Jewish Voice and Opinion July 2013 by Susan Rosenbluth

THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism

July 2013

Vol. 26 • No. 10

Av 5773

The US, PA, and Netanyahu Want Two States, But Many Israelis Say It Can’t Work—and the PM and Kerry Know It According to reports and

polls in Israel and the Palestinian Authority, Secretary of State John Kerry’s quest to restart negotiations between the Jewish state and the PA is doomed. Some Israeli officials say no one is more aware of this than the Secretary of State himself, despite his remarks upon leaving Israel on June 30 in which he seemed brimming with “cautious optimism.” While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly offered to restart negotiations with no precon-

ditions, the PA has insisted it will not sit down with Israel unless the Jewish state agrees in advance to a full building freeze in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem; the release of many terrorists, including murderers, from Israeli prisons; recognition that the Palestinian state will be based on the 1949 Armistice Line as a designated border, with Jerusalem divided; and acquiescence to the Palestinian “right of return,” a policy that all Arabs who fled Israel—and their descendants—have the right to reclaim property and flood

back into Israel proper, thus demographically destroying the Jewish state. More Demands In addition, the PA is now demanding that before talks even start, there must be a concluding date. PA leaders say this is to avoid “wasting time.” Israelis say that, if met, the Palestinian demands would constitute a de facto agreement, largely negating the necessity for negotiations. Israelis say the demands would force the abandonment of Judaism’s holiest sites and create an existential threat to the Jewish state.

“It turns out that Kerry, too, understands that there is no chance of establishing a Palestinian state,” said Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home) MK Yoni Chetboun. “Real Progress” It would be hard to come to that conclusion based on Mr. Kerry’s remarks upon leaving Israel. At a press conference at Ben Gurion Airport, he told reporters there has been “real progress.” Asked what that meant, he said he could not go into details. “The hardest part is to jumpstart the process,” he said.

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In the “Seething, Noisy, and Very Explosive” New Middle East, Israel Watches & Waits Recent tumultuous events

in Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, and Turkey should have nothing to do with Israel. But the very proximity of these countries and their intertwined relations with the Jewish state make what is happening very much an Israeli issue. Israel’s foremost concern is its security. To that end, Israeli and US military personnel have been coordinating ways to target

At Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Israeli physicians tend to a wounded Syrian rebel

and destroy Syrian President Bashar Assad’s arsenal of unconventional weapons, which could be used—intentionally or not—against Israel by any group that possesses them. In the Syrian civil war, Mr. Assad, an Alawite Muslim allied with Shiites, is supported by Iran, Russia, and the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah. Against Mr. Assad is a rebel coalition of loosely allied Sunni groups

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Inside the Voice Holy Name & Israeli Technology...... 5 Kol Ami: Same-Sex Marriage?........... 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 Antisemitism in the UK..................... 8 Aly Raisman in Livingston.............13 Water Packs for Israeli Troups.............16

Not This Year, But Soon?........................20 Busy Month for OHEL.............................22 Kosher French Riviera.............................23 The Log..........................................................24 New Classes........................................31 Mazel Tov.............................................31

Cheses Ops.........................................32 Ess Gezint: Pasta & Smoothies......38 Index of Advertisers ........................41 Honor the Professional...................43 Letters to the Editor ........................44 Walk To Shul.......................................47

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Holy Name Medical Center Using Israeli Technology and Meeting Israeli Physicians Any group seeking to boy-

cott products with strong Israeli connections would probably have to think twice when it comes to Simbionix, one of the world’s leading providers of medical education and simulation-training products for medical professionals and the healthcare industry as a whole. Simbionix’s corporate headquarters are in Cleveland, and its research-and-development Center of Excellence and International Operations is in Israel. Founded in 1997, the company is

Holy Name Medical Center Interventional Radiologist Kevin Herman, MD (left); Yitzy David, clinical research coordinator, at Holy Name’s Institute for Clinical Research, and John H. Rundback, MD, director of the center’s Interventional Institute, perform a virtual abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) procedure

committed to delivering high quality products, advancing clinical performance, and optimizing procedural outcomes. Last month, physicians at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck spent a day training to use the Simbionix PROcedural Rehearsal Studio (PRS), a virtual reality simulation system, to rehearse a complete endovascular aneurysm repair procedure on a virtual model created by using a patient’s exact anatomical figures. The system uses a virtual studio

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www.koshertravelers.com Israel +972 2 992 9801 | USA: +646 240 4118 | Europe: +44 208 819 2620 | david@eddiestravel.com THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2013; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Susan L. Rosenbluth Phone (201)569-2845 Managing Editor: Sharon Beck, Advertising: Rivkie Stern The Jewish Voice & Opinion (ISSN # 1527-3814), POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631, is published monthly in coordination with The Central Committee for Israel. A one-year subscription is $25. Periodicals postage is paid at Englewood, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Jewish Voice and Opinion, POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. All advertising in the Jewish Voice and Opinion must conform to the standards of the Orthodox Rabbinic kashruth. Editorial content reflects the views of the writer and not necessarily any other group. The Jewish Voice is not responsible for typographical errors.

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Kol Ami: Agudath Israel and Same-Sex Marriage? After the Supreme Court issued its rulings on homosexual civil marriage in the US, Agudath Israel of America issued a terse, very strong statement: “Society’s mores may shift and crumble but eternal verities exist. One is marriage, the union of a man and a woman. Its sanctity may have been grievously insulted

Agudath Israel clearly stated its Torah-guided position, but whether it needed to enter this political fray is another matter. The Supreme Court ruling will have little impact on the Torahobservant community, but the Catholic Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone said: “It’s going to be harder to teach this truth, which is very basic and obvious, that to form a marriage, continued on page 17 Carl Singer Passaic, NJ

As Dennis Prager once noted, children who attended public school in the 1950s were inculcated with values that were not that far from the Torah. Agudah sees labeling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional as a watershed event in America’s breaking away from that culture. In its attempt to be home to a wide variety of people, the US has given up trying to impose or even continued on page 17 Micha Berger Passaic, NJ

by the High Court today, but that sanctity remains untouched.” Generally, Agudath Israel comments only on political issues that directly affect its constituency, such as school vouchers. The question last month was: Why do you think Agudath Israel chose to comment on this issue? Y

Agudah responded as it did because the organization views this as a religious issue. Our sages have deemed homosexuality to be against the Torah. Many people today say that homosexuals do not choose their predilection. Rather, they are giving into a predisposition with which they were born. But the purpose of marriage is more than two continued on page 17 Norman Rosner Passaic, NJ

The Supreme Court ruling was not a moral decision, but rather an economic or civil rights one. There are people in this county who believe that their same-sex relationship is the same as that between men and women who are married. However, the samesex couple is obligated to pay higher taxes and enjoy fewer rights. I understand the court’s continued on page 17 Rabbi David Algaze Forest Hills, NY

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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache” So now we have two groups of women at the Kotel. The Women of the Wall (WoW) are mostly non-Orthodox who don’t think Jewish wives and mothers have enough to do, so they want to burden us with having to put on tallis and tefillin in between running carpools, making sure homework is done, and trying to put something more nutritious than a Granola bar on the table for dinner. Countering them are Women for the Wall (W4W), a group of mostly adorable young seminary students who know that while they are coming early to the Kotel so that WoW won’t be able to desecrate it, the battle is largely over because, as a group, W4W will produce more children than WoW ever contemplated. In addition to these groups, there was an idiot last month who got herself arrested for asking a rabbi if one is permitted to shoot members of WoW. Maybe she’s a member of Women off the Wall. *** Another academic friend, Prof Steven Plaut of Haifa University, reports that a team of Israeli researchers at Hebrew University recently developed a method to erase memories in rats. Using optic energy to stimulate the brain, the method is thought to offer potential therapeutic value to humans who have experienced trauma. Curious to know how the researchers could be certain the rodents in question actually had their memories erased, Plaut discovered that when the method’s bright lights were focused onto the rats’ brain cells for an extended period of time, the animals all hopped up, formed a circle, and started chanting in unison: “Peace Now, Peace Now.”

*** While most of the anesthetized world is glued to televisions watching the murder trial of George Zimmerman that Florida police believed never should have taken place because not only wasn’t there sufficient evidence to prove him guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, there was no evidence to prove him guilty at all, some of us do recall that there are other issues floating around that might be important. The economy is still floundering, after all, and the IRS still seems to be running the country. A good place to look for advice on both these issues is in the words of wisdom from Nobel laureate Milton Friedman, z”l. “When a man spends his own money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about how much he spends and how he spends it. When a man spends his own money to buy something for someone else, he is still very careful about how much he spends, but somewhat less what he spends it on. When a man spends someone else’s money to buy something for himself, he is very careful about what he buys, but doesn’t care at all how much he spends. And when a man spends someone else’s money on someone else, he doesn’t care how much he spends or what he spends it on. And that’s government for you.” And how about this zinger: “Pick at random any three letters of the alphabet, put them in any order, and you will have an acronym designating a federal agency we can do without.” President Obama, call your office. S.L.R.

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Antisemitism in the United Kingdom Rears Its Head at the Airport and in Parliament Last month’s story about a 23-year-

old Kansas City Jewish man who had gone to London to work in a summer internship program—only to be denied entry to the United Kingdom, detained, and deported—aroused widespread bewilderment and outrage. Now it seems that, although Louis “Chip” Cantor was indeed the victim of some British antisemitic and anti-American rhetoric and behavior, much of it

Holy Name Hospital displayed on a computer screen. National Study The training was part of a national study to evaluate the operative and clinical benefits of patient-specific, preprocedural rehearsals for optimizing percutaneous (through the skin) abdominal aortic aneurysm procedures. “The software mimics the actual anatomy of a patient, allowing physicians to practice this complex, minimally invasive procedure,” said Dr. John H Rundback, director of Holy Name’s Interventional Institute. Dr. Rundback is the Simbionix PRS study’s principal investigator. Dr. Rundback, who was part of a Holy Name Medical Center team that visited Israel in preparation for this study, said the equipment allows clinicians to create a patient-specific, three-dimensional virtual anatomical model based on the patient’s CT (Computed Tomography) and

resulted from not having been told by the organization that had invited him that he would need a visa to work in the UK.”Last spring, while Mr. Cantor was a junior at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, he was presented with the opportunity to work as a summer intern for Shilling Communications. A communications major, Mr. Cantor thought the experience would be worthwhile.

In addition, Mr. Cantor had plans to participate in a fundraiser for a child with cancer. Kevin Shilling, managing director and owner of Shilling Communications, who hired Mr. Cantor, did not instruct him to obtain a proper visa. In the UK, such a visa is necessary to perform a short-term internship or even to volunteer, such as Mr. Cantor planned to do for the sick child.

continued from page 5 MR (Magnetic Resonance) scans. A computed tomography scan generates a three-dimensional image of the inside of an object. An MR scan uses magnetic and radio waves to create pictures of tissues, organs, and other structures within the body, which can then be viewed on a computer screen. “Once the virtual model has been exported to the simulation environment, the physician can determine, evaluate, and assess the appropriate access strategy, select tools and equipment, and choose the most effective fluoroscopic views. The physician can use the virtual model of the patient’s exact anatomy to evaluate and practice the intervention,” said Dr. Rundback. Improving Results The result of the situational simulation provided by Simbionix will be to improve results and reduce recovery time, he said. Holy Name Medical Center is the first hospital in the New York metropolitan

area to implement the Simbionix PRS. Use of the Rehearsal Studio is part of a clinical trial that Holy Name’s Institute for Clinical Research is conducting to investigate the benefits of patient-specific medical simulation on patient care and clinical outcomes. Israel-Holy Name Cooperation It was the second time in one month that Holy Name had partnered with Israeli medical personnel. During the first week in June, the medical center welcomed physicians from Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya, Israel, as part of the Partnership2Gether Medical Task Force of the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ. The Israeli physicians met with Holy Name’s medical and administrative leadership and were given a tour of the facilities. The Western Galilee Hospital delegation included Dr. Olga Azrilin, the hospital’s senior neurologist who trained mainly in the Ukraine and is now on the faculty of Bar-Ilan Medical School; Dr. Bella Gross, Western Galilee’s chief of neurology who is also director of neurology at Bar-Ilan Medical School; and Dr. Atzmon Tsur, a specialist in physical rehabilitation and sports medicine. Head of his department at Western Galilee, he also teaches at BarIlan Medical School. Erez Ben-Zvi, Simbionix’s product manager, who was at Holy Name for the Rehearsal Study’s launch, was not surprised that the medical center was dealing extensively with Israel. “The combination of American medical know-how and Israeli technical ingenuity is a key element in the successful development of every Simbionix solu-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Israeli-Stamped Passport When Mr. Cantor left Kansas on May 29, he never dreamed that 36 harrowing hours later, he would be right back where he began. After catching a morning flight, he arrived at London’s Heathrow Airport just after 10pm local time, and went immediately to the customs line. When he reached the customs desk, a female agent took his passport. While she was courteous at the beginning, her demeanor changed when she noticed the two pages in his passport filled with Israeli visas. Mr. Cantor had spent a considerable amount of time in the Jewish State. “I love Israel,” he says. He had been there on a six-week program sponsored by Young Judea, the oldest Zionist youth group in the US, sponsored by Hadassah, and he had spent his freshman year of college in Israel as well. Telling the Truth The custom agent took his passport and left Mr. Cantor standing at the desk for almost an hour. One of the problems, he says, is that when he was asked why he was in the country, he readily replied that he had come for an internship program and to volunteer his services to raise funds for the sick child. “If I had said I was a tourist, they probably would have waived me on my way, Israeli visas or no,” says Mr. Cantor. But the absence of a special visa necessary to work or volunteer in the UK, coupled with his Israeli stamps seemed to have sufficed to label Mr. Cantor a danger. Passport Taken At the time, no one at the airport told Mr. Cantor anything about needing a special visa. All he was told when another customs agent finally arrived at the desk was that the officials would be taking his bags and detaining him for questioning. “The officer told me he was confiscating my passport, identity card, and travel documents, but when I asked why I was being detained, he said only that he had further enquiries to make and more questions to ask me,” says Mr. Cantor. Once in the interview room, the agent told Mr. Cantor that if he changed any of his answers to any questions, he would be sent to prison.

July 2013/Av 5773

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“Why would I change my answers?” he told the agent. “I told you the truth.” Reeking of Antisemitism According to Mr. Cantor, the agent then said he needed to look through his wallet to see how much money and what credit cards he had. “I bet you’ll have a lot of money in the wallet,” Mr. Cantor recalls the agent saying. “It was then that I put one plus one together and realized this reeked of antisemitism,” he says. Detention Cell According to Mr. Cantor, his luggage was removed from his sight and he was placed in what only could be called a

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detention cell. At one point, a woman wearing an Islamic burqa came into the cell to take his fingerprints and photograph him. Mr. Cantor still did not know what he had done wrong and found the entire procedure Kafkaesque. “She told me they were putting my name, fingerprints, and photos into a database and that, from that point on, it would be very difficult for me to travel anywhere in the United Kingdom or in the European Union for that matter. She said it would be up to each individual country to decide if they wanted to admit me,” he says.

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British Antisemitism Calling Home About 3am London time, Mr. Cantor was finally told he would be deported and was allowed to call his father, Chuck Cantor, who told him to call the US Embassy immediately. The customs officials, however, would not allow him to do so. “They said it was the middle of the night so there was no point, but that’s when emergencies happen. Nevertheless, they refused me the right to call the embassy,” he says. At that point, Chuck Cantor asked to speak to the customs agent and was connected to a man who identified himself as Philip G. Yeomans. “I was trying to get my son into that country. I was very calm. I called him ‘sir.’ I was very respectful,” says Chuck Cantor. Antisemitic Slurs When he failed to ameliorate the situation, Chuck Cantor contacted Mr. Shilling, whose efforts were also in vain. In an interview with the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle, Mr. Shilling said Mr. Yeomans made several direct and deliberate antisemitic slurs. When Mr. Shilling tried to explain why Chip Cantor was in the country, Mr. Yeomans reportedly replied that the young man should have lied to the customs agent. Accord-

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ing to Mr. Shilling, Mr. Yeomans then added, “A Jewish kid would find that easy.” Mr. Yeomans then told Mr. Shilling that any additional attempts to aid Mr. Cantor would be useless and that “the little Jew will be on his way back to his rich daddy” in a few hours. In addition to not knowing what exactly would happen to him, Mr. Cantor was given only a half a sandwich and a bit of water during the entire nine-hour ordeal. When he asked for more food and water, he was told to “stop pestering” them. At one point, he was told he could have some water “only if you say ‘please.’” Flight Home In the morning, agents escorted Mr. Cantor to an American Airlines plane for a flight back to the United States. When Mr. Cantor asked for his passport, it was denied. According to Mr. Cantor, he was walked onto the plane “just like a prisoner,” and the flight crew was publicly told, “Here is this man’s passport. Do not give it to him until you land in the United States.” “The American Airlines

purser told me that, in 17 years flying internationally, he had never seen anything like it,” says Mr. Cantor. Clearing His Name Since returning from London, Mr. Cantor has spent much of his time trying to get his fingerprints and photograph removed from the UK’s database and the blacked-out stamp in his passport removed as well. “I understand that people with Israeli visas are frequently denied entry into countries all over the world. Usually it happens with very little explanation as to why they are being denied entry. It is sad, but it is the reality in which we are living,” he says. He insists the experience has deepened his Jewish identity. “This would, of course, never change my love for Israel; it will only make it grow stronger,” he says. Have Documents In addition, he says, he is now speaking out to remind those traveling abroad to make sure they have all the necessary documents. “I know Jews travel in and out of London every day. Many British Jews have second homes in Israel. What happened to me was not merely because I am Jewish, but the treatment I received on top of being ex-

pelled from the country was tied to who I am and what I had in my passport,” he says. The Cantor family has reached out to their Senator, Pat Roberts (R-KS), for assistance in having Mr. Cantor’s name cleared. According to Mr. Roberts’ staff, the Senator is well aware of the situation and is working on it. The office has been told that even though Mr. Cantor did not have the proper visa, there is no excuse for the antisemitism the young man encountered or the fact that he was not allowed to call the American Embassy. Calls to the British Embassy’s press office were not returned. Welcoming London? In London, Mr. Cantor’s would-be employer told the Kansas City Jewish Chronicle he was making efforts with British authorities to clear the young man’s name. “I’m really so sorry for Chip and the way he was treated. I want to reassure all your readers that if they plan a visit to the UK, once they get past the UK Border Agency, they will find friendly, welcoming people, without prejudice,” said Mr. Shilling. Chip Cantor is not so sure. Asked if he would consider ob-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com taining the proper documents and trying again to work in London, he says, “Not on a bet.” “There have been too many other antisemitic and anti-Israel incidents coming out of the United Kingdom. The last thing I’d want to do is support their economy. I can find another internship,” he says. He has since learned that another young man, whose first name is David, had a similar experience. According to reports Mr. Cantor has found, “David,” who may or may not have been Jewish, arrived in London to work, but did not have a visa. His passport was confiscated, he was detained, and ultimately unceremoniously shipped out. “Just as I was,” says Mr. Cantor. Banning Pamela Geller At the end of June, activists Pamela Geller and Robert Spencer, co-founders of the organization “Stop the Islam-

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ization of America,” were asked to speak at a London rally of the English Defense League. However, before they left for the UK, the British Home Office informed them they would not be welcome in the country. A leftist organization, “Hope Not Hate,” had initiated a campaign to prevent them from being allowed into the country. “The Home Secretary has reached this decision because you have brought yourself within the scope of the list of unacceptable behaviors by making statements that may foster hatred which might lead to inter-community violence in the UK,” the Home Office letter to Ms. Geller and Mr. Spencer said. Ms. Geller and Mr. Spencer were leaders in the movement to stop the construction of a mosque near the site of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York City. Ms. Geller has sponsored poster

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campaigns against Jihad and for the state of Israel throughout the US. Both are active bloggers and published authors on the issue of “creeping Sharia” and Muslim behavior. “In not allowing us into the country solely because of our true and accurate statements about Islam, the British government is behaving like a de facto Islamic state. The nation that gave the world the Magna Carta is dead,” says Ms. Geller. Welcoming Islamists J.E. Deyer, a retired US Naval intelligence officer who writes frequently on foreign affairs, points out that while Ms. Geller and Mr. Spencer were banned, Britain has welcomed, among others, Saudi cleric Muhammed al-Arifi, who has authorized Syrian rebels to rape Muslim as well as Christian women in Syria and urged women from the Muslim world to travel to Syria so they can support the rebels with sexual favors.

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“Extremism, it appears, at least in Britain, is in the eye of the politically indentured,” says Ms. Deyer. Despite this unpleasantness, there is evidence of cooperation between the UK and Israel on issues such as preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons and working to have the European Union place the Lebanon-based terrorist group, Hezbollah, on the EU’s terror list. Blaming Israel But there is also increasing antisemitism, even in Britain’s Parliament. “I see how the British Parliament is becoming increasingly critical of Israel, and, as time passes, this will get worse,” says British Ambassador to Israel Matthew Gould. He says that British politicians and the public remember well the terror attacks against their citizens and are eager to

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British Antisemitism cooperate with Israel on the issue of terrorism. However, he says, many British officials are convinced that all terror is tied to the fact that there is no Palestinian state, and that, he says, is viewed as Israel’s fault. He did not explain how the British could see any connection between Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria and recent terror incidents, such as the arrest this past June of a British convert to Islam who confessed to having threatened to murder Prince Harry. The threat, issued by Mark Townley, 30, who now goes by the name Ashraf Islam, came on the heels of the brutal murder of British soldier Lee Rigby, who was beheaded by Muslims on a London street in broad daylight. Public Slur Nevertheless, recent events show that Mr. Gould may have analyzed the situation correctly. In June, the BBC program “Panorama” captured British MP Patrick Mercer telling an offensive antisemitic anecdote regarding a female IDF soldier whom he met during a visit to Israel. According to the interviewer, as he said goodbye to Mr. Mercer on the steps of the show’s office, the MP “was comfortable enough to share a story from a recent trip to Israel.”

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Mr. Mercer proceeded to explain that, in Israel, “I got a sort of rifle stuck up my nose when I was trying to go into one of the intelligence establishments by, I don’t know, an 18-year-old girl wearing uniform, but with her sort of hair in plaits and crazy jewelry and open-toed sandals with a rifle up my nose. Who the f..k are you? You know? ‘Well, I’m a soldier.’ ‘Are you? You don’t look like a soldier to me. You look like a bloody Jew.’ And I’ve no doubt if I’d come up with the wrong answer, I’d have had my head blown off.” The interviewer closed the segment by saying, “It seems with Mr. Mercer that old habits die hard. He later said his remarks regarding the Israeli soldier had been misheard.” Apologies According to reports, Mr. Mercer, who served as shadow homeland security minister in previous British governments, apologized to the Jewish community in a statement given to the British-based Jewish News. “I’d like to apologize unreservedly for any offense I’ve caused to all my friends in the Jewish community,” he told the News. He said he felt “extremely sorry” after watching himself recounting the encounter on the BBC program.

Mr. Mercer, who resigned as Conservative whip in the wake of lobbying allegations, has reportedly attended events organized by Conservative Friends of Israel. A Westminster source told the Jewish News that Mr. Mercer “always expressed an interest and admiration at Israel’s prowess” on matters of security. Mr. Mercer said leaders of the British Jewish community had not yet contacted him, but, he said, he has had “a terrific connection with the community” over the years and has been contacted by “Jewish friends who have been extremely supportive” following the broadcast. Mr. Mercer said he had also written a letter to Chief Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks to express his remorse. Just One Nevertheless, the BBC segment outraged Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein who wrote a letter of protest to his British counterpart, MP John Bercow, calling Mr. Mercer’s story “merely one of a number of similarly unacceptable comments made by Members of the British Parliament regarding Jews and Israel, comments that include sick, perverted, and racist positions regarding the State of Israel.” This past May, Nazir Ahmed, a British peer who was due to face a hearing after reportedly blaming Jewish-owned media groups for his imprisonment, resigned from the Labor Party. Mr. Ahmed, who was suspended by the party in March pending an investigation, said he did not remember making the comments and that he was “very disappointed” at his treatment. He nevertheless later apologized for his “unacceptable” remarks.

Holocaust Denial In April, British politician Anna-Marie Crampton was suspended from the UK Independence Party (UKIP) after she allegedly posted that Jews had deliberately orchestrated the Holocaust. She allegedly wrote on her website, “Holocaust means a sacrifice by fire. Only the Zionists could sacrifice their own in the gas chambers. The Second World War was engineered by the Zionist Jews and financed by the banksters to make the general public all over the world feel so guilty and outraged by the Holocaust that a treaty would be signed to create the State of Israel as we know it today.” In her defense, Ms. Crampton insisted she was not antisemitic, had never said she “did not believe in the Holocaust,” and had “clearly been trolled.” However, on her website, she also made a reference to conspiracy theories about the Boston Marathon bombings. Why It Happened Given these incidents, Ms. Deyer says she understands Mr. Cantor’s experience was not typical, but, she says, she does not believe it could have happened at all “if Britain weren’t already pretty far gone.” “This doesn’t happen in a polity in which there is genuine accountability for displays of antisemitism. The employees of British government agencies did something they knew they would get away with, and they probably will,” she says, pointing out that non-Muslim antisemites, such as Mr. Yeomans, reside in Britain, “but they would have no hope of affecting the administration of government functions without a boost from the special privileges being accorded to Islam.” S.L.R.

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In Livingston, Olympic Gold Medalist Aly Raisman Recalls “Hava Nagila” and the 40th Anniversary of the Munich 11 When Olympic Gold Medal

gymnast Aly Raisman decided to perform her 2012 award-winning floor routine to the tune of “Hava Nagila,” she had no idea that the traditional Jewish folksong, whose title means “Let Us Rejoice,” would have such an impact on Jews throughout the world. “What seemed to me a small gesture moved Jews from all over to send me tons of positive letters and notes, including one from a survivor of the Holocaust and others from serving members of the Israeli Defense Force,” she said. “I cannot explain how proud it made me feel, competing to the most famous Jewish song in front of Germans, Russians, and people all over the world.” Nineteen-year-old Ms. Raisman made her remarks at a standing-room-only event held recently at the Westminster Hotel in Livingston, New Jersey, to benefit Mikvah Chana, the community’s ritual bath. More than 1200 women, teens, and even younger girls came to the event to support the mikveh and to hear Ms. Raisman discuss her achievements. No Moment of Silence In 2012, Ms. Raisman’s pointed identification as a Jewish woman came on the heels of the Olympic Committee’s refusal to allow even a moment of silence to commemorate the fortieth anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. The Jewish athletes were slain by members of the Black September Palestinian terrorist group. According to Ms. Raisman, she did not select the music in order to commemorate the

slain Jewish athletes. However, the juxtaposition of the committee’s refusal and her use of “Hava Nagila” was evident to her and everyone else. “If there had been a moment’s silence, I would have supported Aly Raisman, center, and the women of Mikvah Chana in Livingston and respected it,” she said. “Having that floor Jewish heritage.” from the Holocaust survivor, music wasn’t intentional, but “It’s a song a whole crowd Ms. Raisman said, “She never the fact that it was on the forcan clap to, and, for the Olympic thought in her life she would see tieth anniversary was special trials, there were about 20,000 a Jew at the Olympics performand winning the gold on that people in the arena. All of them ing to ‘Hava Nagila” in front of anniversary means a lot to me.” clapping is an amazing feelRussians, in front of Germans, She termed the events of ing and it gave me a kind of in front of the whole world, 1972 “devastating and someextra boost of confidence and and that everyone would be thing that will hopefully never energy,” she said. “Besides, I okay with that.” happen again.” really like the music a lot.” Ms. Raisman said that “A ceremony would have But she soon learned it until she received the letter, been very nice to commemowas much more than that for she had not thought about rate what happened, and I think many Jews. Recalling the letter continued on page 14 they should definitely do it for the families of the people who died and for everyone,” she said. Olympic Gestures Other Olympians felt that way also. Fabien Gilot, a French swimmer, had his arm tattooed with words in Hebrew which meant “I am nothing without them.” He said it was a tribute to his Jewish grandfather. Inside the Olympic Village, the Italian delegation held its own minute of silence with a number of Israeli representatives. Before the start of the games, a petition with close to 110,000 signatures, including that of Barack Obama, asked the committee to reverse its decision and allow the moment of silence to be observed. More Than Lively Ms. Raisman said she chose “Hava Nagila” with her parents’ encouragement, because she thought it would be “really nice to use something from my own

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Aly Raisman

July 2013/Av 5773

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her achievement in that light. IDF Medal A young Israeli soldier sent her an open letter on a Facebook page explaining “how proud the IDF forces were as she performed and how the highest-ranking military officer of their unit watched a replay of the performance alone.” “The soldier wrote that the officer stood silently while he watched. He saluted the TV when it was done, and walked away. It wasn’t until then that I realized how my performance had a positive impact on Jews all over the world,” she said. Last December, the young soldier presented her with a medal and military tags usually reserved for Israelis and people who serve the country with great honor. “I thought he might have mistaken me for someone else,” she said, adding she has “a different mindset now.” She herself, she said, has not faced any hostility, either for being Jewish or for incorporating a Jewish theme into her routine. She knows she is one of comparatively few Jewish Olympians, and she is proud of that. Mommy and Me Born in May 1994 in Need-

ham, Massachusetts, Alexandra Rose first became interested in gymnastics when her mother, Lynn Raisman, née Faber, registered her in a Mommy and Me program. Aly was 18 months old and her younger siblings, Brett, Chloe, and Madison were not yet born. “I always had a lot of energy, so it was the perfect fit. I have loved it ever since,” she said. Her background was fairly typical. She went to public school, had a bat mitzvah, and the family celebrated Jewish holidays, but when it came to choosing between holidays and competitions, gymnastics took the priority. “It’s still nice to be with my family when I can,” she said. When she was 8, Ms. Raisman discovered a VCR tape of the 1996 Olympic Women’s Gold Medal Gymnastic Team, sometimes called “the Magnificent Seven”—the first US women’s gymnastics team to win the Gold Medal in team competition. Ms. Raisman said she wore it out, and each time she played it, her determination increased. In 1996, Kerri Strug, another Jewish gymnast, was a member of the American gold medal team. She is noted for having executed the vault that clinched the gold medal for the Americans, in spite of

having a serious ankle injury at the time. Béla Károlyi, her Romanian-born coach, then carried her to the podium. Winning By the age of ten, Ms. Raisman began working with Mihai and Sylvie Brestyan at the American Gymnastics Club in Burlington, Massachusetts. She started competing seriously when she was twelve, winning the junior vault event at the American Classic. In 2010, she was part of the silver medal-winning team at the World Championships and earned three bronze medals at the Visa National Championships. In 2011, she won the Cover Girl Classic, and at the World Championships, she earned a bronze medal for floor exercise and was part of the team that took home the gold medal for team competition. In 2011, she was also presented with the Pearl D. Mazer Jewish Hall of Fame’s Jewish Female High School Scholar Athlete Award. She remained at Needham High School through her junior year. At that point, she opted to complete her studies online to graduate in 2012, shortly before her trip to London for the Olympics. Although she is now still taking some time off from competition, she told the women at the Mikvah Chana event that she is planning to compete in the next summer Olympic Games, scheduled to be held in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro. Inspiring Young and Old At the Mikvah Chana event, more than 500 young girls, some of them budding gymnasts themselves, gathered around Ms. Raisman to learn what had inspired her. She told them that in order to fulfill their dreams, they would

have to be willing to put in a lot of work, develop an ability to persist, and to remain committed to it day after day, despite other distractions that young girls their age face. She then took photos with many of the children and signed autographs. While Ms. Raisman was the day’s chief draw, many of the women were impressed with the dozens of gift baskets filled with items from local merchants that were raffled off to benefit the mikveh. For the past six years, Mikvah Chana, which was constructed under the auspices of Chabad, has served the MetroWest Jewish community. Named in memory of Annette (Chana) Felsen, who died four years ago at the age of 99, the mikveh has become a spiritual center for the MetroWest Jewish community. While used mostly by women, there is also a men’s mikveh and a keilim mikveh for dishes and utensils. Social Highlight According to Toba Grossbaum, co-chairwoman of the event, hundreds of women, including brides, mothers, and grandmothers, use the mikveh. “They have discovered an uplifting spiritual experience in the most beautiful setting of the mikveh right in Livingston,” she said. According to Ms. Grossbaum, the annual Mikvah Chana event has become “the highlight of the social calendar for Jewish women from greater Essex County and northern NJ as they come together for an evening of entertainment, inspiration, socializing, and fun.” Her co-chair for the event was Dara Orbach, Chana Felsen’s great-granddaughter. S.L.R.

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Cong Bnai Yeshurun Remembers Israeli Troops: Water Packs for Hareidi Soldiers

B’nai Yeshurun just donated 150 water backpacks to the soldiers in the Nachal Hareidi Battalion of the IDF

Cong Bnai Yeshurun of Te-

aneck has long prided itself on its close connection to numerous organizations and activities in Israel. For the past ten years, on Yom Ha’atzmaut, the shul’s Men’s Club has sponsored a Kiddush on behalf of organizations which support Israeli troops. Members who participate in the Kiddush donate $180 for the cause. According to Jon Bendavid, the head of the IDF Kiddush committee, at least half of Bnai Yeshurun’s membership participated this year, allowing the shul to raise $50,000. “Over the years, we have supported Friends of the IDF, Beit Halochem, and Bshvil Machar,” said Mr. Bendavid, adding that Bnai Yeshurun’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, not only supports the Kiddush, but delivers a drasha encouraging others to do so, too. Giving to the IDF Based in New York, Friends of the IDF was established in1981 by a group of Holocaust survivors

to provide for the wellbeing of the men and women who serve in the IDF as well as the families of Israel’s fallen soldiers. With its motto, “Their job is to look after Israel; ours is to look after them,” FIDF supports a scholarship program, a leadership training program that specializes in Jewish studies, touring programs, programs that help soldiers with financial problems, and programs to help soldiers whose families live abroad and who are in Israel alone. The organization works to integrate Ethiopian Jews as well as teenagers from difficult backgrounds into the IDF. It also helps family members deal with the loss of loved ones who died in the IDF. With centers in Tel Aviv, Haifa, Jerusalem, and Nahariya, Beit Halochem provides facilities where disabled Israeli soldiers can participate in sports and related activities suited to their individual needs. The spacious centers, situated on beautiful campuses and in scenic areas, are conducive to successful

rehabilitation by maintaining the individual’s physical fitness and preventing deterioration. Each center offers a wide variety of social and creative activities, including music, classrooms, fitness rooms, gyms, swimming pools, a cafeteria, and occupational and physical therapy. Bshvil Machar is an Israeli organization designed to help Israeli soldiers suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Nachal Hareidi This year, the lion’s share of funds raised through the IDF Kiddush went to Yashar LaChayal, an Israel-based nonprofit that provides combat soldiers with goods and services. According to Lisa Weinsoff, project coordinator for Yashar LaChayal, among other goods and services donated by Bnai Yeshurun were 150 water backpacks given to the Nachal Hareidi Battalion. Created in 1999 on the premise that Torah and mitzvoth should underlie the physical strength required by the IDF,

Nachal Hareidi was founded by a group of rabbis as a venue for young men who wish to serve the national interests of the State of Israel while adhering to the highest religious standards. Supported by the IDF, Nachal Hareidi soldiers contribute to Israel’s military defense, within a framework for personal and professional achievement that promotes a Torah-true lifestyle in every way. “From a small unit of 30 soldiers, Nachal Hareidi has become an IDF battalion of close to 1,000 troops and now aims to reach the requisite threshold for designation as a fully operative infantry brigade,” said Ms. Weinsoff. Yashar LaChayal According to Mr. Bendavid, Bnai Yeshurun felt comfortable donating to Yashar LaChayal and following its instructions as to where the needs are greatest because the organization deducts nothing for administrative costs. “It is funded by the family of Dr. and Mrs. Irving Moskowitz,

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Syria and Egypt ranging from the extremist Al Qaeda-linked Jabhat al-Nusra (Al Nusra Front) to more moderate factions which claim to be seeking democratic reforms. The rebels are supported by all other Sunni-dominated Arab states, especially Saudi Arabia, who see the rebels as striking back at Shiite-dominated Iran. Because Mr. Assad has used chemical weapons against the rebels, the US is now also committed to supporting them against the Syrian regime. No Game Changers Neither Israel nor the US wants any of these parties to gain access to weapons of mass destruction. US plans call for deploying forces on the ground, as well as waves of airstrikes, to assure that the chemical and biological components are neutralized. For Israel, the main concern is the armaments already in Syria, such as anti-aircraft weapons, chemical weapons, and others that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called “game changers.” “They will change the conditions, the balance of power in the Middle East. They could present a terrorist threat on a worldwide scale. It is definitely our interest to defend

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continued from page 1 ourselves, but we also think it is in the interest of other countries,” he said. Who Can Win? For some in Israel, it has become a pastime trying to decide which side in Syria has the upper hand and which could win. For months, it was assumed that Mr. Assad stood no chance at all, but last month, some Israeli officials, buttressed by the opinion of those in the Negev Bedouin Arab community, have predicted that the Syrian president is likely to be in office longer than most analysts believed, due primarily to the support he is receiving from Iran. Last month it was reported that Iran sent 4,000 new troops to help Mr. Assad crush the rebel forces. This report came on the heels of news that the Obama administration plans to provide military aid to the rebels. The US has been providing them with non-lethal assistance for some time, and is upgrading its assistance after a report found that the Assad regime had used chemical weapons. Some observers say this means the US will be plunged into the Sunni-Shiite conflict and will be held responsible for every war crime and atroc-

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and we trust them to do the right thing. The money goes directly to IDF soldiers, which is what we intend by holding the Kiddush,” he said. According to Mr. Bendavid, members of the shul were particularly pleased that a Teaneck Conservative synagogue, Congregation Beth Sholom, followed Bnai Yeshurun’s lead and raised $10,000 this year for Friends of the IDF at a Kiddush that was held a week before the one at Bnai Yeshurun.

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

“Some members of Bnai Yeshurun went to the Kiddush at Beth Sholom, and some members of Beth Sholom came to ours,” said Mr. Bendavid. What was important, he said, was that American Jews recognized the need to support the IDF. “It’s an awareness that Israelis give three years of lives defending their country—and they do it for Jews throughout the world as well—and we should support them,” he said. S.L.R.

ity committed by the rebels. Russian Aid In May, Russia admitted it had agreed to sell Mr. Assad advanced aircraft interception technology, which could prevent Israel’s air force from destroying Syria’s chemical weapons arsenal. Lobbied by Israel to cancel the sale of the anti-aircraft system, Russia maintained it has an obligation to complete the deal. However, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei

Lavrov said his country is not in a hurry to deliver the equipment. Moscow and China have regularly blocked attempts by other permanent members of the UN Security Council to condemn Mr. Assad’s regime for its brutality. Russia has said it objects to plans by the United States and other Western nations to arm the rebels. According to leaders in Moscow, the factions committed to de-

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Kol Ami

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a marriage, you need a man and a woman.” Agudath Israel does not face this same challenge. Carl Singer Passaic, NJ

define a common American set of values. Agudah fears that today’s legal theory is driven by moral relativism in which there is no absolute standard. The Supreme Court ruling now enshrines that standardlessness in American law. Micha Berger Passaic, NJ

people becoming one flesh. At heart, it is about procreation, even if the couple is infertile or doesn’t want children. G-d bless two same-sex people who choose to live together, but all political organizations should oppose their being treated as married. Norman Rosner Passaic, NJ

decision not to discriminate against any specific group of people, and, in that sense, I don’t think the ruling has a moral implication. The problem is with the word “marriage.” I am sorry that the court is calling the same-sex union by that word instead of calling it a civil union. Blurring the language can have a dangerous impact on the morality of a society. For example, when we call a terrorist a “militant” or a “freedom fighter,” we are changing the way in which we look at the person. Language is important. In Israel, in particular, there is a serious problem and the gay movement there must be very careful.

To deny the declarations of the Torah in a public and social framework implies a rejection of the Jewish identity of the state. A person can decide, on a personal level, to eat treif or violate the Sabbath. But if, on the social level, he wants to mandate laws that are against the Torah, he is essentially saying that Jewish tradition has no function in the State of Israel. Once we go down that slippery slope, Israel can become a bi-national or nonJewish state. I, therefore, call upon the gay community to undertake its own personal decisions without endangering the entire State of Israel. Rabbi David Algaze Forest Hills, NY

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Syria and Egypt

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mocracy among the fragmented rebel groups are not sufficiently strong to keep most of the weapons from falling into the hands of Islamist groups like Al Nusra. Infighting In keeping with the religious nature of the current struggles in the Middle East, the uprising against the Muslim Brotherhood government in Egypt last month prompted infighting in Syria between the jihadists (who had been supported by the Muslim Brotherhood) and some of the other rebel groups. This mirrors the struggle in Egypt itself, in which the extremist Muslim Brotherhood has been overturned by more moderate secularlists symbolized by the Egyptian military. Most of Egypt, like the Syrian rebels, is Sunni. In the civil war in Syria, perhaps the biggest losers are Israel’s terrorist enemies, Hezbollah and Hamas. Despite its Shiite tradition and position as an Iranian proxy, Hezbollah had been supported by many Sunni groups, even those allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, because of its determination to fight Israel. In recent months, Hezbollah has watched virtually all that support dissipate. Party of Satan At the beginning of June, the Qatarbased radical Muslim cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who is close to the Muslim Brotherhood, called on all Sunni Muslims to join the rebels fighting against Mr. Assad’s Syrian regime. Mr. Qaradawi lashed out

against Iran and its Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah, which, in the past, the cleric had supported. “Iran is pushing forward arms and men to back the Syrian regime, so why do we stand idle?” he demanded, branding Hezbollah (whose name means “Party of Allah”) the “party of Satan.” He acknowledged that he had supported Hezbollah when the terror group “was fighting against Israel.” “I defended it. I stood against the Muslim scholars in Saudi Arabia, who warned us against Hezbollah,” he said. “I wanted to unite all Muslims; Muslims fighting against Israel, how can I support Israel? But it seems that the scholars—may they rest in peace if they died, and may Allah bless them if they are still alive— were smarter than I am.” Blacklisted Other Sunni-dominated countries have also turned their backs on Hezbollah. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) announced last month it will take action against Hezbollah loyalists in GCC countries, technically because of the terrorist group’s involvement in the Syrian civil war. Observers say that the GCC’s action is actually more about Iran than it is about Syria or Hezbollah. Bahrain, one of the GCC states, recently became the first Arab country to blacklist Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Bahrain has banned all opposition groups from having any contact

with Hezbollah. In addition, Hezbollah’s fellow Shiites in Lebanon are starting to tell the terror group they no longer want their children providing military support to Mr. Assad. More than 75 Hezbollah operatives have been killed in the civil war. More Important Than Israel Hamas, as a Sunni Muslim Brotherhood organization, supports the Syrian rebels, and for that reason has broken with Hezbollah and Iran. Last month, Hamas leaders made clear that ousting Mr. Assad is “more important than liberating Palestine.” Abdel Aziz Dweik, speaker of the Palestinian Authority’s parliament, told an Algerian newspaper that the very existence of the Assad regime “is a knife in the heart of the Palestinian problem.” Without explaining why, he said that removing Mr. Assad “will start the road to victory for the Palestinians.” Hamas, which used to receive as much as $15 million per month in aid from Iran, has seen most of that cut—the price for the terrorist group’s support of the anti-Assad rebels. Better of Two Evils Dr. David Bukai of Haifa University feels that while the Syrian rebels are far from being Israel’s friends, it would be worse for the Jewish state if Mr. Assad is the victor. If Mr. Assad wins, he will be increasingly dependent on Iran, said Dr. Bukai. “If Assad is not independent and is open to Iranian and Hezbollah influence, there will be attempts to ‘heat up’ the border with Israel,” he said. Lebanon could prove unstable as well, he said, which is a concern not just of Israel and the United States, but also of the Sunni Muslim countries, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt. But even among the Arabs, the consensus is that Syria lacks the ability to win a war with the IDF. “If it ever comes to fighting Israel, then Assad will have met his match. That war he will lose,” said “Mahmoud,” a Bedouin community leader who requested anonymity due to fear of retaliation. Crossing the Border In recent months, there have been several instances of gunfire or mortar

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com shells hitting the Israeli side of the Golan. The Quneitra crossing, the only one along the Israel-Syria ceasefire line, has alternately been controlled by Mr. Assad or the rebels, at various times since the civil war began in 2011. But that border with Israel has also been reached by wounded Syrians seeking medical aid from Israel. According to spokeswoman Yael Shavit, of Ziv Hospital in Safed, Israeli physicians had, by the end of June, treated more than 100 Syrians: mostly rebels who were wounded in combat against Mr. Assad’s troops, but also others. Most were treated for gunshot wounds, including a 13-year-old girl, and a 16-yearold boy who had been shot in the hip and thigh. Of the 100, about 33 have been treated at Ziv, which like other Israeli civilian hospitals receives its Syrian patients from a new army medical facility at the Syrian border. “At first it was men in their 20s and 30s; now they’re younger, teenagers and sometimes even kids. Usually, we know what their background is, except in extreme cases, like the person who arrived in uniform and had a grenade in his pocket. Sometimes, they arrive in uniform; other times in jeans. Either one doesn’t necessarily mean a civilian or a soldier,” said Dr. Amram Hadari, head of Ziv’s trauma unit, where the majority of the wounded are taken. Pinned Note In the middle of June, doctors at Ziv Hospital were surprised to encounter a wounded Syrian who arrived with a note pinned to his clothing from the Syrian physician who had tried to treat him earlier. In the note, the doctor explained the details of the patient’s past medical operation and ended with the words: “Please do what is necessary and thank you in advance.” The note opened by saying, “Hello, distinguished surgeon” and explained that the 28-year-old patient had been shot in the chest and suffered shrapnel damage to his diaphragm and liver. The Syrian doctor said he had performed surgery to address “heavy abdominal bleeding,” but, he wrote, “the liver could not be sewed up.” The Syrian physician also listed the various drugs that had been used during

July 2013/Av 5773

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

the patient’s treatment and noted that when he left Syria, he had been hospitalized for two days. On June 26, two boys, ages nine and fifteen, crossed the border. The younger one, accompanied by his father, had lost an eye when a shell exploded in their home. The father said Syrian doctors tried unsuccessfully to care for him. The Israeli physicians gave him medication to prevent the damage from spreading to his second eye and helped heal his leg, which had sustained shrapnel wounds. The older boy, who arrived with shrapnel wounds across his entire body, told doctors he had been riding on a tractor when he heard a blast. He suffered a

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broken jaw, broken limbs, and infections where his wounds had festered. No Contact According to Dr. Hadari, medical personnel are permitted to speak to the wounded Syrians only about their physical conditions. Every wounded Syrian is guarded by either an IDF soldier or civilian security personnel in an attempt to prevent anyone from passing on information about them to Syrian officials, which could result in harm to the patient or their families upon their eventual return to Syria. “There are those that arrive in relatively stable condition and then, between one

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Not This Year, But Soon? America’s Last Remaining Jews Emigrate to Israel By Ira Buckman, who prays for the geula in Teaneck Newark, NJ—The last Jewish Americans left the United States today when their Delta 957 flight bound for Tel Aviv took off from Newark Airport. Jeffrey Reznik, Yehoshua Hoffman, and Gideon Blass had remained in the US because of their administration of the NJ Chevra Kadisha, burial society, responsible for attending to the purification of dead bodies and their respectful burial.

“Our obligation to perform chessed shel emes for Mr. David Landsberg was of higher priority than our obligation to return home to Israel,” explained Mr. Hoffman, referring to a 94-year-old Jewish patient in Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck, who died there earlier today after a long illness. Mr. Landsberg had been deemed too ill to make the flight to Israel, but his body will be transported there on the same flight and will be buried

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‘ouch’ and another, we manage to squeeze in a question or two to get a few answers, but only regarding their medical condition. The questioning is solely for diagnosis. We ask them where it hurts and we try to ascertain whether they were hurt by gunfire or by an explosion. Most of the time, they don’t know the exact circumstances,” he said. Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon confirmed reports that the IDF had opened a field hospital in the Golan Heights to treat wounded Syrians crossing the border. “It’s a humanitarian move, but Israel has no intention of opening a refugee camp,” he said. There are several reasons

for Israel’s refusal: first, it is important for the Jewish state not to appear to be taking sides against Mr. Assad and, second, there is the matter of the official state of war between the two countries. Druze Community The entire situation has been problematic for the Druze community in northern Israel, some of whom have been historically loyal the Jewish state, including service in the IDF. Other Druze have sided with Syria against Israel and consider themselves Syrians. Last month, Druze leaders appealed to the Israeli government on behalf of 20 families, asking that their children who had crossed the border into Syria and stayed there, as well

in the Mount of Olives, outside Jerusalem. Bidding Farewell US President Flomaria Sanchez bid farewell to the Jewish people. “Jews have made many great contributions to American culture, from arts and music to medicine, science, and the commitment to civil rights for all our citizens. Our debt to Jewish doctors, lawyers, educators, businessmen, comedians, and filmmakers cannot

be overstated. They will be sorely missed and we wish them well,” she said. Not all Americans agreed. The American Nazi Party proclaimed the day of Jewish departure “Judenrein Day,” a reference to the goal of Adolph Hitler, the 20th century antisemitic dictator of Germany who envisioned a world free of Jews and designated that vision as one of the main reasons for launching the Second World War.

as other family members, be allowed to return to the Jewish state. Israeli law does not allow for the students’ automatic return. After a few years away, the Interior Ministry removes their names from the Population Registry. “That’s why we’re asking for an exception to be made, so that they can return to Israel with their families,” said Nabih Hanjar, the attorney hired by the families. This is no simple matter. Israeli officials fear it could set a precedent for a much larger influx later on. It could also be used by the Palestinians as a precedent for their demand for a “right of return,” their insistence that all Arabs who fled Israel since 1948— and their descendants—have the right to flood back into Israel proper and reclaim their property, thus demographically destroying the possibility of a Jewish state. Not Taking Sides While Israel has steadfastly refused to take sides in the civil war, it is no secret that Lebanon, and especially Hezbollah, which has allied itself with Mr. Assad in the civil war,

considers itself still technically at war with Israel. The same is true of the Syrian government under Mr. Assad. In early June, Hezbollah reported having found weapons with Hebrew inscriptions in the Syrian town of al-Qasayr, a town which, like the Golan Heights crossing, has gone from control of the rebels to Mr. Assad and back. Hezbollah’s TV network Al Manar claimed various weapons had been found, including a 120mm flare, Uzis, Israeli communication devices, and heavy rockets. Al Manar said the weapons were “proof” that Israel is backing the rebels against Mr. Assad. Israel, stressing that it does not provide weapons of any kind to either of the sides, called the Al Manar report “a desperate attempt by Hezbollah to divert attention from its involvement in Syria.” An IDF spokesman said the equipment shown by Al Manar were likely remnants left over after Israel pulled out of Lebanon in 2000. It was not the first time such accusations have been hurled at Israel. Since the civil

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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com A party spokesperson stated that the day will be celebrated annually as a major milestone in their ongoing quest to achieve Christian white supremacy in America. Building the Temple The great catalyst for the mass emigration occurred seven years ago when the rebuilding of the Great Temple in Jerusalem was completed. As a result, Tisha B’Av, the ninth day of the Jewish month of Av, observed for centuries as a day of fasting and mourning, is now observed as a day of great celebration. This year’s Tisha B’Av parade, with marching bands and clowns led by the ornately dressed Kohen Gadol, the Grand Priest Yerachmiel Katz, started at Jerusalem’s Great Synagogue in the New City on King George St. and passed through several neighborhoods and King David’s City before entering the Old City through Sha’ar Hazahav, the “Golden Gate.” The gate had been sealed off for centuries, ever since the Ottoman Sultan, Suleiman the Magnificent, filled it in with stones in 1541. It remained sealed until seven years ago when, on the same day the Temple was completed, a tiny isolated earthquake erupted at that spot and destroyed the stones but left the gate undamaged. The following day the Messiah arrived and entered the Old City of Jerusalem through the gate, side-stepping the fallen stones. Dwindling, Unnecessary Support According to President Sanchez, the United States “will remain eternally grateful to the Jewish people for the great contributions they have made to our country.” “We all hope and pray for continued excellent relations between the United States and Israel, the new home of our former citizens,” she said.

July 2013/Av 5773

Despite the President’s statement, US support for Israel has dwindled considerably over the last several years. Now that no Jewish voters remain in the US, the Israeli government is reported to be worried about the nature and extent of US support for the Jewish state in the years to come. However, Israel’s religious community has forcefully stated that the Jewish state is no longer in need of assistance from any foreign power now that the Messiah has arrived and has brought with him assurances of G-d’s eternal protection. They pointed to the state of peace that has existed since the Messiah’s arrival, brought on by the peace treaties Israel has since signed with every one of its Arab neighbors and the declarations by the former terrorist groups, Hamas and Hizbollah, officially acknowledging Israel’s right to exist. Early Immigrants The first American-Jewish community was comprised of 23 Jews from the Sephardic community in the Netherlands, who arrived in New Amsterdam (later New York City) in September 1654. Until the 1830s, the Jewish community of Charleston, South Carolina, was the most populous in North America. In the 19th century, the large-scale immigration of Jews from Diaspora communities in Germany prompted Jewish settlement in many small towns and cities. Immigration of Eastern Ashkenazi Jews, 1880–1914, brought a large, poor, traditional element to New York City. Refugees arrived from many communities in Europe after the World War II Holocaust and, after 1970, Jews came to the US from the Soviet Union. The waves of immigrants produced vibrant Jewish communities that sprouted in all

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

five New York City boroughs as well as in Long Island, New Jersey, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. Over the last century, sizeable Jewish communities formed in Nashville, San Antonio, and Salt Lake City. No Kosher Food “Not long ago, Teaneck was a thriving Jewish community boasting dozens of kosher restaurants and many synagogues. There was even a mikveh, a traditional ritual bath, on Windsor Road, on the site of the Windsor mini-mall,” recalled Mr. Reznik. The dwindling demand for kosher food has made it unavailable in the United States for several years. The last synagogues shut their doors two years ago after High Holiday services attracted only a meager turnout. As Messrs Reznik, Hoffman, and Blass boarded their plane, the three men spontaneously sang the traditional “V’shavu bonim ligvulam,” sung

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for centuries to Jews celebrating their return to the Jewish homeland. A Minyan For over a year, due to their commitment to stay behind to attend to the needs of the infirm and elderly Jews of Bergen County, they had been reciting their daily prayers without the required quorum of ten men. “We are eagerly looking forward to davening with a minyan once again,” said Mr. Blass. At this time, the only Jews still remaining outside Israel reside in Mexico and Ireland, but the expectation is that the worldwide exodus of Jews to their homeland will be completed within the year. “American Exodus,” a movie about the robust experience of Jews in America, is currently in development in Hollywood, an industry created by Jews in the 1900s and run by them until the mass emigration began seven years ago. Y

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July 2013/Av 5773

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OHEL: Shabbat Awareness, Sandwich-Generation Help, and Siyyums, BBQs, and Theater for the Disabled June was a busy month for OHEL, the

Jewish social service agency designed to meet the diverse and growing social service needs of the community. Although it is a Brooklyn-based organization, it has reached out to other Jewish communities in the area, letting members of those communities understand the work OHEL does and how they can make use of and support those services. On Shabbat, June 15, Charlie Harary, a long-time supporter of OHEL, came to Englewood for that community’s second annual OHEL-Awareness Shabbos. OHEL maintains a Family Health Center in nearby Teaneck. Speaking four times over the course of Shabbat, Mr. Harary addressed two primary subjects: “What Makes a Great Jewish Leader?” and “Who Are We and What Are We Fighting For?” Recognizing that Mr. Harary was introduced as “the newest sensation in the Jewish World,” Ed Dauber, chair of the Adult Education Committee of Englewood’s Congregation Ahavath Torah, said, “Now we know he’s truly sensational.” In addition to Mr. Harary, OHEL was represented by its board member Shloime Dachs, a well-known musician, who led the tefillot at Ahavath Torah throughout Shabbat.

Sandwich Generation That same Shabbat, Harriet Blank, OHEL’s director of Geriatric Services, addressed congregants at the Young Israel of Bedford Bay in Brooklyn on the issue of the “Sandwich Generation,” the term used to describe people who care for their aging parents while simultaneously supporting their own children. As part of her talk, Ms. Blank discussed caregiving tips, suggestions for reducDonna Schapiro celebrates her Siyyum ing stress, and information of Sefer Tehilim at the OHEL Bais Ezra on how to care for aging parents while juggling other responsibilities. At Ms. Schapiro’s siyyum, she was preOHEL hosts many seminars and discussented with a certificate of achievement sions for all types of families. In the near as well as a book about Europe, recallfuture, the organization is planning a similar ing her love of travel. She was also given workshop for sandwich-generation carea women’s English and Hebrew siddur. givers at the Young Israel of Woodmere. “Donna is a creative soul who loves Autism Conference and appreciates art, calligraphy, and poAt the beginning of June, more than etry. Her neshama loves to sing, to soar, 200 professionals, parents, and advocates and to learn,” said Jennifer Pollack, who attended OHEL’s annual Community Conferlearns with Ms. Schapiro at OHEL Bais Ezra in ence on Autism. Held to offer insights and a Hewlett. Ms. Pollack said Ms. Schapiro also range of practical strategies for promoting loves to bake and share with her friends. the development of social skills in children, Community BBQ teens, and adults with autism spectrum disWhile Ms. Schapiro was celebrating, orders, the conference featured Drs. Mary residents at OHEL Bais Ezra’s Avenue M Jane Weiss and Teresa Herrero-Taylor, both residence thanked their surrounding neighof whom are experts in the field. bors by hosting their annual Community Professionals and parents who atAppreciation Day BBQ. tended the conference said they gained Opened in 1993, OHEL’s Ave M resiinformation and felt supported. dence is home to ten adult men with deOne mother commented that because velopmental disabilities. The residents set she is keenly aware of the lack of support up the food for the 30 community families she has received from her son’s school, who came to enjoy the BBQ with them. she doubly appreciated the conference. After the BBQ, the residents left Brook“Because of the information I learned at lyn to spend the summer in upstate New the conference, I feel totally vindicated York. When they return, they will resume in my understand of his needs,” she said. the custom of accepting neighbors’ inSiyyum vitations for meals on Shabbat. Two days after the Englewood and During the BBQ, some residents Bedford Bay Shabbat programs, OHEL took community and family members sponsored a celebration for Donna Schaon tours of the residence. According to piro, a resident of the organization’s Bais OHEL spokesman Jeremy Pasternak, guests Ezra Hewlett residence, on the occasion are always impressed with how well kept of her having finished studying the Jewthe residence is and how each resident ish book of Tehillim in its entirety. The takes pride in his private space adorned residence is home to those who, like Ms. with photos of vacations as well as paintSchapiro, have developmental disabilities. ings created by the residents themselves.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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Eli Club Presents Two Glatt Kosher Weeks in the Heart of the French Riviera From August 4-18, the luxurious

Marriott Riviera La Porte de Monaco Hotel, located in Cap d’Ail, France, will be the site of the Eli Club Glatt Kosher Holidays summer vacation. An attractive seaside resort prized by individuals, couples, and families, Cap d’Ail, right on the Cote d’Azur, is the gateway to Monte-Carlo and only 20 minutes from Italy. It is less than seven miles from Nice, and less than 23 miles to Cannes. Those taking advantage of Eli Club Glatt Kosher Holidays will have a choice of one or two weeks at the deluxe Marriott Riviera, in which each air-conditioned room faces the sea and is equipped with satellite plasma TV, direct telephone lines, and wireless internet. Eli Club directors say it is the perfect site in which to relax and enjoy the mild Mediterranean climate, while taking in the sun on a private balcony, or enjoying a drink while sitting around the private swimming pool.

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“The greatest chinuch I can give my children is living across the street from an OHEL Bais Ezra residence and having the individuals join us for Shabbos meals. My children and my husband and I all gain immeasurably from spending time with the cheerful residents, whether it’s sharing a joke, a d’var Torah, or just talking about current events,” said a neighbor. Theater On June 10, residents from OHEL Bais Ezra East Broadway gave back to the community in another way. After three months of practice, the men, all of whom have intellectual and/or physical disabilities, performed their play, “The Jewel Thief,” in front of a packed audience consisting mostly of family members at the YMHA of Washington Heights and Inwood. Directed by Giselle D’Souza, the play was used as a vehicle to help the residents express themselves in a way that most had not tried before. The Drama Club’s next performance will be held sometime in the fall. For more information about OHEL, OHEL Bais Ezra, and the many services available to the community, contact OHEL at 800-603-OHEL, askohel@ohelfamily. org, or visit www.ohelfamily.org. S.L.R.

A magical place where visitors are known to lose themselves in fragrant breezes, profound beauty, and international allure, the hotel has 171 guest rooms and 15 luxury suites. Kosher Meals The glatt kosher meals at the hotel will be under the supervision of the Chief Rabbinate of Nice with a permanent, onsite mashgiach. The chef will treat Eli Club guests to Provençal and international specialties for breakfast and dinner during the week, and all three meals on Shabbat. Service will be buffet-style in the hotel’s elegant Monte Carlo Dining Hall, with its breathtaking view of the marina. Lunch will be available during the week at additional cost. On Shabbat, services will be held at the hotel by Eli Club’s own chazzan. There will also be shiurim. Many Attractions Located just minutes from the beaches and the Monaco Palace, the hotel offers guests many picturesque destinations which are easily accessible by foot, including: the Princess Grace Rose Garden, known for its perfumed walkways; playgrounds for children; the “Sentier Littoral” pedestrian pathways along the sea; and the Fontvielle Mall with its boutiques, art exhibitions and galleries, and stamp and automobile museums. The hotel offers free shuttle service to the world-famous Oceanographic Museum,

the legendary Casino of Monte Carlo, and Monaco’s exotic garden. Other attractions include the Princess Grace Theatre, the Monaco National Museum, the Historic Dolls Museum, and the Fragonard Perfumery. Children are especially welcome by Club Eli. The Kids Club, for children ages 6-12, will operate Monday through Friday from 10am to 5pm. The club will be run by experienced youth leaders eager to help young Jewish visitors participate in activities such as theater, arts and crafts, games, and outings to the exceptional surroundings. Nice and Cannes Seven miles away in Nice, visitors can take in the Chagall Museum, known for its stunning mosaics, stained-glass windows, and its series of paintings illustrating subjects from Tanach, including the Song of Songs. The city’s Museum of Contemporary Art includes modern Jewish artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Yves Klein, and Arman. Although Cannes is famous for its International Film Festival, this elegant city is also known for its harmonious union of sea shores, wooded mountainsides, lush vegetation, and dazzling gardens suspended between the ultramarine sea and the azure sky. For more information about Eli Club and this summer vacation, visit the website: http://www.eliclub.net or email eliclub@club-internet.fr. Y

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July 2013/Av 5773

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The Log: Apply Now

The Unlimited Potential Theater Company is seeking poems, essays, short stories, and plays by NJ residents 18 years of age and over, for its 20th annual Joyce Indik NJ Wordsmith Competition, to be showcased at the NJ Readers’ Theater, deadline is Sept. 30. No entrance fee, call 732-745-3885 or www.vsanj.org Nominate a Non-Jewish German who has made an extraordinary contribution to preserving Jewish history and culture, such as by preserving synagogues or cemeteries, for the Obermayer German Jewish History Award, co-spons by the Berlin Parliament, deadline is Sept. 23, germanaward@gmail.com Talmud Yerushalmi Institute (www.talmudyerushalmi.org) is seeking talented students to serve as interns, compensation may be available, michael@ TalmudYerushalmi.org

Wed., July 10

“Prophet of Doom and Destruction, Rebuilding, and Re-

planting: Lessons for the Three Weeks in the Writings of Yirmiyahu,” for men and women, Rabbi Allen Schwartz, spons by Yeshiva University, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 9:30am, 212-960-0137 Mommy and Baby: “My Baby Hates Tummy Time, Now What?” for mothers and babies from birth to 12 months, Ptatric Therapy, Livingston, 9:30am, 201-888-1997 Jewish Women’s Business Network, for “momtrepreneurs,” home-based business owners, sales reps, full- and part-time, private office in East Rutherford, 9:30am, Rachel.jurkowicz@gmail.com “Halacha and Tanach: Maximizing the Three Weeks,” for women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “Hilchos Muktzah,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; “Tanach,” Mahnaz Shmalo, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “Different Visions of Religious Zionism: Rav Kalischer, Rav Kook, and Rav Soloveitchik,” for men and women, CB Neugroschl, spons by Yeshiva University, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10:45am, 212-960-0137

Book Review Club: “Below Stairs” by Margaret Powell, facilitator Lucille Schroeder, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 Tomchei Shabbos Packing, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 1pm, 201-692-0493 TeleConference: “Helping Each of Us To Take One Small Step toward Growth in Living Kindness and Increase our Simchas HaChaim,” for women, Dr. Zivia Fuld, 3pm, 718-633-2594 or fuld@613coach.com “Stress Relief for Grief,” Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, 6pm, 201-833-3000 ext 7580 or ext 7483 Siyum on Mashechtas Nazir and Mesechtas Shabbos, celebrated by Ron Koesterich, Chuck Levner, Michael Kirschner, Dovid Dashevaky, and Richard Reisman, Chai Ko Tapas Restaurant, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-384-0434 “Shiur, for high school girls, Leah Silver, Lazy Bean Café, Teaneck, 7:15pm, afrolich613@gmail.com Mom’s Support Group, for mothers of children with special needs, Beth Giladi, LSW, spons by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-765-9050 or 973-929-3129 “Hush: What Happens When You Are Most Betrayed by Those You Trust the Most,” for men and women, Judy Brown, aka Eishes Chayil, spons by EMUNAH, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, amdan23@aol.com “An Explanation of the Key Kinos Said on Tisha B’Av,” Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-966-4498 Taharat Hamishpacha Refresher Course: “Expecting the Unexpected: A Review of the Principles and Practical Laws of Becoming a Niddah,” Yoetzet Halacha Bracha Rutner, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, bracharutner,@peoplepc.com “Tefilla in 3-D: An Exploration and Consideration of Talmudic and Midrashic Sources Regarding the Origins of Tefilla,” Rabbi Michael Hattin, Cong Dar-

chei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45pm, 551-265-3963 “Are You Ready: Shidduch Webinar,” for singles, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9pm, 855-MAP-SEMI or info@mapseminars.com Webinar: “Positive Jewish Parenting, Using Jewish Values to Raise Resilient, Responsible, and Independent Children: Strength: Inner Resolve and Courage,” Adina Soclof and Devorah Levine Katz, spons by the Orthodox Union, 9pm, 212-613-8300

Thurs., July 11

“Halacha and Tanach: Maximizing the Three Weeks,” for women, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, “Hilchos Erev ShabbosKabalas Shabbos,” Rabbi Aaron Cohen, 9:45am; Tanach Shiur, Temima Schulman and Marcy Stern, 10:35am, 973-773-2552 “Birding in the Park,” Bergen County Zoo and Van Saun Park, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-3771 “Are You Caring for a Holocaust Survivor in Your Family: Crisis Prevention and Transitions,” Dr. Joshua Schor, JCC, West Orange, 7pm, 973-765-9050 ext 1727 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: Soul Words,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:15pm, 973-694-6274 “Supporting Your Child through the Career Discovery Process: Exploring Career Options,” for parents of high school and college-age students, Laurie Davis and Dr. Steve Safier, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-837-2795 Mussar Vaad: Guide to Middot Development Focusing on One Middah at a Time, for women, Rav Leib Kelemen, private home in Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-951-9540

Fri., July 12

Last Day to Put items in a PODS container in Teaneck for Furniture Assist, an all-volunteer, tax-deductible organization, that collects household items and, in partnership with social service agencies, matches them with people in need. For her Bat Mitzvah, Seela Langer is collecting furniture, mattresses, electronics,

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July 2013/Av 5773

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” toys, clothes, and linens, SeelaBatMitzvah@gmail.com “Israel in the Information Age,” Dovid Efune, includes Shabbos dinner, Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, 7:30pm, 609-822-8500 Scholar-in-Residence, Rabbi Ari Lamm, Riverdale Jewish Center, through Shabbat, July 13, 718-548-1850

Shabbat, July 13

Rabbi Shalom Baum, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, “Midrash Eicha: Tears from Heaven: What We Should Cry For,” 10am; “The Beit Hamikdash and Its Loss as a Theme of Pirket Avot,” 7pm; Seuda Shlishit: “Without Meat and Much Food All Year: A Teaneck Challenge,” 8pm, 201-907-0180 Rabbi Ari Hart, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10:30am, 718-796-4730 Chai Society Shabbat Luncheon, featuring Dr. Alan Kadish, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, 201-836-8916 Women’s Shiur: The Seven Neviot, Marcy Stern, Cong Agudas Yisroel, Passaic, 4:30pm, 973-778-6386 Cong Beth Aaron Sister-

hood Book Club: “Burnt Bread and Chutney: Growing Up between Cultures—a Memoir of an Indian-Jewish Girl” by Carmit Delman, private home in Teaneck, 5pm, 201-837-0651 Women’s Shiur, Mahzaz Shmalo, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 5:30pm, marstrul@aol.com Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, safek7@gmail.com “Amos,” for women, Chedva Tennenberg, private home in East Brunswick, 5:45pm, 732-254-1860 or 732-613-9511 “Talmudic Insights into Modern Securities Trading: A Case Study in the Eternal Relevance of Torah,” Rabbi Ozer Glickman, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 6:55pm, 201-837-2795 Voices of Ahavas Achim: “Harrowing, Heart-Warming, and Kiddush Hashem Stories from the Ambulance Squad,” Ari Lewitter, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 or 732-777-7891 Zahal Disabled Veterans Fund, Col Ilan Egozi, Hebrew In-

stitute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718796-4730

Motzei Shabbat, July 13

Tiferes: A Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Program for Women, private home in Edison, 10pm, 732-572-4713 DVD: “Yizkereim: Remember Them: The Story of Rav Yonah Tiefenbrunner, z”l, and the Orphanage He Established in Belgium during the Holocaust,” Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10pm, 201-836-8916

Sun., July 14

Earn Three Credits towards a Master of Arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, in Berlin, Warsaw, Jedwabne, Sarajevo, Srevrenica, and London, spons by Kean University, Union, 908737-7140 Full-Day Workshop: “Creating the Marriage You Always Wanted,” for married and engaged couples, Rabbi Doniel Frank and Rivka Stauber, private home in Monsey, 9am, 845-354-8094 Latte and Learn: Women’s Yom Iyun: “Prophecies of Destruction, Prophecies of Redemp-

tion—Understand the Messages of Hope in Sefer Yishayahu,” Aliza Weinberg, spons by Bnot of Cong Bnai Yeshurun, at a private home in Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-692-8680 or 201-692-3638 Groundbreaking of the Ziga Roshanski Mikvah, includes refreshments, Cong Anshe Chesed, Linden, 10am, 908-486-8616 “Making Dreams Come True: How Actions Influence G-d’s Decisions,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 “Practical Aspects of Hilchos Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Chaim Kusintz, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 10am, 973-777-5929 “The Awakening of Jewish Identity in Israel: The Thinking of Secular Israelis Who Are Beginning to Identify More with Their Judaism,” Rabbi Sholom Hammer, Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, NY, 10:30am, 845-352-1343 Bus Tour of Lost Synagogues of the Bronx, Rabbi Moshe Fuchs and Ellen Levitt, leave the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11am, 718-

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The Log

July 2013/Av 5773

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796-4730 On-Line Class: “Web and Graphic Design: Basic Design Principles,” Malkie Schonick, spons by the Orthodox Union, 11:45am, jobsco@ou.org “Ethnic Music,” David Aaron, JCC, Tenafly, 1:15am, 201-569-7900 Biblical Flora Tour of the Freilinghuysen Arboretum, Morristown, 1:30pm, www.arboretumfriends.org Exhibition: “Candles” by David Abecassis, at the Teaneck General Store, 4-6pm, 201-530-5046 Two Historic Movies: Jewish Amsterdam in 1932 at the Start of Shabbat, and Palestine 1935, Eli Schaap, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 6:30pm, 201-836-6210 “A Wedding Lasts an Evening, Marriage Lasts a Lifetime,” spons by Shalom Workshop, private home in Monsey, 7pm, 212-742-1141 “The Awakening of Jewish Identity in Israel: The Thinking of Secular Israelis Who Are Beginning to Identify More with Their Judaism,” Rabbi Sholom Hammer, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-836-8916 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-andBergen-Adoptive-Families “Can We Really Change Our Character?” Rabbi Dovid Weinberger, spons by Achieving Change through Torah (ACTT), at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 7:30pm, 732-572-8762 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to

Navigate Your Inner World: Getting a Grip on Yourself,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770 Yachad Fathers Group, for fathers of special-needs children, private home in Passaic, herrmann@ou.org

Mon., July 15

Las Day to Donate to the Bergen County Friendship Circle Rummage Sale Collection, to benefit Jewish special-needs children and programming, needs used and new clothing, shoes, handbags, small working appliances and electronics, housewares, glassware, china and giftware, CDs, DVDs, videos, books, etc, charitable donation receipts available, 11am-10pm, 201599-0125 or iceburg1cb@gmail.com Start of the Eighth Year of Achieving Change through Torah (ACTT), using as a source book “Step by Step,” compiled by Rabbi Dovid Weinberger, 732-572-8762 Bayonne JCC Summer Lego Camp, for children of all ages grouped according to age, through Fri., July 19, 201-436-6900 “Jewish Immigrant Experience,” for grades 4-9, Sheryl Intrator-Urman, Arts for Learning Summer Program, Englewood, 9:30am-2:30pm, 201-503-9796 Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, my Son, My Daughter: How to Understand and Parent Teenagers: Aspects of Adolescence That Remain with Us for a Lifetime,” Dr. Yisrael Feuerman, noon, 973-249-8111 “The Biblical Book of Leviticus: First Things First,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of

Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Fast Begins, 8:24pm “The Book of Lamentations: Whoever Mourns for Jerusalem Will Merit to See Its Rejoicing,: The Key to Jewish Continuity,” Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm, 201-966-4498 “Days Are Coming: There Will Be a Hunger in the World,” Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, 9:45pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com Shiur, Rabbi Miodownik, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:45pm, 732-247-0532 Films: “Barriers” and “Bat HaRav,” discussed by Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10pm, 201-833-0515

Tues., July 16, Tisha B’Av

Orthodox Union Webcasts: “Tools for Recovery/Tefillot for Redemption,” Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, from Israel, 2-6am live and replayed 9am; “Confronting the Devastation,” Rabbi Steven Weil, live at 9:15am, archived on the OU homepage, www.ou.org Daughters of Miriam Minyan, to help those at the facility who are medically permitted to fast, Clifton, shacharis, 8:45am; mincha, 1:45pm, 201-794-7611 or 201-280-8198 Youth Program, for children entering nursery-5th grade, includes arts and crafts, games, lunch, snacks, and learning, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9am-2pm, rivki19@yahoo.com Tisha B’Av Programs, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, Chafetz Chaim DVD, for middle and high school students, 10:30am; Chafetz Chaim DVD, noon; Chafetz Chaim DVD, 2pm; Rayut Lecture, for women, Frada Stone, 3:15pm; Women’s Tehillim Group, 4:15pm; Yizkereim DVD, 4:45pm; Chafetz Chaim DVD, 5:45pm; Shiur, Joel Rich, 6:05pm; Rabbi Dr. Michael Shmidman, 7:55pm, 973-736-1407, Tisha B’Av Shiur, Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 11am, 201-907-0180 Camp Splash, for boys and girls (separate groups) ages 2-9,

includes lunch, snacks, drinks, games, sports, crafts, learning, Monsey, 11am-5pm, 845-548-0518 “Kinos,” Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein, 11am, www.ohrnaavalive.com Youth Program, for children in grades K-4, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, noon, youth@rinat.org “Two Types of Tears,” Rabbi Label Lam, 12:15pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com YU/OU Tisha B’Av Video Presentation, Rabbis Yaacov Glasser, Steven Weil, and Moshe Zvi Weinberg and Prof Smadar Rosensweig, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 12:30pm, 732-247-0532 Kinot for Kids, grades 3-6, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 1pm, 732-247-0532 “Raising Your Kedusha: A Women’s Shiur in Ahavas Chesed,” Rebbetzin Tehilla Jaeger and Rebbetzin Sarah Leah Weissman, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, Ohel Miriam, Passaic, 1:10pm, 908-278-4059 “Taking the First Step to Geula,” Charlie Harary, 1:15pm www.ohrnaavalive.com Tisha B’Av Program, for children in grades N-3, includes “Fit for Kids Movement Program,” arts & crafts, games, and snacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 1:303:45pm, youthcby@gmail.com YU/OU Tisha B’Av Video Presentation, featuring Rabbis Yaakov Glasser, Steven Weil, and Moshe Zvi Weinberg, and Prof Smadar Rosensweig, Cong Ahavas Yisroel, Edison, 1:45pm, info@ ayedison.org Tisha B’Av Mincha Prayer Service, focusing on the dangers facing Israel from all sides, Rabbi Avi Weiss, Isaiah Peace Wall, opposite the UN, First Ave and 43rd St, Manhattan, 2pm, 212-663-5784 DVDs for Tisha B’Av, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, “Choosing Our Words” Rav Yitzchok Scheiner and Rav Elya Brudny, and “Choosing to Care: Bearing the Yoke of Another’s Burden and Showing the Ultimate Understanding of Ahavas Yisroel by Putting Person Time, Effort, and Resources to Alleviate Another’s Plight,” Rav Yissocher Frand, 2:30pm; “Choosing Our Words,” Rabbi Ey-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com tan Feiner and Rabbi Eli Mansour, 5pm; “Making Tisha B’Av Relevant to Us,” Rabbi Yaacov Glasser, Prof Smadar Rosensweig, Rabbi Steven Weil, and Rabbi Moshe Zvi Weiberg, 6pm; 908-420-3878 Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Program: “Choice by Choice, Step by Step,” Rabbis Yitzchok Scheiner, Shmuel Kamenetsky, Elya Brudny, Eli Mansour, Eytan Feiner and Yissocher Frand, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 2:30pm, 201-530-0043 “The Moed Tragedy,” Rabbi Motti Miller, 2:30pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com Chofetz Chaim Heritage Center Presentation: “Choice by Choice: Our Everyday Journey to Geulah,” Rabbis Eli Mansour, Eytan Feiner, and Yissocher Frand, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 3pm, 732-247-0532 Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Video, Rabbis Yitzchok Sheiner and Yissocher Frand, 3:30pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com “Tisha B’Av: Separation and Connection,” Ivy Kalazan, 5pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com Film, Study, and Personal Reflection: “Triumph of Hope: Finding Faith in Difficult Times,” discussion led by Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, Chabad of West Orange, 6pm, 973-486-2362 Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Video, Rabbis Eli Mansour and Eitan Feiner, 6pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com DVD Presentation: “Choice by Choice: Our Everyday Journey to Redemption,” Rabbis Yitzchok Scheiner and Yissocher Frand, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-966-4498 Rabbi Dr. Michael Shmidman, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7:55pm, 973-736-1407 “From Mourning to Morning,” Rabbi Shmuel Skaist, 8:15pm, www.ohrnaavalive.com “Hurban Phase 1: Nebuchadnezzar on the World Stage,” Dr. Shalom Holtz, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:20pm, 718-796-4730 Fast Ends, 9:14pm

Wed., July 17

Bochurim from the Yeshiva of Staten Island Learn with Pas-

July 2013/Av 5773

saic Torah Institute, in Passaic, through Wed., July 31, 973-5944774 or 862-371-3186 “Prophet of Doom and Destruction, Rebuilding, and Replanting: Lessons for the Three Weeks in the Writings of Yirmiyahu,” for men and women, Rabbi Allen Schwartz, spons by Yeshiva University, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 9:30am, 212-960-0137 Mommy and Baby: “Torticollis and Plagiocephaly,” for mothers and babies from birth to 12 months, Ptatric Therapy, Livingston, 9:30am, 201-888-1997 Israel Bonds Women’s Division Trip to Philadelphia, includes visit to the National Museum of American Jewish History and kosher boxed lunches, leave from Livingston, 10am, 973-712-1405 “Different Visions of Religious Zionism: Rav Kalischer, Rav Kook, and Rav Soloveitchik,” for men and women, CB Neugroschl, spons by Yeshiva University, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10:45am, 212-960-0137 Wednesday Afternoon at the Movies, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 2pm, 201-568-1315 Tomche Shabbos Packing, for adults and children in grade 5 and older, warehouse behind Rabbi Weinberger’s shul (Cong K’hal Tiferes Boruch), Passaic, women, 6-7pm; men, 7-8:15pm; drivers, 8:15-8:45pm, yona@idt.net “Laws of Shabbat: Small Details, Big Picture: Umbrellas: Pop-Tops and the World of Boneh (Building),” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:45pm, 718-796-4730 Film: “Martha Must Fly” (in Hebrew with English subtitles), with writer, director, and producer Ma-ayin Rypp, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1457 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 “The Book of Isaiah: An Introduction to the World of the

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Prophet,” for women on all levels and backgrounds, Shuli Taubes, bring tanach, Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-787-1812 “Siblings without Rivalry,” Emily Shapiro, at Kidaroo, Riverdale, 8pm, 347-560-1027 Slow Flow Yoga for Relaxation, for women, Ilene Gagliardi, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-655-2528 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431 “Are You Ready: Shidduch Webinar,” for singles, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9pm, 855-MAP-SEMI or info@mapseminars.com Webinar: “Positive Jewish Parenting, Using Jewish Values to Raise Resilient, Responsible, and Independent Children: Gratitude: Happy with What You Have,” Adina Soclof and Devorah Levine Katz, spons by the Orthodox Union, 9pm, 212-613-8300

Thurs., July 18

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

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“Black Bears,” Elaine Dunn, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-3771 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: Getting a Grip on Yourself,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:15pm, 973-694-6274

Fri., July 19

Yachad Shabbaton, hosting those with special-needs, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 973-736-1407 Shabbos Nachamu Friday Night Dinner, with song and Chabad camp spirit with the counselors from the girls division of Camp Izzy in Morristown, services, 7pm; dinner, 8pm, 973-486-2362 Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Aaron Rakffet, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, through breakfast on Sun, July 21, 201-836-8916

Shabbat, July 20

Educational Prayer Service, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, includes discussions and commentary, prayers in English and Hebrew transliteration, at Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498 “Shakespeare’s Merchant

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of Venice: A Modern-Orthodox Perspective,” William Stock, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 4pm, 718-796-4730 Women’s Shiur, Shany Gejerman, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 5:30pm, marstrul@aol.com “Ovadia and Jonah,” for women, Sara Fischner, private home in East Brunswick, 5:45pm, 732-254-1860 or 732-613-9511 Voices of Ahavas Achim: “Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Response: The NJ Experience,” Dr. Clifton Lacy, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 or 732777-7891

Motzei Shabbat, July 20

Motzei Shabbat Nachamu Kumsitz, Rabbi Avi Weiss and the Bayit Band, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9:30pm, 718-796-4730 A Shabbos Nachamu Concert: “Imagine” Tour, featuring 8th Day, Shloime Gertner, Benny Friedman, and Yoni Z, separate seating and family seating, at Kutshers, Monticello, doors open, 10:30pm; concert, 11pm, 718-647-6228

Sun., July 21

Day at the Beach, for those with special needs ages 4-24, Seven Presidents Beach, Long Branch, www.bestdayfoundation.org Blood Drive, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 9am-1pm, 973-736-1407 Blood Drive, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 9am-2pm, info@ netivotshalomnj.org Post-Nuptial Agreement Drive, for married couples who did not sign a pre- or post-nuptial agreement at or before their wedding, it insures that the get will not be used a leverage against the

wife, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 9am-2pm, info@netivotshalomnj. org or The.Rogovins@gmail.com Hachnasat Safer Torah, spons by Phil Rosen and Marlene Greenspan and their families in memory of their parents, begins at a private home in Edison and concludes at Cong Ohr Torah, 9:30am, 732-777-6840 “Retracting Your Magnum Opus: The Courage to Sacrifice for the Truth,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 “Practical Aspects of Hilchos Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Chaim Kusintz, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 10am, 973-777-5929 “Jewish Version of Exorcism, Evil, Neder,” Rabbi Reuven Stengel, Cong Shaarey Israel, Montebello, NY, 10am, 845-369-0300 or 917-885-1158 Junior Sunday Programs for Special-Needs, for ages 5-18, includes swim, gym, music, and Jewish education, JCC, West Orange, 12:30pm, 973-530-3400 Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments BBQ, Votee Park, Teaneck, 1-4pm, 347443-2199 “An Afternoon of Laughter and Music,” featuring Keith Barnay and the Eddie Bruce Orchestra, spons by the Jewish Family and Vocational Services, at the Masasco Performing Arts Center, Monroe Twnshp, 3pm, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Rep Albio Sires (D-NJ), spons by NORPAC, private home in Highland Park, 6pm, 732-985-1918 or avi@norpac.net “Humanizing the Hospital Environment: The Sarah Wetsman Davidson Hospital

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

Tower of Hadassah Hospital in Ein Kerem,” architect Arthur Spector, spons by Hadassah, includes catered parve desserts, Cong Anshe Emeth, Highland Park, 6pm, 732-821-6810 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: Sync or Sink,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201794-3770

Mon., July 22, Tu B’Av

Moriah School of Englewood Online Auction Begins, through Wed., July 28, www.biddingforgood.com/moriah Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, my Son, My Daughter: How to Understand and Parent Teenagers: States of Mind Characteristic of Adolescent Mentality,” Dr. Yisrael Feuerman, noon, 973-249-8111 “The Biblical Book of Leviticus: Footprints in the Sand,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Film: “Crossing Delancey,” Cong Beth Judah, Ventnor, 7pm, 609-822-7116 “What’s Love Got to Do with It? A Jewish Take on Love and Relationships,” for single and married women 18-120, Rhonda Lillianthal, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-530-3519 “The Sheitel Debate: Why Wear a Wig? Why Is It Considered Modest to Wear a Wig That Is Even More Beautiful Than My Hair?” for women, Miriam Sebbag, featuring a sheitel demonstration and tips by Chana Hinda, includes salad bar, desserts, and a free traveling sheitel “head,” Chabad House, Passaic, 7:30pm, 973-246-5251 “The Book of Isaiah: An Introduction to the World of the Prophet,” for women on all levels and backgrounds, Shuli Taubes, bring tanach, Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-787-1812 Slow Flow Yoga for Relaxation, for women, Ilene Gagliardi, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-655-2528

Tues., July 23

“Music and Events of the 60s,” David Aaron, JCC, Edison,

10:30am, 732-494-3232 ext 603 Men’s Bereavement Discussion Group, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718518-2125 or 718-518-2674 Taharat Hamishpacha Refresher Course: “Conceptions and Misconceptions: A Review of the Principles and Practical Laws Regarding Getting to the Mikvah,” Yoetzet Halacha Bracha Rutner, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, bracharutner,@ peoplepc.com

Wed., July 24

Mommy and Baby: “A Year of Milestones: Is My Baby on Track?” for mothers and babies from birth to 12 months, Ptatric Therapy, Livingston, 9:30am, 201-888-1997 Music, David Aaron, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 “Laws of Shabbat: Small Details, Big Picture: Name Tags, Garbage Bags, and the World of Kosher Tying,” Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:45pm, 718-796-4730 Second Generation, for children of Holocaust Survivors, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-837-9090 Webinar: “Positive Jewish Parenting, Using Jewish Values to Raise Resilient, Responsible, and Independent Children: Love Your Neighbor: It Starts at Home,” Adina Soclof and Devorah Levine Katz, spons by the Orthodox Union, 9pm, 212-613-8300

Thurs., July 25

Jewish Issues for Seniors, Rabbi Gary Katz, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 Volunteer Managers’ Lunch and Learn Roundtable, for sharing ideas and best practices, Volunteer Center, Hackensack, 11:30am, 201-489-9454 ext 118 “The Real Dinosaurs,” Chris DiPiazza, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 4pm, 201-262-3771 “Dinosaurs,” Prof Daniel O’Saurus, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-3771 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: Sync or Sink,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:15pm, 973-694-6274

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Fri., July 26

Summer Shabbat Dinner, Congregation Shaarey Israel, Montebello, NY, for individual and families, services, 6:30pm; dinner, 7:30pm, 845-369-0300 Drisha Girls High School Program Shabbaton, Dr. Beth Samuels and other speakers, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, through Shabbat, July 27, 718-796-4730

Shabbat, July 27

Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, safek7@gmail.com Women’s Shiur, Ahuva Gold, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 5:30pm, marstrul@aol.com “Micha and Nachum,” for women, Dorianne Dantowitz, private home in East Brunswick, 5:45pm, 732-254-1860 or 732-613-9511

Sun., July 28

“Bribing G-d: The One Thing Money Cannot Buy,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Trial Dance Class, for girls 3-10, Samantha Hod, private studio in Teaneck, 10am, SamsSchoolofDance@gmail.com On-Line Class: “Web and Graphic Design: Typography,” Malkie Schonick, spons by the Orthodox Union, 10:30am, jobsco@ou.org Junior Sunday Programs for Special-Needs, for ages 5-18, includes swim, gym, music, and Jewish education, JCC, West Orange, 12:30pm, 973-530-3400 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: The Joyride,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770

Mon., July 29

Moriah School of Englewood Golf, Tennis, and Cycling Outing, Edgewood Country Club, Rivervale, registration and breakfast, 9:15am; tennis clinic/cardio tennis, cycling, 10am; shotgun, 11:30am; lunch, 1pm; Pilates class and pro/amateur tennis matches, 2pm; cocktails, dinner, and awards, 5:30pm, 201-567-0208 ext 373

July 2013/Av 5773

“Jewish Immigrant Experience,” for grades 4-9, Sheryl Intrator-Urman, Arts for Learning Summer Program, Englewood, 9:30am-2:30pm, 201-503-9796 Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, my Son, My Daughter: How to Understand and Parent Teenagers: Risk of Drugs and Alcohol,” Dr. Yisrael Feuerman, noon, 973-249-8111 “The Biblical Book of Leviticus: The Sound of Silence,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Slow Flow Yoga for Relaxation, for women, Ilene Gagliardi, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-655-2528

Tues., July 30

“Teaching about the Holocaust and Genocide,” Karen Levine, Andrew Buchanan, and Gail Hirsch Rosenthal, Richard Stockton College, Galloway, 9:30am-4pm, also Wed. July 31, 8:30am-3pm, 201-317-4517 or 609-652-4699 “Jews in the Movies,” JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-569-7900 Bereavement Group for the Death of a Spouse, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718-518-2125 or 718-518-2674

Wed., July 31

Begin Chai Lifeline’s Bike 4 Chai Event, a two-day, 175-mile ride to support children suffering from cancer and other serious diseases, begins in Asbury Park and goes to Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY, Ben Kieserman of Cherry Hill is participating, to support him: http://www.chailifeline.org/events/Bike4Chai/ my/BKieserman; to participate, http://www.chailifeline.org/events/ Bike4Chai/ Tomche Shabbos Packing, for adults and children in grade 5 and older, warehouse behind Rabbi Weinberger’s shul (Cong K’hal Tiferes Boruch), Passaic, women, 6-7pm; men, 7-8:15pm; drivers, 8:15-8:45pm, yona@idt.net Jewish Home Foundation Boneh Olam Thank You Evening, Jewish Home at Rockleigh, 6:30pm, 201-750-4231 “Laws of Shabbat: Small Details, Big Picture: Blechs, Crockpots, and the World of Bishul (Cooking),” Rabbi Steven Exler,

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:45pm, 718-796-4730 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 “Siblings without Rivalry,” Emily Shapiro, at Kidaroo, Riverdale, 8pm, 347-560-1027 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431 “Rapid Alert: Webinar on Preparing and Guiding Teenagers,” for Parents, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9pm Webinar: “Positive Jewish Parenting, Using Jewish Values to Raise Resilient, Responsible, and Independent Children: Charity and Kindness: Exploring True Giving,” Adina Soclof and Devorah Levine Katz, spons by the Orthodox Union, 9pm, 212-613-8300

Thurs., Aug 1

Exhibit: “Everyday Israel through a Digital Lens,” photography by Devorah Rosen Goldman, JCC, Tenafly, 201-408-1411, through Tues., Aug 27 Jewish Issues for Seniors, Rabbi Gary Katz, JCC, Tenafly,

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11:15am, 201-569-7900 “Know the Bear Facts,” Michelle Smith, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-3771 Jewish Heritage Night at the Ball Park: Trenton Thunder vs Harrisburg Senators, includes fireworks and kosher food, trip spons by Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, Arm and Hammer Park, Trenton, 7pm, 609-394-3300 ext 101 or 732-247-3038 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: The Joyride,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:15pm, 973-694-6274

Fri., Aug 2

First Friday, for families and individuals, no charge, includes services, children’s program, Kiddush, and dinner, Chabad Jewish Center, Basking Ridge, 7pm, Yitzchok@chabadcentral.org Carlebach-Style Davening, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515

Shabbat, Aug 3

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

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Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, includes light and healthy Kiddush, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Educational Prayer Service, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, includes discussions and commentary, prayers in English and Hebrew transliteration, at Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498 “The ‘B’ Team: Why Average Is No Longer Good Enough,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 11:45am, 201833-0515 Shabbat Mevorchim Shalosh Seudos, for women, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, private apartment in Teaneck, 4pm, sisterhood@ teaneckapartments.com “Habakkuk and Zepharia,” for women, Hindy Kierman, private home in East Brunswick, 5:45pm, 732-254-1860 or 732-613-9511

Sun., Aug 4

“Fowl Play: Lessons from the Signs of a Kosher Bird,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Kupath Ezrah of Rockland County Flea Market, Victoria Gardens, Monsey, 10am-4pm, yehudisf@yahoo.com On-Line Class: “Web and Graphic Design: Color Theory,” Malkie Schonick, spons by the Orthodox Union, 10:30am, jobsco@ou.org Artists Reception for Devorah Rosen Goldman: “Everyday Israel through a Digital Lens,” JCC, Tenafly, 1-3pm, 201-408-1411 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: The Big Picture,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770

Mon., Aug 5

Yavneh Academy Golf and Tennis Outing, includes golf, tennis, fitness classes, breakfast, BBQ lunch, awards dinner, and prizes, Preakness Hills Country Club, Wayne, 9am, 201-262-8494 ext 309 Jewish Women’s Circle: “Mezuzah Crafting,” Chabad at the Shore, Margate, 10am,

609-822-8500 Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, my Son, My Daughter: How to Understand and Parent Teenagers: Issues of Separation in Adolescence,” Dr. Yisrael Feuerman, noon, 973-249-8111 “The Biblical Book of Leviticus: Fruit and Fruition,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227

Tues., Aug 6

Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 “More Yiddish Ta’am,” JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-569-7900 “1492 and Beyond: How the Jews Emerged from the Ghetto and Entered the Modern World: The Sephardic Experience,” Prof Robert Fierstien, includes dessert and coffee, JCC, Margate, 11am, 609-822-1854 “More Yiddish Taam,” JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-569-7900 Men’s Bereavement Discussion Group, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718518-2125 or 718-518-2674

Wed., Aug 7

“Ladino Folk Music,” Leona Schwab, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 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 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 Concert Party: Mostly Mozart, featuring Mozart’s Overture to Le Nozze di Figaro and Piano Concerto No. 25 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 1, at Lincoln Center,

spons by Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 8pm, 845-352-1343 “Rapid Alert: Webinar on Preparing and Guiding Teenagers,” for Parents, Rabbi Doniel Frank, 9pm

Thurs., Aug 8

Kindermusik and Zoo Train, Bergen County Zoo, for children infants -7 years, Paramus, 2, 4, and 6pm, 201-262-3771 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: The Big Picture,” Rabbi Michel Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 7:15pm, 973-694-6274

Fri., Aug 9

One-Day Defensive Driving Course, for seniors, Doris Ford, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am3pm, 845-362-4400

Shabbat, Aug 10

Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, safek7@gmail.com “Haggai,” for women, Sharon Weinstein, private home in East Brunswick, 5:45pm, 732-2541860 or 732-613-9511 “Elul Inquiries: Gearing Up for the High Holy Days by Exploring Curiosity in Matters of Religious Piety: Off the Top of My Head: The Origins of the Kippah and Other Religious Head Gear,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 6:30pm, 201-833-0515

Sun., Aug 11

“Are Kings Good Things: Exploring the Underpinnings of a Jewish Monarchy,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 On-Line Class: “Web and Graphic Design: Design Dos and Don’ts: Proven Formulas That Always Work,” Malkie Schonick, spons by the Orthodox Union, 10:30am, jobsco@ou.org Junior Sunday Programs for Special-Needs, for ages 5-18, includes swim, gym, music, and Jewish education, JCC, West Orange, 12:30pm, 973-530-3400 Cong Beth Abraham of Bergenfield Community BBQ, for adults and children, includes food, Dube Zone activities, and a petting zoo, Veterans Memorial Park, Bergenfield, 3-6pm, 201-384-0270,

201-384-0434, 201-357-8653, or tzipgellman@optonline.net Jewish Summer Fest, includes food and BBQ, music, handson arts and crafts, children’s rides, spons by Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, 5:30-8:30pm, 609-8228500 (rate date Aug 25) 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 “Soul Maps: Kabbalah to Navigate Your Inner World: Have a Heart,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770

Mon., Aug 12

“Jewish Immigrant Experience,” for grades 4-9, Sheryl Intrator-Urman, Arts for Learning Summer Program, Englewood, 9:30am-2:30pm, 201-503-9796 Watercolor Painting Class, for children 10-13, Shana Falda, private studio in West Orange, 10am, also Tues, Aug 13; Wed, Aug 14; and Thurs, Aug 15, shana_falda@yahoo.com Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, my Son, My Daughter: How to Understand and Parent Teenagers: A Modern Psychoanalytic Perspective for the Modern Jewish Family,” Dr. Yisrael Feuerman, noon, 973-249-8111 “Are You Caring for a Holocaust Survivor in Your Family: Empowering Caregivers,” Harriet Blank of OHEL, JCC, West Orange, 1:30pm, 973-765-9050 ext 1727 “The Biblical Book of Leviticus: Feeler or Follower?” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227

Because new events come in all month long, check The Jewish Voice website, JewishVoiceand Opinion.com, to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

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New Classes This Month Sundays

Shiur: Bava Metzia Eilu Metzios Chabura, for fathers of Yeshiva Mekor Baruch 6th grade boys, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes breakfast, Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 862-371-3186 Shiur on Sephardic Halacha, Rabbi Chaim Jachter, Cong Shaarei Orah the Sephardic Cong of Teaneck, 8am, 201-833-0800 “Practical Halacha: Hilchos Shabbos,” Rabbi Gershon Tave, Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Gemara: Eilu Metzios, with Chavrusa, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:15am, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 “Halachic Insights into the Past Week’s Daf Yomi,” Rabbi Gershon West, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:25am, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Passaic Clifton Community Kollel Avos Ubanim, Cong Kehilas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 9:30am, 845-709-9340 Gemara Kiddushin, in depth with chavrusa, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, includes breakfast, Passaic Torah Institute, 9:45am, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Torah Learning, Teaneck General Store, 10:30am, 201-530-5046 Pottery Workshop, for adults, Claydate Pottery Studio, Riverdale, 7pm, 347-835-0522 Avot U’Banim Father-Son Learning, includes snacks and prizes, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck (formerly Yeshiva Gedolah), 7pm, 917-991-7985 Shidduch Learning Group, for women to daven for Jewish singles, males and females, on the group’s list, and learn from “Eternal Joy,” letters from the Lubavitcher Rebbe to queries asking for advice on how to find a shidduch; also to arrange for singles to meet, private home in Tenafly, 7:30pm, writer5770@optimum.net Sukkah Chabura, Binyomin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, 862-686-6748

Mondays

Gemara and Practical Halacha: Masechet Sukkah, Rabbi Duvie Weiss, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8am, 201-907-0180 Mommy and Me, includes crafts, music, movement, free play, social interaction, snacks, sensory table, Chani Gurkov, Chabad Center, Wayne, 10am, 973-694-6274 Knitting Club, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 11am, 201-568-1315 Bereavement Group for Parents Whose Adult Child Has Died, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 11am and 1pm, 718518-2125 or 718-518-2674 Summer Kollel: Hilchos Aveilus, Rav Yaakov Neuburger, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, henryo@654plaza.com or jbf53@att. net, or dsaks@genesiscm.com Bereavement Group for the Death of Spouse, Andrew Ostergren, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 5:30pm, 718-518-2364 or 718-518-2674 Ladies Tehillim Group, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 7:45pm, 732-254-1860 Pirkei Avos, Debra Korman, private home in Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-6345 or 201-568-1315 Dikduk, Rabbi Shaya Jaffe, Passaic Torah Institute, 8pm, 973594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Women Only Swim, no membership required, JCC, Edison, 8:30pm, 732-494-3232 ext 614 Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck (formerly Yeshiva Gedolah) Night Seder: Mesechta Succah, Rabbi Pinny Roth, 8:30pm, 917991-7985 Group Learning, Rabbi Jeremy Donath, private home in Fair Lawn, 8:45pm, machlashaffer@yahoo.com 4 Levels of Gemara Stressing Skills, Rabbis Eliyahu Zimmerman, Heshy Greenfeld, Avraham Shulman, and Baruch Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:45pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186

Tuesdays

“Haftaros,” for women, Shoshana Sperling, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, Passaic, 9:40am, 908-278-4059 Torah in the AM, for men and women, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, Chavura in Megillat Ruth, 9am; Gemara Ketubot, Rabbi Menahem Meier, 9:45am, 201-907-0180 Summer Social Playdate, YJCC, Washington Twnshp, 18-24 months, 9:30am; 24-36 months, 10:30am, 201-666-6610 Parsha Pearls,” Yehuda Goldin, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 10am, 201-568-1315 “Great Jewish Letters: An Analysis of Fascinating Letters by Great Jewish Personalities,” Yehuda Goldin, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 11am, 201-568-1315 Lunch and Learn, Yehuda Goldin, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, noon, 201-568-1315 Tele-Class: “My Mother, My Father, My Money,” Simon Yisrael Feuerman, PsyD, LCSW, noon, 973-249-8111 Summer Kollel: Hilchos Aveilus, Rav Yaakov Neuburger, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, henryo@654plaza.com or jbf53@att. net, or dsaks@genesiscm.com Torah Studies, for seniors, Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, JCC, West Orange, 12:30pm, 973-486-2362 Alateen, confidential meeting for girls ages 9-19 who have friends or family with addiction issues (codependency, internet addiction, gaming, ocd, food addiction, eating disorders, substance abuse, etc), Rikki Wisotsky, LCSW, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 7pm, 973-249-7435 Yoga, for men, Howard Katz, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-232-6244, begins July 23 “Hilchos Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Eliezer Krohn, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 7:45pm, 908-278-4059 Summer Pottery, Michael Preston, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-4750 Confidential Divorce Support Group, for Orthodox-Jewish

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Mazal Tov

Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Braeden Badner, Chanan Berger, Donny Berlinger, Jonathan Bick, Avi Bodzin, Akiva Cooper, Ari Davidovsky, Yossi Dietz, Gedalia Dock, Benjy Feintuch, Adiel Felsen, Gidon Hagler, Aaron Kadden, Benjy Katz, Yoni Kirsch, Raphael Jacob Langer, Chesky Lewin, William Leyman, Jake Malek, Jacob Nayowitz, Avi & Ari Rabia-Pruzan, Yehuda Saks, Eli & Zach Setton, Max Sigal, Joseph Tropp, Binyamin Weitz, and Yisroel Chaim Zeilberger; and the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Adira Barber, Danielle Chava Dorfman, Yael Ruth Feldman, Leora Fischman, Lilly Fuchs, Miriam Rena Goldfischer, Tamar Hoch, Temira Koenig, Seela Langer, Elaine Ratner, Fiona Schlakman, Leora Schloss, Dahlia Schwartz, Dalya Stokar, and Aviva Wagner Mazal Tov to Mike Wasserman on receiving the Jewish Federations of North America Endowment Achievement Award at the recent Federation Annual Meeting Mazal Tov to Charlie Bernhaut and Cantors Moshe Stern and Joseph Malovany on being honored in June by the American Society for Jewish Music; in their honor, they were serenaded by Cantors Yanky Lemmer, Zevi Muller, and Shimmy Miller

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New Classes

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Women, Dr. Carol Glaser, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-8822 Israeli Dancing, Ruth Goodman, Israel Dance Institute, Riverdale, 8pm, RuthGoodman@israeldanceinstitute.org The Machshava Yisrael and Avodat Hashem Chabura: Through Rav Dessler’s Classic Work: Michtav Me’Eliyahu,” Rabbi Beni Krohn, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-837-2795 Gemara Kiddushin in Depth, with chavrusa, Rabbi Shlomo Singer, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:45pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186 Daf Yomi B’Iyun, Rabbi Shlomo Landau, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:45pm, 732-254-1860 Gemara, Rabbi Shlomo Nussbaum, spons by the Highland Park Community Kollel, at the Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:45pm, 732-254-1860

Wednesdays

Gemara and Practical Halacha: Masechet Sukkah, Rabbi Duvie Weiss, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8am, 201-907-0180 Parshat Hashavua, Yael Weil, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-907-0180 Summer Kollel: Hilchos Aveilus, Rav Yaakov Neuburger, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, henryo@654plaza.com or jbf53@att. net, or dsaks@genesiscm.com Summer Pottery, Michael Preston, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-4750 In-Depth Talmud, Rabbi Yaakov Weinstein, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-254-1860 Men’s Only Swim, no membership required, JCC, Edison, 8:30pm, 732-494-3232 ext 614 Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck (formerly Yeshiva Gedolah) Night Seder: Mesechta Succah, Rabbi Pinny Roth, 8:30pm, 917-991-7985 4 Levels of Gemara Stressing Skills, Rabbis Eliyahu Zimmerman, Heshy Greenfeld, Avraham Shulman, and Baruch Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:45pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186

Thursdays

Torah in the AM, for men and women, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, Chavura in Megillat Ruth, 9am; Gemara Ketubot, Rabbi Menahem Meier, 9:45am; Sefer Malachai, Rabbi Meier, 10:45am, 201-907-0180 Australia and South Pacific Exhibit, includes wallabies, wallaroos, tree shrews, and elegant birds, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 10am-7pm, 201-262-3771 Summer Kollel: Hilchos Aveilus, Rav Yaakov Neuburger, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, henryo@654plaza.com or jbf53@att. net, or dsaks@genesiscm.com Mostly Mishmar, for grades K-3, includes pizza and introduction to middot, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 5:30pm, 732-254-1860 Summer Girls Learning Initiative, for high school girls, taught by rabbis and teachers from the local yeshivot, spons by NCSY, Lazy

Bean Café, Teaneck, 7:15pm, afrohlich613@gmail.com Masechta Ta’anis, Rabbi Elozor Preil, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-384-0434 Mussar Vaad, for women, led by Rav Yosef Weissman and Rabbi Leib Kelemen, following the Mesorah of Rav Shlomo Wolbe, z”l, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-951-9540 Community Challah Baking, spons by Cong Beth Abraham, private home in Bergenfield, 8pm, 201-384-0434 or 201-385-2491 Mussar Vaad: Guide to Middot Development Focusing on One Middah at a Time, for women, Rav Leib Kelemen, private home in Reaneck, 8:15pm, 201-951-9540 “Halacha L’Ma’aseh: Issues Brought to Life through the Teshuvot of Rav Moshe,” Rabbi Elozor Preil, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 9:15pm, 201-384-0434 Chaburah with Mikraos Gedolos, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 10:10pm, 201-384-0434 Mussar Based on the Parsha, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes refreshments, Passaic Torah Institute, 10:10pm, 973-594-4774 or 862-371-3186

Fridays

Challah Baking Workshop, spons by Chabad at the Shore, private storefront, Margate, 10am, 609-992-4900

Shabbat

Navi Shiur: Sefer Belachim Beis, Rabbi Bodenheim, Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 862-371-3186 “Tefillah,” for women, Rabbi Avraham Goldhar, spons by Neve Passaic Torah Institute, private home in Passaic, 4pm, 908-278-4059 or 973-471-9536 Parsha and Popsicles, for children and adults, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Herrick Park, Teaneck, 4:30pm, lauriekleid@gmail.com Pirkei Avos, for men and women, Rabbi Mordechai Becher, Passaic Torah Institute, 5pm, 862-371-3186 Pirkei Avos, for men and women, Rabbi Ron Eisenman, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 6pm, 973-777-5929 Sefer Shmuel, Rabbi Chaim Jachter, Cong Shaarei Orah the Sephardic Cong of Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-833-0800 “Rabbis and Responsa,” Rabbi David Hellman, Riverdale Jewish Center, during seudah shlishit, 718-548-1850

Chesed Ops

The Hebrew Home at Riverdale is still accepting applications from teenagers for its Generation 2 Generation internship programs. From July 29-Aug 23, volunteers serve in various departments, visit with residents, and attend educational seminars and workshops. A stipend is provided to those who complete all program requirements. 718-581-1404 Chevra Hatzolah of Middlesex County is starting in Edison, endorsed by the Va’ad Harabonim of Raritan Valley, 347-539-6380 Sew Tza’nua Gemach is delighted to do tzaniusdik alterations, such as letting down hems or sewing up slits, at no charge, breindypomper@gmail.com The Open Dresser clothing gmach in Passaic is in need of tznius spring and summer clothing in good condition for local women and teens, 973-249-1052 or jbutler@trinitas.org Areyvut is looking for donations for its Mitzvah Clown program, specifically clownish bowties, hats, shirts, skirts, socks, wigs, and anything else that belongs on a clown, 201-244-6702

New Minyanim

Shabbat Morning Minyan, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 7am, moishe@gmail.com or bethaaronyouth@yahoo.com Erev Shabbos Mincha Gedolah, Cong Bais Medrash Zichron Yehuda v’Chana, New Hempstead, NY, 1:40pm, slmw50@gmail.com Y

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Peace Process Some reporters commented that there had not been enough progress even to declare a date for the resumption of talks between lowerlevel Israeli and PA negotiating teams. PA chief negotiator Saeb Erekat confirmed that Mr. Kerry had achieved no breakthrough. “There has been no breakthrough so far and there is still a gap between the Palestinian and Israeli positions,” Mr. Erekat told reporters. Blaming Israel Most PA officials blamed Israel for the stalemate. “Netanyahu and his government are not serious about establishing a Palestinian state in the 1967 borders. They speak of a state without clear borders, and we need clarity according to international resolutions,” said Azzam al-Ahmed, a senior official in the PA’s ruling Fatah party, headed by PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas. “Even with regards to the prisoners’ issue, Israel did not provide any clear answer. We want a serious process to be launched.” At a press conference, Mr. Abbas had nothing positive to say about Israel but he indicated Mr. Kerry had made “useful and constructive proposals” during his four-day visit. Mr. Abbas said he was “optimistic” about the outcome. “Kerry made useful and constructive proposals and we are not saying they were bad, but they need further clarification and explanation before we can return to negotiations,” said Mr. Abbas. He said he was optimistic “because Kerry is serious and determined to reach a solution.” No Compromise Other PA officials stressed that they had relinquished none of their demands. Amin Maqbul,

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continued from page 1 another senior Fatah official, expressed appreciation for Mr. Kerry’s “commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state along the borders that existed” before the Six-Day War in 1967. “He has made it clear that this is US policy,” said Mr. Maqbul, adding that there had also been progress on the issue of Israel’s release of terrorist prisoners. “Settlements remain the main obstacle to a resumption of negotiations,” he said, calling for added US pressure on the Israeli government on all issues. Not the Settlements But when Mr. Kerry was asked if Israel’s refusal to impose a building freeze in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem was behind the failure to set a date for new negotiations, Mr. Kerry said, “The answer is no.” “There are any number of obstacles, but we are working through them. We have to have the courage to stay at this and to make some tough decisions,” he said. Mr. Kerry said he would be returning to the region “because both sides asked me to.” “Our immediate goal is to resume permanent-status negotiations. It is not to negotiate for the sake of negotiating. What we and the people who live here want—all of the people—is an enduring solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. That is a solution that will lead to two states for two peoples, which the majority of Israelis and Palestinians clearly want,” he said. Alternatives Mr. Chetboun, however, maintained that the time has come for “an alternative to the two-state idea, something that will bring stability to the region.”

Insisting that “most” Palestinians would prefer to emigrate to Jordan or live under Israeli rule rather than remaining under “their current corrupt leadership,” he advocated applying Israeli sovereignty to the areas of Judea and Samaria currently under PA control, while gradually granting rights to the Arabs who live there. He predicted that, eventually, some of the Arabs would opt for Israeli citizenship and agree to declare loyalty to the Jewish state. Others, he said, would probably choose resident status, such as that enjoyed by the Arabs of eastern Jerusalem, or choose to immigrate to Jordan. Mr. Chetboun said that releasing terrorists from Israeli prisons, as Mr. Abbas has demanded, will neither bring stability nor coax the PA back to the negotiating table. It will, he said, “encourage terrorists

and those who send them.” He acknowledged that many Israeli politicians still hold onto the vision of a two-state solution. “On the left, there is an obsession on the verge of lunacy around the idea of two states, and many people follow the idea like prisoners of war,” he said. However, he added, “the public is more Zionist than its representatives in the Knesset.” A Ruse? One of the Israeli politicians who has spoken in favor of a Palestinian state is Mr. Netanyahu. However, his seriousness on this issue has been questioned not only by Palestinians and left-wing Israelis, but also by some of his own Likud Party colleagues and other nationalist MKs. At the beginning of June, Deputy Defense Minister Danny Danon hinted broadly that Mr.

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Peace Process Netanyahu was merely mouthing the words without meaning them. Mr. Danon said Mr. Netanyahu has called for a Palestinian state, despite great opposition to the idea within his own government, because the prime minister “knows Israel will never arrive at an agreement with the PA.” Mr. Danon, who has since been elected chairman of the Likud’s central committee and head of the party’s convention, pointed out that the current Israeli government has never asked for a “discussion, resolution, or vote about the twostate solution.” “If you would bring it to a vote in the government—nobody will bring it to a vote, it’s not smart to do it—but if you bring it to a vote, you would see the majority of Likud ministers, along with the Jewish Home, will be against it,” said Mr. Danon. No Movement He recognized that at present no one in the government is arguing with Mr. Netanyahu’s stated position, but he said that is because no one is pushing for it. “If there were a move to promote a two-state solution, you would see forces blocking it within the party and the government,” said Mr. Danon. He maintained that there is no majority for the two-state

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continued from page 33 solution among the 31 MKs who make up the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset faction. Ten years ago, the Likud’s central committee passed a motion against the creation of a Palestinian state. According to Mr. Danon, this means the party is legally bound to oppose the idea. “Dead End” Israeli Economics Minister Naftali Bennett, head of the Jewish Home party, said the idea of establishing a Palestinian state had reached a “dead end” and should be forsaken. “Never in Israel’s history has so much energy been invested in something so pointless,” he said at a conference on the depiction of Jewish residents in Judea and Samaria in the media. He said the time had come to stop convincing people that the two-state solution is “a bad idea” and simply to “put it behind us.” Like Mr. Chetboun, Mr. Bennett has suggested annexing all of Judea and Samaria and offering its Arab residents Israeli citizenship. “There are 400,000 Jewish Israelis in Judea and Samaria and another 250,000 in eastern Jerusalem. More than 10 percent of the residents of Israel live beyond what they call the Green Line. The attempt to establish a Palestinian state

inside our land is over,” he said. Build Israel’s response to those who keep pushing for a Palestinian state, he said, should be to build. “It is important that there be a Jewish presence everywhere. Our main problem is still the fact that Israel’s leaders are not prepared to say simply that the Land of Israel belongs to the nation of Israel. We need to tell ourselves and the entire world that this land has been ours for 3,000 years,” he said. Mr. Netanyahu said Mr. Bennett’s comments represented only his own opinions. “Foreign policy is shaped by the prime minister and my view is clear. I will seek a negotiated settlement in which there will be a demilitarized Palestinian state that recognizes the Jewish state,” said Mr. Netanyahu. The PA has already negated both of those goals. Quietly Acquiescing? Throughout the month of June, there were many reports that without a vote, Mr. Netanyahu has been quietly acquiescing to the Palestinians’ demands, especially on the issue of building in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. Ofer Akuniz, Deputy Prime Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office for liaison between the government and the Knesset, said the impression that Israel has or is about to impose a building freeze in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem is incorrect. “There has not been, is not, and will not be a building freeze in Jerusalem,” Mr. Akuniz told the Knesset. “There is no element that can force Israel to agree to such a decision. We will not stop building in Jerusalem, even if it costs us some condemnations from others around the world.”

New Homes In addition, he said, nearly 2,000 units in Judea and Samaria are planned, already approved, or under construction. The US called these planned homes “unhelpful.” “We don’t accept the legitimacy of continued settlement activity,” said State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki. “We remain hopeful that both sides will look at the important opportunity we have here to build trust and confidence and move back to the negotiating table, and that’s what our focus is on.” Nevertheless, the Jordanian newspaper Alarab Alyawm reported that Mr. Kerry had received Israel’s consent to discuss a building freeze, to draw the borders of the future Palestinian state, and to release terrorists. Counter Reply For each such newspaper report, there has been a counter reply. The PA itself said there has been no change in Israel’s position regarding the pre-1967 borders as the basis for negotiations or on the issue of freezing construction in Judea and Samaria. Home Front Defense Minister Gilad Erdan, a member of the security cabinet, said the Israeli and Palestinian sides were not close to resuming talks, mostly because Mr. Abbas was still insisting on imposing the same preconditions. “Israel has no intention to respond to them,” said Mr. Erdan. Tricky Position Most observers recognize Mr. Netanyahu’s tricky position. While he clearly has refused to cave to Palestinian demands ahead of talks, he also presumably would like to renew negotiations as soon as possible, without precondi-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com tions, with an assurance that talks will be held over a long period of time and will cover all the issues. Many observers say his goal is to avoid a situation in which Mr. Abbas tries to step away from the negotiating table after a few meetings and turn to the UN under the premise that Israel is to blame for the failure of talks. According to the Londonbased Arab daily Al-Hayat, Western and Palestinian officials say Mr. Kerry’s plan to restart negotiations include a “quiet,” non-publicized Israeli construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, outside the large settlement blocs, and a phased release of 103 Palestinian security prisoners who have been in Israeli jails since before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Returning to Terror In Israel, the report was denied by officials who said Mr. Netanyahu has no intention of releasing prisoners. Last month, Mr. Netanyahu told Peter Mauer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, about a Hamas prisoner, Ayman Sharawna, who had been freed on humanitarian grounds only to commit new acts of terror. A Hamas operative sentenced to 38 year in an Israeli prison for his part in the May 2002 terrorist attack on Be’er Sheva, Mr. Sharawna was one of more than 1,000 terrorists released as part of the prisoner exchange for kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Soon after his release, Mr. Sharawna was arrested for returning to terrorist activity. But after engaging in a hunger strike, Mr. Sharawna engendered international support, including that of Mr. Mauer’s ICRC, which clamored for his release. The ICRC insisted Mr. Sharawna would die if a

July 2013/Av 5773

solution was not found, but it called on the Israeli Prison Service not to feed or otherwise medically treat the terrorist against his will. Four months ago, Mr. Sharawna was again released, but an article in the Arab press detailed the “glory of his return to military activity in Hamas.” Throughout his five years of captivity, Mr. Shalit was never permitted a single visit from the ICRC by his Hamas kidnappers. Nevertheless, there have been talks in Israel of a prisoner release as a goodwill gesture in honor of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, July 8 through August 7 this year. To forestall this action, Jewish Home MKs Ayelet Shaked and Orit Struk hosted Meir Indor, chairman of the Almagor Terror Victims organization, during a meeting of their faction. MKs Shaked and Struk said they intended to collect signatures of MKs on legislation that would prevent the wholesale release of terrorists. Israeli Demands Some Israelis and their supporters say the Jewish state should take the advice of veteran Israeli legislator, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau of the Yisrael Beiteinu faction, who said if the PA persists in its demands, Israel should show that it, too, is serious and has demands of its own. Asked for an example, Mr. Landau said Israel should insist that the PA change its education system in which Jews are described as apes, pigs, and enemies of humanity. In addition, he said, if the PA demands that Israel freeze construction in Judea and Samaria, Israel should demand that the PA institute a freeze as well. “They tell us that when we build in Judea and Samaria it changes the status quo and affects the results of the talks,

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but this is also true for them. They build a lot more than we do in Judea and Samaria. Why not demand the same from them? When one enters into negotiations, there is great value to reciprocity,” he said. US Demands In his blog entitled “Pressure Points” about US foreign policy and human rights, Elliott Abrams, a former National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush and currently a senior fellow for Middle Eastern studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, called it “striking” that, throughout the peace process, only Israel has been asked to make concessions. “The US has not, for example, demanded an end to Palestinian glorification of terrorism or incitement against Israel in official media as the price for starting new negotiations. Abbas continues to repeat the lie that Israel is endangering or seeking to destroy the alAqsa mosque; Palestinian official media continue to celebrate prisoners who have committed vicious acts of violence and terror; terrorists who prepared the bombing of civilian sites are honored by PA officials. Yet it is Israel’s commitment to peace that is doubted and from whom concessions are sought, as if the Palestinians are doing Israel and the US a great favor by entering into negotiations that are the only route to their stated goal of an independent state,” he said. Mr. Abrams suggested Mr. Kerry tell PA officials they must do more than “complain and criticize and condemn Israel.” No Concessions Perhaps as a response, Mr. Abbas proudly told Al-Hayat that he had not made and did not intend to make any concessions.

“Show me one concession we made,” he challenged the paper. “When we present the demand for a Palestinian state on 1967 borders, it is not a condition. This issue appears in all the UN documents. We consider any settlement after 1967 illegal. In addition, US President Barack Obama opposed the settlements and even any natural growth in them,” he said. He called the negotiations “a starting point,” especially on the issue of Al-Quds, the Arab name for Jerusalem. “While we may not get everything, we will fight to realize our national aspirations, especially the issue of Al-Quds, which is an issue on which we will not give up, because if it is not the capital of the State of Palestine, there will be no solution,” he said. Even members of Mr. Netanyahu’s government who support the two-state solution, such as Yesh Atid leader and Finance Minister Yair Lapid, have said there will be no division of Jerusalem. “Not Feasible” Asked if he supports the two-state solution, Mr. Landau said it is currently “not feasible,” especially in light of the changes taking place throughout the Middle East. The PA, which was a single entity when Israel signed the first Oslo Accord, has since dissolved into two hostile Palestinian mini-states, one in Gaza and the other in Judea and Samaria. The violent struggles throughout the Arab world prompted Mr. Landau to deride those who think creating a Palestinian state will result in “peace and quiet for 30 or 40 years.” “They tell us Abbas is a partner with whom it is possible to sign an agreement and get 20 years of peace. It is not real-

istic at all,” he said, adding that while he neither “believes in a Palestinian state” nor would welcome one, he thinks the Prime Minister should be allowed to act as he sees fit. “Abbas and his associates could have started negotiations four years ago, but they refused because they believe there will always be somebody to pressure Israel, so why enter negotiations in which the PA will have to make concessions and compromises? The bottom line is that most people in Israel have concluded that the option of a Palestinian state does not exist. Not because of us, but because of them. If we were to sign with one, what would come out of it? A head of another tribe will come along and decide otherwise.” he said. Talks but No Concessions Surveys bear him out. At the end of June, an Israel Hayom poll revealed that while 57 percent of respondents supported the resumption of peace talks with the PA, 69 percent of respondents opposed offering the Palestinian goodwill gestures, such as releasing terrorists or easing traveling restrictions. According to Israel Hayom, many of those who opposed such gestures obviously also wanted talks to resume. Only 28.6 percent of Israelis opposed the talks, and only 19.5 percent of respondents were in favor of acquiescing to Palestinian demands. Asked to name the one thing Israel must never concede, the largest group—35.5 percent—opposed dividing Jerusalem. According to a survey conducted by the Harry S Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University and the

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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah, just 27 percent of Palestinians and 10 percent of Israelis believe that peace talks will resume and violence will end. More than two-thirds of both groups—68 percent of Israelis and 69 percent of Palestinians—view the likelihood of a Palestinian state emerging in the next five years as low or non-existent. Har Homa Reflected in the polls is the fact that most Israelis support building projects in eastern Jerusalem. While Mr. Kerry was still in Israel, Jerusalem Deputy Mayor David Hadari submitted what he called a “routine proposal” regarding details of a plan to market 900 new housing units in the Har Homa neighborhood of Jerusalem. When the Israeli left-wing press responded with fury to “building a settlement in East Jerusalem,” Mr. Hadari joked that he had forgotten that Mr. Kerry was visiting. Mr. Hadari said that the paper he submitted was neither dramatic nor new, but simply about housing that has already been approved. “There is nothing to think about or to debate here. Jerusalem will remain whole and united, and we will continue to develop at full strength. Jerusalem is at the heart of the Israeli consensus and the Americans need to understand that,” he said. In addition to the Har Homa project, which will effectively unite all of Jerusalem and preclude any option of PA territorial continuity in the area, the Maale Hazeitim neighborhood, located on the Mount of Olives, is also expanding. Already home to some 100 Jewish families, the project will be marketing many more homes that were recently completed. Many Israelis and their supporters view the presence of Jews in eastern Jerusalem in close proximity to the Temple Mount as a national priority. Bubbemeises At the Conference for Shilo Studies at which findings from the archeological site at Shilo in Samaria were presented, Israeli Construction and Housing Minister Uri Ariel dismissed talk of a Palestinian state as “bubbemeises,” or grandmothers’ stories. “In recent days and in the last year, there have been all kinds of emissaries

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running around here, and they have been telling us ‘tall tales.’ We can say simply, with a calm voice, that between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea, there is only one state, will be only one state. It is ours not because we conquered it, but because we received a promise from G-d and that is why we are here,” he said. Referring to synagogues, he noted that Israelis have constructed many buildings, including “small temples.” “We need something that is not ‘like the Temple.’ We need the Temple, on the Temple Mount,” he said. Conflicting Report But Mr. Ariel’s confidence, some might say bravado, is not consistent with other pronouncements he has made. In the mid-

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dle of June, during an interview with IDF Radio, he confessed that Mr. Netanyahu had ordered a freeze on construction bids in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. Arutz Sheva reported that a “senior political source,” which may have been Mr. Ariel himself, said the Construction and Housing Minister has been forbidden to issue public tenders for construction east of the Green Line without authorization from Mr. Netanyahu. “There are understandings between the two that if Ariel violates Netanyahu’s orders, he’ll leave the Housing Ministry,” said the source, adding that the Jewish Home party does not have the power to oppose the prime minister.

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Ess Gezint: Pasta and Smoothies for the Fast Experts tell us that, before a fast, it is important to eat and drink (mostly water) a great deal during the day and include carbs but little salt. Chef Luigi Diotaiuti of Washington DC’s Al Tiramisu restaurant is neither Jewish nor kosher, but when asked for such a recipe, he supplied his “Bow-Tie Pasta” dish,

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Peace Process “The freeze is a direct order from Netanyahu which may have been issued in order to prevent conflict with the US,” the source told Arutz Sheva. Referendum The source’s comments were consistent with other reports in Israel dealing with the possibility that Mr. Netanyahu has already given Mr. Kerry and the Palestinians reason to believe he has agreed to some of their demands. While Mr. Kerry was still in Israel, the prime minister said he would “not put any obstacles in the way of renewed talks toward a permanent agreement and a peace deal between us and the Palestinians.” “However, there are things we will strongly insist on during the talks themselves, primarily security,” he said. At an Israeli Cabinet meeting at the end of the June, he announced that, in any case, the Israeli public will have the opportunity to vote in a referendum on any planned peace deal with the Palestinians. “There won’t be a diplomatic agreement that endangers Israel’s citizens, and I believe it’s vital that any agreement, if it is achieved, be submitted to the people for a decision,” he said. White Smoke Asked to respond to Mr. Danon’s statement that his support for a Palestinian state is a hoax, Mr. Netanyahu’s office said the Deputy Defense Minister’s comments “do not represent the position of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and the government of Israel.” According to the statement, the Prime Minister “is interested in a resumption of negotiations without preconditions,” and his positions regarding support for a twostate solution remain in force. Further, in a reference to

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continued from page 37 the way the Cardinals in Rome select a new Pope, Mr. Netanyahu said, he is “ready to go into the peace tent and stay in the tent until white smoke comes out.” Just Statements Mr. Danon seemed unfazed. “There is a difference between statements and actions,” he said, adding that he opposes Mr. Netanyahu’s statements as well. “If there is ever an actual action to implement a twostate solution, there will be an ideological struggle and confrontation within Likud, but we are not at that point. The Palestinians refuse even to be partners,” he said. Not surprisingly, Mr. Danon was attacked by members of the Hatnua party, the small left-wing faction led by Tzipi Livni which is part of the current government, as well as by some left-wing leaders of the Opposition. Some demanded that Mr. Netanyahu fire Mr. Danon. Refusing to budge from his assessment, Mr. Danon attacked back. “Likud is a democracy that accepts different streams and opinions, but the majority within the party is against two states,” he said. Not Yet Rivals Mr. Danon stressed that no one is considering challenging Mr. Netanyahu for leadership of the party. “The Prime Minister has no rival within Likud, but it is legitimate to differ over principles and ideology. There are many who think as I do about the idea of the twostate solution,” he said. When Ms. Livni, who serves as Justice Minister, said she left Likud because of views such as Mr. Danon’s, he responded with glee. “Wonderful. She wants us to be the contractors who carry out her plans and those of other leftists? Her place was not in Likud to begin with,” he said.

As chairman of the Likud’s central committee, Mr. Danon is in a position to judge. His popularity in the party is such that, before the vote on July 2, Mr. Netanyahu quietly withdrew his candidacy for the spot rather than face defeat by his 42-year-old rival. EU Boycott Ms. Livni has indicated that her eagerness for the two-state solution is based on her belief that, unless Israel advances peace talks with the PA, the Jewish state risks a European economic boycott. The European Union is currently planning to start labeling products from Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem as a way of “preventing” Israeli activity in those areas. The EU’s 2012 Jerusalem Report recommends that its 27 member states avoid financial transactions with Israeli communities in Judea and Samaria despite the fact that tens of thousands of Palestinian Arabs are employed in Jewishowned industry in the area. Last May, after Mr. Kerry intervened, the EU postponed those plans, presumably wait-

Syria and Egypt

war began, both sides have accused Israel of supporting the other. A commander of the Syrian rebels recently claimed Mr. Assad’s regime had been defeated, but then accused Israel of collaborating to keep him in power. At the beginning of July, explosions rocked several Syrian army ammunition depots in West Syria, reportedly causing deaths and injuries. While Mr. Assad’s officials did not comment on the incident, the Syrian rebels blamed Israel for the attack.

ing to see if the Secretary of State can restart the peace talks. War On July 8, former PA Prisoner-Affairs Minister Ashaf AlArjami, who spent 12 years in Israeli custody for terrorist activity himself, threatened more than an economic boycott if there is no diplomatic agreement between the PA and Israel. The PA, he said, will go to war, which, he said, will culminate in a “high price” on both sides and will result in the eventual renewal of talks. Speaking in Hebrew at a gathering organized by Labor MK Moshe Mizrachi in a Knesset auditorium, Mr. Al-Arjami condemned Mr. Netanyahu for not acquiescing to PA demands and believing the Palestinians will accept control only of the areas of Judea and Samaria currently under their jurisdiction. “The Israeli right thinks that with time the Palestinians will forget the ’67 borders and will settle for Areas A and B. I want to tell you there is not one Palestinian in the world who will concede even one centimeter from the ’67 borders,” he said. S.L.R.

continued from p.20 “Too Dangerous” Because that state of war still technically exists between Israel and Syria, since 1974 the United Nations has positioned a 1,000-man force to monitor the ceasefire line in the Golan. Last month, Austria, which had contributed 380 men to the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), announced it would pull them out because the post had become too dangerous. The Philippines is also a large contributor to the force, and the Filipino government

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said it, too, was reviewing the possibility of a troop withdrawal after one of its soldiers was wounded recently. Russia offered to replace the departing Austrians, a move opposed by Israel because of the Russian government’s support for Mr. Assad. The UN said Russia was banned from participating in UNDOF because it is one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council. Mutual Ceasefire The sudden departure of the Austrians (who stayed until they were replaced by 170 Fijian soldiers, and acknowledged they might return “if conditions change”) prompted Mr. Netanyahu to tell Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that the Jewish state had no intention of firing at Syria provided the Syrians hold their fire against Israel. “The crumbling of the UN force on the Golan Heights underscores the fact that Israel cannot depend on international forces for its security. They can be part of the arrangements, but they cannot be the basic foundation of Israel’s security,” Mr. Netanyahu told his Cabinet. Israel, he said, is prepared “for any scenario” in the “new Middle East, which is seething, noisy and very explosive.” “What guides us is protect-

ing the security of our citizens. Whoever threatens to harm or harms Israeli citizens will be harmed,” he said. The University of Haifa’s Dr. Bukai agreed that depending on the UN should be a nonstarter. “The UN is a corrupt organization dominated by the Islamist states, and it is ineffective. They cannot be relied on,” he said. Training As a result, IDF air force pilots are reportedly training daily to meet threats posed by instability in Syria and Lebanon. The drills include preparations to counter “the transfer of all kinds of weapons that could lead to terror attacks,” according to Lieutenant-Colonel N, who is stationed at the Ramat David air base and could not reveal his name for security reasons. “The atmosphere is very tense,” said Mr. N, who commands a squadron of F-16 warplanes covering Israel’s border with Lebanon and the armistice line between the Israel side of the Golan and Syria. “It’s not every day that a country the size of Syria, a two-minute flight from our base, goes through a civil war.” Israel’s Minister for Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Yuval Steinitz has warned Syria not to try Israel’s patience.

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“Israel does not want to intervene in Syria. Do not harass us and do not force us,” said Mr. Steinitz. Jordanian Defenses Equally problematic is whether Jordan, which is hosting nearly 500,000 Syrian refugees, can defend itself against Syria, which might become necessary if Mr. Assad should win. To that end, the US brought some weapons to the “Eager Lion” military exercises in Jordan, which involved 8,000 soldiers from 19 Arab and Western countries. Israel was not invited to participate. The US weapons, including F-16 fighter jets and Patriot missile interceptors, are to remain in Jordan. A US defense official said a unit of American Marines on amphibious ships would remain off the Red Sea. Jordan could serve as a conduit for the military support the US has promised the Syrian rebels. Rebel Atrocities In Syria, a merger has formed between the global Al Qaeda-backed Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), the Syrian unit, which together swallowed Al Nusra. ISIS, a radical Sunni group, is responsible for imposing its extremist version of Shari’a rule on villagers who, perhaps not knowing what was in store for them, have welcomed its rebel forces, which include foreign Al-Qaeda fighters from Afghanistan and Iraq. In the Sha’ar neighborhood of Aleppo, the Muslim extremists executed a 15-yearold boy in front of his parents after the youngster was heard arguing with a friend. Working in a kiosk where he sold coffee, the boy was asked to lend something, and he refused,

saying “Even if Mohammed comes back to life, I won’t lend.” He was picked up by rebels and brought back to the square hours later, his shirt covering his head and his body marked with visual evidence of torture and beatings. The men who escorted him announced to the crowd that apostasy and cursing the prophet merited such punishment. Then the boy was shot by the two men with an automatic rifle. The men drove off, leaving the boy’s body behind. Some observers have already said the promise of US support has emboldened the extremist rebels to act in this way with impunity. Some reports have detailed massacres and attacks against Shiites and their mosques, just as the forces of Mr. Assad have mercilessly murdered those who stand against them. Last month, Syrian rebels boasted that they had killed four Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon. Since the civil war began in 2011, more than 100,000 Syrians have been killed and at least 1.5 million others have fled, mostly to Jordan and Turkey. Egypt, Rebels, & Israel In the middle of June, two weeks before he was deposed, then-Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi announced he was cutting diplomatic ties with Damascus and ordered Syria’s embassy in Cairo closed. As part of the Muslim Brotherhood, Mr. Morsi sided with the Islamist rebels. Egypt as a whole is Sunni and thus does not support Mr. Assad either. The Assad regime’s Information Minister, Omran Zoubi, suggested Egypt close Israel’s embassy instead and, referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, added “the heretic project

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Ya’alon was given permission to visit Egypt, but was not allowed into Cairo. He was able to consult with the Egyptian Defense Ministry only by phone. Complicating matters was Mr. Morsi’s personal intervention to prevent the appointment of an Egyptian Ambassador to Israel. Israel’s Ambassador to Egypt is in temporary quarters, having failed to find even one landlord willing to rent space for the embassy.. The space Israel had used when Mr. Mubarak was in charge was destroyed during the riots against him. Israel believes the current ambassador’s landlord problems were prompted by Mr. Morsi as well. Nevertheless, there was no indication that the Muslim Brotherhood was planning any major confrontation with Israel. Military Cooperation On the other hand, IsraeliEgyptian military cooperation improved after Mr. Morsi’s election. Israeli and Egyptian military officials have been meeting on a regular basis in Tel Aviv as well as on army bases in Cairo, where Mr. Morsi’s influence is less pronounced. A few weeks before Mr. Morsi was ousted, Amos Gilad, head of the diplomatic security division of Israel’s Defense Ministry met with Egypt’s top general, Abd al-Fatah al-Sisi,

the very military official who apparently engineered Mr. Morsi’s removal. Many Israelis and their supporters suspect relations between Egypt and the Jewish state may improve if Cairo comes under the rule of the military. “It is the military officials who value the relationship with Washington and cultivate the relationship with Israel. Therefore, for Israel, a leadership made up of military generals is perhaps more approachable than a government led by a party with strong religious leanings,” said Shlomo Cesana, writing in Israel Hayom. Not Taking Sides While many Egyptian supporters of Mr. Morsi have accused Israel of complicity in his ouster, officials in the Jewish state made clear that while they were closely monitoring events, they were not taking sides. There was no comment from Mr. Netanyahu’s office and he pointedly asked all cabinet ministers, the Foreign Ministry, and all official spokesmen to refrain from comments on the events taking place across Israel’s southern border. A source who spoke on condition of anonymity said Israel was making no predictions about Egypt’s future because “things are still developing.”

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“It is important that the Egyptian people can enjoy a new level of freedom and selfdetermination, but the current situation has sent shock waves throughout the Arab world and it is causing some concern in Israel,” he said. Pro-Morsi Anti-Jewish Accusations Israel’s silence did not forestall accusations from Mr. Morsi’s supporters. On the Muslim Brotherhood website, the group claimed that Egypt’s interim president, Adli Mansour, is Jewish. Mr. Mansour, who was sworn in as interim president on July 4, had previously served as Egypt’s constitutional court’s chief justice. The Muslim Brotherhood article, which appeared on IkhwanOnline below a banner with a Star of David, maintained that Mr. Mansour “is considered to be a Seventh Day Adventist, which is a Jewish sect.” The authors claimed that the Pope of Egypt’s Coptic Church had refused to convert Mr. Mansour to Christianity. The article further suggested that Mr. Mansour’s appointment was backed by Israel and the US as part of a plan eventually to install Egypt’s leading opposition figure and former chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohammed ElBaradei as president. The article said that Mr. ElBaradei had turned down an invitation to participate in the Shura Council as long as the Islamist-led group, which served as Egypt’s legislative branch under Mr. Morsi, continued to deny the Holocaust. The article called Mr. ElBaradei’s action “a token gesture offered to the Jews so that [ElBaradei] can become Pres-

ident of the Republic in the fake elections that the military will guard and whose results they will falsify in their interests. All with the approval of America, Israel, and the Arabs, of course.” Anti-Morsi Anti-Jewish Accusations On the streets of Cairo, many opponents of Mr. Morsi had a different story. There, reporters heard that by ousting Mr. Morsi, Egyptians had “crushed the Zionist, American, and Muslim Brotherhood lobby.” Writing for Yediot Achronot, reporter Eldad Beck said many Egyptians derived this idea from an article in the leftwing Ha’aretz newspaper that explained why Mr. Morsi was “good for Israel.” In one newspaper, the Ha’aretz analysis was displayed on a page under the headline “Israel Regrets Morsi’s Ouster.” “Here is proof that the Americans and Israelis are behind the Muslim Brotherhood,” a man told Mr. Beck. Sinai as Palestine Mr. Beck explained that according to the “lively imagination” of Ha’aretz’s editors, Israel, the US, and the Muslim Brotherhood were “in cahoots in a bid to bring about a division in Egypt, allow radicals to take over Sinai, and use such a situation to justify an Israeli reoccupation of the peninsula, where an alternative Palestinian homeland would be formed.” According to Mr. Beck, numerous Egyptians echoed this narrative. Some insisted Mr. Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood had given Hamas free access to Sinai so the terror group could take over the Egyptian territory. “Mubarak guaranteed Israel’s security. Morsi did noth-

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Letters to the Editor Stay Out of Syria’s Treacherous Waters

Sarah Palin’s response to the United States getting involved in the Syrian civil war—“Let Allah sort it out—was brilliant. Tragically, over 90,000 people have been killed in the conflict and Syrian President Bashar Assad has followed in his father’s footsteps by dropping poison gas on his own people. Still, this is an internal matter in the Muslim world. Assad, Iran, and Hezbollah are fighting to maintain the status quo, while the Turks, Saudis, and Qataris are backing the rebels. If the US tries to intervene by sending troops into the country, both sides will undoubtedly blame us for causing further violence. They will probably fabricate a story that we started the conflict in the first place. Not too long ago, the US invaded Iraq, and the results have been a mixed bag. The long term consequences remain questionable, but there are two undeniable facts: many American soldiers were killed or became disabled for life and many Iraqis blame America for destruction and civilian fatalities. America spent a massive amount of time and money in that country. The desire to go into a country for humanitarian purposes is heavy on all our minds and to be a decent human being is to feel the urgency to help save innocent victims of war, but the underlying questions in these and future conflicts are; “Can America effectively stop the conflict? Will our efforts serve only as a catalyst for increased anti-American sentiment around the world? Will American soldiers succeed in saving lives or will they be risking their own in vain? The Muslim world, particularly the oil-rich nations, have the responsibility to intervene in the Syrian civil war. The fighting may spill over to their countries and they have a superior capacity to understanding the mindset of both sides than outsiders do. Surely, as Sarah Palin so aptly put it, since they share the same religion, Islam, the Muslims are the ones who must negotiate peace. Idelle Kursman Rockaway, NJ

Arming the Syrian Rebels Is a Mistake

As an American of Christian-Arab descent, I believe that arming the Syrian rebels is a mistake and will haunt the US in the near future. The rebels are made up of two types of fighters. Some of the rebels are true democracy-loving Syrians who want to free their people and nation from tyranny. The majority of rebels, on the other hand, are Syrian and non-Syrian, Al Qaeda-linked Muslim extremists who want to topple the Assad government to replace it with a strict Islamist, anti-western regime. These two groups of rebels have become comingled and it’s nearly impossible to differentiate between the two. If we support the rebels how we can be sure we are not arming the Islamist extremists? We can’t. The Obama Administration’s decision to arm Syria’s rebels will deepen America’s involvement in a war that is being fought along sectarian lines, pitting Sunni and Shiite Muslims against each other, and threatening the stability of Israel and Jordan. I have spoken with a Christian women and her son who just fled Syria to escape to the US, and they spoke of Christian

persecution, mass murder, and dismemberment of Christians in Syria. She also said that many of the rebel fighters are imports from other Muslim nations including Chechnya and Afghanistan. There is no good outcome of this Syrian uprising. It frightens me to see what is happening in Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and other Muslim nations. There are fears that Assad’s stockpile of chemical weapons, believed to be one of the world’s largest, could fall into the hands of Islamic extremist groups. The only safe solution is not to arm any of the parties, because choosing the lesser of two evils is still dealing with evil. There are some things we can do, such as making sure our allies in the Middle East, Israel and Jordan, are safe. We should support them with humanitarian aid to help the refuges migrating to Jordan. We need to work closely with Israel to build up our defense systems in the region. We must not hinder Israel from doing what it believes is in her best interest. A UN no-fly zone would make a significant impact to protect civilian life and, perhaps, bring both sides to the negotiating table. Bader George Qarmout Green Twp, NJ A conservative advocate, Mr. Qarmout was a former candidate in the NJ Republican primary for US Senate

An Open Letter to Alicia Keys Who Performed in Israel on July 4

Dear Ms. Alicia Keys: On behalf of our grassroots movement, Ga-Ga for Israel, my members, both Christians and Jews, and I extend a profound thank you for your courageous choice to perform in Israel despite the pressures mounted against you not to do so. Your actions have resonated in our hearts, and your friendship and independent mindedness give us great comfort that we do not stand alone. You are indeed the “Superwoman” you sing about, and your visit meant to “unify audiences in peace and love” via music truly is “for all the mothers fighting for better days to come.” The date of your concert had great symbolic meaning. Not only is July 4 a day to celebrate freedom here in the US, but, in Israel, it is the anniversary of the date that the brother of Israel’s current prime minister was killed while commanding a mission to rescue 100 hostages at Entebbe airport on July 4, 1976. Unfortunately, as they say, “freedom is not free.” It is therefore of great significance that you performed on a day that resounds with the common values our two countries share: courage, freedom, dignity, and the value of every human life. Surrounded by so many enemies bent on her destruction, Israel truly is “living in a world, and it’s on fire.” And, yet, she thrives and forges forward with life-affirming initiatives. Israel is the only true democracy in the Middle East, one with a free and open press, one that protects the rights of women, minorities, homosexuals, and all faiths unlike their surrounding neighbors who beat women into submission, stone adulterers, kill gays, and burn down churches and oppress Christians. The Israeli army is among the first responders to postnatural disasters around the globe. They were there after the earthquake in Haiti where their assistance was indispensable. Daily, Israeli innovations help millions of people everywhere,

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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) from medicine to technology to agriculture and beyond. ICQ was invented in Israel; the firewall was invented in Israel; the endoscopy pill, PillCam, was invented in Israel. Both Checkpoint, the leading firewall Internet security system, and Teva Pharmaceuticals, the largest generic drug manufacturer in the world, are Israeli companies. The list is very long and impressive. Many of us are huge fans of your work and it is really great to know that behind the persona of a beautiful artist there is a beautiful woman of courage, conviction, and fortitude, whose great works not only entertain us but whose actions and integrity are resolute, valiant, and truly inspiring. Thank you! Aliza Davidovit New York, NY

No, NY Times, Tel Aviv Is Not Israel’s Capital

A front-page headline in the July 2 edition of the New York Times uses, or rather misuses, Tel Aviv as a synonym for Israel’s capital (“Mideast Chaos Grows as U.S. Focuses on Israel—Kerry’s Tel Aviv Push Raises Questions About Priorities” by Mark Landler and Jodi Rudoren). Newspapers often use the name of a country’s capital as shorthand for that nation—“Washington moves to....,” “London disagrees...”—meaning the US and Britain, respectively, in this illustration. With this in mind, it comes as a shock that the Times, on the front page no less, decrees that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, is Israel’s capital. The Times may not like that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital, but it has no business moving Israel’s capital to Tel Aviv. Israel’s seat of government is in Jerusalem, not Tel Aviv. Last year, Britain’s ultra-left Guardian newspaper apologized for having used “Jerusalem” as Israel’s capital and told its readers that Tel Aviv instead fits that bill. Britain’s Press Complaints Commission disagreed and held that Jerusalem is the proper term. Too bad that the Times, in its haughtiness, thinks it knows better. Substitution of Tel Aviv plays into the hands of historical revisionists who seek to delegitimize the Jewish state—with Jerusalem as their prime target. But a not so small matter of 3,000 years of Jewish ties to Jerusalem override any such chutzpah, the New York Times to the contrary notwithstanding. Leo Rennert Washington, DC Mr. Rennert is a former White House correspondent and Washington bureau chief of McClatchy Newspapers.

An Open Letter to Secretary of State John Kerry from a Bereaved Israeli Father

Dear Mr. Secretary, Ten years and four months ago, I lost my daughter, Tal Kehrmann, in a terrorist attack in Haifa, Israel. I appreciate your efforts and personal commitment to work for a better future in the Middle East, and I hope that you will be able to develop a formula for peace in the region—something that no one has been able to achieve over the past 65 years. A long and lasting peace can be achieved when both sides truly want it and when their leaders are empowered to conclude peace based on moral principles. In the past, Israel has made many concessions. Thousands of terrorists were freed under the false assumption that releasing convicted murderers would help bring peace. Yet we were wrong time and again. Whenever terrorists were released, a new wave of terrorism struck the region and innocent civilians were murdered. Freeing murderers is immoral! It does not make for a better society. It is simply wrong. Convicted murderers should end their lives behind bars. Mr. Kerry, as the representative of the American people around the globe, you are expected not to encourage an immoral act against social justice, which is what freeing terrorists would be. History has taught us this lesson well. I hope my letter will provide you with a different point of view. I am a father who lost his dear 17-year-old daughter in a terrorist attack because Israeli politicians came under pressure to free killers of innocent people. As a father of two kids who live in Israel and yearn for peace, I would like to ensure that my children will be alive when peace eventually comes. Ron Kehrmann Haifa, Israel Susie Rosenbluth, Sharon Beck, Rivkie Stern, and the staff of The Jewish Voice and Opinion offer our deep felt condolences to our own Marcia Kaplan, her sister, Nissy Schnitzer, and the rest of the family on the passing their father Joseph Spiegel. Hamakom yenachem etchem b’toch she’ar avelai Tziyon Vi’yerushalayim. May G-d comfort you among the other mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. 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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Syria and Egypt

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ing against Israel. Instead, he let Palestinians move from the Gaza Strip to Sinai. So, we deposed him,” a protester told Mr. Beck. Israel Threatened This kind of rhetoric did not surprise Avi Dichter, a former head of the Israeli Security Agency Shin Bet, who warned Israelis that the Jewish state might face “punishment” from the Muslim Brotherhood for its president’s ouster and from anti-Morsi protesters because he had not been ousted sooner. The protests in Egypt, which swelled into a revolution of 22 million demonstrators, seemed “clearly a planned military coup,” Mr. Dichter said. “The army started seeing it was losing power and financial interests, and when Morsi started going after the judiciary, the army understood the picture. This is what happened also in

Algeria, where the army didn’t like the results of the election and annulled it, which led to a bloodbath,” he said, adding that he hoped the same would not be true for Egypt. “We live in a neighborhood in which, when things happen, they usually reach us, too,” he said. Using the Sinai He did not believe the Muslim Brotherhood would “quietly” accept the arrest of its leadership. “They have a long history of producing terrorism to get their points across,” he said. He predicted that Sinai was where the Muslim Brotherhood terrorists would likely take their revenge. It is the symbol of how the Muslim Brotherhood was blocked by the US and Israel from destroying Egypt’s peace treaty with

ALAN L. MUSICANT

the Jewish state. It is also the base of operations of numerous terror organizations, ranging from Al Qaeda to Hezbollah, all of whom have been building there for the two years since Mr. Mubarak’s ouster. “The one target they all agree on is Israel,” said Arutz Sheva. At the beginning of July, as the riots in Egypt intensified and Mr. Morsi’s colleagues began to resign, Israeli officials worried about the situation in Gaza, where Hamas encouraged spontaneous rallies supporting the withering Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. Israel was concerned that Gaza protesters could, in a frenzy of passionate terrorism, decide to contribute to the Islamist struggle in Egypt by firing rockets at Israel or rioting near the border of the Jewish state.

It is generally recognized that the fall of Mr. Morsi’s government is a blow to Hamas. After losing its patrons in Iran and Syria in the wake of the Syrian civil war, Hamas leaders had been hoping to secure a powerful ally in Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood government. Not surprisingly, Hamas bitterly opposed the removal of Mr. Morsi from power. Sinai Troubles As had been predicted, the violence Israel feared would spill over from Egypt happened not in Gaza, but rather in the Sinai. But Egyptian troops were prepared. The weekend before Mr. Morsi was thrown out of office, the Egyptian army boosted its presence in the Sinai, deploying a large number of tanks around the GazaSinai border in anticipation of trouble with Hamas terrorists.

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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com According to the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, military deployments in the Sinai are strictly controlled, but Israel confirmed that the Egyptian military had coordinated its moves with leaders in the Jewish state. “The Egyptian military activity in the Sinai is coordinated with Israeli security elements and authorized at the most senior levels in Israel, in order to contend with security threats in the Sinai that pose a threat to both Israel and Egypt,” the IDF said in a statement. Lawlessness Trouble in Sinai is nothing new. Since the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in 2011, there has been an upsurge in lawlessness in the Sinai, sparking warnings from Western governments as well as Israel against travel to most parts of the peninsula. Criminal activities like drug smuggling and human trafficking have flourished in Sinai, alongside the growing presence of terrorist groups who have attacked Egyptian security personnel and undertaken incursions across the border to attack Israel. There have been repeated terrorist attacks on the natural gas pipelines in Sinai that supply power to Israel, Jordan, and Egypt. Terrorists & Infiltrators By the fourth of July, when Mr. Morsi was removed, terrorists attempted to take advantage of the chaos. In a Cairo suburb, Egyptian security forces arrested four people—all members of Hamas—on suspicion of planning a terrorist attack. Explosives were found in the apartment as well as military and police uniforms. Along Egypt’s border with Israel, a group of unidentified smugglers attempted to infil-

July 2013/Av 5773

trate the Jewish state, but they were thwarted when Egyptian soldiers opened fire and stopped them in their tracks. No injuries were reported. During July 4 and 5, a radical Islamist group, Jamaat Ansar Bayt Al-Maqdis, claimed responsibility for two Grad rockets fired from Sinai toward the Israeli city of Eilat. Although the sound of the blast echoed in Eilat, no rockets were found within Israel’s territory. Some officials said it is possible the rockets landed in Sinai. Against the Army and Christians Other Islamist groups which now view the Egyptian military as their enemy raided Egyptian army posts near the Sinai town of El Arish, killing a senior Egyptian officer and wounding two others. On July 6, terrorists went after another group they hold responsible for toppling Mr. Morsi’s government. They murdered a Christian Coptic priest in a North Sinai city, sending a chilling message to the entire community. One day later, terrorists blew up a gas pipeline in El-Arish that supplied power to Jordan. Rafah Crossing Closed As a result, the Rafah Crossing between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Egypt was closed. Due to Israel’s blockade of Gaza, Rafah Crossing is the only terminal for most Palestinians in Gaza to leave the enclave. Israel’s National Anti-Terror Unit issued a travel warning for Sinai and advised Israelis still there to leave immediately. Suggesting strongly that Israelis avoid Sinai altogether, including the popular resort of Taba on the border near Eilat, the warning advised that there was a “deteriorating security situation in Sinai, which includes numerous violent clashes between groups, along with intelligence we have received

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Live Where You Can Walk To Shul

about possible terror attacks.” Since Morsi’s ouster, many Israelis have contemplated what will come next. Writing in Israel Hayom, Dan Margalit predicted that Mr. al-Sisi will be “the man with the power.” Once elections are called, he said, it is more than likely that another Muslim Brotherhood candidate will win, because that is what the people want. But after “a Morsi by another name [is

in power], the masses will once again flood Tahrir Square, and so on and so forth.” “It is not because they are good or bad people, but because any extremist regime will scare off tourists, undermine the country’s natural gas revenues, and wait for Allah to provide food rather than devising solutions to Egypt’s economic problems,” he said. . S.L.R.

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