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THE JEWISH Parshas Mishpatim • Candlelighting 4:59 pm • Luach page 19

Feb. 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776

Vol 15, No. 6 • TheJewishStar.com

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Lipa: Half-time has spiritual meaning

By The Jewish Star For Lipa Schmeltzer, the megastar who will headline Nachum Segal’s “Kosher Half-Time Show� this weekend, there’s a philosophical message in the mid-Super Bowl event. “I like the word ‘kosher half-time’ because to me kosher and Judaism is always to celebrate, even when it’s imperfection,� Lipa said on Segal’s JM in the AM radio program. “Even when it’s only halftime, even when you feel you reached half a goal you celebrate.�

Segal responded: “I never expected there would be a philosophical reason behind it.� “We should always celebrate our wins,� said Lipa, whose been brushing up on his football knowlege and coining Yiddish terms for plays and players. He watched the playoffs with his children, he said.

This is the third year Segal will air a frum-listenable alternative to the NFLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s half-time /LSD DW -HUXVDOHPÂśV 0D show which, instead of Lipa, wll KDQH <HKXGD PDUNHW LQ 0 +HFKWPDQ )ODVK feature Beyonce.

Lipa promised â&#x20AC;&#x153;no slow songs since it will be a short show,â&#x20AC;? running 15 or 20 minutes. It will be taped motzei Shabbos at the Teaneck Dog House and aired during half-time on NachumSegal. com and on the Nachum Segal Network app.

Terror tunnels are back, and the world is silent

By Stephen M. Flatow, JNS.org Last weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s deaths of seven Hamas terrorists in the collapse of a tunnel they were digging coincided with complaints by residents of an Israeli town near Gaza that underground digging has come so close to their homes that they have felt their ďŹ&#x201A;oors shake.

Speaking on Israel Radio, the head of the Eshkol Regional Council, Gadi Yarkoni, said numerous residents of Moshav Pri Gan, adjacent to the Gaza border, have reported hearing the sounds of underground digging and felt the ďŹ&#x201A;oors of their homes shaking.

Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s going on here? The Hamas terror tunnels were supposed to have been destroyed in the 2014 Gaza war. The Obama administration promised that safeguards would be in place to ensure that cement entering Gaza would be used for $Q ,') VROGLHU LQ DW D WXQQHO XQFRYHUHG GXULQJ DQ ,VUDHOL FRXQWHU WHUURULVP RSHUDWLRQ houses that were damaged in the ďŹ ghting. GHVLJQDWHG WR WKZDUW ZHDSRQV VPXJJOLQJ IURP (J\SW WR *D]D WKURXJK WKH 3KLODGHOSKL 5RXWH Thanks to former State Department LQ VRXWKHUQ *D]D

Israel Defense Forces ofďŹ cial Dennis Ross, we now know what happened to all those U.S. promises. From 2009 to 2011, ing cement, into Gaza so that housing, schools, and basic infraRoss served as a senior aide to then-secretary of state Hillary structure could be built,â&#x20AC;? Ross disclosed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They countered that Clinton and as Middle East director on the National Security Hamas would misuse it, and they were right.â&#x20AC;?

Assured by the Obama administrationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s insistence that the Council. During the 2014 Gaza war, Ross, writing on the op-ed page of the Washington Post in August, revealed some of what cement would not be used, Israel allowed it to be imported. The result? Hamas built â&#x20AC;&#x153;a labyrinth of underground tunnels, bunwent on behind the scenes in the preceding years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I argued with Israeli leaders and security ofďŹ cials, telling kers, command posts and shelters for its leaders, ďŹ ghters and Continued on page 18 them they needed to allow more construction materials, includ-

Students travel to show solidarity with Israel

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Yeshiva University

By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, JNS.org Our social media feeds are clogged with news of terror attacks. One person is killed, another injured. We shed a tear during an Internet recap of the funeral. Then we forget and move on. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In the U.S., after the Boston [Marathon] bombing [in 2013], people watched the news, but then they just went back to their daily lives. For them, life goes back to normal,â&#x20AC;? says Sarri Singer, founder and director of Strength to Strength, a non-proďŹ t organization that brings bereaved family members and victims of terror from around

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This week on pages 4-5

the world together to heal. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Most people donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t understand what is going on in the global world of terrorism.â&#x20AC;?

Singer would know. A survivor of the bombing on the No. 14 bus in Jerusalem on June 11, 2003, she has dealt with her share of personal trauma. Nearly 13 years later, she still poignantly recalls the scene of an 18-year-old Palestinian terrorist boarding the bus she was riding and detonating a bomb near her, killing 16 people and injuring more than 100. Singer was sitting by the window in the last row of the ďŹ rst secContinued on page 2

Students show solidarity Continued from page 1 tion of seats.

“Two rows in front of me, they didn’t survive. The girl next to me, she didn’t survive,” Singer tells JNS.org.

Singer suffered from shrapnel wounds.

Her ear drums were blown out. Her face, hair, and legs were burnt and bruised.

During her recovery, it was victims of terror she had met while volunteering previously with OneFamily and The Koby Mandell Foundation who were most helpful in getting her through the pain. But it was also the Jewish community that made a difference, including strangers who offered love and support.

That idea embodied a Jan. 17–24 mission to Israel by students from Yeshiva University and its affiliate for women, Stern College.

Rabbi Kenneth Brander, vice president for university and community life at YU, says the mission was meant to show solidarity with the people of Israel during a difficult time.

Students met with victims of terror; engaged with first responders from emergency service groups; dialogued with lone soldiers; paid a shiva call to the family of slain mother of six Dafna Meir; and learned from leaders such as Rabbanit Chana Henkin, whose son and daughter-in-law were murdered by Palestinian terrorists in October 2015.

For the students, the experience was transformational.

Prior to traveling, YU junior Shlomo Anapolle, head of the student body’s Israel Club, played a major role in planning a community vigil/sing-along in Times Square last November, on the 30th anniversary of the death of Eitam and Na’ama Henkin. More than 1,500 people attended the sweepingly emotional ceremony. But Anapolle says that while one felt the “power of all these Jews coming to-

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gether and saying we are above hatred and terror” that day, he had no idea how much more the recent Israel mission would drive home the message that “our fates are all intertwined.”

“The most powerful experience of the whole week was going to home of Dafna Meir. We walked in to right where she was murdered and we went and sat down with the family. Hearing about how great she was, and about how all the Jews of Israel are uniting behind her and coming together in the face of terror—it is such a powerful message,” he adds.

Similarly, Stern College junior Riki Engel says she would sometimes feel guilty in the U.S., knowing her brothers and sisters in Israel were in great danger just by taking the bus or walking on the side of the road, while she was safe in New York.

“It’s hard to keep my emotions in check and tell myself it’s okay to be safe in school, doing my homework, while Jews are protecting their children 6,000 miles away,” says Engel.

“There’s a huge difference between seeing and hearing terror victims via social media and experiencing their pain in a personal way. …

[The mission] made the terror so much more real and tangible and it felt like I was a part of the victims’ pain in a whole new way.”

YU’s Brander says he is hearing from students that the mission also served to remind them of the importance of “the positive outlook we need to have on life and what our priorities need to be.”

Sarri Singer adds, “I had no control over what happened that day, only over how I move forward. … If we can come together and together move forward in our lives, that is the best defense against the hate we experienced.”

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blyman Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook), County Legislators Howard Kopel (R-Lawrence) and Denise Ford (R-Long Beach), Town of Hempstead Councilman Bruce Blakeman.

“I am as conservative as they come, but with children I am a bleeding heart because it starts with the children and their needs,” McGrath said. “It starts with education and having every opportunity to succeed.”

Kaminsky, who was earlier designated by the county democratic leaders, formally launched his campaign on Sunday.

“We are at a pivotal moment for Long Island and for New York,” Kaminsky told about 100 people in Long Beach. “If we don’t fix what’s wrong with our government, we will not be able to fix what’s wrong with our cities, villages and towns. Today is when we start.

Today we stand together to bring integrity back to Albany, to take our government back, and to make it work for Long Islanders.

Anthony Rifilato contributed to this report.

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By Jeffrey Bessen Hewlett Harbor resident and Inwood native Christopher McGrath has been chosen by the Nassau County Republican Committee to run against Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D-Long Beach) for the vacant 9th District state Senate seat left open after the corruption conviction of Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Republican from Rockville Centre.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday set the special election for April 19, the day of New York State’s presidential primary.

“He’s a great man who has been very successful and done a terrific job in the local community,” said Nassau GOP Michael Watt.

McGrath, 57, said he is “running because I believe there should be a two-party system. If the Republicans lose control of the state Senate, Long Island will get less state aid and there will be an increase in taxes.”

A lawyer for 33 years, McGrath was president of the Nassau County Bar Association. “I have not held political office, but I will do what should be done as opposed to what everyone else wants to be done,” he said.

He will be running against Kaminsky, a former federal prosecutor who defeated Republican Avi Fertig, a Woodmere resident, in 2014 to succeed longtime 20th AD legislator Harvey Weisenberg.

Since that time, Kaminsky has developed a reputation as a hardworking representative who attends many local events and holds open community forums for residents.

Several other possible candidates were discussed by the county GOP, including Assem-

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No change. Iran’s still our enemy BEN COHEN VIEWPOINT “When in Rome, do as the Iranians do.” hat was the core message from Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s visit to Europe last week, in a bid to boost trade relations now that the sanctions related to Tehran’s nuclear program have been lifted.

Arriving at Rome’s venerable Capitoline Museum for a meeting with his Italian counterpart, Mateo Renzi, Rouhani was swiftly escorted past the museum’s priceless collection of Roman statues, including many nudes that had been covered up—yes, really—to avoid offending the sensibilities of a man frequently and falsely described as a “moderate.”

It has, finally, come to this. Western leaders don’t even blink when it comes to agreeing to the demands of Iran’s ruling theocracy.

When our female politicians visit Iran, they are compelled to wrap their heads with the hijab. But when Iranian politicians visit our countries, we bow and scrape and now hide those aspects of our Western culture. Our leaders are doing a marvelous job of proving to the Iranians that when they say, “Jump,” we ask meekly, “How High?”

Anyone who questions the wisdom of this strategy will be labeled a “warmonger,” or worse, a supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

When Iranians demonstrate that they view our democracy and our way of life with contempt, a chorus of Western politicians and commentators try to change the subject, typically by talking about the malicious designs of Israel’s elected leader. President

T

Obama set the standard on this one for the last eight years, and his media echo chamber dutifully follows. Hell, they’ll even make stuff up if that’s what’s needed.

Take Forward columnist J.J. Goldberg, who has been trying to persuade his readers that the Israeli security establishment thinks the nuclear pact is actually a great idea, only Netanyahu won’t permit them to say so openly. So he hunts around looking for anything— an isolated quote, a bodily gesture, a suggestive pause—that might count as evidence that his beloved Obama is right about Iran.

Goldberg is now claiming that the IDF cief of staff, Lt.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, told a conference hosted by Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies that the deal “has actually removed the most serious danger to Israel’s existence for the foreseeable future, and greatly reduced the threat over the longer term.” Note well: That phrasing belongs to Goldberg, not Eizenkot, because Eizenkot didn’t say anything of the sort.

What Eizenkot expressly said was that “their vision of obtaining a nuclear weapon will continue insofar as Iran views itself as a regional power,” which most observers would regard as an indictment of the deal, rather than an endorsement. Further, Eizenkot said that Iran “manages a war against Israel by means of proxies such as Hezbollah, which today represents the most serious threat to Israel.”

In other words, Eizenkot considers Iran to be the primary source of the threats Israel faces—one that, crucially, hasn’t given up on its ambition of weaponizing its nuclear program. Yes, Eizenkot also said that the deal brought “opportunities,” but probably not of the sort Goldberg had in mind. Those opportunities for Israel lie not in diplomatic outreach to the Iranian regime, but in forging al-

liances with its Sunni neighbors, whose fear of Iranian power is even greater than Israel’s.

The question remains as to why someone would make such extravagant claims when they are easily refuted by checking the record. I can only speculate—and unlike Goldberg, I don’t dress up speculation as fact—but it seems to me that there is a whiff of desperation in all of this. If you believe against all the available evidence that the Iran deal has made us safer, then you’ll be worried that it won’t survive the Obama presidency. Ergo, who could possibly be more credible in making the case to retain it than a serving Israeli general (and never mind that he didn’t say what you said he said)? e warned, then, to expect more of this sort of thing in the coming months.

And be prepared for some even more bizarre spectacles—like J Street, the anti-Israel group that markets itself as “pro-Israel” to win over Jewish liberals, campaigning to rid Congress of some of Israel’s closest and most reliable friends, like Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), on the grounds that they oppose the surrender to Iran that Secretary of State John Kerry negotiated in Vienna.

The key point to remember is that nothing has substantively changed. Iran remains a brutal theocracy, unashamed of imposing its primitive values on democratic nations, as Rouhani’s visit to Rome testifies. Iran’s leaders are personally responsible for some of the most vile atrocities of the Syrian civil war, through their backing of Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship. Iran wants to destroy Israel and turn the Islamic world into a web of deadly sectarian violence.

In other words, Iran’s rulers are the enemy, as they have been since the 1979 revolution, and as they will be for as long as the Islamic Republic remains in place.

B

Snow snobbery in the Big Apple TEHILLA R. GOLDBERG VIEW FROM CENTRAL PARK

N

ormally the stereotype is that New Yorkers are cynical and tough, while Coloradans (where I’m from) are wholesome and softhearted.

Well, come visit New York City when the newscasters are predicting a snow storm. It’s not just a snowfall but a snow storm; then they called it a blizzard. And not just a blizzard, but an epic blizzard. And it’s not even just an epic blizzard, but a record-breaking blizzard. Historic.

Before even one snowflake appears, the hysteria spreads as quickly as Central Park getting blanketed in white in a real blizzard. The supermarkets are packed. The shelves are emptied. The line to the cashier snakes to the back of the store.

This, for one day of snow. In January.

That’s what happens in winter, it snows. But these days in New York it’s treated as a novelty. For a second, I thought I was back in Israel, where snowfalls genuinely are a novelty, so that when word of snow arrives preparations go into high gear and it feels like a special holiday is knocking at the door.

I felt like a dissociated elitist Coloradan, watching my New York neighbors going nuts, chuckling to myself. At daybreak Saturday

city like New York suddenly feel transformed into the intimacy of a small village.

Anyone in your path, people who usually may be aloof or detached, suddenly are locking eyes with strangers, smiling, friendly and warm. All that freezing weather brings out human warmth in spades.

By Sunday morning, the sun is out in full glory. This blizzard is historic after all, not because of the statistic everyone is talking about — how more snow blanketed the city in one day than ever before in a 24-hour period — but because the sun is shining the next day!

The city pours into legendary Central Park. The normally vast landscape shrinks to the feel of a community neighborhood park because now it is filled to the brim. Adults in skis try to get some fresh powder in and children on colorful sleds fly in the air, piercing it with pure joy.

Standing among all these “cool” New Yorkers, I smugly notice I am the only one in a T-shirt without a winter jacket. Sheesh, these wimps, I think to myself. They are bundled up like it was below freezing or something. It was 35 degrees.

Nothing like the snow to bring out my Colorado snobbery.

I feel like a snow goddess around these New Yorkers. Lording my snowy-ness over them, kind and generous enough to be sharing it with them, as if I had something to do with bringing snow to them, all the way from Colorado.

Copyright 2015 by IntermounPhoto by Namoi Vaughan tain Jewish News

morning I could see the speed of the snow swirling by the light of the street lamps. It sure was coming down fast. This was no gentle Colorado snowfall. Oh, but how cozy it all was.

Nothing beats a good Shabbat snowstorm.

Imposed indoor coziness in the snow, imposed snow playing, imposed drinking hot chocolate with not much else to do — does it get any better than that? It may not be my beloved Rockies, but Central Park ain’t half bad in the snow. The streets were empty. Barely a soul could be seen.

Later, when I walked to synagogue, normally busy Manhattan streets, teeming with traffic and people, were empty. I walked down the middle of the street without a care in the world. How cool is that? In the snow, the busiest streets and neighborhoods in a

7

THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

R

ecently, the media reported that two days before his execution, Adolph Eichmann penned a letter to then-President Yitzchak Ben-Zvi begging for clemency. Facing his imminent death by hanging (the only death sentence ever executed in the State of Israel), the once arrogant Eichmann, finally humbled, was begging for his life. His request was denied, and two days later he was hanged, his body cremated, and his ashes spread over the Mediterranean to prevent his tomb from ever becoming a shrine for hatred.

During his time in prison, he took ill briefly, and, experiencing shortness of breath and fever, was seen by the prison doctor, himself a Holocaust survivor who would later describe the mix of emotions he felt as he attempted to divorce himself from his personal feelings and focus on the task at hand which, in his words, was “to view him as any other patient in need of medical assistance.”

How are we meant to treat our enemies? When Arab terrorists are seriously wounded in the midst of attempting to murder innocent civilians, do we have a responsibility to care for them?

Let’s assume our enemy is someone who hates us and wants to kill and destroy us, often willing to die in order to accomplish this nefarious goal. In the absence of an alternative, Judaism obligates us to fight such an enemy and even kill him before he can kill us. But what about when there is no longer a defensive need to fight, when he or she is captured or incapacitated? his week’s portion, Mishpatim, contains a fascinating mitzvah: “If you see your enemy’s donkey sagging under its burden, you may not carry on — you must release it [the donkey, from its burden] with him [your enemy].” (Shemot 23:5) Perhaps this mitzvah is not given to us for the sake of the donkey; rather, our natural inclination when seeing our enemy stuck with his overburdened donkey is to pass by, precisely because we are seeing our enemy and enjoying his suffering.

In fact the Talmud tells us (tractate Baba Metzia 32a, alluded to here by Rashi): If the enemy sits down and says, “It’s your mitzvah — you do it!” we are no longer obligated to help; this mitzvah only applies if I am helping my enemy and we are doing it together!

So this mitzvah is not about the donkey and it is not even about our enemy, it is all about us and how are we meant to behave and even feel in the face of our enemies. Judaism believes we are capable of controlling

and even transforming our emotions.

Torah tells us, “You shall not hate your brother in your heart” (Vayikra 19:17), and Maimonides rules accordingly in his Hilchot Deot (laws of character development). But this mitzvah specifically refers to “your brother,” which seems to mean our fellow Jew. Thus, we are not prohibited from hating the Arab terrorist. And while Christianity teaches that one should love an enemy, there is no such mitzvah in Judaism (of course, neither does Torah command us to hate our enemies). he Talmud, continuing its discussion on this topic (Baba Metzia 32b), points out that if we come across a friend whose donkey requires unloading, alongside an enemy whose donkey requires help being loaded, we should help our enemy first, because doing so “suppresses the evil inclination.” In other words, the real danger in hating my enemy is what that hatred does to me, and the opportunity to overcome that hatred is more valuable than the natural inclination to help one’s friend.

Hence we are only obligated to help unload our enemy’s donkey with him, because working on anything together allows us to let go of the dangerous poison of hatred that can be so destructive. Indeed, love is all about giving (as opposed to lust which is all about taking), and the Hebrew word for love “ahava” is the same as the word for bringing (“le’havi’).

And the more you give to something or someone, the more you love them or it. In which case, why are we not commanded to love our enemy? Perhaps we need to take care; loving one’s enemy can result in hating one’s friends.

It is not accidental that some of those who work to help Arabs whom they perceive as victims — expressing the admirable values of tolerance, accommodation, sensitivity and compromise — end up spewing hatred for Jews and Israelis. If you love your enemy enough he will soon become your friend, which will lead to his enemies becoming your enemies as well.

Judaism suggests that the reason to eschew hatred for an enemy is not to love him, but because the world becomes a better place when there is less hatred. And we should turn a blind eye towards the evil actions he or she may be perpetrating, which would undermine the entire point.

There is a second point to consider here: The donkey will ultimately be unloaded only when an enemy joins in putting his shoulder to the task. If the enemy is not giving and helping and taking responsibility for his dilemma, nothing constructive will result.

Until our enemies take responsibility for their plight and begin to advance constructive solutions, preferring instead to play the hapless victim and blame everything on outside forces, long-lasting solutions will not be found.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.

T

The reason to eschew hatred for an enemy is not to love him, but because the world becomes a better place when there is less hatred.

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Why we react with compassion to plight of our enemy’s donkey

620-mile Israel trail brings Jewish history to life JEWISH STAR TRAVEL

By Deborah Fineblum Schabb, JNS.org It was a braveâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;some may argue foolhardyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;lot who confronted the Negev desertâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s August heat to walk a short segment of the Israel National Trail (INT) at around noontime.

But the nearly 100 young men in blue Israel Defense Forces t-shirts didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t appear to mind the blazing white heat. They were on the INT (Shvil Yisraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;el in Hebrew, though to most Israelis itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just â&#x20AC;&#x153;the Shvilâ&#x20AC;?) to train. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We get lots of practice on different altitudes,â&#x20AC;? says Aaron Lion, 20. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Shvil is a really good place to learn how to survive in lots of different conditions.â&#x20AC;?

The INT takes a meandering 620-mile route from Kibbutz Dan, among Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s northernmost points, to the southern tip of Eilatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Gulf of Aqaba.

Since hiking enthusiast Avraham Tamir, fresh off an Appalachian Trail experience in America, dreamed of a national trail in Israel and made it a reality in 1995, hundreds of thousands have hiked its bywaysâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from the green mountains of the north, to cities and towns, to the seemingly endless expanse of the Negev in the south.

Like other national trails, the INT makes it a point of showing off its natural beauty. But in a country where political pressures often divide the citizens, it has another goal: exposing Israelis and visitors alike to the wide variety of cultural and geophysical identities that ďŹ ll the Jewish state. The peak months for the trail are February to May and October to December, avoiding Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rainy winters and sweltering summers.

But unlike other national trails, these 620 miles go beyond geography by also helping to bring Jewish history to life.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our family spends a lot of time learning Jewish history from books,â&#x20AC;? says Michael Lindsey, a father of six from Jerusalem. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But when we hike the trail, I can say to the kids, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is the land of Benyamin,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; or, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;This is where King David lived.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; It brings the Torah

to life for us.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The trail is a walking lesson in both the history and geography of Israel,â&#x20AC;? says Michal Maroz, a project manager for the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s (SPNI) tourism department, which maintains the

trail, including the colorful painted streaks on trailside rocks that assure hikers theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still going in the right direction. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are hikers who love the green of the north and those who prefer the dramatic vistas of the desert.â&#x20AC;?

For Mimi Semuha, a grandmother and conďŹ rmed hiker who made aliyah from Upstate New York more than a half-century ago, the most profound experience was in Meron, the small town outside Safed best known as the burial spot of pioneering Kabbalist Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a view from the top of the mountain where you are looking down into a wadi (valley) with a stream running through it,â&#x20AC;? she says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely stunning.â&#x20AC;?

There are folksâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;just out of the army or between jobs, or early (and ďŹ t) retireesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; who opt to walk the trail in one fell swoop, a two-and-a-half or three-month undertaking.

But most people will devote a few days or a week, taking months or even years to complete all 44 of the trailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For a small country, Israel has so many climates and topographies,â&#x20AC;? adds Maroz. â&#x20AC;&#x153;And many different cultures too.â&#x20AC;?

One way the SPNI is celebrating the trailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 20th birthday is by joining Google Israel to map the INT for Google Street View, as part of the Google Treks project. This past Continued on page 12

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Two weeks ago, my husband Jerry and I embarked on a 10 night cruise to the Caribbean. Aside from loving cruising and being with good friends, I was also looking forward to some creative writing material. Ten days, 30 meals, four islands â&#x20AC;&#x201D; if thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not enough to conjure up a Jerry story, consider this; our ship had simulated skydiving, roller-skating, trapeze lessons, rock-climbing, theaters and much more. There was going to be a Jerry story somewhere!

We were off to Port Liberty, in Bayonne, with our luggage, which consisted of what I would need for 10 days â&#x20AC;&#x201D; plus an extra suitcase of â&#x20AC;&#x153;just in case I needâ&#x20AC;? clothes, shoes, etc. As I sat atop one of those suitcases, in the car, I promised myself that next year, I would pack half as much. But then again, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been saying that since I ďŹ rst cruised in 2008.

So there I was, in the car, when I noticed something was missing. I forgot the bag with food we were taking along â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the homemade salad dressing and my favorite diet cookies to have with coffee in the morning, my Crystal

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Light packets to put in the drinking water, and a few other items. We were already behind schedule, and were just past the usual trafďŹ c on Rockaway Turnpike. Jerry said he would do without the dressing, I ďŹ gured I could do without the other stuff. I called my cleaning woman, who was in my house, and told her to put the dressing in the fridge. She said she was about to call me because she noticed we left a small bag that had all my makeup inside.

Needless to say the car made an abrupt about-face. Do you expect a woman my age to go 10 days without makeup?

So, the ďŹ rst issue had to do with me, not Jerry. No story yet. mbarkation was painless and we were aboard before we knew it. Our ďŹ rst meal was dinner. We were three couples traveling together â&#x20AC;&#x201D; two of us kosher, the third was not. They had a choice of soup, salad, appetizers and ďŹ ve mains. Then came our kosher menu, consisting of soup (one choice, corn). The main, either beef in wine sauce or chicken tenders. Jerry, being the optimistic one, ordered all the choices; unfortunately, nothing was good. Worst news was, it was basically the same menu every night â&#x20AC;&#x201D; one day, the meat was listed as beef in wine sauce, beef stew the next, and beef tenContinued on page 16

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THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 26 Shevat 5776

Judy ďŹ nds happy challenges on her Caribbean cruise

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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PEDIATRICS AT ST. JOHN’S

Dr. DeLuca is a board certified Pediatric Pulmonologist. He is a graduate of SUNY Health Science Center at Brooklyn Downtown and completed his residency training at Bellevue Medical Center.

He trained as a Pediatric Pulmonology Fellow through Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and served as an attending at Schneider’s Children’s Hospital, Winthrop, New York Hospital of Queens and Cornell Medical Center. Dr. DeLuca is certified by the American Board of Pediatrics and Diplomate in Pediatric Pulmonology.

THE TEAM Dr. Cynthia Criss is a graduate of the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. She completed her training at Schneider Children’s Hospital of Long Island Jewish Medical Center before coming to St. John’s. She has been on the medical staff of the Hospital for 15 years, is the Pediatric Department Chair and is %RDUG &HUWLILHG LQ 3HGLDWULFV b Dr. Allan Steinberg completed his training at Long Island College Hospital and his fellowship in neonatology at Brookdale Hospital. He has been a dedicated member of the Hospital and community for more than 25 years. He provides specialized care required for the sick and well newborn, and is Board Certified in Pediatrics. Dr. Steinberg is fluent in Spanish.

Dr. Lesly Gracias Michel offers endocrinology services. He completed his training at Nassau County Medical Center and

his fellowship in Pediatric Endocrinology at Winthrop Children’s Hospital. He specializes in diabetes, thyroid disease, growth disturbances, precocious puberty, short stature and obesity. Dr. Michel is fluent in Spanish, Creole and French.

Dr. Rami Grossman completed his neurology training at Long Island Jewish Medical Center. He has been providing care to the community for more than 20 years. Common disorders that he diagnoses and treats include ADHD, autism, developmental delay, seizures, headaches, learning difficulties and tic disorders.

Dr. Grossman is boarded by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in Neurology with a special qualification in child neurology, and is fluent in Spanish.

Debbie Steiger Cohen R.N. is a certified lactation consultant.

She is available to assist mothers and babies with their breast feeding needs. She is fluent in Spanish.

Please call: (347) 619-5950 for an appointment. Our offices are located at 495 Beach 20th Street.

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The Pedriatic Department at St. John’s is pleased to welcome Dr. Arthur DeLuca to the Pediatric Team.

11

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YU hosts free genetic screening speak with a licensed genetic counselor.

With a comprehensive panel that screens for a wide range of potential diseases, Jews of any backgroundâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Ashkenazic, Sephardic or Mizrachiâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;will beneďŹ t from the event. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Medical Ethics Society has done groundbreaking work by providing genetic screenings in the past, but we want to increase our impact this year by expanding our reach to the greater Jewish community,â&#x20AC;? said Rebecca Garber, copresident of MES. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone should be tested, and we are fortunate enough to go to a school that satisďŹ es this need for us. However, many of our peers do not have this opportunity readily available to them. We recognize this lack and hope to include as many people as possible.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We believe that all students should undergo genetic testing before marriage, preferably before dating or entering into a serious relationship,â&#x20AC;? said Rabbi Ken-

neth Brander, vice president for university and community life at YU. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Testing gives students the knowledge to make informed decisions which can diminish pain and suffering within our community. YU Roshei Yeshiva encourage students to get tested and to speak to a trained genetic counselor and a knowledgeable halachic authority about any questions they may have.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ultimately, we hope that the convenience and subsidized testing will make genetic screening an accessible reality for hundreds of people, beneďŹ ting not only the YU student body but the greater Jewish community,â&#x20AC;? said Ari GarďŹ nkel, co-president of MES. For more information or to register, please visit JScreen.org and select â&#x20AC;&#x153;YU/Sternâ&#x20AC;? from the drop-down menu.

Walk-ins on the day of the event will be welcome, but pre-registration is encouraged.

St. Johnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Episcopal Hospital has announced the appointment of a new chief operating ofďŹ cer.

Christopher J. Parker arrives from Shore Regional Health of the University of Maryland, where he served on the executive team since 2003.

Prior to joining Shore Regional Health, he held executive positions at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Maryland, at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington.

Parker, a diplomat of the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review &KULVWRSKHU - 3DUNHU Physicians, was appointed in 2015 as Chairman of the Maryland Hospital Association Prime Board of Directors. He serves on the advisory committees for several local universities.

Under his leadership as Chief Nursing OfďŹ cer, Shore Regional Health was awarded Magnet Recognition by the American Nurses Credentialing Center was redesignated Magnet in 2013.

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Yeshiva Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Student Medical Ethics Society (MES) will partner with JScreen, a university-based nonproďŹ t program specializing in carrier screening for genetic diseases common in the Jewish population, to host a free genetic screening event on Sunday, Feb. 14.

The event, which will make screening for more than 100 genetic diseases available, will take place on YUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Wilf Campus during YUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Seforim Sale in the 12th ďŹ&#x201A;oor of Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave., from 2 to 6 pm.

There are no out-of-pocket costs for anyone who attends the screening, whether or not they are afďŹ liated with YU. Unlike most genetic screenings, the tests will also use saliva, rather than blood, to collect DNA samples, making the testing process faster and less invasive.

In addition to being tested, each participant will have the opportunity to

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Continued from page 8 spring, two teams of SPNI volunteers trekked the trail while schlepping 40-pound Google Street View cameras. Each camera contained 15 smaller cameras that snapped a panoramic image every ďŹ ve seconds. It took the teams 70 days to shoot the entire trail. Now being processed, the photos should be online by winter.

SPNI CEO Moshe (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Koshaâ&#x20AC;?) Pakman expects the exposure of the trail to inspire more people the world over to explore it. He is proud that National Geographic named the trail one of the 20 most beautiful hikes in the world. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Displaying the INT through Google Street View will encourage tourists from Israel and abroad to experience the various cultures and landscapes of Israel, to fall in love with them, and take action to preserve them,â&#x20AC;? he says.

Among the INTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s assets are the â&#x20AC;&#x153;trail angelsâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;those who open their homes for hikers free of charge. Others, including some kibbutzim, charge very low prices for housing, and some throw in a shower and breakfast or the use their kitchen and Internet connection.

Other services include water stops along the way. One of providers, Yoash Limon, who also runs the Green Backpackers Hostel in the Negev town of Mitzpe Ramon, says that groups of hikers will band together to order water, thus reducing his delivery charges. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are hikers who come out in the summer down here,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But they typically only walk in the early morning and late afternoon and yes, they drink plenty of water.â&#x20AC;?

In fact, ordering water together is just one opportunity to get to know oneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fellow INT hikers, says Limon. Shaya Pinson, an English teacher from Beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;er Sheva, says the people heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s met have been among the great joys of the many days heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s spent on the INT portion from the Jerusalem Hills to the desert between Eilat and the Dead Sea. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like in many other Israeli situations which fall out of the norm, Israelis tend to

feel and act in a remarkably bonded way upon meeting on the Trail,â&#x20AC;? Pinson says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of like meeting a distant family member by surprise in a distant land.â&#x20AC;?

One organized way to meet people is a cross-cultural â&#x20AC;&#x153;dialogueâ&#x20AC;? offered each winter for the last 10 years by HaMidrasha: Educational Center for Jewish Renewal in Israel.

Designed as a memorial for Avi Ofner, an IDF soldier killed in a helicopter accident, the Israel Trail Encounters (Nifgashim Bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Shvil Yisrael) are a series of â&#x20AC;&#x153;dialoguesâ&#x20AC;? from a number of perspectives along the journey. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to communicate and connect to feel our joint destiny,â&#x20AC;? says HaMidrasha CEO Moti Zeira. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When you are sharing the Trail experience, something happens to open the heart to each other.â&#x20AC;?

The INT is known as a safe, well-maintained trail. But the two greatest dangers (especially in the summer) are those ugly twins, dehydration and sun stroke. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so important to come preparedâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including [having] a good map,â&#x20AC;? says veteran INT hiker Phyllis Shalem of Safed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty surprising how quickly sun stroke and dehydration can happen, especially if you get lost.â&#x20AC;?

For the well-prepared, however, the INT can be an unforgettable experience for Israeli residents and visitors alike. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The trail tells the story of this country, its people and their legacy, its myriad vistas, and its ďŹ&#x201A;ora and fauna,â&#x20AC;? says SPNIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Pakman, who observes that the trail resembles a spinal cord, with its paths linking the entire country. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Israeli essence is present along the trail: youth and students, soldiers, tourists from around the globe, families, and all types of nature lovers.â&#x20AC;?

Just donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t put it off, hiker dad Lindsey warns. â&#x20AC;&#x153;People say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;When I am between jobs or when I retire, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll walk the trail,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; but my best advice is donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait until you have three months to spare,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Take just a little piece now. After that, you will come back again.â&#x20AC;?

13 THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776

South Nassau Communities Hospital Respite Room

A HAVEN FOR HOSPITAL PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES

SOUTH NASSAU AND ACHIEZER RECOGNIZE THE UNIQUE NEEDS OF THE LOCAL ORTHODOX JEWISH POPULATION AND ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO MAKE YOUR STAY MORE COMFORTABLE AND ENJOYABLE.

To highlight these efforts, we are pleased to provide the Kosher Pantry/Respite Room co-sponsored by South Nassau and Achiezer. This room offers a quiet haven for patients to relax, rejuvenate and enjoy a variety of kosher amenities provided exclusively for their use. Thanks to Gourmet Glatt, the pantry is fully stocked throughout the week and has hot meals for Shabbos and Yom Tov. And during the winter months (November-March), there is even a daily Mincha Minyan at 1:05 p.m. (Monday-Thursday).

For more information about the Respite Room or our other services, call 877-SOUTH-NASSAU, visit southnassau.org or call Achiezer at 516-791-4444.

South Nassau also offers a convenient Shabbos elevator, and comfortable overnight accommodations are available year-round at our kosher Shabbat Hospitality House, which is complete with beds, linen, durable kosher food items and a refrigerator. Electric Sabbath candles are available. Access to the Shabbat Hospitality House is arranged through South Nassau’s Spiritual Care Program.

When you find yourself in our hospital, visit the new Respite Room located on the Ground Floor G Wing adjacent to the Volunteer Office, and see for yourself why more and more Jewish families throughout the area are choosing South Nassau.

818371

We’re working with doctors, nurses and our entire hospital staff to raise awareness of the sensitivities and sensibilities of Orthodox Jews; and we are working closely with our Rabbinical consultants to anticipate our patients’ needs before they arise.

There’s likely a ‘perp walk’ in Hillary’s future JEFF DUNETZ POLITICS TO GO

A

s revelations about Hillary Clinton’s emails and her reckless oversight of American secrets in her possession raises the question of whether there is a “perp walk” in her future. Just before Shabbos, we got a double-dose of Clinton email scandal revelations.

First, it was reported that some of the emails have been deemed “too damaging” to national security to release under any circumstances, even with redactions. And then the Associated Press had the State Department “confirm[ing] for the first time Friday that Hillary Clinton’s home server contained closely guarded government secrets, censoring 22 emails that contained material requiring one of the highest levels of classification. … State Department officials also said the agency’s Diplomatic Security and Intelligence and Research bureaus are investigating if any of the information was classified at the time of transmission, going to the heart of Clinton’s defense of her email practices.”

Darrell Issa, former head of the House Oversight Committee, said he believes that the FBI wants to indict both Hillary and her top aide, Huma Abedin.

“I think he’s in a position where he’s being forced to triple-time make a case of what would otherwise be, what they call, a slam dunk,” Issa said, referring to FBI Director James Comey, who previously told the Senate Judiciary Committee he would conduct a “competent,” “hon-

est” and “independent” probe into Clinton’s handling of classified information during her tenure as secretary of state.’

One of Hillary’s email defenses has been that she did not send or receive emails that were marked classified.

On the “This Week In Iowa,” local news program, Clinton was asked if she would allow people in her administration to operate on private email servers, and she repeated the same lie: “Well it was allowed then but I think the rules should change, because of all of the confusion and the questions. The facts have remained the same. I took classification very seriously. There is absolutely no evidence that I sent or received any email marked classified, that has not changed. this is an argument about classification in retrospect.”

She double-downed on ABC’s This Week on Sunday: “There is no classified marked information on those e-mails, sent or received by me. Dianne Feinstein, the ranking member of the intelligence committee, who’s had a chance to review them, has said that this email chain did not originate with me and that there were no classification markings. So I do want them released.

And of course, I can’t be clear about exactly what

the reasons might be for some in the government as part of this interagency dispute to not to make them public. But, I would like to see them disclosed, and I think they can and should be disclosed, from everything I’m told about them.”

That’s a great political move, calling for the release of the emails when she knows they’ve been deemed too secret to be released.

Most important (and disingenuous) is her claim that the information wasn’t marked classified when it was sent to her. The very first paragraph of the non-disclosure agreement Ms. Clinton signed when she became Secretary of State, reads in part, “As used

in this Agreement, classified information is marked or unmarked classified information including oral communications.”

The information General Petraeus admitted to sharing with his mistress/biographer wasn’t labeled classified. Although they weren’t officially marked classified, he was still indicted.

In Clinton’s case, it has been reported so far that at least some of the information in her emails was in the Special Access Programs (SAP) category, which is for information more sensitive than those with the top secret designation. Generally, any information with a SAP designation is shared on a “need to know” basis (like my wife with the family checkbook), and may contain information about confidential sources or “black ops.”

So back to our original question: Is there a “perp walk” in Hillary’s future?

The answer, based on all the information so far, is that there should be.

The real question is, will President Obama allow his attorney general Loretta Lynch to indict her and throw the Democratic Party nomination in disarray. The guess here is that he will, because he cares more about his legacy and doesn’t want to deal with the mass resignation of senior FBI staffers that would follow a non-indictment.

Congregation B’nai Avraham The Modern Orthodox Shul in Brooklyn Heights

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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By Sean Savage, JNS.org The U.S. presidential race has been high on twists, but the topsy-turvy journey might just be getting started. As voters prepared to cast their ďŹ rst ballots in Iowa and New Hampshire, former New York mayor and Jewish billionaire Michael Bloomberg, whose net worth dwarfs that of Trump, is reportedly considering an independent run for president. â&#x20AC;&#x153;[Bloomberg] would make an exceptional candidate for a variety of reasons, in particular for the Jewish community. He has always shown himself to be a big supporter of Israel in different ways, such as donating his personal money in various charities,â&#x20AC;? said Stan Steinreich, president and CEO of Steinreich Communications, a New Jersey-based public relations ďŹ rm that also has an ofďŹ ce in Israel.

During the 2014 Gaza war, Bloomberg made waves for boarding an El Al ďŹ&#x201A;ight to Tel Aviv in deďŹ ance of a Federal Aviation Administration ban on ďŹ&#x201A;ights to Israel. The ban came after a Hamas rocket fell near Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ben Gurion Airport. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This evening, I will be ďŹ&#x201A;ying on El Al to Tel Aviv to demonstrate that it is safe to ďŹ&#x201A;y in and out of Israel,â&#x20AC;?Bloomberg said at the time. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ďŹ&#x201A;ight restrictions are a mistake that hands Hamas an undeserved victory and should be lifted immediately.â&#x20AC;?

Bloomberg has donated signiďŹ cantly to the Israeli emergency response organization Magen David Adom, whose Jerusalem station is dedicated to his father, William H. Bloomberg. In 2014, Bloomberg was the inaugural recipient of Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Genesis Prize, an award to individuals who can inspire the next generation of Jews worldwide.

Bloomberg considered running for president it the past, but concluded that running as a third-party candidate would be too dif-

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ďŹ cult. Yet, according to the New York Times, Bloomberg has been â&#x20AC;&#x153;galledâ&#x20AC;? by Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominance in the Republican ďŹ eld as well as â&#x20AC;&#x153;troubledâ&#x20AC;? by Hillary Clintonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stumbles and Bernie Sandersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rise on the Democratic side, leading him to consider a bid for president as an independent this year.

In a race for president that has deďŹ ed political norms, Bloomberg would seek to capitalize on his combination of business experience and governing that the other candidates only partially share.

Bloomberg is one of the richest people in the world, with Forbes pegging his personal fortune at $36 billion and others estimating it could be as high as $48.8 billionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;far higher than the $4.5 billion Forbes estimate of Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s net worth.

Unlike Trump, who inherited a considerable real estate fortune from his father, Bloomberg built Bloomberg L.P.â&#x20AC;&#x201D;a ďŹ nancial services, technology, and media empireâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;from scratch, through the development of his own in-house computerized ďŹ nancial system that eventually became a mainstay for ďŹ nancial experts.

Despite his business prowess, Bloomberg has staked a number of socially liberal positions that eventually led him to abandon the Republican party in 2007 to become an independent.

Bloomberg had been a lifelong Democrat prior to becoming a Republican in 2001, when he ran for mayor. His liberal policies include strong support for gun control and a womanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s right to choose. He endorsed President Barack Obama in the 2012 election, citing climate change. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Even though I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t agree with [Bloom-

berg] on all issues, I think he is an important voice and it would be good for the national debate for him to throw his hat in the ring,â&#x20AC;? said Seth Lipsky, the founding editor of two newspapers, the New York Sun and the English-language edition of the Forward. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It would be no small thing for a Jewish American to appear at the top of the ballot, let alone two of them,â&#x20AC;? Lipsky told JNS.org, referring to Bloomberg and Bernie Sanders.

Bloomberg, he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;has been a strong voice in support of Israel. The Jewish angle is interesting, but not an overriding issue.â&#x20AC;?

While Bloombergâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish faith and support for Israel would be selling points for the Jewish and pro-Israel communities, many of the other major candidates also largely have pro-Israel credentials and Jewish backers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As a community, we [Jews] are always excited and proud when one of our own decides to run. There is an element of pride, he did a great job as mayor of New York,â&#x20AC;? said Steinreich. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But the Jewish community is also really excited about other candidates in the race. All major candidates have their Jewish supporters.â&#x20AC;?

In any event, Bloomberg faces a daunting task if he decides to run as an independent.

Since the presidential election of 1856, when the modern-day Republican party emerged as the Democratsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; chief competition, no independent or third-party candidate has ever won an election. This even includes the widely popular former president Teddy Roosevelt, who ran as an independent in 1912 after leaving the Republican party, but eventually lost to Democrat Woodrow Wilson. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The euphoria is wonderful, but there are many practical elements to winning an election. It is a long way to November,â&#x20AC;? Steinreich said.

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THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 26 Shevat 5776

Bloomberg latest twist for Jewish voters in â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;16

15

Judy — not Jerry — is the news on Caribbean cruise Continued from page 9 ders on the third night. In reality it was the same airline meal, with different labels. The soup was the same every night: corn. Really?

If you’re offering the same soup every night, maybe they you should offer one that people would actually choose.

After the third day of the kosher choices, Jerry decided he would have a huge salad, baked and sweet potatoes prepared in aluminum foil and lots of fresh fruit. The afore mentioned salad dressing came in very handy! In the end, Jerry was a real trooper; it was the rest of us who got testy. I later found out that because of our complaining, Jerry (who didn’t complain) secretly tipped every waiter whom we abused. So as the ship rocked, we were “storm like” in the dining room and Jerry was over-tipping as the ship was tipping.

By the eighth day, the couple that wasn’t kosher wanted to switch to a different dining room. “How many times in a row can we eat baby lamb chops, steak or duck?” They lamented. Let’s just say we, the kosher ones, had to hold ourselves back from pummeling them.

Good thing we love you, Amy and Jamie.

Jerry managed with the food, so no story yet.

Next came the simulated skydiving. I was sure I would have a story from that, but as luck would have it, Jerry was great. I was the one who was too lazy to change into sneakers and snuck in with slip-on shoes (yes, one flew off and was sucked up into the wind tunnel). I got it back when the machine was turned off and it fell back to earth.

Then came Storm Jonas, and the 10 day cruise was turning into an 11 day cruise. No story there, we were all happy about that.

The last night onboard we packed our luggage and put it outside our stateroom. Next

JUDY JOSZEF WHO’S IN THE KITCHEN time we would see it would be when we disembarked and would find it in the terminal.

The following morning Jerry couldn’t find his shoes. “You lost your shoes? They have to be here. You were wearing them last night.

Did you pack them by mistake after you took them off? OMG — now what are you going to do? You’re going to have to walk off the ship without shoes,” I said. Well actually no, I didn’t say it, I screamed it. Then, he opened a drawer and there they were. We both forgot that I asked him to put his shoes in there so all the mini-liquor bottles and cans of soda from mini bar fridge wouldn’t be rolling around as much and making noise, as the ship was going through some rough seas.

We were relieved, but part of me was sort of upset. Jerry walking off the ship barefoot — now that was an article.

I wasn’t going to have a story. Oh well.

We had a quick breakfast, checked all drawers and closets to make sure we didn’t leave anything behind, and we were on our way.

Our four friends had already found their bags in the designated area where we were told our luggage would be. Jerry went to the lost luggage area and found one of the bags; the other two were nowhere in sight. A story I thought? Maybe.

While searching through over 10,000 pieces of luggage throughout the terminal, I noticed I didn’t have my engagement ring or wedding band on. I must have put them with my other jewelry. I sat down and looked through all of

my hand luggage. No sign. I panicked. I ran over to someone in charge and said I had to get something I left in my cabin. Of course that wasn’t going to happen. Once off, you’re off. I asked if someone could check my cabin for my rings. What were the chances that those rings would be returned to me? I was glad I had over tipped our cabin steward. In the meantime, our luggage was found nowhere near where it should have been. Five minutes later, I see the woman that was sent to check my cabin. There in her hand were my rings. I had left it on the desk in a little cubby. There are still some honest people out there.

And let me add, that at no point during the time we had thought I lost my rings forever, did Jerry say anything about it. You can be sure if it were me, I’d have … Well, you get the idea!

No Jerry stories. This one was all me. But there’s always next week.

Our ship came in a day late. Here’s a dish that tastes better the day after it’s made.

%HHI 6WHZ

Ingredients: 3 lbs Beef Stew Meat ¾ tsp Salt ¼ tsp Pepper 2 Tbsp Oil 3 Tbsp Flour 1½ cups Beef Broth

¾ lb small Mushrooms, cut in half 1 Onion, chopped 3 Medium Carrots, sliced 2 Tbsp Tomato Paste 1 cup parsley,chopped Directions: Season beef with salt and pepper. In large nonstick skillet, heat oil and brown beef in batches. As the beef is browned, transfer to 5-quart crockpot. Add flour to browned beef and toss to coat. Add broth.

To the same skillet used to brown the beef, add the mushrooms, onion, carrots; cook over medium heat until carrots are tender, 7–8 minutes. Stir to loosen the browned bits on the bottom. Stir in the tomato paste.

Transfer to crockpot. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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A

fter her blatant anti-Semitism was exposed to the world, Helen Thomas became persona non grata in much of the Jewish community, so much so that when she passed away, some Facebook feeds were lit up with the verse from this week’s parsha, Mishpatim, of “mechashefah lo techayeh” (“a witch shall not live”) (22:17).

The reference to Ms. Thomas was a pitiful joke at the expense of the woman’s natural death. No one was accusing her of witchcraft, nor did anyone have the right to actually impose the death penalty upon her. This mitzvah is a clear statement in the Torah that is nonetheless difficult to understand in its literal sense. My daughter loves the Harry Potter books, and the first time she read this verse, I had to explain to her that as Hermione Granger is a fictional character, the verse does not apply to her. (Phew!)

Is the Torah of the view that witchcraft is real?

(See Rabbenu Bachaye who records both views in the words of our sages — some say Yay, some say Nay.) How are we to understand the verse?

Many commentators note that although the verse is written in the feminine, it refers to male “witches” (warlocks? wizards? Look out, Harry Potter!) as well. They debate over which form of death punishment would have to be applied to the offenders. They also agree on two things: 1) The Torah’s terminology is in the feminine form because “women are more apt to be involved in witchcraft,” and 2) The Torah leaves the form of punishment vague as a means to leave open the possibility of actually imposing the capital punishment upon the offending necromancer for, as Rabbi Chaim Paltiel notes, were the witch to know of the potential punishment, he or she could take measures against that particular death affecting them.

But some commentators also look at the context in which this prohibition appears. The commandment preceding this one relates to repercussions that befall a man who seduces a virgin; the commandment that follows it lays out the prohibition against bestiality.

Chizkuni notes that some who desire to seduce virgins will resort to witchcraft to achieve their goals. In contemporary terms, consider two high profile individuals whose names are Bill C who have been accused of using modern withcraft – power and/or drugs – to “seduce” women.

This is one of the reasons why, although the language of the Torah reflects how women were more often involved in “witchcraft,” men could be equally guilty of the deed and act, which does not preclude women doing the same in their desire for certain men who might morally be opposed to committing such an act. In more concrete terms, Rabbi Chaim Paltiel noted that witches would cause men to become guilty of “seduction” because witchcraft targets and ensnares potential adulterers.

Baal HaTurim claims that bestiality follows this rule regarding witches because most immoral behavior stems from witchcraft. Further, he quotes the Talmud about Bilaam, perhaps the most famous of Biblical necromancers, who committed bestiality with his donkey.

not in the death sense, but in the sense that he or she should not be permitted to engage in the lives of others, and should rather be isolated (and certainly not elected to public office!), because they ruin the game of life for everyone they encounter. Anyone who has been a victim of a shady character, in business, in contract work, in wrongful lawsuits, etc. knows what kind of ruination of society can be brought about by the unscrupulous.

As we don’t have witches today (sorry, Harry Potter fans!), we aren’t imposing any death penalties. And maybe the unscrupulous have a chance the witches never had, to actually do teshuvah and change their ways. But let this be a warning to all those who are dishonest cheats: Your ways are not welcome in a civil society.

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I

23 judges is required to impose death.)

How could such action be justified? People who commit murder could justify their behavior by claiming that their victim was a witch!

Clearly the Bet Din approach removes justification for vigilantism. And even if R’ Paltiel’s approach is correct, presumably a person would have to justify the death all the same.

Today, this mitzvah it is a warning to people to live life as “straight as an arrow.” Certain character traits — described as tricky, deceitful, around-the-back, under-the-table, underhanded and just plain sleazy — are often attributed to dishonest business people or wheeler-dealers who think that life is all about beating the system. Maybe this mitzvah’s message is that the trickster “should not live” —

NEW

RABBI AVI BILLET

f the magic described in the Bible was real, the idea that people could channel hidden powers and change the natural order of the world is anathema to G-d’s role as the Creator and Master of the World. One could argue that the death penalty would be in order because a human who can play “G-d” is a threat to society.

Rationally, “real” magic does not exist — Bible magic is sleight of hand and tricks perceived as real. A death penalty would be hard to justify for those who are simply very good at mystifying.

Yet, the death penalty is phrased in such a way that it seems there would not even be a trial — as soon as the discovery is made, the witch is to be put to death (R’ Chaim Paltiel)!

(Rashi and Sefer haChinukh says a Bet Din of

THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776

Week’s mitzvah: Dispatching witches, warlocks

17

Terror tunnels are back, and the world is silent Continued from page 1 rockets,” Ross wrote. They built them with “an estimated 600,000 tons of cement,” some of which was “diverted from construction materials allowed into Gaza.”

In last week’s Democratic Town Hall in Iowa, Hillary Clinton spoke with pride of her energetic efforts to negotiate an end to the second Gaza war (in 2012). She said the Israelis were convinced that they needed to send ground forces into Gaza to root out the terrorists. For some reason, Clinton either was confident that she knew better; or she simply didn’t care whether or not the terrorists were

STEPHEN M. FLATOW defeated. She described how she frantically shuttled from Cairo to Jerusalem to work out a ceasefire and deter an Israeli ground invasion.

The second sentence of the ceasefire agreement that Clinton brokered stated: “All Palestinian factions shall stop all hostilities from the Gaza Strip against Israel, including rocket at-

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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tacks and all attacks along the border.”

It seems to me that digging a tunnel from the Gaza side of the border to the Israeli side of the border, for the express purpose of kidnapping and murdering Israelis, qualifies as “hostilities.” Yet in the months following the ceasefire, the Obama administration did nothing to stop the digging.

One is left with the distinct impression that the Obama administration wanted a ceasefire at any price. But as usual, it was Israel that ended up paying the price. The Israeli ground forces were never sent in, leaving Hamas two more years to dig the tunnels that wrought such havoc in the third Gaza war, in 2014.

In her remarks at the Iowa event, Clinton made no mention of the consequences of her ceasefire. It was as if the tunnels never existed, as if her ceasefire brought peace and harmony to the Middle East.

But here we are again, back at square one, with the Obama administration pressing Is-

LEGAL NOTICE PUBLIC NOTICE OF COUNTY TREASURER’S SALE OF TAX LIENS ON REAL ESTATE Notice is hereby given that I shall on the 16th day of February, 2016 through the 19th day of February, 2016, beginning at 10:00 o’clock in the morning each day, in the Legislative Chambers, 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 the owner, mortgagee, occupant of or any other party in interest in such real estate shall have paid to the County Treasurer by February 11th, 2016 the total amount of such unpaid taxes or assessments with the interest, penalties and other expenses and charges against the property.

Such tax liens will be sold at the lowest rate of interest, not exceeding 10 percent per six month period, for which any person or persons shall offer to take the total amount of such unpaid taxes as defined in Section 5-37.0 of the Nassau County Administrative Code.

Effective with the February, 2016 lien sale Ordinance No. 175-2015 requires a $125.00 per day registration fee for each person who intends to bid at the tax lien sale. Ordinance No. 1752015 also requires that upon the issuance of the Lien Certificate there is due from the lien buyer a Tax Certificate Issue Fee of $20.00 per lien purchased.

A list of all real estate in Nassau County on which tax liens are to be sold is available at the website of the Nassau County Treasurer at http://www.nassaucountyny. gov/DocumentCenter/ View/14447 A list of local properties upon which tax liens are to be sold will be advertised in this publication on or before February 12th, 2016.

Nassau County does not discriminate on the basis of disability in admission to or access to, or treatment or employment in, its services, programs, or activities.

Upon request, accommodations such as those required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) will be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in all services, pro-

grams, activities and public hearings and events conducted by the Treasurer’s Office.

Upon request, information can be made available in Braille, large print, audiotape or other alternative formats. For additional information, please call (516) 571-2090 Ext. 13715.

Dated: January 2016 T H E N A S S AU C O U N T Y TREASURER Mineola, New York TERMS OF SALE Such tax liens shall be sold subject to any and all superior tax liens of sovereignties and other municipalities and to all claims of record which the County may have thereon and subject to the provisions of the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts.

However, such tax liens shall have priority over the County’s Differential Interest Lien, representing the excess, if any, of the interest and penalty borne at the maximum rate over the interest and penalty borne at the rate at which the lien is purchased.

The Purchaser acknowledges that the tax lien(s) sold pursuant to these Terms of Sale may be subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or may become subject to such proceedings which may be commenced during the period in which a tax lien is held by a successful bidder or the assignee of same, which may modify a Purchaser’s rights with respect to the lien(s) and the property securing same. Such bankruptcy proceedings shall not affect the validity of the tax lien. In addition to being subject to pending bankruptcy proceedings and/or the Federal and State Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Civil Relief Acts, said purchaser’s right of foreclosure may be affected by the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act(FIRREA),12 U.S.C. ss 1811 et.seq., with regard to real property under Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation(FDIC) receivership.

Th e C o u n t y Tr e a s u r e r reserves the right, without further notice and at any time, to withdraw from sale any of the parcels of land or premises herein listed. The Nassau County Treasurer reserves the right to inter-

rael to allow cement for “home reconstruction,” and Hamas diverting the cement for tunnel reconstruction.

Homes in Moshav Pri Gan are shaking from all the digging that is supposedly not taking place. Hamas terrorists are dying in the collapse of tunnels that supposedly do not exist. And the Times of Israel reports: “It is estimated that since the end of [Operation] Protective Edge, Hamas has dug dozens of tunnels of varying lengths.”

Dennis Ross summed it up: “They were right.” The Israelis were right, after all. The Israelis were right that cement would be used for terror tunnels. Now it’s time for all the Obama administration officials, past and present, who had a hand in this fiasco to take responsibility for the consequences of their actions, and to endorse Israel’s right to intervene.

Attorney Stephen M. Flatow is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iraniansponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

vene in any bankruptcy case/litigation where the property affected by the tax liens sold by the Treasurer is part of the bankruptcy estate. However, it is the sole responsibility of all tax lien purchasers to protect their legal interests in any bankruptcy case affecting their purchased tax lien, including but not limited to the filing of a proof of claim on their behalf, covering their investment in said tax lien. The Nassau County Treasurer and Nassau County and its agencies, assumes no responsibility for any legal representation of any tax lien purchaser in any legal proceeding including but not limited to a bankruptcy case where the purchased tax lien is at risk.

The rate of interest and penalty at which any person purchases the tax lien shall be established by his bid.

Each purchaser, immediately after the sale thereof, shall pay to the County Treasurer ten per cent of the amount for which the tax liens have been sold and the remaining ninety per cent within thirty days after such sale. If the purchaser at the tax sale shall fail to pay the remaining ninety per cent within ten days after he has been notified by the County Treasurer that the certificates of sale are ready for delivery, then all amounts deposited with the County Treasurer including but not limited to the ten per cent theretofore paid by him shall, without further notice or demand, be irrevocably forfeited by the purchaser and shall be retained by the County Treasurer as liquidated damages and the agreement to purchase shall be of no further effect.

Time is of the essence in this sale. This sale is held pursuant to the Nassau County Administrative Code and interested parties are referred to such Code for additional information as to terms of the sale, rights of purchasers, maximum rates of interest and other legal incidents of the sale.

Dated: January 2016 T H E N A S S AU C O U N T Y TREASURER Mineola, New York 819969 LEGAL NOTICE Learn about resiliency and represent your community!

The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery (GOSR) is currently accepting applications for a Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC), related to the Rebuild by Design (RBD) Living with the Bay Project.

Consisting of representatives from localities along the Mill River, the CAC will work with the State to implement the project, which aims to increase community resilience and mitigate local risk from tidal and storm water flooding.

Interested individuals will have until February 14, 2016 to apply at http://stormrecovery.ny.gov/content/citizens-advisory-committeeapplication, or by paper application at the following locations: • Hempstead Public Library at 115 Nichols Ct. Hempstead, NY 11550 • West Hempstead Public Library at 500 Hempstead Ave. West Hempstead, NY 11552 • Lakeview Public Library at 1120 Woodfield Rd. Rockville Centre, NY 11570 • Malverne Public Library at 61 St. Thomas Pl. Malverne, NY 11565 • Rockville Centre Public Library at 221 N. Village Ave. Rockville Centre, NY 11570 • Oceanside Public Library at 30 Davison Ave. Oceanside, NY 11572 • East Rockaway Public Library at 447 Atlantic Ave. East Rockaway, NY 11518 • Lynbrook Public Library at 56 Eldert St. Lynbrook, NY 11563 • Island Park Public Library at 176 Long Beach Rd. Island Park, NY 11558 • The Town of Hempstead Housing Authority at 760 Jerusalem Avenue Uniondale, NY 11553 • The Village of Hempstead Housing Authority at 260 Clinton St. #100 Hempstead, NY 11550 • North Hempstead Housing Authority at 899 Broadway Westbury, NY 11590 • The Village of Rockville Centre Housing Authority at 160 N Centre Ave Rockville Centre, NY 11570 • The Governor’s Office of Storm Recovery at 25 Beaver St., 5th Floor reception, New York, NY 10004 Apply today and join the State’s efforts to build a better, stronger New York!

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O

ur parasha contains two pasukim that reiterate the prohibition of avodah zarah (idol worship) and its practices, the commandment to completely destroy all monuments associated with idol worship and the positive mitzvah to worship Hashem: â&#x20AC;&#x153;You shall not prostrate yourself before their gods, and you shall not worship them, and you shall not follow their practices, but you shall tear them down and you shall utterly shatter their monuments. And you shall worship the L-rd, your G-d, and He will bless your food and your drink, and I will remove illness from your midst.â&#x20AC;? (Shemot 23:24-25) The Ramban (Nachmanides, 1194-1270), in his Commentary on the Torah, explicated our versesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; conceptual underpinning. In doing so, he revealed much regarding the very nature of avodah zarah: â&#x20AC;&#x153;The intent of this passage [is dependent upon the notion] that the majority of idol worshippers recognize and know that Hashem, the Honored One, is the G-d of all the gods and the Master of all masters â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and their intention, [therefore,] is really not to worship idols at all â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is just that they think that through these different kinds of idol worship they will ďŹ nd success. By way of illustration: There are those that worship the sun because they have found that it rules over their grain, and those that worship the moon since it rules over the springs and the murmuring depths [such as tides] - so, too, in the case of all the heavenly hosts. It is all the more so the case in their minds in regards to the angels, wherein they maintain that there is extra beneďŹ t to be derived through their worship, since they are, [in actuality,] honoring the servants of the great G-d.â&#x20AC;?

At this juncture, Nachmanides proceeded to focus upon the meaning of our second pasuk: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the reason why this text states that it is solely through the worship of the Holy One Blessed be He that one will have success and protection. Moreover, the uprooting of avodah zarah will not cause injury, but, rather, it will add to their good fortune and blessings. [How so?] For the Holy One Blessed be He will bless your bread â&#x20AC;&#x201C; inclusive of all foods that you will eat. In addition, He will bless your water, which is the â&#x20AC;&#x153;fatherâ&#x20AC;? of all drinks that you will imbibe.

This blessing will inhere in them [i.e. food and drink] and be added to them, so that you will have great quantities of them.

In contrast to the Ramban, Talmud Bavli, Baba Metzia 107b did not emphasize the interrelationship between the verses, and instead, explained the phrase, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And you shall worship the L-rd, your G-d,â&#x20AC;? at face value, i.e. â&#x20AC;&#x153;worship,â&#x20AC;? equals â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kriat Shema vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;TeďŹ lahâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;the recitation of the Shema and the Amidahâ&#x20AC;?). Moreover, when we carefully examine the pasuk, we are immediately struck by a grammatical incongruity, namely, the expres-

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and every soul of the Jewish people. [It is crucial to note that] every individual has a unique manner and approach in their worship [of Hashem]. Therefore, the expression referring to worship of the heart [â&#x20AC;&#x153;vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;avadatem,â&#x20AC;?] was written in the plural [indicative of the multiple approaches toward Hashem that are pursued by the Jewish people].

Now that we know that the plural formulation of â&#x20AC;&#x153;vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;avadatemâ&#x20AC;? is reďŹ&#x201A;ective of the multiple ways in which the Jewish people encounter Hashem, we need to turn to the second part of the verse and examine its use of the singular form in its grammatical construction. Once again, Rav Tzadok provides us with a deeply insightful analysis: Once, however, all the [living] souls have

united with the avowed purpose of worshipping His being and essence, may He be blessed, then, everyone will merit the Divine ďŹ&#x201A;ow of the words of Torah as if they were one entity. Therefore the Torah states, â&#x20AC;&#x153;He will bless your food and your drink,â&#x20AC;? in the singular â&#x20AC;&#x201C; since everyone is as one in the manner in which they will be blessed by the Divine ďŹ&#x201A;ow of both the Written and Oral Torah. This is the case, since, when taken in tandem, they are called â&#x20AC;&#x153;bread and waterâ&#x20AC;? [i.e. the fundamental basis of all life].

With Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help, may we join in our worship of Him and be zocheh to have a portion in the true food and drink of life â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the holy Torah! Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;chane yihi ratzon.

Shabbat Shalom

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sion, â&#x20AC;&#x153;you shall worshipâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;avadatemâ&#x20AC;?) is written in the plural, while â&#x20AC;&#x153;your food,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;your drinkâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;your midstâ&#x20AC;? are written in the singular. This naturally leads us to ask, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Why did the Torah mix plural and singular grammatical constructs in the same sentence, instead of limiting itself to one or the other?â&#x20AC;?

We are fortunate that our question was addressed by one of the great Chasidic masters, Rabbi Tzadok Hakohen Rabinowitz of Lublin zatzal (1823-1900), known as the Pri Tzaddik after the title of his famous Torah commentary of that name: We know that â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;worship of the heart is Tefilah;â&#x20AC;&#x2122; so, too, Kriat Shema has as its point of focus the acceptance of the yoke of the kingdom of Heaven in the heart and mind of each

THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 26 Shevat 5776

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Mishpatimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reminds us that our Torah is life!

19

‘The Encyclopedia of Jewish Values’ a must-read KOSHER BOOKWORM

T

he literary work that is my subject for the next few weeks is entitled, “The Encyclopedia of Jewish Values” (Urim Publications, 2015), a series of essays on some of the most provocative subjects of contemporary interest, by Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel.

Rabbi Amsel is graduate of Yeshiva University, ordained a rabbi by HaRav Joseph B. Soloveitchik, zt”l, whose career centered for over 30 years on the enhancement of Jewish education all over the world. This book goes a long way in helping us to understand issues that confront us in our daily lives and are regularly discussed and debated in the public arena (including gun control and legalized gambling and the use of lotteries, will be my

YU seforim sale North America’s largest Jewish book sale, the Yeshiva University Seforim Sale, will be staged Feb. 7–28 in Belfer Hall, 2495 Amsterdam Ave., on YU’s Wilf Campus in Manhattan.

Last year, the event drew more than 15,000 people and grossed more than $700,000. The sale discounts prices on the latest of nearly 10,000 titles in rabbinic and academic literature, cookbooks and children’s books.

For dates and times and to view the online catalog, visit www.TheSeforimSale.com.

Rabbi Amsel continued: “I have also found that most people prefer to learn the issues dealt with in this work, and not standard Torah and Talmud text oriented study, more than anything else in Judaism. When they delve into the sources, their appreciation of Judaism is greatly enhanced. And, even the learned scholar, and veteran yeshiva students are often clueless to Judaism’s stance on most of these issues. The sources at the end of this book, as well as the detailed footnotes will surely serve to help them all to better understand Jewish law all the better, and thus enable them to decide

for themselves what is right, and not just simply what I as an author write in this book.”

“Finally,” concludes Rabbi Amsel, “I have found that almost all people in the world, Jew and non-Jew, are searching for a moral compass, a set of values to guide them through life. They are turned off by so-called western cultural values, and are looking for a set of principles that are both satisfying and make realistic sense to them.

“Most do not embrace or find that other religions or systems of values speak to them.

I believe that, like the times of old, traditional Judaism has a values system that all can respect and embrace and can affect and really influence the entire world, that is, if they only knew what it truly is. This book is intended to help explain and convey, in very specific terms, what these Jewish values are in specific contemporary values.”

Among the people who brought this work to my attention was Rabbi Berel Wein, who together with the author devotes much of their time to the work of the Destiny Foundation, an organization devoted to some of the basic goals and themes of this work. Rabbi Wein writes that this book corrects “many of the errors of judgment regarding true and traditional Jewish views on many issues of society that trouble the modern world. It is well written, concise and logical in its approach and the reader will be supremely impressed by the obvious wealth of research that went into its writing and publication.”

I have included this observation by Rabbi Wein for it totally reflects my opinion of the quality of Rabbi Amsel’s scholarship. In the weeks to come, G-d willing, I hope to further expand on this with specific examples for your reading and learning pleasure.

Linda Baron-Katz brings a message of hope for those in the Orthodox community living with a mental illness

A memoir of the heartbreak and challenge of growing up with a mental illness like bipolar disorder, its stigma and the hope for recovery

A children’s book about two different mental illnesses — depression and mania — makes it easier for children to understand these mental conditions Visit our website:

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ALAN JAY GERBER

focus in upcoming columns).

This week I will focus on my interview with Rabbi Amsel wherein you will get a measure of his intellectual prowess.

Rabbi Amsel explained his book’s purpose: “In working with youth and adult Jews in over 30 countries, from every shade of Jewish belief, the one thing that unites us all is a sense of shared Jewish values. But specifically what those values are is difficult for most Jews to articulate, except words like ‘chessed’ or ‘ethical monotheism.’ There was no one book, certainly not in English, that specifically defines and explains those values that are normative to Judaism, that are reflected in halacha, Talmud and most midrashim.

That was one motivation for this book, to elucidate what ‘Jewish values’ really means.

And unlike most things that divide us, there is not, for the most part, any difference between Jews when it comes to Jewish values.

“Second, most people, even practicing Jews, view Judaism as, what I call, a ‘child’s religion,’ i.e. it is a religion of blessings, prayers and holidays. Or it can be called the ‘orach chayim (way of life) religion.’ They do not view Judaism as a way of life that affects them each day as adults. Thus, the basis for the writing of this book.

“This book aims to show you that every moral decision and issue, large and small, has a normative Jewish response. When people realize this, then they begin to ask, every time they are confronted by any moral issue in their lives, ‘What does Judaism say I should do in this situation?’ Then their lives will change for the better and they will become much more ‘Jewish’ no matter what their daily ritual practice is.”

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As we enter the tax season, in advance of the customary April 15 deadline, JNS.org offers reflections by Dr. Erica Brown on taxes from a Jewish perspective.

The Talmudic scholar Rabba said, “Observe that this must be true. For [the government] cuts down trees and builds bridges, and we cross them.” In that statement, Rabba presents the obligation of taxes as ultimately self-serving. If we cross bridges then we must pay for them. Paying taxes is one way we conform to another Talmudic principle, “the laws of the land are [our] laws.”

Unfortunately, there are some who make distinctions between Jewish law and federal/ state law and are not careful about filing taxes or flagrantly flaunt the law with no intention to pay if they can get away with it.

“It’s okay to minimize taxes by taking advantage of legitimate provisions of the tax law, or even by taking a reasonable position on an unresolved question of law,” says Rabbi Asher Meir, research director at the Business Ethics Center of Jerusalem who studied at Harvard, received a PhD in Economics from MIT and rabbinic ordination from the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, and whose Aish.com columns formed the basis of his book titled, Jewish Ethicist. “But we cross the line into tax evasion, which is a criminal act, when there is no sincere claim of lawfulness.”

Throughout our history, special taxes were often placed upon Jews to “protect” them before they were citizens, and there are even studies of the role of the tax collector in Yiddish literature. We have taxes mentioned in several places in the Bible. The digitized March 2013 issue of the journal Sh’ma (accessible online) has an excellent collection of articles on Jews and taxes including a discussion of tax deductions for charitable giving, a much debated feature of American tax exemptions that is not true in many other countries. Charity is pure charity.

In the book of Esther, when Esther was cho-

sen as the contest winner, King Ahaseurus was so happy he made a party and created a taxbreak to allow the public to share in his joy: “He proclaimed a remission of taxes for the provinces and distributed gifts as befits a king.”

Perhaps he understood that for those in his extensive empire to celebrate, they would need to feel it in their wallets. It was an ancient stimulus package, so to speak.

The Jews of this book were clearly tax payers because when Haman made his request to get rid of them, he had to fill the kings coffers with the 10,000 talents of silver to make up for the revenue generated through Jewish taxation.

The treasury would suffer their loss and had to be supplemented for Haman to go through with his plan.

In a fascinating development, when Haman

was hanged with his evil brood and the Jews triumphed, Mordechai became vizier to the king, and the king reinstated taxes. “King Ahaseurus imposed tribute on the mainland and the islands,” the Book of Esther says. Since taxes appear in the very last chapter of Esther, one scholar in the Talmud concludes that the king was “wicked from beginning to end.” Some have the custom to boo and hiss in synagogue when this verse is read, the same way that people make noise when Haman’s name is mentioned.

Other commentaries connect Mordechai’s rise to the reinstatement of taxes. Mordechai rose to power precisely because he helped his own people while he stabilized the economy.

Robert Half, the famous founder of a job agency, said of taxes, “People try to live within their income so they can afford to pay taxes to

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21 THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776

Jewish perspective on tax season

a government that can’t live within its income.”

Ahaseurus lived a life of great excess: lavish 187-day wine parties and yearlong beauty pageants. Someone had to pay for them. This is different from the Rabba’s view of taxes in the Talmud, which states that we pay for services that we need and should be expected to do so. Think of taxes in this model as the gift that keeps on giving, even though we feel its sting at this time of the year. And think of a world where there is no garbage collection, road repair, public schooling, fire department, or police officers—to name just a few expected services—and you might be just a little less unhappy to pay your taxes.

Dr. Erica Brown is a writer and educator who works as the scholar-in-residence for the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington. She is author of In the Narrow Places (OU Press/Maggid); Inspired Jewish Leadership, a National Jewish Book Award finalist; Spiritual Boredom; and Confronting Scandal.

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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23 THE JEWISH STAR February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776

JEWISH STAR Schools We request the pleasure of your company as we pay tribute to our esteemed

Three Generation Families Eighth grade boys of the Hebrew Academy of the Five Town and Rockaways enjoyed an amazing Shabbat filled will fun, inspiration and achdut.

The shabbaton began on Friday morning with an exhilarating football tournament organized by Rabbi Ari Glazer.

On Friday night, the students and their six rebbeim davened together at Far Rockaway’s White Shul for Mincha, Kabbalat Shabbat and Ma’ariv. The tefilot of shaliach tzibor Rabbi Hulkower shook the heavens. There was hearty singing and even dancing around the bima led by the mora de’atra of the shul, Rabbi Eytan Feiner.

With their hearts and souls overflowing from tefila and Torah, the students next broke up in groups and went to their rebbe’s house for the first Shabbat meal that featured delicious food, hearty zemirot and divrei Torah.

The student enjoyed seeing their teachers with their families in a relaxed setting.

Then it was back to the White Shul where the boys played games with “Zezy” from the Schnitzel Guys and enjoyed a trivia challenge with Rabbi Glazer. The talmidim heard a wonderful story from the incomparable Rabbi Kirsch about the Chattam Sofer, charity and the supernatural lengths a mitzvah can reach.

On Shabbat morning, the students were walked over to Yeshiva Sh’or Yoshuv to enjoy an amazing tefila experience in the beautiful surroundings of this magnificent building. The HAFTR 8th grade boys joined the teen minyan led by Rabbi Yechiel Weberman. After kiddush, they met the Rosh Hayeshiva, Rabbi Jaeger and had the opportunity to wish a Shabbat Shalom to one of the Gedolei Yisrael, HaRav Yaakov Hillel shlita. The students then heard an inspira-

tional speech by Rabbi Yosef Newcomb.

At seudah shniah at Beis Medrash Ateres Yisroel (Rabbi Blumenkranz’ shul) they heard Rabbi Glazer deliver an insightful d’var Torah and HAFTR menahel, Rabbi Dovid Kupchik, led the students in zemirot that lasted for more than half an hour. The excitement of the students and the wide smiles on their faces as they sang was something special.

The students got a chance to rest for a bit.

Some played chess while others participated in good-natured hijinks with Rabbi Loiterman.

Rabbi Siff took other students on a walking tour of Far Rockaway.

With Shabbat winding down, it was back to the White Shul for Mincha and an unforgettable shalosh seudot. Students were treated to lavish platters of sushi but the most delicious part of the meal was the first-rate shiur by Rabbi Feiner delivered in his fast-paced style on the topic of amazing creatures (he even proved the existence of mermaids!). The topic was interesting but what shined through the most was his joy in teaching Torah and his love for what he does. The students were dazzled.

Birkat Hamazon and Ma’ariv were next and parents were invited to join the boys for an inspirational havdala. The lights dimmed and Rabbi Newcomb delicately strummed a soft niggun on his guitar. Fathers, sons and rebbeim locked arms as they formed a circle around the flickering light of the havdala candle. Rabbi Hulkower spoke softly and solemnly from the center of the crowd: “Never forget these three words —Shabbos is everything.” A soulful havdala followed and everyone began to dance and sing together. This was a perfect end to an unforgettable Shabbat with HAFTR.

Saturday evening, the twentieth of February Two thousand and sixteen

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Shabbaton takes HAFTR 8th gr. boys to Far Rock

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February 5, 2016 • 26 Shevat 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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