THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism
September 2013
Vol. 27 • No. 1
Tishrei 5774
Glimmer of Hope: Syrian Rebel Leader Linked with Al-Qaeda Says, “Our Enemy Is Assad, Not Israel” An Israeli official’s out-
pouring of emotion at the thought of Syrian children being subjected to a chemical and poison gas attack touched the heart of one of the rebel leaders. For a brief moment at the beginning of September, this seemed to signal the possibility of a brighter, peaceful future for both countries. Up until last month, Israeli Housing Minister Uri Ariel (Jewish Home) had, like most officials in the Jewish state,
carefully maintained studied neutrality regarding the sides in the civil war in Syria. Most Israelis think Syrian President Bashar Assad is as equally anti-Israel as the extremist Islamist elements comprising most of the rebel forces arrayed against him. Allied with Iran and its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah, Mr. Assad has identified himself with the staunchest Shiite enemies of the Jewish state. Many of the rebel groups fighting him are linked to Al-Qaeda and other
Sunni Muslim extremists whose antagonism towards Israel is no secret. Siding with the Children But last month, Mr. Ariel, like many Jews in Israel and throughout the world, found himself taking sides—with Syria’s child victims. Old cultural memories were stirred by the images of children outside Damascus suffering and dying from poison gas attacks, and by indications pointing to Mr. Assad’s regime as the perpetrator.
Last month, Mr. Ariel spoke about the atrocities in Syria, during his speech at a dedication ceremony for a new neighborhood in Samaria. Israel had informed Washington and the Palestinians that the Jewish state intended to continue building even as peace talks were being held. The opening of the new neighborhood is seen in Israel as a victory for Mr. Ariel and his supporters. Although he stressed that the day was indeed a time of
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Israeli Investigation Says the IDF Did Not Kill Mohammed Al-Dura; French Supreme Court Says New Evidence Cannot Be Used to Clear a Libel Case The legal-and-PR battle
waged by Philippe Karsenty against the France 2 television network continued its ups and downs this summer. Mr. Karsenty is vice-mayor of Neuilly, France, and founder and president of Media Ratings, an online watchdog organization that holds French media accountable for its content. He is the individual most responsible for exposing and combating the fraudulent, anti-Israeli production
The photo of a hoax that may have cost some 2,500 Jewish lives
Inside the Voice BOLD Schools...........................................5 Kol Ami: Iran Winner?........................... 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 Rabbi Perry Tirschwell @ NCYI.....12 Anny Sings for Chai Lifeline.................14 Tzedaka and Business.............................21
Walk for Life.................................................18 New at Holy Name...................................22 The Log..........................................................24 R.av Schachter at CareOne..................26 New Classes........................................30 Mazel Tov.............................................32
aired by France 2. The network’s program claimed a 12-year-old Palestinian boy was intentionally murdered by the IDF as he cowered in his father’s arms, On one hand, the French Supreme Court ruled that Mr. Karsenty was guilty of having defamed the television station. He was fined 8,000 euros ($14,000), despite having proved that France 2 television’s coverage of the alleged murder of 12-year-old Mohammad
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Ess Gezint: Starter and Sides.........38 Palestinian Leaks...............................39 Index of Advertisers ........................41 Honor the Professional...................43 Letters to the Editor ........................44 Walk To Shul.......................................47
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A BOLD Solution to the Tuition Crisis Rabbi Daniel Price, principal
of the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey (RYNJ) in River Edge, told parents just before the school year began, that RYNJ’s Middle School had been one of the five yeshivas and day schools across the country to be awarded a BOLD grant from the Avi Chai Foundation, the Affordable Jewish Education Project (AJE), and The Kohelet Foundation. The acronym BOLD stands for “Blending Online Learning in Day Schools.” BOLD schools will be given financial and technical assistance to design and apply sustainable, cost-saving
blended-learning programs that will “ignite the potential of students through the delivery of innovative and personalized learning.” Blended learning allows more students per teacher. The instructor works with small groups, while the rest of the class uses individual computers. Proponents insist this cuttingedge model will improve education while bringing down tuition fees in day schools and yeshivot. “In addition to improved educational outcomes for students, blended learning educational models provide opportunities for cost savings
through reducing schools’ personnel, facility, and textbook costs. Schools can operate at a much lower cost per pupil which will allow them to reallocate resources,” said Jeff Kiderman, executive director of AJE. Golden Mean Proponents of blended learning say it is a happy medium between the traditional model (many students to a single instructor) and the “isolationist” model of a student sitting at home alone in front of a computer screen. Traditional learning forces the instructor to teach to the “middle” of his class, while hoping that
more advanced students, and lower-functioning students, will not get lost in the shuffle. At its best, blended learning integrates online learning with face-to-face instruction. It allows teachers to address the particular academic needs of each student based on data collected from computerized learning. “Digital content online engages students in understanding and remembering; the teacher is then able to work with students in small groups that can focus on applying and analyzing what they have learned online. Students alternate regularly between
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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: What Did Iran See and Who Was the Winner? In the end, Russian President Vladimir Putin saved Presi-
dent Barack Obama from an embarrassing defeat on the international stage as well as in the American Congress. Mr. Obama seemed eager to do something (even if it was “unbelievably small”) to the Iran-proxy regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad after his forces defied the US by launching a series of chemical and poison gas attacks against areas controlled by the rebel forces at war with him. But America’s traditional allies, such as Britain and Germany, wanted nothing to do with a US-
in only one way: the President and his team are in way over their heads, lurching from self-imposed trap to self-inflicted crisis, while
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led attack. When Mr. Obama brought the issue to Congress, it was less than certain that a debate and vote would have gone in his favor. Finally, Mr. Putin offered to supervise Mr. Assad’s chemical weapons and have them destroyed under international oversight. When Mr. Assad agreed (provided the US agreed not to use force against him), the threat of an imminent US attack against Syria was over. Several high-profile experts were asked: What will Iran make of US behavior and who was the winner in the President’s decision to do nothing? Y
Iran has already taken the measure of President Obama and found him wanting. It would have been much harder all along for the Iranians to
Many people think President Obama accomplished nothing in this crisis, but, in fact, Iran saw that that the current US government is
The big winner in the President’s decision to do nothing is obviously Putin, who is now largely in control of the situation. He was able to play the President
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Shoshana Bryen Washington, DC
Dr. Ben Chouake Englewood, NJ
Prof Rael Jean Isaac Irvington, NY
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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache” John Cleese, the British writer, actor, and tall person, isn’t Jewish, but he really should be. He is in a commercial for an Israeli chocolate-nut spread called Sababa Egozim. In the commercial, he plays a US army general sitting in a war room in Tel Aviv while Israeli officials look at the red phone in front of them and beg for permission to strike. “We have a right to defend ourselves,” they say, but Gen Cleese, is distracted by the pot of hazelnut-chocolate spread. He tastes it, and, as if inspired, says its name, which means “Great Nuts” in Hebrew and roughly means “Let’s go nuts” in English. The Israelis take this as their cue to pick up the phone and order the missile strike. A sound of missile launchings is heard, but the general concentrates on licking his knife, leaving a splodge of the spread unnoticed on his nose. A few people called the ADL to complain (hey, we’re not making this up, you know) and while it probably killed them to admit it, the league said, “While we do not think the subject is one that should be made light of, John Cleese is legendary for these kind of over-the-top shenanigans—and we feel he’s entitled to use it in this context.” Thank G-d the world is still safe for Democracy. Last month, still playing general, Cleese sent out the kind of alerts and threat-levels Europe in 2013 should get used to: The English are feeling the pinch in relation to recent events in Syria and have therefore raised their security level from “Miffed” to “Peeved.” Soon, though, security levels may be raised yet again to “Irritated” or even “A Bit Cross.” The English have not been “A Bit Cross” since the Blitz in 1940 when tea supplies nearly ran out.
Terrorists have been re-categorized from “Tiresome” to “A Bloody Nuisance.” The last time the British issued a “Bloody Nuisance” warning level was in 1588, when threatened by the Spanish Armada. The French government announced yesterday that it has raised its terror alert level from “Run” to “Hide.” The only two higher levels in France are “Collaborate” and “Surrender.” The rise was precipitated by a recent fire that destroyed France’s white flag factory, effectively paralyzing the country’s military capability. Italy has increased the alert level from “Shout Loudly and Excitedly” to “Elaborate Military Posturing.” Two more levels remain: “Ineffective Combat Operations” and “Change Sides.” The Germans have increased their alert state from “Disdainful Arrogance” to “Dress in Uniform and Sing Marching Songs.” They also have two higher levels: “Invade a Neighbor” and “Lose.” Belgians, on the other hand, are all on holiday as usual; the only threat they are worried about is NATO pulling out of Brussels. The Spanish are all excited to see their new submarines ready to deploy. These beautifully designed subs have glass bottoms so the new Spanish navy can get a really good look at the old Spanish navy. Australia, meanwhile, has raised its security level from “No worries” to “She’ll be right, Mate.” Two more escalation levels remain: “Crikey! I think we’ll need to cancel the barbie this weekend!” and “The barbie is cancelled.” So far no situation has ever warranted use of the last final escalation level. And as a final thought - Greece is collapsing, the Iranians are getting aggressive, and Rome is in disarray. Welcome back to 430 BCE. Chag Sameach, everyone. Enjoy, SLR
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BOLD Schools engaging with teachers and peers and focusing on online content tailored to their learning pace and progress. Tightly integrating online content and offline instruction helps students get what they need when they need it,” said Mr. Kiderman. No “Resource Rooms” Research has shown that students generally retain 20 percent of what they hear in traditional school models and 80 percent of what they experience either in computer labs or project-based learning stations, which are part of blended learning models. Blended-learning schools do not generally need “resource room or enrichment” programs. These have become staples in traditional day schools for students who either have not been able to keep up with teacherled classes or who are ready to surpass them.
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continued from page 5 In the blended-learning schools, a real-time dashboard connected to the students’ computers alerts teachers to topics individual students are having trouble with. Teachers then can provide one-on-one assistance or create a peer-to-peer arrangement in which students who have mastered a concept can then teach it to students who are still struggling with it. Longtime educators generally agree that the best way to encourage student retention of a subject is to ask him to teach it to someone else. Students who are ready to move more quickly can do so with the computer-based programs, which offer immediate feedback to the student and the teacher, allowing for monitoring and adjustments. No Speed Limits Mr. Kiderman stressed that properly used blended-learning programs employ technology
to help each student master content and skills, allow teachers to work with small groups, and streamline operations so that costs go down. Like other proponents of blended learning, he suggested that traditional classrooms necessarily set “speed limits” for the class, based on grade-level standards and assessments. “This makes it hard for some kids to catch up and holds others back from moving ahead when they’re ready. But blended learning revs up students’ learning velocity, allowing them to go further and faster,” he said. However, he cautioned that blended-learning is not a matter of simply putting computers and other attractive hightech devices in the classroom, as some detractors suggest. “Blended-learning isn’t simply adding online computer games or videos to a student’s day or homework time. It doesn’t mean simply rolling a laptop into the school. And it certainly doesn’t mean students are isolated at their keyboards with no social interaction,” he said. No Tuition Hikes The three organizations funding the grant have committed approximately $3 million to the BOLD project. This funding will cover most of the costs associated with moving each school to a blended-learning model, with the schools gradually assuming responsibility for all ongoing costs, including software, hardware, and personnel. “It is important to us that the BOLD Day Schools be able to sustain these innovations within their own annual budgets moving forward without relying on outside funding,” said Rachel Mohl Abrahams, senior program officer at the Avi Chai Foundation.
In a letter to RYNJ parents, Rabbi Price explained that over the past few years, the school had focused on upgrading its basic technology infrastructure, including hardware, software, wiring, and teacher-training. All of these changes were necessary because “this technology will play a major role in the future of education,” he said. However, he also recognized that the expense of these upgrades could not be passed along to parents in the form of tuition increases. His plan had been to introduce the technology slowly, to minimize the financial impact. Application But last spring, RYNJ—and thirty other day schools across the country—applied for the BOLD grants, an intensive process that required the BOLD committee to assess each school’s vision for blended learning, implementation design, and financial plan outlining cost savings and program sustainability. The funding organizations also considered school size, location, denomination, and division, in order to recognize the diversity of Jewish day schools. According to Rabbi Price, the BOLD committee was “impressed by our commitment to utilizing educational technology as a strategy for reducing cost while enhancing the quality of education provided by our school.” “They told us that our application stood out both because of our success in keeping our tuition flat for so many years and because we have publicly shared our financials through the publication of our annual report,” he said. Math and Science RYNJ intends to use its BOLD grant initially to apply blended learning in the mid-
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BOLD Schools dle school’s math and science classes. The funds will be used for consulting services to help design and use the plan, as well as oversee teacher training and provide professional development; purchase hardware and infrastructure, including laptop computers, which will remain in school; and purchase software programs and online materials. “We chose to begin with seventh and eighth-grade math and science because the technology and educational approaches are the most developed and allow for differentiated instruction as well as frequent and detailed assessments of student performance,” said Rabbi Price. Rabbi Price explained that differentiated instruction means using the best teaching practices and strategies to tailor instruction to the different learning needs of individual students.
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continued from page 8 Although the program has already begun, RYNJ students and parents should not expect to see much change for at least six months, while teachers are trained, programs are finalized, and the first wave of equipment is acquired and installed. “The transition will be steady, controlled, and productive,” said Rabbi Price. By the third year of the program (2015-16), he expects to expand blended learning to other secular subjects. More difficult will be incorporating blended learning into the Judaic studies program. Currently, the options for Judaic blended learning are limited, but as with everything else in education, things are changing rapidly. As more interactive and online Judaic Studies curricula become available, the BOLD committee expects its schools
to assess them and incorporate the good ones. School-Wide This is in keeping with the BOLD committee’s general plan. To qualify for the grant, the winning schools had to show that school-wide implementation will occur over a period of three years and that their programs will be self-sustaining and costreducing in one to three years. “While numerous public and secular schools and school districts throughout the nation are already benefitting from blended-learning models, few Jewish day schools have explored it as a viable option. It is time to create demonstration proofs of successful blended learning in Jewish day schools,” said Mr. Kiderman. Of the five BOLD schools, two are from Bergen County, NJ. In addition to RYNJ, the Moriah School of Englewood was selected. The other recipients were: Denver Academy of Torah’s elementary and high school, Magen David Yeshiva High School in Brooklyn, and the Tarbut v’Torah Community Elementary Day School in Irvine, California. $5,000 Tuition Cap Among the schools the committee recommends as a resource for these new BOLD schools is the East Brunswickbased Pre-Collegiate Learning Center, Merkaz HaLimud (PCLC), a Jewish day school high school “dedicated to Jewish learning and inspired by the love of Torah.” The tuition cap for PCLC is $5,000 per year. The school was designed from its inception to apply blended learning, and has just added a middle school with the same tuition structure. According to the school’s director, Lauren Ariev Gellman, each student has an individual team of coaches and mentors; his or her own distinctive
academic and non-academic “game plan,” based on the individual’s interests and goals; maximum opportunities to customize learning; unprecedented flexibility in course selection; the possibility of self-paced learning in many subjects, including Jewish and secular studies; and an annual two-week mini-mester in which students are actively mentored as they undertake individualized learning projects. “Our educational excellence is based on great learning and teaching activated by technology; small, high-participation, seminar-style humanities classes; exceptional teachers; conversation immersion; individual tutoring; strategic use of mixedgrade classes; and self-paced instruction,” she said. The $5,000 tuition cap, she said, has “reignited the demand for Jewish education among families either struggling with or currently shut out by prohibitive tuition costs.” Role Models Ms. Gellman said she is delighted that PCLC is viewed as a resource and a role model for other day schools making the transition to blended learning. “PCLC is replicable and customizable, empowering every community in the US to radically reduce the cost of the most expensive component of Jewish K-12 education,” she said, stressing that her school is “committed to assisting others interested in starting their own learning centers.” “This is an ‘open source’ venture,” she said. Yeshivat He’Atid Another school that was conceived from the beginning to incorporate blended learning is Yeshivat He’Atid. The co-ed elementary school opened in Bergenfield in September 2012
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New National Council of Young Israel Director, Rabbi Perry Tirschwell, Plans to Engage Post-College Singles, Seniors, Activists When executive board mem-
bers of the National Council of Young Israel (NCYI) first approached Rabbi Perry Tirschwell earlier this year to ask him to assume the helm of their century-old network of Orthodox synagogues, the veteran educator thought the board might have misread his résumé. The 50-year-old Rockland County native, now a resident with his family in Teaneck, has spent more than twenty-five years in Jewish education. After earning smicha at Yeshiva University, he had worked in yeshivas and youth groups in New Jersey, developing a reputation as a beloved teacher and an enthusiastic, energetic administrator. In 1997, Rabbi Kenneth Brander, then spiritual leader of the Orthodox Boca Raton Synagogue, asked Rabbi Tirschwell to move his family—his wife,
BOLD Schools with 116 students in pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and first grade. It is also seen as a role model for the BOLD grant winners. This year, Yeshivat He’Atid added a second grade. It plans eventually to go up to eighth grade. The school’s tuition cap is $9,000, which represents
Miriam (née Losinski), originally from Englewood, and their four daughters (now five)—to Florida to start South Palm Beach County’s first yeshiva high school. It would be the first Jewish high school anywhere between Miami and Atlanta. A Generation of Students After pounding the sidewalk and discussing the importance of Jewish education with anyone who would listen, Rabbi Tirschwell opened the Weinbaum Yeshiva High School in 1998 with small 9th and 10th grades and a $1 million seed grant from an anonymous donor. By the time he left fifteen years later, the school had 250 students, an incoming freshman class of 75, and a reputation as one of the best yeshiva high schools in the country. “A generation of students is in Rabbi and Mrs. Tirschwell’s debt for the way they opened
their home and their hearts. I know of no head of school who had as many students and families at their home, has had as many meatball-eating contests, traveled to as many alumni weddings, visited as many college campuses to spend time with alumni, or delivered as many mishloach manot Purim baskets as Rabbi Perry Tirschwell,” said Rabbi Brander. During his last year in Boca Raton, Rabbi Tirschwell spent considerable time commuting to and from Houston, to work with that city’s K-12 Jewish day school, the Robert M Beren Academy. Organizational Shift At about the same time, major changes were taking place at NCYI. After more than 20 years, the organization’s muchadmired executive vice-president, Rabbi Pesach Lerner, decided to step down from his position. According to a statement re-
leased by NCYI, Rabbi Lerner had made the decision to “focus his efforts and energy on a number of critical and pressing issues facing the larger Jewish community and the State of Israel.” He had been highly esteemed by Jewish activists in causes ranging from justice for Jonathan Pollard and Sholom Rubashkin to Ethiopian Jewry and Jewish communities in Israel beyond the Green Line. While the NCYI board made clear they wanted a rabbi rather than an organization professional to replace Rabbi Lerner, Rabbi Tirschwell did not know why they wanted an educator rather than a pulpit leader. “It turned out they wanted someone who understood how to work with a large number of employees, knew how to run a tight ship, and knew how to start from scratch,” said Rabbi Tirschwell.
because the school’s “personalized blended-learning approach, which provides students with individualized instruction, creates a more efficient classroom and reduces the need for resources outside the classroom.” “The manageable increase in class size reduces cost, but the blended-learning approach increases meaningful interactions between teacher and student,” said Rabbi Gralla. At the school, teachers take on some administrative duties, decreasing administrative overhead. Right for All Children? Asked if blended learning is right for all children, Rabbi Gralla said the model’s combination of multiple approaches to learning “enhances the classroom experience for most students.” “Students hear, see, and
interact with the lesson in a more personalized manner with immediate feedback. Blended learning is an effective means of teaching a greater number of learners and allowing for individualized instruction,” he said. The BOLD committee said it hopes the current batch of BOLD schools will serve as additional models to provide guidance for future Jewish day schools seeking to apply blended learning. “We hope the BOLD Day Schools will serve as paradigms of how established Jewish day schools can transform themselves into more innovative, affordable institutions that prepare our students for successful Jewish lives in the 21st century,” said Holly Cohen, executive director of The Kohelet Foundation. S.L.R.
continued from page 10 a 40 percent savings when compared to other Jewish day schools in Bergen County. According to Yeshivat He’Atid’s head of school, Rabbi Netanel Gralla, the school will eventually save the community $5 million annually. Reduced Costs This will be accomplished
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Rabbi Perry Tirschwell Outside the Box They also seemed very interested in gaining a leader who thought outside the box. For ideas, Rabbi Tirschwell went back to NCYI’s history. The organization was founded in 1912 on Manhattan’s Lower East Side by a group of fifteen Jews in their early twenties. Most of the religious world around them was Yiddishspeaking and older. The NCYI founders’ goal was to make Orthodox Judaism more relevant to young Americanized Jews who were still devoted to Jewish tradition and law. Their first accomplishment was a Friday night series of lectures that were delivered in English. “They couldn’t relate to shuls that were more like ‘landsmanshaftn’ than spiritual centers. They couldn’t see themselves growing in shuls in which Yiddish was the spoken language and aliyahs were auctioned off,” said Rabbi Tirschwell. Bound by Halacha At the same time that the Conservative and Reform movements were making steady inroads into the general Jewish community, NCYI forged a new path for the Orthodox, making changes that the older generation could accept halachically and which made the environment more appealing for younger, American-born Jews. By 1924, NCYI was able to hold a convention for all the other groups that had emulated them by setting up their own Young
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Israel lectures, groups, and shuls. These independent synagogues and groups agreed to abide by a charter, and, two years later, the organization was incorporated and owned the trademarked name “Young Israel.” By 1930, there were more than two dozen Young Israels and the national office began expanding to social services, such as a support agency for Sabbath-observant employment which included job placement and vocational training. A few years later, there were Young Israel branches in New York, New England, Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest, Canada, and even in Palestine. Victim of Success Today, NCYI consists of nearly 150 Orthodox congregations with nearly 25,000 member families throughout the US and Canada. In Israel, its sister organization, Yisrael Hatzair (The Young Israel Movement in Israel), has more than 50 synagogues. Nevertheless, Rabbi Tirschwell said, Young Israel has, in recent years, “became a victim of its own success.” “While, in many communities, the Young Israel remains the area’s one Orthodox synagogue, many others have their own Orthodox shuls, which are like Young Israel synagogues, but are not part of the movement,” he said. Singles and Seniors After many discussions with NCYI staff, board members, and congregants, Rabbi Tirschwell emerged with a four-part plan to take NCYI in a new direction. His first goal, he said, was to try hard not to duplicate services already being ably provided by other Jewish organizations. “There are plenty of Jewish groups, even Orthodox ones, on college campuses,” he said. “The problem is no one is providing programs for young Orthodox
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Jews once they leave college and before they get married. These are young Jews with high levels of education who often are marrying later than earlier generations used to do. NCYI was started by young people just like them. We have to provide programming and services for them.” Similarly, he said, at the other end of the spectrum are seniors, many of whom, although healthy and vibrant, are forced into retirement. “People are living longer, but the retirement age
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has not changed. These are people who, please G-d, will be members of the Jewish community for 25-30 years after they are no longer working. Their invaluable wisdom and experience are vital to the Jewish community, and, at NCYI, we intend to use that to the community’s and the seniors’ best advantage,” he said. He pointed out as an example that at the Young Israel of Staten Island, more than 60 seniors come every day to par-
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Giving Back to Those Who Helped Her, Fair Lawn’s Anny Safier Has a CD to Benefit Chai Lifeline When 12-year-old Anny
Safier of Fair Lawn decided to undertake a Bat Mitzvah tzedakah project, no one was surprised that she singled out Chai Lifeline, or that she used her love of music (and vocal performance in particular) to accomplish her goal. Anny is a seventh grader at the Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey (RYNJ). She is currently marketing her own nine-song solo CD, “Anny Sings for Chai Lifeline,” consisting of both wellknown and new Hebrew and English songs. Some of the songs are by popular performers including Shalsheles, Benny Friedman, the Yeshiva Boys Choir, Matisyahu, and Shlomo Carlebach. But one of the tracks, “Designated,” was written by Anny herself. She also included “Wave
Your Flag,” which is popular among children who attend Chai Lifeline’s Camp Simcha. Founded in 1987, the New York-based Chai Lifeline is a support organization for children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses and their families. Chai Lifeline’s motto is “Fighting Illness with Love.” The organization strives to ensure that stricken children are minimally affected by their illnesses. Chai Lifeline offers many free services to families struggling with the financial impact of a child needing many medical treatments. One of Chai Lifeline’s best known projects is Camp Simcha, a 125-acre campus in Glen Spey, NY, which every year hosts some 450 Jewish children battling cancer and hematological illnesses, to enjoy normal summer activities while still
Rabbi Tirschwell at NCYI ticipate in one form of learning or another. He also had words of praise for the learning program initiated by Rabbi Menachem Meier at Congregation Keter Torah in Teaneck. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the former principal of the Frisch Yeshiva High School in Paramus, where Rabbi Tirschwell went to school, leads a program, “Torah in the
receiving medical supervision. Camp Simcha Camper Anny knows Chai Lifeline well. Born legally blind, she was diagnosed two years ago with multiple brain tumors, necessitating rounds of chemotherapy and a full year’s worth of hospital stays and visits to doctors’ offices and treatment centers. While her prognosis is good, only one of the tumors was suitable for surgical removal last spring. The remaining growths are still impinging on her optic nerve, further affecting her already limited vision. “Through it all, Chai Lifeline and its Camp Simcha were there for us,” said Anny’s mother, Robyn Safier, who is proud that despite Anny’s struggle, she has maintained an A average in school, including highest marks on her honors math final.
Mainstreamed According to Mrs. Safier, despite Anny’s limited vision, she has been doing well in a fully mainstreamed class. “There are no other partially sighted children in her grade,” she said. Before being mainstreamed at RYNJ in River Edge, Anny spent a few years at the SINAI Special-Needs Institute, where her intelligence, musical talent, and spirituality were recognized and nurtured. According to Mrs. Safier, Anny’s desire to use her vocal talent to help Chai Lifeline reflects her belief in the basic goodness of Hashem and His world. “Anny is a spiritual young lady who mostly looks for the good in people,” said Mrs. Safier. Singing “Forever” Neither vision issues nor
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AM,” which attracts mostly (but not only) retirees. Outsourcing The third part in Rabbi Tirschwell’s program is a need he has identified in many Young Israel synagogues in the organization’s network: outsourcing. “I want the national office to be India for our member congregations,” he laughed.
He explained that many Young Israels are too small to hire their own full-time staffs. Phone calls are usually answered by machines, and while callers can be directed to cell phones, some people are reluctant to make the further phone call, especially if the situation is not an emergency. “Callers can be given a choice, to leave a message or to be connected to the national office. We can do the websites for all member synagogues. We can do their mailings. We can do their bookkeeping. We can order their stationery, which will have the NCYI ‘brand.’ We can do as much or as little as each member congregation would like,” he said. The ability to outsource to the national office should become one of the most important purposes of NCYI, he said.
Activism The final part of the program is the one that was dear to Rabbi Lerner’s heart and which Rabbi Tirschwell hopes to make a vital part of the entire NCYI network: activism on behalf of the State of Israel and Jewish causes in general in the United States, Canada, and abroad. He pointed out that NCYI’s founders were young Jews who wanted to make a difference. “In the museum in Hyde Park, the home of President Franklin D Roosevelt, there is a Sefer Torah which was presented to him by NCYI rabbis in 1941. They went to FDR to plead with him to intervene on behalf of the Jewish community in Israel. That is the kind of passion we want to see again in NCYI,” he said. S.L.R.
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Anny
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cancer has adversely affected her outlook or her singing voice, which has long been a point of pride at RYNJ. “We have been listening to Anny’s beautiful voice for many years, beginning in third grade, when she led her entire lunch shift in benching on the microphone, and more recently in color war competitions and in the junior high talent show,” said RYNJ Mashgicha Ruchanit Cindy Zucker. Although Anny has been singing “forever,” she is self-taught, according to her mother. Aside from a few piano and guitar lessons, she has had no formal music education. “She just has this incredible voice and perfect pitch,” said Mrs. Safier. Her talent is immediately discernible on the CD, which is a perfect vehicle for her sweet yet powerful voice. With the help of an adult family friend, she was able to record the music and then rerecord the songs, allowing her to harmonize with herself. Raising the Bar Like her daughter, Mrs. Safier said that she is also grateful for the support the family received from Chai Lifeline. In addition to Camp Simcha, Anny has attended many other Chai Lifeline programs and events. Anny’s original goal for the CD was to raise $5,000 for Chai Lifeline. But after she heard about the early morning elec-
trical fire at Camp Simcha last August, she decided to make efforts to bring in much more. The fire, which completely demolished one bunkhouse and inflicted extensive damage on another, proved how well the camp’s staff is trained. There were no casualties or serious injuries. According to Rabbi Simcha Scholar, founder of Chai Lifeline, many of the children lost belongings, including favorite items, such as blankets, “cozies,” and stuffed animals that had comforted them during treatments for their illnesses. “These children have gone through so much in their young lives. This is a setback for the camp, but not for them. We will rebuild. Camp Simcha will be back next year and every year until pediatric illness is a thing of the past,” he said. Community Cooperation Anny is determined to be part of that rebuilding. She is selling her CDs for a suggested minimum donation of $10 to Chai Lifeline. At the end of the first week after the album’s release, almost 100 CDs were sold, many for more than the suggested contribution, bringing her donation to Chai Lifeline to well over $1,000. To bring further attention to the project, she plans to upload to YouTube another song she wrote at Camp Simcha this past summer. While that song was not included on the CD, Anny is hoping the YouTube clip will prompt more people to purchase the CD.
Anny Safier The CD can be purchased by emailing AnnySingsForChaiLifeline@gmail.com. Pick-up is by mail as well as through RYNJ and The Frisch Yeshiva High School and Yeshivat Noam in Paramus. Recognition Accolades are already pouring in for Anny and the CD. Melanie Kwestel, director of communications at Chai Lifeline, told the “Vois Isz Neis” online news site that the organization was honored to be the recipients of Anny’s talents “and her chesed.” “Anny has always been an extraordinary child and she’s grown into an amazing young woman. She has faced adversity and illness with grace, charm, maturity, and a sense of humor that keeps her family, friends, and community positive,” said Ms. Kwestel. Mrs. Zucker said RYNJ was extremely proud that Anny “is using the special gift with which Hashem blessed her for such a meaningful bat mitzvah chesed project.” An Example The head of school at RYNJ, Rabbi Daniel Price, agreed, calling Anny “an example for us all on how to turn adversity into opportunity.” Characterizing Anny as “warm, caring, and friendly,” he said, “She has a golden heart and a golden smile on her face at all times.” He said he was not surprised at all when he learned about her project for Chai Lifeline. “Anny has always used her inner talents, abilities, and charismatic personality to sanctify G-d’s name, mikadesh shem shamayim,” he said. S.L.R.
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Skills Learned While Building a Tzedaka Turned Yakov Shisha into a Successful Businessman as Well By Sharon Givati From the age of eight, Yakov Shisha, the eldest of 13 siblings in a family living in the heart of Jerusalem’s Meah Shearim neighborhood, was responsible for finding food for his family. Though his father worked hard, it was always extremely difficult to make ends meet. The boy was given the task of picking up leftover fruits and vegetables that were no longer fresh enough to sell, and gathering days-old loaves of bread from neighborhood bakeries before Shabbat. Going to cheder hungry, without snacks, he grew up knowing the shame of begging for food and the burden of providing for others. As a child, he says, he made a promise to himself that when he grew up, “I’ll make this better.” Today, at age 30 and the father of a young growing family, he does whatever he can to make good on that promise. Following years of hard work to bring himself and his family out of an increasingly desperate situation, Mr. Shisha has become something of a legend in the ultra-Orthodox neighborhood in which he still resides. He combines a passion for charity with an increasingly successful business. Feeding Thousands What began 12 years ago as personal help for his own family and friends has today turned into Tov v’Chesed, an organization which supplies food and basic necessities to over 3000 families—close to 18,000 people throughout Israel, where, according to Mr. Shisha, nearly 25 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Among those helped by Tov v’Chesed are single-parent families, families in crisis, and large families struggling to make ends meet. Some of the recipients are widows, divorcees, agunot, and families burdened with medical bills. According to Mr. Shisha, each family’s situation is carefully considered to determine which level of support best suits its needs. “We run an array of projects and deliver food packages weekly, monthly, or just for Yom Tov,” he said.
Kosher Apartments But while he was raising money for others in need, he discovered he had actually acquired an acute business sense and a developing network of contacts that would become eventual clients. “My business actually started when I met people from all over the world while collecting for Tov v’Chesed,” said Mr. Shisha. “One thing led to another and these new friends and colleagues were asking for my help in finding kosher vacation apartments for their upcoming visits to Eretz Yisroel.”
And so began ReserveKosher.com, an online portal connecting kosher and observant vacationers from around the world with rentals that can accommodate their required lifestyle. Employment Reserve Kosher lists kosher vacation rentals by owners as well as kosher hotels throughout the world, allowing Jewish travelers to vacation worry-free. The service has a huge selection of beautiful apartments in Jerusalem as well as other cities in Israel and elsewhere.
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Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation: Donor Drives and “Walk for Life” Produce People Who Save Other People’s Lives On Sunday, October 6th, the Gift of
Life Bone Marrow Foundation will hold its Second Annual Walk for Life at Van Saun Park in Paramus, NJ. Gift of Life is North America’s only public bone marrow, blood stem cell and cord blood registry dedicated to recruiting volunteers from the Jewish community. Gift of Life helps children and adults suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, and other cancers and genetic disorders find donors for blood and marrow transplants. Every year, 10,000 people are diagnosed with illnesses that require a transplant. These patients have just a 30 percent chance that a sibling will be a close enough match to donate. Others must rely on an unrelated donor to save their lives, and those donors can often be found on Gift of Life’s registry. The Last Tested Based in Boca Raton, FL, the Gift of Life started in 1991 when its founder and
Tzedaka and Business
Those who sign up with Reserve Kosher are provided with an easy way to keep track of the listings and locations in which they are interested. Reserve Kosher then keeps them updated whenever a new listing appears in an area in which they have expressed interest. Building on that enterprise, Mr. Shisha created YES Management to manage properties and construction projects in Israel for people abroad. The YES Group
executive director, Jay Feinberg (formerly of West Orange, New Jersey) was diagnosed with leukemia and told he would need a bone marrow transplant to survive. When neither of his brothers was a close enough match to donate, doctors told Mr. Feinberg, an Ashkenazi Jew, that his chances of finding an unrelated donor were slim, because Jews were poorly represented on the registry of volunteer donors. Learning that a patient’s best chance of finding a genetic match lies with those of similar ethnic background, Mr. Feinberg’s family and friends launched an ambitious grassroots campaign to find a donor. Recruitment drives were held in Jewish communities throughout North America, Israel and Belarus. Tens of thousands of volunteers joined the registry, resulting in matches for other patients in need along the way. After four years, Mr. Feinberg had run out of time, but miraculously, the very last
potential donor tested at the very last drive turned out to be his perfect match. Mr. Feinberg received his transplant and devoted his life to finding matches for patients in need around the world. Since its inception, Gift of Life has registered over 230,000 volunteer donors and facilitated more than 2,600 transplants for patients in need. The organization’s services include transplant coordination, community donor recruitment, patient advocacy and assistance, and public education. Easy, Painless Test The 5K Walk for Life is the only event in New Jersey that is dedicated solely to raising awareness for bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants. Funds raised through the Walk go directly towards adding new donors to the registry. The more donors on the registry, the better the chances that patients needing transplants will find their miracle
continued from page 17 is a collection of real estate holdings, a management company, vacation homes, and several other divisions, which are always expanding. His ventures mean employment for a dozen members of Israel’s ultra-orthodox community. Restoring Success Despite his professional success, Mr. Shisha’s passion remains firmly rooted in helping families suffering from the poverty
and hunger that defined his own youth. He is determined to provide the help in a way that helps restore the kavod and respect he felt was lacking when he was living in poverty. Weekly packages of chicken, fruits, vegetables, grape juice, and challah to fatherless families; monthly Rosh Chodesh packages to the sick and infirm; and food and staples coupons; all combine to help make the lives of thousands of families throughout Israel a little bit easier. Tov v’Chesed packages are handdelivered to the doors of recipients as if the bundles were pre-ordered groceries. Tov v’Chesed clients do not have to wait for hours only to be seen and viewed as charity cases. A fully tax-exempt organization, Tov v’Chesed maintains offices in Israel, London, and the US. The American office, based in Spring Valley, NY, can be reached at 845-517-0656. The website can be accessed at www.tovvchesed.com, “I was determined to help people in a manner that would not compromise their dignity,” said Shisha. “No one should have to live through the bitter embarrassment that I had experienced.” Y
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com matches. The cost to process one donor’s registration is $60. In addition to providing a variety of fun activities, presentations, and raffles, the Walk will feature the opportunity for participants to join the registry. The test is fast and easy, requiring just a simple swab of cells from inside the cheek. Two Brothers, Three Patients Many recent donors have been identified at drives such as the one in Paramus, including brothers Yigal and Eli Sklarin. Originally from Teaneck, the brothers have been able to donate to three different patients between them. Yigal Sklarin, 33, is a Judaic Studies teacher at Ramaz High School in New York. He originally joined Gift of Life’s registry in 2001 at a drive held at Yeshiva University, where he was a student at the time. Although he never imagined he might actually match a patient needing a transplant, he said he was excited and thrilled to get the call. He had the relatively rare opportunity to donate to one patient in 2004 and then again in 2012 to another person. Yigal Sklarin, who doesn’t like being called a “hero,” insists that he never questioned going through with the transplant. “The whole thing took just a few hours and, perhaps the most important thing is, by doing something so simple, it gave two patients and their families so much hope,” he said. Easy Process Explaining that he still feels awkward when “people kept making me feel so important,” he said going through the process “really was not a big deal.” “How could I not do it? I felt like this was the easiest thing I could do to help save someone else’s life,” he said.
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He strongly encourages all those eligible to join the registry and donate if they can. “The process is so easy and the outcome is tremendous. Being a donor was a wonderful experience and Gift of Life made it simple, straightforward and seamless,” he said. “In My Hands” Soon after Yigal Sklarin’s second donation, his brother Eli also received a call from Gift of Life saying that he also matched a patient. Eli Sklarin was tested to join the registry in 2010 while spending his gap year between high school and college at Yeshivat Reishit Yerushalayim in Israel. He said his brother’s experiences during the donations inspired him to be tested, but Eli Sklarin said he never imagined he would also match a patient. “Not in a million years,” he said. Now 22 and an economics major at the University of Maryland, Eli Sklarin said that from the moment he received the call, “I really understood that this person’s life was in my hands and that it was my duty to follow through with the donation process.” Painless Transplant This past August, one year after the transplant, Eli Sklarin traveled with his family to Boston in order to meet his recipient at a Red Sox Game. “I still can’t imagine what it must have been like to be in my recipient’s shoes. When we met, he told me it was a harrowing experience. It felt very weird for me because I had it so easy,” said Eli Sklarin. Both Sklarin brothers credited Gift of Life for making the entire process from registration through donation simple, seamless, and painless.
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“Gift of Life was very good at taking care of me. They helped me prepare for the donation and had a fantastic representative meet me at the hospital on donation day,” said Eli Sklarin. 18-35 The Sklarin brothers urge anyone who meets the criteria to donate to join the registry. In general, anyone in good health between the ages of 18 and 60 can undergo the painless cheek swab. Gift of Life is especially eager for young people between the ages of 18 and 35 to register. “Younger donors produce more stem cells than do older people and, in general, they tend to be healthier,” said Mr. Feinberg. Statistically, 79 percent of all possible matches are with donors between the ages of 18 and 35; 46 percent of the 79 percent figure are for donors aged 18-25. T-Shirts Donors between the ages of 36 and 45 are selected 13 percent of the time; those between 46 and 55, seven percent of the time. Donors between the ages of 55 and 60 are selected only one percent of the time. “We don’t want to dissuade anyone from joining the registry, but we do need to highlight the urgent need for donors between the ages of 18 and 35—and, in particular, those between 18 and 25. They are able to provide the best chance of survival to patients in urgent need,” said Mr. Feinberg. Registration for the Gift of Life Walk on October 6 in Paramus costs $25 ($30 on the day of the event) and is now open at www.giftoflifeorg/walk4life for runners, walkers, students, and children. More information can be found at the website or by calling 800-9-MARROW.
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Wishing you and your families a Healthy and Happy New Year District 38: Bergenfield, Fair Lawn, Paramus, New Milford
Opportunity for All New Jerseyans Paid for by Alonso for Senate
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Holy Name Recognized as a Primary Stroke Center and Engaged in Clinical Trial to Help Patients with CLI It was a busy summer at
Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck. Towards the end of August, Holy Name was recognized with “Advanced Certification as a Primary Stroke Center” by the Joint Commission in conjunction with the American Heart Association/ American Stroke Association. In early September, Holy Name announced that it is participating in a breakthrough randomized clinical trial, which evaluates the effectiveness of a new cell-based technology in patients with non-reconstructable critical limb ischemia (CLI). CLI, a severe condition of peripheral artery disease (PAD), is a blockage of the arteries which causes a decrease in blood flow to the legs and feet, causing severe pain at rest or skin-ulcer formation. Not only is the condition painful, but it also may result in amputation of the affected limb. Improving Outcomes Holy Name’s acknowledgement as a Primary Stroke Center demonstrates how it is recognized for its dedicated fostering of better outcomes for stroke victims. The center has shown that its program meets critical elements of performance to achieve long-term success in improving stroke patients’ outcomes.
“You may have heard that a stroke is also called a ‘brain attack,’ much like a heart attack, in which lost minutes mean lost brain cells. The smartest thing you can do is doubletime it to a hospital emergency room where they’re experts at identifying the signs of stroke and can deliver the best possible outcomes for patients,” said Sheryl Slonim, executive vice president of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer at Holy Name. To receive recognition as a Primary Stroke Center, Holy Name underwent a rigorous on-site review last spring by Joint Commission experts. Lower Mortality Rate Developed in collaboration with the American Stroke Association in 2003, the Joint Commission’s Primary Stroke Center Certification program is available only to stroke programs in Joint Commissionaccredited acute care hospitals. “Certification is a voluntary process and The Joint Commission commends Holy Name for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves,” said Jean Range, executive director of The Joint Commission’s Disease-Specific Care Certification.
According to data from the 2012 report of the Department of Health’s Inpatient Quality Indicators, released this past July, Holy Name’s mortality rate for stroke victims is significantly lower than the state’s rate and lowest among all hospitals in Bergen County. “Holy Name Medical Center is thoroughly committed to providing our patients with the highest quality stroke care, as based on current scientific research, to ensure continued improvement in treatment. In addition to our Joint Commission accreditation, the Primary Stroke Center Certification has given us the opportunity to highlight the exceptional stroke care we provide for our patients, and has helped us improve care overall for our community,” said Ms. Slonim. The Patient’s Own Stem Cells The medical center’s participation in the new clinical trial for patients with non- reconstructable CLI is also a sign of recognition: Holy Name is the only hospital in northern New Jersey and one of only thirty sites in the US currently participating in this trial. This investigational approach, called “bone marrow aspirate concentrate” (BMAC), uses a patient’s own cells, including stem cells harvested from their own bone marrow, to stimulate growth of new blood vessels in the lower extremities. These patients with CLI have no surgical or catheter-
Walk for Life
based option, sometimes referred to as “no option critical limb ischemia” or “NO-CLI.” A unique aspect of this stem cell-based treatment is that this procedure allows both the cell harvest and implantation to be carried out in one procedure under local anesthesia with sedation. The patient’s bone marrow is harvested from the pelvis. Then a centrifuge-type machine, the size of a desktop computer, concentrates the marrow cells. Doctors inject the cell concentrate into the leg that has poor circulation. There, the cells may respond to the low-oxygen environment and help build new vessels, improving blood flow. With increased blood flow in the extremity, ulcers may be able to heal. Looking for Qualified Patients Patients accepted into the study will have a 66 percent chance of being randomized to receive their own bone marrow concentrate (stem cell) and a 33 percent chance of being randomized to receive a placebo. Since this is a randomized study, all patients will have bone marrow samples drawn, so neither they nor the investigators will know which they have received. The study will enroll approximately 210 patients. To qualify, patients must be diagnosed by a physician as suffering from advanced PAD or CLI; have gangrene, an ulcer, or sore of the foot or leg; no longer be a candidate for surgical treatment or other invasive procedure, such
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Participants should plan to arrive at 10am at Pavilion I, near Walden Pond. Those who can’t make it to the Walk but still wish to support Gift of Life can register as virtual
walkers and receive a t-shirt. Those too old to undergo a cheek swab are welcome to support Gift of Life by participating in the Walk or by making a much-needed contribution. S.L.R.
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Blood Libel continued from page 1 al-Dura—supposedly shot by IDF soldiers—was a “staged hoax and the blood libel of this generation.” On the other hand, the Israeli government finally empaneled an official investigative committee which issued a report documenting that everything Mr. Karsenty has claimed is true. “It may not help me in the French courts, but it gives my documentation a kosher seal of approval,” said Mr. Karsenty. Mr. Karsenty made his remarks in Manhattan last month at a meeting convened by the Lawfare Project, an organization dedicated to identifying, analyzing, and facilitating a response to the use of the law as a weapon of war. “Specifically, we address the abuse of Western laws and judicial systems to achieve strategic military and political ends. This consists of the negative manipulation of international and national human rights laws to accomplish purposes other than, or contrary to, those for which they were originally enacted,” said Brooke Goldstein, director of The Lawfare Project. Truth Is Not a Defense The strange part of the French Supreme Court’s ruling is that it did not deny Mr. Karsenty’s proof that France 2 had staged and aired a hoax. “The court found me guilty, because in 2004, when the case was first presented, we didn’t have access to France
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2’s raw footage. When we got it later, it proved beyond question the boy was still alive after the supposed shooting. But I was found guilty because I didn’t have the footage in 2004. In France, truth is not a defense against libel or defamation. If the truth was not known when the case was first presented, later documentation and proof is thrown out. It wouldn’t matter if France 2 admitted to the hoax now. I would still be guilty,” said Mr. Karsenty. The new footage acquired by Mr. Karsenty, which had never been aired by France 2, shows the boy raising his foot, moving his elbow and head, and shielding his eyes from the sun, and it shows his father smiling—all filmed after gunfire had stopped and the boy had been pronounced dead. “This was a staged hoax,” said Mr. Karsenty. Open to Distortion Mr. Karsenty intends to continue his legal battle, possibly in the US, “because of procedural and ethical issues that led to this miscarriage of justice [in the French Supreme Court].” He thinks the case will drag on for another four or five years, but, ultimately, he said, “with the help of people who care about the truth,” he believes he will be successful. The actions taken by France 2 television in its suit against Mr. Karsenty have prompted the Lawfare Project to support his legal case.
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as angioplasty or bypass surgery, and have exhausted all viable options; and not be receiving dialysis treatment. Those interested in the Harvest CLI clinical trial can contact the Institute for Clinical Research at Holy Name at 201-
530-7968. The study website is at www.harvestclistudy.com. Candidates will be evaluated for eligibility. If enrolled, the safety and efficacy of the investigational treatment will be assessed over a two-year period.
The reasons for Mr. Karsenty’s failure in the court are obvious and, to American sensibilities, unfair. But the problem for the Jewish community is that al-Jazeera and other anti-Israel media outlets began their reports on the case by declaring, “French court rules intifada video was authentic.” Video of a Dead Child The alleged shooting of Mohammed al-Dura took place on September 30, 2000, a few days after the start of the Second Intifada, sometimes called the Oslo War. It was characterized by Palestinian-Arab violence throughout Judea and Samaria, initiated at the behest of then-PLO leader Yasir Arafat. The footage of the “shooting” of Mohammed al-Dura was taken by Palestinian cameraman Talal Abu Rahma, who was freelancing for France 2 television. The voiceover was by Charles Enderlin, France 2’s bureau chief in Israel who made aliyah a number of years ago at the age of 22. The footage, which lasts just over a minute, shows Jamal al-Dura and his 12-year-old son, Mohammed, caught in crossfire between IDF troops and PA security forces. The father and son are shown attempting to take cover behind a concrete cylinder. There they hold onto each other, the boy crying and the father waving. Then there
is a burst of gunfire and dust, after which the boy is seen slumped across his father’s legs, presumably dead. The video is not a continuous feed and does not show the boy being wounded or killed. It shows only footage of him lying motionless, apparently dead. Reporting by Phone Mr. Enderlin has testified that he did not witness the incident himself (he was in Ramallah at the time), but, rather, reported the information as it was given to him on the phone by the cameraman. Mr. Enderlin reported that the al-Duras had been the “target of fire from the Israeli positions” and that the boy had died. The implication was that the IDF had knowingly and recklessly killed an obviously defenseless child. In an interview with the French magazine Telerama three weeks after the incident, Mr. Enderlin said that before running the report, he personally had cut out the images of the child dying. “They were unbearable,” he said. But three French journalists who had been permitted by France 2 to review the channel’s raw footage accused Mr. Enderlin of lying. In an op-ed printed in Le Figaro, two of these journalists said
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the “agony” described by Mr. Enderlin had not been edited out. “It simply did not exist,” they said. In Pallywood According to author Rael-Jean Isaac, who is also the editor of Outpost, published by Americans for a Safe Israel, blogger Richard Landes was also allowed to see the raw footage. Mrs. Isaac, who was at the Lawfare meeting, said Mr. Enderlin welcomed Mr. Landes in 2003 because the latter had been recommended by a mutual friend. When Mr. Landes told Mr. Enderlin that “everything” on the video seemed staged, Mr. Enderlin reportedly responded, “Oh, they do that all the time.” Mr. Landes coined the word “Pallywood” to describe “the national Palestinian film industry that produces staged news footage for complicit journalists.” According to his blog Second Draft, he was shocked. Blaming Israel First Mr. Enderlin’s story about the al-Duras and Mr. Abu Rahma’s images were picked up by media sources throughout the world, many of which have continued to promote the report as proof that Israeli soldiers deliberately murder children. France 2 rebroadcast the piece repeatedly. “Enderlin is one of those quondam Israelis whose attachment to the Jewish state is supposedly attested by the vigor of his criticism of it. Enderlin may have been initially taken in by his cameraman, but soon enough had to realize he was
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dealing with phony footage and dug in, misrepresenting the footage and clinging to the story,” said Mrs. Isaac. Symbol of the Intifada After an emotional public funeral, Mohammed al-Dura was hailed throughout the Arab and Muslim world as a martyr, a designation that has grown more popular and ferocious over time. One of Baghdad’s main thoroughfares was renamed “The Martyr Mohammed alDura Street.” Morocco has an al-Dura Park. The image of the boy and his father has been engraved on stamps used in Jordan, Egypt, and Tunisia, and on a huge poster outside the Ministry of Health in Gaza. Muslim schools often have programs and even ice-cream days in honor of the boy. The image of the “dead” child was recently reproduced on a designer dress in Saudi Arabia. “The image of the martyred child has inspired barbarous acts of revenge against Jews throughout the world,” said Mr. Karsenty. When Muslim terrorists murdered the Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Pearl in Pakistan in 2002, his executioners forced him to “acknowledge” Israel’s role as “childkiller.” The image of the al-Duras was on the wall behind them. Osama Bin-Laden cited the al-Dura case in a recruitment video for Al-Qaeda. Replacing the Holocaust The al-Dura incident was the basis of a video designed for children by the Palestinian Authority. The video showed the boy in heaven beckoning other Pal-
estinian children to “martyr” themselves by becoming suicide bombers so that they might join him in paradise. In many ways, the boy became the symbol of the second intifada. French journalist Catherin Nay said the death of Mohammed al-Dura “cancels out, erases that of the Jewish child, his hands in the air from the SS in the Warsaw Ghetto.” Initial Investigation Almost from the beginning, Mr. Karsenty had his doubts about the veracity of the story. Although the IDF initially apologized for the boy’s death, in effect authenticating the France 2 version of the incident, the army quickly issued a retraction after an investigation indicated that Israeli soldiers “probably did not shoot at the al-Duras.” Discussing angles and distances, the Israeli report suggested it was Arab terror gunfire that killed the boy. The investigation was the result of a request by Israeli physicist Nahum Shahaf to Maj-Gen Yom Tov Sarnia, the commanding officer in the Netzarim area who was convinced his soldiers had not shot at the boy. Mr. Sarnia put Mr. Shahaf in charge of the investigation, which reconstructed the incident and concluded that the bullets could not have come from the Israeli position. Discrepancies Even without the investigation, Mr. Karsenty said the discrepancies in the story were too big to be ignored. The cameraman maintained that there had been “hundreds” of bullets shot at the father and son, pointing to the bulletpocked wall behind them as proof. But when asked what had happened to the actual bullets, the cameraman fumbled, finally saying they had been picked up by France 2, but were now “secrets” that the station could not give to the police. “No one knows when the bullets hit the wall in question. It could have been before the incident or afterwards,” said Mr. Karsenty. According to the report broadcast by Mr. Enderlin, the Israeli soldiers continued shooting at the father and son for 45 minutes. The cameraman said they fired at their sitting target until they “finally” killed the Palestinian “child deliberately in cold blood.”
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com “These were supposedly Israeli sharpshooters. They needed 45 minutes to kill two sitting targets? Come on,” said Mr. Karsenty, who said he was also struck by the fact that, with all those bullets allegedly being shot at the father and son, there were no blood stains anywhere. In the Same Place Working on his own, Mr. Karsenty collected between 50 and 100 separate pieces of evidence that he said would prove the al-Dura incident was a hoax. For example, he had retrieved some raw footage, shot by Reuters and AP cameramen on the same day and in the same spot where the al-Dura incident allegedly took place. This footage, only parts of which were ever aired, shows Arabs staging incidents for media purposes. According to writer Nidra Poller, who saw the Reuters and AP outtakes, these films show Palestinian “stringers sporting prestigious logos on their vests and cameras are seen filming battle scenes staged behind the abandoned factory, well out of range of Israeli gunfire.” Those playing that they were wounded “sail through the air like modern dancers and then collapse,” she said. In the meantime, she said, the videos show cameramen cavorting with laughing youths who jump on the “‘casualties,’ pushing and shoving, howling Allahu akbar.” Only split seconds of these “ludicrous vignettes” ever appeared for broadcast, she said. “The raw footage that would reveal the fakery had been removed,” said Ms. Poller. Which Mohammed? In addition, Mr. Karsenty found evidence that, at 9am on September 30, a child named Mohammed al-Dura was taken to Shifra Hospital in Gaza where he died. The incident shot by Mr. Abu Rahma took place at 3pm that same day. “So how is it possible that there was a dead child at 9am and they want us to believe it is the same child who was shot by Israeli soldiers at 3 in the afternoon?” said Mr. Karsenty. In fact, according to an investigation conducted by a German documentary team, the shape of the skull of the buried child was different from that of the child in the video. One theory is that the buried child is the real Mohammed al-Dura and the one in Mr. Abu Rahma’s video might be a cousin or a brother, said Mr.
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Karsenty. Some say the one in the video might still be alive. No Standing Armed with his evidence, Mr. Karsenty went to court to sue France 2 television as well as Mr. Enderlin and the cameraman. The court informed him that he had no standing to file a complaint and, thus, he was dismissed. Determined to force France 2 into court, Mr. Karsenty wrote what he acknowledges was “a provocative piece” and published it on his internet blog. In the piece, he accused France 2 of broadcasting a staged scene in which local Arabs played the part of shooters in order to create a media incident. Mr. Karsenty said his intention was to provoke France 2 to sue him for libel, and it worked. In 2004, France 2 hauled Mr. Karsenty into court, where the issue was finally publicly discussed. “The pressure brought to bear on my supporters and me was impossible. We were told we were denying the death of a child and compared to Holocaust deniers,” he said. In court, France 2 tried to portray Mr. Karsenty and his supporters as “farright crackpot conspiracy theorists with axes to grind.” Israel’s Silence Equally disturbing, he said, was the fact that he received no support at all from the Israeli government. Israelis who commented on his case against France 2 tended to side with Mr. Enderlin, who was consistently described as an honorable journalist, as opposed to Mr. Karsenty, who was described as a “nut.”
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Mr. Karsenty has his own theories to explain Israel’s silence. “In 2000, Ehud Barak was hoping to partner with Arafat on a peace plan. Israeli intelligentsia hoped there would be peace. They didn’t want to bring up this story, showing how the Palestinians behave. Many were angry at me for keeping the story alive,” he said. In addition, he said, there is some evidence that Mr. Abu Rahma may have worked for Israel and, thus, was in danger of being designated a “collaborator,” a capital offense in the PA. “The Israelis were hesitant to make any trouble for him,” said Mr. Karsenty. Chief Argument In fact, one of Mr. Enderlin’s chief arguments in court was the fact that no Israeli authority had challenged him or his report. “And his argument was persuasive even to many of Israel’s supporters. They figured if the story were a hoax, surely Israel would be the first to vigorously press the case,” said Mrs. Isaac. Not surprisingly, Mr. Karsenty lost the first round in court and, in 2006, was found guilty of having defamed France 2. Appealed Two years later, on appeal, the ruling against Mr. Karsenty was overturned; the Paris Court of Appeals said he was within his rights to call the al-Dura video a hoax. The difference between the two rulings was that the appellate court was able to review France 2’s full footage of the incident, including the sequence which shows the boy moving around after he was allegedly dead.
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
The Log: Do It Now
Judaic Visual Arts Online Mentoring Program, for students in grades 7-12 who are interested in learning how to create Jewish art, spons by the American Guild of Judaic Art, applications by sending an email to office@ JewishArt.org or 404-981-2308, deadline is Nov 1 Be a Volunteer for the Super Bowl; the NY/NJ Super Bowl Host Committee needs 15,000 volunteers to meet and greet visitors and generally help out for two four-hour shifts between Sun., Jan 26 and Mon., Feb 3. Volunteers must attend only one of many training sessions that will be held at various times in November. Volunteers will receive uniforms that will be theirs to keep. Go to www.nynjsuperbowl.com and click on Volunteer. You can use the Volunteer Center of Bergen County as your organization affiliate. Entries to the 2013 ING New York City Marathon (Nov 3, 2014) available through the International March of the Living, 201-417-5374
Sun., Sept 15
EMUNAH Pre-Sukkot Bake Sale, to volunteer as a baker or to order baked goods to be delivered erev Sukkot, emunahbakesale@ gmail.com Schedule the Torah Academy of Bergen County Sukkah Builders to put up and take down your sukkah, all proceeds go to Project Ezra, tabcsuccahbuilders@ gmail.com “Inyanei Sukkot,” Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun,
Teaneck, 8:30am, 201-836-8916 Setting up the Sukkah, bring wrenches and step ladders, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8:30am, info@netivotshalomnj.org Photographic Exhibit: “The Legacy: A Daughter’s Experience of the Holocaust,” Beth Burstein, JCC MetroWest, West Orange, 9am-6pm; also Mon-Thurs, 9am-9pm; Fri, 9am-5pm, through Sun., Oct 27, 973-530-3413 Special Movies, Smoothies, and Free Play Featuring Sukkah Decorations, for children, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10am, 718-796-4730 “Sukkot: Connecting—The Four Kinds and Their Lessons for Life,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, Chabad Shul, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Decorate the Sukkah, for children grades K-4, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10am, 201-907-0180 House Majority Leader Rep Eric Cantor (R-VA), spons by NORPAC, private home in Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-788-5133 Decorate and Donuts, for children, decorate the shul sukkah, make arts-and-crafts projects to take home, and enjoy Dunkin Donuts, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-836-6210 Decorate the Shul’s Sukkah and Yours, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 10:30am, 732-254-1860 Sukkah Building, spons by Rutgers Hillel, at the corner of College Ave and Stone St, New Brunswick, 11am, 732-545-2407 Sukkah Decorating, for grades K-3, includes pizza, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 11am, 201837-2795
6-Mile Hike with Jersey Tribe, to walk off holiday meals, South Mountain Reservation, Millburn, noon, www.jerseytribe.org Jewish Educational Center High School Chessed Program, stocking the Jewish Family Service food pantry, Elizabeth, noon, 917-583-5963 HaZamir Bergen County Choir Open House Auditions, for boys and girls in grades 8-12, Ronit Hanan, Cong Beth Sholom, Teaneck, 1-3pm, 201-873-2868 NJ Friendship Walk, spons by the Friendship Circle for special-needs children, at Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, 1pm, 201-262-7172 “Raisins and Almonds: Jewish Songs from the Heart,” Dr. Lois Morton, accompanied by Larry Moser, Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library, Garnerville, NY, 2pm, 845-786-3800 or 845-429-3445 Auditions for Beauty and the Beast, for grades 2-4, spons by the Riverdale Children’s Theater, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, 2-3pm, 646-436-3045 Auditions for Beauty and the Beast and Les Miserables, for grades 5-8, spons by the Riverdale Children’s Theater, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, 3-5pm, 646-436-3045 Arba Minim and Sukkah Posters Sale, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 3-10:30pm, 718-309-3983 Sinai Special Needs Institute Schools Yom Tov Boutique, Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, 5-9pm, 201-833-1134 ext 105 Sukkah Celebration, for Israeli families, JCC, Tenafly, 6pm, 201-569-7900 Sisterhood Membership Dinner, includes gifts, Hedy’s hats, and raffles, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 7pm, 732-254-1860 Auditions for Kol Halayla, Rutgers Jewish a Cappella Group, Ruthers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, kolhalayla@gmail.com Women’s Book Club: “Next Stop” by Glen Finland, reviewed by Chani Gurkov, Chabad House, Wayne, 8pm, 973-694-6274 “The Chatzos Lady: The Gift of Preparing Our Homes Early for Shabbos,” for women,
Azriella Jaffee, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 8:30pm, 201384-0434
Mon., Sept 16
“The Biblical Book of Leviticus: Surfing Life’s Waves,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227 Sukkoth Cooking Class, Chabad House, Margate, 7pm, 609-992-4100 Jersey Tribe Sukkot Arts and Crafts, for singles, private location in Jersey City, 7:30pm, www.jerseytribe.org Volunteers Orientation, for students in grade 6 and up who want to work with special-needs children through the Friendship Circle, Zeesy Grossbaum, at Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 8pm, 201-262-7172
Tues., Sept 17
Senior Citizens Picnic, includes free lunch (kosher available) with entertainment and a craft fair, Van Saun Park, Passaic, 10am-3pm, for kosher lunch, 201336-7416 or 201-336-7400 Community Service Bake Sale, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 10am-noon, 732-545-2407 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Café Europa Joy Lunch Club Luncheon for Holocaust Survivors, spons by Jewish Family Service, transportation available, Cong Beth Sholom, Teaneck, 11:30am, 201-837-9090 Men’s Bereavement Discussion Group, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718518-2125 or 718-518-2674 “The Jewish Soul,” violinist David Podles, JCC of Middlesex County, Edison, 1:30pm, 732-4943232 ext 3603 Celebrate Sukkot, for children ages 2-5 with an adult, includes pizza in the hut and making sukkah decorations, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 3:45pm, 845-362-4400 Auditions for Beauty and the Beast and Les Miserables, spons by the Riverdale Children’s Theatre, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, grades 5-8, 3-5pm, 646-436-3045
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” Auditions for Beauty and the Beast, grades 2-4, spons by the Riverdale Children’s Theatre, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, 4-5pm, 646-436-3045 Auditions for Les Miserables, grades 8-12, spons by the Riverdale Children’s Theater, at the Riverdale Jewish Center, 5-7pm, 646-436-3045 “Let’s Get Ready for Sukkot,” Debbie Dobin Gerber, spons by Hadassah, how to make decorations from nature to hang in the sukkah, Highland Park Senior Center, 7:30pm, rachel@ weintraubworld.net Sukkos and Simchat Torah, Rabbi Eli Kornfeld, Chabad of Hunterdon County, Clinton, 7:30pm, 908-238-9002 Create an Edible Sukkah and Sukkah Decorations, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8:15pm, 732-545-2407 “Dealing with Issues of a Working Mom,” in Hebrew, Einat Harari, JCC, Tenafly, 8:30pm, 201-569-7900
Wed., Sept 18, Erev Sukkoth
TV Film: “Glickman,” about Marty Glickman who was denied
the chance to represent the US at the 1936 Berlin Olympics because he was Jewish and went on to become one of the most revered and influential sportscasters in history, on HBO2, 12:45am Erev Sukkot Camp, for children in grades K-2, run by seniors at Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, at Ma’ayanot, Teaneck, 9amnoon, yonina.silverman@gmail.com Sukkah Decorating, for grades K-4, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 10am, 917583-5963 Hilchos Teshuva Shiur, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, 6:45pm, 201-567-9420 Free Sukkah Dinner, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407
Thurs., Sept 19, Sukkoth
Hot Dairy Kiddush, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, noon, howard@ketertorah.org Free Sukkoth Lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 1pm, 732-545-2407 Sukkah Hop, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 2pm, rain date
Sept 20, 201-837-2795 Sukkah Hop, for boys and girls in separate groups also divided by age, nursery (with parents) through grade 5, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 2:30pm, 201-384-0434 Sukkah Hop, spons by Cong Arzei Darom, meet at private home in Teaneck, 3:30pm, 917-816-1447 Hilchos Teshuva Shiur, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, 6:45pm, 201-567-9420
Fri., Sept 20, Sukkoth
Free Sukkoth Lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick 1pm, 732-545-2407 Sukkah Hunt, for children, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 3:45pm, 732-254-1860 Sukkah Hop, for children, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 4pm, 732-254-1860 Sukkah Hop, for Nursery-K, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 4:30pm, info@netivotshalomnj.org Bnai Akiva Sukkah Hop, for grades 1-6, meet at private location in Teaneck, 4:30pm, info@ netivotshalomnj.org
Sukkah Hop, for children in grades K-4, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 4:30pm, rivki19@yahoo.com “Daven and Dine”: Service and Friday Night Meal in the Sukkah, Rabbi Shlomo Marks, Cong Mt. Sinai, Jersey City, 7:30pm, RavShlomo.MtSinai@gmail.com Sukkot Tisch, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201837-2795 Free Shabbat Dinner under the Stars, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 Kumsitz in the Sukkah, desserts, divrei Torah, and singing, private home in Teaneck, 9pmmidnight, DMLevie@aol.com
Shabbat, Sept 21 Chol Hamoed Sukkoth
Shabbat Youth Program, for children ages 2-10, Hava Finkel, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 9:30-11am, 201-567-9420 Hot Meat Kiddush, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, noon, howard@ketertorah.org Shabbat Lunch, spons by Rabbi and Mrs. Akiva Weiss, Rut-
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NCSY
GOES TO GREAT ADVENTURE
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER
22
PURCHASE TICKETS NOW AND SAVE! $30 UNTIL SEPT. 16, $35 AT THE GATE PARK HOURS 10:30AM-10PM
TO PURCHASE TICKETS CALL:
New Jersey NCSY at 201.862.0250 · Mordechai at 732.961.1233 or 848.525.2295 TICKETS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE AT: Z Berman (Passaic) and Tuvia's (Monsey)
For more information, go to www.ncsygreatadventure.com A Sukkah will be available. Kosher food will be available for purchase. No outside food will be allowed in the park.
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
The Log
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 25
gers Hillel, New Brunswick, 1pm, 732-545-2407 Sukkah Hop, for children, Dovi and Daniella Shenkman, spons by Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 2pm, aabjdyouthdirectors@gmail.com Sukkah Hop, for children, Cong Adath Israel of the Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 3pm, Welcome2ai@yahoo.com Sukkah Party, spons by Young Israel of Passaic Clifton, private sukkah in Passaic, 3:30-6:30pm, 973778-7117 or rabbi@yipc.org Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, safek7@gmail.com
Motzei Shabbat, Sept 21
Trip to Crown Heights,
to visit Sukkot and dance in the streets, leave Chabad, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-486-2362 Simchar Beit Hashoeva, Rabbi and Mrs. Akiva Weiss, private home in New Brunswick, 8-10pm, 732-246-0207
Sun., Sept 22 Chol Hamoed Sukkoth
NCSY Chol Hamoed Trip to Hershey Park, leave from Teaneck, Highland Park, and West Orange, 8am, park is open 11am7pm, 201-862-0250 Fall Fest Open House, includes activities in the sukkah, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am4pm, 845-362-4400 NCSY Chol Hamoed Trip to Six Flags Great Adventure, leave from a variety of shuls in
NY and NJ, 9am, 201-862-0250 Sen Lindsey Graham (RSC), spons by NORPAC, private sukkah in Englewood, 10am, 201788-5133 Sukkot Festival, for families with special-needs children and volunteers in grades 6 and up, spons by the Friendship Circle, private location in Paramus, 10am, 201-262-7172 Sukkah Party, Chabad House, Margate, 12-4pm, 609-992-4900 Sukkah in the Hay, family fun day at Butterhof Farm in Egg Harbor Twnshp, includes sukkah, hayrides, and corn maze, spons by Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor, noon, 609-822-8500 Film: “Jerusalem,” the intersection of science, history,
and religion, IMAX Theater Palisades Center, W Nyack, 11:30am, 12:45pm, 2pm, 3:15pm, 4:30pm, 5:45pm, 7pm, 845-353-5555 ext 200 or 845-358 IMAX (4629) Community-Wide Sukkah Party, for families, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 1:30-3:30pm. 201-833-0515 Pizza in the Hut, for high school students, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 6pm, 917-583-5963 Progressive Sukkah Supper, for high school students, spons by the Young Israel of East Brunswick, private homes in East Brunswick, 6:30pm, 732-254-1860 Hadassah L’Dor V’Dor Young Women’s Group Sukkah Hopping, for adults, various homes in
At CareOne, Rav Schachter Discussed Honoring Parents At CareOne in Teaneck
last month, Rabbi Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University addressed an issue close to the hearts of all the residents and community members who made up his audience: “Kibbud Av V’eim, Honoring One’s Mother and Father: Taking Care of One’s Elderly Parents.” As Rav Schachter explained this mitzvah, introduced in the Ten Commandments and elaborated on by Jewish scholars over the centuries, is considered one of the most difficult to accomplish successfully. To begin with, he said, it encompasses two distinct behaviors: honor, which the rabbis interpret as service, and fear, which is taken to mean respect. Each requires separate actions, mindsets, and deeds, he said. For example, honoring a parent may mean anything from literally tying a parent’s shoes to making sure to telephone regularly. Respecting a parent means not sitting in his or her chair and not calling one’s parent—or one’s in-law
At CareOne, Rav Hershel Schachter, left, had a chance to speak with resident, Dr. Nathan Lander, the former chairman of Touro College’s parent—by his or her first name. Often, knowing what to do is a matter of listening so as to ascertain what it is the parent needs and wants. A Duty to G-d Further, he said, it is not a mitzvah that can be forsaken even if the parent demands it. Rav Schachter gave the example of a father who, at age 50, tells his son to go away and leave him alone forever. But if, at age 80, the father requires service from the son, the adult child is required to render it. The reason: Because the commandment has two components. The child honors and respects the parent as a person
because the son or daughter is grateful to have been brought into the world. But the child also honors and respects the parent as G-d’s partner. According to Jewish tradition, every child is the result of a partnership between a mother, a father, and G-d, which is why the commandment to serve and respect one’s parents continues even after death. Jewish sons recite kaddish to lessen the anguish of a parent’s soul. Because, according to Jewish tradition, the maximum any soul spends in Gehenom is 12 months, kaddish is said for only 11. Part of honoring one’s
parent is knowing he or she could not have deserved a 12-month sentence. Community Facility According to Ari Markowitz, assistant administrator at CareOne in Teaneck, the glatt kosher sub-acute rehabilitation, assisted living, and longterm care facility, will host many more programs with speakers such as Rav Schachter that will be open to the community. While CareOne at Teaneck welcomes people of all faiths, its special programs to support members of the Jewish community include Glatt Kosher meals under the supervision of the Rabbinical Council of Bergen County, restaurant-style fine dining, daily activities, an on-site Orthodox synagogue, Jewish cultural entertainment, and much more. “It is wonderful for the residents and members of the community to be able to come together for a lecture which can be enjoyed on so many different levels,” said Mr. Markowitz. For more information about programs at CareOne, call 201-862-3300. S.L.R.
Highland Park, 7pm, 908-227-4869 Community-Wide Simchas Bais Hashoeva, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-907-0180 or swruble@gmail.com Chol Hamoed Sukkoth Concert, featuring Lipa Schmeltzer, Benny Friedman, and Nachas with the BaRock Orchestra, at Provident Bank Park (Boulder Stadium), Pomona, NY (also available on a pay-per-view option, http://lipa. vazzt.com), 7pm, 866-625-4586 or www.lipabenny.com Simchas Bais Hashoeva, Passaic Torah Institute, 7:30pm, 973-594-4774 Simchat Beit Hashoeva, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730
Mon., Sept 23 Chol Hamoed Sukkoth
Film: “Jerusalem,” the intersection of science, history, and religion, IMAX Theater Palisades Center, W Nyack, 12:45pm, 2pm, 3:15pm, 4:30pm, 5:45pm, 7pm, 845358 IMAX (4629), also Tues, Sept 24 and Wed., Sept 25, 845-353-5555 ext 200 or 845-358 IMAX (4629) TV Film: “Glickman,” about Marty Glickman who was denied the chance to represent the US at the 1936 Berlin Olympics because he was Jewish and went on to become one of the most revered and influential sportscasters in history, on HBO2, 12:50pm Fun and Games with Laser Tag, for grades 1-8, Jewish Educational Center, 3pm, 917-583-5963 or 908-447-6881 Bubble Trouble and Pizza in the Sukkah, for children ages 2-12, featuring Interactive Bubble Show with Casey Carle, Bris Avraham, Hillside, 5pm, 908-289-0770 Progressive Sukkah Supper, for middle school students, spons by the Young Israel of East Brunswick, private homes in East Brunswick, 6:30pm, 732-254-1860 Shaare Tefillah Jewish Book Club: “You Saved Me Too” by Susan Kushner Resnick, private sukkah in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-692-7710
Tues., Sept 24 Chol Hamoed Sukkoth
Trip to NYC, for high school students, leave Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 9am, 917-5835963 or 908-447-6881
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Sukkot Fun: Kids Day Out, for children, includes obstacle course, holiday crafts, bouncy house, face-painting and balloon animals, spons by AMIT, at East Hill Synagogue Sukkah, Englewood, 10am-noon, 212-477-1207 Bereavement Group for the Death of a Spouse, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718-518-2125 or 718-518-2674 New Beginnings Reconnects in a Sukkah, for seniors, featuring “Yom Tov Sentiments,” Rabbi Joseph Siev, and “OHEL Senior Services,” Devirah Sinensky, CSW, spons by the Jewish Center of Teaneck, at the CareOne Sukkah, Teaneck, 1:30pm, 201-833-0515 Community Simchat Beit Hashoeva, welcoming the new Mekor Chaim Steinsaltz Ambassadors Ariel Odes and Amichai Bauer, includes food and music, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva sukkah, Edison, 6pm, rabbishmulie@steinsaltz.org Hoshana Raba Night Seder, Passaic Torah Institute, 8:30pm, 973-594-4774
Wed., Sept 25 Hoshana Raba
Last Day to See Watercolor Exhibit: “Heavens Above and Earth Below,” Paula Cantor, JCC, Tenafly, 201-569-7900 Hoshana Raba Service, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8:15am, 732-545-2407 Hilchos Teshuva Shiur, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, 6:45pm, 201-567-9420 Shemini Atzeret Meal, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 Yachad Simchat Torah, for special-needs students and young adults, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, through Shabbat, Sept 28, housing and meals are needed, 516-650-0416 or brieder@chestnutholding.com
Thurs., Sept 26 Shemini Atzeret
Riverdale Carlebach Minyan, Noah Solomon and Cantor Sidney Langer, includes community dairy/ parve potluck, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 646-784-0339 Kiddie Hakafot, for families, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 4:45pm, 732-254-1860 Live Wax Museum of Biblical Characters, Magic Show and
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Dancing with Goody Bags, Black Tie Dinner, for high school students, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6pm, 718-796-4730 Simchat Torah Services, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 6:30pm, 732-545-2407 Hilchos Teshuva Shiur, Rabbi Menachem Genack, Cong Shomrei Emunah, 6:40pm, 201-567-9420
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1860 or claire.kagel@gmail.com Kiddush/Lunch, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, noon, 201-837-2795 Luncheon, for high school students, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, noon, 917-583-5963 or 908-447-6881 Gala Hot Kiddush, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, noon, 732-247-0532 Carlebach Davening, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201833-0515
Fri., Sept 27 Simchat Torah
Simchat Torah Services, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers HilShabbat, Sept 28 lel, New Brunswick, 9:30am, 732Carlebach Minyan, Cong 545-2407 Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am, Kol Ha’Nearim Tisch, Rabbi rabbidonath@gmail.com Tefilat Shlomo: The CarJoseph Adler and Rabbi Beni Krohn, lebach Tefila of Riverdale, inincludes singing, divrei Torah, and food, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, cludes light and healthy Kiddush, 10am, 201-837-2795 at the Hebrew Institute of RiverWomen’s Torah Reading, dale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Teaneck Jewish Center, 10:30am, Educational Prayer Service, 201-833-0515 spons by the Jewish Learning ExTeshuva Palooza: Simchat perience, includes discussions and Torah Experience, for women, commentary, prayers in English special siyum for women and girls and Hebrew transliteration, at Cong Zichron Mordechai, Tewho signed up to learn two halaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498 achot from the ten perakim of the Rambam’s Hilchot Teshuva, Laws Freshman Shabbat Lunch, of Repentence, Young Israel of Rabbi and Rebbetzin Akiva Weiss, GOL_Walk4Life_Ad_Layout 1 7/29/13 10:21 AM Page on 1 page 28 East Brunswick, 10:30am, 732-254continued
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The Log
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
continued from page 27
private home in New Brunswick, 1pm, 732-246-0207 Isru Chag “Enlightenment of the Eyes,” for women and mature girls, T. Plotkin, private home in Passaic, 3:45pm, 973-464-4463
Sun., Sept 29
Bergen Bike Tour, to benefit Tomorrows Children’s Fund for children with cancer and The Volunteer Center of Bergen County, includes free gifts and prizes, up to $1,000 in value, Darlington County Park, Mahwah, 50-mile route, 7:30am; 25mile route, 8:30am; 10-mile route, 10am; Kids Ride, for children 10 and under, 10:30am, 1-877-BER-BIKE Fair Lawn Community-Wide Yard Sale, private homes in Fair Lawn, 9am-5pm, 201-794-5314 Donations of Used Seforim for Future Sale, Hebrew or English seforim may be donated by no single volumes of Gemara, Chumash, Siddurim, or Tehillim, a volunteer will see if the donation meets the criteria, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9-11am, aaronshore@gmail.com HudsonJewish at the Hoboken Arts Festival, includes vendors, kosher food, and music, Washington St between 1st and 2nd Streets, 11am-6pm, info@HudsonJewish.org American Heart Association CPR Course, Charlie Wohlberg, spons by Riverdale Hatzalah Volunteer EMS, includes adult, child, and infant CPR skills, choking relief, and use of a defibrillator, Riverdale Jewish Center, 5:30pm, Charlie. wohlberg@gmail.com JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 Support Group for Fathers of Special-Needs Children, Chani
Herrmann, LMSW, spons by Yachad, at Yachad, Teaneck, 8pm, emile. berk@gmail.com
Mon., Sept 30
Deadline to apply for a Jewish Educational Fellowship for Russian-Speaking Jews, 18 chosen participants will be helped to create a Jewish communal project with a mini-grant of up to $5,000, includes 14 sessions throughout the year, being matched with a personal mentor who is an expert in the field of the project, and a lot of networking opportunities, spons by COJECO (Council of Jewish Émigré Community Organizations) BluePrint Fellowship, http://cojeco.org/cojeco-blueprint-fellowship-application-13-14/ or irka90210@yahoo.com Smile on Seniors, for senior men and women, Chabad Center, Wayne, 11:30am, 973-694-6274 Webinar on Ovarian Cancer Genetics: “BRCA and Ovarian Cancer: Risk, Prevention, Detection, and Treatment,” Danielle Singer and Dr. Elizabeth Swisher, spons by Sharsheret. 6pm, info@ sharsheret.org
Tues., Oct 1
Photography Exhibit: “Everyday Israel through a Digital Lens,” Devorah Rosen Goldman, JCC, Tenafly, through Wed., Oct 30, 201-569-7900 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Men’s Bereavement Discussion Group, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718518-2125 or 718-518-2674 “Pipeline: How Oil Created the Modern Middle East and How Water Can Transform It,” Rachel Havrelock, Rutgers Student
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
Center, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 848-932-2033 “Who Is Yemima: The Yemima Method,” in Hebrew, Smadar Taub, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900 “Tehillim in Today’s Times: Historical Background, Literary Structure, Questions of Authorship, Spirtuality,” Benjamin Sommer, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 8pm, info@netivotshalomnj.org
Wed., Oct 2
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 Shomer Shabbos Boy Scout Meeting, for boys in 6th grade or 11 years old and up, Bais Medrash L’Torah, Rabbi Davis’s shul, Passaic, 8pm, HFishman@rafterpllc.com Sefer Shmuel I, Rabbi Marc Spivak, spons by Cong Ohr Torah, at private homes, West Orange, 8pm, 973-669-7320 Makhela Israeli-Style Choir, for those who can read Hebrew, Zev Klein, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-569-7900 Pirkei Avot, Jeffrey Camras, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9pm, 732-545-2407
Thurs., Oct 3
Somaich Achim Jewish Family Services Food Pantry Program non-perishable food and consumer items and produce available free of charge or for a nominal fee, volunteers needed, too, Cong Adas Israel, Passaic, 9:30am-1:30pm; 8-9pm, 973-246-7717 “Jewish Secrets to Having Better Relationships with Family and Friends,” Irwin Graulich, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 “Having a Survivor/Victim in the Classroom: Learn Tech-
niques to Make the Classroom Experience Meaningful,” spons by the Holocaust/Genocide Resource Center of Princeton, at the Historical Society of Princeton, 4pm, 609-292-9274 or 609-273-2944 “Continuing the Legacy,” for second and third generation survivors of the Holocaust, spons by the Holocaust Museum and Study Center, at the JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-574-4099 Flu Clinic, offering influenza vaccines, Thimerisol-free (mercury-free) influenza vaccines, and mercury-free nasal-spray influenza vaccines, for adults and children 6 months and older, proceeds benefit the Mitzvah Fund, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7pm, 973-736-1407 “The GOP and the Jewish Vote,” Ari Fleischer and Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-8916
Fri., Oct 4
Lunch and Learn: Israel Update, Nat Cember, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 12:30pm, 845-362-4400 Flag Football, for boys in grades 3-8, spons by Dube Zone, Minish Park, Teaneck, 2:30pm, zsuzsu10@hotmail.com Ravi Eliyahoo Ben-Haim, scholar-in-residence, Teaneck Sephardic Center, through Shabbat, Oct 5, teanecksephardiccenter@gmail.com
Shabbat, Oct 5
Shabbat Youth Program, for children ages 2-10, Hava Finkel, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 9:30-11am, 201-567-9420 “Border Crossings: Jewish Views on This Century’s Great Immigration Debate,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 11:45am, 201-833-0515 Welcome Shabbat Lunch, for those who have just moved to Riverdale, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, noon, 718-796-4730 ext 101 Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, safek7@gmail.com Pearls of Prayer, for girls, includes seudah shlishit, Riverdale Jewish Center, after mincha, 718-548-1850
Motzei Shabbat, Oct 5
Preparing for Bas Mitzvah:
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Jewish Woman through the Ages from Chumash and Navi through Modern Times and How They Relate to Our Lives, for bat mitzvahage girls and their mothers, Aliza Davis, includes chavrusa, activities, games, and projects, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 8:30pm, 516-967-0589 or 973-777-4838 The Israeli Business Circle, in Hebrew, Nili Shalev, Israeli Economic Minister to North America, JCC, Tenafly, 8:30pm, 201-569-7900 “Navigating through Today’s Dating Maze: Ways Our Community Can Be Helpful,” Dr. Efrat Sobolofsky, spons by the Orthodox Forum of Edison/Highland Park, at Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:45pm, hpedisonorthodoxforum@gmail.com
Sun., Oct 6
Highland Park Town-Wide Garage Sale, 9am-6pm, 732-572-3400 J-ADD Walkathon, Englewood Boat Basin, Englewood, 9am, bhoffman@j-add.org “Celebrating Women! A Healthy Lifestyle for a Better You,” featuring “Survival Lessons,” Alice Hoffman, Bergen County YJCC, Washington Twnshp, 9am, 201-666-6610 NJ Gov. Chris Christie, Keynote Speaker at the Orthodox Union Advocacy-NY/NJ Votes Legislative Breakfast, to hear candidates’ views on issues of importance to the Jewish community, Cong Keter Torah, 9:30am, 201-416-7742 or 201-461-7740 Teleconference: Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh: Chaburah on the Energies of the Chodesh, for women, Rabbi Itamar Schwartz, 9:30am, 973-246-5223 Parshat Noach Petting Zoo, for children, includes goats, sheep, rabbits, tortoises, and more, Riverdale Jewish Center, 10am, 718-548-1850 Gift of Life Foundation Walk for Life, Pavilion I, Van Saun Park, Paramus, 10am, 800-9-MARROW Keepers of the Gate, spons by Hadassah Southern NJ Region, at Branches Catering, West Long Branch, 11am, 732-542-5050 or Rachel@weintraubworld.net Children’s Circle, for specialneeds children, includes music, art, baking, story-time, sports, and entertainment, spons by the Friendship Circle, Rosen-
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
baum Yeshiva of North Jersey, noon, 201-262-7172 Teen Circle, for special-needs young adults 12-21, high school volunteers, spons by the Friendship Circle, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, noon, 201-262-7172 “Life Lessons from the Basketball Court,” Tamir Goodman, Young Israel of East Brunswick, brunch and lecture, noon; basketball clinic, for students in grades 6-8, East Brunswick Jewish Center, 1:30pm, 732-254-1860 Meet the Artist: Devorah Rosen Goldman, photographer, “Everyday Israel through a Digital Lens,” JCC, Tenafly, 1-3pm, 201-569-7900 “A Nuclear Iran: What It Means for You,” Dr. Emanuele Ottolenghi, David Ibsen, and Hindy Poupko, Bergen County YJCC, Washington Twnshp, 2pm, 201666-6610 ext 5812 or 201-820-3944 Yeshivat He’Atid Fall Meet and Greet, featuring a science show with Dr. Schnitzel, at Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 2:30pm, 201-374-2272 Film: “Jerusalem, the Movie,” at the IMAX Theater, Palisade Mall, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 “In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist,” Ruchama King Feuerman, private home in Clifton, 7:30pm, ruchamakf@gmail.com Queen’s Tea: Next Stop author Glen Finland, for women, Chabad House, Wayne, 8pm, at 973-694-6274 Musical Evening of Middle Eastern Songs, in Hebew, Tzeirei and Habima, Israel’s National Theater, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-569-7900
Mon., Oct 7
Film: “Everything Is Illuminated,” discussion with Harold Chapler, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900
Tues., Oct 8
Lunch and Learn: “Pepper, Silk, and Ivory: The Exotic Jews of China, Japan, and India,” Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, spons by Dr. and Mrs Jack Wimmer in memory of their parents and siblings who perished in the Holocaust, includes lunch, Young Israel of Fort Lee, noon, 201-592-1518 Bereavement Group for the Death of a Spouse, Dr. Sherry Schachter, Calvary Hospital, Bronx, 1pm, 718-518-2125 or 718-518-2674
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Avrum Pengas in Concert, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 2:30pm, 845-362-4400 “Jews and Food: Tradition, Sustainability and Health,” Nigel Savage, Jennifer Berg, Jordan Rosenblum, Dr. Richard McCormick, and Dr. Yael Zerubavel, Douglas Campus Center, New Brunswick, 7pm, 848-932-2033 Women’s Rosh Chodesh Shiur, spons by Cong Beth Aaron, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-836-6210 Yiddish Club, for speakers on all levels, Rabbi Gerald Friedman, JCC, Tenafly, 8:30pm, 201-569-7900
Wed., Oct 9
Passaic Bais Yaakov, for women, Goldie Cohen, private home in Passaic, 9:15am, 973-594-4774 “Music of Shalom Aleichem,” David Aaron, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-569-7900 JCC Book Club: “Defending Jacob” by Willian Landay, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090
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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 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431 Advanced Jewish Learning Fellowship, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-545-2407
Thurs., Oct 10
Hudson County’s Jewish Business Networking Breakfast, private location in Hoboken, 8:30am, info@HudsonJewish.org Teleconference: “Changing Your Relationship with Money,” Chana Borgman, CPF, 10am, http:// spiritualityandfinance.blogspot. co.il/p/registration.html Lion of Judah Luncheon, for women, spons by the Jewish Federation, at the Jewish Federation, Paramus, 11am, 201-820-3953 “Not Having a Will Is Often a Test of Wills,” Julie Globus, Esq, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 ext 100
continued on page 30
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
New Classes This Month Sundays
Jewish Education for Special Children, male and female assistants in 10th grade and up are needed, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, River Edge, 9am, 201-262-1090 NFL Flag Football League, for grades K-8, Overpeck County Park Football Stadium, Palisades Park, 9am-6:30pm, 201-314-8931 Bike Riding Rockland County Trails, for singles, meet at parking lot of Viola, 9am, yehudisf@yahoo.com Hebrew School, for children, Rabbi Moshe Schapiro, Chabad of Hoboken, 9:30am, 201-386-5222 The Youth Arcade, for children in grades K-8, includes games, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10am-12:30pm, 845-362-4400 Tele-Shiur: “Heymish Yiddish: Conversational Yiddish Language,” for beginners, Chaim Werdyger, 10am, 516-924-7694, begins Oct 13 HaZamir Bergen County Choir, for boys and girls in grades 8-12, Ronit Hanan, Cong Beth Sholom, Teaneck, 1pm, 201-873-2868 Yoga for Kids, Sheri Klugmann, includes breathing, moving, using laughter, and encouraging positive feelings of community, respect, and friendship, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, ages four through grade 1, 5pm; grades 2-5, 6pm, sheri678@ gmail.com, begins Oct 6 Avot uBanim: Father/Son Learning, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck, 7pm, 917-991-7985
Mondays
Speak Hebrew Beginners Bet, Drora Arussy, Jewish Federation, Paramus, 9:30am, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 7 Speak Hebrew Beginners Gimel, Galit Avishay-Cohen, JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am 201-820-3908, begins Oct 7
The Log
“Understanding the Language of the Torah: The Book of Exodus,” Etia Segall, JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 7 Rebbetzin Leah Kohn, for women, spons by the Jewish Renaissance Center, private home in Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-692-3757 or shadlynn@aol.com Beginner Israeli Dance, Sara Burnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10am, 845-362-4400 Speak Hebrew Intermediate Aleph, Galit Avishay-Cohen, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 7 Hebrew Reading: Minor Prophets, Etia Segall, JCC, Tenafly, 11:30am, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 7 Intermediate Israeli Dance, Sara Burnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-362-4400 “Rosh Chodesh: Why Do We Celebrate It?” for women, Merri Rosenbaum and Ellie Budoff, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845362-4400, begins Oct 7 Support Group for Parents Raising Challenging Children with ADHD, Mood Disregulation Disorders, and Other Behavioral Issues, Judith Cooper, LCSW, private home in Teaneck, 7pm, yuditcooper@optonline.net Project Cares: Learning to Work with Special-Needs Children, for students in grades 6-12, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-569-7900, begins Sept 30 “The Book of Genesis,” Rabbi Asher Herson, Chabad Center of Northwest NJ, Rockaway, 7:30pm, 973-625-1525 ext 227, begins Sept 30 Speak Hebrew Beginners Bet, Nava Regev, Jewish Federation, Paramus, 7:30pm, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 7 Speak Hebrew Intermediate Gimel, Pirhia Rozman, Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 7:30pm, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 7
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Teaneck Community Awards Dinner, kosher option available, honoring Larry Bauer, Dr. Harry Lefkowitz, Barbara Pinsak, Pat Battle, Oritani Bank, military veterans, Teaneck Volunteer Ambulance Corps, Police and Fire Departments, and the Department of Public Works, Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, 5:30pm, 201-801-0012 Rockland Jewish Federation Kickoff, music by Bobby and the Israelites and Avraham Infeld, includes food, Rockleigh Country Club, 7pm, 845-362-4200 Flu Clinic, offering influenza vaccines, Thimerisol-free (mercury-free) influenza vaccines, and mercury-free nasal-spray influenza vaccines, for adults and children 6 months and older, proceeds benefit the Mitzvah Fund, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7pm, 973-736-1407 Staged Reading of “In the Courtyard of the Kabbalist,” Ruchama King Feuerman, at the Madison Public Library, 7:30pm, 973-514-1787 ext 20
Fri., Oct 11
Flag Football, for boys in grades 3-8, spons by Dube Zone, Minish Park, Teaneck, 2:30pm, zsuzsu10@hotmail.com Rabbi Hershel Schachter, scholar-in-residence, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, through Shabbat, Oct 12, 201-791-7676
Shabbat, Oct 12
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 Potluck Seuda Shlishit, to welcome new families, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 5:30pm, navabak@yahoo.com
Motzei Shabbat, Oct 12
Preparing for Bas Mitzvah: Jewish Woman through the Ages from Chumash and Navi through Modern Times and How They Relate to Our Lives, for bat mitzvah-age girls and their mothers, Aliza Davis, includes chavrusa, activities, games,
and projects, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 8:30pm, 516-967-0589 or 973-777-4838 Frisch Yeshiva High School Class of 2008 Reunion, Frisch School, Paramus, 8:30pm, 201-267-9100
Sun., Oct 13
Torah Tuesday Breakfast: “Rabbi Yudin on the Parsha,” Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 9am, torahtuesday@yahoo.com Noach’s Petting Zoo, for children, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, 201-837-2795 Animal Show, for children, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 10am, 917-583-5963 or 908-447-6881 “7-11,” for children ages 7-11 who have difficulties reading social cues or navigating social situations, such as those with ADHD and Asperger’s, Dr. Avigael Wodinsky, includes strategies for emotion regulation, friendship skills, understanding thoughts and feelings, conversation and social-problem solving skills, spons by The Friendship Circle, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, 201-262-7172
Community Fair and Carnival, Ben Porat Yosef, Paramus, 11am-2pm, 201-845-5007 Jewish Home Foundation Gala, The Rockleigh, Rockleigh, 5:30pm, 201-750-4231 Art Auction and Wine-Tasting, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 201-837-2795, Art preview, winetasting, and dairy desserts, 7pm; auction and raffle, 8pm “Educating in the Divine Image: Gender Issues in Orthodox Jewish Day Schools,” Chaya Gorsetman and Elana Sztokman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730 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 Mom’s Night Out, for mothers of special-needs children, spons by the Friendship Circle, private homes in Bergen County, 8pm, 201-262-7172 Y
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Hebrew Club, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407 “The Religious Thought and Concept of Community of Rabbi Dr. David Harman, z”l,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-0515, begins Sept 30 Internet Program: “Two Hours of Jewish Soul Music: Chazzonus,” with Charlie Bernhaut, www.charliebernhaut.com, 8pm and available all week Shiur, Rabbi Zev Reichman, East Hill Synagogue, Englewood, after mincha-maariv, 201-569-4008 Night Seder: Mesechta Succah, Rabbi Pinny Roth, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck, 8:30pm, 917-991-7985
Tuesdays
Torah Gems, for men, Rabbi Moshe Goldberger, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:30am, 732-247-0532 Torah in the AM, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, Chavura on Sefer Yonah, 9am; “Isaiah,” Rabbi Menachem Meier, 9:45am, 201-907-0180 Speak Hebrew Beginners Aleph, Pirhia Rozman, JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 8 Mishna, for men, Rabbi Avigdor Weitzner, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 9:30am, 732-247-0532 “The American Dream: Exploration through Literature of F Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great Gatsby’ and Philip Roth’s ‘American Pastoral,’” Nancy Melser, JCC, Tenafly, 10am, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 8 Lunch ‘n’ Learn, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 1pm, 732-545-2407 Our Time, for children and teens who stutter, Taro Alexander, Montclair State University Center of Audiology and Speech Pathology, Bloomfield, teens (13-18), 5pm; pre-teens (8-12), 6:30pm, begins Oct 8, 212-414-9696, ext. 203 Toradojo, for children and beginners, Gene White, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6pm, howardsragow@ yahoo.com Alateen Meeting, for observant-Jewish girls 9-19 who have friends or family with addiction issues, including co-dependency, substance abuse, eating disorders, OCD, and addiction to internet or gaming, Rikki Wisotsky, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 7pm, 973-249-7435 Speak Hebrew Intermediate Aleph, Ornit Michael, Jewish Federation, Paramus, 7:30pm, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 8 Shirah Community Chorus on the Palisades, for men and women, Matthew Lazar, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 8 Yemima, for women, in Hebrew, Smadar Taub, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 8 Yoga, for women, Sheri Klugmann, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, sheri678@gmail.com, begins Oct 1 “Topics on Tuesdays,” Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, private homes in Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-791-7676 Machshava: Interactive Chabura Exploring Relevant Issues in Machshava Yisrael and Avodat Hashem, Rabbi Beni Krohn, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:30pm Gemara, Rabbi Shlomo Nussbaum, spons by the Young Israel of East Brunswick and the Highland Park Community Kollel, at the Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-254-1860 Daf Yomi B’Iyun: To Explore in Depth One Topic from the Week’s Daf Yomi, Rabbi Shlomo Landau, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:45pm, 732-254-1860
Wednesdays
Sefer HaChinuch, for women, Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 9am, 201-791-7676 Speak Hebrew Intermediate Gimmel, Orna Green, JCC, Tenafly, 9:15am, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 9 Speak Hebrew Intermediate Bet, Galit Avishay-Cohen, Bergen County YJCC, Washing Twnshp, 9:30am, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 9 “Kohelet: Ancient Solomonic Wisdom for the 21st Centu-
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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ry,” for women, Rabbi Jay Weinstein, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 9:45am, 732-254-1860 or 732-354-5912 Yemima, for women, in English, Smadar Taub, JCC, Tenafly, 10am, 201-569-7900, begins Oct 9 “Principles of Faith,” for women, Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 10:15am, 201-791-7676 Speak Hebrew Advanced, Orna Green, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201820-3908, begins Oct 9 Free Tutoring and Homework Help for Grades 1-5, offered by students at the Ma’ayanot Yeshiva High School for Girls, at Ma’ayanot, Teaneck, 4:40-5:30pm, 201-833-4307 ext 237, begins Oct 2 Teen Scene, for special-needs young adults ages 13-21, with high school volunteers, spons by The Friendship Circle, Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 6pm, 201-262-7172 Speak Hebrew Advanced, Pirhia Rozman, Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 7:30pm, 201-820-3908, begins Oct 9 Surfing through Shas, Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, 201-791-7676 Night Seder: Mesechta Succah, Rabbi Pinny Roth, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai of Teaneck, 8:30pm, 917-991-7985
Thursdays
“Sefer Tehillim Revealed: Lessons for Life in All Its Complexity: Daat Mikra Edition of Tehillim by Mossad HaRav Kook,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 8am, 201-833-0515 Gemara, for men, Rabbi Shlomo Nussbaum, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:30am, 732-247-0532 Torah in the AM, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, Chavura on Sefer Yonah, 9am; “Isaiah,” Rabbi Menachem Meier, 9:45am; Navi, Rabbi Shalom Baum, 11am, 201-907-0180 The Grandparent Caretaker Club, for grandparents who are caregivers of their grandchildren ages birth-3years old, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10am, 845-362-4400, begins Oct 10
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
New Classes
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JCC University, JCC, Tenafly, coffee, 10:30am; “Are You Now or Have You Ever Been—McCarthyism in ‘The Crucible’ and ‘A View from the Bridge,’” Prof Ben Nelson, 10:45am; lunch, noon; “Mary and Lou and Rhoda and Ted and All the Brilliant Minds Who Made ‘The Mary Tyler Moore Show’ a Classic,” Jennifer Kelshin Armstrong, 1pm, begins Oct 10, 201-569-7900 Mostly Mishmar, for grades K-3, exploring middot and pizza dinner, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 5:30pm, 732-254-1860 Toradojo, Gene White, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, children and beginners, 6pm; adults and advanced, 7pm, howardsragow@ yahoo.com Open Israeli Dance, Sara Burnbaum, includes circle, line, and couples dancing, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400, begins Oct 3 Mishmar, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 Chumash Shiur, Rabbi Yissocher Frand, via satellite, Cong K’Hal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188);Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck (201-907-0180); Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic (973-
Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Elianna Ashendorf, Edin Feiglin, Beth Gononsky, Chavi Gruenspecht, Avigayil Halpert, Namma Katz, Raquel Kohn, Tehila Kornwasser, Abby Lowensteiner, Ahuva Kay and Kayla Markovitz, Josie Ella Rosen, and Leia Rubinstein; and the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Braeden Badner, Daniel Barth, Shimon Yochanan Breuer, Yehoshua Burstein, Evan Chesner, Ezra Friedman, Yosef Friedman, Matthew Ganchrow, Eliyahu Goodman, Noam Hirschorn, Gavriel Kaplan, Ari Katz, Jonnie Lazerowitz, Yitzy Lehmann, Binyamin Shlomo Matheson, Gabriel Mehler, Azriel Muller, Elisha Ness, Shlomo Newman, Yoni Rothberg, Yehuda Saks, Jake Schwalbe, Ayden Shankman, Justin Stern, Shua Weber, Chaim Weinstein, Sammy Weiss, Sammy Witkes, and Avi Wolk Mazal Tov to Rabbi Dr. Bernhard and Rebbetzin Charlene Rosenberg on the birth of a grandson to their children Ilana and Joshua Merl. Mazal Tov to NJ Gov Chris Christie on proclaiming Oct 12 “Raoul Wallenberg Day.” This is the 68th anniversary of his capture by the Russians and disappearance into the Soviet Union, and the 32nd anniversary of his becoming the second person in history to be awarded honorary US citizenship Mazal Tov to Norman B. Gildin of the Strategic Fundraising Group, on being named number 12 among the top 40 Most Effective Fundraising Consultants by Fundraising Digest Weekly Mazal Tov to Nathan Lewin on being voted by his peers as one of the “Best Lawyers in America” in Appellate Practice, Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation, Criminal Defense: White Collar, and Litigation: First Amendment Mazal Tov to Margot Mann on winning eight gold medals at the Maccabia in Israel. Y
773-2552); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532); Kehillas Bais Yehudah, Wesley Hills, (917-623-4711), Cong Knesses Yisrael, Spring Valley (845-354-6493), 8:30pm
Fridays
Mommy and Me, in Hebrew, for mothers and babies to age 2, Orly Gal and Devorah Froind, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, begins Oct 4 201-569-7900 Wise Aging with Ruth, for those over 60, YMHA of Washington Hts, 2pm, 212-569-6200 ext 230 Dube Zone Flag Football, for boys in grades 3-8, Joseph Minish Park, West Orange, 2:30pm, begins Oct 4, 657-888-DUBE (3823) or info@dubezone.com Dube Zone Flag Football, for boys in grades 3-8, Argonne Park, Teaneck, 2:30pm, begins Oct 4, 657-888-DUBE (3823) or info@dubezone.com Dube Zone Flag Football, for boys in grades 1-2, 3-8, Mackay Park, Englewood, 3pm, begins Oct 4, 657-888-DUBE (3823) or info@ dubezone.com Chess and Cholent, students and adults, private homes in Teaneck, 9pm, mkatz307@yahoo.com
Shabbat
Kabbalah Class, Rabbi Moshe Shapiro, Chabad House, Hoboken, 9am, followed by Shabbat services, 201-562-7116, begins Oct 5 NCSY Shabbat Oneg, for high school students, Rael Blumenthal, private home in Teaneck, 4pm, 201-862-0250 Mishna Men, for boys, includes seudah shlishit, Riverdale Jewish Center, after mincha, 718-548-1850, begins Oct 5 “Halacha and Machshava: Insights into the Weekly Parsha,” Rabbi Mordechai Gershon, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 6:15pm, 201-568-1315
Motzei Shabbat
Roundtable Study of Machsheves Hachassidus: The Fundamentals of Judaism from a Chabad Chassidic Perspective, Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, private home in Fair Lawn, 9:30pm, 201-794-3770
Special
The Youth Arcade, for children in grades K-8, includes games, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 3:30-6pm, Mon-Thurs., 845-362-4400 Halacha Kollel, Rabbi Gavriel Schuster, includes chaburahs and shiurim, Cong Knesses Yisroel, New Hempstead (Spring Valley), 8:15pm; maariv, 10:30pm, Sun-Thurs, dirshumonsey@gmail.com
New Minyanim
Yeshiva Ohr Simcha, Englewood, Rabbi Yossi Strassfeld, shacharis, Sun-Fri, 8am; mincha, Sun-Thurs, 2:50pm; maariv, Sun-Thurs, 9:10pm; other minyanim upon request, 201-832-4771
Chesed Ops
Fountain View Senior Residence, Monsey, Rabbi Yerachmiel Seplowitz (one night, there wasn’t a minyan, and a 98-year-old resident, a former Gabbai who used to make minyan calls for his shul, was heartbroken), mincha, Sun-Thurs, 3:15pm; maariv, Sun-Thurs, 8:30pm, 845-300-6940 or brisrabbi@gmail.com The Highland Park-Edison Bikur Cholim Medical Equipment Loan Program is always in need of wheelchairs, rollators, and other items, 732-819-4979; to borrow a wheelchair, go to bcwheelchairs.com Bikur Cholim of Highland Park-Edison is looking for male drivers who would be available to drive patients to or from appointments. Please respond to this email or call the bikur cholim hotline at 732-572-7181 or Rkra123@yahoo.com Teaneck Bris Gemach, including bris outfits, pillows, pillow cases, and tefilos for the mother to recite, 718-704-6225 or Dovid.lobl@gmail.com Tablecloth Gemach, in memory of Chaim Yissachar ben Yechiel Zeidel Dov, z”l, featuring specialty cloths in all colors and sizes for simchas, tax-deductible donations go to Project Yi’che, chayemf@aol.com Y
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Blood Libel
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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France 2 said those movements were “death throes,” a reference, perhaps, to the footage Mr. Enderlin said he had personally removed, but an Israeli team of inquiry, which included several physicians, later agreed with Mr. Karsenty that the footage showed the boy moving voluntarily. According to Mr. Karsenty, the appellate judge withstood enormous pressure to rule against him. One government official went so far as to threaten her job and her career, he said. “She told him she was retiring in three months anyway and so she didn’t care what he did,” said Mr. Karsenty. Petition The French media and its supporters were outraged at the Appellate Court’s verdict. Le Nouvel Observateur, France’s chief left-wing newsweekly, called for a petition in support of Mr. Enderlin and the station, calling Mr. Karsenty’s
documentation “a seven-year hate-filled smear campaign.” The publication expressed shock at the legal ruling “granting equal credibility to a journalist renowned for his rigorous work and to willful deniers ignorant of the local realities and with no journalistic experience.” According to French journalist Anne Elizabeth Moutet, 300 of France’s leading journalists and 600 assorted “celebrity intellectuals” signed the petition. When Ms. Moutet called some of them for a story, those few who agreed to speak to her said they had signed the petition because they wanted to support Mr. Enderlin and because they were asked. The CRIF Ms. Isaac said the most remarkable response came from Richard Prasquier, the former head of the CRIF, the official umbrella representative body of French Jews.
Ms. Isaac reported that when the Jewish leader was pressed to explain why he had signed the petition, he admitted he had not even read the document. “I have macular retinal degeneration. I can no longer read,” he said. According to Mr. Karsenty, the current president of the CRIF, Roger Cukierman, has been very supportive of his case. In 2009, the French government showed its displeasure with the Appellate Court’s ruling when the Minister of Foreign Affairs Bernard Kouchner awarded Mr. Enderlin France’s highest award, the Legion of Honor. “Counterproductive” Winning on appeal garnered Mr. Karsenty no additional support from Israeli officials. He said that when asked about the court victory, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor referred to Mr. Karsenty as “only one individual and no one asked him to take on the battle against France 2.”
“Palmor said it was an internal French affair and that my work had been counterproductive,” said Mr. Karsenty. Mr. Karsenty said he tried to explain to the spokesman that the al-Dura incident was neither an Israeli nor a French “story,” but, rather, a blood libel that affected all Jews. “In the US, there may be some fallout from the al-Dura story, but in France, we feel the effects of antisemitism every day,” said Mr. Karsenty. According to Mr. Karsenty, Mr. Palmor’s response was that antisemitism in France may be a positive development because it means more Jews will relocate to Israel. Not Bullet Wounds While Mr. Karsenty’s suit was wending its way through the French courts, a related case was also being heard by French judges. In December 2007, Dr. Yehuda David, an Israeli ortho-
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Blood Libel
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pedist at Tel Hashomer Hospital near Tel Aviv, told Israel’s Channel 10 that the scars Jamal al-Dura claimed were from bullet wounds from the 2000 incident were, in fact, scars from a tendon repair operation that Dr. David had performed on him in 1994. Dr. David said he had treated Mr. al-Dura for knife-and-axe wounds to his arms and legs sustained during an Arab gang attack. According to Dr. David, in 1991, Mr. al-Dura had been doing some work for Israel in Gaza, activity which was frowned upon by Hamas. When Hamas officials discovered what he was doing, Mr. al-Dura was punished by a violent attack in which he suffered a serious paralysis of the right hand. In 1992, Mr. al-Dura underwent an operation in Shifa Hospital in Gaza, but when he did not regain use of his hand, he was brought to Dr. David’s hand-and-micro-surgery unit at Tel HaShomer. According to Dr. David, surgery there in 1994 resulted in “almost perfect rehabilitation of his right hand.” “So the scars that Jamal al-Dura is showing in front of all the televisions of the world are the scars of the violent attack of the Hamas and from the operation,” said Dr. David. Mr. al-Dura promptly sued Dr. David for libel in France, and initially won. But in February 2012, the French Supreme Court overturned the judgment.
Victory Dr. David called it a “great victory.” “This is proof that I spoke the truth and the Palestinians lied in an attempt to discredit the State of Israel,” he said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Dr. David “an Israeli hero” and said the government had decided to cover his legal costs. It was the first time an Israeli official spoke out against the propaganda machine built around the al-Dura cult. Echoing Mr. Karsenty, Mr. Netanyahu recognized that the al-Dura incident “has come to symbolize the ongoing propaganda war against the State of Israel.” “While this war does not involve bullets and missiles, it is, nonetheless, as vicious and as destructive. This war, being fought in the sphere of public diplomacy, propagates lies and libels in an effort to cast Israel as an international pariah and strip her of all legitimacy and credibility,” said Mr. Netanyahu. He recognized that Dr. David’s victory was more than a personal and professional triumph. “It is a victory for justice and for truth. It is Israel’s victory over Palestinian propaganda’s long tale of lies, which is spreading around the world and, according to which, Israel is guilty even if it is proven otherwise, and even then, Israel is still guilty,” he said.
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Definitive Report In March 2012, one month after Dr. David’s court victory, the repercussions of the al-Dura martyrdom hoax became Left, Brooke Goldstein, director of The Lawfare even clearer. Project, and Philippe Karsenty, the individual French-Muslim most responsible for waging a battle against terrorist Moham- those who insist a 12-year-old Palestinian boy med Merah, 23, was purposefully murdered by the IDF murdered three French soldiers is a great deal of evidence to and then went on a killing spree indicate that al-Dura and his at a Jewish school, Ozar HaTofather were never hit by any rah, in Toulouse, killing a young bullets. The investigation shows rabbi, his two small children, that it is very unlikely that the and the 10-year-old daughter bullet holes seen in the wall of the principal. The terrorist behind the two came from made clear he had acted to shots fired by IDF soldiers,” avenge the death of Mohamsaid the report, which was med al-Dura. written by Mr. Kuperwasser. The attack prompted the Dr. David said the only way Israeli government to empanto know for certain the idenel an investigative committee tity of the child in the video tasked with determining the is to exhume the body of the truth about the al-Dura Case. Mohammed al-Dura who died This past May, the comin Shifra Hospital. He said he mittee, headed by Yossi Kupersonally believes the burperwasser, director general of ied child is the real Mohamthe Ministry of International med al-Dura and the one in Relations, delivered its report: the video, a brother or cousin, The France 2 broadcast puris probably “alive and well.” porting to show IDF soldiers “Mohammed al-Dura’s shooting and killing the boy father assisted Israel. Hamas was not only a lie, but there murdered one of his children. is reason to suspect the child Then they demanded that he may not be dead. bring a different son, Rami alNever Hit by Bullets Dura, and make it look like IDF In its report, the commitsoldiers were murdering him. tee referred extensively to the That child who was supposportion of the video that was edly killed by the IDF is alive never broadcast, which was to this day,” said Dr. David. the footage showing the child Public Inquiry moving after he allegedly had Mr. al-Dura responded to been shot dead. the committee’s findings with “As opposed to the media fury, insisting “the Israelis are lyreports that stated that the ing and trying to cover the truth.” child was killed, an examinaHe said he has requested tion of the raw video shot by the formation of “an international the France 2 staff shows the commission of inquiry, includchild alive. In addition, there ing his family and the Israelis.”
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Mr. Kuperwasser’s report may in fact present real problems for Mr. Enderlin. Observers say he usually dismisses critics, saying that since they have never set foot in Gaza, they know nothing about war in that area. But now he is faced with the findings of a commission comprised of specialists. According to some sources, Mr. Enderlin is now claiming France 2 was not invited to address the committee. Ms Poller said her sources told her that the invitation, relayed to France 2 by the French ambassador to Israel, was declined. Asked about the Israeli committee’s report, Mr. Enderlin said he and France 2 were ready for an independent public inquiry. “We have always said, including to the Supreme Court, that we were ready for an independent public inquiry by international standards,” he said. Criminal Charges That did not mollify many Israelis, especially those, like Dr. David, who see the al-Dura incident as largely responsible for 2,500 lost Israeli lives, including those in Toulouse. Nitsa Darshan-Leitner, director of Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, insisted that criminal charges should be filed. She said Mr. Enderlin “should never be allowed to practice journalism in Israel again” and Israel’s Government Press Office “should revoke France 2’s credentials.” “The fact the al-Dura story has turned out to be a hoax should cause us to take action against those who invented and spread this staged fable,” she said. In 2007, Shurat HaDin argued in the High Court in Jerusalem that France 2’s credentials should be canceled, but, at the time, the press office claimed the court lacked the authority to act.
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
“Now that the government has determined we were right, it’s time France 2’s bureau chief be prosecuted. Enderlin’s report became a symbol of the second Intifada and a modern-day blood libel directly resulting in hundreds of Jewish and Arab deaths, only for the purpose of raising France 2’s ratings,” she said. Helping Each Other Mr. Karsenty said he is now considering how to proceed with his next legal step, and Dr. David said he hopes Mr. Karsenty will allow him to help. Dr. David said that if were called to testify on Mr. Karsenty’s behalf, he would begin by explaining that Mr. al-Dura’s alleged bullet-wound scars were nothing of the sort. “It’s a totally political trial. That’s why in my trial, I fled from politics and focused on scientific proofs based on medical documents,” he said. Dr. David said not using him was “Karsenty’s fatal mistake.” “He had a winning card. I introduced him at one point to the man who was commander at the IDF position. His testimony was also golden, but Karsenty decided to go it alone, and that is why it didn’t work,” said Dr. David. Different Plan But, with the help of the Lawfare Project, Mr. Karsenty may be looking at a very different plan. He said he wants to become more active in the US, where he hopes to establish chapters of people willing to speak out on the issue of the “al-Dura blood libel against the Jewish people.” Those who want to help should contact the Lawfare Project by visiting its website, www.The LawfareProject.org. “It is completely unacceptable that any country accuse us of murdering a child when we didn’t do it,” said Dr. David. Police Information While Mr. Karsenty may
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
or may not want Dr. David’s help, it seems certain both men would have appreciated assistance from official Israeli experts. None was forthcoming, and now some Israeli media outlets are asking why. This past July, recently retired Israel Police Weapons Lab Director Elliot Springer revealed that, just weeks after the alleged shooting of the al-Duras, senior IDF officials met and watched the entire video, not just the edited version aired by France 2. “Despite the media reports based on edited and doctored video footage, we watched the original, and all sounds of IDF fire were muffled—far away in the background. When the barrage aimed at the al-Duras was fired, the audio was suddenly close by. In other words, Arab gunmen right beside the camera near the al-Duras fired at them, not the IDF,” he said. Why Didn’t They Help? According to Arutz Sheva, while Mr. Springer’s testimony
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strengthens those of other witnesses and experts who have declared the IDF innocent of shooting the al-Duras, it also raises a disturbing new question: If the IDF had the original full footage of the shooting, why did Israel not share it with Dr. David or Mr. Karsenty who could have used this evidence to bolster their cases? “Both men fought lengthy legal battles over their attempts to defend the IDF from libel, and yet the IDF apparently did not offer them help when it could, by making the video available to them,” said Arutz Sheva. Mr. Springer explained that he could not help the men because, during his tenure with the Israeli police, he was not authorized to speak to the media about the affair. “I could only watch in silence as Western media blamed Israel for the death of al-Dura, and Arab terrorist groups used it as an excuse for further attacks on Israel,” he said. S.L.R.
Team Schmelz and the Republican team wish everyone in Bergenfield a Happy and Healthy New Year! Paid for by Schmelz Team for Mayor 2013
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Syria Through Israel’s Eyes joy, Mr. Ariel admitted it was marred by “what is happening in the north in our neighbor Syria.” “We Jews cannot remain silent in the face of genocide, no matter who it is or where it is,” he said. “I must tell you that, as Jews, as citizens of Israel, as a minister in the government Israel, there will not be another genocide. We will not allow it.” Speaking Out He insisted that the “Jews in Zion and throughout the world have an obligation— not a right, an obligation of the first degree—to alert and wake up the entire world, everywhere, in the UN, in the US, and Europe—we are obligated to do this because we experienced this as a nation, and we are the Jewish people.” He said he was already taking measures to “stop this horror [in Syria].” “I am not in charge of the military steps,” he said. “There is a cabinet and government for that. Our duty, first and foremost, is to talk about this, to cry out, and protest it, and to activate whoever we can, who has a human heart, to prevent another genocide.” Giving Thanks His words touched Abu Adnan, a 36-year-old rebel leader in northern Syria. Mr. Abu Adnan praised Mr. Ariel and expressed his appreciation for the housing minister’s remarks regarding the chemical attack.
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“Allow me to send a message of thanks and appreciation to Housing Minister Uri Ariel for his humane and valuable statements and for his beautiful expression of emotion toward the children and women killed in Syria. We appreciate this stance and thank him very much,” Mr. Abu Adnan told Channel One News’s Arab affairs analyst Oded Granot. During the interview, Mr. Abu Adnan said the Syrian rebels opposing Mr. Assad were disappointed in America for choosing to postpone the military strike against Mr. Assad’s regime. Mr. Abu Adnan said his group and others believed Israel could be instrumental in convincing the world to act against Mr. Assad. “We believe Israel could assist us greatly in bringing down this regime,” he said. “We, as the Syrian people, have discovered that our first and primary enemy is the Assad family, Hezbollah, and Iran. The main enemy is this regime and not Israel.” Linked to Al-Qaeda Mr. Abu Adnan’s tone took many people by surprise, especially given that he represents one of the Islamist groups, Jabhat al-Nursa, that the US has designated as a terrorist organization allied with al-Qaeda. Formed in 2011, the group is clandestine but makes no secret of the fact that it plans to form an Islamist state at least in
the Aleppo area after the civil war, which it intends to win. Jabhat al-Nursa can also act with thuggish brutality. In one video, members of the group are shown gunning down regime loyalists. Asked about the execution by a magazine interviewer, Mr. Abu Adnan did not deny the video’s veracity. “We detained them, lined them up, and killed them,” Mr. Abu Adnan told the interviewer. “They were fighters fighting us. So this is terrorism, but we forget that there is an entire state that has terrorized people for 40 years.” Extremists Jabhat al-Nursa has also used prisoners as suicide bombers, calling them “unwilling” as opposed to the willing ones that come from the group itself. Mr. Abu Adnan denied that the beliefs of Jabhat al-Nursa are different from those of any of the other Sunni rebel groups. What makes his organization unique, he said, is the type of fighter the group will accept. A potential recruit must undertake a 10-day religioustraining course “to ascertain his understanding of religion, his morals, his reputation,” said Mr. Abu Adnan. Then there is a 15-to-20 day military-training program. Smokers need not apply. After the War The more secular-minded members of the rebel forces
insist there will be no home for Jabhat al-Nursa’s brand of Islamist extremism in a postAssad Syria. The secularists have said that they will “deal” with extremist groups such as Jabhat al-Nursa later, but that, right now, they need them in the fight against Mr. Assad. Other rebels say that members of Jabhat al-Nursa are transient jihadis who will move onto foreign fronts like Chechnya or Afghanistan after Mr. Assad falls. This is exactly the fear that haunts Russian President Vladimir Putin, and explains why he has openly supported Mr. Assad’s fight against the jihadists, hoping the Islamists will be weakened and unable to do much damage in Russia. Mr. Abu Adnan rejected the notion that members of Jabhat al-Nursa will go elsewhere after the civil war. “We are Syrians,” he said, admitting that some of the fighters in his ranks come from other Arab countries as well, “But that is because the wounds in the Arab lands are the same wound, and the oppression is the same oppression,” he said. Providing Hope In any case, Mr. Abu Adnan’s response to Mr. Ariel provided many Israelis with a glimmer of hope. Others say Mr. Abu Adnan has many more attitudinal changes to make before it warrants optimism. One day after Mr. Abu Ad-
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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com nan’s interview with Channel One, Israel’s Economy Minister and head of the Jewish Home Party, Naftali Bennett, also spoke out against Mr. Assad’s chemical attack. “Seventy years ago, when they annihilated children and babies, the world was silent. The internet and television stations are not moving the world out of its complacency. Images of mass graves and piles of children cannot pass in silence. A child is a child, and don’t tell me it’s just Arabs killing Arabs. I will not be silent,” said Mr. Bennett. Hoping for America Statements like those of Mr. Ariel and Mr. Bennett, coupled with those from some Jewish organizations in the US, may show Mr. Abu Adnan that he can count on Israel to oppose Mr. Assad. According to some interviews he has given, Mr. Abu Adnan believes Washington (and, therefore, Israel) is not serious about removing Mr. Assad from power. “We see it as if America wants to give the regime a big break, to give it an opportunity to remain in power for as long as it can. The regime has been practicing terrorism for years and America did nothing, so why has it moved quickly against us, a fighting force on the ground in Syria, labeling us a terrorist organization? Has it forgotten the Assad regime?” he said to the magazine interviewer. “Israel-Centric” According to the interviewer, the core of Mr. Abu Adnan’s thinking has been that the West wants to retain the “Israel-centric status quo,” which means keeping leaders like Mr. Assad in control rather than risking Islamists coming to power in Damascus. Mr. Abu Adnan has mentioned that Mr. Assad, like his father and predecessor, Hafez
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Assad, ensured that the Golan Heights was the quietest ArabIsraeli front line for decades, despite the confrontational rhetoric that sometimes erupted. Given that frame of reference, there is speculation that the anti-Assad, anti-Hezbollah, and anti-Iran sentiment among the majority of Jews in Israel and abroad, may strike a chord with Mr. Abu Adnan. In the US, the AmericaIsrael Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) said in a prepared statement: “The civilized world cannot tolerate the use of these barbaric weapons, particularly against an innocent civilian population, including hundreds of children. Simply put, barbarism on a mass scale must not be given a free pass.” Staying Uninvolved But despite these private sentiments, Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon said the Jewish state will “not get involved in what is happening in Syria.” He said Israel recognizes that Mr. Assad used chemical weapons against Syrian civilians and that his actions could trigger an attack by the US. “What happened there crossed a red line from the Americans’ perspective, but we aren’t supporting or involved in a possible strike,” he said. Whose Red Lines Israel’s approach, he said, was what it has been all along: to avoid involvement and remain alert. “We will not interfere unless Syria crosses the red lines we have set,” said Mr. Ya’alon. “Our neighbors in Syria understand that if they challenge us, they will meet the strength and power of the IDF.” Syria, he said, was challenging the world order, allying itself with terror groups, such as Hezbollah, and rogue states, such as Iran. “The forces of terror are taking advantage of this situation, and we must learn from
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
this in order not to commit mistakes out of ignorance. We cannot be naïve and we cannot be enslaved to outmoded conceptions. We must also learn to recognize not only the shades of the current situation’s threats and challenges, but also the opportunities and possibilities for new and surprising alliances in the region. We must always ask ourselves what has changed, and be able to deal with the current and future challenges,” he said. Some observers wondered if the “opportunities and possibilities” to which the defense minister referred meant building on the warm moment that passed between Messrs Ariel and Abu Adnan. Medical Aid The medical assistance provided by Israel to Syrian civilians—most of them from areas controlled by the rebels—may also help in building alliances. At the beginning of September, a 15-year old Syrian girl who was severely injured in a violent attack on her home more than a month earlier, was released from the Ziv Medical Center in Tzfat. She walked out of the hospital with crutches and a smile despite the fact that her brother, grandmother, and cousin did not survive the bombing. The IDF had transferred her from a field hospital in Syria where she underwent
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surgery for abdominal wounds and shrapnel injuries on both her legs. The Syrian medics had amputated one of her legs. The Israeli medical team was able to save the other one. All Human Beings The young girl’s mother, who stayed with her daughter throughout her six-week hospitalization, seemed overwhelmed by the kindness extended to them by Israel. Not only had one leg been saved, but the Ziv Medical Center facilitated the donation of an artificial limb for her daughter from a private donor. After thanking the medical team, the girl’s mother wished the people of Israel “a happy new year.” “I wish that we will be able to meet again in a saner Middle East as we are all human beings,” she told the staff. More Patients The IDF paramedic who brought the girl to Ziv recalled that when she came to the medical center she was in critical condition, “almost dying.” “I can’t believe she is standing on her legs with a big smile on her face. It’s a wonderful feeling to see her like this,” the paramedic said. Since February 2013, 85 Syrians wounded in the civil war have been treated at Ziv. At the beginning of September, there were 17 Syrians in the
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
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Ess Gezint: Starters and Sides in the Sukkah Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek, have a new cookbook filled with recipes that may have you feeling sorry for the main dish. “Starters and Sides Made Easy” (Mesorah Publications)
has great suggestions to make it simple to take these dishes into the sukkah, where there’s no reason a few of them put together can’t be a full meal. Chag Sameach, everyone. Y
Peach Cracker Crumble
Teriyaki Mushrooms 1 Tbs oil ¼ cup rice vinegar 1 small onion, thinly 3 Tbs soy sauce sliced 3 garlic cloves, crushed 1 (10-oz) pkg baby bella 2 tsp cornstarch dismushrooms, large ones solved in 1 Tbs water halved 2 Tbs cashews ½ cup sugar 1 scallion, chopped Heat the oil in a sauté pan over high heat. Add onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add mushrooms and sauté for 5 minutes. Remove mushrooms and onions from the pan. To prepare the sauce, add sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, and garlic to the same pan. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Stir in cornstarch mixture and cook until sauce has thickened, about 6-8 minutes. Return mushrooms and onions to the pan and toss to combine. Toss with cashews and scallions before serving. Serves 4. 4 (4-6 oz) salmon fillets 3 Tbs honey 1 Tbs soy sauce ¼ cup salted sunflower seeds ¼ cup chopped pecans
2 Tbs honey 2 lbs peaches, sliced Juice of ½ lemon 1½ cups crushed saltines (not unsalted)
Preheat oven to 350º. In a small microwave-safe dish, microwave honey for 20 seconds. In a large bowl, toss honey, peaches, and lemon juice. Pour peaches into a deep 9-inch baking dish. Prepare the crumble: In a large bowl, combine saltines, brown sugar, oil, and cinnamon. Mix ⅓ of the crumble mixture with the peaches. Bake for 20 minutes. Raise the oven temperature to 400º. In a medium bowl, toss blueberries with the flour. Layer blueberries over cooked peaches. Top with remaining crumble, packing it to form a crust. Bake until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes. Serves 10-12.
Seed-Crusted Salmon
¼ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas) 2 Tbs sesame seeds 1 Tbs poppy seeds 1 Tbs minced garlic
¾ cup brown sugar 5 Tbs oil ½ tsp cinnamon 2 cups blueberries 1 Tbs flour
Preheat oven to 350º. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Place fish into the pan. In a small bowl, combine honey and soy sauce. Smear tops and sides of salmon. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Press topping onto fish. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serves 4.
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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Palestinian Leaks on the Peace Talks: Information, a Wish List, or Just Propaganda? Secretary of State John
Kerry promised there would be no leaks from the USsponsored peace talks between representatives of the Palestinian Authority and Israel. Aside from Israeli negotiator Tzipi Livni’s wish that the right-wing Jewish Home Party would leave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition so that negotiations would be “easier,” there has been no substantial news from the Israeli side. Martin Indyk, the Obama administration’s representative to the talks, has also been quiet. Virtually all of the news leaks about the negotiations have come from the Palestinians.
According to Arab-Israeli journalist Khaled Abu Toameh, Palestinian officials in Ramallah have been competing with one another to see who could release the most statements regarding the talks, which are supposed to be secret. “All these statements have one theme in common: holding Israel responsible for the expected failure of the talks,” said Mr. Abu Toameh, who writes for the Jerusalem Post and the Gatestone Institute in New York. Threats The PA officials who have discussed the talks with the press include the chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat, PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abed Rabbo, PLO executive commit-
Syria Through Israel’s Eyes hospital suffering from varying degrees of injury. Seven new patients came in between September 2-4. The number of patients prompted the medical center to open a bank account in order to accept donations for the treatment of Syrian casualties. Oblique Threats For Israel, the fluid nature of the situation in Syria means carefully watching and being prepared for all scenarios, including what might happen if the US does finally attack Damascus and what could happen if it does not. At the beginning of September, senior Iranian official Alaeddin Boroujerdi warned that a US strike on Syria “could backfire on the entire region, particularly against American and Israeli interests.” He insisted that only an American approach of “selfrestraint” would serve US interests on one hand and “the Zionist entity’s on the other.”
tee member Wasel Abu Yusef, and Fatah central committee member Nabil Sha’ath. Some PA officials have briefed reporters “on condition of anonymity,” which is itself a breach of the understandings laid out by Mr. Kerry. Several times, in briefings with Palestinian journalists, PA officials have issued threats to pull out of the talks if the Israelis do not comply with one demand or another, ranging from a cessation of building in Judea, Samaria, or Jerusalem, to agreeing to speed up the release of more prisoners. Wish List Most of the time, the Palestinian leaks have centered on what might be called the PA’s
wish-lists, items they wish had been guaranteed to them before they agreed even to sit down. Although it had been announced before the resumption of talks that neither side had agreed to any preconditions, on August 21, Mr. Erekat revealed that the PA had agreed to sit down again with Israel only because the Palestinians had received a letter of assurances from the US, guaranteeing the Arabs would receive all their principal negotiating preconditions. Mr. Erekat said the US had assured the PA in writing that talks would recognize Israel’s indefensible pre-1967 borders as the basis of a Palestinian state; would deal with all the
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Direct Threats Hezbollah, on the other hand, was more direct, saying that it would retaliate for any strike against Damascus by firing rockets at Israel. Because it has promised the Lebanese government not to do so from Lebanon itself, Hezbollah said it would fire at Israel from Syria. Secular and Sunni Lebanese politicians have told the Iranian-backed, Shiite Hezbollah that they will not tolerate Lebanon’s being dragged into yet another destructive war with Israel, this time on behalf of Syria. The Assad regime also did not pull punches. Syrian Deputy Information Minister Halaf al-Maftah warned that, in the event of a US attack, Israel would face attacks from a coalition consisting of Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. Mr. al- Maftah said Syria has “strategic weapons” that could be used in its attack on Israel. Danger of Doing Nothing
Some Israeli leaders recognize that even doing and saying nothing can have consequences. After the chemical attack on civilians, one Israeli politician said, “We’re between a rock and a hard place. If we say nothing, we’re heartless; and if we condemn Assad, it looks like we’re trying to goad the Americans into war.” Statements from Secretary of State John Kerry did not help in this regard. After comparing Mr. Assad to Adolf
Hitler, Mr. Kerry suggested that Congressman would not turn down the call to support an attack on Syria because saying no would potentially harm Israel and other allies, including Jordan and Turkey. Mr. Obama referred to Israel in his Rose Garden address, saying that allowing Mr. Assad the use of chemical weapons “endangers our friends and our partners along Syria’s borders, including Israel, Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon and Iraq.” S.L.R.
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Kol Ami: Iran Winner? Iran has already taken the measure of President Obama and found him wanting. It would have been much harder all along for the Iranians to supply Syria if the US physically controlled Iraqi skies, but the President withdrew troops from Iraq, leaving the strategically important space between Iran and Syria without US influence or control of the air. Events this month in Syria showed Iran that the US has a President who cannot put forward a clear, achievable military mission, even though international norms were violated. Iran is obviously the big winner. Its client, Syria, is still standing, and Russia just announced it will sell the Islamic Republic S-300 missiles that had previously been withheld. Russia will also sell Iran a nuclear reactor. Iran would be making a mistake, however, if it believes there will never be a clear, achievable military mission in the Middle
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East or a mandate to pursue it. The mullahs might be surprised at what will coalesce American resolve. Sometimes, we surprise even ourselves. Putin was almost another big winner, because Syria is his client, too. In the long run, however, Putin is on the losing side because he wanted Shiite-allied Syria to defeat the Sunni coalition arrayed against Assad. Russia’s restive, nationalist Muslims are Sunnis, too, and a short, nasty war culminating in an AssadShiite victory might deter Russian-Muslim separatists. But AlQaeda and the Sunni jihadists have been strengthened by the fighting in Syria, and Putin will likely find some of them in Chechnya and Dagestan in the future, better armed and more experienced—precisely the opposite of his aims. Oh, yes, Assad is a small winner because he’s still alive, although that may be a temporary condition.
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Shoshana Bryen Washington, DC Ms. Bryen was, for more than 25 years, executive director and senior director for security policy at the Jewish Institute for Security Affairs and author of its JINSA Reports. She has worked with the Strategic Studies Institute of the US War Army College and the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv, and lectured at the National Defense University in Washington. The Iranians—and the entire rest of the world— can understand the Obama administration’s diplomatic acrobatics in only one way: the President and his team are in way over their heads, lurching from self-imposed trap to self-inflicted crisis, while eroding the credibility of the US government and increasing the dangers facing Americans and their allies. The fact that Obama seems driven to defend his own honor and credibility, regardless of the price to the country, makes this episode particularly troublesome. The big winners in his decision to do nothing were all opponents and enemies of the US, its allies, and modern civilization itself. Dr. Daniel Pipes Philadelphia, PA Dr. Pipes is president of the Middle East Forum. His bi-weekly column appears regularly in the Washington Times, Israel Hayom, La Razon (Spain), Libral (Italy), National Post (Canada), and The Australian. Many people think President Obama accomplished nothing in this crisis, but, in fact, Iran saw that that the current US government is willing to mobilize its military if necessary and, with the help of a few allies, including France and the Arab League, has set the stage for Assad to lose his
chemical weapons. Without chemical weapons, the situation in Syria reverts to a civil war rather than a regional threat. The winner is everyone who hates chemical weapons. Maybe the children in Tel Aviv won’t need their gas masks after all. Dr. Ben Chouake Englewood, NJ A physician, Dr. Chouake is president of NORPAC, a bipartisan, multi-candidate political action committee (PAC) working to strengthen the United StatesIsrael relationship. The big winner in the President’s decision to do nothing is obviously Putin, who is now largely in control of the situation. He was able to play the President along, dangle the bait, and then snap it out of reach. For example, he told Obama, yes, Assad will give up his chemical weapons, but only if you renounce the use of force in advance. Iranian leaders have to take heart in Putin’s victory because it is the Russian leader who has Iran’s back. He has not only proved his mettle as an ally, he has promised to supply them with the most advanced missile weapons. If Iran had any worries about Obama’s taking out its nuclear sites, those fears are surely alleviated. In fact, if Obama had made the “unbelievably small” strike promised by Secretary of State Kerry, Iran’s concerns would still have been put to rest. Prof Rael Jean Isaac Irvington, NY Editor of Americans for a Safe Israel’s “Outpost,” Dr. Isaac is a prolific author. Her most recent book is “Roosters of the Apocalypse: How the Junk Science of Global Warming Almost Bankrupted the Western World,” published by the Heartland Institute.
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Index of Advertisers
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Medical Services
Events/Entertainment
9/22: NCSY @ SixFlags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 9/22: Lipa & Benny Concert . . . . . . . . . . . 11 10/6: Walk for Life, Van Saun Park . . . . . . 27
Bergen Veterinary Hospital . . . . . . . . . 10 Holy Name Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . 3 Home Health Aide, Kosher experience . 41 Psychotherapy, Chana Simmonds . . 43
Eden Memorial Chapels . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Gutterman and Musicant/Wien & Wien..46
Financial Services
Miscellaneous
Car Service
Home Products & Services
Teaneck Hot Bagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Glatt27 Supermarket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Burial Services
Teaneck Taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Catering Hall/Event Planning
Congr. Shomrei Emunah . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Charities
Donate Your Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 Umbrella Tzedaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Computer Services
Aldine Web & Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Garb Consulting Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Rivkie.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Education Open Houses
10/10: Teaneck CofC Awards Dinner . . 33 11/3: Bruriah High School . . . . . . . . . . 29 11/18: Rav Teitz Mesivta Academy . . 21
Palestinian Leaks “core issues” (Jerusalem, the “right-of-return” for all Palestinian refugees, borders, security, and water) to the Palestinians’ satisfaction; would be completed in six to nine months; and would not allow for any interim solutions before a final-status agreement is signed. For years, PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas tried to impose preconditions on talks with Israel, including a demand that Israel release all terrorists who were jailed before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993; freeze all construction in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem; and even present a map of the future Palestinian state before any negotiations took place. Preconditions Before this latest round of talks, Israel agreed to the periodic release of two dozen terrorist prisoners, many of whom were convicted of multiple murders, until, gradually, over several months, all 104 who had
Bankruptcy, Ira S. Kornstein . . . . . . . . 12 American General Windows . . . . . . . . 43 Classic Tile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Deerwood Developers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Shalom Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Starr Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 World Carpentry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Kosher Groceries
Butterflake Bakery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Evergreen Kosher Market . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Glatt27 Supermarket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Teaneck Hot Bagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Zomick’s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Kosher Restaurant, Take-Out
Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Ma’adan Take Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Fernando Alonso Greetings . . . . . . . . 19 Gideon Jewelry Sale . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 JPFO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Team Schmelz Bergenfield Greetings . 35
Musicians
Jeff Wilks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Photography
Larry Levy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
Real Estate
Long Branch Real Estate . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Teaneck Offices for Rent . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Verner-23: Tiberias Apts. . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Travel & Vacations
Kosherica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Kutscher’s Yom Tov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Vim’s Holidays Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Walking Israel Tour Guide . . . . . . . . . . 18
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been sentenced before 1993 would be freed, provided the talks continued. The other two PA preconditions were rejected. According to Israeli officials, Mr. Abbas agreed to drop his preconditions, too. Two weeks later, on September 2, speaking in Ramallah, Mr. Abbas confirmed that the US had promised him it would support the PA’s demand that Israel withdraw to the 1948 cease-fire lines as the basis for any final-status agreement. Mr. Abbas’s statement contradicted assurances by Israeli officials, including President Shimon Peres, that the PA had agreed to Israel’s retention of so-called settlement blocs. In his speech, Mr. Abbas stressed that, without this promise from the US, the PA would not have agreed to participate in the talks. Offer to Evict At the beginning of September, a PA official speaking
anonymously told the AP that, during negotiations, Israel had proposed evicting Jews from their homes in dozens of communities in Judea and Samaria, but would leave the actual communities intact so they could be used as military bases and early warning stations. This would offer the Palestinians a state in provisional borders. The PA official told the AP the proposal was unacceptable to the Palestinians.
“Israel is using the issue of security to take land. From the general discussions we had in the last couple of weeks, the Israelis have shown no intention of dismantling any settlements,” said the official. EU’s Guidelines According to Mr. Erekat, the European Union’s new guidelines, which boycott Israeli entities operating beyond the so-called Green Line, were designed by the EU as part of a
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Palestinian Leaks deal reached between Europe and the PA so that the Palestinians would resume peace negotiations. He said the PA was in discussions with Latin American countries, China, Russia, Japan, and the African Union to adopt similar sanctions against Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria. In response to those guidelines, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will not sign any contracts with Europe as long as the boycott of Judea and Samaria continues. Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has ordered the Coordinator of Government Activities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza to deny any requests from the EU which relate to these regions. Ending the Project Even more upsetting to the Europeans is the prospect that Israel will back out of the EU’s Research and Development program, scheduled to begin in Brussels in September. The project aims to “depollute the Mediterranean by the year 2020 by tackling the sources of pollution that account for around 80 percent of the overall pollution in the sea.” Israeli green technology is a centerpiece of the project with Israeli researchers providing numerous systems to remove pollution from the shores of Greece, Turkey, Italy, France, and Northern African countries.
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Israel had been scheduled to allocate 600 million euros to the project over the next seven years and be one of its major contributors. But because some of the technologies Israel would be contributing to the project were developed by companies and academic institutions located in Judea and Samaria, areas of Jerusalem liberated in the 1967 Six-Day War, and the Golan Heights, the EU’s new policy has put the entire project in doubt. No Legal Basis “Once they insist on the pre-1967 borders, we’re talking about very large parts of Jerusalem, including Jerusalembased high-tech enterprises, some of them very large companies. Under Europe’s proposed new operating method, many Israeli bodies that were not rejected before will be disqualified,” said Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Zev Elkin (Likud). Almost 1,000 legal experts from Israel and around the world have appealed to EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Catherine Ashton to annul the EU’s plan. The experts note that the decision does not have a legal basis, because, they argue, Judea and Samaria are not occupied territory in the legal sense of the term. Mr. Netanyahu told EU leaders that the guidelines do nothing to achieve peace and,
in fact, will actually negatively affect its chances. “[The guidelines] have hardened Palestinians’ positions, encouraging them to seek unrealistic ends that everybody knows are not going to happen, and stand in the way of reaching a solution which can only be accomplished by negotiations by the parties and not by an external dictate,” he said. No Concessions Mr. Erekat, in his interview detailing what the PA had been promised, seemed to prove Mr. Netanyahu’s point. The only concession Mr. Erekat admitted the PA had made was an agreement that, in exchange for Israel’s release of 104 terrorists, the Palestinians would not turn unilaterally to the UN for recognition. Mr. Erekat told reporters that if Israel fails to release all 104 terrorists, the PA would be free to turn to the UN. Ms. Livni recently said the terrorists would be freed only if progress is made in the negotiations. After talks had begun, Mr. Abbas said the PA would demand an additional 250 terrorist prisoners as a condition for continuing the negotiations. He said after Israel agreed to release the terrorists, the PA had shelved plans to charge the Jewish state with “war crimes” in the International Criminal Court. Martin Indyk Another point of information gleaned about the negotiations through Palestinian leaks was that the US was not actively participating in the meetings between the Israel and the PA. According to Mr. Abed Rabbo, the Jewish state is not allowing Mr. Indyk, who is not trusted by many Israelis, to be a direct participant. “Washington has said it would be a direct partner in
talks, but so far this hasn’t happened because of Israel’s insistence on keeping the US away from meetings,” said Mr. Abed Rabbo. “If the US can’t impose its presence, then it will not have any direct influence on achieving progress in negotiations.” At the beginning of September, the US State Department announced that Mr. Indyk had attended only one of the five meetings held since late July. No Homes or Prayer Stations The PA slammed Israel’s construction plans for 2,000 housing units, despite the announcement made by Mr. Kerry before the talks, that he and Mr. Abbas were aware that Israel would not institute a building freeze in Judea, Samaria, or Jerusalem. The homes in question are slated for areas the PA has already agreed would remain in Israel’s hands in any peace deal. The PA and the Jordanians even objected to the new prayer section adjacent to the Kotel in Jerusalem, established by Jewish Home chairman Naftali Bennett. The new section, Ezrat Yisrael, will offer a place for non-Orthodox Jews to carry out their rituals without disturbing Orthodox Jews elsewhere at the Kotel. Towards the end of August, the PA threatened to sue Israel through an international body if the Jewish state continues to expand in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. The PA also warned that would signal an end to the talks. Right of Return One of the more tortured leaks came from Mr. Abbas himself. On August 23, he told members of the left-wing Israeli Meretz Party that if a peace agreement is reached with Israel, it would
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Pity Jewish Women
I feel verbally disabled to express adequately my feelings of sadness and anger over the power of petty officials and selfappointed enforcers who barred Dr. Qanta Ahmed from fully expressing her spirituality at various Muslim holy places [“The Dome of the Rock: A Muslim’s Requiem,” Aug 2013]. Moreover, I feel I can empathize and identify with her outrage because of the misuse of authority by religious extremists of my own Jewish faith who block women from performing prayer as they wish, or divorce and remarry, or participate in a host of spiritually uplifting experiences. Even murder and mutilation is not uncommon in the name of religious experience, not to mention war and worse. This perverse exercise of religious power, sad to say, seems to be intensifying and with no end in sight. It seems it will take legions of well-meaning women—and men—to alter this world’s misogynous mindset. Theodore Fettman Riverdale, NY SLR responds: Yes, we Jewish women are a deprived lot. In Orthodox shuls, we can’t march up to the bima—where everyone knows the only spiritual experience is available. The last time I recall a Jewish woman being mutilated for religious reasons was when a granddaughter insisted on having her ears pierced in time for her bat mitzvah. Yes, halachic divorce and remarriage can be problems, but they are issues only for those who believe this is the proper path, and many wellmeaning Jewish men and women are working on halachic solutions. Women who don’t want to play by Orthodox rules are free to go elsewhere where they will be welcomed with open arms.
A Special Phone Call
The phone rang early on the morning of Friday, August 16, 2013. “Grandma,” came the voice on the other end of the line. Okay, I thought, so which one of my 11 granddaughters is calling me early in the morn to wish me a happy birthday. “Bailey? I responded, somewhat hesitantly. “No!” came the answer in a drawn-out, somewhat teasing voice. Hmm, I thought, let’s give it another try. “Jordyn?” I asked in a tentative voice, hoping that I was right this time. Once again, the voice at the other end of the line said: “No!” Whichever granddaughter is calling me, I thought, she obviously is refusing to identify herself and is enjoying my predicament. “Talya?” I responded on my third try, with ever-waning confidence in my grandmotherly abilities to differentiate the voices of my similarly aged teen-age granddaughters. In quiet desperation I realized that if I were wrong, then it’s three strikes you’re out! “No!” came the answer once again, this time, undoubtedly, I thought, with growing annoyance at my not placing her on the top of my list but rather low down on the totem pole of grandkids. Just then a lightbulb went on in my head. “Gabi!” I exclaimed excitedly. “Yes” came the happy response. “Happy Birthday, Grandma”. “Oh my G-d” I said. “I didn’t expect a phone call from you. I know that you don’t have much free time. I’m so happy you called.” Okay, let me explain why I didn’t expect a phone call from Gabi, despite the fact that I have been e-mailing her and getting short responses from her on her activities. Gabi joined the
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Israeli army on August 13th. She was in pre-army training for one month prior to her official entry into Tzahal, the Hebrew acronym for the Army in Defense of Israel. She had just returned from a three day hike from Latrun to Jerusalem and was busy constantly with drills and exercises. Unlike six of her cousins who had opted to spend a gap year in Israel at a yeshiva before attending college, Gabi opted to join the army. It was her trip to Poland with her senior class that motivated her to take this less-traveled track. Visiting the death camps at Auschwitz and Treblinka had an overwhelmingly emotional effect on her psyche. She felt that she needed to do something positive for her people and for its Homeland. Despite the incredulousness of many, she went with her heart and embarked on this life-altering journey. Although I would have preferred that she take the conventional yeshiva path, I cannot deny the incredible pride that I feel in her bold decision. Next week Gabi and her fellow “lone soldiers” will be getting their guns. My sound advice to all the Hamas-ites, Hezboll-ites, and all sworn enemies of Israel and the Jewish people: Here comes Gabi! Watch your backs! Ellen Wasserman New Rochelle, NY
Importance of Jewish Genealogy
Though The Jewish Voice’s roving reporters did not encounter me at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Conference in Boston [“Kol Ami: Jewish Genealogy,” Aug 2013), it is certainly a very positive sign that attendance at the International Association of Jewish Genealogical Societies (IAJGS) Conference in Boston was so great and numerous that, per the law of averages, your reporter and I did not meet. As my fellow panelists and I strove to emphasize during our presentation, access to vital genealogical records in America and abroad is now under threat as various legislators, government agencies and organizations promulgate laws, regulations and procedures that are hostile to genealogy. As exemplified by most of the people interviewed for the your Kol Ami column, genealogical research can give one the immense personal satisfaction of meeting formerly unknown relatives. But there are more cogent reasons that genealogy needs to be promoted to the public in a positive light. Knowing one’s family history can be invaluable to understanding one’s medical issues, establishing title to property, and finding family members to take charge of the mortal remains of military casualties and crime victims. Genealogy-specific concerns of the Jewish people include, among other things, the repatriation of looted artwork and stolen property from the Nazi era. And those, myself included, who believe that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people will, in the final analysis, ultimately need to propound and document what amount to genealogical arguments, as the enemies of the Jews grow increasingly bolder in their attempts to deny us our rights. Accordingly, it is very important that Jewish people make the case for Jewish family history research. Kenneth H. Ryesky, Esq. East Northport, NY
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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) Is There a Doctor in the House?
Only 35 percent of physicians would recommend to their children or younger family members that they become physicians and only 22 percent of physicians would recommend to medical students that they practice in New York State, according to a survey conducted in August by the Weekly Update for New York State Physicians. The survey of over 800 physician respondents sought to gauge physician perspective of a variety of issues relating to the state of New York’s health care delivery system. The findings provide additional statistical proof of the frustrations physicians often express that New York State is a very difficult state in which to deliver care. This is due to a confluence of a number of factors, including its extraordinarily high liability insurance costs and the large number of practice mandates, at the same time that insurers continue to impose additional roadblocks to delivering patient care and continue to reduce, deny and delay payment for necessary care delivered. These problems must be considered and addressed as policymakers hope to assure an adequate health care safety net for the hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers who will likely be obtaining health insurance coverage for the first time through the State’s Health Insurance Exchange. Notably, the survey highlighted the increasing “hassle factor” physicians experience in attempting to assure their patients can obtain the care they need. Nearly 83 percent of physicians responding indicated that the time they spend obtaining authorizations from health insurers for patient care has increased in the last three years, with nearly 60 percent indicating that it had “increased significantly.” Moreover, nearly 25 percent of respondents highlighted administrative hassles as the biggest impediment to delivering care to their patients while an additional 31 percent indicated that it was the second biggest impediment. With nearly 65 percent of physicians indicating that their compensation has gone down in the last five years and 32 percent indicating that it had “decreased significantly,” not surprisingly, the biggest problem identified by physicians (41 percent) in delivering care to their patients was insufficient payment by insurers
and government payers. And nearly 25 percent indicated that it was the second biggest problem. With regard to liability costs, nearly 40 percent of the respondents indicated that medical liability insurance costs consumed at least 10 percent of their practice revenue, and nearly 16 percent indicated that it consumed at least 20 percent of their practice revenue. Over 17 percent of physicians highlighted high liability costs as the biggest impediment to delivering care in New York while over 22 percent noted it as the second biggest impediment. As a result of all these hassles, over one-third (34 percent) of the respondents indicated that they were “seriously considering” retiring from practice in the next two years, and over 37 percent indicated that they plan to reduce the services they deliver over the next two years. Other notable results were that nearly 65 percent of respondents currently use an electronic prescribing system, and over 62 percent have implemented an electronic medical record system in their practice. Over 83 percent of the respondents participate in Medicare and over two-thirds (67.6 percent) participate in Medicaid or with a Medicaid managed care plan. Weekly Update’s editor, Christina Cronin Southard, and assistant editor, Julie Vecchione DeSimone, urged the NY State Legislature and the governor to carefully consider the findings of this study. You cannot have a functioning healthcare system without assuring an adequate supply of physicians to deliver the care patients expect. Legislation must be enacted and regulatory steps must be taken to assure that New York will once again be an attractive place to start and continue a medical practice. Equally important, legislation that may further drive physicians from remaining to practice in New York must be rejected. Sam Unterricht, MD Brooklyn, NY The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and style. Please send all 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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September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Palestinian Leaks mark the end to his people’s demands on the Jewish state. Most Israelis understand that to mean that the PA would relinquish or moderate its “right of return”: a demand that millions of Palestinians who fled Israel in 1948 and 1967—and their descendants—have the right to flood back into Israel, demographically destroying the Jewish state. Two days later, during a meeting of the Fatah movement’s Central Committee, Mr. Abbas made clear that the main goals of negotiations with Israel had not changed: an independent Palestinian state within the pre-1967 borders, with its capital in Jerusalem (Al Quds), release of all prisoners, and the return of refugees. Caught in a Lie At the end of August, a terrorist incident seemed to put the talks on hold. When Israeli border police, accompa-
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nied by an IDF force, entered the Palestinian Kalandia camp north of Jerusalem to arrest an individual suspected of terrorism, more than 1,000 Palestinians rioted, throwing rocks and firebombs at Israeli officials. Feeling their lives endangered, Israeli forces opened fire at the attackers. Three men were killed and the suspect was arrested. One of the rioters was a former prisoner who had been released as part of the deal to free Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2011. The following morning, Mr. Abed Rabbo announced that the peace talks had been suspended, but the US State Department maintained this was not true. When State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf would not confirm that he PA side had lied about the cancelled meeting, AP reporter Matt Lee said, “There is one side in this
situation that is not telling the truth. It’s not the American side and it’s not the Israeli side.” “We are not going to announce when every meeting takes place, but I can assure you that no meeting has been canceled,” said Ms. Harf. “No Progress” But although meetings have been held, Mr. Abed Rabbo told Voice of Palestine radio at the beginning of September that there has been “no progress.” “Despite our decision to take part in talks, we’re now seeing what we expected— that there is little hope for their progress, in fact that hope is non-existent and negotiations are futile,” he said, blaming Israel for building in Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Jerusalem. The only way to save the process, he said, is for the US to agree to apply “pressure on Israel.”
Building Opposition According to Mr. Abu Toameh, the Palestinians are hoping that when the talks ultimately fail, they will be able to tell their people and the international community: “You see, we told you from the beginning that the Israelis do not want peace.” The problem for the Palestinian leaders is that with every complaint, it is the Palestinian people who turn away from the process. “The more Palestinians officials and leaders talk about the ‘futility’ and ‘ineffectiveness’ of the peace talks, the bigger the opposition grows to negotiations with Israel,” said Mr. Abu Toameh. Waiting It Out The real danger is that “this type of anti-Israel rhetoric could spark another round of violence between the two sides,” he said.
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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Asked by Mr. Abu Toameh why the Palestinians are simply not carrying out their threat to walk out of the “unproductive” talks, a senior PA official said, “We cannot pull out at this stage because of American and European pressure. We will continue with the talks for six to nine months in order to show the world that Israel is not interested in peace.” An Israeli official pointed out that in nine months, all 104 Palestinian terrorists will be freed from prison. “That’s what the PA is waiting for,” said the official. Polls In fact, no one besides Mr. Kerry seems to have faith in the talks. Palestinians in Gaza and Ramallah have demonstrated against them, as have Jews in Judea and Samaria. Even Iran got into the act, telling Agence France Presse that the Islamic Republic was “hostile” to the negotiations brokered by the US. According to a poll by the Israeli research institute Hagal
September 2013 / Tishrei 5774
Hahadash, 80 percent of Israeli Jews believe a peace deal with the PA is impossible. Asked if “this time, we will reach a final agreement that will put an end to the conflict,” 79.7 percent of respondents said no; 6.2 percent said yes; and 14.1 percent had no opinion. Asked about the Israeli government’s decision to release long-serving terrorists in order to resume the peace talks, 77.5 percent said they were opposed; just 14.2 percent were in favor. A full 62.9 percent said they would rather the government have announced a freeze on Jewish construction in Judea and Samaria than release terrorists. A Maagar Mohot poll found that 53 percent of Israelis would not vote for a diplomatic agreement that involves an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria, even if the PA agreed to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and would relinquish their “right of return.” S.L.R.
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