The Jewish Star February 4, 2011

400 rabbis, Lashon Hora and Glenn Beck Page 16 Prenuptial agreement for the Middle East Page 12 An imam visits Yeshiva University Page 17 Introducing Hebrew column Page 5

THE JEWISH

STAR

VOL 10, NO 5 ■ FEBRUARY 4, 2011 / 30 SHEVAT 5771

WWW.THEJEWISHSTAR.COM

A story of divine providence

David F. Nesenoff, new publisher To My

Dear Readers, The headlines of our lives will come and go, but never forget the words — Hashgacha Protis, Divine Providence. Hashgacha Protis. It is the constant. The ink will fade and the paper will turn to dust, but the Writer and His story will remain. Hasgacha Protis. The Holy One Blessed Be He is always in charge.

It was early May and I sat at my desk in my office at home. Each of us has our moment or moments when we evaluate our life and ponder our purpose. What do I really want to do? What is important to me?

While we are contemplating and churning our deepest thoughts within our soul we may even begin to think that we are figuring it out. It is so difficult for us to understand, especially at those moments, that the story has already been written.

Israel was on my mind. My family had recently returned from Israel and I literally cried on the plane. I’m too embarrassed to give the details. But whenever I leave her, I cry.

I decided that I wanted to do something for Israel. I was going to make small video snippets of Jews talking about Israel. They would say how much they like the falafel or the archeology or the beaches or the spirituality. And I would put them on the Internet and the whole world would see that Israel is a beautiful place. All the ills and ill wills against her would be readjusted. I would put the short pro Israel comments on my website and presto, everyone (for some reason) would watch it.

My teenage son, Adam Natan, had a website of his own for teenagers to learn and talk about Jewish topics. (We named him Adam Natan because he was the first male on my wife’s side in 90 years.) He

is quite a remarkable young man. He had gone to Washington and streamed on his website the entire AIPAC conference by himself. So, in May, Adam contacted the White House and requested to attend the President’s Chanukah celebration for the following December. They asked him if he was confused and really didn’t mean “the Chanukah celebration but rather the upcoming Jewish Heritage Celebration?” “Oh, the upcoming Jewish Heritage Celebration,” he answered. The media office was kind enough to provide an additional pass for Adam’s friend and press credentials for my website as well.

I took time out from my busy schedule of contemplating my life, and how I was going to single-handedly rescue Israel, and drove down with the two teenagers to celebrate Jewish Heritage Month with the president.

I didn’t even know there was a Jewish Heritage Month. In fact, it seemed to me that there were more than an adequate amount of Jewish holidays on the calendar. But maybe this was a good place to find a group of Jews to ask my question about Israel and put a spotlight on my precious Jewish homeland.

I stood in the White House briefing room on my cell calling very specifically, anyone and everyone, “You’ll never guess where I am?” Suddenly I saw through the window Former President Bill Clinton walk by. We all ran to the door as he passed. We said hello and he greeted us swiftly as he moved along. I turned to the person next to me and said, “That’s Bill Clinton!” The man said, “I know.” I didn’t realize that I was talking to Vice President Biden.

We attended President Obama’s first press conference in 10 months, in the East Room of the White House. The topic was the oil leak in the gulf. It seemed so important back then. There were television channels devoted to just watching the liquid spill out 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The three of us each had our seemingly brilliant quesContinued on page 3

Photo by Alyson Goodman

David F. Nesenoff

Shabbat Candlelighting: 4:58 p.m. Shabbat ends 6:00 p.m. 72 minute zman 6:30 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Terumah This Shabbos is Rosh Chodesh

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Continued from page 1 tions that we would ask if called upon. The East Room is rather large and the room was packed with seasoned reporters from all over the world. We were rather naïve. Only a handful of journalists were given the honor to ask a question. Helen Thomas was one of them.

The president’s briefing was over and we had an hour before the afternoon’s long awaited Jewish Heritage Celebration. We thought we would leave the grounds of the White House for a little while. I was hesitant to exit and return, as I was amazed that they let us in the first time; I didn’t want to push my luck.

As we headed for the gate, I noticed Helen Thomas walking toward us. Our paths were about to cross. I mentioned to my son and his friend that she is the most famous reporter in the world. We stopped and exchanged pleasantries. Although my cameras were in the White House, I had my small Flip video camera on me and I started filming. She looked directly into the lens and was rather gracious with advice about journalism. “You’ll always keep people informed and you’ll always keep learning,” she said.

I was waiting for later in the day to shoot my Israel question at the guests of the Jewish celebration, but something made me fire one round a little early.

“Any comments on Israel?”

Hashgacha Protis. The ultimate Creator of this story and all stories placed in my camera the snippet to aid my dear Israel. She said, “Tell them to get the hell out of Palestine… and go home to Poland and Germany…”

It went viral. Millions watched within hours. At a time when the events of the Flotilla fueled the foggy views of anti-Israel and anti-Semitism, the video cleared the air and caused the sun to shine on the anti-Semites for what and who they really are. Every media outlet in the world converged on me. The good, the bad and the ugly covered the story. I received thousands of threatening hate emails as well. Law enforcement and private agencies got involved. My son said, “You can speak to anyone in the world, who do you want me to call?” I thought for a moment and then I said one name; and sure enough within seconds I was on the phone with Elie Wiesel.

I knew I was going to be on CNN, Fox, CBS, local, international, TV, print, radio, blogs… “Professor Wiesel, what is my message?” He said that he had read in a newspaper that I daven with Chabad each morning and he suggested that I should find out what the Rebbe would have wanted me to say.” I

Photo by Adam Nesenoff

Former President Bill Clinton at the White House in May.

THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

David Nesenoff: a story of divine providence

Photo by Daniel Landau

David Nesenof and his son, Adam, in the White House Briefing Room on the day they met Helen Thomas. remember I couldn’t figure out which I was more confused and amazed about. The fact that Elie Wiesel was giving me advice to find out what the Lubavitcher Rebbe would have me say, or that I was now in a surreal world where Elie Wiesel actually knew which minyan I attend.

I mentioned to my local dear Chabad Rabbi, Chaim Grossbaum, that Elie Wiesel told me to find out what the Rebbe would want me to say. Without much hesitation he said, “Okay, let’s find out.” (I love Chabad.)

We contacted Rabbi Abraham Shemtov, a dear old colleague and friend of the Rebbe, for some insight as to what the wisdom should be in this circumstance. I listened for an hour. I remember it sounded at one point like he was crying.

“If you have a friend and you don’t see him for a little while, you can’t be sure if he is still your friend,” Rabbi Shemtov said. “But if your child goes away for a little while, he is still your child. If your child goes away for months or years, he is still your child. We are not the friends of Israel. We are the children of Israel. Sometimes we are away for a little while in galus or sometimes we are away for long periods of time in the diaspora, or sometimes we are away for a few years in Auschwitz. But we are still the Children of Israel. Israel and the Children of Israel are one.

They exist because of each other. The Jew walking on the street in New York, whether or not he even knows or cares about Israel, exists because of Israel and Israel is alive because of him.”

Two days later I was on CNN’s “Reliable Sources” with Howard Kurtz. I can’t remember what he asked me, but I know the answer was that the children of Israel and the land of Israel are one, and that is what Helen Thomas and those who want to de-legitimize Israel are denying.

Two months later I drove across the United States with my son asking questions to

everyone from Jackie Mason to the Grand Dragon of the KKK for a documentary film.

Upon returning, I was the keynote speaker at Yale University’s inaugural symposium on global anti-Semitism.

Before I spoke, the chairman of the symposium, Professor Charles Asher Small, introduced me but paused to explain to the audience of international professors as to why I was the keynote speaker. He explained that he never watches television but had been visiting his parents who happened to have on CNN’s “Reliable Sources.” And he heard this person say that “the children of Israel and the land of Israel are one and that they only exist because of each other.” He said those words specifically caused him to ask me to speak. Of course those were Rabbi Shemtov’s word’s of the Rebbe.

Hashgacha Protis. Helen Thomas said, “Go home.” And I did. I flew to Israel for the Yamim Noraim on a flight posing for photos with Bratslav and Belzer Chasidim and then edited my cross-country documentary film with my son while living in the Rova for two months. He is studying at a yeshiva in the Old City as part of his freshman year of Yeshiva University (my alma mater). I was blessed to befriend Rabbi Nachamn Kahana, Rabbi David Aaron, Rabbi Binny Freedman, Moshe Mendlowitz, Guru Gil, Abba and Pamela Claman who host dozens of IDF soldiers each Shabbos, the Orayta Yeshiva, Rabbi George Finkelstein of the Great Synagogue, and my new beautiful spiritual chum the soulful rock star Chaim Dovid who is a precious gift from Shlomo Carlebach himself. And it was only Hashgacha Protis that brought me to the Eilav and Zinner Shabbos tables as well.

And most of all, any and all hours of the day, I would simply walk a few steps to stand before the Kotel who became an old friend.

And so I cried once again on a plane.

Sometimes we sit at our desk thinking and planning what we should do, when the jour-

Photo by Adam Nesenoff

President Obama’s press conference in the East Room of the White House. ney has already been so intricately mapped in sacred detail.

I sit at another desk today; it is for The Jewish Star. You will notice that I have added a section in Hebrew along with heartfelt stories from Israel, and introduced a political writer. I am personally penning a satirical column and my own original political cartoon joins the already rich pieces that you have come to enjoy. I will focus on our local stage and our global arena. I will shine a light on the joys of our religious community’s warmth of Torah and burn a beacon to reveal those who wish to cause us harm.

As each of us travels our own holy path, I am sure that this position as publisher is part of my mission for my dear people and my precious land. I will be expending a great deal of effort writing and editing many stories and articles that I have yet to type… but ones that I am sure the Holy Blessed Be He has already published. I hope you’ll join me in reading them.

February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771 THE JEWISH STAR

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Inside

The Jewish Star Ask Aviva Classified Ads Editorial From the Heart of Jerusalem Kosher Bookworm On the Calendar Politico To Go Kosher Critic Parsha That’s Life The Other Side of the Bench

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Photo of the Week Taken atop Yeshivat Orayta, an Israeli flag stands proudly in the forefront while stones of the Kotel shine in the background. Photo by Adam Nesenoff, son of The Jewish Star’s new publisher. Adam submitted the photo with hatzlacha and good wishes to the entire staff and to all the readers.

Photo by Adam Nesenoff

If you have a photograph with a description, from local or afar, please submit to: newsroom@ thejewishstar.com

enough for those more fluent to enjoy. If you would like to write a story in Hebrew, please submit to: newsroom@thejewishstar.com

A true chocolate story

By Keith Flaks

THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

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A Jewish newspaper should have a Hebrew column. So here it is. We will try to maintain a level of vocabulary so that it will be easy enough for students to read and interesting

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Dear Ari, It seems every year my auto and homeowners insurance premiums increase. I have two accidents (one my fault), but other than that, have been clean and never made a home claim. What options do I have?

Jason W. Hi Jason, Although many insurance carriers discontinued writing insurance in our area a few years ago, much of that has changed and there are many markets available.

I would strongly consider packaging both your auto and homeowners policy with one insurance carrier. You would receive a package discount on both the auto and home policies and can close any gaps in coverage you may have.

An insurance carrier that is writing your home, autos, as well as other coverages (valuable items, umbrella, etc) are less likely to non-renew your policies, and have more liberal underwriting guidelines; so your two accidents would not prevent you shopping around.

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Keith Flaks is a graduate of MTA and a former student of Yeshivat Hakotel. After serving in the Israel Defense Forces, he is now completing his final year at Bar Ilan University studying Tanach and Psychology.

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February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771 THE JEWISH STAR

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Ask Aviva

Teaching good girls to be even better Dear Aviva, I teach in a seminary in Israel that caters to young modern Orthodox women. I see that these girls are struggling with making the jump from learning halacha to incorporating it into their lives. For the most part, these girls were well raised and come from good, moral backgrounds. They don’t necessarily feel like there is anything missing from their lives and they in no way consider themselves baalei teshuva.

How can we empower the good modern Orthodox girl who never felt she was lacking to want to grow and connect to HaShem?

Specifically in the areas of tzniut and shomer negia. They understand the importance of tzniyut but don’t really see the merit in being careful that shirts aren’t too tight or that their knees are completely covered. What’s missing?

— Hoping to help

Dear Hoping to help, I think that if you took a huge step back, you would achieve what you set out for. If you have an agenda (albeit a noble one), the girls will pick up on it. Agendas tend to repel those that you are trying to attract. When you take a step back, you will stop focusing on one or two points to push. Instead, you can instill a more global love for G-d and love for Am Yisrael. If a young woman lacks this, but takes on strict adherence to halacha, she will be very wobbly once she is back home and questioned. There are many individuals whose growth is slow and steady and longlasting. So don’t try to fight the fashion. Just love and support your students.

But be on alert. If a student asks you questions about tzniyus, then be ready to ad-

dress it. I remember a teacher of mine tried to encourage my modern class to dress more modestly and be more prudish with boys.

She gave a horrible analogy—she said “Imagine you are in the grocery store and you are buying tomatoes. Would you pick the ones that have bruises on them? Or would you buy the ones that look like nobody touched them?” She was basically making us all feel like damaged goods, and she also stressed the point that the goal is to be untouched

for our future husband. Wrong and wrong.

Firstly, a positive slant would have been more effective. Secondly, that’s a really bad goal — change our behaviors just to snag a good hubby. Tsk, tsk, tsk.

Instead, talk about a wealthy woman. This woman has millions in the bank and owns some very rare gems. Does she give out her PIN and her ATM card? No. Does she wear her jewelry when she is out and about?

No. This analogy actually brings to mind

a time when I was enlightened by something. I was at a wedding. The guests that attended ranged across the socio-economic spectrum. Everybody had their glitz blinging and looked beautiful. Some stones were real, and some were costume. Then, I spotted a woman whose wealth far out-wealths any other guests. I’m not one to check someone out, but I could not help but notice the stark simplicity of her attire. A single solitaire diamond centered in her collarbone was the only sparkly bit on her. What is the message here? This is someone who is capable of putting Tiffany’s to shame. I guess she didn’t want to shame her Jewish sisters who could not keep up with her. Instead, she chose to downplay and to undertone. She knows what beauty she has at home in her vault. She just doesn’t want to be defined by it.

And I don’t mean that a girl should save her beauty till she feels ready to share it with the right person. I mean she should save her beauty for herself. I’m involved in a longitudinal study, and my poor kids are the subjects of it. I always tell them how beautiful their bodies are (particularly their most private areas. And yes, it is a little hard to say that to my son without a smirk). If they decide to start streaking in the middle of our Shabbos meal with guests, I do not shriek or yell at them to cover up. Instead, I smile and say, “Wow! Hashem gave you such a beautiful body! But it’s really just for you to have.

It’s your special present just for you.” I’ll let you know in a decade or two if my method has a leg to stand on…

— Aviva Aviva Rizel is a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice who can be reached at AvivaRizel.MFT@gmail.com.

The Kosher Critic

High class wines A

few weeks ago I wrote about how I sampled the various brands made by Elvi Wines in Spain. Having found their more modest options to be intriguing I found myself eager to try their higher priced brands to see if they would live up to their greater (yet still modest as wine goes) expense. After drinking two bottles of Elvi’s Elite wines, the EL26 2005 and the EL26 2005 Sweet, I can tell you confidently that not only do they live up Zechariah Mehler to other wines in their price range, they eclipse them.

The EL26 2005 Priorat is a deep, dry red wine made from a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It pours in an intense dark ruby color and smells strongly of oak, figs and eucalyptus. When sipped the first flavor you get is a smoky fullness

that coats the mouth and prepares you for the second note, dark berries followed by a long citrus finish. Its overall flavor is bold but still has just a hint of fruity sweetness that evens out its stronger notes. This wine is what I would refer to as a sipping wine, best savored over time so that the full extent of its flavors can be enjoyed. It is best if allowed to breath for no less then half an hour and preferably much longer. Because of its strong flavors it pairs best with hearty dishes and is the perfect wine to eat with a medium rare steak.

The EL26 2005 Priorat Sweet is made from a blending of late harvest Grenache and Syrah grapes. Its color is a much brighter ruby than its dry red brother. It’s smells of ripening fruit and reminded me of the familiar aroma I encountered every time I visited my favorite fruit vendor at the Mahane Yehuda Shuk in Israel. The EL26 sweet’s mouth feel is pleasantly syrupy and coats the palate with a delicate sweetness. Its flavor is a brilliant and well-balanced combination of cherries, blackberries, currants and strawber-

ries. The finish created by its bright flavors and full texture is silky and leaves the mouth satisfied but craving more.

The EL26 Sweet is a desert wine and by that I don’t mean that it should be served with desert, but rather that it is in itself a desert. Paired with anything but melon or more mild tropical fruits the unique sweetness of this wine would be lost.

After drinking these two wines I realized that what I liked most about them is their depth of character. Each flavorful note is overlaid by a different complementary note. This effect creates a cyclical movement of flavor that makes every sip of the EL26 an experience to savor. What the EL26 reminded me most was that though there are many high end wines, some stand out above the rest. EL26 is one of those wines that stands alone; very few are its equal.

Zechariah Mehler is a widely published food writer and expert in social marketing.

Follow him on Twitter @thekoshercritic

Maccabeats at YILC THE YOUNG ISRAEL OF LAWRENCE-CEDARHURST, located at 8 Spruce Street in Cedarhurst, will host internet-sensation The Maccabeats for the Shabbos of Rosh Chodesh Adar. The group will be participating in the davening and will be having an oneg on Friday night.

ON THE

Calendar Submit your shul or organization’s events or shiurim to jscalendar@thejewishstar.com.

Deadline is Wednesday of the week prior to publication.

Shabbat to remember THE SUBURBAN PARK JEWISH CENTER, located at 400 Old Westbury Road in East Meadow, invites the entire Jewish community to experience, “A Shabbat to Remember” and to be inspired by the voice of Cantor David Krasner. Friday davening begins at 5:45 p.m. and Shabbos morning davening begins at 9:00 a.m. Please join the shul for a hot Shabbat kiddush and luncheon which follows the services. For more info call 516-796-8833 or 516-520-5733

February 6-20 Seforim Sale YESHIVA UNIVERSITY will be holding their annual seforim sale at Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave. on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan. The sale, North America’s largest Jewish book sale, is organized entirely by YU students. Proceeds support a myriad of initiatives, including student activities on campus and student-lead outreach programs in the Jewish community. Last year’s sale drew over 15,000 people and raised more than $1 million in sales.

February 7 Change your life CHABAD OF THE FIVE TOWN’S WOMEN’S CIRCLE will be holding a “Change your Attitude, Empower your Life” class. The two-hour workshop that will help you transform challenges into opportunities for success with Mrs. Chana Ginsberg, marriage therapist and life coach. It will take place At the home of Mrs. Ali Bhatia, 832 King Street in Woodmere at 8:00 p.m. For more information call 516-295-2478.

Dinner and comedy for singles THE ORTHODOX UNION SINGLES CONNECTION will present “An Evening of Dinner and Comedy” featuring actor/singer/comedian Stuart Rappaport, a past recipient of kudos as the “Best Jewish Comedian of New York.” He will perform on Monday, February 7 at 7:30 p.m. at Traditions Restaurant & Deli, 302 Central Avenue, Lawrence.

The event is directed to singles 40 and above.

Tickets are $25 in advance and $36 at the door.

RSVP to 212-613-8188.

February 12 Concert in support of CAHAL and TOVA THE 4TH ANNUAL CONCERT benefiting CAHAL, the

Calling all senior song birds The JCC of the Greater Five Towns, located at 270 Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst, hosts a choir for seniors every Tuesday morning at 11 a.m. for a joyful hour of singing with choir master Zvi Klein.

We sing songs in all languages and we perform for local venues. There is a $5.00 optional contribution requested per session. For information please call Sheryl at (516) 569-6733 x 222.

Movement class for special needs THE JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS offers “Movement with Mary Moshos,” a class for children with special needs ages 5 and up, designed to enhance interaction with the environment through work with music, bubbles, and various textures. Wednesdays, 5:30-6:30pm at the JCC, 207 Grove Avenue, Cedarhurst. 12 sessions/$240. Please call Sharona Arbeit at 516569-6733 x218 for more information.

Photos courtesy One Israel Fund

One Israel fund dinner On the snowy evening of Jan. 12, One Israel Fund held its 17th Anniversary Gala Dinner at Bridgewaters in South Street Seaport. Above: Rabbi Irwin & Judy Borvick receiving the Guests of Honor. From left: Steven S. Orlow, president; Yechiel Leiter, founder; Scott M. Feltman, executive vice president; Rabbi Irwin & Judy Borvick; Jay Kestenbaum and Stanley Rosenberg. Right: Member of Knesset Tzipi Hotovely addressing the guests at One Israel Fund Gala Dinner. community-wide special education program, and TOVA the community mentoring program, will be held on Motzei Shabbos at 8:30 at Lawrence High School in Cedarhurst. The concert will feature Shalsheles and Shloime Dachs with guest star Yacov Young and a touch of Shalsheles Junior.

Tickets are $25, $36 and $50. Sponsorships with VIP seating are still available. For tickets and sponsorships contact CAHAL at 516-295-3666 or e-mail Sheldon@Cahal.org.

February 13

Parkinson’s support group THE JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS, located at 207 Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst, hosts every Tuesday a Parkinson’s Support Group from 11 a.m.-2:00 p.m. The purpose of this group is to bring together Parkinsonians, spouses and their families in order to help them better understand the nature of the condition, gain confidence and join in community activities. For further information, please contact Cathy Byrne at 5696733x220.

Ongoing Support group THE JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS will sponsor a new support group for the economically challenged as a result of the economic downturn. Key themes will include unemployment, financial issues, empowerment and support. Please join us on Thursday mornings at 10:15 a.m. at Temple Israel, 140 Central Ave,

Tish and Dish THE JCC OF THE GREATER FIVE TOWNS, located at 207 Grove Avenue in Cedarhurst, hosts a Tish & Dish group on Fridays from 10-11:30am. This innovative program combines Friday mornings with a little taste of Shabbat. It includes music, singing, noshing, and schmoozing in a light, enjoyable environment. For further information, please call 516-569-6733.

Genomics and Jewish identity YESHIVA UNIVERSITY’S STUDENT MEDICAL ETHICS SOCIETY (MES) will be hosting a half-day conference entitled Genomics and Jewish Identity on Sunday, February 13, at YU’s Wilf Campus, 500 West 185th Street, New York, NY. The conference will feature leading experts in medicine and halakha, including Dr. Edward Burns, executive dean of YU’s Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Rabbi Dr. Edward Reichman, associate professor of philosophy and history of medicine at Einstein; Dr. Lawrence Schiffman, the newly appointed vice provost for undergraduate education at YU and Dr. Harry Ostrer, director of the Human Genetics Program at the NYU School of Medicine.

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7 THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

February 4

Lawrence until January 20th. This group is part of Connect to Care, an initiative funded by UJAFederation of NY. For further information and to pre-register, please contact Talia Rapps, L.M.S.W. at (516) 569-6733 x213.

YESHIVA OF CENTRAL QUEENS

Parshat Terumah

invites you to participate in its

T

he Torah is comprised primarily of laws and narrative. Let us take a quick scan of Parshat Terumah to see where it fits in the scheme of the rest of the Torah. According to the Sefer HaChinukh, Parshat Terumah has three mitzvot in it — to build a Beit Hamikdash, not to remove the poles from the aron (ark) and the rules surrounding the placement of the “showbread” on the shulchan (table).

The narrative is confined to the specific instructions surrounding the creation of the one-time Mishkan that was never built again. We don’t even see them building it here; those details are only shared with us in Vayakhel and Pekudei, which we will read in a few weeks.

As a result, most contemporary discussions of this parsha that go beyond the importance of “making a sanctuary to G-d” focus on symbolic interpretations.

The Sfas Emes Rabbi Avi Billet writes of the beautiful symbolism embedded in the Menorah. With six branches and a centerpiece that counts as number 7, the Sfas Emes explains that it represents the week highlighted by Shabbos. The light of the Menorah represents the light of Torah and the Torah is read on Shabbos to be a source of light for the six days of the week.

Many point out that the “menorah” itself is in reality only the middle candlestick, while the arms that come out are the “kanei hamenorah” — the menorah’s branches. There are altogether 22 decorative cups on the menorah in its totality, four on the center candlestick, and three on each of the branches. Twenty-two represents the 22 letter alphabet God used to create the world and the Torah.

The three cups on each of the branches that stand for the weekdays represent the forefathers, who independently established the three prayers of the day. As the center candlestick represents the seventh day of the week, Shabbos, its four cups represent the prayers of Shabbos, the regular three and Mussaf.

Taking the idea a step further, the Sfas Emes looks at the 22 phrase poem we recite on Shabbos, “El Adon,” and says the first two and last two phrases (which are connected to one another through the “A’t ba’sh” symbolism) together contain

22 words. Additionally, the letters of “a’t ba’sh” spell out the word “shabata” — which means Shabbos in Aramaic. The 18 remaining phrases, representing the 18 remaining letters, represent the other days of the week, three letters per day, like the three cups of each branch.

For further detail and for deeper understanding, the Gerer Rebbe explains, one must seek clarification in the Zohar.

In his “Collected Writings, Vol. III,” Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch presents an extensive study of symbolism in Jewish law and “The light in the center… is the goal common to all the other lights on the menorah. These lights, in turn, are borne by six branches. However, none of these has a separate base or shaft of its own. Rather, they all stand upon one base; they all have one root, and one shaft supports them all… the light in the middle is not only the ultimate goal of all the lights, which serves to unite them all, but also the starting point from which all the other lights emanate.”

There is much more symbolism in this one-piece marvel of gold that we call “menorah” than meets the eye. But this is a good start.

Seven represents nature, as Rabbi Hirsch writes of in his essays on tzitzit and bris milah, both of which take seven and elevate it to eight in their efforts to heighten spirituality by going above and beyond nature — taking it to the level of “supernatural.”

If the candles indeed represent the days of the week, and the center candlestick is the glue that holds everything together, then we can certainly take the obvious step and declare that Shabbos is what holds everything about what it means to be a Jew together.

But it is not just about a physical image or manifestation, as much as it is about what the menorah does practically. After all a candelabra’s job is to give light.

Here in lies the ultimate symbolism. The Torah is the ultimate light, as it is the original source for just about all goodness that exists in the world. If holy light emanates from the branches of the menorah, it is a reminder to us that our days must be infused with the study of Torah. Ultimately, the study of Torah is most beneficial when put it into practice in the most significant way, through the observance of Shabbos.

May the Jews of the world recognize this beauty, and may we all merit to bask in the light of the menorah when we live to fulfill the mitzvot that are commanded in Parshat Terumah.

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Deep notes hat out on the street and playing cello for extra shawarma money. I’d see many beggars in beards and black hats drifting by, and I would feel a pit in my gut. These men, struggling to feed their families, desperately needed donations. But I was the one with a cello. There is something tourists seem to find intensely romantic about a kid in a t-shirt and tzitzis playing cello on cobblestone, and I was therefore the one attracting the majority of donations. I struggled with this injustice and determined I would not continue playing in the Old City under these circumstances.

Weeks later, the fire broke out in the North. In this fiercely tragic incident I saw my chance to use cello for something greater. I turned a cardboard box into a Magen David Adom sign and placed it beside me as I played in the square.

As my charity funds accumulated, beggars kept shuffling by, working to collect their fees. Embarrassed, I would stare intently at the ground, always waiting for them to pass. But aside from beggars, there were many tourists walking by. When I would see feet standing still in front of me, my playing would instantly be transformed from background noise to solo performance.

With pleasure I would smile into their spellbound faces and let my strings sing.

After about two hours my arms were

tiring and I decided that the next donation would mark my day’s conclusion. Ten minutes later I was relieved to see two feet standing at my cello’s end-pin. Here was my final donor, a satisfying end to my day’s work. With pride I looked into the face of my audience.

And a cold chill shivered down my spine, for looking me straight in the face stood a disheveled beggar. My eyes instinctively fell to the stone ground. He must want some of my Magen David Adom funds, I thought. He must think he’s more important than the Jews in the North, I imagined with disgust.

I sunk my bow into the string, and my cello responded with bold, thick pitches that I hoped would drown out his stare.

But he wasn’t passing. And his pushka hung firmly in his hand. I finished the piece and without pause started another. Out of the corner of my eye I saw his eyebrows drawn tightly over his dark eyes as though he was pondering life’s difficult question.

For five minutes this stubborn beggar would not pass.

Then I heard the faint rattle of coins and noticed the beggar digging his fingers through his pushka. I wondered what he was doing and what he wanted from me.

For the first time I felt a tinge of shame that I had singularly ignored this listener. Discomfort swept through me as I realized I

would have to look up.

Nervously I turned my face up towards him and looked him in the eyes. Suddenly my fingers slipped and my cello let out a yelp. I could hardly believe what I saw: unlike any beggar I had seen, this one wore a smile, broad and proud. I saw between his fingers the twinkle of a coin catching the sunlight. And as he muttered, “Yashar koach,� he stepped forward and dropped the coin into my box.

I live in the Old City of Jerusalem. Down to the beggars, who stand for far more than pity and poverty, this is no ordinary city.

That day I met a man who, rather than losing himself in a dark world of overbearing hardship, managed to hold root in the greater people of Am Yisrael. Supporting needy Jews in the North became no different from supporting his hungry family at home. I have come to see that what makes the Old City so special to me is neither the architecture nor the history. Rather the people and their collective identity are the essence of the place I now call home.

Samuel Fisher grew up in Newton, Massachusetts and graduated from Maimonides School in 2010. He is spending the year studying in Yeshivat Orayta in the Old City of Jerusalem after which he will attend Harvard College.

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ome alarm clocks play Mozart. Others tune into news radio. Mine is the elaborate procession of Sfardic men dressed in sudras and turbans pounding calloused hands on bongos as they parade today’s Bar-Mitzvah past my FROM THE HEART apartment. Instead of OF JERUSALEM walking my dog around the neighborhood, I walk alongside the abundant black cats that lurk the streets. And I don’t go to the gym to run on the treadmill while watching MTV. I tread on two-thousandyear-old cobblestones through the walls my ancestors lived in before the Crusades. These are just a few of the perks of Samuel Fisher living in the Old City of Jerusalem.

Upon arrival in late August, I was eager to immerse myself in a year of study at Yeshivat Orayta. But I was uneasy about leaving behind one of my dearest passions—the cello. Turned out I didn’t have to. I rented a cello and managed to squeeze in an hour here and there.

During free time I started throwing a

THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

Opinion

The Kosher Bookworm

Is peace with Egypt history?

G

iven the events unfolding in Egypt, it is indeed timely that this week’s book review is about the relationship between the two protagonists who forged the first formal peace treaty between Israel and Egypt.

At the time of the treaty, Menachem Begin was a seasoned warrior whose career was colored by his hard-line patriotism. His partner was Answer El Sadat, the Egyptian president, who at the time, was most famous for launching a devastating surprise sneak attack on Israel. “Peace in the Making: The Menachem Begin — Anwar Sadat Personal Correspondence â€? is edited by the late Begin protĂŠgĂŠ, Harry Hurwitz, and the director of information resources at the Begin Heritage Center, Yisrael Medad. This book is an absolute must-read Alan Jay Gerber for anyone who wishes to better understand the unfolding development in the Middle East today.

According to Medad, “This book quite simply, but significantly, allows you to read the personal correspondence between the two peacemakers so that you follow their formalism, their friendship, their principles, their negotiating positions; what was really important to both leaders, what disputes

arose, how did they view each other, each other’s historical views, etc.�

This perspective, when viewed both in its historical context and the modern era, points to a declining will and desire for peace. The book inadvertently functions as a grim prophecy of what may happen to two former allies.

A close reading of the book’s content demonstrates an uncanny eloquence in English by the two politicians who lived much of their daily lives far from this tongue and culture.

Nevertheless, they found in English a common linguistic vehicle to frame their desires, beliefs and their quest to preserve human life.

I make this observation with a heavy heart given the current riots and unrest that envelops the Middle East. Just a causal reading of the rhetoric by the wouldbe leaders in Egypt and Jordan should bring a shudder of fear to all men of peace and goodwill, especially when contrasted with the content of the correspondence and diplomatic documents in this volume.

Begin and Sadat entered into their relationship with a different set of moral stan-

dards. This is frequently reflected in the religious content of their dialogue, a factor rarely seen these days in public discourse.

And as with all good things, this too, had to come to an end. As the editors relate the following all-too-familiar scenario: “In the summer of 1981, Egypt had experienced an explosion of civilian violence between Muslim extremists and Coptic Christians that led to a gruesome massacre of some eighty Copts.

Egypt was also beset by economic problems and by internal dissension, some of which originated in the relationship President Sadat had established with Israel. “In the months afterwards, tensions simmered throughout Egypt, and in September President Sadat began a sweeping , highly unpopular crackdown that led to the arrests of 1,500 people, including Muslim fundamentalists, Copts and political opponents.�

The editors conclude by detailing the assassination of Sadat by members of the Islamic Jihad. Hosni Mubarak assumed the presidency and faithfully enforced the peace treaty forged by Begin and Sadat. Internal

peace has eluded him and his people along with the rest of the Middle East. Only the future will tell what the final resolution of this crisis will be. However, the message detailed in the correspondence of these two brave statesmen should serve as a harbinger for what will hopefully be better times to come.

I conclude with the words of Begin, this time from another book, “The Prime Ministers,� by Yehuda Avner, Begin’s former aide. “President Sadat indicated he wished to come to us on Saturday evening. I decided that an appropriate hour would be eight o’clock, well after the termination of the Shabbat. I decided on this hour in order that there would be no Shabbat desecration. Also, I wanted the whole world to know that ours is a Jewish State which honors the Shabbat day. I read again those eternal biblical verses: ‘Honor the Sabbath day to keep it holy,’ and was again deeply moved by their meaning.

These words echo one of the most sanctified ideas of mankind, and they remind us that once upon a time we were all slaves in Egypt.�

Given these sacred words and mindful of events today surrounding our holy land, we should be inspired in the recitation of the appropriate Psalms to implore G-d’s mercy and grace in this most troubled of times. By doing so we will be giving the legacy of Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat their due and hopefully we will witness the continued peace between the two countries.

North Shore Hebrew Academy High School

Celebrates our Tenth Year

“A Decade of Excellence�

LXSPY XM KEXIK YFKDK

As we celebrate our tenth year, the NSHAHS is pleased to announce that our founding Headmaster, Dr. Daniel J. Vitow, has signed a long-term contract to continue leading our school.

Dr. Daniel J. Vitow Headmaster

We also welcome Rabbi Dr. Noam Weinberg, who will be joining us as Associate Principal of Judaic Studies and Dr. Shoshana Klein and Rabbi Benjamin Skydell, long-term faculty members, who will be assuming the positions of Assistant Principals of Judaic Studies.

Rabbi Dr. Noam Weinberg Associate Principal Judaic Studies

We are very excited about these developments, which assure us of continued dynamic leadership as we enter our second decade serving the Jewish community.

Please call Dr. Vitow to discuss 9th grade admission or transfers from other schools.

Dr. Shoshana Klein Assistant Principal Judaic Studies

North Shore Hebrew Academy High School 400 N. Service Road Great Neck N.Y. 11020 516 487-2424 www.nshahs.org

Rabbi Benjamin Skydell Assistant Principal Judaic Studies

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11 THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

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Opinion A Middle East prenuptial agreement

I

’m not a strong proponent of prenuptial agreements as I think that they often spoil the romance. Moreover, the prenuptial agreements which mainstream rabbinical organization utilize, ostensibly to assist our young women in obtaining a get upon divorce, needs major tweaking to be effective. I’ve represented and represent too many young Jewish women with prenuptial agreements who are still waiting anxiously for a get. The small monetary fine imposed by the rabbis on the stubborn husband FROM THE OTHER simply isn’t doing the SIDE OF THE trick.

BENCH Nevertheless, join me for a moment to understand the philosophical underpinnings of the prenup I have in mind.

It might just have an application beyond the bounds of holy matrimony. All is rosy when the 18-year-old girl who just graduated high school and the 20-year-old yeshiva bochur meet. He is a top boy in his yeshiva David Seidemann (of course) and she is in a rush to not be the last girl from her seminary class to get engaged.

The boy, for his part, has no plans to “make” a living. He has opted the better course among

his friends: “take” a living. The couple gets married, spends $100,000 in the process, moves to Israel, has three kids in four years, and then realizes that it takes money to have things. The couple will begin to fight and will wake up one day, wondering how they ever got in this mess to begin with. There will be strained relationships among the in-laws as to which set was supposed to carry the couple until such time as the couple could be self-sufficient — a nigh impossible task to do without an education.

Daddy, his or hers, has a few bucks and now the fun begins. Freedom comes with a price and if she wants her get or he wants his freedom someone is going to have to pony up. Now, let’s remember that none of these difficulties were contemplated when the entire extended family was posing for the wide-angle shot right after the chuppah. Then, despite the bride and the groom not knowing each other, every other armchair psychologist in the family swore that it was the best match since Adam and Eve and Johnson and Johnson.

So a prenup says I know all is well now, but there might come a time when things change.

And if, G-d forbid, things change, I recognize that one who once professed love to me might no longer desire love; quite the contrary, he or she might espouse hate and venom. And so the spouse must protect himself or herself and say, “I draw the line here.” This much you can take from me, but no more. This much I am willing to initially sacrifice or make available to you while all is rosy. But in the event things turn

ugly, I must protect myself. I cannot be left vulnerable to the point when there is nothing left of me should you happen to turn on me.

So we draft a prenup that stipulates that, in the unlikely event that we are no longer a “we,” at least there will remain an “I.” When two people are committed to each other’s survival there is still a valid argument to be made for a prenup in the event that the love thaws. How much more so when the initial relationship is not rooted in deep love, where the parties are not committed to each other’s perpetual existence. No half-intelligent woman would let down her last line of defense — surrendering it all as if she was ready to embark in a relationship with a man, who at the very best, promised only to not destroy her.

Which brings us to the Middle East. We give up Gaza, Hamas moves in. We cede territory in the north, Hezbollah moves in. We gave up Sinai and now Egypt stands at the brink becoming the spouse who can no longer profess fidelity to us. What next? Do we dare give up the West Bank only to see extremists take control of Jordan? Do we dare surrender East Jerusalem only to have Hamas tell us at the breakfast table, over coffee and cereal, that they no longer love us?

Would we counsel our children to enter into such a relationship without a prenup, without a document or an understanding that we will expose ourselves, but only to a certain degree and no more? And remember, in the marriage, at least there was love at one point. In the Middle

East, no such love exists — save Egypt and Jordan, who presently don’t profess to want to destroy us — every other “boyfriend” in the region wants to abuse us. Hence the need for a prenuptial agreement with the Arab world. Hence the need to set the security conditions from the outset. This is where we draw the line. You will never be in a position — physically, militarily, economically, or emotionally — to harm us beyond the point where our existence is tenuous.

You will never be able to create a “we” where there is no longer an “I.” I read an editorial, a two-liner in a local paper the other day, which blasted the United States for their one-sided support of Israel in the Middle East conflict. The writer needs an education. For when all the Arab regimes begin to fall, in the ensuing chaos, at least until the dust settles, radical Islam will attempt to fill the void. Then there will be only one partner for the United States whose fidelity can be counted on.

That partner is Israel.

Recent events in the Middle East should serve as a wake-up call to all the Americans who think that the United States has spent too much time and effort carrying Israel. As the new Middle East begins to take shape it will be abundantly clear that it is Israel who is watching America’s back.

David Seidemann is a partner with the law firm of Seidemann & Mermelstein. He can be reached at (718) 692-1013 and at ds@lawofficesm.com

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13 THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

NCSY NY would like to wish David Nesenoff a Mazal Tov on his appointment as Publisher & Editor of the Jewish Star

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Your Friends,

February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771 THE JEWISH STAR

14

Opinion Editorial

How we fight

T

he anti-Semite says, “I hate the Jewish people, but Schwartz and Mandelbaum I like.”

And the Jew says, “I love the Jewish people, but Schwartz and Mandelbaum I can’t stand.”

And so it goes. We could conclude now and stop the presses on all the papers, magazines and books dealing with community tolerance and diversity. Just halt the discussions and arguments.

That’s the whole story. We fight tooth and nail against our enemies while deriding our very own charedim and secularists … and everything different to us in between.

Firstly, we should combat with all our might and fervor those nations who seek to destroy us.

Secondly, we, of course, can disagree with those in our Jewish family and extended Jewish community. But it’s not what you do; it’s how you do it.

In fact, you can tell everything about a person or a people by the way they argue and fight with each other. One cannot judge a relationship of a couple while they are having a romantic dinner.

It tells us nothing about their true connection.

But if you have the opportunity to see how they argue, then you will know everything you need to know about them. Are they civil even within the argument? Are they leaving room for each other to reconcile? Are they arguing as a couple that is ultimately in love with each other? Character is defined by the way one argues, not by the way one kisses. We display our very best of who we really are… during our disputes.

A novice student of Talmud and a learned scholar of its commentary are both well aware that they are studying a textual argument between rabbis. And more incredibly, they are witnessing rabbis who are arguing centuries apart from each other. Each generation’s sacred endeavor is to read about these opposing views which are making their case and rarely reaching reconciliation.

It’s certainly an arduous task and sometimes quite difficult to follow their brilliant intricate logic, but we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that they are quarreling with sanctity. There is holiness to their disagreements and commentary.

More than even the actual specific disparity and variance that the rabbis of the Talmud are

presenting is the lesson we learn from how they are expressing their dissimilarity. Arguments give us the opportunity to shine and reveal our chesed and piety.

When the Jew wars with our enemies, we do so with the stones of David and the shield of Abraham. We are supposed to conduct our struggle with a barometer of morality. Of course ultimately we want to overcome the enemy and win. But when we fight with our Jewish brother we cannot win, because if our brother loses, we lose. If we step on our brother, we lose. If we insult our brother, we lose. If we embarrass our brother, we lose. The most we can begin to hope for is a civil, menshlach, pious contest. When we disagree with our brother, but with respect and grace, we win.

It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.

Israel is in a precarious place. She faces threats of a nuclear Iran; she is bombarded by the de-legitimization propaganda machine and the rewriting of history and current events by U.S. college campuses. Israel is also twisting, turning and churning in her belly. There is a wrestle from within. And within that wrestle there is a wrestle. The belly is bloated with fear, judgment, anger and even hate. Jew battles Jew and becomes disconcerted and offended. All religious, secular shapes and sizes come to the menu of clashing opinions. Pick a flavor; they are at odds. We are at odds.

We will not conquer our internal battle by stomping on the opposition. We will not be victorious by eradicating our very own brothers and sisters. And if our brother is not fighting appropriately or fairly, that does not give us the green light to disregard our responsibility to fight with sacredness.

We will win by arguing exhaustingly, intelligently, adamantly, with thoughtfulness and with Torah. Not like a bunch of gangs, but like a blot of Gemara. It is a much more difficult task than defending the Northern border, but it is our destiny. The Jews of the second Temple struggled with this endeavor, but we can accomplish it.

After all, our children are the Jews of the Third Temple.

THE JEWISH

STAR

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David F. Nesenoff Sergey Kadinsky Helene Parsons Hy Spitz Rabbi Avi Billet Alan Jay Gerber Zechariah Mehler David Seidemann Miriam L. Wallach Jeff Dunetz Samuel Fisher Keith Flaks Michael Salamon Alyson Goodman Christina Daly

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A brush with Obama O

ff the White House presidential bedroom suite in the bathroom, Mr. Obama is brushing his teeth this morning. Young Sasha enters. “Daddy when are you going to stop the Wiki-Leaks?”

The president is scrubbing what’s left of his wisdom molars. He mumbles, “I’m working on it; I’m working on it, darn it.” Then he fills his cupped hands and rinses his fresh mouth with some water.

“And Daddy, the unemployment index just seems to be DAVID’S HARP increasing every time you do something.

And why do we keep going to Hawaii? Why can’t we go on a cruise to Sarah Palin’s Alaska like the Boehner family and the other kids?

It’s always Hawaii, Hawaii.

David F. Nesenoff Does this have something to do with that certificate thing you keep screaming at Mommy about? And what’s going on in Egypt? Didn’t you make a big speech in Cairo? Do I really have to throw away my Princess Jasmine dolls? And why do you keep telling that Yahoo guy in Israel to stop building houses? I remember I put a setting at the dinner table for him and then you told me to take it away?”

Obama spits into the sink, “Don’t you have school or something?”

“No, it’s officially Nancy Pelosi Day, we’re allowed to sit in class and do nothing, Sasha explains. “So I thought I would stick around here and learn about our government’s foreign policy toward rogue states,

dictators, kings and theocratic mad men. Are we for or against it?”

“Michelle! Michelle!” Obama yells to no avail. He turns to Sasha, “Where is your mother?”

“She’s in the hydroponic molecular pod,” Sasha says. “Pruning kale for your breakfast.”

“Oh no! Not green eggs and yam again,” Obama moans as he begins to floss.

Sasha persists with her interrogation, “Can we go to a real proper church this Sunday, or do we have to keep going down to the Situation Room and watch those old Rev. Wright videos? And how come Auntie Helen Thomas doesn’t come around anymore and curse at the wall and kick Bo the dog? And where did Bobby Gibbs go? I loved when he would do that magic trick where he would talk out of both sides of his mouth. He’s so funny.”

“Sasha I really have to get ready without any distractions, I’m meeting with Gramps Biden in ten minutes,” Obama scolds.

“That’s another thing, Daddy, when did he start talking again?

Ever since he got back from Jerusalem he’s been so out of sorts, like if Dennis Miller ever guest hosted The View. Speaking of your frenetic Mid East policy, what is a negotiation? Is that something that is done after you intimidate, badger and extort the side that is friendly, democratic and westernized?

“Sasha please, Daddy’s busy and in a rush right now. I’ll let you have just one more question, so make it a good one.” Obama warns.

Sasha taps her index finger on her forehead, “Let me think, I need to ask a really good question.” “Hmm.” Her eyes light up, “Mr. President, how many more Russian spies will be sent home before you release Jonathan Pollard?”

Yankie & Luzer “A new king arose in Egypt.”

15 THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

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Opinion Four Hundred Rabbis, lashon hora and Glenn Beck

A

s the Torah says: “Thou shalt not go up and down as a tale-bearer among thy people (Lev. 19:16).” The sages said there are three transgressions that would cause a man to lose his place in the world to come: murder, adultery, and idol worship.

They taught that lashon hora is equivalent to all three.

In Thursday’s Wall Street Journal, 400 liberal Rabbis joined with a progressive Jewish organization called Jewish Funds for Justice (JFSJ) to bring shame upon themselves; their holy profession and the entire Jewish community. They signed an open letter/advertisement asking Fox News for disciplinary action against Glenn Beck. JFSJ’s website is filled with the language of the extreme left, including progressive phrases such as “economic justice” and “social change,” that the “White Man” is the oppressor and that the concept of “personal responsibility” is by nature racist.

POLITICO The letter states, “…

TO GO you diminish the memory and meaning of the Holocaust when you use it to discredit any individual or organization you disagree with.

That is what Fox News has done in recent weeks, and it is not only ‘left-wing Rabbis’ who think so.”

Glenn Beck’s Jeff Dunetz 3-day series about financier and political “sugar daddy” George Soros sparked JFSJ to organize the letter from the Rabbinical 400. In the series, Beck referred to an interview Soros gave to “60 Minutes” to discuss how the financier survived the Holocaust as a 14-year-old boy by collaborating with the Nazis. Paraphrasing Soros’ own words, Beck said, Mr. Soros “used to go around with this anti-Semite and deliver papers to the Jews and confiscate their property and then ship them off.” Beck used Soros’ background to help the audience understand why he makes his decisions. Beck also expressed sympathy for the boy who did what he had to do to stay alive.

The open letter goes on to say that Beck’s

The Jewish Star newspaper (Long Island, NY) Follow us on Twitter www.twitter. com/JewishStarNY

three-day ”attack” on Mr. Soros was hardly the first time he has misused the Holocaust to incite viewers. They accused the Fox host of making “literally hundreds of on-air references to the Holocaust and Nazis when characterizing people with whom [Beck] disagree[s].”

I can guarantee that not one of the 400 Rabbis checked out the charge of “hundreds of on air references,” because if they had they would have learned the charges were false. Additionally, not one of the Rabbis could have bothered to check out Beck’s comments about Soros in context, because if they had, they wouldn’t have signed the letter.

The 400 Rabbis who signed the letter from the organized by the progressive/socialist JFSJ are not only guilty of lashon hora, but of ignoring that “little passage” in Parshat Yitro about not bearing false witnesses. Even worse, they signed the letter as rabbis, a Chillul Hashem To be clear, this is not about politics.

These rabbis lent their names and titles to support accusations without checking if they are true. They also didn’t check if there was a nefarious motivation behind the JFSJ’s Glenn Beck attack.

According to Beck, before his three-day expose last November, there was a meeting between his “number two” and a senior Soros staffer. Soros’ guy warned Beck’s not to do the series or there would be consequences.

This charge has never been disputed by Soros’ team.

Evidence shows that JFSJ’s attack on Glenn Beck might be part of those “consequences” Soros was talking about. A look at the background of the JFSJ and its leaders reveal close ties between the organization and George Soros.

The JFSJ receives significant funding from Soros’ Open Society Institute, which gave the organization $30,000 in 2008, $150,000 in 2009 and $200,000 in 2010. Beyond the financial relationship many of JFSJ’s senior leadership was involved with the financier beyond the JFSJ organization. For example: Rabbi David Saperstein, member of the JFSJ Board serves on many interfaith boards (including President Obama’s faith advisory board) with Rev. Jim Wallis. Wallis leader of the Progressive evangelical movement and recipient of Soros funds has also led attacks on Glenn Beck. Rabbi Saperstein serves on the board of People for the American Way Foundation, a group formed by the Tides Foundation which, like the JFSJ receives significant funding from Soros’ Open Society Institute.

Until 2008, Simon Greer (JFSJ’s CEO) attended the residency program of the Windcall Institute. Van Jones serves on the advisory board of the Windcall Institute. Jones formed the environmental organization

This is not about politics. These rabbis lent their names and titles to support accusations without checking if they are true.

Green for All with seed money from George Soros. Another group formed by Jones, Color of Change, has been campaigning for an advertiser boycott of Beck for almost two years.

Si Kahn, a JFSJ board member, was the founder and, until last year Executive director of Grassroots Leadership, which received $130,000 from Soros’ Open Society Institute in 2008.

Notice a pattern?

Based on the evidence found in five minutes and related above there is at least the possibility that JFSJ’s motivation in attacking Glenn Beck was to act as an agent for Soros with the hopes of getting additional financial support. There is no evidence that any of the 400 Rabbi’s investigated JFSJ’s possible financial motivation. In the end the Wall Street Journal ad signed by 400 Rabbis is lashan hora because they did not even bother to check whether the charges were true or the motivation of the group leading the attack.

It’s hard for a gentile like Beck to speak out against 400 rabbis without appearing to be an anti-Semite. The Chafetz Chaim would argue that when such desecration and lashon hora occurs, one has a duty to respond, point out the infraction in order to give the offender an opportunity for teshuvah. That’s the reason behind writing this article, and continuing to press the point.

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com).

Jeff contributes to some of the largest political sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has been a guest on national radio shows including G. Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck.

Jeff lives in Long Island.

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The rabbi and the imam, no joke

BY Sergey Kadinsky It could be a joke: a rabbi and an imam walk into Yeshiva University. But on Jan. 27, Imam Khalid Latif and Rabbi Yehuda Sarna, both of New York University, spoke together at the flagship institution of Modern Orthodoxy.

The forum was sponsored by the studentclub TEIQU, Torah Exploration of Ideas, Questions and Understanding. The group achieved publicity in the past through a forum on kosher ethics, and a speaking engagement with Rabbi Ethan Tucker, a controversial Orthodox rabbi. The university’s advisory board refused to allow the event on campus in a story that was covered by The Jewish Star.

This event also garnered attention since Rabbi Joseph Soloveitchik’s spoke out against theological dialogue with the Catholic church in 1964, a ban that many still consider binding about dialog with all other faiths.

“We could not refer to it as an interfaith event because of how Rav Soloveitchik writes

about the topic,” explained Shani Gross, 20, the president of TEIQU. Though she added that there was no conflict with the university about the event. “There was no problem with the board as much as scheduling and finding a room.”

So instead of a loaded discussion about the conflict between Judaism and Islam, the event was a quiet dialogue between two clerics from very different backgrounds. “Dialog has a connotation — a big grandstand with two authoritative figures,” said Rabbi Sarna, “This event is a conversation we share as people.”

Rabbi Sarna’s colleague, Imam Latif, a son of Pakistani immigrants, grew up in Edison, New Jersey. He had Jewish classmates and attended his share of bar mitzvahs. “I wore a yarmulkeh before I wore a kufi,” he said, referring to the traditional Islamic prayer cap.

“It was not yet connected to my faith back then.”

A decade later, at age 24, Imam Latif became the youngest chaplain at the NYPD and the Muslim chaplain at the Islamic Center at New York University. He befriended a fellow

campus chaplain, who also had his own story of cross-religious interaction.

“I got an email from a student named Mohammed, and up to that point, I never met a Muslim,” said Rabbi Sarna, 32, of the Bronfman Center for Jewish Student Life at NYU. “He was asking me about vanilla extract.”

Serving kosher ice cream at a Muslim campus event, the student was surprised to learn that vanilla extract contained traces of alcohol, which is forbidden in Islam. The student asked how something with alcohol could still be kosher.

“This led to a deeper conversation about the differences between halal and kosher,” said Rabbi Sarna.

Imam Latif and Rabbi Sarna often hold events to bring their Jewish and Muslim students together, including taking the students to help rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. “There was no one on the trip who said it’s against their religion to talk to persons of another religion,” said Rabbi Sarna.

Coincidentally, their campsite in New Orleans happened to be on the West Bank

Expressway. “It was Jewish and Muslim students on the West Bank,” Rabbi Sarna laughed.

The two hope that having students meet with one another will lead to a greater understanding of each other’s faith.

“Your real understanding comes from your real relationships,” said Imam Latif.

Woodmere resident Leora Hefter, a sophomore at Barnard, said she wanted similar events at her school. “It’s important to start a conversation, and to take it to a campus where it is a problem,” she said. “My campus is having an event comparing the Palestinian situation to the Holocaust.”

Rabbi Sarna and Imam Latif agreed that their conversations do not mean a lowering of their religious observance. “You’d think interfaith work would be among the most liberal, but your own story is your authority,” said Rabbi Sarna. “We are religiously rooted, but with a perspective.”

Shidduch questions in question the play stems from the overly polite and extremely sincere manners that members of Victorian society used to cover their manipulative and cruel behaviors. The title is a play on words because few in the play are earnest, honest or sincere. What is most notable though is what occurs in the first act when Lady Bracknell, the matriarch of the family, begins to interview a young man for her very eligible daughter.

Lady Bracknell says to the young man who her daughter has taken a fancy to that he is “not on her list of eligible young men,” but she might change her mind if the fellow answers her questions satisfactorily. What are those questions?

If you have ever met a shadchan you already know them — they are the core shidduch questions: age, intelligence/education, income, family, town, and political and religious beliefs. In the play, the candidate does not pass muster. In the third act Lady Bracknell proceeds to question a woman that her nephew wishes to marry.

Again, she asks the same questions. This time, because the young woman is in possession of a very large trust fund, Lady Bracknell consents.

The play is currently on Broadway and if you have never seen it I suggest you do. It’s a fun play, but I also found it a bit disheartening since it reminded me of the shidduch scene. In all honesty, some of the questions deserve to be asked — it is important to know about someone’s education and his or her plan for life — but it shouldn’t be the Spanish Inquisition and the focus shouldn’t only be about how much money a person’s family has, what someone looks like and a person’s social status.

Not long ago a young man showed me a tshirt he loved to wear under his regular shirt.

The words on the shirt were “Sorry girls, I only date models.” He assured me that many of his friends had the same shirts and were of the same philosophy. He was no model. It looks as if superficial externals still rule the day despite the fact that we believe that we are not members of the snobbery classes of Victorian society. Maybe we want to be. Maybe we even believe that these questions have a longer history and are therefore justified. Stephanie Coontz, the historian who has built a prominent career on studying marriage, indicates that almost all marital unions prior to the mid 1800s were arranged for the sole purpose of survival, not status building.

Wilde can cause us to look at the Victorian era and laugh at the snobbery but it isn’t nearly as

funny when it’s so close to the truth.

Dr. Salamon, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is the founder and director of ADC Psychological Services in Hewlett, NY and a Board member of Ptach and The Awareness Center. He is the author of numerous articles and several psychological tests. His recent books

include, The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures, published by Urim Publications and Every Pot Has a Cover: A Proven Guide to Finding, Keeping and Enhancing the Ideal Relationship, published

by Rowman & Littlefield. His new book on Abuse will be available March, 2011.

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was in a local restaurant the other day and I couldn’t help overhearing a few young women talking at a nearby table. (Admittedly, listening in was not exactly polite on my part, but it was very enlightening.) The women were talking about going before a shadchan, or in the case of one of them, before a group of shadchans. One woman described the experience as a “scary, like being called to the principal’s office.” The others agreed. Then they began to discuss the questions that they were asked. What they all found most curious was that each of them was presented with the same questions even though IN MY VIEW they had seen different shadchans. One young woman believed that it might be because there is “some halacha” that dictates asking these set questions. I found it even more interesting that everyone accepted this explanation.

The experience of hearing shidduch questions is not a new one for me. I have written about Michael Salamon the many and varied questions that are asked of people who “are in the parsha,” i.e. getting ready to date for the purpose of marriage. Of course there are the foolish ones, “What color tablecloth does your family use on Shabbos?”

“Where do you go to buy your clothes?” But what are the true core questions and from where are they derived?

After some research I found that there are essentially six or seven basic inquiries. I asked people more knowledgeable than myself what might be the source of those questions. No one could provide a direct Biblical or halachic foundation. Several individuals indicated that they were essentially a common sense way to inquire about the essence of an individual. I was not satisfied.

Late in my high school career a very persuasive teacher suggested we read Oscar Wilde’s play “The Importance of Being Earnest.” Wilde was an Irish playwright, novelist and poet who, at one time, was considered to be the most successful artist of the Victorian era. The humor of

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Yeshiva University hosts interfaith conversation

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LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF COUNTY TREASURER’S SALE OF TAX LIENS ON REAL ESTATE IN THE TOWN OF HEMPSTEAD AND THE TOWN OF NORTH HEMPSTEAD Notice is hereby given that I shall, from the 15th day of February, 2011 through the 18th day of February, 2011, beginning at 10:00 o’clock in the morning each day, in the Legislative Chamber, First Floor, Theodore Roosevelt Executive And Legislative Building, 1550 Franklin Avenue, Mineola, New York, sell at public auction the tax liens on certain real estate, unless

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THE JEWISH STAR February 4, 2011 30 Shevat 5771

That’s life

19

Edited by Miriam L. Wallach

Photo by Arthur Findlay

Dear That’s Life, 444380

ligious discrimination’ were used. Texts and emails began rushing back and forth between friends and family in similar situations. One friend was in the airport at the gate when her flight, which had originally just been delayed, was cancelled. Sitting amongst many other frum Jews, she quickly made friends with another couple who also had to get back to New York and could not wait for a flight back days later. She and her husband ended up renting a car with that couple and drove through the night. 20 hours later, they were in the Five Towns. Let’s just say, they are now good friends.

We handled things differently. Having been handed unexpected extra days away, we decided to make the most of it. We drove back to Disney World — for the day. One minute, my on-line status was “Snow Stinks, Flight Cancelled, Can’t Get Home for Days,” and the next minute my status changed to “I Love Snow! Going Back to Disney! Yeah baby!”

Our extra vacation time was fun and made even more enjoyable when my friend sent me a picture of my house covered in snow. I was better off where I was. The weather had really warmed up for our second unexpected Shabbos in Florida and we all enjoyed basking in the sun in short sleeves. It did not take long at all, however, for my children to remember from whence they came. You can take the kids out of New York but you cannot take New York out of the kids. As soon as we walked out of the terminal at LaGuardia and my children saw all of the white which had caused such trouble, I got the following request from my daughter: Mommy, when we get home, can we play in the snow?

Ahh. It is good to be home.

MLW MLW is now available 7 days a week @ www.dearthatslife.com.

VOICE YOUR OPINION! E-mail letters to letters@thejewishstar.com or fax to (516) 569-4942.

446096

It is nice to go away, but it is even nicer to come home.

Getting home, however, was not as easy as it should have been for many travelers who flew the coop this winter break. The snowstorm which hit the area impeded the return of many travelers, including the Wallachs and the other family with whom we were vacationing in Florida. Fully aware of the airport closures, delays and cancellations that already plagued thousands of airline passengers, we were prepared to deal with whatever came our way once we arrived at the airport.

We never got that far. The 12-passenger van we had rented for our two families (a whole other story, for a rainy day) had been packed to the gills. We were loaded and ready to head home, kids buckled in their car seats. An assortment of snacks had been packed for the flight which, according to the website, was still on time and had a gate assignment. And you know how it is — when you are mentally prepared to go home, it is time to go. We were about a mile away from where we were staying when an email came informing us that our flight had been cancelled.

We returned back to where we were staying and began to unload the van. The kids jumped for joy as if it was a snow day, which in effect, it was. My husband began his mental plan of attack as to how he was now going to handle getting us new flights home. Our airline gives only a 24 hour grace period for a new return flight before charging fees and none of us wanted to travel on a Friday. We knew this was not going to be simple. And I, having already been set to go back to New York, would not get out of the van.

It took an hour and a half before our itinerary was revised and we ended up getting new return flights — set to leave three days later because we now had to stay for Shabbos. Fees were waived when the words ‘re-

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