The Jewish Star

AIPAC hears from SKA girls SKA students at AIPAC policy conference. From left: Ahuva Ross, Shoshana Laufer, Zehava Gros, Ayelet Klahr, Michal Yacker and Henna Storch.

By Celia Weintrob Fourteen of the 3,000 students attending AIPAC’s 2015 Policy conference in Washington this week hail from Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach. It was an eye-opening experience that put the importance of political activism front and center for the Five Towners.

AIPAC’s efforts to convince U.S. lawmak-

ers to insist of the best Iranian nuclear deal possible, coupled with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Tuesday, set the stage for their lobbying that afternoon of New York’s two Senators, enators Charles Schumer and Kristin Gillibrand.

SKA Principal Raizi Chechik told The Jewish Star that this week’s work was in line with the school’s ongoing Israel Action program.

Continued on page 15

THE JEWISH March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

Ki Tisa • Published weekly since 2002 • 516-622-7461

SKA alumna Leeza and Esti Hirt — twins — address 16,000 people at a plenary session.

STAR Vol 14, No. 10 • TheJewishStar.com

the newspaper of long island’s orthodox communities

‘The days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over.’

Prime Minister Netanyahu, speaking before a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, warns against trusting Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, left, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, listen.

AP Photo / Andrew Harnik

Conference coverage pages 2–3, 15 • Text of Netanyahu speech pages 16–17

prst std Us postage paid garden City, ny 11530 permit no 301

INSIDE: More on AIPAC and Bibi

Bibi sees ‘fateful crossroads’ on Iranian nukes

By Sean Savage, JNS.org In perhaps the most widely debated address ever given by a foreign leader to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described a “fateful crossroads” on the Iranian nuclear threat and said that the emerging deal between Iran and world powers is paving the way for a Middle East “littered with nuclear bombs.”

“This deal has two major concessions: one, leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program, and two, lifting the restrictions on that program in about a decade,” Netanyahu said in his speech to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday morning.

“That’s why this deal is so bad,” he said. “It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to the bomb.”

Netanyahu’s two U.S. speeches—Tuesday’s Congressional address and Monday’s speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) conference—come against the backdrop of U.S.-Israel disagreements on both protocol and policy. The White House and some Democratic legislators have opposed Netanyahu’s Congress speech on the grounds that House Speaker John Boehner did not consult President Obama about inviting the prime minister. At the same time, while the proposed Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act of 2015 would impose new sanctions on Iran if the country does not reach a political framework agreement in its nuclear talks with the P5+1 powers by March 24, Obama has vowed to veto any new sanctions legislation that passes in Congress.

During his speech to AIPAC, Netanyahu declared that reports of the demise of the U.S.-Israel alliance are premature and wrong, and that the two countries “must always remember that we are family.” At the start of his remarks to Congress on Tuesday, the prime minister struck a similar tone, saying that the “remarkable alliance” between the U.S. and Israel “has always been above politics, and must always remain above politics.”

Netanyahu praised Obama for the support the president has provided Israel in areas such as security cooperation, intelligence sharing, and standing up for Israel at the United Nations. He also thanked Obama for assistance in lesserknown areas, such as U.S. support for Israel during natural disasters and during the siege on Israel’s embassy in Cairo in 2011.

South Shore Rep. Kathleen Rice applauds Prime Minister Netanyahu during his speech on Tuesday in Congress.

C-Span screen grab

“In each of those moments, I called the president and he was there,” Netanyahu said.

The Israeli leader thanked Congress for its support for Israel, including the funding of the highly successful Iron Dome missile defense system.

“This capital dome helped build our Iron Dome,” Netanyahu said.

Moving to the topic of Iran, Netanyahu drew a parallel between the upcoming Jewish holiday of Purim—which commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia—and the modern-day Iranian threat.

“Today the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian” leader to “destroy the Jewish people,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister said Iran is seeking to take over the Middle East, dominating four capitals in the region—Bagh-

dad (Iraq), Damascus (Syria), Beirut (Lebanon), and Sana’a (Yemen)—and exporting its brand of jihad across the world.

While Netanyahu noted that the Iranian people are “very talented,” he said that in 1979, the country was hijacked by “religious zealots”—a reference to the Iranian Revolution of that year, under Ayatollah Khomeini.

“America’s founding document promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Iran’s founding document pledges death, tyranny, and the pursuit of jihad,” Netanyahu said.

He also took aim at Iran’s current president, Hassan Rouhani, who has been touted by some as being a moderate compared to his Holocaust-denying predecessor, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The Iranian regime is “as radical as ever,” Netanyahu declared, saying that the country’s ideology is rooted in militant Islam.

Netanyahu cautioned against seeing Iran as an ally in the fight against the Islamic State, a Sunni Muslim terrorist organization that has conquered large swaths of Syria and Iraq and has been battling Iranian-backed Shi’a Muslim terror groups such as Hezbollah.

“The battle of Iran against ISIS (Islamic State) doesn’t turn Iran into a friend,” Netanyahu said. “When it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.”

Addressing reports that the U.S. has cut off intelligence sharing with Israel on the nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 powers, Netanyahu highlighted two major aspects of the emerging deal with Iran that he said are already “public record.”

Netanyahu said the ability for Iran to retain its nuclear infrastructure in a deal is “dangerous” and could lead to a quick nuclear breakout capability. Secondly, he warned against the proposed lifting of restrictions on Iran 10 years after an agreement is signed.

“Not a single nuclear facility would be demolished,” Netanyahu said, saying that nuclear breakout time under the proposed terms of the deal could be less than a year, according to U.S. assessments. In a decade—what Netanyahu called “a blink of an eye”—Iran could produce “many, many nuclear bombs.”

Towards the end of his address, Netanyahu laid out three Continued on page 15

755813

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

2

Power calls Israel link unbreakable

Tbe Jewish Star Staff Prime Minister Netanyahu touted a U.S.-Israel alliance that “is stronger than ever,” at Monday’s AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington.

One day ahead of his address to a joint session of Congress, Netanyahu said President Obama was a steadfast ally of Israel, and that disagreement over Iran — as crucial as it is — should not mask that fact.

“My speech [to Congress] is not intended to show any disrespect to the President or the office that he holds. I have great respect for both,” Netanyahu told 16,000 AIPAC delegates.

“Reports of the demise of the U.S.-Israeli relationship are not only premature, they are wrong,” he said.

He said that both the U.S. and Israel were opposed to allowing Iran to reach the ability to quickly manufacture and deploy nuclear weapons, but that the issue was an existential one for the Israelis.

“American leaders worry about the security of their country, Israeli leaders worry about the survival of their country,” he said.

A bad deal with Iran “can threaten the survival of Israel,” the Prime Minister said. “Iran vows to eradicate the state of Israel. We must not let that happen.”

Netanyahu brought “greetings from Jerusalem, our eternal undivided capital,” and described how “in a dark and savage Middle East, Israel is a beacon of light and hope.”

—Ed Weintrob

The Jewish Star Staff Declaring that “attacks on Israel’s legitimacy are biased, they are ugly, and the U.S. will not rest until they stop,” Samantha Power told AIPAC’s policy conference on Monday that “the stakes are too high” for partisan discord to interfere with American support for the Jewish state.

Power, the Permanent U.S. Representative to the United Nations, sought to deflect tensions over Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday, rejecting the notion that Netanuahu’s talk — arranged by Republican House Speaker John Boehner without White House involvement — had opened a serious partisan divide that threatened America’s support for Israel.

She said America’s “bedrock commitment” to Israel is “rooted in shared fundamental values … should never be politicized and will never be broken.

“There will never be a sunset to America’s commitment to the security of Israel,” she said.

“The bond between the U.S. and israel is a national commitment. We cannot and will not lose sight of that.”

Regarding the threatened nuclear-weaponization of Iran — the subject of Netanyahu’s Congressional visit — Power told AIPAC’s 16,000 delegates, “The United States of America will not allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, period.”

—Ed Weintrob

Czech Republic President Milos Zeman speaks at AIPAC on Monday in Washington.

Czech prez urges fight against Islamic terror

By Ed Weintrob The president of the Czech Republic, Miloš Zeman, recalled on Monday that the attempt to reestablish an Islamic Caliphate should not be discounted as unachievable insanity.

“Adolf Hitler was also a madman, but [within 10 years of becoming Chancellor] he occupied almost all of Europe.”

Zeman proposed “a systematic and coordinated fight against Islamic terrorism.”

“There is a growing wave of so-called international terrorism, but I always say Islamic terrorism,” he added.

Zeman told 16,000 delegates at AIPAC’s policy conference in Washington that the Czech Re-

public was Israel’s best friend in Europe, with a common cause that stretches back many years.

Like Israel, the Czechs were “surrounded by enemies, by dictatorships — it wasn’t only Hitler in Germany,” he said.

With the Czech Republic an island of democracy in central Europe and Israel an island of democracy in the Middle East, “there must be solidarity between those islands against the oceans of dictatorships,” he said.

“We know the phrase, ‘Ich bin ein Berliner’ (“I am a Berliner”),” Zeman recalled. Now, in the wake of the anti-Semitic tide sweeping Europe, he said that “we must all say, ‘I am a Jew’.”

After a pause, he added, “Ani Yehudi.”

FREE C O R DFLREES E S LIFT COR DLESS LIFT LIMITED TIME ONLY MARCH 1 – APRIL 30 LIMITED TIME ONLY MARCH 1 – a APRIL 30 product For a limited time, receive free premium upgrade on a variety of quality Graber products.

When you purchase Graber Cellular, Pleated, For a limited time, receive a free premium product Roman, or Natural Shades; or Wood, Faux, or upgrade on a variety of quality Graber products.

Composite Blinds, you’ll be upgraded to our When you purchase Graber Cellular, Pleated, beneficial cordless lift option at no cost.

Roman, or Natural Shades; or Wood, Faux, or Composite Blinds, you’ll be upgraded to our beneficial cordless lift option at no cost.

DistinctiveWindowFashions.com Serving the 5 Towns & Surrounding Areas

756775

Lenny Koegel • 516-594-6010

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

At AIPAC, Bibi touts U.S. alliance

3

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

4

This book can help make order out of our Seders AlAn JAy Gerber Kosher BooKworm

I

t is that time of the year. With the sound of the gragger still fresh in our ears we now contemplate the next Jewish holiday, Pesach, with all its rituals and, of course, the foods of holiday distinction.

At the ritual centerpiece of this festival is the Haggadah, the literary work almost as old as the Mishnah itself — and that is old. Yet each year we witness a spree of new commentaries on an ancient text that commemorates the most memorable of historical events, the Exodus.

This year is no different, as we note this week the publication of an interesting and most literate Haggadah commentary, “The Haggadah Experience” (Mosaica Press) by Rabbi Immanuel Bernstein which draws its commentary from a wide range of sources. It’s goal is to further enhance our understanding and provide a broader insight into the events of the Exodus and its sacred and practical meaning for us today.

In an email interview with this writer, in answer to my main question, “Why Another Haggadah?” Rabbi Bernstein delivered a tour de force response that deserves your reading it in full.

“Over the years within the context of prePesach shiurim I have had occasion to see a great many commentaries on the Haggadah.

The classics are classics, but with many of the more recent ones, I felt that the focus of the commentary was not what Seder night is meant to be about.

“There are many ways to approach words of Torah — and within the context of learning Torah there is room for all of them.

Yet for the Seder night the goal is to tap into the meaning of our experience in Egypt — both the slavery and the Exodus — to re-experirnce Yetziat Mitzrayim with a view to reinvigorating our connection to Judaism, and one should focus on the elements of the Haggadah which are conducive to that.

“This is what guided my selection, drawn from a wide variety of sources, for what would constitute the commentary.’’

This work contains 267 footnotes that give the sources or clarifications to commentary, context and text. This resource will surely help assist both the Seder leader as well as the eager

participant to further expand their knowledge of the basic text from both the historical side and origin and purpose of ritual.

For your further edification, this work features five lucid and learned essays referencing the various themes of the Seder ritual. They should be read in the weeks prior to the festi-

val so as to provide one with the breath of time to comprehend Rabbi Bernstein’s motive and purpose. This same suggestion also applies to other sections of this commentary, thus avoiding a last minute rush that would make difficult the proper use of the commentary.

As an aside, Rabbi Bernstein informs us of the upcoming publication this summer of a new work, “Sages, Stories, and Secrets,” which he said “takes 18 fundamental areas of Judaism and illuminates them through the medium of aggada and its commentaries, giving the reader a deeper appreciation of those fundamentals, as well as of aggadah.”

Finally, Rabbi Bernstein reminds us concerning his new Haggadah that “this Haggadah aims to give a balanced amount of commentary throughout, with something on everything, but not too much on any one thing, which allows it to be used at the Seder itself.”

In the next weeks, I plan to bring to your attention other Haggadas including one entitled, “Seder Savy,” by Knesset member Rabbi Dov Lipman. Given the high tension we as Jews live under today, you will be most interested in his take on “Mitchilah: Martyrdom” and “V’hi She’amdah: Suffering and Tragedy.”

Both of these essays should bring world events into a better focus and truly spiritual perspective and enhance your understanding of all that is swirling around us today.

Jews push back as bDS gains traction at colleges

By Rachel Zoll, AP The lecture hall had filled quickly. Several students wore keffiyehs, the traditional Palestinian headscarves, while another sat draped in the Israeli flag.

It was time for a ritual that has become increasingly commonplace on many American college campuses: A student government body, in this case at the University of California, Davis, would take up Israeli policy toward the Palestinians, and decide whether to demand their school divest from companies that work with the Jewish state.

In the United States, Israel’s closest ally, the decade-old boycott-divestment-sanctions movement, or BDS, is making its strongest inroads by far on college campuses. No U.S. school has sold off stock and none is expected to do so anytime soon. Still, the current academic year is seeing an increasing number of divestment drives on campus. Since January alone, student governments at four universities have taken divestment votes.

While the campaigns unfold around resolutions largely proposed by chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, outside groups have become increasingly involved — from American Muslims for Palestine and the Quakers’ American Friends Service Committee, on one side, to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, on the other. At some campuses, candidates for student government are being asked their views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The heated rhetoric has led to claims of anti-Semitism and of infringement on free speech.

“I don’t think anyone is surprised when they hear a BDS movement is coming,” said Ira Stup, a 2009 Columbia University graduate and former director of J Street U, the college arm of the lobby J Street, which says it opposes BDS. “It’s becoming a regular occurrence.”

“It’s creating a debate. It’s creating a significant amount of conversation in the entire community and it’s set on the terms the activists want it to be set on,” said Rahim Kurwa, a doctoral candidate and member of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California, Los Angeles.

BDS advocates say the movement, which

ing in a country that the U.S. government said was committing genocide.

Still, the campaigns have succeeded in challenging students to reconsider their views of Palestinians.

Nowhere is the impact more evident than the University of California system. Student governments at five of the 10 UC campuses have voted for divestment. Two more, Santa Cruz and Davis, did the same, but the votes were thrown out over proBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions rally in Australia. Mohamed Ouda via Wiki Commons cedural issues. Since December, divestment also won the backing of the grew from a 2005 international call from Palestinian groups, is based on the campaign labor union representing thousands of teaching against South African apartheid decades ago. assistants and other workers for the entire UC But supporters of Israel say that boycotting system, UAW2865, and the University of Calithe country is no way to make peace, espe- fornia Students Association, which represents cially since many BDS supporters do not dif- student government bodies statewide.

“The movement is getting more and more ferentiate between protesting Jewish settlements on occupied lands or Israel as a whole. organized. They’re learning from their own In the U.S., activists have pressed for boy- best practices,” said Roz Rothstein, chief cotts of Israeli products and cultural events, executive and co-founder of the Californiaand divestment by churches and others. None based group Stand With Us, which helps train of these efforts has gained as much momen- students to defend the Jewish state. “The strategy is being shared across campuses.” tum as the campus divestment movement.

Meanwhile, every major American Jewish College activists organize lectures and workshops on Israeli policy and Palestinian group has in some way put resources into counhistory, while staging protests that include tering the college divestment movement and mock Israeli military checkpoints, or a mock the uptick in anti-Israel activity. These include West Bank separation barrier that activists the Israel on Campus Coalition, Stand With Us, call an “Israel apartheid wall.” Pro-Israel CAMERA on Campus, The David Project and groups counter with their own demonstra- AIPAC. Among the newer groups is the Califortions and events. When student governments nia-based AMCHA Initiative, which aggressiveprepare to vote, the hearings can last for ly watches for anti-Semitism on campus.

According to Cary Nelson, a retired Engdays, drawing campuswide attention.

Only a few dozen student governments lish professor at the University of Illinois, Urhave cast ballots on divestment proposals bana-Champaign, and co-editor of the book, since 2012. University boards — not student “The Case Against Academic Boycotts of Isgovernments — oversee investments, and rael,” the fight over Israel is not playing out trustees have widely rejected divestment. The strictly as Jew versus Muslim, or Jew versus University of California Board of Regents said Arab, even though members of each group they would only divest from companies work- play prominent roles. The BDS movement in

the U.S., he said, is emerging “from the heart of the American left.”

Advocates for Palestinians have linked divestment to social justice movements against racism, militarization and globalization that are important to many college students.

United Students Against Sweatshops, which focuses on labor rights, endorsed National Students for Justice in Palestine. In 2013, the council of the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association endorsed a boycott of Israeli academic institutions. Campus divestment advocates often come to student government hearings with the backing of student associations for blacks, South Asians, Mexican-Americans, gays and others.

“Drawing these connections cross-struggle has been huge for our movement,” said Tory Smith, a 2012 Earlham College graduate and member of National Students for Justice in Palestine.

The increased activism has spread alarm about anti-Semitism on campus. After the divestment hearing last month at UC Davis, the school’s Jewish fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi was defaced with swastikas. Fraternity leaders said they believed they had been targeted over their support for Israel. At Temple University last year, a Jewish student was slapped by another student at a booth for Students for Justice in Palestine. After University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, junior Daniel Pearlman spoke last year against an ultimately unsuccessful divestment proposal, he said he was “terrified” by ugly name-calling on Twitter and Facebook and comments that he said left Jewish students feeling targeted — “They mentioned genocide, apartheid, ethnic cleansing.”

In 2010, at the urging of 13 leading Jewish groups, Education Secretary Arne Duncan extended protection to Jewish students under the Title VI civil rights law. So far, no violations have been found, a department spokesman said.

Rothstein, of Stand With Us, said Palestinian advocates arrive at school each year “prepared to go on the attack,” so her organization will be expanding to counter them.

“We’re trying to grow and scale up,” she said, “as fast as we can.”

By Maayan Jaffe, JNS.org A new brand of bottled water recently hit grocery store shelves, and its tagline is reminiscent of the 1965 catchphrase for Hebrew National hot dogs, “We answer to a higher authority.” Fifty years later, Clearly Kosher says its water is “Better than perfect.”

What might not be so clear, however, is why water would need to brand itself as “kosher.” Naturally, Clearly Kosher owner Angela Frieders has an answer.

“We are all G-d’s people, and we really just want to bring the health benefits and awareness of kosher to all people,” says Frieders, who lives in the Chicago area and created the new brand with partner Dar Feldott.

When Frieders embarked on a mission to understand the value of something being kosher, she found that non-kosher items could contain unknown ingredients, such as carmine (also called crimson lake), which is made from the crushed bodies of cochineal beetles.

“It was like, ‘Wow!’” Frieders says. “It was appalling to us that something like that would be allowed.”

Clearly Kosher is certified by the Orthodox Union (OU), whose circled-U symbol is a fixture on kosher products. But for those seeking to observe Jewish dietary laws, does water require a hechsher (kosher certification) to begin with?

“It is all marketing,” says Dr. Avrom Pollak, president of the Star-K kosher certifier.

Pollak explains, “Most people who buy kosher are not necessarily people who care about kosher or eat kosher all the time. There is a perception among consumers in general that when something is kosher certified, it is enhanced—that may or may not be true.”

Rabbi Moshe Elefant, chief operating officer of the OU’s Kashrut Department, expressed a similar sentiment.

He says that when his organization is approached by companies whose products would not inherently need a hechsher, the OU’s kosher certification team tells the companies that the certification is not necessary to pursue. But if a company still wants certification and the OU agrees to take on the project, the OU will visit its production plant on an unannounced and regular basis and provide oversight.

“Many consumers like that the [company’s] plant is being seen by a separate set of eyes that doesn’t get paid by the company directly,” Elefant says.

Elefant says that products sometimes request kosher certification because that will make Orthodox Jews more likely to buy them. Then, there are rare occasions when even products that are assumed to be kosher—without certification—can experience challenges if they are not rabbinically supervised.

“Many years ago, one of our senior field people from Chicago went into a facility that bottles water and discovered that they pasteurize all the water before bottling it,” says Elefant. “They were pasteurizing it on the same machine they use for milk. That makes all the water dairy. It’s not the case that all water is or could be dairy, but if someone wants to be 100 percent sure, buy bottled water with a hechsher.”

Grow your business!

When it comes to the kosher industry, nothing is as simple as it seems, says the Star-K’s Pollak. He says there are many unexpected products that need a hechsher, such as lubricants.

“If lubricants have food contact, then they most likely need kosher certification,” says Pollak.

Earlier this month, the VaadKC kosher certifier in Kansas City disseminated an email educating the community about locally distributed products that the average observant Jew might not know require kosher symbols.

“The VaadKC supervises production by CK Enterprises of a number of cleaning products used in the food manufacturing industry,” reads the email.

“While these are not products you would look for or find on a grocery shelf, these specialty items play an important role in ensuring kosher… from beginning to end in the food-production process.”

The email goes on to explain that when it comes to rotisserie or other cooked chicken, not only does the chicken itself need to be kosher, but its packaging also does. A VaadKC partnership with Robbie, producer of the Hot N Handy Pouch, guarantees the chicken is kosher—inside and out.

The Star-K is actively involved in certifying electronic appliances, though this certification is less about kosher consumption and more about approving the appliances’ usage for observant families on Shabbat and Jewish holidays.

“Appliances have become so complicated

that they have become very unfriendly to Orthodox Jewish households,” Pollak says.

Star-K engineers work with many major appliance manufacturers to ensure that these items remain user-friendly for observant homes, and the Star-K offers its certification to appliances that do not break the rules of Shabbat.

“If every time you open your oven a light goes on, that won’t work,” says Pollak. “We cannot have your oven shut off after 12 hours or not stop beeping if you don’t push a button. … If every time you open your refrigerator door a fan goes on or there is some kind of device counting how many times you open the door and at a certain number it activates a defrost cycle, that is also problematic.”

Pollak notes that companies are generally accommodating on the issues because research indicates Jewish households buy more—and more expensive—appliances than the average household.

Is there anything that the OU or Star-K won’t certify? Both organizations say yes.

Pollak says the Star-K is careful to only give certification to items that will come into contact with food. For example, the Star-K has turned down floor cleaner manufacturers, but will give certification to companies that make dish soap or spray cleaner for kitchen counters.

The OU, meanwhile, says it will only give certification to foods that are meant for human consumption.

“We get all sorts of requests for pet food,” says Elefant. “We say no. As far as I am concerned, there is no difference between a Jewish dog and a non-Jewish dog.”

Maayan Jaffe is a freelance writer. Follow her on Twitter, @MaayanJaffe.

A Dedicated Husband, Father and Physician Who Serves the Jewish Community Unconditionally Is In Urgent Need of A

Put your message in the newspaper of Long Island’s Orthodox communities

KIDNEY DONOR Blood Type O

(either Positive or Negative)

Please contact RENEWAL At (718) 431-9831 with any inquiries

Call Celia Weintrob today and be a part of something big!

755557

757678

917-723-4500 • JewishStarNY@gmail.com

Please indicate that you are calling about RECIPIENT #793

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

If water doesn’t need certification, why the symbol?

5

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

6

ESTABLISHED 2002

The Jewish sTar The weekly newspaper of Long Island’s Orthodox communities

TheJewishStar.com

Proudly produced and printed on Long Island by The Jewish Star LLC 2 Endo Blvd, Garden City NY 11530 516-622-7461

Publisher and Editor … Ed Weintrob

EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com • 718-908-5555

Ad Sales … Celia Weintrob

JewishStarNY@gmail.com • 917-723-4500

Ad Sales… Moshe Rieder

MRieder@TheJewishStar.com • 516-622-7461 x290

Send us your news:

Newsroom@TheJewishStar.com

Tell us about your events: Calendar@TheJewishStar.com

Contributing writers: Rabbi Avi Billet, Jeff Dunetz, Rabbi Binny Freedman, Alan Jay Gerber, Judy Joszef.

Editorial Designer: Stacey Simmons.

Photo Editor: Christina Daly.

Kashrut: The Jewish Star is not responsible for the kashrut of any product or establishment featured in the Jewish Star.

Submissions: All submissions become the property of The Jewish Star and may be edited and used by the Publisher, its licensees and affiliates, in print, on the web, or in any media in any form, including derivative works, without additional authorization or compensation, throughout the world in perpetuity. The individual or entity submitting material affirms that it holds the copyright or otherwise has the right to authorize its use in accordance with The Jewish Star’s terms for Submissions.

Distribution: The Jewish Star is available free in kosher food establishments, stores, synagogues, and street-side news boxes in Nassau County and New York City. To request delivery to your location, write EWeintrob@ TheJewishStar.com.

Subscriptions: One year by Standard Mail $48 to Long Island, New York and New Jersey, $72 elsewhere in U.S. One year by First Class Mail $150 prepaid anywhere in U.S..

Opinions expressed are those of their authors and do not necessarily represent views of The Jewish Star or its staff.

This newspaper contains words of Torah; please dispose of properly.

Copyright 2015 The Jewish Star LLC.

How are we doing? Let us know!

EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com Vol 14, No. 10

Friday March 6 • 15 Adar 5775

Ki Tisa

Friday March 6, 2015 Candlelighting 5:33 pm Shabbat ends 6:45 pm

Bibi nails fundamental problem Delivers a needed reminder: Iran’s regime is just plain evil BEn CoHEn Viewpoint

I

was disappointed with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference this year. I felt that it was bland, packed with tired talking points, lacking in strategic direction, and generally uninspiring.

Not so with his speech to Congress the following day, which was a barnstormer.

In its immediate aftermath, there were the standard idiocies in response, but that was to be expected. One that caught my eye was the utterance of CNN’s Gloria Borger that Netanyahu’s reference to the Holocaust was “electioneering.” Another came from House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, who declared, “I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech, saddened by the insult to the intelligence of the United States”—a statement that itself insults the intelligence of the U.S., because if Bibi demonstrated anything, it’s that he respects and loves America, and he doesn’t want an error of historic proportions over Iran to drive a wedge through this country’s relationship with Israel.

What Netanyahu proved definitively in Congress, which he didn’t do at the AIPAC meeting, is that the current deal that the Obama administration is so keen to cut with Iran will result in the world’s principal sponsor of terrorism, and the main strategic threat to the entire Middle East, weaponizing its nuclear program. Iran is, as Netanyahu put it, “a dark and brutal dictatorship”—and no more of these regimes should ever possess weapons of mass destruction. (I say “no more” because North Korea—in part because of American diplomatic ineptitude— already has nuclear weapons.)

What’s striking is that Netanyahu had to remind us of the nature of the Iranian regime in the first place. One of the problems with the current public discourse around Iran in this country is the tendency to normalize the regime, and to elide or ignore its fundamental violations of basic human rights.

Iran even has its apologists, like the leftwing Jewish pundit Peter Beinart, who outright lied in a column for The Atlantic with this claim that, “Iran isn’t doing truly reckless things like

invading a Saudi ally in the Persian Gulf or launching chemical or biological weapons at Israel.” Really? Iran now controls Yemen and, to an ever-greater extent, Iraq. It is the main sponsor of Hezbollah. And it is the primary reason that the Assad regime in Syria, which has used chemical and biological weapons against its own populace, remains in power.

Now, I realize that for those like Beinart and his ilk, who believe that the only human rights that matter are those of the Palestinians, arguments like those advanced by Netanyahu in Congress will never shake their predispositions.

But for the rest of us—the vast majority—the reminder that Iran’s regime is fundamentally evil, in the same manner that Saddam Hussein’s regime was evil and the North Korean regime remains evil, is a welcome counterbalance to the myth of moderation pushed by the White House.

On a philosophical level, Netanyahu also underlined that the notion of trust in international relations does not have a one-size-fits-all meaning. Light years separate the trust that defines American relations with Canada from American relations with Iran. In our bilateral relations with Canada, we begin from an assumption of trust, whereas with Iran, we begin—or, at least, we used to—from an assumption of deep, empirically verifiable suspicion that stretches all the way back to 1979, when the newly established Islamist regime’s thugs seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. here were two other strategic points made by Netanyahu that are worth highlighting.

The first concerns the current fight against the terrorists of Islamic State and how that impacts negotiations with Iran.

As Netanyahu put it, in this particular section of the Middle East, “my enemy’s enemy is my enemy.”

The strikes against Islamic State reluctantly launched by the Obama administration, after thousands of Christians and Yazidis had already been massacred or

enslaved, should not mean a de facto alliance with Iran, and should not encourage the belief that a region dominated by Iran is preferable to a region dominated by Sunni jihadis. A foundational worldview stretches across sectarian and theological divides: hatred of America, hatred of Israel, and the conviction that Jewish power is the ultimate enemy is what connects the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood with the Shi’a Basij militia, regardless of whatever else separates them.

The second point is that Netanyahu did not come to the U.S. with a call to wage war on Iran. In fact, you might even argue that what was historic about his speech was that we saw an Israeli leader calling for a negotiated deal with Iran; just not the one that is currently on the table. And this would be a deal that would compel the Iranians to stick by their declared objective of having a nuclear program for civilian purposes only.

What that means is proper and unfettered monitoring, the complete unveiling of further clandestine facilities, and appropriate measures to prevent a nuclear weapons breakout—whether now, 10 years from now, or a 100 years from now.

That is the only deal that makes sense for the Arab states, for Israel, for Europe, for the U.S., and for the West in general.

It is one that the Iranians are free to agree to. Yet even Obama is now starting to concede that such an outcome is unrealistic; as he told the Reuters news agency, “I would say that it is probably still more likely than not that Iran doesn’t get to ‘yes’,” adding revealingly that a deal two or three years from now is even less probable. (That suggests the president wants to leave office with a deal with Iran— any deal—as part of his legacy.)

If Obama’s instincts are correct, and we don’t reach a deal, then we will go back to a tough sanctions regime against Tehran. If that happens, our strategy should not simply be to isolate Iran. Those sanctions should be part of a package that will encourage and enable the Iranian people to repeat their heroism of 2009, by rising up against this hated regime and, this time, overthrowing it.

That would be the best deal of all.

netanyahu did not call for war on iran [but] for a negotiated deal — just not the one now on the table.

T

Jeff DuneTz politics to go

A

s Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stepped up to the congressional podium on Tuesday, it was in an environment of open warfare against the Jewish state by President Obama’s Democratic Party.

Make no mistake about it, this crisis between Israel and the Administration was created by the President and supported by the Democrats — those who boycotted the speech and those who remained silent.

This split serves the President’s goals, which are to ensure that Netanyahu loses the upcoming Israeli election, stopping the Jewish state from damaging his sellout to Iran, and driving a wedge between the American people and Israel so he can bully the Israel into an unfavorable deal with the Palestinians.

Speaking to the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Secretary of State John Kerry ridiculously contented that Netanyahu’s opinion on Iran can’t be trusted because as a private citizen in 2002 he testified before Congress in support of a war in Iraq. As Associated Press reporter Matt Lee pointed out the next day at a State Department press briefing, that same argument could be used against Kerry since, since Kerry voted for the war resolution.

If one reads Netanyahu’s 2002 congressional testimony at the House Government Reform Committee most of what he said came true. Netanyahu was wrong when he said Saddam had WMDs but almost every intelligence agency in the world said the same.

Bibi also predicted if Saddam was toppled, Qaddafi would give up his nukes (he did) and Iran would become destabilized (it was — remember the green revolution which President Obama refused to support even with a kind word). And he predicted the Arab Spring attempt at democratization of the region.

Netanyahu also explained the only way to win the war on terror, a method President Obama has long since forgotten.

“If I had to say what are the three principles of winning the war on terror, it is like what are the three principles of real estate: location, location, location. The three principles of winning the war on terror are the three Ws: winning, winning, winning.”

Depending on which source one believes, the deal President Obama is negotiating with Iran will allow the state sponsor of terrorism to keep between 5,000 and 6,500 centrifuges. Centrifuges are the machines used to enrich uranium for various purposes. A fact not being broadcast by the President, the Democrats, and the mainstream media is that even at the higher number of centrifuges (6,500), Iran would not have the capacity to produce enough uranium to run power plants but would have the capacity to enrich uranium to make nuclear bombs.

On Feb. 18, former deputy CIA director, Mike Morell, told Charlie Rose that the potential Iran nuclear agreement would limit Iran to the number of centrifuges needed for a weapon but too few for a nuclear power program.

“If you are going to have a nuclear weapons program, 5,000 is pretty much the number you need,” Morell, now a CBS analyst, said. “If you have a power program, you need a lot more. By limiting them to a small number of centrifuges, we are limiting them to the number you need for a weapon.”

That may seem counterintuitive, but enriching uranium to the 4 to 5 percent necessary for a nuclear power plant takes almost two-thirds of the effort it takes to enrich it to the 90 percent necessary for a nuclear weapon. And much more fuel is needed to run a

nuclear plant for fuel.

Morell told the Tampa Bay Times’ PunditFact that the number of centrifuges in place today is a hair over 20,000, and a likely goal is to cut that to about 5,000. The political factchecking website said that “Morell’s basic point struck us as just plain intriguing. We wanted to learn more about this idea that a nuclear power program would require many more centrifuges than you’d need for a bomb — which by extension means that limiting centrifuge capacity is just one negotiating point out of many.”

Georgetown University’s Matthew Kroenig told PunditFact that Morell “is absolutely correct.” As did Daryl Kimball of the Arms Control Association, David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security, and Matthew Bunn of Harvard.

“People think surely you must need a bigger enrichment system to make 90 percent enriched material for bombs than to make 4 to 5 percent enriched material for power reactors,” Bunn said. “But exactly the opposite is true.”

Here’s why, according to Bunn: First, you need tens of tons of material to fuel a power reactor for a year, but just tens of kilograms to make a bomb. According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, the threshold amount for a bomb is about 25 kilograms of the most highly enriched U-235.

So while it’s harder to make 90 percent enriched uranium (bomb) than 4 to 5 percent enriched uranium (power), it’s not that much harder according to Bunn.

“The toughest part in the process comes when you start with the raw uranium. By the time you’ve brought that to 4 to 5 percent, you’ve already done more than two-thirds of the work of going all the way to 90 percent U-235 for weapons,” Bunn said. “So the

This crisis between Israel and the Administration was created by the President and supported by the Democrats.

amount of work needed to make bomb material is only a modest amount more per kilogram, and the number of kilograms you need for bombs is 1,000 times less.”

This is why the 2006 U.N. resolution said Iran had to eliminate all of its centrifuges. After the 5+1 negotiations began, the word was Iran would be allowed to keep a token number of centrifuges so they can save face. But now, by most reports, the Obama administrations is looking to bring Iran down to a level where the President can look like a hero because he cut Iranian centrifuges back by 75 percent (using the 5,000 number). But what won’t be mentioned is that the 75 percent number precludes peaceful uses of the nuclear energy and only facilitates for the creation of a nuclear weapon.

Israel and the Obama administration have distinct objectives in the spat between the two governments. As mentioned above, the Presidents goals are ensuring that Netanyahu loses the upcoming election, stopping Israel from damaging the apparent sellout to Iran, and driving a wedge between the American people and Israel so he can bully the Jewish state into an unfavorable deal with the Palestinians.

Netanyahu’s goals are far less political: Preventing the eight-million Israelis from getting nuked into oblivion. Perhaps it is because Obama’s actions against Bibi are political he can’t see Netanyahu’s speech as having anything less than the same nefarious political intent.

It says in Vayikra 19:16, “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people; neither shalt thou stand idly by the blood of thy neighbor: I am Hashem.”

Each of the members of Congress who are boycotting the Netanyahu speech and each of the members who have “stood idly by” while the President undermines Israel — including New York’s Chuck Schumer, Steve Israel, Jerrold Nadler and Kirsten Gillibrand — may feel in their hearts they are pro-Israel, but with their lack of action the are being very anti-Israel. Their silence supports President Obama’s anti-Israel actions and maybe, without knowing it, they are supporting nothing less than the destruction of the Jewish state.

Terror is the forgotten issue in Iranian debate sTePhen M. flAToW “There was nothing new in it.” ith those six words, President Barack Obama tried to dismiss the significance of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to Congress on March 3.

But there was, in fact, something very new and very important in the speech—something which Mr. Obama understandably wants to keep out of the spotlight.

The forgotten issue in the negotiations with Iran is now back, front and center, thanks to the Israeli prime minister: Iran’s role as—in Netanyahu’s words—“the foremost sponsor of global terrorism.”

The Obama administration has kept the terrorism issue off the table throughout its talks with the Iranian regime. That is a terrible mistake.

Of course, my interest in Iran and terrorism is personal. Iran sponsored the Palestinian jihadists who carried out the 1995 bombing in which my daughter Alisa was murdered.

But my concern now is for every parent whose child could be the next victim of Iranianfinanced terrorism. Netanyahu briefly sketched

W

the incredibly extensive role of Tehran in terrorism around the world, past and present.

They “took dozens of Americans hostage in Tehran.” They “murdered hundreds of American soldiers, Marines, in Beirut.”

They were “responsible for killing and maiming thousands of American service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.”

“Beyond the Middle East, Iran attacks America and its allies through its global terror network,” the prime minister continued.

“It blew up the Jewish community center and the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. It helped Al-Qaeda bomb U.S. embassies in Africa. It even attempted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, right here in Washington, DC.” He pointed out that Hezbollah, in Lebanon, today is “Iran’s chief terrorist proxy.” He reminded us that the terrorists now seizing control of Yemen are tools of the Iranians.

He emphasized that “Iran’s goons in Gaza,” Hamas, continually plot to murder Israelis.

Justice alone requires that the Iranians be held accountable. Declaring Tehran “kosher” in a nuclear agreement, without doing anything about their terrorism, would be an outrageous miscarriage of justice. But more than that, the question of Iran and terrorism goes to the very heart of a nuclear deal.

The premise of an agreement on Iranian nuclear development is the claim that Iran’s leaders have become moderate and can be trusted to adhere to the agreement. If not,

The flag of the Hezbollah terrorist group. In his speech to Congress on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu described it as “Iran’s chief terrorist pr oxy.”

Wikimedia Commons

the agreement is worthless. Sponsoring terrorism against Americans, Israelis, and other innocents is not compatible with a supposedly “changed” Iranian attitude. Terrorism is a litmus test of Iranian trustworthiness.

Thus, Netanyahu pointed out that Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif, “the same Zarif who charms Western diplomats,” recently “laid a wreath at the grave of Imad Mughniyeh—

the terrorist mastermind who spilled more American blood than any other terrorist besides Osama bin Laden.”

Netanyahu said, “I’d like to see someone ask him (Zarif) a question about that.” But that’s the whole problem: Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry are not asking him about it.

They don’t want to know the answer‚because it might tear apart the facade of Iranian moderation they need to complete a deal.

The threat is real. If the Obama administration strikes a deal that does not address terrorism, lifting sanctions on an unreformed Iranian regime, then the regime will soon be financially strengthened in a very significant way. “Would Iran fund less terrorism when it has mountains of cash with which to fund more terrorism?”

Netanyahu asked. “Iran will become even more aggressive and sponsor even more terrorism when its economy is unshackled and it’s been given a clear path to the bomb.”

So yes, Mr. Obama, the prime minister did present a number of new things—including an issue that is “new” only because you have tried to bury it. Iranian-backed terrorism is a clear and present danger to America, its allies, and the entire Free World. It must be put on the table. There must be no agreement with Iran that does not put a stop to Iranian-backed terror once and for all.

Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in a Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

With Bibi in Congress, mute Dems stand idly by

7

Miracles last when people help them unfold

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

8

Rabbi binny FReedMan the heart of jerusalem

J

erusalem, 722 BCE: The mightiest army on the face of the earth has surrounded the city, bent on conquest and determined to put an end to the Jewish people once and for all.

Approximately 35,000 people, all that remain of the Jewish people after the destruction and conquest of the North and the exile of the ten tribes, are crowded inside the city walls as the Assyrian army lays siege.

The Assyrian general Saragon, also known as Sanhereb the destroyer, has never been defeated. He amassed the largest army the world has ever known: 185,000 men.

Hizkiahu, the Jewish king, has no army to speak of. It would seem that we are on the verge — 2,700 years ago — of a final solution to the Jewish people.

And then G-d performs a miracle. According to the book of Kings, on the first night of Passover, an Angel smites the Assyrian army and all 185,000 Assyrian soldiers die, saving the city of Jerusalem.

Yet this great miracle does not ultimately save the city, only delaying its eventual destruction by the Babylonians 150 years later.

Gush Etzion, 1948: The Jordanian legion, along with tens of thousands of Arab irregulars has surrounded the village of Kfar Etzion south of Jerusalem.

Fighting a pitched battle over three days, on May 14, the beleaguered defenders finally succumb to the Arab hordes, and Kfar Etzion falls, literally as the state of Israel is declared.

Only 4 of the 245 defenders survive — the rest are massacred, and the village of Kfar Etzion is completely destroyed.

For 19 years the town will lie empty, bereft of her children, until 1968, when,

after the re-conquest of the Etzion bloc in 1967, the children of those brave defenders will return and rebuild Kfar Etzion into the beautiful and thriving community it is today.

What hope is there for the future of Kfar Etzion and the rest of the land we have come home to after two millennium of dreaming, if the miracles of the prophets in the Bible did not last? here is a fascinating question in Ki Tisa, this week’s portion, that may shed light on this question.

After 40 days on Mount Sinai, Moses comes down off the mountain with the tablets of the law in his arms, only to discover the people engaged in an orgy of idolatry we have come to know as the sin of the golden calf. Apparently outraged at the sight of the Jewish people, not six weeks after receiving the Ten Commandments, worshipping an idol, Moses, in what seems to be a fit of rage, hurls the tablets off the mountain shattering them to pieces.

We will never again have such a holy possession.

Fashioned by no less than G-d himself, these tablets would seem to be the holiest object the world has ever seen. So how can Moshe destroy them? Especially in what seems to be a fit of rage?

In truth, a closer look at the story in the Torah suggests we might be missing a pretty important piece of it. In fact, G-d actually tells Moshe when he is still atop Mount Sinai that the people have sinned and are worshipping a golden calf! (Exodus 32;7-8 ) So Moshe cannot be shocked at the sight.

And if his intent is to destroy the tablets, why does he bother to carry them all

T

the way down the mountain? (32 15-16). In fact, it is actually when Moshe is descending the mountain with the tablets in hand (already knowing the people are worshipping a golden calf below) that the Torah describes them as fashioned by G-d — so how can Moshe take them down to destroy them? If indeed the people are simply not worthy of such a gift, why not leave them atop Mount Sinai?

Indeed, after destroying the golden calf and successfully gaining forgiveness for the Jewish people, Moshe will ascend the mountain again, this time fashioning a second set of tablets himself (34:1). And these tablets, fashioned by man, will remain intact, constituting the Torah we received at Sinai, while the seemingly more holy tablets, fashioned by G-d, will remain shattered forever.

A paradox, to say the least: why would the less holy tablets seem to be a better choice than the holiest tablets fashioned by G-d Himself?

Perhaps this is the real message behind Moshe’s shattering of the tablets of G-d.

Maybe the first tablets represent the initial experience at Sinai, the overwhelming, spectacular experience of G-d. The people are but passive receivers of the Torah, it is G-d who, as it were, comes down to man.

But such supernatural, miraculous experiences do not last. And ultimately, they do not change us.

When Elijah has his famous encounter with the prophets of Baal in the book of Kings, a great fire comes from the heavens and the entire Jewish people fall to their knees crying out, “G-d the true G-d,’ it does not last. The next day they are back to their

G-d will decide how history unfolds, but our job is to be active partners in seeing that dream become a reality.

idolatrous ways leading no less than Elijah the prophet to despair.

And when G-d splits the sea, vanquishing the entire Egyptian army and leading the Jewish people to a moment of mass prophecy in the Song of the Sea, there too it does not last. The very next day the Jews are back complaining about water.

But later, when the Jews fight Amalek and are victorious in battle, that actually does seem to last, and we do not see the Jews complain again until much later in the sin of the spies. ne wonders if the entire story of the Sinai experience along with the sin of the golden calf is designed to teach us that lasting change has to come from us.

If G-d is doing all the work, and there is no partnership on our part, we do not really change. Ultimately, we have to be our own agents for change.

Twenty-seven hundred years ago G-d performs a great miracle for the Jewish people, but it does not last because it was all G-d; real change has to come from within.

And so, in 1948, after 2,000 years of exile, the Jewish people finally answered the call and took an active role in shaping our destiny and that is what changed history.

It is the second tablets fashioned by Moshe that will ultimately become the lasting Torah.

And today, surrounded by enemies on every side, the message of those second tablets could not be clearer. Seventy years after the Holocaust we have been blessed with a country we can call our own with a Jewish army.

It is ultimately G-d who will decide how history unfolds, but our job is to be active partners in seeing that dream become a reality, every day.

And each of us must decide whether we remain spectators to the spectacle of Jewish destiny, or whether we become active participants in helping it unfold, each and every day.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem.

O

Ki Tisa reflects on the calling of self-sacrifice Rabbi avi billeT Parsha of the week

T

owards the beginning of Ki Tisa, the Torah gives us the first depictions of the Kiyor, the washbashin that was to be used by the Kohanim before they engaged in any Mishkan service. So important is the act of washing the hands and feet, that the verb rachatz (wash) appears in every one of the four verses that describe this vessel, and the warning of “and they will not die” (as long as they are sure to wash) appears twice.

Let’s address three questions. First, why such a severe warning and punishment of death for not rinsing one’s hands and feet?

Second, is there something to be learned from the overuse of the verb rachatz? Finally, why is the command for the Kiyor issued so far after all the other vessels of the Mishkan have been described? Was it an afterthought?

The Pesikta (Ki Tisa 30:21) summarizes the offenses that could bring about the Kohen’s death: doing the service while intoxicated, with a bare head, missing a garment, or not having washed hands and feet before doing the Mishkan service. The Mechilta answers our glaring question – this is a chok, a rule which defies logic; it comes from the

One Above, describing how He wants His Mishkan to operate.

There is a debate as to how many spigots the Kiyor had. Rabbi Chaim Paltiel noted that the root rachatz appears four times, indicating there were four spigots, enough for Aharon, Moshe and Aharon’s sons to wash at the same time (based on Shmot 40:31). Oddly enough, Aharon had four sons at this time. Are we to infer from this opinion that two of his sons were fated to die, even before they entered the Holy of Holies (Vayikra 10:2)?

Ibn Ezra records the opinion of the ancient Rabbis, that there were two spigots. If this approach is true, our question of the fate of Aharon’s sons can be voided.

The Seforno explains that this vessel was not an afterthought, but its purpose does not align with the spiritual purpose of every other vessel. Each vessel had an element of kedusha in its essence. Whether it just sat there (the Ark), or had a minimal function (the Table), was used daily (the Menorah), or more often than once a day (the large and small mizbeach), there was an element of Holiness in the existence of these items that the Kiyor lacked. On the other hand, the Kiyor’s simple function set the stage

for all the holiness of the Mishkan to be carried out. It was the vessel which provided the water through which the kohanim could wash their hands to perform the services of the day.

The Chizkuni noted the placement of the Kiyor, that it was outdoors, between the Mishkan building and the Mizbeach, so the Kohanim could walk to it, and be sure to wash their hands before commencing with their service of the day. Oddly enough, they have to pass the Mizbeach before getting to the Kiyor! Wouldn’t it have made more sense for the Kiyor to be the first thing they bump into?

Perhaps a deeper appreciation for the role of the Kiyor can be understood when we consider the materials used for making it.

The Torah tells us in Shmot 38:8 that the copper for the Kiyor was a conglomerate of mirrors which were used by women in Egypt, as Rashi there explains, to beautify themselves for their enslaved husbands, to ultimately bring about generations of Israelite children so the nation could survive.

It would seem the message of the Kiyor is much deeper than we could imagine. Because it is a reminder to the Kohen as he approached the copper-mirror-Kiyor that he, as

Sacrificing for others is one of the most incredible callings one can undertake.

a servant of the people and as an agent on their behalf in the service of G-d, is sacrificing his uniqueness, in a sense, in order to fill a role, and fulfill a purpose on behalf of the people. He needed to walk past the Mizbeach, to see the place where sacrifices are burned, to remember why he showed up for work today. Then he could properly prepare himself by washing his hands and feet.

The women in Egypt, at great sacrifice, did what they needed to do to assure the survival of the nation. Every individual who brings a sacrifice, who needs it to be offered properly by the Kohen is, in a sense, sacrificing oneself. The representing agents, the Kohanim, therefore, also needed to embrace the notion of self-sacrifice on a daily basis.

When one looks at oneself in the mirror, one has the opportunity to look deeply, and to ask “Who are you? What are you? Are you worthy of this job you have? Are you worthy to represent the people? Are you worthy to bring about atonement for others?”

Sacrificing for others is one of the most incredible callings a human being can undertake.

If the role is understood and that deep introspection is taken and internalized properly, like the Kohanim who washed their hands and feet and were ready to serve, may all those who sacrifice of themselves for the klal merit to serve in a manner that is clean, holy, and beneficial to all, in the service of G-d.

9 THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

MRI/PET: gy lo The Radio Answer r to Cance

This may be your most important S E L F I E .

• MRI/PET combines PET with multiple powerful MRI scans into one single 45 minute test.

• Reduces radiation by about 100 chest X-rays compared to PET/CT. • First outpatient unit in the United States. zprad.com 754235

- - - - - (516 631) Z W A N G E R

Trial set in killings at Kansas Jewish center

BY Heather Hollingsworth, AP OLATHE, Kan. — A white supremacist accused of gunning down three people at Jewish sites in Kansas will go on trial for capital murder, a judge ruled Tuesday.

District Judge Kelly Ryan decided sufficient evidence exists to try Frazier Glenn Miller, 74, of Aurora, Missouri, in the 2014 deaths at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City in Overland Park and a nearby Jewish retirement home.

Miller has said he felt a duty to kill Jews before his death, which he believed to be imminent because he suffers from emphysema. He is accused of killing Dr. William Lewis Corporon, 69, and his 14-year-old grandson, Reat Griffin Underwood, who were attending a singing contest audition at the Jewish Community Center.

He is also accused of killing Terri LaManno, 53, who was visiting her mother at the retirement home. None of the three was Jewish.

Prosecutors have said they plan to seek the death penalty if Miller is convicted.

Attorneys in the case are under a judge’s order not to comment, leaving it unclear how Miller’s defense will proceed at trial. His former attorney withdrew from the case in February.

Besides capital murder, Miller is charged with three counts of attempted first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault and one count of criminal discharge of a weapon at a structure.

Miller did not visibly react when the judge ruled.

Miller shouted “Heil Hitler” and asked how many Jews he had killed after he was arrested near the retirement home, Overland Park police Sgt. Marty C. Ingram testified Mon-

day. Another police officer, Charles Wimsatt, testified that Miller tried to recruit him to his cause, asking him if he was German.

As court adjourned Monday, Miller turned to LaManno’s family, apparently assuming they were Reat’s relatives, and apologized. “I very much regret the little boy,” he said, adding he thought Reat was 21 and Jewish. The family told Miller they didn’t accept the apology. They declined to be interviewed.

Miller, a Vietnam War veteran also known as Frazier Glenn Cross, founded the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan in his native North Carolina and later the White Patriot Party.

A judge scheduled Miller’s arraignment for March 27, honoring a request by Miller’s attorney to delay that court appearance so he can advise his client.

Deputy Johnson County Coroner Dr. Charles Glenn testified Tuesday that the three victims suffered devastating injuries when hit by gunfire.

He said Corporon died instantly after being shot from about 3 feet away but Reat, who was shot from 5 to 10 feet away, was still breathing as the gunman left the scene. LaManno, who was shot in the head and neck, likely lost consciousness immediately after being shot and her blood loss “would have been massive,” Glenn testified.

Andrea Reed, a crime scene investigator, testified that a 12-gauge shotgun and .38-caliber revolver were found in the front seat of Miller’s car.

In the trunk was a .30-caliber rifle with a jammed round and another 12-gauge shotgun, and ammunition. Another witness linked ammunition found at the crime scenes to Miller’s weapons.

757677

755810

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

10

Judy Joszef who’s in the kitchen

C

harles Dickens wrote, “It was the spring of Hope, the winter of despair.” I, myself, was hoping to have a spring of Hope, after a winter of despair — with my sports teams, that is.

My husband Jerry and I are avid sports fans. I’m a Miami Dolphin football fan and Jerry a huge Giants fan. Enough said. You all know how that turned out. Dismal.

Jerry, is fiercely devoted to his Giants, never missed a game, and if he had to, he would DVR it. And he would insist no one told him the score. And he would it watch it — all three miserable hours of it. When they were behind by more than 21 points with three minutes to go, he would still have hope. I had to hold myself back from shouting, “Jerry, it’s one o’clock, your team is 21 points behind, they stink, they lost — again — go to sleep. But I didn’t dare.”

Then after the game, he would pour over prospects that he Giants might draft for the next year in hopes of improving the team.

Me? Although I love my Dolphins, I don’t care that much about the future; I want to win now, today, this season!

So we endured the Giants, the Dolphins and, oh, let’s not forget the Knicks, but seriously, we should forget the Knicks, right?

So we were hoping for a successful baseball season, but it doesn’t look promising.

Braves and Yankees have descended from the head of the lion to the tail of the dog.

I had so much hope for my Braves.

Three of our best players signed long term lucrative contracts. But, unfortunately, they traded three of our other premier players in return for some prospects. I was horrified.

How could they? I loved those players. It was becoming obvious they were going to “rebuild” the team. You know what that means — the edge of darkness, agony and no ecstasy.

I can’t wait till they’re called to up to the big leagues. I want them now! Why can’t we buy a championship team the way the Yankees used to do. Key words “used to.”

They can’t even manage that now.

I know the Braves management wants to rebuild the team, so that when they move into their new stadium in 2017 they can hope to fill the house. In the meantime they forgot about me and my undying loyalty.

The most momentous news in the last few weeks is that B.J. Upton will now be known as Melvin Upton. Melvin immediately proceeded to injury himself and will miss the entire preseason. That might actually be good news, unless his name change is accompanied by semi-competent baseball skills this season.

If players can take greenies, steroids and other player-enhancing drugs, perhaps Jerry and I can take mood-enhancing sports viewing meds or 3D glasses which distort the travesty actually occurring on the field.

The worst news of all, by far, is that we are not front runners. We will continue to cheer our teams as opposed to cheering the more successful teams whoever they may be.

That’s the fate and destiny of a loyal sports fan. Not withstanding inept play, steroids, Arod, ludicrous pine tar incidents, ridiculous team-destroying trades and injury plagues, etc. we will incomprehensibly root root root for our teams and if they don’t win we feel Shaaaaaaame.

This matzoh ball recipe hits it out of the park.

Chicken Filled Matzoh BALLS

INGREDIENTS for matzoh ball batter: 6 tablespoons vegetable oil 4 large eggs, slightly beaten 1 and 1/2 cup Matzo Meal 12 tbs water water 2-1/2 teaspoon salt PREPARATION for matzoh ball mixture: Beat eggs; add oil and matzoh meal

Then salt. Blend together.

Add water and mix well Cover and chill in refrigerator.

INGREDIENTS for chicken filling: 2 medium onions finely chopped and sautéed in oil 1-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste, divided 1 pound ground dark meat chicken 1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped 3 eggs 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/4 to 1/2 cup matzo meal, as needed matzo meal batter (see above) PREPARATION for chicken filling: In a large mixing bowl combine chicken, onions, dill, eggs, pepper, and 1 teaspoon salt with your hands until mixture comes together. Add 1/4 cup matzo meal and mix with hands to combine. Continue adding matzo meal in tablespoon increments until you can form neat rolled balls in your hands. Careful not to over handle the mixture.

To make sure mixture has enough salt, you can take a small piece of e mixture and microwave for about 12 seconds, taste and add more salt if needed.

Wet hands with cold water and roll meatballs into 1-1/4 inch balls.

Wet hands hands again and pinch off a ping pong-ball sized portion of matzo ball batter. Press the batter into a flat pancake and place an uncooked chicken meatball inside. Pinch up the edges and roll the matzo ball in your hands until the chicken is fully contained inside matzo ball batter.

Cook matzo balls in a large pot of salted water on a simmer until matzo balls and chicken are fully cooked through, 30 to 40 minutes. Serve with chicken soup.

Trying to have a baby?

We can help!

Early Bird Dinner

At GENESIS, our mission is to help patients realize the dream of parenthood. We diagnose and treat all forms of infertility so couples can begin, or grow, their family.

Monday - Thursday 4-6 pm

3 course Meal Prix-Fixe $29

In recognition of the needs of Torah-observant couples, GENESIS offers on-site rabbinical supervision that meets the most stringent criteria of contemporary poskim.

Brasserie Halevi

Building Families Over 25 Years!

600 central Ave. Corner Maple

Fertility & Reproductive Medicine

Where Life Begins

®

(516) 216-4220 www.genesisfertility.com

Fine French inspired cuisine Private Party Room

cedarhurst • 516.218.2190 Mon.-Thurs. 4-10pm • Sun. 3-10pm Motzei Shabbat 7-10:30pm

757676

GENESIS

®

756551

1175 W. Broadway, Ste. 24 Hewlett, NY 11557

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

When it’s ‘play ball,’ might as well be matzoh balls

11

Hippos: Museum touts forgotten Bible wildlife

SHOP NASSAU COUNTY!

Why shop anywhere else?

Shopping in Nassau County helps improve our economy and create local jobs…

It helps revitalize our downtowns…

And it means more of our hard-earned dollars stay right here in Nassau County.

SHOP NASSAU COUNTY! NAS S AU C O U N C I L O F C H AM B E R S O F C O M M E R C E

NASSAU COUNTY INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

C O U NTY E XE C UTI V E

ED MANGANO

756810

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

12

By Orit Arfa, JNS.org At the recent official opening of the Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh, Israel, Rabbi Natan Slifkin—also known as the “Zoo Rabbi”—unveiled a huge skull, asking Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul and leading local rabbis to guess which animal the skull belongs to.

Slifkin gave some clues. It was mentioned in the Book of Job as a “behema.” It lives in swamps and eats grass.

“For a long time, nobody knew how to identify it, so instead of translating it, it was just translated as ‘behemoth’,” explained Slifkin, the museum’s founder. “That is how the word ‘behemoth’ entered the English language, to refer to a monstrous animal. But we can identify it.”

vultures, crocodiles, and hippos. These are not animals from the shtetls of Europe.”

But the animals that figure prominently in the Torah have largely been exiled or killed off. The last bear in Israel was seen in Nahal Ammud, in the Galilee region, in 1917.

Crocodiles lived in a place called “Nahal Taninim” (Crocodile Creek) until the early 20th century. Today, exactly four leopards walk the Negev desert.

Slifkin plans to put as many biblical animals as possible on interactive display at the museum, whether as live creatures in cages or taxidermy mounts. The taxidermied lion named “Simba” serves as the centerpiece, since the lion figures most prominently in biblical tales and allegories, with Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers) teaching, “Be bold as

Beit Shemesh Mayor Moshe Abutbul with a python at the opening the Biblical Museum of Natural History.

Rabbi Natan Slifkin unveils a hippo skull at the opening of the Biblical Museum of Natural His-tory in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Orit Arfa

The answer: a hippopotamus, an animal indigenous to the land of Israel.

“They were on the coast as far north as Zichron Yaakov, and one of our guides here has a hippo tusk that he found in the Kinneret,” Slifkin said.

The hippopotamus is just one example of an animal people associate more with African safaris than the land of Israel. During biblical times, the land was covered in dense forests, providing cover to a slew of creatures that these days Jews see only in zoos, the National Geographic channel, and Disney movies.

One of the goals of the new museum is to bring Jews back in touch with biblical wildlife. The land of Israel, located at the nexus of Europe, Asia, and Africa, actually occupies a very special place from a zoogeographic perspective, according to Slifkin.

“It’s our connection to historical Israel,” said Slifkin, wearing one of his signature animal-themed ties. The rabbi made aliyah with his family 20 years ago from Manchester, England, to emerge as one of the foremost experts on biblical zoology. His other lifelong “pet project”—“The Torah Encyclopedia of the Animal Kingdom”—will be launched in time for Passover.

“Every nation, every culture, has animals that are part of that culture—animals that appear in its cultural texts and traditions,” said Slifkin. “For the Native Americans, it’s the buffalo and wolf. For the Aboriginals of Australia, it’s the kangaroo and emu. … The people of Israel have lions, leopards, bears,

a leopard, light as an eagle, swift as a deer, and strong as a lion to do the will of your Father in Heaven.” Samson is recorded to have encountered lions a few miles from the new museum.

The bird section makes for an interactive discussion on kosher fowl. Animal skulls are used to demonstrate how kosher animals chew their cud. The reptile section seeks to identify which reptiles make up the eight sheratzim (crawling animals) that the Book of Leviticus mentions as imparting impurity upon their death. When guiding a tour, Slifkin lets children pet and hold the friendly reptiles, including the pythons.

Slifkin, a religious Zionist, has been a controversial figure within the haredi community, which banned his books reconciling modern science—such as the theory of evolution—with Torah. But he intends that the museum serve as a form of “animal therapy” for Jewish unity, as well as the first real tourist attraction in the largely religious city that the museum calls home.

“Beit Shemesh is a rapidly growing city with already 100,000 people, and we’re going to double in the next few years,” Slifkin said. “So, it’s short on cultural attractions.

But this is a unique institution. It’s biblical national history. It’s something that has tremendous appeal, but is little understood. And we see how people appreciate it when they come here and absolutely love it. No matter which stream they come from, whether it’s hasidic, dati (religious), secular, Jewish, or non-Jewish. Everyone just loves it.”

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

757683

13

Classifieds

WANTED

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

Vacation Rentals/Prop.

OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND. Best selection of affordable rentals. Full/ partial weeks. Call for FREE brochure. Open daily. Holiday Real Estate. 1-800-638-2102.

Online reservations: www.holidayoc.com

— the preeminent newspaper of Torah Jewry on Long Island — is looking for an experienced journalist to fill a full-time staff position. We cover local news that’s important to Long Island’s Jewish communities, as well as regional and international stories with local impact.

MERCHANDISE MART

Miscellaneous For Sale

Qualified candidates are invited to email a resume with clips to the editor, EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com

ACORN STAIRLIFTS. THE AFFORDABLE solution to your stairs! **Limited time -$250 Off Your Stairlift Purchase!** Buy Direct & SAVE. Please call 1-800-304-4489 for FREE DVD and brochure.

TAR S H S I W THE JE 70 years laterah, om

JewishStar.c

• The Vol 14, No. 5

• 10 Shevat

5775

Beshalach •

kly Published wee

PAPER THE NEWS

since 2002 •

GET CABLE TV, INTERNET & PHONE with FREE HD Equipment and install for under $3 a day! Call Now!855-752-8550

1

516-622-746

ISLAND’S OF LONG

ES

COMMUNITI ORTHODOX

Northern exposure

ers Sho World remembmain targets told Jews re

er Fighting on bord — Missiles

757666

2015 January 30,

GET THE BIG Deal from DirecTV! Act Now- $19.99/mo. Free 3-Months of HBO, starz, SHOWTIME & CINEMAXFREE GENIE HD/DVR Upgrade! 2014 NFL Sunday Ticket Included with Select Packages. New Customers Only IV Support Holdings LLCAn authorized DirecTV Dealer Some exclusions apply Call for details 1-800-897-4169

HUV SHEAR YASnese Hezbollah terďŹ red by Leback an Israeli military rorists stru Wednesday, killing two convoy on soldiers.

Benjamin NePrime Minister l would respond Israe tanyahu said to the attack, and the and “forcefully� ched aerial ah polaun tary mili ult on Hezboll ground assa ding at least 50 artilLQJ LQ UH FDQGOH OLJKW sitions, inclu according to Lebanese N\ OHIW EHIR Batsheva Kanievsky Archives KHYD .DQLHYV ekeeper lery shells 5HEEHW]LQ %DWV Spanish peac

ofďŹ cials. A the border are-up in %QHL %UDN was killed in non. southern Leba ck was its dead es since Hezbollah’s atta on Israeli forc liest assault . It followed a Jan. 18 a 2006 war buted to Israel that and ters airstrike attri ďŹ gh bollah killed six Hez ral. an Iranian gene its ďŹ ghters de- vehi DWK FDPS LQ Hezbollah said ka just WKH IRUPHU GH ber of Israeli num a into the push of their among ntrob yed 0D[ YLVLW G NDGGLVK QH[W WR WKH LQIDwski stro k \ VDL

By Celia Weien put a few coins or bills KHU KXVEDQG ed casualties Sokolo les, they thin for health LQGOHU DQGVHYHUDO RWKHU VXUYLYRUV WKHPS AP Photo/Czarek cles and caus s,â€? and that the attack As wom LYRU 5RVH 6FK Shabbos cand sing KH FD ZLWK “enemy rank out by a group calling lighting the who need a special bles ss the globe. $XVFKZLW] VXUY DQG 0RQGD\ 7RJHWKHU DERYH WKH HQWUDQFH WR W re befo ds ies acro 2VZLHFLP 3RO DFKW )UHL´ VLJQ KDQJLQJ was carried hteous martyrs of Qufamily and frienof Jews facing difďŹ cult magnify the power of PRXV Âł$UEHLW 0 itself the “rig or peace, and d (One Light) seeks to the ladies to tap into for ed brac ing tneitra.â€? ligh el has Ner Echa s 1,000 -fold, allow leadGera, AP n, g tzedakah and at the Ever since, Isra strike, beeďŹ ng up

By Vanessa KA, Poland — A Jewishthe Nasaid. “Once agai those blessing sisterhood that is givin the together s of back,� Lauder are afraid to wear BRZEZIN a response tonses and increasing suring candles a worldwide re 300 survivor s moment.

Tues- to come page 17 its air defe er stood befo rious death camp onprevent young Jewish boysstreets of Paris and Busame auspicioud was founded Continued on Ner Echa zis’ most noto d world leaders to rise of yarmulkes on thedon. Once again, Jewishn, os, on the agai once day and aske chwitz, warning of a y Euro- dapest and Lon this past Succof Rebbetzin And eted. another Aus that has made man streets, businesses are targ third yahrzeit ievsky of Bnei eeing Europe.â€? in which anti-Semitismfearful of walking the inent. Jewish families are Batsheva Kan husband, Rav ck in Paris, er superpean Jews ing many to ee the cont t RonThe recent atta Brak, by herievsky, shlita, an d in a kosh attack on kille e iden caus wer Kan s is Pres s im ly and Cha dead Congres on four Jew udic scholar, shooting World Jewish e his bleak assessment n of market, is not the ďŹ rst acclaimed Talmefforts of close s. Last May a ald Lauder madiversary of the liberatio and Jews in recent year at the Jewish Museum e through the ds, Rabbi Ernest the 70th annspeaking next to the gate last killed four peoplein 2012 a rabbi and thre ch family frien his son Yehuda.

Auschwitz, tracks that marked thepeople in Brussels and murdered in the Fren Rothman and the founding e oad ion wer railr mill a Many of orthe dren chil this new more than ijourney for Auschwitz-Birkenau. by the city of Toulouse. saw a spasm of anti-Sem a, supporters ofhail from the war in Gaz murdered at his speech was shaped Europe also ganization mer during theing violent and ce that tarHe said Five Towns. tism last sum , this uns turn t attacks in Fran By all accounts recent terrorisand newspaper satirists. hatred with protests in Pari ss the continent. betzin greetacro page 18 the ility on that ed host geted Jews r ght tinu assuming Rebeach day with othe thou Con “For a time, we lly been eradicated. But ed scores ted ďŹ na ect, leaving a of Jews had demonization of Jews star ÂŤ QRW VR cheer and resp tless hearts G RXW WR EH slowly the FHQWXU\ WXUQH LQ 6XIIRON WKH VQRZ mark upon coun page 10 V KRVH EOL]]DUG RI WKH Continued on OHVV $V DOZD\ZVNL QRWKLQJ OLNH W 7RZQV WKH )RU WKH )LYH JK DFFXPXODWLRQV ZHUH WR EH FOHDUHG QRQHWKH D 5]H 0RQLF

W KDG WKRX UKXUV K $O DJH

s Ner Echad drawen 5 Towns wom

Wanted

CASH for Coins! Buying ALL Gold & Silver.

Also Stamps & Paper Money, Entire ColH Estates. Travel to your home. Call lections, 0RUH RQ SDJ Marc in NY: 1-800-959-3419

SALES HELP

CASH FOR OLD Comics! Buying 10c and 12c comic books or MASSIVE quantities of after 1970 Also buying toys, sports, music and more! Call Brian: : 1-800-617-3551

WANTED ZHG <HV LW VQR

PXF YHQXH LQ &HGD QWXDOLW\ VHH S DORQJ &HQWUDO $HG SUHSDUH IRU DQ\ HYH $FKLH]HU KHOS

EMPLOYMENT

$5 0 OF FAY BI RT HD PA RTYIES BY 3/31 /15

n Indoors! re-Have Furactive Kids Gym â&#x20AC;˘ Inte Winter Is He 12 Yrs s 6 Months Age S AS ies L CL Birthday Part FR EE TR IA .com/woodmere FE RS â&#x20AC;˘ Awesome OF www.great play L 0 IA 50 005 EC -00 trial class* at & SP â&#x20AC;˘ (516) 341 Sign up for free â&#x20AC;˘ Woodmere

823 742

E IF HAVE PART SEE AD INSID

nue

d Ave 1012 Railroa

HELP WANTED!! MAKE up to $1000 A Week Mailing Brochures From Home!

Helping Home Workers since 2001! Genuine Opportunity! NO Experience Required! www.needmailers.com VOID IN WI

â&#x20AC;&#x201D; the preeminent newspaper of Torah Jewry on Long Island â&#x20AC;&#x201D; is looking for representatives to sell advertising and marketing opportunities to businesses and institutions in and around the Five Towns and throughout Long Island.

Janu

Published wee Beshalach â&#x20AC;˘

THE NE

Fighting

70rlyd ereamermsbelars tSheorah,

Wo ain targets told Jews rem

AUTO INSURANCE STARTING AT $25/ MONTH! Call 877-929-9397 DISH TV RETAILER. Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 800-278-1401 FREE $50 WALMART GIFT CARD & 3 FREE issues of YOUR FAVORITE MAGAZINES! To claim this free offer, Call 855-954-3224 FREE GOLD IRA KIT. With the demise of the dollar now is the time to invest in gold.

AAA Rated! For free consultation: 1-866-683-5664 FREE MEDICARE QUOTES! Get Covered and Save! Explore Top Medicare Supplement Insurance Plans For Free! It's Open Enrollment, So Call Now! 877-243-4705 GET CASH NOW for your Annuity or Structured Settlement. Top Dollars Paid.

Fast, No Hassle Service! 877-693-0934 (M-F 9:35am-7pm ET)

Education AIRLINE CAREERS START Here â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Get hands on training as FAA certified Technician fixing jets. Financial aid if qualified.

Call for free information Aviation Institute of Maintenance 1-877-818-0783 www.FixJets.com

Health & Fitness CANADA DRUG CENTER is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90% on all your medication needs. Call today 1-800-418-8975, for $10.00 off your first prescription and free shipping.

GOT KNEE PAIN? Back Pain? Shoulder Pain? Get a pain-relieving brace -little or NO cost to you. Medicare Patients Call Health Hotline Now! 1- 800-900-5406 PERSONAL TRAINER- FEMALE, Experienced, Certified. Customized one-on-one/ small group training sessions in privacy of in-home fitness studio. Rates/packages to suit your needs/ budget. (516) 971-3999 WHEELCHAIR AND SCOOTER Repair.

Medicare Accepted. Fast Friendly Service.

BBB Rated. Loaners Available. CALL 1-800-450-7709

Insurance

Privacy Hedges - FALL Blowout Sale 6ft Arborvitae (cedar) Reg $129 Now $59 Beautiful, Nursery Grown. FREE Installation/FREE delivery 518-536-1367 www.lowcosttrees.com Limited Supply!

SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY BENEFITS. Unable to work? Denied benefits?

We Can Help! WIN or Pay Nothing! Contact Bill Gordon & Associates at 1-800-706-8742 to start your application today!

PROBLEMS WITH THE IRS or State Taxes? Settle for a fraction of what you owe! Free face to face consultations with offices in your area. Call 855-970-2032

AUTOMOBILE & MARINE Autos Wanted

PROTECT YOUR HOME - ADT Authorized Dealer: Burglary, Fire, and Emergency Alerts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!

CALL TODAY, INSTALLED TOMORROW! 888-858-9457 (M-F 9am-9pm ET)

CARS/TRUCKS WANTED! TOP $$$$$ PAID! Running or Not, All Makes! Free Towing! We're Local! 7 Days/Week. Call 1-800-959-8518

SELL YOUR STRUCTURED settlement or annuity payments for CASH NOW. You don't have to wait for your future payments any longer! Call 1-800-283-3601

CASH FOR CARS! Any Make, Model or Year. We Pay MORE! Running or Not. Sell Your Car or Truck TODAY. Free Towing!

Instant Offer: 1-888-545-8647

One phone call, one order, one heck of a good price to run your ad in any state, or across the country.

Call the

USA Classified Network today!

1-800-231-6152

Business/Opportunities AVON- EARN EXTRA income with a new career! Sell from home, work,, online. $15 startup. For information call: 888-423-1792 (M-F 9-7 & Sat 9-1 Central)

SERVICES

iles HUV â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Miss SHEAR YASnese Hezbollah terďŹ red by Leback an Israeli military rorists stru Wednesday, killing two convoy on soldiers.

Benjamin NePrime Minister l would respond Israe tanyahu said to the attack, and the â&#x20AC;&#x153;forcefullyâ&#x20AC;? aerial and ched laun ah pomilitary ult on Hezboll ground assa ding at least 50 artilLQJ LQ UH FDQGOH OLJKW sitions, inclu according to Lebanese N\ OHIW EHIR Batsheva Kanievsky Archives KHYD .DQLHYV lery shells peacekeeper nish 5HEEHW]LQ %DWV Spa

ofďŹ cials. A the border ďŹ&#x201A;are-up in %QHL %UDN was killed in non.

Leba dead hern its sout ck was es since Hezbollahâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s atta on Israeli forc liest assault . It followed a Jan. 18 a 2006 war buted to Israel that and airstrike attri bollah ďŹ ghters killed six Hez ral. an Iranian gene its ďŹ ghters de- DWK FDPS LQ Hezbollah said of Israeli vehing ka just WKH IRUPHU GH ber num a into the push of their amo ntrob 0D[ YLVLW G NDGGLVK QH[W WR WKH LQIDwski stroyed \ VDL

By Celia Weien put a few coins or bills KHU KXVEDQG ed casualties Sokolo think LQGOHU DQGVHYHUDO RWKHU VXUYLYRUV WKHPS AP Photo/Czarek th cles and caus s,â&#x20AC;? and that the attack candles, they As wom LYRU 5RVH 6FK KH FD ZLWK the Shabbos a special blessing for heal â&#x20AC;&#x153;enemy rank out by a group calling $XVFKZLW] VXUY DQG 0RQGD\ 7RJHWKHU DERYH WKH HQWUDQFH WR W the globe. need before lighting friends who facing difďŹ culties across power of 2VZLHFLP 3RO DFKW )UHL´ VLJQ KDQJLQJ was carried hteous martyrs of Quand ily fam the s PRXV Âł$UEHLW 0 itself the â&#x20AC;&#x153;rig e, and of Jewe Light) seeks to magnify es to tap into peac or ladi for neitra.â&#x20AC;? el has braced , allowing thetzedakah and lightNer Echad (On leadGera, AP n, s 1,000 -fold g Ever since, Isra strike, beeďŹ ng up

By Vanessa KA, Poland â&#x20AC;&#x201D; A Jewishthe Nasaid. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Once agai those blessing sisterhood that is givin the together at the s of back,â&#x20AC;? Lauder are afraid to wear BRZEZIN a response tonses and increasing suring candles a worldwide re 300 survivor s moment.

Tues- to come page 17 its air defe er stood befo rious death camp onprevent young Jewish boysstreets of Paris and Busame auspicioud was founded Continued on Ner Echa zisâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; most noto d world leaders to rise of yarmulkes on thedon. Once again, Jewishn, on the os, a Succ aske agai Lon of and and day this past eted. And oncepe.â&#x20AC;?

Euro- dapest chwitz, warning of Rebbetzin another Aus that has made many streets, businesses are targ third yahrzeit ievsky of Bnei ďŹ&#x201A;eeing Euro in which anti-Semitismfearful of walking the inent. Jewish families are Batsheva Kan husband, Rav Paris, cont ws her supernt attack in

Home Improvement

s Ner Echad drawen 5 Towns wom

ADVERTISE YOUR PRODUCT or service nationwide or by region in over 7 million households in North America's best suburbs! Place your classified ad in over 570 suburban newspapers just like this one. Call us at 516-569-4000

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1-800-998-5574 H DJ S RQ H 0RU

Autos Wanted

Autos Wanted

DONATE YOUR CAR

729363

Northern exposonure border

tar.com

â&#x20AC;˘ TheJewishS

ES COMMUNITI ORTHODOX ISLANDâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OF LONG WSPAPER kly

5775 â&#x20AC;˘ 10 Shevat ary 30, 2015

STAR Vol 14, No. 5

1

516-622-746 since 2002 â&#x20AC;˘

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES

Miscellaneous

SALES & CUSTOMER SERVICE Screen Printing and Embroidery Company Expanding to Long Island. Looking for Sales and Customer Service Agents To Help In The Sales and Service of Custom Shirts, Sweats, Caps and Other Promotional Items. Full and Part Time Positions Available. Send Resume with Salary/Commission Requirements To: jobs@p-pw.com

Qualified candidates are encouraged to email a cover letter and resume to the Publisher, EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com

SH I W E J E H T

Help Wanted

AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN here Get FAA approved Aviation Maintenance Technician training. Financial aid for qualified studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x201C; Housing available. Job placement assistance. Call AIM 866-296-7093

757671

March 6, 2015 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

REPORTER

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAIDNY GARDEN CITY, 11530 PERMIT NO 301

14

Wheels For Wishes benefiting

x % Ta 100 tible c u Ded *Free Vehicle/Boat Pickup ANYWHERE *We Accept All Vehicles Running or Not *100% Tax Deductible

WheelsForWishes.org

Suffolk County

Call: (631) 317-2014

Metro New York

Call: (631) 317-2014

Continued from page 1 “Students explore issues related to the American-Israel relationship, and learn to be effective advocates for Israel,” Chechik said.

In addition to the 14 current SKA students at the conference, two SKA alumnae, Esti and Leeza Hirt, addressed the entire 16,000-person-strong plenary session, reflecting on their experiences advocating for Israel on colleges campus.

Students Michal Yacker, Henna Storch, Ahuva Ross, Shoshana Laufer, Zehava Gros and Ayelet Klahr, accompanied by Chechik, attended a panel discussion at which four freshmen members of Congress, including South Shore Rep. Kathleen Rice, spoke of their unwavering support of Israel. Eleventhgraders Yacker and Storch stood to ask questions of the panelists.

Yacker sought ideas on what high school students can do to help the general public understand Israel’s policies and predicaments. Following up on the four members’ enthusiastic endorsement of the idea that everyone should visit Israel to truly understands its vulnerabilities and resourcefulness, Storch struck a practical note, asking for realistic ways to get people to understand and appreciate Israel’s plight without actually traveling to the country.

The Jewish Star asked the girls to describe exceptional moments at AIPAC. They mentioned the conference’s opening speaker, a

With South Shore Rep. Kathleen Rice, SKA students (from left) Ahuva Ross, Shoshana Laufer and Zehava Gros, SKA principal Raizi Chechik, and student Ayelet Klahr.

woman who had been in the Bergen Belsen concentration camp as a child but who voiced a message of hope.

“She really set the tone [for the conference], it made a big impression on me,” said Klahr, who was also moved by black Christian speakers who acknowledged the historic link between the black and Jewish communities on the 50th anniversary of the march across the

Deputy Israeli Prime Minster Dan Meridor, with SKA students (from left) Zehava Gros, Ayelet Klahr, Shoshana Laufer, Michal Yacker and Henna Storch.

Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma, Alabama.

“So many people just focus on the military aspect of Israel,” Klahr continued. “But Israel is so much more than that. It’s technology, it’s supporting all Jews, it’s diversity. It’s so empowering to be here, and have the ability to hear about all of these positive aspects.”

Gros was impressed by Israel’s entrepreneurs, a theme touted at this year’s conference.

Ami Daniel, the 25-year-old inventor of Windward, a company that aggregates data to keep tabs on every commercial, military and even covert ship around the world, got the idea during his navy service.

“He was interested in engineering, and the IDF put him in a unit that matched his interests, which gave him an entrepreneurial spark. All the entrepreneurs were very young,” Gros said.

She also enjoyed hearing about the soldier who invented a lightweight, backpackstyle set of straps, designed to replace conventional stretchers used in warfare. The backpack device, which weighs just a few ounces and fits in a pocket, allows a soldier to strap a wounded comrade to his back, carrying him out of harm’s way while leaving his hands free to use a weapon if needed.

“These backpacks are now being used by families with special-needs children who

have trouble getting around on their own,” Gros said. “In all these cases, people were able to think beyond the usual way of looking at things” to recognize new potential, in both invention and utilization.

Storch was struck by the illogic of “a twostate solution when there are three players at the table: Israel, the Palestinians, and Hamas. Without unity among themselves, how can we negotiate with them?”

The stdents were thrilled to be present for Netanyahu’s AIPAC address on Tuesday, and were stunned by the force of being in the middle of the numerous standing ovations and cheers.

“I really liked that he acknowledged he wasn’t there to disrespect the President, but how important [Iran’s nuclear capability] is to Israel,” Storch said.

National Security Advisor Susan Rice’s speech was greeted in a more subdued manner.

“There were no surprises in her speech — she was putting forth the President’s position,” said Laufer. “The audience was not too enthusiastic by what she had to say, except when she mentioned that tomorrow we would be lobbying. That got a huge roar!”

The SKA students found Professor Gil Troy’s History of Modern Zionism session one of the most memorable AIPAC experiences.

“It gave me new perspectives on what Zionism is, how it came into being, why it has such a negative connotation, and how to build up the positive side,” Laufer said. Yacker added, “He made a cute and funny point about how Zionism and Judaism are like an Oreo cookie, the layers are separate but it all goes together. Zionism is cultural, not political.”

Defeating BDS and strengthening the Israel On Campus Coalition session made a big impact on the SKA girls. Yacker said, “The stories of what goes on at college campus makes me realize I need to be more informed” and able to present the positives of Israel.

Yacker said that her overall impression of the conference is how it’s “amazing to be in a room with 16,000 people, the diversity of the delegates, the speakers bringing out different aspects on topics relating to Israel…it is humbling to be a part of it.”

Storch added, “And singing Hatikvah with 16,000 people is incredible!”

Netanyahu outlines ‘fateful crossroads’ on Iran…

Continued from page 2 demands for Iran: stop attacks against countries in the region, stop supporting terrorism around the world, and stop “threatening to annihilate my country, Israel, the one and only Jewish state.”

Netanyahu called for a “better deal” than what is currently being discussed, saying that restrictions on Iran should stay in place “until Iran’s aggression ends.”

“A better deal that won’t give Iran an easy path to the bomb [is needed],” he said.

Netanyahu urged Congress to reject the reported parameters of the proposed deal with Iran.

“For over a year, we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal,” Netanyahu said. “Well, this is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal. We’re better off without it.”

Netanyahu said the world is at a “fateful crossroads” between a “bad deal” that will lead to a nuclear Iran, and a second path that would prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.

Quoting the poet Robert Frost, he said, “The road less traveled will make all the difference in terms of peace.”

Netanyahu concluded his speech by quoting Moses, whose portrait appears inside of the U.S. Capitol.

“Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them,” Netanyahu said, adding, “May Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute.”

The buildup to Netanyahu’s address was unprecedented, with nearly every major broadcast news network or newspaper devoting considerable coverage to the event, and tickets in high demand.

“The tickets are hotter than fresh latkes,” New York Senator Chuck Schumer told the New York Times.

Daniel Pipes, president and founder of the Middle East Forum think tank, told JNS. org that Netanyahu’s speech “touched on the key issues in the prospective Iran deal, skirted American politics, and spoke eloquently about Israel and Jews.”

Pastor John Hagee, founder and chairman of Christians United for Israel, said America and the world “had the opportunity to experience a Churchill moment with Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel.”

“In the dark days of World War II, when Hitler and the Nazis were destroying Europe, Winston Churchill addressed the British making this statement: ’You ask what is our aim. I can answer in one word: It is victory... for without victory, there is no survival,’” Hagee told JNS.org.

“Today, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made it very clear that Iran must not be allowed to obtain a nuclear bomb,” added Hagee. “To quote the prime minister, ‘no deal is better than a bad deal.’ This is the hour that America has heard the truth, and now we must respond with meaningful legislation to guarantee liberty for both Israel and America.”

Rep. Lee Zeldin of Long Island, the only Jewish Republican in Congress, said in a statement, “The prime minister reinforced to Congress today that he does not oppose an agreement with Iran; he opposes a bad agreement. The Iranian regime has shown no indication that it’s willing to abandon its nuclear program. Iran continues to get by with billions of dollars in relief from sanctions, as they continue to successfully buy more time and continue to pursue nuclear capability.”

“Now is the time for members from both

sides of the aisle to work together to strengthen our relationship with Israel, our strategic partner in the Middle East, a beacon of democracy, freedom and liberty in an area filled with darkness,” Zeldin said. “It is my hope that the Obama administration will start standing with our allies in Israel and stop protecting our enemies.”

The White House voiced a different perspective, the AP reported.

President Obama said that Netanyahu offered no “viable alternatives” to the nuclear negotiations with Iran and that the prospect of an agreement had already resulted in a freeze and rolling back of Iran’s program.

“On the core issue, which is how do we prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, which would make it far more dangerous and would give it scope for even greater action in the region, the prime minister didn’t offer any viable alternatives,” he said.

Asked about the propriety of Netanyahu speaking before Congress, Obama said the U.S. has a system of government where “foreign policy runs through the executive branch and the president, not through other channels.”

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

SKA’s Israel activism goes to Washington…

15

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

16

TEXT OF PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU’S ADDRESS TO CONGRESS

Pending deal ‘doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb, it paves Iran’s path to the bomb’ In addressing Congress on Tuesday, Prime Minister Netanyahu began by thanking President Obama, Congress, and the American people for their support of Israel. Then he focused on Iran: feel a profound obligation to speak to you about an issue that could well threaten the survival of my country and the future of my people: Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons.

We’re an ancient people. In our nearly 4,000 years of history, many have tried repeatedly to destroy the Jewish people. Tomorrow night, on the Jewish holiday of Purim, we’ll read the Book of Esther. We’ll read of a powerful Persian viceroy named Haman, who plotted to destroy the Jewish people some 2,500 years ago. But a courageous Jewish woman, Queen Esther, exposed the plot and gave for the Jewish people the right to defend themselves against their enemies.

The plot was foiled. Our people were saved.

Today the Jewish people face another attempt by yet another Persian potentate to destroy us. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei spews the oldest hatred of antiSemitism with the newest technology. He tweets that Israel must be annihilated — he tweets. You know, in Iran, there isn’t exactly free Internet. But he tweets in English that Israel must be destroyed.

For those who believe that Iran threatens the Jewish state, but not the Jewish people, listen to Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, Iran’s chief terrorist proxy. He said: If all the Jews gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of chasing them down around the world.

But Iran’s regime is not merely a Jewish problem, any more than the Nazi regime was merely a Jewish problem. The 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis were but a fraction of the 60 million people killed in World War II. So, too, Iran’s regime poses a grave threat, not only to Israel, but also the peace of the entire world. To understand just how dangerous Iran would be with nuclear weapons, we must fully understand the nature of the regime.

The people of Iran are very talented people.

They’re heirs to one of the world’s great civilizations. But in 1979, they were hijacked by religious zealots — religious zealots who imposed on them immediately a dark and brutal dictatorship.

That year, the zealots drafted a constitution, a new one for Iran. It directed the revolutionary guards not only to protect Iran’s borders, but also to fulfill the ideological mission of jihad. The regime’s founder, Ayatollah Khomeini, exhorted his followers to “export the revolution throughout the world.” ’m standing here in Washington, DC, and the difference is so stark. America’s founding document promises life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Iran’s founding document pledges death, tyranny, and the pursuit of jihad. And as states are collapsing across the Middle East, Iran is charging into the void to do just that.

I

W Prime Minister Netanyahu waives during his address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday.

Iran’s goons in Gaza, its lackeys in Lebanon, its revolutionary guards on the Golan Heights, are clutching Israel with three tentacles of terror. Backed by Iran, Assad is slaughtering Syrians. Backed by Iran, Shiite militias are rampaging through Iraq. Backed

by Iran, Houthis are seizing control of Yemen, threatening the strategic straits at the mouth of the Red Sea. Along with the Straits of Hormuz, that would give Iran a second chokepoint on the world’s oil supply.

Just last week, near Hormuz, Iran carried out a military exercise blowing up a mock U.S. aircraft carrier. That’s just last week, while they’re having nuclear talks with the United States. But unfortunately, for the last 36 years, Iran’s attacks against the United States have been anything but mock. And the targets have been all too real.

Iran took dozens of Americans hostage in Tehran, murdered hundreds of American soldiers, Marines, in Beirut, and was responsible for killing and maiming thousands of American service men and women in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Beyond the Middle East, Iran attacks America and its allies through its global terror network. It blew up the Jewish community center and the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires. It helped Al Qaida bomb U.S. embassies in Africa. It even attempted to assassinate the Saudi ambassador, right here in Washington, DC. In the Middle East, Iran now dominates four Arab capitals, Baghdad, Damascus, Beirut and Sanaa. And if Iran’s aggression is left unchecked, more will surely follow.

So, at a time when many hope that Iran will join the community of nations, Iran is busy gobbling up the nations. We must all stand together to stop Iran’s march of conquest, subjugation and terror.

Now, two years ago, we were told to give President Rouhani and Foreign Minister Zarif

The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t turn Iran into a friend of America … When it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.

I

nuclear bombs. We must always remember — I’ll say it one more time — the greatest danger facing our world is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons. To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle but lose the war.

We can’t let that happen.

But that, my friends, is exactly what could happen, if the deal now being negotiated is accepted by Iran. That deal will not prevent Iran from developing nuclear weapons. It would all but guarantee that Iran gets those weapons, lots of them.

Let me explain why. hile the final deal has not yet been signed, certain elements of any potential deal are now a matter of public record. You don’t need intelligence agencies and secret information to know this. You can Google it. Absent a dramatic change, we know for sure that any deal with Iran will include two major concessions to Iran.

The first major concession would leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure, providing it with a short breakout time to the bomb. Breakout time is the time it takes to amass enough weapons-grade uranium or plutonium for a nuclear bomb.

According to the deal, not a single nuclear facility would be demolished. Thousands of centrifuges used to enrich uranium would be left spinning. Thousands more would be temporarily disconnected, but not destroyed.

Because Iran’s nuclear program would be left largely intact, Iran’s breakout time would be very short — about a year by U.S. assessment, even shorter by Israel’s. And Iran’s work on advanced centrifuges, faster and faster centrifuges, is not stopped, that breakout time could still be shorter, a lot shorter.

True, certain restrictions would be imposed on Iran’s nuclear program and Iran’s adherence to those restrictions would be supervised by international inspectors. But here’s the problem. You see, inspectors document violations, they don’t stop them.

Inspectors knew when North Korea broke to the bomb, but that didn’t stop anything. North Korea turned off the cameras, kicked out the inspectors. Within a few years, it got the bomb.

Now, we’re warned that within five years North Korea could have an arsenal of 100 nuclear bombs.

Like North Korea, Iran, too, has defied international inspectors. It’s done that on at least three separate occasions — 2005, 2006, 2010. Like North Korea, Iran broke the locks, shut off the cameras.

Now, I know this is not gonna come a shock to any of you, but Iran not only defies inspectors, it also plays a pretty good game of hide-and-cheat with them.

The U.N.’s nuclear watchdog agency, the IAEA, said again yesterday that Iran still refuses to come clean about its military nuclear program. Iran was also caught — caught twice, not once, twice — operating secret nuclear facilities in Natanz and Qom, facilities that inspectors didn’t even know existed.

Amos Ben Gershom / GPO

a chance to bring change and moderation to Iran. Some change! Some moderation! Rouhani’s government hangs gays, persecutes Christians, jails journalists and executes even more prisoners than before.

Last year, the same Zarif who charms Western diplomats, laid a wreath at the grave of Imad Mughniyeh. Imad Mughniyeh is the terrorist mastermind who spilled more American blood than any other terrorist besides Osama bin Laden. I’d like to see someone ask him a question about that.

Iran’s regime is as radical as ever, its cries of “Death to America,” that same America that it calls the “Great Satan,” as loud as ever.

Now, this shouldn’t be surprising, because the ideology of Iran’s revolutionary regime is deeply rooted in militant Islam, and that’s why this regime will always be an enemy of America.

Don’t be fooled. The battle between Iran and ISIS doesn’t turn Iran into a friend of America. Iran and ISIS are competing for the crown of militant Islam. One calls itself the Islamic Republic. The other calls itself the Islamic State. Both want to impose a militant Islamic empire first on the region and then on the entire world.

They just disagree among themselves who will be the ruler of that empire.

In this deadly game of thrones, there’s no place for America or for Israel, no peace for Christians, Jews or Muslims who don’t share the Islamist medieval creed, no rights for women, no freedom for anyone.

So when it comes to Iran and ISIS, the enemy of your enemy is your enemy.

The difference is that ISIS is armed with butcher knives, captured weapons and YouTube, whereas Iran could soon be armed with intercontinental ballistic missiles and

The greatest danger is the marriage of militant Islam with nuclear weapons.

To defeat ISIS and let Iran get nuclear weapons would be to win the battle but lose the war.

Right now, Iran could be hiding nuclear facilities that we don’t know about, the U.S. and Israel. As the former head of inspections for the IAEA said in 2013, he said, “If there’s no undeclared installation today in Iran, it will be the first time in 20 years that it doesn’t have one.” Iran has proven time and again that it cannot be trusted. And that’s why the first major concession is a source of great concern. It leaves Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and relies on inspectors to prevent a breakout. That concession creates a real danger that Iran could get to the bomb by violating the deal.

But the second major concession creates an even greater danger that Iran could get to the bomb by keeping the deal. Because virtually all the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program will automatically expire in about a decade. ow, a decade may seem like a long time in political life, but it’s the blink of an eye in the life of a nation. It’s a blink of an eye in the life of our children. We all have a responsibility to consider what will happen when Iran’s nuclear capabilities are virtually unrestricted and all the sanctions will have been lifted. Iran would then be free to build a huge nuclear capacity that could product many, many nuclear bombs.

Iran’s Supreme Leader says that openly. He says, Iran plans to have 190,000 centrifuges, not 6,000 or even the 19,000 that Iran has today, but 10 times that amount — 190,000 centrifuges enriching uranium. With this massive capacity, Iran could make the fuel for an entire nuclear arsenal and this in a matter of weeks, once it makes that decision.

My long-time friend, John Kerry, Secretary of State, confirmed last week that Iran could legitimately possess that massive centrifuge capacity when the deal expires. Now I want you to think about that. The foremost sponsor of global terrorism could be weeks away from having enough enriched uranium for an entire arsenal of nuclear weapons and this with full international legitimacy.

And by the way, if Iran’s Intercontinental Ballistic Missile program is not part of the deal, and so far, Iran refuses to even put it on the negotiating table, Iran could have the means to deliver that nuclear arsenal to the far-reach corners of the earth, including to every part of the United States.

So you see, my friends, this deal has two major concessions: one, leaving Iran with a vast nuclear program and two, lifting the restrictions on that program in about a decade.

That’s why this deal is so bad. It doesn’t block Iran’s path to the bomb; it paves Iran’s path to the bomb.

So why would anyone make this deal? Because they hope that Iran will change for the better in the coming years, or they believe that the alternative to this deal is worse.

Well, I disagree. I don’t believe that Iran’s radical regime will change for the better after this deal. This regime has been in power for 36 years, and its voracious appetite for aggression grows with each passing year. This deal would would only wet Iran’s appetite for more.

Would Iran be less aggressive when sanctions are removed and its economy is stronger? If Iran is gobbling up four countries right now while it’s under sanctions, how

N

many more countries will Iran devour when sanctions are lifted? Would Iran fund less terrorism when it has mountains of cash with which to fund more terrorism? hy should Iran’s radical regime change for the better when it can enjoy the best of both world’s: aggression abroad, prosperity at home?

This is a question that everyone asks in our region. Israel’s neighbors — Iran’s neighbors — know that Iran will become even more aggressive and sponsor even more terrorism when its economy is unshackled and it’s been given a clear path to the bomb.

And many of these neighbors say they’ll respond by racing to get nuclear weapons of their own. So this deal won’t change Iran for the better; it will only change the Middle East for the worse. A deal that’s supposed to prevent nuclear proliferation would instead spark a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the planet.

This deal won’t be a farewell to arms, it would be a farewell to arms control, and the Middle East would soon be crisscrossed by nuclear tripwires. A region where small skirmishes can trigger big wars would turn into a nuclear tinderbox.

If anyone thinks this deal kicks the can down the road, think again.

When we get down that road, we’ll face a much more dangerous Iran, a Middle East littered with nuclear bombs and a countdown to a potential nuclear nightmare.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve come here today to tell you we don’t have to bet the security of the world on the hope that Iran will change for the better. We don’t have to gamble with our future and with our children’s future.

We can insist that restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program not be lifted for as long as Iran continues its aggression in the region and in the world.

Before lifting those restrictions, the world should demand that Iran do three things.

First, stop its aggression against its neighbors in the Middle East. Second, stop supporting

W

The days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves.

terrorism around the world. And third, stop threatening to annihilate my country, Israel, the one and only Jewish state.

If the world powers are not prepared to insist that Iran change its behavior before a deal is signed, at the very least they should insist that Iran change its behavior before a deal expires.

If Iran changes its behavior, the restrictions would be lifted. If Iran doesn’t change its behavior, the restrictions should not be lifted.

If Iran wants to be treated like a normal country, let it act like a normal country. y friends, what about the argument that there’s no alternative to this deal, that Iran’s nuclear know-how cannot be erased, that its nuclear program is so advanced that the best we can do is delay the inevitable, which is essentially what the proposed deal seeks to do?

Well, nuclear know-how without nuclear infrastructure doesn’t get you very much. A racecar driver without a car can’t drive.

A pilot without a plan can’t fly. Without thousands of centrifuges, tons of enriched uranium or heavy water facilities, Iran can’t make nuclear weapons.

Iran’s nuclear program can be rolled back well beyond the current proposal by insisting on a better deal and keeping up the pressure on a very vulnerable regime, especially given the recent collapse in the price of oil.

Now, if Iran threatens to walk away from the table — and this often happens in a Persian bazaar — call their bluff. They’ll be back, because they need the deal a lot more than you do. And by maintaining the pressure on Iran and on those who do business with Iran, you have the power to make them need it even more.

My friends, for over a year, we’ve been told that no deal is better than a bad deal.

Well, this is a bad deal. It’s a very bad deal.

We’re better off without it.

Now we’re being told that the only alternative to this bad deal is war. That’s just not true. The alternative to this bad deal is a much better deal: a better deal that doesn’t leave Iran with a vast nuclear infrastructure and such a short breakout time; a better deal

M

Leegislators applaud Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Congress on Tuesday.

that keeps the restrictions on Iran’s nuclear program in place until Iran’s aggression ends; a better deal that won’t give Iran an easy path to the bomb; a better deal that Israel and its neighbors may not like, but with which we could live, literally. And no country has a greater stake than Israel in a good deal that peacefully removes this threat.

Ladies and gentlemen, history has placed us at a fateful crossroads. We must now choose between two paths. One path leads to a bad deal that will at best curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions for a while, but it will inexorably lead to a nuclear-armed Iran whose unbridled aggression will inevitably lead to war.

The second path, however difficult, could lead to a much better deal, that would prevent a nuclear-armed Iran, a nuclearized Middle East and the horrific consequences of both to all of humanity.

You don’t have to read Robert Frost to know, you have to live life to know, that the difficult path is usually the one less traveled, but it will make all the difference for the future of my country, the security of the Middle East and the peace of the world, the peace, we all desire.

My friends, standing up to Iran is not easy. Standing up to dark and murderous regimes never is.

With us today is Holocaust survivor and Nobel Prize winner Elie Wiesel. Elie, your life and work inspires to give meaning to the words, “never again.”

And I wish I could promise you, Elie, that the lessons of history have been learned. I can only urge the leaders of the world not to repeat the mistakes of the past. Not to sacrifice the future for the present; not to ignore aggression in the hopes of gaining an illusory peace. ut I can guarantee you this: the days when the Jewish people remained passive in the face of genocidal enemies, those days are over.

We are no longer scattered among the nations, powerless to defend ourselves. We restored our sovereignty in our ancient home, and the soldiers who defend our home have boundless courage. For the first time in 100 generations, we, the Jewish people, can defend ourselves.

This is why, as a prime minister of Israel, I can promise you one more thing: Even if Israel has to stand alone, Israel will stand.

But I know that Israel does not stand alone.

I know that America stands with Israel. I know that you stand with Israel. You stand with Israel because you know that the story of Israel is not only the story of the Jewish people but of the human spirit that refuses again and again to succumb to history’s horrors.

Facing me right up there in the gallery, overlooking all of us in this chamber is the image of Moses. Moses led our people from slavery to the gates of the Promised Land.

And before the people of Israel entered the land of Israel, Moses gave us a message that has steeled our resolve for thousands of years. I leave you with his message today, “Be strong and resolute, neither fear nor dread them” (spoken in Hebrew).

My friends, may Israel and America always stand together, strong and resolute.

May we neither fear nor dread the challenges ahead. May we face the future with confidence, strength and hope.

May G-d bless the state of Israel and may G-d bless the United States of America.

A deal that’s supposed to prevent nuclear proliferation would instead spark a nuclear arms race in the most dangerous part of the planet.

Amos Ben Gershom / GPO

B

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

Bibi: ‘I know America stands with Israel’…

17

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

18

Jewish Star Schools HANC buzzes with berachot

Shulamith celebrates Adar! Good times To begin, the G.O. planned a succession of dress up days starting with Arielle Lipsky Adar is a time of simcha, and in the Middle Division of Shulamith Crazy Hat Day on Rosh Chodesh. Students came in with silly hats and School for Girls, the students have been celebrating the month with a zany wigs (pictured above), some of them even lit up. A few days later, it was time for the ever-popular annual Dress-up-as-a-Teacher-Day (picseries of fun-filled activities. tured at left).

As the enthusiastic girls came to school, davened, and waited to get changed, no one could sit still. Sheitels, shirts, skirts, shoes and glasses were all used to make help transform students into their favorite teachers.

On Thursday, the talented eighth graders traveled to the Lower Division where they ran the annual Purim carnival, sponsored by the Shulamith Women’s Organization. The theme of the carnival was Disney, so each eighth grader dressed as a Disney character.

The SWO treated the school to more rides than ever before, and a wonderful time was had by all. We were privileged to be joined during the festivities by our friends from Kulanu who came for a short while to celebrate with us.

After the carnival, the G.O. did not let the students down, and everyone enjoyed two more dress up days. On Preppy Day, students wore ties, glasses, blazers and braids and, as a final treat, wore favorite Purim costumes on the day before Ta’anit Esther.

Adar in Shulamith brought smiles to everyone’s faces.

HANC Native American (and Purim!) drums

HANC Students in Kindergarten through sixth grade, at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead, have been busy making berachot at home a part of our ongoing BOLD (Berachot Out Loud Daily) program. At school, the students have been busy learning about which Berachot to make on specific foods.

The students were excited to use their Berachot knowledge to compete in a HANC Berachot Bee. In a high-stakes challenge hosted

by Rabbi Merrill — complete with buzzers and lots of spirited cheering — the students competed through multiple rounds, displaying their knowledge of various berachot and winning delicious snacks for doing so. It was a tasty and rewarding experience for all the participants.

HAFTR junior takes medal for research

Fourth Grade students at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School, in West Hempstead, have been studying about Native Americans in Social Studies. They learned about how the Native Americans used pictures to tell stories, then made up picture stories to share with their classmates. The students listened to Native American music while they transferred their pictures onto Native American style drums.

The students are especially excited to be able to use their drums as graggers on Purim!

N’tl merit winner at SKA SKA Adina Singer, a senior at the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls, has been named a National Merit Scholarship finalist. Of the more than 15,000 finalists, 8,000 winners will be named in March.

Adina was also named a Siemens Science Competition semi-finalist for research she conducted at the Garcia

Center at Stony Brook University.

Adina was associate editor of the Looking Glass, SKA’s school newspaper, is captain of the SKA College Bowl Team and is a member of the Debate Team and Science Olympiad.

She also organized a fundraising walk-a-thon for the Alzheimer’s Association in memory of her grandfather a”h.

David Fleschner, a junior at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School, was awarded a medal for his outstanding research at the Long Island Mathematics Fair on Feb. 27 at Hofstra University.

David researched infinite sets and classified various subsets of the real numbers for their cardinality. David will be competing for a gold medal on April 24 at Hofstra.

He worked with his mentor, HAFTR’s mathematics department chair, Neil Bernstein.

Send us your school news!

The Jewish Star welcomes news from all yeshivot, day schools and pre-schools. Email stories and hires photos to: Schools@TheJewishStar.com. Be sure to include your phone number as well as your email so an editor can contact you if more information is needed. Deadline is Monday noon.

19

*Items, colors & styles vary by store.

VALID FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 27 THRU MARCH 6, 2015

Swing for the fences with over 100 styles of bats! Ranging from $19.99 - $549.99 *

Get a grip! Over 50 styles of batting gloves! Ranging from $14.99-$59.99 * Nike Adult MVP Edge Under Armour Clean Up Batting Glove

YOUR CHOICE

$24.99

50% OFF

Available in Youth $19.99

Warrior -3 Bat Adult Bat • Reg. $99.99

THE JEWISH STAR March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775

EXPANDED BASEBALL COLLECTION at modell’s stores and modells.com

NOW $49.99

Vexxum -3 Bat Adult Bat Ranging from $19.99-$499.99

What a catch! Over 300 styles of fielding gloves!

$199.99

* Horizontal

Vertical

Rawlings RCS 11.5”, 11.75”, & 12” Fielding Glove

$69.99

$59.99

Mark

Raptor -11 Youth Bat

Corporate Color

Nike Diamond Elite Edge II 12” or Rawlings Player Preferred 12”

Wordmark

$34.99 Horizontal

PMS Color

Legal When both the wordmark and icon are used together, the wordmark keeps the “®”.

WordmarkCMYK Color

Vertical

Mark

Grayscale

S500 -13 Youth Bat

RGB Color

Corporate Color

Corporate Color Reversed

$79.99

When the icon is used by itself, a “®” is used on the lower right of the icon in the same color.

HEX Color PMS Color

Legal When both the wordmark and icon are used together, the wordmark keeps the “®”.

#F4D100

#00000

#737373

#FFFFFF

CMYK Color

When the wordmark is used by itself, the wordmark employs the “®”.

Grayscale

One Color Reversed

Rawlings Player Preferred Available in 12.5”

Corporate Color Reversed

Mako -11 Youth Bat

RGB Color

$279.99

When the icon is used by itself, a “®” is used on the lower right of the icon in the same color.

HEX Color

#F4D100

#00000

#737373

#FFFFFF

One Color 11.15.12 When the wordmark is used by itself, the wordmark employs the “®”.

One Color Reversed

Take a base with over 75 styles of cleats!

Nike Vapor Keystone 2

Ranging from

$29.99 - $139.99 *

Nike Huarache Keystone Mid

$49.99

$39.99

One Color

11.15.12

Select Colors Available in Youth $39.99

Available in Youth $29.99

UA Lead Off Low

$29.99

Select Colors Available in Men’s

Youth

$39.99

Men’s

Men’s

Get your softball essentials at Modell’s Horizontal

Horizontal

Vertical

Wordmark

Vertical

Wordmark

Mark

Mark

Corporate Color

Rawlings Champion 12”

PMS Color

Legal When both the wordmark and icon are used together, the wordmark keeps the “®”.

Softball Glove • Reg. $69.99 Select Stores Only

CMYK Color Grayscale

RGB Color

E100XLP Bat Bag Corporate Color Reversed

Reg. $44.99

NOW $39.99

When the icon is used by itself, a “®” is used on the lower right of the icon in the same color.

HEX Color

#F4D100

#00000

#737373

#FFFFFF

When the wordmark is used by itself, the wordmark employs the “®”.

One Color Reversed

UA Women’s Heater Pants

$29.99

$59.99 Rawlings Champion Available in 12.5”

PMS Color

When both the w together, the wo

Grayscale

RGB Color

FS300 FP-11 Corporate Color Reversed

#F4D100

#00000

#737373

#FFFFFF

When the wordm employs the “®”.

$49.99 One Color Reversed

CAN’T FIND YOUR SIZE OR COLOR IN THE STORE? WE’LL ORDER FOR YOU FROM MODELLS.COM WITH FREE SHIPPING! 11.15.12

When the icon is right of the icon

HEX Color

Softball Bat

One Color

One Color

Legal

CMYK Color

756015

Corporate Color

756783

March 6, 2015 • 15 Adar 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

20