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Bo • Friday, January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 • Luach page 19 • Torah columns pages 18–19 • Vol 17, No 3

The Newspaper of our Orthodox communities

Abbas slays Oslo

Hi-tech med grows at Far Rock hospital

By The Jewish Star The Far Towns’ neighborhood medical center — St. John’s Episcopal Hospital in Far Rockaway — proudly cut the ribbon last week opening its newest improvement: a state-of the-art wound care center featuring two hyperbaric oxygen chambers.

The machines provide oxygen saturation to patients with limb or life-threatening wounds.

“Wound care has been a part of St. John’s for a long time,” said COO Christopher Parks, but the new machines See Hospital wound care on page 17

At Wound Care Center (from left): Dr. Arnold Hertz, Medical Director Dr. Thomas Lubeski, Associate Director Dr. Joseph Tarantino, and St. John’s COO Christopher Parker. At right: Far Rockaway state Senator James Sanders Jr. enters one of the new hyperbaric oxygen chambers. The Jewish Star / Ed Weintrob

Jewish ethics pumped at Chamber

By The Jewish Star The Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce brought its Small Business Alliance to the Five Towns last week, holding a networking event at the Lawrence Yacht and County Club that was attended by several dozen local entrepreneurs.

“We’re looking to empower people and build economic development,” said Chamber Founder Duvi Honig.

Motivational speaker Kivi Bernard, author of “Leopardology: The Hunt For Profit In A Tough Global Economy,” related his own business story where the lesson was simple: Don’t obsess over money, From left: Keynoter Kivi Bernhard, Lawrence Mayor Alex Adelman, Orthodox Jewish Chamber of do the right thing by treating people Commerce Chairman J. Morton Davis, and Chamber Founder Duvi Honig. The Jewish Star / Ed Weintrob fairly and honestly — following Jewish Shabbos table that has 15 or 20 people around it who can make values — and you’ll be okay.

“What is our purpose,” he asked. “Do I see money as an end a blessing on a Friday night in 2018 when there are centuries of destination, because that’s what my body tells me? Or is it as my history that said otherwise,” he said. “But when the paraphanalia of my physical existence become the dominent thing, I besoul defines it, as a delivery mechanism to the world?”

See Orthodox chamber on page 17 “You buy a house for a million dollars so that you can have a come a victim of that.”

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PA boss says Jews are not Zionists

By Combined Sources “Israel is a colonial project that has nothing to do with Jews,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said in a blistering two-hour speech on Sunday that included a virtual best-of album of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic canards.

“Today is the day that the Oslo Accords end,” Abbas said. “Let me be clear: We will not accept American leadership of a political process involving negotiations.”

Abbas spoke during a two-day meeting of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s Central Council that was See Abbas speech on page 15

MORE INSIDE

•Kampeas: What does this mean? p. 15 •Dunetz: Oslo dead? It never lived: p. 20 •Medoff: Abbas is worst historian: p. 16 •Flatow: The PA’s women problem: p. 16

When wretched Jews came from lousy countries

By Ben Sales, JTA But it bears noting that Jews were just a small portion of the immigrants who faced this bigotry after World Jews were “undesirable.”

War I, said Hasia Diner, director of the Goldstein-Goren They were “of low physical and mental standards.”

Center for American Jewish History at New York UniThey were “filthy.” They were “often dangerous in their versity. Southern Italians, who were considered boors habits.” They were “un-American.” impossible to educate, had it far worse, she said.

So read a report submitted to the House Committee on “The view was they could not fit into the American Immigration in 1924, written by the director of the United orientation toward progress and doing better, and would Stated Consular Service and approved by the secretary be forever manual laborers stuck at the very bottom,” of state. That year, Congress passed a bill that drastically Diner said of attitudes toward Southern Italians. She slashed immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe, said Jews, by contrast, were viewed as “a little too sucresponding to xenophobic feelings across the country. cessful, a little too pushy, getting on that American track The bill didn’t mention Jews, but Jews were affected. too fast. They were viewed as competitors.”

In 1921, according to a JTA report at the time, 120,000 Sarna and Diner both said that similar fears animated Jews came to America. After the law was passed, that the nativisms of the 1920s and today. In both cases, they number fell to around 10,000. The headline on that artisaid, these derogatory comments were based in a fear of cle was blunt: “America shuts her doors to immigration.” the other from a foreign culture, who will disrupt white The nativist rhetoric of a century ago found new American society. expression in the reported words of President Donald “There was a fear that these immigrants would Trump at a recent meeting of lawmakers, where attendchange the country, which in fact they did, making it ees said he questioned why the United States should alImagno/Getty Images less Protestant, less Central European and Nordic and low people from “[explative] countries,” including those Jewish family in Jedrzejow, about 1900. so on,” Sarna said. “Today it’s the same. Lo and bein Africa, to immigrate. He suggested the U.S. should adhold, the president wants more immigration from Normit more people from places like Norway. lumped Jews, Italians, Poles and others into “races most alien to way, so in that sense, from a historical perspective, nothing’s Trump tweeted a vague denial of the statement, but it’s been the body of the American people.” asserted by multiple people at the meeting, including Illinois Sen. “In the eyes of politicians in the 1920s, undesirable immigrants changed.”

Salty language aside, some have suggested that the president’s Dick Durbin. included Jews, Italians and Slavs,” said Jonathan Sarna, a profesWhile congressmen in the 1920s may not have used Trump’s sor of Jewish history at Brandeis University. “In the eyes of nativist comments can be understood as a blunt way of talking about a relanguage, they were also opposed to letting in people from so- politicians today, undesirable immigrants are Haitians, Africans, current debate in American society: Does the United States accept immigrants as part of its duty to extend freedom and opportunity called undesirable countries — like Italians, Slavs and Jews from and Latin Americans. Once it was us who were that way.”

Eastern Europe. Chinese immigrants were banned altogether. SenJews at the time, Sarna said, would be quick to admit they to those struggling around the world, or should its first considerator David Reed, for whom the 1924 law was named, also wanted came from difficult conditions that they were happy to escape. ation be what’s best for the United States? Other countries — into let in more immigrants from “Nordic” countries.

Emma Lazarus’ poem on the Statue of Liberty, “The New Colos- cluding Australia, Canada, Great Britain and New Zealand — use An amendment to the 1924 law that aimed to restrict immigra- sus,” called some immigrants “wretched refuse.” The difference, a points system to favor immigrants with more education and extion even further was “aimed chiefly at the Jews who, [a senator] Sarna said, is that the poem, and Jews, saw those difficult condi- perience, for example.

Sarna rejected the idea that Trump was simply expressing a asserted, have been emigrating to American in disproportionately tions as a reason to let immigrants into the country, not to refuse preference for highly skilled immigrants, saying that if that’s what large numbers.” Disproportionate Jewish immigration from Rus- them. sia, the senator told JTA, was “unfair to the predominating popula“For many Jews and for a great many Americans, when they he meant, he would have said that.

“There are people from all sorts of countries who commit tion of those countries.” think about their own roots, they came from places people would The senator denied being anti-Semitic. His amendment failed. not describe particularly kindly,” he said. “They looked at Amer- crimes, but when we ascribe those sins to the whole group, that’s Reforms in the 1950s and 1960s did away with the quotas. ica as a refuge from those places — the land of the free and the the essence of racism,” Sarna said. “The problem here is that inThis prejudice had been around for decades before the 1924 brave where they had great opportunities and achieved wonderful stead of using objective criteria, we’re utilizing racial and geographic criteria.” law. A report from 1891 prepared by Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge things.”

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W. Hemp table tennis champ eyes ‘20 Olympics

16-year-old Estee Ackerman, a YU High School for Girls student from West Hempstead, hopes to qualify for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

tennis as an alternative to being consumed by electronics and to keep them active. “I figured that this would be a nice sport to enhance her mind and engage her hand-eye coordination,” he said. “Little did I know that her improvement through her training and the help of her coaches would lead us to where we are today.”

In December, Ackerman entered the U.S. Open Table Tennis Championship in Las Vegas.

Competing in nine events, she won four gold medals and one silver. She said it has not always been easy balancing her life between academics and athletics.

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back home from school,” she said, “and sometimes I have to miss birthday parties or social hangouts to train and compete in tournaments.

I’m so thankful for the support from my family and my teachers.”

Ackerman trains three to five days a week after school, working on what her mother, Chanie, calls a “killer” serve, a shot that even adults are unable to return.

“People ask me how she does it, but even I don’t know how to describe it,” Chanie said. “I give her so much credit that she’s able to balance everything in her life. People who call me say I should take all of the credit, but I give it all to her.”

While helping the United States win its first gold medal in table tennis is her main goal, Ackerman said she also hopes to boost the sport’s popularity. She visits schools to play friendly games against children, sharing her love of the game.

“Whether it’s helping to get it into more public schools, Jewish schools or nursing homes for senior citizens, this is a unique sport where anyone can play,” she said. “This sport made me realize that people have a lot of skills in life, but they just have to put some hard work into it. My real value is to inspire and motivate other children that if they have a passion for a sport, or anything else in life, my message to them is yes, you can do it.”

Glenn added that even if Estee doesn’t achieve her goal, his family will cheer on the U.S. team in its pursuit of history. “We hope we might have played some minuscule part in seeing that this is done,” he said, “because that would bring us a lot of happiness.”

The dates for the qualifying rounds for the 2020 Olympics have not been announced, Glenn said, but he is expecting the competition to take place in February 2020.

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By Nakeem Grant, Herald Community News West Hempstead teen Estee Ackerman was only 7 when she first picked up a table tennis paddle. She played the game with her older brother Akiva in the basement of her home.

Now 16, Estee is competing against some of the top players in the country, and she has her sights set on qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo.

“I don’t think that when I was 7, I ever imagined I would become a person that would try out for the Olympics,” she said. “I’m very proud of myself and very thankful to my parents and to my community for supporting me and allowing me to enjoy what I do.”

The U.S. has never medaled in the sport in Olympic history, but Ackerman said she hopes to change that. “I know that making it to the Olympics would be a dream come true,” she said, “but that does come with a lot of hard work, time, dedication and definitely effort.”

Ackerman, now a junior at Yeshiva University High School for Girls (Central) in Queens, made her first Olympic run in 2016, when she tried out for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. At 14, she was one of 16 female athletes vying to represent the United States. Competing against former Olympians, she came up short in the qualifying rounds.

“I wasn’t disappointed, because I felt more than happy being at the Olympic trials as a 14-year-old,” Ackerman said. “I know that I’m nowhere near where I want to be, but I just try to really enjoy these moments and just be thankful of where I am.”

Later that summer, she competed in the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics in Houston, winning gold medals in 16-and-under singles and 16-and-under doubles.

Her father, Glenn — who played table tennis for 40 years — introduced his children to table

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5 THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

‫ישיבה דרך איתן‬

Sefer Zikaron

‫ע”ש מרן רבי‬ ‫אברהם יפה'ן זצ”ל‬

Y E S H I VA O F FA R R O C K AWAY YAAKOV AND ILANA MELOHN CAMPUS

A Sefer Zikaron, dedicated

IN MEMORY OF REB YOSEF MELOHN Z”L

to the memory of Rabbi Brafman ZT”L, is being planned in conjunction with the dinner. Talmidim, chaveirim, mispallelim, and family members are invited to submit divrei Torah, articles, memoirs, vignettes, and photos. Submissions may be sent via email to zikaron@ yofr.org or mailed to the Yeshiva before January 22nd.

Please note: space constraints may limit us from including

The Rabbi

some submissions. Originals may not be returned.

Aaron Brafman

Rabbi Avrohom Boruch Brafman

TRIBUTE DINNER

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited I’m very proud of him.”

In April 2015, Abe visited the U.S. Holocaust a museum in Lithuania commemorating Chiune Sugihara, a Japanese diplomat who saved thou- Memorial Museum in Washington, where he met sands of Jews from the Nazis during the Holo- with three survivors who had been helped by caust.

Abe visited Sugihara House, the former Japanese consulate in Kaunas, which was the capital of Lithuania at the time of World War II. He toured the site and sat behind what had been Sugihara’s desk, according to reports.

As Japan’s imperial consul in Lithuania, Sugihara defied orders from his superiors in order to issue at least 2,000 visas, and as many as 6,000 according to some reports, to Jews between 1939 and 1940. He is sometimes called the “Japanese Schindler,” a reference to Oskar Schindler, who saved at Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe with Lithuanian Foreign Minister least 1,200 Jews by employing Linas Linkevicius at the Sugihara House in Kaunas, Lithuania, on them in his factories in Poland. Jan. 14.

Petras Malukas/AFP/Getty Images “The courageous and humanitarian action of Mr. Sugihara provides us Sugihara. In January 2015, Abe visited the Yad with guidance as to how to we should survive in Vashem Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. Sugithis world, where rule-of-law-based internation- hara was named a Righteous among the Nations al order is being challenged in various forms,” by Yad Vashem in 1985, the only Japanese person to be so honored.

Abe said during his visit Saturday.

Abe’s visit to Lithuania was the first by a Japa“Sugihara’s courageous humanitarian acts —JTA are highly rated around the world. As Japanese, nese prime minister.

Bomb found at Joseph’s Tomb before pilgrimage Israeli security forces discovered and destroyed in a controlled detonation a bomb planted at Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus late Monday night.

The bomb hidden in a cellphone was discovered during a security check ahead of a visit by 1,000 Jewish worshippers.

Following the destruction of the bomb, the early Tuesday morning pilgrimage took place as planned.

As the group was leaving the site, Palestinian protesters threw rocks at the buses as well as the soldiers guarding them. No inju- Jewish settlers praying in Joseph’s Tomb in Nablus on Dec. 28, 2010. ries were reported, though the Kobi Gideon/Flash90 buses were damaged.

Joseph’s Tomb is holy to remain under Israeli control, but the Israeli army Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Israeli Jews must evacuated the premises in October 2000 durreceive permission to visit the purported burial ing the second intifada and the tomb was burnt place of the Jewish patriarch; the visits must be down by Palestinians. It was renovated and recoordinated with the Israel Defense Forces. stored, but then torched and vandalized again in Under the 1993 Oslo Accords, the site was to October 2015.

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School News

Send news and hi-res photos to Schools@TheJewishStar.com • Deadline Mondays at Noon

2nd grade Chumash play at HANC

The second grade class at performed a play for their parents and were presented with their first Chumashim by Rabbi Kalman Fogel, principal of HANC Plainview.

DRS college nods

Ten DRS students were accepted to Yeshiva University’s Honors Program and awarded distinguished earlydecision binding scholarships collectively valued at over $1-million (they are pictured at left: Benyamin Bortz, Aaron Singer, Eitan Carrol, Uri Ash, Yosef Mehlman, Daniel Goldstein, Steven Liever, Avishai Teitelbaum, Jonah Loskove and Chezky Rothman). Meanwhile, DRS senior Binyamin Klein was accepted early decision to the Cooper Union School of Engineering where he will pursue a degree in electrical engineering. Binyamin’s app has allowed people from around the world to view sports games and other events at DRS. The positive relationship that DRS has forged with secular colleges and YU affords its students strong consideration when they apply.

Kulanu inclusion

In our community, there are families of children with special needs who are unable to enroll their children in local yeshivot. The child might not be a fit for the yeshiva or the yeshiva might not be able to provide the services that a special needs student requires. As a result, they may not have an opportunity to experience school in a manner than their siblings do. For the past 17 years, Kulanu, through its Torah L’Kulanu division, has offered a yeshiva inclusion program. Students with special needs, who are attending public school, are invited to integrate into classes at local yeshivot during their holiday breaks. During the public school’s recent December break, 18 participants benefited both socially and academically from this program. Eligible students with disabilities attended classes at HAFTR, HALB and SKA and were supported by peer shadows provided by each school. Many participants in previous inclusion weeks later enrolled in local yeshivas, a testament to the positive experience of inclusion programming. The next holiday yeshiva inclusion program will run during Presidents week from February 20 through 23. For more information contact Rabbi Duvie Zeidel at 516569-3083 x327 or dzeidel@torahLkulanu.org

Midreshet Shalhevet cake

In mark their completing reading Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Daniel Loewenstein’s 11th grade English class was treated to a delicious snickerdoodle cake that he made, decorated to look like Frankenstein’s monster. While eating the cake, the class discussed the book.

— Avygayl Zucker, MSH ’19

HALB Bnot Akiva

HALB’s Bnot Akiva led an inspiring Asara B’Tevet program regarding the serious drought in Israel this year. Responding to the call for tefila on Asara B’Tevet made

by Minister of Agriculture Uri Ariel and the chief rabbis, Rabbi David Lau and HaRav Yitzchak Yosef, the Bnot Akiva led a program to bring awareness of this issue to fourth and fifth grade boys and girls. The children were given stickers of the special tefila to paste in their siddurim and decorated wall hangings that will be displayed in the school’s hallways to remind them of their commitment to improve their interpersonal relationships. The program concluded with a recitation of the tefila led by Principal Richard Altabe.

Shulamith siddurim

From left: Tohar Kobi, Lauren Greene, and Ahava Babayev, excited to receive their first siddurim.

First graders at the Shulamith School for Girls in Cedarhurst received their first siddurim at a special Sunday event. Parents and grandparents were delighted by the presentations, which featured Shabbat-themed songs such as “Shalom Aleichem” and “Lecha Dodi.” The girls performed in pairs and impressed everyone with their beautiful singing and exceptional choreography.

Joyce Yarmak, principal of the Lower Division, addressed the audience, speaking about the importance of transmitting our mesorah to the next generation. As each talmidah was called to the stage to receive her siddur, the pride, confidence, and joy of the ba’alot simcha lit up the auditorium.

The event ended with coffee and refreshments served in the gym, and each girl received a framed photograph, Shulamith lunch bag, and scrumptious cookie.

11

Pictured: Eli Edery with his daughters Lia (grade 8) and Noy (grade 7).

The Middle Division of Shulamith School for Girls in Cedarhurst recently hosted a father-daughter minyan. Why is this news? In an all-girls school, students usually pray together with lots of singing but without the portions the community adds in public prayer. Last year, when Morah Shoshana Fischman and Morah Alisa Schreier were teaching Hilchot Tefila and Devarim she’b’Kedush, they came up with the idea of holding a minyan so the learning could come to life. That the minyan was a great success and another was planned for a day when many dads were off from work at secular jobs, but yeshivot were open. With Torah reading and father-daughter bonding at a deliciouls breakfast sponsored by Ely and Elisheva Baum, the event was appreciated by all. Thanks were extended to the fathers who participated and especially to those who served as ba’al tefila, ba’al koreh and gabbai of this special minyan.

Pictured: Micheal Fuller and his daughter Allison.

An incredible Kiddush Hashem was made at Yeshiva Har Torah on Monday, December 25th as parents of the 7th and 8th-grade students took their day off from work to learn Torah with their children in a very special Yom Iyun. A chorus of voices was heard in the Beit Midrash as parents and children studied source sheets together in preparation for Rabbi Menchel’s Shiur. Rabbi Menchel discussed themes about the end of Sefer Bereshit and shared words of inspiration about the power of speaking the truth and make sure to pass that middah on to our children.

At SKA, Asarah B’Tevet fast day inspires ‘Turning Tefilah into Your Life’ program Pictured from left: Students choose TTYL Post-it notes for their siddurim; TTYL members Rachel Ash, Mrs. Rikki Ash, and Rebecca Weiss.

By Ayelet Aharon SKA ’18 On Asarah B’Tevet, the TTYL (Turning Tefillah into Your Life) Committee of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls ran an inspiring program to enhance tefillah. Upon entering the school building, a huge sign reading “Welcome to the MET (Museum Enriching Tefillah)” introduced incredible student-produced artwork throughout the hallway. SKAers were surrounded by beautiful paintings and computer graphics created by the Art Academy and Graphic Design classes depicting different tefillot in a unique visual form. In each davening group, one painting and one graphic design were presented to the girls to illustrate the deeper meanings behind the tefillah.

Each class also benefited from individual tefillah workshops run by TTYL student facilitators. The classes were presented with a choice of 12 Post-it notes created by TTYL, each with an image and short poem related to tefillah.

Every girl chose four Post-it notes that contained a personal connection to her, and with the help of Mazel tov to HALB first graders the student facilitators, discovered how the words on their chagigat siddur. Princiof the poems can actually connect to words of pal Richard Altabe spoke about tefillah. At the end of the session, the girls were the power of tefilla and how able to stick the Post-its into their personal sidHashem answered our prayers durim, in order to add personal meaning to their for rain in Israel. Thanks go to everyday davening.

Rabbi Ungar, Morahs Sholler This program was an opportunity for girls to see and Tzila, and Sandy Shmuely tefillot in new and exciting ways, and to add a layon planning a meaningful celeer of depth and meaning to their routine prayers. bration.

Ira Thomas Creations The notes remaining in each girl’s personal siddur are a representation of the lasting impact of the inspiration, and serve as a constant reminder of the lessons learned.

In addition to making the fast day so relevant for students, SKA offered an inspirational Asarah B’Tevet Boker Iyun to women of the community as SKA Limudei Kodesh faculty members Sheva Mezei and Rochel Chafetz delivered powerful shiurim to a large group of attendees.

Thanks go to Rabbi Isaac Rice and Elisheva Kaminetsky for arranging this Boker L’iyun; Kayla Mezei and Rochel Chafetz for sharing divrei Torah; Suzy Libin, Meredith Pyle and the Art Academy students for the gallery of artwork, Mrs. Kaminetsky, Aviva Dennis, Rikki Ash, orge Mallin and Rivi Blum and all the TTYL members for all their work in making this Asarah B’Tevet at SKA meaningful.

HALB siddur celebration

YHT snow day

Kol HaKavod to the teachers who didn’t let a snow day stop Torah learning at Yeshiva Har Torah, arranging for shiurim by conference call and Google Classroom. Rabbi Eisenberger’s class continued its study of BaMidbar, learning about the requirement to always carry the Aron in the midbar, which represents our need to carry and learn the Torah always (even on a snow day!). Rabbi Dworetsky’s class continued gemara discussion on teilu v’eilu divrei Elokim chaim. Rabbi Dov Fried’s class learned halachot pertaining to hilchot muktzah and snow and heard stories about the mesirut hanefesh of gedolim and simple Jews who, despite the difficulty, attended a shiur during a blizzard and did acts of chesed. Rabbi (Tuvia) Fried’s class focused on the menorah in the mishkan. Morah Gavarin’s class learned to look at challenges in a positive way. Morah Mittelman’s class focused on the week’s parasha. Rabbi Rosenfeld’s class focused on a lesson from parashat hashavua regarding how Pharaoh “forgot” Yosef and how important it is to never let hakarat hatov (gratitude) expire.

At HANC Middle School, a Torah Bowl victory

The HANC Middle School hosted the school year’s second Torah Bowl on Jan 2. Students mastered Parshiot Vayera, Chaya Sarah and Toldot with Rashi.

HAFTR, HALB, Shulamith, North Shore and Silverstein joined the competition. The HANC girls’ team won all five of their games and maintained their first place status. On the boys’ side, HANC cruised by HAFTR in the first game as Mor Sharoni and Avi Brandler answered question after question. The boys then beat HALB and North Shore before narrowly losing in the last match, on the last question. The boys’ team is now 6-2 on the season.

THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

S’mith dad-daughter YHT learning

January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Sale Dates: January 21st - 26th 2018

Weekly Kellogg’s 17 oz Froot Loops & Apple Jacks; 17.2 oz Corn Pops; 23.5 oz Raisin Bran 2/$

Salad Mate Sauces

.................................................

Stella D’oro Swiss Fudge Cookies

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5

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......................................................

Chicken, Reduced Sodium Chicken or No MSG Chicken - 12 Pack

by the case only

......................................................

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25 oz

Except No Sugar Added 10 oz

.................................................

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11

2

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Ta’amti Cigars

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Potato or Vegetable 14 oz

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Except Chocolate Chip Bites 14 oz - 16 oz

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.......................................

.......................................

16 oz

20 oz

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3

24 oz

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4

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99

Except Pizza & Muenster - 8 oz

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Of Tov Chicken Nuggets

2

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Asian Harvest Baby Corn

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2/

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99

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349

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ALL NATURAL

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dairy & parve

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299

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6

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Each bottle cap contains one of over 100 different inspirational quotes, which also incorporate the Get Dressed name. Since the quote is written on the underside of the cap, the customer will be curious to pop open the top and read the underlying message.

3/$

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Extra Large Eggs

16 oz

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4 Section

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399

.................................................

649

Gourmet Glatt Tu B’shvat Dried Fruit Platter

mix & match!

dressing and marinade enhances the flavor of salads and other foods, versus your typical commercial dressing whose overpowering combination of ingredients masks the underlying flavor of food. This is particularly important as the dressings can be used as marinades to flavor meat, poultry and other dishes.

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349

7

Assorted - 10.25 oz Get Dressed

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399

......................................................

5 oz Brownie Brittle; 7.33 oz Pita Chips

15 oz

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7

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Hunt’s Tomato Sauce

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3

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New Items This Week!

Sea Castle

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We reserve the right to limit quantities. No rain checks. Not responsible for typographical errors.

THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

Sale Dates: January 21st - 26th 2018

January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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The JEWISH STAR

Wine & Dine

Challah from a winter oven: Nothing’s better!

JONI SCHOCKETT KOSHER KITCHEN

C

hallah is so important to Shabbos that, if a family cannot afford both wine and challah, the challah is considered the more important item.

There are many commandments and customs surrounding this ancient food. The word, “challah,” actually means the piece of dough taken before the bread is baked. In Bamidbar 15:1721, G-d commands Moses to tell the Israelites to set aside a piece of dough as a gift for the L-rd.

We take a small piece of raw challah dough and, before baking the loaves, burn it to represent the Biblical offerings. We place two challot on the Shabbos table to remind us of the double portion of manna that was given to us in the desert on Shabbos.

Challot usually come in two shapes: the traditional three-braid challah and, on the High Holidays, the round challah we eat to symbolize the seamlessness of time. But challah can be intricately woven from as many as 10 strands. Before the pre-fast meal on Yom Kippur, some people eat a bird-shaped challah to symbolize the belief that a bird will carry away our sins. People also make challot in the shapes of ladders, dreidels and even fish.

There is nothing like homemade challah. And in the winter, there is nothing like the heady aroma of rising dough and baking bread filling the house on a Friday. Making challah is not difficult, and it’s a wonderful family activity to help usher in Shabbos.

SOME CHALLAH HINTS: •Always use fresh yeast, which has been refrigerated. Yeast is a key player in bread making.

It essentially eats the sugar and releases carbon dioxide and alcohol, which make the bread rise and adds flavor to the flour.

•Make sure the liquid you use is between 100 and 115 degrees. If the water is too cold, the yeast will be sluggish and will not fully rise. If it is too hot, the yeast will die. I have found 110 degrees to be prefect.

•Be patient and let the dough rise the full amount of time.

•Knead enthusiastically, using the heel of

your hand to push the dough. Great exercise and a great stress reliever!

•Dough is fully risen when you insert two fingers about an inch deep into the dough and the indentation remains. If the indentation bounces right back up, it needs more rising time.

•Don’t be afraid to really punch the dough (my kids loved this part!). It helps deflate the excess gasses and helps create a finer texture.

•The baked challah sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. I really had no idea what that meant when I first started making bread, but I learned that it is a dull, thud-like, sound as opposed to a sharp sound like when you tap on a solid door. Don’t worry, “bake until golden” usually works. However, the “golden” should be more of an oak color, not a butter color.

Jenny’s Favorite Challah (Pareve) Decades ago, I decided to try to create a really good challah recipe. Each week I tried a dif-

ferent version and, like in “Goldilocks and the Three Bears,” some were too hard, some were too soft and some tasted like, well, we ate a lot of French toast. Finally, one Friday evening, my then three- year-old declared, upon tasting this particular challah, that it was her “most favorite” and I was to make only this one from now on. Thus, Jenny’s Favorite Challah was created and, now, decades later, it is still our favorite, traditional challah. Make it with your children or grandchildren and let them make their own braided creations. Children are great “kneaders!”

2 envelopes dry active yeast 1-/3 cups warm water (105 to 110 degrees) 4 extra-large eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar 2 tsp. salt 1/2 cup Canola oil 8 to 9 cups unbleached flour 1 egg yolk 1 tbsp. water OPTIONAL: poppy seeds, “everything” topping, sesame seeds. Etc. Corn meal for the baking tray Dissolve the yeast in the warm water in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add a teaspoon of the sugar, mix well and let it proof for about 5 minutes. You should see foam on top and moving bubbles all around. Add the beaten eggs, the rest of the sugar, the salt and oil. Mix with a dough hook on a very slow speed. While on slow, add flour, one cup at a time, beating well after each cup. Add all the flour and mix with the dough hook until all the flour is incorporated and the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and sticks together. You may need to increase speed a bit.

Remove the dough to a floured surface and knead by hand for 5 to 10 minutes until the dough is silky smooth. Form into a large ball and place in a large oiled bowl. Turn the oiled side up, cover with a dishtowel and set in a warm place for two hours or until doubled in size.

Punch down the dough, knead for 2 to 3 minutes, and return to the oiled bowl, turning the oiled side up and covering with the towel. Let rise one hour.

Divide the dough into thirds and then divide each piece into thirds. Roll each piece into a rope about 12-14 inches long. Braid each loaf with a three or four braid pattern. Place each loaf on a cookie sheet that has been generously sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 90 minutes.

Mix the egg yolk with the tablespoon of water and brush the tops of the loaves with this mixture. If you like, sprinkle with your choice of seeds. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes or until deep golden brown. Makes 2 to 3 loaves.

Honey Whole Wheat Challah (Pareve) This wonderful challah needs to rise 3 times,

but the results are a light and delicious challah.

1-1/2 cups warm water 2 packages dry yeast 1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. salt 1/3 cup honey 1/3 cup canola oil 3 extra large eggs 3 cups whole wheat flour 3 to 4 cups unbleached flour 1 beaten egg OPTIONAL: golden raisins, sesame or poppy seeds Put the yeast, water, and tablespoon of sugar in a large bowl. Mix well and let stand for about 5 minutes, until the yeast starts to bubble. Add the honey, remaining sugar, salt, oil and eggs.

Whisk until blended. Add the whole wheat flour and most of the white flour and mix well. Knead for about 10 to 12 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Add the raisins and knead them in well.

Place in a lightly greased bowl and flip so that the oiled side is up. Cover with a towel or plastic wrap. Set in a warm place to rise for 90 minutes to 2 hours or until doubled in bulk. Gently press down the dough and divide it into three or 6 long strands. Braid the challah (challot) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or cornmeal. Cover and let rise for 1 hour or until almost doubled in size.

Gently brush the loaf (loaves) with the egg and sprinkle poppy or sesame seeds over the egg wash. Cover and allow to rise once more for about 30 to 40 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and bake for 25-35 minutes until deep golden brown. Makes 1 to 2 loaves.

Israeli farmers develop world’s tiniest tomatoes

By Marcy Oster, JTA JERUSALEM — Israelis love their tomatoes.

They eat them whole, sliced, diced and cooked.

Nearly half of Israelis, in a survey taken a couple years ago, said tomato is their favorite vegetable (okay, it’s technically a fruit, but never mind), and that they eat it almost every day.

Many of them must have been pleased at the announcement last week that farmers here have developed what they believe is Israel’s — and perhaps the world’s — world’s tiniest tomato.

According to its developers — the agriculture tech company Kedma, based in the southern Arava desert — the “tipa tomato” or “drop tomato” is about the size of a blueberry and is also the sweetest of its kind on earth. It comes in red and yellow varieties.

The seeds for the new tomatoes were obtained from a company in Holland. Farmers in Israel, with the help of the Central and Northern Arava Research and Development Center, modified the tomato to withstand the dry conditions of the Israeli desert.

The producers said that they intended the

tomato for Israeli consumption, but the new breed has gotten plenty of attention worldwide.

Of course, normal cherry tomatoes are already small — so what can you actually do with a tomato that’s even tinier? Here are some options.

Any-time-of-day snack The tomato’s producers think that Israelis will just pop them in their mouths as convenient snacks. But those Israelis who don’t particularly like tomatoes — and there are some — might need something more gimmicky.

‘Tomasins’ If one dried these tomatoes, could they become the tomato version of raisins, perfect for snacking and baking?

The perfect Israeli salad addition Chopped tomato pieces are an essential part of the classic Israeli salad. But if chefs just used these mini tomatoes in their salads, there would be no need for chopping — and they wouldn’t make such a juicy mess in their kitchens.

Chocolate chip substitute How about dumping a cup of the minuscule

Kedma says it’s grown tomatoes about the size of a blueberry or, in this case, an Israeli one-shekel coin.

Screenshot

tomatoes into a savory muffin recipe? Or even substituting them for chocolate chips in your favorite cookie recipe?

Potent spit balls Ok, this suggestion has no culinary value — but these tomatoes could make very interesting projectiles when blown through a straw.

It’s worth noting that the cherry tomato is not an Israeli “invention,” as some have claimed.

They may actually date back to 15th century Aztec Mexico, or even earlier. Yellow cherry tomatoes were first cultivated in Europe in the 16th century, according to the British Tomato Growers Association.

However, Israelis were instrumental in helping cherry tomatoes become a staple in European and American kitchens by the 1990s. In the 1970s, a British grocery chain enlisted Israeli scientists to develop a sweet, shelf-stable version of the food that could be grown in neat rows — and the rest is history. That’s why Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Nentanyahu felt confident enough to stand before the U.N. General Assembly in 2015 and declare that the cherry tomato “was perfected in Israel, in case you didn’t know.”

What does it mean? there was no Jewish connection to Israel, that Zionism was a European colonialist plot, that Jews preferred Hitler’s Europe to the renascent Zionist project in Palestine, even that Israel is drugging Palestinian youths.

But like his declarations of the death of the peace process, none of Abbas’ gibes were new.

They have cropped up repeatedly in Palestinian propaganda, especially after negotiations go south.

Following the collapse of the 2000 Camp David talks, the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stepped up his claims that Israelis falsified archaeological evidence of a Jewish past in the land of Israel. Arafat’s wife, Suha, was infamous for her spurious allegation that Israel was somehow poisoning Palestinian youths.

What stood out in Abbas’ speech was how he compiled a single golden oldies collection of antiJewish myths and fabrications.

How is Israel’s government reacting?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Abbas’ comments — but has not proposed any changes in Israeli policy nor any departure from the Kushner peace initiative. Netanyahu’s reaction, notably, was jammed into a video postcard greeting from India, where he otherwise extolled the virtues of touring that country.

How is the United States reacting?

Abbas said of Trump, “May your house be demolished.” It’s not clear whether he was referring to the White House, Trump Tower or wishing for an end to the Trump dynasty. In any case, Trump and his spokesmen seemed unfazed.

“Clearly emotions are running high in the region and we certainly accept that,” said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert. “I’d like to caution folks in the region and particularly Mr. Abbas that some of those things [he said] would be considered inflammatory and inciteful and divisive.

We would like to see a peace process go forward.”

Page 1 photo: PA President Abbas speaking at a session of the Palestinian Central Council in Ramallah, Jan. 14. Issam Rimawi/Anadolu Agency/Getty

THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

Analysis by Ron Kampeas, JTA The Oslo Accords? “Killed,” the Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says.

The Israeli prime minister says the Palestinians are now “unmasked.”

Notably, the U.S. is silent — suggesting that the Trump administration has not entirely written off its effort to revive Israeli-Palestinian talks.

What Abbas said In addition to discounting the legitimacy of a Jewish state in the region, Abbas counted out a role for the Trump administration in restarting the talks.

Abbas is furious with Trump for his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and for his threats to cut funding to the Palestinian Authority.

What does Abbas’ speech mean?

Not a lot. Abbas has not been this blunt about declaring Oslo dead, nor has he been as adamant about decentralizing the traditional U.S. role as mediator. But none of this is new: When the peace process is on the skids, Abbas has reflexively blamed its structure, which he says favors Israeli settlement expansion and Palestinian disempowerment, and called for a diminished U.S. role.

“It is impossible, and I repeat — it is impossible — to return to the cycle of negotiations that failed to deal with the substance of the matter and the fundamental question,” he told the U.N. General Assembly in September 2014 following the collapse earlier in the year of the Obama administration-led peace talks and the Gaza War that ensued in the summer of the same year. He also called for a greater U.N. role in peacemaking.

Abbas subsequently retreated from that posture, embracing renewed talks under the Trump administration. Notably the PLO has not taken substantive steps to end the peace process. (A subsequent vote by the Central Council recommending an end to recognition of Israel was nonbinding and symbolic.)

So why is this attracting attention?

Abbas resurrected just about every anti-Jewish trope in the Palestinian nationalist playbook: that

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Abbas speech... ern conspiracy to settle Jews in land belonging to Arab populations? To say that that the Jewish people has no connection with the land of Israel?

He forgot many things, and said exactly the things that led him to be accused years ago of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial,” Rivlin said.

Rivlin added: “These are precisely the things that block us. In his words he is rejecting our return to our homeland, even though Abu Mazen (Abbas) knows very well that the Koran itself recognizes the land of Israel as our land. Without this basic recognition we will not be able to build trust and move forward.”

Prime Minister Netanyahu also responded, in a statement issued from India, where he is on an official visit.

“I head what Abu Mazen said,” Netanyahu said. “He has revealed the truth. He has torn off the mask and shown to the public the simple truth that I have been working to instill for many long years: The root of the conflict between us and the Palestinians is their steadfast refusal to recognize the Jewish state in any borders whatsoever.”

Abbas’ remarks drew condemnation across the Israeli and U.S. Jewish spectrum, including from groups that have not hesitated to criticize the Israeli government for recalcitrance in the peace process.

“We condemn unequivocally President Abbas’ recent statements rejecting the Jewish people’s connections with Israel, denying the legitimacy of a Jewish State of Israel, and promulgating conspiracy theories about the creation of the State of Israel,” the Reform movement said in a statement.

“Such statements and actions undercut possibilities for a peace process that alone holds the path to a viable and independent Palestinian state.”

J Street, the leftist Jewish Middle East policy group, called the speech “unacceptable.” Abbas’ frustration, the group said, was “no excuse for calling into question either the Jewish connection to, or Palestinian recognition of, the state of Israel.”

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Continued from page 1 called to respond to President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

In his diatribe, Abbas said: •Six million Jews preferred to be killed by the Nazis in Europe rather than leave for Israel. (During World War II British mandatory authorities prevented most Jewish immigration to Palestine.)

•Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, grudgingly worked to force Jews in Arab countries to come to Israel only after he determined that he could not fill the country with European Jews. (The governments in several Arab countries compelled their Jewish residents to flee after a Jewish state was re-established in 1948.)

•Israel is trying “to destroy our younger generation” by importing “frightening amounts of drugs.”

He slammed Trump and vowed never to meet with U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who he called a “settler.”

“We say to Trump, we will not accept his deal.

The deal of the century has become the slap in the face of the century,” Abbas said.

“Today is the day that the Oslo accords end.

Israel killed them,” Abbas said. “We are an authority without any authority, and an occupation without any cost. Trump threatens to cut funding to the authority because negotiations have failed.

When the [expletive] did negotiations start?”

[On Tuesday, the U.S. froze more than half of its funding for the United Nations agency that administers aid to Palestinian refugees and their descendants, but a spokeswoman said it was because Trump wants other countries to increase their assistance to UNRWA, not to punish Abbas.]

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin condemned Abbas’ remarks in a meeting Monday in Jerusalem with a delegation of AIPAC board of directors.

“What we heard yesterday from Mahmoud Abbas, was terrible. He returned back to the ideas he expressed decades ago, when they were no less terrible. To say Israel is the result of a West-

PA’s Abbas: World’s worst historian P’stinian women problem rafael Medoff

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number of recent or current international leaders hold earned doctorates, in fields such as law (the president of Greece), economics (the prime minister of India), or chemistry (both the chancellor of Germany and the prime minister of Belgium).

But, irony of ironies, the only world leader who holds a Ph.D. in history has turned out to be one of the worst historians in the world: Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority.

This week he demonstrated yet again why he deserves that label.

Addressing the Palestinian General Council on Jan. 14, Abbas said the state of Israel “is a colonial enterprise that has nothing to do with Jewishness. The Jews were used as a tool under the concept of the promised land — call it whatever you want. Everything has been made up.”

Abbas has a long record of denying Jewish history in the Holy Land. “They claim that 2,000 years ago they had a temple; I challenge the claim that this is so,” he said in August 2000. He refers to it as “the alleged Temple” (August 2012). He claims the “never-ending digging” in the city is a conspiracy by Zionist archaeologists to “vindicate the Israeli narrative [but] they have failed miserably” (February 2012). Israelis are captives of “delusional myths,” he says, and they are trying “to change Jerusalem’s landscape in every detail [in order to] invent a history” (Jan. 2014). f the Jews weren’t there, who were? According to Abbas, “the Palestinians have existed before Abraham” (March 2016), and their achievements include “the invention of the Ca-

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rs 35 Yeagrity e Of Int

naanite-Palestinian alphabet more than 6,000 years ago.” (May 2016) Remarkable accomplishments indeed, considering that the very word “Palestine” was invented by the Romans only in the 1st century CE, and there were no expressions of distinctly Palestinian Arab nationalism until the 20th century CE. Middle East history is not Abbas’s only victim. In his 1983 Ph.D. dissertation-turned-book, titled “The Other Side: The Secret Relations Between Nazism and the Leadership of the Zionist Movement,” Abbas asserted that David BenGurion and other Zionist leaders “collaborated with Hitler” and wanted the Nazis to kill Jews, because “having more victims meant greater rights and stronger privilege to join the negotiating table for dividing the spoils of war once it was over.”

The “real” number of Jews murdered by the Nazis was “much lower” than six million and might well have been “below one million,” Abbas wrote. “Many scholars have debated the figure of six million and reached stunning conclusions—fixing the number of Jewish victims at only a few hundred thousand.”

Asked about his Holocaust writings in a January 2013 interview with a Lebanese television station, Abbas replied: “I challenge anyone to deny the relationship between Zionism and Nazism before World War II.” He added that he has “seventy more books that I still haven’t published” that he says would prove his claims.

Nor is Abbas above misrepresenting the words of an American president. When challenged in 2014 over his refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, Abbas told the New York Times that his position was supported by none other than Harry S. Truman.

How so? Abbas pulled out a reproduction of President Truman’s statement, in 1948, recognizing the newborn State of Israel. The Palestinian leader pointed triumphantly to the fact that

the words “Jewish state” were crossed out and replaced by “State of Israel.”

The real reason for that name-change had nothing to do with Truman’s opinion as to whether Israel should be a “Jewish state.” Israel’s representatives in Washington drafted their request for U.S. recognition before the state was proclaimed and its name was known. They learned the new country’s name—via shortwave radio—just moments before handing their request to the president. They corrected it by hand to save time.

Not that any of this is a secret; it appears in many mainstream history texts—but not the sort of books that interest Mahmoud Abbas very much, apparently. ow can one explain why an international statesman with a Ph.D. in history would consistently resort to such gross distortions of the historical record?

A skeptic might point to the quality his education. Abbas earned a law degree at the University of Damascus, which is controlled by a regime with precious little regard for laws or facts. Similarly, he received his Ph.D. from the Soviet-controlled Oriental College in Moscow, an institution whose regard for history may be measured by the fact that it approved Abbas’s Holocaust-denying dissertation.

But that would be letting Abbas off too easy.

It has been four decades since he completed his dissertation. That’s more than enough time to read some genuine history books and become acquainted with basic historical facts. A more plausible explanation for his chicanery is that Abbas is well acquainted with the facts—but cynically chooses to disregard all but the ones which he can wield as weapons in his fight against Israel.

Dr. Medoff is the author of 19 books about Jewish history and the Holocaust. This essay originally appeared in the Jerusalem Post.

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stephen M. flatow

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hy is it that every time a female U.S. government official says something that the Palestinian Authority (PA) doesn’t like, PA leaders respond by making a disparaging remark related to the fact that she is a woman?

In his bizarre two-hour rant before the Palestinian Central Council on Jan. 14, PA President Mahmoud Abbas declared that U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley “wears high heels not for elegance but to use to hit anyone who attacks Israel.”

When Condoleeza Rice was secretary of state, an official PA newspaper, Al-Hayat AlJadida, called her (on June 23, 2002) “the dark complexioned lady,” “the Black Lady” and “this pitiful woman.” On Nov. 3 of that year, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida railed against Rice for “her loose way of sitting, when she puts one leg on top of the other.” The writer then alluded to Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky.

Another official PA newspaper, Al-Ayyam, referred to Rice (on June 22, 2003) as a “black widow,” a “single black lady” and See Women on page 17

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January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Continued from page 16 a “black raven,” and patronizingly compared her to African-American supermodel Naomi Campbell.

The PA’s problem with women is not limited to Republicans. In its Oct. 3, 1997 issue, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida’s editor in chief denounced Arab leaders whom, he said, “would have sung love songs” to then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright “were it not for her advanced age and the fact that she has passed her prime.”

I wonder if the PA’s disturbing obsession with physical appearance of these female U.S. officials is a reflection of the anti-woman culture that the PA fosters in Palestinian society.

According to Amnesty International, women and girls living under PA rule during the past year “continued to face discrimination in law and in practice, and were inadequately protected against sexual and other violence, including so-called ‘honour’ killings.”

“Honor killings” are homicides in which men murder female relatives whom they suspect of violating Islamic fundamentalist morals, such as premarital relations, dressing “provocatively” or being seen in the company of an unauthorized boyfriend. According to The Washington Post, even when the PA imprisons such killers, “pardons and suspended sentences are common.”

The Palestinian women’s rights group TAM reported that 18 Palestinian Arab women were murdered in “honor killings” in 2016. But the PA’s Palestinian Public Prosecutor’s Office claims there were “only” nine such killings.

Human Rights Watch reports that the PA “still allows rapists to escape punishment.” It notes that during the past year, “women seeking marriage and divorce suffered discrimination”—for example, PA courts “required Muslim women to obtain a male relative’s consent to marry and to obtain the husband’s consent to

Hospital wound care…

Continued from page 1 will provide patients with increased space and comfort during their treatments.

Far Rockaway state Senator James Sanders Jr. volunteered to exhibit just how spacious the units are — allowing himself to be rolled into one. Inside the chamber, he stretched his arms upward and exclaimed, “I love this hospital.”

St. John’s, which took over operation of its wound care center from an outside company, has two new chambers, which together can serve about eight patients a day. And there’s

room for two more units.

“We have a huge need in the area,” said Dr. Joseph Tarantino, associate director of wound care, who said the nearest comparable facility was at Mercy Medical Cener in Rockville Centre. Patients need to undergo treatment for several successive days, so having a nearby facility is especialy desirable, he said.

Among other major improvements in the works at St. John’s, which is located on Beach 20th Street (the continuation of Central Avenue), is an upgraded emergency facility.

Orthodox chamber…

Continued from page 1 Bernhard said that the Orthodox Jewish Chamber “put us together but to remind us that what we are chasing as we engage business is a sanctified pursuit of the physical material world, so we can excavate out of the physical material world godliness.”

He continued: “That beautiful magnificent luxury car that you are driving in, with audio equipment that Bose spent hundreds of millions of dollars developing — you know why it exists? So that you can put a Torah tape in it [or] Bluetooth out of your phone and jam in a Torah lesson, taking this physical, material, corporeal asset and humanizing it.”

Afterwards, Bernard was asked about Jews who get in trouble for violating business law.

He said it’s more serious when a Jew does wrong than when a non-Jew does so. The nonJew “wasn’t commissioned with this responsibility, we were,” he said.

He volunteered the example of recentlyfreed Rabbi Sholom Rubashkin, saying that “it’s

beautiful that Rubashkin is out — 27 years was a total travesty of justice — but don’t celebrate him as a hero” and use him as a role-model for Jewish youth.

“He committed significant violations of the law,” Bernard said. “He didn’t deserve 27 years.”

While this was the Orthodox Jewish Chamber’s first event in the Five Towns, the organization’s been active in the metropolitan area for a number of years, holding similar networking events elsewhere and hosting a major job fair.

The group’s chairman, J. Morton Davis of Lawrence, championed Honig’s single-minded determination to facilitate opportunities for parnasa in the frum community.

“It’s the highest form of charity,” Davis said.

“He spends his whole life doing good things.”

Davis is the Davis in DRS — Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys in Woodmere. His sons-in-law are Renov and Stahler.

Honig said the chamber’s Small Business Alliance would meet again in the Five Towns on Feb. 19. For information, visit OJCchamber.com.

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17 THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

Women...

divorce, except in limited cases.”

The Times of Israel reported last year that when the PA set up its legal system, it decided to include Article 99 of Jordanian Penal Code No. 16 of 1960, “which grants judges the ability to dramatically reduce sentences if the case has ‘extenuating circumstances’ … [which] allows men who murder, assault and rape women in the Palestinian territories to receive significantly reduced sentences … in the majority of other such cases in Jordan and the Palestinian territories, the ‘extenuating circumstances’ the judges cited to lighten the sentences were that the family dropped charges against the defendants — who are part of the family — saying it was an honor killing.”

The United Nations has a division called “UN Women.” Its website reports, “There are no specific laws or provisions in the [PA-ruled territories] that protect women against domestic violence and sexual violence.” The PA’s penal code “contains discriminatory provisions for women in relation to rape, adultery, and sexual violence committed in marriage.” Women who report rape “risk being criminalized for “adultery.” According to UN Women, 30 percent of women in the PA areas “have been subjected to a form of violence within the household,” and 65 percent of them “preferred to remain silent.”

Little things reveal a lot. Palestinian women candidates who ran for office in the last PA municipal elections were prevented by the PA from putting their own names on the ballots.

The PA authorities listed them only as “sister of” or “the wife of.”

If that happened under any other government in the world, Jewish “progressives”—including J Street, Jewish Voice for Peace and all the rest—would be screaming in protest.

Instead, they are silent. So yes, Mahmoud Abbas has a problem with women—and Abbas’s Jewish cheerleaders have a problem of their own: they’re in denial.

Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of Religious Zionists of America, is the father of Alisa Flatow, Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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‫כוכב של שבת‬

SHAbbAT STAR

Read The Jewish Star’s archive of Torah columns at TheJewishStar.com/category/torahcolumns/browse.html

Considering the universe: Creation for a purpose Rabbi binny FReedman

the heart of jerusalem

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n 1925, the American Astronomer Edwin Hubble demonstrated (as an extension of Vesto Slipher’s discovery in 1918) that the universe was not static, it was expanding: every galaxy in the observable proximity of earth was receding at the same rate of speed. This, along with other discoveries, gave rise to the big bang theory: that the universe had once been contained in a singularity, a single dot that sat for an eternity in space before it exploded.

Many, including Einstein, resisted the idea of a non-static universe as it implied a beginning and that a supernatural external force caused the big bang. Eventually, though, even Einstein had to admit that the universe was likely not static. The death knell of the static universe theory may have been Penzias and Wilson’s discovery (for which they were awarded the Nobel Prize in 1965) of the frequency of sound — which was the echo of the big bang itself.

Of course, if all matter and energy was initially contained in the original dot of singularity, there was nothing external that could have naturally caused the big bang, which seemed to suggest a Prime Mover. Hence Einstein’s reluctance to accept a non-static universe and his statement that “I have not yet fallen into the hands of shamans and priests.”

Now the scientific community suggested another possibility: perhaps the universe was expanding but would eventually implode back into a singularity and then, when all that energy

contracted to its extreme limit, it would explode again and the process would start over. In other words, the universe could still be viewed as static with no beginning, just of an oscillating nature with an endless succession of big bangs followed by big crunches followed by big bangs and so on.

To support this theory there had to be enough average density of mass in the universe to allow for all the matter to eventually slow down and begin to reverse the expansion process. But there is not enough mass, not by a long shot.

Many theories were suggested as to where this massive amount of missing mass might be hidden.

Perhaps in black holes? Or maybe behind each observable star lay many more hidden stars? Anything but the most obvious conclusion — that the universe had a beginning and that all of creation thus may have been created for a purpose. his week in parshat Bo, we witness the inevitable conclusion of the battle of wills between Moshe and Pharaoh. After ten plagues, the destruction of Egypt, and finally, tragically, the death of his own firstborn son, Pharaoh exhorts Moshe to leave Egypt; he will finally let the Jewish people go.

In this dramatic finale, the Kotzker Rebbe notes a curious detail: As G-d visited the plague of the first-born in the middle of the night, there arose a great cry in all of Egypt, for there was no house that was spared. (Shemot 12:29-30) The verse tells us that “Pharaoh arose in the night” on which Rashi comments: (he arose) from his bed (mi’mitato).

Think about it: Moshe has given Pharaoh warning of nine plagues, and each one came to pass. And this time Moshe tells Pharaoh (11:5-6) that every first-born will die this night, including

Pharaoh’s own son! Even Pharaoh himself, according to tradition, was a first-born. And Pharaoh goes to sleep. In his bed. Seriously?!

Says the Kotzker, there is a deep idea here that a person can become so ensconced in their beliefs that no amount of evidence to the contrary can sway them from their beliefs.

This is similar to what happened in the plague of the hail, where, after six plagues Moshe warns Pharaoh and the Egyptian people (9:19-20) that whatever cattle are left in the fields along with anyone else, will be destroyed in the fields. After six plagues one would think everyone would immediately move everything into the barns. But incredibly, most Egyptians did not.

Because to move the cattle would have been to admit that they were wrong, and that their entire lives had been built on a colossal mistake.

Sadly, we see this all too often. Twenty five years after Oslo, despite all the evidence that “land for peace” did not work, there are still significant groups of people who believe if only we would give away yet more land, we would have peace. Even Shimon Peres, despite all his accomplishments, especially as president of the state of Israel, was never able to admit that Oslo was a colossal error, because to admit that might have meant that his entire political career was built on a mistaken assumption, and that is a very hard thing to do.

Fascinatingly, after the hail, unlike the rest of the plagues, where Pharaoh expresses irritation, anger or even fear, here, in the plague of hail, he says to Moshe: “I have sinned this time.

G-d is the righteous one and I and my people are the wicked ones.” (9:28)

Often, we cannot see truth when it stares us in the face.

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n a moment of clarity, Pharaoh realizes he made a mistake! G-d gave him a way out, and he should have grabbed it. He was perhaps given a chance to accept that G-d runs the world Pharaoh recognizes here that he made a mistake, and he regrets it! He is so close — all he has to do is resolve to make a change and the future will be wonderful. But he cannot make that change and, failing to capitalize on the opportunity, once the hail has been removed, he falls back into his old ways. The rest is history.

In 1978, Dr. Robert Jastrow, director of NASA’s Goddard Center for Space Studies (perhaps the greatest astro-physicist of his day), released NASA’s definitive findings after 15 years of study, declaring that the universe was indeed open and expanding. As the New York Times magazine reported: “This is an exceedingly strange development, unexpected by all but the theologians. They have always accepted the word of the Bible: ‘In the Beginning G-d created Heaven and Earth.’ But for the scientist who has lived by his faith in the power of reason, the story ends like a bad dream. He has scaled the mountains of ignorance; he is about to conquer the highest peak, and as he pulls himself over the final rock he is greeted by a band of theologians who have been sitting there for centuries.”

Pharaoh teaches us the danger of getting stuck in the way we see things, we cannot see truth when it stares us in the face. Perhaps that is why the Jews need to leave Egypt; its time to share with the world a different reality.

The world faces so many challenges; perhaps we need to approach them from a different perspective. After all, only madmen approach the same problems with the same solutions, expecting a different outcome.

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.

Never before, never again. Only One could say Rabbi avi billet

Parsha of the week

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he Torah uses two phrases several times to indicate a longer-range prediction or association of fact. One phrase is “ad hayom hazeh,” literally translated to mean “until this day” (which can also appear without “hazeh”); the other phrase includes the word “kamohu,” which means “like it,” and is usually part of a sentence declaring that a particular phenomenon had never happened before and, in two cases, will never happen again.

I remember the first time I learned the phrase “ad hayom.” I was in third grade, and we were learning Parshat Vayishlach, when the death of Rachel is described. Yaakov buries her, and the monument he places at her grave is described as being there “until today.” The rebbe told us “that’s talking about Kever Rachel [Rachel’s Tomb, north of Bethlehem] which is still there today.”

I’ve since branched out of third grade thinking and have learned two important points that indicate the rebbe’s conclusions that day were misleading. Firstly, “until today” means “until today when the Torah is written;” in other words, until the text of the Torah is sealed in the time of Moshe. Any stone marker that may have lasted from Yaakov’s time to Moshe’s time is not automatically around now, 3,300 years later.

Secondly, I’ve learned that Kever Rachel is not where Rachel our foremother is buried. This is not to say there isn’t a woman named Rachel buried there. And this is not to say that that site is not

a holy place — after all, Jews have been praying there for generations. But the evidence suggesting Rachel is buried elsewhere (further north, in an ancient Bethlehem in the area of Binyamin) is much stronger than the evidence indicating she was buried at the kever site near Bethlehem in Judea.

To summarize the first point: “ad hayom hazeh” refers to until the day the Torah’s text was sealed and presented to the Jewish people.

However, the word “kamohu” is attached to the plagues of hail, locusts, and the cry following the death of the firstborn, indicating that the natural phenomena related to these events had never happened before, and insofar as locusts and a great cry were concerned, would never happen again in Egypt on such a scale.

Now that is a pretty bold claim.

What does that mean for us, beyond, as Ibn Ezra notes, that this was written prophetically? ome of the commentaries note how these declarations were meant to prove G-d’s power to the highest degree. The hail was a unique blend of fire and ice that the world had never seen (Rabbenu Bachaye). There was never any kind of hail such as this in Egypt, where it doesn’t rain. And certainly never happened there before Egypt became a nation (Ramban).

As far as the locusts were concern, a few things made them unique. They didn’t just damage the produce and leave; they stayed put for days until they had eaten everything (Midrash Sechel Tov).

There is a debate among the commentaries

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about how many species of locusts came. Rashi notes a contradiction with the passage in Yoel 2:2 that describes the greatest locust storm of all time, which seemed to surpass the degree of swarm and damage of whatever took place in Egypt. There are a number of answers and responses to this. Rashi’s own answer is that in Egypt there was only one species, while in Israel there were many species at the same time. This makes the plague in Egypt greater when comparing specific species.

Ramban doesn’t accept Rashi’s view, based on the verses in Tehillim 78:46 and 105:34.

Therefore he notes why the Egyptian locust swarm was more incredible in that locusts come during drought. But Egypt has moisture around the Nile, which is not an attraction for locusts — and yet they came. Their arrival was based on the declaration of a prophet, and along with Rabbenu Bachaye, that is the claim — that such a large locust storm does not come without a prophet (which is why Yoel’s could be bigger!)

Some commentaries note that the declaration of a locust swarm never being like that again was limited to in Egypt, but that it could happen elsewhere (R Chaim Paltiel).

Daat Zekenim suggest Moshe’s was incredible because all the locusts came at once, while in Yoel’s time, the different species came one group after the other. In other words, each swarm was smaller, but because there were multiple

These declarations were meant to prove G-d’s power to the highest degree.

swarms, it was overall bigger than what happened in Egypt. (Riv’a disagrees saying the locusts in Yoel’s time all came at the same time). egarding the plague of the firstborn, commentaries debate what the phrases “there never was” and “there will never be” refer to. There had never been a night like that and there will never be a cry like that again (Midrash Sechel Tov, Ibn Ezra, Chizkuni). There had never been a night like that with such a plague and there will never be a night like that with such a plague (Targum Yonatan).

Alshikh focuses on the cry that will never be again, either because all the firstborns died at once, so the cry was so widespread in the same instant, or the destroying force made its way through Egypt, hitting home after home, causing the cry to extend and extend through the length of the night.

In a completely different perspective, Malbim suggests the cry was not of mourning, but of rebellion against Pharaoh, of Egyptians coming to the king saying “Enough is enough!”

The message of all of this (the second point raised above) is simple, and it is the important message of Ramban in his last comment on our parsha. G-d, through Moshe, made His presence known in Egypt and to Egyptians, in a way that was unique to that time and place, but in a manner that was meant to serve as a lesson for all time of G-d’s role in the world.

The Torah’s bold claims would be easily disproved, if plagues of Biblical proportion did happen in Egypt again, and if they were worse than the first time.

Who else could make such a claim, but the Master of the World Who knows what will be from the beginning of time to the end of time?

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The leadership of Moshe Rabbenu Kosher BooKworm

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everal months ago a longtime friend and neighbor from Borough Park, Rabbi Aharon Zeigler, brought to my attention the scholarship of Rabbi Reuven Mann, and of his then forthcoming book, “Eternally Yours: G-d’s Greatest Gift to Mankind,” a commentary on the Book of Exodus.

Rabbi Zeigler made note of the following: “Rabbi Mann’s Divrei Torah are creative and thought-provoking. He takes the reader through the parsha, unfolding it with a deeper meaning, and concludes with a relevant lesson for this day and age. His writing style is fluent, clear, and precise.

This important contribution to contemporary Jewish thought and practice would be a valuable addition to any Jewish library, rabbi and layman alike.”

Rabbi Mann founded Yeshiva B’nei Torah in Far Rockaway with Rabbi Yisroel Chait in 1971 and served as its menahel and maggid shiur for over 40 years. He also founded the Masoret Institute for Advanced Jewish Studies with Rabbi Daniel Rosenthal in 1993. For over 25 years he was to serve as the rabbi of the Jewish Community Center of Inwood and, more recently, as the rabbi of Rinal Yisrael in Plainview, and currently as the rabbi of the Young Israel of Phoenix, Arizona.

With the upcoming festival of Pesach in mind, I chose for your edification an essay dealing with the leading personality of the exodus, titled, “The Leadership of Moshe Rabbenu” that deals with the miracles during the crossing of the Sea of Reeds and of the circumstances that tested the leadership that Moshe exercised at this point during the exodus.

By Rabbi Reuven Mann n parshat Beshalach, the Jews were seized by panic when they saw the Egyptian army chasing after them, and they turned against Moshe. Their fear was so great that they chastised him for taking them out of Egypt and even claimed that it would have been better for them “to be slaves in Egypt than to die in the wilderness.”

We can learn a great deal from the reaction of Moshe Rabbenu to this shameful provocation.

He did not get angry; he retained his calmness and composure. With the Jews on the verge of a complete meltdown, Moshe encouraged them to stand firm and witness the salvation that Hashem would bring them. Moshe concluded his brief oration with a simple but effective admonition: “Hashem will battle for you and you be silent.”

Moshe’s behavior in this crisis reflects the qualities of a great leader. In general, even superior, idealistic leaders suffer from a certain vulnerability: the fear of rejection. There is hardly a person who is not affected by harsh criticism. Thus, the science of gauging public opinion has become indispensable to contemporary politicians. Political campaigns are planned with great care and positions taken by candidates are thoroughly tested for public reaction before they are adopted. Even courageous and independent-minded leaders can lose their “cool” when they are accused of bringing great harm upon their people.

Golda Meir, the late prime minister of Israel, felt terrible about her responsibility for the catastrophic consequences of allowing Egypt to get in the first blow in the Yom Kippur War. Her grief was so intense that she even considered suicide, but, to her great credit, recognized the impact it would have on the soldiers’ morale and decided

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against it. Menachem Begin spent the last years of his life in a state of withdrawal and depression. There were many causes but clearly the unpopularity of the War in Lebanon and the universal condemnation for the Sabra and Shaltila massacre (which was carried out by Arabs against Arabs and was blamed on Israel) played a significant role.

Moshe Rabbenu was the greatest leader in history. No one ever acRabbi Reuven complished more for his people than Moshe, who led the Jews out of Egypt, brought them the Torah and forged them into a nation. Yet Moshe was viciously provoked and foR yoUR fURtHeR StUdy I would like to briefly bring to your attenpersonally attacked to the point where he said, “Just a bit more and they will kill me.” Moshe rec- tion two essays related to the theme of Moshe’s ognized the dangers and pitfalls of leadership and leadership.

The first is from the commentary in Rav had pleaded with Hashem to be spared that responsibility. His greatest qualification was his lack Avraham Yitzchak Kook’s anthology on the of ego, which is precisely what attracts ordinary parsha entitled, “Rav Kook Torah,” the chappeople to positions of power. Often, the very de- ter dealing with “The Leadership of Moses” by sire for power is rooted in the need of the human Rabbi Chanan Morrison.

The second essay is titled, “The Servant of ego to be nurtured by the approval of others.

As parents, teachers and spiritual guides, we G-d” by Rabbi Moshe Hecht, who looks into the all are leaders in some sense of the term. Moshe depth of leadership exercised by Moshe under Rabbenu was successful because he was not in the most trying of circumstances. Among the search of human recognition. He was absolutely citations included is by Rabbi Yisrael Chait, committed to doing what was best for the nation, who according to Rabbi Hecht “explained that as dictated by Hashem. His faith in Hashem was Moshe Rabbenu was fully involved in what absolute and this alone gave him the strength to would be considered the Torah study of his era. This is what truly occupied his time as a act despite the disparagement of mortals.

May we seek to emulate the example of Moshe. shepherd and thereby, he was able to serve May the Jewish people merit to have spiritual and G-d most significantly and in a private manner. political leaders who eschew public acclaim and He simply wanted to maintain this service and bravely battle for the genuine interests of Klal Yis- was not interested in the more public service of leading the nation out of Egypt.” rael, whether popular or not.

Parasha Bo: Why were we redeemed?

RABBi dAvid etenGoff

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ur parasha, Bo, tells the story of the Jewish people’s departure from Egypt: “It came to pass at the end of 430 years, and it came to pass in that very day, that all the legions of the L-rd went out of the land of Egypt. (Shemot 12:41).

On a certain level, Chazal were troubled by our people’s redemption from Egypt. After all, we had sunk to the 49th level of impurity (Zohar Chadash, Parashat Yitro) to the extent that the malachai hasharet (ministering angels) declared shortly thereafter at the Sea of Reeds: “These [Egyptians] and these [Jews] are idol worshippers; why, then, are you saving the Jewish people and drowning the Egyptians in the Sea [of Reeds], for in truth, there is no difference between them?!” (Midrash Tehillim 1:20, 15:5, Zohar, Parashat Terumah 170).

Two major midrashic sources answer this formidable question by noting that we were worthy of the Exodus, and, by extension, the miracle of kriat yam suf, based upon four crucial criteria.

During the long dark night of Egyptian slavery, we never changed our names from their original Hebrew formulation, we continued to speak the Hebrew language, we remained pure and rejected the promiscuous behaviors of Egyptian culture, and we did not speak lashon harah (in negative terms) of one another. (Mechilta d’Rabbi Yishmael, Parashat Bo, Mesichta d’ Pischa, Parasha 5, Midrash Vayikra Rabbah 32:5) he first three criteria focus on the continuity of our ethnic identity. Thus, even though we engaged in the severe sin of idol worship, we steadfastly refused to assimilate, and rejected nearly all of the undesirable aspects of Egyptian culture. Given the powerful draw of our overlords’ society, this was laudatory indeed.

Lashon harah appears to be the outlier on this list, since it seems to refer solely to our

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behavior, rather than to the essence of our national being. Why, then, did our Sages view it as a constitutive element in Hashem’s decision to redeem us from Egypt? In order to understand lashon harah’s singular import in this context, let us briefly review Chazal’s attitude concerning this serious transgression. We are fortunate that Talmud Bavli, Arakin 15b serves as a miniencyclopedia of our Sages’ attitude on this subject: “Rabbi Yochanan said in the name of Rabbi Yossi ben Zimra: ‘Anyone who speaks lashon harah is as if he has totally rejected G-d Himself (kafar b’ikar).’ Rav Chisda said in the name of Mar Ukba that: ‘Anyone who speaks lashon harah is fitting to be put to death by stoning’.” A second statement by Rav Chisda in the name of Mar Ukba is even more powerful: “[Regarding] anyone who speaks lashon harah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu (the Holy One Blessed Be He) Himself declares: ‘He and I are unable to dwell in the same world’.”

It is important to recognize that these statements are far more than sermonic musings meant to dissuade us from speaking lashon harah. Instead, they have deep and abiding halachic ramifications. For example, consider Rambam’s take: “Our Sages said: ‘There are three sins for which retribution is exacted from a person in this world and, [for which] he is [additionally,] denied a portion in the world to come: idol worship, forbidden sexual relations, and murder.

Lashon harah is equivalent to all of them.’

“Our Sages also said: ‘Anyone who speaks lashon harah is like one who denies Hashem (kafar b’ikar) as implied by Sefer Tehillim 12:5: “Those who said: With our tongues, we will prevail; our lips are our own. Who is L-rd over us”?’

“In addition, they said: ‘Lashon harah kills three [people], the one who speaks it, the one who listens to it, and the one about whom it is

spoken. The one who listens to it [suffers] more than the one who speaks it’.” (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De’ot 7:3) e can now better understand why Chazal included lashon harah as one of the four essential elements leading up to the Exodus by closely examining Rav Chisda’s second statement: “Anyone who speaks lashon harah, Hakadosh Baruch Hu Himself declares, ‘He and I are unable to dwell in the same world’!”

The Maharal (Rabbi Judah Loew ben Bezalel) notes that this phrase is also used in connection with the negative personality trait of ga’avah (arrogance): “And it appears that these two formulations [connecting ga’avah and lashon harah with our phrase] are in accordance with the dispute that is found in Talmud Bavli, Avodah Zarah, as to whether chasidut (righteousness) is greater or anavah (humility) is greater regarding their overarching effect on the world. [In reality,] each of these middot (ethical characteristics) is the polar opposite of its negative counterpart.

This means that the quality of ga’avah is the opposite of anavah, and lashon harah, which is evil … to the extent that there is nothing called evil like lashon harah, is the exact opposite of the middah of chasidut that is most surely good for everyone. (Netivot Olam, Netiv HaAnavah III, s.v. v’od sham) At this juncture, the Maharal provides a clear summary of his thinking regarding the nexus that obtains between anavah and ga’avah, and chasidut and lashon harah: “And the author of the opinion that maintains that anavah is the most outstanding of all characteristics asserts that its opposite is ga’avah — the most offensive of all behavioral orientations. In contrast, the author of the opinion that asserts that chasidut is the ultimate positive personality trait affirms

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We refused to assimilate, and we rejected undesirable aspects of Egyptian culture.

that its opposite is lashon harah.” (Ibid.)

The Maharal’s cogent analysis reveals to us why Chazal viewed our ancestors’ refusal to speak lashon harah as having such remarkable significance. In short, although we were ovdei avodah zarah (idol worshippers), we nonetheless treated one another with chasidut, and thereby created an environment wherein, He [the Jewish people] and I [Hashem] are able to dwell in the same world! Therefore, the Holy One blessed be He redeemed us from Egyptian bondage, split the Sea of Reeds, gave us His holy Torah and the Land of Israel, and declared through His prophet, Hosea: “And I will betroth you to Me forever, and I will betroth you to Me with righteousness and with justice and with loving-kindness and with mercy. And I will betroth you to Me with faith, and you shall know the L-rd.” (Sefer Hoshea 2:21-22) May Hosea’s words ring loud and clear in the ears of our entire nation as we stand shoulder to shoulder in chasidut, so that we may bring Hashem’s holy presence into our midst and be zocheh to welcome the Mashiach soon and in our days.

V’chane yihi ratzon.

luach

Fri Jan 19 • 3 Shevat Parsha Bo Candlelighting: 4:39 pm

Havdalah: 5:49 pm

Fri Jan 26 • 10 Shevat Parsha Beshalach Candlelighting: 4:47 pm

Havdalah: 5:57 pm

Fri Feb 2 • 17 Shevat Parsha Yisro Candlelighting: 4:55 pm

Havdalah: 6:06 pm

Five Towns times from the White Shul

THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

AlAn JAy GeRBeR

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January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Abbas declared Oslo dead, but it was never alive Jeff Dunetz politics to go

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s part of a two-hour rant on Sunday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared that the Oslo Accords signed with Israel almost 25 years ago were now dead. That was a false statement because those accords were dead before the ink of Yasser Arafat’s signature was dry.

That famous handshake on Sept. 13, 1993: When I close my eyes, I can still see Arafat, a supposedly reformed terrorist, grasping the palm of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. I remember saying the Shehechayanu prayer, thanking G-d for keeping me alive and letting me see this glorious day. The whole world was full of optimism. Even President Clinton’s secretary of state, the usually dour Warren Christopher, stepped up to the microphone to gloat, saying that the impossible was now possible.

On that day, supporters of Israel let themselves believe that 45 years of attacks against the Jewish state were over, that peace was finally within arm’s reach.

As part of Oslo, the two sides signed Letters of Mutual Recognition. The Israeli government recognized the PLO as the legitimate representative of the Palestinian people. The PLO was required to amend the Palestinian National Charter (PNC) to recognize Israel’s right to exist to and renounce violence. But this was never done, and the original Charter stands to this day.

Twenty-five years after Oslo, Article 19 of the PNC still states that “the establishment of Israel is fundamentally null and void.” Article 20 continues to deny the existence of the Jewish people as a nation and any ties that it might have to the land of Israel; it continues to reject the original partition plan (U.N. Resolution 181 that calls for the creation of Jewish and an Arab states).

Despite Oslo, the PNC’s Article 22 still asserts that Zionism is “fascist” and “the liberation of Palestine will destroy the Zionist and imperialist presence and will contribute to the establishment of peace in the Middle East.”

And Article 9 still calls for violence: “Armed

struggle is the only way to liberate Palestine.”

The Oslo accords called for the Palestinians in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza to rule themselves, thus the Egyptian-born terrorist Arafat was allowed to travel to the disputed territories with the purpose of organizing a government and leading them to peace. Yet on the very day he signed the Oslo accords, Arafat went on Jordanian television (which at the time was the only TV seen in the disputed territories) and explained the accords as a phase in the implementation of the PLO’s 1974 plan for the phased destruction of Israel. slo didn’t stop terrorism. In the two years between the signing of Oslo and the assassination of Prime Minister Rabin, there were 10 Palestinian terrorist attacks killing 75 Israelis and wounding another 242.

The crazed zealot who killed the prime minister did so because he hated the Oslo Accords but by killing Rabin he may have saved it. In 2010, Rabin’s daughter Dalia was interviewed

You must not ‘meet halfway’ those who do not want to meet you. —

Ze’ev Jabotinsky

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Yes, Iran has a foreign policy doctrine Ben Cohen Viewpoint

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n a bid to show the world what responsible, considered citizens they are, Iran’s leaders last week hosted their annual, gloriously named, “Tehran Security Conference.”

The conference didn’t attract the kind of world leaders who turn up at Davos or the Munich Security Conference. Those foreign dignitaries who did appear were, shall we say, of a certain vintage—individuals like Jack Straw, a former British foreign secretary, and Massimo d’Alema, a former Italian pArime minister.

Whether or not these names remain familiar, they form an integral part of the international echo chamber that urges faith in the “reformist” leanings of Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.

Straw, for example, has traveled to Tehran on many occasions, never failing to make the sorts of comments (for example, praising the “lighter atmosphere” in Iran on a visit in 2014) that recall the fawning of the West European nuclear disar-

mament movement over the Soviet Union. In this view, the problem is not the peaceful, reasonable Islamic Republic, but a Western policy that is in thrall to the agenda of—as Jack Straw has said on more than one occasion—the “Israeli lobby.”

In the wake of the recent anti-regime demonstrations that erupted in dozens of Iranian towns and cities, Iran’s Western apologists have reinforced this line of argument, presenting Rouhani as an agent of change who wants to reach a historic understanding with the West, and variously belittling the protests as being about economic issues alone, or being overly provincial, or being played up more by Western opponents of the regime than by Iranians themselves.

The flip side of this is the rosy Iranian view of regional and international relations, as presented at the conference in Tehran: Iran is fighting Sunni Islamist terrorism; Iran is protecting vulnerable minorities; Iran is a counterweight to the corrupt Saudis; Iran best represents the aspirations of the Palestinians, whose plight still defines the core of the Middle East’s problems; Iran’s growing power

guarantees a multipolar, and therefore safer, international system. ig into this perspective a little more, and you find that there’s actually a doctrine to describe it—or at least the beginnings of one. A paper delivered to the Tehran conference

by Mohsen Eslami, an Iranian political scientist, named it the “State-Resistance Doctrine.” In a turbulent Middle East left bereft by its inept, avaricious Gulf monarchies, Eslami argued, “resistance, as the most important model arising from the new conditions in the region, has been able to introduce itself as a successful and efficient model in the face of those models that have been borrowed from the West.”

“The doctrine of resistance, as a new framework that has been put forth by Iran in official circles during recent years,” Eslami continued, “has been able to show a good performance in practice and is now viewed as an efficient model by regional states and nations.” But what does the doctrine actually involve? According to Eslami, “nationstates embark on strengthening their national soli-

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Keep your eye on the ‘StateResistance Doctrine.’

by the Seven Days magazine supplement of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot and revealed: “Many people who were close to father told me that on the eve of the murder he considered stopping the Oslo process because of the terror that was running rampant in the streets and that Arafat wasn’t delivering the goods.

“Father after all wasn’t a blind man running forward without thought. I don’t rule out the possibility that he considered also doing a reverse on our side. After all, he was someone for whom the security of the state was sacrosanct.”

According to figures from the Jewish Virtual Library, in the quarter of a century since Oslo terrorism never stopped. From the signing of the accords in September 1993 until September 2000, nearly 300 innocents were killed in attacks. During the second intifada (September 2000 to December 2005) 1,100 were murdered. And since December 2005, Palestinian terrorist attacks have claimed at least another 223 Israeli lives.

Twice since the signing ceremony in 1993, Israel offered the Palestinians a peace giving them almost everything they wanted, and each time the Palestinians refused. After Arafat walked away from a deal in 2000, President Clinton said, “I regret that in 2000 Arafat missed the See Abbas’ Oslo on page 22 darity by putting emphasis on the three major elements of military power, indigenous economy and national culture. At the same time, they take steps to bolster their defensive deterrence in the face of external aggressions while boosting their power both inside and outside their borders through making their governments resistant.”

To summarize, then. Place the military and its budget at the summit of the state. Work to achieve some form of autarky. Enforce state-approved education, culture and religious activities, and eliminate nefarious foreign influences.

Finance and train military proxies in neighboring countries to follow your model.

It all sounds terribly familiar, doesn’t it? But more to the point, to anyone who has remained unmoved by the Western embrace of Iran during the last decade, none of it is surprising; if anything, the doctrine is quite elegantly put. The point is, this is the vision of foreign policy put forth at a regime-sponsored parley. These are the principles that guide Rouhani and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Javad Zarif as much as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in dealing with the outside world. Through its own words, the Iranian regime gives the lie to Western claims of “moderation.”

Keep an eye out for the coming manifestations of the “State-Resistance Doctrine.” You never know, it might turn out to be the source of the Islamic Republic’s coming collapse.

Jonathan S. tobin

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he term “blacklist” brings up memories of McCarthysim. But those on a new Israeli “blacklist,” who are to be blocked from entry to that country for promoting boycotts, are undeserving of any sympathy.

The 20 listed groups—singled out for their support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement—are a collection of vile hatemongers working not merely to cripple Israel’s economy, but to isolate it and to treat its people as pariahs who deserve to be attacked by terrorists. It’s reasonable that the Jewish state should no longer allow people intent on doing its citizens harm to do so within its borders.

That’s what many defenders of Israel have been saying and they’re not wrong to make those points. No sovereign country is obligated to let those working for its destruction to cross its borders freely. Nations like the U.S. have been en-

forcing such restrictions, such as a ban on known Communists or supporters of Islamist terror, long before President Donald Trump came along.

But just because Israel’s new regulation is defensible doesn’t mean it is smart. Far from hurting the BDS movement, the measure is the best thing that could have happened to these enemies of the Jewish state. The 20 blacklisted organizations — in particular, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), the sole member of this anti-Israel alliance that claims to be Jewish — have gotten more publicity out of this move than anything they could have done on their own.

More importantly, the focus on their entering Israel misrepresents the real danger of BDS. While BDS is an annoyance to Israel, it has done little damage to the nation’s prosperous economy. Outside of publicity stunts involving artists choosing not to play in Israel—often while also appearing in nations with real human rights abuses—the movement can claim few successes.

And for every Lorde or Roger Waters who backs BDS, there are others like Jerry Seinfeld, Chris

Rock or Ringo Starr, who come to the Jewish state and more than make up for them.

The real danger from BDS comes from the way anti-Israel groups operating on college campuses in the U.S. and elsewhere promote and practice anti-Semitism. They seek to not merely intimidate Jewish and other pro-Israel students from speaking out, but also to effectively make it difficult to openly live as Jews.

DS supporters are not really interested in changing Israeli policies. Their goal is the elimination of Israel. That is made clear by JVP, which explicitly endorses the so-called “right of return” that would mean the end of the Jewish state; it has also blamed Jews who support programs that bring American law enforcement personnel to Israel for training for the killing of black people by police, a new version of the old blood libel.

Though there is a distinction between BDS and those who wish to only boycott settlements, the latter effort is also reprehensible since it helps legitimize other more dangerous boycotts. Those

This Israeli measure is a pointless blunder.

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who back that idea also fail to understand that Israel’s foes make no distinction between Tel Aviv and Jews living in the West Bank.

Keeping people out of Israel simply for expressing an opinion, however odious it might be, is a mistake since the boost it gives them far outweighs the cost of any mischief they might get up to once in the country. Allowing BDS supporters to play the martyr also gives another excuse for newspapers like the New York Times to treat JVP like a legitimate organization rather than a group of Jews giving cover to anti-Semitic hatemongers. It also gives them an opportunity to falsely smear Israel as a tyrannical state rather than the pluralistic democracy that it is.

The real answer to the libels spread by BDS groups is not a travel ban, but to tell the truth about Israeli democracy, the Palestinians’ consistent rejection of peace, as well as the reasonable concerns Israelis have about creating another terrorist state bent on their destruction. Far from helping the efforts of those in the Diaspora working to refute and isolate pro-BDS groups, especially through laws that point out that anti-Jewish commercial boycotts are illegal, the Israeli measure is a pointless blunder that impedes their efforts.

Flipping out: Finally, I got a smartphone! tehilla r. goldberg

view from central park

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hile many people I know are all too excited to be the proud owners of upgraded technology that boasts the latest and the greatest, I’ve been indifferent. More than indifferent, actually. Secretly, I thought the hype was ridiculous, something I couldn’t relate to. Granted, I am a bit of a luddite.

But this week I joined the herd and joined the smartphone world.

I had reached the point where good friends were finding it frustrating to communicate with me. Smartphone texts weren’t compatible with my old-school flip phone (which I also got late in the game), not to mention not being able to receive photos or things like that. I texted minimally, for logistics only, never for conversations. I was happy with the arrangement. The last thing I wanted was to be reachable by everyone, all the time.

People in my orbit knew that they couldn’t expect an instant reply from me, because I didn’t have a smartphone. They knew we’d either connect on the phone or when I had a chance to check my email on my computer.

I valued my stillness and peace of mind, my emotional energy not hijacked by others.

Also, the constant scrolling and icons flashing, the sheer speed of it all, felt overwhelming. Let alone access to the constant clickbait content that was ridiculous. (Let me state on record right now that if I ever take one of those quizzes that will enlighten me about my character, based on my taste in films or food habits, please, I implore you, stage an intervention on the spot and have the phone removed from my possession.) ottom line, I’m an old fashioned face-to-face kind of person. Often when I meet with friends and they’re constantly checking their phones I find it rude. Of course I keep my lips pursed because I understand this is norma-

tive contemporary behavior. I guess I am the nonnormative one.

That said, you’d think I’d be thrilled with my purchase. It is a smartphone after all. I can text, talk, browse the internet, all with ease. A couple of friends checked in with comments such as, how are you doing with the phone?

Isn’t it great? So exciting — are you loving it? But that is not my state of mind at all.

For starters, I have constant circles of faces floating on my phone, a visual of anyone who randomly decided to leave me a Facebook message. They are right there, at my bedside, in my kitchen, at the dining table. Ugh! I feel like my privacy has been invaded! I better learn how to get rid of that feature pronto. (Don’t get me wrong. I enjoy being social and hospitable.

I live in an apartment building where people come and go from my apartment all the time.)

Then, there are the videos. Every time I try to scroll through Facebook (yup, was late to

Grateful for Shabbat — when it’s legit to unplug.

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the party on that, too), a blast of noise is emitted from each video as it starts up, to be halted only by me bypassing it. he worst was me joining WhatsApp for about 13 seconds. The moment I saw the list of names of people in my social network and understood what it was and how it worked, I panicked, removing myself not a moment too soon.

Phew. I dodged that one, I thought to myself.

Which is ironic, because the true impetus for my getting the smartphone was so I could be in better contact with my youngest brother who, together with my sister-in-law and new baby, moved to Israel. Everyone kept saying, you need to get WhatsApp, that way you can easily keep in touch, and see pictures of your new adorable nephew.

So much for that. I better just book an El Al flight to Israel. And be grateful for face-toface Shabbat dinner — during my once-a-week pause when it’s legit to unplug and enjoy the luxury of being a Luddite.

Let’s see how long I last on this smartphone.

Meanwhile, I kept my flip phone, nice and secure, as back-up.

Copyright Intermountain Jewish News

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Florida seniors getting self-driving cars? Gevalt! andrew SilowCarroll “One of America’s largest retirement villages will have a fleet of self-driving taxis introduced next year. U.S. firm Voyage said it will start rolling out the service at The Villages, Florida, which is home to 125,000 senior residents. It said the scheme, spanning 750 miles of road, would be the ‘largest by area size’ in the world.” — BBC ood morning, Passenger Nussbaum.”

“Who? What? Who’s talking?”

“Don’t be alarmed. My name is Burgundy Altima, license number AZX-11B, and I am here to take you to the pharmacist.”

“You must be short — I can’t see you over the headrest. Of course, I couldn’t see my husband either, he should rest in peace, unless he sat on a cushion. Come to think of it, you never see a driver down here — just a hat and two hands on the top of a steering wheel.”

“In fact, there is nothing to see. I am a selfdriving car. I am programmed to drive you safely to your destination.”

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“So you’re one of those Ubers? Do I need an app? The Google? My grandson is the technical genius in the family. He’s at Brandeis.”

“You must be very proud. Shall we proceed?”

“Wait, how are you going? Walgreen’s is on Military Trail, but that can get very busy this time of day. Try talking El Clair Ranch Road, and make the left on Woolbright. And if that is backed up you can try Jog Road.”

“As a self-driving car, I am programmed to take the most efficient route.”

“My husband was also self-employed, but he had a terrible sense of direction. We’d start off for the doctor’s office and end up in the Everglades.”

“Just sit back and relax, Passenger Nussbaum.”

“You’re driving awfully fast. I’d like to get there in one piece.”

“I am unable to exceed the speed limit.”

“Don’t get fresh. I didn’t get to be 84 by riding with cowboys. By the way, does this thing have a heater? It’s an icebox back here.”

“The temperature is set to an optimum 71 degrees.”

“What is this, Minnesota? I would have brought an extra sweater. Oy, look out for that

lady on the three-wheeled bike!”

“No need for alarm. I registered her presence and adjusted accordingly.”

“You’re very well spoken. Have you always been a driver?”

“I am not a driver. I am a self-driving car.”

“Because it is never too late.

I was a school teacher for 35 years. Fifth grade. Do you know Lyndhurst? I knew boys like you who thought they didn’t have a chance at college, they took night classes, transferred to a four-year school. Now they’re management.”

“Would you like to hear the radio?”

“I am not saying there is anything wrong with being a driver — by the way, you may want to put your signal on, the turn is coming up in a few miles — but education can really open your horizons. Did I mention my grandson is at Brandeis?’

“You must be very proud.”

“You start with a few courses at community college, keep your grades up, or learn a trade. Red light! Red light!

“I SEE THE — that is, I am aware of the traffic signal, madam, thank you.”

“This intersection can take forever. It’s the cul

‘System in need of maintenance.’

de sacs. All the side streets are cul de sacs, so all the traffic ends up on the main road. I used to live on a cul de sac, before we moved down here. I’m thinking after the drugstore we stop at Publix. I need a few things.”

“I will recalculate.”

“I usually avoid this Publix — the produce is feh. I prefer the one on Congress Avenue. Maybe we should go there. Do you see the truck? You should honk your horn.”

“Yes, I see the truck. It’s a giant truck! How could I not — rebooting. Rebooting.”

“Is everything all right, Mr. Avilar? Avilar — is that Cuban? I’m sorry. Hispanic. I shouldn’t have presumed. My late husband’s aide was Cuban. Do you know Isabella — now what was her last name?”

“Rebooting. Rebooting.”

“Oh, here’s Walgreen’s. Do you have a handicapped sticker? Never mind. Just park here.

Watch, watch — don’t hit that cart! People just leave them everywhere. You are awfully close to that car. Do I have room to get out? You are awfully close.”

“System in need of maintenance. System in need of maintenance.”

“Can I get you something, Mr. Avilar? I am picking up some Xanax. It sounds like you could use some yourself.”

THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

Israel’s blacklist makes martyrs of hatemongers

21

The JEWISH STAR

CAlendar of Events

Send your events to Calendar@TheJewishStar.com • Deadline noon Friday • Compiled by Zachary Schechter Thursday January 18

Parsha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Michal Horowitz at the YI of Woodmere for a special shiur on the parsha. 9:30 am. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Iyun Tefilah: [Weekly] Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum at the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst.

9:45 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Meaningful discussions: With Rebbetzin Chanie Wolowik. 10 am. 748 Central Ave, Woodmere. 516-295-2478.

Learn Maseches Brachos: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Eliyahu Wolf at the YI of Woodmere for a shiur on Maseches Brachos. 5:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950.

Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Yoni Levin at Aish Kodesh for a halacha shiur. 9:30 pm.

894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Friday January 19

Erev Shabbos Kollel: [Weekly] Eruv Shabbos Kollel starting with 6 am Chassidus shiur with Rav Moshe Weinberger and concluding with 9 am Chevrusah Learning session with Rabbi Yoni Levin. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Sunday January 21

Timely Torah: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, assistant rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, for a shiur on relevant Halachic and philosophical topics related to Parsha Moadim and contemporary issues. Coffee and pastries.

8 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Learning Program: [Weekly] At Aish Kodesh led by Rav Moshe Weinberger following 8:15 Shacharis including 9 am breakfast and shiurim on subjects such as halacha, gemara and divrei chizuk. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiu.r 9:15 am. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Torah 4 Teens: [Weekly] Yeshiva program for high-school age boys & young adults with Rabbi Matis Friedman. 9:15 am-12:30 pm. 410 Hungry Harbor Rd, Valley Stream. Torah4teens5T@ gmail.com.

Beth Gavriel Blood Drive: The Beth Gavriel Community Center will be holding a blood drive.

10 am-5 pm. 66-35 108th St, Forest Hills. 646239-5653.

Dr. Jack Cohen: CHAZAQ and the Beth Gavriel Community Center present Dr. Jack Cohen with a talk titled “What’s Getting in the Way of You Getting Married.” Sushi will be served. 8 pm.

66-35 108th St. 718-285-9132.

Monday January 22

Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Dr. Anette Labovitz’s women shiur will continue at Aish Kodesh.

10 am. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Seeing Things Clearly: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Shalom Yona Weis at Aish Kodesh for a shiur for women and high school girls titled “Seeing Things Clearly- Learning to View Our World and Our Lives Through Positive Lenses. 8:45 pm. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Tuesday January 23

Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Rebbetzin Weinberger of Aish Kodesh will give a shiur on the “Midah of Seder in our Avodas Hashem.” 11 am.

894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Inspiring Seniors: CHAZAQ presents a selfdemonstation for seniors by Avi from the New York Self Defense Academy. Dinner will be served.

Free admission. Men and women welcome. 72-33

THE COMMUNITY-WIDE Motzei Shabbos Tanach Shiur

Co-Sponsored By:

Cong. Shaaray Tefila Rabbi Uri Orlian HILI Bais Medrash Rabbi Dov Bressler Kehillas Bais Yehuda Rabbi Yaakov Feitman Cong. Tifereth Zvi Rabbi Pinchas Chatzinoff Y.I. of Bayswater Rabbi Eliezer Feuer Y.I. of Far Rockaway Rabbi Shaul Chill Y.I. of Hewlett Rabbi Heshy Blumstein Y.I. of Lawrence-Cedarhurst Rabbi M. Teitelbaum Y.I. of North Woodmere Rabbi Yehuda Septimus Y.I. of Woodmere Rabbi Hershel Billet

A Priority-1 Community Initiative

Timely Tanach: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Ya’akov Trump of the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst for a shiur on Sefer Shoftim. 8 pm. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Chumash and Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Shiur with Rabbi Yosef Richtman at Aish Kodesh.

8 pm. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Shiur and Tehillim Group: [Weekly] Join the women of YI of Woodmere at the home of Devorah Schochet. 9:15 pm. 559 Saddle Ridge Rd.

Saturday January 27

Conversations over Sushi: The White Shul invites all high school girls to a melaveh Malka and discussion about emunah and bechirah with Rebbetzin Feiner. For members only. 729 Caffrey Aven, Far Rockaway.

Tuesday January 30

Pain Night: Shaare Emunah Sephardic Congregation of the 5 Towns presents a ladies paint night. $20 per person. 8 pm. 539 Oakland Ave, Cedarhurst. RSVP 516-455-7710.

Rabbi Eli Mansour: CHAZAQ and Lander College for Men present Rabbi Eli Mansour on Tu B’Shvat. Free admission. Men and women are welcome. 8:45 pm. 75-31 150th St, Flushing.

Sunday February 4

Super Bowl Concert: The Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School Grandparents Circle presents their fifth annual Super Bowl Sunday concert featuring the Maccabeats. Tickets $20 in advance, $30 at the door. 11 am.164 East 68 St, Queens .

Dating and Shalom Bayit: CHAZAQ and the Bukharian Jewish Congregation of Hillcrest present Rabbi Shay Tahan with a talk on “Dating and Shalom Bayit.” Free admission. Men and women welcome. 8pm. 81-04 166th St, Jamaica. 718285-9132.

Tuesday February 6

Yeshiva Gedolah Anniversary Dinner: Yeshiva Gedolah of the Five Towns is holding its 15th anniversary dinner at the Congregation of Beth Shalom. 7 pm. 390 Broadway, Lawerence.

Wednesday February 7

Sha’arei Pruzdor Scholarship Dinner: Mesivta Sha’arei Pruzdor invites all to join them for their first annual scholarship dinner. 7 pm.

111 Irving Pl, Woodmere. 516-374-6777.

Thursday February 8

Fire Safety: The HAFTR PTA and Board of Education and the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department present a special community-wide fire safety event. $18 per family suggested donation.

8:30 pm. 44 Frost Ln, Lawrence.

Saturday February 10

A Night of 100 Kosher Wines: YI of Long Beach and Lido Beach Synagogue join together to present are night of 100 kosher wines and 36 scotches and bourbons. $20 single, $35 couple.

7:30-10:30 pm. 120 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach.

February 17, 18 & 24

Harmony XII: Kol Rayus presents a song and dance extravaganza for women and girls featuring the N’Shei Zimriah Chorale Dance Troupe and benefiting TOVA. Tickets starting at $25.

Motzei Shabbos start time: 8 pm. Sunday night start time: 7 pm. 2 Reilly Rd, Cedarhurst. 888718-4253.

Abbas’ Oslo...

Sponsored by Mr. and Mrs. Mordy Kriger in memory of their beloved parents: k"z rhtn cegh "r ic ctz 'r wv"g kmrv hk,pb 'r ,c gmbj vhj ,rn wv"g ehzhht ejmh 'r ,c vsbhv vbj

Promotion Courtesy of opportunities, please call Priority-1 at 516.295.5700.

For more information or dedication

Wednesday January 24

Tu B’Shvat Farbrengen for Men: Chabad of the Five Towns presents a special farbrengen in honor of Tu B’Shvat. 9 pm. 74 Maple Ave, Cedarhurst. 516-295-2478.

There will NOT be a Tanach Shiur this week JANUARY 20, tc ,arp e"amun The shiur will resume on January 27, 2018

Agudah of the Five Towns Rabbi Yitzchok Frankel Agudah of West Lawrence Rabbi Moshe Brown Bais Haknesses of N. Woodmere Rabbi A. Lebowitz Bais Medrash D’Cedarhurst Rabbi Dovid Spiegel Chofetz Chaim Torah Center Rabbi Aryeh Z. Ginzberg Cong. Bais Avrohom Rabbi Osher Stern Cong. Anshei Chessed Rabbi Simcha Lefkowitz Cong. Bais Ephraim Yitzchok Rabbi Zvi Ralbag Cong. Bais Tefila Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff Cong. Beth Sholom Rabbi Kenneth Hain Cong. Kneseth Israel Rabbi Eytan Feiner

Vleigh Place, Flushing. 718-285-9132.

Jewish History: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Evan Hoffman at the YI of Woodmere for a talk on Jewish History. 8:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950.

Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a halacha shiur. 8:40 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiu.

9:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516295-0950.

Wednesday January 31

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January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

22

Continued from page 20 opportunity to bring that nation into being and pray for the day when the dreams of the Palestinian people for a state and a better life will be realized in a just and lasting peace.”

Eight years later, when Prime Minister Olmert offered PA President Abbas another deal favorable to the Palestinians, Abbas said no.

The Palestinians are still using their foreign aid to pay blood money to terrorists and their families. They still honor terrorists as national heroes naming buildings and stadiums in their memory. In 2006, they had a gala celebrating the 11,000th Israeli killed. Despite the accords the Palestinian leadership never stopped calling for violence against innocent Israelis. They still deny the Jewish connection to the Holy Land, and even deny Jewish, Christian and Muslim theology by saying there were never Jewish Temples on top of the Temple Mount.

“The Official 1925 Supreme Moslem Council (Wakf) Guide Book To Al-Ḥaram Al-Sarif” recognized the presence of the Jewish Temples atop the Mount. Paragraph two on page four says, “It’s [the Temple Mount] identity with the site of Solomon’s Temple is beyond dispute.” Now, 93 years later they are saying the Wakf was wrong.

In a two-hour speech this past weekend, Abbas called President Trump’s peace plan “a slap in the face” that “we will slap back.”

He claimed the Jews had no right to the land — that the Europeans “wanted to bring the Jews here [to the land of Israel] from Europe in order to protect European interests in the region. They asked the Netherlands, which then had the largest navy in the world, to relocate the Jews.” He even quoted an Egyptian writer who claimed that “Israel is a colonial project with no connection whatsoever to the Jews.”

Abbas added that “today is the day that the Oslo Accords end. Israel killed them. We are an authority without any authority, and an occupation without any cost. Trump threatens to cut funding to the authority because negotiations have failed. When the hell did negotiations start?”

Sorry, Mr. Supposedly Reformed Terrorist, but when did the Oslo Accords start? When did the PLO change its charter to renounce violence and recognize Israel’s right to exist? When did the Palestinian leadership stop inciting its people to kill Israelis? When did they stop claiming the Jews had no connection to the land? When did they stop walking away from peace proposals favorable to their positions?

The truth is that the Oslo accords made the words of Ze’ev Jabotinsky ring truer than ever: “It is incredible what political simpletons Jews are. They shut their eyes to one of the most elementary rules of life, that you must not ‘meet halfway’ those who do not want to meet you.

23 THE JEWISH STAR January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778

One of New York's Best!

We’re committed to meeting the needs of the Jewish Community: NYU Winthrop Hospital has a Shabbos & Yom Tov House, a kosher home where families of patients may stay during the Shabbos Festivals and High Holy Days.

Glatt Kosher food is available in the coffee shop located in the main lobby of the hospital.

Shabbos candles and kosher refrigerators are available to patients.

Mincha minyan services are held in the hospital chapel, Monday through Thursday at 1:30 pm.

Siddurim and benchers are available in the chapel.

A shabbos elevator is located in the North Pavilion of the hospital.

Rabbi A. Perl of Congregation Beth Sholom Chabad is available to meet any religious needs patients and their families may have. He may be contacted at 516-739-3636. The Synagogue is located

259 First Street, Mineola, New York 11501 • 1.866.WINTHROP • nyuwinthrop.org

946817

0.57 miles from the hospital within the eruv.

955083

January 19, 2018 • 3 Shevat 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

24