February 28, 2014

Singer cheers everyday ‘Miracles’ 3 Bookworm 5 Expanded school news 10-11 Biggest local calendar 14

THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 9 Q FEBRUARY 28, 2014 / 28 ADAR I 5774

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After coach changed countless lives for better, YU ends his run

‘Cast Lead’ triumph in Woodmere

By Malka Eisenberg Five years have passed since Operation Cast Lead was launched to suppress terrorist rocket fire from Gaza into Israel, five years since paratroop commander and young chatan (groom) Aharon Karov was severely injured and Jews the world over prayed for his survival.

Karov stood before a packed room at the Young Israel of Woodmere on Saturday night, speaking in Hebrew about the many operations, rehabilitation, hard work and prayer that brought him there.

He also spoke at HALB’s DRS high school in Woodmere, Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, Congregation Shaarey Tefilah in Lawrence, and Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst during his visit to New York.

He now works as a role model and educator, promoting Jewish uniIDF Cast Lead hero Aha- ty and identity in high schools, colron Karov at Rambam leges and military bases throughout Israel. He runs Shabbatons as director of IDF special programs for Panim el Panim (PLP), an organization established in Israel in 2005 to spread Jewish religion, heritage and identity among secular Israelis.

Karov, 28, was born in Karnei Shomron to Rabbi Zev and Chaya Karov; he has five siblings. He studied in his father’s yeshiva, Yeshivat Halichot Olam high school, and after two years at the Yeshivot of Netzarim and Karnei Shomron, joined the 890 division of paratroopers.

He married Tzvia Mordechai of Kedumim Continued on page 13

Coach hugs Lior Hod, who is wearing a yellow T-shirt listing Coach Halpert’s accomplishments: “5 children, 19 grandchildren, 968 games, 3,360 practices, 1 million phone calls, Photo by Tamar Smith infinite lives touched. 42 years with Coach Halpert … priceless.”

By Malka Eisenberg “I have a lot more to give.”

Dr. Jonathan Halpert, Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball coach for 42 years, spoke with The Jewish Star after his final game, in which he led the YU Maccabees to a 60-57 win over Maritime College on YU’s home court.

The Saturday night game turned into a “beautiful send-off” for the beloved coach, said Woodmere attorney Jerry Joszef. “I owe him everything,” Joszef said. “To say I love him is an understatement. I learned kindness through the kindness he showed me.” Joszef attended YU from 1973-1977 and played forward.

YU announced on Feb. 10 that Halpert would “conclude his service at the end of the 2013-14 season,” said in a statement attributed to President Richard Joel that “Dr. Halpert’s caring commitment, as both mentor and coach, to his players and the YU community has made a difference for more than four decades.

“His legacy and lasting contribution to the University will be remembered each time our student athletes step onto the court that carries his name.”

When advised that his contract would not be renewed, Halpert said in an email to his players past and present that YU’s statement was “the corporate way of telling me that I have been fired.”

Halpert said the president had demanded he announce his retirement in May 2013 but that he was not ready to retire. He said he is “very disappointed” by Joel’s decision, but “I will never allow one decision made by one person in one moment of time to negate the wonderful experiences and associations that I have enjoyed over the past forty two years. My love and admiration for Yeshiva University, its administrators, faculty and students remain as strong as ever.”

YU said it would “soon embark on a nationwide search to identify Halpert’s successor” and declined to discuss Halpert’s termination.

“We do not comment on personnel matContinued on page 2

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Coach Halpert, a molder of men...

Continued from page 1 ters,” YU said.

Halpert’s final game was a sea of yellow T-shirts emblazoned with “We (heart) Coach Halpert,” as well-wishers filled the Maccabees’ home court with reunions of players who hadn’t seen each other in many years and lined up before and after the game to hug Halpert. He spoke of his hakarat hatov, gratitude, for YU and for the opportunity to coach and drew a five minute standing ovation from the emotional crowd.

Lior Hod, provider of the yellow T-shirts, attributes much of his success to “coach and coachette (Aviva Halpert, coach’s wife).” Hod said he belongs to the Orthodox community in Teaneck, is the successful founder and president of ELLKAY, a healthcare connectivity company with 70 employees, and is passionate about basketball. He was born in Israel but his parents came to America to start a restaurant in Atlanta; when that business failed and they returned to Israel, Lior and his brother, neither of them religious, opted to stay in the U.S. to finish high school.

They lived and worked on their own and Lior was on the verge of attending a Catholic college on a basketball scholarship that would have required him to attend church every Sunday. A YU alumnus saw him playing basketball at a local JCC and alerted Halpert who recruited him to YU. Lior was jarred by the lack of a gym, the bearded, kipa-clad students, but the coach convinced him it would “work out” and brought Lior to his home for a Shabbat meal.

“He had five kids, the youngest was two years old, no phone, no TV on Shabbat, and they sat at the table and I saw the interplay, the conversation, the challah, and I said ‘One

Coach Jonathan Halpert, wife “Coachette” Aviva, and extended Halpert clan.

day I want this — the kids, the Shabbat, everything.’ Because of him I have a wife and family. I came from nothing.” He played 198488 and was the all-time leading scorer in YU history until his brother broke his record the following year. He is 6’ 4” and his brother is 6’ 5”; they were called the “twin towers.”

Halpert “taught me everything,” Hod said.

“He taught me how to treat people. I love YU, there are so many ways to solve this problem.

They made a big mistake treating this guy the way they did; it’s a shame. He’s a national treasure.”

Joszef cites Halpert as a primary influence on his life. He said he was a “terrible student” in BTA, Yeshiva University’s high school for

Photo by Tamar Smith

boys of Brooklyn, but he was a good basketball player. He wanted to go to YU but got the “lowest grade ever” on the entrance exam and didn’t get in even though at the time he said “if you had a bris you got in.” Halpert knew Joszef from camp and the high school basketball leagues and worked to get him in saying, “he’s a good kid, he’ll be ok, he won’t embarrass us.”

Joszef said he “refocused” and became a good student. “Every time I pick up a sefer, and learn, I think of him. I really love learning.

He taught me forgiveness, compassion, understanding, and kindness. To say he was just a basketball coach, to me he was a rebbe. As a rebbe would they consider removing him? He

taught us how to represent the school, how to be a Jewish man on the court. This is existential ruchniyus (spirituality), the real world.”

Halpert was “always understanding about juggling the dual curriculum and basketball,” said Dr. Sheldon Small, a dentist from Lawrence who attended YU from 1974-78, playing point guard in 1977-78. “He had a big impact on peoples’ lives,” Small said. “His legacy is not only that he made us better basketball players but that he had a tremendous influence on people in that they became more successful and accomplished in general.”

“People from every era of YU basketball came to pay tribute to someone who was not just a teacher and ambassador for YU but to the world at large,” said Michael Rosenbloom, an attorney from Lawrence who was a student at YU and on the team from 1980 to 1983, playing forward center and was team captain in 1983.

Rosenbloom said that their team was the only exposure to Orthodox Jews for the schools they played against, and “the way we conducted ourselves on the court speaks well for YU, where academics and character are utmost important and priority. Teaching responsibility and ethics is way more important than wins and losses.”

“I don’t think they will find anybody with the same passion for basketball and YU that Coach had,” Rosenbloom said.

In honor of Halpert’s 40 years of service in May 2012, YU held a court naming ceremony in the Melvin Furst gymnasium, the Maccabee’s home court, unveiling his signature on the court’s hardwood floor and launched the Coach Jonathan Halpert Scholarship fund to provide scholarships for children of YU alumni in Israel who want to study at YU. He also published a memoir of his career, “Are You Still Coaching?”

“I thought I had the greatest job in the world,” said Halpert. He said he is representContinued on page 13

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February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774 • THE JEWISH STAR

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By Josh Hasten, JNS.org Purim was a miracle — but it was just one of many.

Popular Israeli-Canadian singer and composer Naftali Kalfa is bringing everyday relevance to the stories of Purim, Chanukah and more, with his newly released single “Miracles.”

Written by Kalfa, and recorded with wellknown Israeli singer Gad Elbaz and Jewish reggae singer-songwriter Ari Lesser, “Miracles” is a high-energy tribute to G-d for saving the Jewish people in ancient Persia who were slated for annihilation at the hands of King Ahasuerus’s second in command, Haman the Agagite. The miraculous salvation of Persian Jewry is recorded in the book of Esther that will be read by Jews worldwide on Purim, the 14th of Adar (Saturday night and Sunday, March 15 and 16).

Kalfa explains that the song—with sections in both Hebrew and English—focuses on Purim and other miracles throughout Jewish history detailed in the Bible, and seeks to “inspire us to think about the small miracles that happen in this world every single day.”

“How many people wake up in the morning and mean it when they recite the ‘Modeh Ani’ prayer, thanking G-d for returning our souls back to us?” Kalfa asks.

The lyrics of Kalfa’s song express his strong sentiment that Jews shouldn’t take “small miracles” for granted, whether it’s waking up in the morning, having a properly functioning body, or being able to earn a livelihood. He says that these everyday activities and others all warrant an expression of thanks to G-d.

“Give thanks and praise to G-d always for the miracles done in ancient days,” Kalfa chants, as well as the incredible events of our

everyday lives. “She’asita l’avotaynu bayamim hahem bazman hazeh.”

The new single comes on the heels of the release of Kalfa’s latest album, a double CD titled “The Naftali Kalfa Project,” featuring 28 original compositions and orchestrated songs alongside some of the most established and well-known names in the world of Jewish music today.

Musical collaborations feature artists including Shlomo Katz, Yossi Piamenta, Yehuda Glantz, Gad Elbaz, Yosef Chaim Shwekey, Lenny Solomon, Benny Elbaz, Yehuda Solomon, Shyne, and many others.

“These songs are part of me, like my children—and many of them were inspired by my children,” says Kalfa, 33, a native of Toronto who splits his time between Canada and Israel and is a father of five.

“I was always the guy in the synagogue standing next to the chazan (cantor), or at weddings trying to understand what the band was doing,” he says.

Kalfa’s debut album titled “Yihyu Liratzon,” was recorded in collaboration with the Piamenta brothers. He says that his passion for music started as a young child.

With styles spanning numerous genres, from cantorial music to rock, Kalfa drew inspiration for the music on his new album from the Psalms and prayers, with songs like “This Time Next Year,” taken from the Passover Haggadah, and the Yom Kippur-derived “Adon Haselichot” (“Master of Forgiveness”).

But he also focused on the strong Jewish spirit to persevere, with songs like “Refaenu” (“Heal Us”), “Ten Li Koach” (“Give Me Strength”), “Bridges,” and “I Will Be.” “The uniqueness of this album is that it welcomes the talents of a diverse collection

Why Jews don’t hunt

By Pauline Dubkin Yearwood, JNS.org “Jews don’t hunt.”

That’s a comforting statement to one who, like me, opposes hunting, even if it’s not strictly true. I understand that Allyson Schwartz, a Jewish congresswoman running for governor of Pennsylvania, is involved in an effort to end a ban on Sunday hunting, and that there are a few Jews joining the effort. That surprises me.

Conventional wisdom has it that Jews in the United States have never been part of the hunter population because they live primarily in urban areas where a “hunting culture” is lacking. I think it goes far beyond that.

Jews are instructed not to cause pain to any animal in many places in the Torah, from “The righteous person regards the life of his animal” (Proverbs 12:10) to stories of Moses’s and King David’s compassionate treatment of animals, treatment that led to G-d deeming them suitable for leadership.

Judaism teaches that G-d is compassionate toward all creatures and that we are to emulate this compassion. Jews are called rachamanim b’nei rechamanim—compassionate children of compassionate ancestors.

Richard Schwartz, former president of Jewish Vegetarians of North America and one of the country’s leading experts on Judaism’s teachings toward animals, writes in his book “Who Stole My Religion?” that “throughout the ages, the rabbis have strongly disapproved of hunting as a sport. A Jew is permitted to capture animals only for purposes of human food or for what is considered an

Naftali Kalfa sings about miracles —those associated with Purim and other Biblical events, and those that happen to us now, everyday.

of artists while being inspired by an underlying love for music and connection to Hashem that is at the heart of everything we do as singers and composers,” Kalfa says. “It’s been a real honor to bring together so many people for this project, and I’m confident that listeners will feel that sense of passion within each and every song.”

Kalfa says he has had a wide array of influences on his career, from Elvis Presley, Eric

Clapton, and The Rolling Stones to some of the most well-known names in the world of Jewish music, such as Avraham Fried and Mordechai Ben David. His first recorded composition was a cover of the Simon and Garfunkel classic “The Sound of Silence,” titled V’ani Tefilati (“I Am My Prayer”).

The singer adds that at least half of the songs on the new album “were composed during Friday afternoon pre-Shabbat ‘jamsessions,’” with a group of musically talented friends in his community of Ma’ale Adumim.

While Kalfa does some live-performance touring, appearing at concerts and other events in Israel and abroad, he says that he performs live “as little as possible,” preferring to spontaneously compose. But he admits that some of the most fulfilling moments in his career have included playing live—whether in front of Israel Defense Forces soldiers at the Gaza border [during 2012’s Operation Pillar of Defense], “trying to give them the joy of music, as they waited to go into battle,” at a high school for troubled teenage girls, or at an old-age home in front of his grandmother and the other residents.

Kalfa admits that the world of Jewish music is a difficult business and that “only the guys at the very top are the ones able to make a good living.” To compensate, he is involved in other business ventures. Yet he hopes that one day, he can dedicate all of his time to his music, and says that it’s really not about the money.

“All the music I make is for my neshama and comes from the neshama,” Kalfa says.

“I’m just an imperfect Jew who aspires to improve and to work towards being the best person I can be,” he says. “I hope that my music can inspire.”

Orthodox Jewish hunters?

By Dmitriy Shapiro, JNS.org Washington Jewish Week

Jewish hunter Josh First, a businessman and political activist from Harrisburg, Pa.

essential human need. But to destroy an animal for ‘sport’ constitutes wanton destruction and is to be condemned.”

Was there a time when humans needed to hunt animals in order to stay alive? Of course.

But that’s no longer true. The vast majority of hunters do what they do for sport, not subsistence. And sport hunting goes against Jewish teachings in many ways, especially considering that many animals endure prolonged, painful deaths when they are injured but not killed by hunters.

Hunting disrupts migration and hibernation patterns and puts ecosystems out of balance. If overpopulation in a location occurs, nature takes care of the problem through natural predation, ensuring that only healthy, strong animals survive. Hunters often kill these strong animals, destroying natural ecosystems. Sterilization and resource management can ease overpopulation.

Of course, animals killed by hunting would not be considered kosher since they are not slaughtered according to kosher laws.

Let’s hope that “Jews don’t hunt” continues to be true, on Sunday or any other day.

Pauline Dubkin Yearwood is Managing Editor of the Chicago Jewish News.

For most Jews in the United States, hunting laws are not a concern.

Few even realize that the same seemingly archaic statutes that in some places prevent liquor purchases on Sundays, blue laws, also restrict hunting.

That troubles Josh First, a businessman, former congressional candidate, and political activist in Harrisburg, Pa., who is a proud hunter. He says that he is also an Orthodox Jew,thus his observance of Shabbat—and an 1873 Pennsylvania law that outlaws most large-animal hunting—necessitates going the whole weekend without firing a shot.

First signed on as an adviser with Hunters United for Sunday Hunting HUSH, which brought a lawsuit against the state’s Game Commission after years of unsuccessful attempts to repeal the Sunday hunting ban in the state legislature. It’s a campaign issue in the Keystone State’s gubernatorial race, with U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz (D-PA)—after five terms in Congress representing areas in and around Northeast Philadelphia—making the law’s repeal part of the platform in her challenge to Republican Gov. Tom Corbett.

Pennsylvania has the largest hunter population in the U.S., according to LehighValleyLive.com.

Although Schwartz is Jewish, First still finds himself in a minority of a minority. He’s the only Jew in HUSH. “Culturally, Jews are traditionally urban and politically liberal and not exposed to hunting or trapping,” First said, explaining why there are so few Jewish hunters. “And these are practices that are considered, let’s be honest, goyish.”

First regularly goes hunting with other Orthodox Jews from Harrisburg, New York City, and Los Angeles, and said he keeps his hunting cabin strictly kosher.

Although First is confident hunting is acceptable to traditional interpretations of Jewish law, others, such as Rabbi Dovid Bendory, rabbinic director of Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, disagree.

“In Jewish law, hunting for sport is pretty universally prohibited,” said Bendory. “Hunting because you need the animal in some way is permissible—hunting where the animal is going to be used, if not by you but by someone else. Then it becomes a discussion as to whether or not it’s an appropriate activity to engage in, and the reality is, in the modern world, there are few situations in which the Jew is hunting to use the animal.”

“Using” a hunted animal can present some problems, since an animal that is killed before ritual slaughter is not considered kosher.

Another legal issue surrounds the general prohibition of unnecessarily inflicting pain on another living creature..

“Whether or not you can bend the halachic prohibition on hunting by saying, ‘Well, I’m shooting the animal for my non-Jewish friends here,’ is a highly debatable question,” he said.

“There has to be a purpose,” added Rabbi Chaim Schertz, senior rabbi at the Orthodox Kesher Israel Congregation in Harrisburg.

“Halachic authorities do not feel that this is a Jewish value; however, from my perspective, the skill involved in being able to understand how animals live and what the woods are like and to be outdoors—to have the ability to survive—that to me is an important skill to attain.” But not to kill them, he added.

THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774

‘Miracles’ cheers great events, then and now

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February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774 • THE JEWISH STAR

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Bringing G-d home, finding Him in all details I

t was only a fraction of a moment of my time in the army, but it was a lesson I never forgot, though to this day I am undecided as to whether I agree with it.

I was desperate to get a day off; we were still in basic training, and my folks were landing at the airport the next afternoon.

Rabbi Binny It was Thursday, Freedman which was the best possible day of the week for a tank crewman to get extra leave.

Thursday was “Tipul She’vui” day, which meant the weekly servicing and cleaning of every last inch of every tank, top to bottom. In the Israeli army, there are no special maintenance crews that tag along to service the tanks. Add to that the fact that my unit was meant to get out for Shabbat (Friday morning after inspection), and special leave on Thursday would mean a pass all the way till Sunday, and I was desperate to get the day off.

This was why I was standing at attention in the glaring sun, waiting for my sergeant to return with the answer to my properly formatted request for a special day’s leave.

Afraid to dream in case I was disappointed, I couldn’t help myself; visions of a hot bath, a night out on the town, and a real bed with clean sheets swam before my eyes.

The sergeant came out of the command tent a few minutes later, and I was shocked to see he actually had a smile on his face — I had never seen the muscles in his jaw work FROM THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

that way before — and then the one word I had been waiting for: “Be’seder” (“O.K.”).

“Be in your dress uniform at 0800 hours, and your extra day’s leave is granted.”

I couldn’t help myself; a huge grin spread across my face, and I felt like dancing, and then that one terrible word escaped, the one I still remember: “Todah.” (“Thank you.”)

I could tell I was in trouble as soon as the words left my lips; his eyes changed first, then his entire face, and then the glare we all feared, the one that meant you were about to get a serious work-out.

“Mah Zeh?” (“What’s that?”)

Although I did end up getting out, albeit a good few hours later than I had hoped, I never worked so hard for a pass in my life.

You see, in the army, you don’t say thank you.

After running around the base seven times singing “Lo’ Omrim Todah,” “Todah Al Kol Mah’ She’Barata,” and every other song with the word todah in it that I could think of, they finally let me go, but the message would stay with me forever.

The army is about orders and commands.

There is no “thank you” and no “you’re welcome”; you do what is expected of you because that’s your job.

“Thank you” implies the possibility you didn’t have to do what it was you were doing, and that you deserve to be thanked for going ahead and doing it anyway. Something has always bothered me about this

approach, which never worked for me as a commander.

This week’s portion, Pekudei, includes a case in point: “And all the work of the Mishkan (Tabernacle) was completed, and the children of Israel did all that Hashem had commanded them, so they did (ken asu).”

(Shemot 39:32) Of course they did! If G-d commanded you to do something, wouldn’t you do it?

The Torah adds: “And all that Hashem commanded Moshe, so did the children of Israel do: all of the labor.”

(39: 42). And then: “Moshe saw all the labor, and behold they did it just as Hashem had commanded, so did they did it, and Moshe blessed them.” (39: 43) Why, all of a sudden, does Moshe bless them?

Is Moshe thanking them? Since when does Moshe say thank you to the Jewish people for doing what Hashem has asked of them?

Now that the Mishkan has been completed, the Torah gives us what is essentially a treasurer’s report of the collections tally; an accounting of all the income and outlay, and a list of all of the items produced in the making of the Mishkan, down to the last detail. Why is there a need to devote an entire portion to such a detailed list?

The Netziv (Rav Naftali Tzvi Yehuda Berlin, Rosh Yeshiva of Volozhin in the mid-nineteenth century), points out in his

Healthy marriages don’t last on walks in the park and candlelit dinners; the garbage has to be taken out and the kids taken to school.

“Ha’Emek Davar” (39:42) that the tendency of most people who are in pursuit of great dreams is to go far beyond the tasks at hand; people tend to get so “carried away” by the process, that they forget what the purpose was in the first place.

Indeed, the prelude to this challenge was found in last week’s portion, Va’Yakhel.

The people were so excited at the prospect of building the Mishkan, and perhaps so moved by the opportunity to atone for their mistake in building a golden calf, that they could not donate enough goods for the Mishkan. Every morning the piles of material grew at an astounding rate (36:3) until the artisans responsible for the execution of the project could not keep up with the influx of material.

“And they said to Moshe, saying: the people are bringing too much, there is more material than is necessary for the work Hashem has commanded (us) to do.” (36:4) Moshe actually tells the people to stop bringing goods to donate to the tabernacle: “And Moshe commanded and the word was spread throughout the camp saying: let every man and woman do no more work for the donation to the holy, and the people ceased bringing.” (36:6) Why not just keep collecting the money, and put it away for a rainy day?

Perhaps what was really at the root of this dialogue was not what the people were bringing, but rather how they were bringing it. What might have been troubling Moshe and the artisans was that the people were so caught up in the zeal of giving to G-d, they had lost any connection to actually building the Mishkan — it had become about them, and their giving, rather than about G-d, and how to bring Hashem into the world.

Continued on page 15

The why behind Moshe’s blessing: Imitating an act of G-d M

oshe saw all the work, and behold they had done it. Just as G-d commanded, so they did. And Moshe blessed them.” (39:43) The second to last chapter of the book of Shmot ends with an odd statement, essentially repeating that the people did as they were supposed to. On the one hand, they Rabbi Avi Billet completed the work (which had obviously been put in motion because G-d commanded it). On the other hand, they did it just as G-d commanded, and they were blessed for it. Or HaChaim notes that plain blessings exchanged between people do not normally get mention in the Torah, but this blessing, because it is coming from Moshe, is clearly deserving of honorable mention.

The Zror HaMor suggests Moshe’s blessing was a hearty yasher koiach (amazing job) sentiment. This is a simple explanation. Most commentaries raise one of two related possibilities.

Firstly, “The Shechinah should rest in the product of your handiwork” (Midrash Aggadah). Rashi’s elaborates that Moshe declared one of the 11 “songs” of Tehillim 90, specifically verse 17 (the “Vihi Noam” verse).— “And may the pleasantness of the L-rd our G-d be upon us, and the work of our hands PARSHA OF THE WEEK

“

establish for us, and the work of our hands establish it.”

Midrash Aggadah raises a different possibility, “That the Ayin Hara (Evil Eye) should not have any dominion over you, and should not be an enemy to your handiwork.” The Midrash notes that this was also a blessing for the future treatment of the Mishkan when it would be stored in the tunnels of the Temple after it will have been retired.

Utilizing the formulation of Rabbenu Bachaye, the Kli Yakar postulates that the double usage of language of completed work — Avodah (39:42) and Melacha (39:43) — is meant to reflect similar language utilized in Maaseh Bereshit (the account of Creation) in Bereshit 1-2; Moshe sees in the model of the Mishkan a reflection of Creation, and his blessing after the work is done echoes G-d’s blessing the Sabbath when He finished His work of the six days of creation.

Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (Panim Yafot) notes that Moshe looked out upon the people, who somehow fit in the courtyard of the Mishkan, and utilizing mathematics of such a miraculous impossibility, he quotes Rabbi Yosi (the Yalkut Shimoni) who says the blessing was “May the L-rd G-d of your forefathers add to you a thousandfold as many as you are, and may He bless you, as He spoke concerning you!” (Devarim 1:11) The Alshich begins with a unique possibil-

ity, that Moshe blessed both G-d and Israel.

To G-d: “You should continue Your abundant blessings to Your people below.” To the people: he blessed them for their efforts.

In his view, the two verses that started the command for making the Mishkan (25:89) were in fact a two-part blessing. G-d had said, “They shall make for me a sanctuary” and “And I will dwell amongst them.” G-d’s blessing, as it were, was that the people should merit to be so righteous, to be worthy of such a blessing of having His presence be amongst them.

The verse that follows is the instructions for how to achieve the two-sided blessing. Do “As all that I will show you” [make the sanctuary] and “So should you do” [Have Me dwell amongst you.]

“Moshe saw they had done it and behold they did it” (39:43), namely made the Sanctuary and merited to have G-d’s presence descend to the Mishkan, but it was only Moshe who saw this because he was blessed with the Divine spirit (Ruach Hakodesh). This is why Moshe knew they were worthy of being blessed.

Alshich goes on to analyze how “vihi noam” was the blessing (see Rashi as noted above). Moshe emphasized “maaseh yadeinu” (the work of our hands) because the Israelites were afraid that G-d’s Shechina would

Are we G-d-fearing people, humble before G-d? Or are we insincere, focusing on mundane issues?

not make an appearance on account of the aftermath of the Eigel (Golden Calf). The Shechinah (as it were) did not appear in the Seven Inauguration Days, so perhaps Moshe was intimating that since the Eigel emerged from the fire on its own (32:24) — and since it wasn’t “us” but “them” (i.e., the Erev Rav) who made it — the Mishkan should bring the Shechinah. In every sense, the Mishkan is the antithesis of the Eigel. We “made it” (it didn’t emerge). And “we” made it (not the Erev Rav).

Jumping on this bandwagon, the Chasam Sofer notes that the blessing came because their work had all been done “l’shem shamayim” (with the proper intentions), untainted by ulterior motives or thoughts. Netziv adds, “You did this all out of your love for G-d.”

Perhaps all of this blessing of the people really inspired Moshe, as he noted their dual behavior which, in his view, clearly warranted a blessing. Their having built the Mishkan, and having brought G-d’s presence, was so noteworthy that “Moshe did all that G-d commanded him. So he did.” (40:16) For inspiration, imitation is the best form of flattery.

Moshe clearly noted that the behavior of the Bnei Yisrael in making the Mishkan was something he admired. When it was his turn to put together the Mishkan, he too wanted to behave in a manner that was worthy of a blessing.

We should all be similarly inspired to imitate those whose behavior and whose service of G-d is worthy of blessings.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Rabbi Cohen wonders, “Is the kind of ice storm that can immobilize an entire city a curse or a blessing? Do winter storms have negative value because they make it difďŹ cult to come to worship services? Or is that inconvenience mostly — or even perhaps wholly — negated by the fear of G-d a severe winter storm can strike in the hearts of people who, even if they are generally insensitive to G-d’s role in their lives, may be stirred to piety through the contemplation of terrifyingly treacherous weather?â€?

Another take can be gleaned from Rabbi Avigdor Miller, of blessed memory, from his classic work, “Awake My Glory,� as cited in the Artscroll commentary on the psalms, explaining “that the comparison is not merely

for poetic effect; wool and snow have significant similarities. Wool is noteworthy for its quality of insulation, due to the kinky ďŹ ber that imprisons the air; thus woolen garments prevent the body’s heat from escaping.

The snowakes are also shaped in such a way that air spaces are created between them when they fall. The enclosed air is an insulation that acts as a blanket to keep the soil warm, so that the frost does not kill insects, earthworms, bacteria, and fungi that cultivate and enrich the soil. Also, the roots and seeds that are to grow in the spring are protected from the freezing temperatures by the snow.�

Rabbi Miller concludes his unique spiritualization of the snow phenomenon by stating the following observation: “In addition, the white color of the snow has a very speciďŹ c function, identical with the function of the white wool. Since white reects the sun’s rays, the whiteness of the snow slows the melting process, thereby beneďŹ ting the plants.â€? [Pages 286--288] Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch [The Hirsch Tehillim Revised Edition, 2014, Feldheim Publishers], in his commentary on this verse, teaches us the following:

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;This psalm cites the natural phenomenon of water as an outstanding example to show us how the Law of G-d governs and works within the realm of nature, and to demonstrate the unconditional obedience which all things existing on earth give to that Law simply because they are G-dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s creatures. In order that we may see the swift, devoted obedience with which the water submits to the will and Law of its Creator, we are given here a description of the visible changes through which water goes, ready to fulďŹ ll His behest in the form of snow, then frost, then ice, and ďŹ nally again to its original liquid form.â&#x20AC;? (Pages 1168-1169) We should also be cognizant that the next psalm, 148;8 also makes reference to snow, and that both these two psalms are recited every single day of the year, without exception.

I conclude this climatic essay with the following anti-climactic observation by Dr. Miriyam Glazer in her book, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Psalms of the Jewish Liturgyâ&#x20AC;? wherein she makes the following observation: â&#x20AC;&#x153;How well we should know that: who cannot recall the ferocity of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes â&#x20AC;&#x201D; or of the hardships, setbacks, challenges that we may face in our own lives â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to remind ourselves that life is not always â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;choicest wheat?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; That we can feel as if weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re bombarded by hailstones? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But there is always the promise, says the psalm, that even then there is a moment of miracle, a moment of transformation, the moment we thought would never come: when the frozen world outside or the frozen world within our breasts â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;melts,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; when G-d â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;makes the wind blow and the water ďŹ&#x201A;ow.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;Ś It is as if we are alive again, amazingly ready again to be partners with G-d in the world.â&#x20AC;?

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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ho gives snow like ďŹ&#x201A;akes of wool, Who scatters frost like ashes. â&#x20AC;Ś Who casts forth His ice like lumps â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who can stand before His cold?â&#x20AC;? (Psalms 147:16-17) Yes, there is a spiritual message to the snow we have been experiencing in such excess. My interest in this matter was peaked recently by Rabbi Dr. Martin Cohen of ShelKOSHER ter Rock in an essay he BOOKWORM wrote concerning snow referencing his favorite Kapital Tehillim, Psalm 147. Subsequently, I researched numerous commentaries on this psalm and its focus on snow, and was surprised â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both by what was stated, and by the omission of any substantive comment by many others.

Alan Jay Gerber Rabbi Cohen, in his own commentary on the psalms, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our Haven and Our Strength,â&#x20AC;? has this to say on Psalm 147: â&#x20AC;&#x153;G-d makes the borders of Israel peaceful and provides the people with the choicest wheat, only to develop the concept of G-dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in winter storms a few lines later. Indeed, one gets the sense that the poet has ďŹ nally gotten to his point when he describes how G-d covers the land with snow so deep that the world looks as though it was covered with a woolen blanket, then sends a covering of hoarfrost so extensive that it appears to the casual onlooker as though somebody has sprinkled the landscape with white ash or, perhaps breadcrumbs.â&#x20AC;?

THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774

ReďŹ&#x201A;ections on the spiritual message, and blessing, of snow â&#x20AC;&#x153;W

5

February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774 • THE JEWISH STAR

6

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Independent and original reporting from the Orthodox communities of Long Island and New York City All opinions expressed are solely those of The Jewish Star’s editorial staff or contributing writers Published weekly by The Jewish Star LLC, 2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: 516-622-7461 ■ Fax: 516-569-4942 News releases: Newsroom@TheJewishStar.com ■ Calendar listings: Calendar@TheJewishStar.com Letters for publication: Letters@TheJewishStar.com ■ Ads: Advertising@TheJewishStar.com Publisher Ed Weintrob Editor Malka Eisenberg Editorial Designers Stacey Simmons Matthew Stammel Photo Editor Christina Daly

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Return of Robert Malley T

hat there is widespread anxiety over the Obama administration’s Middle East policies is hardly a secret. It is not the so-called “Israel Lobby” that is the ultimate authority for Washington’s stance in the region, it is presidents and their appointees who make policies.

And under Obama, the Ben Cohen, JNS U.S. has pushed policies that directly clash with the long-established positions of pro-Israel groups.

The not-so-powerful “Israel Lobby” has had no choice about swallowing the bitter pill of appointments that it regards with suspicion, most famously that of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense. And it is similarly the case with the new appointment of Robert Malley, a former Middle East peace negotiator from the Clinton administration, as a senior director at the National Security Council, where he will manage relations with the Persian Gulf states.

Pro-Israel advocates distrust Malley because he broke with the consensus— shared by President Bill Clinton himself, among others—that the failure of the 2000 Camp David summit was the fault of the late PLO leader, Yasser Arafat. In an August 2001 article for The New York Review of Books, Malley and co-author Hussein Agha wrote sympathetically of Arafat’s conviction “that the Israelis were setting a trap” at Camp David.

“The Camp David proposals were viewed as inadequate: they were silent on the question of refugees, the land exchange was unbalanced, and both the Haram and much of Arab East Jerusalem were to remain under Israeli sovereignty,” they wrote. From the standpoint of Israel’s own security interests, those observations were uncomfortably aligned with the Palestinian refusal, exemplified by the insistence on the so-called “right of return,” to recognize Israel as a Jewish state—a refusal that persists in our own day.

Then there was Malley’s meeting in 2008 (when he worked for the International Crisis Group, a high-level NGO) with representatives of Hamas. At the time, that led to a VIEWPOINT

break with the Obama presidential campaign, which Malley was informally advising.

Though Hamas is blacklisted by the U.S. as a terrorist organization, Malley defended his interaction by saying, “If you want to have movement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority you’re going to have to find some way of neutralizing Hamas’s spoiling capacity, and that means, to some extent, engaging with it.”

Interestingly, Malley has also strongly criticized the man who now employs him, over the Middle East. “An administration that never tires of saying it cannot want peace more than the parties routinely belies that claim by the desperation it exhibits in pursuing that goal,” he wrote of Obama in 2011. “Today, there is little trust, no direct talks, no settlement freeze, and, one at times suspects, not much of a U.S. policy.” Nor does he apparently subscribe to the view that the primary requirement for peace in the region is a resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, whereas the Obama administration frequently gives the impression that this is in fact the case.

“The recent focus on Arab-Israeli relations has helped foster the belief that Middle East diplomacy can be reduced to that single dimension,” Malley wrote in a 2001 book review for Foreign Affairs. “It cannot.”

If there was, in Malley’s words, “not much of a U.S. policy” in 2011, there is one now. Critics have called it “leading from behind.” Supporters term it “engagement.” Semantics aside, during the Obama years, the key strategic transformation in the region has been the strengthening of Iran. Hence, it is easy to understand why the idea of someone running Iran policy who is a keen advocate of engagement, and who believes that Iranian ally Hamas should not be isolated, is so disconcerting.

The nature of Malley’s new job, however, should reassure pro-Israel groups that they won’t be privately grappling with him at every turn. That role will fall to the Saudis, who are furious with Obama’s overtures to Iran. As this story unfolds, watch for the possibility that Malley, supposedly the bête noire of the “Israel Lobby,” will arouse the venom of the well-paid and influential Saudi lobbyists in Washington.

Ben Cohen is Shillman Analyst for JNS.org.

Malley, supposedly the bête noire of the ‘Israel Lobby,’ may instead arouse the venom of the Saudi lobbyists in Washington.

Revelation not a Revelation T

he first rule for news about Israel, is ask questions.

According to a Jerusalem Post story published on Monday, Mattot Arim and Professors for a Strong Israel, two groups that oppose a two state solution are claiming that Benjamin Netanyahu raised the issue of recognizing Israel as a Jewish State as a tactical trick to Jeff Dunetz force Israel into territorial concessions.

“The groups said they had credible evidence that Netanyahu’s push for a Jewish state came after a secret poll indicated that demanding the recognition of a Jewish state would neutralize opposition to territorial concessions,” the newspaper reported.

“We are calling upon the people of Israel to ignore the smoke screen of recognition of a Jewish state and realize the real impending danger,” said Mattot Arim spokeswoman Susie Dym. “Your government — or parts of it — has agreed out of weakness to a huge evacuation and to form a terrorist state a bike ride away from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Ben-Gurion Airport.”

The Jerusalem Post asserted that former MK Aryeh Eldad, who runs Professors for a Strong Israel, “contends that Netanyahu had built up the Jewish state concept to show the public that he had received something from Palestinian Authority chairman Mahmoud Abbas in return for Israel’s concessions.”

The claim of the two groups does not match the truth. Bibi has been calling for the Palestinians to recognize Israel as the Jewish State ever since he took office (the second time) the last day of March 2009. And he has made the demand often.

On June 14, 2009, Netanyahu made the demand in his first public speech as Prime Minister about the peace process: “We’re ready to do our share. We hope the Palestinians will do their share, as well.

If we resume negotiations, as we plan to do, then I think that the Palestinians will have to recognize Israel as a Jewish state and will have to also enable Israel to have the means to defend itself. “ In October 2010, Netanyahu made recognition of Israel as Jewish State a pre-condition for a “settlement” freeze. Al Jazeera reported that the answer was a resounding no, stated that Netanyahu “has offered to renew a partial settlement construction freeze in exchange for Palestinian recognition of Israel as a Jewish state. … Netanyahu’s proposal met with swift rejection from senior Palestinian officials.”

Netanyahu reiterated his demand in a speech to the U.S. Congress in May 2011: “All six Israeli Prime Ministers since the signing of Oslo accords agreed to establish a Palestinian state. Myself included. So why has peace not been achieved? Because so far, the Palestinians have been unwilling to accept a Palestinian state, if it meant accepting a Jewish state alongside it.…

“You see, our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state. This is what this conflict is about.”

Susie Dym responded to my inquiry about POLITICS TO GO

the Jerusalem Post article. She contends the Jerusalem Post mistranslated a press release written in Hebrew, and a more accurate translation would be: “The groups said they had credible evidence Netanyahu ran a secret poll earlier in his premiership to determine which factor would most effectively neutralize opposition to territorial concessions and that the secret poll indicated or was interpreted by Netanyahu’s staff as indicating that demanding Palestinian recognition of a Jewish state would be the most effective neutralizer.”

She added that the poll was from 2010, which still runs contrary to the claim the Netanyahu call for recognition of Israel was a cynical attempt as a smokescreen, rather than a legitimate position.

I reminded her that in the U.S., antiSemites and anti-Israel bigots do not believe that Israel should ever be recognized as the Jewish state, and the position as explained

by Mattot Arim gives the haters ammunition.

Dym responded: “There are anti-Semites and anti-Israel bigots who do not believe that Israel should be recognized as the Jewish state. So in that sense we admit Netanyahu’s position has value. But in another sense, Netanyahu is cynically using the same position as a smokescreen to conceal a disastrous idea -- Palestinian state -- which even his own party opposes.

So we are saying: “No to use of smokescreens - no to the Palestinian state notion - yes to recognizing that over 20 Arab states is enough.”

Bibi Netanyahu made at least one, maybe two of his calls before the supposed research study was executed in 2010. Mattot Arim did not correct the quote in the Jerusalem Post until my inquiry. Until questioned, the group did not provide the dates of the supposed study, and the date provided, disputes their claim.

Only after being pressed, Mattot Arim agreed that Netanyahu’s position demanding a Jewish State is legitimate and was made before the study.

So even if you believe the “corrections” provided by Dym the only claims they can really make is conducting a poll to see which one of the positions he already held would work politically (and that’s if you believe this study they never saw, which they heard about from a secret source).

The big revelation is not that Netanyahu doesn’t believe that Israel should be recognized as the Jewish State, but that the twotime Prime Minister is a politician. Come to thing of it, that’s not a revelation either.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Our conflict has never been about the establishment of a Palestinian state. It has always been about the existence of the Jewish state.

By Robert Gluck, JNS.org When former New York Times reporter Leslie Maitland ďŹ rst heard that Amy Adams would be in â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Hustle,â&#x20AC;? she smiled, thinking the actress would portray her.

In director David O. Russellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ lm about the Abscam scandal, Adams stars alongside Christian Bale â&#x20AC;&#x201D; who plays Irving Rosenfeld, a character based on the true story of infamous Jewish con artist Melvin Weinberg â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Bradley Cooper, and Jennifer Lawrence. The movie received 10 Oscar nominations for the March 2 Academy Awards, tied with â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gravityâ&#x20AC;? for the most nominations this year.

Back in the late 1970s and early 1980s, Maitland was the reporter who broke the Abscam story. But Adams does not portray Maitland in the ďŹ lm. Rather, she plays the character of Sydney Prosser, a stripper/con artist who creates the fake persona of a British heiress named Lady Edith Greensley. The ďŹ lm follows a script whose details diverge from the actual events of Abscamâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;not an uncommon practice for Hollywood movies based on true stories. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t any women involved in Abscam,â&#x20AC;? Maitland said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The whole thing happened accidentally. The FBI had arrested Melvin Weinberg on charges related to a phony money-lending scheme. He was a conman who they enlisted to try to help them in cases involving stolen art and stolen certiďŹ cates of deposit.â&#x20AC;?

Weinberg, portrayed by Bale in â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Hustle,â&#x20AC;? agreed to cooperate with the FBI in exchange for leniency, and to help the federal agency set up a sting aimed at retrieving the art and the counterfeit CDs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They worked out a plan where they would set up a phony company and pretend to rep-

Bradley Cooper (left) as Richie DiMaso and Christian Bale as Irving Rosenfeld (based on true story of Jewish con artist Melvin Weinberg) in the Oscar-nominated â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Hustle.â&#x20AC;?

Sony Pictures

resent a wealthy Arab sheik that was eager to invest a great amount of money in the U.S. in ventures both illegal and legal,â&#x20AC;? Maitland said.

The FBI called the sheikâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s company Abdul Enterprises, which became known as â&#x20AC;&#x153;Arab scam,â&#x20AC;? and then Abscam. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This was not originally aimed at corruption in Congress. It would mushroom and turn into the greatest political corruption investigation of the twentieth century,â&#x20AC;? said Maitland.

Weinberg led the FBI to meet Angelo Errichetti, the corrupt mayor of Camden, NJ, portrayed by Jeremy Renner as Carmine Polito in the ďŹ lm. It was because of Errichetti, Maitland said, that the FBI got the opportunities to bait members of Congress with bribes. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They were told these members of Congress would take bribes because there were some con men who said they would try to get Abdul Enterprises to invest in casino gam-

bling in Atlantic City,â&#x20AC;? Maitland said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The mayor, they were told, would help them get a gaming license in exchange for him getting a piece of the action. Through Errichetti they were gradually introduced, either directly or through middlemen, to members of Congress who were more than willing to meet with them under shady circumstances and do favors for Abdul Enterprises in exchange for cash payments.â&#x20AC;?

Maitland said the Abscam story changed her life. In her story dated July 25, 1982, Maitlandâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;who was then covering the U.S. Justice Department in Washington, DCâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; wrote the following: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Abdul Enterprises Ltd. may have looked like a gold mine to members of Congress who accepted money from associates of Arab sheiksâ&#x20AC;Ś But when the congressmen realized that they had stepped onto a land mine insteadâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;that the sheiks were part of a sophisticated undercover op-

erationâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;they raised a cry that is still echoing in Washington more than two years later.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Since Abscam ďŹ rst came to public attention in February 1980, the startling news that one Senator and six Congressmen had been tricked in a stingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and caught on videotape taking bribesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;has raised questions about the uses, and the potential abuses, of undercover tactics,â&#x20AC;? she wrote. All of the convictions were upheld.

After viewing â&#x20AC;&#x153;American Hustle,â&#x20AC;? Maitland said the main thing the ďŹ lmmakers got right is that Weinberg was an extremely adept con man.

Weinberg ended up being paid by the FBI and avoiding prison. This, and the fact that other middlemen were paid, irked some, especially in the U.S. Senate. In July 1982, Maitland described in her reporting that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;question whether the FBI paid a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;bountyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to those who placed public ofďŹ cials in [a] position to be bribedâ&#x20AC;? touched off a debate at Senate hearings on undercover activities.

While Maitland told JNS.org she â&#x20AC;&#x153;canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t really speculate about the degree of corruption that goes on in Congress now,â&#x20AC;? she thinks campaign contributions â&#x20AC;&#x153;are made with the expectation that members of Congress will advance the interests of people who are their large contributors.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;But there is a ďŹ ne line between making campaign contributions and the expectation that a legislator will advance your interests, and setting up a quid pro quo where someone says, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;If you promise to do X, Y, or Z, I will give you $50,000,â&#x20AC;? Maitland said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It was that understanding that lay at the heart of the criminal cases in Abscam. These people made a promise to do something, and they pocketed the cash.â&#x20AC;?

Dr. Richard R. Sternberg

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THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774

Oscar-touted â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Hustleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; portrays a Jewish con artist

7

Decisions, decisionsâ&#x20AC;Ś Finding that perfect Purim costume I received an invitation to a Purim costume party with a â&#x20AC;&#x153;historical ďŹ gure themeâ&#x20AC;? a few weeks ago. I love costume parties â&#x20AC;&#x201D;until I actually have to come up with a costume. So I tried to come up with some creative ideas.

First on my list was Mary Todd Lincoln.

She spoke French ďŹ&#x201A;uently, studied drama, WHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IN THE music and social gracKITCHEN es; by the time she was 20 she was regarded as witty and gregarious.

Since I was a teenager, people have been telling me that I looked just like Sally Field, the actress who brilliantly played her in a recent movie. Sally was attractive, talented and very popular. Who didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know â&#x20AC;&#x153;The FlyJudy Joszef ing Nunâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;Gidgetâ&#x20AC;?!

But I would be dressing like Mary Todd Lincoln, not like Sally.

Hmmm, not sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d want to wear a huge, billowy gown, have my hair braided, pulled back into a low bun and wear ďŹ&#x201A;ower head pieces. OK, next!

Amelia Earhart. She endured in the American consciousness as one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most celebrated aviators. Earhart was and is a symbol of the power and perseverance of American women. She opened the ďŹ eld of aviation to women. Amelia became not only the ďŹ rst person to solo anywhere in the PaciďŹ c, but also the ďŹ rst person to solo both the Atlantic and PaciďŹ c Oceans. She was a woman to emulate, and people are always telling me Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always ďŹ&#x201A;ying around doing a dozen things at the same time. Of course itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s on

land, but I ďŹ gured itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s close enough.

After viewing many images of her I decided Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like to look a bit more glamorous. OK, next!

Cinderella. True, sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not a historical ďŹ gure, but she was made popular in many writings dating back to the 1600s. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m most familiar with the movie that was made in 1965 and played once a year on TV for 10 years. The stepmother and stepsisters were ugly; Cinderella was made into a slave working all day to get all the chores done. A fairy godmother stops by and with her magical powers, dresses her like a princess complete with glass slippers, which I have to believe were probably more uncomfortable than Louboutins. Then she sends her off in style in a spectacular carriage with white horses pulling it. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kind of a stretch, but I do feel like Cinderella sometimes. Seems Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m the only one doing everything around the house, I am the youngest in my family, and hey, ďŹ ve years ago I ended up marrying a prince of a guy in real life, so Cinderella is still on my list.

Since I already deviated a bit from historical ďŹ gures, I thought about going as Barbie.

We were born the same year and are both female. The similarities stop there, unfortunately. She had over 130 careers, from teacher, doctor, scientist, police ofďŹ cer, circus star, ambassador for world peace, Nascar driver, cow girl and as an astronaut she went to the

moon four years before Neil Armstrong and ran for president before any female candidate ever made it into the presidential ballot. Only difďŹ culty with me trying to look like her is â&#x20AC;Ś sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stunning, has the perfect ďŹ gure, great hair, dainty little shoes to ďŹ t on her tiny feet, which is a bit odd as she is basically almost seven feet tall and sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still looks like sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 18, so I had to move on.

Marie-Antoinette. She was described by her brother as â&#x20AC;&#x153;likeable and honest.â&#x20AC;? She was an Austrian princess and wife of Louis XVI. She was dedicated to the organization of the courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entertainment. Perfect, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m a party planner, this might work, and the best part is, although she actually didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t say it, she is attributed with saying â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let them eat cake.â&#x20AC;?

Since she didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t actually say it, I ďŹ gured letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stretch the truth a little further and say she said â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let them eat Hamantashen!â&#x20AC;?

Chocolate Dipped Hamantashen Makes approximately 34-36 INGREDIENTS:

1-½ cups margarine 1 cup white sugar 2 eggs 6 tablespoons orange juice 1 tablespoon vanilla 2 teaspoons baking powder 4-½ cups ďŹ&#x201A;our 12 oz ďŹ lling of your choice (I like apricot and prune)

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16 oz chocolate coating (tempered chocolate). Can be purchased in most kosher supermarkets. Lieberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Shufra are two choices. If your hamantashen are dairy you can use Wiltonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chocolate coating.

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add orange juice and vanilla. Mix in baking powder and then slowly add a little ďŹ&#x201A;our at a time, until the dough forms into a ball.

Transfer to a clean bowl, cover with clear wrap and refrigerate overnight, or at least for 3 hours.

When you are ready to bake the hamantashen, preheat the oven to 375F and grease your cookie sheets. On a lightly ďŹ&#x201A;oured smooth surface, roll out the dough to Âź inch thickness. Cut into 3â&#x20AC;? circles. Place the circles onto the cookie sheets and place 1 teaspoon of ďŹ lling in the center of each circle.

Pinch the sides of the circle to form a triangle, leaving only a touch of the ďŹ lling visible. I like to freeze the hamantashen at this point so that when I bake them they retain their shape.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or till golden brown. If frozen add a minute or two. Cool on a baking sheet before removing.

Once hamantashen are totally cool, melt the chocolate and pour in a shallow, small bowl or cup. Dip each hamantash a little more than halfway into the warm chocolate and shake off the excess chocolate before placing on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper to dry. Once dry, remove from paper and place in an airtight container. Place waxed paper in between the layers. judy.soiree@gmail.com

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February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774 â&#x20AC;˘ THE JEWISH STAR

8

THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774

Chag HaSemikhah 5774

9

Th is Sh ab bo s!

Celebrating the Next Generation of Rabbinic Leaders

RIETS Chag HaSemikhah Community Shabbaton Please join us as we celebrate our community’s newest RIETS musmakhim

Shabbos Parshas Pekudei/Shabbos Shekalim

I February 28 – March 1, 2014

Roshei Yeshiva will join with musmakhim to celebrate this milestone with the entire community.

Young Israel of Woodmere

Irving Place Minyan

Congregation Beth Sholom

859 Peninsula Boulevard, Woodmere

111 Irving Place, Woodmere

390 Broadway, Lawrence

• Friday pre-Maariv, Rabbi Menachem Penner, Acting Dean • Chumash shiur, 8:15 a.m., Rabbi Robby Charnoff, musmakh • Drasha, “The Mishkan, the Synagogue and the Jewish Home: Creating the Right Environment,” Rabbi Eliakim Koenigsberg, Rosh Yeshiva • Dvar Torah at 8:30 a.m. Ashkenaz minyan, Rabbi Eitan Lipstein, musmakh • Shiur following 5:25 p.m. mincha, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Kollel and Rosh Yeshiva

• Drasha, Rabbi Robby Charnoff, musmakh • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Reuven Garrett, musmakh

• Drasha, Rabbi Menachem Penner, Acting Dean • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Avi Miller, Assistant Rabbi of Congregation Beth Sholom, musmakh

Woodsburgh Minyan 850 Keene Lane, Woodsburgh

Bais Avrohom Zev

• Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Daniel Schwechter, musmakh

2 Rockaway Turnpike, Lawrence

• Shalosh Seudot, “From Ta’anis Esther to Purim: A Natural Progression,” Rabbi Eliakim Koenigsberg, Rosh Yeshiva

Young Israel of Hewlett 1 Piermont Avenue, Hewlett

• Shabbos shiur, 4:40 p.m., “A Brief History of Semikhah,” Rabbi Reuven Garrett, musmakh

Congregation Aish Kodesh 894 Woodmere Place, Woodmere

• Shabbos morning drasha, Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Kollel and Rosh Yeshiva • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Tzvi Wilbur, musmakh

Congregation Anshei Chesed

Congregation Bais Ephraim Yitzchok

• Shalosh Seudot, “Zman Seudas Purim,” Rabbi Michael Finkelstein, musmakh

1170 William Street, Hewlett

Beis Tefillah of North Woodmere

Bais Tefilah of Woodmere

• Drasha, Rabbi Chesky Gewirtz, Rabbi of Beis Tefillah North Woodmere, musmakh

1000 Rosedale Avenue, North Woodmere

409 Edward Avenue, Woodmere

649 Hungry Harbor Road, North Woodmere

• Drasha, Rabbi Steven Mermelstein, musmakh

Congregation Kneseth Israel 728 Empire Avenue, Far Rockaway

• Shabbos Shiur, 4:30 p.m., Rabbi Hershel Schachter, Rosh Kollel and Rosh Yeshiva

Bais Knesset North Woodmere

25 Central Avenue, Lawrence

• Friday pre-Maariv, Rabbi Mayer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Etan Schnall, Rebbe, YU’s Stone Bais Medrash Program

812 Peninsula Boulevard (Island Avenue), Woodmere

• Friday pre-Maariv, Rabbi Eliakim Koenigsberg, Rosh Yeshiva

Congregation Shaaray Tefilah

Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst 8 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst

• Drasha, main minyan, Rabbi Meyer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva • Drasha, 8:30 a.m. minyan, Rabbi Yaakov Trump, Assistant Rabbi of YILC, musmakh • Shiur, after 8:30 a.m. minyan (approximately 10:50 a.m.), “Kriat Megilat Esther: Publicizing the Miracle of Purim as a Means of Internalizing Its Messages,” Rabbi David Weiss, musmakh • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Menachem Penner, Acting Dean

• Friday pre-Maariv, Rabbi Shay Schachter, Assistant Rabbi of Kneseth Israel, musmakh • Chumash shiur, 8:30 a.m., Rabbi Etan Schnall, Rebbe, YU’s Stone Bais Medrash Program • Drasha, Rabbi Shay Schachter • Pre-Mincha shiur, 4:20 p.m., “Inyaney Purim” Rabbi Mayer Twersky, Rosh Yeshiva • Shalosh Seudot, Rabbi Mayer Twersky

Bais Medrash of Harborview 214 Harborview South, Lawrence

• Friday pre-Maariv, Rabbi Etan Schnall, Rebbe, YU’s Stone Bais Medrash Program

RIETS is proud to honor more than 200 musmakhim, many of whom have strong connections to the Five Towns/Far Rockaway community.

Rabbi Reuven Garrett Rabbi Tzvi Geffner Rabbi Steven Genachowski Rabbi Chesky Gewirtz Rabbi Maury Goldsmith Rabbi Noah Greenfield Rabbi Seth Grossman Rabbi Saul Haimoff

Rabbi Yaakov Hoffman Rabbi Reuven Lebovitz Rabbi Jesse Lempel Rabbi Darren Levin Rabbi Eitan Lipstein Rabbi Eytan London Rabbi Daniel Lowenstein Rabbi Steven Mermelstein

Rabbi Avi Miller Rabbi Ami Neuman Rabbi Brian Platt Rabbi Joshua Rosenfeld Rabbi Benjamin Samuels Rabbi Shay Schachter Rabbi Daniel Schwechter Rabbi Tzvi Selengut

Rabbi Yaakov Trump Rabbi Jonathan Weinberg Rabbi David Weiss Rabbi Tzvi Wilbur Rabbi Avraham Yablok

For more information about this community program, the Chag HaSemikhah or sponsorship opportunities, please email yulongisland@yu.edu.

Rabbi Chaim Basch Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin Rabbi Daniel Bauer Rabbi Yosef Bronstein Rabbi Robert Charnoff Rabbi Etan Ehrenfeld Rabbi Yaakov Ehrenkranz Rabbi Michael Finkelstein

February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774 • THE JEWISH STAR

10

Jewish Star Schools For FREE publication in The Jewish Star, email material to SCHOOLS @TheJewishStar.com. Copy subject to editing for style and space and will appear at the discretion of the editor.

Shulamith girls school marks literacy week Literacy Week and Book Fair was recently celebrated at the Shulamith School for Girls in Woodmere. The theme this year was Links of Literacy, The Reading and Writing Connection. Each class proudly displayed the unique writing projects they prepared for Literacy Week.

Grades 1-4 enjoyed visits by Malky Weinstock, publisher and author of the LITE Girl Yael books series, and Meish Goldish, author of several hundred children’s fiction, non-fiction, and poetry books.

Malky Weinstock spoke about her characters who inspire and demonstrate Ahavat Hashem and Ahavat Yisroel. She also spoke about the aspects of being an author and publisher. Meish Goldish spoke about humor and research and how he is inspired to write books.

Shulamith girls wearing T-shirts they designed and decorated for Literacy Week are from left Atara Grushko, Michal Moskowitz, Chaya Gluck, Aviva Klahr, Miriam Abittan, Elisha Schecter, Dalia Jacobs, and Miri Heller.

Shalhevet jumps for Zumba Midreshet Shalhevet took JUMP to a whole new level.

Sunday evening, February 23, 2014 the Shalhevet NCSY JUMP team held a Zumba and jump rope fundraiser in memory of Phillip Bach a”h.

Phillip Bach was a 27 year old, 5 Towns resident who passed away in November after succumbing to a lifelong illness of Familial Dysautonomia, otherwise known as FD. FD is a rare genetic neurological disorder that effects the sensory and autonomic nervous systems, causing life threatening medical complications from birth. Phillip was a brother to Shalhevet alumnus, Bayla Bach and the Shalhevet girls wanted to honor his memory. With the help of Raina and Inna from Studio Inna, the Shalhevet JUMP team consisting of Ava Korman, Tamar Beer, Malka Marmer, Bayla Eckhaus, Tali Roth, and JUMP mentor Malky Blisko put together a fun filled night of Zumba, jump rope contests, and raffles. Tara Shimmel, an FD parent, began the evening by sharing what FD is, and how the organization FD NOW helps her and her family. The Rambam gym filled up quickly as more than 100 women and girls took to the floor. Raina and Inna led an exciting and energetic class. Energy, enthusiasm and laughter resonated off the walls

.XODQX FRQFHUW IRU 6 2 6 6DWXUGD\ RU 6XQGD\

Last Sunday evening, Kulanu hosted a benefit concert to fund weekend programs for young adults with special needs. Talent included Michael Korins and the Rambam Harmonides. From left: Yaakov Feiner, David Zedner, Tani Martin, (Oneg Shemesh,) Benjy Katan, Jacob Friedman Moses Bibi, Yossi Zimilover. Not pictured: Evy Bear.

as everybody enjoyed dancing for a worthy cause. Following the high intensity Zumba workout, girls participated in a jump rope contest to see who could jump the most over a three minute span. Devora Chait, an 11th grader at Shalhevet, displayed her athleticism and won first place. Devora received free classes to Studio Inna! The JUMP team successfully raised over $4,000 to benefit FD NOW. This money will help them continue their research in finding a cure. The Shalhevet JUMP team expresses their appreciation to all those who attended and donated to this important organization. They also thank Studio Inna, and all of their gracious sponsors who helped make this night a huge success!

6KDOKHYHW DOXPQDH UHXQLWH Shalhevet alumnae reunited at the home of the school’s principal, Mrs. Esther Eisenman, earlier this month. The alumnae were treated to breakfast as they caught up with former teachers and administrators. Mrs. Feder spoke on Hashem’s response to the Chait Haegel, the importance of remembering your roots, and how Shalhevet will always be a part of their lives.

Rambam volunteers to help soldiers Since 2002, in the midst of the Second Intifada, Rambam Mesivta has sent juniors and seniors on its mitnadvim (volunteers) program to help on various IDF bases. This act of chesed and statement of commitment to Israel is made possible through Sar-El, a combination charity organization and army unit. It allows non-Israelis to spend from a week to a few months volunteering on IDF bases. The program is made possible through the efforts and

commitment of Rambam Mesivta’s principal, Rabbi Yotav Eliach, who himself served in the IDF. This was the eleventh time a Mitnadvim group went to Israel during “Yeshiva Week” break. This year, four devoted students, senior Yitzchak Milworn, and juniors Dovid Rosenzweig, Zachary Beer and Shmuel Halbfinger decided to forgo “vacation” and spend their time on an IDF Base doing whatever was necessary for the safety of Israel.

They arrived in Israel January 12 and met their Madrich and some Sar-El representatives. The boys went to the Tzippori base in the Galilee, and along with other volunteers, assisted soldiers with different jobs on the base for two weeks. Many on the base including soldiers and commanders expressed gratitude to the students. It is a tremendous source of chizuk to Israelis to know that American Jewry is there to help.

11 THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774

$7 +$1& 7+( /(77(5 ,6 ÂŤ Âľ4Âś Nursery Aleph students in Morah Shani, Morah Laura and Morah Jenniferâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s class at HANCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Early Childhood Center, in West Hempstead, learned about the letter â&#x20AC;&#x153;Qâ&#x20AC;? and showed off their ďŹ ne motor skills by painting in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;quirkyâ&#x20AC;? way using Q-tips instead of brushes.

Orthodox now part of a hockey team in Great Neck

By Anna Hardcastle Semopr at MSJAJS Thanks to the Great Neck Park District Supervisors, Orthodox Jewish residents of Great Neck and surrounding areas are now able to participate in the Great Neck Bruins Travel Hockey Team.

With the recent addition of so many new team members this season, the team has moved the Squirts home ice slot from Saturday to Sunday mornings. This enables Orthodox Jews to participate since Saturday is the Sabbath when customary for Jews to be engaged in synagogue activities and not travel. This season, all home games are on Sunday mornings at 6:15 am. This crucial change allows Orthodox and other observant players to participate in the hockey program, a special opportunity which has traditionally been unavailable to them due to their duties of religious observance.

Charles Greszes, a Great Neck Park District resident, and a ďŹ fth grade student of the North Shore Hebrew Academy, is one of the players who has beneďŹ tted greatly from the day change of games. Charles is one of the starting defensemen and high scorers of the team.

Excited to have a chance to participate on the team for the game he loves so much, Charles said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am so happy I get to play hockey in my home town Great Neck and that I do not have to miss any games anymore because of Shabbat. I am also happy that I got to make so many new friends from different parts of Great Neck and that I get to play in my home rink.â&#x20AC;?

In December, the team celebrated a potluck team party at Parkwood, which included kosher pizza from one of the premier kosher pizza shops in Great Neck.

Boys in the locker room are often heard discussing the various holidays their families celebrate and connecting and bonding through their different traditions. It is inspiring to see children from so many dif-

ferent walks of life and backgrounds come together over the game they love to develop close friendships, thanks to the tremendous efforts and vision of the Great Neck Park District. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is remarkable to see how responsive and supportive the Great Neck Park District deputy superintendent, commissioners and our governor have been all season long in supporting the availability of ice time to a more diverse Great Neck resident base,â&#x20AC;? said Isaac Greszes, team manager and a volunteer coach for the Bruins Squirts. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The ice time at the Andrew Stergiopoulos Ice Rink at Parkwood is very precious, and it takes a lot of time and effort to accommodate all the different needs of the community. We are fortunate to have such great leaders in our park district to make it all possible. Based on the successful year the Great Neck Bruins Squirt team is having, the community hopes that we receive the continued support of our Park District next year, and in the years to come, with the home ice on Sundays, so that all our children and the greater community have an equal opportunity to be a part of the Great Neck Bruins.â&#x20AC;?

Anna Hardcastle is editor-in-chief of North Shore Notes and The Written Voice.

Rambam hockey action HANC greets an author Coming into the playoffs as the number one seeded team and Division Champions, Rambam Mesivta JV Hockey was already having a banner year. As they huddled together in the opening round of the playoffs against the Kushner Cobras, their energy made it clear that they would not be content with just their regular season success.

Freshman Daniel Yizhaky scored the ďŹ rst goal, the dam burst and Rambam emerged victorious with a 5-1 win.

At Rambam, lessons learned in class apply to every aspect of life, including sports, and Coach Avi Herschman is not just expected to teach hockey, he is expected to teach lessons for life.

Students at HANCâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School, in West Hempstead, welcomed Doreen Rappaport, awardwinning author of 40 childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ ction and non-ďŹ ction books who delighted students with stories about the lives of the famous people she has written about, including President Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Helen Keller.

Ms. Rappaport explained why sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s so excited about historical facts and ďŹ nding â&#x20AC;&#x153;new ways to present the lives of well-known heroesâ&#x20AC;? and how that led to her decision to write biographies for children.

The students were excited to meet this dynamic author and they asked her many insightful questions.

Beit Shemesh tackles sex abuse 1 case at a time

By Maayan Jaffe, JNS.org Sexual abuse of minors has for many years been among the most controversial and suppressed issues in the Jewish community.

An inaugural conference in Israel next month will, at the very least, contribute to the conversation on that issue. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The mere fact that we are talking with each other is crucial,â&#x20AC;? said Prof. Asher BenArieh, director of the Jerusalem-based Haruv Institute, whose stated mission is â&#x20AC;&#x153;to become an international center of excellence contributing to the reduction of child maltreatment.â&#x20AC;?

The First International Congress for Child Protection Organizations in the Jewish Community takes place March 3 to 5 at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Sponsored by Haruv and Magen LeYeladim Uâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Lemishpachot, the event will draw representatives from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Belgium, South Africa and Israel to talk about how to deal with sexual abuse of minors, particularly in the Orthodox Jewish community. Attendees will strategically review the participating organizations and their programs, and collaboratively generate a code of best practices. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ultra-Orthodox communities around the world are similar and share communal characteristics,â&#x20AC;? Ben-Arieh told JNS.org. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We also learned thatâ&#x20AC;Ś in many cases, perpetrators are â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;shippedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; to different communities instead of being dealt with.â&#x20AC;?

Magen, a Hebrew word meaning â&#x20AC;&#x153;protector,â&#x20AC;? is the catalyst for the conference as well as for bringing the topic of sexual abuse of minors to light among Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Orthodox community.

In 2010, Magen was founded by David

A recent event held by Magen at the Kehillat Ahavat Tzion synagogue in Ramat Beit Shemesh, Israel.

Yosef Symonds

Morris to serve the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh. Three years later, the three-person operation is becoming well known across the Jewish state, as its efforts have resulted in sweeping change for the 98,000-person community.

Underreporting of sexual abuse is a global problem. According to Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s National Council for the Child, only about 1 in 10 cases of abuse reach the authorities. But in Beit Shemesh, it was an epidemic. In 2010, according to Beit Shemesh resident and nonproďŹ t consultant Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll, Beit Shemesh reporting was only one third of the national average. That equates to one in 30, the lowest rate in Israel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We want to think it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. We

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February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774 â&#x20AC;˘ THE JEWISH STAR

12

want to think it doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen. But it does,â&#x20AC;? wrote Jaskoll in an op-ed for the Times of Israel.

Morris came to know this all too well. He told JNS.org that Magen was started after he tried fruitlessly to gain assistance for a boy who was molested at school. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A mother approached me for help when her son, after refusal to go to school and [demonstrating] peculiar behavior, confessed that his rebbe had touched him [inappropriately] and regularly for months. I turned to a community rabbi who was in a position to protect the family,â&#x20AC;? Morris said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But instead of advising them to call the police, which is required by law, he referred them to the Modesty Patrolâ&#x20AC;? in the Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem, he said.

Morris said it became increasingly clear that for victims of abuse and their families, there was no professional and responsible recourse or assistance within the community. Thus, he opened Magen. Since then, the organization has handled upwards of 250 cases, and reports to Magen are doubling each year. Furthermore, reporting of sexual abuse in Beit Shemesh has increased by more than 50 percent.

Magen works on four fronts. First, it educates. Professional or volunteer representatives are out in the community offering lectures and seminars to help parents and child educators understand the threat of sexual predators and how to protect their children against them.

Second, Magen offers a hotline and informational service, which can be contacted anonymously (Hotline@MagenProtects.org or +972-2-999-9678). Third is case management. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An allegation or a case of child abuse is a trauma, much like bereavement. People really donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t know what to do,â&#x20AC;? Morris explained. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So we hand-hold, we support the family through the process.â&#x20AC;?

Finally, Magen helps with the management of alleged perpetrators in the community. Even if a case goes through the correct legal procedureâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;to the police, to the courtsâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;and even if the perpetrator gets sentencing, at some point he will return to Beit Shemesh. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a community issue. What should a community do to safeguard its children?â&#x20AC;? said Morris.

All four components of Magenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role are essential and necessary for the successful reduction of sexual abuse of minors in a community, explained Helise Pollack, a therapist in private practice in Beit Shemesh. She has been working with victims of childhood sexual abuse for 26 years. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It is important for families to receive support and for children [victims] to receive intervention and treatment for dealing with their feelings of humiliation, anger, hurt and

pain. If they cannot talk about it and understand it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t their fault, then they carry this pain inside them and at some point it comes through,â&#x20AC;? Pollack said. She noted that victims who have kept the abuse a secret often become anxious teenagers, use drugs or alcohol, act out violently, or hurt themselves/become suicidal. Many leave religion.

Others become perpetrators themselves.

Rabbi Yaakov Haber, rabbi of Kehillat Shivtei Yeshurun in Ramat Beit Shemesh, has been supportive of Magen. He said the organization has given potential perpetrators a fear they did not have before. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It took away their safe haven,â&#x20AC;? he told JNS.org, explaining that a perpetrator might now think twice before acting on his inclination for fear of public and legal repercussions.

The rabbi also made clear that he does not think there is more abuse in the haredi community than in any other community, but rather, there are additional complications members of the haredi community consider before reporting such a crime. For one, he said, most Orthodox communities are closeknit, which means everyone knows and/or is related to everyone else. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once you run to the police and report this manâ&#x20AC;Ś all of a sudden his [seven] kids are having difďŹ culty in school, the wife is strugglingâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;it is just a tremendous amount of pain,â&#x20AC;? said Haber. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is really the fault of the poor choice of the abuser, but you can understand â&#x20AC;Ś how it will affect every single aspect of a very large familyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;even cousins.â&#x20AC;?

Additionally, he said there is a perceptionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;especially in Israel, where â&#x20AC;&#x153;everything is so politicizedâ&#x20AC;?â&#x20AC;&#x201D;that the press will jump on any report of abuse and make it a bigger issue than it might be.

Nonetheless, Haber advocates for turning to the police. So do most parents of victims, when they know what their options are and how cases will be handled. At a recent Magen event titled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Who are the people in our neighborhood,â&#x20AC;? dramatic presentations of three real Magen cases, written by local parents of children who were sexually abused, were read to the audience by volunteers.

One boy was molested by the teenage son of a well-known community rabbi. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all assumed the perpetrator was some drifter from outside the community. We never imagined it could be a boy from a successful family within our own community,â&#x20AC;? said Parent A, who remained anonymous. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This boy was not some kid off the derech [nonreligious kid]. His family was the derech we all admired and aspired to achieve.â&#x20AC;?

Parent A was told not to work through Magen, and not to work with the police by some area rabbis. But he worked with Magen anyway. Shortly thereafter, similar stories began to surface. With people aware and looking for the perpetrator, one afternoon he was caught shortly after he abused another victim. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The boy was arrested. He has been placed under the supervision of the courts. â&#x20AC;Ś My 8-year-oldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cry for help and our full disclosure has led to other boys being saved,â&#x20AC;? said Parent A. In another case, two young girls were molested by their 70-year-old grandfather.

Parent B ďŹ led a report, and the grandfather and the young girls are getting the help they need. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sometimes doing the right thing will not make everyone happy,â&#x20AC;? said Parent B. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But it has to be done.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;The more we speak about [sexual abuse], the more we write about it, the more we stand against it, the greater chance we have of preventing it,â&#x20AC;? Jaskoll said.

Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer in Overland Park, Kansas.

Coach...

Award” in 1997-98 among other awards.

“It’s all about the little things you do that you never know the consequences, that’s the moral of the story,” explained Halpert. “A simple gesture, say something, do something, I don’t even remember; players come back, ‘I had a problem and you said or did something that changed my life.’ When you do good, the unintended consequences are more good.

Bad unintended consequences yield more bad. Bettter off doing nice things.” He said that he strove for honesty, fairness and integrity.

“I never have to cross the street to avoid someone, I have no regrets.”

He quoted the Rav, Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik of YU, that “when you want to get as close to the truth as possible get to the pshat (the basic biblical text), understand the simple pshat.’ Whatever you are doing at the moment, that’s the most important thing. Be honest with yourself, don’t do something you don’t care about, define yourself by the body of all your actions.”

“It was an opportunity to be with great kids. Every year when the practice started I was 22 years old and next year still 22. Pretty good deal? It was a great experience. Sports teach you life lessons.

People ask why spend so much time, it’s bitul zman (waste of time), shtus (foolishness). It’s wonderful life lessons in real time. What do you do when you fail? How do you handle it? Another game, another challenge; fail, try again, pick yourself up and try again.”

About all the alumni who came to the last game: “They came to say thank you, what could be better than that?”

And what is coach going to do now?

“I’m not going to do anything now. At the end of the week I will think. I’m not going to the park to feed the pigeons. I love sports, love competition. Next week I will start to think. I will try to find something. I can still make a contribution. “ Coach Jonathan Halpert can be reached at mamboa30@hotmail.com

Continued from page 1 as Israel readied to send troops, including Karov’s division, into Gaza during Operation Cast Lead to halt the incessant terrorist rocket attacks raining into Israel. They married on Thursday and his commander called him Friday morning and asked if he was coming to fight. He said this was the hardest decision. He was not obligated to join — a just married man is permitted a 10 day leave, but he commanded 30 soldiers and with the agreement of his new wife he returned to command his men.

A week later he and his men were to clear six houses in Gaza. They split up and Karov led three other soldiers into one of the homes. It was booby trapped; the room exploded. Karov was thrown towards the stairs and the building collapsed onto him. He was severely injured and at first they thought he was dead; when they saw he was alive, he was placed aboard a helicopter where a medic performed a tracheotomy in flight.

Dr. Joel Bryk of Woodmere — whose son Yoni, who attended DRS, was the third in line after Karov in that building — said “it was the fastest battle field evacuation in Israeli history. The medic got an award for bagging Karov.” Two other soldiers were injured, but Karov was hurt the worst.

“The unit loved Aharon; he is a great commander, a remarkable kid,” Bryk said.

Bryk said that the unit continues to have a “seudat hodah, (a meal of thanks-

Continued from page 2 ing the Jewish people. “In the eyes of the world, it says yeshiva, that’s representing the Jewish people, whether you think so or not. Only we have nuances, it’s very simple. It was a very happy, very positive, wonderful experience.”

Halpert’s father was born in Jerusalem in the Old Yishuv. His father fled the Turks, his mother died, and he grew up in the Diskin Orphanage there. At 17 he came to the U.S. with his Hebrew typewriter and bartered his skills as a Hebrew typist for Dr. Bernard Revel, the first YU president, for a YU education, graduating in 1938. Jonathan attended MTA-YUHS of Manhattan, and graduated from Yeshiva College with a BA in history and later with a PhD in special education from the Ferkauf graduate school. He played college ball under coach Red Sarachek from 1962 to 1966. Halpert worked for the New York City Board of Education for 18 years and then formed a not for profit organization operating group homes for developmentally disabled adults and traumatic brain injured adults until 2004. He started coaching junior varsity at MTA in 1966 and began college coaching in 1972 at YU. They opened their own gym in 1985. Halpert notes that there has been a Halpert at YU for 83 consecutive years.

During his 42 years of coaching, he led the Maccabees to more than 400 victories including a 15-year span without a losing season from 1987 to 2002. He is the longest tenured men’s college basketball coach in New York City history and the fourth longest tenured coach in all of basketball in general.

He was awarded the Skyline Conference Coach of the year in 1999-2000 and 2009-10, the National Association of Basketball Coaches “Guardians of the Game” honor in 2003-04 and The Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association “Good Guy

HAFTR parties at Sands, honoring 4 women leaders

HAFTR honorees (left to right) Cyndy Goldberg, Naomi Lippman, Rochelle Brand and Joy Hammer.

Seated: HAFTR Executive Director Reuben Maron and Board President Dr. Adam J. Lish.

HAFTR photo

he HAFTR community turned out last motzei Shabbat to celebrate the school’s four educational leaders.

More than 570 people filled the Atlantic Beach Sands for the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway’s 36th annual dinner, to honor these extraordinary women — Cyndy Goldberg, Early Childhood Director; Joy Hammer, Lower School Principal; Rochelle Brand, Middle School Principal; and Naomi

T

Lippman, High School Principal.

The venue was filled with student artwork created especially for this event. HAFTR also presented plaques to educators who have been part of the HAFTR family for 25 years; together with the four leaders, they are a key component in allowing HAFTR to fulfill its mission of equipping its graduates with the knowledge needed to succeed as Modern Orthodox Jews in a modern world.

Eighth-grader Regina salutes Middle School Principal Rochelle Brand. Jewish Star photo Donovan Berthoud

Student artwork displayed at gala included this HAFTR photo one of HS Principal Naomi Lippman.

13 THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774

Hero...

giving) at the time of the incident on the 17 of Tevet. As many as can, come — 30 to 31, the guys and their wives and kids.”

Initially they performed 18 hours of surgery, hoping to buy time for his family to say good-bye — there was a 95 percent chance that he would die, five percent that he would be in a vegetative state or a coma. When he came out of the coma, blinked his eyes in response and moved a hand and a foot, there was still great uncertainty as to his condition. He continued rehabilitation moving from a wheelchair to a walker, to stand, to walk, he couldn’t eat for a month and a half finally being able to eat “Gerber,” he said, baby food.

He said he could think and wanted to talk but couldn’t for three months. He was frustrated, desperate.

He could have resigned himself and just lay there but he drew strength from the strength of others.

PLP Program Direct Elad Asulin, who translated for Karov, said that “Hashem chose to grab him and put him back. That is what allowed him to make the choice to do what he is doing today.”

Karov said that he drew strength from prayers of all the segments of the Jewish people. Now he gives of his time to educate others about their Jewish Identity.

He runs 100 Shabbatons; he wants to increase it to 200, his long term goal is to reach 500 Shabatot annually and develop a special generals program for officers ranking Colonel and up.

Karov is currently studying for his bachelors degree in human resources at Ariel University and lives in Ariel with his wife Tzvia and their two children.

February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774 â&#x20AC;˘ THE JEWISH STAR

14

Jewish Star Calendar â&#x20AC;˘ Send events to Calendar@TheJewishStar.com â&#x20AC;˘Events MUST include a contact number or email â&#x20AC;˘ Deadline is Thursday 5 pm, 8 days before cover date.

7+856'$< )(% /81&+ /($51 with Rabbi Shalom Axelrod of YI Woodmere. Traditions Restaurant, 302 Central Ave., Lawrence. 12:30-1:30 pm. $12 lunch. Alan Stern 516-398-3094. <8 -2% )$,5 6 to 9 pm, Yeshiva University Wilf Campus, 500 W. 185 St., Manhattan.

212-960-5292.

)5,'$< )(% &+(95$ .$'',6+$ Oneg on dealing with end-of-life, medical, legal and hashkaďŹ k issues. 8:45. Beis Kenesseth North Woodmere, 649 Hungry Harbor Road. For more information contact Eli Dworetsky at tiredcpa@aol. com. &+$* +$6(0,.+$+ 6+$%%$721 Divrei Torah, drashot and shiurim at 16 area shuls in celebration of the ordination of its largest class of musmakhim by the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. For details see notice on page 9.

6$785'$< 0$5&+ &+$* +$6(0,.+$+ 6+$%%$721 Divrei Torah, drashot and shiurim at 16 area shuls in celebration of the ordination of its largest class of musmakhim by the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. For details see notice on page 9.

1257+ :22'0(5( 6+$%%$7 A community-wide event dedicated to the North Woodmere Chevra Kaddisha, hosting Rabbi Elchanan Zohn, head of the Queens Chevra Kaddisha and one of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top authorities on halakhic and practical issues related to the work of the chevra kaddisha. Rabbi Zohn will be speaking numerous times over the course of the Shabbat at a number of shuls, and there will be a joint Seudah Shelishis at the Young Israel of North Woodmere, 634 Hungry Harbor Road, where Beis Kenesseth North Woodmereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Chevra Mishnayos will also be holding its siyyum on Seder Kodshim.

For more information contact Eli Dworetsky at tiredcpa@aol.com. $57 $1' :,1( BeneďŹ t for HAFTR Cares and the Five Towns Community Chest. Private showing offers select modern, contemporary, impressionistic and old world styled artwork by established American, European and Asian artists. Original paintings, graphics, sculptures and mixed media will be shown along with original works by Chagall, Dali, Miro and Picasso. Prices range from $100. 8 pm. Neil Steur Gymnasium, 33 Washington Ave., Lawrence. 516-569-3370 ext 110. $,6+ .2'(6+ 0(/$9( 0$/.$+ 21st annual event honors Yocheved and Yehuda Daphna. Melaveh Malkah, 8:30 pm.

Congregation Kneseth Israel, 728 Empire Ave., Far Rockaway. aishkodesh

78(6'$< 0$5&+ :20(1 $1' -(:,6+ +2/,'$<6 with Michal Horowitz. Gain special insights through fascinating facts and beautiful stories. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s session, covering Purim, is ďŹ rst of a series. $15 ($15, or $50 for four classes).

11:30 am to 12:30 pm. JCC of the Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst. 516569-6733 x222. &$5(*,9(56 6833257 *5283 Meets ďŹ rst Tuesday of every month, for people who are caring for an elderly loved one and who may ďŹ nd yourself trying to meet the demands of work, family and care-giving, all at the same time; meeting everyone elseâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs but your own. Share your experiences with others. 7:30-9 pm. JCC of Greater Five Towns, side door, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst.

Team HASC at A1A Florida half marathon Team HASC â&#x20AC;&#x201D; counselors, campers, medical and specialty staff, parents and friends at the Hebrew Academy for Special Children in the upstate New York â&#x20AC;&#x201D; unites to support the summer program of the coordinating fundraisers. The goal of Team HASC was to raise $500,000 from the Fort Lauderdale Half Marathon.

Judy Goldberg, LCSW, 516-569-6733 x224 or judy.goldberg@ďŹ vetownsjcc.org. %8//<,1* for parents and professionals at the Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy and Resource Center of Kulanu Academy. RSVP by Feb. 28 to 516-569-3083 x140 or vicki@kulanukids.org. 8 pm. 620 Central Ave, Cedarhurst.

:('1(6'$< 0$5&+ ,65$(/, '$1&( Learn with Danny Uziel and be comfortable dancing with the very best. Intermediate to advanced levels. Every Wednesday, 10 am to noon. $10. JCC of Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst. 516-569-6733 x222.

0< )$925,7( 6()(5 series presents Mesilas Yesharim by Rav Moshe Chaim Luzatto, with Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, menahel of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov. Fifth of ďŹ ve shiurim by outstanding educators from our local yeshivot. 8:15 to 9:15 pm, Young Israel of Woodmere, 859 Peninsula Blvd., Woodmere. 516-295-0950. +2/2&$867 ),/0 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Aftermathâ&#x20AC;? is the story of a poor farmer from a small village in central Poland who uncovers a dark secret that forces his family to confront their history.

Subtitled. $5. 7:30 pm. Temple Israel of Lawrence, 140 Central Ave., enter from parking lot. 516-569-6733 x222.

Bystanders and participants marveled at the care, understanding and commitment of Team HASC and joined in applause and cheers as the physically and developmentally disabled campers joyfully crossed the ďŹ nish line in wheelchairs, on crutches, and some walking and running.

7+856'$< 0$5&+ /81&+ /($51 with Rabbi Shalom Axelrod of YI Woodmere. Traditions Restaurant, 302 Central Ave., Lawrence. 12:30-1:30 pm. $12 lunch. Alan Stern 516-398-3094.

6$1'< 5(&29(5< )$,5 NY Rising event brings residents and businesses together with agencies working to further recovery from the storm. 4 to 8 pm. Meet with NY Rising-approved contractors and architechts.

Law-rence HS, 2 Reilly Rd, Cedarhurst. For info contact Michael Raab, 516-572-1395.

6$785'$< 0$5&+ +$/%¡V WK ',11(5 Hebrew Academy of Long Beach concludes its 59th dinner campaign on March 8, with a motzi Shabbat gala on HALBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Woodmere campus. Freda and Scott Englander of Woodmere (left), with three children in the elementary school (and a fourth, 20 months old, a future enrollee), will receive the Rabbi Dr. Armin H. Friedman Young Leadership Award, named in honor of HALBâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dean emeritus and founding principal.

Esther and Baruch Weinstein of Cedarhurst (right), with four HALB graduates and a ďŹ fth slated to graduate DRS in 2017, will be the Guests of Honor. For information and reservations, call 516-791-8200 ext 107.tt, 1 Piermont Ave. 516-295-2282.

,65$(/ 7$/. Tuvia Book series features a tribute to Ilan and Assaf Ramon followed by Israel-style refreshments. Book is an acclaimed Jewish education specialist and author who has lectured around the world. Free. 8:30 pm. Young Israel of Hewlett, 1 Piermont Ave. 516-295-2282.

681'$< 0$5&+ %/22' '5,9( New York Blood Center is urgently asking donors to roll up their sleeves to replenish our community blood and platelet supply. 8:30 am - 2:30 pm. Congregation Eitz Chaim, 661 Dogwood Avenue, West Hempstead. Pamglassman@aol.com or call 516.238.1849.

0(*,//$+ 2877$.(6 Zayin Adar Breakfast. Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz tells â&#x20AC;&#x153;the rest of the story.â&#x20AC;? 9 am. Free. Bais Haknesses of North Woodmere and DRS Faculty. 649 Hungry Harbor Road, (516) 295-1491.

1,*+7 2) :,1(6 6&27&+(6 Featuring wines by Royal Wine, Happy Hearts, C&R International, River and Allied Importers; Scotches by Tomintoul & Glengoyne, Balvenie & GlenďŹ ddich, Glenrothes & Glenlivet, Glenmorangie, Ardbeg, Oban, Lagavulin, Cardhu, and Johnny Walker. 7:30 to 10:30 pm. $18 single, $25 couple (includes $10 off purchase of $20 or more). 21+. Young Israel

78(6'$< 0$5&+ ),') *$/$ Friends of the Israel Defense Forces event features more than 30 soldiers and ofďŹ cers from various IDF units, soldiers from the U.S. Armed Forces; performances by the IDF Orchestra; and in-person as well as live-satellite talks by distinguished ďŹ gures in Israel and Washington. 5:30 pm reception; 7 pm dinner and program. Grand Ballroom of Waldorf-Astoria, Park Avenue at 50th Street, Manhattan. 646-274-9655 or 212-558-9400.

63$ )25 %2'< $1' 628/ Each of us have an inner connection with G-d: Can we ďŹ nd it? Arbonne international consultant Mrs. Mushky Sandhaus will treat participates to â&#x20AC;&#x153;an ultimate facialâ&#x20AC;? and share some tips for a naturally wholesome makeup experience.

7:30 pm. $18. Chabad of Roslyn, 75 Powerhouse Rd, Roslyn Heights, NY 11577 RSVP to Chabad at 516-484-3500 or Chaya at 845-642-7401. Arbonne products available for sale but no obligation to buy.

:('1(6'$< 0$5&+ ,65$(/, '$1&( Learn with Danny Uziel and be comfortable dancing with the very best. Intermediate to advanced levels. Every Wednesday, 10 am to noon. $10. JCC of

T

To Advertise in this Section, Call 516-622-7461

7+856'$< 0$5&+ /81&+ /($51 with Rabbi Shalom Axelrod of YI Woodmere.Traditions Restaurant, 302 Central Ave., Lawrence. 12:30-1:30 pm. $12 lunch. Alan Stern 516-398-3094.

Real Estate

:('1(6'$< 0$5&+

/,1.(',1 Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard the buzz about LinkedIn â&#x20AC;&#x201D; this workshop will cover the basics of how to use it. We will offer a step-bystep guide to creating a proďŹ le, uploading contacts and beginning to network online. 11 am to 1 pm. Sid Jacobson JCC, 300 Forest Dr., East Hills. 516-484-1545 x21.

78(6'$< 0$5&+ 1' $118$/ %(7+ 6+2/20 *$/$ honors Jenny and Mordy Lent and Rabbi Kenneth Hain on his 25th anniverary year as Beth Shalomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rabbi. 5 pm. For info and rese vation call 516-569-3600 x21. :20(1 $1' -(:,6+ +2/,'$<6 with Michal Horowitz. Gain special insights through fascinating facts and beautiful stories. Todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s session, covering Passover, is second of a series. $15 ($15,per class). 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. JCC of the Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst. 516-5696733 x222.

:('1(6'$< 0$5&+ :+,7( 6+8/ ',11(5 92nd anniversary event honors David and Tzivy Kopelowitz, guests of honor; community service award to Rabbi Boruch Ber Bender; lifetime achievement award to Sidney Lipstein. 6:30 pm reception, 7:15 pm dinner. $360 per couple.

RSVP to 718-327-0500 x3. 728 Empire Ave., Far Rockaway.

done,â&#x20AC;? then we are missing the most beautiful part of the process, which is to embrace the detail as part of a larger picture.

You can clean up the kitchen because someone has to do it, and how could you not at least clean up the kitchen? But you can also clean up the kitchen because you know it will bring a smile to your wifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s face, and the thought of her smiling when she walks into the kitchen in the morning makes every dish you clean into another rose in the vase.

And this is a part of what is going on here in this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portion. Because when Moshe blesses the people for the execution of all the details, what he is really valuing is the way in which all the details were done.

Every shirt that gets folded is actually an act of love, then even if your wife is asleep while you are doing laundry, she is there with you all the time. And when the Jewish people succeed in seeing G-d in all the details, then they have mastered the art of bringing G-d into the world, which is the entire point.

The Mishkan was not completed because the work was done; it was completed because the Jewish people succeeded in keeping the passion of the dream, while embracing the power of each and every detail necessary to complete their work.

Shabbat Shalom.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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,65$(/, '$1&( Learn with Danny Uziel and be comfortable dancing with the very best. Intermediate to advanced levels. Every Wednesday, 10 am to noon. $10. JCC of Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst. 516-569-6733 x222.

Find G-d everywhereâ&#x20AC;Ś Continued from page 4 So Moshe stops the giving, and reminds people not to forget the importance of the becoming. And that message is followed by this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s portion which teaches us not to forget the power and the importance of the details. his is a crucial part of life which stands at the root of all of our relationships and all of our dreams. Healthy marriages donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t last on walks in the park and candlelit dinners; the garbage has to be taken out and the kids have to be taken to school with their lunches made every morning.

Before people get married, they often talk about their shared dreams and goals, and what sort of a home they hope to build together.

But they rarely get to think about who picks up the dirty socks, and what happens when the laundry basket is full at the end of a long day. Healthy relationships last because the parties involved are willing to share the burden of all the chores and details which must be done to allow for the accomplishment of all the wonderful goals that were so ever-present in the beginning.

And the Torah wants us to value those details as much as we do the bigger picture.

Perhaps the point of this weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s parsha, Pekudei. is that if the details are just â&#x20AC;&#x153;the burden of all the chores and details which must be

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Âś7+( *5($7 ',&7$725¡ Screening and discussion of the Charlie Chaplin 1940 ďŹ lm that mocked Hitler. It was Chaplinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst talking picture and the highest-grossing of his career, but created much difďŹ culty for him and eventually led to his long exile from the United States, albeit indirectly. The ďŹ lm will be shown in its entirety and the discussion afterwards be facilitated by Dylan Skolnick, co-director Cinema Arts Centre in. Light refreshments. 12:30 pm. $10, $5 students and seniors. Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, 100 Crescent Beach Rd., Glen Cove, 516-571-8040. 516-571-8040 x100.

Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Cedarhurst. 516-569-6733 x222.

677952

Continued from page 14 of Long Beach, 120 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, NY 11561 (516) 431-2404.

THE JEWISH STAR February 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 28 ADAR I 5774

Jewish Star Calendarâ&#x20AC;Ś

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February 28, 2014 • 28 ADAR I 5774 • THE JEWISH STAR

16