Jewish Voice and Opinion January 2013

THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism

January 2013

Vol. 26 • No. 5

Shevat 5773

With the Left Sinking, Israel’s Right-Wing Parties Turn on Each Other, but Bibi’s Still Winning and Bennett Keeps Rising If the past month’s trends

continue through January 22, Israeli elections that day will show a surprising diminution of the country’s traditionally two largest parties, Likud on the right and Labor on he left. Taking a gigantic leap forward will be the Jewish Home party, the politically conservative,

national religious-Zionist amalgam, formed by a merger of several parties whose political and ideological philosophies match that of its charismatic leader, Naftali Bennett.

In poll after poll, Likud, which merged with the Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel Our Home) Party, formed primarily by and for Russian immigrants, has man-

aged to keep its commanding lead. When the two parties first merged, polls showed its list, consisting heavily of political conservatives, winning as many as 45 or even 50 seats in the new Knesset.

A series of pitfalls—some caused by the party itself, and at least one that might have been orchestrated by political enemies

of Yisrael Beiteinu’s leader, former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman—has reduced the number of seats Likud Beiteinu is expected to receive to about 35. This still will leave it the largest party in the new Knesset, assuring its leader, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, of another term as head of the country.

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Israel Approves New Construction, the Palestinian Authority and the World Call It a War Crime In a joke making the rounds

in Israel, two European UN ambassadors are having coffee in New York when one decries the situation in Syria in which 45,000 men, women, and children have died. The other looks up and says, “Yes, that’s a tragedy. But in Jerusalem, a Jew wants to build a house. That’s a catastrophe.”

Less than 24 hours after the UN voted to recognize the Palestinian Authority (PA) as a non-member observer state, Israel responded by approving the construction of 3,000 housing units in Jerusalem and throughout Judea and Samaria.

These will be built not only

Contiguity at Last: A view of Maale Adumim, with E1 in the background, on the way to Jerusalem in the so-called settlement blocs, but also in the area known as E1, which connects Jerusalem and Maale Adumim, thus fulfilling a long-standing request from

Gun Control—Israel-Style................... 5 Kol Ami: Thoughts on Hagel?............ 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 Safety Planning.................................15 CSS Protection...................................17 A Mother’s Plea..........................................21 Seniors at Home.......................................22

residents in those areas. Plans for housing in the E1 area of Jerusalem have been on hold for 15 years due to diplomatic pressure from Washington.

Closing the Gap Building on E1 will close the gap between the capital and the eastern suburb. It enraged the PA, which claimed that the move kills any hope of creating a contiguous Palestinian state. It will also sever the PA-controlled areas from Jerusalem, thereby increasing Israel’s security and control over entry into the capital.

Israelis say building in E1 can be considered a barrier to a contiguous PA state only if the plan was for Maale Adumim to be abandoned. A modern city, it is home to almost 40,000 Jews and a part of the

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Inside the Voice

Hagel for Defense?..................................24 The Log..........................................................28 New Classes........................................36 Mazal Tov.............................................37 New Contests.....................................38 Chesed Ops..........................................38 Saving Lives at Holy Name............39

Ess Gezint: Tu B’Shevat....................44 Adult Ed at PTI...................................46 Torah in Motion.................................47 Index of Advertisers ........................49 Honor the Professional...................51 Letters to the Editor ........................52 Jewish Leaders on Jewish Voice......55

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After Newtown Shooting, Israel Feels America’s Pain, America Seeks to Adopt Israel’s Security Measures In the days following the

shooting massacre of 20 small children and six teachers at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, individuals with widely disparate views all seemed to find proof of their deepest-held beliefs embedded in the tragedy.

Those on the Left, including President Barack Obama, saw the tragedy in Connecticut as the impetus to act on their long-standing belief in the necessity for more and tighter gun-control laws.

Political conservatives, including many Jews who

see the value in responsible gun-ownership, viewed the murders in Connecticut as an impetus to allow more people to become armed as a way of deterring gun crime and stopping crazed and evil murderers bent on destruction. Many with this perspective called for armed guards at each school, much as is done in Israel.

Conservatives also decried left-wing sponsored legislation that prevents mentally unbalanced individuals from being held and treated for their disturbances before they set out on a killing spree. The Connecticut murderer, Adam Lan-

za, was reportedly mentally ill and may have gone on his killing spree as a reaction to his mother’s alleged attempt to have him committed. According to some reports, almost no authority was able to give her much assistance.

Doing More Russel Kelner, president of the NJ-based Golani Rifle and Pistol Club, which holds events in the tri-state area that do not conflict with Shabbat or Jewish holidays, said almost all the club’s members “would agree that more could be done to keep firearms out of the hands of people who

should not have them.”

However, said Mr. Kelner, they probably would not want this accomplished through new restrictions which, he said, “will do almost nothing to curb mass shootings, but, rather, just make it harder for law-abiding citizens to obtain firearms for their own personal protection.”

“Gun laws are enacted as an emotional response by politicians who have little understanding of firearms and real-world situations,” he said.

Useless Legislation An example, he said, is the

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Kol Ami: Thoughts on Chuck Hagel’s Nomination?

President Barack Obama’s apparent eagerness to nominate the controversial former Republican Senator from Nebraska, Chuck Hagel, to the post of Secretary of Defense has pro-Israel supporters on both sides of the aisle unhappy.

Some Republicans have spoken out forcefully against Mr. Hagel, whose anti-Israel positions and actions predated his 2006 anti-AIPAC slur.

“The political reality is that the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here,” Mr. Hagel told former Mideast peace negotiator Aaron David Miller in a 2006 interview.

“Chuck Hagel has consistently been against economic sanctions to try to change the behavior of the radical, Islamist regime in Tehran, which is the only way to do it, short of war. I wouldn’t say his votes disqualify him from serving as Secretary of Defense, but if I were in the Senate on the Armed Services Committee and he

I have not discussed this potential nomination and do not have a comment at this point.

Sen Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) were nominated, I would have some really serious questions to ask him. If Hagel is nominated, it’s going to be a very tough confirmation process.”

Retiring Sen Joseph Lieberman (I-CT)

Mr. Hagel went on to boast to Mr. Miller that he could not recall ever having signed a letter from AIPAC asking for support for Israel or a tough stand against its enemies, such as Iran.

While some Democrats on Capitol Hill have quietly confessed to being “concerned” or even “very angry” that the President is continuing to praise Mr. Hagel, thus far, not one sitting Jewish Democratic Senator or Congressman has come out publicly, on the record, to oppose the nomination. The only Republican on Capitol Hill, Rep Eric Cantor (R-VA) said he did not have time to think about it just yet. Y For more information about this, see page 24.

I don’t want to comment on a hypothetical situation. I will revisit it if the nomination is actually made, but, for now, I’m not taking a position.

Rep Nita Lowey (D-NY)

The nomination of Chuck Hagel will be the President’s choice. Once he makes it, Hagel’s record will be studied carefully. Until that point, we’re not going to know what will happen. I, too, will have to study his record. I’m not going to comment until the President makes a nomination.

Sen Charles Schumer (D-NY)

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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache” Remember when pictures of Tivoli Gardens or the statue of the Little Mermaid were enough to inspire a chorus of “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen”?

Well, things have changed. A few weeks ago, the Israeli Embassy in the city was attacked by 20 demonstrators, mostly adherents of the religion of peace, who lobbed stones and fireworks at the building and painted the word “childkillers” on the embassy’s entrance wall.

No one was injured, but, since then, Israeli and Jewish officials in the city have warned Jews to avoid openly wearing religious symbols and dress when moving about. No kippoth on the street; no jewelry with Stars of David; no speaking Hebrew too loudly.

We wonder if the city’s new theme song is “There Once Was an Ugly Imam.” Unfortunately, there is no swan in Denmark’s future; only the same swan song being sung for all of Western Europe, and it couldn’t happen to a nicer continent.

Hans Christian Andersen, call your office.

••• A Russian-Jewish friend visited her daughter recently at one of the supposedly best colleges in the country. Our friend’s daughter said that she has to be very careful in class, because she said that if the teacher doesn’t like what a student says, he may decide whether or not to grade the final exam based on how remorseful the student is. To our friend’s astonishment, six out of ten students at that school do not know what the First Amendment to the US Constitution is, let alone what it protects.

This information prompted our friend to ask us what we thought the difference is between the old Soviet Union and many of today’s American colleges and universities.

Answer: In the old days, Russian-Jewish families risked everything to flee Soviet tyranny to gain freedoms guaranteed by America’s First Amendment. Today, those same parents spend everything to put their children through institutions that deny them those same freedoms.

••• In Israel, one group was getting that same education for free. Until just recently, Palestinian terrorists serving time in Israeli prisons were eligible to receive a free university education.

When the government decided enough was enough and cut the service, three terrorist prisoners sued the state, claiming they were being discriminated against because regular criminals in Israeli prisons are supplied with free courses and degree programs at Israel’s Open University.

In a rare instance of common sense emanating from the Israeli judiciary, the High Court ruled last month that discrimination was not an issue. “Differences in treatment of criminal and terrorist prisoners are not due to discrimination,” said the judges who heard the case. “We believe the same applies to education.”

Then, reverting to type, the judges went on to insist that the prison system should be “considerate” in deciding what to do with terrorists who are already enrolled in academic programs.

“We think it would be worthy to consider those in the midst or close to the end of an academic program separately from those who have not yet begun a course of study,” the court said. “If the prisons decide not to continue funding the education of those prisoners, they will be free to file petitions with district courts on the matter.”

We wonder how “considerate” those convicted terrorists were of the victims whom they murdered and maimed. S.L.R.

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Gun Control

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proposed revival of a ban on assault weapons. The National Rifle Association’s vice-president, Wayne LaPierre, is already on record as saying he did not think it would work and that his group would not support it.

“A gun is a tool; the problem is the criminal,” said Mr. LaPierre.

In fact, when the Columbine shooting incident occurred, the previous, 1994 assault-weapons ban was already in place.

Mr. Kelner pointed to a 1999 in-depth study, conducted by the US Justice Department, which concluded that the ban did nothing to reduce crime or shootings.

In the report, the Justice Department said, “The ban has failed to reduce the average number of victims per gunmurder incident or multiplegunshot would victims.”

For Mr. Kelner, that should have been an “aha” moment.

“No wonder Congress allowed the useless gun ban to ‘sunset’ after ten years. It simply did not do what they promised it would,” he said.

Gun Murders Decrease He does not deny that incidents such as the mass shooting in Connecticut bring the issue to the front burners, but, he said, statistics show, despite these tragedies, gun murders themselves have actually dropped over the last two decades.

One reason for this, he said, is that an increasing number of states permit residents to carry concealed weapons.

Knowing that there are concealed weapons “out there” is a deterrent to crime, he said.

“Despite the fact we have these well publicized incidents where innocents were murdered, gun murders themselves have

actually drastically dropped over the last two decades. One reason is that more people are carrying concealed weapons, which means there are more deterrents to crime out there,” said Mr. Kelner.

Stolen Weapons Joseph Farah of WorldNewsDaily.net pointed out that Mr. Lanza stole his weapons from his mother’s house and then murdered her. He had tried to buy a rifle of his own a day earlier, but had been turned down.

“No law could have stopped Lanza short of disarming all law-abiding Americans. And that would just mean more death and carnage—and the end of liberty for all. The massacre at Sandy Hook could have been minimized, if not averted completely, if just one teacher or administrator at the school had been armed,” said Mr. Farah.

Mr. Kelner agreed. He recognized that many people, including the vice-president of the beleaguered National Rifle Association, Wayne LaPierre, have endorsed the notion of hiring armed guards to protect every school in the country, but, said Mr. Kelner, that might not be practical or economically feasible for financiallystrapped Jewish day schools and yeshivas.

“Instead of adding to the expenses of our already burdened schools, we suggest adopting one of the Golani Club’s missions, which is to advocate that every responsible member of the Jewish community become proficient in firearm use and handling. If every one of our local Jewish institutions had 20 to 25 percent of its on-site employees well-trained and accessible to a firearm—as they do in Israel—the risk of unopposed

massacres, like the one we just saw in Newtown, would be severely limited,” he said.

Tax Breaks Charles Heller, executive for the advocacy group, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, also believes a solution lies in training teachers and school administrators who want to work in security as well.

Mr. Heller’s group recommends offering tax breaks to veteran special-forces soldiers and retired policemen in exchange for protecting schools.

“A society with fewer guns would be more violent,” says Mr. Heller.

Looking to Israel Like Mr. Kelner, many who support gun ownership point to Israel as an example of a country with many legally armed citizens in which there are almost no cases of mass murders—except for acts of terrorism which would not be a affected by gun-control laws.

After the murders in Connecticut, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a condolence message to the families, Mr. Obama, and all US citizens, in which he drew a parallel between the killing in the American school and the acts of Arab terrorism with which Israel deals on a daily basis.

“The people of Israel grieve with you,” said Mr. Netanyahu.

“When we see these horrible sights of slain children, young boys and girls whose lives were nipped in the bud in such cruel acts of savagery, I can tell you from my own experience that we understand the pain and agony. We in Israel have experienced such cruel acts of slaughter, and we know the shock and agony they bring.

We feel we’re one family with you, and I can only pray that

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G-d will give you the strength, as he’s given us, to overcome the tragedy and go on living.”

Past Disasters Nipped Early In the Jewish community, the Connecticut shooting reignited old memories, such as the 2008 terror attack in Jerusalem in which an Arab terrorist opened fire in a yeshiva, killing eight young men.

An off-duty IDF officer who lived near the yeshiva became aware of the situation just as he was putting his children to bed. He grabbed his gun, ran to the yeshiva, and hunted down and killed the

terrorist, shooting him even before the security guard had the chance.

In another incident, an Arab worker driving a bulldozer turned it into an instrument of mass murder. An armed civilian along with a soldier jumped onto the bulldozer. As the civilian struggled with the terrorist, he urged the soldier to shoot, which he did. The terrorist was killed and many lives saved.

In the US, too, there are examples of planned mass murders which were averted because a responsible individual was armed and knew how to act.

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Israeli School Murders Often in Israel’s history, Arab terrorists managed to carry out their murderous intent on children. In 1974, Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat sent terrorist operatives from the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine in Lebanon into northern Israel.

They broke into an elementary school in the town of Ma’alot and, in an act of cold blooded savagery, mowed down 21 children along with five adults.

In April of that year, Palestinian-Arab terrorists attacked Kiryat Shemona, deliberatively murdering eight children.

Palestinian gunman also ambushed an Israeli school bus from the village of Avivim, slaughtering nine students and three teachers, as the bus traveled along a road not far from the Lebanese border.

In March 1978, Palestinian terrorists from the Fatah faction of the PLO hijacked another bus on the Coastal Haifa-Tel Aviv Highway, killing 21 Israeli children.

No Comparison According to some Israeli experts, comparing Israel’s experience with terrorism to the mass shooting episode in Connecticut is flawed. Yigal Palmer, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry said the situation in Israel is “fundamentally different” from that in the US. “We had to deal with terrorism. What removed the danger were not the armed guards, but an overall anti-terror policy and anti-terror operations which brought street terrorism down to nearly zero over a number of years. It would be better not to drag Israel into what is an internal American discussion,” he said.

Reuven Berko, a retired Israeli Army colonel and a senior police officer agreed.

“There is no comparison between maniacs with psychological problems opening fire at random to kill innocent people and trained terrorists trying to murder Israeli children,” he said.

Prof Gerald Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University said trying to compare the tragedy of Newtown with terrorist attacks is “absurd.”

“Palestinian attacks like the one at Ma’alon took as its goal to use children as hostages in order to free other terrorists. This is totally different from crimes committed by deranged people with guns,” he said.

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com No Armed Teachers After the Connecticut murders, a photo of Israeli schoolchildren lined up with a young armed woman, who seemed to be their teacher, circulated on the Internet. It gave the impression that all Israeli school teachers are armed, a picture several Israeli journalists endeavored to correct.

“There may be some exceptions in dangerous areas, such as Judea and Samaria, but, in general, Israeli teachers are not walking around like it’s the Wild West, strapped with a six-shooter,” said Ron Cantor, writing in Israel Today.

Nevertheless, he said, that did not mean that schoolchildren in Israel were without protection. “In most cases, it is an armed guard or a soldier who accompanies a class, not an armed teacher,” he said, offering the assumption that the young armed woman with a group of children in the picture making the rounds on the Internet was actually a security guard and not a teacher.

But while most teachers are not armed in Israel, Israeli schools are very well secured. Virtually all of them are surrounded by fences. Entry is through a locked gate watched by an armed security guard who is trained to question all would-be visitors, asking for the child’s name and an identification card.

Just One Protector Sondra Baras, Israeli director of a group called Christian Friends of Israeli Communities (CFOIC), resides in Karnei Shomron, in the heart of Samaria, together with her husband, Edward, and their five children. After watching television coverage of the aftermath of the Connecticut shooting, she said she kept asking herself: What would have happened if that school had been protected by an armed guard.

“The shooter would have been shot dead before being able to do any damage,” said Ms. Baras, thinking about the “countless terrorist attacks in Israel which were stopped mid-stream by citizens or security personnel who were nearby and who were armed. And they were armed because they were identified as individuals who could help in our fight against terrorism.”

The attack in Connecticut, she said, forced her to wonder if there was a difference between “this meaningless act of violence and the terrorist attacks that we have been subject to in Israel for decades”

January 2013/Shevat 5773

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She was aware that, in the greater world, Jews have been suffering. In France a few months ago, a Muslim terrorist murdered schoolchildren in a Jewish school in Toulouse.

Important for Prevention “Does it make a difference if the attack is motivated by a purpose or if it derives from such sick mind?” she asked.

She concluded that there are differences, which become significant “primarily in devising ways to prevent the attacks.”

But, she said, all the acts have one thing in common: they are rooted in evil.

She denied the cry from the left that guns, too, are part of the “evil.”

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“When used by evil people, they are indeed very dangerous. When used by good people, they can save lives. For those visiting Israel for the first time, having an armed guard check your pocketbook before entering a shopping mall can seem scary. For us, it’s just part of life. When guns are in the hands of the good guys, we are not frightened. We feel protected,” she said.

Arduous Process Despite the stereotype of the armed Israeli, the truth is, gun control laws in the Jewish state are very strict and the procedure leading to private gun own-

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Gun Control

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ership is much more arduous than the process is in the US. Those applying for gun permits must be vetted by the government and the police, and then a doctor must attest to the applicant’s mental and physical health.

“Mentally unstable people don’t have guns, and, thus, don’t shoot people. And it is not as easy to steal a gun in Israel as it is in the US,” said Mr. Cantor.

The individual must undergo well-structured training and testing at a licensed gun range whose officials must also sign off on the applicant’s skill and expertise.

During this time, the wouldbe gun owner learns how to handle the weapon, store it, and use it.

As a rule, the Israeli government prefers to issue gun licenses only to those with army experience.

Soldiers and Those Licensed Even after all these hurdles, Israeli gun-owners are usually limited to one firearm per person.

Nevertheless, to the casual observer in Israel, guns are everywhere, carried by residents of Judea and Samaria, soldiers, and security personnel, including guards standing outside schools, restaurants, and shopping malls.

“Two types of people have guns in Israel: soldiers and those with licenses,” said Mr. Cantor, pointing out that only those with the rank of Captain or Lieutenant Colonel, for at least two years, can qualify to own a gun after leaving the army.

“And those who do have guns are taught to guard them carefully,” he said. Soldiers who take their guns home are instructed to keep their weapons on their persons at all times or under lock and key. Losing a weapon can result in arrest.”

Seeing a Reduction According to journalist and gun-owner Shalom Bear, as soon as obvious, “soft” targets for attacks in the US, such as schools, JCCs, and synagogues appoint visibly armed and welltrained guards, “we will undoubtedly see a reduction in the number of massacres perpetrated in American schools and other places.”

“But if schools and shuls can’t afford that extra expense, they should at least let members of their staff, who can afford it, undergo the proper training,” he said.

Mr. Bear, a penname, made his remarks in a column for the Jewish Press entitled “The US Should Learn from Israel How to Permit, Not Outlaw, Guns.”

Attitude According to Mr. Bear, the difference between Israelis who

Israeli teach with her students. own guns and their American counterparts is “in the attitude.”

“Even though Israelis watch the same movies and play the same video games that glorify gun violence as Americans do, Israelis, unlike Americans, are taught from a young age a mature, respectful and structured interaction with their weapons. In America, it’s considered a right to carry a gun, but in Israel, it’s considered both right and a privilege,” said Mr. Bear.

His suggestion is for the US to adopt Israel’s procedures for vetting would-be gunowners, making the route to legal gun-ownership “at least as demanding as the process one must endure to receive a driver’s license.”

Gun owners should be required to repeat the process every time the license is renewed, he said.

Holocaust Lessons Like many gun-owners, especially Jewish ones, Mr. Bear maintained that the Holocaust was possible only because strict gun-control laws had left citizens unarmed and defenseless.

“As Jews, giving up the means and the right to defend ourselves is the worst mistake we could make. Imagine if Germany’s or Poland’s Jews had been armed. Would rounding up

Jews have been as easy or even possible? The answer is, obviously, no,” he said.

For this reason, he said, Jews, especially in the Diaspora, must continue to be armed.

“Jews have an obligation to themselves, their families, and their communities to own guns and be well-trained in their proper handling, storage, and use. We mustn’t wait until, G-d forbid, another JCC, synagogue, or yeshiva is targeted by some crazed gunman,” he said.

Zev Nadler, an NRA-certified instructor in Arizona said he finds it “mind-boggling” to learn what a high percentage of Jews favor strict gun-control.

“It’s one of the most frustrating feelings to watch those who have been and continue to be the most persecuted people on the planet deny themselves the inherent right of selfdefense. A firearm is a great equalizer in that those who wish to do a Jew harm know that they may be armed, and suddenly we are not the easy prey we used to be,” he said.

Bad Guys Stopped by Good Guys This was precisely the point made by the NRA’s Mr. LaPierre, who suggested that armed police be deployed to every school in the country.

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Gun Control

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“The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun,” said Mr. LaPierre.

It was not the first time Mr. LaPierre has made the request. In 2007, after an armed murderer invaded Virginia Polytech in Blacksburg, shooting and killing 32 people and wounding 17 others before turning the gun on himself, Mr. LaPierre asked for “armed security in every school.”

“The media called me crazy,” he said.

“But what if, when Adam Lanza started shooting his way into Sandy Hook Elemen-

tary School, he’d have been confronted by qualified armed security. Will you admit that 26 innocent lives might have been spared that day?”

Left Wants Less Sen. Frank Lautenberg (N-NJ) said Mr. LaPierre’s suggestion was evidence that “the NRA leadership’s drive to fill our schools with more deadly guns and ammo is wildly out of touch with responsible gun owners,” said Mr. Lautenberg.

Mr. Lautenberg’s sentiment was endorsed by most of the media. CNN host

Piers Morgan, a British citizen, lectured the American public on the fact that “there are nearly 12,000 murders year from guns in this country.”

“When are you guys going to focus on that, and stop telling me the answer is more guns? It is not the answer! How many more kids have to die before you guys say: ‘We want less guns, not more?” he said.

Can’t Stop a Criminal Those who believe he and the President are wrong pointed to statistics in Mr. Morgan’s own United Kingdom, where strict gun-control laws are in place. In 1998, there were 5,209 firearm offenses in England and Wales. Ten years later, in 2008, there were 9,865, a rise of 89 percent. In some parts of the country, the number of crimes committed with guns had increased more than five-fold.

In 18 police precincts, gun crime at least doubled.

As a result, just after the murders in Connecticut, police in London reported that they had begun carrying out armed patrols on some streets, a practice long unheard of in the United Kingdom, where officers of the law were armed with nothing more lethal than a billy club.

“Despite its strict laws, the UK has abjectly failed to curb gun violence. As in the US, crime there is perpetrated by felons, who don’t live by the rule of law, and it’s the law-abiding citizens who are the ones impacted by silly legislation aimed at stopping violent crime,” said Matt Vespa who blogs on the conservative redstate. com website.

Mr. Vespa pointed out that the murderer, Mr. Lanza, could not have legally obtained the firearms he used against the children and personnel at the school because it is illegal in Connecticut for an individual under the age of 21 to purchase or possess a firearm. Mr. Lanza was 20 when he stole his mother’s guns to carry out his grisly crime.

“This is not a failure of gun laws. It is a failure of personal responsibility. What will more, redundant laws do when the laws already in effect fail to stop a criminal, who, by the very definition of the word, has no intention of following the law anyway?” said Mr. Vespa.

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Officials Tell the Community that in an Emergency, Safety Depends on Planning and Staying Alert Safety, especially during

emergencies, natural and otherwise, was the concern that prompted twenty-five representatives of Teaneck’s Orthodox-Jewish community to attend a meeting last month with local law enforcement and security officials.

Concurrently, the same concern prompted sixty lawenforcement personnel from twenty different police agencies throughout Rockland County to come out in force to call attention to the area’s counterterrorism effort.

At shopping centers, train stations, and on the New York State Thruway, Rockland County security officials distributed “See Something, Say Something” flyers, encouraging members of the public to report anything suspicious.

At the Teaneck meeting, which was organized by Town Councilmen Yitz Stern and Elie Y. Katz, the operative words were “preparation” and “plans.”

“Every family, every synagogue, every school needs a plan that must be in place before disaster strikes. We can help, but we must work with you to determine your vulnerabilities and how to make you and your institutions safe or, at the very least, reduce your risks,” said Teaneck Police Chief Robert A Wilson.

Makeshift Solutions Too often, lack of planning has led to makeshift or spurof-the-moment solutions that are less than ideal and should not be necessary.

Mr. Katz recalled a recent water emergency that prompted United Water to call its customers, advising them not to drink the water without boiling it first. The

problem was that the emergency occurred on Shabbat, when Orthodox Jews do not answer their phones and, with modern technology, could not even hear the voice message until after dark.

In that incident, the town manager contacted Mr. Katz who then took it upon himself to warn as many members of the community as possible, asking each person he met to try to reach out to others.

“We sent police cars to the parks, where many members of the community spend Shabbat afternoons, and to the shuls to catch people at later services,” he said.

A Better Plan All town officials agreed that a better plan would have to be found to address the issue of how to reach members of the Jewish community when emergencies occur on Shabbat or holidays. Some participants wondered if, during Shabbat emergencies, city officials could knock on the doors of pre-arranged volunteers who would then follow a pre-organized plan to reach other members of their synagogues.

Others suggested that perhaps non-Jewish members of the community could be asked to notify their Jewish neighbors in cases of emergency.

In general, Teaneck officials endorsed the concept of neighbors looking out for one another, especially in the case of senior citizens. In the 1980s, Teaneck had 2,000 residents over 65. Today, there are 5,800 seniors in the township.

“Neighbors need to know who they are so that, when the electricity goes out, someone can reach out to them,” said Teaneck Fire Chief Anthony Verley.

Good Morning Check-Up Teaneck officials are trying with its Fire Department’s “Good Morning Check-Up Program.” Designed for shut-ins and senior citizens who live alone, the program provides subscribers with a telephone call service seven days a week (six days for Sabbath observers) between the hours of 8 and 9am. A member of the Fire Department calls the resident to see if everything is all right. If there is no answer to the first call, a second call is made about five minutes later. If there is no answer again, a firefighter is dispatched to the residence to check on the individual.

“In the past, residents have been found in need of medical assistance,” said Chief Verley.

Before residents are enrolled in the program, a Fire Department representative conducts an interview to obtain pertinent medical data as well as information on who should be called in an emergency. A home fire-safety check is also conducted at that time.

Storm Preparation During and after Hurricane Sandy, when many Teaneck residents lost power for more than a week, the community’s firehouses and police station opened their doors, allowing

members of the community to warm up (those buildings had their own generators), have a cup of hot coffee, and recharge their cell phones.

At the meeting, Teaneck officials pointed out that the storm did not come without warning. According to Mr. Katz, officials spent the week before Sandy monitoring its path, and many meetings were held by various town officials, including the Health and Building Departments.

On the Friday before the storm, robo-calls were made to 12,000 Teaneck homes, warning residents to prepare canned and dry foods and water for five to seven days, to clear their yards of debris that could act as missiles during the expected heavy winds, and to fill up their cars’ gas tanks.

For future reference, Chief Verley suggested that the many residents who now have generators learn how to use them safely. They need to be at least 20 feet away from the owner’s home and probably an equal distance from neighbors as well.

Teaneck officials have asked all residents to register on the town’s website, listing all vital information, including email addresses and cell

continued on page 16

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

Safety Planning

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continued from page 15

phone numbers, so that officials can be in touch with them even if there is no phone or electric service. Thus far, only 800 of Teaneck’s 12,000 households have registered.

Fire Alarms Another suggestion by Chief Verley was that residents learn where the nearest fire alarm box is located and how to use it, and then teach children how to use the device as well.

“Teaneck has 315 fire alarm boxes strategically located throughout the township. These can be used to report fires, of course, but also pre-fire smoke conditions, medical emergencies, electrical accidents, and steam leaks. If you have no other way to contact us, break open the box and pull on the lever and then stay there, so you can direct the responders to the emergency. But before you can do this, you have to know where the alarm box is. That’s called planning,” he said.

His warning about planning extended to family homes as well. “In case of emergency, do your family members know how to evacuate the house? Do they know where you will assemble once they get out? You can’t decide this when there is an emergency. You have to do it in advance,” he said.

For this reason, he said, he wishes all families would hold their own fire drills.

Some Orthodox synagogues in Teaneck have held such drills, even on Shabbat, with the approval of their rabbis, he said.

Attacks But natural disasters were not the only emergencies on people’s minds. In recent months, Bergen County weathered a spate of attacks on synagogues. And recently, several burglaries occurred on Shabbat mornings while the homeowners were in shul.

Throughout Northern New Jersey, there have been incidents in which drivers attempted to lure children into cars.

According to Chief Wilson, many synagogues and schools have invested in surveillance cameras with volunteers designated to watch the perimeters and stay alert. He suggested that Orthodox institutions coordinate their safety plans with police and fire officials and send the authorities their building floor plans and blueprints.

“The rabbis need to tell us what kinds of procedures are acceptable to them and then everyone in the community needs to know that when there is a plan, it must be followed. Everyone needs to know how to evacuate the building,” he said.

No Fear of Calling Some of his suggestions seemed more mundane, but equally important, such as using concrete barriers to protect children in strollers on the sidewalks.

“You have to worry about drivers who are busy texting and lose control,” he said, explaining that there is funding to provide for these measures and that the police will help synagogues and schools apply for the necessary grants.

Surprisingly, according to Mr. Katz, too many members of the Orthodox community are often hesitant when it comes to calling the police to report something suspicious, such as a person photographing a school or synagogue.

“Don’t wait five days to send me an email. Call the police immediately. The individual may be engaged in an innocent activity, and we know you don’t want to look like a fool, but we would rather have 100 calls, even if only one of them proves to be serious,” he said.

Sgt. John DeLuca of the Bergen County Bomb Squad had similar advice, urging those present to warn members of the community to be alert for suspicious packages and individuals.

“If you see something, say something.

Call the local police, and they will do an assessment and, if necessary, they will call us,” he said. “Usually it will turn out to be nothing more than someone’s lunch or an old suitcase, but you need to be alert and make that call.”

No Complacency That was the same message conveyed by the Rockland County police during their demonstration to the public. According to South Nyack-Grand View Police Chief Robert VanCura, the Rockland program was designed to encourage the public to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious packages they may come across.

“We rely on tips from the public to defuse possible threats,” said Chief VanCura. “We’d rather people call us if they think they see something suspicious, even if it turns out to be nothing, rather than not call us and it does turn out to be something dangerous.”

Rockland County Sheriff James Kralik said the special effort was also designed to fight complacency.

“You have to make sure the public remains aware and that complacency doesn’t overtake us. From my perspective, there is a legitimate threat until someone else says we are finally out of this,” he said.

He said that densely-populated suburban areas, such as those in Rockland County, remain targets for domestic and international terrorists, and that this is especially true for shopping and transportation centers.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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Community Security Service Helps the Jewish Community Protect Itself At the Teaneck security meeting at-

tended by members of the Orthodox community last month, the only volunteer, non-profit organization recommended by Police Chief Robert Wilson as a group to which Jewish institutions could turn for security advice and personnel, especially against potential terrorism, was the Community Security Service (CSS).

A non-profit, grassroots organization, CSS was established six years ago to enable members of the AmericanJewish community to respond to the increasing threat of violence against its facilities and institutions. Apolitical and affiliated with no specific faction or denomination within the Jewish community, CSS coordinates all its activities with local police and operates only in those synagogues or schools which have either requested its presence or agreed to work with it.

“CSS believes in developing effective deterrence and response capabilities to protect the community’s members and its institutions,” said Dr. Joshua Gleis, CSS’s vice-president of operations.

Not a Layman An international security consultant,

Planning

political risk analyst, and author, Dr. Gleis is one of the original members of the volunteer-driven organization, but he hardly a security layman.

The author of the 2011 book, “Withdrawing under Fire: Lessons Learned from Islamist Insurgencies” and co-author of the 2012 “Hezbollah and Hamas: A Comparative Study,” he has worked in the diplomatic and security sectors, meeting with world leaders from across the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Asia.

He has advised government agencies on issues of public diplomacy, counter-terrorism, and counter-insurgencies,

and worked for a while as an analyst for the crack New York Police Department counter-terrorism unit.

Counter-Terrorism A graduate of the Frisch Yeshiva High School, he majored in Near East Studies at Cornell, and then received a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) and doctorate in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts, the nation’s oldest school of international affairs.

While professionally, he works as a consultant for investors, politicians, investiga-

continued on page 18

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The Community Knows In Teaneck, Sgt DeLuca said that, in synagogues, the assistance of members of the community is vital. “You know what belongs where and if something is either out of place or doesn’t belong. The threat of a synagogue bombing is real, which means you have to be involved and keep the conversation going,” he said.

In Teaneck, that is exactly what Messrs Katz and Stern intend to do. The next security meeting is scheduled for February 7, with others planned for May, August, and November. Those interested in attending should contact Mr. Katz at katz07666@teanecknj.gov or Mr. Stern at ystern@teanecknj.gov.

“The obvious fact is that the police can’t be everywhere. We must depend on the community supporting the police and making a call when they see something suspicious. That can make a big difference,” said Mr. Stern.

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

CSS Protection

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tors, government agencies, oil and gas firms, and even other consulting firms that lack expertise in certain areas, at CSS, he works with members of the Jewish community who are interested in improving their own security.

“No one knows the local community and its facilities better than members of the local community, which is why they are often the best choice for assisting police in this endeavor,” he said.

Rigorous Training To meet the security threat facing the Jewish community, CSS offers community members who pass an interview and background check the opportunity to take a free multi-month rigorous training course which includes lessons in physical selfdefense and counter-terrorism

security measures, especially counter-surveillance.

Trainees learn to use security cameras and other means of deterrence. They learn to conduct lock-downs and plan escape routes in synagogues and schools as well as how to defend themselves and others if attacked.

They learn how to contact police quickly and file reports with photographs.

Those who are not sufficiently physically fit for the self-defense activities can still qualify to participate in other parts of the program, such as behavior detection and situational awareness.

“Women are often better at behavior detection than men are,” said Dr. Gleis.

Winning Approval Having trained over 20

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groups of volunteers, CSS has already prepared thousands of members of the Jewish community to serve as volunteers protecting dozens of schools, synagogues, and event facilities throughout the tri-state area.

An increasing number of security agencies, such as the Teaneck, Englewood, Tenafly, and West Orange Police Departments now see CSS volunteers as partners, working to assist the professionals to keep the community safe.

Equally important, CSS has won the approval of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate as well as the Orthodox rabbis of the Rabbinical Council of America. Not all Orthodox rabbis have been convinced that CSS volunteers are justified in activities that otherwise would be deemed a desecration of the Sabbath, but those rabbis who have approved view CSS’s counter-terrorism surveillance techniques as Pikuach Nefesh, the principle in Jewish law that sees preservation of human life as overriding virtually all other religious considerations.

Aware of the Danger According to Dr. Gleis, members of the Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform rabbinates have undergone CSS’s security training.

“While we in the AmericanJewish community are proud of our integration and acceptance into American society, we must be cognizant of the immediate and growing threat to our physical security. Over the last decade, the American-Jewish community was the target of

dozens of planned or actual violent attacks; we can no longer consider ourselves isolated from international threats and terrorism simply by virtue of where we live. Extremist groups have declared their intentions to harm Jews everywhere in the world, including here in America. We can no longer operate under the assumption that we are not targets,” he said.

The fact that CSS works within the Jewish community allows its members to network to everyone’s advantage. Dr. Gleis recalls an incident in which a CSS team in West Orange was able to pass on surveillance information to their counterparts in Teaneck, who then relayed the data to the police to investigate.

Seeking to Expand Like all non-profits, CSS has an ongoing need for funding.

According to Dr. Gleis, the group uses donations not only to pay for members’ training, but to expand its reach to additional synagogues, schools, facilities, and Jewish communities.

For more information on how to volunteer or how to donate, CSS can be reached through its website, thecss.org, or at 917-720-5583, info@thecss. org, or volunteer@thecss.org.

“We believe that security should concern everyone, and, thus, CSS welcomes participation and engagement from the wider Jewish community. We offer a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for all levels of involvement, and we invite everyone to join us in this important endeavor,” said Dr. Gleis.

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Israel Builds

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continued from page 1

settlement bloc Israel intends to keep in any agreement.

Israel is also planning to build 1,500 new homes in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Ramat Shlomo, located between Ramot, which has 60,000 Jewish residents, and the Har Hotzvim Industrial Park.

A New City Also scheduled is a new Jewish city planned in the Gush Etzion bloc in Judea. To start, the Defense Ministry has approved plans to build 523 housing units on the site that will be Gevaot.

In the year 2000, the regional council presented plans for a city of at least 6,000 homes.

But, until now, there was no government approval. At present, there are a handful of caravans at the site, which functions as an outpost.

The building plans call also for Jerusalem’s Gilo neighborhood to receive 1,200 housing units. Located close to the southern outskirts of Jerusalem, Gilo lies across from an Arab village which, before the separation fence, had been a source of terrorist attacks on the neighborhood. The barrier makes it impossible for gunfire to penetrate into the outlying neighborhoods of the Jewish capital.

Although it had nothing to do with the government’s plans for building, the Ariel University Center (formerly the College of Judea and Samaria) announced at the end of December that Defense Minister Ehud Barak had signed off on the project and that Ariel has been recognized as a fullfledged university.

Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein has upheld the Judea and Samaria Higher Education Council’s decision to accredit the school.

Ready to Talk Although actual building

probably not take place for several years, the world did not react quietly. PA official Hanan Ashrawi called it “an act of Israeli aggression against a state” and she called on the “world to take up its responsibilities.”

PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas denounced all the Israeli decisions in Judea and Samaria and called for a halt to construction of Jewish homes and a return to peace talks.

“I’ve said a thousand times that we want to resume negotiations and we are ready to do it,” he said.

He did not address the issue of his preconditions which, thus far, have made talks impossible for Israel, such as his demand for Israel to evacuate 100 percent of Judea, Samaria, and the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem, evicting some 500,000 Jews from their homes so that the land can be delivered to the Arabs judenrein.

The Arabs have also insisted on their “right of return,” which would allow all Arabs who fled Israel in 1948 and 1967 and their descendants to flood back into Israel proper, thus demographically destroying the Jewish state. The PA has said it would not recognize Israel as the Jewish State, which is one of Israel’s demands.

Going to Court Nevertheless, Mr. Abbas called the plan to build in E1 “a red line that cannot be tolerated: and warned that “if it goes ahead, we will resort to all legitimate and legal methods.”

One of his plans, he said, is to take the issue to the International Criminal Court, where he will call the construction of homes for Jews a “war crime.”

Neither Israel nor the US recognizes the ICC’s authority. But if the court found specific Israelis guilty, it could place them at risk of arrest if they travel.

Before the UN recognized Palestine, the PA could not use the court, and it still is not certain that the ICC would recognize Palestine’s right to press charges against a state that is fully recognized by the UN. According to some experts, the ICC could be a double-edged sword for the Palestinians. While Israel as a country could not take the PA or specific Palestinians to the court, individuals, especially from countries that do recognize the authority of the ICC, could do just that, especially in cases of terrorism.

Penalty for Violations Mr. Netanyahu saw no reason to address Mr. Abbas’s concerns beyond announcing that “by going to the UN, the Palestinians have violated the agreements with Israel, and Israel will act accordingly.”

In addition, Israeli Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz said Israel will stop transferring the funds it collects for the PA. That money, he said, will be used to pay the PA’s debts to the Israeli electric company.

Most Israelis viewed the move at the UN as having “buried the Oslo Accords,” taking peace talks off the table.

World Piling On The US, which had supported Israel at the UN and voted against recognizing the PA as a non-member state, nevertheless

condemned Israel’s decision, as did most members of the European Union. The British, French, Danish, Swedish, Spanish, Russian, Australian, Brazilian, and Egyptian governments, all of which had either supported the PA move at the UN or abstained, called for a reversal of the construction plans.

In Paris, as elsewhere, the Israeli Ambassador, Yossi Gal, “clarified the Israeli position by explaining that it was impossible to expect Israel to stand idly by after the unilateral Palestinian move at the UN.” Germany, which had abstained from the UN vote, said it was “deeply concerned” about Israel’s building plans and urged Jerusalem “to reverse the announcement.” When Mr. Netanyahu met with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, they said in a joint statement, “On the question of the settlements, we are agreed that we are not agreed.”

France and Italy said they were “not ready” to “start thinking in terms of sanctions” against Israel. British Foreign Secretary William Hague said there did not appear to be any “enthusiasm” in the EU to impose economic sanctions on Israel over its E1 development plans.

No Higher Education When word of Ariel University’s upgrade was announced, Britain’s Minister for the Middle

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Israel Builds

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East, Alistair Burt, and Mr. Hague said the UK was “deeply disappointed.”

“This decision will deepen the presence of the settlements in the Palestinian territories and will create another obstacle to peace,” said Mr. Burt, who condemned all the Israeli building plans and went so far as to praise Mr. Abbas for the PA’s “measured response…in response to Israel’s recent settlement announcements.”

Mr. Hague decried “the creation of Israel’s first university beyond the Green Line, in a settlement illegal under international law.”

Encouraged The pressure seemed to motivate the Israeli government to press on. “We continue to insist on our vital interests, even under international pressure. There will be no change in the decision that has been made,” said a statement from Mr. Netanyahu’s office.

Mr. Netanyahu stressed that the conflict between Israel and her Arab neighbors has never been about any particular community in Judea and Samaria, but, rather, the denial of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.

“The root of this conflict is not territorial.

It is over our existence in any borders whatsoever and our enemies’ desire to wipe it off the face of the earth,” said Mr. Netanyahu.

Hypocrisy Israeli UN Ambassador Ron Prosor noted that the planned construction is in neighborhoods that will be part of Jerusalem and under Israeli sovereignty in any future agreement between Israel and the PA.

“It is hypocrisy to call for Palestinian contiguity between Judea and Samaria and Gaza and, in the same breath, oppose Jewish territorial contiguity between Maaleh Adumim and Jerusalem” he said.

Like Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Prosor said “settlements” were never the main obstacle to peace.

“The real obstacle to peace is the Palestinians’ demand of return, their refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, the continued terrorism, and incitement against Israel. If the Security Council really wants to contribute to the peace process, it must address these issues,” said Mr. Prosor.

“Where Were You?” Israeli writer Paula Stern said the world’s hypocrisy had never been more blatant.

Addressing the countries of the world “who say Israel threatens the peace,” she asked, “Where were you two weeks ago when I ran with my children to our bomb shelter? It is too late now to talks to us of peace. Speak to Hamas first.”

Mr. Netanyahu also denounced the hypocrisy. Meeting with representatives of foreign media in Israel, he pointed out that just hours before Israel announced its building plans, Hamas leaders openly called for Israel’s destruction.

“Where was the outrage? Where was the UN? Where was Abbas,” Mr. Netanyahu demanded. “Why did Palestinian diplomats not only remain silent in the face of these calls, but then speak of their intention to unite with Hamas? There was only deafening silence.”

Committed to Jerusalem Israeli officials made clear that the government was committed to the Jewish state’s interests in Jerusalem, even if it means standing up to world pressure and disapproval.

“If someone thinks Israel will avoid building in neighborhoods in its capital city due to reprimands or pressure, that person does not fully grasp Israel’s interests in the region,” said government secretary Tzvi Hauser. “There is consensus in Israel that there are areas in which we have to keep normal life going. We are not talking about a little stone in the desert. We are talking about Jerusalem.”

By the middle of December, Israel began inviting proposals to build 92 homes in Maaleh Adumim. Other projects for which the government began issuing tenders include sites in Karnei Shomron, Efrat, and Givat Zev, all of which are located in settlement blocs.

More than 2,000 additional housing units have been approved for the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Givat HaMatos, which adjoins the area called Talpiot.

Campaign Ploy?

Some observers, particularly on the right, feared the entire push to build is a campaign ploy by Mr. Netanyahu to win votes.

Aryeh King, who is running for the Knesset in the nationalist Power to Israel party, insisted that the reports regarding the approvals for construction in Jerusalem are nothing but election-season spin.

“Netanyahu is running a campaign that places Jerusalem at the center of public discourse,” said Mr. King. “Bibi is trying to lie to the public and present a false picture in which he is building and widening the city, but in actuality, the facts are opposite.”

Mr. King said, despite the press reports, the plans for construction at Ramat Shlomo in northern Jerusalem have not been approved.

“Bibi is recycling plans from two years ago. In fact, no plan has been approved. If Bibi is elected, there will be no construction— not at Ramat Shlomo and not at E1,” he said.

A source close to Mr. Netanyahu agreed.

“When a new government is formed and the Americans will pressure Israel, this plan will be shelved as has happened in the past,” he said.

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A Mother’s Plea: An Armed Guard for My Child

By Sharon Gordon Editor’s note: Ms. Gordon wrote this op-ed in 1999, which is when it appeared in The Jewish Voice, shortly after a JCC in Los Angeles was attacked by an antisemitic gunman who came looking for blood.

I am a Jewish mother whose child attends a Jewish day school in New Jersey. When I first heard about the carnage in Los Angeles at the Jewish center, I thought that it could have been my child. Along with the rest of the country, I am horrified at the attempted massacre by the neo-Nazi monster Buford Furrow.

Unfortunately, this type of violence is hardly a rarity nowadays.

Much attention is paid to the notion that such horrors can be prevented, primarily by eliminating the tools of destruction.

Certainly, keeping guns out of the hands of dangerous madmen is one important step. Background checks on gun sales provide that safeguard. Had Mr. Furrow tried to buy a gun through legal methods, he would have been justifiably denied.

Unfortunately, homicidal maniacs rarely concern themselves with legal niceties. They obtain their guns through

illegal methods. We must accept the reality that such people live in this country, plotting episodes of destruction and mayhem against not only Jews, but Christians and athletes (Columbine), whites (Long Island Railroad), blacks (Howard Beach), Mormons (Salt Lake City) and financial workers (Atlanta). There is no telling where the next tragedy will strike.

Protecting the Children We must protect our children; all our children. My solution may not be a popular one, but it is a real one, a practical one, dealing with the reality of the madness that more and more evil people are acting out today.

The solution is clear, yet it is a politically difficult one. My premise is that most people are good, and that there are few evil people who will actually commit these heinous crimes. The children would have been protected had a responsible, trained, armed person been on site to stop the bloodshed.

This approach is not without precedent. Many adults in Israel—both soldiers and civilians—carry guns, because terrorism has been a chronic problem.

Teachers and kindergarten nurses carry weapons. Few attacks have occurred on

children in Israel since this practice began, because their teachers have had the tools to protect the children: guns. In fact, one of the few recent attacks occurred on a group of children who were visiting Jordan, after their teachers were compelled to leave their protective weapons behind.

Like a Credit Card Closer to home, about ten years ago, there were several days of minor rioting in my suburban town after a policeman shot a teenager who had been brandishing a gun. The rioters approached my neighborhood, near friends who lived up the street.

As the rioters approached her house, the husband called the police and pleaded for help. The police, understandably busy in many other sections of town, said they could do nothing unless the rioters were entering her house.

That was an epiphany for the wife.

She had previously been supportive of the efforts that are called gun control as a means to protect the population, but then she realized the police cannot protect everyone; they can only pick up the pieces after a tragedy occurs.

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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When an Older Adult Should No Longer Be Home Alone

By Devorah Sinensky, OHEL Family Center Geriatric Services Most older adults want to remain in their own homes, the place where their lives were built, their families raised, and yom tovim prepared and celebrated. But for those over 85, especially those who need some sort of assistance with dressing, shopping, and taking care of personal needs, home may no longer be a place of comfort and solace from stress.

It may become isolating and even dangerous.

At OHEL’s Geriatric Services, we are often asked to identify the signs that indicate if a parent may need assistance, a very difficult decision for family members and the older adult. The question is: How to know when a mother or father needs help at home.

First, it is important to note the subtle changes in behavior that professionals refer to as “red flags,” which, in many

cases, take place prior to the time a doctor has diagnosed a disease. Changes in personality or a sudden loss or gain in weight, or developing an unsteady balance or other physical ailments are easier to spot than quieter behavioral shifts, but these are important, especially those that are out-ofcharacter for the senior citizen.

Losing Things For example, your mother may be spending more time searching for lost items. If this is consuming a major portion of her time, it may be cause for alarm, especially if the misplaced items turn up in inappropriate places, such as sunglasses in the freezer.

If Mom has always been a fastidious dresser, but now her clothes are less than pristine, there is reason to take notice.

Perhaps she is confused about which medications to take, or she forgot a grandchild’s birthday or special event. Has she

forgotten how to get home or let slip a doctor’s appointment?

She may have forgotten to light Shabbos candles or has mixed up the meat and dairy dishes.

Can she still follow directions?

Other questions we might ask include: Is she still connecting with friends like she did in the past? Does she retain an interest in her long-standing hobbies such as gardening or listening to or playing music?

Are her pets receiving proper attention? Were burners or the oven left on? Is there regularly spoiled food in the refrigerator?

It is often helpful for a grown child to keep a log of these events to make referring back easier at a later date.

Professional Advice Once it has been determined that changes are taking place, adult children naturally want to ensure that the parent’s home is safe so that the senior adult’s independence can be preserved in the most respectful way possible.

Here are some important steps to consider: Discuss the signs that concern you with other family members to ascertain if they, too, have noticed some of these changes.

Schedule a comprehensive geriatric evaluation with a specialist, who can be recommended by any respected hospital. These evaluations are generally performed by a group, as a consultation, or by an individual physician who can either follow the senior citizen’s medical care or advise the family physician.

Speak to your parent’s physician. It is important to rule out medication interactions. Adult children of one of our clients reported that their mother had become so paranoid she installed four locks on each of the doors in her home and refused to go out.

After an evaluation, her doctor changed her medications and the paranoia ceased. Medicines

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com are useful, but they are also powerful. Do not underestimate their side-effects as a root cause for unusual behaviors.

Keeping Safe Address safety concerns in your parent’s home, such as the need for improved lighting, the addition of grab bars in the bathroom, installation of a walk-in shower, and, perhaps additional railings indoors and outside. These changes probably cost a lot less than moving the senior citizen to an assisted living residence.

Install an emergency response system so that, in case of an emergency, paramedics and family members can be contacted immediately. Emergency information, including medications and any allergies, should be posted in a prominent place, generally on the refrigerator door.

Transportation plays an essential role in helping the senior citizen maintain independence.

In many towns in New Jersey, handicapped transportation is available for a nominal fee. Fort Lee, for example, has several vans used to transport older adults to banks, supermarkets, and doctors’ offices. Teaneck provides free transportation for medical appointments, grocery shopping, and trips to the Bergen Towne Center shopping mall in Paramus. In addition, since 2008, EZ Ride Community cars offers seniors in Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Monmouth, Passaic, and Union Counties flexible curb-to-curb transportation, for any purpose, at heavily discounted rates.

January 2013/Shevat 5773

Joint Decision Share your concerns with your mother or father to see if the explanations they have for the concerning behaviors make sense. It is imperative that the senior adult be included in the discussion of whether or not to hire a home health aide. If it is sprung on the senior adult as a fait accompli, it may backfire, especially if it leads to resentment and extreme resistance on the part of the parent. On the other hand, the senior adult may recognize that accepting some assistance at home will allow him or her to remain at home for a very long time. It is important to remember that each individual and every family is unique and has its own needs.

All of these suggestions may become easier after a consultation with a geriatric care manager or other professional who specializes in the care of the aging. This is especially true if the senior’s children live far away or if the family is estranged.

At the OHEL Behavioral Health & Family Center of Northern New Jersey, we can help concerned family members care for their elderly loved ones by providing direction, guidance, and support in a caring and professional Jewish environment. Based in Teaneck, we can be reached at 201-692-3972.

Remember, it is important to plan before a crisis occurs.

Once a senior has suffered a serious injury or been diagnosed with illness, options become more limited.

Y

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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Chuck Hagel for Defense?

While some observers have suspected

(or hoped) the President, in discussing Mr. Hagel, is merely floating another trial balloon, similar to the unsuccessful one he launched in an attempt to name UN Ambassador Susan Rice as Secretary of State, Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice-president of the Conference of Presidents of Major AmericanJewish Organizations, made clear he thought that was wishful thinking.

“It’s most likely the President will announce that Hagel will be the choice,” said Mr. Hoenlein whose umbrella group represents 50 of America’s largest Jewish organizations.

He made his comments at the end of December during the course of an interview conducted by Jewish radio talk show host Zev Brenner.

Although there have been suggestions that Mr. Obama might select one of two other very qualified candidates—Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter or former Defense Undersecretary Michelle Flournoy, both of whom served in his first administration and have reputations for working positively to enhance relations between the US military and Israel—Mr. Hoenlein begged to differ.

“The White House did not call anyone [else] that I know of,” he said. “So I think [the Hagel nomination] is something that we’ll live with and we’ll work with whoever is in office, but the concern is because of his past statements and his record on a lot of issues.”

Contacting the Senate That record does not sit well with most of the pro-Israel community who view Mr. Hagel as one of the least supportive Republicans on matters relating to Israel during the 12 years he served in the Senate. Mort Klein, president of the Zionist Organization of America, said the possibility that Mr. Hagel might be nominated “has rightly shocked Israel’s supporters as well as those who want to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclearweapons capability.”

“Hagel has accrued a record on Capitol Hill as an apologist for Iran and antiIsrael terrorist groups and for relentless hostility to Israel,” said Mr. Klein.

In fact, pro-Israel political action committees throughout the country, whose members donate to Senatorial election campaigns and secure close relations with many lawmakers, have been reaching out to their members, asking them to express their concerns about Mr. Hagel as a candidate for Secretary of Defense. If and when Mr. Obama nominates Mr. Hagel for the post, he will have to be confirmed by the Senate.

One suggested letter included an outline of the “Senator’s record on the threats America and its allies face,” especially “the consistent solicitude he has shown toward Iran and the terrorist organizations and states it funds: Hezbollah, Hamas, and Syria.”

Since leaving office in 2008, Mr. Hagel’s anti-Israel animus has become even

more apparent. This past December, the Atlantic Council, which Mr. Hagel chairs, published an article entitled “Israel’s Apartheid Policy,” equating the Jewish state with South Africa’s historic racist policy.

Anti-Israel War Hero Elected in 1996, Mr. Hagel took office as the recipient of two Purple Hearts from his time as an infantry squad leader in the Vietnam War. In October 2000, he was one of only four Senators who refused to sign a Senate letter in support of Israel.

One year later, as the Palestinians’ Second Intifada was raging and the Israeli death toll rising, Mr. Hagel was one of only 11 Senators who refused to sign a letter urging President George W. Bush to continue his policy of not meeting with Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat until the PA leader took steps to end the violence.

In 2002, the year in which 457 Israelis were killed in terrorist attacks (a figure proportionately equivalent to more than 20,000 fatalities in the US, or seven 9-11’s), Mr. Hagel had this advice for the Jewish state: “Israel must take steps to show its commitment to peace.” He made no reference to the fact that, two years earlier, at Camp David, then-Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak had offered Mr. Arafat a Palestinian State, which was refused.

No Sanctions Also in 2002, he was one of only ten Senators to oppose banning the import of Iraqi oil to America until Iraq stopped compensating the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

In November 2003, he failed to vote on the Syrian Accountability Act (which passed 89 to 4). The bill imposed sanctions on Syria for its support of terrorism and occupation of Lebanon.

In December 2005, Mr. Hagel was one of 27 Senators who refused to sign a letter to President Bush asking him to pressure the PA to ban terrorist groups from participating in the Palestinian legislative elections.

Second Lebanon War In the summer of 2006, Hezbollah fired rockets at an Israeli border town as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armored Humvees patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence. The ambush left three Israeli soldiers dead. Two

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Chuck Hagel others, believed to have been killed outright or mortally injured, were kidnapped to Lebanon by Hezbollah. After five more Israelis were killed in a failed rescue attempt, Israel responded with airstrikes and artillery fire that became known as the Second Lebanon War. At the time, Mr. Hagel described Israel’s war against the Iranian proxy Hezbollah as “the systematic destruction of an American friend, the country and people of Lebanon.”

He argued against giving Israel time to destroy Hezbollah, urging instead an immediate ceasefire.

The following month, he was one of only 12 Senators who refused to sign a letter asking the European Union to declare Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Dual-Loyalty Charge In August 2006, while toying with the idea of running for President in 2008, Mr. Hagel was virtually the only Presidential hopeful who did not speak to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) during its conference.

No one was more pleased about that than the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The American-Islamist offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood noted, “Potential Presidential candidates for 2008, like Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Joe Biden, and Newt Gingrich, were falling all over themselves to express their support for Israel. The only exception to that rule was Senator Chuck Hagel.”

When Mr. Hagel faced criticism for his lack of support for Israel as well as lack of recognition of the benefits accrued to the US by a strong relationship between the two countries, he told former Mideast peace negotiator Aaron David Miller, “I’m not an Israeli senator. I’m a US senator.

I support Israel, but my first interest is I take an oath of office to the Constitution

January 2013/Shevat 5773

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

of the US, not to a President, not to a party, not to Israel. If I go run for Senate in Israel, I’ll do that.”

Many supporters of Israel were shocked to hear Mr. Hagel come within a hairsbreadth of repeating the classic antisemitic insinuation of “dual loyalty.” The interview was published in Mr. Miller’s book, “The Much Too Promised Land.”

Anti-AIPAC In that same interview, Mr. Hagel said the reason so many politicians speak to AIPAC was that “the political reality is that the Jewish lobby intimidates a lot of people up here [on Capitol Hill.”

“I have always argued against some of the dumb things they do because I don’t think it’s in the interest of Israel. I just don’t think it’s smart for Israel,” he said.

According to the World Street Journal’s deputy editorial page editor, Bret Stephens, Mr. Hagel’s “slight” admission of support for Israel was rather like “the sort of thing one often hears from people who treat Israel as the Mideast equivalent of a neighborhood drunk who, for his own good, needs to be put in the clink to sober him up.”

Mr. Hagel’s statements prompted then-executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council Ira Forman, to say that he “has a lot of questions to answer about his commitment to Israel.”

Pro-Hamas Even after he left office in 2008, Mr. Hagel continued to demonstrate a lack of concern with Israeli security. In March 2009, he was one of ten former and current foreign-policy officials who signed a letter urging President Obama to open direct talks with Hamas leaders, despite the fact that the organization is on the US list of terrorist organizations.

In 2009, despite Mr. Hagel’s positions and statements, Mr. Obama named him co-chairman of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. This recognition prompted Mr. Forman, by then the head of Mr. Obama’s reelection campaign’s outreach to Jewish voters, to say, “If [Hagel] was taking a policy role, we’d have real concerns.” He implied at that time that the NJDC would oppose his nomination to such a position.

As many observers have noted, the Secretary of Defense does play a policy role. Last month, Mr. Forman refused to return phone calls asking for a comment on Mr. Hagel’s possible nomination.

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Pro-Assad Shortly after being named to the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, Mr. Hagel told the notoriously left-wing J Street that he still believed in the good intentions of the Assad regime in Syria.

“I believe there is a real possibility of a shift in Syria’s strategic thinking and policies.

Syria wants to talk—at the highest levels— and everything is on the table,” he said.

He and Sen John Kerry (D-MA), who is slated to become Mr. Obama’s Secretary of State co-authored an op-ed for the Wall Street Journal entitled “It’s Time to Talk to Syria.”

Paternalism According to Mr. Stephens, Mr. Hagel’s positions probably stem from “his belief in the power of diplomatic engagement and talking with adversaries.”

continued on page 26

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

Hagel for Defense?

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continued from page 25

“Yet it’s worth noting that while Mr. Hagel is eager to engage the world’s rogues without preconditions, his attitude toward Israel tends, at best, to the paternalistic,” said Mr. Stephens.

Emblematic of this attitude were comments made by Mr. Hagel in a 2006 Senate speech: “The United States and Israel must understand that it is not in their long-term interests to allow themselves to become isolated in the Middle East and the world.”

Mr. Stephens wondered if “Mr. Hagel reckons any other nation to be quite so blind to its own supposed self-interest as Israel.”

Pro-Iran On the other hand, Mr. Hagel’s support for Iran has been demonstrated many times. In June 2004, he refused to sign a letter urging then-President Bush, who was about to attend the G-8 summit, to highlight the potential danger of Iran’s nuclear program.

In May 2006, Mr. Hagel published an op-ed for The Financial Times, demanding an end to the military option against Iran that Mr. Obama had said was “kept on the table.”

On numerous occasions, Mr. Hagel has made clear that he supports direct unconditional talks with Iran.

This past December, it was reported that Mr. Hagel serves on the board of directors of Deutsche Bank, which is currently under investigation in Washington for allegedly violating US sanctions against Iran, the same sanctions Mr. Hagel opposed as Senator.

Pay Back Not surprisingly, Mr. Hagel’s anti-Israel positions have been endorsed by Steven Walt, the anti-Israel co-author of “The Israel Lobby.” When asked for his comments about Mr. Hagel’s possible nomination, Mr. Walt praised the former Senator for “not being a doormat for the Israel Lobby.”

Mr. Walt suggested that by nominating Mr. Hagel, Mr. Obama would be “paying back Benjamin Netanyahu for all the ‘cooperation’ Obama received from him during the first term.”

Writing in Israel HaYom, the newspaper with the highest distribution in Israel, Richard Baehr said Mr. Hagel “seemed to take pride in his independence from his [Republican] party on the issue [of support for Israel] as well as in opposing the surge in Iraq, fighting sanctions or even the implied threat of military action to stop Iran’s nuclear program, and calling for big cuts in defense spending.”

It has been reported that, when asked about military spending, Mr. Hagel said, “The Defense Department, I think, in many ways has been bloated. So I think the Pentagon needs to be pared down.”

“Barack Obama seems to like federal spending of all kinds, except for defense. He seems to have found a soul-mate on that policy position in Hagel,” said Mr. Baehr.

Blaming Obama Many observers have indicated that, if Mr. Obama actually nominates Mr. Hagel for the position, the criticism should be lodged not so much with the former Sena-

tor, whose views have not been hidden, but with the President who has claimed to support Israel.

Frank Gaffney, president of the Washington-based Center for Security Policy, agreed, noting that Mr. Hagel “has been an outspoken champion of controversial and even radical policies firmly embraced by Mr. Obama during his first administration.”

“Worse yet, they are likely to be priorities for his second term now that the President has, as he put it in his overheard conversation with Russia’s Dmitri Medvedev last March, ‘more flexibility,’” said Mr. Gaffney.

Speaking Up While Mr. Stephens made clear his opposition to Mr. Hagel’s nomination for Secretary of Defense, he said there is one reason he personally might welcome it: It would confirm a point he made in an earlier column in which he wrote that “Mr. Obama is not a friend of Israel.”

“Perhaps the 63 percent of JewishAmericans who cast their votes for Mr. Obama in November might belatedly take notice,” he said.

More importantly, he said, some of those voters might be moved to speak up before the nomination is announced, “about the insult that a Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel would be.”

“Jewish Democrats like to fancy their voice carries weight in their party. The prospect of this nomination is their chance to prove it,” said Mr. Stephens.

Terrible Appointment Some of those Democrats seem to be doing just that. Former NYC Mayor Ed Koch, a Democrat, said Mr. Hagel “would be a terrible appointment.”

“Most of the Jewish leaders who have expressed themselves [said it would indicate] that President Obama is seeking to put space between Israel and his administration,” said Mr. Koch.

On the Zev Brenner program, Mr. Hoenlein agreed that Mr. Hagel’s possible nomination has “raised a lot of concern because the Defense Department has a certain amount of independence that other government departments don’t have.”

“It will be a tough time because they have to make a lot of cuts and he is a Republican, but most Republican senators were not too thrilled about his nomination either,” said Mr. Hoenlein.

S.L.R.

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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The Log: Do It Now

DVD: “Stuttering: Straight Talk for Teachers” is also for parents. Produced by the Stuttering Foundation, this film, which is helpful for teachers and parents of children of all ages, is available at NJ public libraries in Atlantic City, Edgewater, Leonia, Paramus, Ridgefield Park, Tenafly, East Orange, Lakewood, Paterson, Wayne, Hillside, Springfield, Union, and at the Pelham Bay Public Library in the Bronx. It is also available online at www.stutteringhelp.org/content/ stuttering-straight-talk-teachers College Students Can Apply for the Areyvut Summer Internship Program; based it Bergenfield, it allows interns to develop National Mitzvah Day programming, teen philanthropy curriculum, and volunteering, June 3-July 26, 201-244-6702 or sharon@areyvut.org

Shabbat, Jan 5

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am, rabbidonath@gmail.com Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, in-

cludes light and healthy Kiddush, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, scholar-in-residence, Cong Ahshe Chesed, Linden, 908-486-8616 Rabbi Steven Weil, Scholar-in-Residence, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, “Don’t Jew Me,” 10am; Workshop: “The Evolution of the World’s Greatest Leader,” noon, includes kiddush and lunch; “The World’s First Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) Movement,” 4:35pm; 201-567-9420 Rabbi Chaim Rapoport, Scholar-in-Residence, Riverdale Jewsh Center, “Extra-Legal Considerations in the Rabbinic Decision-Making Process,” noon; “Attitudes to Gentiles in Contemporary Orthodox Literature and Society,” includes seudah shlishit, 4:30pm, 718-548-1850 “Wither Pluralism: Its Possibilities and Perils,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, noon, 201-833-0515 ext 200 Shabbat Mevorchim Shalosh Seudos, for women, spons

by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Te-

aneck Apartments, private apartment in Teaneck, 4pm, sisterhood@ teaneckapartments.com “The Religious Significance of Communal Prepare,” Aminadav Grossman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 4:14pm, 718-796-4730

Motzei Shabbat, Jan 5

Parent-Child Learning, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, includes stories and a review of the midrashim on the Parsha, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 6:15pm, 201-530-0043 Cupcakes for a Cause, for girls in grades 1-3, Emma Taylor, spons by East Hill Synagogue, at a private home in Englewood, 7pm, 201-567-0649 or 201-569-4008 Grandfather-Father-Son Melave Malka, spons by the Clifton Cheder/Bais Yaakov, at Cong Beth Shalom, Clifton, 7:30pm, 973472-0011 Project Ezrah Dinner, honoring Ian Fields, Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, Rochelle and Phil Goldschmeidt, Micah Kaufman, Rebekah and Avi Mally, Shani and Yitz Norman, Dr. Benjamin and Elana Rosenbluth, Wendy and Isaac Shulman, Daniella and Jamie Stadtmauer, and Heidi and Jack Varon, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-569-9047 Speed Meeting and Book Swap, for women, bring a book wrapped as a gift and take home another, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, dcroog@gmail.com or audradsny@aol.com Project Inspire Shiur, Rabbi Eliyahu Bergstein, Cong K’hal Adath Jeshurun, Monsey, 8pm, 845-356-9050 “Learn How to Make Chocolate,” Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, munkjunk2002@yahoo.com Israel Connection: “The Future of Electric Cars and Oil Independence,” Michael Granoff of Israeli Start-Up A Better Place, JCC, Tenafly, 8:30pm, 201-569-7900

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Highland Park Community Kollel Breakfast, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 9:30am, 732-266-9354 Parent-Student Learning Session: Heichal Program for Halachic Education: Tefillah, for parents and students in middle school and

high school, Rav Yosef Zvi Rimon, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-837-2795 ext 101 Giant Playdate, spons by Riverdale Israelis and Friends, for families with young children, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 Cong Ahavas Yisrael of Edison Youth Make-Your-Own Pizza, at Jerusalem Pizza, Highland Park, 10:30am, 732-985-0649 Hudson Jewish Community Forum Meeting for Community Leadership, 1pm, Info@ HudsonJewish.org Meet the Artist Reception: Lapid Matsuo and Exhibit: “Israel: Land of Revelations,” JCC, Tenafly, 1-3pm, 201-569-7900 Shaina Wig Sale, private home in Riverdale, 1-4pm, aawruble@yahoo.com Name-Your-Own Price Pet Adoption, cats and dogs to be adopted have been spayed or neutered, vaccinated, healthchecked, and microchipped, Bergen County Animal Shelter, Teterboro, 1-5pm, 201-229-4600 or www.bergenhealth.org Family Chocolate-Making Event, for children and adults, an afternoon of chocolate including a trip through Eretz Yisrael, games, prizes, and stories, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 3pm, munkjunk2002@yahoo.com Cong Ohav Emeth Dinner, Highland Park, 5pm, 732-247-3038 Lubavitch on the Palisades Dinner, honoring Lawrence and Jeanella Blenden, Nelon and Stacey Braff, and Joseph and Yael Chamay, Rockleigh Country Club, 5pm, 201-871-1152 Torah Academy of Bergen County Dinner, honoring Vickie and Elliot Shulman, Ellen and Stanley Stone, Ceil Olivestone, and Josh Cohen, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 6pm, 201-837-7696 Torah Links Benefit, honoring Dr. Bruce and Sara Fischer, Lisa Kaplan, and Herbert and Mildred Tanzman, Sheraton Edison Raritan Center, 6pm, 732-613-1613 Eden Village’s Earth-Based Jewish Organic Farm and Arts and Wilderness Camp Parlor Meeting, for parents with children in grades 3-11,Yoni Stadlin,

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” private home in Teaneck, 7pm, 877-397-3336 ext 4 Yeshiva Beit Hillel (YBH) Open House, for parents of children in preschool through 8th grade, Passaic, 8pm, 973-777-0735

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“Prophecy,” for women, Rebbetzin Leah Kohn, private home in Teaneck, 201-692-3757 or shadlynn@aol.com Israeli Film Club, in Hebrew with English subtitles, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 AIPAC Parlor Meeting, private home in Livingston, 7:30pm, 973-597-1650 Leah Sokoloff Nursery School of Cong Shomrei Torah in Fair Lawn Parlor Meeting, for parents of children eligible for Tiny Tots to Pre-K, including extended care (7am-6:30pm), and camp, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-791-6744 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Through Thick and Thin: Integrating All Areas of Judaism and Our Lives,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973-625-1525 ext 202

Cooking Techniques and Great Recipes, Chef Donny Rogoff, of Five Star Caterers, spons

by Cong Ahavath Torah, private home in Englewood, 8pm, ATC. Sisterhood@gmail.com Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-837-2795 “The Neurobiology of Free Will: Background and Brain Organization,” Dr. Sam Shachar, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 Tele-Shiur: “Teaching Kids Resilience in the Face of Adversity,” Slovie Jungreis-Wolff, 8:30pm, for the phone number, send an email, with Slovie Web Cast in the subject line, to events@ metroimma.com

Tues., Jan 8

Online Course: “Microsoft Word and Excel for Beginners,” spons by the OU Job Board, www. oujobs.org, 10am, 212-563-4000 Caregiver Support Group, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-569-7900 “All You Ever Wanted to Know about Breastfeeding,” Elly Egenberg, spons by the La

Leche League, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10:15am, 845-362-4400 Online Course: “HTML and JavaScript for Beginners,” spons by the OU Job Board, www.oujobs.org, 12:30pm, 212-563-4000 Jewish Caregivers Support Group, spons by the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services, Beatman Center, Riverdale, 5pm, 718-601-9714 Cong Bnai Yeshurun Nursery School Parlor Meeting, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-6871 Online Course: “Three Steps to Your Best Job Ever: The Simple Approach to Quickly Landing the Right Job,” spons by the OU Job Board, www.oujobs.org, 8:30pm, 212-563-4000 Ohr Naava on Tour, for women, private home in Teaneck,“Live in the Moment,” Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, 8pm; “Sense in Sensitivity,” Rabbi Motti Miller, 9pm, 718-647-6228 “Digging Deeper: Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of Judaism: Why Do the Innocent Suffer?” for men and women, Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Te-

aneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916

Wed., Jan 9

Jewish Business Network Women’s Networking, Starbucks, Meadowlands Sheraton Hotel, E Rutherford, 9:30am, michelle@ emscomminc.com “Money Management: Learn to Budget Your Money and Pay Down Debt,” for women, Ilene Schaeffer, Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County, Milltown, 10am, 732-777-1940 “How ORT Saved My Life: How ORT in Berlin Organized the Exodus of Its Students to England after Kristallnacht,” John Heller, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 Lunch and Learn, for seniors, Rabbi Avrohom Herman, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, lunch, 11am; parsha, noon, 908-527-9815 Book Review: “I Am Forbidden” by Anouk Markovits, facilitator Lucille Schroeder, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 PJ Jewish Book Club and Dinner, for grades 1-2, JCC, West

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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

continued from page 29

Orange, 6pm, 973-530-3420 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 “The Secret Lives of Wives: Women Share What It Really Takes to Stay Married,” Iris Krasnow, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201408-1448 Support Group for Mothers of Special-Needs Children, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3400 Art Program, for specialneeds teens and young adults age 15 and up, Debbie Greenwald, spons by Yachad, at The Art Place, Englewood, 7:45pm, 201-833-1349 Refresher Class on Taharat Hamishpacha, for women, Bracha Rutner, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, bracharutner@peoplepc.com Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201836-3431 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-2895474 or 917-902-9303

Thurs., Jan 10

Virtual March to Commemorate the 25th anniversary of the March for Freedom for Soviet Jewry, the largest-ever gathering of Americans rallying for the freedoms of a people in another nation. The march took place on the National Mall in Washington, DC. More than 1 million Soviet Jews became Israeli citizens, and more than 500,000 became Americans. Sign up at freedom25.net “An Introduction to Sefer Iyov,” Elana Flaumenhaft, Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, Teaneck, 10am, ennisp@ maayanot.org

“Women from the Ankle Down: A Story of Shoes and How They Define Us,” Rachelle Bergstein, spons by Jewish Federation of Northern NJ’s Women’s Philanthropy, includes kosher lunch, at Neiman Marcus, Garden State Plaza, Paramus, 10:30am, 201-820-3906 Film: “Yentl,” with Renee Weiner, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 “Get Cooking! A JewishAmerican Family Cookbook & Rockin’ Mama Doni Celebration,” Doni Zasloff Thomas, includes cooking and a concert, JCC, Scotch Plains, 7pm, 908889-8800 ext 205 Israeli TV Show: “Srugim/ Knitted Kippahs,” with Rotem Nahum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400

Fri., Jan 11

Jewish Film Festival: “The Flat,” with director Zeva Oelbaum, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973-530-3417 Human Trafficking Awareness Day Rally, spons in part by the NJ State Association of Jewish Federations, includes kosher lunch, State House, Trenton, 11am1:30pm, 973-929-3064 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Through Thick and Thin: Integrating All Areas of Judaism and Our Lives,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Linwood Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Russian-Themed Shabbat Dinner, Chabad Center of Passaic County, Wayne, 6pm, 973-964-6274 Russian American Jewish Experience Shabbaton, Cong Shomrei Emunah and Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, host families needed for Friday night meal and sleeping for mostly unaffiliated young Russian-Jewish adults,

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

through Shabbat, Jan 12, ana. tonkonog@gmail.com “Bringing It Home: Leil Kiruv,” Ira Bloom, Larry Cohen, Reuben and Belinda Ehrlich, Moshe Glick, Jocelyn Holt, Sam Rosenberg, Moshe Roth, Ilene Strauss, and Rabbi Michael Bleicher, spons by West Orange Encounters, home hospitality available, shiurim and lectures in private homes throughout West Orange, 8pm, mmbleicher@gmail. com, IBloom@kushnercompanies. com, or davidah.moradi@gmail.com Chulent Challenge, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, to enter, call 201-836-6210; to taste to vote for the winner, come to the shul between 8 and 9:30pm Shiur, Rabbi Steven Miodownik, River Ridge Apartments, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 “Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture: How It Works and Dispelling the Myths,” for women, Malka Widofsky, includes ladies’ tea with Rebbetzin Rivky Herman, private home in Elizabeth, 8:30pm, 908-355-7410

Shabbat, Jan 12

Chazzan Moshe Udashkin, Shacharis, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 9am, 732-247-3038 Teen Minyan Alumni Minyan, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am, leiser144@aol.com Selection and Crowning of Cholent King or Queen, cholent served during Kiddush, Cong Anshe Chesed, Linden, noon, 908486-8616 or 908-925-5224 JACS: Addiction in the Jewish Community, Charlie Hall and Paula Sinclair, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, noon, 718-796-4730 Bnei Akiva Snif Chadash Group, for grades 1-6 South of Route 4, at Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 4pm, val@mileslevin.com “Between Parents and Children, Between Keil Shakai and Hashem: What’s in G-d’s Name?” Dr. Jennie Rosenfeld, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 4:15pm, 718-796-4730

Motzei Shabbat, Jan 12

Training Session for Cong Keter Torah Security Team-Group Leaders, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 6:30pm, bbadner@verizon.net or deenabbs@gmail.com Cupcake Décor, for girls age

7 and up, private home in Livingston, 7pm, limormlevy@yahoo.com Kids’ Night Out, for ages 5-12, divided by age, so that parents can have a night out, includes creative and performing arts, Riverdale YMHA, 7-10pm, 718-548-8200 ext 261 “Crimes and Misdemeanors: A Discussion of Morality, Justice, and Religion,” Abe Kempler, includes screening of the Woody Allen film, Teaneck General Store, 7:30pm, 201-530-5046 Women’s Rosh Chodesh Dinner, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 or 973-731-0770 Yavneh Academy Dinner, honoring Gail and Richard Dukas, Tamara Heimlich and Steven Mermelstein, Yisraela Friedenberg, and Nitza Harpaz, Marriott at Glenpointe Hotel, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-262-8494 “Financial Roadmap for Young Families,” David Lewinter, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 Daniel Kurtzer, for the Orthodox Forum of Edison/Highland Park, at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8pm, Joshua.Fine@chartisinsurance.com Khal Tiferes Boruch (formerly Cong Shomrei Torah of Passaic-Clifton) Melave Malka, honoring Mr. and Mrs. Elchonon Groman and Rabbi and Mrs. Yechiel Rhine, at the shul, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-591-0172 or info@TiferesBoruch.org

Sun., Jan 13

Exhibit: “Judaism: A Contemporary Conversation,” six artists use varied media to address different aspects of the Jewish experience, Gaelen Gallery, JCC, West Orange, through Sun., Feb 24, 973-530-3413 Exhibit: “Judaic Textiles,”

by Robin Atlas, JCC, West Orange, through Sun., April 28, 973-530-3413 “Lo Tachmod: Parameters and Perspectives on Presents and Pressure,” Rabbi Daniel Z Feldman, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:45am, 201-837-2795 Kavvanah Minyan, slower Shacharit, including meditation, song, and a light breakfast, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 or rabbip@jle.org Partners in Torah Breakfast, honoring Steven and Rosy Joseph, Rabbi Shea Buxbaum, Rabbi Mordechai and Mindy Rindenow, Meir and Mimi Mark, and Eugene Shpilsky, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9:30am, 973-221-3650 ext 107 Highland Park Community Kollel Breakfast, featuring Rabbi Shraga Gross, and honoring David Goldberg and Dovid Zaslavsky, at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 9:30am, 732-789-9119 Riverdale Israelis and Friends, for families with young children, in Hebrew, includes brunch and programs on Israeli culture, traditions, and Jewish holidays, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 “Chesed Project: Visit to Eva’s Kitchen,” to provide a nourishing lunch to the hungry, in Paterson, spons by the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, need people to cook chickens and help serve, includes children over the age of 8, leave Passaic, 10am, 973-4715376 or singer.principal@juno.com Fundraiser for Memories Live, a non-profit group that helps terminally ill patients create personalized movies filled with photos and stories to pass on to their loved ones, at Flywheel Sports, Millburn, 11:30am-1pm, 973 943 6711 Sensational Sunday in Honor of Tu B’Shevat and Green Month, for children 2-11 accompanied by a parent, includes decorating and coloring flower pots and filling with soil and flower seeds, Riverdale Jewish Center, noon, 718-548-1850 Pay It Forward: Monster Mini-Golf and Bake Cookies for Jewish Family Services Staff, for children ages 6 and up, Chabad Center, Wayne, 12:45pm, 973-694-6274 Lubavitch on the Palisades Dinner, Chabad House, Tenafly, 5pm, 201-871-1152 Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey Dinner, honoring Dr. Chaim and Rachelle Mandelbaum and Rabbi Shlomo Hyman, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 5:30pm, 201-986-1414

January 2013/Shevat 5773

Cuban Night: “The Life and Culture of the Cuban Jews,” Dr. Alan Goldsmith, includes Cubanthemed dinner, Young Israel of Aberdeen, 6pm, 732-583-3765 Adolph H Schreiber Hebrew Academy of Rockland County (ASHAR) Open House and HaMalach HaGoel Chesed Program, at the school, New City, 6:30pm, 845-357-1515 Cong Ohav Emeth Progressive Dinner, pre-set groups of participants enjoy appetizers in one home in Highland Park and then proceed to another for a main course with a new group of people. Everyone regroups at Ohav Emeth afterwards for desserts and a game night, begins 6:30pm, 732-247-3038 Training Session for Cong Keter Torah Security Team-Group Leaders, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 6:30pm, bbadner@verizon.net or deenabbs@gmail.com Hadassah Book Club: “The Prime Ministers” by Yehuda Avner, private home in Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732-545-3147 Rockland and Bergen County Adoptive Families Meet-Up and Support Group, for those who have already adopted or are in the process of adopting, internationally and domestically, private home, 7:30pm, www. meetup.com/Rockland-and-Bergen-Adoptive-Families Taharas HaMishpacha Review: “A Deeper Look at Our Unique Rold,” for women, Debbie Selengut, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 8:15pm, 908-278-4059 Jewish Stuttering Association Support Group, for men, private home in Lakewood, 7:30pm, 347-855-7520 or info@Jstuffer.org Fathers of Special-Needs Children Support Group, spons by the Orthodox Union’s NJ Yachad, private home in Passaic, 8pm, eliezertuvia@gmail.com “The Only Gift I Have to Give Is the Ability to Receive: The Story of Our People,” Jordana Baruchov, Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 8pm, morahbeth@gmail.com

Mon., Jan 14

Netivot Montessori Yeshiva Open House, for parents of infants (6 weeks) through children in

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

middle school (12-14 years), Highland Park, tours begin at 9:15am, 732-985-4626 “Moshe’s Prophecy,” for women, Rebbetzin Leah Kohn, private home in Teaneck, 201692-3757 or shadlynn@aol.com Online Course: “Microsoft Power Point 2010 Beginners Level,” spons by the OU Job Board, www. oujobs.org, 1pm, 212-563-4000 Story Time, for ages 3-5, in Hebrew, Keren Glick, JCC, Tenafly, 4:30pm, 201-569-7900 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: The Steps of Man: How G-d Guides Our Every Move,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973-625-1525 ext 202 “The Neurobiology of Free Will: I Am Not Responsible because of Specific Brain Activity,” Dr. Sam Shachar, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 “Engaging Israel,” with a staff member of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Israel, at the JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-569-7900

Tues., Jan 15

Deadline to Enter the Sister Rose Thering Fund Essay Contest,

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for high school students, with awards given for each grade level, based on the film, “Sister Rose’s Passion,” available from the NJ Commission for Holocaust Education. To enter, write a 500-word essay on “How Does Sister Rose’s Passion Relate to an Experience in Your Life,” 609292-9274 or 973-761-9006 Last Day to Apply for Spring Internship with the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA);, the group is looking for applicants who can spent 5-10 hours per week in the Manhattan office working on graphic and web design, case archiving, and/ or social media. ORA operates under the halachic guidance of Rav Hershel Schachter of YU. To apply, send cover letter with two references to apply@getORA.org or Mzack@getORA.org Last Day for Early-Bird Special for Chabad of Passaic’s Chai Tots Preschool and Camp Gan Izzy, for children ages 6 weeks to 6 years, Rabbi Yitzchak and Miriam Sebbag, 973-246-5251 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocation-

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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al Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Job Search Workshop: “A Recruiter’s View of LinkedIn: Don’t Underestimate Its Role,” Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 11:30am, at 201-837-9090 Story Hour, for children ages 2-6, Chabad Center, Wayne, 4:30pm, 973-694-6274

Wed., Jan 16

Last Day for College or Graduate School Students to Apply for an Interview for a summer internship with Sharsheret, the Teaneck-based organization that addresses the needs of Jewish women and families facing breast and/or ovarian cancer. For more information, 866-474-2774 or internship@sharsheret.org Cong Ahavas Achim Israel Mission, leaves, to return Jan 28, 732-247-0532 An Armchair Tour of the Lower East Side, Marty Schneit, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 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 Tu B’Shevat Program: “Environmental Victories in Israel,” Michelle Levine, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-408-1429 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-339-8492 “An In-Depth Analysis of One of the Sugyos That Comes Up in the Daf Yomi Studies,” Rav Tanchum Cohen, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-384-0434 Shomer Shabbos Boy Scout Meeting, for boys in 6th grade or 11 years old and up, Bais Medrash L’Torah, Rabbi Davis’s shul, Passaic, 8pm, HFishman@rafterpllc.com “About Parenting,” Dr. Wendy Pollock, Riverdale YMHA, 8pm,

718-548-8200 Video: “What Is Jewish Culture?” Amos Oz, Daniel Libeskind, James Young, Deborah Dash Moore, and Fania OzSalzberger, JCC, West Orange, 8pm, 973-530-3400 “How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk: Engage Your Child’s Willing Cooperation,” Emily Shapiro, private location in Riverdale, 8pm, 347-560-1027 Parenting Tele-Conference: “Values: A Priceless Gift,” Rabbi Shmuel Zimmerman, spons by the National Association of Support and Outreach, http://www. nasoamerica.org/recorded-programs.html, 9:30pm, call 712-4321001, Access Code: 431-701-747#; to playback the shiur anytime, call 712-432-1011, Playback Access Code: 412-184-214#; am@ NASOamerica.org

Thurs., Jan 17

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 Story Time, for children 3-5, in Hebrew, JCC, Tenafly, 4pm, 201408-1448 Mishmor Program, for boys and girls in grades 2-5, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenblum, includes help with homework, stores, raffles, refreshments, prizes, and sports, at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6:30pm, 973-251-0205 “The World without You,” Joshua Henkin, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3421

Fri., Jan 18

Jewish Film Festival: “Counselor at Law,” with Prof Gabriel Miller, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973-530-3417 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: The Steps of Man: How G-d Guides Our Every Move,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Linwood Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Friday Night Dinner: “One Shabbat, One World,” for families, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 5:30pm, 973-486-2362

Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Stewart Weiss, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, through Shabbat, 201-568-1315

Motzei Shabbat, Jan 19

Parent-Child Learning, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, includes stories and a review of the midrashim on the Parsha, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 6:30pm, 201-530-0043 Grandmother-MotherDaughter Melave Malka, spons by the Clifton Cheder/Bais Yaakov, at Cong Beth Shalom, Clifton, 7:30pm, 973-472-0011 Pamper Yourself, spons by Cong Ahavas Yisrael Sisterhood, at Joanne’s Nails, Highland Park, 7:30pm, 917-704-6305 “Stand Up Comedy—and the Announcement of His New Book, if He Has Decided on One by Then,” Mordechai Schmutter, and other comedians who would like to ask him if they, too, can perform, at the Teaneck General Store, 8pm, 201-530-5046 or 973-473-1771 Bonei Olam Dinner, to support its work helping infertile couples achieve parenthood, Ateres Charna, Spring Valley, 8pm, 845-362-5262

Sun., Jan 20

Brunch, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 9:30am, 908355-9542 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Congregation Anshei Lubavitch, Fair Lawn, 10am, 718-839-5296 Giant Playdate, spons by Riverdale Israelis and Friends, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 “Who Said What in the White House” Presidential Trivia Game, Dr. Avi Isseroff, Teaneck General Store, 10:30am, 201-530-5046 Hebrew Club, for men and women who are advanced Hebrew speakers, spons by Hadassah, includes chats and readings, private home in Edison, 11am, 732-819-9298 “Stone Soup the Musical,” about a family in Pinsk tricked into creating a meal, for children, JCC, Tenafly, 2pm, 201-408-1493 Taharas HaMishpacha Review: “The Importance of Asking Questions,” for women, Debbie Selengut, spons by Neve Passaic

Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 8:15pm, 908-278-4059

Mon., Jan 21

“Concept in Sefer Beraishis and Sefer Shemos,” for women, Dr. Shana Posy, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732-247-3038 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Means to an End: Discovering the Meaning in the Mundane,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973-625-1525 ext 202 “The Neurobiology of Free Will: I Am Yes Responsible because of Specific Brain Activity,” Dr. Sam Shachar, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850 Jewish Stuttering Association Support Group, for women, private home in Monsey, 8:30pm, 347-855-7520 or info@Jstuffer.org

Tues., Jan 22

Celebrate Tu B’Shevat, for ages 2-5 with an adult, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 3:45pm, 845-362-4400 Tu B’Shevat Seder, led

by Ilana Liftman and Neshama Marcus, spons by Hadassah, for members and non-members, at the Highland Park Senior Center, 7:30pm, 908-227-4869 “Elections in Israel: Analysis,” Gil Lainer, Israeli Consul for Public Diplomacy, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-408-1429 “Digging Deeper: Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of Judaism: What Does This Mean?” for men and women, Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916

Wed., Jan 23

Support Group for Fathers of Special-Needs Children, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3400 “Social Issues in the Home and Community for Elementary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” Jacqueline Dubil Craig, Community Services Building, Paramus, 7pm, 201-343-6000 ext 4076 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201836-3431 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-2895474 or 917-902-9303

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Thurs., Jan 24

“How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk: Engage Your Child’s Willing Cooperation,” Emily Shapiro, at Kidaroo, Riverdale, 10am, 347-560-1027 Caregiver Support Group, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-569-7900 Israeli TV Show: “Srugim/ Knitted Kippahs,” with Rotem Nahum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Cantorial Concert: “Ha’Am: Songs of Our People,” JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3988

Fri., Jan 25

“Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Means to an End: Discovering the Meaning in the Mundane,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Linwood Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500

Shabbat, Jan 26, Tu B’Shevat Motzei Shabbat, Jan 26

Hakoah and Hakoah Junior Sports Clubs: Camp Games, for grades 2-5 and K-1, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3425 Tu B’Shevat Sing-a-Long, with Zvi Klein, in Hebrew, includes wine, Tu B’Shevat refreshments, live music, and dancing, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1427

Sun., Jan 27 UN Holocaust Remembrance Day

Jewish Federation Phonea-Thon, Paramus, 9am-9pm, 201820-3937 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 or rabbip@jle.org “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad of Riverdale, 9:45am, 718-549-1100; Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Park Ridge High, 10am, 201-476-0157 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Forgiveness,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Congregation Anshei Lubavitch, Fair Lawn, 10am, 718-839-5296 Riverdale Israelis and Friends, for families with young children, in Hebrew, includes brunch and programs on Israeli culture, tradi-

January 2013/Shevat 5773

tions, and Jewish holidays, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 Baking Love for Tu B’Shevat, for parents and children ages 4-6, in Hebrew, Ayelet Nathaniel, JCC, Tenafly, 10am, 201-569-7900 Tu B’Shevat Celebration: Tree Time through the Ages,” for children, JCC, Whippany, 1pm, 973-428-9300 UN Holocaust Remembrance Day: Commemorating the Holocaust in Stone and Metal, audio-visual slide presentation, Prof Milton Ohring, JCC, Tenafly, 1:30pm, 201-408-1429 “World of the Jew,” chess master Boris Gulko, speaking for the Jewish-Russian Cultural Club, Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, South River, 2pm, 732-698-9213 or 732-588-1800 Bergen County Mitzvah Clown Program, spons by Areyvut, at Bright Side Manor, Teaneck 4pm, 201-244-6702 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 “Women, Power, and Politics,” Hanna Rosin, includes wine and snacks, YMHA, Riverdale, 7pm, 718-548-8200

Mon., Jan 28

Last Day to View Art Exhibit: “Israel: Land of Revelations,” paintings by Lapid Matsuo, JCC, Tenafly, 201-569-7900 “The Eternity of Torah,” for women, Rebbetzin Leah Kohn, private home in Teaneck, 201692-3757 or shadlynn@aol.com Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Jacob Weiland, MSW, Riverdale YMHA, 1pm, 718548-8200 ext 303 Online Course: “QuickBooks for Beginners,” spons by the OU Job Board, www.oujobs.org, 1:30pm, 212-563-4000 Online Course: “QuickBooks for Beginners,” spons by the OU Job Board, www.oujobs.org, 7pm, 212-563-4000 JoJo’s Cajun-Style Kosher Superbowl Party Recipes, Chef JoJo Rubach, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1457 or 1496 “Concept in Sefer Beraishis and Sefer Shemos,” for women, Dr. Shana Posy, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 7:30pm,

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

732-247-3038 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi M Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Theism vs Deism: Does G-d Really Care?”

Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973-625-1525 ext 202 Gemara Shiur, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-837-2795

Tues., Jan 29

“Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi Levi Azimov, North Brunswick Chabad, 7:45pm, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Dov Drizen, Woodcliff Lake Chabad, 8pm, 201-476-0157 “Digging Deeper: Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of Judaism: What Was Given at Sinai and the Nature of Transmission?” for men and women, Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916

Wed., Jan 30

“Living with Integrity: Nav-

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igating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad of North Brunswick, 11am, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Cherry Hill Chabad, 7:30pm, 856-8741500; Rabbi Ephraim Simon, Teaneck Chabad House, 8pm, 201-907-0686; Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Franklin Lakes Chabad, 8pm, 201-848-0449 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Video: “Science, Religion, and the Search for Meaning,” Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks and Ira Flatow, JCC, West Orange, 8pm, 973-530-3400 “How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk: Engage Your Child’s Willing Cooperation,” Emily Shapiro, private location in Riverdale, 8pm, 347-560-1027

Thurs., Jan 31

Last Day to Apply for June 23-July 21 Program at The Tikvah Institute on Zionist Thought and Statesmanship at Ein Prat Academy in Israel, for ages 20-29. There is a stipend of $2500 and, in addition, some need-based travel sup-

continued on page 34

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Page - 34

January 2013/Shevat 5773

The Log

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

continued from page 33

port is available. An essay is required to apply: www.tikvahzionism.org “Baseballaffs,” Dan Schlossberg, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201569-7900 “Bread for Hunger: A Family Education and Social Action Program,” for parents and children ages 10 and up, includes cooking, Jewish values, and chesed; bake two loaves of bread, one to take home, one for a senior adults, 6pm, 201-408-1429 “The Future of the American-Jewish-Israeli Relationship,” Yossi Klein Halevi, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-408-1426 or 29 TV: “Space Shuttle Columbia: Mission of Hope,” to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the Columbia disaster and the story of Israel’s first astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who carried a tiny Holocaust Torah into space. Dr. Alex Grobman was the film’s historical consultant.

Public Broadcasting, 9pm

Fri., Feb 1

Jewish Film Festival: “Nicky’s Family,” with Barbara Wind of the Holocaust Council, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973-530-3417 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: Theism vs Deism: Does G-d Really Care?” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Linwood Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Minyan Tiferet, Shira Hadasha-Style, private home in Englewood, 5:45pm, 201-567-2820 or 201-567-3323 Scholar-in-Residence Gilah Kletenik, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, through Shabbat Feb 2, 201-568-1315

Motzei Shabbat, Feb 2

Parent-Child Learning, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, includes stories and a review of the midrashim on the Parsha, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 6:50pm, 201-530-0043 Cong Shaare Tefillah Dinner, honoring Karen and Eric Orgen and Stacy and Keith Kaplan, shul in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-357-0613 or 201-289-5474 Khal Chassidim Malave Malka, honoring Yaakov and Barbara Clark, and survivors of the Holocaust: Alex and Agnes Lowinger, Nicholas Schwartz, z”l,

and Imre Lefkowitz, z”l, includes music by Sruli Wulliger, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 8pm, 732-777-6840 Khal Tiferes Boruch (formerly Cong Shomrei Torah of Passaic Clifton) Women’s Melave Malka, Clifton, 8:30pm, 973-5910172 or info@TiferesBoruch.org

Sun., Feb 3

First Day of Online Course: “The Jewish Metropolis: Warsaw and Vilna before the Holocaust,” Prof Samuel Kassow, spons by the Yiddish Book Center, readings and interactive online discussion available through Sun., Feb 24, www. yiddishbookcenter.org/jewish-metropolis-reg or lyalen@bikher.org Kavvanah Minyan, slower Shacharit, including meditation, song, and a light breakfast, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Forgiveness,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad of Riverdale, 9:45am, 718-549-1100; Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Park Ridge High, 10am, 201-476-0157 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Charity,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Congregation Anshei Lubavitch, Fair Lawn, 10am, 718-839-5296 Giant Playdate, spons by Riverdale Israelis and Friends, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 Pre-Holiday Boutique and Family Fun Day, includes shopping; gold, silver, and Judaica for cash; kids activities; culinary, acupressure, and makeup demonstrations; ice cream; and raffle prizes, Cong Israel, Springfield, 10am1pm, daniellahoffer@gmail.com Matan B’Seter Bambi Brunch, for women, featuring Rebbetzin Rochel Chalkovski, private home, Passaic, 10:30am, 973-219-6928 Film: “The First Grader,” with Dr. Susan London, JCC, Edison, 1:30pm, 732-494-3232 Rabbi Jacob Joseph Yeshiva Scholarship Dinner, at the school, Edison, 5pm, 732-985-6533

Mon., Feb 4

Deadline to Enter the Manischewitz Cook-Off, those over 18 can submit simple, family-

friendly recipes online at www. manischewitz.com/assets/cookoff2013/rules.php “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Privacy,” Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, private law office, Oakland, 9am, 201-848-0449 “The Morning Prayers,” for women, Rabbi Yisroel Teichman, private home in Teaneck, 201-6923757 or shadlynn@aol.com Current Events, Stan Goldberg, Buddy Tell, and Keren Glick, JCC, Tenafly, 1:30pm, 201-408-1457 Israeli Film, with Rotem Nahum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-361-4400 “Concept in Sefer Beraishis and Sefer Shemos,” for women, Dr. Shana Posy, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732-247-3038 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Forgiveness,” Rabbi M Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-486-2362 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: What Makes Us Jewish? The Significance of the Conversion Process,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973625-1525 ext 202

Tues., Feb 5

Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 “Digging Deeper: Exploring the Philosophical Foundations of Judaism: Rabbinic Authority: Should We Follow Even if We Think They Are Wrong?” for men and women, Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916

Wed., Feb 6

“Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Forgiveness,” Rabbi Levi Azimov, Chabad of North Brunswick, 11am, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Mendel Mangel, Cherry Hill Chabad, 7:30pm, 856-874-1500; Rabbi Ephraim Simon, Teaneck Chabad House, 8pm, 201-907-0686; Rabbi Chanoch Kaplan, Franklin Lakes Chabad, 8pm, 201-848-0449

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 Parenting Workshop: “Mind, Body, and Soul: Parenting from the Inside Out,” Mirel Goldstein, includes children’s program in an adjoining room, Clifton Library, 7pm, 973-772-5500 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 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Forgiveness,” Rabbi Levi Azimov, North Brunswick Chabad, 7:45pm, 732-398-9492; Rabbi Dov Drizen, Woodcliff Lake Chabad, 8pm, 201-476-0157 “An In-Depth Analysis of One of the Sugyos That Comes Up in the Daf Yomi Studies,” Rav Tanchum Cohen, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-384-0434 Shomer Shabbos Boy Scout Meeting, for boys in 6th grade or 11 years old and up, Bais Medrash L’Torah, Rabbi Davis’s shul, Passaic, 8pm, HFishman@rafterpllc.com Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-3431 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-2895474 or 917-902-9303

Thurs., Feb 7

“How to Talk so Kids Will Listen and Listen so Kids Will Talk: Deal with Your Child’s Negative Feelings—Frustration, Disappointment, Anger,” Emily Shapiro, at Kidaroo, Riverdale, 10am, 347-560-1027 Mishmor Program, for boys and girls in grades 2-5, Rabbi Yisroel Rosenblum, includes help with homework, stores, raffles, refreshments, prizes, and sports, at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Orange, 6:30pm, 973-251-0205 Israeli TV Show: “Srugim/ Knitted Kippahs,” with Rotem Nahum JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 “McCarthy Witch Hunt: A Not-So-Funny Reminiscence of the Fearful Menace of McCarthyism Which, to a Large Measure, Singled Out Jews Whether or Not They Were Involved Politically,” Dick Burnon, Cresskill Public Library, 7pm, 201-567-3521 “Monkey Mind: A Memoir of Anxiety,” Daniel Smith, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900

Fri., Feb 8

Jewish Film Festival: “Rosenstrasse,” with Dr. Harriet Sepinwall, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973-530-3417 “Torah Studies into the Soul of the Torah: What Makes Us Jewish? The Significance of the Conversion Process,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Linwood Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500

Shabbat, Feb 9

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am, rabbidonath@gmail.com

January 2013/Shevat 5773

Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, includes light and healthy Kiddush, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Shabbat Mevorchim Shalosh Seudos, for women, spons

by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, private apartment in Teaneck, 4pm, sisterhood@ teaneckapartments.com

Motzei Shabbat, Feb 9

Kids’ Night Out, for ages 5-12, divided by age, so that parents can have a night out, Riverdale YMHA, 7-10pm, 718-548-8200 ext 261 Hakoah and Hakoah Junior Sports Clubs: Super Bowl Fever, for grades 2-5 and K-1, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3425 Jewish-Themed Play Competition, three finalists’ plays will be presented and the audience decides the winner, JCC, West Orange, 8pm, 973-530-3421 Frisch Yeshiva High School Dinner: “Frisch at Forty,” honoring Marvin Eiseman; Dr. Charles Feldman, z”l; Arthur Goldberg; Jerry Milch; David Rauch; Stanley Turitz, and Rabbi Joshua Wald, at the school in Paramus, 8pm, 201-267-9100

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Orthodox Forum, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm, Joshua.Fine@chartisinsurance.com

Sun., Feb 10

Yom Iyun: The Importance and Legalities of the Halachic Pre-Nuptial Agreement, retired NJ Supreme Court Justice Virginia Long, Rabbi Jeremy Stern, and Rabbi Joshua Hess, includes video: “Women Unchained,” spons by Anshe Chesed and the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot, at Cong Anshe Chesed, Linden, 9:30am, 908-486-8616 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Charity,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad of Riverdale, 9:45am, 718-549-1100; Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Park Ridge High, 10am, 201-476-0157 “Living with Integrity: Navigating Everyday Ethical Dilemmas: Parents,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Congregation Anshei Lubavitch, Fair Lawn, 10am, 718839-5296 Giant Playdate, spons by Riverdale Israelis and Friends, Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 “How to Respond to Anti-

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Israel Rhetoric on College Campuses,” for Jewish high school juniors and seniors, boys and girls, includes lunch, Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High for Girls, 10:15am, www.jfnnj.org/jcrc Purim Carnival, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1-3:30pm, 845362-4400 Uncle Moishy and His Mitzvah Men Concert, to benefit Jewish Education Program of Rockland, at Ramapo Senior High School, Spring Valley, 3pm, 845-222-6436 SINAI Special Needs Institute Dinner, honoring Lisa and Lowell Baron, Rachel and Michael Dube, Rabbi Dr. Wallace Greene, Debbie and Neil Kaplan, Marriott Glenpointe Hotel, Teaneck, 4:45pm, 201-833-1134 ext 105 Bikur Cholim of Raritan Valley Dinner, Pines Manor, Edison, 6pm, 732-287-2222 or 732-572-9545 “One Day after Peace: Can the Means Used to Resolve the Conflict in South Africa Be Applied to the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict?” Robi Damelin, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-569-7900 Y

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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

New Classes This Month Sundays

Beit Midrash Learning, for men and women, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, choose a half hour between 7:30am-10am, 201-837-2795 Fathers of Yeshiva Mekor Baruch 6th-Grade Boys Chabura: Gemara Brachos, 4th Perek, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 862-371-3186 Halachic Insights in the Past Week’s Daf Yomi, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 9:20am, 973-594-4774 Gemara Keddushin, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 9:50am, 862-371-3186 “‘It’s All in Your Mind’ by Sara Yosef,” for women, Rabbi David Bassous, Cong Etz Ahaim, Highland Park, 10am, 732-247-3839 Zichron Rivka Community Library, thousands of books for children and adults, the Agudah Building, Highland Park, 10am-noon, 732-213-5304 Mimush Parenting Workshops, for parents of teenagers, in Hebrew, JCC, Tenafly, 4pm, 201-569-7900 Chaburah Avodah Zorah, Binyomin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, 862-686-6748

Mondays

Mommy and Mr, for children 12-24 months, Morah Rhea Levart, at Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 9:30pm, begins Feb 4, 201-951-7458 Free Hebrew Reading Class, for women, Karen Lefkowitz, spons

by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 10am, 908278-4059 Israeli Dance, for women, Sara Birnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10am, 845-361-4400 Intermediate Israeli Dance, Sara Birnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-361-4400 Relationship Building Course: “Beginning Communication and Conversation Skills,” for individuals 18 and older with learning, communication, and social needs, Chani Hermann, spons by the Orthodox Union and Yachad, includes dinner and the opportunity to practice newly learned social skills, Yachad Office, Teaneck, 6pm, 212-613-8373 or Herrmann@ou.org Chavrusa Learning, for 7th and 8th grade boys to be paired with Torah Academy of Bergen County juniors and seniors, TABC, Teaneck, 7pm, 646-706-2553 or 201-396-5951 Level One Hebrew Reading, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:30pm, 718-548-2461 or 718-796-4730 Level Two Hebrew Reading, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:15pm, 718-548-2461 or 718-796-4730 Project Inspire Chabura Learning, for members of the community and those just becoming interested in Judaism, includes potato kugel, Cong Knesses Yisrael, New Hempstead, 7:45pm, knesses_yisrael@yahoo.com

Dikduk, Rabbi Shaya Jaffe, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 8pm, 862-371-3186 Sefer Yehoshua, Rabbi Ian Shaffer, Young Israel of Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-797-1800, begins Jan 28 Advanced Talmud, Rabbi Jeff Fox, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730 or rebjeff@gmail.com Advanced Hebrew Ulpan, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-548-2461 or 718-796-4730 Mimush Parenting Workshops, for parents of young children, in Hebrew, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-569-7900 Parshat HaShavua, shiur and guided study to further independent Chumash learning, Rabbi Yaakov Blau, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-837-2795 Night Seder: Gemara Chavrusa Study, Rabbi Pinny Roth and Rabbi Yoel Weinreb, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck (formerly Yeshiva Gedolah), 8:30pm, 917-991-7985 or 201-310-2485 Become Self-Sufficient in Your Learning: Gemara on Four Levels, Beginners to Advanced, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 8:30pm, 862-371-3186

Tuesdays

Torah in the AM: Chavura in Divrei HaYamim, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am, 201-907-0180 Women’s Tehillim Group, East Hill Synagogue, Englewood, 9am, 201-569-4008 Gemara Ketubot, Chapter 2, for men and women, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-907-0180 Mommy and Me, in English, Hebrew, and French, private home in New Milford, 9:45am, 646-884-3499 Women’s Learning Group, Rabbi Ze’ev Reichman, East Hill Synagogue, Englewood, 10am, 201-569-4008 “The Unique and the Sublime: Biblical Characters,” Sara Hurwitz, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11am, 718-796-4730 Music and Piano Skills, for children ages 4-9, includes introduction to piano, listening and ear training, note reading and writing, and music theory and history, Cheder N’Shei, Clifton, 3:15pm, 862-485-4385 “Jump into Judaics,” for children in grades K-1, JCC, Tenafly, 3:45pm, 201-408-1429 Toradojo Martial Arts, for beginners and children 5 and up, Senseis Mark Grebenau and Howard Sragoe, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6pm, hsragow@yahoo.com Zichron Rivka Community Library, thousands of books for children and adults, the Agudah Building, Highland Park, 6-8:30pm, 732-213-5304 Advanced Hebrew, Einat Levy, JCC, West Orange, 6:30pm, 973530-3519, begins Jan 29 “The 39 Melachos of Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Eliezer Krohn, private home in Passaic, 7:45pm, 973-471-9536 Shiur, Rabbi Ze’ev Reichman, East Hill Synagogue, Englewood, 8pm, 201-569-4008 Clarity Seminar, for women, Tzipora Harris, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 908-278-4059; this class can also be accessed by phone, 712-432-0075, code 681749#, or online http://theclarityseminar.com/allclasses.php, 8pm “An Introduction to the Study of Medrash and Aggada: Fact or Fiction?” Rabbi Jeremy Donath, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, donathshira@gmail.com Partners in Torah, for learners or mentors, Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov, Passaic, 8:15pm, 862-591-2920 Gemara Keddushin, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 8:30pm, 862-371-3186 Beit Midrash Learning, for men and women, Cong Rinat Yisrael,

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com

January 2013/Shevat 5773

Teaneck, 8:45pm, 201-837-2795 Interactive Tele-Shiur: “Tefillah Power: Seven Steps to Building a Relationship with Hashem—The Deeper Dimensions Revealed,” for women, Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, 732-806-1578

Wednesdays

Passaic Bais Yaakov Class, for women who lack a Bais Yaakov education, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 9:30am, 908-278-4059 Parshat Hashavua, Yael Weil, in memory of Alisa Flatow, hy”d, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10am, 201-907-0180 Yiddish Vinkel, Blossom Milyoner, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 11am, 845-362-4400 Chumash Shiur, for women, Rabbi Yosef Adler, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 12:30pm, 201-837-2795 Help-with-Homework, provided by Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls students for children in grades 1-5 who need help, at Ma’ayanot, Teaneck, 4:40pm, weineri@maayanot.org, begins Feb 2 Hebrew Quality Story Time, for children 2-5 and 5-8, Riverdale YMHA, 5pm, 718-548-8200 Beginners Hebrew, Rachel Kushner, for those over 15, JCC, West Orange, 6pm, 973-530-3519, begins Feb 6 “Navigating the Siddur and Chumash,” Marilyn Selber, Riverdale Jewish Center, 6:30pm, 347-275-8801 or 718-548-1850 Matan Bat Mitzvah Class, Rebbetzin Debbie Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-907-0180 Youth Mentor Training, for adults seeking to mentor children, 5-18, who are experiencing social, emotional, and/or behavioral problems, Volunteer Center of Bergen County, Hackensack, 7pm, 201-4899454 ext 121 begins Jan 16 Intermediate Hebrew, Rachel Kushner, JCC, West Orange, 7:15pm, 973-530-3510, begins Feb 6 Schmooze on the News B’Ivrit, Rotem Nahum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-361-4400 Intermediate Hebrew Ulpan, Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-548-2461 or 718-796-4730 Inclusive Art Program, for all high school students and specialneeds Yachad members age 15 and up, spons by NJ Yachad, at The Art Place, Englewood, 7:45pm, 201-833-1349 “The Life of King David,” Rabbi Mordecai Feuerstein, Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, 8pm, 973-994-2620 or 973-994-0122 Night Seder: Gemara Chavrusa Study, Rabbi Pinny Roth and Rabbi Yoel Weinreb, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck (formerly Yeshiva Gedolah), 8:30pm, 917-991-7985 or 201-310-2485 Become Self-Sufficient in Your Learning: Gemara on Four Levels, Beginners to Advanced, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 8:30pm, 862-371-3186

Thursdays

Torah in the AM: Chavura in Divrei HaYamim, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am, 201-907-0180 Gemara Ketubot, Chapter 2, for men and women, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-907-0180 Women’s Discussion Group, Rabbi Ze’ev Reichman, East Hill Synagogue, Englewood, 10am, 201-569-4008 “Book of Joshua,” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 Sefer Daniel, Rabbi Menahem Meier, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10:45am, 201-907-0180 Establishing Financial Freedom Support Group, for those exploring avenues to achieve financial freedom, Jewish Family Services, Teaneck, 1pm, 201-837-9090 Zichron Rivka Community Library, thousands of books for children and adults, the Agudah Building, Highland Park, 6-8:30pm,

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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732-213-5304 Toradojo Martial Arts, for beginners and children 5 and up, Sifu Gene White, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 6pm, hsragow@yahoo.com Toradojo Martial Arts, for adults and advanced, Sifu Gene White, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7pm, hsragow@yahoo.com “Biblical Hebrew and Siddur Study,” Sara Kinberg, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-548-2461 or 718-796-4730 Open Israeli Dance, Sara Birnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8-11pm, 845-361-4400 Beit Midrash Learning, for men and women, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:45pm, 201-837-2795 Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, via satellite, Cong K’Hal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188);Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck (201-907-0180); Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic (973773-2552); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532); Kehillas Bais Yehudah, Wesley Hills, (917-623-4711), 9pm Gemara Shiur: Yoma, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 9pm, 201-567-9420 Rambam on the Parsha, Rabbi Yosef Strassfeld, spons by the East Hill Synagogue, private home in Englewood, 9pm, 201-567-3962, 201-569-4484, or 201-569-4008 “Emunah and Bitachon: Facing Life’s Challenges Successfully,” Rabbi Yisrael Weiss, Rabbi Horowitz’s Shtieble, 9:15pm, 732-985-1698

Fridays

Talmud Moed Katan, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:20am, 718-796-4730 Mommy and Me, for mothers and babies up to 1 year, in Hebrew, Orly Gal, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, begins Feb 1, 201-569-7900 Farbrengen: Cholent, Singing, and Chabura on Tefillin, for high school and college-age boys and adults, Tzvi Gordon, spons by Khal Chassidim, private home in Highland Park 9:15pm, 732-985-1698 or 732-572-2892

Shabbat

Navi Shiur: Sefer Malachim, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 8am, 862-371-3186 Bnos Clifton and Passaic, for girls in grades K-5, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 2:30pm, deekayp15@gmail.com

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Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Yosef Berger, Zevi Bin-Nun, Benjamin Brody, Zalman Fingerman, Moshe Hecht, Paul Horowitz, Ilan Katz, Jonathan Katz, Mordechai Klahr, Jordan Kleinhaus, Hershey Kogan, Gordie Kolb, Ari Nat, Steven Paul, Yehuda Aryeh Raskind, Eli Seidman, Yozi Wagner, Yaakov and Akiva Wieder, and Max Wolff; and the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Meira Baum, Arielle Borger, Chana Fisher, Shira Knapp, Hannah Mendeles, Mia Nissel, Eve Orbach, Keren Plaut, Emily Ratzker, Judith Rosenbluth, and Avigail Schiff Mazal Tov to Yocheved and Bennett Deutsch, Renee and Moshe Glick, and Alyssa and Chaim Winter on being honored by Beit Orot at its dinner on Jan 8 in Manhattan Mazal Tov to West Orange Toradojo advancing students: Tali Novick and Elie Minsky (Yellow Belts); Mireet Fournier, Rowi Novick, and Tziporah Zwickler (Blue Belts); and Eli Novick (Green Belt) Y

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

New Classes

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Sefer Chofetz Chaim, for women, Rabbi Eliezer Moskowitz, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 3pm, 908-278-4059

Motzei Shabbat

“Contemporary Halacha Based on the Parsha,” Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 70 minutes after Havdala, 201-836-4334 Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732247-0532); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic; JEC, Elizabeth (908-591-5929); Cong Khal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck; Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320), 7:30pm Navi Shiur: Sefer Melachim I, for men and women, Rabbi Yosef Wiener, spons by the Passaic-Clifton Community Kollel, Cong Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov, Passaic, 9pm, 718-755-3515

New Minyanim

Mincha Minyan, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 1:45pm, 201836-8916 Mincha Minyan, private office in River Edge, Mon-Thurs, 2pm, 877-APP-FUND ext 246 Shabbat Hashkama Minyan, Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 7:30am, 845-425-9469

Chesed Ops

The Bayswater-Jewish community is still in desperate need of the following new items: clothing for children under 6, diapers, baby wipes and other baby items (BPA-free pacifiers, baby/ toddler car seats, strollers), blankets, linens, bath and kitchen towels, paper goods, games and books (can be used in good condition), kerchiefs and snoods, and sheitels (can be gently used); in addition flashlights and batteries, 7-day yahrzeit candles, space heaters, water bottles, hand warmers, gloves, hats, scarves, boots (all sizes),

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school supplies, socks, pajamas, undergarments (men, women, and children), and women’s makeup, coordinated at a private home in Elizabeth, 908-558-1920 Another group assisting the thousands of Jewish families still affected is the Achiezer Community Resource Center, www. achiezerstormrelief.org Rabbi Yaakov Glasser of the Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton is collecting funds for people impacted by the hurricane. Checks can be made out to Rabbi Glasser’s Discretionary Fund and mailed to the Young Israel at 200 Brook Ave, Passaic, NJ 07055, 973-778-7117 Chabad Chesed raised more than $25,000 for victims of Hurricane Sandy who reside in Brooklyn and Queens. Anshe Shalom Chabad has secured a Kew Gardens, NY, storage location and can accept, with a tax-deduction, cars (in any condition), furniture (in good condition), books and seforim, clothing (new or gently used), new housewares and appliances, food and kitchen items, Rabbi Mordechai Hecht, 718-441-2470 ext 2 Project Nivneh’s “Partners in Sandy”, pairs families who are struggling to cope with the devastation they suffered with a partner who can serve as a liaison to help them. Countless families are waiting to be paired. Send an email to PartnersinSandy@nivneh.org Too many Chanukah presents? The Passaic Toy Gemach is taking donations of new and used toys (only in good condition), 973-471-9603 The Passaic Children’s Clothing Gemach takes donations and offers clothing, 973-594-1010 Kosher Meals on Wheels in Bergen County is looking for volunteer drivers for homebound seniors in Fort Lee, Leonia, Englewood, and Park Ridge; one-two hours per week, 201-837-9090 ext 328

Contests to Enter Now

Tribute to the Rescuers High School Essay Contest, spons by the Institute for Holocaust Education in Omaha, NE, for students in grades 9-12, a 750-1,000-word essay on an individual or group that shows moral courage, deadline is Feb 26, http://ihene.org/tributeto-the-rescuers-essay Essay Contest, for middle and high school students, based on the book “A Lesson before Dying” by Ernest Gaines, spons by the Brookdale Community College Center for Holocaust, Human Rights, and Genocide Education, Lincroft, NJ. There is no required length of the essay. The themes are: Responding to Injustice, Respect for Human Dignity and How One Recovers Human Dignity in the Face of Dehumanization, Racism and Discrimination, and Lessons Learned in Response to the Hardships of Others. Deadline in Feb 28, holocenter@brookdalecc.edu Student Literary Writing Contest, for students in grades 7-12.

The NJ Commission on Holocaust Education can send a copy of the documentary “Only a Number.” Based on the film, students can write, in prose, poetry, dramatic form, or any other mode: “Relate Aranka’s Experience to Issues of Today Regarding Prejudice, Intolerance, Stereotyping, and Bullying and What People Can Do to Reduce These Evils.” No required length of the essay. Deadline is April 15. 609-2929274 or holocaust@doe.state.nj.us Youth Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Award, members of the community can nominate a student in grades 4-12 who has demonstrated an altruistic act of generating awareness, empathy, and action for Holocaust and/or genocide education. Possible topics: anti-bullying, bystander behavior, name-calling, sensitivity to the disabled. In 250 words or less, describe the action or educational event(s) you believe warrant special recognition. Spons by the Mercer County Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center. Deadline is April 15. 609-581-0239 Y

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Saving Lives at Holy Name Holy Name Medical Center Receives Award For Promoting Organ Donation – Officials from NJ Sharing Network recently presented Holy Name Medical Center with its 25th Anniversary Circle of Life Award. The medical center received the award for its efforts to assist NJ Sharing Network with the recovery of organs and tissue for the nearly 5,000 New Jersey patients awaiting a life-saving or

life-enhancing transplant. Pictured (left to right) at the award ceremony are: Kelly Weiland, NJ Sharing Network’s Hospital Services Manager; Basil Vorolieff, a liver recipient and NJ Sharing Network volunteer; Sheryl Slonim, Holy Name Medical Center’s Executive Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer; and Joe Roth, NJ Sharing Network President and CEO. Y

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

Rise of the Right

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

continued from page 1

Indictment Mr. Lieberman, who served as Mr. Netanyahu’s Foreign Minister and partner in the Likud Beiteinu merge, had been under investigation for several years. The timing of his indictment, one month before elections, prompted many to believe it was orchestrated by his political enemies, of which the blunt, outspoken, politically conservative Russian-Jewish leader has many.

Mr. Lieberman was indicted on charges of fraud and breach of trust. He is suspected of having suggested in December 2009 that the government name the former ambassador to Belarus to a post in another country, despite the fact that evidence pointed to the individual’s having passed along secret information, including details of a police enquiry against Mr. Lieberman.

Once he was indicted, Mr. Lieberman resigned his post as Foreign Minister and dropped out of the campaign for Knesset. Mr. Netanyahu is reported to have guaranteed that there will be a position for him when he returns. To that end, Mr. Netanyahu has assumed the position of Foreign Minister himself rather than giving the ministry to someone else.

Israel’s Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, said he has not yet decided if Mr. Lieberman’s suggesting an individual for consideration as an ambassador in exchange for some information amounts to “moral turpitude.”

Although Mr. Lieberman indicated he expects to be back at the Knesset as soon as possible, his departure from the race is thought to be hurting Likud Beiteinu in the polls.

A Problem In general, Mr. Weinstein has become a problem for Likud Beiteinu. The attorney-general has issued an opinion that Jewish residents should be evicted from Beit Ezra, a Jewish-owned building in Hebron that was abandoned in 1947 when Jews were forced from the city. Beit Ezra was restored to Jewish ownership following the 1967 Six-Day War. In 2001, the owners of Beit Ezra asked the Arab tenants to leave and the court allowed several Jewish families to move into the building. It is these residents whom the attorney general wants evicted.

An Israeli court has already issued a verdict in favor of the Jewish families living in the property, but the families’ rights to the building have been challenged by a Peace Now lawsuit calling for their eviction.

State attorneys, rather than challenging Peace Now’s claims, plan to support the group’s demand to oust Israeli families from the property.

Unpopular Eviction The state is now expected to give its decision on whether or not to evict the Jewish residents. The state’s request to postpone giving its position to the court until after elections has been denied.

Many Likud MKs fear that unless Mr. Netanyahu rejects the attorney general’s position, voter outrage at the eviction may cost Likud more seats.

Informal polls taken by MKs on the right indicate that a Netanyahu capitulation to the left on this issue may prompt as many as three Knesset seats to leave the party.

Israel’s political Left is also fragmented, but in contrast to Likud, the left is sinking.

Polls show that Labor will receive about 17 seats; Tzipi Livni’s Hatnua Party and Yair Lapid’s “Atid” Party about 11 each; Meretz between 3 and 5; and the three Arab parties at the same 11 they had in the last Knesset.

Kadima, which for several years was the largest party in the Knesset, probably will not garner sufficient votes to make it this time around.

Sinking Shas Another loser, according to the polls, is Shas, the Sephardic-hareidi party. Before this election cycle, it was assumed that Shas would glide comfortably into any right-wing coalition headed by Mr. Netanyahu. But, before the campaign began, the party’s rabbinic leader, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, decided to name Aryeh Deri as head of the party. Mr. Deri is a Shas leader who has spent time in prison and has been known for leaning left on issues such as land-for-peace.

As a result, Shas, which had been polling at about 12 seats, was down to 8 in the latest poll. Some of those seats have been lost to parties which are more reliably right wing, such as Likud Beiteinu and even Jewish Home.

Other former Shas votes may go to Am Shalem, a break-away faction headed by Rabbi Haim Amsalem, who had been a Shas MK until he was fired by the party’s leadership for ideas that did not match theirs. Still an MK, Rabbi Amsalem formed Am Shalem, which seeks to attract Zionist-Sephardim who favor yeshiva students serving in the IDF and receiving, along with Torah studies, high-level secular educations which would allow them successfully to join the workforce.

Most polls show that Am Shalem will not reach the necessary threshold to join the Knesset, but, at the beginning of January, a few surveys indicated that it just might be possible for Rabbi Amsalem to win the needed two seats.

Rising Right Despite the fact that the Knesset will be overwhelmingly right wing, Mr. Netanyahu still may have to enter into some tricky negotiations in order to put together a coalition of at least 61 seats to form a government. The smaller the number of Likud Beiteinu MKs, the greater will be the expectations and demands of the smaller parties whose participation he will need. Battles are expected as the various right-wing parties contend for ministries that allow them to parcel out jobs and follow through on the promises made to constituents.

Jewish Home started the election cycle with expectations, based on polls, at about 13 seats. By the beginning of

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

Rise of the Right January, some polls had the party as high as 18 seats, challenging Labor for the second largest party in the Knesset.

Another right-wing party, Otzma LeYisrael (Power to Israel), led by MKs Dr. Aryeh Eldad and Michael Ben-Ari, had considered joining Jewish Home, but, at the last minute, decided to form its own faction. Dr. Eldad and Mr. Ben-Ari are joined on the ticket by the fiery Hebron activist Baruch Marzel and Aryeh King, the founder and director of the Land of Israel Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Jews from abroad buy homes and land in Israel, including areas in Judea and Samaria.

Until just recently, it did not seem as if Otzma Leyisrael would earn even the minimum level of support needed to enter the Knesset. At the end of

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continued from page 40 December, while some polls showed Otzma Leyisrael still not reaching the threshold, other surveys showed the party winning two or even four seats.

Losing Center By the beginning of January, polls showed that Likud Beiteinu was losing seats at an average of one every two weeks. Jewish Home, on the other hand, was growing. Less than three weeks before elections, a Geocartographia poll showed Jewish Home hitting 18 seats. In a surprising turn, the poll showed Otzma Leyisrael winning 6 seats.

No one wondered where Likud Beiteinu voters were going. Jewish Home, and especially Mr. Bennett, seem to have caught the imagination of many on the right.

Polls show that as many as one-third of those attracted to

Jewish Home are secular. Twothirds of Jewish Home voters are age 40 and under. A significant portion are under 30.

Tired of the Tightrope Many Jewish Home voters said they were attracted to Mr. Bennett because they feared Mr. Netanyahu will cave to demands of the Obama administration to evacuate Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Throughout his tenure as Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu seemed to be walking a tightrope on that issue: on one hand trying to please the Likud’s right-wing voters and MKs; and on the other hand submitting to the rulings of the left-wing Israeli courts, which have mandated evacuations from Judea and Samaria (which could be stopped only by legislation that Mr. Netanyahu would have to endorse) and to the more left-wing partners in his coalition and his Cabinet, especially Defense Minister Ehud Barak.

Mr. Bennett’s much more right-wing position seems unshakeable, and every time the Jewish Home is attacked by Likud, it results in higher numbers for the new party.

Mr. Bennett has made it clear that he expects to be in Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition. However, the more seats Jewish Home receives, the more the party can insist on moving the coalition towards the right.

“This is now the young Israeli hard-liners’ party, the refuge for those who mistrust both Palestinian protestations of seeking peace and Mr. Netanyahu’s commitment to the communities of Judea and Samaria,” said journalist David Horovitz, writing in the Times of Israel.

Learning from Bibi Mr. Bennett, the 40-year-old Haifa-born son of Jewish parents

who made aliyah from San Francisco, is a graduate of one of the IDF’s most elite commando units, Sayeret Matkal. While he was still a child, the family became more religious, and Mr. Bennett wears a kippah srugah and identifies as religious.

After finishing his degree at the Hebrew University, he became involved in a technology start-up which had created a high-tech security system to assist in online banking. When it sold in the US, Mr. Bennett earned $145 million.

Married and the father of four, he arrived back in Israel in the summer of 2006, just in time for the Second Lebanon War. After watching his best friend die, he decided he wanted to do something more meaningful than simply finding another company.

He secured a position with Mr. Netanyahu while he was still in the opposition, and, when Mr. Netanyahu became Prime Minister again, Mr. Bennett was in place. He stayed with Mr. Netanyahu for two years, leaving only when the Israeli Prime Minister caved to President Barack Obama’s demands that the Jewish state freeze all construction in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem for ten months, in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to lure the Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

Schizophrenic Policy Mr. Bennett has charged Mr. Netanyahu’s most recent government of pursuing a “schizophrenic” policy on communities in Judea and Samaria and on dealings with the Palestinians.

According to Mr. Bennett, the Prime Minister “talks a lot about major expansion of building beyond the Green Line, while also insisting he wants to move forward with the Palestinians.”

These mutually exclusive positions, he said, manage to annoy the international community, the Palestinians, the residents of Judea and Samaria and their supporters, and just about everybody else in between.

No Palestinian State Mr. Bennett, on the other hand, declares outright that there will be no Palestinian state. Rejecting what he called “the terrible two-state solution,” he said his “annexation agenda” would prevent PA Arabs from establishing an army or absorbing Jordanian and Syrian refugees.

Mr. Bennett and his party are committed to annexing Area C of Judea and Samaria, which is about 60 percent of the territory and over which Israel maintains full control.

Only 4 percent of the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria— the area demanded by the PA for its future state—reside in Area C, and Mr. Bennett is prepared to offer the 50,000 Arabs who live there full Israeli citizenship, just as the Arabs in eastern Jerusalem were offered citizenship when Israel annexed those neighborhoods and unified the city. Area C is home to about 350,000 Jews.

Mr. Bennett said he would be surprised if Palestinians in Area C accepted the offer to become Israeli citizens. He said they would probably opt for “permanent residency.”

“Area C forms a contiguous Israeli land mass and includes the Jordan Valley, the Dead Sea, Ben Gurion airport, and surrounding area, Maaleh Adumim and all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. Residents of Tel Aviv, the coastal plain, and the entire country will live in security and be protected from the threats from the east,” he said, adding that when the Arabs of Area C are offered full citizenship “it will pull the rug out from the Apartheid accusation.”

January 2013/Shevat 5773

Palestinian Autonomy Area A, which is under Palestinian administration and control, contains 59 percent of the Arabs in Judea and Samaria. Area B, which is under Israeli control and Palestinian administration, is home to 41 percent of the Palestinians. According to Mr. Bennett’s plan, in Areas A and B, which take up 41 percent of the land, the PA will have full autonomy.

What they will not be able to do, according to Mr. Bennett’s plan, is allow millions of refugees to “return,” not even to the areas under Palestinian control. Mr. Bennett called Mr. Netanyahu’s agreement that refugees could be repatriated to Palestine alone “an egregious mistake that would lead to an irreversible demographic nightmare.”

Mr. Bennett harbors no illusions as to international acceptance of his plan. “The world will not recognize our sovereignty in the area, just as it does not recognize our sovereignty at the Western Wall, in the Ramot and Gilo neighborhoods of Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights. Not to worry, the world will get used to it,” he said.

Stuck with Two States Mr. Netanyahu, on the other hand, is stuck with his commitment to the “two-state solution.” Many of his supporters argue that Mr. Netanyahu’s requirements for the Palestinians before their state can be established—such as relinquishing the demand for the “right of return,” which means that all Arabs who fled from Israel in 1948 and their descendants will not have the right to “return” to Israel proper; and the acceptance of Israel as “the Jewish state”—will never be accepted by the PA. Some say, in his subtle way, Mr. Netanyahu is trying

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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

Ess Gezint: Tu B’Shevat Snacks Doni Zasloff Thomas, better known as Mama Doni, is a popular performer and singer-songwriter, well recognized for celebrating Jewish holidays and traditions with children and families. In 2012, she teamed up with Chef Rachel Hartman to produce Get Cooking: A Jewish American Family Cookbook (Behrman House). With its accompanying CD, the book is a good place to start for Tu B’Shevat (Shabbat, Jan 26) and Super Bowl parties (Sun., Feb 3), especially if the children will help with the preparations.

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Fill-in-the-Blank Chocolate Bark 4 cups chocolate chips 2 cups of toppings, such as chopped

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nuts, dried fruit, granola, crushed pretzels, cookie crumbs, etc.

Melt the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl placed over a pan of simmering water. Stir with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is smooth. Fit parchment paper over a baking sheet and, with a spatula, spread the melted chocolate evenly over the paper.

Cover the surface of the chocolate with the toppings of choice.

An alternative method is to mix the chosen bark toppings into the melted chocolate before spreading. Refrigerate for two hours or until firm. Then break the chocolate into bit-sized (or slightly larger) pieces. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark location.

4 cups wheat cereal squares 5 Tbs barbecue sauce 2 cups pita chips 1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce 2 cups pretzel sticks or snaps 1 tsp chili powder 2 cups mixed nuts or potato sticks 1 tsp onion or other seasoned salt 5 Tbs olive oil 1 tsp brown sugar Preheat the oven to 250º. Spray two large baking sheets with nonstick spray, and set aside. Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. In a saucepan, heat the oil and stir in remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce over the snack mix and gently stir to cover evenly. Spread the coated snack mix in a single layer on the baking sheets and bake for 1 hour, mixing every 20 minutes.

Makes 8-10 cups.

Shwarma Wings 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp parsley flakes 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp turmeric

Salt and pepper to taste 2 lbs chicken wings, split at the joint 1 Tbs olive oil Hummus for dipping

Pre-heat the oven to broil. In a small bowl, mix the herbs and spices (first 7 ingredients). Put the chicken wings in a gallonsized re-sealable plastic bag. Add the olive oil and shake so the chicken is coated in oil. Pour the spice mix into the bag and shake until the chicken is covered. Broil the wings on both sides until the center is no longer pink. Serve along with hummus so these flavorful wings can be dipped. Makes about 24 wings.

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Rise of the Right to have his cake (appear to the international community as willing to make concessions for peace) and eat it too (insist on reasonable requests that the Palestinians will not accept).

The problem is that too many right-wing voters do not trust him and believe that once elected, he will proceed with the evacuations they fear.

They have no such fear with Mr. Bennett, and thus many are voting for him.

Refusal to Evict For a few days at the end of December, Mr. Netanyahu seemed to think that capitalizing on what many thought was a gaffe by Mr. Bennett would actually serve to stymie Jewish Home’s skyrocketing numbers.

On December 20, during a television interview, Mr. Bennett, who still serves in the IDF as a reservist, was asked what he would do if ordered to evict Jews from their homes in Judea and Samaria. Mr. Bennett replied that he would ask his commander to release him from that position or reassign him. If necessary, Mr. Bennett said, he would be willing to serve time in prison rather than violate Jewish law.

“If I received an order to evict a Jew from his home, my conscience would not allow it.

Sorry, I cannot enter a Jew’s home and evict him.”

He then added that, as an MK, he would work to thwart any plan that could hurt the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria.

“Appalled” Likud and several leftwing parties pounced. Likud Minister Moshe Ya’alon, a former IDF Chief of Staff, said he was “appalled” by Mr. Bennett’s comments, which, he said, “endanger the IDF and Israeli democracy.”

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continued from page 43 Likud’s MK Zev Elkin said he, too, if ordered to expel Jews would ask to be released from duty. But, he said, if his commander refused, he would carry out the eviction order.

Mr. Elkin said he certainly does not support such orders and, he said, like Mr. Bennett, he, too, plans to use his position as an MK in the ruling party to ensure that such orders are not given in the first place.

“Dangerous to Democracy” Mr. Netanyahu seemed to lower the boom when he appeared to make clear that, based on Mr. Bennett’s remarks, he would not include Jewish Home in his coalition.

“I’m not prepared to have anyone who reveres refusal of orders in my government,” said Mr. Netanyahu, calling Mr. Bennett’s statement “very serious.”

“I think the idea of ​​refusal, even as a natural inclination, is something which is simply not acceptable. If every soldier decides that he likes or dislikes certain orders, we won’t have an IDF and we won’t have a state. I am not willing to accept such a thing,” he said.

The following day, Likud launched a massive ad campaign which appeared in every newspaper in Israel. The ad cited Mr. Bennett’s quotes and called him “dangerous to democracy.”

None of the criticism said a word about the many leftwing politicians from Labor and Meretz who have said they would refuse orders to evacuate Arabs. Labor candidate Merav Michaeli, who won the Number Five slot on her party’s list, has openly called on soldiers to refuse to serve at all in the IDF. She calls on Jewish women not to send their sons to the military.

Facebook Explanation Mr. Bennett turned to his Facebook page to explain that his remarks should, in no way, be seen as advocating for soldiers to refuse their commanders’ orders. He did not, however, back away from his own personal position.

“As one who led fighters in operations and in battle, I oppose refusing orders with all my heart and soul,” he wrote.

“I fulfilled all the orders in my 22 years in the army and will continue to do so. Personally, I simply cannot evict a family from its home and would ask my commanders to release me from that. I pray and will work with all my might to ensure that the Israeli government will never evict families from their homes in this country.”

He also took Mr. Netanyahu to task for the newspaper ad attacks, accusing him of “tearing Israeli society [apart].” He called on Mr. Netanyahu to stop attacking others in the nationalist camp.

“We’re from the same camp.

We served in the same unit.

Do not shoot inside your own APC,” he said, using the military abbreviation for “armored personnel carrier.”

He then suggested that Likud’s “preoccupation with the question of whether soldiers will expel Jews from their homes or not” speaks volumes.

“Mr. Prime Minister, yes or

no?” Mr. Bennett asked, “Do you intend to uproot Jews from their homes again? Jewish Home will be a large and meaningful party to prevent a situation in which IDF soldiers again have to face such dilemmas, which are not humanly bearable.”

Electric The effect was electric. Overnight, Mr. Bennett’s approval numbers climbed as an increasing number of right-wing voters told pollsters they had decided to vote for Jewish Home. Once again, Likud hemorrhaged seats.

Some on the right suspected Mr. Netanyahu had so cavalierly condemned Mr. Bennett’s remarks because he really did not want Jewish Home in his coalition.

Citing sources close to Mr. Netanyahu, Arutz Sheva said Mr. Netanyahu wanted a “a more centrist” government, which might include a hareidi party or two (Shas and, possibly, United Torah Jewry), and, perhaps, another “center party.”

Likud Won’t Go Left The polls, however, showed that without Jewish Home, Mr. Netanyahu would not be able to form any coalition that his own Likud MKs would tolerate.

The nationalist Manhigut Yehudit faction’s Moshe Feiglin, who was elected to a realistic slot on the Likud list, not only excused Mr. Bennett, he honored him.

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

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Neve PTI: Helping Women Without Day School Backgrounds Catch Up (Jews raised in secular homes who have decided to return to traditional Jewish observance), Sorah Birnbaum of Teaneck knew that she had missed opportunities that Jews raised in Orthodox homes “may take for granted.” As a child, she did not

experience “the excitement of preparing for each Shabbos, the strong ties and connection to a community, and the yearly flow of the holidays.”

“High on the list,” she says, “is having missed the opportunity to receive a Jewish education—even a basic one.”

Today, that opportunity

A Mother’s Plea

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Like many ba’alei teshuva

Her husband legally owned a gun, but she had been quite uncomfortable about it. After this incident, she decided to learn how to use her husband’s gun. She finally understood what her husband meant when he had said: A gun is like a credit card. Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Not a Personal Gun-Owner Let me make one thing clear. I do not have a gun, nor have I ever had one. I do not personally want a gun now because I am not ready to assume the responsibility involved in proper training for it. I am not even suggesting that most adults should own guns. However, I do think those who are willing to accept the responsibility for proper gun

Rise of the Right “A country which sanctifies liberty must reserve a place of honor for conscientious

safety should have right to do so. I am grateful for those who do.

My attitude has evolved from that time long time ago when I believed the sophistry of the radical anti-protection lobby, whose adherents are well-meaning but misguided.

But as I looked deeper into the subject, I came to recognize the folly of their arguments, and the benefit of crime prevention that a well-armed responsible populace would provide.

Even with the crushing restrictions on guns in many parts of the country, guns do prevent over 600,000 crimes per year, according to FBI statistics.

There is no question that states (such as Texas and Florida) that allow responsible citizens

is being met by the Passaic Torah Institute.

For BTs and FFBs Founded 20 years ago in Passaic by Rabbi Shlomo Singer, PTI was established as “a yeshiva for working people and their families.” Classes are held mostly in the evening, and there is no minimum or

maximum number of hours expected.

Although there is now a women’s division, PTI was begun just for men, as a place for BTs (ba’alei teshuva) and FFBs (those born into Orthodox families who see themselves as “frum from birth”) to learn.

to carry protective weapons have lower rates of crime; the effect of deterrence is significant. Were more responsible people able to protect other innocent individuals, the criminals would soon learn that they put their own lives in peril when there are many citizen protectors surrounding them.

Not PC I know I am swimming against the tide, and that the initial reaction of the majority in the wake of a shooting incident is to impose even more stringent constraints on gun ownership.

Yet, this recent tragedy convinces me even more about the need to make it easier for responsible people to obtain protective guns.

I am sure the usual epithets will be thrown at me by the anti-protection gun control lobby. I am not a member of any gun-related group. I have not sought the endorsement of any gun-related group. I have not obtained funds from any gun-related group. I am in no one’s pocket.

These are personal, heartfelt beliefs developed through years of study and observation of the topic.

To protect our children, many of us vaccinate them, even though there is a small risk to their health by doing so.

To ensure our children’s safety even more, we need to protect them with the only tool available to stop a madman: a gun in the hands of a responsible, trained, loving adult.

Y

ecuting him,” said Mr. Feiglin.

The Nationalist Likud Faction, an internal group made up largely of party members from Judea and Samaria, called on Mr. Netanyahu to cease the party’s attacks on Mr. Bennett, as did sixty-two soldiers who signed a petition saying the same thing.

Reversal Mr. Netanyahu’s reversal came within hours. He insisted he had “never told anyone” that he intended to block Mr. Bennett from his coalition. Mr. Netanyahu suggested to reporters that Mr. Bennett might have produced

this “spin” by himself in order to attract still more religious Likud supporters to Jewish Home.

Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely told reporters that despite recent confrontations between her party and Jewish Home, she could not imagine that Mr. Bennett would not be part of the next coalition.

Stressing that Likud was still the party with the most experience and “ideological steadfastness,” she said, “Any person who sees the Jewish people’s right to its land as sacrosanct” is a natural ally for Likud in the next coalition.”

S.L.R.

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continued from page 45 objectors. If we refuse to do so, then we must all request Eichmann’s forgiveness for ex-

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Torah in Motion’s Summer Trips for 2013 This summer, Torah in Motion, the

Canadian-based internationally recognized organization known for its innovative and creative programming, has several trips planned that will be of great interest to the Jewish traveler.

From late June and into July, two Torah in Motion trips are scheduled: one to Central Europe, including Prague, Budapest, Bratislava (Pressburg), Eisenstadt, Sopron, and other sites well off the beaten track, and the other to Africa for an exploration of the beauty of nature on a safari.

The trip to Central Europe, from June 27-July 7, will be led by Dr. Marc Shapiro, who holds the Weinberg Chair in Judaic Studies at the University of Scranton. The author of several books, including two that were National Jewish Book Award finalists: “Between the Yeshiva World and Modern Orthodoxy: The Life and Works of Rabbi Jehiel Jacob Weinberg” and “The Limits of Orthodox Theology: Maimonides’ Thirteen Principles Reappraised,” Dr. Shapiro is also the author of “Saul Lieberman and the Orthodox” and “Studies in Maimonides and His Interpreters.”

Safari The African Safari, which will leave July 21 and return on August 1, will be led by Rabbi Natan Slifkin, also known as the “Zoo Rabbi.”

Known for teachings about the relationship between Judaism and the animal kingdom, Rabbi Slifkin has had a lifelong fascination with wildlife, which has prompted him to keep a wide variety of exotic pets, including iguanas and tarantulas. He has developed the Zoo Torah program which has been successfully operated in almost a dozen major American cities, from New York and Philadelphia to Los Angeles and San Diego.

Torah in Motion’s African Safari will feature a private game preserve, luxury hotels, and gourmet kosher food prepared by a resident chef. The safari will include Victoria Falls and Shabbat in beautiful Cape Town.

Italy From August 4-15, Dr. Shapiro will lead another Torah in Motion trip, this one to Italy, including Rome, Tuscany, Pitifliano, Florence, Pisa, Livorno, Siena, Ferrara, and Venice. Participants will visit numerous sites of significance in Jewish history, some of them not often part of organized tours, as well as places of general interest.

A central feature of both of Dr. Shapiro’s Torah in Motion tours this summer will be

his expert discussions of the many places to be visited, making the trips nothing less than traveling classrooms. In addition, local guides will join the trips, providing their expertise as well.

Before departure, Dr. Shapiro will send participants an educational packet to be used on the trip.

In addition to the special Torah in Motion educational and spiritual aspects, the trips to Central Europe and then Italy will include luxury hotels in prime locations, strictly kosher food, and expert local tour guides for sites of general interest.

Jewish Medical Ethics At Torah in Motion, the summer will kick off with the fifth International Conference on Jewish Medical Ethics, which will take place

from July 4-7 in beautiful Lake Placid, NY..

This year’s key presenters will include Prof Avraham Steinberg, MD, a former medical officer in the Israeli Air Force and the winner of the 1999 Israel Prize for his Encyclopedia of Jewish Medical Ethics, who now serves as a pediatric neurologist at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and the director of the Center for Medical Ethics at Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School in Jerusalem, and Rabbi Steven Weil, chief executive officer of the Orthodox Union.

Topics and other speakers will be announced soon.

For more information, Torah in Motion can be visited online at www.torahinmotion. org, by phone at 866-633-5770, or by email at info@torahinmotion.org.

Y

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Adult Ed at PTI

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continued from page 46

“Many of our students, if not most, did not have the chance to be nurtured in yeshivos growing up. Single or married, beginner or advanced, all walk through the doors of PTI with the opportunity to acquire valuable skills and dig deeper into the details of the Gemara, with the Rishonim and Acharonim. Whether it’s learning through chavrusos or being guided by one of our top-notch rabbeim who are there each night leading groups at multiple levels, everyone at PTI works on solid, specific goals, and is given the tools to really accomplish,” says Rabbi Singer, a student of the late Rav Aaron Kotel, zt”l, and the late Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l.

Classes range from various levels of Gemara study, Chumash (Bible), practical halacha (Jewish law), and Hebrew reading and language skills. Men can spend an hour a week at PTI or days on end.

Adding Women A few years ago, Rabbi Singer realized that helping Jewish men grow closer to their roots was not enough.

“He recognized that the nasheem tzidkonios, the holy Jewish women, are the backbone of the Jewish nation and the key to spiritual growth of any community,” says Mrs. Birnbaum.

Rabbi Singer methodically sought out and created a partnership with Rabbi

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Dr. Dovid Refson, founder and dean of Neve Yerushalayim, the popular women’s seminary in Israel. With Rabbi Refson’s guidance, PTI developed its women’s branch, Neve PTI, which offers its own solid and sophisticated curriculum.

Its courses include classes on Books of the Bible and other Jewish commentaries, Jewish law, Hebrew reading and language, and programs on taharas hamishpacha, family purity.

Diverse Backgrounds Two years ago, Neve PTI took as one of its goals the establishment of a class in Passaic for women who had come to Orthodox Judaism without benefit of a day school background. Extremely successful in Passaic, Neve PTI brought this same program to Teaneck one year ago.

The goal of the program in Passaic and Teaneck is to enhance Hebrew literacy, davening (prayer), and the building of textual skills while deepening hashkafa, which is the term used to define the personal view of an individual regarding Jewish philosophy, law, and observance.

In Passaic, the classes have attracted some women who actually do have extensive Jewish-education backgrounds as well as those who are novices.

In Teaneck, while there is some diversity, most of the women do not have yeshiva or Bais Yaakov backgrounds, and it is for them that the program was developed.

Under the direction of Morah Blimie Lampel, Neve PTI-Teaneck will begin its new semester on January 9, and all women able to read simple Hebrew (even if they cannot translate what they are reading) are welcome to join the class.

In Passaic, the program began on January 2, but women are invited to join at any time.

Needing the Hebrew Many would not understand why Mrs. Birnbaum felt the need for this program.

She has been fully observant for many years and has attended literally hundreds of shiurim, lectures, and classes.

“I still seek growth in Yiddishkeit,” she explains, “and the ability to write a simple ‘Shabbat Shalom’ in Ivrit [Hebrew] on a greeting card was eluding me. Along the way, I’ve managed to learn enough Hebrew to make it through davening, but

I never made the time to learn how to write and read Hebrew script.”

She is convinced she is not alone.

“There are many full-blown ba’alei teshuva—you can’t tell them apart from FFBs—who still recite tefillos [prayers] in English,” she says.

Many Tools This should not be a surprise, she says, considering how much there is to learn in order to transition from a secular to a religious way of life. In this, the newly religious have many tools, especially the numerous prayer books and Books of Scripture in Hebrew and English, with commentaries in English.

“We are more focused on the content and less so on the basic skills. Artscroll and NCSY Benchers have been our constant companions,” she says, referring to the series of translations, books, and commentaries from an Orthodox perspective that have been published by the Brooklyn-based Mesorah Publications, and the popular book with the Graceafter-Meals as well as other prayers and Sabbath songs (zemiroth) in English and Hebrew, including transliterations, sponsored by the National Council of Synagogue Youth of the Orthodox Union.

Nevertheless, she says, she and other BTs she knows “acknowledge a deep regret at not having had a day school or yeshiva education.”

“We know we could go much further in our learning if we had a greater command of the language. Many women especially long for that year in sem— without the extra 20 pounds of course,” she says.

“Sem” is shorthand for “seminary,” the schools, mostly in Israel, in which young Orthodox women frequently spend the year between high school and college immersed in Jewish learning. The weight gain is most commonly attributed to the availability of ubiquitous kosher food and a diet of pasta-and-cheese prepared in the dormitory kitchen.

Fear of Gemara Mrs. Birnbaum learned about PTI through her husband several years before Neve PTI was opened. Also a BT, Howard Birnbaum attended PTI to learn Gemara.

“As a talented musician, he is distinctly

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Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Kol Chaverim Summer Program . . . . 42

Burial Services

Eden Memorial Chapels . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Gutterman and Musicant/Wien & Wien..54 Camp Kaylie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Gan Israel Day Camp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kol Chaverim Summer Program . . . .

Camp Regesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

23 22 42 39

Car Service

Teaneck Taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Catering Hall/Event Planning

Congr. Shomrei Emunah . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Charities

Donate Your Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Umbrella Tzedaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

Education

Yeshiva Initiatives Education Programs 35 OHEL School Competition . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Entertainment & Events

My Name is Asher Lev . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1/27: Aliyah Shipping Seminar . . . . . .

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2/12: Parna$$ah Networking Event . .

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Cake & Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Kosher Restaurant, Take-Out

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Medical Services

Female CNA/Home Health Care Aide . . 18 Frankowitz Orthodontics . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Holy Name Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . 3 OHEL Geriatric Care Management. . . 43 OBGYN, Dr. Efrat Meier-Ginsberg . . . . . . . 51 Women’s Personal Training Sessions . . . 45 Psychotherapy, Chana Simmonds . . 51

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Glitter Galore . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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Mendel Meyers Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Real Estate

Livingston, NJ Rental . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Zimuki Property in Jerusalem . . . . . . . 15

Travel & Vacations

Costa Rica Kosher Adventures . . . . . . 33 Elite Dimensions Passover Tours . . . . . 6 “Flakey” Jake Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 Jewish Heritage Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Hudson Valley Resorts Passover . . . . 20 Kosherica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Lasko Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Leisure Time Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Marco Polo Pesach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 MatzaFUN Tours Passover . . . . . . . . . . 17 Orlando Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Quality Hotel, Montreal . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Passover Resorts Palm Beach, FL . . . . . 5 Passover Resorts Valencia, CA . . . . . . 21 Pesach Time Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Torah in Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Walking Israel Tour Guide . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Adult Ed at PTI left-brained, and Gemara had always seemed somewhat dry and scary to him. In fact, he says he was ‘Gemara-phobic.’

Rabbi Singer brought it to life for him through a unique and interactive approach which tapped his creative mind, greatly enhanced his learning, and, Baruch Hashem, set him on a path to loving Gemara,” she says.

Mrs. Birnbaum speaks just as reverentially about her Neve PTI teacher, Mrs. Lampel, who, in addition to her work with PTI, serves as curriculum coordinator and teacher-mentor for Jewish studies at the Yeshiva K’tana of Passaic.

“In addition to her 30-plus years in chinuch [education], Blimie brings us a connection to a rich mesorah [tradition].

For me, this is a bonus since I am always seeking a closer connection to our heritage,” says Mrs. Birnbaum.

Bais Yaakov Connection In fact, Mrs. Lampel was a student of Rebbetzin Vichna Kaplan, who established the Bais Yaakov chinuch system in America and was considered the preeminent student of Sara Schneirer, the founder of the movement in Krakow, Poland, in 1917.

Named for the “house of Jacob,” which is traditionally understood in Judaism to refer to the female population

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continued from page 48 of the Jewish nation, the Bais Yaakov movement was begun

by Mrs. Schneirer as way to stem the tide of assimilation among young Jewish women who were attending secular schools. Although it was highly controversial at the time, she concluded that the way to combat this phenomenon was by providing young Jewish women with a thorough, school-based Jewish education. For this project, she won the approval of Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan, better known as the Chofetz Chaim, who issued a ruling that contemporary conditions required a departure from the traditional prohibitions on teaching women Torah.

After obtaining Rabbi Kagan’s approval, the Bais Yaakov movement became nearly universally supported by Orthodox Jewry. Mrs. Schneirer’s original Bais Yaakov trained young women to become teachers who taught in other Bais Yaakov institutions.

Eclectic Group In Teaneck, the Neve PTI class has attracted an eclectic group of women. Most reside in Bergen County, but women have traveled to Teaneck from Monsey, and one woman skyped in by computer from South Carolina.

The class meets on Monday evenings for 90-minute sessions in a private home in Teaneck.

As in Passaic, the class covers four or five subjects, including Tefilla (prayers); Chumash with Rashi; Psalms; dikduk (Hebrew grammar), conversational Hebrew, and Hebrew reading; and holiday laws, history, and customs.

Periods are organized into 10-15-minute segments, each focusing on specific skills, such as conversational Hebrew, grammar, Bible, or reading.

Last summer, the women learned Pirkei Avos (The Chapters—or Ethics—of the Fathers), the ethical and moral teachings and maxims of the rabbis during the early period when the Talmud was being formulated, and Tehillim, or Psalms.

This past fall, they began the study of Navi, or Prophets.

“The context is deep, and in every subject we tackle, there is an emphasis on the acquisition of basic skills,” says Mrs. Birnbaum.

Rashi For example, Mrs. Lampel translates the difficult Rashi script into Hebrew, making it a bit easier for the women to understand the commentary of the medieval French Rabbi Shlomo Itzhaki.

Although Mrs. Birnbaum readily admits she and her classmates are not yet ready for Rashi script, there is an elation in the class at being able to ask about “Dibbur Hamaschil,” the lead words or quotes from the Torah, which begin all Rashi comments; or “ma kashe leRashi” (“what is bothering Rashi?”).

“Then we delve into understanding how Rashi uses pshat, the surface or literal meaning of a text, to draw insights. We even learn little tunes to help us remember,” says Mrs. Birnbaum.

Open Format Terri Woo, a senior director for information technology

product development and a recent convert to Judaism, travels to the class in Teaneck from Staten Island. She says she likes the “open format.”

“Each of us can participate at our own level and feel comfortable. Blimie is a patient, caring teacher who answers all our questions with explanations that are clear and easy to understand.”

Rise Cooper admits to having felt intimidated before joining the class because she feared the women might be more advanced than she, but she soon learned that the atmosphere was very supportive to women at all stages of life, observance, and backgrounds.

“We each have strengths and weaknesses, and we pool our resources to get to the common goal of growing in our Judaism,” she says.

Common Goal According to Mrs. Birnbaum, while each woman comes to the class with her own unique story, “we share the common goal of trying to catch up.”

Dr. Joanna Syzlit of Fair Lawn describes herself as the child of Holocaust survivors who chose to offer her no Jewish education. Her father was a survivor whose life was saved by the Kindertransport, a rescue mission undertaken nine months before the outbreak of World War II in which 10,000 Jewish children from Germany, Austria, Czechoslovakia, and Poland were taken to Britain. According to Dr. Syzlit, his reaction to his childhood experience was to “push away his roots.”

Several years ago, Dr. Syzlit, a physician, and her husband and daughter decided to reconnect to that heritage. The Neve PTI class, she says, gives her “a little window into the

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Who Does the Cooking?

I was astonished to see the headline of your December 2012 Kol Ami column: “What Should the Bride Know about Cooking?” Perhaps you were inspired by the archives of women’s magazines from half a century ago.

Nowadays, many young men and women work full time, necessitating that household duties are shared. Why is cooking the responsibility of the bride? Is today’s groom helpless in the kitchen? And if so, why?

With a little extra thought, you could have phrased your question to the chefs as “What is the next big thing in kosher cooking that every newlywed couple should know?” Instead, you chose to perpetuate a silly, old-fashioned, sexist stereotype.

Even a newspaper “Promoting Classical Judaism” can rethink gender roles in the kitchen.

Hope S. Langer, MD Bronx, NY SLR Responds: You are 100 percent correct. This is even funnier because two of the top staffers at The Jewish Voice (your truly included) live in households in which the husbands do virtually all the cooking.

It may not be the case in the majority of the households we reach, but, nevertheless, an increasing number of men take great pride in their culinary skills (if not in shopping or cleaning up). Eternally beautiful gender roles in shul, for sure; in the kitchen, not so much.

Inclusion

I read your story about youth group leaders receiving training sessions (“OHEL Training Program for Shabbos Youth Group Leaders Kicks Off at Congregation Beth Abraham,” December, 2012).

Nowhere did I see any mention of Inclusion programs which OHEL should be pushing. Why aren’t group leaders taught how to include special-needs children? There should be room for everyone in Shabbos groups.

Special-needs children and their parents are crying out for programs since they usually do nothing on Shabbos. Friendship Circle encourages the typical teens to be with special needs children. Where is OHEL? Stanley Scher Riverdale, NY Derek Saker, spokesman for OHEL responds: For over 40 years, OHEL has been at the forefront of integrating young children and adults challenged by disability into the community. OHEL’s new training program for Shabbos youth leaders at Congregation Beth Abraham is a two-part session and certification which includes a curriculum of sensitivity training to children of varying physical, emotional, and cognitive abilities, and practical steps to effectively encourage and manage integration. Many children of readers of The Jewish Voice and Opinion already attend Camp Kaylie at OHEL—which is OHEL’s latest “integration initiative”—our groundbreaking twoyear-old summer camp for kids of all abilities.

Remembering Sen Daniel Inouye (D-HI)

As a journalist in Israel for the past 26 years, I have met hundreds of politicians from around the world who visit Israel and laud the Jewish state with superlatives of support.

There is only one visiting politician whom I ever met who

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Letters to the Editor

had tears in his eyes as he discussed his connection to Israel.

That was Senator Daniel Inouye, the Democrat from Hawaii who has just passed away last month.

When I first interviewed Inouye in 1987, I held out my right hand to shake his hand, not realizing that he did have an right arm.

Although I felt embarrassed, he went on to reassure me, with genuine good spirit, that his loss of a right arm in the war against Germany in World War II was nothing like the losses suffered by the Jewish people to the Nazis.

The Senator went on to relate that in the 20 months that he spent in US Army hospitals recovering from the loss of his right arm and other wounds, he learned about the Jewish death camps from a fellow officer in the hospital and that he spent his convalescence reading up on Jewish history, and, when Israel was formed in 1948, he became a registered Israel Bonds salesman—without commission.

I will never forget how, while looking at my kippah, the Senator smiled and told me that he spent a few years considering conversion to Judaism, but that he did not want to make his Methodist mother uncomfortable.

This was a man whose support for Israel and the Jewish people was deep and genuine.

Daniel Inouye will be mourned in Jerusalem.

David Bedein Director, Israel Resource News Agency Jerusalem, Israel

Forcing a Victim to Relive the Horror

Iris Almog lost much of her family on October 4, 2003.

They were in a Haifa restaurant, Maxim, owned by a Christian Arab, when the 28-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber Hanadi Jaradat, an educated lawyer, detonated the explosive belt she was wearing. Jaradat murdered 21 Israelis, many of them children, and wounded 51 others.

Five members of Iris’s family were murdered, including her father, a senior navy officer; her mother; her brother; and her two nephews, ages 9 and 11.

These days Iris has been taking courses at the Beit Berl “College,” which is a pseudo-institute of higher learning, run by the Kibbutz Movement in Israel.

Last month, she was attending a course taught there by one Michal Chacham, a radical anti-Israel pseudo-academic who teaches “women’s studies.” Chacham (whose name is more than ironic) is a sponsor of calls for world boycotts against Israel, was a supporter of the traitor/spy Azmi Bishara, and was one of the extremists calling for Israeli soldiers to mutiny and refuse to serve.

She claims Israel is an apartheid regime that carries out ethnic cleansing. She supports the “Palestinian right of return” that would destroy Israel.

She was a supporter of Tali Fahima, the convicted girlfriendaccomplice of a terrorist who helped him plan atrocities.

In Chacham’s course, which turned out to be largely a recital of the Palestinian pseudo-history of the “Nakba,” Chacham screened the slanderous anti-Israel propaganda film “Jenin Jenin,” produced by terrorist Mohammed Bakri. The film portrays Israeli

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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) soldiers as Nazi-like monsters who committed mass massacres in the Battle of Jenin in 2002.

Bakri himself admits his film is a tissue of lies. In street-tostreet fighting there, against entrenched terrorists, perhaps 20 Palestinians died and almost as many Israeli troops, thanks to the reluctance of the military to use artillery to dislodge the terrorists.

Bakri was sued for libel by a group of Israeli fighters who took part in the battle, but a leftist court judge (who has been in the news for years because of allegations of corruption) exonerated him.

You can imagine Iris’s reaction when she saw that the course in which she was registered morphed into a celebration of the genocidal terrorists who murdered her own family. She and other students walked out of the classroom in outrage when the “film” was screened.

Iris was subject to abuse by the “college,” forced to relive the murder of her parents and other family members, while her lecturer celebrated the murderers.

Beit Berl campus officials defended this atrocity and the lecturer. The time has come to strip Beit Berl of its accreditation and to shut it down.

If you would like to express your anger about this, write to President of Beit Berl College Dr. Tamar Ariav, Tel: 972-9-7478701, Fax: 972-9-747-8700, Email: ariavt@beitberl.ac.il You can also write to The Council for Higher Education in Israel (governmental body that funds and supervises Israeli universities and colleges), Prof. Manuel Trachtenberg, Chairman, Council on Higher Education, Email: manuel@post.tau.ac.il.

Aharon Beit-Halahmi, Planning & Budgeting Committee Chairman, Council for Higher Education, Email: betha@eurofund. co.il or info@che.org.il Ministry of Education, The Honorable Gideon Sa’ar, Minister of Education, Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Email: gsaar@knesset.gov.il or sar@ education.gov.il Shalomit Amichai, Director General of the Ministry of Education Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Email: mankal@education.gov.il Prof Steven Plaut University of Haifa Haifa, Israel

HaKaras HaTov On November 17, Sgt Ian Doubak, known by the Passaic community as one of the nicest members of the police force, was jumped by three thugs as he responded to a disagreement at 3am.

The sergeant was in plainclothes having come straight to the scene.

He was brutally beaten just outside Zarco Lounge on Main Street in Passaic while interviewing a witness to the disturbance.

Police said three men attacked him, knocking him unconscious, leaving him with a broken jaw and nose and a concussion.

He was rushed to St. Joseph’s hospital. His jaw is now wired shut.

Baruch Hashem, prayers are helping the sergeant get better each day, although he has a long way to go. Please keep davening.

Flyers may help the police catch the perpetrators. If you are able to post flyers at stores in Passaic, it would be appreciated.

Please ask permission from the managers as some stores will not allow it. To pick up flyers, or to give the police any information you discover, please call Detective Wayne Jennings at 973-3653932 or 862-245-1961. Remember, it is always better to go in groups than alone.

Catching these thugs would make all our lives safer, but more importantly, Sgt Dubak’s attackers should be brought to justice.

According to PBA president Anthony Weiners, there were numerous people in the area when the attack happened, and we need them to come forward to capture the suspects.

The police are offering a $20,000 reward. This is your chance to be a hero and catch the cowards.

If you can’t think of anything else to do, please send Sgt Doubak a get well card or bring some good old-fashioned Jewish cooking to the police station, They will get it to him.

Dov Perel Passaic, NJ The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and style.

Please send all mail to POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631.

The phone number is (201) 569-2845.

The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com

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January 2013/Shevat 5773

Adult Ed at PTI world that I was never fortunate to experience earlier, and I love every minute.”

“I will never catch up, but I will forever enjoy the experience of trying,” she says.

“Aha” Moments Elissa Sce, who is in pharmaceutical sales, says she loves the way the class is taught, with subjects divided into 10-15-minute segments.

“The class is fun. We stay on the subject for just the right amount of time and feel a sense of accomplishment at the end of each segment. There is an ‘aha’ moment, a feel-good moment, several times during the class,” she says.

Ms. Sce likes the way Mrs. Lampel intersperses the lessons with “wonderful stories of her personal experiences of faith and connection to G-d.”

“In this way, she makes the class very interesting and

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continued from page 50 teaches us ways to build our relationship with G-d and enrich our observance. She is very respectful of each student’s level of learning and observance,” says Ms. Sce. Open Enrollment The class has an open enrollment, and new students are always welcome. Those who have difficulty reading and writing Hebrew script are given extra tutoring time at the beginning of class.

Tuition for the class is dependent on the number of women who enroll and the number of classes scheduled. It usually ranges between $130 and $150 for six or seven 90-minute classes.

This semester, classes in Teaneck will be held on Wednesdays, January 9-30 and February 6 and 20 at 7:30pm.

In Passaic, the class is being held in a private home on

Wednesday mornings at 9:30.

Taught by Goldie Cohen, it will also run through February 20.

Week’s Highlight Mrs. Cohen’s students speak glowingly of her program, many confessing that her class is the highlight of their week.

“The amount of growth we have been able to achieve both spiritually and academically in that time has been amazing,” says one of the Passaic women.

They say participants now have an increased ability to help children with homework, as high as fourth and fifth-grade levels. As in Teaneck, they point to increased skills in Chumash translation, Hebrew vocabulary, grammar, learning to read Rashi script, and enhanced engagement in davening and recitation of Tehillim.

Able to Catch Up For more information on

the Neve PTI programs in Passaic and Teaneck, the director, Shuli Mintz, can be reached at 908-278-4059. Her email is nevepti@gmail.com. Mrs. Birnbaum can be reached at sorah.birnbaum@gmail.com.

Ms. Sce says the classes should be sought by women who “missed out on a yeshiva education.”

“This is the go-to place to learn in a very orderly and supportive way. I tell my friends this is one-of-a-kind class that they will not find anywhere else,” she says.

Mrs. Birnbaum encourages women to come to these classes, because with patience, they can “catch up,” she says.

“I like to say it is like a soap opera. It doesn’t matter when you come in. You can learn something no matter when you decide to enroll in the class,” says Mrs. Birnbaum.S.L.R.

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Jewish Leaders on The Jewish Voice and Opinion “The Jewish Voice and Opinion informs, educates, enlightens, (occasionally enrages leftists), and boldly speaks truth to power - however unpleasant that truth might be - without hesitation or fear. It is an indispensable source of information for those who want to understand events in Israel, in our area, and across the Jewish world.

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Rabbi Ephraim Simon, Friends of Lubavitch of Bergen County, Teaneck, NJ “As the first frum Assemblyman in New Jersey, I find that The Jewish Voice and Opinion is a vital source of information about our community.”

Assemblyman and Passaic Councilman Gary Schaer “Although I don’t always agree with everything in The Jewish Voice and Opinion, I do find it interesting. I especially want to commend editor Susan Rosenbluth for her courage and involvement in the agunoth issue. I am personally aware of several cases which were successfully concluded largely through her and the paper’s efforts.”

Rabbi Menachem Genack Rabbinic Administrator, Orthodox Union “The Jewish Voice and Opinion is great! Its articles have information and insights that help us understand the complex dynamics of American and Israeli politics.”

Ben Chouake, MD President NORPAC The Jewish Voice and Opinion is a valuable source of news for the Jewish Community.

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