The Jewish Star 04-11-2025

Why this Pesach is different

March to freedom at HALB

By Deborah Fineblum

For an entire year, the story waits patiently in the Haggadah to whisper powerful secrets in our ears on Seder night.

Though the words have remained unchanged for the last 3,336 years, the Passover message offers nuances annually, its ageless wisdom illuminating the Jewish experience of that exact moment.

The Torah tells them to mark this momentous experience “in the month of springtime,” and the holiday begins this year on Saturday night, April 12, with the first (and for Israelis, the only) Seder and runs eight days through the evening of April 20 (seven days in Israel).

Down through the ages, Jews have gathered with family and friends on the night of the Seder to relive their people’s most dramatic and defining moment: No less than the Master of the Universe rescuing the Israelites from 210 years of back-breaking and soul-killing slavery at the hands of the cruelest of Egyptian pharaohs and his whip-cracking taskmasters.

But even now, as Jews around the globe prepare to celebrate freedom from Egyptian slavery, the message that Passover delivers strikes to the heart of what it means to be a Jew in 2025/5785. What does it mean to know that 59 people, living and dead, are being held captive in the Gaza Strip by a terror organization — and have been for nearly 18 months while the world waits and watches? That Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, Iran and other rogue entities seek Israel’s destruction … yet again.

To put a finger on this pulse, JNS asked eight people to speak at about what the Haggadah can teach right now.

1. Michael Levy

For the Levy family, the holiday of freedom has never been as poignant as it is this year, since Michael Levy’s little brother, Or Levy, was

The story of life is like Seder’s broken matzah

Seder means “order.” And one of the items in the order of the Seder agenda is yachatz. Well, what is yachatz?

We break the middle matzah of the three matzahs on our Seder plates. The larger part is put away for the afikomen and the smaller part remains inside the Seder plate throughout the recital of the Haggadah, until we say the blessing of Hamotzi.

This is true lechem oni, the bread of poverty. Not only is it a flat, tasteless waferm but it’s broken as well. Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has pointed out that we say all of maggid, virtually the entire Haggadah, over half a matzah. And he makes a very powerful conclusion:

Isn’t life just like that?

There is always something eluding us. For some, it may be health, for others wealth or success, nachas or happiness in general. Somehow, as much as we achieve in life, there is always something more that we want that keeps slipping out of our grasp.

Our Sages taught, “No person dies having achieved even half of his ambitions and desires.”

“Really?” you may say. Aren’t there many individuals who have achieved everything they set out to achieve? I know a couple of guys who seem to fit the description of “the man who has everything.”

The answer is yes, there are such people. The problem is that as soon as they achieve one ambition, they have broader horizons, and new and bigger ambitions. With each success, our ambitions develop further.

Elon Musk is currently the world’s richest man. So he seeks a new challenge (to balance the United States budget).

Second graders at HALB didn’t just learn about the Exodus,they re-enacted it, leaving Mitzrayim and crossing Yam Suf. See more schools on page 11.

Plainview street named slain IDFer Omer Neutra

A street in Plainview was named on Sunday in memory of IDF Capt. Omer Neutra, who was killed in action during the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas-led invasion of the northwestern Negev.

The dedication of Captain Omer Neutra Way, held near the entrance of the Mid-Island Y Jewish Community Center, in comes as his body is still held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

His parents said the ceremony was a tribute to their son’s dedication to Israel and the

Bibi:

Jewish people, and expressed their gratitude to their Long Island community.

Neutra, a 21-year-old tank platoon commander who was born in New York, made aliyah as a long soldier to join the military.

Standing alongside the parents of AmericanIsraeli hostage Edan Alexander, the Neutras reiterated their call to President Donald Trump to do everything in his power to bring home the remaining 59 hostages, two dozen of whom, including Alexander, are believed to be alive.

We must blow up dismantle Iran sites

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned on Tuesday about the potential perils of a nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran, ahead of taking off for Israel following his meeting the previous day with President Donald Trump at the White House.

“We agree that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. This can be done by agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan style: They go in, blow up the installations, dismantle all of the equipment, under American supervision and carried out by America — this would be good,” said Netanyahu.

“The second possibility, that will not be, is that they drag out the talks and then there is the military option. Everyone understands this. We spoke about this at length,” he added.

Netanyahu said that him and Trump also discussed the ongoing war against Hamas in Gaza.

“We are determined to eliminate Hamas, and, at the same time, we are determined to return all of our hostages. The president looked at me and told the journalists who were present: ‘This man is working constantly to free the hostages.’ I hope that this shatters the lie that is being circulated to the effect that I am not working for them, that I don’t

care. I do care, and I am doing it and we will be successful,” said the Israeli premier.

Netanyahu noted that he raised Trump’s vision to relocate Gazans, insisting that Jerusalem was currently in contact with several countries that are talking about the possibility of absorbing Palestinians.

“This is important because in the end, this is what needs to happen,” he said.

“The third issue — Turkey. Turkey wants to establish military bases in Syria, and this endangers Israel. We oppose this and are working against it. I told President Trump, who is my friend, and also a friend of Erdogan: ‘If we are in need of your help, we will discuss it with you,’” explained the premier.

“The fourth and last issue — the tariffs. President Trump has asked countries to reduce their trade deficits with the US to zero. I told him: ‘This is not so difficult for us. We will do it.’ This is the little that we can do for the US and its president, who does so much for us,” said Netanyahu.

The prime minister concluded by stressing that it was a “very warm visit,” his second in two months since Trump assumed office, adding that “there were additional things that you will hear about later.”

President Donald Trump greets Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday. Daniel Torok, White House

In north, war-battered Metula at a crossroads

By Eliahu Galil, JNS

Following the retreat of IDF forces from Lebanon at the end of November 2024, Metula — previously a peaceful and vibrant town — is facing one of the most serious crises in its history.

Before hostilities between the IDF and Hezbollah escalated shortly after Oct. 7, 2023, the town was home to about 2,000 residents. They were all evacuated after the opening of the northern front in Operation Swords of Iron. Metula suffered many missile attacks and became one of the northern communities hardest hit by Hezbollah attacks.

According to the Defense Ministry, Metula was targeted by more than 2,200 rockets and missiles — more than one for every resident — which caused widespread destruction. More than 70% of the houses in the town were damaged.

About 120 homes were destroyed, requiring significant rehabilitation, perhaps even demolition and reconstruction, and many others are uninhabitable due to water damage, mold and pests that spread during the many months of evacuation.

According to the town council, the situation of public buildings is no less dire. The local elementary schools, kindergartens, daycare centers, and community centers have been severely damaged. The Education Ministry has determined that educational institutions will not operate during the current school year, a reality that prevents families with children from returning.

The local health system has also been harmed. A health insurance clinic has suffered significant damage, the emergency clinic is out of action, and the Magen David Adom building in town has been badly damaged. In addition, the electricity, water and road infrastructures have been extensively weakened, making it difficult to return to normal life.

After almost a year and a half of war and

evacuation, there is a real fear of Metula’s demographic collapse due to a combination of physical damage, residents leaving, and uncertainty about the future of the area.

According to surveys, about 70% of those evacuated from the north, including from Metula, have not yet returned to their homes, and recent surveys show that about 20% of the residents who evacuated are not planning to return at all.

Many, mainly young families, have found a new home in central Israel. According to an internal survey, about half of the young families who have left Metula do not plan to return.

Metula’s origins

Israel’s northernmost town, Metula was founded in 1896 by the pioneers of the First Aliyah, who came to the area to expand the northern borders of Jewish settlement. The name “Metula” is derived from an earlier Druze settlement, al-Mutala, which means “overlooking the surroundings.”

Metula stands on a hill 580 meters (about 360 miles) above sea level, overlooking the Hula

Valley and Mount Hermon. But at the same time it is surrounded on three sides by Lebanese territory. Settlement in the area began when Baron Edmond de Rothschild purchased the land from a resident of Sidon. When it was founded in 1896, the community was established as a bold pioneering venture in the heart of a remote area devoid of nearby urban support.

This is not the first time that Metula has been at a crossroads. Historically, Metula has played a decisive role in determining the security of Israel’s northern border. According to historians, the early Jewish presence in Metula greatly influenced the final route of the border between Israel and Lebanon.

The Jewish Home

One of Metula’s drawing cards in recent years has been the so-called Bayit Hayehudi (The Jewish Home), a venue run by Tali and Raphael Singer that seeks to strengthen the spiritual base of the community.

“Before the war, there were weekly Torah study sessions at the house,” says Tali. “Workshops on topics such as relationships, education

and personal empowerment, song and event evenings that created a lively and vibrant community.”

Today the Singers, along with another family, the Vangrovers, have taken upon themselves the task of attracting new young religious couples to bolster the struggling town.

“There is a real crisis here,” Shira Vangrover admits. “Metula is surrounded by a 280-degree border. We are constantly watching Lebanon and are watched by the Lebanese, so we must flourish. It is unacceptable that Lebanese return to their villages in southern Lebanon while we sit on the fence and debate whether to build or not.”

Still, Vangrover adds, she doesn’t fear for Metula “for a moment.” The town has gone through many difficult times in the past and managed to bounce back, she says.

“There are people here who are connected to this land with every fiber of their being and they will overcome any challenge, so it is clear to me that it will again thrive,” she concludes. “It might take a year, two years or 10, but it will happen. Metula must flourish and it needs more young families to be partners in this.”

Singer family in Metula.

Vangrover family in Metula.

Start Shabbos early

For a Long Beach family, Modi’in spells happiness

For Tal and Isaac Attia, affiliated with The BACH in Long Beach, this Pesach marks a milestone. It’s their first as Israeli citizens.

“Every year in the States, I’d tear up at the Seder, knowing we weren’t here yet,” Tal shares. “This year, we’re finally home.”

The Attias made aliyah last year with their three children. They said an anticipated massive challenge has instead been “surprisingly smooth, even joyful.”

Living in Modi’in’s Shimshoni-Kaiser neighborhood, the Attias were immediately embraced, invited out for Shabbat dinners every week for their first seven months. “The communal warmth was more than we could have hoped for,” Isaac says.

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Their children are thriving, especially impressive given the unique considerations they faced. Their eldest son, who has hearing loss, started kita bet (second grade) just weeks after their arrival.

“We were nervous about how he would adjust, but the support here has exceeded anything we imagined,” Tal says. From advanced classroom acoustics to integration into a community of kids with hearing loss through Shema, he’s not only succeeding academically but growing socially and emotionally — and even sounds Israeli now. Their daughter, in gan chova, already understands everything in Hebrew.

“The kaytana (day camp) helped so much. It was fun and pressure-free,” Tal adds.

Professionally, Tal continues her impactful work with the OU’s JLIC (Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus), a role she has held for years supporting Jewish students on campuses across North America. Now she’s working remotely with campuses in Israel, such as Tel Aviv University, Bar Ilan, and Haifa. Her behind-the-scenes work has been critical, especially in moments of crisis — like when a rabbi at Columbia Univer-

sity spoke out about rising antisemitism.

Isaac, formerly a school principal and community rabbi, is transitioning into the tech world via the Cheirut Center (formerly Tikvah Israel), seeking a smoother acclimation into Israeli professional life.

Though the rise in antisemitism abroad didn’t solely drive their decision, it did add urgency.

“We always knew we were going to make aliyah,” Tal says. “We used to say, ‘We’re not putting our kids in American schools.’ When war broke out in Israel, we were already planning, but it crystallized the feeling that it was time. We didn’t want to sit on the sidelines anymore. We wanted to be where the Jewish people are.”

Now, as Pesach approaches, the family prepares to celebrate in a land where their children sing songs that include prayers for IDF soldiers and where ancient history feels alive and personal. Their Modi’in home is carefully planned, including a mamad (safe room) for their son who cannot hear sirens.

Pesach in Israel, for the Attias, is no longer a dream — it’s a lived, vibrant, and deeply emotional experience. News source: Nefesh B’Nefesh

The Attia family in Israel.

Holy work: Stars of David replace 2 WWI crosses

By Andrew Bernard and Menachem Wecker, JNS

About 100 people, ranging in age from about 8 to 102, huddled for warmth as they braved 40-degree temperatures on a damp day at Arlington National Cemetery on Monday to watch, as speaker after speaker put it, Pfc. Adolph Hanf and Pvt. David Moser has “come home.”

Neither of the Jewish soldiers, who served in World War I and who have been dead for more than 100 years, underwent a geographic relocation. But with the help of Operation Benjamin, a donor-supported nonprofit, Moser (1898-1919) and Hanf (1884-1918) received new gravestones with Stars of David rather than Latin crosses.

“We take a moment out of our busy lives to remember two men of the Jewish faith, long at rest in this cemetery but mistakenly commemorated,” said Rob Dalessandro, deputy secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission.

“Today, thanks to the efforts of Operation Benjamin and their team, we can better appreciate the shared Jewish sacrifice in the cause of democracy and freedom.”

Rabbi Jacob J. Schacter, president of Operation Benjamin, told the attendees that his organization’s work is “very important and precious and I would even say holy.”

Schacter told JNS that the new headstones finally provided the two men with a grave marker that was appropriate for them as Jews.

“What we have seen today is an extraordinary expression of the commitment of the Jewish people and of the leadership of the United States of America to set the historical record straight, to bring soldiers who gave their lives for America, as Americans and as Jews, under the marker that represents their ancestral faith,” he said.

Shalom Lamm, chief historian of Operation Benjamin, noted that few people gathered at the cemetery had even heard of Moser and Hanf prior to two months ago.

“What is it about their story that stirs the human soul?” he said. “I’d like to suggest that we all feel a sense of justice being done after all these years for two young men, who sacrificed all for an idea bigger than themselves.”

“We instinctively know that when they lost their lives, they lost the ability to fight for their own identity. Our sense of fair play is aroused by our ability to make things right after all of these years,” Lamm said. “We have a sense, I think, of paying a long overdue debt to these men. We got it wrong for over 100 years. We buried them incorrectly for over 10 decades.”

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins and Reps. Ritchie Torres and Laura Gillen of New York and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida attended.

Torres represents Deborah Berlinger Eifer man, 102, who is Moser’s niece. The congress man noted that although Hanf has no known living relatives, Eiferman’s “grace and generos ity” and love “extends not only across space but

across time, not only to family and friends but also strangers.”

“Private Hanf is not alone,” Torres said. “He is part of a larger Jewish family, a larger American family. All of us Jews and non-Jews alike should claim and celebrate him as our own.”

Days before Passover, the holiday of redemption, those gathered at Arlington National Cemetery were engaged in “a form of redemption,” Torres said. “A restoration of identity. A reaffirmation that these men belong to their families, to their faith and to their country and that none of these are mutually exclusive.”

“As we approach Passover, we are redeeming ourselves by liberating the memory of these Jew

said, because he only lived to 20.)

The 102-year-old said that she hopes attendees will take away from the day that going to a cemetery isn’t always an awful experience, but can be “morally justified.”

Eiferman said that her grandfather had a stroke when he heard that Moser, her uncle, had died and that her zayde never spoke again thereafter. At the time, in the 1930s, wheelchairs weren’t as available as they are today, so her grandfather pushed a wooden chair with four legs around the house to get around, she said.

“This day is profound in the context of Judaism,” she said. “We were aware of the fact that for over a century, my baby uncle David, his identity as a proud Jew was hidden. He was so patriotic.” She added that at 102, “it was a bit of a miracle from shamayim,” from heaven, “that I’m here today to give honor to my baby uncle David Moser and to my new adoptee Adolph Hanf.”

“Adolph you’re not alone,” she said. “I’m here for you.”

Wasserman Schultz remarked that she and colleagues in the Senate and House are introducing legislation, which would authorize $500,000 per year for a decade, to replace grave markers for Jewish American service members to represent their faith.

The legislation the members of Congress will be pursuing includes “an appropriation, so that we can make sure that over the next decade there is funding available to do the research and be able to go through the process of finding and replacing the headstones,” Wasserman Schultz said.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida greets 102-year-old Deborah Berlinger Eiferman at Arlington National Cemetery during which a new tombstone with a Star of David was unveiled for Eiferman’s uncle Pvt. David Moser, on April 7. Menachem Wecker

Here are 8 reasons this Pesach is different…

Continued from page 1

released from the tunnels of Gaza a mere two months ago. Or was taken hostage from the Supernova Festival on Oct. 7, 2023, and his 32-yearold wife, Eynav, was among the more than 1,200 Israelis murdered that day.

“He’s back home with his 3-year-old son, and slowly, he’s regaining his strength and his weight. But after 491 days in captivity, it will take time,” says this big brother, who is 42 to Or’s 34. “I remember the day he was born, and when he came home in February, I felt he was born all over again.”

Though this Seder will be a great cause for celebration for the Levy family, their joy is incomplete, he says.

“Last Passover, when Or was still a prisoner, we didn’t even want to have a Seder, but I have three daughters, and we felt bound to do it for them. So yes, this year we can finally celebrate with him,” says Levy who spoke before the U.N. Security Council two months before his brother’s release.

Still, the holiday has its dark side, he insists: “We’re still missing the 59 others, and we’ve become very close with their families over this time. Not until they’re all back home can we really feel complete.”

2. Rabbi Mendy Alevsky

Rhe story Jews have been commanded to tell their children over the generations is very much on the mind of Rabbi Mendy Alevsky who, with his wife, Sara, runs the Chabad at Case Western University in Cleveland.

“With antisemitism at an all-time high, the last couple years have been a wake-up call for the Jewish people,” he says. “They have shown us that assimilating and trying to be like everyone else isn’t working. Here on campus and around the world, it’s become blindingly clear that we need to go back to basics.”

Along comes the Passover Seder as the biggest opportunity of the year for parents and grandparents to inspire their children about the Jewish past, present and future. “When they can truly convey its amazing power, the story comes alive,” he says.

The bonus, continues the rabbi, “is when your kids see that you’re willing to grow Jewishly with sincerity and commitment, it shows them it’s OK to be vulnerable and grow their Jewish self, too. It’s what I tell my students: The best way to be safe is not trying to get validation from others but to be a proud Jew who understands we’re God’s ambassadors to the world.”

3. Pinchas Gutter

The view of Seder as memory-maker resonates with Pinchas Gutter, whose most iconic Seder was the one of April 19, 1943, when his father was one of the Jews in the Warsaw ghetto who held a Seder in a bunker they built under a bombed-out house. It was a dangerous time and place to be a Jew. Of the original 400,00 Jews sent there more than two years earlier, Gutter’s family was among the 60.000 Jews remaining alive in the ghetto.

“Every year when Pesach arrives, I can only think of that night when I was 10,” says Gutter who now lives with his family in Toronto. “My

father was a wine maker who had saved a few bottles of wine and a baker secretly made a few matzos, so each of us got a little bite,” he recalls. “Luckily, there were men who had memorized the Haggadah. That night we all knew we were supposed to be sent to Treblinka so Warsaw would be Judenrein, free of Jews,” he recalls. “It was a crying Seder.” And that night, April 19, the deadly Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began.

It wasn’t long before Gutter, along with his parents and twin sister Sabina, were deported to the Majdanek death camp in Poland where the other three were murdered and where, claiming to be 16, he was sent to a series of five work camps and a death march until liberation from Theresienstadt at age 13.

A childhood under the Nazis has rendered Gutter incapable of watching the news out of Israel after Oct. 7. “I was an optimist for years because I believed things had changed but now the graffiti on Jewish schools here in Toronto reminds me of Poland in the ’30s and the hostages trapped and suffering takes me back to the camps. Still, I can only tell my children and grandchildren that soon things will calm down and turn out better.”

4. Scott Manuel

Scott Manuel is about to celebrate his first Seder as a Jew. The Kansas University junior began wondering about Judaism in high school when he worked on a project about the Holocaust.

“I remember thinking at the time that I wanted to learn more about this people,” says Manuel, who soon found himself reading everything he could on Judaism. “I started thinking, ‘That’s what I believe, too. This is for me.”

A Jewish studies course confirmed all this, and three years ago Manuel began the formal process through the Conservative movement. In February, his conversion was complete. “My parents are pretty understanding,” he says. “I’m doing the best I can with kashrut for now, and I’m Shabbat observant, so we work around that.”

And this year, friends have invited him for his first “official” Seder.

“Being embraced by the community, counting in a minyan for the first time, now people who were so far from me before are part of me,” he says. “It’s like having a new family, and everything I do now is for the Jewish community and not just for myself.”

5. Rav Judah Mischel

Rav Judah Mischel would no doubt see Scott Manuel’s transformation as just one expression of how “Passover comes to awaken us to the Jewish nation’s eternal rebirth,” says the rabbi who lives in Israel but is executive director of Camp HASC, the Academy for Special Children in Parksville, NY. And whose insights into Passover fill the pages of the newly released “Baderech Haggadah.”

“The Haggadah admits we’re going to suffer — we think of the [Spanish] Inquisition, the Warsaw Ghetto and now the tunnels of Gazan — but that God is going to deliver us with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and, as a free peo-

ple we will once again thank the Creator for our unlikely, essentially impossible survival.”

Passover has a way of hammering this lesson home, says Mischel. “No one forgets the sights, smells, tastes and sounds of Seder night, where even the smallest child has a role to play and each of us re-experiences our people’s flight to freedom in our own way.

“Now, here in Israel in a time of war and captivity, there’s a sense of exhaustion and we know it’s not done. So when Pesach shows us the open miracle … we were in Egypt for hundreds of years and then BAM! An amazing revelation of Hashem’s mercy and freedom. It reminds us to look forward with emunah — with ‘faith’ — for the next miracle.”

6. Erica Brown

And, speaking of miracles, “on Seder night, we celebrate the miraculous end of the Egyptian threat to our people,” says Erica Brown, author Continued on next page

Pinchas Gutter praying at Tykochen synagogue on the March of the Living in 2015. Uiaeli via WikiCommons

Michael and Or Levy.

Scott Manuel.

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach in Jerusalem’s Old City in 2013. Flash90

Miriam Peretz at the in 2021. Yonatan Sindel, Flash90

of “Morning Has Broken: Faith After October 7th,” and vice provost for Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University. “But even as we celebrate, we have to ask ourselves, ‘Why is this Seder night different from all other Seder nights? Is it the number of hostages who will once again not be with their families? Will we finally be at the end of this war, and over this prolonged despair and torment’?”

One answer, says Brown, has to do with the second part of the Seder.

“As we open the door for Elijah and say the verses that acknowledge an eternal threat to our people, we confront again hate that continues to damage our Jewish bodies and souls,” she says. At the same time, we recite these words after we’ve already eaten and celebrated our people’s freedom. This reminds us that, while there is still

an enemy lurking, we cannot let hate overwhelm us. We need to strengthen the love we share and to use all our human agency for blessing.”

7. Miriam Peretz

Israel’s struggles since Oct. 7, along with the steep rise in global antisemitism, have brought Israelis and Jews around the world together in unprecedented ways. So says Miriam Peretz, who lost two sons to Israel’s wars — Uriel in 1998 and Eliraz in 2010 — and subsequently became an outspoken force for Jewish unity as a public speaker, author and candidate for president in 2021. (She lost to Isaac Herzog).

“On Passover, we sit together as families, but also in our hearts, we need to remember we are one large family: the right and the left, the religious and the secular, because if there is a time we need to be united this is it.

“We must feel around our tables the widows and orphans since Oct. 7 and still choose life and refuse to give up,” adds Peretz, winner of the 2018 Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement. “And we must promise never again to engage in dishonorable discourse with each other but celebrate that which unifies us. And we must remember that Hamas can deny the hostages food and showers, but they cannot take away their freedom to belief that they will all soon be back home with their families.”

When in every generation an enemy rises up to destroy the Jewish people, says Peretz, “we tell this story of freedom, and we stand up and fight for our people and our God, and do acts of kindness for one another. Then somehow, we survive and we even flourish.”

8. Shmuley Boteach

Jaws dropped back in 1998 when “Kosher Sex: A Recipe for Passion” appeared, written by an Orthodox rabbi no less. And with more than two dozen other books having followed, the most recent being “Good Mourning. Finding Meaning in Grief and Loss,” and a long association with Oprah Winfrey and other stars, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach has been dubbed by Newsweek as “the most famous rabbi in America.”

But something upset him during a recent visit

to London. A young man dug a Magen David necklace out of his shirt. “When I asked him why he doesn’t wear it on the outside, he told me: ‘Because I’m afraid’,” says Boteach. “When Passover is the festival of liberation and freedom, but Jews are taking down their mezuzahs and are afraid to wear a Magen David or a kippah in public, are we truly free, or are we back to being slaves?”

But the rabbi also points to some hopeful signs.

“Maybe this Passover, with the IDF courageously fighting back against Hamas, the new sanctions against Columbia University, showing other schools that they can’t get away with antisemitism anymore either, and pushbacks against the Hadid sisters and other notorious antisemites, maybe now we will recommit to proudly displaying the signs of our religion on our bodies and our homes.”

With a glance back at our ancestors fleeing Egypt, “we know a slave could never look his master in the eye, and kill his god and smear the blood on the doorpost of his house, so that meant that at that moment we were no longer slaves but free men and women. We can learn from them how today we can be free Jews, proud Jews.”

Continued from previous page

Rav Judah Mischel.

YouTube Screenshot Erica Brown, vice provost of Values and Leadership at Yeshiva University and inaugural director of the Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks Center for Values and Leadership, in 2021.

Boal,

Rabbi Mendy Alevsky with student Jasper Jacobs.

Blessings and books at YCQ

Book Fair

The YCQ Parent-Teacher Oranization hosted a book fair last week that emphasized the importance of reading with an extra focus on actual books (instead of posters or toys). The PTO partnered with Kelly Massry, a bookstore owner and reading specialist, who helped curate a diverse selection of titles.

Rabbi Mendelevitch In a powerful and timely message before Pesach, Rabbi

Yosef Mendelevitch spoke to YCQ’s junior high school students, recounting his incredible story of mesirut nefesh. Rabbi Mendelevitch detailed the risks and sacrifices he made to keep his Jewish identity and commitment to

Torah alive while being imprisoned in the Soviet Union. After his talk, the eighth graders participated in a moving question and question and answer session, and lined up to receive a special blessing.

Rabbi Perez inspires MTA boys

Rabbi Doron Perez addressed talmidim at MTA, sharing personal reflections and professional insights.

Rabbi Perez began by honoring the memory of his son, Daniel, a fallen soldier in the IDF, who heroically gave his life during the tragic events of October 7th. Through his son’s story, Rabbi Perez emphasized the values of courage, sacrifice, and dedication to the Jewish people.

He also discussed the significant work of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), stressing its vital role in supporting Jews both in Israel and around the globe.

Ruach’s in the air at HANC color war

By Erin Steinberg ‘25

The term “color war” usually brings to mind kids dressed in team colors and participating in activities such as sports and banner making.

It certainly doesn’t connote a meeting about the school building’s plumbing.

But at HANC High School on March 26, that’s exactly how Color War began.

find out their real teams: Team Blue, representing Tefillah, and Team Silver, symbolizing Torah.

Rabbi Perez’s is executive chairman of the World Mizrachi Movement.

Additionally, he spoke about the enduring relationship between Mizrachi and Ye-

He elaborate on the importance of the WZO in fostering Jewish unity and connection to Israel, while also highlighting the ongoing elections for the World Zionist Congress.

shiva University, encouraging MTA students to get involved in this important mission of Mizrachi, which is endorsed by YU’s senior leadership and Roshei Yeshiva.

Rabbi Perez inspired the talmidim to engage actively in the work of the World Mizra-

chi Movement, and to recognize the impact they can have on the world, regardless of their stage in life.

He stressed that age should not be a barrier, as everyone can contribute to the future of the Jewish community and the State of Israel.

Late that morning, an announcement was made calling all students down to the gym for an update on an issue with the plumbing. That update turned out to be a Color War breakout — or so it seemed.

Complete with colors, team themes and scheduled activities, it was nothing more than a fakeout! Students had to wait until that afternoon for the real breakout and were thrilled to

Survivor tells facinating facts

Six talmidim from among MTA students who went on the Names Not Numbers Poland Trip in 2023, visited Dov Landau, the Holocaust survivor who accompanied them on their trip. They visited and spent time with him in his

apartment in Israel.

Among the fascinating insights the survivor shared with the students were these:

1) Landau was first in Auschwitz, and then he was in Buchenwald. Rav Lau would serve as Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel from 1993 to 2003.

2) Landau is the child survivor featured in the book and movie “Exodus.”

3) Landau was also interviewed a few years ago for the Names Not Numbers program at MTA.

Decked out in the regalia of their team colors, students participated in sports games such as football, soccer and dodgeball. Events like Cake Wars and the Breakfast-Making Competition tested students’ skills in the kitchen, while teams’ artists poured their skill into their banners (and, in a surprising twist, this year’s banners were outdoor murals visible to anyone who visits campus).

Project Runway saw students using whatever supplies they could find to design outfits to help their friends shine in team colors, and in Tug O’ War, it was an all-out team-versusteam fight by grades.

Of course, HANC would

have been remiss to have such an event without incorporating limudei Torah into the fun. On Thursday morning, students watched a presentation for the Chidon created by Rabbi Friedler about the deeper meaning of karpas; on Friday after davening, one representative from each team gave a Dvar Torah before the entire school. In the end, Team Blue (Tefillah) won at close contest.

WINE AND DINE

Gearing up for a Pesach that’s vegetable-filled

When I was a kid, my dad had the most amazing vegetable garden. Everything he grew was perfect and he grew every vegetable from a to z.

We had a huge blueberry bush growing beside the garage and all kinds of vegetables in the garden. Two large apple trees grew in the side yard beyond the driveway and a huge rhubarb patch grew beyond the apple trees by the fence that encircles our house. Those rhubarb bushes, planted in the 1960’s were transplanted into my yard in 1988 and they are still flourishing in 2025!

Raspberries and strawberries grew at the far corner of our backyard and the backyard, and next to the fence separating our yard from our neighbor’s was my father’s asparagus patch. His pride and joy! That patch was sacred. We had to be careful that we did not open the gate too far, step too close to that 4x4 path of land or, heaven forbid, throw a ball anywhere close to the baby asparagus.

My father tended that asparagus patch with love, care and lots of sand to keep the New England clay soil draining. He watched the asparagus grow for three long years, never harvesting a single pencil-thin stalk and always explaining that asparagus has to grow for three years to establish itself before harvesting. The fourth year came and we waited and waited. But a cold rainy summer yielded about five skinny stalks.

The next spring found us with a bumper crop of thick, sweet asparagus just in time for Pesach. Thus began the tradition of having asparagus, a big platter of simply roasted asparagus at every Seder, since that first crop in 1959 or 1960.

He admonished the new owners to take very good care of it and to this day, seeing that first crop of asparagus makes me smile and it will be front and center at my Seder table. It will also be part of my mostly vegetarian chol ha mo’ed week meals as we struggle to lose those ounces gained at the beginning of the holiday.

Have a wonderful Pesach week.

Asparagus Soup (Dairy)

You can lighten this soup by using milk instead of cream. This will make a thinner soup with much less fat and fewer calories, but just as delicious.

• 1 lb. asparagus stalks

• 4 Tbsp. butter

• 8 shallots, minced

• 1 cup chopped leeks, white and very light green parts only

• 1 to 2 tbsp. flour

• 4 cups vegetable stock or water

• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1 cup milk (2% or whole, skim doesn’t quite work)

• 1/2 cup light cream (use whole milk here for lighter soup)

• salt and white pepper to taste

• OPTIONAL: 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

• Croutons for garnish

• Thinly sliced scallions for garnish

Cut the top 1-1/2 inches off of the asparagus and set aside for garnish. Melt half the butter in a large saucepan (2-3 quarts) and sauté the shallots and leeks until they are translucent and just beginning to brown.

Cut the asparagus stalks into inch-long pieces and add to the shallots. Sauté until the asparagus begins to soften, 1-2 minutes. Add the flour and stir constantly for another minute. Add the stock and stir well until the flour is absorbed into the liquid. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, and cover for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often.

Cool for about 15 minutes and then process the soup with an immersion blender or in batches in a blender on the highest, puree, setting. At this point, you can pour the soup through a sieve for a very smooth consistency or just pour it directly into a clean saucepan. Heat through until very hot. Do not boil.

While the soup is reheating, add the butter to a sauté pan and add the asparagus tops. Sauté until tender, 3-5 minutes, depending on thickness of asparagus stalks.

Once the soup is heated, whisk the cream into the soup, heat another minute, and ladle into bowls. Garnish with the asparagus tops, croutons. and grated cheese, if you like. Serves 4 to 6.

Simple Asparagus Parmesan en Croute (Dairy)

• 16 stalks asparagus (or more people add 4 stalks per person)

• 1 package phyllo dough, 1 roll thawed, the other saved for another time

• 1/2 to 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

• 1 tsp. garlic powder (more or less to taste)

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 1/3 cup melted butter

• Sesame seeds

Take a large, rimmed baking sheet and line with foil. Add a sheet of parchment and set aside. Thaw one package of Phyllo per instructions on the package. Trim the ends of the asparagus wash and dry thoroughly.

Mix the Parmesan with the garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Take one sheet of phyllo dough and lightly brush it with butter. Fold the sheet in half and butter the top. Fold in half again lengthwise and brush with butter. You will have a longer than wide strip of dough.

Sprinkle the phyllo with about 1 to 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan mixture and place 4 stalks of asparagus across one end of the phyllo, so the stalks stick out of both sides. Roll up the dough jelly roll style and place, seam side down on the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops of the phyllo with a bit of butter and sprinkle with more Parmesan and the sesame seeds.

Continue with the rest of the asparagus and phyllo. Bake for 15-20 minutes until deep golden brown. Transfer to a serving dish. This makes a lovely side dish with fish. Serves 4.

NOTES: You can spread the Phyllo with a thin layer of cream cheese for a richer dish. • To make this as an appetizer, use 1 to 2 stalks of asparagus in each bundle.

Asparagus With Cherry Tomatoes and Pasta (Pareve OR Dairy)

I love this with sundried tomatoes and broccoli and mushrooms – the more veggies, the better!

• 2 Tbps. good quality olive oil

• 1 to 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced

• 2 shallots, finely minced

• 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (you can use more)

• 1-1/2 cups asparagus tips (top 2 inches or so)

• 12 ounces any pasta (angel hair works well, as does penne)

• Salt, to taste

• Dreshly ground black pepper, to taste

• 2 Tbsp. fresh parsley chopped

• 1/3 to 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, to taste

•

OPTIONAL: Freshly torn basil leaves, finely minced parsley, oregano and red pepper flakes

Continued on next page

Asparagus With Cherry Tomatoes and Pasta. giadzy.com

Asparagus Soup.

Heat the oil over medium heat and add the minced garlic and shallots. Cook until translucent. Add the cut tomatoes and heat until the tomatoes soften, 4 to 6 minutes. Add the asparagus tips and cook until bright green and crisp tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the parsley, salt and pepper.

Meanwhile cook the pasta according to directions. Drain thoroughly and place in a large pasta bowl. Add the vegetables and any liquid in the pan and toss. Add the grated cheese and a bit of pasta water to help the cheese blend and toss several times, adding more water as needed. Serve with salad and crusty sourdough bread.

VARIATIONS: Add 3/4 cups sliced black olives to the tomatoes before you add the asparagus. OR add 1-2 tablespoons capers after you add the asparagus. Reduce or eliminate salt if you use olives or capers. Add any veggies you like!

Asparagus With Orange and Sesame (Pareve)

• 1 lb. asparagus, ends trimmed

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 3 shallots, minced

• 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press

• 2 scallions, white part and about 2 inches of green, minced

• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 2 Tbsp. lemon juice

• 2 tsp. soy or tamari sauce

• 2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Steam the asparagus until it is bright green and crisp tender, 3 to 6 minutes depending on thickness of stalks. When done, place under cold water to stop cooking process.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the shallots and scallions. Stir and heat a minute, then add the garlic and ginger. Stir often and cook until soft, 4 to 6 minutes. Add orange juice, lemon juice and soy or tamari sauce. Cook until liquid is reduced by one third, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Place the cooled asparagus in a shallow baking dish and pour the sauce over. Toss to mix thoroughly. Add the sesame seeds, toss and chill for 30 minutes, or overnight. Garnish with orange slices or drained, canned mandarin orange segments.

Most Simple Stir-Fried Asparagus, Carrots And Snap Peas (Pareve)

This could not be simpler. You can use any veggies you like, and create a perfect spring side dish.

• 1 bunch medium asparagus

• 1/2 lb. sugar- snap peas

• 5 to 6 carrots

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil

• 2 cloves garlic cut into slices

• 1 inch-long piece of fresh ginger, sliced

• Salt and pepper to taste

• OPTIONAL red pepper flakes, Toasted sesame seeds

Trip the ends of the asparagus and cut inch long pieces on the diagonal. Set aside.

Trim the peapods and set aside. If large, cut in half diagonally. Peel the carrots, and slice diagonally, 1/4 -inch thick

Heat a wok or a large skillet over high heat. Add about 2 tbsp. olive oil and the sliced garlic and ginger. Stir until fragrant and the garlic just begins to turn golden. Remove the garlic and ginger immediately and discard.

Add the carrots and stir-fry until bright orange and softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Push off to the sides and add the pea pods. Stir continuously until bright green. Push off to the sides of the pan and add the asparagus. Stir until bright green, 2 to 3 minutes. Mix all together and heat for an additional 1 to 2 minutes.

Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately. Serves 4.

NOTE: You can add any kind of sauce you want, such as teriyaki, tamari, sweet and sour, etc. I like it plain, but add what you like.

Simple Roasted Asparagus with Different Sauces (Pareve)

• 2 bunches medium asparagus, trimmed and washed

• Olive Oil

• Salt and pepper

Wash and trim the asparagus and place on a rimmed baking dish in a single layer. Spray or drizzle with a bit of olive oil and roast in a 400-degree oven for 5 to 7 minutes, checking often and shaking the pan to turn the stalks. Stalks should have a few charred spots but should be bright green.

Remove from the oven and season with salt and pepper. Pass the different sauces with the asparagus. Serves 6 to 8.

Sauces for Asparagus and other Veggies

Horseradish Sauce (Pareve)

• 1/2 cup KFP soy sauce

• 1 Tbsp. wasabi horseradish or 2 Tbsp. white horseradish

• 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

• Tiny pinch sugar

Mix all the ingredients together and refrigerate for about 20-30 minutes before drizzling over vegetables.

Ginger Scallion Sauce for Asparagus and Other Veggies (Pareve

1/2 cup KFP soy sauce

)

1 Tbsp. freshly grated ginger

1 Tbsp. finely chopped green onion

Pinch to 1 tsp. sugar or honey

Mix together and refrigerate 20-30 minutes before drizzling over hot or cold asparagus or other veggies.

Garlic Aioli (Parve)

1 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 tsp. KFP Dijon style mustard (leave out if you can’t find it)

1 tsp. fresh lemon zest

4 Tbsp. finely minced garlic

1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper

Tiny pinch cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp. parsley flakes or fresh minced parsley

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Makes one cup.

Simple Lemon Sauce for

Asparagus (Dairy or Pareve)

• I bunch asparagus

• Juice from 1 lemon

• 1 lemon thinly sliced • 2 to 3 tbsp. butter or pareve margarine

• OPTIONAL: 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

Roast the asparagus to desired doneness.

Melt half the butter and set aside to cool for about 2 minutes. Add the lemon juice and whisk. Add the cold butter to the melted butter and whisk until melted and the sauce thickens a bit. Place the asparagus on a plate and drizzle the lemon sauce over it. Add the lemon slices for garnish.

Peas. chefjen.com

Jewish Star Torah columnists:

•Rabbi Avi Billet of Anshei Chesed, Boynton Beach, FL, mohel and Five Towns native •Rabbi David Etengoff of Magen David Yeshivah, Brooklyn

•Rabbi Binny Freedman, rosh yeshiva of Orayta, Jerusalem

Contributing writers:

•Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks zt”l,

former chief rabbi of United Hebrew Congregations of the British Commonwealth •Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh

Weinreb, OU executive VP emeritus

•Rabbi Raymond Apple, emeritus rabbi, Great Synagogue of Sydney •Rabbi Yossy Goldman, life rabbi emeritus, Sydenham Shul, Johannesburg and president of the South African Rabbinical Association.

Contact our columnists at: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Five Towns Candlelighting: From the White Shul, Far Rockaway, NY

תבש לש

Fri April 11 / Nissan 13

Shabbos HaGadol • Tzav Candles: 7:11

Sat April 12 / Nissan 14

Erev Pesach • First Seder Candles: 8:13

Sun April 13 / Nissan 15

Second Seder Candles: 8:14 • Havdalah: Monday 8:23

Fri April 18 / Nissan 20

Candles: 7:19

Sat April 19 / Nisan 21

Candles: 8:20

Sun April 20 / Nisan 22

Havdalah: 8:30

Fri April 25 / Nisan 27

Shemini Candles: 7:26 • Havdalah: 8:36

Offering thanks when we are saved every day

rabbi Sir

Among the sacrifices detailed in this week’s parsha is the korban todah, the thanksgiving offering:

If he offers it [the sacrifice] as a thanksgiving offering, then along with this thanksgiving offering he is to offer unleavened loaves mixed with oil, unleavened wafers spread with oil, and loaves of fine flour well-kneaded and mixed with oil. Lev. 7:12

Though we have been without sacrifices for almost two thousand years, a trace of the thanksgiving offering survives to this day, in the form of the blessing known as Hagomel: “Who bestows good things on the unworthy,” said in the synagogue, at the time of reading of the Torah, by one who has survived a hazardous situation.

What constitutes a hazardous situation? The Sages (Brachot 54b) found the answer in Psalm 107, a song on the theme of giving thanks, beginning with the best-known words of religious gratitude in Judaism, “Hodu la-Shem ki tov, ki le-olam chasdo (Give thanks to the L-rd for His lovingkindness is forever)” (Psalm 107).

The psalm itself describes four specific situations:

1. Crossing the sea:

Some went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters… They mounted up to the heavens and went down to the depths; in their peril their courage melted away… Then they cried out to the L-rd in their trouble, and he brought them out of their distress. He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed.

2. Crossing a desert:

Some wandered in desert wastelands, finding no way to a city where they could settle. They were hungry and thirsty, and their lives ebbed away.

Then they cried out to the L-rd in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.

3. Recovery from serious illness: They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death. Then they cried to the L-rd in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.

Anyone who has survived great danger knows what it is to feel, not just to be abstractly aware, that life is a gift of G-d that renews daily.

He sent forth his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.

4. Release from captivity:

Some sat in darkness and the deepest gloom, prisoners suffering in iron chains…

Then they cried to the L-rd in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains.

(Brachot 54b)

To this day, these are the situations of hazard (many nowadays include air travel as well as a sea voyage) on which we say Hagomel when we come through them safely.

In his book “A Rumour of Angels”, the American sociologist Peter Berger describes what he calls “signals of transcendence” — phenomena within the human situation that point to something beyond. Among them he includes humor and hope. There is nothing in nature that explains our ability to reframe painful situations in such a way that we can laugh at them; nor is there anything that can explain the human capacity to find meaning even in the depths of suffering.

These are not, in the classic sense, proofs of the existence of G-d, but they are experiential evidence. They tell us that we are not random concatenations of selfish genes, blindly reproducing themselves. Our bodies may be products of nature (“dust you are, and to dust you will return”), but our minds, our thoughts, our emotions - all that is meant by the word “soul” — are not. There is something within us that reaches out to something beyond us: the soul of the universe, the Divine ‘You’ to which we speak in prayer, and to which our ancestors, when the Temple stood, made their offerings.

Though Berger does not include it, one of the “signals of transcendence” is surely the instinctive human wish to give thanks. Often this is merely human. Someone has done us a favor, given us a gift, comforted us in the midst of grief, or rescued us from danger. We feel we owe them something. That “something” is todah, the Hebrew word that means both “acknowledgement” and “thanks.”

But often we sense something more. It is not just the pilot we want to thank when we land safely after a hazardous flight; not just the surgeon, when we survive an operation; not just the judge or politician when we are released from prison or captivity. It is as if some larger force was operative, as if the hand that moves the pieces on the human chessboard were thinking of us; as if heaven itself had reached down and come to our aid.

Insurance companies tend to describe natural catastrophes as “acts of G-d.” Human emotion does the opposite. G-d is in the good news, the miraculous survival, the escape from catastrophe. That instinct — to offer thanks to a force, a presence, over and above natural circumstances and human intervention — is itself a signal of transcendence. That is what was once expressed in the thanksgiving offering, and still

is, in the Hagomel prayer. But it is not just by saying Hagomel that we express our thanks.

Elaine and I were on our honeymoon. It was summer, the sun was shining, the beach glorious and the sea inviting. There was just one problem. I could not swim. But as I looked at the sea, I noticed that near to the shore it was very shallow indeed. There were people several hundred yards from the beach, yet the water only came up to their knees. What could be safer, I thought, than simply to walk out into the sea and stop long before I was out of my depth. I did. I walked out several hundred yards and, yes, the sea only came up to my knees. I turned and started walking back. To my surprise and shock, I found myself suddenly engulfed by water. Evidently, I had walked into a deep dip in the sand. I was out of my depth. I struggled to swim. I failed. This was dangerous. There was no one nearby. The people swimming were a long way away. I went under, again and again. By the fifth time, I knew I was drowning. My life was about to end. What a way — I thought — to start a honeymoon.

Of course someone did save me, otherwise I would not be writing these lines. To this day I do not know who it was: by then I was more or less unconscious. All I know is that they must have seen me struggling. They swam over, took hold of me, and brought me to safety. Since then, the words we say on waking every day have had a deep meaning for me: “I thank You, living and enduring G-d, for You have restored my life to

me: great is Your faithfulness.”

Anyone who has survived great danger knows what it is to feel, not just to be abstractly aware, that life is a gift of G-d, renewed daily.

The first word of this prayer, Modeh, comes from the same Hebrew root as todah, “thanksgiving.” So too does the word Yehudi, “Jew.” We acquired the name from Jacob’s fourth son, Judah. He in turn received his name from Leah who, on his birth, said “This time I will thank [some translate it, “I will praise”] G-d” (Gen. 29:35).

To be a Jew is to offer thanks. That is the meaning of our name and the constitutive gesture of our faith.

There were Jews who, after the Holocaust, sought to define Jewish identity in terms of suffering, victimhood, survival. One theologian spoke of a 614th commandment: You shall not give Hitler a posthumous victory.

The historian Salo Baron called this the “lachrymose” reading of history: a story written in tears.

I, for one, cannot agree.

Yes, there is Jewish suffering. Yet had this been all, Jews would not have done what in fact most did: hand on their identity to their children as their most precious legacy.

To be a Jew is to feel a sense of gratitude; to see life itself as a gift; to be able to live through suffering without being defined by it; to give hope the victory over fear.

To be a Jew is to offer thanks.

Will the real Shabbat HaGadol please stand up?

In this weird and unusual year 5785 — when parshat Teruma is parshat Shekalim (last time was 31 years ago, next time is 20 years from now), when Purim is on a Friday, when there is Purim meshulash (three day celebration) in Jerusalem, and Erev Pesach is on Shabbat (which won’t happen again for 20 years) — no one is sure when Shabbat HaGadol is.

Traditionally, it is the Shabbat right before the onset of Pesach, so that would make this Shabbat, April 12, Nisan 14, Erev Pesach, Shabbat HaGadol.

Yet in fact, everyone is so busy on that day preparing for Pesach, getting rid of their chametz while being careful not to eat matzo, that it almost takes a backseat. Most Rabbis have given their major Shabbat HaGadol drasha (one of the reasons it is called Shabbat HaGadol) the week before (this year, April 5).

In addition most shuls will read the special haftara for Shabbat HaGadol from sefer Malachi even when it falls on Erev Pesach, but the Gra (Vilna Gaon, 1720-1797) would not. He would only read this if Erev Pesach did not fall out on Shabbat. Conversely, Chabad and others would only read that haftara from Malachi when Erev Pesach did fall on Shabbat, and others would never read it at all. (I will not go into the reasons for the differences. While fascinating, they are beyond the scope of this column, having to do with reminders to bring maser (tithes) and preparation for Pesach).

So if some rabbis are giving their Shabbat HaGadol drasha the week before, some shuls are reading their special Shabbat HaGadol haftara on Erev Pesach and some are not, this further complicates the issue. Will the real Shabbat HaGadol please stand up?

While appropriately we might have to wait for Eliyahu Hanavi to arrive to give us the answer to this thorny issue, we may examine the two best candidates in question — the Shabbat the week before Pesach and Shabbat Erev Pesach and their respective haftarot

The week before, parshat Vayikra, has its haf-

tara from the Yeshayahu (43:21–44:23), while the following week, Shabbat Erev Pesach, has its haftara from the Malachi (3:4-24). Two different prophets living hundreds of years apart.

We can fulfill Shabbat HaGadol on another day if the calendar makes it difficult (as it does this year).

•Yeshayahu (Isaiah), living in the eighth century BCE 100-150 years before the destruction of the first Temple in Jerusalem, considered perhaps the greatest prophet after Moses.

•Malachi living in the fifth century BCE, while listed among the so-called 12 “minor profits,” there was nothing minor about him. Living long after the destruction of the first Temple

at the time of the return to Jerusalem under Nechemiah, he is the last prophet listed in our Holy canon, the Tanach.

Yeshayahu is of course better known, but not for the haftara of parshat Vayikra but for his Chazon Yeshayahu, said on the Shabbat before Tisha b’Av, and his comforting words of nechama: “Nachamu, Nachumu Ami (Be comforted, be comforted My people,” read on the Shabbat after Tisha b’Av.

But Vayikra’s haftara is no less powerful in its rebuke of Israel and Hashem’s words of comfort. Several verses stand out:

“But you did not call to Me, O Jacob,for you grew weary of Me, O Israel(43:22).

“I, only I, am the One who wipes away your wilful sins for My sake, and I shall not recall your sins” (43:25).

“So says Hashem Who made you. … He will help you; fear not (44:2).

“Remember this, O Jacob and Israel, for you are My servant. … O Israel do not forget Me! (44:21). “Break out, O mountains in glad song … for Hashem will have redeemed Jacob, and He will glorify Himself in Israel”(44:23).

All kinds of soldiers for Israel, doing their jobs

Previously published.

Inoticed the jeep in the distance almost immediately; it was impossible to miss. We were on maneuvers deep in the Negev and there was nothing around but us. Twenty minutes later the jeep pulled up alongside our tank and a man with a colonel’s oak leaves on his shoulders got out. Our commander jumped down for a hurried conference.

A moment later, our commander ordered the gunner off the tank and told us that the colonel would be joining us. We did not need to know why, but for the purposes of our training, we should “treat him like one of the guys.” And here I was, in the middle of tank commander’s course, one of the most depressing experiences I have ever had.

Yeah, right. A full-bird colonel, one of the guys? We were not even sergeants yet. Our com-

mander, a first sergeant, was the final word, and his commander, a lieutenant, was like the prince whose word is law. The lieutenant’s commander, a captain, was like the king. And the captain’s commander, the battalion commander, a major, was like G-d. So what did that make a colonel?

Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that when two people are trying to grow, Hashem does not see them as different.

We did our best to stay out of the colonel’s way, though when you share a tank it is not easy. He was not a big talker, and didn’t mix much or sleep in the tank with us enlisted men. This went on for the better part of three weeks.

One day, however, it came to a head. We were on a maneuver and I was acting as tank com-

There was a time when I would only go out of my way to listen to speakers who were older and more experienced than I. Recently, however, I changed my preferences and began to seek out speakers, rabbis and teachers who are young and relatively inexperienced. I find their ideas fresh and often very much on the mark. After all, they are in much better touch with our fast-changing world than I am.

Once, during a visit to Israel, I sat in on a series of lectures which were designed to prepare the audience for the upcoming Passover holiday. The speaker, a brilliant young rabbi, spent most of his opening lecture elaborating upon what he considered the most difficult task with which we are all confronted on the first night of Passover. The task is described in the following famous passage: “In each and every generation, a person must

see himself as if he personally left Egypt. As it is written, ‘And you shall explain to your son on that day that it is because of what the Lord did for me when I went free from Egypt (Exodus 13:8)’.”

The requirement is explicit in the biblical text: the L-rd did it for me, when I went free from Egypt.

The young rabbi candidly confessed to his audience that he had never been able to fulfill this requirement. Indeed, he didn’t think it was possible, certainly not for most of us, to envision ourselves as if we personally had experienced slavery and redemption. “This,” he insisted, “is the most difficult task we are faced with on the Seder night.”

When I first heard this assertion, I found it to be quite provocative. I wanted to protest but maintained my silence in respect for the young rabbi. I attributed his conviction to his relative immaturity. I have never found this obligation difficult. Personally, I have found it quite easy to imagine myself as a slave and to personally exult in the emotional experiences of redemption and freedom.

I usually forget the content of most lectures that I hear almost as soon as I leave the lecture

mander. There are four crewmembers in a tank: driver, gunner, loader, and commander. To become tank commanders, we had to become accomplished in each position, so we would switch off. This was my turn.

One of the serious rules of tanks is called gevulot gizrah, or the limited field of the firing range. You can only fire in certain directions, with markers to denote the field of fire. Not only was it forbidden to fire outside the permitted field, it was even prohibited to point your tank gun out of it. This is an issue the army takes very seriously. A shell fired in the wrong direction could easily land in a local town, so the punishment for allowing the tank gun to stray outside the field of fire was the loss of the entire crew’s weekend pass.

This becomes challenging. Your job as a commander is to seek out the enemy and bring the main cannon to bear on the target, at which point the gunner lines up his sights and fires. And while you can see the entire horizon from the commander’s turret, the gunner looking through his magnified sights inside the tank can only see the limited field of vision in his scope.

So if you haven’t managed to place the gun exactly on target, he will begin to sweep sideways

in search of it. And if he is moving the gun in the wrong direction, he may continue searching, not realizing that he is turning the wrong way. In fact, when he uses his controls to turn the gun sideways, the entire turret of the gun turns with him. I was acting as tank commander, and the colonel was practicing his gunnery. Sure enough, he began to rotate the tank gun in search of the target, and I could see the gun heading outside the field of fire.

Years later, the prospect of commanding one tank crew is relatively simple. But when you are first learning to command a tank, it seems as though there is a tremendous amount to do. The tank is moving very fast, and you have to make sure the driver is headed in the right direction, keep the loader’s machine gun as well as your own facing the right direction, ensure the proper ammo is in the main gun, and communicate with your platoon on the tank radio. In fact, you don’t even have a hand free — one hand holds the radio switch, and the other fires the machine gun. So the armored corps has developed a simple system to tell the gunner to stop rotating: as his seat is in front of your legs, in the

hall. This time, however, I could not rid my mind of the young rabbi’s statement. I began to question my own inner certainty. Had it really been so easy for me all these years to envision myself as one of those who had experienced both slavery and the Exodus?

In the midst of my extended preoccupation with the young rabbi’s assertion, a long-forgotten memory suddenly surfaced in my mind. I was taken back in time to another lecture I had heard just before Passover many years ago. This time, the speaker was not a young rabbi at all. Rather, he was an old and revered Chassidic rebbe, a survivor of the Holocaust who had spent years in Auschwitz and had witnessed the vicious murder of his wife and children with his own eyes.

That old rebbe was Rabbi Yekutiel Yehudah Halberstam, may his memory be blessed, who was known as the Klausenberger Rebbe, after the small town in the Balkans where he had served prior to World War II.

In that lecture, Rabbi Halberstam recounted his own puzzlement over a lecture he had heard very long ago from one of his mentors. I no longer remember the name of that mentor, but Rabbi Halberstam was careful to identify him in

detail because of the strange and almost unbelievable experience that he reported.

The mentor said that he had no difficulty at all imagining himself to have been in slavery in Egypt and to have been redeemed. In fact, this mentor reported that he could clearly remember the experience.

He could recall in great detail the burdensome work he had to perform, the dirty hovel in which he was forced to live, and the sighs and groans of his companions. He could even still see, in his mind’s eye, the cruel face of his tormentors as they sadistically whipped him for not producing his daily quota of bricks.

The Klausenberger Rebbe confessed that when he first heard his mentor make those claims, he had difficulty believing them. He thought that his mentor had made such a claim just for the effect it would have upon his listeners. He stressed that sometimes it is justified for a speaker to resort to hyperbole to make his point more dramatic and more graphic.

But then the rebbe continued to say that after many years, he had come to realize that his mentor was telling the absolute truth. “It took the ex-

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Palestinian terrorists and foreign supporters

JOnATHAn S. TObin JnS Editor-in-Chief

As Israeli Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu arrived in Washington on Sunday, he was greeted by headlines that focused on alleged Israeli atrocities against innocent Palestinian Arabs.

The current focus of corporate media’s demonization of the Jewish state is an incident in Gaza in which, after a gunfight with Hamas operatives, Israel Defense Force soldiers fired on others arriving at the scene who they mistakenly thought were there to attack them. Some of those killed or wounded in the exchange may well have been Hamas members, but firing on what proved to be an ambulance was obviously an error. It was also the sort of blunder that, however regrettable, is inevitable in any wartime combat situation.

The responsibility for these casualties, like everyone else killed in Israel or Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, belongs to Hamas. That is the party that started the nearly 18-month-old war with unspeakable atrocities committed against civilians and whose ongoing goal is to exterminate the Jewish presence in their ancient homeland.

Standard narrative

But that wasn’t the way the New York Times or the Washington Post covered the story. Their stories involved a situation in a Gaza combat zone in territory Hamas claims to govern and which it intends to keep in any ceasefire/hostage deal arrangement that Trump might seek to broker. They depicted the dilemma that Israeli soldiers faced in an ongoing armed conflict as if it were a straightforward case of innocents being targeted by tyrannical and bloodthirsty foreign occupiers.

The encounter can be considered regrettable

It’s the war on Israel’s existence, not efforts to prevent that genocidal goal, that perpetuates the conflict. Yet corporate media still tells a different, false story.

and even mourned as a tragedy. But as we’ve seen since Oct. 7, the constant drumbeat of demonization of Israel in which every Palestinian death — even though at least half of them are of Hamas combatants and those aiding their cause — are depicted as an atrocity is not without consequences.

It is not merely a narrative about the conflict that has become standard fare in most international outlets for decades. It is the fuel that has fed the fire lit by those who have propagated the myth that the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is one between a “white” settler-colonial state and an occupied nation of “people of color” who seek liberation and an end to racist discrimination. In this way, Zionism — the national liberation movement of the Jewish people that has effectively decolonized a country and returned it to its indigenous people, the Jews — is painted as an evil movement no different from “Jim Crow” American racism or even a rerun of Nazi-style genocide in which Palestinian Arabs play the part of the Jews in the Holocaust.

In this way, it erases not merely the truth about the war against Hamas but any agency on the part of Palestinians who supported the atrocities on Oct. 7, precisely because they viewed them as part of a legitimate war against a nation that has no right to exist, let alone defend itself.

Oct. 7 was in this way no different from previous Palestinian terror campaigns, whether continuous rocket attacks launched from Gaza since it became a Hamas state in 2007 or the Second Intifada inside Israel, which took the lives of more than 1,000 Israelis from 2000 to 2005 and literally blew up the Oslo Accords attempting to instill peace.

The sheer brutality of the orgy of mass murder, rape, torture, kidnapping and wanton destruction of Oct. 7 should have made it clear what the Palestinians’ goals are. That terrible day, which took the lives of 1,200 Israeli men, women and children, was a trailer for what they want to do to all of Israel.

Future terrorist?

Still, it has made no impression on the Palestinians’ Western media cheerleaders like Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. His most recent piece was devoted to the familiar argument that Israel is worsening the conflict and creating a new generation of terrorists with its brutality and unwillingness to empower the forces that seek its destruction. Focusing on IDF operations in Judea and Samaria against Hamas’ efforts to create a new front in the war, he portrayed a young Arab who said his ambition was to join Hamas.

As critics of every Israeli measure of selfdefense have claimed for the last 80 years,

Kristof asserts that the defeat of terrorists isn’t worth the cost in lives and suffering on the part of those who support them. In his words, fighting Hamas just sows “the seeds of violence,” creating new terrorists like the 12-year-old Muhammed Abdul Jalil in Tulkarem, the sympathetic protagonist of the piece.

Jalil is certainly to be pitied. His home and school in a Palestinian refugee camp in Tulkarem were destroyed in an IDF operation.

Kristof, however, doesn’t explain why the descendants of those Arabs who fled their homes during the 1948 Israeli War of Independence have been kept in camps by their leaders, Arab governments, the United Nations and foreign sympathizers with the Palestinian cause as opposed to being resettled elsewhere, like every other refugee population of that era. He takes it as a given that the Palestinians ought to have been kept in place in these camps — now urban neighborhoods — as props to perpetuate the century-old war on Zionism. It is the continuation of that futile war that led to the suffering of Jalil.

Nor does Kristof spare a moment for the way Palestinian schools and media — and the hatred for Israel and Jews — inculcated in young Arabs led to the fighting in Gaza or the “little Gaza” in Tulkarem.

Forcing Israel to turn Tulkarem, and the rest of Judea and Samaria, into the sovereign Palestinian state that Kristof still foolishly believes is the solution to the problem won’t end the conflict. After all, Israel withdrew every soldier,

settler and settlement from the Gaza Strip in the summer of 2005. That didn’t prevent the Palestinians from turning it into a terrorist state from which it could not only launch rockets and arson balloons, but also the genocidal atrocities on Oct. 7.

What motivates terrorists?

Preventing the Palestinians from repeating those bestial crimes won’t make the conflict worse because after Oct. 7, how could it be?

The Hamas operatives and ordinary Palestinians who carried out those murders, rapes and kidnappings were already convinced that Israel was evil and that all Jews in it, including dovish residents of the border area who were dedicated to helping their Arab neighbors, deserved to die.

The problem is not Israel’s reaction to the war being waged against its existence. It’s the belief that this conflict — and any act of “resistance” against the Jews undertaken as part of it, including unspeakable barbarism — is justified. That belief is what set in motion the events that have harmed that 12-year-old boy. It has also inspired so many in the United States to seize on such incidents and every Palestinian death in Gaza to vocally support Hamas and echo their demands for Israel’s destruction.

Netanyahu and most Israelis have long since stopped paying attention to biased media coverage of the war being waged on them. That is understandable since they have more pressing

See Tobin on page 23

Palestinians and Red Crescent crews in the Gaza Strip retrieve bodies from the rubble of the Abdul Hadi family home after an Israeli airstrike that killed 11 people on April 6. Abed Rahim Khatib, Flash90

What’s in a name? For Judea and Samaria, a lot

HEATHER JOHNSTON

US Israel Education Assn

The name “West Bank” conjures up visions of a complex and contentious region of the Middle East. As Mike Huckabee’s nomination to be ambassador to Israel nears confirmation and his unapologetically Christian point of view comes to the fore, there’s increasing discussion of the label itself. The time has come to return to the true, historical, biblical names of Judea and Samaria — names that reflect the deep, millennia-old connection between the Jewish people and their ancestral homeland.

Last month, House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Brian Mast instructed committee staff to refer to the area as Judea and Samaria in official documents and communications. He said Congress should “recognize Israel’s rightful claim to the cradle of Jewish civilization.” And he’s right.

The region has been called Judea and Samaria since Joshua led the Israelites.

•Judea was the ancient kingdom of the Jews, a central part of Jewish history and identity. King David was born there. As was Jesus.

•Samaria was also an integral region of ancient Israel.

These names are not merely geographic terms. They carry cultural, historical and religious weight.

These names are not merely geographic terms; they carry cultural, historical and religious weight.

On the other hand, the term “West Bank” was invented in the 20th century. It’s an artificial construct, coined to describe the western bank of the Jordan River after Jordan attacked Israel in the 1948 War of Independence and annexed the area in 1950. It was part of an intentional effort to redefine the region in terms that were disconnected from Jewish identity, furthering the narrative that the land was devoid of historical Jewish presence.

But Judea and Judaism are inextricably linked.

The “West Bank” designation has been adopted by international bodies and political actors who seek to delegitimize Jewish sovereignty in the region, fueling the perception that the land belongs to others, rather than to the Jewish people who have maintained an uninterrupted presence there for thousands of years.

While many people use the term innocently, out of habit, or because that’s how they’ve heard it referred to, others use it purposefully. Because language frames our thinking, a name that disconnects the Jews from the land could have a real negative impact on policy. Correct messaging is, therefore, imperative.

Recently, Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) launched the Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus to raise awareness of the region’s historic, strategic and cultural significance to both Israel and the United States. In a letter to President Donald Trump, members of the caucus wrote: “Judea and Samaria comprise the Judeo-Christian biblical heartland, where over 80% of the Torah and Old Testament took place. This region is the heart of our shared Judeo-Christian heritage.”

In their respective Houses of Congress, Rep. Tenney and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) introduced the “Recognizing Judea and Samaria Act,” which states that the US government “should no

longer use the term ‘West Bank’ in official government materials” and instead that area should be referred to by “its historical names of ‘Judea and Samaria’.”

This is much more than political posturing. And it is also not a proclamation aimed at ruling in or out any particular policy. Reclaiming the names Judea and Samaria is a necessary step toward restoring authenticity to the narrative surrounding the region. The Jewish people’s connection to these lands is not contingent upon the whims of modern geopolitics — it is a deep-rooted, ancient tie that has been maintained through centuries of trials and tribulations.

Some argue that using the names Judea and Samaria will make peace more difficult to achieve. They are wrong. True peace cannot be

built on a false history. Acknowledging the rightful names of Judea and Samaria is a step toward fostering a more honest and genuine dialogue about the region’s future.

The Jewish people’s connection to Judea and Samaria is not negotiable, and any peace process that ignores this fundamental truth is bound to fail. The name “West Bank” has long been a tool of political manipulation designed to sever the bond between the Jewish people and the land. It is time to turn the page and restore the names of Judea and Samaria, the heart of the Jewish homeland. Let us honor the past and ensure a future where peace can be built on a foundation of truth.

Heather Johnston is the founder and chief executive officer of the US Israel Education Association.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Harvard ‘pausing’ Birzeit tie is a good first step

Harvard University’s decision to “pause” a research partnership with Birzeit University, a Palestinian university near Ramallah, was long overdue.

In 2023, Israeli security forces arrested eight students from Birzeit University who were planning what was described as “an imminent terror attack.” That apparently meant that the plan wasn’t just theoretical; it was on the verge of becoming operational. Birzeit should be known as “Terror U” for its students’ active support of Hamas.

For instance, a basketball championship game was held at Birzeit under the auspices of the university’s Sports Education Club to honor Marwan Barghouti, who is serving multiple life sentences in Israel for five murders. The

The Ivy League school’s relationship with Birzeit followed a partnership with another Palestinian Arab academic institution that supports terrorism.

student players wore shirts bearing a photo of Barghouti, and the winners received trophies — from Barghouti’s wife, of all people — featuring text calling for his release from jail.

Students representing the terrorist groups Hamas and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) were permitted to stage military parades on campus. Marchers carried facsimiles (hopefully) of bombs and rockets. They held posters featuring the likenesses of the founders of Hamas and the PFLP, and waved the official flags of the two terrorist groups.

A group of Birzeit students were arrested for taking part in a Hamas funds-transferring scheme, in which funds from the Hamas leadership in the Gaza Strip were withdrawn by Birzeit students from ATMs in nearby Ramallah and then used to finance terrorist activities.

OK, so good for Harvard for its latest action.

Yet the Ivy League school’s relationship with Birzeit followed a partnership with another Palestinian Arab university that supports terrorism: Al Quds University near Jerusalem.

Al Quds has a long record of pro-terrorist activities. In 2016, the university administration organized a “chain of readers” to publicly honor the multiple murderer Baha Alyan. Several months earlier, Alyan and an accomplice boarded a Jerusalem bus and began attacking passengers. One of those he murdered was a 78-year-old American Jewish civil-rights activist from Connecticut, Richard Lakin. Alyan stabbed and shot the defenseless elderly man in his face and chest.

The Palestinian TV station Wattan reported on the Al Quds chain-reading celebration: “More than 2,500 male and female students

participated in the chain, and it included the reading of books and letter-writing by the participants, all of this in the presence of the martyr’s father, the lawyer Muhammad Alyan.”

The students wrote letters “to the souls of martyr Baha Alyan and the other martyrs and their relatives. … Participants in the activity wore shirts with a picture of martyr Baha Alyan.”

Students affiliated with the PFLP have set up a monument on campus called the “Monument to the Martyrs of Al-Quds University.” It features this inscription: “Beware of natural

death; do not die, but amidst the hail of bullets.” That’s a quote from the late PFLP leader Ghassan Kanafani (translation comes courtesy of Palestinian Media Watch). Kanafani was one of the masterminds of the 1972 Lod Airport attack in which 26 travelers, including 11 American citizens from Puerto Rico, were massacred.

When Al-Raouf Abd Al-Sinawi, the dean of student affairs at Al Quds, was asked by Wattan if the university authorized

A class at Birzeit University near Ramallah.

Tomasz Przechlewski, Flickr via WikiCommons

Map of ancient Israel and Judea.

Richardprins via WikiCommons

STEpHEN M. FlATOw

After Sharabi account, a deafening silence

ISRAEL ELLIS

‘Wake Up Call’

Iwatched Eli Sharabi. An eyewitness to horror. A forced journey through hell. I have no right to claim understanding. How can anyone?

Empathy is the only tool of the imagination to relate, but for these hostages, there is no prec-

Hearing him, I ask myself — could I remain this composed? He must be numb. How can he process 491 days of forced and torturous containment? He is now a free man in a deal with

“Where are my wife and daughters?” he asks in the Israel hospital intake room. He learns for the first time that they have been murdered. How can he sit so calmly and deliver his account? What would I do? My mind is blank. Sharabi has a mission that rises above his personal pain — there will be time for that later, but now he must

“I have come back from hell,” Sharabi announces into a microphone before the world representatives to the United Nations. Casually dressed with his name on a placard in front of him, it is hard to believe that just six weeks earlier, he was chained to a wall 15 meters below the earth in a tunnel built with international funds.

His capture, his torture, the murder of his family — all sponsored by the humanist liberals who have willingly allowed his terror under layers of organizations and amidst the lies and denials. He calls out the United Nations for their deafening silence, the nations that have supported the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) scam, feeding terrorists

He candidly points out what cannot be denied. And yet, I wonder, will they listen?

ive video footage shows where the very terrorists are the star performers; voyeur in the most grotesque, brutal and violent acts visited on human beings — rape, mutilation, murder, depravity to a corpse — and not just the trained Hamas terrorists, but the civilians of Gaza. Sharabi calls them out, the frenzied celebration and willing involvement are not to be missed.

The Hamas depravity spills into the streets of the very inhabitants whom the world cries for; the same world that ignores the facts, the same world that rationalizes and morally equivocates the actions of an extreme jihadist organization built on terror and the glorification of death; a glory not in the name of G-d (any god will suffice) but a glory rooted in the grisly pleasure of the subhuman, a thirst that can only be satiated by the complete genocide of the Jewish people and the annihilation of the State of Israel.

This is not a conclusion I draw as a mere observer; it is a mission they proclaim openly. Yet despite the undeniable evidence, the world remains silent.

The humanists turn away from the truth. The feminists ignore the crimes against women. Those in the LGBTQ community hide behind a phraseology so absurd it would nauseate even the most open-minded. The haters call it “pinkwashing.”

Eli Sharabi speaks plainly. There is no mistake in his calm demeanor as he tells his story, recounting 491 days spent in captivity and chained, “chained, starved, beaten and humiliated,” he says. “The chains they kept me in, tore into my skin from the moment I entered into the moment I was released,” he continues with a calmness, reading his notes.

One look at him and you can tell how loosely fitting his suit is on him; he’s unable to hide his body’s frail betrayal, having survived on half a pita a day. He paints a picture of inhuman abuse. He could not walk more than four inches in his chains. Imagine, only a half of an inch to spread your body, to find any stretch possible as your muscles mold to their new reality and the nerves being compressed cause such immense pain that you would bite off your foot if you could.

A total of 491 days! And the world kept silent. UNRWA continued to be supported by the nations of the world and fed Hamas, who starved and brutally tortured the hostages. And for the hospitality, Sharabi was forced to celebrate them upon his release.

Certificate in hand with a “grab bag,” his captors put him on display for one last time with the ultimate humiliation of forcing him to “thank” them. There is nothing in any literature that describes the devil that comes close to this theater of demons, yet the world remains silent. Not a single UN resolution to denounce the terrorists.

Sharabi ends his eyewitness account before the United Nations with a single message to the world and its leaders; “Bring them all home,” he says. “No more excuses, no more delays, no more moral blindness, you cannot claim to stand for humanity and abandon those who are still in hell, bring them all home now!”

Sharabi speaks, but is he heard? Will the unreasonable people stop? Will the demonstrations stop? Will the betrayal and dissonance of the world cease? I want to be optimistic here and say, “Yes, for sure now the world will listen.”

But unfortunately, I know the true answer. It takes agency to land on the right side of history, it takes a responsibility to humanity and a strength of moral clarity — something that today is lacking.

The jihad has infiltrated our educational institutions. Teachers, entrusted with shaping the minds of future leaders, perhaps even a future president or prime minister, now champion their cause. They celebrate jihad, demean Israel and resurrect ancient blood libels. In every subject, Jews are vilified. Israel’s right to exist as a sovereign nation is openly denied. The true objective of jihad is ignored.

Our universities have become playgrounds for a syllabus of hate, breeding grounds for a renewed wave of antisemitism. And the world stands by. A deafening silence.

Sharabi is a hero who stands before the world and declares his painful account. He is not concerned with himself, but rather, his mission to free all hostages still held in Gaza.

We must never be silent and hide behind the obscene. There is always a time when good prevails over evil, when humanity takes it no longer, and when one person’s courage takes on the reins of leadership and says enough is enough. Bring them ALL home now!

Israel Ellis is the author of the “Wake Up Call,” published by Wicked Son.

Freed hostage Eli Sharabi briefs a UN Security Council meeting on March 20. His testimony was published in The Jewish Star last week.

Evan Schneider, UN

Proudly Jewish. Proudly Zionist.

The story of life is like Seder’s broken matzah…

Continued from page 1

The rabbis put it simply. “If a man has $100, he wants $200. And if he gets $200, he then wants $400.”

Take the lottery. When we are in the fantasy stage of winning, we are prepared to give a big percentage of our winnings to charity, and family and friends. “Master of the Universe, if you help me buy the winning ticket, I promise to give 20% to tzedakah. I will renovate the synagogue, refurbish the seats — just tell me and I’ll get it done.”) But once you do win (you should be so lucky!), and it is no longer make-believe Monopoly money but cash in your pocket, it’s not that easy to give away.

Now think of Harry, the guy who won $50 million. His family heard about the win before he did, and they were worried he might have a heart attack when he heard the news. So, they called his doctor to come and give him the good news. This way, if Harry went into shock or had a coronary, the doctor would be there with a remedy on the spot to administer an antidote.

In comes the doctor and says, “Harry, my friend, what would you say if I told you that you just won the state lottery — $50 million smackers?” And Harry replies, “Doc, you’ve been so good to me all these years. If I won the lottery, I would give you half!”

And the doctor dropped dead of a heart attack!

It’s easy to give it away when you don’t have it. But when you do have it, it’s not so easy. When it’s yours, you don’t give half away so quickly.

The truth is that we do go through life with only half a matzah; we never seem to get to the full one. While many of our dreams and aspirations do materialize to one extent or another, there is always something that remains frustratingly, mysteriously, almost hauntingly elusive.

But let me ask you. Just because we can’t have it all, do we desist from acquiring as much as we can? Do we say it’s either all or nothing? Or do we settle for as much as we can acquire? Do we

Mazurek…

Malachi’s message is similar, equally poignant and poetic:

“For I, Hashem, have not changed; and you, O Children of Jacob, have not ceased to be. From the days of your forefathers you’ve strayed from My decrees and did not observe them — return to Me and I will return to you (3:6–7).

“Then those who fear Hashem. …They shall remain Mine as a treasure … and I shall have compassion on them, as a man has compassion on his son”(3:16-17).

“Remember the Torah of Moshe, My servant, which I commanded him at Horeb [Sinai], for all Israel, decrees and ordinances” (3:22).

“Behold I send you Elijah the prophet, before the great and awesome day of Hashem” (3:23).

Both haftaroth speak of Israel’s sins, the call to repentance, and Israel’s ultimate redemption. And like all of navi, they speak a message contemporaneous with the events of the day in the prophet’s lifetime, but also have a resounding message for all future generations. This is why they are called prophecy.

Furthermore, both are appropriate for this month of Nisan, for as the Talmud in Rosh Hashanah (10b) says “in Nisan they were redeemed, and in Nisan they are destined to be redeemed.”

That is why Yeshayahu speaks of “ki ga’al Hashem Yaakov (for Hashem will have redeemed Jacob,” in past tense, and “u’biysrael yitpaer (He will glorify Himself in Israel), in the future. (44:23). He speaks of redemption having taken place and future glory, over a century before the destruction of the first Temple.

Forrest Gump said, “‘Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” Our

We go through life with only half a matzah; we never seem to get to the full one.

The Seder reminds us that if the whole Haggadah can be recited over a broken matzah, then there is nothing wrong with half a matzah. If “half a loaf is better than no loaf,” then half a matzah is better than no matzah.

Yes, says the Kotzker, the greatest enemy of good is not evil, but excellence. And the unrealistic demand for perfection … or nothing.

So, take half a matzah. Take the broken morsel. It doesn’t have to be the end, the ultimate. But it can be a beginning — and a good beginning.

Likewise Malachi, speaking at the time of the rebuilding of the new walls around Jerusalem and the future second Temple, declares Hashem announces that ”I send you Eliyahu Hanavi” in present tense, following with, in the future

columnist says it’s more like broken matzah.

turn down a deal that will make us a profit, even if it doesn’t make us instant millionaires?

The Kotzker Rebbe was renowned for his sharp wit and wisdom. He once asked his disciples, “What is the enemy of good?” One said that the enemy of good is bad. Another suggested that it must be evil. But the Rebbe said “wrong” to all their answers.

“Do you really want to know what the enemy of good is? I will tell you,” he said. “The enemy of good is excellence.”

The Kotzker Rebbe explained that many people strive for excellence, but because they cannot

tense, “before the great and awesome day of Hashem”(3:24).

Both neviim speak to their generation and to us in ours.

Both haftaroth could qualify as appropriate for Shabbat HaGadol. But since Malachi mentions Eliyahu, who visits every Passover Seder, and also refers openly to the “Great and Awesome day of Hashem” (HaGadol), it traditionally is the chosen haftara for Shabbat HaGadol.

Yet when, as in this year, one week before Pesach, Vayikra is the parsha, I would suggest the haftara from Yeshayahu is an appropriate substitute.

A further proof of the suitability for this is the presence of Eliyahu himself. On two occasions in Jewish life, Eliyahu makes an appearance — the Seder and the Brit Milah. And on both those occasions we loudly proclaim the verse from Ezekiel (16:6):

“B’damayich chayi” (in your blood, Live!),” with each event recalling either the blood of the Korban Pesach or the blood of the rit Milah.

Both the Korban Pesach and Brit Milah are time constrained; the former must be eaten on the night of the 15th of Nisan and the latter always on the 8th day after birth. Except when they can’t.

If one is impure at the time of Pesach, then he gets a “second chance” one month later in Iyar (Pesach sheni).

And likewise Brit Milah. If the child is ill, the Brit can be delayed until he is well. And yet , even if delayed, both mitzvot, Pesach and Milah have been fulfilled in their entirety.

So too with Shabbat HaGadol. Though certainly not a mitzvah, we can fulfill it on another day if the calendar makes it difficult otherwise, like this year. And to advance the message of teshuva, rachamim and geula, we have the words of two great neviim to accompany us on either date, with the herald of the coming of Moshiach, Eliyahu Hanavi, always close nearby.

May Moshiach come now!

Shabbat Shalom and Chag Kasher v’Sameach!

Adobe

achieve excellence, they stop trying altogether.

How many of us never achieved success in any given field of endeavor because it just wasn’t right, the conditions were not suitable or because “if I can’t do it right, I’d rather not do it at all.” So, what happened? Nothing.

While we were waiting for the perfect opportunity, every other opportunity passed us by, and we were left with nothing.

“All or nothing” sounds very idealistic and principled. But it is not practical. When we say “All or nothing,” we usually wind up with nothing.

Freedman…

belly of the tank, you kick him in the helmet, and he gets the message.

But what do you do when the gunner is a full bird colonel? I shouted into the intercom to no avail; with all the noise of heavy gunfire and the tank engine, he couldn’t hear me. In desperation, I decided there was no way I was giving up my weekend pass, so I kicked him in the back of his helmet. I heard a grunt — “ugh!” — over the intercom, and he released the controls.

Later, when we all got out of the tank, I discovered he had a huge welt in the middle of his forehead. I had kicked him so hard that his head slammed into the gunner’s console. I was terrified that I would pay a price for this overreaction, but never heard another word about it.

Months later, I discovered who this fellow really was: Shaul Mofaz. He had been Yoni Netanyahu’s second-in-command on the famous Entebbe rescue mission, and he would eventually become the Israeli defense minister.

That single moment remains with me as a model of leadership. Here was a full colonel, kicked in the head by a private, who offered no more than a grunt. No curse, no formal reprimand or stockade time, not even so much as a dressing-down. In that moment, we were just two soldiers doing their jobs.

This week, we read the portion of Tzav, which includes the anointing of Aharon and his sons as priests for the first time. To anoint them, G-d tells Moshe to “take the blood from the slaughtered animal and place some of it in the middle part of Aharon’s right ear, upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the big toe of his right foot” (Vayikra 8:23).

Some take this to mean that a leader must learn how to listen, know what to do, and be able to choose a clear path on which to walk. Interestingly, this very same procedure is ap-

Say kiddush. Put on tefillin. Light the Shabbat candles. Come to the shiur (even if you won’t become a rabbi). Do the deal (even if it isn’t the mother of all deals). And get married (even if he or she isn’t the fulfillment of every single fantasy). Don’t make the mistake of saying “All or nothing.”

You don’t have to settle for second best — just start somewhere, even if it is only a morsel of a morsel.

Yes, we recite the whole Haggadah on half a matzah. And we can live our whole life on half a matzah. And it can still be very satisfying indeed.

I wish you Passover Seders that satisfy, physically and spiritually. Chag Kasher v’Sameach! Rabbi Yossy Goldman is Life Rabbi Emeritus of Sydenham Shul in Johannesburg and president of the South African Rabbinical Association. Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

plied to the purification of the metzorah, the leper who, according to tradition, is punished with a spiritual malady due to his sins, which can include slander and evil speech.

How can the same process apply to the High Priest and the metzorah? Can two people with such disparate levels of holiness undergo the same procedure?

There is an interesting discussion in the tractate of Berachot which may shed light on this anomaly. The rabbis (Berachot 2b) discuss the exact point at which day becomes night. Clearlym until the sun has set it is still day. Once the stars have come out it is night. The question is the status of twilight.

Rabbi Yossi is of the opinion that “bein hashmashot keheref ayin,” the transition from day to night is the blink of an eye. There is no middle ground; it is either day, or it is night.

Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kook, in his Ein Ayah commentary, explains the implications of this idea. Imagine a 300-pound person is trying to lose weight. He decides he will start eating healthier and exercising. After three days of daily walks and lots of fruit and vegetables, he weighs himself and discovers he has lost one pound.

To everyone else, suggests Rav Kook, nothing has changed yet. No one can tell the difference between a 300-pound fellow and one who weighs 299 pounds. But he knows the entire world has changed, because he is heading in a new direction. Obviously, the High Priest and the metzorah are in two completely different spaces, but they share in common the fact that both are trying to grow, to elevate themselves spiritually, and in that moment they are viewed equally.

Perhaps the Torah is teaching us that when two people are trying to grow, Hashem does not see them as different. Just like that moment in the tank: a high-ranking officer kicked in the head by a simple private might have been expected to curse, or at least glare. But in that moment, we were both just soldiers doing our job.

It was a valuable lesson on what a leader is really meant to be.

GianPiero,

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Weinreb…

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periences I had during the horrible years of the Holocaust,” he exclaimed, “for me to realize why my mentor was able to recall his experiences in ancient Egypt’s tyranny.”

The rebbe then went on to elaborate upon two psychological processes that are necessary to invoke during the Seder night as we recite the Haggadah. He used two Hebrew and Yiddish terms respectively: koach hadimyon (the power of imagination) and mitleid (empathy).

The lesson that the old Rebbe related to me and to the dozens of other eager listeners that evening so long ago was that we are often restricted by our own tendencies to rely upon our reason, rationality, and intellectuality.

We underplay the powers that we have to fantasize, to imagine, to dream freely. In a sense, we are slaves to reason and need to learn to allow ourselves to go beyond reason and to give our imaginations free rein. Only then can we “see ourselves as if we had personally endured slavery.” Only by cultivating our imagery can we ourselves experience the emotions of freedom and liberty.

We are all required to imagine ourselves as if we are the other person. If the other person is poor, the mitzvah of charity demands that we ourselves feel his poverty. If he is ill, we must literally suffer along with him. This is empathy, and to be empathic, one must rely upon a well-developed imagination.

Imagination and empathy are not words that one often hears in rabbinic sermons, but they are the words that the Klausenberger Rebbe used that evening. And, as he concluded in his remarks, he learned about those words through the bitter suffering that he endured when he was

enslaved in Auschwitz, and he appreciated redemption when he himself was finally freed from his personal bondage.

The young rabbi who started my thinking about this had, through his good fortune, never really experienced anything remotely resembling slavery. Naturally, he was thus deprived of the ability to really appreciate freedom.

After a few days, I approached the young rabbi and shared with him the words that I had heard decades ago, before this young rabbi was even born. I told him what the Klausenberger Rebbe had said about empathy and imagination.

The young rabbi responded politely and with gratitude, but with a gentle smile got in the last word: “But the Klausenberger Rebbe didn’t say that learning to imagine and to empathize were easy.”

I had to admit that the young rabbi was correct. Creative imagination and compassionate empathy are not easily attained. Achieving them may indeed be the hardest task of the holiday of Passover.

But I feel confident that the young rabbi agreed with my assertion: Learning to use one’s powers of imagination in order to empathize with the plight of others is the essential objective of this magnificent holiday, zman cheiruteinu, the season of our freedom.

Chag Sameach!

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Tobin…

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Palestinians believe or have ever done matters, can rightly be dismissed as ignorance masquerading as expertise.

Attack on Trump policies

This latest surge in prejudicial coverage of the post-Oct. 7 war is key because it provides ammunition for those on the American left who conquered academia and are on the verge of doing the same to the Democratic Party that hopes to return to power in 2028.

The media assault on Israel may seem like a dull repetition of similarly biased coverage that has been a staple of liberal establishment commentary for the last four decades.

But as the anti-Trump resistance ramps up efforts to thwart the president’s policies and eventually be in a position to go even further to the left than past Democratic administrations, Jerusalem cannot escape being drawn into this struggle. At this point, it is the pushback against Trump’s support for Israel and efforts to rid the education system of the toxic leftist myths that have fueled antisemitism at issue. That is what is motivating the latest calumnies, distortions and lies about what the Jewish state is doing to defend itself.

Just as Palestinian indoctrination of hatred against the Jews in their schools and media creates terrorists, it is the spread of critical race theory, intersectionality and settler-colonial teachings that turns young Americans into supporters of a terrorist group like Hamas. In this way, Kristof, the Times and the many other news outlets that engage in a similar campaign of misinformation are far more responsible for the continuation of the war and Palestinian suffering than Israelis seeking to stop Hamas terrorism.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Flatow…

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the pro-terrorist monument, he replied: “Why would we oppose [it]?”

The PFLP students are not the only pro-terrorist group that Al Quds permits on its campus. There’s also a “Sisters of Dalal Mughrabi” group, honoring the woman terrorist who led the massacre of 37 Jews in the Tel Aviv Highway massacre in 1978. The first victim of that slaughter was American Jewish nature photographer Gail Rubin, who was the niece of Connecticut Sen. Abraham Ribicoff, a Democrat.

What makes Harvard’s embrace of Birzeit and Al Quds especially appalling is that some of Harvard’s own students have been victims of Palestinian terrorism.

Harvard student Etan Bard and his father, Seldon Bard, were murdered by Palestinian Arab terrorists who blew up a TWA flight from Israel in 1974. Harvard alumnus Harold Rosenthal, who had served as an aide to U.S. senators Walter Mondale and Jacob Javits, was murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Istanbul airport in 1976. Another Harvard graduate, Dr. Alan Bauer, was severely wounded, as was his 7-year-old son, in a Palestinian Arab suicide bombing in Jerusalem in 2002.

Harvard’s continued partnership with Al Quds is a slap in the face to the families of Etan Bard and Harold Rosenthal, as well as an insult to the memory of all victims of Palestinian Arab terrorism.

Stephen M. Flatow is president of the Religious Zionists of America and father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iraniansponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com