Jewish Voice and Opinion July 2012 by Susan Rosenbluth

THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism

July 2012

Vol. 25 • No. 10

Tammuz 5772

The Unoccupied Territories: Gov’t-Commissioned Committee Finds Israelis Have Legal Right to Settle All of Judea and Samaria At the beginning of July, a

report from the committee tasked by the Israeli government with examining the legality of Jewish construction in the territories, concluded that Israelis have a legal right to settle and build in the region. Further, the committee said, evacuating Jewish residents from these communities is not the way to settle a land dispute, especially when more than four or five years have passed without a conclusion. Therefore, the committee said, communities in Judea and Samaria, including those which the government helped establish and then decided were

In Migron, an “unauthorized outpost” in Samaria, 8 miles north of Jerusalem, a young girl, one of the community’s 300 residents, helps plant trees. Migron is slated for demolition in August, but after the conclusions of the Levy Committee, residents of Judea and Samaria and their supporters hope the decree will be averted.

“unauthorized,” should not be evacuated when disputes arise. Rather, the committee said, another solution, such as compensation or a land swap should be implemented if it can be proven that the land in question actually belongs to a Palestinian. “According to international law, Israelis have the legal right to settle in all of Judea and Samaria, and, at the very least, in territories under Israeli control based on agreements with the Palestinian Authority; and, therefore, the creation of settlements in and of itself is not an illegal act,” said the

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In a Values-Based Campaign, Rabbi Boteach Wants to Hold Terrorists Accountable, Make Marriage Counseling Tax-Deductible, and Get the Government out of Marriage Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the

Republican candidate for Congress in NJ’s 9th District, faces an uphill battle to beat Democrat incumbent Bill Pascrell. But the rabbi— a popular author, media personality, and spiritual leader of the stars—is hoping his important new ideas

will serve as planks to motivate the electorate to move him to Capitol Hill. For starters, despite his Orthodox rabbinic ordination from the Chabad Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Boteach has disassociated himself from what he calls the Republican Party’s

Mendelevich’s Return.......................... 5 Kol Ami: Capital Offenses?................. 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 Bat Mitzvah Project..........................12 Honoring the Stareshefskys.........13 The Blessings of Aliyah...................14

“trifecta of abortion, contraception, and gay marriage.” The first, he said, is a result—not the cause—of cultural deterioration in the US. The second is a misunderstanding of the purpose of marital intimacy, (it is not just for procreation). And the third, he said,

Inside the Voice

JEC Boys Win First Place.................16 Rabbi Pear’s “New Song”................17 Homeschooling in Clifton.............20 The Log.................................................22 New Classes........................................27 Mazal Tov.............................................28

is an unimportant distraction. Domestic Partnership for All If Rabbi Boteach has his way, a plan discussed by The Jewish Voice and Opinion will become the law of the land: get government out of the marriage business.

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Chesed Ops.........................................30 Ess Gezint: Lévana Kirschenbaum....34 Index of Advertisers ........................37 Honor the Professional...................39 Letters to the Editor ........................40 Walk To Shul.........................................43

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Yosef Mendelevich’s Triumphant Return to the US with a Book to Recall the Movement That Galvanized the Jewish People In early June, for the first time in 25

years, former Jewish refusenik and Prisoner of Zion Yosef Mendelevich visited the United States. For more than 11 years, in the 1970s and early 1980s, he was a galvanizing force, prompting tens of thousands of Jews in the Free World to become involved in the effort to free Soviet Jewry. Now 65, Rabbi Mendelevich (he received smicha after making aliyah to Israel in 1981), has traveled back to the US, hoping to use his newly published memoir, “Unbroken Spirit: A Heroic Story of Faith, Courage, and Survival,” as a mechanism to educate young American Jews about the struggle faced by Soviet Jewry and the international movement to force the former Soviet Union to allow its Jews to emigrate. ad this a ion t e n v ei Me rec and ecial sp nt! cou dis

Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich Rabbi Mendelevich was also in the US to serve as honorary Grand Marshall for this year’s Salute to Israel Parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. In New Jersey, he spoke at two Orthodox shuls, Congregation Shomrei Torah in Fair Lawn and Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck.

Watching him participate in these events surprised many of his staunchest longtime American supporters, who remember well when Rabbi Mendelevich’s efforts were not greeted with such enthusiasm by so-called mainstream Jewish leaders. Still erect and slender, with soft gray eyes, a flowing white beard, and silver hair below a large blackknitted kippah, Rabbi Mendelevich retains the commanding voice and charisma that made him a natural leader, able to defy the entire Soviet Union. Attempted Escape Glenn Richter, who has been a Jewish activist for decades, was among the founders of the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry (SSSJ) and, later, Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns. He recalled with clarity the events of 42 years ago, in June 1970, when Yosef Mendelevich, then

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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: Death for Selling to Jews? In February 2012, Muhammad Abu Shahala, who lives under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority, was arrested by the PA and charged with having sold a structure in the Jewish neighborhood in Hebron to the Jewish community. Palestinian law, following the example of Jordan, considers selling property to Jews a capital offense. The question this month is: How should Israel react to the PA’s decision to impose the death penalty on Mr. Abu Shahala? (for the full story, turn to page 43)

This is not the first time the PA has sentenced an Arab to death because he sold land to Jews. There have been at least two prior cases, but both times, the sentence was not carried out because the head of the PA was subjected to heavy international pressure and did not sign the authorization forms. This is exactly what Israel must do again, exert pressure on Abbas through secret channels, an effort Israel knows well how to expend. In the past, when land dealers who sold to Jews were murdered, it was terrorists who carried out the acts, not official PA bodies or the courts that had handed down the verdicts. It is important to remember that the Hebron neighborhood in which the house in question stands is an area controlled by Israel according to the Oslo Accords. If Israel prevents the death penalty from being applied in this case, it will show that the Jewish state is sovereign in the area. Prof of Law Eliav Shochetman Hebrew University Jerusalem, Israel

Every death penalty is an intolerable response by a sovereign state to something that has happened. Killing a human being is an act that should be allowed only when there is no other option, when there is no other way to protect others from this person. When the criminal is incarcerated in prison and no one is endangered by him, then, even if he has an extremely evil past, there is no justification for killing him. When a country has a death penalty that applies to all its residents, Israel will not extradite someone to that country, but we also do not initiate campaigns to eliminate the death penalty worldwide. We have other things to do. In this case, however, the PA’s law is directed against Jews living in Israel, and we cannot stand by quietly. We have to initiate a vociferous international protest, especially if the PA intends to carry out the law and not use it merely as a deterrent. No matter what form of protest the government of Israel decides to take, we cannot leave this issue unanswered. Prof Asa Casher Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv, Israel Capital punishment is a denial of civil liberties. Specifically, it is cruel and unusual punishment. It is inconsistent with the fundamental values of a democratic system. The court here should not give itself the right to kill human beings, especially with premeditation and ceremony, in the name of its people. Stephen Schwartz, Esq Clifton, NJ

This antisemitic law shows the true face of the PA and poses an acid test for the Israeli government. There is no doubt that if any other country in the world had such an antisemitic and racist law as this, Israel would recall its ambassador immediately and take other drastic steps. Instead of preparing to renew talks with the PA, Israel’s Prime Minister should demand the rescinding of this racist law as a precondition for negotiations. Obviously, Israel must do all it can to save this man’s life or be morally responsible for collaborating with the PA’s hangman. Why have the leftist Human Rights NGOs been so strangely silent? Why has Israel’s mainstream media not taken up the case? Until Israel succeeds in having this law repealed (something it has not even tried to do), it must at least formulate a legal policy for dealing with this issue. Currently, Israeli courts and law enforcement agencies act as though an Arab who says, “I have not sold land to Jews” is a free man who tells the truth, forgetting there is literally a gun held to his head if he does so. Worse, the Israeli civil administration in Judea and Samaria, ignoring the clear and present danger this poses to Arab lives, employs PA secretaries who receive all the documents that are filed when an Arab sells land through legal channels. These secretaries can easily inform the PA. The Israeli government collaborationist behavior must stop. Orit Strook The Human Rights Organization of Judea and Samaria Hebron, Israel

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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”

Job Opportunity: In the Arabian Peninsula, employment

opportunities are booming for would-be suicide bombers eager to target (in this order): Americans, Israelis, French, or British. Internet ads which look like invitations to a barbecue, sponsored by Al-Qaeda, are asking enthusiastic volunteers to sign up for “training to continue with our brothers who are seeking to carry out operations that make for great killing and slaughtering [of] the enemies of Islam.” We suppose experienced suicide bombers need not apply. But at least Al-Qaeda knows which side it is on. Last month, an Israeli judge ruled that the family of a terrorist, whose actions were caught on camera, would, nevertheless, receive a pension from the State because, the judge said, it was just possible his actions were not “nationalistically motivated.” At the same time, however, the Israeli Jews who were harmed in his attack will receive benefits as recognized victims of terrorism. Jewish Home MK Zevulun Orlev’s solution is a bill which will stipulate that if an incident is characterized as a terror attack by the Israeli Defense system, the family of the terrorist who carried it out will not be eligible to receive a pension or any other government allowance. Does he think his bill will pass in the Knesset? He said he has more confidence in the left-wing “justice-seekers” who will try to thwart him than he has in those who will apply common sense. Some of those future terrorists might have been among the children being treated by the PA-supported NGO, the Burj Luq-Luq Social Center Society, to a puppet show promoting health lessons last month in eastern Jerusalem.

The purpose of the show was to convince the children of the folly of smoking cigarettes. To this end, according to Palestinian Media Watch, which translated and presented a clip from the show on its website, the puppets suggested the children try something less lethal, such as terrorism. As part of the show, one of the puppets told the children: “I wanted to stand before the audience and sing to Jerusalem, which is being kept from us. Jerusalem, whose youth are being killed by the Jews, and to say: ‘Jerusalem, we are coming, the time of death has arrived. Jerusalem, we will not surrender to the enemies or be humiliated.’” The second puppet, who had been holding a cigarette, then responded: “What am I doing to myself [by smoking]? I and many other youths like me think that through cigarettes we will be adults and men. Jerusalem doesn’t need youths who hold cigarettes. It needs men who hold machine guns, not cigarettes.” Well, gee, it’s better than smoking, right? But for these kids, even smoking would be better than eating…tomatoes. According to the Popular Egyptian Islamic Association, Muslims are warned not to eat the fruit-masqueradingas-a-vegetable, because it is “Christian food.” The association published the cautionary advice on its Facebook page along with a photo of a cross-cut tomato, revealing a cross-shaped interior and the alarming alert that “The tomato praises the cross instead of Allah.” After close to 3,000 comments were left by outraged readers, the Islamic Association backtracked. “We didn’t say you can’t eat tomatoes. We said don’t cut it in the cross shape.” Didn’t you know your salad could turn you into an infidel? Eat a tomato over the Nine Days and have an easy, meaningful fast. S.L.R.

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Yosef Mendelevich Returns 22, “leaped into the headlines, as he and a group of 15 Jews and two non-Jews, desperate to escape the USSR for Israel, were arrested at Leningrad’s Smolny Airport, as they were to board a 12-seat airplane which they had planned to hijack to fly under the Soviet radar to freedom.” Born in the Latvian capital Riga in 1947, Rabbi Mendelevich had grown up in the USSR in an atmosphere pervaded by antisemitism. His father was arrested in one of many waves of antisemitic persecutions. Bereft and alone, his mother died shortly afterwards. At 16, he worked days to support his father and three siblings and studied engineering at night. By the time he was 19, Rabbi Mendelevich had founded an underground organization that struggled for Jewish rights, including the right to study Torah.

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Show Trial Six months after the thwarted attempt to escape to the West, the KGB’s showtrial prompted international demonstrations, which led to high-level political pressure, for which the Soviet Union was unprepared. In response, the Kremlin commuted the death sentences of two of the defendants and lessened the sentences of several others. The trial sent Mr. Richter and “hundreds of us from the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry marching with a coffin carried on our shoulders at the Soviet UN Mission, the fires of our passion burning against the bitter winter cold.” Then came years of waiting, which the prisoners spent in the Gulag, the Soviet Union’s penal labor-camp system, and activists spent devising plans for rallies and demonstrations to raise support for them.

“While Yosef; Sylva Zalmanson; her husband, Edward Kuznetsov; her brothers, Wolf and Israel; Hillel Butman; Mark Dymshitz; and others endured the prisons and labor camps of the Gulag, trickles of information fueled our hopes. Season after season, we kept raising our protest banners with their names and photos, kept lobbying Congress, the White House, and State Department to maintain pressure on a succession of Kremlin leaders, and built an American and international network to broaden our cause. We learned of Sylva’s defiant words in the KGB’s kangaroo court. Of hunger strikes by Yosef and others for their elemental religious, medical, and human rights in the brutal Gulag. Of their awareness of our campaign on their behalf that transcended national borders,” said Mr. Richter. “A Grave” Rabbi Mendelevich, who today lives in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem where he teaches at the Machon Meir Yeshiva and identifies with the Religious Zionist movement, described prison as “a grave.” “There’s total silence. It’s supposed to make you feel as if you’re forgotten,” he said. One of the prison stories he tells concerns his efforts to observe Shabbat. When he started to clean his cell, his guards were astonished. During one of his cleaning sessions, he discovered a nail protruding from the wall. He used it to etch a depiction of candles into the wall and imagined lighting them. “When I ‘lit’ these candles and said the blessing, they were truly radiant,” he said, adding that he would manage to save some of the week’s meager ration of bread to use as “challah” and a piece of torn material as a challah cover.

“What a magnificent Shabbat I had. In this way, I felt myself completely free. I had my own private geula in prison,” he said. At one point, he and another Prisoner of Zion, Natan Sharansky, were thrown into the same notorious Vladimir Prison, where they had cells across from one another. Rabbi Mendelevich remembers teaching Mr. Sharansky some Hebrew and the bizarre ways they sometimes found to communicate with one another. On one occasion, they pumped the water out of the toilets in their cells and spoke through the toilet bowls. When news reached the prison that Mr. Sharansky’s father had died, Rabbi Mendelevich prepared the Kaddish prayer for him on a tiny piece of paper and threw it over the wall of their adjoining exercise yards. Jackson-Vanik While the prisoners of Zion suffered, activists such as Mr. Richter kept the rallies and protests on their behalf moving. A direct result of the activists’ efforts was the Congressional debate which resulted in the 1974 Jackson-Vanik Amendment. Named for its sponsors, Sen Henry M “Scoop” Jackson of Washington and Rep Charles Vanik of Ohio, the law, still on the books, denies “most favored nation” tax-credit status to countries that restrict emigration, which is considered a human right. The bill passed both houses of Congress unanimously and was signed into law by President Gerald Ford in 1975. In its wake, Ms. Zalmanson was granted an early release from the camps by the Soviets and allowed to emigrate to Israel. Solidarity Sunday Rally “Five years later, in 1979, with Senator Jackson leading the opposition to the SALT II US-

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Yosef Mendelevich Returns USSR arms control treaty and the Kremlin pushing to overturn the Jackson Amendment, almost all the remaining Jewish defendants of the Leningrad Trial were expelled from the Soviet Union,” said Mr. Richter. He recalled the moment that Messrs Kuznetsov and Dymshitz were delivered on an Aeroflot airliner to JFK Airport, where they were exchanged for two Soviet spies who had been imprisoned by the US. “A couple of days later, Mark and Edward, embraced by his wife, Sylvia, stood on stage outside the UN at the annual Solidarity Sunday Soviet Jewry rally as tens of thousands of us roared our welcome,” said Mr. Richter. The Last Defendant Of the original Jewish hijack defendants, only Rabbi Mendelevich remained in the Gulag. “From his released comrades, we now had ample evidence of Yosef’s extraordinary, unwavering defiance of his jailers, who literally had the power of life or death over him, to keep his Jewish observance, basic humanity, and love of Israel. Our campaign for his release continued, passionately renewed,” said Mr. Richter. It would take two more years—one year short of his original sentence—before Rabbi Mendelevich was released in 1981. To the Kotel According to Mr. Richter, Rabbi Mendelevich had just completed a 50-day hunger strike to protest the confiscation

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of his few Jewish books, and billionaire Edgar Bronfman, then-president of the World Jewish Congress, leaned on Soviet Ambassador to the US Anatoly Dobrynin on the Jewish refusenik’s behalf. Very quickly, Rabbi Mendelevich was taken from the Lefortovo Prison, put on a plane with a KGB escort, flown to Vienna, and, from there, to Israel. “Yosef’s dream of walking on foot from Ben Gurion Airport to the Western Wall was punctured both by his exhaustion and the throngs of Israelis who mobbed him at the terminal and, once in Jerusalem’s Old City, carried him to the Kotel,” said Mr. Richter. “Yosef now had to catch up on his decade-delayed vision of living a full Jewish life in Israel.” Catching Up Within six months, he married (and today has seven children and even more grandchildren). He joined the IDF as an older soldier. With Mr. Sharansky’s wife, Avital, he traveled to the US to meet with President Ronald Reagan and speak before crowds of admiring Americans. Rabbi Mendelevich also wrote an autobiography, “Operation Wedding,” which was published in Hebrew and Russian. Unsurprisingly, he remained an activist. In 1982, when Israel withdrew from the Sinai, as part of a treaty with Egypt, Rabbi Mendelevich journeyed to Yamit to protest the eviction of 2500 Jews from their homes. “He was pulled off the roof of a building, sobbing together with the soldier who grabbed him,” said Mr. Richter. Working for Soviet Jewry In 1985. He helped found the Jerusalem-based Soviet Jewry Education and Information Center, an organization of former Soviet Jews who worked on behalf of Russian Jews in Israel as well as those still trapped in the Soviet Union. In addition to earning smicha, he also obtained a master’s degree in Jewish history from Touro; his thesis was on the Cantonists, underage Jewish children who were snatched from their homes and placed into the czar’s army, where most of them lost their Jewish heritage. Mr. Richter remembers the time his close colleague, Rabbi Avi Weiss, who served as national chairman of the SSSJ, and Rabbi Mendelevich were jailed in Geneva for protesting a summit meeting between

President Reagan and then Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. “Contrary to the Jewish Establishment’s wishes, Yosef marched with a large ‘No Trade, No Aid until Soviet Jews Are Freed’ banner at the massive 1987 Soviet Jewry rally in Washington,” said Mr. Richter. Vindication When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, more than 1 million Soviet Jews poured into Israel. Mr. Richter saw the historical miracle as “vindication for the Leningrad would-be hijackers whose guts and Gulag agonies helped force open the gates.” Over the years, Mr. Richter and Rabbi Mendelevich have maintained their friendship, seeing each other in Israel where the rabbi became close to Rabbi David Stahl, who had run SSSJ’s Brooklyn office before making aliyah with his own family. A Dream Mr. Richter sees in the release of Rabbi Mendelevich’s new memoir by Gefen Publishing the longtime realization of a dream not only of his and the author’s, but also of many others who were deeply involved in the struggle for Soviet Jewry. Before the publication of “Unbroken Spirit,” Rabbi Mendelevich’s powerful message of Jewish spiritual survival that many say will inspire a new generation, had been heard by only his students and those who deliberately sought him out. Mr. Richter singled out for special praise Pam Cohen of Chicago, a leader in the Soviet Jewry movement who had chaired the distinctly non-Establishment Union of Councils for Soviet Jews. She and her husband became observant as a result of the struggle for the liberation for Russian Jewry. It was Mrs. Cohen who raised the funds to have “Unbroken Spirit” published. Disinterest Before Mrs. Cohen’s efforts, Rabbi Mendelevich had all but given up seeing his book—detailing late 20th-century Jewish heroism—made available to an English-speaking readership. “Feldheim wasn’t interested and Mesorah said my story was ‘too Zionist,’” said Rabbi Mendelevich. Although he speaks perfect English, which he taught himself in the Gulag, the book was translated by Benjamin Balint, in a version that most critics have called fluent, smooth, and true to Rabbi Mendelevich’s dry humor.

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Little Knowledge Over the course of Rabbi Mendelevich’s stay in the US, Mr. Richter as well as Mrs. Cohen and Gefen’s PR representative, Meg McAllister, became increasingly convinced of the importance of the new book. From the minute he was picked up at the airport by Englewood resident Robert Lunzer, Rabbi Mendelevich was besieged with questions which made it painfully clear how little the current generation knows about the struggle in which he played such a major role. During the Celebrate Israel Parade, a reporter asked him, “Suffering in the Gulag, could you ever have imagined being at such an event today?” Similar questions were asked during interviews with radio personalities Nachum Segal and Zev Brenner, in Fort Lee with Shalom TV, at various newspapers, and at the synagogues where he spoke. Generational Gap “But as the interviews went on, what we’d been saying mostly to ourselves became painfully clear: There’s a huge generational gap. The Soviet Jewry movement defined our generation and our lives. Not so today’s young American Jews, even those in Jewish schools. They have been taught little about the heroism of thousands of refuseniks and assirei tzion, and the movement which helped liberate not only our Russian brethren but American Jewry from its post-Holocaust torpor,” said Mr. Richter. “It’s incredible to me. Untold thousands of books, films, plays, and recollections document our greatest modern-day loss, the Shoah. But American Jewry seems to have assimilated the redemption of Soviet Jews—a true miracle—and the resultant maturation of the American-Jewish community, without analyzing why and how it happened, and the lesson we can draw for today: it need take only a group of utterly determined people to change the course of Jewish history,” he said. He called Rabbi Mendelevich’s new book “a truly extraordinary document” that “recreates the awakening of his Jewish spirit in a communist family in Riga.” “With great clarity, Yosef chronicles each of the huge challenges he faced, explaining the basis of his decisions and his utter determination to carry out what he came to understand to be G-d’s commandments and the necessity not to concede an inch to his Soviet tormenters. The greater Yosef is oppressed, the higher his soul soars,” said Mr. Richter.

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Freedom 25 He hopes that by using this book, the small group of this generation’s young Jews who, he said, have already discovered the history and power of the Soviet Jewry movement, will grow in number. He, along with Rabbi Mendelevich, Mrs. Cohen, and Ms. McAllister, met with some of these young people and were happy to learn that they plan to engage a million people in a cooperative initiative they are calling Freedom 25. Made up of a number of Jewish organizations, and using an Internet site (freedom25.net), they hope to use the 25th anniversary this December of the great Soviet Jewry march on Washington to raise

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awareness, especially among AmericanJewish children, of this historic movement. Many Lessons “They believe the ability of the Jewish community to unite and help free Soviet Jews holds many lessons for current and future challenges and is a cornerstone for AmericanJewish pride in its history,” said Ms. McAllister. Mr. Richter wants this generation to “learn the lessons of this decades-long, but ultimate victory.” “If successful, we can truly echo Shlomo Carlebach’s tune which became the Soviet Jewry movement’s anthem: ‘Am yisrael chai; Od avinu chai!’—‘The Jewish people live; Our heavenly Father lives!’” said Mr. Richter. S.L.R.

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Saving Babies in Israel as a Highland Park Bat Mitzvah Project Nava Shira Abrahams just celebrated

her bat mitzvah and has already helped save three Jewish babies in Israel. The 12-year-old Highland Park resident hopes by the time she completes her bat mitzvah project, she will have raised $6,000 for CRIB-Efrat, and thus will save five Jewish babies whose mothers were considering abortions. CRIB-Efrat is an organization for pregnant women in Israel who are considering aborting their pregnancies for a variety of reasons. While CRIB-Efrat does not try to outlaw abortion, it endeavors to help give pregnant mothers what they need in order to allow their babies to come to term. “Of the close to 1,000 women who undergo abortions in Israel every week, there are hundreds whose first choice would be to have their babies, but due to financial or social pressures, they feel they have no choice but to terminate their pregnancies,” said Israeli surgeon Dr. Eli Schussheim, who serves as director of CRIB-Efrat. Working as a volunteer, Dr. Schussheim said he considers CRIB-Efrat to be Israel’s only true “pro-choice organization.” In Israel, he said, close to 50,000 Jewish babies are aborted every year. Many of them, he said, would be brought to term if their Jewish mothers had the support they needed. Economic Confidence Founded in 1977 to reach out to Israeli pregnant women in their hour of need,

CRIB-Efrat gives more than 3,000 women every year what Dr. Schussheim called “the economic confidence to achieve their first choice—to have their babies.” The organization takes its name from the Midrash in which it is asked why, when Pharaoh told the Jewish midwives, Yocheved and Miriam, to kill the Hebrew baby boys, he did not realize they would probably disobey. Why, the Midrash asks, did he not tell Egyptian midwives to do the dirty work? The answer, according to Jewish tradition, is that Pharaoh assumed the Jewish midwives would naturally want to abort the babies because, he reasoned, “What kind of life is it anyway to be in poverty and bondage?” According to the Bible, Yocheved and Miriam disregarded his analysis and did what they could to save the Jewish children. As a result, according to Jewish tradition, Miriam was given the additional name, Efrat, which has the same root found in the Hebrew words “pru u’revu,” be fruitful and multiply. The CRIB part of the organization’s name refers not only to a baby’s bed, but is also an acronym for Committee to Rescue Israel’s Babies. Bike-a-Thon for Babies According to Miss Abrahams, she was told it costs about $1200 for CRIBEfrat to give a pregnant Jewish woman what she needs in order for her to keep the pregnancy. Thus far, Miss Abrahams, who completed sixth grade at the Rabbi

Pesach Raymon Yeshiva in Edison and will be attending seventh grade next year at the Kushner Yeshiva in Livingston, has raised just over $4,000. She earned the funds by holding a bike-a-thon for her bat mitzvah party. “I had over 18 riders participate and many more sponsors,” she said. She learned about the organization because her parents, Jonathan and Merryll Abrahams, are longtime supporters. “Every year, I saw my parents donating to them, so I decided to see what CRIBEfrat does and how it helps people. Once I knew that it helped Israeli mothers afford to have their babies, I realized I wanted to help that cause. I knew that saving even one Jewish baby could save the entire Jewish nation. I want to save babies so that the Jewish nation can grow, plus I love little children,” she said. No Regrets It is a response that warmed Dr. Schussheim’s heart. “In all the cases Efrat has supported over the past 35 years, I have yet to meet the first mother who told me she is sorry to have her child alive and well in her home. On the other hand, we have met many, many women who aborted their children and lived to regret it grievously,” he said. Most of the children saved by CRIB-Efrat have grown up to become “solid citizens,” and many have become professionals, including physicians, attorneys, and engineers. Complementing Miss Abrahams, Dr. Schussheim said if CRIB-Efrat had twice the budget, it could save twice the number of children every year. “In an average week in Israel, we lose 900 babies to abortions, mainly due to economic concerns. By contrast, Israel loses about nine people a week in traffic accidents and even terrorism, which we all dread, claims an average of one person a week. They are all terrible in terms of lives lost, but abortion is the worst,” he said. Miss Abrahams is still collecting funds and hopes interested members of the community will contact her at 732-2202946 or navashirarox@gmail.com. “So far I have saved three children and, thanks to the number of contributors, we are starting to save the fourth. My goal is to save five babies, and I hope everyone will help,” she said. S.L.R.

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Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton Pays Tribute to Helen and Richie Stareshefsky well as for families and couples. After leaving NCYI, Mr. Stareshefsky coordinated missions for two years for the Orthodox Union. Mrs. Stareshefsky has been equally committed to the Jewish community. A fixture at Passaic’s Yeshiva Beit Hillel (YBH), she worked for many years at the school’s front office and helped direct its fundraisers and social events. Great Expectations Although the dinner was already held, those who would like to honor the cou-

ple can still do so through the website, www.yipc.org or email journal@yipc.org. “When you think of Ahavat Israel, there are few who could rival Richie and Helen. Both have dedicated their lives to communal service, from our shul to our local yeshiva, YBH,” said Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, spiritual leader at Young Israel of PassaicClifton. “Their love for family and the community is matched only by their passionate commitment to the State of Israel. I have no doubt it won’t take long for them to make their mark over there.” Y

At its annual dinner at the end of June,

the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton honored Richard and Helen Stareshefsky, longstanding members of the shul, who have dedicated themselves for decades not only to the growth of Passaic but also to the well-being of national Jewish organizations and the American-Jewish community. The Stareshefskys will be making aliyah this year. Cantor Blessed with a soaring tenor voice, Mr. Stareshefsky has served as cantor at the Young Israel for more than four decades. Many members of the shul recalled that this past Shavuot, during his recital of the Keil-Maleh Rachamim in the Yizkor service, his voice choked when he approached the section that speaks of the fallen men and women who gave their lives for the modern state of Israel. He was moved not only by the words, but also by the realization that this would be the last time he would chant the soulful prayer in the shul he has called home. Devoted to Israel The Stareshefskys, who were married in 1970, have made numerous trips to the Jewish state over the years. They are the parents of four children who were all raised to consider the love and protection of the State of Israel a sacred duty. For more than 20 years, Mr. Stareshefsky worked as national director of Youth and Young Adult Activities for the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI). During his tenure, he directed dozens of travel programs to Israel and across the United States for young people and singles, as

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The Snukal Family of Teaneck: The Blessings of Aliyah and Bringing Israel’s Legal Profession to American Standards By Arielle Avraham When Esti and Adam Snukal from Teaneck, NJ, first decided to make aliyah in early 2011, they knew they were taking what Mr. Snukal calls “a leap of faith.” An attorney whose expertise is in technology, corporate and entertainment law, and intellectual property, he practiced with a large international law firm in midtown Manhattan. Widely published, he is a sought-after speaker on a variety of legal topics, ranging from technology and privacy in financial services and healthcare companies to legal issues arising from social networking sites such as YouTube and Facebook. The prospects of moving to Israel with their four sons—Ezra, 14; Shami, 12; Kobi, 7; and Rafi, 4—made the Snukals “a little nervous.” “We knew that life in Israel would be very different from life in Teaneck, and the decision wasn’t easy. But if you keep your eyes open, you start to see how things work out; the blessings are very tangible when you are paying attention to them,” said Mr. Snukal, 39. Job Search Working with Nefesh B’Nefesh, the organization dedicated to revitalizing

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aliyah from North America and the UK by removing or minimizing financial, professional, logistical, and social obstacles, and through his own networking initiatives, Mr. Snukal experienced these blessings first hand during his job search. Though fairly confident in his ability to find work as an attorney in Israel due to his professional experience and previous work as the general counsel for a technology company situated in Northern Israel, Mr. Snukal was, nevertheless, slightly concerned that, on the eve of his departure for the pilot trip which Nefesh B’Nefesh strongly recommends to all olim, he had just one interview lined up. However, soon after arriving, he discovered he would have 11 different interviews over the course of 10 days. International Firm Things began to fall into place several days before Mr. Snukal flew back to America. He learned that, at the beginning of 2012, the international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, had opened a full-service office in Tel Aviv, and he knew this would be the perfect opportunity for him to build a strong practice on the same principles that had guided his career in Manhattan. “Any global law firm brave enough to open the first-ever full-service law office in Israel is destined to succeed, and I wanted to be part of it,” he said. After interviewing with the senior partner who had opened the Tel Aviv office, Mr. Snukal was offered the job almost immediately. Trusting in Providence The happy confluence of events was not lost on him. “The only interview that wasn’t arranged through a friend, or a recruiter, or any other connection, was the position I ended up taking,” he said. The serendipity prompted his understanding that his feelings about the law firm’s success would also be true for him and his family. “I realized that when we take that leap of faith and move to Israel, everything will work out exactly the way it was meant to,” he said. Exciting Opportunity Not surprisingly, Mr. Snukal is not the only professional impressed with Greenberg Traurig’s Israel office. According to Mr. Snukal, shortly after announcing it was opening a Tel Aviv

office, Greenberg Traurig received well over 150 résumés from highly qualified attorneys throughout the US, UK, and Israel, all seeking to be part of this landmark development. Furthermore, at least one other American, a well-known Jewish lawyer with a multimillion dollar practice in Philadelphia, decided to move his entire operation to Greenberg Traurig, solely on the basis of the opening of the Tel Aviv office. The enthusiasm surrounding the opening of the Israel office has reverberated among partners throughout Greenberg Traurig’s offices worldwide. “When I tell Jewish partners in other offices that I’ll be working and helping build the Israel office, I can see the spark of excitement in their eyes. They all want to introduce me to their childhood friends, college roommates, and third cousins who live in Israel,” said Mr. Snukal. One of his goals is to serve as a bridge between the US and Israel through Greenberg Traurig. He intends to continue servicing his American clients throughout the US while building a new client base in Israel. He believes Greenberg Traurig will serve as a role model for other Israeli law firms, “kicking up the profession a few notches” by introducing the standards of service, professionalism, and attention to detail that are expected of top international law firms. Reuniting with Family At the beginning of July, almost 18 months after their initial decision to make aliyah, the Snukals were but one short week away from their departure date. They are flying to Israel on this summer’s first Nefesh B’Nefesh charter aliyah flight. Mrs. Snukal, 38, a special education teacher, was especially excited at the prospects of reuniting with most of her immediate family, nearly all of whom made aliyah to different parts of Israel last year. Many members of her extended family had been living in Canada before relocating to Israel. Mr. Snukal also has a sister who lives in Tel Aviv. “The kids are thrilled about living in such close proximity to their aunts, uncles, and grandparents,” said Mrs. Snukal. For Mr. and Mrs. Snukal, living in Israel has been a dream since before they were married. They met in Israel during their post-high school year of study. She was

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com at Midreshet Orot and he at BMT, when their schools partnered to run a volunteer program for Russian and Ethiopian olim. After returning to the US and marrying, they continued thinking about aliyah, but Mr. Snukal went to law school, the children came along, and the dream was deferred—until now. Chashmonaim Mrs. Snukal described her children as “outgoing, friendly, incredibly Zionistic, and ‘sporty,’” and excited about the family’s new home in Chashmonaim, a modernreligious community located about halfway between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Founded in 1983, the Samarian community, which offers views of the Tel Aviv skyline as well as the Judean Mountains leading to Jerusalem, is home to about 450 families, more than half of them Englishspeaking. There are nine synagogues catering to various traditions, and schools and sports fields which attract students from throughout the Benjamin region. “The kids are most excited about meeting other children, developing strong friendships like the ones they have in America, and playing pick-up games of soccer and basketball. They also love the idea that everything will be Jewish and in Hebrew,” she said. Integrating the Children She is confident the children will all integrate well into the community. Because the family wants to ensure that each of their children will be in an institution that meets his needs and will foster his growth and immersion, they chose Chashmonaim for its own schools and proximity to others. This was especially important for Ezra, who just graduated from Yeshivat Noam in Paramus this past June and was initially reluctant to forego the yeshiva high school experience in NJ along with his childhood friends. “The week that all of Ezra’s friends were going around to different yeshiva high schools to choose which one they would attend, we sent Ezra on the pilot trip with Adam, so he could get an impression of the different schools in Israel, and meet the teachers and students. After that trip, he was much more excited about the decision to go to high school in Israel,” said Mrs. Snukal. Ezra will be attending YTA (Yerushalayim Torah Academy), an English-language yeshiva high school in Jerusalem that is

July 2012/Tammuz 5772

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part of the esteemed Netiv Mir yeshiva system. YTA’s mission is to help Anglo high school olim with their immersion process. Students at YTA are eased into Netiv Mir at their own individual pace, without compromising either their academic studies or high school experience. Like Ezra, Shami and Kobi had been attending Yeshivat Noam, and Rafi was at the Breuer’s Nursery School at Cong K’hal Adath Jeshurun in Paramus. Nefesh B’Nefesh Track Record Each member of the Snukal family is excited about the change they are making and the new life that awaits them in Israel.

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Because they are going with Nefesh B’Nefesh, they have every reason to be optimistic. Founded in 2002 in cooperation with the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel, Nefesh B’Nefesh has offered support and comprehensive social services to 32,000 olim who have made aliyah under its auspices. This has ensured that 97 percent of its olim have remained in Israel. “We know there will be challenges, large and small, but we are positive that, if we pay attention to the blessings around us, everything will work out for the best,” said Mr. Snukal. Y

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JEC High School Boys Win First Place in International Science Competition Held in Jerusalem After winning first place nationally in the United States for three consecutive years, a science-and-technology team from the Jewish Educational Center’s Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy (RTMA) High School for Boys in Elizabeth captured the top international prize in the Gildor Family Projects and Inventions Competition, held at the end of June in Jerusalem. The Gildor Project is a science-andtechnology competition based in Israel which only recently has been extended to Jewish schools in the United States. The JEC win marks the first time the top prize has been awarded to a school outside of Israel. The annual contest requires teams to research, design, build, and use an invention which addresses a given societal issue. This year’s competition task was

In Jerusalem for the Gildor Science and Technology Competition are members of the victorious JEC Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy team, from left, Eitan Adler, Tani Ben-Haim, Uri Shalmon, co-captain Brian Goldman, coach Ken Dietz, team captain Rafi Taub, Micah Lebowitz, and Noam Shachak. timely: the teams were asked to design a system to be used at airports to minimize the risk of birds colliding with planes upon take-off and landing. Dozens of schools participated in the competition, and the finalists were invited to Jerusalem where the ultimate winning team was selected.

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Interest and Commitment The RTMA team, consisting of students in grades 9 and 10, was headed by co-captains Rafi Taub of Staten Island and Brian Goldman of East Brunswick. They were joined by Eitan Adler of Staten Island; Tani Ben-Haim, Micah Leibowitz, and Uri Shalmon of Highland Park; and Noam Shachak, also of Staten Island. Approved by JEC science teacher Ken Dietz, who served as the project coordinator and team mentor in conjunction with JEC Principal Chanie Moskowitz, the students on the team were selected on the basis of not only their interest and ability in science, but also their motivation and commitment to completing the project. Working an average of two hours a week throughout the school year, the team devised a range of devices designed to scatter geese, including speakers playing distress calls and predator sounds, an ethanol cannon, and an early-warning radio mechanism for pilots. Impressive System According to Mr. Taub, every aspect of the project was carefully considered, including the choice of paint: red and white to make it clearly visible and easily identifiable as a non-moving object at an airport. “I think that really impressed the judges,” he said. The judges also liked the radio device and the fact that the JEC team had designed a system, not just a single unit. Justifiably proud of the JEC students’ achievement, Mr. Dietz, who accompanied the team to Jerusalem, said he remained impressed with “the level of their multifaceted knowledge, discipline, and organization.” S.L.R.

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In Jerusalem, Shir Hadash Teaches Jews and Visitors a “New Song” Based on Jewish Values, Principles, and Community When Rabbi Ian Pear confronts Jewish

college students who are convinced Israel is on the wrong side of history politically and morally, his response usually shocks his young interlocutors. He tells them that, to the contrary, Israel is the instrument for Jews who want to change the world for the better. “They come prepared to argue that Israel is parochial and tribal. I tell them that they can connect to Israel not as a way to retreat from the world, but as a means to engage it. The ability to express Jewish values is greater when done through the prism of a nation than when an individual tries it on his own. An individual Jew can’t build a hospital, but a Jewish community can. A Jewish state can develop a foreign policy that expresses Jewish values in a larger way still,” he says. If these Jewish students, fresh from anti-Israel campus programs and debates, accuse Israel of pursuing a policy of “apartheid,” Rabbi Pear tells them they are wrong. Rather than displacing nonJews or denying their civil rights, “Zionism is about Jews returning to their home,” he says. And while he is open to those professing secular Zionism, he argues on behalf of religious Zionism and his belief that the Jewish divine claim to the land coupled with the Jewish people’s halachic responsibility to ethical monotheism leading to ethical behavior and lifestyle is Israel’s paramount purpose for existence. “Spiritual Diplomacy” The dialogue is part of what Rabbi Pear calls “spiritual diplomacy,” an initiative “designed to strengthen the ties between the Jewish state and overseas visitors to Israel by personally connecting them to our community and vision.” Rabbi Pear and his rebbetzin, Rachel, the daughter of former New York Attorney General Robert Abrams, are American olim whose shul, Shir Hadash, is a vibrant Orthodox center of Jewish living, learning, and identity located in the Katamon neighborhood of Jerusalem. As its name— “A New Song”—suggests, it manages to combine adherence to halacha and tradition with a somewhat unconventional, avantgarde energy.

“Shir Hadash is your center for Jewish life in the center of the Jewish world,” Rabbi Pear announces to Jews, whether they live in Jerusalem, anywhere else in Israel, or anywhere else in the world. It was established 12 years ago as an initiative to promote Jewish identity, unity, and increased commitment through study, observance, and social action. Rabbi Pear describes the atmosphere as “joyous, passionate about ethics and meaning, and inspired with chesed.”

Needing a Shul The Pears initially intended Shir Hadash to be an organization celebrating Judaism and Jewish unity through lectures, seminars, and distinctive programming, with special outreach to American-Jewish students spending time at Israeli universities. They quickly realized that once they had engaged Jews, they needed a place to bring them so that they could express the Shabbat experience and create a sense

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The Pears’ Shir Hadas of community. They needed a synagogue. “The shul became a central part of our organization, the prism through which we could express Jewish values,” he says. It allowed the Pears to host students and other visitors and offer them meals. “Often these students return time and time again. The Shir Hadash experience has often served as a catalyst for their own journeys to Jewish observance,” says Rabbi Pear, a frequent lecturer at both the Hebrew University in Jerusalem as well as Tel Aviv University. Some of these students eventually make aliyah themselves. Some have become members of Shir Hadash. After spending time with the Pears, other Jewish visitors return to the United States sufficiently inspired to begin their own “Shir Hadash”like minyanim. Every Segment Shir Hadash is different from virtually any other synagogue in Jerusalem, starting with the congregants themselves, who represent almost every segment of Israeli society. As an early shul leader once quipped about the 150 family-unit members, “In our shul, you see shtreimels, shorts, and everything in between.” And that is just fine with

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the Pears, who are committed “to encouraging the love and respect of every Jew for one another and the passionate pursuit of Jewish unity.” “We want to rebuild Israel, both physically and spiritually, so that the Jewish people may best fulfill our universal mission of improving the world,” he says. Anglo-Dominated Shul About 50-60 percent of Shir Hadash members are Englishspeaking olim from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia. About 20 percent of the shul’s members are native Israelis who come because they find the atmosphere warm and exciting while still halachically authentic. Like the Anglos, the native Israelis are attracted to the Pears’ vision of a synagogue that is also an educational institution and a Jewish community center. Shir Hadash boasts an outstanding preschool/ daycare center and after-school program for children. There is also a summer camp program and a class entitled “Drama and Torah” for teenage girls. “While this is not unusual at all in American synagogues, it is very unusual in Israel,” says Rabbi Pear, who characterized Shir Hadash as “an American diaspora-style community.”

Outreach The Pears themselves teach several classes a week to college students and adults on subjects ranging from Basic Judaism to more complicated studies of Jewish texts and intricacies of halacha. In addition, the Pears have reached out to their own congregants and the local community, asking people to come to classes, provide home hospitality to visitors, and help organize charity projects. Shir Hadash now helps arrange for Shabbat hospitality in members’ homes, as well as offering an open beit midrash and a clothing warehouse for the needy. “We’ve become a community shul where everybody knows your name, but where the entire Jewish community is always welcome. Once we defined our mission, everything else just fell into place,” says Rabbi Pear. Tourists Each week, approximately 25 percent of those in shul are tourists, visitors with whom the Pears engage in “spiritual diplomacy.” These range from Orthodox Jews who have heard about Shir Hadash and want to experience it for themselves, to non-Jewish travelers eager to meet “real Jews,” whom they suspect will be different from the antisemitic caricatures portrayed throughout much of the media. “We have welcomed representatives from Jewish Federations and from the US Congress, annual delegations of state attorneys-general, a leadership group from the Presbyterian Church and from Birthright, and, of course, loads of college students,” says Rabbi Pear. Just recently, one of those guests was Newark Mayor Cory

Rabbi Ian Pear Booker. During Shabbat dinner with the Pears, Mr. Booker, the first African-American president of the Jewish student group at Oxford, expressed how impressed he was to see Israeli soldiers, not as the fierce warriors portrayed in the press, but, rather, as sons who had come home to spend Shabbat with their families. According to Rabbi Pear, Mr. Booker was particularly interested in speaking to a young IDF pilot. The mayor wanted to know how the pilot felt when, during the course of a battle, he had to drop bombs. “They had a long conversation, and the pilot explained to him what a difficult job he had and how committed Israel and its defense forces are to ethical behavior and doing the right thing,” recalls Rabbi Pear. Often the shul has hosted rabbinical students from all sectors of the Jewish community. According to Rabbi Pear, Reform and Conservative rabbis come not to discuss theology or halacha, but, rather, ways to infuse their own communities with the Shir Hadash model of chesed. “There is so much polarization in Israel and the Jewish community as a whole, we want to focus on the positive and inspire Jewish identity through joy, ethics,

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com and meaning. This creates a powerful way to relate to Judaism and Zionism,” he says. Smicha His own route to Jerusalem and Shir Hadash was a little more circuitous. Raised at first in the Reform and then in the Conservative movement, Rabbi Pear studied at Georgetown University, where he was president of the Jewish Student Association, co-founded the campus Israel Club, and earned a degree in International Relations from Georgetown’s School for Foreign Service. Although he aspired to be a stand-up comic, he also was interested in further Jewish study, which led him to Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s Ohr Torah Stone’s Yeshivat Hamivtar Orot Lev. Attracted by the yeshiva’s reputation for intense Jewish learning in an atmosphere of openness, he says the experience “transformed Judaism from something purely intellectual into something very real and special.” “The yeshiva gave me the tools to make Jewish learning and living appealing and accessible to all kinds of Jews, as well as the inspiration to live in Israel and try and make a difference,” he says. He returned to New York to continue his studies at Yeshiva University, earning smicha from YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary while also earning a law degree from NYU. He credits his wife for motivating him to return to Israel—but not before the two joined a group entitled Chariot of Fire which took as its mission visiting small, isolated Jewish communities in the western United States. On this trip in the late 1990s, they set up a section of Jewish books (collected by Rachel before the trip) in the public library at Grand Canyon Village,

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Arizona; taught classes in basic Judaism in Los Alamos, New Mexico; and visited with elderly Jews in Cheyenne, Wyoming. Then they and their first daughter, Gavriella, made aliyah. Since moving to Israel, the Pears gave Gavriella two sisters and, two years ago, a baby brother. Accidental Zionist Rabbi Pear mined the details of his life journey and philosophy for his 2009 book, The Accidental Zionist: What a Priest, a Pornographer and a Wrestler Named Chainsaw Taught Me about Being Jewish, Saving the World, and Why Israel Matters to Both. Told with humor and delightful anecdotes, the book’s premise is that the purpose of Judaism is the dissemination of ethical monotheism throughout the world and this, he says, can be accomplished only by an influential, powerful nationstate based on Jewish principles. Intermingled with quotes from Plato, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Woody Allen, is the book’s argument for a muscular religious Zionism. Judaism and Darwinism In addition to her work with Shir Hadash, Rebbetzin Pear, who earned an undergraduate degree in archeology from Columbia and a Master’s from Hebrew University in Prehistoric Archeology, is finishing her doctoral dissertation, entitled “And It was Good?: American Modern-Orthodox Engagement with Darwinism from 1925-Present,” at Bar-Ilan University. She expects to teach at Bar-Ilan in the fall. This summer, the Pears are scheduled to be in the United States to visit family and to speak to American audiences. Those interested in arranging for him to speak to a group in the US or hosting a group in Jerusalem can contact him at

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shirhadash@aol.com. Proud Father and Grandfather Perhaps no one is more eager to see them, or prouder of their accomplishments, than Rebbetzin Pear’s father, Robert Abrams, the former NY Attorney General, who has brought numerous missions to Israel consisting mostly of non-Jews. His goal is to bring Americans, representing a wide variety of religious and ethnic backgrounds, “to see the miracle of Israel, a nation of extraordinary growth and beauty, thriving despite real existential threats.” Very often, Mr. Abrams makes certain that a visit to the Pears’ Shabbat table is part of the itinerary. According to the feedback he has received, time spent with the Pears, including the spirited Shabbat discussions, is usually one of the highlights of the entire trip. Mr. Abrams is convinced this is especially important when

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the visitors are students—Jews and Gentiles—from American colleges and universities where, he says “Israel’s enemies fund Middle Eastern Studies departments and professorial bias creeps into academic life.” “Today, when the various boycott, divestment, and sanctions movements are trying to delegitimize Israel around the world, Ian and Rachel’s work has become critically important to Israel’s security. They are strengthening the bonds of understanding between important groups of Americans and the people of Israel. Through their efforts, hundreds of people in Israel are developing a real sense of community, and many, many others from countries throughout the world are learning about Judaism’s eternal message and the tremendous value and potential of Israel as a Jewish state committed to Jewish principles,” says Mr. Abrams. S.L.R.

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An Artist’s Family Homeschools Its Children in the Passaic-Clifton Jewish Community When Bram and Pace Setten-

brino competed in the Chidon HaTanach Bible Quiz held at Yeshiva University this past May, few participants noticed anything unusual about the two Clifton residents, other than the fact that they were rather young for the competition. Bram is 11, and his brother is 9. They did outstandingly well in the competition. Their parents, Shaina and Yisroel Settenbrino, took pride in their sons’ accomplishment, but were not surprised by it. Bram and Pace, just like their younger brother Sage, 7, are homeschooled. For the present, their little sister, Ida, 5, is enrolled in one of the PassaicClifton community’s yeshiva programs, but her parents are pretty certain that in the near future, she will also join her

brothers in learning at home. The same will probably also be true for Niam, 3, and the baby, Kayla, who is six months old. “All parents want to give their children the best education possible. We believe we are doing that,” said Mr. Settenbrino. Another Plan An artist whose work hangs throughout their gracious home, Mr. Settenbrino moved to Clifton two years ago with his wife and children. Initially the Settenbrinos tried placing their children in some of the local yeshiva programs, but found that the schools were not right for their family. “Everything happens for a purpose, and we believe G-d had another plan for our children’s education so that they could reach a higher state of devel-

opment,” said Mr. Settenbrino. They have found that the homeschooling alternative requires a great deal of hands-on parental involvement, beginning with choosing rabbis for their sons’ religious learning and proper Internet programs for their secular studies. Individualized Learning In the morning, the boys study with Rabbi Yekutiel Katz who, at the round table in the family’s book-lined dining room-study, works with Sage on Mishna, Chumash, and midos, before giving Gemara and Navi shiurim to Bram and Pace. In the evening, Rabbi David Sukenick gives Bram and Pace shiurim in Chumash, Gemara, and Shulchan Aruch. In between, the boys take online secular classes in literature, math, language arts (vo-

cabulary, spelling, and grammar), history, and science. In some of these classes, the boys study alone or with a supervising parent; in other classes, there are some 200 children throughout the world participating all at the same time. “Basically, we have set up a religious studies curriculum for them which centers on the one-on-one relationship between the student and the rebbe. Their secular curriculum mirrors that of the finest private academies,” said Mr. Settenbrino. Supplies Before the school year began, the on-line secular programs sent the family the books their children would need as well as the supplies, especially for the science classes. “Sometimes, our kitchen

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com becomes the lab; other times, it’s enough to have the children see the slides on the computer. This year, they have been doing a lot of earth science, which requires mostly reading,” said Mr. Settenbrino. Friends Perhaps one of the more challenging aspects to the family’s homeschooling experiment is making sure the children retain friendships and relationships with others their own age in the community. Bram admitted he sometimes misses the give and take of recess and the opportunity to “fool around” with friends in between classes and at lunch. To make up for that natural camaraderie, the Settenbrinos cart the children to Boy Scouts, karate lessons, Yiddle League (the Passaic-Clifton Jewish community’s own version of Little League), and, when possible, summer camp. On Shabbos and holidays, the family maintains an “openhouse” policy, welcoming the children’s friends throughout their home. Blue Moon When Mr. Settenbrino is not supervising lessons or engaging in art projects in his home studio, he can be found at the Blue Moon Hotel, the Settenbrinos’ boutique inn, located on Orchard Street in the heart of New York’s Lower East Side.

July 2012/Tammuz 5772

Designed by Mr. Settenbrino to echo the old-fashioned “World of our Fathers” atmosphere, the Blue Moon was an 1879, five-story tenement. Mr. Settenbrino had it gutted and it is now an eight-story, 22-room hotel with breathtaking views of the city, Internet access, and whirlpools. For a number of years, Mr. Settenbrino owned an Italian clothing store on the ground floor of the building. When the rest of the property went up for sale in 2001, he bought it and turned it into a hotel, naming it to commemorate his certainty that the opportunity to remake such an edifice would come around only “once in a blue moon.” Trying to maintain Blue Moon as equal parts hotel and 19th-early 20th-century museum, Mr. Settenbrino has kept the architectural and ornamental details salvaged from the original structure, decorating the lobby and rooms with period furniture, and lining the walls with collages made from old magazines and artifacts from Lower East Side history. But the rooms themselves are luxurious, with soaring ceilings, balconies, and plenty of space for couples and even families. Kosher Hotel It is also Manhattan’s only kosher hotel. While there is no cooking on the premises,

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The Settenbrinos’ dining room, study, and homeschooled children’s bais medrash guests will find a glass of kosher wine waiting for them upon arrival. Mr. Settenbrino suggests guests check for mevushal, and, if necessary, ask for a fresh bottle to open themselves. The rooms have mezuzahs on the doorposts; oldfashioned, Shabbat-friendly keys; and kosher breakfasts for everyone featuring Kossar’s Bagels and Gertel’s pastries. Since 2007, the hotel has been home to Chabad of the Lower East Side, which means the Settenbrinos have rabbis surrounding them at work and, for their children, at home. They find their efforts at the Blue Moon as well as with their children’s schooling rewarding.

Not Inexpensive Others in the Passaic-Clifton community have begun to notice, asking them about what it takes to homeschool children and how to go about starting. The Settenbrinos warn those who ask that it is not necessarily a money-saving proposition. The rabbis must be paid, and the online programs are not cheap. “We do the entire program online, but those looking to save money could work with the books and an offline program, which would be less expensive,” said Mrs. Settenbrino. In any case, parental participation is a must. “We give our time and energy, and we think the results are worth it,” she said. S.L.R.

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

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

The Log: Do It Now

Kittens and Dogs Available for Adoption, Ramapo-Bergen Animal Refuge, Oakland, Tues and Thurs, 1-8pm; Wed, 12-4pm; Sun, 11am-4pm, 201-337-5180 Register for Teaneck Flag Football League, for men ages 18 and up, 2012 season begins last week in August, morosenberg@ gmail.com Registration Now Open for Torah Academy of Bergen County Junior Floor Hockey League, for boys in grades 3-8, rifoo@aol.com or teaneckhockey@gmail.com Register for the Mitch Gross Basketball League, for Bergen County boys and girls in grades 2-8, run and managed by Dov Elefant, Stephanie Amos, and Dovey Forman, all games played at Ben Porat Yosef in Paramus, mgblnj@ gmail.com West Orange’s Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David has formed a new task force seeking to create a “Substance Sensitive Community.” Convinced that education and dialogue are

the greatest deterrents to substance abuse, the SSC Task Force is seeking parents of adolescents ranging in age from 11-18 who will help set up forums to share ideas and information, involving parents and teens in meaningful and productive conversation. For more information, call 973-736-1407 Register for the NY IceCats, New York’s Shomer Shabbos Ice Hockey League for children, practicing and playing in Central Park in Manhattan, CoachJamieNY@ aol.com. Those who register by July 15 receive a $145 discount

Tues., July 10

Jewish Business Network Breakfast, at Cadett Marketing, Saddle Brook, 8:15-9:45am, 201880-1926 Children’s Clothing Drive, collecting clothing, shoes, and accessories, including backpacks, boots, coats, snow pants, gloves, etc, all in very good condition only, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am-6pm, ChildrensClothingDrive@gmail.com Volunteers Needed to Sort and Organize Clothing Donated

through the Children’s Clothing Drive, adults and children 10 and up, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:30am-3pm and 6-9pm, also Wed., July 11, 9:30am-3pm, ChildrensClothingDrive@gmail.com Art for Learning: “The Jewish Immigrant Experience,” for grades 4-9, Sheryl Intrator Urman, includes trips to Ellis Island and Lower East Side, create a family tree, based in Englewood, 9:30am2:30pm, 201-503-9796 “More Yiddishe Ta’am,” for seniors, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201408-1450 Support Group for Caregivers, those caring for an older adult who is physically frail or suffering from memory loss, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-408-1450 Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Temima Shulman, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Bruckner Te Deum and Block Sacred Service, performed by the Collegiate Chorale with the Israel Philharmonic, conducted by Zubin Mehta, Carnegie Hall, Manhattan, 7pm, 212-247-7800 or 646-202-9623, through Sun., July 15 An Evening of Education and Awareness about Dating and Domestic Violence in the Jewish Community, featuring Project SARAH, Mt. Sinai Jewish Center, Washington Hts, NY, 7pm, 212-569-6200 ext 233 “Empowerment of Tznius,” for women, Rebbetzin Chani Silver, private home in Passaic, 8pm, 973-513-3179 Divrei Chizuk Hisoirerus, for men, HaRav Ephraim Wachsman, spons by the Passaic-Clifton Community Kollel, Cong Beis Torah U’Tefilloh (BTU), Passaic, 9:30pm, info@btutorah.org Tammuz Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Transformation: 5 Steps to Ahavas Yisrael,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www. torahcalls.com or 732-806-1578

Wed., July 11

Jewish Business Network Women’s Networking, Starbucks at the Meadowlands Sheraton Hotel, East Rutherford, 9:30-11am, 973-902-5932 or 646-233-2031 Mommy and Me, for infants and toddlers, Helene Lockspeiser, includes music, art, tefillah, stories, and time for mothers to share parenting ideas, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 9:30am, 732-572-5052 ext 215 Job Search Boot Camp: “Knowing How to Sell Yourself,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 Jewish Educational Center Sisterhood Dinner, at JEC, Elizabeth, 6:45pm, 908-351-5420 “Growing up Jewish in Egypt,” Sarine de Picciotto, JCC of Middlesex County, Edison, 7pm, 732-494-3232 ext 614 The Adoptive Parents Committee Support Group: Domestic Adoption, for those who have adopted and those seeking information on adoption, Maris Blechner, Riverdale YMHA, 7pm, 718-5488200 or 212-304-8479 Kayitz Classic II: 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, to benefit Areyvut’s Mitzvah Clowning Program and Moshava Ba’ir’s Camp Scholarship Fund, for adults, at the Frisch School, Paramus, 7pm, 201-244-6702 Employment Network of Raritan Valley Job Networking Session, includes job-search strategies, job leads, ideas, resources, and information; come prepared with a 20 or 30-second elevator pitch on your experience and 15 copies of your resumé, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, informal networking, 7:30pm; program, 8pm, enrv@verizon.net Mom’s Support Group, for mothers of children with special needs, Amy Brunswick, LSW, spons by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-765-9050 or 973-929-3129 Lotte’s Kitchen, for women, featuring food demonstrations, kitchen boutique, bakery, Chinese

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” auction, and professional portraits, to benefit Ezer Mizion’s Lotte’s Kitchen which provides meals for families in Israel dealing with serious illnesses, private home in Deal, 8pm, 718-853-8400 Gynecological Health Teleconference and Webinar: “New Advances in Gynecological Health before and after Cancer,” spons by Sharsheret, featuring Dr. Tessa Cigler, Dr. Elizabeth Poynor, Shera Dubitsky, and a cancer survivor in Sharsheret’s peer support network, 8pm, https://www3.gotomeeting. com/register/640223814 or 866474-2774 or www.sharsheret.org “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8:15pm, 732-339-8492 Webinar: “Road to Chuppah: Dating Techniques,” for single women, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 10pm, http:// s396448804.onlinehome.us/Mapseminars/wordpress/?page_id=797 Dating Webinar for Singles Girls, includes how to evaluate and elicit clarity before, during,

and after dates; maximize nonverbal communication; be a clear and congruent communicator; move from facts to feelings; and make more confidant decisions; 10pm, www.mapseminars.com or 855-MAP-SEMI

Thurs., July 12

Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Mahnaz Shmalo, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “G-d, Enemies, and Blame in the Book of Eichah,” Ruth Balinsky Friedman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 “Relating to Others, Relating to Hashem,” for women, Chani Juravel, at Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 10:30am, 201-218-7493 Infant Massage Class, Faye Levy, Finkelstein Library, Spring Valley, 11am, 845-352-5700 ext 244 Holocaust Council Real to Reel Film: “The Sound of Music,” United Jewish Communities of MetroWest, Whippany, 7pm, 973-929-3067 Tisha B’Av and Kinos: “Two

Infamous Medieval Debates and the Aftermath of Their Destruction (An Analysis of the 41st Kinnah),” Rabbi Steven Weil, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-8916 “Parshat Pinchas,” for women, Devorah Rosenwasser, Willig Social Hall, Young Israel of Riverdale, 8pm, joellegb@yahoo.com

Fri., July 13

Orthodox Union Summer Marriage Enrichment Retreat, featuring Rabbi Steven and Yael Weil; Drs. Alex Bailey, Frank Buchweitz, Scott Chudnoff, and Jonathan Lasser; therapists, Marcy Davidovics, Rachel Pill, Phillip Rosenthal, Lauren Roth, and Sharon Zwickler; and Rabbis Ephraim Epstein and Eliezer Zwickler, Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, Kerhonkson, NY, through Shabbat, July 14, 212613-8300 Yachad’s Yad B’Yad Israel Program Shabbaton, West Orange, includes home hospitality, through Shabbat, July 14, jensaibel@gmail.com Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz,

scholar-in-residence, Cong Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, through Shabbat, July 14, 201-637-7470

Shabbat, July 14

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Shabbos Achdus, one minyan for Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8:45am, 732-777-6840 Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am Minyan Tiferet: Shira Hadasha-Style Shabbat Morning Service, private home in Englewood, 9:15am, minyantiferet@gmail.com Shiur, for women, Marcy Stern, private home in Passaic, 5pm, mfruchter@aol.com Shalosh Seudos, for women, spons by Cong Ohr Torah, Bergenfield, at a private home in Bergenfield, 5pm, 201-385-4162 Learning on the Lawn: “Intention (Kavvanah), the Inner Self, and the Making of Rabbinic Judaism,” Dr. Jeffrey Rubenstein, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 7pm, 201-568-1315

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The Log

July 2012/Tammuz 5772

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“Marit Ayin: Can I Buy Kosher Yogurt at Yo-Burger?” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718-796-4730

Sun., July 15

Riverdale Summer Food Drive, drop off cereals, dried pasta, non-expired canned goods, SunThurs, Riverdale YMHA, through Sun., July 29, 718-548-8200 ext 218 Family Arts and Crafts at the Riverdale YMHA’s Sunday Market, 9am-2pm, 718-548-8200 CPR and Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) course, taught be certified CPR instructors from Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, at the Young Israel of East Brunswick, 9am, 732-991-0148 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Koshering Our Characters—How to Shed Unwanted Traits,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 “Jewish Relief Agency Packing Non-Perishable Food and Delivering to People in Need, Aaron Goodman, at Rabbinical College of America, Morristown, 10:15am, 973-267-9404 ext 111, 516-606-3413, or 646-620-9041 Shiur, for women, Rebbetzin Esther Baila Schwartz, private home in West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1532 Writers Group, for sharing, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 347-200-5009

Mon., July 16

Appointments for Clients of Organizations such as Tomchei Shabbos and Project Ezra to “Shop for Free,” for clothing

donated during Children Clothing Drive, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, to volunteer to help, ChildrensClothingDrive@gmail.com Sewing Class, for girls, Shana Kesselman, includes how to make a garment, private home in West Orange, 8:30am, through Fri., July 20, 718-473-7561 “Kriah Edge Workshop,” for female teachers of Hebrew language, Miriam Green, Yeshiva of Spring Valley boys building, Monsey, 10am, 845-356-5167 Knitting Workshop, for women and girls ages 12 and up, Sharon Sebrow, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, SharonSebrow@gmail.com Tisha B’Av Shiur, for women, Rabbetzin Tehila Jaeger, spons by Neve PTI, at the TLC Community Center, Clifton, 1:30pm, 908-278-4059 “Ancient Concepts and Modern Analysis: Kedushah (Holiness)—Rudolf Otto’s ‘The Idea of the Holy,’” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 An Evening of Pampering, for women, includes manicures, threading, massages, pilates, and refreshments spons by the Young Israel of Teaneck Sisterhood, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, yiotsisterhood@gmail.com Shmiras Halashon Lecture, Rabbi Fischel Schachter, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 7:45pm, 201-836-8916 Teleconference: “Positive Ways to Talk to Your Kids and Teens: “Why Don’t Children Listen and Tools That Encourage Respectful Cooperation,” Dr. Jane Nelson, 9pm, http://parentingsimply.com/products/summermaster-class/

Tues., July 17

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

Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion” Jewish Business Network Breakfast, for men and women, Whole Foods Market, Bergen Town Center, Paramus, 8:15-9:45am, 201966-0800 or 646-233-2031 Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Shoshana Sperling, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Psalm 91, for seniors, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-408-1450 Yeshiva Gedolah Bais Mordechai of Teaneck Dinner, honoring Andy and Nancy Neff, Howard and Sorah Birnbaum, Moshe and Rochel Insel, and Rabbi Boruch and Leah Shifra Price, at Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 6:30pm, 201-833-5920 “The Dual Nature of Tisha B’Av,” Rav Ahron Silver, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 8:15pm, yitzbrand@yahoo.com “Building Our Future: Chinuch at Home and in School,” for women, Shira Smiles, spons by the Sisterhoods of Congs Beth Abraham and Bnai Yeshurun, at Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8:30pm, 201-384-0434 Tammuz Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Transformation: 5 Steps to Ahavas Yisrael,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www. torahcalls.com or 732-806-1578

Wed., July 18

Center, Monsey, “Defining Our Priorities,” Shira Smiles, 9:45am; “Finding Geulah Within,” Chani Juravel, 11:15am, 845-709-2832 or machonlevvnefesh@yahoo.com “The Art of Feeding,” parenting workshop on developing healthy eating habits in children, Dr. Sarah Roer, Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 10:30am, drsarahroer@ gmail.com “Queen of the Jews,” book about Queen Shalom-Zion of Judea of the first century BCE, Judy Petsonk, Edison Public Library, 2pm, 732-287-2298 “Heaven on Earth: The History and Spiritual Significance of the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem,” includes a virtual tour of Jerusalem and the Temple, Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Strength to Strength Support Group for Parents Whose Children, Ages 15-25, Are Dealing with Chemical Dependency, Psychological Disorders, or CoOccurring Issues, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1403 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Global Developments and Their Impact on Israel, an Israeli Security Update, and Relations between the US and Israel,” Gil Lainer, Consul for Public Affairs, Consulate General of Israel, spons by the Fair Lawn Republican Club, at the Fair Lawn Community Center, 7:30pm, fair.lawn.republicans@ gmail.com or 201-873-8531 Young Israel of Long Beach Parlor Meeting, to introduce “a great community,” at a private home in Riverdale, 7:30pm, laviemarg@ gmail.com or 718-884-6794 Super Jewish Singles, 65+, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400 Webinar: “Parent Privileges: Clarify Your Role in the Dating Process and Stay Focused on What Matters Most,” for parents of dating singles, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9:30pm, http://s396448804. onlinehome.us/Mapseminars/ wordpress/?page_id=1174

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Thurs., July 19

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 Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Shoshana Sperling, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “G-d, Enemies, and Blame in the Book of Eichah,” Ruth Balinsky Friedman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 “Relating to Others, Relating to Hashem,” for women, Chani Juravel, at Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 10:30am, 201-218-7493 Infant Massage Class, Faye Levy, Finkelstein Library, Spring Valley, 11am, 845-352-5700 ext 244

Fri., July 20

Healthy Body, Healthy Soul Shabbat Dinner, featuring “The Importance of Balancing a Traditional Jewish Lifestyle with a Responsibly Healthy Diet,” Yaakov Rosenthal, Chabad, Ventnor, services, 7:30pm; dinner, 609-822-8500

Shabbat, July 21

Aufruf of Rabbi Jeremy Donath, spiritual leader of Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, Kiddush following davening, 9am, machlashaffer@yahoo.com Shiur, for women, Marcy Stern, private home in Passaic, 5pm, mfruchter@aol.com Family Seudah Shlishit, honoring Rabbi David Becker, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 6pm, 732-247-0532

Motzei Shabbat, July 21

Tiferes Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Program, for women, includes an inspirational DVD, private home in Edison, 10pm, 732-572-4713

Sun., July 22

“Breakfast with the Rabbi and the Doc,” in memory of Dina Cochin, z”l, featuring “Shiur on the 9 Days,” by Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, and book-signing by Dr. Ira Cochin, Cantor’s Legacy and To Hide Pesach, includes breakfast, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:30am, torahtuesday@yahoo.com Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Opportunity in

July 2012/Tammuz 5772

Disguise—How to Turn around a Difficult Situation,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Chug Ivrit Hebrew Club, for men and women, spons by Hadassah, chatting and reading in Hebrew, private home in Highland Park, 11am, 732-843-5239 Film: “V’nikdashti,” sacrifices and Kiddush Hashem of Holocaust survivors, part of the international Yizkereim program, Young Israel of Fair Lawn, 7:30pm, YoungIsraelofFairLawn@yahoo. com Hadassah Book Club: The Prime Ministers by Yehuda Avner, private home in Highland Park, 7:30pm, gustinematt@gmail.com “Shalom Bayis: In-Laws or Outlaws?” for women, Rebbetzin Devorah Kigel, private home in Teaneck 8pm, Allyson.guraryeh@ gmail.com

Mon., July 23

Job Search Boot Camp: “Developing an Effective Networking Strategy,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 Knitting Workshop, for women and girls ages 12 and up, Sharon Sebrow, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, SharonSebrow@gmail.com “Ancient Concepts and Modern Analysis: Avodah Zarah— Moshe Halbertal and Avishai Margalit’s ‘Idolatry,’” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Congs Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David and Ohr Torah Sisterhood Book Club: “The Lost Wife” by Alyson Richman, private home in West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 or 973-736-5169 Decorating Cakes and Cupcakes with Kosher Icing, for women, Limor Levy, private home in Livingston, 8pm, limormlevy@yahoo.com Teleconference: “Positive Ways to Talk to Your Kids and Teens: Language to Guide 21st Century Kids: How Our Language Choices Make a Difference in Children’s Behavior,” Amy Speidel, 9pm, http://parentingsimply.com/ products/summer-master-class/

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Tammuz Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Transformation: 5 Steps to Ahavas Yisrael,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www. torahcalls.com or 732-806-1578

Tues., July 24

Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Ahuva Gold, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “Psalm 62,” Rabbi Steve Golden, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201408-1426

Wed., July 25

Educational Seminar: Trip to Infamous Holocaust Sites in Germany, The Czech Republic, Poland, and Amsterdam, led by Holocaust “hidden child” Maud Dahme, spons by the NJ Commission on Holocaust Education, return on Fri., Aug 10, holocaust@ doe.state.nj.us or 609-292-9274 “The Art of Feeding,” parenting workshop on developing healthy eating habits in children, Dr. Sarah Roer, Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 10:30am, drsarahroer@ gmail.com “Heaven on Earth: The History and Spiritual Significance of the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem,” includes a virtual tour of Jerusalem and the Temple, Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8:15pm, 732339-8492 Webinar: “Parent Privileges: Help Your Child Evaluate His/Her Dating Readiness

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and Stay Focused on What Matters Most,” for parents of dating singles, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9:30pm, http://s396448804. onlinehome.us/Mapseminars/ wordpress/?page_id=1174

Thurs., July 26

Last Day for Art Exhibit: “Mann Trakht, G-tt Lakht; Man Plans, G-d Laughs,” acrylics and mixed media on canvas by Uzi Silber, JCC, Tenafly, 201-408-1411 Shiurim for Women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “An Overview of the Halachos of Kashrus,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach, Ahuva Gold, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “G-d, Enemies, and Blame in the Book of Eichah,” Ruth Balinsky Friedman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 “Relating to Others, Relating to Hashem,” for women, Chani Juravel, at Cong Ohr HaTorah, Bergenfield, 10:30am, 201-218-7493 Support Group for Caregivers, those caring for an older adult who is physically frail or suffering from memory loss, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1450 Infant Massage Class, Faye Levy, Finkelstein Library, Spring Valley, 11am, 845-352-5700 ext 244 Tisha B’Av and Kinos: “Homicide in the Mikdash: The Tragic Consequences of Zechariah’s Murder (An Analysis of the 34th Kinnah),” Rabbi Steven Weil, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-8916

Motzei Shabbat, July 28, Erev Tisha B’Av

Film: “Alone” an Israeli film about the lives of three divorced ultra-Orthodox women, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9:15pm; discussion, 10pm, 201-833-0515

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

continued from page 25

Sun., July 29, Tisha B’Av

Tisha B’Av Davening, so that the elderly residents of Daughters of Miriam Center, many of whom cannot fast, will hear the Torah reading and the kinot, at Daughters of Miriam, Clifton, 8:45am, 973-772-3700 Tisha B’Av Youth Program, for children entering grades preKthrough 5, includes arts and crafts, games, lunch, snacks, and learning, 9am-2pm, rivki19@yahoo.com Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Jewish Festival of Love—An Inside Look at an Unusual Holiday,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Memorial for the 11 Israeli Athletes Murdered in the Munich Olympics Massacre, memorial and Kaddish led by Rabbi Avi Weiss, spons by Americans for a Safe Israel and the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry, participants should bring prayer books and men should bring tallis and tefilin, at the Isaiah Peace Wall, 1st Ave and 43rd St, opposite the UN, in Manhattan, 2pm, 212-663-5784 Film: “Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story,” Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5:40pm, 201907-0180 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811

Mon., July 30

SEED Bais Medrash Bochrum from the Yeshiva of Staten Is-

land, learning at Passaic Torah Institute, through Mon., Aug 13, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Knitting Workshop, for women and girls ages 12 and up, Sharon Sebrow, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, SharonSebrow@gmail.com Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Jacob Weiland, MSW, Riverdale YMHA, 1pm, 718548-8200 ext 303 Cong Keter Torah Men’s Club Post-Nine Days Barbeque, for men, includes food and games, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7pm, howard@ketertorah.org Confidential Support Group for Single Women Involved in the Process of Egg Freezing, Izetta Siegel Stern, LCSW, private location in Manhattan, 8pm, 212-691-1266 Rep Chris Smith (R-NJ), spons by NORPAC, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-788-5133 Teleconference: “Positive Ways to Talk to Your Kids and Teens: Awakening Greatness in Our Children,” Howard Glasser, 9pm, http://parentingsimply.com/ products/summer-master-class/

Tues., July 31

Jewish Business Network Biz Expo: Business Development and Networking with the Tribe, featuring social media workshops, LinkedIn profile consultation, networking skills workshops, professional headshots, and network with Jewish professionals, JCC, West Orange, 6-9pm, info@jbusinessnetwork.net Jewish Heritage Night hosted by The Trenton Thunder Minor League Baseball Team, includes glatt kosher food, at the Mercer County Waterfront Park,

Trenton, Tzofim Concert, 6pm; Trenton Thunder vs The Altoona Curve Baseball Game, 7:05pm, 732-2473038 or 609-394-3300 Wine and Cheese, featuring Skyview Wine and Spirits, the Cheese Guy, and the Cheese Rabbi Avrohom Gordiner, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8:30pm, 718-548-1850

Wed., Aug 1

Mommy and Me, for infants and toddlers, Helene Lockspeiser, includes music, art, tefillah, stories, and time for mothers to share parenting ideas, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 9:30am, 732-572-5052 ext 215 Job Search Boot Camp: “Maximizing Social Marketing and Media,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 “The Art of Feeding,” parenting workshop on developing healthy eating habits in children, Dr. Sarah Roer, Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 10:30am, drsarahroer@ gmail.com Siyyum HaShas of Daf Yomi, for men and women, MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands, East Rutherford, 7pm, 877-SIYUM-12 (877-749-8612) or siyumhashas@ agudathisrael.org; for the Teaneck section, Schwartz.will@gmail.com; for a $10 discount from Partners in Torah, type in discount code PIT10 or call 973-221-3650 ext 117 “Heaven on Earth: The History and Spiritual Significance of the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple in Jerusalem,” includes a virtual tour of Jerusalem and the Temple, Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Contemporary Israeli Poetry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Strength to Strength Support Group for Parents Whose Children, Ages 15-25, Are Dealing with Chemical Dependency, Psychological Disorders, or CoOccurring Issues, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1403 Abused Women’s Confi-

dential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Jewish 12-Step Meeting, JACS—Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201837-9090, ask for IRA (Information and Referral) or 201-981-1071 Webinar: “Parent Privileges: Assess Potential Dating Prospects and Stay Focused on What Matters Most,” for parents of dating singles, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9:30pm, http://s396448804. onlinehome.us/Mapseminars/ wordpress/?page_id=1174

Thurs., Aug 2

Highland Park Yiddish Club, spons by the Raritan Valley Hadassah, at the Highland Park Conservative Temple, 11am, 732342-7365 or 732-890-6312 Mortgage Fraud Workshop: “Who’s Your Lender?” for those who have been refused mortgage modification or are in foreclosure, and all homeowners regardless of payment status; spons by Bergen County Homeowners for Positive Change; bring documents, American Legion, Teaneck, 6:30pm, rosegreen18@msn.com The Barynya Moscow Gypsy Dancers and Musicians, YMHA, Wayne, 7pm, 973-595-0100

Fri., Aug 3

First Day of the NJ State Fair/ Sussex County Farm and Horse Fair, includes events, such as a Fiddlers Competition, name-yourown-animal (horses, cows, rabbits) competition, carving sculptures from trees with a chain saw, and the “bee man” who shows how bees live, 37 Plains Road, Augusta, NJ 07822, www.newjerseystatefair. org, through Sun., Aug 12

Shabbat, Aug 4, Shabbat Nachamu

Daf Yomi Siyyum Shalosh Seudos, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 6pm, 732-777-6840

Sun., Aug 5

Family Arts and Crafts at the Riverdale YMHA’s Sunday Market, 9am-2pm, 718-548-8200 Gathering for Encouragement of Modest (GEM) Tznius Group: Hashkafa and Halacha from Bnos

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New Classes This Month Sundays

Yiddle League, for boys ages 5-14, Passaic, Scott@InjuryLawyer. com, SFeinsod@gmail.com, or www.yiddleleague.com Power Mixed Martial Arts, Sensei Yuri Milshtein, for girls and boys 4-6, 9am; boys 7-teens, 10am; girls, 7-teens, 11:15am, 845-364-9111 Maseches Sukkah, Rabbi Yisroel Saperstein, Cong Ohaiv Shalom, New Hempstead, 9:15am, president@ohaivshalom.org Avos u’Banim Learning Program, spons by the Passaic-Clifton Community Kollel, includes nosh and raffle tickets, at Kehilas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 9:30am, 845-709-9340 Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Yitzchak Sebbag, includes breakfast, Chabad of Clifton-Passaic, Passaic, 9:30am, rabbisebbag@gmail.com Gemara in-Depth, with Chavrusa, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, includes breakfast, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:30am, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 TorahKid Leagues, for boys ages 5-12, to develop skills in baseball, soccer, and flag football, Highland Park High School ball field, 10am, TorahKidLeagues@yahoo.com

The Log

Practical Halacha, Rabbi Gershon Tave, Passaic Torah Institute, 8pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Navi: Melachim, for men, Rabbi Shmuel Moeller, Cong Tefilla L’Moshe, Monsey, 8:30pm, 845-729-0000 Interactive Shemonah Perakim Chaburah, with Rabbi Yitzchok Segal, at Cong Kehilas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 8:30pm, kby613@gmail.com Chaburah: Avodah Zorah, Binyomin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, benhalberstam@yahoo.com

Mondays

Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 6:30am, 845-356-2720 Jewish Genealogy, Dr. Stephen Schecter, JCC, Margate, 10am, begins July 23, 609-822-1167 ext 138 Effective Career Strategies, Lloyd Feinstein, spons by the Jewish Family and Vocational Services of Middlesex County, Milltown, 10am, 732-777-1940, begins July 16

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Melachim and Individual Thoughts, for women, private home in Passaic, 9:15am, 973-365-2342 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Homeland or Holy Land—Our Dual Allegiances to the Land of Israel,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 “Hispanic-American Descendants of Crypto-Jews,” Gloria Golden, at the Gomez Mill House, the oldest Jewish dwelling in North America, Marlboro, NY, 1pm, 845-236-3126 or 212-294-8329

Mon., Aug 6

“Holocaust and Human Behavior Seminar, Linking History, Literature, and Ethics,” conducted by Facing History and Ourselves, at the Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Cherry Hill, through Fri., Aug 10, 856-751-9500 ext 1249 Siyum HaShas Celebration and Leil Iyyun, featuring “The Relationship of Bavli to Yerushalmi in Psak Halacha,” Rabbi Michael Broyde; “Lomdus and Academic Talmud: Competitors or Collaborators?” Rabbi Dov Linzer; “Translating and Editing the ArtScroll Talmud,” Rabbi Nosson Sherman; “Chasidic Perspectives on Mesekhet Brachot,” Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb; “Brisk, Legal Theory, and the Move to Conceptualism,” Chaim Saiman; “The Nature of the Mitzvah of Talmud Torah,” Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot; “When Yerushalmi and Bavli Dis-

agree,” Elana Stein Hain; “Biblical Verses in the Talmud: Can Pshat Be More Authoritative Than the Talmudic Interpretation?” Rabbi Dr. Marty Lockshin; “The Bavli and the Process of Codification,” Rabbi Adam Mintz; “Death Bed Narratives in the Talmud,” Wendy Amsellem; co-sponsors include the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, Young Israel Ohab Zedek of North Riverdale/Yonkers, Cong Netivot Shalom of Teaneck, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School, and SAR Academy and High School, at Cong Shearith Israel, Manhattan, 7pm, 212-666-0036 or www. siyumhashas12.com Confidential Support Group for Single Women Involved in the Process of Egg Freezing, Izetta Siegal Stern, LCSW, private location in Manhattan, 8pm, 212-691-1266 Teleconference: “Positive Ways to Talk to Your Kids and Teens: Parenting the Tech Generation: Using Technology to Grow Kids Who Are More Respectful and Responsible instead of Less,” Dr. Deborah Gilboa, 9pm, http://parentingsimply.com/ products/summer-master-class/

Tues., Aug 7

La Leche League, YJCC, West Nyack, 10am, 845-362-4400 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732777-1940 or 609-395-7979 Riverdale YMHA Book

Club: “The Man in the White Sharkskin Suit: A Jewish Family’s Exodus from Old Cairo to the New World” by Lucette Lagnado, 8pm, 718-548-8200 ext 204 Cong Ahavas Achim Book Club: “The Hiding Place” by Corrie Ten Boom, private home in Edison, 8:30pm, 732-247-0532

Wed., Aug 8

Bike4Chai, 150-mile bike marathon on behalf of Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special summer camps to meet the medical and social needs of 450 children and teens with cancer and other serious illnesses, marathon begins in Asbury Park and ends on Thurs., Aug 9, at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY, 516-680-9550 Job Search Boot Camp: “Career Planning and Targeting Companies,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 SINAI Special Needs Institute Luncheon, at Neiman Marcus, Paramus, 10am, 201-822-1134 Mom’s Support Group, for mothers of children with special needs, Amy Brunswick, LSW, spons by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-765-9050 or 973-929-3129 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland

Park, 8:15pm, 732-339-8492

Fri., Aug 10

Carlebach Minyan, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 “Rabbi Behind Bars: A Chaplain’s Story of Hope and Rehabilitation,” Rabbi Yisroel Rapoport, includes Shabbat Dinner, Chabad, Ventnor, services, 7:30pm; dinner, 8:15pm, 609822-8500

Shabbat, Aug 11

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am Carlebach Minyan, Jewish Center of Teaneck, services, 9am; Rabbi’s Tish: The Three C’s, Cholent, Cugel, and Conversation, with Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, 11:45am, 201-833-0515

Sun., Aug 12

Maccabi Sports, for Jewish teenagers, individually and in teams, need for volunteers interested in providing kosher homes for those participants who observe the dietary laws, will include dropping off and picking teens up at the YJCC, West Nyack, through Fri., Aug 17, jccrockland.org/maccabi or 845-362-8523, 845-354-8115, or pwkmd@aol.com Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Too Much of a Good Thing—The Sin of Being Too Observant,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Y

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New Classes

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

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Men’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 1pm, 973-478-4899 Women’s Swim, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 1pm, 973-478-4899 Men’s Swim, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 2pm, 973-478-4899 Women’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 2pm, 973-478-4899 Summer Torah: One-on-One Learning Opportunities, for students finishing grades 1-12, with college-age teachers and Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, sessions available from 5-8pm, 201-956-1965 or 800-592-3050 Diduk Shiur, Rabbi Shaya Jaffe, Passaic Torah Institute, 8pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Neve Passaic Torah Institute Bais Yaakov, for women, Blimie Lampel, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 908-278-4059, begins July 16 “Rambam: Maimonides’ Guide for the Perplexed,” Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-3839 Women’s Basketball, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, Netanah@aol.com Melechet Shabbos, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-8916 Four Levels of Gemara, Stressing Skills, Rabbis Baruch Bodenheim, Yitzchok Greenfield, Avraham Shulman, and Eliyahu Zimmerman, includes refreshments, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-5944774 or 862-371-3186 Power Bootcamp, for men and teenage boys, Sensei Yuri Milsh-

Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Nadav Adler, Binyamin Simcha Erlbaum, Ezra Hermann, Matan Horowitz, Seth Jacobs, Dovid Koss, Ariel Liebb, Benjamin Mankowitz, Ephraim Polaner, Naftali Pudell, Elie Shapiro, Shaltiel Shmidman, Eitan Sklar, Moshe Weiss, and Yitzy Zwickler; and the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Racheli Herzfeld, Malka Kaminetzky, Esti Kreinberg, Aliza Kurtz, Gabriela Landau, Meira Batsheva Levi, Chaya Neubort, Adina Schwartz, Liat Silver, and Yardena Stelzer Mazal Tov to Rabbi Shmuel and Chani Tokayer on celebrating their 50th anniversary Mazal Tov to Amalya Megerman on winning the Jewish Center of Teaneck Men’s Club Scholarship Award Mazel Tov to the Rabbi Teitz Mesivta Aacademy High School students on winning first place in the Gildor International Science and Inventions Competition in Jerusalem, Israel. The team consisted of Eitan Adler, Tani Ben– Haim, Brian Goldman, Micah Leibowitz, Noam Shackah, Uri Shalom, and Rafi Taub. Mazal Tov to the Jewish community’s friends and allies in the NJ Hindu community on the opening of the largest Hindu temple in NJ, the Hindu American Temple and Cultural Center, in Marlboro Mazal Tov to Teaneck’s Holy Name Medical Center for being the first hospital in northern NJ to offer patients the Revo MRI™ Surescan® pacing system, the first MR- Conditional pacemaker system designed, tested, and FDA approved for use in the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) environment. Mazal Tov, too, to Holy Name cardiologist Dr. Scott Ruffo for being named a leader in implanting patients with the Revo MRI Surescan pacing system. Y

tein, 8:30pm, 845-364-9111 Boxing and Krav Maga, for men and teenage boys, Sensei Yuri Milshtein, 9:30pm, 845-364-9111

Tuesdays

Kollel Boker: Gemara, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 6:20am, 201-836-8916 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 6:30am, 845-356-2720 Chavura Study: Sefer Divrei HaYamin, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am Study of Tractate Ketubot, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am Chumash, Yehuda Goldin, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 10am, 201-568-1315 Women’s Swim, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 10am, 973478-4899 Pirkei Avot, Yehuda Goldin, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 11am, 201-568-1315 Coffee and Class, Rabbinical Team, Riverdale Jewish Center, 11am, 718-548-1850 Women’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 11am, 973-478-4899 Parsha Shiur, for women, Rabbi Eliyahu Kaufman, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 1:30pm Nach Shiur, Rabbi Nachum Nuschel, private home in Monsey, 4pm, 845-356-3832 Summer Torah: Pirkei Avot and Hot Dogs, for students finishing grades 1-12, Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5pm, 201-956-1965 or 800-592-3050 Tehillim Shiur, Rabbi Emanuel Schwartz, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 7:45pm, 845-356-2720 “The 39 Melachos of Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Eliezer Kohn, private home in Passaic, 7:45pm, julstein@yahoo.com Mishna Berura, Rabbi Shimon Kerner, Kehillat New Hempstead, 7:50pm, 845-362-2425 Summer Girls Learning Initiative, for High School Girls, includes textbased and discussion-based shiurim, director, Dr. Aliza Frohlich; instructors include Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Rabbi Donny Besser, Rochel Besser, Dena Block, Rachel Burg, Elana Flaumenhaft, Michal Jacob, Lyn Kraft, and Sefi Kraut, at Cong Rinat Yisrael Beit Midrash, Teaneck, 8pm, afrohlich613@gmail.com “The Clarity Seminar: Prepare Your Spiritual Business Plan— What to Prepare, Pray and Strive for on the High Holidays and Beyond,” Tzipora Harris, private home in Passaic or by phone, 8pm, 973779-3356 or 712-432-0075, code 681749# Men’s Swimming, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 8pm, 973-478-4899 Partners in Torah, Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov, Passaic, 8:15pm, 862-591-2920 Bava Kama Shiur, Rabbi Lawrence Rothwachs, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-836-6210 Shiur, Rav Meir Goldwicht, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-836-8916 Gemara in-Depth, with Chavrusa, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Dr. Yacov Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 8:45pm, 845-356-2720 Professionals Chaburah, Rabbi Michael Bleicher, private homes in West Orange, 9pm, 973-736-1407 Men’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 9pm, 973-478-4899 “How We Learn Chumash,” Eli Weber, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, begins July 17, 201-836-8916

Wednesdays

Power Dance, for women and teenage girls, Mindy Weinberg,

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

9:40am “Keys to Joy and Wisdom: Spiritual Lessons and Legal Discussions of the Sages of the Talmud,” Rabbi Herschel Grossman, JCC, Tenafly, 10am, 201-408-1426 “The Secret of Transformative Positive Thinking,” Rabbi M Kasowitz, West Orange Lubavitch Center, 10am, 973-486-2362 Parshat Hashavua, Yael Weil, Cong Keter Torah, 10am, 201-907-0180 Women’s Swim, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 10am, 973478-4899 “Chovos Halevavos: A Guide for Life: Elevate Your Summer, Elevate Your Life,” for women, Rebbetzin Vital Kalmanovitz, private home in Monsey, 10:30am, 845-362-2362 Women’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 11am, 973-478-4899 Summer Torah: One-on-One Learning Opportunities, for students finishing grades 1-12, with college-age teachers and Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, sessions available from 5-8pm, 201-956-1965 or 800-592-3050 Exercise to Israeli Music, for women, at the JCC of Paramus, 7pm, faribarabban@optonline.net iPad Painting Workshop, for students 12 and older, Noel Gussen, Teaneck General Store, Teaneck, 7pm, 330-366-6635 Shulchan Aruch of the Soul: Tanya and Brewed Coffee, Rabbi Yitzchak Sebbag, Chabad of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 7:30pm, rabbisebbag@gmail.com “Messilat Yesharim: Path of the Just, Self-Perfection, and Cleaving to the Divine, in the Path of HaRav Moshe Chaim Luzzato,” for women, private home in Monsey, 8pm, 845-216-0714 “Discussion, Debate, and Inspiration: Tex It 2 Me and Other Topics,” for teenage girls, Elisha Ricklis, JEC, Elizabeth, 8pm, Elisheva.ricklis@gmail.com Shiur, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-530-0043 Men’s Swimming, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 8pm, 973478-4899 Melechet Shabbos, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-8916 Halachot of the Ben Ish Chai, Rabbi Ari Elbaz, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Tur, Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 8:30pm, 845-356-2720 Four Levels of Gemara, Stressing Skills, Rabbis Baruch Bodenheim, Yitzchok Greenfield, Avraham Shulman, and Eliyahu Zimmerman, includes refreshments, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-5944774 or 862-371-3186 Power Bootcamp, for man and teenage boys, Sensei Yuri Milshtein, 8:30pm, 845-364-9111 Inyanei Tefilla, Rabbi Dani Staum, Kehillat New Hempstead, 8:50pm, 845-362-2425 Men’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 9pm, 973-478-4899 Self-Defense, for women, Sensei Yuri Milstein, 9:30pm, 845-364-9111

Thursdays

Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 6:30am, 845-356-2720 Chavura Study: Sefer Divrei HaYamin, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am Study of Tractate Ketubot, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am Women’s Swim, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 10am, 973478-4899 The Book of Daniel, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10:50am Hafrashat Challah BeTzibbur, for women, bring your own dough, followed by hot lunch, private home in Monsey, 11am, 845-578-1973

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or 845-425-7066 Women’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 11am, 973478-4899 15-Minute Parshas Hashavua Teleconference Shiur, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, 2:15pm, 712-432-1001 and insert access code 483003375# Power Mixed Martial Arts, Sensei Yuri Milshtein, girls and boys 4-6, 4:15pm; boys, 7-teens, 5:15pm; girls, 7-teens, 6:30pm, 845-364-9111 Summer Torah: Parsha and Pizza, for students finishing grades 1-12, Rabbi Aryeh Stechler, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5:30pm, 201956-1965 or 800-592-3050 Women’s Group, Dr. Nancy Zwiebach, private office in Paramus, 7pm, nancyzwiebach@yahoo.com Boxing and Krav Maga, for men and teenage boys, Sensei Yuri Milshtein, 7:45pm, 845-364-9111 “Thoughts on the Parsha,” Rabbi Yosef Sharbat, Sephardic Shul of Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Men’s Swimming, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 8pm, 973478-4899 Chabura: Daas Tevunos, the classic work of the Ramchal explaining the workings of Divine Providence, Rabbi Herschel Grossman, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-6210 Gemara: Masechet Brachot, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Halacha, Rabbi Yitzchak Pollak, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Chaim Davis, Bais Medrash L’Torah-Zichron Moshe, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-473-3666 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Dr. Yacov Tendler, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 8:45pm, 845-356-2720 Men’s Gym, TLC Community Center, Clifton, 9pm, 973-478-4899 Tele-Shiur: Chassidishe Thoughts Culled from the Sichos of

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the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Brucha Sternberg, 9pm, 760-984-1000, access code 291032#; for playback anytime, 760-984-1099, access code 291032#, press # again for the last shiur Parsha and Chassidus, Rabbi Moshe Weinberg, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916 Pirkei Avot Shiur, Rabbi Lawrence Rothwachs, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 9:40pm, 201-836-6210 In-Depth Chumash and Rashi Parshas Hashavua Shiur, spons by the Passaic-Clifton Community Kollel, at Cong Beis Torah U’Tefilloh, Passaic, 9:45pm, passaiccliftonkollel@gmail.com Mussar Based on the Parsha, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes cholent, Passaic Torah Institute, 10:05pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Parsha and Halacha, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:10pm, 201-836-8916

Fridays

Kollel Boker: Halacha, Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 6:20am, 201-836-8916 Challah Baking, for children, spons by Chabad at the Shore, Margate, 10am, 609-992-4900 Beis Medrash L’Torah Friday Night Learning Seder, shiurim for men and boys, Passaic, 7:20pm, 973-473-0166

Shabbat

Navi Shiur: Sefer Melachim Alef, Rabbi Boruch Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 7:45am, 862-371-3186 Avos U’Banim Learning, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, 4pm, 973-458-0127, 973-778-8211 or 973-778-8665 Perek in the Park: Insights into Pirkei Avos, for women, children welcome, spons by Cong Knesses Yisrael, private home in New Hempstead, 4:30pm, 845-362-2349 or knesses_yisrael@yahoo.com Tefillah Shiur, for women, Rabbi Avrohom Goldhar, Julie Stein, 31 Pleasant Ave, Passaic, 4:30pm Parent-and-Child Learning, with refreshments and prizes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 4:45pm, bennettschachter@gmail.com or henryo@654plaza.com Avos U’Banim Learning, Cong Bais Torah Utefilla, Passaic, 4:45pm, 973-458-0127, 973-778-8211 or 973-778-8665 Parent-Child Learning Program, Young Israel of Teaneck, 5pm, 201-837-1710 Women’s Shabbat Parsha Shiur, spons by the Young Israel of Teaneck, private homes in Teaneck, 5pm, 201-837-1710 Avos U’Banim Learning, includes guest speakers, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 5:30pm, 973-458-0127, 973-778-8211 or 973-778-8665 Summer Mishnayos Shiur, for boys entering grades 4-6, Rabbi Ariel Cohen, includes snacks, prizes, and raffles, K’hal Tiferes Boruch, Passaic, 6pm, info@tiferesboruch.org Shabbat Party for Children, includes stories, songs, games, and refreshments, spons by Chabad at the Shore, private home in

Atlantic City, 6:30pm, 609-992-4900 Pirkei Avos Shiur, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of PassaicClifton, 7:20pm, 973-330-2285

Specials

Dirshu Monsey Morning Bais Medrash: Masechta Bava Kama, chavrusas, Amud Yomi Shiur with Rabbi Dovid Apter, Daf Yomi Shiur with Rabbi Shmuel Adler, Cong Knesses Yisroel, New Hempstead, Sundays, 6:45am; Mondays-Fridays, 6am, knesses_yisrael@yahoo. com or 845-364-0572 Gemara: Bava Metzia, 3rd Perek, Rabbi Moshe Silverstein, Passaic Torah Institute, 6:15am, Mon-Fri, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Parsha Hashavua with Chumash Skills, Rabbi Shaya Jaffe, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:45am, Mon-Fri, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Krafts for Kids, spons by Chabad at the Shore, Margate, SundaysFridays, 10am, 609-992-4900 Gemara in-Depth with Chavrusa, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, 10am, Mon-Thurs, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Gemara in-Depth with Chavrusa, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Passaic Torah Institute, 11:15am, Mon-Thurs, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Middle-School and High School Learning Program, for boys, Rabbi Zev Wolbe, spons by the Jewish Education Center, at Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, Mondays-Thursdays, 7:30pm, 908-414-6390 Mishna Berura: Hilchos Krias Shema, Rabbi Gershon West, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:15pm, Mon-Thurs, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Yeshiva and Kollel Be’er Yitzchak Night Seder Learning Program, Rabbi Zev Wolbe, spons by the Jewish Education Center, at Cong Adath Israel, Elizabeth, Mondays-Thursdays, 8:30pm, 908-4146390 or summeratthekollel@gmail.com

Chesed Ops

The Bergenfield Bike Gemach has bikes for all ages but needs donations, pick-ups can be arranged, bikegemach@gmail.com If you know of any job openings—professional, part-time, or even temporary—please email the information to the Employment Network of Raritan Valley, enrv@verizon.net Shearit HaPlate of Bergen County, the kosher food rescue organization, needs someone to pick up donated bagels in Teaneck between 5 and 5:45pm, 225-DON8-FUD Passaic Tomchei Shabbos needs volunteers (adults and children in 5th grade and up) to pack and/or drop off packages during the summer months. The dates for volunteers are Wed., July 18, Aug 1, Aug 15, and Aug 29; women from 6-7pm; men from 7-8:15pm; drivers from 8:15-8:45pm. K’hal Tiferes Boruch (Rabbi Weinberger’s Shul), Passaic, 973-591-0172 or info@shomreiTorah.us The Martin and Edith Stein Hospice in Somerset provides end-of-life care to Jews who have life-threatening illnesses. Caring volunteers are needed to join the team to provide services to patients and their families. If you can hold a hand, read out loud, sing a song, listen sympathetically, or simply offer a compassionate presence, call 732-227-1212 Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County is in need of drivers twice monthly or weekly for the Kosher Meals on Wheels program. They are also in need of volunteers to help with the Elderly Care program, which meets Mon-Fri from 9:30am to 1pm at the Highland Park Conservative Temple. Call 732-777-1940 to volunteer.

New Minyanim

Shacharit Minyan, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, Sun-Fri, 9am Chabad Ventnor Shul, Friday night minyan, 7:30pm; Shabbat morning, followed by Kiddush, 9:30am; Shabbat evening, 8:15pm; Sunday shacharis, followed by Torah class, 9am, 609-822-8500 Sunday Shacharis Minyan, Cong Beis Sholom, Clifton, 9am; mincha/ma’ariv minyan, 8:15pm, geshmack@gmail.com Y

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

A Win for Yesha

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committee. Not Applicable Contrary to the claims of individuals and groups opposed to the Israeli settlement enterprise, the Committee to Examine the State of Construction in Judea and Samaria, which was headed by retired Supreme Court Justice Edmund Levy, concluded that “the classical laws of ‘occupation’ cannot be considered applicable to the unique and sui generis historic and legal circumstances of Israel’s decades-long presence in Judea and Samaria.” The committee maintained that the Fourth Geneva Convention, which deals with the protection of civilians during times of war and the illegality of “transfer of populations” to occupied territories, “does not and was not intended to apply to communities such as those established by Israel in Judea and Samaria.” In the past, many of those opposed to the establishment of communities in Judea and Samaria, have cited the Geneva Convention as the basis for forbidding Jewish construction in the region. Today, in addition to more than 120 full-fledged communities of varying sizes, there are dozens of outposts dotting the Judean and Samarian jvoice:Layout 1 commit6/19/2012 landscape. While the tee’s findings does not com-

pel the Israeli government to build additional settlements, the conclusions may protect the ones already built. Investigating the Status The committee was established last January by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to determine and cement the legal status of so-called outposts in Judea and Samaria, neighborhoods that never received government authorization or are built on land whose claims of ownership by individual Palestinians are disputed or in doubt due to Israel’s own legal bureaucracy. In addition to Mr. Levy, who served on the Israeli High Court from 2001 until his retirement this past winter, the committee consisted of former Foreign Ministry legal advisor Alan Baker and former deputy president of the Tel Aviv District Court Tchia Shapira. Implicit Authorization Diverging from what has been the position of numerous Israeli Supreme Court and Defense Ministry decisions, the committee maintained that the large amount of government funding necessary for even socalled “unauthorized outposts” made it “hard to believe that [the establishment of these communities] was done without the government’s knowledge.” 19:47 Page many 1 Although of these outposts and neighborhoods

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

skirted official approval procedures, in most cases government officials knew they were being built and supplied them with the necessary infrastructure hookups and military protection afforded to all sanctioned communities in Judea and Samaria. According to the Levy committee, the very assistance provided by the government in the establishment of these neighborhoods, whether or not they are contiguous with the “mother community,” constitutes “implicit authorization.” Therefore, the committee said, the government should avoid issuing demolition orders for these communities “because it is the government itself that created this situation in the first place.” Avoiding Mistakes The report said that to avoid such situations in the future, the government must make clear from the outset which communities are “authorized” and which are not. Communities which have not been approved by the defense minister or a ministerial committee on settlements, in coordination with the Prime Minister, should not be built, and neither should community expansions “outside the bounds of its authorized jurisdiction,” said the report. Behaving otherwise “does not befit a country that up-

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holds the rule of law,” said the committee. Recognizing that the status of some communities in Judea and Samaria is still in dispute because claims of ownership have been made by individual Palestinians, the committee recommended that the government speed up the examinations, preferably through the establishment of special courts in Judea and Samaria designed to settle land disputes. Time Limits According to the committee, evacuations or demolitions should be carried out only after a “thorough investigation and full legal proceeding,” and only if the Palestinian claiming ownership registered the complaint, complete with necessary documents, within four or five years of the development of the community. To prevent uncertainty and to promote stability, the committee encouraged Israelis and Palestinians to record their land purchases within four or five years, after which time, those who did not complete the process would lose rights to the disputed property. The committee further proposed that Israelis be allowed to purchase land in Judea and Samaria only under the auspices of an authorized body.

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

A Win for Yesha Not Unprecedented Although the panel’s conclusions are non-binding, the Netanyahu government is expected to adopt them, giving the government a legal rationale to deflect court challenges designed to demolish individual homes as well as entire communities. If the conclusions are adopted, the State Prosecutor’s Office will no longer be able to deny the right of existing communities, neighborhoods, or even outposts in Judea and Samaria to remain. The committee’s findings were not unprecedented. Since the 1970s, many senior jurists in Israel and abroad, including the President of the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Judge Stephen Schwebel; Prof Elihu Lauterpacht of Cambridge University in England; and Prof Eugene Rostow, the former Dean of Yale Law School and Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs under President Lyndon B. Johnson, have argued that Israel was entirely in its rights to settle its citizens in Judea and Samaria. They were countered by Justice Aharon Barak, who served as president of the Israeli Supreme Court from 1995 to 2006, and others on the extreme left, who came up with a new legal theory called “Belligerent Occupation.” Ac-

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continued from page 31 cording to this paradigm, which seems to have been applied only to Judea and Samaria, Israel was deemed to be forever a “foreign occupier” in its own historic heartland, without the right to apply its sovereignty over, or relocate its civilian population into, those areas. Sasson Report In March 2005, this theory received a boost from thenPrime Minister Ariel Sharon whose office published what was touted as a landmark study by former prosecutor Talia Sasson. In it, she detailed the government’s “illegal involvement in the establishment of settlement outposts.” While Mr. Sharon obviously used her report to justify his planned evacuation of 10,000 Jews from their homes and communities in Gaza, Ms. Sasson’s findings also bolstered the Levy Committee, demonstrating that communities in Judea and Samaria were established “with the unauthorized aid of the Ministry of Housing and Settlement Division.” Decrying the government’s “public violation of the law,” Ms. Sasson recognized that “the State of Israel finances at least part of the establishment of unauthorized outposts” and that “the Civil Administration overlooks for years neighborhood expansions, either nearby or far away from settlements.”

She blasted the Ministry of Defense for “permit[ting] caravans to enter Judea, Samaria, and Gaza even when there is no legal planning for their destination.” “The message is that settling in unauthorized outposts, although illegal, is a Zionist deed. Therefore, the overlook, the ‘wink,’ the double standard becomes routine,” she said. When Israel’s traditionally left-wing State Prosecutor’s Office adopted Ms. Sasson’s argument as well as the “Belligerent Occupation” position, it, in essence, took for itself the role of removing Jews from Judea and Samaria. No One to Occupy The Levy Committee, however, decided against the Belligerent Occupation argument, which, by definition, occurs only when one country conquers the territories of another. The last sovereign power over Judea and Samaria was Britain, which received its legitimacy after World War I under a League of Nations Mandate to divide the land in order to create a national homeland for the Jews in the Land of Israel as well as a new country, Trans-Jordan, for the Arabs. The Jordanian occupation of Judea and Samaria, which lasted from 1948 to 1967, was never formally recognized, except by Britain and Pakistan. In 1967, Israel won Judea and Samaria after Jordan declared war on the Jewish State as part of the Six-Day War. But, according to the Levy Committee, because Jordanian sovereignty of the territories was never established, Israel cannot be said to have conquered recognized “Jordanian territory.” Adding to the committee’s conclusion that Israel cannot be a “belligerent occupier” is the fact that Jordan renounced

its sovereignty over Judea and Samaria in 1988, when, for the first time, then-Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat declared “Palestinian independence.” Historical Moment According to committee member Mr. Baker, the only reason the outposts remain “unauthorized” is that government officials froze approvals under international pressure. “We believe the approval process should now be completed,” he said. Not surprisingly, the legal arguments and conclusions of the Levy Committee brought howls of protests from those opposed to the settlements and joy to the residents of Judea and Samaria and their supporters who, according to Israel HaYom columnist Dror Eydar, “comprise most of the Jewish population in Israel.” “This is exactly what [the Netanyahu] government was elected for. It is the will of most of the people, and it is also a historical decree,” said Mr. Eydar. Who is “Ideological?” One of the Levy Committee’s strongest critics was Ms. Sasson herself who said that, as opposed to her own study, the Levy report has “no legal standing and ignores four decades of court rulings on the legality of unauthorized settlement in the West Bank.” Ms. Sasson, who, after leaving the civil service ran for the Knesset as a member of the far left-wing Meretz party, said it would be “impossible” for Israel’s Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to approve the Levy report’s findings. She argued that the Supreme Court, which has found itself under attack by many Israelis as too left wing, is the “only body authorized to determine the legal status of the West Bank.”

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Many of the positions taken by the Israeli Supreme Court have prompted large numbers of Israelis to call on the Knesset to pass legislation offering some sort of check-and-balance on the High Court’s authority. In many cases, the Supreme Court has found laws passed by the Knesset to be “unconstitutional,” despite the fact that Israel has no constitution. One of the reasons Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked the Levy committee to convene was to review Ms. Sasson’s study. He suspected her left-wing politics made her report less than objective. Kadima MK Otniel Schneller agreed with the Prime Minister and dismissed as “hypocritical and holier than thou” leftists’ accusations that Mr. Levy and his co-panelists “worked for the right wing.” “You have to remember that Sasson wrote a supposedly objective anti-settlement report and then ran on the Meretz ticket,” said Mr. Schneller. What Efforts for Peace? PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib denounced the panel’s conclusions, calling them a “complete contradiction with international law and with specific resolutions of the UN… and in contradiction with the official policy of almost every single country in the world.” “We also think such positions contradict the international efforts to establish peace based on two states, one of them in the territories occupied in 1967,” he said, leaving unaddressed the fact that, for several years, the Palestinians have refused to negotiate. Nevertheless, the PA position was echoed by Kadima MK Shlomo Molla, who predicted that the report’s findings would “bury the peace process” with the Palestinians and warned the government against adopting it.

July 2012/Tammuz 5772

“Sinful” Rhetoric The far-left wing “human rights organization,” Yesh Din, was even harsher. According to Yesh Din attorney Michael Sfard, the Levy Committee “was born in sin and founded in order to authorize crime, which it did.” He called it “not a legal report, but an ideological report that ignores basic principles of the rule of law.” “It seems as though the committee members fell down the rabbit hole and their report was written in Wonderland where the absurd law rules— there is no occupation, no illegal outposts, and seemingly no Palestinian state. It must be said in the language of Alice: This is the most stupid tea party I’ve seen in my life,” he said. Most supporters of the Levy Committee’s findings, including Likud Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, National Union MK Uri Ariel, and Likud MK Danny Danon, agreed that there is no occupation, no illegal outposts, and, at present, no Palestinian state. They argued that Ms. Sasson’s study, which has been accepted by the left, is far more ideologically biased that the Levy Committee’s conclusions. “The release of the Levy report is a day of celebration for the settlements. The report removes the values of the radical left from the court of law in relation to Judea and Samaria and buries the dangerous report of attorney Talia Sasson,” said Mr. Danon. Speaking for the panel, Mr. Baker denied that he or his colleagues were motivated by political considerations. “The results were a legal analysis reached after examining international, Israeli, and Jordanian law,” he said. Energizing the Right After weeks of preparation for demolitions throughout Judea and Samaria, supporters of the settlements seemed ener-

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

gized by the Levy Committee’s findings, welcoming them as a reason to encourage the government to extend Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. Likud MK Yariv Levin, who chairs the Knesset’s House Committee, which will administer the newly created Ministerial Committee on Settlement in Judea and Samaria, suggested that Israel’s legal system stop hearing petitions against the Jewish communities. “We should complete the regulatory process immediately so that residents of Judea and Samaria do not have to constantly deal with petitions and appeals to the Supreme Court,” he said. He stressed that the Levy report “did not invent anything new,” but, rather, “simply repeated the facts.” “We do not need a stamp, not from Gentiles and not from judges, but I’m happy about any statement that reinforces the settlement enterprise. It is our historical right and any attempt to

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fight this enterprise using legal tools is wrong, hypocritical, and an abuse of the power and the tools that the Court has,” he said. Disregarding the Criticism Former Yesha Council chairman Naftali Bennett, who is running to head the Jewish Home party, urged the Israeli people to disregard the international condemnation that will follow a declaration of sovereignty. “The world is important, but we Israelis don’t get it right. The world, frankly, has bigger things on its agenda than Israel. If we have a Prime Minister who, like Menachem Begin, has the will to apply sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, we’ll do it. Yes, we’ll get condemned for two or three days, but then Madonna will have a new show, and the attention will move. We need to do what’s right for the Jewish state. The world will follow through,” he said. Likud MK Ze’ev Elkin, a government coalition leader, said, in the wake of the Levy

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Teaneck Taxi WORLD CLASS TRANSPORTATION

CAR SERVICE & LIMOUSINE

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

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Ess Gezint: Lévana Kirschenbaum Scores Again Though the Lincoln Square-area restaurant named for Lévana Kirschenbaum is now but a memory, her cookbooks are alive and well as the newest addition, “The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen,” proves. A beautiful book with incredible menu suggestions, it will be as popular to own as to give. No calorie counts, but she says if you follow her recipes, you will “lose weight by eating.” Sure hope she’s right. Y

Mock Hollandaise Sauce

1¼ cups plain or dairy-free yogurt, low-fat OK ⅓ cup Dijon-style mustard ⅓ cup low-fat mayonnaise

1 tsp turmeric Pinch nutmeg Pinch cayenne Salt & Pepper to taste

1 Tbs curry powder, optional Whisk all ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Makes about 2 cups. Store refrigerated in a glass jar. Great on asparagus or, if parve, on poached chicken breasts.

Roasted Leeks, Onions, and Garlic 2 large leeks, tough green leaves discarded, cut across lengthwise, then cut into 2-inch segments 4 shallots, quartered 2 dozen cloves garlic

1 large red onion, sliced about ½-inch thick ¼ cup olive oil Salt and Pepper to taste Optional: a few drops balsamic vinegar, a little rosemary and thyme Preheat the oven to 450º. Line a large cookie sheet with foil. In a mixing bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Arrange on the sheet in one layer. Roast 25-30 minutes until soft and roasted. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 8.

Baked Snapper with Raisins and Pine Nuts ⅓ cup pine nuts ¼ cup olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 1 large tomato, diced small ¼ cup wine vinegar ⅓ cup black or golden raisins

2 Tbs honey 1 small bunch flat-leaf parsley, minced 1 tsp turmeric Salt and Pepper to taste 8 snapper or tilapia fillets, 6 oz each

Heat the oven to 300º and toast the pine nuts for 12 minutes. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 425º. Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the tomato and sauté 3 more minutes. Add the vinegar, raisins, honey, parsley, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and sauté 3 more minutes. Place the fish fillets in an ovenproof baking pan just large enough to hold them. Pour the sauce over them. Bake for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the pine nuts on the fish and serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 8 servings.

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July 2012/Tammuz 5772

Shmuley Runs for Congress “Rather than redefining marriage, which has always meant the union of a man and woman, Americans should recognize that, by definition, marriage is a religious concept and government has no place in it. Because government needs to keep statistics and records, any two people—straight, gay, and those who have reasons of their own—should receive licenses for domestic partnership. Then, if they want, they should go out and find a clergyman or someone else to officiate at their weddings,” he said. Under this plan, those who do not choose to have any further wedding ceremony would not need one in order to enjoy all the benefits of current civil marriage. Fighting Divorce Speaking last month at a press conference in Teaneck, outside the offices of Dr. Reuben Gross, director of Bergen Marriage Counseling and Psychotherapy, Rabbi Boteach argued that saving marriages has nothing to do with opposing “gay marriage.” “America is living a lie, believing that if we spend the next 50 years fighting gay marriage, we are going to save the institution of heterosexual marriage. That’s an unproductive game,” he said. He pointed out that while 50 percent of marriages fail, ho-

A Win for Yesha Committee’s findings, Israel should end the “salami system” in Judea and Samaria, in which “the Palestinians take and take and we cut away and give them slice by slice.” “For the past 20 years, we have been discussing what we should relinquish and why. The time has come for a completely different discus-

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mosexuals make up only about seven percent of the population. “If the entire gay population suddenly pulled up stakes and moved from the US, we would still have the same marriage problem. We need to refocus on how to fix the growing divorce rate in this country, not concentrate on how to fight gay marriage. We need to stop fighting and start dealing with what’s important,” he said. Tax-Deductible Counseling The first step, he said, is to make marriage counseling tax deductible, a concept that was endorsed by former realityTV star Jon Gosselin of “Jon & Kate Plus 8” fame, who joined him at the press conference. Mr. Gosselin, who appeared on the same TLC network as Rabbi Boteach’s 2006 “Shalom in the Home” reality show, endorsed the rabbi’s candidacy, citing his “amazing moral compass.” Mr. Gosselin said that while marriage counseling did not save his own marriage—mostly because his wife did not attend the sessions—he believes that lessening the financial burden could help others. Making It Affordable On “Shalom in the Home,” Rabbi Boteach counseled families in trouble and offered advice about relationships. Many of the people who appeared on the show did so, he said,

cont. from page 33 sion. Judea and Samaria is our land and it is our right to apply sovereignty over it,” he said. Fear of international criticism is unwarranted, he said, pointing out that Israel has maintained its sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan Heights for more than 30 years despite world-wide condemnation. S.L.R.

because they did not know where else to turn. In addition to hosting his own weekly radio program—“The Shmuley Show” on WABC—he has made numerous guest appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show and other television programs. He writes syndicated columns and is a frequent oped contributor to many mainstream and niche newspapers. At the press conference, Rabbi Boteach pointed out that professional marriage counseling usually costs between $75 and $200 per session, making it too expensive for all but the wealthy to continue for any meaningful length of time. Making it tax-deductible would serve as an incentive, he said. “We pay sky-high taxes in NJ for everything. Wouldn’t it be great if we could get something back that would impact society as a whole?” said Rabbi Boteach. Preventing Abortion Statistics and his own experience in counseling have convinced him that lowering the divorce rate will result in a lower number of abortions as well. According to some statistics, almost half of all pregnancies among American women are unintended, and about half of all these unplanned pregnancies— about 1.3 million per year—are terminated by abortion. Some statistics indicate that, at the current rate, about

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach for Congress 35 percent of all women of reproductive age in the US today will have an abortion by the time they are 46. “Almost 90 percent of women undergoing abortions are unmarried; almost a quarter of them are separated or divorced. If counseling can help them develop better relations with the men in their lives, fewer of these pregnancies will result in abortion. Happily married women are significantly less likely to resolve unintended pregnancies through abortion,” said Rabbi Boteach. Single Parents The number of children born out-of-wedlock is also cause for alarm that should be met with greater availability of counseling, he said. He pointed out that, in the AfricanAmerican community, close to 75 percent of children are born to single mothers, and in the Hispanic community, the number is about 50 percent.

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Shmuley Runs for Congress “Nationally, the number is about 40 percent, and we know it is better for all children to be raised by a mother and father who love them,” he said. He said he found it “astounding” that he is the only candidate calling for something concrete to be done. “Where is the national conversation about our culture which degrades women and portrays them as libidinous men’s playthings? This is what is responsible for the high rate of abortion in the first place,” he said. Scarring Experience Divorce scars not only the adults involved, said Rabbi Boteach. As the child of divorced parents himself, he knows the damaging effects continue to haunt the next generation as well. “My father is in California and my mother is in Florida, and, every Passover, it is still a problem deciding with whom we will spend the holiday,” he said. Of his parents’ five children, two are now divorced themselves. One of Rabbi Boteach’s brothers identifies as “a proud, gay, Orthodox Jew.” A resident of Englewood, Rabbi Boteach and his Australian-born wife, Debbie, have nine children. Shabbos Invitation At the press conference, Rabbi Boteach, 46, discussed his now famous invitation to his 75-year-old opponent, Mr. Pascrell, to come to his home for Shabbat dinner. While Rabbi Boteach said he had spoken personally with Mr. Pascrell and his

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invitation had been accepted, their proposed meeting had not yet taken place and, as time goes by, he suspects it won’t. “I told him I wanted us to get to know each other as people before we become opponents. I suggested we break bread together before we break anything else, because it doesn’t have to be the politics of personal destruction. It can be the politics of issues and ideas,” said Rabbi Boteach. Differing on Israel But those ideas spell out major differences between the two candidates. The 9th District’s large Muslim and Jewish populations clashed during the Democrat primary. The Muslim community came out in huge numbers for Mr. Pascrell, while much of the Jewish community tried, unsuccessfully, to work for a victory for Steve Rothman. Although during his eight terms in Congress, Mr. Pascrell has consistently voted in favor of foreign aid for the Jewish state, he is primarily remembered in the pro-Israel community for joining with 62 other lawmakers in 2009 to sign a letter condemning Israel for denying “critically needed aid” to Palestinian residents of Gaza. The letter neglected to mention the necessity of Israel’s blockade against the Hamas-ruled Gaza strip and the role played by the Hamas regime in creating the humanitarian crisis. There was no mention in the letter about Hamas’s provoking war with Israel, sending rockets into its civilian centers, and exacerbating the situation through its extensive use of civilian human shields. In 2010, Mr. Pascrell was one of 54

House members who signed a one-sided letter to President Barack Obama accusing Israel of imposing “de facto collective punishment of the Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.” The letter denied Israel’s right to defend herself against Hamas terror attacks on civilians. Antisemitic Attack During the primary campaign, ArabAmerican activist Aref Assaf, who supported Mr. Pascrell, accused Mr. Rothman’s supporters of dual-loyalty, caring more about Israel than they did about the US. When asked to repudiate Mr. Assaf’s op-ed, Mr. Pascrell refused, saying only that Mr. Assaf did not work for his campaign. The evasion fooled no one. Democratic Party activist Joshua Block, a former spokesman for AIPAC, called Mr. Pascrell’s “unwillingness to directly confront and condemn this antisemitic invective and bigotry…despicable.” “Silence in the face of this kind of hate speech says it all,” said Mr. Block. In the May issue of The Jewish Voice, Steven Emerson of The Investigative Project detailed Mr. Pascrell’s close connections to “Islamists on Capitol Hill,” including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Mr. Emerson said they would have “few better allies” than Mr. Pascrell. Opposing Terrorists Rabbi Boteach has not gone that far, admitting that, based only on the letters Mr. Pascrell has signed, he would not accuse him of “supporting Hamas.” However, Rabbi Boteach said, he would ask Mr. Pascrell to repudiate the letters accusing Israel of inflicting “collective punishment” on the Palestinians “when actually Hamas is responsible for the suffering of the Palestinians.” “I want people to vote for me based on their convictions. If you believe in a robust American foreign policy where tyrants are held accountable for their actions and where terrorists are also held accountable for their attacks on others, then you’re going to vote for me because I will not let an organization like Hamas off the hook, and blame Israel for a blockade which is a necessity to stop Hamas from getting bombs with which they kill people,” said Rabbi Boteach. This, he said, is not merely “a Jewish issue,” because “terrorism affects the US

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Shmuley Runs for Congress just as much.” Looking for Repentance He approached the issue of Mr. Pascrell’s relationship with Imam Mohammad Ahmad Hasan Qatanani of Paterson, now part of NJ’s 9th District, in the same way. Originally from Jordan, Mr. Qatanani and his family are currently the subject of deportation efforts by the NJ Immigration Court of Appeals. The deportation is based on the charge that Mr. Qatanani failed to disclose in his green card application that he was a member of Hamas and had been arrested and convicted of belonging to the terrorist organization by Israel. Mr. Pascrell has championed Mr. Qatanani’s cause to remain in the US. Rabbi Boteach said he would, too, if Mr. Qatanani agrees to repudiate Hamas. “I believe in repentance,” said Rabbi Boteach, explaining that, as a first step, Mr. Qatanani would have to “repudiate Hamas publicly—especially in his own mosque—as an abomination to Islam, because any movement that is out to kill Jews or any innocent people in the name of Islam is an abomination to Islam.” “If Imam Qatanani repudiates Hamas for being a terrorist organization and expresses the belief that Israel can and should be a homeland for the Jewish people which he respects, then, of course, I would embrace him

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and assist him in staying in this country because it would establish him as a voice for reconciliation and peace. But, without that declaration, when we only have an imam who apparently lied or misinformed the INS about a previous arrest, which is grounds for deportation, then that’s going to have to proceed,” said Rabbi Boteach. Jews Looking at the GOP Republican leaders are hoping that approach, in conjunction with the gloomy economic picture and Mr. Pascrell’s, at best, weak support for Israel, will convince traditionally Democratic Jews to look seriously at Rabbi Boteach’s candidacy. And President Barack Obama may not be of much help to Mr. Pascrell. The President’s policies, such as demanding that Israel return to the 1949 armistice lines as a starting point for negotiations with the PA, coupled with the President’s attitudes, reflected in his snubbing and publicly insulting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have been described by his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney, as “throwing Israel under the bus.” Just this month, Mr. Obama’s administration condemned Israel for its intention to build 300 new homes in Beit El as a response to the Israeli Supreme Court’s demand that five homes, whose ownership

is in dispute, be destroyed. In another development, in June, the Obama administration kowtowed to Turkish demands to exclude Israel from the Global Counterterrorism Forum’s first meeting, despite the fact that the Jewish state has one of the most extensive records of counterterrorism in the world. Ten of the 29 countries participating in the forum, which was established in September 2001, were Arab and/or Muslim states. One month earlier, the Obama administration permitted Turkey to block Israel’s participation in a NATO summit held in Chicago, accepting Turkey’s position that NATO-Israel relations cannot be restored until Turkish-Israeli relations are normalized. Losing Ground Some reports indicate that Mr. Obama has lost as much as 16 percent of his support among US Jews, putting key battleground states, such as Florida, up for grabs. In New York, which shows every indication of maintaining its solid blue, pro-Democrat status, the Jewish vote has taken an even more serious dip. If elections had been held in the middle of June, Mr. Obama would have received only 51 percent of the Jewish vote, with 43 percent going to Mr. Romney. Overall in New York, the polls showed Mr. Obama would win 59-35. Nationally, Rasmussen polls throughout June showed Mr. Romney either tied or ahead of Mr. Obama by three or four points. The Koach Factor There are other indications that more Jews are considering pulling the lever for Republicans this year. A Gallup poll taken in June showed Jewish-American support for Mr. Obama at 61 percent—a sizable major-

ity to be sure, but the lowest since 1988 when Democrat Michael Dukakis was defeated by George H.W. Bush. At the same time, polls indicate Jewish support for Mr. Romney at 29 percent, the highest level of support for a Republican candidate in 24 years, with 10 percent undecided. If the undecided Jewish vote were split down the middle, the margin of victory for Mr. Obama would be 66-34, a far cry from the President’s 78 percent of the Jewish vote in 2008. Tevi Troy, one of Mr. Romney’s senior campaign advisors on Jewish and Israel issues, said these numbers are significant. Candidates who win 30 percent or higher in the Jewish community, “are almost certain to win an election,” he said, adding that those who garner under 20 percent, “are almost certain to lose.” “There’s this 28 percent spread, which I like to think about in terms of its Hebrew gematria, which is koach, meaning strength. This 28 percent shows the disproportionate strength of the Jewish vote given its relative numbers,” he said. No Trust for Obama In Israel, where only registered American citizens can vote by absentee ballot, a poll on “American-Israeli Relations,” prepared in mid-June for the Begin Sadat Center at Bar Ilan University and the Anti-Defamation League, showed that while Israelis have confidence that the US would help the Jewish state in an existential emergency, they do not trust Mr. Obama. Nearly 70 percent of Israelis have a positive attitude toward the US and believe the country is a loyal ally of the Jewish state. More than 90 percent said that, in an existential crisis, the US would come to Israel’s aid.

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Letters to the Editor Here’s One Jewish Vote for Pascrell It’s clear that campaign experts have learned that negative ads are a most effective campaign tool. We live in an era of sound bites and catch phrases. We saw it in the primaries and will no doubt see it between now and November. If you can’t say something nice about someone—then say it often and say it loudly! Typical of the rhetoric is “Group A” supports “Candidate B.” So let’s attack Group A (justifiably or otherwise) and hope some mud splashes onto Candidate B. So when a Muslim group supports a candidate such as Congressman Bill Pascrell (NJ’s 9th), then skewer the candidate with anti-Muslim rhetoric. To do so, one must conveniently ignore Mr. Pascrell’s pro-Israel voting record. Among other things, Mr. Pascrell voted for every single appropriation bill for Israel, and he voted for the “Jerusalem Recognition Bill.” It’s a matter of public record. The fact is that in our representative form of government, our representatives are tasked to support a diverse community with multiple, sometimes antagonistic constituencies. An incumbent’s voting record helps us see what’s what. Incumbents have their records and their experience. Candidates who have never held public office have the advantage of 20-20 hindsight. They can pontificate as to what they would have done in any given situation without facing the reality and complexity of public service. I was unhappy that leading members of the Passaic-Jewish political community came out very strongly for Congressman Rothman—or should I say, against Congressman Pascrell. They went as far as telling Republicans to switch parties in order to impact the primary election. In a democracy, it is everyone’s right to express an opinion and to encourage others to follow their lead. I thought it was a mistake, both from the standpoint of who is the better candidate and also from the more pragmatic standpoint of burning bridges by so strongly railing against a candidate. Some people will have lots of fence mending to do going forward. I was at a simcha a few weeks ago when I was confronted (yes, that’s the proper description) by two people with emotional pleas and then insults when I offered that I support Mr. Pascrell and had his lawn signs in front of my home. “How can you do this to klal Yisroel?” To me, this reflects an emotional rather than a logical response, one fanned by ignorance and misleading rhetoric. Congressman Pascrell is an effective representative and he deserves our votes. Carl A. Singer Passaic, NJ SLR Responds: Just as in the case of your lawn sign, Passaic’s leaders were free to suggest (not demand) the pro-Israel community support the candidate they preferred. On Israel, no one ever said Mr. Pascrell was not “all right,” but Mr. Rothman was a leader whose loss is keenly felt by the entire pro-Israel community. No one ever said Mr. Pascrell should not find ways to work with the Muslim community, but when one of his Muslim supporters engaged publicly in virulently antisemitic rhetoric, we all had the right to expect the candidate to disavow it, and he would not. At least he did not sign

a letter to President Obama suggesting the 9th District’s Jewish community was engaging in “de facto collective punishment.” He reserved that accusation for Israel when the Jewish state enforced its life-saving blockade against the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip. No BDS Supporters Welcome In his letter to The Jewish Voice [“The Right BDS,” June 2012], Ronn Torossian wrote: “Those of us in the Zionist camp who spoke of boycotting the 48th annual ‘Celebrate Israel Parade’ on June 3 because of a few leftist fools, made a very big mistake.” This falsely implies that those who spoke out against the participation of the New Israel Fund, due to its affiliations with nefarious organizations, were endorsing a boycott of the parade. This was simply not the case. The stated position of the group of organizations which publicized the BDS supporters’ participation—JCC Watch, National Conference on Jewish Affairs, Americans for a Safe Israel, ZSTREET, and the Human Rights Coalition Against Radical Islam—was one of ardent support for the parade. However, those organizations felt strongly there must be no place for any organization that supports those who seek to delegitimize Israel. Larry Domnitch Bergenfield, NJ Was the Asifa above Criticism? Your decision to print Rabbi Eisemann’s letter [“The Confusing Impact of the Internet,” June 2012] on your letters-to-the-editor page was a poor one. Chazal tell us that everyone knows why a kallah (bride) goes to the chuppah, but he/she who enunciates it is a boor and a fool. I imagine that probably most of your readers are of that group that was critical of the asifa, the gathering to discuss the Internet, yet I believe one can be critical and still in awe of the massive outpouring of techinos (prayers) to Avinu Shebashomayim (G-d) to help Klal Yisroel overcome a challenge which is acknowledged even by non-Jews as one of the most serious that society has ever faced. Even Paul Miller, the non-Jewish tech writer for the Verge online tech magazine, who has sworn off internet usage for a year, and whoever attended the asifa (did you go, Rabbi Eisemann?) recognized the sufficient seriousness of the matter to go cold turkey off the Internet for one whole year. Yes, there were issues concerning the asifa, but I would rather associate myself with the tens of thousands that went (and the many more who could not attend) who raised their eyes to heaven and beseeched the Creator to help Klal Yisroel address an issue that any shul rabbi (are you one, Rabbi Eisemann?) will testify has become a major problem in all congregations. Rabbi Yisroel Reisman says it may currently contribute to 30 percent of the issues for which his congregants come to him. Yes, as Rabbi Eisemann says, we need to control ourselves, and the alternative asifas that have been held have addressed this matter, but to pooh-pooh the issue is just foolish. As Rabbi Reisman said at the Flatbush Asifa, “Leitzona achas docha meah tochachos” (one dismissive comment can erase the effects of a hundred rebukes). The event at Citifield was

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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) meah tochachos (100 rebukes), and it takes only one leytz (dismissive comment) to push them away. I imagine Rabbi Eisemann would not want to be that leytz. As to the specious accusation that the Asifa was held for the commercial benefit of its sponsors, let it be known that, at the meetings being held around the tri-state area, the preferred immediate solution to the matter is the K-9 filter, a free product. Only small-mindedness could prompt someone to accuse those who spent millions of dollars to inspire Klal Yisroel in its quest for holiness of profit-seeking. Shame on you! May HaKadosh Boruch Hu help each of us seek to get a little closer to Him and make our homes a little more kodosh by making steps toward protecting our children and ourselves from influences that seek to degrade that Kedushah. Aaron Shapiro Monsey, NY Rabbi Jacob Eisemann of Elizabeth responds: Although it is generally beneath my dignity to respond to rubbish from Arche-Parche (Aramaic for a “no one from nowhere”), I am writing to protest the insult to you, Mrs. Rosenbluth, by the arrogant individual who criticized you for printing my letter. After all, The Jewish Voice is your publication. I consider the letter material for the garbage can, but it recalled for me an episode that transpired 66 years ago at a sheva brachot held in honor of the late Rabbi Schneor Kotler, z”l. The guest speaker was the illustrious Rav Eliezer Silver, z”l. During the affair, someone made an unfavorable remark, but the Rav made believe he did not hear it. Later, when we escorted the Rav out, he said it had been a very nice event, but for “that one,” he cautioned in his Lithuanian Yiddish, “ich stim mit ale mesugoim” (I am tolerant with all the insane). So you’re in good company, Mrs Rosenbluth. And I had only compliments on my letter. As far as I am concerned, this chapter is closed.

A Vote for Romney Mitt Romney is one of the wealthiest self-made men in our country, but has given more back to its citizens in terms of money, service, and time than most men. In fact, it’s difficult to find another man even close in this respect. He spent a year as an unpaid volunteer campaign worker in his dad’s gubernatorial campaign and then served as an unpaid intern in his dad’s governor’s office for eight years. He was an unpaid bishop and stake president of his church for ten years. The stories of his personal involvement in helping others, as well as his annual gifts to charities continue to be impressive. He was the unpaid president of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee for three years. He stepped in to take over the troubled Organizing Committee and oversaw the entire successful management of the Games, a very complex task which he accomplished due to his leadership and experience in working with people for a common goal. He took no salary, working as the unpaid Governor of Massachusetts for four years. He gave his entire inheritance from his father to charity. Mitt Romney is trustworthy. As opposed to the current President, Mr. Romney will show us his birth certificate, his high school and college transcripts, his social security card, his law degree from Harvard Law School, his draft notice, his medical records, and his income tax records. He will show us he has nothing to hide. Mitt Romney’s background, experience, and trustworthiness show him to be a great leader who will be an excellent President of the United States. When you vote for him on November 6, remember the Democrats would like you to be angrier about what Mitt Romney does with his money than what Barack Obama does with yours. Roz Gersten Scarsdale, NY

Not a Fan I do not appreciate your publication. I am a Torah-true Jew, not an Israeli Jew. Our being Jewish is through Torah, not through Israel. G-d should protect us all. Joel Markovitz Spring Valley, NY

The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and style. Please send all correspondence to POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. The phone number is (201) 569-2845. The FAX number is (201) 569-1739. The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com

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Shmuley Runs for Congress But only 32 percent of Israelis have a positive view of Mr. Obama (down from 54 percent in 2009), and the number who view him “very unfavorably” has risen from 14 to 23 percent. Forty-one percent of Israelis are “dissatisfied” or “very dissatisfied” with Mr. Obama’s policies on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and 53 percent believe the President erred in his response to the “Arab spring.” Thirty percent of Israelis expect Mr. Romney, if elected, to improve US-Israel relations, and 38 percent admitted to not knowing what Mr. Romney would do as President. Only 8 percent think Mr. Obama in a second term would improve US-Israel relations. Sixty percent of Israelis believe American Jews continue to feel close to Israel—up from 45 percent in 2009, while 26 percent of Israelis fear US

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Jews are drifting away. Pro-Business Economics While Rabbi Boteach is confident the pro-Israel community will see him as the better alternative to Mr. Pascrell, the Republican candidate said he is eager to go into areas throughout the 9th District that the GOP has generally given up on. “I believe my economic policies are right for this time in America and will appeal to people in this district,” he said. Those policies include allowing businesses generating up to $500,000 a year in sales and revenue to pay no taxes at all, and business making more than that to pay a 15 percent corporate tax rate instead of the current 35 percent, which he called “insane, the highest in the industrialized world.” He believes these polices will appeal to the substantial entrepreneurial sectors in the

Asian-American and AfricanAmerican communities in the 9th District. Pro-School Choice In addition, he said, the African-American community needs better schools for their children. “I think they’ll go for school vouchers and school choice, which I support, as opposed to the Democrats upon whom the teachers’ unions have a nearly absolute lock,” he said. His ideas for improving education go beyond vouchers. “I would mandate a values course into the public school curriculum so that students won’t just learn geography, history, and math, but also the core American values that make this country great. Kids should be learning about the value of entrepreneurship, personal responsibility, and accountability. And the equality of the individual. I’m talking about

values, not religion,” he said. Why He’s Running Those values are at the core of his campaign, Rabbi Boteach said, because they have informed everything he has done—from his books to his programs to his relationships with celebrities such as Michael Jackson. “I am simply a rabbi, someone who gives advice on relationships, who speaks about the weekly Torah portion, and who counsels all kinds of people. I have been involved with high-profile people, but, at the root, they are just people. They also have issues in their lives. Everything I do stems from my passion for Judaism and for Jewish values,” he said. Now, he said, pursuing those values has prompted him to run for Congress.S.L.R.

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Kol Ami: Capital Offense Kol Ami: Death Penalty, continued from page x The property Mr. Abu Shahala allegedly sold has been named by the Jewish community Beit HaMachpela. Released after his initial incarceration, Mr. Abu Shahala was rearrested in April and, according to reports, was tortured into confessing. In short order, he was placed in solitary confinement, subjected to trial, and sentenced to death, although the execution order against him still requires the signature of PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. Mr. Abu Shahala’s predicament weighs heavily on Hebron’s Jewish community morally and legally. Even though he has been found guilty, the Israeli Supreme Court requires

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his express acknowledgement that he sold the property to the Jewish community. Otherwise, the Court will find that the Jewish community is not the legal owner, and Beit HaMachpela will be lost to the Jewish families who had been living there. Although the paperwork is all in order, the Jewish families were ordered by Israel’s Minister of Defense to vacate the building, pending agreement by the Supreme Court that they are indeed the true owners. If Mr. Abu Shahala were to produce his own receipts, he would be condemning himself to die. Spokesmen for the Hebron-Jewish community, David Wilder and Noam Arnon, have petitioned UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, US Sec-

The view from the roof of Beit HaMachpela, overlooking Ma’rat HaMachpela, the tomb of the Patriarchs. retary of State Hillary Clinton, European Council President Herman Rompuy, and the director-general of the International Red Cross, Yves Daccord, among others, asking them to intervene on behalf of Mr. Abu Shahala. “It is appalling to think that property sales should be defined as a ‘capital crime’ punishable by death,” they wrote. “The very fact that such a ‘law’ exists within the framework of the PA legal system points to a barbaric and perverse type of justice, reminiscent of practices implemented during the Dark Ages.” “What would be the reaction to a law in the US, England, France, or Switzerland, forbidding property sales to Jews? Less than 100 years ago, such acts were legislated and practiced, in the infamous ‘Nuremberg Laws,” they said. As a result of their efforts, the chairman of the EU’s Committee for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Fiorello Provera, agreed that the

EU was obligated to intervene on behalf of Mr. Abu Shahala. “Abu Shahala’s conviction has no justification, and, therefore, the EU will intervene to save his life. It is inconceivable that a man who sells his house will be convicted of a crime and sentenced to death,” Mr. Provera wrote in response to the Hebron-Jewish community. In his letter, Mr. Provera recognized that the PA is “the foremost beneficiary of European assistance.” “So we must intervene and demand the PA immediately cancel Abu Shahala’s death sentence, and remove the death penalty for the sale of property and land [to Jews],” he said. Mr. Provera noted that EU policy is opposed to the death penalty in all cases. Some observers said the fact that Mr. Abbas has not moved on signing the execution order is in itself a positive indication that Mr. Abu Shahala’s life will be spared. S.L.R.

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