives,” for teens, Rabbi Meir Goldwicht, scholar-in-residence, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-907-0180 Junior Teen Oneg, Rabbi Michael Bleicher, private home in West Orange, 8pm, 973-325-0470 Rabbi David Hellman, spons by Cong Ahavas Achim, Private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 Shoresh Oneg, for high school boys, with Rabbi Yosef Nusbacher, private home in Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-1514 “Passing the Flame: From Generation to Generation—A Talk on Chinuch for Parents and Grandparents,” Rabbi Paysach Krohn, scholar-in-residence, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-836-8916 Rabbi Berel Wein, scholarin-residence, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, through Shabbat, Feb 11, Harold@datalife.com
Shabbat, Feb 11
Rabbi Meir Goldwicht, scholar-in-residence, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, “Searching for and Finding More Meaning in Our Daily Lives: Parsha Shiur,” Hashkama Minyan, 8:30am; “Preparation for Kabbalat HaTorah as the Key to Success in Our Daily Lives,” 11am; “Matan Torah Al Haperek Shiur on ‘Shoftim in Our Daily Lives,’” 4:10pm; “Kedushat Ha’aretz U’Kedushat Ha’adam: B’halacha U’ba’aggadah,” 5pm Tefillat Esther: Women’s Tefillah, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 “Drashas on the Subject of the Torah of the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik, z”tl,” Rabbi Solomon Ryback, Cong Adas Israel; Rabbi Aaron Cohen, Cong Tifereth Israel; and Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of PassaicClifton, Passaic, 10:30am
The Log:
Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Paysach Krohn, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, “Unity in the Community,” 11am; “Menschlichkeit: Where Have Manners Gone?” 4:55pm, 201-836-8916 Rabbi Elchanan Adler, Jeffrey Berger/Stephanie Shatkin Scholar-in-Residence, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, “The Pursuit of Truth: How to Find Light at the End of the Tunnel,” 11am; seudah shlishit, “Torah and Menschlechkeit: Which Comes First?” 5pm, e.weixelbaum.1@alumni.nyu.edu “Receiving the Torah by Women,” Dr. Hannah Kehat of Israel’s Religious Women’s Forum, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11am, 718-796-4730 Mystery Shabbos, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, lunch at various members homes, noon; communal oneg, 2:30pm, atsisterhood@teaneckapartments.com Tu B’Shevat Oneg, for grades K-1, with foods special to Eretz Yisrael and interactive games, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 3:15pm “Between Faith and Understanding: A Closer Look at the First Commandment,” Rabbi Ezra Frazer, yahrtzeit shiur in memory of Bonnie Berman, z”l, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 3:30pm Bat Mitzvah Shiur: “Rachel and Leah: The Strengths and Struggles of Sisterhood,” Dr. Eva Lazar-Sultanik, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 3:45pm, 201-837-2795 “Women, Torah, Mitzvoth, and Rabbinic Authority—A Subversive Reading of Eshet Hayil by Israel’s Chief Rabbi in 1750, Hakham Yisrael Ya’akov elGhazi,” Prof Zvi Zohar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 4:30pm, 718-796-4730 “Rav Soloveitchik and the Survival of American Orthodoxy,” for men and women, Rabbi Yitzchok Segal, includes shalosh seudas, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 5pm, 973-773-2552
Motzei Shabbat, Feb 11
Final Day of Art Exhibit: “Upon Our Doorposts,” textile mezuzot, JCC, West Orange Ya’ad Junior Movie Night, for grades 2-7, includes pizza, popcorn, French-fries, and drinks,
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
“Separate Yourself Not from the Community”
Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 7pm, 732-247-0532 Film: “Ushpizin,” with discussion led by Rabbi David Pietruszka on Jewish themes, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-966-4498 Yad L’Achim Maleva Malka, to benefit the anti-missionary organization, with Nesanel Gantz, private home in Passaic, 7:30pm, 973-471-8139 Bowling and Pizza, for high school students, spons by the Jewish Educational Center, leave from Jerusalem Pizza, Elizabeth, 7:45pm, 917-583-5963 “Connecting 4 Community Melave Malka,” for Jewish students and young professionals in Middlesex County, spons by the Young Leadership Division of Jewish Family and Vocational Services, private location in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0766 Kosher Wine-and-ScotchTasting, Seminar, and Sale, includes cheeses and desserts, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8pm; scotch seminar, 8:30pm, 201-568-1315
Film: “Lonely Man of Faith: The Life and Legacy of Rabbi Joseph B Soloveitchik, z’tl,” featuring Dr. Arnold Lustiger, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 8pm, 646-361-1701 or mmorrison@cspnet.com Mathilde Goldflies Mikva Melave Malka, for women, private home in Elizabeth, 8pm, 908-352-2699 “The Challenge of Sexual Communication in the Torah World,” Dr. David Ribner, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-837-2795 “Domestic Violence in Jewish Households,” Esther East and Rabbi Raffi Bilek of Project SARAH and Alan Silver, Asst Prosecutor in charge of the Domestic Violence Unit, Union County, spons by the Orthodox Forum of Highland Park/Edison, at Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-3038 Tu B’Shevat Celebration and Hebrew Sing-Along, Ruthi Cohen, Hananel Edri, Rotem Sivan, and Shmulik Ackerman, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1427 Trip to See the Nets Game, spons by Cong Ohr Torah Youth, leave shul in West Orange 8pm, roovs22@gmail.com
Comedy Night: Ari Teman, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, dinner, 8pm; show, 9pm, 201-836-8916 Ice Skating, spons by Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, at the Richard J. Codey Arena, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 An Evening of Wine and Cheese Tasting, for Modern Orthodox second-time singles or those open to dating men and women with children, ages 32-48, spons by Bergen Connections, includes light dinner, private location in Teaneck, 8:30pm, bergenconnections1@gmail.com
Sun., Feb 12
Clowning Program Training: Bikur Cholim, spons by Areyvut, for adults and children 4th grade and up, includes visit to CareOne, at Young Israel of Teaneck, 8am, 201-244-6702 “When Development Stalls…Does the Intervention Fit?” Dr. Serena Wieder, spons by HASC/Rockland County, Spring Valley, 8:30am-4pm, 718-686-5901 Explanatory Morning Service, for men, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, includes
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breakfast, at Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 “The 2012 Baseball Season,” Bob Klapisch, includes breakfast,Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 9:30am Mon., Matan B’Seter Bambi Brunch, private home in Clifton, 11am, 973-777-1835 Roller Skating Party, for children and parents, spons by Cong Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, at Arenas at Woodbridge, 12-5pm, 732-777-1589, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org Tu B’Shevat Celebration, for families, music and art activities, JCC, Tenafly, 2pm, 201-408-1427 Uncle Moishy and His Mitzvah Men Concert, spons by the Jewish Educational Project of Rockland, at Ramapo Senior High School, Spring Valley, 3pm, 845-222-6436 House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), spons by NORPAC and Rabbi Steve and Yael Weil, private home in Teaneck, 4:30pm, 201-788-5133 or mzf826@aol.com SINAI Special Needs Institute 30th Anniversary Dinner,
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The Log
February 2012/Shevat 5772
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honoring Rabbi Benjamin and Rebbetzin Shevi Yudin, Menachem and Rachel Schechter, Jonathan and Lisa Schechter, and Susan Dworken Koss, at the Marriott Glenpointe, Teaneck, 4:45pm, 201-833-1134 ext 105 Batya Youth Group for Teenage Girls Dinner, honoring Susan and Abraham Opatut, Dorine and Sid Katz, and Eve and Neil Seidman, Radisson Hotel, Freehold, 5:30pm, batyagirls@gmail.com or dinner@batyagirls.org Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley Dinner, featuring Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, at the Pines Manor, Edison, 6pm, 732-572-7181 or 732-287-2222 Film and Discussion on Domestic Abuse: “Crime after Crime,” panel discussion with Rabbi Raffi Bilek of Project SARAH; Warren Sutnick, Esq; and NJ State Senator Loretta Weinberg (D), 7:30pm, 201-408-1426 Film: “The Race to Nowhere: Stresses Facing Youth,” Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:30pm, sherenstein@yahoo.com Step up for Israel Film and Discussion: “The Creation of the State of Israel,” discussion afterwards on how to counter delegitimization attempts against Israel, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7:30pm, ericasassoon@gmail.com, rscharlat@aol.com, or 973-669-7320 Raritan Valley Hadassah Book Club: “The Prime Ministers” by Yehuda Avner, private home in Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732-545-3147 “Israel Now: Overcoming Challenges,” Rabbi Berel Wein, Kehillat New Hempstead, 8pm, 845-362-2425 or rey17@aol.com Jewish Foundation School of Staten Island Open House,
private home in Bergenfield, 8pm, jfsparent@gmail.com or family@ greengart.com “Crossing the Line: Preparing for Hate Week,” learning to respond to the demonization of Israel on campus, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 The Beginning of Mishna Berura Chelek 1, Daf Yomi B’Halacha, Eli Reisman, Cong Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, 8:30pm, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org “Real Women with Real Lives: Juggling It All,” Dr. Leah Knapp, Cong Ohr Torah, Bergenfield, 8:30pm, ohtannounce@ gmail.com or 201-385-1761 Personalized Interactive Teleconference Workshop: “Achieve Harmony,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.TorahExperience.com or 732-806-1578
Mon., Feb 13
Video Contest and Kosher Chinese Food, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 “Synagogue Leadership Initiative: New Models for Membership—Free Fixe Offers in a Tapas World,” Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, Paramus, 6:30pm, 201-820-3904 Open House for Gan Cochavim, for two-year-olds, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7pm, 718-543-2553 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Morally Bankrupt? The Ethics of Debt Discharge,” Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 7:30pm, 845-368-1889 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: The Right to Organize, to Bargain Collectively,
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
and to Strike,” Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, West Orange Lubavitch Center, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 “The Challenges of Sexual Communication: Talking about Sex in the Therapy Room,” Dr. David Ribner, spons by NEFESH, the International Netwoek of Orthodox Mental Health Professionals, at the Purple Pear restaurant, Monsey, 7:30pm, NEFESH.org/events.cfm Shloshim Program and Siyyum Mishnayot for Rabbi Israel Poleyeff, z”l, Rabbi Shraga Gross, at the Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 7:30pm, 732-572-5052 ext 206 “Three Faiths, One Panel: The Concept of Faith, co-spons by Hillel, Ratio Christi, and the Muslim-Student Association, Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 “The Challenges of Orthodox-Jewish Feminism in Israel: Kolech-Religious Women’s Forum,” Dr. Hannah Kehat, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com Taharas Mishpacha Review Shiur, for men, Rabbi Gedaliah Jaffe, spons by Irgun Shiurei Torah, at Cong Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, 8pm, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org
Tues., Feb 14
Jewish Business Network Breakfast, Temple Israel, Ridgewood, 8:15-10am, 201-444-9320 or 646-233-2031 “Your Gastro-Intestinal Health and Resources Available through Dorot,” for seniors, Dr. Mark Grebenau, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, 11:15am, 973-736-1407 Lunch and a Movie, spons by New Beginnings for Mature Adults, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 12:30pm, 201-837-4575 or 201-837-3791 Video Contest and Kosher Chinese Food, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm; Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat, son of the late Chief Rabbi of Israel, Mordechai Eliyahu, z”tl, Cong Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, dinner, 6:30pm; ma’ariv, 7:40pm;
presentation, 8pm, sshalmon@ optonline.net “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: The Right to Organize, to Bargain Collectively, and to Strike,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Meir Konikov, Chabad of Fort Lee, 201-886-1237; Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, 973-551-1898; The Riverdale YMHA, Rabbi Yitzchok Dubov, 718-549, 1100; 7:45pm, Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad of North Brunswick, 732398-9492; 8pm, Rabbi Dov Drizin, Valley Chabad of Woodcliff Lake, 201-476-0157 Confidential Divorce Support Group, for Orthodox women, Dr. Carol Glaser, private location in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-8822 Kosher Cooking Class: Appetizers, nutritionist Lara Szlamkowica and pastry chef Benett Harmolin, spons by Cong Ahavath Torah, at a private home in Englewood, 8pm, 917-209-0806 Birthright Informational Meeting, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, 732-545-2407
Wed., Feb 15
Deadline for applications for the Alisa Flatow Scholarship Fund, for the 2012-2013 academic year, for students who play to study full-time for at least one year in a yeshiva, seminary, or other approved program in Israel, www.alisafund.org Birthright Registration Opens for Free Trip to Israel, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 732-545-2407 Book Day: “Snow in August” by Pete Hamill, discrimination and antisemitism in America and the Jewish-emigration experience, featuring Major League ballplayer Ralph Branca, Torah Academy of Bergen County, 9:30am-5pm, 201-837-7696 “Refuse to Be a Victim Crime-Prevention Seminar,” Joe Izrael, personal-safety strategies and devices, private location in Monsey, 2pm, 845-356-5018 Family Learning Night, Ma’ayanot High School for Girls, Teaneck, 5:30pm, 201-833-4307 “Kick Start 2012 with a Plan: Health, Fitness, and WeightManagement Tips,” Stephanie
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Greenspan and Liz Clingham, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-227-9444 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Why Is This Great Jewish Book So Great: Philip Roth’s Portnoy’s Complaint, led by Prof Ruth Knafo Setton, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30m, 201-408-1426 Schmooze on the News B’Ivrit, Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “Tools, Tips, and Taking Initiative: Become an Israel Advocate,” Rabbi Elliot Mathias, Jewish Federation of Middlesex County, South River, 7:30pm, 732-588-1800 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: The Right to Organize, to Bargain Collectively, and to Strike,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Chabad Center of Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500; Rabbi Mendy Herson, Chabad of Greater Somerset County at Basking Ridge, 908-604-8844; 8pm, Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad of Manalapan,
February 2012/Shevat 5772
732-972-3687; Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Cong of Fair Lawn, 201-794-3770 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Morally Bankrupt? The Ethics of Debt Discharge,” Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Chabad House of Franklin Lakes, 8pm, 201-848-0449 Super Jewish Singles, 65+, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400 “Practical Questions in Baking,” for women, Rabbi Ari Zahtz, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-836-8916
Thurs., Feb 16
La Leche League of Bronx/ Riverdale, Mia Damond Padwa, pregnant women, babies and small children welcome, healthy snacks, Riverdale YMHA, 9:30am, 718-543-0314 Video Contest and Kosher Chinese Food, Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 “The Animal Kingdom in Jewish Thought,” Rabbi Natan Slifkin, Web Yeshiva, 1pm, http:// www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim. php?sid=24 or 212-920-8844
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Challah-Baking Workshop, spons by Chabad at the Shore, JCC, Margate, 7pm, 609-822-8500 Teaneck Board of Education Strategic Planning Process: Changes and Initiatives Needed to Improve Schools for the Future, open to all public and private school parents, senior citizens, and individuals without children, kosher refreshments served, Teaneck High School, 7:30pm, 201-862-2343 or tedwards@teaneckschools.org
Fri., Feb 17
“A World of Difference: What Impact Do I make?” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, private office in Linwood, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Carlebach Minyan, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 5:15pm Jewish Educational Center Men’s Tisch, Elizabeth, 8pm, 908-355-4850 Rabbi Moshe Taragin, scholar-in-residence, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, through Shabbat, Feb 18, 201-837-2795
Shabbat, Feb 18
Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Kinder Shul, for children 3-8, Dara Zaer and Abbe Rosner,
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Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-833-0515 “Political Paradigm Shifts: What Has Become of the Jewish Vote?” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, noon, 201-833-0515 Teens’ Seudat Shlishit, spons by Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, includes ma’ariv and havdala, private home in West Orange, 4pm, 973-324-2690 Bnai Akiva Snif Chadash of Teaneck Darom, for students in grades 1-6, fun with an educational Zionist element, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 4:25pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com “Hate in the Garden State: Observations on Antisemitism in NJ,” Etzion Neuer of the ADL, seuda shlishit, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm, 201-907-0180 “Freud: Anatomy Is Destiny; Greenberg: Botany Is Theology,” Dr. Jon Greenberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730 How to Lead Tefillah, basic skills for teens, Dr. Elli Kranzler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730
continued on page 32
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The Log
February 2012/Shevat 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 31
Family Havdalah, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6pm, 973-736-1407
Motzei Shabbat, Feb 18
Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps Fundraising Gala: The Cotton Club in the Roaring 20’s, come in costume, kosher catering by Main Event, at the Glenpointe Marriott, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-314-5033 or 201-926-9833 Bowling Party to Support Camp Koby of the Koby Mandell Foundation, for middle school, high school, and adults, Bowler City, Hackensack, 7:30pm, mgold119@gmail.com or Amanda.gold119@gmail.com Theater: “Fiddler on the Roof,” State Theatre, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-246-7469
“Wine, Cheese, and a Taste of Torah,” Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-718-4786 Highland Park Khal Chassidim’s Melava Malka, honoring Rabbi Chaim Aaron and Rebbetzin Shira Laya Shenkman and the memory of Yonah Dietz, z”l, featuring kumzits with Eitan Katz, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8:15pm, khalchassidim@gmail.com Chinese Auction, for women, Yeshiva K’tana of Passaic, opens, 8:30pm; drawing, 10:15pm, pammetz@aol.com
Sun., Feb 19
First Day to Drop Off Gently Used Purim Costumes for Esther’s Closet, Riverdale YMHA, through Fri., Feb 24, 718-548-8200
Collecting Used Eye Glasses, including broken frames and broken lenses, to be recycled for the needy, Riverdale YMHA, through Fri., Feb 24, 718-548-8200 Trip for Matza Baking at the Shotzer Factory, spons by the Community Synagogue of Monsey, leave 10am, 845-356-2720 Snow-Tubing for Teens, leave Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10am, jensaibel@gmail.com Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Snow Tubing at Mountain Creek, Vernon, shul event, 10:30am-3:30pm, 973-9437769 or 973-704-6053 Bowling Party, for grades K-3, includes bowling and pizza, spons by Cong Rinat Yisrael, at Bowler City, Hackensack, 11am, youth@rinat.org Chug Ivrit, for men and women, intermediate to advanced Hebrew speakers, spons by Hadassah, private home in Edison, 11am, 732-819-9298 Pre-Purim Trip to NJ Nets vs Milwaukee Bucks Basketball Game, for children in grade 2 and up, including teens and parents, bus leaves Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 5:45pm, 732-572-3429 Cake and Cupcake Decorating, for mother-daughter or father-son teams, Gitti Allman, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 7pm, debbiego@optonline.net “Healthy and Effective Communication with and for Your Children,” for women, spons by ASHAR, Bais Hachinuch, Cheder Chabad, CHEIN, Yeshiva Eitz Chaim Bnos Bracha, and Yeshiva of Spring Valley, in conjunction with the Center for Applied Psychology and the East Ramapo Central School District, at Yeshiva of Spring Valley, Monsey, 7:15pm, 845-356-1400 Yachad Fathers’ Support Group, for fathers of children with a wide-range of special-needs, Chani Hermann, NJ Yachad office, Teaneck, 7:30pm, eliezertuvia@gmail.com “Chinuch HaBanim V’HaBanos,” Rav Mayer Twersky, at Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 8pm, ohtannounce@gmail.com or 201-385-1761 Personalized Interactive Teleconference Workshop: “Achieve Harmony,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.TorahExperience.com or 732-806-1578
Mon., Feb 20, Presidents’ Day
Mug Decorating Event: Arts and Crafts, Hot Chocolate, and Marshmallows, for boys and girls in grades 1-5, Young Israel of Teaneck, 9:30am, yiotgroups@gmail.com or 201-837-1710 “The Cupcake Wars,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Young Israel Day with the New York Islanders, game is vs Ottawa Senators, includes
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com
February 2012/Shevat 5772
tickets, T-shirt, gift bag, kosher food, 1pm, 212-929-1525 ext 103 Israel Film Club: “Bonjour, Monsieur Shlomi,” in Hebrew with English subtitles, discussion led by Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4200 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: The Right to Organize, to Bargain Collectively, and to Strike,” Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 7:30pm, 845-368-1889 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: Fabulously Wealthy or Filthy Rich: The Ethics of CEO Compensation,” Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, West Orange Lubavitch Center, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 Creating New and Exciting Shabbos Appetizers and Desserts, for women, with Merav Dahan, spons by Cong Beth Abraham, private home in Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-836-1690 “Everything You Wanted to Know about Property Taxes and How to Appeal Your Assessment,” Elie Fink, Esq, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, tullyrubin@gmail.com or 973-736-1407
Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad of North Brunswick, 732-398-9492; 8pm, Rabbi Dov Drizin, Valley Chabad of Woodcliff Lake, 201-476-0157 Confidential Divorce Support Group, for Orthodox women, Dr. Carol Glaser, private location in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-8822 Cong Neve Shoham of Eli, Israel, featuring “The History of Shilo—From Yehoshua Bin Nun to Mark Twain,” Eliana Passentin, and “Political and Military Strategy for the State of Israel,” Eli Mayor Koby Elraz, includes films, at Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532
Tues., Feb 21
Jewish Business Network Breakfast, private office in Saddle Brook, 8:15-9:45am, 201-880-1926 or 646-233-2031 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-777-1940 or 609-395-7979 New Beginnings for Mature Adults: Movie, Lunch, and Discussion, Rebbetzin Aviva Feldman, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-837-3791 “Choosing to Stay at Home: Seniors’ Struggle to Decide Whether or Not to Move to Assisted Living,” Karen Frank, RN, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 11:15am, 973-736-1407 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “The Jews Who Settled the American West,” Elizabeth Salston, 2pm, 212-769-2850 “The Cupcake Wars,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 Book Clubs of Sisterhoods of Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David and Cong Ohr Torah: “The Submission” by Amy Waldman, private home in West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-669-0938 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Fabulously Wealthy or Filthy Rich: The Ethics of CEO Compensation,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Meir Konikov, Chabad of Fort Lee, 201-8861237; Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, 973-551-1898; The Riverdale YMHA, Rabbi Yitzchok Dubov, 718-549, 1100; 7:45pm,
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Wed., Feb 22
Making Kosher Sushi, for women, Tova Rapoport, Chabad House, Margate, 7pm, 609-992-4900 Monthly Israel Update, Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis:
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Fabulously Wealthy or Filthy Rich: The Ethics of CEO Compensation,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Chabad Center of Cherry Hill, 856-8741500; Rabbi Mendy Herson, Chabad of Greater Somerset County at Basking Ridge, 908-604-8844; 8pm, Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad of Manalapan, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Cong of Fair Lawn, 201-794-3770 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: The Right to Organize, to Bargain Collectively, and to Strike,” Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Chabad House of Franklin Lakes, 8pm, 201-848-0449 “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
Thurs., Feb 23
“The Cupcake Wars,” Rabbi Ely Allen,
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e t a D e h t e v a S
26th Annual
Yachad Family Shabbaton Join us for an amazing weekend retreat of networking, inspiration, learning, relaxing, family fun and activities
May 4-6, 2012 Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, Kerhonkson, NY Programs For Every Member of the Family! g “My child has a disability: What do I do?” g “What services are available to me?” g Self Advocacy g Vocational Training for Young Adults g Sibling Programs
Special Day Camp available for young children with Morah Faigy For more information contact: www.yachad.org | 212.613.8229
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The Log
February 2012/Shevat 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 33
Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 “The Animal Kingdom in Jewish Thought,” Rabbi Natan Slifkin, Web Yeshiva, 1pm, http:// www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim. php?sid=24 or 212-920-8844
Fri., Feb 24
“Challenging Nature: The Politics of In-Vitro Fertilization, the Right to Play G-d, and Judaism’s Surprisingly Liberal Approach to Some Modern Advances,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Daven and Dine, Cong Mount Sinai of Jersey City Heights, 5:45pm, JBStoler@gmail.com Community Shabbat Dinner, Chabad House, Ventnor, services, 5:30pm; dinner, 6:30pm, 609-822-8500 Elizabeth Shidduch Shabbaton, for men and women, ages 22-32, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, through Shabbat, Feb 25, aishidduch@gmail.com or 908-354-7318
Shabbat, Feb 25
“Va’ani Tefillati: Personal Perspectives on Prayer,” Rivka Haut, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730
Motzei Shabbat, Feb 25
“Being There When Times Are Tough: Visiting the Sick and Comforting the Bereaved,” Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner, private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-545-3731 or 732-247-0532 Jewish Educational Center Dinner, honoring Kenny Mandel and Moshe Elyaszadeh, JEC, Elizabeth, 8:30pm, 908-353-0029 Siyyum for Mishnayot for
Zayin Adar Melava Malka, featuring Rabbi Daniel Z Feldman, at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, sazar@yahoo.com or 973-736-1407 Moriah School of Englewood Dinner, honoring Alyssa and Jay Goldberg, Joseph Gitler, and Marie Doench, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-5670208 ext 373 Bowling Party, for adults, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, at Bowler City, Hackensack, 8:30pm, danik35@gmail.com Cong Bais Medrash of Bergenfield Meet the Members, at Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8:30pm, bmobsisterhood@ gmail.com Cong Ohr HaTorah of Bergenfield Melava Malka, featuring Dr. David Pelcovitz, 8:30pm, ohtannounce@gmail.com or 201-385-1761
Sun., Feb 26
Family Minyan: Bring the Children for Tefilla, Breakfast, and a Project, for children in grade 2 and up, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8am, davidmontag@rocketmail.com Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Cong Ahavas Yisrael of Edison Journal Breakfast, honoring Zev and Rachel Moskowitz and Lawrence and Mara Margolin, at Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org Josh Mandel for Senate
(R-OH), spons by NORPAC, private home in Riverdale, 10am, 201-788-5133 or 718-796-7733 Job-a-Thon: Phone-a-Thon for Job Leads, to help middleincome job seekers find jobs, UJC Aidekman Campus, Whippany, shifts are 10am-noon, 12-2pm, and 2-4pm, 973-674-6330 ext 294 Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Teens Needed to Staff Family Soup Kitchen, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11:45am4:15pm, 917-885-4542 Purim’s Esther’s Closet, shop for gently used Purim costumes, Riverdale YMHA, 12-2pm, 718-548-8200 Purim Carnival, features rides, games, arts-and-crafts, clowns, face-painting, snacks, YJCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1-3:30pm, 845-362-4400 ext 103 Kids in Action Kindness Project: Purim Gifts for the Police and Duct Tape Crafts, for boys and girls 6-10, Rabbi Michoel Goldin, includes pizza supper, Chabad House, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-907-0686 Torah Academy of Bergen County Dinner, honoring Rabbi Yosef Adler, Betsy Levy, Marcy Zecher, Rebecca Zirman, Yaakov Lisker. and Rabbi Josh Kahn, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 6pm, 201-837-7696 ext 150 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva Dinner, honoring Rabbi Steven and Rebbetzin Gila Miodownik and Dr. Steven and Iva Dyckman, at the Doubletree Hotel, Somerset, 6:30pm, 732-572-5052 “Ladies Got Talent: All-Female Talent Show,” by women, for women, helping women, Mt Sinai Jewish Center, Washington Hts, 6:30pm, 212-568-1900 “What Is the Struggle over Jerusalem All About?” Dr. Mordechai Kedar, Cong Shaarey Israel, Montebello, 7pm, 845-369-0300 “Shalom Bayis: Mikvah and
Becoming a Force for Renewal,” for women, Devorah Rose Kigel, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, allyson.guraryeh@gmail.com “A Saga of Perseverance,” for women, Maya Lerner, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-777-5929
Mon., Feb 27
Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Jacob Weiland, MSW, Riverdale YMHA, 1pm, 718548-8200 ext 303 “Life after Death,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 “Guess Who? The Melting Pot of the Middle East,” panel of Israelis discuss who they are and what they love about Israel, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-545-2407 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: Fabulously Wealthy or Filthy Rich: The Ethics of CEO Compensation,” Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 7:30pm, 845-368-1889 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: Buyer Aware: Another Side to Business Ethics,” Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, West Orange Lubavitch Center, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 “The Future of AmericanIsraeli Foreign Policy,” Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Personalized Interactive Teleconference Workshop: “Achieve Harmony,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.TorahExperience.com or 732-806-1578
Tues., Feb 28
“Stroke Prevention and Rehabilitation,” Elizabeth Woods, PT, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 11:15am, 973-736-1407 “Life after Death,” Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905 Kosher Cooking Class: Entree, nutritionist Lara Szlamkowica and pastry chef Benett Harmolin, spons by Cong Ahavath Torah, at a private home in Englewood,
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com 8pm, 917-209-0806 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Buyer Aware: Another Side to Business Ethics,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Meir Konikov, Chabad of Fort Lee, 201-886-1237; Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, 973-551-1898; The Riverdale YMHA, Rabbi Yitzchok Dubov, 718-549, 1100; 7:45pm, Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad of North Brunswick, 732-398-9492; 8pm, Rabbi Dov Drizin, Valley Chabad of Woodcliff Lake, 201-476-0157
Wed., Feb 29
“Children and the Holocaust: Child Survivors,” for teachers, Master Teacher Institute in Holocaust Education, Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers, New Brunswick, 4:30pm, 732-932-2033 Chevra Kaddisha and Siyyum Mishnayot Break-Fast, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7pm, 718-548-1850 ext 113 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Second Generation: Children of Holocaust Survivors Discussion Group, Jewish Family Services, Teaneck, 7:15pm,
February 2012/Shevat 5772
201-837-9090 “Ulysses S. Grant and the Jews,” Prof Jonathan Sarna, spons by the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, at Trayes Hall, Douglass Campus Center, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-932-2033 Schmooze on the News B’Ivrit, Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “Ethiopia to Israel: Operation Moses Firsthand,” Ethiopian-Israel Zion Uness, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Buyer Aware: Another Side to Business Ethics,” 7:30pm, Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Chabad Center of Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500; Rabbi Mendy Herson, Chabad of Greater Somerset County at Basking Ridge, 908-604-8844; 8pm, Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad of Manalapan, 732-972-3687; Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Cong of Fair Lawn, 201-794-3770 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Fabulously Wealthy or Filthy Rich: The Ethics of CEO Compensation,”
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Chabad House of Franklin Lakes, 8pm, 201-848-0449 Ladies Night Out: Challah Baking and Braiding, featuring the Challah Fairy, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-907-0180 or 201-873-6781
Thurs., March 1
Food Drive, kosher-forPassover food for Jewish homes; non-Kosher-for-Passover food for non-Jewish homes, Riverdale YMHA, through Sun., April 1, 718-548-8200 Deadline to Register for Trip on Sun., March 18, to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit, at the Discovery Museum in NYC, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 973-7361407 ext 240 “Life after Death,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 “The Animal Kingdom in Jewish Thought,” Rabbi Natan Slifkin, Web Yeshiva, 1pm, http:// www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim. php?sid=24 or 212-920-8844 Zayin Adar Cheva Kadisha Seudah, open to the community, d’var Torah by Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck,
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laining, 5:15pm; seuda, 6:30pm, 201-837-2795, 201-923-1430, or adina@rinat.org Mishmar with Rabbi Dovid Komet, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407
Fri., March 2
“Why the Jew? In Time for Purim, Understanding Those Who Hate Us,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Scholar-in-Residence, Rav Fishel Schachter, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, through Shabbat, March 3, 201-530-0043 Shabbat Across America, hundreds of shuls throughout the country will feature Friday night meals and Shabbat services, including Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, IBloom@kushnercompanies.com or davidah.moradi@gmail.com or 973-868-9051 Pre-Purim Singles Shabbaton, for singles 38+, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, through Shabbat, March 3, 718-575-3962 or 646-529-8748
Shabbat, March 3
Bnai Akiva Snif Chadash of Teaneck Darom, for students in grades 1-6, fun with an educational
continued on page 36
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
The Log
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 35
Zionist element, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 4:45pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com Rachel Kirschbaum, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730 How to Lead Tefillah, basic skills for teens, Dr. Elli Kranzler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730
Motzei Shabbat, March 3
Father and Son Learning, Rebbe Hill, door prizes, and snacks, Agudah Yisrael Bircas Yaakov of Passaic Park, 7:15pm, 973-777-6059 Tomchei Shabbos Melave Malka, for women, featuring “Giving—Emulating Hashem,” Rabbi Pinchus Jung; “Tomchei Shabbos Update,” Tova Nechamkin and Robert Koltai, Ohel Rivka Hall, Passaic, 8pm, 973-471-0928 Theater: “Fiddler on the Roof,” Riverdale YMHA, 8pm, 718-548-8200; also Sun., March 4, 3pm; Tues., March 6, 7pm; Motzei Shabbat, March 10, 8pm; and Sun., March 11, 3pm, 718-548-8200 Cong Netivot Shalom Dinner, honoring Elana and Malcolm Somad, Rebecca and Ben
Lopkin, and NJ State Sen (D) Loretta Weinberg, at Cong Beth Sholom, Teaneck, 8pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com Pesach Wine Sale, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Maayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls Scholarship Fund Dinner, honoring Gail and Terry Novetsky, Aliza and Kalman Staiman, Dr. Rayzel Yaish, Necha,a Becker, and Dr. Oshra Cohem, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, dinner@maayanot.org Personalized Interactive Teleconference Workshop: “Achieve Harmony,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.TorahExperience.com or 732-806-1578
Sun., March 4
Clowning Program Training: Bikur Cholim, spons by Areyvut, for adults and children 4th grade and up, includes visit to CareOne, at Young Israel of Teaneck, 8am, 201-244-6702 G.E.M. (Gathering for Encouragement of Modesty): Hashkafa and Halacha from Bnos Melachim and Individual Thoughts,
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for women, private home in Passaic, 9:15am, 973-365-2342 Trip to the See the Dead Sea Scrolls Exhibit at the New York Discovery Museum, for students and adults, leave Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-247-3038 “A Day of Spiritual Healing and Recovery,” featuring Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, spons by Rodfei Shalom for those seeking help in all 12-step programs, at Drisha Institute, Manhattan, 10am, 718261-4049 or rsfiemail2@gmail.com Pre-Purim Inclusion and Diversity Appreciation Day, includes musical tefillah, mishloach manot making and deliveries to the homebound, and puppet show, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Purim Kids Extravaganza, for children age 7 and under, featuring live shows, photos with superheroes and cartoon characters, arts and crafts, carnival games, inflatables, face-painting, and goody bags, JCC, West Orange, 11am-2pm, 973-530-3520 Purim Carnival, featuring rocky mountain climber, inflatables, pony rides, games, DJ, facepainting, food, JCC, Bridgewater, vendors, 11am-4pm; carnival, 1-4pm, 908-725-6994 ext 201 Purim Carnival, featuring games, attractions, and costume contest, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 12-2pm, 973-736-1407 Arts and Sports with Special-Needs Kids, Rabbi Ely Allen, spons by Northern NJ Hillel, private location in Bergen County, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Purim Carnival, games, prizes, food, and fun, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 2-5pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com Cong Beth Aaron Dinner, honoring Valerie and Larry Kahn and Shannon and Ari Gononsky, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm, 201-836-6210 American Heart Association
CPR Course, Riverdale Hatzalah, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, 5pm, 914-261-1557 Live from the 92nd St Y: “Persian Jews in America: A 2,500-Year-Old Community Confronts the New World,” with Morgan Hakimi and Saba Soomekh, at the JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400
Mon., March 5
“Traveling Showroom: Food Sampling and Bargains,” Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 11am, barenecessities123@gmail.com Yeshiva Beis Hillel of Passaic Purim Costume Store, sizes newborn to teens, and mishloach manos supplies, 11:30am-2:30pm, and 8-10pm, also Tues, March 6, 11:30am-2:30pm and 8-10pm, 973-777-0735 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Poetry Co-Op,” Gerald Jonas, noon, 212-769-2850 Program with the Ramapo College Holocaust and Genocide Studies Center, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 “The Life and Thought of Louis Lowy: Social Work through the Holocaust,” Lorrie Greenhouse Gardella, Student Center, Ramapo College, 1pm, 201-684-7409 Hamantaschen for the Hungry, bake to donate, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-545-2407 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: State of the Union: Buyer Aware: Another Side to Business Ethics,” Rabbi Shmuel Gancz, Chabad of Suffern, 7:30pm, 845-368-1889 Purim Shiur, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407
Tues., March 6
Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732777-1940 or 609-395-7979 Purim Luncheon and Program, for seniors, Riverdale YMHA, 11:45am, 718-548-8200 Story Time, for mothers
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com and babies 1-24 months, YJCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-362-4400 Video and You Choose the Food, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905 Kosher Experience Trip, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 “Three Faiths, One Panel: The Concept of Faith, co-spons by Hillel, Ratio Christi, and the Muslim-Student Association, Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 Purim Shiur, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407
Wed., March 7 Fast of Esther, Purim
Yeshiva Beis Hillel of Passaic Purim Costume Store, sizes newborn to teens, and mishloach manos supplies, 10:30am-12:30pm, 973-777-0735 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Senior Voice-Overs for Commercials, Debbie Brilliant, 11am, 212-769-2850 Purim Program, for special-needs teens, spons by The Friendship Circle, Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, Livingston, 6pm, 973-251-0200 “Purim in China,” Chinese buffet dinner, Chinese costumes, and crafts, spons by Chabad Jewish Center of Upper Passaic County, at Haskell Towne Centre, Haskell, Megillah reading, 6:30pm; celebration, 7pm, 201-696-7609 Purim Party, for local college students, Rabbi Ely Allen, spons by Northern NJ Hillel, private location in Bergen County, 7pm, 201-820-3905 Grand Purim Ball, includes Megillah readings, magic show, dinner buffet, masquerade, ventriloquist, and music, spons by Lubavitch Center and Cong Ohr Torah, at Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7pm, 973-486-2362 or 973-518-2720 Purim Chagiga, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 7pm, davidmontag@rocketmail.com PROFESSIONAL Monthly DanO RIsrael G A N IUpdate, ZER iel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400
February 2012/Shevat 5772
Two Megillah Readings and Cirque du Purim Celebration, Jewish Center of Teaneck, readings with and without groggers, 7:30pm; music, 50-minute circus show, Chinese food break-fast, spons by Friends of Lubavitch and JCT, 8pm, 201-833-0515 “Jewish Business Ethics: Money Matters, Wisdom of the Ages on Today’s Economic Crisis: Buyer Aware: Another Side to Business Ethics,” Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Chabad House of Franklin Lakes, 8pm, 201-848-0449 Explanatory Megillah Reading, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-966-4498
Thurs., March 8, Purim
General Megillah Reading and Women’s Megillah Reading, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, tammy.jacobowitz@gmail.com Megillah Readings, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 6:45am and 9am. 201-833-0515 Women’s Megillah Reading, by women for women, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10am, 201-833-051 Mishloach Manot Making, for Jewish patients in assisted living, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 10am, 732-545-2407 Film: “Hester Street,” JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 Explanatory Megillah Reading followed by a Purim Feast, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 4:35pm, 201-966-4498
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 9:30am, home-hospitality available, 201-966-4498 “Va’ani Tefillati: Personal Perspectives on Prayer,” Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 5pm, 718-796-4730
Motzei Shabbat, March 10
Comedy Night, featuring Vanessa Hollingshead, Dave Goldstein, and Adam Sank, includes show, snacks, and dessert, JCC, Bridgewater, 7:30pm, 908-7256994 ext 201 Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David Dinner, honoring Debbie and Bruce Buechler, Debbie and Jack Becker, and Shoshana and Brad Shulman, at The Grove, Cedar Grove, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Cong Adath Israel of Elizabeth Dinner, honoring Ernest and Rose Wachtel and Dr. Yossi and Shaindy Pinsker, at the YMHA, Union, 8:30pm, aidinner@ gmail.com Comedy Café, featuring Eddie Brill, Lenny Marcus, May Scharf, and Judy Putterman,
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includes dinner, to benefit the RJC Youth Dept, 8:30pm, rjcyouthdirectors@gmail.com Yeshivat Noam Dinner, honoring Sarah Leah and Nachum Barishansky, Beth and Jonathan Kepets, Rabbi Yehuda Minchenberg, and Samara Wasserman, Paramus, 8:30pm, 201-261-1919
Sun., March 11
Pre-Passover Matza Sale, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8am, 201-568-1315 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Cong Rinat Yisrael Dinner, honoring Yossi and Sara Prager, Steve and Vivienne Segal, and Lauren Adler, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm Pre-Pesach Wine-Tasting and Sale, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-6210 Y
Got those Cleaning for P
Let my clutter go!
Fri., March 9 Shushan Purim
“Defogging Our Windshields: What’s Really on the Road Ahead?” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Jewish Learning Experience Explanatory Shabbaton, Rabbi David Pietruszka, services and Shabbat meal, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 5:40pm, homehospitality available, 201-966-4498
Got those Cleaning for Passover Blues? If getting it together has you coming apart, it’s time to call Sarah Morgenstern, Professional Organizer at Organize + Simplify. In just two hours you’ll see results and get inspired to break free from the slavery of clutter and disorganization for good. She can help you with your office as well.
Shabbat, March 10
Jewish Learning Experience Explanatory Shabbaton, Rabbi David Pietruszka, services and Shabbat meal, at Cong
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
New Classes This Month Sundays
Hilchos Eruvin, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 7:15am, ohtannounce@gmail.com Keeping Up with Your 5th Grade Son’s Learning: Chaburah Learning Brachos, 4th Perek, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes breakfast, Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 862-371-3186 Practical Halacha, Rabbi Gedalya Jaffe, Cong Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, 8:30am, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org Theater: The Creative Kehillah, for teens and adults, Jesse Freedman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 Yeshiva Beis Hillel of Passaic Purim Costume Store, sizes newborn to teens, and mishloach manos supplies, open Feb 12-March 4, 11am-5pm, 973-777-0735 “A Bauhaus Artist in America: Claire Wagner Kosterlitz (19031997), The Jewish Museum of NJ, Ahavas Sholom Synagogue, Newark, 1-5pm, through March 25, 973-485-2609 or www.JewishMuseumNJ.org “Cultural Judaism,” Rabbi Dovid Fink, Web Yeshiva, 1pm, http://www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim.php?sid=24 or 212-920-8844, begins Feb 12 Soccer League, for grades 1-4, Jonathan Kessel, at The Learning Center (old Y), Clifton, grades 1-2, 2pm; grades 3-4, 3:15pm, 732-3105313 or passaicsportsleague@gmail.com Men’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 5-6:30pm and 9:30pm-midnight, 845-578-1888 Women’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 6:45-9:30pm, 845-578-1888 “Personalities in Sefer Shmuel,” Rabbi Josh Ross, Web Yeshiva, 8pm, http://www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim.php?sid=24 or 212-9208844, begins Feb 12 Chaburah on Mitzvas Tzedakah, Rabbi Zev Rivkin, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8:15pm, ryan@bmob.org Interactive Shemonah Perakim Chaburah, Rabbi Yitzchok Segal, Kehilas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 8:30pm, kby613@gmail.com Women’s Tehillim Group, private home in Hillside, 9pm, 908-354-7318 Chaburah: Avodah Zorah, Binyomin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, 862-686-6748
Mondays
“Orchos Tzaddikim” Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, 10:15pm, 908-354-7318 Online Personal Development Chaburah, for women, Rabbi Aryeh Nivins, https://fs17.formsite.com/anivin/form46/secure_index. html, 2pm, 646-863-4123 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “SingAlong Broadway,” Leo Schaff, 3pm, 212-769-2850, begins Feb 27 Gym Night, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West
Choose your journey Through Jewish History WITH DR. MARC SHAPIRO
• Spectacular Italy JULY 9-19, 2012
• Budapest Vienna Prague AUGUST 2-12, 2012 www.torahinmotion.org • 1.866.633.5770
Orange, grades 4-5, 6:45pm; grades 6-8, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Beginners Israeli Dance, Shmulik Gov-Ari, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Haftorah Trop, for teens and adults, Lynn Cohen, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730 Melachim Bet, Rabbi Ian Shaffer, Young Israel of Fair Lawn, 7:55pm, 201-797-1800 Advanced Topics in Gemara, Hakham Isaac S.D. Sassoon, Union for Traditional Judaism, Teaneck, Session I: Text Analysis, 7pm; Session II: Discussion, 8pm, 201-801-0707 PenniNote Teaneck Women’s Choir, Batya Harris, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-694-1654 Shiur, Rabbi Levi Neubort. Anshei Lubavitch Cong, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770 Dikduk, Rabbi Shaya Jaffe, Passaic Torah Institute, 8pm, 862-371-3186 Bais Yaakov for Adults, for women either without a yeshiva education or who wish to “redo” as a motivated adult, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, at a private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-5300245 or 908-278-4059 “International Law and the Use of Force,” Prof Joseph Weiler, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 Experienced Israeli Dance, Shmulik Gov-Ari, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718-796-4730 “Insights into the Weekly Torah Portion,” Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-966-4498 Pilates, for women, Arielle Sheinbein, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201- 907-0180 Beginners Gemara Shiur: Meseches Kesubos, Rabbi Chaim Shapiro, Cong K’hal Adath Jeshurun, Paramus, 9pm, 646-642-4056 Gemara Masechet Moed Katan, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, private home in Highland Park, 9pm, 732-247-0532 Hebrew Club, to practice Hebrew, participate in Israeli social activities, and eat Israeli food, Rutgers Hillel, 9pm, 732-545-2407 Maseches Sukkah Shiur, Lieber Schachter, Cong Bais Bedrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, ryan@bmob.org What’s Brewing: Jewish Topics, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, spons by Rutgers Hillel, at Au Bon Pain, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, 732-545-2407 Women’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 9:30pm-midnight, 845-578-1888
Tuesdays
“Gems of Torah,” Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:30am, 732-247-0532 Boot Camp, for women, Jewish Center of Teaneck Gym, 9am, 201-833-0515 Torah in the AM: Chavura: Sifrei Divrei HaYamim, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am, 201-907-0180 Mishnayot Yoma/Rosh Hashana, Rabbi Avigdor Weitzner, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-247-0532 Baba Metzia Chapter 1, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-907-0180 “Central Concepts, New Discoveries,” Leah Kohn, spons by the Jewish Renaissance Center, at a private home in Englewood, 9:45am, learning@jrcny.org or 201-567-9777 Pirkei Avot, for women, Rabbi Neal Turk, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 10am, 732-247-0532 Parshat HaShavua, for women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, 10am, 973-736-1407 Mommy and Me Arts and Crafts, Kim Simons, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 3’s, 12:15pm; 4’s, 1:15pm; 4-5’s, 2:15pm, 201-655-1158 Shiur, Rabbi Yonah Lazar, open to the community, private office
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February 2012/Shevat 5772
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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in Verona, 1pm, 973-736-1407 Creative Painting, Kim Simons, Jewish Center of Teaneck, grades 4-6, 3:15pm; grades 5-8, 4:30pm; grades 9-12, 5:45pm, 201-655-1158 Nach Shiur: Shmuel Alef, Rabbi Nachum Muschel, private home in Monsey, 3:30pm, 845-356-3832 Toradojo Jewish Martial Arts Beginners and Intermediates, Senseis Grebenau and Sragow, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6pm, 973-736-1407 “Esther Unmasked,” Rebbetzin Tova Rapoport, Chabad House, Margate, 7:30pm, 609-992-4900 Gemara for Women, for women of all educational backgrounds, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7:30pm, 718-548-1850 “Judaism Crash Course: A Study of the Mitzvot of Our Daily Life,” private home in Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-1315 “The Rabbis of the Haggada,” Rabbi Josh Ross, Web Yeshiva, 8pm, http://www.webyeshiva.org/shiurim.php?sid=24 or 212-920-8844 Partners in Torah, Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov of Passaic Park, 8:15pm, 862-591-2920 Parshat HaShavua, for women, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 “The Kosher Kitchen,” for women, Rabbi Gedalya Jaffe, Cong Ahavas Yisrael, Edison, 8:45pm, 732-306-9666 or announcements@ayedison.org “Spotlight on the Haftorah,” Rabbi Moshe Stavsky, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9pm, ryan@bmob.org Young Professionals Chaburah, Rabbi Michael Bleicher, private homes in West Orange, 9pm, 973-736-1407 Jewish Spirituality, Rabbi Ely Allen, spons by Northern NJ Hillel, private home in Bergenfield, 9pm, 201-820-3905 Jewish Philosophy: A Deeper Look in Emunah and Avodas Hashem, for men, Rabbi Zev Wolbe, spons by Yeshivas Be’er Yitzchak, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, 9:30pm, 908-354-7318 or 908-414-6390 Partners in Torah, Cong Bais Sholom, Clifton, 9:30pm, 862-591-2920 Men’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 9:30pm-midnight, 845-578-1888
Torah, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-907-0180 Zumba with Lakie, Lime Kiln Elementary School, Suffern, for teenage girls, 7pm; for women, 8pm, lakiedance@gmail.com “Tanya,” Rabbi Yitzchak Sebbag, Chabad of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 7:30pm, 973-246-5251 Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Community Choir, for men and women, Dr. Jonathan Dzik, repertoire in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, Ladino, and Italian, Riverdale, 7:30pm, JFDzik326@aol.com or 718-796-3418 Adult Bar/Bat Mitzvah Class, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-966-4498 Mesechet Meglla Shiur, in memory of Willy Bauman, z”l, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-1315 Chaburah on Mitzvas Tzedakah, Rabbi Zev Rivkin, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8:15pm, ryan@bmob.org Crash Course in Hebrew Reading, Mimi Gardenswartz, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 8:15pm, 973-405-0743 Shiur on the Halachot of the Ben Ish Chai, Rabbi Ari Elbaz, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Hilchos Shabbos Chavrusas, Ari Burack, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, 9:30pm, 908-354-7318 Women’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 9:30pm-midnight, 845-578-1888
Shalom Bayit Shiur, for women, Mandana Bolour, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 9am, 917-544-1929 Shakespeare Group: Reading “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” private homes in Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-692-1613 “Esther Unmasked,” Rebbetzin Tova Rapoport, Chabad House, Margate, 11am, 609-992-4900 Support Group for Those Facing Financial Distress and the Downsizing of Their Lifestyles Due to the Economy, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 11am, 201-837-9090 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “An Introduction to Jewish Mysticism: The Tanya,” Dr. Lee Slavutin, 1pm, 212-769-2850,begins March 7 Shiur, for women, Debra Korman, private home in Englewood, 2pm, 201-568-1315 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Short Story Discussion and Writing,” Dr. Margaret Jacobs, 3pm, 212-7692850, begins Feb 15 Creative Drawing, Kim Simons, Jewish Center of Teaneck, grades K-3, 3:15pm; grades 4-6, 4:30pm; grades 7-12, 5:45pm, 201-655-1158 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Jewish Wisdom Drawn from the Weekly Torah Portion,” Rebbetzin Chani Lipskar, 4pm, 212-769-2850, begins March 7 Advanced Hebrew Ulpan, mix of conversational Hebrew and modern Hebrew literature, Einat Levy-Gigi, JCC, West Orange, 6pm, 973-530-3519 “Happiness is Learned,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7pm, rabbi@jewishwayne.com Matan Bat Mitzvah Class, Rebbetzin Debbie Baum, Cong Keter
Mazal Tov
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Gemara Sukkah (Iyun), Rabbi Shlomo Nussbaum, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:35am, 732-247-0532 Boot Camp, for women, Rachele Tasca, Jewish Center of Teaneck Gym, 9am, 201-833-0515 Torah in the AM: Chavura: Sifrei Divrei HaYamim, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am, 201-907-0180 Baba Metzia Chapter 1, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-907-0180
continued on page 40
Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Girls: Ameerah Talia Ali, Rachel Fried, Atara Goldberg, Avital Goldblatt, Maayan Milgram, Alexsandra Ramsfelder, Avigayil Scheiner, Shayna Sklar, and Tamar Zinkin; and the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Yitzchak Dov Bamberger, Eli Bareket, Yonatan Berner, Michael Bixon, Tzvi Cohen, Yehuda Colton, Moshe Giloni, Alexander Tzvi Hirsch, Meir Jacobs, Raanan Kwalbrun, Jonathan Malek, Shachar Morell, Aviv Oren, Yonatan Potash, Zachary Rothenberg, Samuel Scherl, Yaakov Shulman, Ahmos Silvera, Eliyahu Stark, and Aryeh Weis Mazal Tov to the Toradojo West Orange students who were promoted last month during their class at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David: Ezra Kaplan (Blue), Eli Novick (Blue), Rowi Novick (Yellow), Tali Novick (Orange), Aliza Pittinsky (Green), and Tzipora Zwickler (Orange); and these students during their class at Ohr Torah: Sara Sima Frohlinger (Blue), Tamara Sragow (Blue), and Yochanan Sragow (Red) Mazal Tov to Teaneck Councilman Yitz Stern on his appointment to the NJ State League of Municipalities Legislative Committee Mazal Tov to NJ Assemblyman Gary Schaer (D-Passaic) on being named “Legislator of the Year” by OHEL Mazal Tov to Ann and Tobias Schapiro on their 50th wedding anniversary Mazal Tov to Mary Cohn on her 100th birthday Y
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New Classes
February 2012/Shevat 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 39
“Shir HaShirim: The Complexities of a Love Relationship,” Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10:50am, 201-907-0180 “Topics in Shemot,” Rabbi Daniel Besser, Ma’ayanot Adult Education, in the Ma’ayanot Beit Knesset, Teaneck, 11:45am, feldmanr@ maayanot.org or isolshin@msn.com Arts and Crafts, Kim Simons, Jewish Center of Teaneck, grades K-2, 3:15pm; grades 3-5, 4:30pm; grades 6-8, 5:45pm, 201-655-1158 Toradojo Jewish Martial Arts, Sifu White, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, beginners and intermediates, 6pm; adults and advanced, 7pm; 973-669-7320 Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Eli Mansour, Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 7:45pm, seg5724@gmail.com “Thoughts on the Parsha,” Rabbi Yosef Sharbat, Sephardic Shul, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Chaim Davis, Bais Medrash Torah Zichron Moshe, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-473-3666 Gemara: Masechtet Brachot, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Cholent Chaburah, for men, Rabbi Jonathan Schwartz, Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, 9pm, 908-354-7318 Shalom Bayis Chaburah, for men, newly married to five years married, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 9pm, 973-594-4774 Parsha Plus Shiur, Tova Cohen, live on the internet at www. jewishradionetwork.net, 9pm Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, via satellite, Cong K’Hal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188);Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck (201-907-0180); Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic (973773-2552), Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532), 9pm Maseches Sukkah Shiur, Lieber Schachter, Cong Bais Bedrash of Bergenfield, 9:20pm, ryan@bmob.org
Men’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 9:30pm-midnight, 845-578-1888 In-Depth Chumash and Rashi Parshas HaSahvua Shiur, Cong Bais Torah U’Tefillah, Passaic, 9:45pm, passaiccliftonkollel@gmail.com
Fridays
Friday Night Groups, for grades K-5, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 5pm, 201-568-1315 Friday Night Learning Seder, for men and boys, Betzalel Mezei, Bais Medrash L’Torah, Passaic, 7:20pm, 973-473-0166 Megillat Esther Shiur, Rabbi Dr. Aaron Rabin, private home in Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-1315 “Judaism Crash Course: A Study of the Mitzvot of Our Daily Lives,” private home in Englewood, 8pm, 201-5681315 or 201-569-5313
Shabbat
Navi Shiur on Sefer Melachim, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 7:45am, 862-371-3186 Shabbat Shalom 12-Step Recovery Group, for Jewish men and women of all religious persuasions, Highland Park Conservative Temple Anche Emeth, second floor room #6, 4-5pm, 732-890-6312, 732-342-7365, or irvnrevak@yahoo.com
Motzei Shabbat
Men’s Swim, Monsey Swim School, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 6pm-midnight, 845-578-1888 Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732247-0532); 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), 7:30pm Yeshiva Beis Hillel of Passaic Costume Store, sizes newborn to teens, and mishoach manos supplies, open Feb 11-March 3, 8-10pm, 973-777-0735 Contemporary Chinuch Issues: Sefer Darchei Chaim by HaRav Michel Yehudah Lefkowitz, z”tl, for men and women, Rabbi Yosef Viener, Cong Agudas Yisroel of Passaic Park, 9pm, 718-755-3515 or 973-594-8526
Beth Aaron Boys Choir Accepting New Members The Beth Aaron Boys Choir of Teaneck is now accepting singers from grades 1-7. The choir is open to the entire Jewish community and is by no means limited to Teaneck. Rehearsals are held weekly, usually on Sundays, at Congregation Beth Aaron, and there is no charge for auditioning or joining. Auditions are not strict. As long as the boy enjoys singing, takes the choir seriously, and can carry a tune, he is welcome. The choir performs at the Congregation Beth Aaron Dinner, which, this year, will be held on Sunday, March 4, at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck. On Purim, the choir has a tradition of entertaining the elderly infirm at CareOne in Teaneck. The boys also participate in services at the shul on select Shabbats and holidays. The group often has other performances and is currently involved in recording a CD. The brainchild of its founders and co-directors, Yehiel Levy and Dr. Benjy Rosenbluth, the choir takes as its mission to give boys an opportunity to learn about music, have fun, and bring happiness to others. For more information, call Mr. Levy at 201-357-5495, or Dr. Rosenbluth at 201-357-5685. The email addresses are yehiel@ optonline.net or bdrosenbluth@yahoo.com.Y
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Cyber-warfare and Internet and high-tech technology, has an advantage. “I’m sure our hack-warriors will be able to make our lives here secure,” said Israel’s Minister of Public Diplomacy Yuli Edelstein. In fact, a report released at the beginning of February by the McAfee Company and the Brussels-based defense-andsecurity think-tank, Security & Defense Agenda (SDA), named Israel as among the three top countries best prepared for cyber-warfare. The report, entitled “CyberSecurity: The Vexed Question of Global Rules” is based on interviews with global experts, 57 percent of whom believe a cyber-arms race is already underway. It listed Finland and Sweden as the other two nations best prepared for cyber-attacks. The US and Britain rank lower than Israel in cybersecurity preparedness, and China, Russia, and India were ranked quite low. “If you want to hit a country severely, you hit its power and water supplies. Cyber technology can do this without shooting a single bullet,” said Prof Ben-Israel, who is cited in the report. “Cyber-security is about securing different life systems regulated by computers. In Israel, we realized this ten years ago.” Saudi Attack While that preparation was not tested by the serious attacks Prof Ben-Israel anticipates from enemy states and major crime organizations, it was useful when cyber-attacks began capturing headlines last month. On January 2, a Saudi hacker, who identified as “OxOmar” and said he is part of the Saudi branch of the Anonymous group, sometimes called “hacktivists,” boasted that he had published on One (the Israeli
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continued from page 1 Sports website) the credit card information of 400,000 Israelis, including their names, emails, credit card numbers, and security codes. Individuals who tried to enter One found themselves forwarded to the Saudi hacker group’s website and to the file containing the credit card information. “We decided to give a new year’s gift to the world: the information of about 400,000
Israelis,” the hacker wrote. “What fun it is for us to see 400,000 people gathered in front of credit card companies and banks and complaining that their credit card information has been stolen. To see Israeli banks destroying 400,000 credit cards and producing new ones (so expensive, huh?). To see people buying things for themselves using the credit cards and damaging
the credibility of Israeli credit cards around the world.” The breach of One’s website was quickly repaired, and Israel’s banks immediately reported that the actual number of compromised cards was “only” 15,000. The at-risk cards were frozen, and cardholders were assured they would be compensated for any damage. Identifying the Culprit
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Using information inadvertently supplied by the hacker himself, an Israeli blogger named Amir Fedida said that he learned that OxOmar was Omar Habib, originally from the United Arab Emirates and currently based in Mexico, where he studies in a local college and works in a café. According to Mr. Fedida, Mr. Habib made several mistakes, the biggest of which was sending an email to Israeli media outlets boasting of his “achievements.” Using that email address, Mr. Fedida was able to track him back to Spanish forums on the internet. In the process, Mr. Fedida discovered
Mr. Habib’s Facebook profile and Myspace page, learning that the hacker is devoted to the Palestinians. The PLO flag is included in one of Mr. Habib’s posted photos. A day later, an obviously outraged OxOmar published details of 11,000 more credit cards, about half of which were out of date. “A stupid Israeli student claims we only leaked 14,000 cards, yet just one of the files [we posted] includes 27,000 working numbers,” the Saudi hacker bragged. “The fake Jewish and Israeli media wrote what this stupid student said. It saddened me a little, so I thought
about publishing all million card numbers, and I will do so soon.” The Other Foot But a week later, the shoe was on the other foot. Saying they were “returning the favor,” Israeli hackers published a list containing the names and credit card details of Saudi citizens and the details of accounts of 100,000 Arab Facebook clients from various countries. The Israeli hackers used Pastebin, the same website OxOmar had used against Israeli banks and cardholders. Pastebin is a simple website allowing anyone to upload text for public viewing. An anonymous spokesman for the Israeli hacker group said they had initially been “taken by surprise” by the Saudi’s escapade. “In the first few days after it happened, we were silent, but now we have decided not to remain silent any longer, and we set up a group to hack into computers in Arab countries and reveal as much information as possible about citizens of those countries, including credit card details,” said the spokesman, who calls himself Hannibal. Although the Saudi government initially denied there had been any hacking into its banking sector, several Saudi citizens admitted their cred card information had indeed been published. Call to Fight and Hurt OxOmar retaliated by publishing a list of 200 more Israeli credit card numbers and calling on Arab hackers to unite against Israel and focus their efforts on the Jewish state’s military and security agencies. He also encouraged Arab hackers and their supporters to break into various Israeli websites and steal more credit card numbers. “We will fight you and hurt you in any way possible,” he said. He added, in a taunt to Israel’s vaunted security agency, Mossad, that he is untraceable. Noting that he was using the email service of gaza.net, he said that Russian intelligence had shut down his email address at mail.ru. “I saw that a few stupid people said they found me: one in Mexico, one in Riyadh, one in Dubai. Let me tell you: Nobody can find me. Mossad, do not waste your time,” he said. He said he uses data encryption
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capabilities to make locating him difficult. “If you look for me, you’ll probably arrive in Helsinki, Minsk, New York, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Tokyo, Moscow, and other places,” he said. Not a Virtual Threat While OxOmar’s efforts made headlines, most of the hundreds of daily cyberattacks against Israel usually go unnoticed. For months, experts like Professor Ben-Israel have been warning that the Israeli government must formulate policies to provide a response to cyberterrorism. While the state’s public and government sectors and national infrastructure facilities are largely protected against such attacks, Professor Ben-Israel warns that the greatest vulnerability lies in the business sector, particularly in banking and finance. “This is a real threat and not a virtual one,” he said. Like Other Terrorism A few days after the first OxOmar episode, hackers tried to bring down the website of Israel’s Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon, who has made significant Internet inroads on Israel’s behalf. His enormously popular YouTube series, “The Truth about the Israel-Palestinian Conflict,” has allowed millions worldwide to view his direct, colorful, graphic-infused, simple-language explanations of issues such as Israel’s founding, refugee policies, and experience with terrorism and war. Mr. Ayalon also publishes extensive online, where he has hundreds of thousands of followers on numerous social networks, including Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus. The attack against his website, which took 30 minutes to correct, came after Mr. Ayalon delivered forceful warnings that Israel intends to retaliate against hacker attacks in the same way it would against other form of terrorism. “They will not be able to stop my activities and work on behalf of Israel,” said Mr. Ayalon, citing his cyberspace successes. Fire and Rescue Services Hackers among Israel’s enemies took notice. A few days later, a group identifying themselves as the Gaza Hacker Team, broke into the Israel Fire and Rescue Services website and put up anti-Israel text and images. Under a photo of Mr. Ayalon coupled with a picture of shoe soles (an Arab sign of disrespect), the hackers posted a text
in Arabic which read: “Hamas, Fatah, Islamic Jihad, and all the Palestinian factions will fight your army. All prisoners will be released from your prisons. Freedom for Palestine.” In red Hebrew letters, they wrote, “Death to Israel.” Under a photo of an armed Palestinian, the hackers wrote, “Why do you not understand that this is an embarrassing situation for you and that you cannot get out of it? Danny Ayalon said that Israel will respond to hacking of Israeli sites. We break into your sites every day and will continue to do so without interruption.” Israel Fire and Rescue Services confirmed that their website was under attack from “multiple hackers” and that the website’s managers first had to take the site offline while keeping the content intact, and then bring it back online. Stock Exchange A few days later, on January 16, OxOmar struck again, this time shutting down the El Al and Tel Aviv Stock Exchange information sites, although the attack did not affect the site on which investors trade. Trading was not affected. OxOmar was able to block the El Al site, but did not take control of it or damage its content. An El Al official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the real damage was to the airline’s image. Like all airlines, El Al has invested heavily in its website, allowing travelers to order tickets and check schedules online. After the site of the First International
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Bank of Israel was hacked, the Bank of Israel issued a statement saying it was considering ordering banks to block access to their websites from outside of Israel. Shiloh and Azerbaijan One day later, hackers claiming to be based in Kurdistan or Iraq invaded the websites of Israel’s ally, Azerbaijan, and of the Samarian community of Shiloh, the site of the first Biblical temple established by the Jews after the Exodus from Egypt. In what may have been a typographical error in Hebrew, the hackers addressed the “managers” of Shiloh, rather than “settlers.” The message read: “This is not a joke nor a dream. This is the true reality. From Kurdistan or Iraq. Blessings from all of the Kurdish hackers.” In Azerbaijan, the hackers placed anti-Israel messages on the websites of the Ministries of the Interior and Communications, the country’s governing party, and its constitutional court. The hackers replaced the Interior Minister’s homepage with an image of the devil lurking over a picture of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev shaking hands with Israeli President Shimon Peres. “You are servants of the Jews,” said the message, which also threatened the life of Mr. Aliyev, warning that he would meet the same fate as Libya’s Muammar Qaddafi and Egypt’s Hosni Mubarak. Arab Stock Exchanges Hannibal and his hackers, calling themselves “IDF Team,” struck back. They
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hacked into the websites of large banks in the United Arab Emirates and Gaza and briefly disabled the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange and Tadawul, the Saudi stock exchange site. “If the lame attacks from Saudi Arabia continue, we will move to the next level, which will disable these sites for a longer period of time, weeks or even months. You have been warned,” they said. “We will decide on our next actions based on the actions of the terrorists, who seek to interfere with normal life in Israel. If there is no change in their policies in the near future, we will also take down banking,
stock, and government sites in the UAE,” said the message. Another pro-Israel hacker team identified as the “Nuclear Group” published the details of 4,800 credit cards allegedly belonging to other Saudi residents. “Nuclear Group is now helping Hannibal and more pro-israeli hackers in the world to fight against the Arabs,” the hackers said in a posting on a popular hacker message site. “So what we did is just that, we hacked into one of the biggest banks in Saudi Arabia and we are proud to publish 4,800 Arabs’ credit cards today. OxOmar and more Arabian hackers, war is not over.”
Iranian Death Threat Hannibal himself was the target of the next attack. On Jan 18, he said had received an email from Iran’s Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed-Reza Rahimi threatening his life. “My employees told me you hacked into the Iranian Central Bank and stole vital information. We have all the data regarding Hannibal’s hacking of our bank system, including information on your physical location. If you publish the information on the accounts you stole, I promise that you will be destroyed. You’re hurting defenseless Iranians. You are affected by Israeli propaganda. Damn you Jew!” read the email. If he was concerned, Hannibal did not show it. In a report sent to Israel’s Channel 2 News, he said he intended to “teach the Iranian Deputy Prime Minister a lesson” and publish another 100,000 email addresses and Facebook account information, in addition to the earlier 85,000 he had already stolen, belonging to Arab users. “It’s funny that he has the time to go into his mailbox, curse me, and threaten me. Mr. Mohammed, you do not scare me anymore. You’ll never find me,” he wrote in his reply to Mr. Rahimi. Saudi or Israeli? After a few days of silence, OxOmar resurfaced in the Saudi-based Arab News, where he was quoted as saying, “I am one of the stronger haters of Israel. The end of Israel is very close.” He said he resides in Riyadh, a claim that was denied by Arab News reporter Ali Bluwi, who wrote that, based on information gathered from a Canadian engineer specializing in cyber-information, OxOmar was “most probably Israeli because Israeli information security had previously accused one of its recruited employees of messing up with information.” OxOmar was also quoted in the Abu Dhabi-based daily, Alittihad, and other regional newspapers as threatening to reveal secret information that had been obtained from Israeli espionage agents. “I can publish any information about Israel, but I am just waiting for the right time and place,” he boasted. “The end of Israel is very close. I will use all my powers and those of my supporters to achieve that.” He admitted he had hacked some websites in the past, but, he said, he
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intends “to hack only Israeli sites to harm it and make it suffer.” “I live in Riyadh and I am fighting for the children of Palestine. I want to tell these children to resist and that victory is very close,” he said. Lebanese Scare Towards the end of the month, the Hezbollah-linked Lebanese newspaper, As-Safir, carried front-page headlines suggesting that, through links with a French firm, an Israeli company may have acquired the fingerprints of some four million Lebanese citizens. Lebanese Interior Minister Marwan Charbel confirmed that his office had details of fingerprint records of some four million Lebanese and that this data was kept at the Lebanon Central Bank. Mr. Charbel told the paper he had no knowledge of the partnership between the French firm and an Israeli company that might have contracts with the IDF. Nevertheless, the Palestinian Authority announced that banks operating in PA areas of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza and the Palestinian Monetary Fund would coordinate defenses against hacking attacks. Attacks on Hospitals
On Jan 25, Israel’s National Cyber Command and Counter Terror Bureau launched the country’s first official cyber emergency drill, dubbed “Lights Out” in order to train cyber-security personnel in how to deal with the latest form of warfare. This is exactly the sort of “cyber-exercises” recommended by SDA in its report. It was not a moment too soon. That same day, in Tel Aviv, the websites of Assuta Hospital, Israel’s largest private medical services center, comprising eleven clinics and hospitals across the state, and Tel Hashomer Hospital came under unsuccessful cyber-attacks. The hospitals’ websites’ firewall successfully overcame the onslaught. Later in the day, PA hackers managed briefly to pull down the home pages of El Al Airlines, the Dan Bus Company, the Israel Festival, Israel’s CinemaTek, and Ha’aretz newspaper. Before the hour that it took to restore the websites, the homepages were replaced with anti-Israel and antisemitic slogans, such as “Free Palestine, Death to Israel,” “Jew=Nazi,” and a promise that “4 more Gilad Shalits will be abducted,” a reference to the Israeli soldier who was
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kidnapped by Hamas-allied terrorists in a cross-border kidnapping raid from Gaza in June 2006. Mr. Shalit was returned to his family in October 2011 in an exchange deal that cost Israel 1,027 Palestinian Authority terrorist prisoners. Schools and Yeshivas Also attacked were Rabbi David Grossman’s Migdal Or charitable organization and the popular Israeli outreach Yeshiva Machon Meir, although it was not clear which group of hackers was responsible. At the religious-Zionist Yeshiva Machon Meir, located in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem, the first student to report the attack was stunned to see the homepage turned black with Arabic writing and the portrait of a terrorist at the top. “I just went to the site and saw it was taken down by Jew-hating Ishmaelites. I expect this will be happening to many of us now,” he said. Led by Rabbi Dov Begun, Machon Meir is strongly associated with the nationalist movement and the communities in Judea and Samaria. Taking on Iran The following day, an Israeli hacker
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Ess Gezint: Keeping Kosher with Harry Potter For J.K. Rowling fans, Uni-
versal Orlando’s The Wizarding World of Harry Potter must rank as one of the best amusement park attractions anywhere. It’s not the rides (there are only four of them and they are all real or simulated roller coasters), it’s the ambience. In sunny central Florida, Universal has recreated Hogwarts, the wizard’s school and Harry’s alma mater; and neighboring village of Hogsmeade, filled with picturesque thatched cottages and enchanting shops. Keeping kosher amid all this magic is not easy, but it can be done. A very personable and knowledgeable young woman at Universal’s Food Services division seemed truly pained to admit that none of the signature fare served in the park—butterbeer, pumpkin juice, strawberry-peanut butter ice cream (nor even regular-flavored ice cream), chocolate cauldron cakes, chocolate frogs, or exploding
bonbons—was kosher. A member of the park’s public relations team seemed certain the butterbeer was kosher, but when asked who certified it, had no reply. There are other options. The Wizarding World (don’t call it Harry Potter Land; they don’t like it) is just one of seven parks that make up Universal’s Islands of Adventure, and while none of Harry’s restaurants, snack bars, or pushcarts carry anything kosher, just a few feet away, is Mythos, which for several years running has been named “best theme-park restaurant.” Set inside a man-made towering rock formation, with cascading waterfalls and ancient-looking figures carved into its walls, Mythos, which is open only for lunch, offers (with a few hours advance notice) a certified-kosher frozen airline-type meat meal. While the restaurant was tempting, it was easier to shlep sandwiches, and inside
the Wizarding World, there were some lovely places to enjoy them. Harry Potter’s signature restaurant, The Three Broomsticks, and another of the books’ iconic landmarks, the Hog’s Head Tavern, are open-seating establishments. Patrons go to a counter to purchase their food and then bring it back either to booths inside the restaurant or tables on the sun-lit patio. Bringing food from outside the restaurant is allowed, and on a recent visit, two young Harry Potter fans squealed with delight as they ate their tuna sandwiches overlooking the severed boar’s head on top of
the Hog’s Head bar. Grossly over-priced bottled water and some fresh fruits are available in the park. If you bring your own, you’ll save enough to purchase some of the delightful souvenirs the children are certain to clamor for. There are plenty of places to shop. Right at the entrance to the Wizarding World is Hogwarts Express, the train Harry Potter and his fellow students take from London to the school. The Owl Post is a working post office, where visitors can buy rather overpriced stamps to make sure the expensive postcards are delivered with an authentic
Pumpkin Juice 2 qts apple cider, divided ½ tsp whole cloves 1 piece fresh ginger (2-inch- ¼ cup honey es), sliced ½ cup brown sugar 1 cinnamon stick 1 28-oz can pumpkin puree Pour 3 cups of the apple cider into a saucepan. Add the ginger slices, cinnamon stick, and cloves. Bring mixture to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, add the honey and brown sugar, and stir to dissolve. Refrigerate the mixture until well-chilled. When ready to serve, strain the mixture into a large pitcher. Add the remaining apple cider and the pumpkin puree. Stir well.
Butterbeer
1 cup light or dark brown sugar 2 Tbs water 6 Tbs butter
The sun was shining in the high 70s, but in Universal Studio’s Hogsmeade, with Hogwarts Castle in the background, it’s always winter in an English village.
½ tsp salt ½ tsp cider vinegar ¾ cup heavy cream, divided ½ tsp rum extract Four 12-oz bottles cream soda
In a small saucepan, over medium heat, combine the brown sugar and water. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring often, until the mixture reads 240º F on a candy thermometer. Stir in the butter, salt, vinegar, and ¼ cup heavy cream. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Once it has cooled, stir in the rum extract. In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tbs of the brown-sugar mixture and the remaining ½ cup heavy cream. Use an electric mixer to beat until just thickened, but not completely whipped, about 2-3 minutes. To serve, divide the remaining brown-sugar mixture among four tall glasses (about ¼ cup for each glass). Add ¼ cup of cream soda to each glass and then stir to combine. Fill each glass nearly to the top with additional cream soda. Then spoon the whipped topping over each.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Hogsmeade postmark. Zonko’s Joke Shop has jokes, tricks, and toys, some of which are recognizable from the books. Filch’s Emporium of Confiscated Goods is a general gift shop offering all sorts of souvenirs. Other recreated shops include Dervish and Banges (Quidditch supplies, anyone?), Honeydukes (none of the sweets are kosher, not even the outlandish jellybeans), Gladrags Wizardwear, and Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop. Taking more liberties with the Potter books’ geography, the theme park places Ollivanders Wand Shop in Hogsmeade. At Ollivanders, the park gets to include a bit of theatrical magic. Patrons are admitted in groups of 20 to watch while the proprietor demonstrates how “the wand chooses the wizard.” If young guests would like to carry back pieces of wood posing as magic wands, the costumed proprietors of Ollivanders will
February 2012/Shevat 5772
be happy to assist with the selections, which can cost between $25 and $50 each. While the central attraction in the Wizarding World is sightseeing—pausing in front of stores made famous by the books, enjoying street theater, like a “magic competition” (of first-class gymnastics) between opposing schools of wizardry—there are rides to be considered. Roller coaster fans may enjoy with the Wizarding World’s pair of inverted rides called “Dragon Challenge,” but those who favor tamer versions will probably prefer the more family-oriented “Flight of the Hippogriff.” Riders are told that, as young wizards, they will be taught to fly (using wicker replicas) on a Hippogriff by Hagrid, Hogwarts’ Professor of Care of Magical Creatures. As part of the lesson on how to approach a hippogriff properly, riders pass a recreation of Hagrid’s Hut, another icon made famous by the books.
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The creators of the Wizarding World saw to it that the park’s flagship ride, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey,” is both a delicious escorted sight-seeing tour and a heart-stopping simulated ride. It incorporates the book’s Whomping Willow, a horde of dementors, and a swooping Quidditch match. The long line for the ride leads through the recreated Hogwarts Castle, the site of the School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where books’ characters, including Harry, Hermione, and Ron, come to life and provide the back-story for the ride. After a full day’s immersion in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, the young kosher travelers wanted desperately to try out the recipes for butterbeer and pumpkin juice provided by the representative of Universal’s Food Services. The first recipe she offered for pumpkin juice depended on a juicer, which we did not
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have access to in Orlando, so we tried the second one, which called for pumpkin puree and a strainer. There were seven different recipes for butterbeer. The book suggests that the drink might be alcoholic, but Universal Orlando Food Services made clear that the variety served at the park is contains no alcohol; the only “kick” comes from a hint of cinnamon. The first recipe we tried— a combination of ginger ale, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon—was so dreadful, we rapidly turned our attention to other mythic issues: Are Jews more like wizards or more like muggles? Could you sing Adon Olam to the melody of John Williams’ score, played endlessly—and heroically— in the park? Now, safely home, we can try these two kosher drink recipes. Have fun, and may you never need to defend yourself against the Dark Arts. S.L.R.
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group, calling itself “IDF Team” temporarily disabled the websites of the Iranian English-language television station and the Teheran Health Ministry. On Friday, Jan 27, the pro-Israel Nuclear Group published credit card details of some 4,000 people, most of them Iranians. “We wanted peace, you wanted war. So you got one,” said the group on the Pastebin website, where the information was published. Nuclear Group added that they had additional steps planned. “We have more than a million credit cards in our computers. They won’t mess with us,” the group said. Cyber-Warfare Administration The Israeli Defense Ministry has not watched all this with equanimity. In January, its spokesman announced the ministry would establish a special cyberwarfare administration, whose task will be to coordinate the efforts of security agencies and the Israeli defense industry in developing advanced systems to deal with cyber-warfare. Likud Minister Michael Eitan said
that while the situation needed to be addressed, there was no need for panic and that Israelis and their supporters should not “lose their sense of perspective.” “This is not an attack on the critical infrastructure of Israel,” he said, insisting that the Jewish state will keep its Internet open and safe despite the attempts of hackers to penetrate its cyber-defenses. “The real damage would be caused by a reaction that would stop the free flow of information on the Internet. Just as we do not stop driving when there are car accidents, so, too, we cannot stop the use and development of the Internet when there are problems or cyberattacks,” he said. He added that while the hacker attacks at this point are still “relatively mild,” cyber-attacks on defense or other infrastructure computers would be much more serious. Propaganda Mr. Edelstein, agreed, characterizing the current hacker war as less about technological sabotage and more about propaganda.
“As long as it’s hackers versus hackers, it’s not nice, but, at the same time, I’m not sure there is an immediate danger. To fight it, we have to think about the atmosphere on the Internet, on the Web. This is just another part of the whole ‘bash-Israel’ campaign that we sometimes face,” he said. If and when the cyber-war reaches the state level, it will become more serious, he said, which is why the Israel government opened the new cyber-warfare administration. “We know that technology can be used by dictatorships, countries that are openly talking about the destruction of the State of Israel,” he said. He dismissed the suggestion that Israel would use the new cyber-warfare administration to go on the offense. “We are not in the business of attacking anyone. Our first and foremost goal is to prevent others from attacking the State of Israel via the web,” he said. New Intelligence As part of its efforts in that regard,
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Graphic Artists & Editorial Services Aldine Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Seventh Strategy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 American General Windows . . . . . . . . Eden Landscaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Organize + Simplify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shalom Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
51 50 37 51
Kosher Groceries
Butterflake Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Teaneck Road Bagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Kosher Restaurant, Take-Out
Chai KO Tapas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cooking by Devorah in Israel . . . . . . . Jerusalem Cuisine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ma’adan Take Home Foods. . . . . . . . . .
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Mishloach Manot @ One Family Fund 32 NARTH/JONAH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Purim Costume Superstore . . . . . . . . . 41
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Jeff Wilks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Financial Pros & Associates . . . . . . . . . . 6 Holocaust Claims Restitution . . . . . . . 19 LMS & Associates Credit Repair . . . . . 12
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47 55 43 14 40
Holy Name Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . 3 Psychotherapy, Chana Simmonds . . 51
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Aptowitzer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 Mendel Meyers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Real Estate.
Beach House for Passover . . . . . . . . . . 55 Englewood Garden Apts . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Travel & Vacations
Afikoman Tours Passover . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Elite Dimensions Passover . . . . . . . . . . 15 Emunah Bar/Bat Mitzvah . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Emunah in Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 “Flakey” Jake Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Hochdorf Hudson Valley Passover . . 18 Jewish Heritage Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Journey Through Jewish History . . . . 38 Kosherica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Lasko Getaways Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Leisure Time Tours Passover . . . . . . . . . 4 Marco Polo Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Mendy Vim’s Holidays Passover . . . . . 45 MatzaFUN Tours Passover . . . . . . . . . . 17 Smilow Pesach Ft. Lauderdale . . . . . . 21
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Cyber-warfare
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the Israeli Air Force is pioneering new methods for gathering intelligence. Asked if these efforts had anything to do with Iran’s race for a nuclear weapon, IAF Commander Maj-Gen Ido Nechushtan said he would not elaborate. “Some things are better left to the imagination. This is a new intelligence language, and we are quickly learning how to incorporate it as part of traditional intelligencegathering methods,” he said. Last year, a Stuxnet virus suspected of having originated in Israel disabled one of Iran’s nuclear plants. It is widely believed that successful cyberattacks on Iran’s nuclear and missile facilities could help cripple the country’s nuclear ambitions and preclude the need for a military attack. Legal Challenge The SDA report extolling Israel’s efforts in cyber-protection noted that in 2002, the Jewish state drew up a list of 19 major infrastructure areas that need to be safeguarded, including power production, water supply, banking, and other services. According to Prof BenIsrael, figuring out what to do paled before the legal challenge faced by the government. “How do you force the
private sector infrastructure to protect themselves against attack?” he said. Israel’s solution was simply to change its laws. But the government need not have worried. Despite the added expense, few in Israel opposed the measure, recognizing the importance of the issue. The government used the analogy of the state’s building code, which, since its experience with Scud missiles in 1991, has required any new house or apartment to include at least one room that meets the criteria for a bomb shelter. “Once people in the street realize that terrorism is very real, they accept things,” said Prof Ben-Israel. He sees Israel as a model for effective collaboration between industry, defense, and academia on how to meet the legal, political, and societal challenges raised by the issue of cyber-attacks. “Nevertheless, there is still a lot to do,” he said. Useless Treaties The SDA report, which cites the need for international standards and law-enforcement to combat cyber-crime, quoted Stewart Barker, former Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, who said global treaties are insufficient
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because they merely “delude western countries into thinking they have some protection against tactics that have been unilaterally abandoned by other treaty signatories.” Other findings in the report include the belief of 36 percent of the experts that cyber-security is more important than missile defense, and 45 percent who say it is as important as border security. “Cyberspace appears to be the new battlefield, and our opponents will not be able to defeat us on this plane either,” Mr. Ayalon said. Hezbollah Wants Friends But Israel’s enemies persist. The terrorist Hamas group has used the Internet to demonstrate how anyone can make an explosive capable of blowing up a jeep, and, last month, the group’s spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, told Bloomberg News, “Penetrating Israeli websites means opening a new field of resistance and the beginning of an electronic war against Israeli occupation.” In a statement originating from Lebanon, Hezbollah said it is searching on Facebook for material on Israel’s Defense Forces. A number of Facebook groups ask users to join and support Hezbollah, Hamas, and other armed groups included on the West’s list of recognized terror organizations. “Facebook has become a great place to obtain intelligence. Many users don’t even bother finding out who they are confirming as ‘Friend’ and to whom they are providing access to a large amount of information on their personal life. The terrorists, in parallel, are able to create false profiles that enable them to get into highly visible groups,” said Haifa University Professor Gabriel Weimann.
Facebook Problems For this reason, American, British, and Canadian soldiers have been instructed to remove identifying information from social networks. In light of the current Israeli-Arab cyber-war, Facebook’s automated system has been warning users to change passwords and lock those accounts whose passwords have not been altered, moves which force users to go through the reset process. According to Professor Weimann, about 90 percent of organized terrorism on the Internet is carried out through the social media. Using chat rooms and other sites, the terror organizations make “Friend” requests, upload video clips, and use other forms of propaganda. “By using these tools, the organizations are able to be active in recruiting new friends without geographical limitations,” he said. Lawsuits The question of legality has been raised by the Israel Law Center, Shurat HaDin, which recently warned Twitter to stop providing communication facilities for terror groups or face lawsuits on behalf of American citizens and others who have been victims of terrorism. In a letter to Twitter executives, Israel Law Center director Nitsana Darshan-Leitner warned that the issue was not censorship, but rather compliance with US security laws, which Twitter as a US-based entity is obligated to respect. In addition to charges of violating US anti-terrorism laws, Twitter could face a series of multi-million dollar lawsuits. “Many US entities and individuals who have provided material support to terrorists have been sued by the terror victims and their families for
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No Anti-Constitution Candidates Please
Does Rick Santorum have a right to run for President on anti-constitutional platform? As an Independent Conservative, I would never vote for Santorum, who claims to be a “Constitutional conservative,” but is not. To support his personal Catholic beliefs, he would propose an Amendment to the Constitution, an act we would rail against if it were suggested by a Liberal. I am glad Santorum is a good Catholic and a family man, but trying to impose the Vatican’s faith on the rest of us is anti-Constitutional. Some of Santorum’s positions run counter to the First Amendment’s prohibition on Congress making laws establishing religion. He wants a Constitutional amendment establishing full human rights for a fertilized human egg, which would make any abortion, for any reason—even one sanctioned by Judaism—murder. The Talmud teaches us that an abortion must be performed if the mother’s life is in danger because her life takes precedence over the unborn fetus. Mr. Santorum would violate Jews’ freedom of religion. How can someone run for President on an anti-Constitutional platform? Santorum apparently does not know some basic medical facts. About half of all human eggs die within one month of fertilization, an embryonic age at which no fetus can survive. G-d clearly did not give fertilized eggs the right to life. Conservative reporters should ask Santorum about these issues. I think they completely disqualify him for the Presidency, and, in any case, would lead to a sound defeat in general elections. I certainly hope that Newt Gingrich, who is also a Catholic but seems to know more about history, would not adopt a similarly anti-Constitutional position. Everyone is entitled to full respect for his beliefs, but we do not need a Santorum version of sharia in the US. Dr. Alexander Rashin Teaneck, NJ
Supporting Steve Rothman
I read with great interest your article on the Pascrell-Rothman race [“In the Newly Redrawn 9th District, the Democratic Primary Pits Por-Israel Rothman against J Street’s Pascrell,” Jan 2012]. It seems to me that it is quite obvious that, for supporters of Israel, Congressman Rothman is the much preferred candidate. To say that Congressman Pascrell’s record on Israel leaves much to be desired is an understatement. While it is true that Pascrell did, on very few occasions, support pro-Israel legislation, as you correctly noted, it is equally true that he supported several anti-Israel letters and supported—and tried to legitimatize—the anti Israel Council on American Islamic Relations, a group whose founder publicly supported Hamas and Hezbollah. As you noted, Congressman Rothman has been an outspoken supporter of Israel, quite often criticizing his own party leader (President Obama) when the congressman felt the President was acting against the interests of Israel and the United States. Additionally, he has initiated pro-Israel legislation and has called attention to the danger of Iran. As I do not live in the New Jersey 9th Congressional District ( I do not even live in New Jersey), I cannot register my support for Congressman Rothman by voting for him. However, there is nothing preventing me from contributing to his campaign, helping him get word of his achievements out
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Letters to the Editor
to the voters. Many of your readers, however, have the ability to acknowledge Congressman Rothman’s strong support of Israel by supporting him two ways: first by voting for him and, second, by contributing to his campaign. It is important that, as supporters of Israel, we back those who are steadfast in their support of the Jewish State and oppose those who fail to do so. I, therefore, urge all of your readers to support Congressman Rothman in his primary battle this year with a campaign contribution and, if one lives in the new congressional district, a vote for Steve Rothman during the Democratic Primary for NJ 9th District. Steven Schwartz Riverdale, NY Ever since a Republican Redistricting Commission decided to combine Steve Rothman’s old 9th District with parts of Congressman Bill Pascrell’s old 8th, setting up a primary election between them, the Pascrell team has reacted by quickly engaging in negativity. Just last week Pascrell’s campaign created a website full of personal attacks and factually false statements about Steve. Instead of talking about the real issues that are so important to all of us, like creating jobs and improving our economy, the Pascrell team has been unflinchingly negative. Pascrell’s campaign has been so over the top that, last month, the progressive website Daily Kos called his attacks “ugly” and his arguments “baseless.” David Nir went on to write: “ When the GOP pretended as though they’d mashed up Rep. Steve Rothman’s district with Republican Scott Garrett’s, this is exactly the kind of outcome they dreamed about. In reality, Rothman was pushed into the same district as fellow Dem Bill Pascrell, and now Pascrell is getting ugly. “Here’s the cold, hard, empirical about the new 9th CD: Rothman currently represents 54 percent of its constituents, while Pascrell represents only 43 percent. By the numbers, that means if anyone has the better claim to this seat, Rothman does. As for the idea that he should have challenged Garrett in the revised 5th, Rothman represents only 21 percent of that district. By contrast, Pascrell represents a greater share—33 percent—of the constituents in Republican Rodney Frelinghuysen’s redrawn 11th CD. So if Pascrell wants to claim that Rothman shirked a fight against Garrett, then he surely did the same if not worse vis-à-vis Frelinghuysen. “The fact is, this is what happens in redistricting. Incumbents get thrown together. Some people behave more selflessly than others, but expecting someone not to run in the seat where they represent a majority of the constituents is absurd. I’m all for Pascrell and Rothman duking it out, but I find the kinds of charges Pascrell is leveling to be baseless. What’s more, you gotta ask yourself: If you’re doing precisely what Republicans wished you do, should you really be doing it? The answer is obvious.” By going negative and unleashing these attacks on Steve, Pascrell is hurting our Democratic party. But you can be sure of this—Steve Rothman will not back down. No matter how nasty this race gets, Steve will never abandon his constituents in the 9th District and turn his back on us. I served on the Legislative Redistricting Commission last year, and I know that sometimes redistricting causes surprising outcomes. But
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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) that’s no reason for you to resort to this kind of inflated, divisive rhetoric. Winning this election isn’t going to be easy, and that’s why Steve’s team needs your help. Thank you for your support as we all work hard to make sure our friend Steve Rothman can keep fighting for us in Congress, State Senator Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) Representing Bergen and Passaic Counties
Calling All Jewish Korean War Vets
I have been recently recognized by the Department of Defense 60th-Anniversary of the Korean War (KW60) Commemoration Committee as the local KW60 Ambassador. The Committee, a three-year initiative begun in 2010, seeks to honor the service and sacrifice of Korean War Veterans, commemorate the key events of the war, and educate Americans about the Korean War’s significance. The Korean War (June 25, 1950 – July 27, 1953) is often referred to as “The Forgotten War.” As a KW60 Ambassador, I hope to propel Korean War Veterans and their contribution to greater public awareness. I will focus on establishing a local voice of sincere appreciation for the selfless service and sacrifices that Korean War Veterans made on behalf of all Americans. I look forward to incorporating Korean War Veterans history and the veterans themselves into local activities such as community festival events, school programs, and commemoration ceremonies. As part of the program, I plan to thank and honor as many of our treasured Korean War Veterans as possible in a heartfelt and meaningful way. I hope that, working together locally, and reaching across New Jersey, we can partner, collaborate, and achieve more to acknowledge our valued Korean War Veterans. If you are a Korean War Veteran interested in being recognized with an official Certificate of Appreciation sent to you by the Department of Defense and signed by the Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta, you may email me at: KWV148@yahoo.com, or call 609-655-3111 Charles Koppelman Monroe Twnshp, NJ
Easier on the Eyes
I just wanted to let you know how much we appreciate the new font in the latest edition of The Jewish Voice and Opinion. It is much easier to read. Dr. Jill Butler Passaic, NJ SLR: And thank you for noticing.
Boycott Mel Gibson
Mel Gibson has a new movie coming out very soon, “The Edge Of Darkness,” which all Jews should boycott. If you recall, Gibson’s father denies that the Holocaust ever happened, and Mel supports his father’s beliefs. On Ash Wednesday, February 25th, 2004, the movie “Passion Of The Christ,” written, directed, and co-produced by Gibson himself opened in thousands of theaters. Gibson also financed the $25 million it took to make the movie through his own company, Icon Productions. Hollywood’s major studios all passed on offers to distribute the film, and New Market films agreed to distribute it for a fee. That movie has probably created more controversy than any other in recent years. The movie, which blames Jews for the death of Jesus, is antisemitic. The film portrays Jews who adhere to their Jewish faith as enemies of G-d and the locus of evil. In July of 2006, Gibson was arrested for drunk driving near his house in Malibu by Deputy James Mee. In his initial report, Deputy Mee described Gibson’s bolt from custody and the ensuing chase, after which the actor was taken back to his car and handcuffed. The report detailed Gibson’s repeated threats against Mee, such as boasts that he “owned Malibu” and “would get even” with the deputy. The report also detailed Gibson’s “barrage of antisemitic remarks” in which he said, “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world” before asking the deputy, who is Jewish: “Are you a Jew?” Because of his celebrity status, Gibson was fined only $1300 and faced only other minor consequences. He never apologized to the deputy or to the Jewish people. Can we support an individual who hates us? Joseph Friedman Wyckoff, NJ 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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War This Spring? Israeli analysts say that Iranian leaders believe that while economic sanctions will hurt, it would be worse to cave into American demands. “In a culture in which false honor precedes anything that moves under the sun, where life without ‘honor’ is far worse than death, where honor killing is a religious diktat, caving into economic sanctions is equivalent to an unconditional surrender. And surrendering to the ‘Great Satan’ merely because life is a little tough is inexcusable, dishonorable behavior. It is treason that merits the death sentence,” said Dr. Avi Perry, an intelligence consultant for the Israeli government. Counting on Passivity There is some evidence that Iran may be devising terror attacks on so-called “soft”
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continued from page 27 Jewish targets around the world. But others say the Mullahs may just as likely stage terror attacks against American civilians, even on US soil. Dr. Perry said the Iranians are convinced that, no matter what they do, the Americans will limit their attacks to aggressive economic sanctions. “They do not believe the US would retaliate by initiating an all-out war in response. They view the US and President Obama as paper tigers,” he said. Destroying Israel Above All Iran is convinced that Israel must be destroyed, leading most Israelis to share Mr. Gillerman’s belief that immediate action is required. At the beginning of February, Mr. Khamenei once again called for the death of all Jews and the destruction of Israel. On the Alef website, he
said the opportunity must not be lost to remove “this corrupting material” and that there is “jurisprudential justification to kill all the Jews, [and] annihilate Israel.” In this action, he said, “the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.” Mr. Khamenei did not seem concerned about counterattacks either from Jerusalem or Washington. He said that before attacking Iran, Israel would need the approval and assistance of the Obama administration. Under the current “passive climate in the US,” he said, the “opportunity must not be lost to wipe out Israel before it attacks Iran.” Repeating an Error Dr. Perry said that in this, the Ayatollah will be repeating the mistake Hezbollah committed in 2006 when the terror group kidnapped Israeli soldiers,
prompting Israel to respond with an all-out war the Lebanese terror group had neither anticipated nor wanted. But whatever the exact scenario, most analysts are convinced war with Iran is inevitable and that both the US and Israel will be involved. “There is high likelihood that the US will lead the effort even if Israel initiates the campaign,” said Dr. Perry. He believes Iran will inevitably provide the American people with a “sizzling justification” by provoking the US and inviting a massive retaliation. If Mr. Obama takes advantage of it, it could secure his reelection, he said “There is no doubt 2012 will see a new Gulf war, and this time the Ayatollah will be the one to pay the price,” said Dr. Perry. S.L.R.
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