Jewish Voice and Opinion April 2014 by Susan Rosenbluth

THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism

April 2014

Vol. 27 • No. 7

Nissan 5774

“Celebrate Israel” Parade to Include Thousands of Pro-Israel Marchers and 3 Groups Promoting BDS Against Judea and Samaria On Sunday June 1, the annual

Celebrate Israel Parade down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan threatens to become a media event used by at least three ostensibly Jewish groups that actively support Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Jews and Jewish-owned businesses in Judea and Samaria. As a result, several groups are planning a protest rally as well as other activities to convince the parade’s sponsors at the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-

Activists against permitting Jewish BDS groups to march in the Israel Parade point out that, in April 1933, German Nazis carried out their first action against Jews: a boycott of Jewish businesses. “In April 2014, Jewish groups supporting the Arab boycott of Jewish businesses and products made in the Land of Israel, have won permission from the UJA Federation and JCRC to march in the Salute to Israel Parade,” said Beth Gilinsky.

NY) and the UJA to disinvite the BDS-promoting groups. In addition, some rabbis throughout the area, including principals of day schools and yeshivot, whose students make up the bulk of marchers in the parade, are reconsidering their participation and endorsement of the event unless the BDS groups are disqualified. Naming Names At issue is the fact that “Partners for Progressive Israel,” The New Israel Fund (NIF), and B’Tselem have been granted

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Elections in Teaneck Suggest Former Councilwoman Toffler Is Fielding Another Surrogate from the Observant Community On Tuesday, May 13, Teaneck

residents will go to the polls to elect four members of its seven-seat Town Council. Of the eight candidates vying for the four open seats, four are members of the observantJewish community. Three of them are incumbents who have been active in Teaneck civic affairs and political leadership for years, building reputations of trust and respect in elected positions. The fourth would be a newcomer on the

Council, but his own questionable past in a Teaneck leadership position and close ties to a controversial far-left local activist with a history of anti-Orthodox rhetoric and behavior and a series of ethical lapses, is raising eyebrows in many Teaneck circles. The three candidates with solid reputations, not only in the observant community, but well beyond it as well, are current Councilman and former Teaneck Mayor Elie Y

United Hatzalah of Israel in NJ............3 Kol Ami: Recognizing Jewish State?.. 4 The Current Crisis............................... 5 Media Alert—Iran............................... 6 Dry Bones Haggadah.............................10 At Holy Name This Month.................12 Teaneck Pesach Food Challenge......14

Katz, current Teaneck Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen, and current Councilman and former Deputy Teaneck Mayor Yitz Stern. Although all candidates for Teaneck Town Council run individually without party affiliations or official running mates, the fourth candidate from the observant community, Alan Sohn, has chosen to “bracket” himself with another contender, Jason Castle, a 31-year-old former Marine

Inside the Voice

“Never Again Is Now”.............................18 Yachad Shabbaton in E. Brunswick...19 The Benkhens’ Clean-up......................22 The Log..........................................................23 New Classes........................................34 Mazal Tov.............................................34 Chesed Ops.........................................34

who has been a vocal critic of the current Council. Mr. Castle and, by extension, Mr. Sohn are closely allied with the very controversial former Teaneck Councilwoman, Dr. Barbara Ley Toffler In 2012, Mr. Castle ran unsuccessfully against Mr. Gussen in the Democratic primary for Congress in NJ’s 5th district. Ultimately, that seat was won by the Republican incumbent Scott Garrett. In the upcom-

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Ess Gezint: Kids Cook Pesach...............38 On Marcia’s Night Table..................39 Index of Advertisers ........................41 HaZamir High School Choir..........42 Honor the Professional...................43 Letters to the Editor ........................44 Kerry: True Believer..........................46

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Wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and sweet Passover.

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United Hatzalah Of Israel Founder Tells Bergen County Student EMTs: “Go Out There, Save Lives, and Do Good.” By Yitzhak R. Goldblum and Susan L. Rosenbluth There are action heroes, superheroes, and everyday heroes. Then there are those like Eli Beer, founder and head of United Hatzalah of Israel, who seem to embody a little of all three. Mr. Beer, 40, traveled from Israel at the end of March to visit Bergen County as part of an ongoing crusade to promote the rapid-response EMS model that has allowed United Hatzalah to save thousands of lives throughout the Jewish state. It is the same model he has helped implement in

Panama, Brazil and, soon, India, as well. United Hatzalah is an independent, non-profit, fully volunteer-based team of emergency medical technicians who deliver fast, free first-response throughout the Jewish state. The volunteers work in what might be called a “pre-ambulance” capacity. Working with Ambulances In Israel, emergency calls are placed to a central 911like number and then a United Hatzalah volunteer is located via a GPS-enabled phone. The volunteer might be anywhere, from a yeshiva library to a res-

taurant or even in his office when the call comes in; but when it does, he drops everything to attend to the emergency. Once the ambulance arrives, the volunteer’s job is over and he can return to his regular job or the library or the café. According to Mr. Beer, sometimes the volunteer plays an equally important role by calling off the ambulance if it has been summoned and no longer needed. “This frees the limited number of ambulances in Israel to respond more rapidly to true emergencies,” said Mr. Beer.

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Some of the close to 2,300 United Hatzalah volunteers are paramedics, physicians, or nurses. All are trained EMTs, certified by the Israeli Ministry of Health after undergoing 200 hours of rigorous course work, practical training, and ongoing active duty. As a group, they are oncall 24/7 to respond to more than 200,000 emergencies each year, and the number is climbing. It is estimated that 25 percent of the calls are for critical lifesaving situations. Cooperation While United Hatzalah

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THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2014; 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: Recognizing the Jewish State?

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Since the latest round of negotiations began last summer, the Obama administration agreed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that for a peace agreement, the Palestinian Authority would have to recognize Israel as the Jewish state. For Israel, this would mean the Palestinians would not be allowed to implement their “right of return,” the PA demand that all Arabs who fled Israel in 1948—and their millions of descendants—have the “right” to flood back into Israel proper, demographically ending the Jewish state. Facing PA refusal, the Obama administration is now insisting Israel relinquish its demand for recognition. At the Chabad House in beautiful downtown San Diego, the question last month was: Should Israel refuse to acquiesce to the Obama administration’s demand? Y

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Our job as Jews is to focus on who we are and what we have to do. It doesn’t matter who recognizes us and who doesn’t. No Israeli land should be relinquished whether or not the Arabs or the US, for that matter, recognizes Israel as the Jewish state. Rabbi Zalman Carlebach San Diego, CA

Who is Obama to tell Israel what it can and cannot do? The US always supported Israel. Why is Obama different? Israel must be recognized as the Jewish state and all Americans—Jews and non-Jews— should support Israel in this. Henye Woloski San Diego, CA

Absolutely, Israel should insist on being recognized as the Jewish state. For negotiations to continue, there must be trust, and unless Israel is recognized as the Jewish state, where is the starting point? Stanley Gordon San Diego, CA

Obama insists that Israel recognize and give away land for a Palestinian state. How dare he say that the Palestinians don’t have to recognize Israel as the Jewish state! Sophie Rubinstein San Diego, CA

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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache” To the tune of the Banana Republic (Boat) Song, our friend, Prof Steven Plaut of the University of Haifa had this to say about former Israeli PM Ehud Olmert’s bribery-scandal conviction: Chorus: EH HOOD, day EH EH HOOD, Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home/ EH, he say EH, he say EH, he say EH, he say EH, he say EH-ay-ay-HOOD, Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home! They shot all night from ole Hezb’Allah (Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home)/No rifles he give soldiers banana (Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home) Come, Mr. Tally Mon, tally his corruption (Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home) (repeat) It’s six K, five K, four K, Graft! (Daylight come and da jail’s his new home) (repeat) A beautiful bunch a’ripe defrauding (Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home)/ Loot in envelopes purloining (Ehud’s done and da jail’s his new home). Chorus *** When he wasn’t singing, Prof Plaut was writing to Yael German, Israel’s Minister of Health, praising her “sensitivity and insight” for a new proposal to require Israeli HMOs to finance sex-change surgeries, a procedure she calls “genital reassignment surgery.” He recognized that an Israeli who asked a surgeon “to slice off his or her pinky finger for no valid medical reason would be confined to a mental institution, and that any surgeon performing such a request would be arrested for assault and mutilation.” “But you, Minister German, have the sensitivity and insight to appreciate that slicing off a pinky finger is a far worse form of bodily restructuring than slicing off sexual organs,” he said.

Prof Plaut then requested that Ms. German’s proposal become “more encompassing and less discriminatory.” “Why should Israeli health institutions cover only genital reassignment surgery? Why are you refusing to order the health funds to finance species reassignment surgery as well? After all, the failure to finance species reassignment surgery is causing suffering and hardship for many people who were mistakenly born into bodies of the wrong species. It is time to remedy this! “Take me for example. I have always felt that I should have been born a dolphin. I identify with dolphins, embrace dolphins, and see myself as part of the dolphin species. Sure, several psychiatrists have advised me to institutionalize myself. But this simply illustrates how unenlightened are so many of the medical professionals in Israel. “Why should the Israeli health system not pay for the surgery required to allow me to live my life to the fullest as a member of the proper species to which I truly belong, rather than being trapped in an inappropriate body for my entire life? Why should I be denied the opportunity to replace my arms with fins? Why can’t I have my own properly functioning tail? Why should I not be able to align my species identity so that I can mate with other dolphins? “My dream is to become part of a dolphin performance team in Sea World. But the obstinacy of the Israeli medical system is preventing the life for which I was actually programmed. It is true that I am genetically human, but since when does genetic assignment count for anything? My inner being is a dolphin. “So Madame Minister, end this travesty! End this discrimination. Liberate me from the tyranny of genetics. Acknowledge species reassignment surgery to be exactly as legitimate and appropriate as gender reassignment surgery. Do it today!”

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United Hatzalah serves the entire country of Israel, including all areas of Judea and Samaria, it is not always the only such emergency service called into action. For example, Hatzalah Yehuda v’Shomron is a small local unit which serves only that area and is not connected to the larger organization. Nevertheless, when the situation arises, volunteers from both organizations meet in the field and work effectively together, according to Juli Kristof, a United Hatzalah spokeswoman. “Both organizations provide critical lifesaving services to residents of the area,” said Ms. Kristof. That cooperation frequently makes the difference between life and death, especially after a terrorist attack, according to Yehudit Tayar, a volunteer with Hatzalah Yehuda v’Shomron. In the disputed areas, volunteers frequently work alongside the IDF, Israel Air Force’s Airborne Rescue, and security officers and personnel. “Ambucycle” In New Jersey, Mr. Beer met with Bergen County Executive Kathleen Donovan at the County’s Administration Building in Hackensack. He then toured the county’s EMS Training Center in Paramus and addressed the future EMTs. “You can and will save

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continued from page 3 lives,” Mr. Beer told the students. “You’re young. Your whole lives are ahead of you. If your dream is like mine—and that dream is to help people—then chase it. Go out there, save lives, and do good.” It is no wonder the students were impressed. Mr. Beer had motored to Bergen County from his Manhattan hotel on a United Hatzalah “ambucycle,” a souped-up motor scooter used by United Hatzalah volunteers when they need to traverse Israel’s traffic-choked streets while rushing to victims. The organization’s nearly 250 “ambucycles” are outfitted with trauma kits, defibrillators, and other emergency supplies. Less Than 3 Minutes In Israel, the “ambucycles” notch an average response time of less than three minutes. Most ambulances take more than three times as long. “Receiving initial treatment within five minutes of an incident assures a higher chance of survival in critical situations and speedier recovery in many other injuries and sicknesses,” said Mr. Beer. In fact, brain and heart death start to occur in four to six minutes after the onset of cardiac arrest. A heart-attack victim’s chances of survival are reduced by seven to ten percent with every minute that

Eli Beer, left, shows off United Hatzalah’s “ambucycle” to Frisch Yeshiva principal Dr. Kalman Stein, center, and Teaneck Councilman Yitz Stern passes without defibrillation and advanced life support intervention, he said. Mike Tarantino, director of the Bergen County EMS Training Center, called Mr. Beer’s visit “an eye-opener and an honor.” “ I hope it is the start of a relationship between us and him, a working relationship that I sincerely hope to build upon in the months ahead. Who knows where all of this will eventually lead?” he said. Trauma-Inspired As part of Mr. Beer’s visit, Ms. Donovan, Mr. Tarantino, and the students learned about the founding of United Hatzalah. On June 2, 1978, Mr. Beer was a five-year-old returning from school to his Jerusalem home on a Friday afternoon when the #12 bus exploded, its passengers victims of a terrorist suicide bomber. He has never forgotten the chaos of the incident, the wounded lying prone on the street, bloodied and begging for help, and the relative paucity of emergency rescue resources. “I ran away that day out of fear, but I decided that someday, I would make it my business—my dream—to help the people I wasn’t prepared to

help on that day. I knew I would become an EMT,” he said. True to his dream, at 14, still in school and working part-time in his family’s book and real estate businesses, he joined Jerusalem’s EMT squad. Unnecessary Death He still remembers the emergency call he received concerning a young Jerusalem boy who was choking on a hotdog. Caught in a Jerusalem traffic jam, Mr. Beer arrived 20 minutes after the call came in—too late to save the boy. A doctor working in the house adjacent to the boy’s knew nothing about the emergency next door until he saw the lights on Mr. Beer’s ambulance. “If the doctor had known what was happening in the next-door home, he could have saved the boy, and he would be alive today,” said Mr. Beer. Determined to establish a more flexible system to improve emergency response times, Mr. Beer at the age of 17 began to organize a Hatzalah organization in Jerusalem based on the models he had seen in the US. New Equipment Mr. Beer’s new unit purchased its own communication

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The Dry Bones Haggadah: Cartoons, Wisdom, and Wine Stains In 2013, Yaakov Kirschen celebrated

the 40 year of his world-renowned Dry Bones cartoons with a commemoration of the Jewish liberation from Egypt and the ensuing forty years of wandering in the desert. He published the Dry Bones Haggadah, a happy kosher combination of a traditional Pesach staple with all the witty nuances and satirically subtle charm long associated with Mr. Kirschen’s political cartoons. His Haggadah is clearly written in Hebrew with English translation, and, for the blessings, Hebrew transliteration. Most of the commentary is in the form of Dry Bones cartoons, whose very name is based on the Prophet Ezekiel’s vision of dry bones coming to life. Many commentators see the rebirth of the State of Israel, after the Holocaust, in terms of that Biblical prophecy. As a political cartoonist, Mr. Kirschen says his goal, of course, is “to make people th

United Hatzalah

laugh,” but also to attract Israel’s enemies “so that when they laugh at a joke, they will, for that moment, see it from my point of view.” One Generation to the Next His Haggadah also reflects his point of view. For example, his design called for the book not to be glue-bound, but stapled in the center, allowing it to be opened flat. The cover is glossy and flexible, but the pages are not. “When wine spills on the pages, they will stain,” he says, cheerfully recalling the joy of viewing centuries-old Haggadahs in museums. “They have wine stains, too.” The Dry Bones Haggadah is also available as a PDF for mobile devices A Dry Bones cartoon on this subject has Mr. Kirschen’s regular protagonist (“Shuldig,” which is Yiddish for “guilt”) explaining that “when you accidentally spill wine on a Passover Haggadah, the wine stains add charm and history to its

pages and increase its value as a family heirloom. Unless you’re reading the PDF version, in which case you’ve probably messed up your Tablet or mobile device.” Mr. Kirschen, the father of three and grandfather of eight, fully expects the Dry Bones Haggadah to fall into the tradition of books handed down from one generation to the next. While his thoughts on this subject may be overly optimistic regarding secular Jews in the Diaspora, he is probably right on target when it comes to secular Jews in Israel. “How many secular Jews read the Talmud or the Zohar or the Bible? But if you’re a Jew, whether you are religious or not, you will find yourself at a Seder table with other Jews,” he says. Published in Israel Although the costs might have been lower if his Haggadah had been produced in China, Mr. Kirschen and his wife, artist Sali Ariel (frequently referred to in Dry

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gear, medical equipment, and supplies, and managed to get funding from the community. Eventually, he formed a connection with NowForce, a Maryland-based high-tech company that was created to keep emergency response and security organizations connected, thereby minimizing response times and maximizing situational awareness.

NowForce created a GPS app which is loaded onto all United Hatzalah volunteers’ Smartphones. When an emergency call is fielded in Israel, this app locates the nearest five United Hatzalah volunteers, all of whom receive a “ping” followed by instructions. The volunteers then hop onto their “ambucycles” to respond to the victim’s location. “Every town in the world should have this app,” Mr. Beer told Ms. Donovan. “Imagine if every nurse, doctor, and EMT in the county had this app and knew when an emergency was occurring and where. If they were close, they could respond. They could arrive before the regular EMTs. They could save more lives.” On several occasions, Mr. Beer stressed that the United Hatzalah model is not intended to replace traditional ambulance squads. Its function is to assist and act in tandem with them. “It took a while in Israel because the EMT squads thought we encroaching on their turf,” he told Ms. Donovan. “But now we work like a hand in a glove with them.” Goal Is 90 Seconds Mr. Beer is well aware that there is more to be done if he is to meet his goal of reducing United Hatzalah’s response

time to under 90 seconds. First, it will require doubling his current “ambucycle” fleet, and each unit costs $26,000. Because the organization charges no fees and receives no compensation, it must rely wholly on grants and donations. While the Israeli government provides limited funding and local municipalities provide some project-related support, the majority of United Hatzalah’s budget is funded by individuals and foundations in Israel and abroad. The organization’s budget last year was $3.5 million, of which approximately 92.4 percent went directly to services, including training, vehicles, equipment, and volunteer activities. Approximately 7.6 percent was applied to management of the organization. A detailed account of projects and ways to help can be found on the organization’s website, www.IsraelRescue.org. In the US, Friends of United Hatzalah, a tax-exempt organization, can be reached at 646-833-7108. “We need help. Nothing worthwhile or important or even essential gets done by one person alone, or even 2,300 volunteers. There are lives at stake and people lost every day that we can save,” said Mr. Beer. Y

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Bones cartoons as LSW—long-suffering wife), opted to have the book printed in Jerusalem with Jewish workmanship. Initially financed as a Kickstarter project, the Haggadah received more than 100 backers within a day of its launch. These donors provided more than Mr. Kirschen’s initial goal of $5,000. “Bleary-eyed and excited, I suddenly understood something important. I didn’t need a Rothschild to back my project. One hundred and one Rothschilds had used the Internet to find me and my project. The implications are fascinating,” he says. He illustrated some of that excitement with—what else—a Dry Bones cartoon. This one shows “Aunt Bernice,” a woman “of a certain age” looking at her computer and announcing, “I missed Woodstock in 1969. I’m not going to miss the crowd frenzy at the Dry Bones Haggadah Project in 2012.” It was, as the cartoon says, her “second chance to be part of history.” Ordering Online While Mr. Kirschen expected his Haggadah to be successful as a “fun” addition to the Seder table, he was not expecting its wide popularity. Customers who purchase one often return to the website for additional copies as a gift. One customer has re-ordered the Haggadah 22 separate times, he says. “It has become the gift of Jewishness,” he says. It can be ordered at www.store. drybones.com, where specials abound, including a first edition signed by Mr. Kirschen for $36. No Bad Girls As might be expected, Mr. Kirschen’s Haggadah is amply annotated with Dry Bones cartoons. For example, one of the surrounding cartoons is of a young boy and girl discussing the “Four Sons.” The boy remembers his grandfather saying that in his day, the story did not refer to the “four children,” and the second son was described as “wicked.” The girl understands immediately that, back in Grandpa’s day, “there were no bad girls.” A woman at the Seder, expressing sentiments echoed by many a frazzled mom, says her favorite son is the fourth, “He’s the quiet one at the table,” she says. Pharaoh is shown contemplating what to do with his Israelite slaves. When it is suggested to him that the solution is to “kill all their newborn babies,” he smiles and

says, “Nah! Make them drown only their boy babies. After all, I’m not a bad guy.” A son is shown explaining why his father always stops the Seder to check the math problems in the Haggadah: “Once an accountant, always an accountant.” The Secret to Survival One of Mr. Kirschen’s frequent Dry Bones subjects is the subject of Jonathan Pollard. In 2012, his Passover greeting to viewers showed Shuldig wishing, “May he be a free man in the land of Israel. Mercy for Jonathan Pollard. This year in Jerusalem.” For Mr. Kirschen, a winner of the Israeli Museum of Caricature and Comics’ “Golden Pencil” award, the Jewish traditional sense

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of justice motivates his support for Mr. Pollard’s freedom, and the Haggadah is one of the “secrets of Jewish survival.” “Everyone knows that the Jews have survived as a people, and nobody really knows why. They think we have a secret book, and we do. We have the guidebook for a ceremony that we do in our homes to teach the next generation. The Haggadah is a real history of the Jewish people and a guide to the future,” he says. In his Haggadah, a four-strip panel shows a child who says, “When you’re a kid, you don’t have time to listen.” The second panel is a young adult who says, “And then, before you know it…” “You’re

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Top-Ranking Holy Name Medical Center Offers Community Programs Teaneck’s Holy Name Medi-

cal Center (HNMC), which was honored last month with the “Incredible Good Works” award by the Commerce and Industry Association of New Jersey, has just been ranked by New Jersey physicians as one of the top five hospitals in the state, with more than 350 beds by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. More than 2,000 licensed physicians in New Jersey participated in the online survey. More than 33,000 votes were cast on the treatment of specific medical conditions, as well as on top overall hospitals in the state. HNMC has also earned recognition from the Joint Commission as a “Top Performer on Key Quality Measures” including treatment of heart attack, heart failure, pneumonia, and surgical care. US News & World Report ranked HNMC as one of the New York Metro region’s best hospitals, with high performance in multiple key specialties.

Bereavement Group A Magnet-recognized institution for nursing excellence and a national Beacon Award winner for outstanding critical care, HNMC is now offering a bereavement program to provide compassionate support and education to those suffering the loss of a loved one. Non-sectarian and facilitated by trained bereavement counselors, “Sharing the Journey” will meet on Wednesday evenings, from 6:30-8pm, beginning April 23; and on Tuesday mornings, from 10:30am12:30pm, beginning April 29. The program is free, but pre-registration is required by April 18, by calling 201833-3188. Coaching Program and Hypnosis for Smoking Other programs planned by HNMC for April and May include seminars, screenings and celebrations. More information about any of these programs can be obtained by calling 1-877-HOLY-NAME (1-877-4659626), and selecting prompt #5.

Dry Bones Haggadah the generation that they don’t have time to listen to,” says an older adult. The senior citizen in the fourth panel sums it up: “This is called the miracle of Jewish continuity.”

On April 8, HNMC will hold one of its Hypnosis for Smoking Cessation programs. This twohour program teaches behavior modification and uses hypnosis to help participants stop smoking without scare tactics or gloomy statistics. The focus is the pleasure and increased self-esteem to be gained as a non-smoker without withdrawal symptoms or gaining weight. Conducted by a certified hypnotist, the program includes a 30-day reinforcement CD, a series of behavior modification cards for daily positive reinforcement, and free reinforcement sessions for one year. On April 9, at 6:30pm, HNMC will hold another of its three-hour SAFETY Orientation Program for volunteer coaches. The program is used by many municipal and recreational athletic programs, and is designed to satisfy the requirements of the New Jersey “Little League Law.” Topics covered by Holy Name Family Practice and Sports

Medicine specialist Dr. James Mendler will include general coaching concepts, as well as legal, psychological, training and conditioning, and medical aspects of coaching. Diabetes Education At 7pm on April 9, Margarette Edouard, a certified diabetes educator, will conduct a seminar entitled “Carbohydrate Counting from A to Z.” This seminar is for diabetics who have been told to monitor their carbohydrate intake or are simply interested in losing weight. It will provide participants with the tools to understand carbohydrates and their impact on health. On April 15 and 16th, from 12:30-3:30pm, the American Diabetes Association will conduct Diabetes self-management group classes at HNMC. Emergencies & Celebrations On April 29, Officers Michael Sunga and Daniel Dalessio of the Teaneck Police Department’s Community Policing Squad will address

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Underground Zionism Mr. Kirschen’s own history is a big more complex. In the late 1960s, he was part of the so-called “underground commix” movement, which

produced small-press or selfpublished comic books that strove to be socially relevant and satirical. They usually depicted subjects—explicit drug use, sexuality, violence—forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority. Mr. Kirschen’s contribution to the movement consisted of “radical Zionist cartoons.” In 1971, he made aliyah from New York, and began drawing Dry Bones in 1973. It has appeared regularly in the Jerusalem Post and in newspapers around the world, as well on his own very successful Internet blog. “Shuldig” was born as a result of Mr. Kirschen’s early experiences in Israel. “I

recognized that, with all the problems here, there’s no one who would accept blame, so I decided I would create a character who would accept the blame and say, ‘I’m guilty,’” he says. Jewish guilt is not part of his Haggadah. Rather, he sees the project as a way of juxtaposing his American-Israeli identity with his overwhelming identification as a Jew. Through the Haggadah, he speaks to Israeli and Diaspora Jewry. “After 40 years, I realized there were two me’s: The Israeli one and the English-speaking Jew living in galut. The Haggadah is a collaboration between who I am now and who I was then,” he says. S.L.R.

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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

Teaneck Kol Dichfin Challenge: Noah’s Ark vs Chopstix Once again this pre-Pesach

season, corned beef and pastrami is challenging General Tso. The annual Pesach-cleaning food-challenge between Teaneck kosher food emporiums Noah’s Ark and Chopstix is in full swing. Until April 13, customers and friends of each store are asked to bring unopened, non-perishable food and toiletries, which will them be donated to Teaneck’s Helping Hands Food Pantry, virtually none of whose patrons are Jewish. Often called Teaneck’s Kol Dichfin Challenge, the project takes its name from the opening phrase of the Pesach Seder: Let all who are hungry come and eat.

Holy Name

For the past several years, Noam Sokolow, owner of Noah’s Ark Deli as well as Shelly’s Dairy Restaurant, and Elie Y Katz, owner of Chopstix Chinese Take-Out, have engaged in a friendly competition to determine which store will collect the largest amount of goods for the needy. Last year, Mr. Sokolow took the title, which Mr. Katz sees as a challenge for this year’s contest. The 2013 contest netted more than 300 bags of cereal, pancake mix, flour, tuna, ketchup, diapers, and toiletries for the Food Pantry, requiring several vans to transport the items. Everyone Wins “This is a contest in which everyone wins,” said Mr. Katz.

“The Teaneck Helping Hands Food Pantry receives desperately needed items; our customers clear their pantries and help others at the same time, and Noam and I vie for bragging rights about our patrons.” The contest began more than a decade ago when some of Mr. Katz’s customers complained to him that while cleaning for Passover, they were throwing away unopened, non-perishable chometz items. Born and raised in Teaneck, Mr. Katz recognized that a connection could be made with the town’s Helping Hands Food Pantry, which serves hundreds of families in need. “It was the logical and neighborly thing to do,” said

Mr. Katz. “The need is always great in town, but in recent years, there has been a marked increase in demand and a sharp decrease in donations to the food pantry.” Acute Need According to Mr. Katz, this year’s particularly snowy winter has made the situation for many of Helping Hands’ clients even more acute. Those who wish to participate in the drive should bring items to be donated to Noah’s Ark, 493 Cedar Lane; Shelly’s, 482 Cedar Lane; or Chopstix, 172 West Englewood Ave; all in Teaneck. “It’s a good way to do a good deed while proving loyalty to your favorite kosher food source,” said Mr. Sokolow. S.L.R.

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the issue of emergency preparedness. The goal is to recognize that while many disasters are unavoidable, individuals can cope better when prepared to deal with them. In this talk, Officers Sunga and Dalessio will cover preparations for natural disasters like hurricanes and snowstorms, and provide informa-

tion on how to respond to hazardous material emergencies. On Sunday, May 4, HNMC will partner with the Teaneck Creek Conservancy to celebrate Earth Day. This family-oriented event, running from 10am-3pm, will include music, outdoor art, labyrinth walks, and scavenger hunts. According to HNMC, the medical center’s participation is based on medical research showing that time spent in natural surroundings lowers stress levels and has a general beneficial effect on well-being. Stress Management & Losing Weight On May 6, at 7pm, HNMC will initiate a Stress Management series. The first program, entitled “The Age of Anxiety,” will be conducted by nurse Linda Lohsen, director of the medical center’s Center for Healthy Living. In this first session, held at the Puffin Cultural Forum, half a mile south of HNMC, off Teaneck Road, Ms. Lohsen will discuss good and bad stress, the effect of stress on all body systems, and ways to redirect stress. At the same time, at HNMC, those seeking to lose weight can learn to do so “naturally with hypnosis.” Conducted by a certified hypnotist,

this two-hour weight reduction production teaches behavior modification and uses hypnosis to help establish permanent lifestyle changes that will reduce weight gradually and naturally. The program includes a 30-day reinforcement CD, a series of behavior modification cards for daily positive reinforcement, and one year of free reinforcement sessions. Fitness Center Programs At HNHFitness, at 514 Kinderkamack Road in Oradell, HNMC offers a number of programs, such as Chair Yoga, on Mondays at 1:30pm, and “Delay the Disease,” a fitness program designed to empower people with Parkinson’s Disease by optimizing their physical function to delay progression of symptoms. “Delay the Disease” is held on Fridays at 1pm. Chair Yoga, designed for those unable to get down on a mat, is one of the gentlest forms of the exercise program. According to HNMC, it has been proven to help those suffering from many health problems, including cardiac issues, hypertension, anxiety, chronic fatigue syndrome, arthritis, vertigo, multiple sclerosis, carpel tunnel syndrome, and chronic pain. For the HNHFitness programs, call 1-888-236-4236. Y

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permission to march under their own banners in the parade. An open supporter of the BDS movement, “Partners for Progressive Israel” goes so far as to display on its website, under a heading entitled “Boycott These Settlement Products Sold in the US,” a list of Israeli companies that the organization would like consumers to shun. These companies, most of whom actively employ Palestinians who work sideby-side with Jews under the same work conditions and salaries, include: Ahuva cosmetics; Soda Stream; Achva Tahina, Halva, and Sweets; Pyramid Herbal Seasonings; Beigel and Beigel pastries, pretzels, and mini-crackers; Maya, Super Class, and Shufersal spices, sweets, rice, and legumes; Shalgal frozen dough, cakes, pies, and pastries (manufactured for General Mills and Pillsbury); Shamir salads, dips, and spreads; and wine from eight Israeli vineyards, including Gat Shomron (Karnei Shomron), Givon (Giv’on Hahadash), Gush Etzion (Efrat and marketed through Royal), Harcormim (Mishor Edomim Industrial Zone), Livni (Moshav Carmel near Kiryat Arba), Noah/Hebron Heights (Kiryat Arba), Edom and Psagat (Pisgat Ze’ev, Jerusalem, and marketed by Royal), and Tura Estate (Rechelim, sold through OnlyKosherWine.com). BDS Once-Removed While officially opposed to the BDS movement, the NIF in fact finances numerous Israeli non-governmental organizations which actively advocate and promote BDS against the Jewish state. For example, five NIF grantees—Machsom Watch, Coalition of Women for Peace, Women against Violence, Social TV, and Mossawa—recently signed a letter to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, urging it to divest from Israel. B’Tselem, a major beneficiary of NIF funding, produced a video shown at many “Israeli Apartheid Week” events held at universities and colleges throughout the world. The chairman of B’Tselem’s board of directors, Oren Yiftachel, has publicly called for “effective sanctions” against Israel. Protest Rally On Tuesday, April 8, from 4-7pm, several American pro-Israel groups will lead a protest rally in front of the UJA-Federation,

130 East 59th Street (between Lexington and Park Avenues), in Manhattan, asking organizers of the Celebrate Israel Parade to disinvite the BDS promoters. “These BDS groups work every day to isolate Israel and make her a global pariah, announcing to the world the names of specific Jewish-owned companies operating in Judea and Samaria that they want punished. Yet these ‘Jewish’ groups are being invited to infiltrate the Parade, either because of agreement with their tactics or as a way of affirming what the UJA-Federation calls ‘an open

tent.’ This cannot stand. Decent people will not accept such corruption of values, such appeasement, and public forfeiture of Jewish dignity,” said Rabbi Aryeh Spero, author of Push Back: Reclaiming Our American Judeo-Christian Spirit. He dismissed the pro-BDS organizations’ claim that their call for boycotts applies “only” to Jews and Jewish-owned businesses that operate over the so-called Green Line. “To the world, a boycott is a boycott, east of the Green Line or west of it. Approving one leads to the other. Boycot-

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

Israel Parade

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ting Israel will spur future boycotting of those ‘bad’ Jews, for example, in Brooklyn or London,” said Rabbi Spero, who intends to attend the rally. He pointed out that “consciencestruck” Jewish boycotters “never boycott Arab or Muslim businesses, despite the ubiquitous terrorism coming from PA neighborhoods and their violations of human rights.” “Their outrage is only against the Jewish state and its Jews,” said Rabbi Spero. Large Parade This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Israel Day Parade, as it is commonly called. Begun in 1964, the event has grown exponentially in participation and spectators, making it one of New York’s largest annual events. This year, organizers expect more than 30 floats with musical performers, 15 marching bands, more than 200 organizations, and 35,000 marchers, many of them students from Orthodox-Jewish day schools and yeshivot for whom the parade is an educational opportunity for creativity and communal participation. The parade is organized and run by JCRC-NY and largely sponsored by the UJAFederation of New York in conjunction with the Jewish Communal Fund and the Consulate General of Israel in New York. “We’re urging the UJA-Federation to pass guidelines that will stop BDS groups from being hosted and promoted by their beneficiary agencies,” said Richard Allen, the head of JCCWatch.org, whose mis-

sion is “to hold Jewish communal groups accountable.” Always Starts with Boycotts JCCWatch.org has protested against invitations and presentations by anti-Israel individuals, groups, and films at Jewish communally supported institutions, such as JCCs. Holding a photograph from April 1, 1933, depicting Nazi storm troopers outside a Berlin store posting signs declaring “Do Not Buy from Jews,” Mr. Allen said, “It always starts with boycotts.” He pointed out that the Nazi program began with boycotts against Jewish-owned businesses as well as Jewish service-providers. “It remains just as evil today, even when done by Jews, often in conjunction with non-Jewish antisemites and others who stand against the Jewish state,” he said. Invited for Financial Reasons Jeff Wiesenfeld, a member of the JCRC, did not disagree with those who oppose the participation of BDS groups. However, he doubted any efforts against them would be successful. “If there had been an open debate on the subject, I suspect the majority of the people in the JCRC’s leadership would have agreed that the BDS groups are detestable and should not be allowed to participate. But there was no debate. It was a decision handed down from ‘above’ because I think it was determined that financially, the UJA stood to lose more from the left if the BDS groups were ex-

cluded than they would gain from the right,” he said. For Rabbi Elie Abadie of the Edmond J. Safra Synagogue, a Sephardic Congregation on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the issue is halachic. He has informed parade organizers that “nothing less” than disqualifying the BDS groups will be acceptable to him. Rabbi Abadie represents not only his shul, but also the Moise Safra Community Synagogue, Congregation Magen David of Manhattan, and the Sephardic Academy of Manhattan. In addition to pulling his groups’ support and cancelling their contract for a float in the parade, he said he would be “urging every rabbi and leader of every Sephardic organization—as well as many others—in our community,” including major yeshivas, to do likewise. Like many Jewish-religious authorities, Rabbi Abadie said he considers deliberately harming the ability of a fellow Jew to earn a livelihood to be a very serious offense. He based his ruling against marching with the BDS-supporters, whose aim is to harm Jews based on where they reside or do business, on the halachic precept from the Book of Leviticus “not to stand idly by the blood of your brother.” “Open” Not “Destruction” At the April 8th rally, JCCWatch.org will be joined by members of Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI), the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the National Conference on Jewish Affairs, Ha-Emet, Americans for Peace and Tolerance, and ZStreet. Like Rabbi Spero, the groups opposed to the inclusion of the BDS-supporting organizations reject some UJA officials’ implications that the invitations “affirm the UJA’s open-tent policy.” “UJA’s desire for an ‘open tent’ should not devolve into the destruction of the tent,” said Rabbi Spero. “The purpose of Jewish organizations is to promote and defend Jewish interests, not provide credence for the unacceptable, nor be part of a slow, step-by-step destruction of Jewish sovereignty. There is a big world out there where one can easily find all the available ‘open’ forums blaming Israel and seeking its destruction. Too often, we are hoodwinked by this pernicious notion that ‘Jewish values’ demand we see only our

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

opponent’s and enemy’s viewpoint and forgo our own Jewish survival.” Judea and Samaria The fact that, for the first time in 50 years, this year’s parade will include at least four floats representing communities, institutions, and facilities in Judea and Samaria, does not mean those who support BDS should be tolerated, said Rabbi Spero. “This is not about individuals’ opinions regarding Judea and Samaria. It is about not giving credence to any group that calls for boycotting any part of Israel or Jewish businesses. Boycotting is an action that far exceeds disagreement. At its core, it is a public venue designed to demonize, ultimately to make something, in this case, the State of Israel, illegitimate. It is a form of antisemitism,” he said. Dr. Paul Brody, vice-president of the Great Neck-based Jewish Political Education Foundation (JPEF), another group planning on attending the rally, said there is a difference between “opinions and destruction.” “Our group is opposed to Israel’s relinquishing sovereignty over any of our Biblical land, but in terms of marching in the parade, there are individuals and groups who support all sorts of solutions with which we disagree. However, calling for boycotts, divestment, or sanctions should be a red line,” he said. A Form of Antisemitism ZOA president Morton Klein said the goal of the larger BDS movement—the elimination of Israel—must be considered, because, he said, “giving legitimacy to organizations that support BDS with regard to Judea and Samaria lends legitimacy to the BDS movement as a whole.” He cited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s argument that “attempts to boycott, divest from, and sanction Israel, the most threatened democracy on Earth, are simply the latest chapter in the long and dark history of antisemitism.” Mr. Klein maintained that by granting “cover and legitimacy to those who defame Israel as a warm criminal or who seek to harm Israel economically or otherwise,” JCRC-NY is “failing in its duty.” “This is a serious matter going to the heart of what it means to be a Jewish communal organization,” he said, calling for “a straightforward, principled guideline” to govern which individuals and groups

should be invited to speak or participate in Federation-funded events and facilities. This guideline, he said, would ban those who fund, support, or promote boycotting Israel companies anywhere in Israel, including Judea and Samaria. The Real Obstacle Like Dr. Brody, Mr. Klein stressed that “Jews have a perfect right to live and build homes in Judea and Samaria, the Biblical and legal home of the Jewish people.” “Jewish businesses and companies that operate in Judea and Samaria do so legally, with the approval of the Israeli government, and employ individuals who depend on these jobs for their livelihoods,” he said. He suggested that rather than engaging in boycotts against Israeli companies, groups dissatisfied with the progression of the peace process between Israel and the Palestinian Authority should focus “on the real obstacle to peace, the PA.” “They should be actively exposing the PA’s anti-peace policies,” said Mr. Klein. Hillel Mr. Allen pointed out that a recent controversy involving Hillel International’s Campus Israel Activity should stand as an example to the UJA and JCRC. Hillel’s policy, a “steadfast commitment to the support of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders as a member of the family of nations” was called into question in Pennsylvania by the Swarthmore College Hillel Student Board, which sought to engage “any speaker, to speak with our name and

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under our roof, be they Zionist, anti-Zionist, post-Zionist, or non-Zionist.” In response to Swarthmore Hillel, Eric Fingerhut, president and CEO of Hillel International, said his organization “will not partner with, house, or host organizations, groups, or speakers that, as a matter of policy or practice: Deny the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish and democratic state with secure and recognized borders; Delegitimize, demonize or apply a double standard to Israel; Support boycott of, divestment from, or sanctions against the State of Israel; Exhibit a pattern of disruptive behavior towards campus events or guest speakers or foster an atmosphere of incivility.” He added that “anti-Zionists will not be permitted to speak using the Hillel name or under the Hillel roof, under any circumstances.” Not a Matter of Free Speech Jason M. Shames, executive vicepresident and CEO of the Paramus-based UJA Federation of Northern New Jersey, commended Mr. Fingerhut. “Free speech is written into our American Constitution and anti-Zionists are free to speak in this country. But a Hillel chapter cannot invite an anti-Zionist to speak at a Hillel event, if what they will speak of isn’t consistent with Hillel’s mission and vision. They should not be allowed to use the Hillel name to do it, not as long as their position is antithetical to Hillel’s stated Campus Israel Activity,” said Mr. Shames.

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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“Never Again Is Now”: Wear the Button, Join the Movement to Combat Iran’s Nuclear Ambitions For Stan Zir, Yom HaShoah,

commemorated this year on April 28, must be about more than simply remembering the horrific past; it must be about combatting all deadly enemies of the Jewish people. Mr. Zir says that in 2014, that means Iran. “We must face the reality that Obama’s draconian policies are giving Iran the go ahead to build a nuclear weapon. Why does the United States trust Iran as a peace partner when it is the epicenter of terrorism? Why is it not the top priority of the United States to end the existential threat from Iran to Israel, America, and the Free World? If we want to avoid this catastrophe, we must effect a change in the mindset of those who believe there is nothing we can do to prevent this disaster,” he says. Mr. Zir, a Long Island-based retired businessman and frequent contributor to several news blogs, founded “Never Again Is Now,” to reverse what he sees as the current untenable position. Through its website, the organization is selling buttons in the shape of a Jewish star with the motto “Never Again Is Now” in the center. Mr. Zir calls the button “a badge of honor” which he hopes will be worn by at least six million Americans as they

demand that Congress take on the Iranian threat. Giving Them Voice The number, of course, is not incidental. He wants the “Never Again Is Now” campaign to give voice to the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust. “Let their voices arise from their ashes, that never again should there be a Holocaust against the Jews. Let six million voices swamp the White House and Congress with the cry, ‘Never Again Is Now,’” he says. He hopes that, with a potential six million people participating, the message received by the world will be: “We will not stand idly by in silence while Iran stockpiles nuclear arms and plots our demise.” “The symbolism of six million people joining forces to be seen wearing buttons or, more importantly, heard speaking for Holocaust victims, will not be lost with this campaign. The world was silent while the Jews of Europe were killed, and now, 70 years later, Israel is being threatened with a nuclear holocaust, and again, the world is silent,” he says. Not Just a Jewish Concern When first established in 2008, “Never Again Is Now” focused on uniting Americans— Jews and Gentiles—“against any policy dictating that the

Jewish state negotiate in good faith with governments that have announced their intention to annihilate the Jews and Israel.” Today, he says, “Never Again Is Now” is asking Americans to prompt Congress to act against Iran. In this, Mr. Zir is acting on the same concern worrying Israelis. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spoken about the Iranian threat not only to Israel, but also to the US, Europe, and, in fact the world. Many of Iran’s Muslim neighbor nations, including Saudi Arabia, are worried as well. “This is not just a Jewish concern. America is a target, as well as much of Europe, and other civilized nations. If Iran achieves its goal, the entire world will become a Ground Zero. We’re asking all Americans whether we have learned anything from the past. Will you stand up to Iran’s nuclear holocaust war machine? Or instead will you wait and contribute to building another Yad Vashem?” says Mr. Zir. No Such Fatwa While the Iranians have made no secret of their intention to continue pursuing their nuclear program, the country’s leaders have long insisted they have no intention of making, possessing, developing, or using nuclear weapons. A statement to that effect was allegedly issued by the “Iranian Supreme Leader,” Ali Khamenei in the form of a fatwa, an Islamic religious ruling. According to Yigal Carmon, president of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), which provides timely reports and translations from Muslim media, this fatwa has never been seen. Further, said Mr. Carmon, MEMRI has proven the fatwa does not exist.

On April 1, MEMRI released the video of a March 22 Voice of America (VOA) interview with US Secretary of State John Kerry to mark Norooz, the Persian New Year. Mr. John Kerry told VOA that he and Mr. Obama were “grateful” that Mr. Khamenei had issued the fatwa, but, Mr. Kerry said, “the trick—the art, the requirement here is to translate the fatwa into a legally binding, globally recognized, international understanding, and I hope that’s achievable.” Asking for Mr. Khamenei’s statement to be put “into a sort of understandable legal structure…that goes beyond an article of faith within a religious belief or a process into a more secular process that everybody can attach meaning to,” Mr. Kerry, nevertheless, called the fatwa “a good starting place.” According to Mr. Carmon, the Obama administration has not only omitted the step of obtaining proof of the fatwa’s existence, but has also ignored the official Iranian position that the fatwa is “an actual alternative to everything that Kerry proposed in his statements, and that [the fatwa] is also a preferable alternative to international law.” “Great Awakening” With this information as backdrop, Mr. Zir said his goal is to stimulate “a great awakening.” For the civil rights movement, he says, that moment came in 1955 when Rosa Parks would not leave her seat on the bus in Alabama. For Mr. Zir, it came in 2005 when former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Israel should be wiped off the face of the earth. “This was the signal that things would have to change. Remembering the past would no longer be enough. What happened to the victims of the

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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Experiencing Inclusion in East Brunswick at Yachad’s Rayim Shabbaton By Atara Arbesfeld, assistant to the director of public relations at the OU and a graduate of YU’s Stern College. On a recent Friday afternoon, I ditched my usual New York City subway commute to my family in Queens and opted for a van heading for

Never Again

the beautiful and welcoming suburban community of East Brunswick, New Jersey, for the Rayim Yachad Shabbaton. At the Young Israel of East Brunswick, our group dropped off our suitcases and was “suited up” with our free giveaway: Yachad emblazoned

garment bags! The symbolic significance was more than appropriate. Yachad’s mission is all about acceptance and inclusion of people who come in all different kinds of packages. My first experience with Yachad/National Jewish Council for Disabilities (NJCD) was as a

counselor last summer in its junior division in Camp Shoshanim for girls ages 8-14. In New Brunswick for my very first Yachad Shabbaton, I was an adviser with the Rayim division for adults aged 26 and older with developmental disabilities.

called ‘peace makers,’ while Israel is continually and constantly vilified,” he says. Overcoming Evil The President’s willingness to work with Iran, rather than to work to stop its nuclear ambitions, is “one more outrage thrown upon a topping pyramid,” according to Mr. Zir. “Sanctions have not worked, and Obama has loosened those sanctions in exchange for nothing. The fanatical mullahs of Iran are willing to sacrifice everything in exchange for nuclear gold,”

he says. He is asking all those “who want to speak for a Holocaust victim against our enemies,” to learn how to implement the program by going to www. neveragainisnow.net. “We must overcome evil. We must reject the mindset of compliance. You must be part of those that have learned the lessons from the past and spread the word that Never Again is Now! We must contact the Congressional leadership and express our collective outrage,” he says. S.L.R.

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Holocaust must spur us into action. We must protect the future. The six million Jews who died in the Holocaust must now live again through us as we declare in their names: The hate stops here with us,” he says. The badge he has designed is purposely reminiscent of the Jewish star Nazis forced Jews to wear in Germany and wherever the Third Reich conquered. Numbers Count He is convinced that only numbers will garner Congress’s attention. Already, he says, hundreds of people, including actor Jon Voight, Pastor John Hagee of Christians United for Israel, rabbis, and Holocaust survivors are wearing the button, which can be obtained for $5 (less for bulk orders) at www.neveragainisnow.net/jumpstart. “It is our fervent hope that people will be wearing this button, especially on Holocaust Remembrance Day, as we launch our campaign so that six million voices will be heard in Congress, demanding that the Iranian nuclear holocaust machine must be dismantled,” he says. Mr. Zir’s intention is to prompt all those wearing the button to call on their Congressmen and Senators, asking them “to protect the world from harm and, specifically, demanding the immediate end of the Iranian nuclear threat.”

Idealistic Parents Mr. Zir inherited from his parents his passion to save the Jewish people. His father, Isidor Zir, a Russian-Jewish immigrant who came to the US to escape pogroms, played viola for conductor Arturo Toscanini with the NY Philharmonic Orchestra. Mr. Zir’s mother, Rose, a first-generation German-Jewish American, taught public school in New York. “My father’s was the song of beauty that could not be shaken loose or stolen away by the most monstrous acts against us. This was the song my father brought with him to America and it cannot go unanswered. Time and again, it has given me the courage to fight on even when my own spirit was broken. My mother was a role-model. One of her six brothers was an American spy behind Nazi lines. I think I continue the traditions of my family by fighting for the honor of this country and by standing up for my fellow Jews around the world, even from my home in Long Island,” he says. He knows motivating people to write for the buttons and wear them will not be easy. “The Jewish people and our American supporters have been outraged so many times by Obama’s foreign policy that they have become stunned into passivity. Those who say they want to kill Jews have been

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

Yachad Shabbaton The Rayim Yachad program is unique in that it enables participants to enjoy independence, while promoting self-advocacy, as well as inclusive programming with peers in communities around the New York-New Jersey tristate area. What Life Is All About According to Dr. Jeffrey Lichtman, international director of Yachad/NJCD, Rayim allows Yachad adults to interact with synagogue communities and college campuses. “Our Rayim members are adults who wish to interact with adult peers about friends, family, jobs, and the other everyday and special facets of life which we all experience. When a community hosts a Rayim Shabbaton, they have an unbelievable opportunity to step out of the everyday and gain perspective on life. Rayim Yachad members are unique individuals –loud, quiet, funny, or serious. However, they portray for each of us, in real time, the ability to overcome serious challenges, real faith in G-d, and perhaps most of all, that our ability to interact with one another and the nature of those interactions are truly what life is all about,” said Dr. Lichtman. Rabbi Jay Weinstein, mora d’asra of Young Israel of East Brunswick, called his shul’s annual Rayim Shabbaton “a wonderful opportunity for our community.”

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“To be inclusive of the special needs community not only helps individuals with specials needs but truly uplifts all who are involved,” he said. Hineinu Under the leadership of Rabbi Weinstein, who also holds a master’s degree in special education from Columbia University, the Young Israel of East Brunswick will participate in Hineinu, Yachad’s synagogue initiative that aims to further inclusion of people with natural variations in abilities across the Jewish denominational spectrum. Yachad and the Orthodox Union share this initiative with three other synagogue denominations in this newly established program. Michael Adler, Rayim Yachad’s program director, recognized the opportunities the project provides to all involved. “For our Yachad members it is a great social opportunity with their peers and our host communities. Our staff and volunteers get the opportunity to form lasting bonds with our members while having a great time. Host communities facilitate true inclusion, incorporating everyone into all aspects of Shabbos, from meals to participating in shul. It is truly a win-win for all involved and we are so fortunate that there are so many communities which would like to host us; the only problem we have is that there are not enough

Shabboses in a year for us to visit all the communities that would like to have us,” he said. Suri Upon my arrival in New Brunswick, I met Suri, a spunky, sweet Rayim Yachad participant in her 30s. I spent Shabbos as her adviser. Living in Brooklyn in a group setting, Suri seldom has opportunities to meet other people close to her own age. An assistant secretary in a Jewish day school, she stays busy reading and commenting on the news. Deeply passionate and well-informed on a variety of topics, including current events and the benefits of social security, she says her aspiration is to become an advocate for the disabled. At the Shabbaton, I saw first-hand how Yachad and the East Brunswick community worked together to instill messages of inclusion, acceptance, and self-advocacy. Participants were given opportunities to shine: a Yachad member gave the dvar torah in shul after Kabbalat Shabbat, and I saw Suri encouraging a mother of a child with Down’s Syndrome by sharing her own story. “You’ve got to be grateful for what you have,” Suri said, as the mother smiled appreciatively, her eyes welling up in tears. Suri told me she always appreciates the opportunity to participate in a Yachad Shabbaton.

“It gives opportunities to go away and spend Shabbos in different communities and meet new people. I was especially impressed with the community in East Brunswick and how welcoming and friendly the families are,” she said. Great Opportunity In fact, the East Brunswick Yachad Shabbaton gave everyone the opportunity to build friendships in an inclusive positive environment with interactive activities, games, and joyous singing during the meals. East Brunswick families hosted Yachad in their homes Friday night and then were welcome to join Rayim Yachad at the Shabbat lunch meal at the shul. Everyone around the table of our host’s Friday night meal was impressed by Suri’s sharp-witted sense of humor and positive attitude. Debbie Schaulewicz, a member of the East Brunswick community and one of the coordinators of the Shabbaton, said the experience had been “great.” “As we got to know the mentors and participants, our lives have been greatly enriched as we danced together, sang together, and participated in activities together,” she said. On Motzei Shabbat, the Young Israel of East Brunswick hosted a Melave Malka, which included making a picture-frame, dancing, and ice cream—a delicious and sweet conclusion to the Shabbaton’s weekend of inclusion. Y

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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

Family of Ten in Hillside Needs Your Help to Win a Clean-Up When Rachel Fleisher, a

member of the Hillside/Elizabeth-Jewish community, heard about a contest run by the Scrubbing Bubbles line of cleaning products, she immediately thought of her neighbors, the Benkhen family. Through the contest, entitled “Let’s Bubble,” Scrubbing Bubbles, manufactured by the SC Johnson Company, was offering four deserving families or organizations a first-class professional clean-up, including kitchens and bathrooms. For Ms. Fleisher, the Benkhens—parents and eight children ranging from 15 years to four months—more than fit the bill. Immigrants from the former Soviet Union, Alexander (Sender) Benkhen and his wife, Brucha, both work while all their children, some of whom struggle with special-needs and challenges, attend local day schools and daycare centers. Yossi, 15; Avremy, 13; Devo-

rah, 11; Yoni, 10; and Shayna, 7, attend the Jewish Educational Center (JEC) in Elizabeth. Levi, 5, goes to YBH (Yeshivat Beit Hillel) in Passaic, and Zalmy, 2, and Motti, 4 months, are in daycare at the YMHA in Union. Chores Pile Up The family attends services at Cong Shomrei Torah Ohel Yosef Yitzchok, a division of Bris Avrohom, which was established to answer the needs of the RussianJewish émigré community. The Benkhens devote whatever free time they have to programs and events sponsored by Chabad as well as the JEC. According to Mr. Benkhen, the possibility of a professional clean-up sounds wonderful. “As anyone with kids would know, when household chores pile up, they really pile up. With eight children, our home never stays clean for too long. But our supportive community has rallied behind us to give us a helping hand,” he says.

One in 1,000 Originally, the Benkhens were just one of more than 1,000 contest entries, all nominated by people who thought their candidates were deserving of a clean-up. A panel of judges from Scrubbing Bubbles selected the nine semi-finalists. According to Mr. Benkhen, the family was flabbergasted to learn that they might be one of the four winners. But in order for the family to win the prize, they will need help. All that is necessary is to go to http://www.scrubbingbubbles.com before the April 15th deadline and vote for the Benkhens. Since April 15 is the first day of Pesach, members of the Jewish community will have to vote by April 14, before the holiday begins. More than one observer noted that it would have been nice for the Benkhens to win the prize before Passover, but that was not part of the deal. Competition The family has some interesting competition, ranging from the Marker Boys and Girls Club in Henderson, Nevada, which provides local children with “a fun, safe place to learn and grow,” to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Community Center of Central Florida in Orlando. Other contenders for the prize include the Latin HispanicAmerican Community Center in Harrisburg, PA; The Gathering Place in Lincoln, NE, which

serves free evening meals to homeless and near-homeless individuals and families; the Joplin Humane Society in Joplin, MO; Champ Homes in Hyannis, MA, a non-profit shelter serving homeless men, women, and children of Cape Cod; Bryant Center Association in Omaha, NE, which “keeps kids off the streets and empowers their transition into adulthood;” and Girls, Inc of Bloomington, IN, which “helps thousands of girls to grow in strength, intelligence, and confidence as they prepare for a better future.” The four candidates who receive the most votes will win clean-ups. Charitable Company “Let’s Bubble” is just one of SC Johnson’s projects geared to impacting communities. In the last decade, the company has contributed $210 million world-wide, in addition to donating thousands of branded products each year. Meredith Payette, a spokeswoman for Scrubbing Bubbles and the contest, says the company is encouraging people to participate in selecting the winners. “All people have to do is go to the website and vote before April 15. For the Benkhens, messy bathrooms, cluttered kitchen counters, and no time to clean are just part of life. But it doesn’t have to be that way. With a little cleaning help, the Benkhens can sit back, relax, and enjoy some quality time as a family,” she says. S.L.R.

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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The Log: “Separate Yourself Not from the Community” Do It Now

Applications being accepted for a Sarah Lily Fund for Adoption Grant of $5,000, awarded by the Riverdale YMHA to Jewish couples or individuals who live in the NY metropolitan area and are committed to building a Jewish family through adoption and who have obtained a certificate of court approval to adopt or approval from an agency to make a foreign adoption and have completed a home study allowing them to adopt, 718-548-8200 ext 210, deadline is May 15 Students who will be entering 9th or 10th grade in September can apply for the Volunteer Center of Bergen County’s one-week “Ready, Set, Serve” program, which will run from June 23-27. The focus is community service, and participants will be given challenging exercises, including community-needs analysis, goal-setting, team-building, project-planning, decision-making, and other leadership skills. Call 201-489-9454

ext 118 or Demery@BergenVolunteers.org, deadline is May 27 Applications being accepted to apply for the MA program in Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Nathan Weiss Graduate College of Kean University, Union, 908-737-4723 or 908-737-0256, deadline is June 1

Shabbat, April 5

Tefillat Esther Women’s Tefillah, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Bring-Your-Chametz-to-Shul Kiddush, to get rid of unwanted chometz, including kosher, unopened cookies, candies, cakes, chips, pretzels, crackers, etc, with no nuts, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, noon, 732-247-3038 “The Post-Biblical Destiny of Elijah,” Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt, Riverdale Jewish Center, 3pm, 718-548-1850 Bnai Akiva Snif (Shabbat Afternoon Groups), for grades 1-6, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 4pm, pscheininger@hotmail.com “Reflections on the Past, the Future, and Pesach,” Rabbi

Jacob Schacter, Cong Rinat Yisrael, 5:30pm, 201-837-2795 Shiur on Agunot, Rabbi Jeremy Stern, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6pm, 718-796-4730

Motzei Shabbat, April 5

New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: “Under the Same Sun,” with John Marks and Mark Dunec of J Street, JCC, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-530-3417 Unity Café: “Celebrating the Music, Unity, and Love of Reb Shlomo,” with Pey Dalid, Eitan Katz, and Noah Lehrman, Ginger Grill, Riverdale, 9pm, peydalid@yahoo.com Film: “Honor Diaries,” about the treatment of women in Muslim-majority countries, with Raheel Raza, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, 9:30pm, 201- 836-8916

Sun., April 6

Davening and Bikur Cholim at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton, meet at Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:15am; davening, followed by breakfast and bikur cholim, 8:45am, samapprais@aim.com

Shaimos Pick Up, from the parking lot of the Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 8:3011:30am, 908-355-4850 Shiur, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30am, 201- 836-8916 Breakfast Group Siyyum on Mishnayot Beitzah, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am, 201-773-4080 Northern NJ Region of Hadassah Education Expo, featuring talks on “Update on All Things Hadassah,” “Bio-Terrorism and Chemical Warfare in the Middle East,” and political discussion with Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop and journalist Andrew Silow-Carroll, JCC, West Orange, 9am-2:15pm, 973-530-3996 Pot and Utensil Kashering, spons by Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, private home in Fair Lawn, 9am-noon, 201-796-1525 or 201-794-3770 Pre-Pesach Boutique, featuring Hats by Susan Richmond, Wild-Eye salad servers, cake servers,

continued on page 26

Limit 4

Gold’s

40-oz. jar, Any Variety

Per Variety

99 1.00

Hollywood Safflower Oil

1-qt. btl.,

Gefen Mayonnaise

16-oz. jar, Light or Reg.

Per Variety

Limit 4

99 .70

Kedem Grape Juice

Gold’s Borscht

12-oz. jar, Any Variety

• Streit’s Matzo Meal

1-lb. box, Whole Wheat or

• Streit’s Cake Meal

16-oz. box

• Streit’s Farfel

16-oz., Whole Wheat Matzo or Matzo

• Manischewitz Tam Tams

8-oz. box, Garlic, Everything, Original or Matzo Crackers

• Manischewitz Farfel

Your Choice!

for

2$5

ONLY!

$ for

4 5

for

5 279 $

Adirondack Seltzer

33.8-oz. btl. (Plus Dep. or Fee Where Req.) Any Variety

Manischewitz Egg Matzo

12-oz. box

14-oz. canister, Whole Grain

1 99 3

for

3 599 $

Coke 2-Liter

(Plus Dep. or Fee Where Req.) Seagram’s, Sprite or

Variety and Supply May Vary by Store

6-oz. bag, Chopped or Shelled

ShopRite Walnuts

Matzo choices: Yehuda, Osem, Aviv, ShopRite, Horowitz, Streit’s or Manischewitz

ShopRite Smoked Salmon

12-oz. pkg., Imported

Seasons Club Sardines

4.375-oz. tin, in Oil, Skinless and Boneless

Mrs. Adler’s Gefilte Fish

1-lb. 8-oz. jar, Any Variety

149

Gold’s Horseradish

6-oz. jar, Any Variety

Limit 4

.70

299 79 1 1199

Our registers will automatically keep a running total of your eligible purchases during the promotional period. You’ll see your current total at the bottom of your register receipt, so you’ll know when you’ve qualified. Qualifying purchases must be made with the SAME Price Plus® club card, and limited to store stock during the promotional period. Offer valid 3/16/14 through 4/19/14. LIMIT (2) 5-LB. BOXES PER CUSTOMER. Redemption period is 3/16/14 thru 4/26/14.

20 to 22-oz. btl. Any Variety

Fox U-Bet Syrup

from 3/16 thru 4/19/14

Qualifying purchases are calculated BEFORE taxes, bottle deposits or fees, and the face value of manufacturer coupons and AFTER ShopRite store coupons, ShopRite Price Plus club card deductions and any multiplied manufacturer coupons. Promotion cannot be combined with any other discount offer and Price Plus club membership is required to participate. If not a member, sign up today in store, it’s Free. Offer good while supplies last, sorry, no rainchecks. A COMPLETE SELECTION OF MATZO PRODUCTS MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ALL STORES. Offer also applies to ShopRite from Home orders picked up and/or delivered during the promotional period.

with your

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

64-oz. btl., Any Variety

Imported or Domestic

TWO (2) FREE 5-lb. Boxes of Matzo

Imported or Domestic

ONE (1) FREE 5-lb. Box of Matzo

on any items for your Holiday Meal from March 16 thru April 19, 2014 and earn

Earn FREE Passover Matzo Spend $100.00 OR Spend $200.00

Page - 24

3/28 NJ Rockland Kosher R Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”

Limit 4

•Fully Cooked

Mother’s Margarine

16-oz. cont., Salted or Unsalted

Ba-Tampte Pickles

$10.00

YOU YOU SAVE SAVE

15-oz. TURKEY GRAVY

Includes

Available to order at shoprite.com/catering

( All trays listed above are Kosher for Passover)

• Potato Kugel • Roasted • Broccoli Kugel Vegetable Kugel • Sweet Potato Pie • Chicken Broth • Apple Matzo Kugel • Matzo Ball

Limit 4 Offers

with your

139

Empire Kosher Turkey

Feature 12-14-lb. Fully Cooked

(Fully cooked, Kosher for Passover and ready to eat! 72 hour advance notice required. 72 hour to defrost in refrigerator.)

KOSHER FOR PASSOVER

Each dinner serves 8-10 people and includes 6 side dishes and gravy from K Classic Cooking • 32-oz. Sweet Carrot Tzimmus • 1-lb. Charoset • 3-lb. Matzo Balls • 2.5 Chicken Broth • 35-oz. Potato Kugel • 35-oz. Roasted (78-oz.) Vegetable Kugel (3-lbs.) 026670 9

Super Coupon

MFR.

for

4 $1 With this coupon and an additional purchase of $00.00 or more (Excluding fuel and items prohibited by law). Limit one per family. Void if reproduced, sold or transferred. Cash value 1/100 cent. Good at any ShopRite® store. © 2014 Wakefern Food Corp. Effective Sun., Mar. 23 thru Sat., Apr. 19, 2014.

Yahrzeit Memorial Candles

2.6-oz., StarCandle

Present This Coupon at Time of Purchase Order, Pickup or Delivery to Receive Discount

Prices, programs and promotions effective Sun., March 30 thru Mon., April 19, 2014 in ShopRite® Stores in NJ, North of Trenton (excluding Ewing, Hamilton Square, Hamilton Marketplace, Pennington and Montague, NJ), including E. Windsor, Monmouth & Ocean Counties, NJ and Rockland County, NY. Sunday sales subject to local blue laws. No sales made to other retailers or wholesalers. We reserve the right to limit purchases of any sale item to four (4) purchases, per item, per household, per day, except where otherwise noted. Minimum or additional purchase requirements noted for any advertised item exclude the purchase of prescription medications, gift cards, gift certificates, postage stamps, money orders, money transfers, lottery tickets, bus tickets, fuel and Metro passes, as well as milk, cigarettes, tobacco products, alcoholic beverages or any other items prohibited by law. Only one manufacturer coupon may be used per item and we reserve the right to limit manufacturer coupon redemptions to four (4) identical coupons per household per day, unless otherwise noted or further restricted by manufacturer. Sales tax is applied to the net retail of any discounted item or any ShopRite® coupon item. We are required by law to charge sales tax on the full price of any item or any portion of an item that is discounted with the use of a manufacturer coupon or a manufacturer sponsored (or funded) Price Plus Club® card discount. Not responsible for typographical errors. Artwork does not necessarily represent items on sale; it is for display purposes only. Copyright© Wakefern Food Corp., 2014. All rights reserved.

KOSHER FOR PASSOVER

Also available in 4-lb. Trays...

While supplies last. See store for details.

Per Variety

Limit 4

for

Kosher for Passover

Manischewitz Blintzes

12 to 13-oz. pkg.

Limit 4

Per Variety

Tabatchnick Soup

2 5 99 2 99 3

32-oz. jar, Tomatoes, Sauerkraut or Any Variety

$ for

Temptee Cream Cheese

8-oz. cont.

Dairy

Passover Turkey Dinner

.50

249 199

Savion Fruit Slices

6-oz. pkg.

Per Variety

Joyva Jell Rings

.50

14.5 to 15-oz. pkg., Any Variety (Excl. Organic)

Per Variety

Limit 4

599 2 $3 99 3

A&B Gefilte Fish

20-oz. cont., Low Sugar or Sweet

Frozen

9-oz. pkg., Any Variety, Marshmallows Twists or

Goodman’s Macaroons

10-oz. pkg., Coconut, Choc. Chip, Almond or Chocolate

Sweet Treats

Duck Sauce

ROP 9.75”x13”April 2014 4/C http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com / Nissan 5774 The Jewish Voice and Opinion

3-30-48 Page - 25

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Log

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

continued from page 23

corkscrews, and more, Cong Rinat Yisrael, 9-10:30am, 201-837-2795 Teleconference: Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh: Chaburah on the Energies of the Chodesh, for women, Rabbi Itamar Schwartz, 9:30am, 973-246-5223 Areyvut Bergen County Breakfast, honoring Jessica Baer and Shira Hammerman, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-244-6702 Carelink Passover Program, volunteers are needed to pack Passover food packages and then visit frail, isolated, older Jewish adults in Bayonne, Jersey City, and Hoboken, JCC, Bayonne, 10am, 973-637-1747 Pre-Pesach “Get My Kids Out of the House,” for children, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, 201-837-2795 Spring Boutique, to benefit Early Childhood programs, JCC, Tenafly, 10am-5pm, 201-569-7900 Shomer Shabbat Boy Scout Troop 226 Pre-Pesach Car Wash, Jewish Center of Teaneck parking lot, 10am-4pm, 201-836-7019 Buy to Benefit NechamaComfort (for those who have experienced infant and/or pregnancy loss) and Do Wonders (which donates wigs to cancer patients), selling handbags, jewelry, kosher for Pesach Shabbos make-up, and wig and hair appointments, Lilian Lee Salon, Teaneck, 10am-5pm, 201 837-6770 or 201-724-4093 “The Middle East in Upheaval,” Dr. Daniel Pipes, includes brunch, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 10:15am, csmofmonsey@gmail.com

Areyvut Mitzvah Clown Session, for students and adults in 6th grade and up, Daughters of Israel, West Orange, 10:30am, 201-244-6702 Jumping Jellybeans Music and Dance and Youth Activities, for children ages 0-5 and a caregiver and children ages 5 and up alone, older children get pizza lunch, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 10:30am, 732-247-0532 Pre-Pesach Tour of the Egyptian Galleries of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Etan Kastner, spons by the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, at the museum, Manhattan, 11am, www. thebayit.org/met Sunday Funday Drop-Off, for children ages 5-11, includes hot lunch, Torah with Pesach arts and crafts, baking, bouncy house, arcade basketball, indoor hockey, jump ropes, hula hoops, parachutes, bowling, snacks, and movie, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11:15am-3:30pm, http://www. thebayit.org/funday Model Matzah Bakery, Chabad of Riverdale, 10:30am and 11:30am, 718-549-1100 ext 10 Pre-Pesach Car Wash and Vacuuming, to benefit Maot Chitim, Torah Academy of Bergen County, Teaneck, 10:30am-5:30pm, 516-287-1402 Cooking for a Passover Feast, in Hebrew, for parents and children ages 3-8, Chef Ayelet Nathaniel, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201569-7900 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: “Heaven’s Gate,” JCC, West Orange, 11:30am, 973-530-3417 Yachad Matza-Baking Work-

Jewish Medical Ethics

Bushkill Falls • July 24- 27, 2014 Dr. Aaron Glatt, Dr. Edward Reichman, Dr. Avraham Steinberg, Dr. Anna Woloski-Wruble, Rabbi Morris Wruble

Journey through Jewish History WITH DR. MARC SHAPIRO IN

CENTRAL EUROPE July 17-27 • ITALY Aug. 11-20

AFRICAN SAFARI June 29-July 10

WITH RABBI NATAN SLIFKIN - THE “ZOO” RABBI info@torahinmotion.org • torahinmotion.org • 1.866.633.5770

shop, Chabad of North Brunswick, 11:30am, 718-440-0099 Children’s Circle for specialneeds children and Teen Circle for special-needs young adults 12-21, includes music, art, baking, story-time, sports, and entertainment, spons by the Friendship Circle, Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey, noon, 201-262-7172 Model Matzoh Bakery, for children, Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, JCC, Margate, 12:30pm, 609822-8500 Pre-Passover Family Fun Day, for special-needs children and their families, includes Model Matzah Bakery, spons by the Friendship Circle of Union County, at the JCC, Scotch Plains, 1pm, 908-790-0008 Englewood Kids Who Care Food Drive, collecting food for the Center for Food Action in Englewood, includes canned goods, peanut butter, jelly, macaroni and cheese, cereal, dry milk, instant potatoes, juice, diapers, baby formula, soap, and dental hygiene products, includes pizza and talk on the importance of tzedaka, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 1-2:30pm, 201-567-9420 Safam Concert, Temple Beth Sholom, Fair Lawn, 1:30pm, 201797-9321 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: “Heaven’s Gates” and “White Panther,” with Jan Mesh, JCC, West Orange, 2pm, 973-530-3417 MEOR for Jewish Learning for College Students Family Field Day, honoring Yitz and Hilda Applbaum, Cliff and Maggie Newman, and Daniel and Lauren Feinberg, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, program, 2pm; cocktails and silent auction, 4pm; BBQ dinner and live auction, 5pm; dessert buffet, 7pm 212-444-1020 or 212-957-9155 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: “The Zigzag Kid,” with Moshe Levi, JCC, West Orange, 3pm, 973-530-3417 Neshama Carlebach and Josh Nelson, in concert, spons by Temple Israel Cong Heichal Yisrael of Cliffside Park, at Temple Avodat Shalom, River Edge, 3pm, 201-945-7310

Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men, in concert, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 3:30pm, ChaimKiss@yahoo.com “Miriam’s Cup,” Jewish women’s history for mothers and daughters, ages 8-18, Beth Heim, JCC, Tenafly, 4pm, 201-569-7900 Model Matzah Bakery, for special-needs children and their siblings, spons by the Friendship Circle of Passaic County, Passaic, 4pm, 973-694-6274 Film and Dinner: “The Outrageous Sophie Tucker,” spons by the Jewish Federation of Rockland, Lafayette Theater, Suffern, 4:30pm; dinner afterwards at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Suffern, 845-362-4400 Pesach Party, for families with special-needs children and volunteers in grades 6 and up, spons by the Friendship Circle, private location in Paramus, 5pm, 201-262-7172 Areyvut Mitzvah Clown Session, for students 6th grade and up and adults, with the Friendship Circle, Paramus, 5:30pm, 201-244-6702 Film: “When Comedy Went to School,” Riverdale Jewish Center, 6pm, 718-548-1850 Pre-Pesach Program for Bereaved Jews: “The Empty Chair,” Rabbi Steven Exler and social worker Anna Kirshblum, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6pm, 718-601-9714 or 718-796-4730 ext 108 New Jersey Jewish Film Festival: “Besa: The Promise,” with photographer Norman Gershman and Albanian-American leader Majlinda Lyrto, includes exhibit: Besa: Albnian Muskuns Who Rescued Jews during World War II” and desert reception, JCC, West Orange, 6:30pm, 973-530-3417 Israel Film Festival: “Hunting Elephants,” JCC of Paramus, 7pm, 201-262-7691 Passover Painting Party and Wine-Tasting, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Anchor Arts, Margate, 7pm, 609-992-5522 “Ask OU Outreach,” includes “Insights into the Seder,” Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky and “What’s New at the OU for Pesach 2014?” Rabbi Akica Tendler, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8pm, 718-548-1850

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com “Agunah of a Bigamist,” Lonna Kin, to benefit the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot, private home in Riverdale, 8pm, 718-548-1850 Rutgers Hillel Bon Fire, for freshman, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 Pesach Practicum, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8pm, 718-796-4730 Yachad Support Group for Fathers of Special-Needs Children, Chani Herrmann, private home in Passaic, 8pm, njyachad@ou.org

Mon., April 7

Deadline to Order LargePrint Haggadot for the Visually Impaired and Reading Disabled, from the Jewish Braille Institute Library, 800-999-6476 or order on line at www.jbilibrary.org Spring Boutique, to benefit Early Childhood programs, JCC, Tenafly, 9am-4pm, 201-569-7900 Passover 2014: “A Morning of Learning: Bake with Leslie for Pesach,” Leslie Goldress, Jewish Federation of Rockland County, West Nyack, 10am, 845362-4200 ext130 Passover 2014: “The Exodus: What Really Happened?” Dr. Martin Cohen, Jewish Federation of Rockland County, West Nyack, 10am, 845-362-4200 ext130 Passover 2014: “The Four Children in Art,” Sharon Halper, Jewish Federation of Rockland County, West Nyack, 11:30am, 845-362-4200 ext130 Passover 2014: Sing Along, Cantor Barry Kanarek, Jewish Federation of Rockland County, West Nyack, 12:45pm, 845-362-4200 ext130 Holocaust Speaker, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Student Center, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 “Contested Genocides: The Significance of Labeling a Conflict ‘Genocide’ and the Debates on Which Conflicts Merit the Term,” Dr. Ruth Griffith, Kean University, Union, 5:30pm, posnar@kean.edu Last Day for Art Exhibition: “Water: The Essence of Our Lives,” featuring works by artists from Northern NJ and Nahariya, Israel, at the JCC, Tenafly, 6-7:30pm, 201-820-3908

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

Shelter Our Sisters Gala, honoring Bogota Savings Bank, Judy and Mark Buono, Teterboro Airport Community, Jack Weldin, and Nina Wood, kosher meals available, at The Venetian, Garfield, 6pm, 201-498-9247 Kashering of Utensils for Pesach, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 6:30-9pm, 201-836-6210 “The Haggadah,” Rabbi Dovid Fohrman and Rivke Pianko, spons by the OU’s SPIRIT Initiative (Stimulation Program Initiative for Retirees That Inspires Thought), Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-907-0180 Film: “Au Revoir les Enfants,” discussion with Harold Chapler, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900 Shomer Shabbat Boy Scout Troop 226, for boys in grades 6-12, Scoutmaster Daniel Chazin, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-836-7019 Volunteer Orientation, for teens, accompanied by a parent, who are considering volunteering for the Friendship Circle to work with Jewish special-needs children and young adults, Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 8pm, 201-262-7172 Yachad Support Group for Fathers of Special-Needs Children, Chani Herrmann, private home in Edison, 8pm, njyachad@ou.org “Is There an End? The Time Period to Remember the Exodus,” Rabbi Yaakov Weinstein, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-254-1860 “Pesach and Pasta,” Rebbetzin Nataly Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, nataly@ rutgershillel.org

Tues., April 8

Jewish Business Network Breakfast, Ameriprise Financial, Saddle Brook, 8:15am, 201-221-2728 Pesach Holiday Story Time, in English and Hebrew, for children age 3 and under and a caretaker, JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am, 201-569-7900 Caregivers Support Group, for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-569-7900 Café Europa, for Holocaust survivors, featuring Rishon Trio of Cantor Ilan Mamber and lunch, transportation available, Fair Lawn Jewish Center, 11am, 973-595-0111

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Holocaust Speaker, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Commons Room, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905 “The Music of Marvin Hamlisch,” JCC, Edison, 1:30pm, 732494-3232 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Aftermath,” with director Slawomir Grünberg and Dr. Katka Reszke, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 2:30pm, 845-362-4400 Sports Night, for specialneeds children, spons by the Friendship Circle, Moriah School of Englewood, 5:30pm, 201-262-7172 UJA Physicians and Dentists Gala, with Dr. Ralph Nurnberger, honoring Dr. Sari Zimmer Block, Dr. Deane Penn, and Dr. Louis Evan Teichholz, Temple Emanu-El, Closter, 6:30pm, 201-820-3936 Special-Needs Parenting Support Group, JCC, Scotch Plains, 7pm, 908-889-8800 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Zaytoun,” AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-348-1876 or 845-362-4400 Film: “Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story,” Dr. Olivia Mattis and Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, Kean University Little Theater, Union, 7:30pm, 908-737-5326 Film: “The Gatekeepers,” Rutgers Hillel, 7:30pm, diana@rutgershillel.org “Passover A-Z: An Overview,” Rabbi Levi Y Shemtov, Chabad of Riverdale, 8pm, 718549-1100 ext 10 “What Is It Like to Be a Prophet? Delivering and Composing the Word of Hashem, Seen through the Lens of Sefer Yonah,” for men and women, Rabbi Jeremy Donath, Cong Darchei

Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, 201773-4080 “The Mitzvah of Matza on Leil Pesach: Halacha and Aggada,” Rabbi Baruch Simon, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-836-6210 “Inspirational Insights into the Hagaddah,” Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of PassaicClifton in the basement of the Yeshiva Ketana Boys Building, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-778-7117

Wed., April 9

Last Day for the Jewish Family Service Food Drive, nonperishable, sealed, kosherfor-Pesach items only, for families in need, drop-off locations in Clifton, Elizabeth, and Teaneck, ncschmutter@hotmail.com Kashering by Appointment, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8:30am5:30pm, 718-548-1850 ext 114 Pre-Pesach Camp, for girls in Pre-School, Devorah Kayla Pomrantz, Passaic, 9am-2pm (extended hours possible), also Thurs, April 9, and Fri,., April 10, 347-628-0052 MetroWest Book Club: “The List” by Martin Fletcher, The Woodlands Clubhouse, West Orange, 11am, 973-530-3421 Intergenerational Model Pesach Seder, Rabbi Gary Katz, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-408-1455 Mock Seder, for seniors, Riverdale YMHA, 11:30am, 718548-8200 OU Kashrus Shiurim: “Products You Would Never Imagine Could Contain Chametz” (Rabbi Avrohom Juravel) and “YearRound and Pesach Kosher Meat Issues” (Rabbi Moshe Klarberg), Bais Medrash Lev Avos, Lakewood, noon, 212-613-0621

continued on page 28

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The Log

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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

continued from page 27

“The Jews of India,” Nissim Reuben, includes lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 12:30pm, 732-545-2407 Holocaust Speaker, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, University Chapel, Teaneck, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Fair Lawn Gemach Appointments Available, for gowns, toddler tuxedos, spons by Anshe Lubavitch Congregation of Fair Lawn, 1-2:30pm, 201-797-1770 Bereavement Support Group, Lori Dillon, MSW and Rabbi Bryan Kinzbrunner, Martin and Edith Stein Hospice, Somerset, 4pm, 732-227-1212 Information Session for Kean University’s Holocaust and Genocide Studies Program, East Campus Room 125, Union, 5:30pm, 908-737-4723 or 908-737-0256 Film: “Stateless: An EyeOpening Portrait of the Exodus of Soviet Jews in the Late 1980s,” Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 7pm, diana@rutgershillel.org Girls Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Regular Kashering, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7:30-10pm, 718-548-1850 ext 114 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Women Unchained,” with producer Leta Lenik and Rabbi Asher Lopatin, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Mom’s Support Group, for mothers of children with special needs, Beth Giladi, LSW, spons by Jewish Family Service, JCC, West

Orange, 7:30pm, 973-765-9050 or 973-929-3129 “Lessons from Caesar: A Look at Jewish Leadership,” for women, Dinie Mangel, Chabad in Cherry Hill, 7:30pm, 856-874-1500 “The Shidduch Seminar for Yeshiva Boys,” Rav Ben Tzion Kokis, Rav Chaim Schabes, and Rabbi Doniel Frank, Cong Knesses Yisroel, Spring Valley, 8pm, 646-493-5597 “Haggadah,” Rabbi Yisroel Gottlieb, Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 8pm, 845-352-1343 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431

Thurs., April 10

Last Day of Passover Food Drive, bring all canned or dry, non-expired, non-kosher-forPassover foods to the Riverdale YMHA or Riverdale Jewish Center for distribution to the poor, 718-548-8200 Hudson County’s Jewish Business Networking for Jewish Professionals, CASE Museum, Jersey City, 8:30am, 908-347-8089 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 Spring Camp, for specialneeds children ages 5-16 and volunteers in grades 8 and up, spons by the Friendship Circle, at the Frisch Yeshiva High School, Paramus, 10am-3pm, 201-262-7172 Jewish Association Serving the Aging (JASA) Model-Seder, includes Klezmer musicians and a performance by the Folksbiene

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

Theatre, at JASA VC Senior Center, Bronx, 11:45am, 718-549-4700 Holocaust Speaker, Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 Golden Age Model Seder, for seniors, Rabbi Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 1pm, 718-796-4730 ext 101 “Children of the Holocaust: Remembering the Past and Educating for the Future,” with survivor Pinchas Gutter, includes kosher breakfast and lunch, College of Saint Elizabeth, Morristown, 8am-3pm, holocaustcenter@cse.edu Art Exhibition: “Water: The Essence of Our Lives,” featuring works by artists from Northern NJ and Nahariya, Israel, at the Belskie Museum of Art and Science, Closter, 6-8pm, works will be exhibited until May 4, 201-820-3908 Shvitz Series: Dancing to Horas, Debkas, Modern and Classical Israeli Music, Tammy Resnikoff, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 6pm, 973-736-1407 or 973-945-6395 Chocolate Seder, for families, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 6:15pm, 845-362-4400 Falafel and Films, by the Ma’aleh School of Television Film and the Arts in Jerusalem, at the JCC, Bridgewater, 6:30pm, 908725-6994 Special Friends Pre-Pesach Party, for special-needs individuals, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:30pm, 718-796-4730 Bnai Jazz, Dave Scher, Steve Wien, Ray Butler, Josh Marcus, and Seth Chosak, at Tavlin Kosher Restaurant, Tenafly, 7pmclosing, 201-871-6060 Boys Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 MetroWest Book Club: “The List” by Martin Fletcher, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973530-342 Desserts for Passover, Einav Gefen, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-569-7900

Fri., April 11

Children’s Event, for children ages 4-10, includes arts and

crafts, games, stories, snacks, and lunch, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 9:30am-2pm, oechildren@gmail.com Vacation Sensation, for grades K-5, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 10:30am-6pm, 845-3624400 ext 110 “Lessons from Caesar: A Look at Jewish Leadership,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at the Egg Harbor Twnshp Library, 12:15pm, 609-822-8500 Tired-of-Cleaning-forPesach Friday Night Meal: Chinese, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 7pm, 732-247-3038 Shabbat Dinner: Chinese food from Chopstix, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-833-0515 Shabbat HaGadol Shabbat Dinner, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 7:30pm, hagadolmeals@ arzeidarom.org Rabbi Paysach Krohn, scholar-in-residence, includes Fri night dinner and Shabbos lunch, Cong Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov, Passaic, through Shabbat, April 12, 973-473-5496

Shabbat, April 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 or 201-836-4334 Shabbat HaGadol Drasha: “Back-Benching in Halacha Observance vs the Hands-on Experience—The Role of ‘Shelichut’ or Agency in Halachic Observance,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 11:30am, 201-833-0515 Cholent Cookoff, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, funds to purchase to taleisim, furniture, a wheelchair, and more; noon, 973-731-7229 Gala Kiddush Luncheon, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, noon, 201- 836-8916 Tired-of-Cleaning-forPesach Shabbat Lunch, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, noon, 732-247-3038 Pre-Pesach Shabbat HaG-

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com adol Lunch, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, noon, 201-907-0180 Shabbat Lunch: Ma’adan, Jewish Center of Teaneck, noon, 201-833-0515 Shabbat HaGadol Shabbat Lunch, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, noon, hagadolmeals@ arzeidarom.org “A Deal Made in Heaven: The Sale of Chametz—How, Why, and Why Not?” Rabbi Yitzi Genack, Riverdale Jewish Center, 3pm, 718-548-1850 Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 4pm, safek7@gmail.com “‘So That You Will Remember’: The Afterlife of the Exodus Motif,” Dr. Tammy Jacobowitz, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 6:55pm, info@netivotshalomnj.org Shabbat HaGadol Drasha: “Ma’avdut L’Cheirut: Pesach, Slavery, and Modern-Day Agunot,” Rabbi Yaakov Weinstein, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 6:55pm, 732-254-1860

Motzei Shabbat, April 12

Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Young Israel of Riverdale, 9pm, 718-548-4765 Questions for the Rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, 9-10:30pm, 973-330-2285

Sun., April 13

Movie and Pizza Lunch, for children ages 5 and up, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 10:30am, 732-247-0532 Sunday Funday Drop-Off, for children ages 5-11, includes hot lunch, Torah with Pesach arts and crafts, baking, bouncy house, arcade basketball, indoor hockey, jump ropes, hula hoops, parachutes, bowling, snacks, and movie, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11:15am-3:30pm, http://www. thebayit.org/funday Beyond Bar Mitzvah Club, for boys in grade 8, Rabbi Yitzchok Kahan, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 12 noon, 856-874-1500 Manicure for a Cure, for women, to benefit Sharsheret for young Jewish women battling breast and ovarian cancers, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 2-4pm, 732-247-0532 Bat Mitzvah Club International, for girls ages 11-13 from

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

throughout NJ and NY, Chaya Kanelsky, private home in Elizabeth, 4pm, 908-463-3347 or 908662-2722 Rockland and Bergen County Adoptive Families Meet-Up and Support Group, for those who have already adopted or are in the process of adopting, internationally and domestically, private home, 7:30pm, www. meetup.com/Rockland-and-Bergen-Adoptive-Families Hag’alat Keylim, in the dairy kitchen, Jewish Educational Center, Elizabeth, 8-11:45am, 908-355-4850 Express Kashering for Kiddush Cups Only, Riverdale Jewish Center, 8:30-9:30pm, 718-548-1850

Mon., April 14 First Seder

Burning of Chometz, spons by Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, private home in Fair Lawn, 8-11am, 201-796-1525 or 201-794-3770 Trip to Funplex, for grades K-5, leave JCC, West Orange, 9am, return 4pm, 973-530-3993 Vacation Sensation, for grades K-5, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am-4pm, 845-362-4400 ext 110 Al and Joy Amsel Mermorial Biur Hametz Program: Big Bread Burn, Jewish Center of Teaneck Parking Lot, 9:30am, 201833-0515 Jewish Learning Experience Seder, Rabbi David Pietruszka, at Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 7:15pm, 201-966-4498 Community Seder, Rabbi Avrohom and Mashie Rapoport, spons by Chabad at the Shore, at Cong Rodef Shalom, Atlantic City, 8pm, 609-822-8500 or 609992-5522 Community Seder, Chabad, Haskell, NJ, 8pm, 201-696-7609 Community Seder, Chabad of Passaic-Clifton, 8pm, 973-2465251 Communal Seder, Rabbi Yehuda Balashov, spons by Chabad of Riverdale, at the Kinneret Day School, Bronx, 8pm, 718-549-1100 ext 10 or 718-548-0900 Seder, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 Community Seder, Rabbi Moshe and Shaindel Schapiro, Chabad of Hoboken, 8pm, 201386-5222

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Seder, Lubavitch on the Palisades, 8pm, Tenafly, 201-871-1152 Seder, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8pm, ciment1@yahoo.com Communal Family Seder, Rabbis Shimon and Levi Neubort, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, 201-794-3770 Free Seder, Rabbis Avi Weiss, Art Hart, and Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718796-4730

Tues., April 15 Second Seder

Seder, spons by Rutgers Hillel, private home in New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 Free Seder, Rabbis Avi Weiss, Art Hart, and Steven Exler, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8:15pm, 718796-4730 Community Seder, Chabad of Passaic-Clifton, 8:30pm, 973246-5251 Communal Seder, Rabbi Yehuda Balashov, spons by Chabad of Riverdale, at the Kinneret Day School, Bronx, 8:30pm, 718-5491100 ext 10 or 718-548-0900 Community Seder, Rabbi Moshe and Shaindel Schapiro, Chabad of Hoboken, 8:30pm, 201-386-5222 Seder, Lubavitch on the Palisades, 8:30pm, Tenafly, 201871-1152 Communal Family Seder, Rabbi Avrohom and Rebbetzin Rivky Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8:45pm, 201-794-3770 Omer Count 1

Wed., April 16 Second Day of Pesach Omer Count 2

Thurs., April 17 First Day Chol HaMoed

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Vacation Sensation: Mish Mosh Madness, for grades K-5, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am4pm, 845-362-4400 ext 110 NCSY’s Six Flags Great Adventure Chol Hamoed Pesach, includes Yaakov Shwekey concert and kosher-for-Passover food sold inside the park, tickets available at Tuvia’s in Monsey, Z Berman in Passaic, Mordechai Z in Lakewood, and through www.newjersy.ncsy. org, bus transportation available, park opens 10am, 201-862-0250 “Sesame Street Live,” to benefit the Chai Early Childhood Center of Chabad in East Brunswick, at the State Theater in New Brunswick, 10:30am, 732-325-9626 Passover Brunch and Learn: Film: “Jubanos, The Jews of Cuba,” Josh Cutler, JCC, Margate, 10:30am, 609-822-1167 ext 138 Free Kosher-for-Passover Lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 11:30am-2pm, 732-545-2407 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “In the Shadow,” JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845362-4400 Kosher-for-Passover Chocolate Seder, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-545-2407 Omer Count 3

Fri., April 18 Second Day Chol HaMoed Pesach

Vacation Sensation: Earth Day, for grades K-5, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am-4pm, 845-3624400 ext 110 Free Kosher-for-Passover Lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 11:30am-2pm, 732-545-2407 Omer Count 4

Shabbat, April 19 Third Day Chol HaMoed

continued on page 30

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Log

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

continued from page 29

Pesach

Mommy and Me, for children ages newborn-3 years with a parent, Cong Arzei Darom, 10:30am, info@arzeidarom.org Pearls of Prayer, for girls, includes seudah shlishit, Riverdale Jewish Center, after mincha, 718-548-1850

Motzei Shabbat, April 19 Chol HaMoed Pesach

Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Paris-Manhattan,” AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 9pm, 845348-1876 or 845-362-4400 Omer Count 5

Sun., April 20 Fourth Day Chol HaMoed

Davening and Bikur Cholim at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton, meet at Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:15am; davening, followed by breakfast and bikur cholim, 8:45am, samapprais@aim.com Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Igor and the Cranes’ Journey,” for adults and children, AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 1:30pm, 845-348-1876 or 845-362-4400 Omer Count 6

Mon, April 21 7th Day of Pesach

Omer Count 7

Tues., April 22 8th Day of Pesach

Moshiach Meal, Lubavitch on the Palisades, Tenafly, 6:30pm, 201-871-1152 Moshiach Meal, Rabbi Moshe and Shaindel Schapiro, Chabad of Hoboken, 7pm, 201-386-5222 Omer Count 8

Wed., April 23

TV: “Treblinka: Hitler’s Killing Machine,” with Dr. Caroline Sturdy Colls, forensic investigation at secret Nazi death camp

reveals evidence of gas chamber at site where 900,000 vanished, Smithsonian Channel, 6pm, 212708-1578 “Helping You Help Them: Caring about the Caregiver,” Danielle Hertler, Elaine Gordon, Michael Manna, Esq, and Melanie Lester, LSW, spons by the Jewish Family Service of North Jersey, at the Wayne Public Library, 6pm, 973-595-0111 Second Generation, for children of Holocaust Survivors, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-837-9090 Chametz Party, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732545-2407 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Mimouna Post-Passover Party, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431 Omer Count 9

Thurs., April 24

TV: “Treblinka: Hitler’s Killing Machine,” with Dr. Caroline Sturdy Colls, forensic investigation at secret Nazi death camp reveals evidence of gas chamber at site where 900,000 vanished, Smithsonian Channel, 4am, 212-708-1578 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 Caregivers Support Group,

There Is Always Something Happening in the Jewish Community! Check our website http://www.JewishVoiceAndOpinion.Com for classes, shiurim, lectures, and events that came in after issue went to print! Updated daily!

for those caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-569-7900 “Judaism and Homosexuality,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 “My Family Story: A Collaboration with Beit Hatzfutzot Israel,” in English and Hebrew, for ages 11-13, JCC, Tenafly, 5pm, 201-408-1427 Post-Passover Matzah and Strawberry Food and Fondue, to be sold the next day, proceeds go to the Judy Fund of the Alzheimer’s Association, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-545-2407 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “The Jewish Cardinal,” Lafayette Theatre, Suffern, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Omer Count 10

Fri., April 25

Carlebach Davening: Musical Kabbalat Shabbat, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-833-0515 Omer Count 11

Shabbat, April 26

Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am, rabbidonath@gmail.com Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, includes light and healthy Kiddush, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am, 718-796-4730 Educational Prayer Service, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, includes discussions and commentary, prayers in English and Hebrew transliteration, at Cong Zichron Mordechai, Teaneck, 9:45am, 201-966-4498 or 201-836-4334 Rabbi’s Tish: “Whatever Happened to the War on Poverty? A 50-Year Reappraisal,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 11:45am, 201833-0515 “Contemporary Global Antisemitism: Developing a Response to Our Challenge,” Dr. Charles Small, Riverdale Jewish Center, noon, and seudat shlishit, 718-548-1850 Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in

Teaneck, 4pm, safek7@gmail.com Carlebach Minyan, Torah Academy of Bergen County, after mincha, 347-443-2199

Motzei Shabbat, April 26

Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Young Israel of Riverdale, 9pm, 718-548-4765 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “The Zig Zag Kid,” AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 9pm, 845348-1876 or 845-362-4400 “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Riverdale YMHA, 9pm, 718-5488200 Spring Melava Malka, with tie-die, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, 732-545-2407 Omer Count 12

Sun, April 27 Yom Hashoah

TV: “Treblinka: Hitler’s Killing Machine,” with Dr. Caroline Sturdy Colls, forensic investigation at secret Nazi death camp reveals evidence of gas chamber at site where 900,000 vanished, Smithsonian Channel, 2am, 212708-1578 Shiur, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30am, 201- 836-8916 Friendship Circle Chai-aThon, to support activities for special-needs children, young adults, and their families, at Yeshiva Noam, Paramus, 9am-noon and 6-9pm, 201-262-7172 Chai-a-Thon, to raise funds for The Friendship Circle summer programs for special-needs children and teens, Friendship Circle, Livingston, 9am-6pm, 973-251-0200 “Jewish Heroines through the Ages,” Mother-Daughter MaTaN Bat Mitzvah Program, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 9:30am, 732-254-1860 Fair Lawn Gemach Appointments Available, for gowns, toddler tuxedos, spons by Anshe Lubavitch Congregation of Fair Lawn, 9:30-11:30am, 201-797-1770 Trip to the NEUE Gallery in Manhattan to See “Degenerate Art: The Attack on Modern Art in Nazi Germany 1937,” bus leaves JCC of Middlesex County, Edison, 9:45am, 732-494-3232 ext 3614 Theater: “The Diary of Anne

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Frank,” Riverdale YMHA, 10am and 2pm, 718-548-8200 ext 208 Yom Hashoah Program, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, noon, 732-545-2407 Community-Wide Yom HaShoah Commemoration, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 1pm, 732-588-1816 Ametz Adoption Program, for adoptive parents or parentsto-be, Marci Schwartz, MSW, includes childcare, Nanuet Hebrew Center, 1:30pm, 212-558-9949 “IBM and the Holocaust,” Edwin Black, for the 71st Anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising: Yom HaShoah Commemoration and Yiskor Remembrance Service for the Six Million Martyrs, spons by the Jewish Federation Holocaust Memorial Committee, at Conservative Cong Shomrei Torah, Wayne, 2:30pm, 201-873-3263 Russian-Jewish Cultural Club, Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, South River, 4pm, 732-698-9213 Yom HaShoah Commemoration, Dr. Rafael Medoff, spons by the Holocaust Museum and Study Center Community, at Clarkstown South High School, West Nyack, 5pm, 845-574-4099 Bat Mitzvah Club, for girls in grades 5-6, Shterna Kaminker, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 5pm, 856-874-1500 Jewish Girls Club, for 8th grade girls, Rebbetzin Mussie Mangel, Chabad House, Cherry Hill, 5pm, 856-874-1500 JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 “In the Shadow of the Shoah,” Dr. Norman Blumenthal, Riverdale Jewish Center, 6:15pm, 718-548-1850 Beyond Bat Mitzvah Club, Shterna Kaminker, for girls in grade 7, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 6:30pm, 856-874-1500 Community-Wide Yom HaShoah Program, JCC, Bridgewater, 7pm, 908-725-6994 Yom HaShoah Commemoration, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201569-7900 Yom HaShoah Program: Dr. Mordecai Paldiel, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 7pm,

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

201-568-1315 Yom HaShoah Seder, for teens, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:30pm, 718-796-4730 Rabbi Paysach Krohn, spons by Achieving Change through Torah (ACTT), at Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 7:30pm, 732-572-8762 Omer Count 13

Mon., April 28 Yom Hashoah

Smile on Seniors, for senior men and women, includes brunch, Chabad House, Wayne, 11:30am, 973-694-6274 Krav Maga Self-Defense, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Student Center, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Bayonne Holocaust Memorial Program: “An Uncommon Journey,” Elie Wacs on the Shanghai Ghetto, also winners of the Holocaust Essay Contest from Bauonne High School, Bayonne City Hall, 6pm, 201-436-6900 “A Moral Mandate: Memories of the Unimaginable: Commemorating Kristallnacht, SS St Louis, Kindertransport, and the 20th Anniversary of the NJ Mandate to Teach the Holocaust,” honoring Dr. Paul Winkler, at Kean University Wilkins Theater, Union, 6:45pm, 908-288-2416 or 973-929-3194 Theater: “The Diary of Anne Frank,” Riverdale YMHA, 7pm, 718-548-8200 ext 208 Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck Yom Hashoah Holocaust Commemoration: “Survivors and Survival,” featuring Chaim Kiss and the Yavneh Choir and survivor Irving Roth and his son, Rabbi Dr. Edward Roth, Teaneck High School, for survivors, 6pm; the public, 7:30pm 201-357-2002 Film: “Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport,” discussion with Harold Chapler, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900 Yom Hashoah Commemoration, JCC, Edison, 7:30pm, 732494-3232 Shomer Shabbat Boy Scout Troop 226, for boys in grades 6-12, Scoutmaster Daniel Chazin, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-836-7019 Omer Count 14

Tues., April 29

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Middle Eastern Tasting Tour of Brooklyn, spons by JCC Rockland, West Nyack, leave JCC, 9am, 845-362-4400 “My Race: A Jewish Girl Growing up under Apartheid in South Africa,” JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-569-7900 Yom HaShoah Film: “Orchestra of Exiles,” JCC, Edison, 1:15pm, 732-494-3232 ext 3603 “A Dual Perspective on the Life of a Child with Asperger’s Syndrome,” Steven Paglierani, spons by the Jewish Family Service of North Jersery, at the Wayne Public Library, 7pm, 973-595-0111 “Can We Preserve the Memory of the Holocaust?” Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg, includes performers Marta, Jon, and Danni Martinez and Alan Cooper, Cong Beth El, Edison, 7:30pm, 732-985-7272 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “My German Friend,” AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-348-1876 or 845-362-4400 Volunteer Orientation, for teens, accompanied by a parent, who are considering volunteering for the Friendship Circle to work with Jewish special-needs children and young adults, Friendship Circle, Livingston, 7:30pm, 973-251-0200 Omer Count 15

Wed., April 30

Last Day to Bring Unopened Canned or Packaged Non-Perishable, No Longer Wanted, Kosher-for-Passover Food, Riverdale Jewish Center, 718-548-1850 NORPAC Mission to Washington, DC, join close to 1,000 citizen activists to advocate for a stronger US-Israel relationship with Members of the US Congress

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and Senate, kosher meals, transportation (with briefings on the bus) available throughout NJ and NY, leaves 6am, 201-788-5133, 732985-3527, 973-422-1705, or 973994-3678 Hadassah Southern NJ Region Education Symposium, featuring Marcie Natan, “Why Israel Matters,” Deputy Israeli Consul General Shlomi Kofman; “ArabIsraeli Conflict,” Dr. Samuel Peleg; “Re-Think Israel: Why and How?” Gerald Ostrov; “Advances in Science and Medicine: The Israel Experiment,” Dr. Clifton Lacy, Forsgate Country Club, Monroe Twnsp (NJ), 8:45am, 732-643-1100 Fair Lawn Gemach Appointments Available, for gowns, toddler tuxedos, spons by Anshe Lubavitch Congregation of Fair Lawn, 1-2:30pm, 201-797-1770 Teen Scene Club, for special-needs teens and high school volunteers, Friendship Circle, Livingston, 5:30pm, 973-251-0200 Friendship Circle Chai-aThon, to support activities for special-needs children, young adults, and their families, at Yeshiva Noam, Paramus, 6-9pm, 201-262-7172 Girls Swim and Gym, for grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 Cong Sons of Israel Book Club: “Calling Me Home” by Julie Kibler, at the shul in Manalapan, 7:15pm, 732-446-3000 Rockland Jewish Film Festival: “Disobedience: The Sousa Mendes Story,” with Harry Oesterreicher, AMC Theatres, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-348-1876 or 845-362-4400 Cong Ahavas Achim of High-

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The Log

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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

continued from page 31

land Park Book Club: “The Art of Hearing Heartbeats” by JanPhillip Sendker, private home in Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732448-1532 Omer Count 16

Thurs., May 1

Krav Maga Self-Defense, Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 Friendship Circle Dinner: Miracles and Magic, honoring teen volunteers, Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern, 6:30pm, Devorah@jewishsuffern.com “Kabbalastic Perspectives on the Torah,” Ed Croman, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-669-7320 Omer Count 17

Fri., May 2

Mother’s Day Shopping Madness, JCC, West Orange, 9am-3pm, 973-530-3914 Film: “Ushpizin,” with Rea Bochner, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973-530-3400 Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, noon, 732-545-2407 Challah Baking, for grandparents and grandchildren, JCC, Tenafly, 2:15pm, 201-569-7900 Singles Shabbaton, for those over 30, Sharon Ganz, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, through Motzei Shabbat, May 3, 718-575-3962 Yachad Shabbaton, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, through Shabbat, May 3, 201-384-0434 Omer Count 18

Shabbat, May 3

Mommy and Me, for children ages newborn-3 years with a par-

ent, Cong Arzei Darom, 10:30am, info@arzeidarom.org ATARA of Cong Keter Torah Spring Tea, honoring Jessica Lowy and Francine Weisbrot, at the shul, Teaneck, 3pm, 201-907-0180 Pearls of Prayer, for girls, includes seudah shlishit, Riverdale Jewish Center, after mincha, 718-548-1850 Bnai Akiva Snif (Shabbat Afternoon Groups), for grades 1-6, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 4pm, pscheininger@hotmail.com Omer Count 19

Sun., May 4

Davening and Bikur Cholim at Daughters of Miriam in Clifton, meet at Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:15am; davening, followed by breakfast and bikur cholim, 8:45am, samapprais@aim.com Rutgers Hillel 5K/1 Mile Run/Walk, all proceeds benefit Israel advocacy programs, at Buccleuch Park, New Brunswick, registration, 8:30am; run, 10am, 732-545-2407 Friendship Circle Chai-aThon, to support activities for special-needs children, young adults, and their families, at Yeshiva Noam, Paramus, 9am-noon and 6-9pm, 201-262-7172 Teleconference: Bilvavi Mishkan Evneh: Chaburah on the Energies of the Chodesh, for women, Rabbi Itamar Schwartz, 9:30am, 973-246-5223 JR Sports, spons by the Friendship Circle, at the Friendship Circle, Livingston, 9:30am, 973-251-0200 Jewish Education for Spe-

cial Children Breakfast, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-262-1090 “Jewish Heroines through the Ages,” for female relatives of soon-to-be-Bat Mitzvah girls, the Mother-Daughter MaTaN Bat Mitzvah Program, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 10am, 732-254-1860 Sharsheret Benefit, to benefit young Jewish women battling breast and ovarian cancers, honoring Blair Muss, Lisa Altman, and Batya Paul, Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe, Teaneck, 10:30am, 866-474-2774 Jumping Jellybeans Music and Dance, for children ages 0-5 and a caregiver, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 10:30am, 732-247-0532 Raritan Valley Hadassah Youth Aliyah Brunch, honoring Muriel Levine, Hazel Rabinowitz, and Vickie Zagorin, with singer Reva Kaufman, Cong Ohr Torah, Edison, 11:30pm, Rachel@weintraubworld.net or 732-777-6840 Walking Tour of the Lower East Side of Manhattan, with Dr. Moshe Sterman, spons by the JCC, Edison, leave at 12:15pm, 732494-3232 or 732-317-1786 Shoah Seder Holocaust Program: “20th Anniversary Recognition of the Mandate to Teach Holocaust/Genocide in Schools,” Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, Whippany, 1pm, 973-929-3000 “Local Heroes of Paterson” Sports Exhibit Open Day Reception, spons by the Jewish Historical Society of North Jersey, YMHA, Wayne, 1-3:30pm, 973-595-0100 Holocaust Museum and Study Center Lecture, Abe Foxman, at Rockland Community College, Suffern, 1pm, 845-574-4099 Kids in the Kitchen, for boys ages 5-8 and girls ages 5-10, spons by Anshei Lubavitch, private home in Fair Lawn, 1:30pm, rivky@flchabad.com Yom Ha’atzmaut Lego Event: Building the Old City of Jerusalem, for families, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 3pm, 845-362-4400 Yom Hazikaron Community Commemoration, JCC, Tenafly,

5pm, 201-569-7900 Jewish Girls Club, for 8th grade girls, Rebbetzin Mussie Mangel, Chabad House, Cherry Hill, 5pm, 856-874-1500 Heichal HaTorah Dinner, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 5pm, 201-836-8916 Cong Ohav Emeth of Highland Park Dinner, honoring Joe nd Chaya Friedman and Yechiel Wenger, featuring a Chinese Auction, at the shul in Highland Park, 5:30pm, 732-247-3038 Rutgers Hillel End-of-Year Appreciation Banquet, at Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-545-2407 Pirkei Avot, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9pm, 732-545-2407 Omer Count 20

Mon., May 5 Yom HaZikaron/Yom Ha’atzmaut

Yom HaZikaron Ceremony, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 5pm, 732-545-2407 Yom HaZikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut Commemoration and Celebration, Jewish Federation of Rockland County, West Nyack, 6:30pm, 845-362-4200 ext 133 Tefillah Chagigit in Honor of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-545-2407 Film: “Prague,” discussion with Harold Chapler, JCC, Tenafly, 7:30pm, 201-569-7900 Yom Ha’atzmaut Community Concert: Idan Raichel, Montclair State University Performing Arts Center, 7:30pm, 973-929-3054 Yom Ha’atzmaut Program, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-736-1407 Hadassah Book Club: “No Joke: Making Jewish Humor” by Ruth Wisse, private home in Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732545-3147 Volunteer Orientation, for teens, accompanied by a parent, who are considering volunteering for the Friendship Circle to work with Jewish special-needs children and young adults, Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 8pm, 201-262-7172 Omer Count 21

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Tues., May 6 Yom Ha’atzmaut

Holiday Story Time, in English and Hebrew, for children age 3 and under and a caretaker, JCC, Tenafly, 9:30am, 201-569-7900 Film: “Making Trouble: To Be Funny, Jewish, and Female,” featuring Molly Picon, Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Joan Rivers, Gilda Radner, and Wendy Wasserstein, JCC, Tenafly, 11:30am, 201-569-7900 “Jewish Refugees from the Arab Countries,” Joseph Levy, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 2:30pm, 845-362-4400 Exhibition: “My Family Story: A Collaboration with Beit Hatzfutzot Israel,” in English and Hebrew, JCC, Tenafly, 5pm, 201-408-1427 JCC MetroWest L’Dor v’Dor Gala: From Generation to Generation, honoring Ruth and Marty Barber and Neeli and Michael Margolis, Crystal Plaza, Livingston, 5:30pm, 973-530-3938 Special-Needs Parenting Support Group, JCC, Scotch Plains, 7pm, 908-889-8800 “Understanding Prophecy as It Relates to Sefer Devarim,” for men and women, Rabbi Jeremy Donath, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, 201-773-4080 Omer Count 22

Wed., May 7

“The Scopes ‘Monkey’ Trial,” Prod Ben Nelson, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-569-7900 “Including Special-Needs Students into a Limudei Kodesh Classroom and Curricula: Making Yom Ha’atzmaut Come Alive: A Webinar on Experiential Learning, Batya Jacob, spons by Yachad, 12 noon, yachad.org/webinar or 212-613-8127 Buffet, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, University Chapel, Teaneck, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Teen Scene: Sports and Athletics, for special-needs young adults ages 13-21, with high school volunteers and Coach Chanan, spons by The Friendship Circle, Torah Academy of Bergen County, Teaneck, 6pm, 201-262-7172 Bar Mitzvah Club, for boys in grades 6-7, Rabbi Yitzchok Kahan, includes light dinner, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 6pm, 856-874-1500

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

Contemporary Israeli Poetry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Support Group: Strength to Strength, for parents whose children, 15-25, are dealing with chemical dependency, psychological disorders, and/or co-occurring issues, Dr. Jeffrey Berman, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1403 or 201-569-7900 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Jewish 12-Step Meeting, JACS—Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201837-9090, ask for IRA (Information and Referral) or 201-981-1071 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 Mom’s Night Out, for mothers of special-needs children, spons by the Friendship Circle, private homes in Bergen County, 8pm, 201-262-7172 “Gilad Shalit: Rallying a Nation,” with the soldier’s father, Noam Shalit, Cong Anshe Emeth, Highland Park, 8pm, 732588-1808 Tehillim Group, Cong Shaare Tefillah, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-2895474, 917-902-9303, or 201-836-3431 Omer Count 23

Thurs., May 8

Hudson County’s Jewish Business Networking for Jewish Professionals, CASE Museum, Jersey City, 8:30am, 908-347-8089 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 Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration, for seniors, JCC, Tenafly, 11:15am, 201-408-1455 “Confronting Genocide: Never Again,” for teachers, presented by The Choices Program from Brown University, at the Con-

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

ference Center, Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, 4pm, 908-526-1200 ext 8524 Out and About Trip, for special-needs teens, spons by The Friendship Circle, 6pm, 201262-7172 “The Jews of Ethiopia,” Bob Silverman, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Chabad Women’s Connection: Learning, Conversation, and Camaraderie: A Conversation with the Divine,” for women, Malkie Herson, Chabad Jewish Center, Basking Ridge, 7:30pm, mherson@aol.com Girls Night Out: Challah Baking, Cong Ahawas Achim, Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 or yaelbleicher@gmail.com Omer Count 24

Fri., May 9

Film: “Forced March,” with producer and writer Dick Atkins, JCC, West Orange, 10am, 973530-3400 Shabbat Connects, for senior, include kosher pre-Shabbat meal and entertainment, JCC, Edison, noon, 732-494-3232 ext 3603

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Omer Count 25

Shabbat, May 10

YA’AD Shabbat, for children to participate in davening and kiddush to thank group leaders, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8:45am, 732-247-0532 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 or 201-836-4334 Yom Ha’atzmaut Dairy Kiddush, includes an ice cream party, Young Israel of East Brunswick, noon, 732-254-1860 Study Group: “The Thought of Rabbi Tzadok from Lublin,” Prof Alan Brill, private home in Teaneck, 4pm, safek7@gmail.com “Motherhood in the Midrash,” Lisa Schlaff, Cong Netivot Shalom, Teaneck, 7:25pm, info@ netivotshalomnj.org

Motzei Shabbat, May 10

Shiur, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, Young Israel of Riverdale, 9:30pm, 718-548-4765 Omer Count 26

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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

New Classes This Month Sundays

Gemara Chabura: Mischta Makos, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30am, mglickus@gmail.com Shalom Yoga, for women, Monica Gordon, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-836-8916 Martial Arts, for teenage girls and women, taught by female black belt, Clifton Martial Arts Academy, Clifton, 2:15pm, begins April 27, 973-246-5223

Mondays

Nach Shiur, for women, Rebbetzin Mirel Stavsky, private home in Bergenfield, 9:45am, abaron3@gmail.com Bowling League, for special-needs teens, spons by The Friendship Circle, at Hanover Lanes, E Hanover, 5pm, 973-251-0200, begins April 28 “Life of King David,” for high school students, Yoni Glatt, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, 6pm, 973-597-1655 “Widows and Widowers: You Are Not Alone,” Judy Brauner, LCSW, JCC, Tenafly, 6pm, begins May 5, 201-569-7900 JRecovery: A Safe, Secure, and Anonymous Jewish Self-Help Group to Complement 12-Step Programs, for those with active addictions (alcoholics, drug addicts, gamblers, overeaters, sex addicts) or in recovery and their families and friends, Jewish Family and Vocational Service of Middlesex County, Milltown, 7:30pm, begins April 28, 732-777-1940 or www.jfvs.org Uncoupling: Coping with Divorce and Separation,” Judy Brauner, LCSW, JCC, Tenafly, 7:45pm, begins May 5, 201-408-1456 Night Seder: Sugyas of Gemara at a Relaxed Pace, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-310-2485 “Midrash of the Week,” Rabbi Akiva Dovid Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9:30pm, 732-545-2407

Tuesdays

Training for The Rachel Coalition, a partnership of nine Northern New Jersey organizations, working together to provide services and support programs for victims of domestic violence in Essex and Morris County, is seeking volunteers for its highly respected Court Advocate Program, Suzanne Groisser, Esq, 9:30am, 201-407-4323 begins April 29 “Prophetesses, Queens, and Villains: Exploring Women in Tanach,” Aliza Weinberg, Yeshivat Noam Middle School, Paramus, 9:45am, avogel@yeshivatnoam.org

Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Abigail and Kayla Aaron, Abigail Cohn, Kira Elbaum, Meital Fuksbrumer, Talia Gellman, Hannah Ginsberg, Nili Lang, Renee Hannah Metzger, Tova Miller, Maya Minsky, Elinoa Moerdler-Green, Hannah Nussbaum, Yael Leah Sabo, Aviva Schlanger, Dassi Zelig, and Chaya Tikva Zimmerman; and the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Moshe Friedman, Aharon Goldstein, Avi Goldstein, Shmuel Gopin, Gabriel Greenberg, James Heisler, Daniel Hirsch, Azriel Jesselsohn, Josh Katz, Avi and Etan Kwestel, Nicky Schlanger, and Yochanan Sragow Mazal Tov to Norman B Gildin on being named executive vice-president of American Friends of Migdal Ohr Mazal Tov to NJ Assembly Members Valerie Vainieri Huttle, Gary Schaer, Amy Handlin, Patrick Diegnan, Joseph Cryan, and Annette Quijano for introducing bill A-3055, which will allow school districts to assign a student with special needs to an accredited special education non-public school program— even if that program is sectarian—as long as the funds are used only for non-sectarian programs and services. Y

“Studying the Five Megilot,” for women, Rabbi Samuel Klibanoff, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, 10:30am, 973-597-1655 Intermediate Yiddish, JCC, Whippany, 12:30pm, 973-530-3519, begins May 4 “The Keys to Connecting with Kids,” for parents, teachers, therapists, and anyone with an ongoing connection with a child, Shulamis Cheryl Mayerfield, LCSW, private office in Monsey, 1pm, 347-415-5247 Frum Alateen Meeting, Ricky Wisotsky, for girls ages 9-19, who have friends or family with addiction (i.e. codependency, internet addiction, gaming, ocd, food addiction, eating disorders, internet addiction, or substance abuse), Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 7pm, 973-249-7435 Hebrew Club, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-2407

Wednesdays

Mitzvah Volunteer Program, for boys and girls in grades 6 and 7 who want to work with special-needs children, Friendship Circle, Livingston, 7pm, 973-251-0200, begins April 30 Israel Event, spons by the Rutgers Hillel Center for Israel Engagement, at Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, begins May 7, 732-545-2407 “Understanding the Siddur and Tefillah,” Rabbi Poupko, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-1315 “Jews and Their Food, from Asparagus to Zimmun,” Rabbi Andrew Markowitz, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 8:15pm, 201-791-7910 Night Seder: Sugyas of Gemara at a Relaxed Pace, Yeshivas Bais Mordechai, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-310-2485 Shiur, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8:30pm, begins April 23, 201-530-0043 or info@arzeidarom.org “The Talmud and Philosophy of Halacha,” Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig,” Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8:45pm, 201-568-1315 “Lights along the Way—Explorations of Sefer Mesilat Yesharim,” Rabbi Gershon, Cong Ahavath Torah, Englewood, 8:45pm, 201-568-1315 Beginners Weekly Gemara Class: Tractate Megillah, Rabbi Akiva Dovid Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9pm, 732-545-2407 Intermediate/Advanced Weekly Gemara “Iyun” Class: Tractate Megillah, Rabbi Akiva Dovid Weiss, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 10pm, 732-545-2407

Thursdays

Chaburah, Rabbi Pesach Skulnick, spons by Heichal HaTorah, at Beis Medrash of Bergenfield, Hachana Seder, 8:30pm; Ma’ariv, 9:15pm; Chaburah, 9:30pm, Yehuda.jacoby@gmail.com

Shabbat

Tefillah Workshop, for 7th and 8th grade boys, Yitzi Wolf, includes seudah shlishit, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 6pm, gomaff@aol.com, begins April 26

Motzei Shabbat

Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732-247-0532); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic; JEC, Elizabeth (908-591-5929); Cong Khal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck; Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320), Cong Bais Torah, Suffern (845-352-1343), 10pm

Special

Learn via live, online video-conferences with The 1st Seder Bais Medrash, based in Philadelphia, Rabbi Uri Greenspan, Mon-Fri mornings, www.firstseder.org

Chessed Ops

Lone soldiers living on a kibbutz in Northern Israel lack furniture and basic appliances. Any help is greatly appreciated. Please contact lonesoldieridf@gmail.com Yeshiva Ohr Simcha of Englewood is running a clothing drive to benefit the yeshiva. All clothing, shoes, boots, linens, jewelry, etc. is accepted! help us as you clean your closets for pesach. PLEASE call 201-600-2189 for a pick up. Y

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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ing Teaneck Council election, Mr. Castle is expected to attract many voters in Teaneck’s African-American community. By running with Mr. Castle, Mr. Sohn is believed to be hoping some of that support will accrue to him. Teaneck Cultural Arts Council It is not a prospect Deborah Ugoretz wishes for Teaneck. A former resident of the town, Ms. Ugoretz served as president of the now-defunct Teaneck Cultural Arts Council (TCAC), a group Mr. Sohn served as treasurer some 20 years ago. In that capacity, although Mr. Sohn was never accused of dishonesty, many checks simply disappeared. Ms. Ugoretz blames Mr. Sohn’s “lack of responsibility” and “incompetence” for the ultimate demise of the council. “I would not want to see him in a position that calls for

responsibility and competence,” said Ms. Ugoretz. Another former leader of the TCAC, Laura Mausner, disagreed, saying her “displeasure at that time does not affect my support for [Mr. Sohn] now.” In an email, Ms. Mausner praised Mr. Sohn’s “intelligence and independence,” but she added that, to her knowledge, “Councilmembers do not control or manage the township funds.” Current members of the Council said that is not entirely true because there are always fiscal issues to take into consideration as well as accountability for actions. Barbara Toffler’s Group But while the relevance of Mr. Sohn’s performance from 20 years ago may be open to debate, his current political allies are a matter of concern to many Teaneck constituencies, especially members of the observant community.

these allegations and his relationship with Dr. Toffler, Mr. Sohn said he had no time for an interview and requested that all questions be sent to him by email, which they were. He never responded. Castigating the Orthodox In February 2007, Dr. Toffler, who refers to herself as an “ethicist’ and has boasted that she thinks of herself “as one of the most ethical people I know,” was cited by New York Times columnist Peter Applebome in a story about the growth of Teaneck’s observant-Jewish community. In that article, Dr. Toffler, then a member of the Teaneck Planning Board, said, “People worry that there’s a group that wants [Teaneck] to become an Orthodox community like some of the ones in Rockland County. [Teaneck] has always been an incredibly diverse community, and, from my perspective, I don’t want it to become any one thing.”

Mr. Sohn’s “running-mate” Mr. Castle serves as co-president of “Teaneck 2020,” an incorporated political group which, although it is non-profit, is allowed to support specific candidates for election. Since its inception in 2011, “Teaneck 2020” has been associated Dr. Toffler, whose anti-Orthodox animus was made public in the New York Times. Because Mr. Sohn has made clear his affiliation with Mr. Castle and “Teaneck 2020,” Dr. Toffler’s involvement in Mr. Sohn’s candidacy has raised many questions, including the suspicion that Mr. Sohn is serving as either Dr. Toffler’s “surrogate” candidate for Council or her “token Orthodox Jew.” It is not the first time Dr. Toffler has been accused of using a carefully selected member of the observant-Jewish community for such purposes. Asked to comment on

Israel Parade

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Rabbi Spero dismissed BDS claims that their calls to boycott Israel are based on “right reasons” to “effectuate necessary change.” “We dare not legitimize the boycotting of Jewish businesses or Jews, no matter what the reasons are. If we do, then anyone can boycott Jews or Israel simply by stating that it is being done for ‘necessary’ or ‘moral’ reasons,” he said. If You Can’t Make the Rally The anti-BDS rally organizers are asking all those who oppose inclusion of the BDS groups in the parade, but are unable to attend the rally, to show their support by sending protest letters to the UJA and JCRC. Peter Kohlmann, executive producer of the parade can

be reached at 212-983-4800 ext 162 (kohlmannp@jcrcny. org) and Michael Mittelman, director of the parade, can be reached at 212-983-4800 ext 487 (mittelmanm@jcrcny.org). “Let the directors of the UJA and other Jewish organizations know of your concerns. Real Jewish leaders should not be indifferent, silent, nor lend support to boycotters and others wishing to tear us down. Directors of our Jewish organizations proved their fallibility during the 1930s and ‘40s, teaching us that blind obedience is foolish and leaving our destiny and safety to those who claim they ‘know best’ can be devastating. This time in history, we must not make the same mistake,” said Rabbi Spero. S.L.R.

http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com She has never apologized for her suggestion that Orthodox Jews were trying to take over Teaneck and turn it into “Monsey,” although she has acknowledged that her rhetoric has caused many residents, particularly among the Orthodox, to view her with suspicion. “Spin” Over the years, she has tried to find ways to spin her statement to the Times, but most

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

observers say her anti-Orthodox sentiment was hard to miss. For example, in one public interview, she maintained that her quote referred not to Monsey, as everyone assumed, but, rather, to the Chassidic Satmarrun village of Kiryas Joel. Her explanation fooled no one. “First, Kiryas Joel is in Orange County, not Rockland, and, second, it really doesn’t matter. Her implication was that because

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

Orthodox Jews are moving into Teaneck, they’re trying to take over, and that is outrageous. It would never be tolerated if she had spoken that way about any other community, and her antiOrthodox bigotry should not be tolerated either,” said a Teaneck resident who asked for anonymity because she has close ties to the current Teaneck Town Council. Misrepresentation Several months after Mr.

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Applebome’s article appeared, Dr. Toffler seemed to recognize that she might face political consequences. She had been hoping to be reappointed to the Teaneck Planning Board, but she evidently feared her statement could prompt members of the Town Council to consider her unfit for that position. In an apparent attempt to sooth ruffled feathers, she sent

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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Ess Gezint: “Let My Children Cook” Tamar Ansh has a great way to keep the children out of mischief before and during Pesach. Her new book, “Let My Children Cook,” published by The Judaica Press, is dedicated to the principle that Jewish children who want to cook well must somehow learn the traditional recipes (i.e. matzoh brei, meat

burgers, brownies) as well as many new and fun ones. She also has some wonderful arts and crafts ideas, plus important tips, like: always be sure to close the fridge door. The book would be a great Afikoman treat. Have a wonderful, healthy, and safe Pesach, everyone. Y

Cucumber Holders

Matzah Marshmallow Melt

(to serve with gefilte fish and horseradish) 4 small, fat, firm cucumbers Melon baller Red chrein (horseradish) Mayonnaise Dried dill (optional)

8 cherry tomatoes 4 crunchy lettuce leaves 4 slices gefilte fish Carrot slices for garnish

Wash off each cucumber and cut it into two halves the fat way, not the long way. Using the melon baller, scoop out most of the inside of each cucumber. Set the cucumber balls aside. Take out four plates. Slice off the bottom of each holedout cucumber so it will stand up on the plate. Be careful not to slice too much; you don’t want to slice all the way to the hole. Put two cucumber “holders” on each plate with the hole side facing up. Spoon some chrain into one cucumber holder and some mayonnaise into the other. If you’d like, sprinkle some dill onto the mayonnaise to make it look fancy. Put two cucumber balls and two cherry tomatoes on each plate. Lay the lettuce leaf in the center of the plate. Place a slice of fish on the lettuce. Top with a carrot slice and serve. It will look like a professional caterer prepared this dish for 4.

4 square matzohs 4 Tbs butter or margarine 2 cups mini-marshmallows

1 cup chocolate chips Cooking oil spray

Let the butter or margarine come to room temperature. Pre-heat oven to 350º. Line a baking pan with parchment paper. Spread butter or margarine on each matzoh square. Place two of the buttered matzoh squares on the parchment paper, buttered side up. Sprinkle 1 cup of marshmallows onto each of the two matzoh squares in the pan. They should stick, but, if they don’t, place them on one at a time. Sprinkle chocolate chips in between the marshmallows. Top each matzoh square in the pan with one of the other two matzoh squares, with the buttered side facing down. Spray the top of the matzoh melt with a bit of the cooking oil spray. Place pan in the oven for about 10 minutes, so that the marshmallows and chocolate melt. Use a spatula to flatten the matzohs together and then transfer the melts to a plate. Serves a sticky, yummy mess to 2 or more.

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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On Marcia’s Night Table: Yerach Tov: Birkat HaChodesh in Jewish Law and Liturgy by Rabbi Elchanan Adler By Marcia Kaplan Rabbi Adler’s sefer, Yerach Tov: Birkat HaChodesh (A Good Month: The Blessing of the New Moon) in Jewish Law and Liturgy (OU Press) is a wonderful addition to any Judaic library collection. This sefer is a loose translation of Rabbi Adler’s original work, Kuntrus Yerach Tov, which was received very positively. In this book, Rabbi Adler explores the topic of Kiddush

Teaneck

HaChodesh, the sanctification of the new month, as performed in the Temple era, and relates it to the Birkat HaChodesh prayer. He takes the reader through the prayers that make up Birkat HaChodesh, the sources for it, and explains how it was integrated into our service today. Rabbi Adler also explains the concept of the Molad (the “birth” of the new moon), how it is calculated, and its signifi-

cance. His exploration of other topics involving Birkat HaChodesh is most interesting. The book includes a comprehensive bibliography of all sources and authors cited, allowing the motivated reader the ability further to research topics of interest. I for one am very appreciative of the English version, and gained tremendous insights into Birkat HaChodesh. Y

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an email to Mr. Stern, who at the time was not serving on the Council, asking him as a leader in the observant community for advice on how she might regain the trust of people she had offended by the Times article. Despite warnings from community members familiar with Dr. Toffler that dealing with her could prove disadvantageous, Mr. Stern responded to her request, sending her an email with what he considered thoughtful and well-reasoned advice. He suggested she first apologize for the Applebome article and her quote and then educate herself on the issues the observantcommunity considers important, such as supporting synagogue expansions and bringing ratables to the community-at-large. His recommendations were not to Dr. Toffler’s liking, and she retaliated by reading his email out loud at a Teaneck Town Council meeting without explaining that she had asked for Mr. Stern’s advice, “She tried to humiliate him, making it seem as though he had sent her his advice on his own initiative, out of the blue,” said the Teaneck source. “No Ethical Breach” When asked about the incident, Dr. Toffler defend-

ed herself by explaining that emails are not “private” and that, in her opinion, she had committed no ethical breach. The source close to the Town Council agreed that Mr. Stern probably could not have won a legal case against Dr. Toffler, but the source had no doubt that she had committed a moral violation. “Especially for someone who calls herself ‘the ethicist,’” said the source. Censure But Dr. Toffler’s ethical problems hardly ended at that. Despite her quote in the New York Times, she still managed to win a seat on the Teaneck Town Council in 2008. Four years later, however, her bid for re-election was doomed by her efforts to sue the Teaneck Town Council after it had voted to censure her for derogatory statements to the press against two long-term township employees. When the court dismissed her case, in which she had charged the Council with denying her the right to free speech, she filed an appeal. She finally dropped the suit, but not until she had cost Teaneck and its taxpayers tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees.

Mr. Katz called the entire episode “a waste of taxpayers’ money” and he called Dr. Toffler “a divisive obstructionist.” Leaving the Scene It began in January 2011, when Dr. Toffler struck a parked car in a Teaneck bank parking lot and then left the scene without reporting it, offenses that carry a mandatory court date. Her involvement in the incident was documented by a security camera, and police came to her home in Teaneck. When a report about the incident appeared in local papers, Dr. Toffler publicly accused then-Teaneck Police Chief Robert Wilson, Township Manager William Broughton, and Mr. Gussen of leaking the information to reporters. She

claimed they had tried “deliberately” to embarrass her as “payback” for her having opposed a failed plan to hire Mr. Wilson as Teaneck’s public safety director. Mr. Gussen, who was running for Congress at the time, found her charges outrageous. “She leaves the scene of an accident and then she wants to change the story so that it becomes an issue of who reported it to whom,” said Mr. Gussen, calling it “a flagrant attempt to draw attention from herself and her dramatic lack of judgment.” Veiled Threat? When Dr. Toffler admitted she had no evidence to support her charges against Messrs Wilson and Broughton, who are

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Teaneck

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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continued from page 39

long-term paid employees of the town, they were cleared of any wrongdoing. One month later, after giving her five days to prepare and the option to have the matter discussed publicly, the Teaneck Town Council voted to censure Dr. Toffler for her “unsupported, inappropriate, erroneous, and speculative statements” made to reporters about Messrs Wilson and Broughton. The censure, which passed by a vote of 5-0, with one abstention, also accused Dr. Toffler of sending unsolicited emails to Messrs Wilson and Broughton, telling them

“in no uncertain terms that they would suffer ‘painful consequences’ for their actions.” “Interference” A third issue contained in the censure concerned Dr. Toffler’s “interference” with an Open Public Records Act request from Teaneck merchant Emil Lebovich who was seeking information about her police report and security-camera footage of the hit-and-run incident. Dr. Toffler said all she had done was ask the then-acting township clerk, Mr. Broughton, if there were a way to determine whether Mr. Lebovich had a criminal record.

Dr. Toffler said her concern was prompted by the recent murder of a Teaneck activist as well as the hostile tenor of Council meetings. But even if the individual seeking material had been a convicted criminal, he would have been denied by law only personal information about Dr. Toffler, not her public record. Mr. Broughton responded by filing a complaint accusing Dr. Toffler of creating a “hostile work environment” for him. In a prepared response, Dr. Toffler said she recognized her request was “viewed as interference, and for this I am distressed, because that was not my intent.” Dismissed Case According to Teaneck Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, Teaneck’s first Muslim elected official whose close relationship with the observant-Jewish community has been highlighted as an example of interfaith relations at its best, Dr. Toffler’s censure was necessary to protect Teaneck from a serious libel suit which could have been pressed by Mr. Wilson and/or Mr. Broughton. In June 2011, four months after she was censured, Dr. Toffler filed a civil rights suit against the council, alleging her rights to free speech—presumably the right to make the charges against city employees—and due process were violated. Six months later, in December 2011, Superior Judge Charles E. Powers dismissed Dr. Toffler’s bid to have the censure overturned. He also ruled against her request for legal fees. She had not asked for damages. Mr. Hameeduddin said the council was “vindicated” by the judge’s ruling. “From the beginning, I said Councilwoman Toffler’s lawsuit was frivolous. We only reacted to what she did. We didn’t go after her,” he said. Although Dr. Toffler filed an appeal after losing in court, she withdrew her suit before it could be heard. “Masters of Dirty Political Tricks” At the time, she sent out emails accusing the judge of not dealing “with the facts of the case.” She called Messrs Gussen and Stern, along with former Teaneck Councilman Elnatan Rudolph, another member of the Orthodox community, “masters of the dirty political tricks,” and said they were “the only people who won…(and

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The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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Index of Advertisers Ad With Coupon

Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Dovid’s Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 ShopRite Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 25 Teaneck Road Bagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Burial Services

Eden Memorial Chapels . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Gutterman and Musicant/Wien & Wien..46

Camps & Summer Programs

Education & Open Houses

CollegeLink Consulting . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 YIEP Online Degrees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Events/Entertainment

4/17: NCSY SixFlags Great Adv. . . . . . . . . 11 4/27: Yom HaShoah Memorial Day . . . . 40 4/30: NORPAC Mission to Washington . 5

Home Products & Services

Camp Regesh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Gan Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Yachad’s Inclusive Programs . . . . . . . . . 9

American General Windows . . . . . . . . Eden Landscaping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Shalom Plumbing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Starr Carpets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Car Service

Kosher Restaurant, Take-Out

Teaneck Taxi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Catering Services

Simcha Halli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Charities

Donate Your Car . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Umbrella Tzedaka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Computer Services

Aldine Web & Print . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 Rivkie.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 we will all work hard to see that they do not succeed in the future).” “Fortunately, more and more people are on to them,” she wrote concerning the observant-Jewish Councilmen. Mr. Katz, the only observant Councilman not named among her alleged “masters of dirty tricks,” responded to her email, telling her that he found her message “confusing.” “Are you threatening to do something to [Messrs Rudolph, Gussen, and Stern]? What do you mean?” he said. Dr. Toffler answered that “you, I, and many Teaneck residents know perfectly well that… Gussen engineered this entire censure ‘thing.’” She added her belief that Mr. Katz was guilty of sending out a “horrible racist glossy flyer” during the 2008 campaign. “Racism?” It was not the first time Dr. Toffler had charged Councilmem-

43 31 43 43

Butterflake Pesach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Chopstix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Dovid’s Fish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Ma’adan Passover Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 ShopRite Passover . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24, 25 Teaneck Road Bagels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Medical Services

Holy Name Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . 2 Psychotherapy, Chana Simmonds . . 43

bers with racism. On another occasion, in widely disseminated emails, she publicly accused several sitting Councilmen of “racism” and of blackmailing an activist member of Teaneck’s African-American community in order to win his support. The accused Councilmen as well as the African-American activist vehemently denied her charge. Mr. Katz said at the time that Dr. Toffler was using her position on the Town Council “as a soap box to spew hate, act as an obstructionist to progress, and become the Council bully.” Mr. Hameeduddin said that, after looking into the charges of blackmail, he not only found no basis for the accusation, but also came to the conclusion that Dr. Toffler “does not even understand the definition of the word ‘racism.’” At a Council meeting in 2010, Dr. Toffler was accused of comparing racial tensions

Miscellaneous

Bergen Equestrian Center . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Bonnie’s Fashons in Sewing . . . . . . . . 39 Carly’Z Craze . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Go-Kosher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Jonah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Marlboro, NJ Orthodox Community . 29 Life Coach for Men . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Media Alert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 “Never Again Is Now!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Musician

Jeff Wilks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Real Estate

FSBO, Highland Park . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Travel & Vacations

“Flakey” Jake Shavous . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 Kosherica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . MatzaFUNTours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Quality Kosher Hotel, Montreal . . . . . 14 Revel Casino - Hotel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Torah in Motion Tours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

in Teaneck with South African apartheid, prompting Teaneck resident Helen Ickowitz to characterize her as “a race-baiter” who had belittled not only Teaneck’s Councilmembers, but “all citizens of Teaneck.” Judged by the Company With this history, the source close to the Teaneck Council said she could not understand fair people in town choosing to support any candidates associated with Dr. Toffler. In addition to Messrs Katz,

Stern, and Gussen, those running for Council with no apparent ties to Dr. Toffler include incumbent Lizette Parker and would-be freshmen Eric Brauer and Alexander Rashin. The source singled out Mr. Sohn as a potentially “dangerous choice,” especially for the Teaneck observant-Jewish community, because of his connection to Dr. Toffler. “As they say, ‘you are judged by the company your keep,’” said the source. S.L.R.

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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HaZamir Jewish High School Choir Promotes Jewish Life, Culture, and Continuity For most Jewish day school

students, the opportunity to participate in a high-level, professionally conducted choral group is not part of the high school experience. The exceptions are those youngsters who are able to take advantage of HaZamir, the International Jewish High School Choir, a network of choral chapters across the US and Israel that provides Jewish teens with a high-level choral experience in a Jewish environment. On Sunday, March 31, the combined HaZamir choral chapters, comprising about 350 young sopranos, altos, tenors and bases, combined for a Carnegie Hall concert, featuring 18 contemporary settings of traditional prayers, Psalms,, and Hebrew songs. Most of the singers were high school age, but about 50 of them were high school graduates, now in college, who so enjoyed the HaZamir experience that they opted to participate in the organization’s Alumni Choir. Geographic Diversity The participants came from: Baltimore; Boston; Chicago; Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Hartford; Los Angeles; Minneapolis/St. Paul; Philadel-

phia and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and Providence. Some also came from Beit Sh’an and Kfar Saba in Israel. Locally, many came from Brooklyn, Manhattan, Long Island, Westchester, and Rockland County. In New Jersey, there are HaZamir chapters in Bergen County, which meets in Teaneck; North Jersey, which meets in West Orange; New Brunswick; and South Jersey, which meets in Voorhees. While a fair number of the students attend day schools, including Beth Tfiloh in Baltimore, SAR in Riverdale, the Binah School in Boston, Fuchs Mizrachi in Cleveland, Ramaz in Manhattan, the Yeshiva of Flatbush, and Hillel Yeshiva High School in Deal, most of the young singers are public school students. Kol Isha Some of the Orthodox participants said they had discussed the prohibition of Kol Isha, the issue of Jewish men forbidden to hear women singing, with their own rabbis and teachers. One of the boys in the group said he learned that there is a diversity of opinions regarding the scope of the Kol Isha prohibition even among Torah scholars. For example, some rabbis say the prohibition does not

apply as long as two or more women sing simultaneously. Others say it doesn’t apply if a woman is singing religiousoriented songs, such as those in the HaZamir repertoire. Some rabbis have ruled that the prohibition does not apply when the solo voices are amplified by a microphone, as in the case of the HaZamir Choir. There is even some debate as to whether the prohibition applies to the voice of an unmarried young woman. “After discussions with my rabbi, I decided the HaZamir approach was one he and I could live with,” said the boy. Learning the Music In preparation for the Carnegie Hall concert, the students trained for months and learned their music by heart, in their local chapters with their own conductors. On the Thursday before the concert, they arrived by bus, van, and airplane at a kosher hotel in the Catskills for a weekend of rehearsals and a Shabbaton participants called “amazing.” “The organizers made sure those of us who daven in Orthodox settings were provided with a proper minyan. No one asked anyone to compromise their standards, and the level of cooperation, consideration, and respect was all anyone could hope for,” said a 10thgrade alto who sings with the New Brunswick chapter and attends the Hillel Yeshiva High School in Deal. From the hotel, the excited youngsters were taken to Carnegie Hall, where the audience consisted of proud parents and grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, and many concert-goers who knew from past experience

that the performance would be as professional and beautiful as the setting. Valuable Opportunity According HaZamir founder and director Matthew Lazar, HaZamir is designed “to transcend boundaries, giving teenagers a valuable opportunity to forge close bonds and unite in a common goal: music.” “Our goal is to promote choral music as a vehicle to inspire Jewish life, culture, and continuity,” he said. Considered one of the leading forces in Jewish choral singing in North America, HaZamir was founded by Mr. Lazar in 1993 with the creation of one single choir in Manhattan. But the high school and alumni divisions are only two components of the Manhattanbased Zamir Choral Foundation. There is also the Zamir Chorale, founded in 1969 as the first adult Hebrew-singing choir in North America; Zamir Noded, created to provide a high-level musical opportunity for young adults ages 18-30; and the Mandell Fund for New Music to provide support for the Zamir Choral Foundation to commission new compositions. The choral foundation sponsors frequent missions to Israel that allow participants to perform, tour, and interact with Israeli choirs and other musicians. A Living Example Each summer since 1990, the foundation sponsors the North American Jewish Choral Festival, which brings together singers, choirs, and teachers from across North America and beyond to sing, learn, and share the joy of Jewish

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

Judea, Samaria, and the Israel Day Parade

Here are some other ideas for floats that could be used in the Israel Day Parade to promote Judea and Samaria as reasons to “Celebrate Israel” (“Kol Ami: Judea, Samaria, and the Israel Day Parade,” March 2014). How about a representation of Mishkan Shiloh (the Biblical Tabernacle) with King David dancing in front of the Aron (Ark) on top of the float? Or M’ras HaMachpeilah (The Cave of the Patriarchs) in Hebron with the Patriarchs and their wives on top? There could be a float showing Jericho with (fake) walls falling (and rising) as Joshua and others circle around and around while blowing shofars. Banners could feature slogans such as “Judea and Samaria: We’re in the Bible” and “The Heart of Our History as a Nation: Judea and Samaria.” Costumes could include dressing up as a mountain, a cluster of grapes, Joseph’s Tomb, and even a mountain goat. Michael Poppers Elizabeth, NJ How about the wonderful winery near the community of Racheli. A float could show a vineyard and the wine-making process. Participants could hand out a sampling of wines or grape juice. Deborah Lewitter Highland Park, NJ We thank the Jewish Voice and Opinion for supporting all of Israel in the coming Israel Day Parade. Now residing in Neve Daniel, the highest peak in Judea, we have had wonderful interactions with Arabs and Jews. Many thanks for your work on behalf of the Jewish community in Israel and the United States. Rabbi H.M. and Florence Bialik Neve Daniel, Israel The Israel Initiative Network’s plans to include Greater Israel in this year’s Israel Day Parade are in full swing. We already have one float from Friends of Ariel University and almost sufficient funding for a united Judea and Samaria float. We are hoping also to be able to get a third and fourth as well. It would be amazing if some of the schools whose students plan to march took up the theme of promoting some aspect of Judea and Samaria. Thanks for all the help of The Jewish Voice and Opinion and your readers. We are always interested in more ideas and of course, if someone would like to sponsor something for the parade, please contact us at TheIsraelIniativeNetwork@ gmail.com. Rabbi Pesach Lerner Brooklyn, NY

Hobby Lobby and the Jews

I read with fascination your recent article on the travesty that is “Obamacare” (“In the Hobby Lobby Case at the Supreme Court, American Orthodox Jewry Now Speaks with One Voice,” March 2014). In thoroughly describing how this law will force private business owners to fund health-care choices that are antithetical to their religious values, you clearly show how this

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Letters to the Editor

law is not only a death knell to the greatest medical system in the world, but a direct attack on the religious rights and freedoms that made our county what it is today. As the owner of a small wholesale business specializing in seforim (Jewish books) and surgical supplies, should I have to fund contraceptive techniques if I believe such techniques are against Jewish law? Should I be forced to provide family medical coverage to my female employees if I believe that judging a woman to be the “head of the household” is antithetical to Torah values? Should I be forced to allow overly-extended maternity leave if such extended leaves might negatively impact on the Torah learning of Kollel husbands and sons? And, does anyone honestly believe that this government intrusion will be solely limited to health-care decisions? Recently, we received a rather large order for a specific tractate of Gemara. When I noticed that it was in fact a girls’ school that was placing the order, I immediately cancelled the shipment on religious grounds. Will Obamacare declare my acting on my religious convictions “discrimination?” Will I have to pay a fine or go before a death panel? What happened to the Constitution? Of course, I understand that there are non-Jews and nonOrthodox Jews who disagree with our values; but isn’t that what makes America great? Thank you for your wonderful publication. You are rapidly becoming the only news source I turn to for clear and truthful coverage of the issues impacting our community. May you continue to be zoche to promote classical Judaism to your readers. M. C. Shiur Brooklyn, NY SLR responds: Thank you for your kind words. It is important to recognize that there are even some Orthodox Jews who might disagree with your interpretation of Torah values or Jewish tradition. It is fair to say that those who don’t like the terms of employment in any establishment should not be forced to work there. Your article on the Hobby Lobby case and its impact upon the Orthodox-Jewish community, in which I’m extensively quoted, contains a serious error. The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic Order which minsters to poverty-stricken seniors of all faiths, is also being targeted by the Obama administration. That is because not-for-profit hospitals, social agencies, and the like are not covered by the so called “accommodation” the administration magnanimously provided for churches. These non-profit agencies, while extensions of the religious beliefs of their respective church or faith communities, nevertheless employ individuals who may not necessarily be of that particular faith. That, in and of itself, according to the administration, precludes The Little Sisters of the Poor from the “accommodation” offered to religious enterprises. Religious freedom is a citizen’s right. He or she should be able to exercise that right in accordance with the First Amendment to our Constitution in all aspects of life’s endeavors. It is not, as the Obama administration would have it, limited to the confines of the brick-and-mortar building of a Church, Mosque, Synagogue, or Ashram..

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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) Let us all remember the cautionary message of our first President, George Washington, in his farewell address to the nation. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports... And let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.” Rabbi Philip Lefkowitz Agudas Achim North Shore Congregation Chicago, IL This past March 25, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. v. Sebelius. As your article made clear, the Rabbinical Council of America joined with the Orthodox Union, the National Jewish Commission on Law and Public Affairs, and several other Orthodox organizations in the submission of an amicus brief in those cases, which address fundamental questions of religious liberty in the US. We emphatically and proudly support Hobby Lobby and Conestoga in challenging the federal government’s asserted power to compel them to act in violation of their religious beliefs. While the specific tenets at issue in the cases are not necessarily ones we share (Hobby Lobby is owned by evangelical Christians and Conestoga by Mennonites), in the great American tradition we of different faiths join together to stand up for religious freedom for all. The government claims that, simply by incorporating, an entrepreneur loses his or her right to free exercise of religion in the course of running a business. As our amicus brief argues, this proposition is both foreign to American jurisprudence and utterly incompatible with the practice of Judaism. If upheld, the government’s position would leave Jewish storeowners unprotected against legislation requiring, just for example, that they stay open on the Sabbath, or that they sell non-kosher food. We urge the Justices to rule in favor of the companies involved, thus protecting the interests of the RCA’s constituent communities while simultaneously confirming the enduring wisdom of the United States’ legal and cultural heritage. Rabbi Leonard A Matanky, President Rabbi March Dratch, Executive Vice President Rabbinical Council of America New York, NY

Pollard’s Finest Hour

The Netanyahu government’s attempt to sugar-coat the next mass release of murderous terrorists by linking the “deal” with the PLO to the prospective release from prison of Jonathan Pollard was only the latest in the series of idiotic self-debasement “deals” in which Israel rewards terrorists and murderers by setting them free. Bibi and his boneheads ignore the Jews who will be murdered by these terrorists after their release. This latest “deal” is even stupider than the one which freed Gilad Shalit. Young Shalit, after all, was being held by the Hamas, and, therefore, in imminent danger of being murdered. Pollard, on the other hand, is an aging fellow due to be released from US prison in a little over a year even if there is no deal for his release before then. Without going into an analysis of Pollard’s life and deeds, I believe, beyond any doubt, the noblest act in his entire life was his proclamation that he rejects the idea of being released as the quid-pro-quo for the wholesale release of terrorists and would refuse to apply for parole if he were part of any such “deal.” I assume he also resents the idea that such a “deal” would serve to equate him morally with terrorists. It is Pollard’s finest hour. I say sorry to all his supporters, but better Pollard’s release be delayed for another year than for hundreds of newly-released terrorists to murder an unknown number of Jews after their release. Oh, and Bibi no longer even pretends that Israel would be getting anything from the Palestinians in return for their released terrorhoids. All that would happen is that Abu Mazen and his gang would agree to continue the pretense of conducting “negotiations” with Israel for another year in exchange for the murderers. And in these negotiations, the PA would continue to proclaim that they will never accept Israel as a legitimate state and will continue to demand that Israel be destroyed by means of implementing the “Palestinian Right of Return.” In the past two decades the Palestinians have never made a single concession about anything, so why should anyone think that an extra year of such Potemkin negotiations will achieve something different? In Netanyahu-land, this is supposed to make sense. Prof Steven Plaut Haifa, Israel 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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April 2014 / Nissan 5774

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All Evidence to the Contrary, Kerry Remains a True Believer in His Ability to Restart the Peace Talks Despite pronouncements by

all major pundits in Israel and the US and the evidence before him, including the Palestinian Authority’s sudden, unexpected move to join 15 international organizations, Secretary of State John Kerry still believes it is too early to declare that his efforts to bring about a negotiated peace between the PA and Israel have failed. “It is completely premature to draw any final judgment about where things are,” he told reporters in Brussels at the beginning of April. Although PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas announced that the groups he was seeking to join were affiliated with the UN, Mr. Kerry claimed they were not. The difference is impor-

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tant. According to the agreement reached before the latest round of US-mediated peace talks began last summer, the PA had committed itself to refrain from seeking to advance its statehood unilaterally through the UN. According to PLO Secretary-General Yasser Abd Rabbo, the PA wants Mr. Kerry to continue the peace talks until their scheduled end on April 29, despite the PA’s having already approached the 15 UNaffiliated institutions. Just for Prisoners According to the outline established last summer, in exchange for the PA’s agreement to avoid approaching the UN, Israel had agreed to release 104 terrorists who were serving sentences—some of them for murder—in Israeli prisons.

The prisoners to be released had committed their crimes before the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. To keep the Palestinians at the table, Israel agreed to release the terrorists in four separate batches of 26, the last of which was scheduled for the end of March. For most of the nine months, PA leaders, including Mr. Abbas, insisted the Palestinians were remaining at the table only in order to secure the liberty of the prisoners. The Palestinians often told reporters as well as their own people that once the prisoners were freed, the PA leadership would feel free to walk away from the negotiations and even to renew calls for violence, which some PA leaders have already done.

Waiting for War Less than a week before he approached the UN organizations, Mr. Abbas told a Kuwaiti newspaper that while war with Israel better served his interests than a situation of “no war and no peace,” it was not yet practical because, he said, “we aren’t currently prepared for war.” Nor is he prepared simply to allow Arab prisoners to remain in Israeli jails. According to some reports, PA officials told journalists the request to join the UN organizations was being used as a “weapon” to “blackmail” Israel into releasing the terrorists. During the first three scheduled releases, the freed terrorists, many of whom had deliberately murdered Israeli civilian men, women, and chil-

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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com dren, were greeted as heroes by Mr. Abbas. No PA Compromises Israelis viewed these welcoming ceremonies with extreme distaste, making the already unpopular prisoner releases politically disastrous for the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Many of his own ministers publicly denounced the releases, especially because the PA had done nothing to increase the chances for peace. Instead of negotiating towards compromises, the PA has stuck to all its original demands, most of which remain impossible for Israel to fulfill. These include relinquishing all land won in the 1967 Six-Day War, including the eastern neighborhoods of Jerusalem and all of Judea and Samaria, and acknowledgement of the Palestinian “right of return,” the demand that all Arab refugees who fled prestate Israel in 1948—and their, by now, millions of descendants—be allowed to return to Israel proper, thus flooding the country with Arab immigrants and eliminating the possibility of a Jewish state. The PA has also demanded that all Arab prisoners held by Israel—including Arab Israelis who committed terrorist acts, considered by the PA as “nationalist”—be released. Thus far, claiming the de-

HaZamir

April 2014 / Nissan 5774

mand intrudes on its sovereignty, Israel has refused to release Arabs who are Israeli citizens, but the PA claims that, before negotiations began last summer, Mr. Kerry promised them that Israeli-Arabs would be included among those to be freed. No Point Shortly before the last batch of terrorists were scheduled to be freed at the end of March, Israel announced it had, at least temporarily, canceled the release. Israel argued that the release of terrorists was supposed to be a “gesture” to encourage talks and was, therefore, dependent on their progress. In recent weeks, Mr. Abbas had brought the talks to standstill by adamantly refusing to recognize Israel as the Jewish state and to agree to a declaration that once a treaty is signed, it will signal a permanent end to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. Recognition of Israel as the Jewish state would nullify the PA’s “right of return,” which Israel demographically cannot fulfill. Agreeing to an end of the conflict would mean the Palestinians could not make further demands after a treaty was signed. According to some reports, Mr. Netanyahu told Mr. Kerry that the release of additional terrorists could lead to the

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music. This year, it will be held from Sunday, July 20 through Thursday, July 24 at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa in Kerkonkson, NY. Always eager to attract new singers as well as potential supporters and fans of HaZamir, Mr. Lazar welcomed interested community members to log onto www.zamirchoralfounda-

tion.org or call 212-870-3335. “Our goal is to promote a living example of Klal Yisrael, with members spanning the streams of Judaism and uniting in the creation of a choral community of harmony, understanding, and participation that is a real model for the larger Jewish community,” he said. S.L.R.

The Jewish Voice and Opinion

disintegration of his government. Some observers say that is when Mr. Kerry raised the possibility of freeing Jonathan Pollard, now in his 29th year in prison on charges of delivering information to Israel. Mr. Pollard has said he refuses to be released in exchange for the freedom of terrorists. PA Said No Before the PA leaders surprised the US and Israel by approaching the UN organizations, Messrs Netanyahu and Kerry were discussing ways to restart the stalled peace talks. Among the suggestions was that, in exchange for Mr. Pollard, Mr. Netanyahu would release 400 Palestinian prisoners over the course of the next year. These prisoners, many of whom are women and minors, would be approaching the end of their sentences anyway and would not have “blood on their hands.” In addition, Israel would agree to a government construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, although not in any parts of Jerusalem. The Palestinians’ response was the applications to join the UN-affiliated organizations, a move which Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said will cost them dearly. “They must know they will pay a heavy price,” he warned. One of the measures he suggested the Jewish state might adopt would be applying sov-

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ereignty over areas in Judea and Samaria with large Jewish populations which Israel has said will clearly be part of the State in any future solution. Deputy Knesset Chairman Moshe Feiglin, a member of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud party, said Israel should declare sovereignty over all of Judea and Samaria, and not just the heavily populated “settlement blocs.” Arab residents in those areas, he said, should be offered citizenship, just as the Arabs in eastern Jerusalem received. Financial Penalty In addition, Mr. Landau said, Israel was prepared to penalize the PA economically by blocking their financial aid. Last month, the PA announced it was $4.8 billion in debt and that its 2014 budgetary deficit was $1.5 billion. As of February, it owed the Israeli Electric Company alone $375 million. Like virtually all commentators and politicians, supporters and detractors of Mr. Pollard alike, Mr. Landau opposed the US proposal to free the former civilian intelligence analyst. Declaring that the proposed plan made his “hair stand on end,” he said it was emblematic of the slippery slope Israel was approaching. “Why should we swallow a cyanide pill that happens to be sugar-coated?” said Mr. Landau. S.L.R.

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