March 14, 2014

HAPPY PURIM! • Holiday advice 13 Torah 4 Bookworm 5 Food 9 Calendar 13 School news 15

THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 11 Q MARCH 14, 2014 / 12 ADAR II 5774

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BULLIES Kulanu seminar aims to stop them

5 Towners flock to Albany to lobby for yeshiva cash

By Malka Eisenberg As the state’s budget negotiations intensified with the April 1 deadline approaching, representatives from six Five Towns schools headed to Albany last week to raise awareness among legislators of the community’s number one need: Tuition relief for yeshiva families.

“It’s important to me to advocate on behalf of our community,” explained Cal Nathan, a HAFTR (Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway) parent and Woodmere resident, who with his son Mathew joined 12 others in boarding a van from Young Israel of Lawrence-

Cedarhurst to Albany. “There are many things that I could have been doing, but whatever business I had for the day stood by for the day.”

Nathan pointed out that even with both parents working, each with their own salaries combining for a $200,000 income, after taxes, yeshiva tuition, food and clothing, it’s a challenge to make ends meet.

This is the first time the OU has done a regional-specific mini mission, said Jake Adler, associate Director For Field Operation of OU Advocacy-Teach NYS. Other areas going to Albany include Brooklyn

on March 18, and Manhattan, Riverdale and Westchester on March 19.

“The OU … is asking the government to reimburse us for the mandated expenses,” Nathan said. “We need to fix this issue, the community needs something to change on a State level, [to deal with] the onerous burden of tuition. We pay taxes, we vote, it’s an equity issue.”

Nathan said that all of the elected officials the Five Towns delegation met were supportive.

Jeff Leb, New York director of OU Advocacy and a resident of Cedarhurst, Continued on page 12

DRS CHAMPS Wildcats down Flatbush

By Yitzchak Carroll A combination of motivation and teamwork led the Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Wildcats to their first junior varsity basketball title in the Woodmere school’s history, as they defeated the Flatbush Falcons by a score of 43-25 to win the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League championship, at Yeshiva University in Manhattan on March 9.

“The key to our victory was motivation,” Wildcats guard Eytan Aryeh said. “We were all motivated to get to our goal of the championship and didn’t let anything get in our way.”

Both teams entered the game undefeated, each touting Continued on page 12

Shabbat Candlelighting 6:42 pm. Shabbat ends 7:55 pm. 72 minute zman 8:15 pm. Parshat Tzav and Zachor. Megillah after Shabbat

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Five Towners at the New York State House in Albany are, from left: Maury Litwack, Jeff Leb, Rabbi Baruch Rothman, Sarah Yastrab, Tara Seidel, Matthew Nathan (front row, in blue shirt), Cal Nathan, Katie Glickman, Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, Ariel Balsam, Devorah Goldman, Dov Elias, Ira Balsam, Jake Adler and Roslyn Singer.

By Malka Eisenberg A heated roundtable discussion among parents of special needs students and Kulanu administrators on one of the coldest nights last week exposed the raw wounds of bullying and attempted to find solutions to solve this age-old recurring problem.

“I have adults who still talk about middle and high school where they were maligned,” said Jonathan Cooper, LCSW, Director of Inclusion and Community Support Services at Kulanu Academy in Cedarhurst, that services special needs children. He said children who were bullied often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as adults, “purposely avoiding their peer group.”

Cooper began by discussing bullying as it pertains to “typical” students, not special needs students.

Bullying, he noted, leads to poor academics. He said that males often bully with physical aggression, frequently during lunch or recess, females via social environment, and that both forms are isolating (other students will not associate with the bullied student for fear of becoming a target as well).

He cited statistics: Bullies are five times more likely to commit crimes, 200,000 kids stay home each day from school because of bullying, 43 percent of 10,000 middle school students in a study said they were bullied in the last month and special needs kids are bullied 50 percent more than typical students.

Bullies are often popular and socially astute and from stable homes but are looking for power, he said. They also test to see if a child reacts to teasing and if they do, they “hit pay dirt” and the bullied child becomes a “source of entertainment.”

Signs that a child is being bullied include not wanting to go to school, unexplained torn items, a change in the child’s mood, unexplained bruises, statements that don’t make sense and poor self esteem, he said.

Special needs students are “more vulnerable” since they “look typical but have deficiencies and are thus targeted,” explained Amy Eisenberg, director, Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC), a division of Kulanu. The Kulanu moderators explained that “special needs can be very annoying; they are fixated and it’s exhausting for others, they do things over and over and Continued on page 12

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March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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ith all of the uncertainty surrounding Israel, the Middle East and Iran, suggesting the true takeaways from this year’s very well attended policy conference that AIPAC hosted in Washington last week may be difficult. AIPAC had to show its 14,000 guests that it was still relevant and IN MY VIEW necessary for Israel’s future.

As Senate Republicans prepared to vote on the Nuclear Weapon Free Iran Act [S.1881], AIPAC withdrew its support and seemingly left those supporting it hanging. The bill was likely inspired with input from AIPAC, yet presumably because of immense pressure from Juda Engelmayer the Obama Administration, AIPAC backed away as the bill it helped support was coming to a vote.

This prompted a New York Times piece on Feb. 3, by White House correspondent Mark Landler, which suggested that AIPAC may have lost some of its ability to fight. Using AIPAC’s lost battle over the nomination of Chuck Hagel as secretary of defense, and the stymied attempt to persuade President Obama to take an active role helping stop Syrian citizens from being slaughtered by its own government, Landler claims that the ”Nuclear Free Iran” bill defeat demonstrates the group’s weakness. “The last time the nation’s most potent pro-Israel lobbying group lost a major showdown with the White House

was when President Ronald Reagan agreed to sell AWACS surveillance planes to Saudi Arabia over the group’s bitter objections,” Landler wrote, adding that since then, AIPAC enjoyed nothing but victories until recently.

Then there is the divide within American Jewish communities and AIPAC. The organization was making every attempt to show that it supports a two state solution in the Middle East, against the backdrop of a growing contingent in America, including Jewish and Christian groups, that oppose that position.

Secretary of State John Kerry received tepid applause when he presented his well wishes and support for Israel, but his presence indicated that the Obama Administration was taking the appearance at AIPAC seriously. The peace process that AIPAC seems to be backing and that Kerry was promoting was not received as powerfully as the group would have hoped.

When Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke to the convention attendees, his speech was received well, as seeing a national hero would be, even though his words were tired and a bit clichéd.

He offered, to applause, the often used “Israel is Humane, Israel is Compassionate, Israel is a Force for Good,” and stated that Israel stands on one side of a moral divide, while on the other side were powers that are, “steeped in blood and savagery, [and] stand the forces of terror.”

Netanyahu got a laugh when he suggested that he liked to draw red lines, reflecting

on his speech to the United Nations in 2012; and he used a reference to an old Budweiser beer commercial, arguing that Iran’s missiles can already hit Israel, so now its focus is to reach the United States, saying to America, “This scud’s for you.” He firmed it up with a reference that he likely thought would sound better than it did, “If it looks like a duck, if it walks like a duck, if it quacks like a duck, then what is it? Well, it ain’t a chicken — and it’s certainly not a dove. It’s still a nuclear duck.”

Netanyahu reaffirmed that the Jewish people would “never be brought to the brink of extinction again,” and stressed that only more pressure on Iran would get them to end their nuclear ambitions, a clear knock at AIPAC and the President.

“Peace is Israel’s highest aspiration,” Netanyahu said.

“I am prepared to make a historic peace with our Palestinian neighbors.” He then cited the benefits to the region and the other Arab nations, like solving water and energy problems and agriculture.

“We can better the lives of hundreds of millions,” he said, praising the “indomitable” Secretary Kerry, but cautioning that a durable peace needs the “mutual recognition of two nation states.”

“It’s time Palestinians stop denying history,” he said, “just as Israel is prepared to recognize a Palestinian state, Palestinians must be prepared to recognize a Jewish state,” and urged Abbas to do so and convince his people to follow.

Just after AIPAC’s conference ended, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was

It’s time for the Palestinians to stop denying history.

quoted by the Palestinian news agency WAFA saying that he will never recognize Israel as a Jewish State, nor accept a Palestinian capital in just a portion of Israeli-annexed east Jerusalem. The common expectation is to see Israel give up lands in Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley and even Jerusalem for Abbas’ “commitment.”

Netanyahu took aim at the boycott movement, saying that BDS is “just plain wrong,” and is “morally wrong,” and he said that we should treat anyone who wears the BDS label as we would any anti-Semite. How can anyone fall for the “BS” in “BDS,” he asked to applause and laughter. “The movement will fail,” Netanyahu said, and that Israel’s technology and innovations are being sought out worldwide.

The high point of the conference was also the clearest position for why Israel needs to remain a strong factor for the world. It also reinforced Netanyahu’s comments on the boycott movement. eace is still uncertain, and the Iranian threat remains uncertain, yet the presentation of innovations from Israel technological firms, like OrCam (which can offer sight to the blind), TaKadu (that uses its technology to help governments and companies detect water leaks to save billions of gallons of fresh water and billions of dollars lost), and ElMindA (a non-invasive functional brain mapping technology that diagnoses and monitors cognitive disorders such as in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson diseases, ADHD, brain injuries and other neurological syndromes with the hope of prevention and cure), are proof that Israel can indeed help the entire world.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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THE JEWISH STAR March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774

For AIPAC, record turnout, uncertain future

March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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Costumes on Purim: Our actions are what clothe us A

s we dress in costumes for this weekend’s celebration, it should be noted that one of the stories in the Megillah of Esther is very much about clothing.

Mordechai, a hero of the story, had recently saved the life of the Persian King Achashverosh from an assassination attempt, and it came to the Rabbi Binny King’s attention that Freedman Mordechai was never properly repaid for his service. The reward? Mordechai is led through the streets on a horse, dressed in “royal garb worn by the king,” while someone calls out before him: “So shall be done for the man whom the King desires to honor.” (Esther 6: 8-11) The opening verses of the book of Esther point out that Achashverosh ruled a kingdom of 127 provinces; he had inherited the entire Babylonian empire, and yet the reward for saving his life was to be paraded on a horse wearing royal robes?

This story reminds us of another garment that played an important role in our history: the cloak of many colors given to Joseph by his adoring father Yaakov. There too, one wonders why Yaakov has chosen a piece of clothing as a symbol of his love for his son.

And when Mordechai, on hearing of Haman’s evil intention to destroy the Jews, wants to make a statement, he goes to the gates of the palace and puts on sackcloth.

FROM THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

What is the message behind what we wear?

Imagine it is the evening of your son’s Bar Mitzvah, and you announce that you have a special gift for him on this special evening. Full of expectation, he comes forward to the front of the hall, and you unwrap for him … a colored bathrobe! Or perhaps it is even a gift for your wife in appreciation of all that she does and all that she is to you, and you surprise her with … a mink coat! Where is the spiritual significance? Is this the message I want to give my children? That the item I view as the pinnacle of appreciation on this special evening is a piece of clothing? ccording to Jewish tradition, one of the three things that allowed the Jewish people to survive the exile in Egypt for 200 years was that they kept their Jewish clothing. The externalities are really the first thing we see, and they are the first vehicles for any message we choose to communicate.

Every morning we clothe ourselves in our Jewish clothing, our Tefillin and Tallit. The first symbol we wear as a sign of marriage are the wedding rings on our fingers.

But even deeper, clothing in this world is not only of cloth.

We also wear a different type of clothing; mystically, our actions are what really clothe us. The Sefer HaChinuch points out that the clothing was also a message to the Kohen that people are influenced by every-

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thing about him that they see.

Entire articles in business magazines are devoted to what a person should wear when going on important job interviews. Companies, understanding that the clothes of their employees influence the clients they come in contact with, devote an enormous amount of time to developing policies for just what their employees should and should not wear.

Perhaps the coat Yaakov gave Joseph was really a message that Joseph needed to hear.

Joseph, according to the narrative in the Torah (Genesis 37:2) brought the tales of his brothers, especially the sons of the handmaidens, to Yaakov his father. He was a talebearer. So perhaps Yaakov was trying to teach Joseph that it takes many different colors to make a beautiful coat.

Perhaps the Jews of Shushan, who according to the book of Esther were more Persian than the Persians, needed to learn a similar lesson.

They came to Achashverosh’s feast, wearing their Persian clothes and impressed by all the trappings of Persian royalty (Esther 1:4-7). And they later saw Mordechai wearing the Royal robes. Finally, Mordechai wears sackcloth, understanding that we are influenced by what we see, and not just by what we hear.

We all live to some degree, in America,

Purim reminds us that our clothing is in the end a costume – an important one, with many messages, but a costume nonetheless.

and make no mistake about it, even in Jerusalem, America is everywhere. America is the Persia of today, and she rules all the one hundred and twenty seven provinces with her influence. And we wear our American clothing so well, we are often more American than the Americans. How many Jews today are readily recognizable as Jews? Have we disappeared in our costumes, into the landscape of western society?

Purim reminds us that our clothing is in the end a costume. An important one, with many messages, to be sure, but a costume nonetheless. here is an amazing story of Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, which I actually read to our daughter in the hospital, in the Intensive Care Unit: “Everybody knows that the great and holy Rav Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev and Rav Baruch of Medzibozh were complete opposites.

Rav Baruch was very civilized. When he prayed, he hardly moved. When he sat with his family at the Shabbat table, he was so regal; he was king of the world.

But when Rav Levi Yitzchak prayed he jumped from one end of the room to the other. He would dance, turn around, and even fall to the ground. At his table, one had to be very careful. You never knew what to expect. In the middle of Kiddush, he might suddenly go absolutely wild; throw his cup in the air… You could end up with your Kiddush all over your lap.

Rav Levi Yitzchak wanted so much to spend a Shabbat with Rav Baruch, the Baal Shem’s grandson, that he finally invited himself.

Rav Baruch said: “You can come, but you have to behave my way. Especially at Continued on page 8

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Napping on Purim so that we can’t tell the difference R

ava said, “A person has the obligation ‘libsumei b’puria’ (until he does not know the difference between ‘cursed is Haman’ and ‘blessed is Mordechai’).” – Talmud Megilla 7b The Talmudic passage is well known among observant Jews and has even been PARSHA OF made into several THE WEEK songs. Many take it to understand that Rava is saying a person has an obligation to get drunk on Purim until he can not distinguish between which is better – cursing Haman and bringing about his downfall, or blessing Mordechai and bringing about his promotion.

Rabbi Avi Billet Of course, one could argue that there is no difference. Were we to conduct a straw poll, I would imagine that there would be a fairly even split over which is better, which would lend itself to mean that there is no difference to be found. Both are equally good.

But the real question is, what does “libsumei b’puria” mean?

Most of the commentaries on the Tur and on the Shulchan Arukh talk about the depravity and anti-Torah behavior that comes from drunkenness. The tale that is told in the Talmud, about Rabba getting drunk on Purim and killing Rabbi Zeira, many argue, is the antithesis of Rava’s statement, which

goes to show what kind of horrific behavior can come from becoming drunk. Perhaps in telling the tale, the Talmud is suggesting that drinking on Purim is very, very bad.

We are all well aware of what people under the influence of alcohol can do, even unintentionally. When it is younger people who are less familiar with alcohol, control, and understanding limits, the results are at a minimum a desecration of G-d’s name (chillul Hashem), and can at worst lead to hospitalization and even death.

The Ramban refers to getting drunk as being a “Naval Birshut Hatorah,” being disgusting with the Torah’s approval. In other words, as the Torah doesn’t forbid the consumption of wine, drinking wine is not against the Torah. However, just because the Torah allows consuming wine does not mean the Torah condones the resulting behavior that comes from drunkenness. This, Ramban argues, is absolutely against the Torah.

If getting drunk is forbidden (as Maimonides, the Tur, Beit Yosef, etc. all say it is), then how could the Talmud say it is an obligation on Purim to get drunk?

Maybe we are reading the Talmud incorrectly. The word “Puria” appears over twenty times in the Talmud. In most cases the word means either a bed or a couch. In the Talmudic passage in question, it seems strange that it should mean “Purim” because two lines later the word “Purim” itself is used to refer to the holiday! If within the same breath the Talmud can say “Purim,” why would it use the term “Puria” to refer to Purim?

The word “libsumei” appears four times in the Talmud, and every other time (other than in the Megillah 7b passage) it means pleasantness or sweetening, in the context of either a pleasant voice or a sweet voice.

So perhaps the phrase can be understood to mean that “a person is obligated to feel pleasant or sweet on a bed until the point that he does not know the difference between cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai.”

How is this accomplished?

Maimonides suggests that on Purim one should drink a little more than usual, to the point of falling asleep, because while sleeping a person doesn’t even think about the difference between cursing Haman or blessing

Rabbi Zeira had the strength and fortitude to resist the peer pressure of going to a party in which the drinking might get out of hand. May we be blessed to celebrate Purim with those who understand limits.

Mordechai, both of which might be the same thing anyway (their numerical values [gematria] happen to be the same as well).

So what does one do with the Talmudic story?

The Meiri suggests that the word that is usually translated as “slaughtered” should be read with the letter “sin” instead of a “shin” to suggest that Rabba squeezed Rabbi Zeira.

Thus it could follow that Rabbi Zeira may have lost consciousness, but may not have died.

Perhaps, however, following along the line of our novel interpretation, the pleasantness that was achieved through their celebrating properly led them to fall asleep, and the resulting tale was merely a dream. Perhaps Rabbi Zeira had a harder time waking in the morning, prompting Rabba to pray for him.

But all’s well that ends well because Rabbi Zeira was fine in the end.

So why did he opt out of celebrating with Rabba the following year? Being pressured by a friend to drink is never a pleasant experience. If indeed Rabbi Zeira had a severe hangover the following day, perhaps he thought another bout of such celebrating could be damaging to his health.

Rabbi Zeira had the strength and fortitude to resist the peer pressure of going to a party in which the drinking might get out of hand (he unfortunately learned this the hard way).

May we be blessed to celebrate Purim with rhose who understand limits and how to properly celebrate the special holiday of Purim.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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bam’s theological and philosophical views concerning the whole concept of joy in our faith and of its “on the ground� application within the context of Purim.

Below, as has been my want, I will cite numerous quotes from the author that will give you a taste of his thinking and teachings as they apply to one of the most joyous holidays on the Jewish calendar. Hopefully, at some point, you will have the opportunity to explore further Dr. Sokol’s teachings and ďŹ nd practical meaning for their application in your observances of this meaningful holiday.

For the Rambam, joy is deďŹ ned by linking it with knowledge of G-d. As this applies to Purim, the Rambam goes further in the application of both the concept and experience of joy. Consider the following: “1. Notice that strictly speaking, the obligation in Hilchot Megillah is not to feed the poor, as it was in Hilchot Yom Tov, but to make them happy. This one happens to accomplish by feeding them, but the obligation per se as the Rambam formulates it is to be ‘mesameach lev aniyim.’ This is hardly insigniďŹ cant. What lies behind the difference? “2. The Rambam adds in Hilchot Megillah, but not in Hilchot Yom Tov, that in fulďŹ lling this obligation, one is similar to the Shechina, the Divine Presence. Why does Rambam mention this only in Hichot Megillah? And what exactly does he mean by ‘similar to the Divine Presence’?â€?

Dr. Sokol goes on by noting other differences, derived from both scripture and halacha, between the basis of holiday observance and that of Purim. He continues by asking the following probing questions: “Why is Purim called a day of joy and Sukkot not? Why is the mitzvah on Purim to

bring others to joy, but not on Sukkot? Why is someone who does so, compared to the Shechina, but not someone who rejoices and feeds the poor on the other holidays?�

Dr. Sokol makes further inquiry as to messianic thematic links between holidays, asking and probing the practical theological implications inherent in this. Dr. Sokol continues further on with the following: “In a single, brilliant ash, the redemption that Purim celebrates, illuminates the

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otherwise hidden and enigmatic contours of Divine Providence. I would suggest that Purim, more than any other holiday, provides insight into the astonishing work of Providence. So the Rambam saw the link between joy and knowledge on Purim as making it a day of joy more than any other. For no other day in the Jewish calendar provides such a stunning revelation of the mysteries of Providence. â&#x20AC;Ś It is as if G-d had for a moment parted the veils that hide His power in the world and given observers a glimpse of the Divine mysteries.â&#x20AC;?

Dr. Sokol concludes, in part, his unique teachings based upon the Rambam on this subject by stating the following: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Purim is the quintessential festival of the Messianic era. It reveals the meaning behind the suffering its story relates, and the ways in which Jewish tragedy providentially gives way to salvation.

So, too, the Messianic era will reveal that same Providence hidden behind exile. â&#x20AC;Ś Tragedy will be forgotten because it will be revealed as the very means by which the bliss of redemption and the Messianic era were won. In that important sense, Jewish tragedy is only apparent tragedy.

So only Megillat Esther, which teaches that lesson in the most vivid way, will survive into the Messianic era.â&#x20AC;?

With this lesson, hopefully learned and applied now, I wish you all, my dear readers, a most joyous, and meaningful Purim festival.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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ifeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s reality as it is reďŹ&#x201A;ected in Jewish theology is relative. For some, reality is real; for others, too many others, reality is but a dream. That dream, to that personâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mind, is reďŹ&#x201A;ected in a reality of either fantasy or delusion. And, that is sad, a sad reality.

Among the real realities that serve to soften the harshness of life is that of joy, and thus we come to the reality that we call KOSHER and commemorate in BOOKWORM the story and lessons of Purim.

Among the leading theologians of our faith is Rabbi Dr. Moshe Sokol, the rav of the Yavneh Minyan in Flatbush, Dean at Lander College, and a member of the faculty at Touro College. Dr. Sokol holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from the UniAlan Jay Gerber versity of Pennsylvania and studied at the Talmudic Yeshiva of Philadelphia, Yeshiva Torah Vadaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;at, and at the Israel Torah Research Institute (ITRI) in Jerusalem, from where he received his rabbinic ordination.

Considering this background, it is opportune to note the recent publication of an anthology of 18 essays by Dr. Sokol entitled, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Judaism Examined: Essays in Jewish Philosophy and Ethicsâ&#x20AC;? [Touro College Press, Academic Studies Press, 2013].

Given this weekendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s celebration of Purim, it would be timely to bring to your attention this bookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ďŹ rst essay, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Maimonides On Joy,â&#x20AC;? in which the author details the Ram-

THE JEWISH STAR March 14, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 12 ADAR II 5774

Celebrating both the joy and reality of Purim

March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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Financing Mideast flames: Confronting BDS, New Israel Fund

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t a time when boycott, divestment and sanctions is seen as a viable threat to Israel, many are asking where the oxygen for the BDS movement is coming from. Many critics point to the New Israel Fund (NIF) as an organization whose financing has been inseparable from the boycott movement.

The NIF vociferously asserts that it does not Edwin Black currently fund any organizations which advocate for a boycott of Israel. But until 2011, generous NIF grants to the boycott vanguard were indispensable to establishing and fortifying the budding international boycott movement. For example, a leading recipient of NIF money was the Coalition of Women for Peace, which boldly demands a boycott of all things Israeli, and has established a well-oiled database called “Who Profits” that targets Israeli enterprises, large and small.

According to NIF financial records, in 2008 alone, the NIF bestowed $93,457 to the Coalition of Women for Peace. Over a period of years, NIF financing of this organization reached a strong six-figure sum, including both direct grants and those where the NIF acted as a “go-between” for other donors—a technique called “donor advised” funding.

Go-between financing to create a tax deductible transaction is a key feature of the global boycott movement. In the 2009 annual report of the Coalition of Women for Peace, p.34 contains a prominent appeal: “To our American friends: For a U.S. tax deduction, make out a check to the New Israel Fund, write on the memo line (or separately) that it is For the Coalition of Women for Peace, and mail it to New Israel Fund…

(Minimum they will accept – $100.) To our British friends: For a UK tax deduction, make out a check to the New Israel Fund, write on the memo line (or separately) that it is For the Coalition of Women for Peace… (Minimum they will accept – 70 GBP.)” At Australian Limmud Oz Festival in 2011, NIF board member Naomi Chazan asserted that the NIF no longer funded the Coalition of Women for Peace. When at that conference, a recently deposited copy of a donation check to the Coalition of Women for Peace was produced showing monies were still transiting NIF accounts. Chazan explained that transfer of money was “an error.”

OVERVIEW

The Coalition itself always kept the NIF informed about how its money was being used, and the robust boycott activities it was undertaking. A May 23, 2011 letter to the NIF’s Israel executive director Rachel Liel from Coalition coordinator Eilat Maoz confirmed, “For the past two years, CWP staff members readily answered numerous questions posed to us

by NIF regarding our projects, campaigns and positions. We have ensured our full cooperation to NIF and extended our assistance in explaining the legitimacy, the legality and the importance of our activities.”

The NIF no longer provides money to the Coalition. Now the Coalition is strong enough to gather its monies from other sources.

However, the BDS movement is now fortified by a conveyor belt of brutality and oppression accounts—some legitimate, some exaggerated, some invented—force fed to the world by agitation NGOs, including many financed by the New Israel Fund. The NIF’s financial records for 2012 indicates that it granted $109,615 to Breaking the Silence, $255,477 to B’Tselem, and $209,161 to Adalah. These three groups are among many NIF grantees that operate at the front line of anti-Israel information.

The NIF vigorously insists its grants to hundreds of Israeli NGO advances democracy and social improvement—which is true for a number of the recipients which are actually engaged in charitable and betterment programs that benefit women, children, and disadvantaged groups. But beyond good works, scores of the NIF’s recipients have caused leading critics such as Deputy Speaker of the Knesset Yoni Chetboun to assert, “The main goal of the NIF is to undermine the Israeli Army, by knowingly financing left-wing Israeli groups that try to get young Israeli soldiers prosecuted for war crimes.” Other prominent MK’s have gone on the record to second Chetboun’s comment. The NIF energetically rebuts such charges and dismisses them as purely political attacks.

However, one can only imagine where the BDS movement would be today if the NIF had not spent so much money a few years ago to help erect the budding BDS infrastructure, and if today’s debates were not fueled by well-financed NGO campaigns that portray Israel as a cruel, undemocratic, and oppressive apartheid nation that must be boycotted and sanctioned into either submission or oblivion.

Edwin Black is the award-winning author of “IBM and the Holocaust.” This article is drawn from his just-released newsbook, “Financing the Flames: How Tax-Exempt and Public Money Fuel a Culture of Confrontation and Terrorism in Israel.” Copyright 2014 Edwin Black.

Covering CPAC 2014: What the mainstream media got wrong L

ast Wednesday, I left for my annual four-day trip to Washington DC and CPAC, the Conservative Political Action Conference. Listening to the news reports of the conference on the drive home, I wondered if the media went to the same conference I attended.

Let’s begin with the straw poll. Straw polls Jeff Dunetz taken three years before an election mean very little. CPAC straw polls mean even less.

Less than 25 percent of the CPAC attendees voted in the straw pull. Of those, almost half of them were 25 or younger. In other words the straw poll wasn’t even a representation of CPAC attendees. And the poll was even less representative of those who will vote in the Republican Party primaries. If you look at the history of the straw poll, in the four years before John McCain was nominated, the winners of the straw poll were Rudy Giuliani, George Allen and Mitt Romney twice (Romney’s 2008 win was after he withdrew from the race. In the four years before Romney’s 2012 nomination, Ron Paul won twice (he always bussed in supporters to vote for the straw poll) and Mitt Romney won twice.

Other CPAC straw poll winners include Jack Kemp, Phil Graham, Steve Forbes and Gary Bauer. Not one earned the party’s nomination.

Republican Party Unity. CPAC was proof that the supposed war within the conservative party is a mainstream media creation..

Almost every speaker, with the exception of Ted Cruz, spoke of the need for a unified party. The emphasis was that the argument between some in the party was not based on political policy but on how to execute that policy. People who aren’t typical favorites of the CPAC crowd, such as New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, drew thunderous applause. Even Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell, falsely targeted as not conservative enough by the ultra-right wing Senate Conservatives Fund, was well received although not to the level of the others.

Israel as part of the discussion. With the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it was not surprising that each and every potential presidential candidate spoke about the U.S. loss of world standing thanks to the “lead from behind” foreign policy of the Obama administration. What was surprising was the mention of Israel as an important ally, who was being wrongly pressured by President Obama. Israel was mentioned more times during the 2014 CPAC than each of the past four CPACs which I attended combined. Potential candidates mentioned support of Israel as a big issue and a difference between them and the Democratic Party.

Even non-candidates mentioned the need of Obama to stop pressuring only Israel and to start showing a balanced approach.

In past years the Ron Paul supportPOLITICS TO GO

ers would be bussed in to ensure that their guy would win the straw poll. Considered “crazies” by the rest of the attendees, Paul and his supporters were not only anti-Israel but also anti-Semitic. Their absence from the conference the past two years really changed the tenor of CPAC in a good way.

The 2016 Campaign. In a private meeting with RNC Chairman Reince Prebious, we learned the 2016 primary season will look much different from 2012. The very long primary and debate system (23 debates) will be much shorter. The number of debates will be more than halved, and the convention will be a month earlier. All of this has already been approved by 75 percent of the RNC. According to Chairman Prebious, the reduced number of debates will prevent some of the public circular firing squads that dominated the 2012 debates. He is also looking at ways to punish candidates (losing delegates) who participate in non-sanctioned debates. In previous years, Mr. Prebious explained, once a candidate earned enough delegates, they basically had to stop campaigning because primary and election dollars must be kept separate by law. And election dollars cannot be spent before the convention. The earlier convention will allow the eventual candidate to start spending election campaign dollars a month earlier. Also new according to the Chairman, the party will chose the moderators during the debate season. Since it is the party choosing its candidate, Prebious will make sure that the moderators will be friendly to conservatism and to the GOP. He even suggested that a conservative radio host and/or conservative blogger would moderate one of the debates.

Losing Respect for my fellow bloggers.

At the annual BlogBash there were awards voted on and awarded by my fellow bloggers.

The Blogger of The Year honoree was well deserved; it went to William A. Jacobson of Legal Insurrection. The category of NonProfit Blogger of the year was given to Jeff Dunetz, for his work at TruthRevolt, an obvious lapse of judgment.

John McCain doesn’t matter anymore.

Speaker of the House John Boehner wasn’t invited to speak at CPAC and his absence was a source of much backroom chatter. Former presidential candidate John McCain wasn’t invited to CPAC and nobody noticed. His name wasn’t raised by the speakers (except derisively by Ted Cruz), nor did the attendees I listened to mention the Senior Senator from Arizona. So when you see McCain on the Sunday news shows, it is not because of his standing in the party but because of his standing amongst the mainstream media.

Immigration is a much bigger issue than I previously thought. Most at CPAC Continued on page 12

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Continued from page 4 the table, with my family, you must be very proper.”

Rav Levi Yitzchak thought about it.

“The only way I can behave is if I don’t open my mouth. I won’t even pray, except to say ‘Amen.’ Because the minute I pray I’m not myself anymore, and the ecstasy carries me away…”

So he said to Rav Baruch: “When we’re making Kiddush, don’t ask me to say a blessing. Let me be absolutely silent, because it’s the only way I can control myself.”

The two Rebbes agreed, and Rav Levi Yitzchak came to Rav Baruch for Shabbat.

All through the prayers he only answered ‘Amen.’ The prayer went beautifully. But everyone was sure that by Kiddush Rav Levi Yitzchak wouldn’t be able to hold it together, and he’d start jumping on the table. But Rav Baruch made Kiddush, and again, Rav Levi Yitzchak just answered ‘Amen.’

Now everybody knows that we always eat fish on Friday night. But some start with sour fish and some start with sweet fish. Rav Baruch was very civilized, so he had one of his Chassidim, acting as a waiter, bring around the fish and ask everyone if they would like some fish.

So the waiter came to Rav Levi Yitzchak and asked him, “Do you like sweet fish?” And that was all the poor Chassid had to ask. Rav Levi Yitzchak heard the question and began to yell: “Do I like fish? Do I love fish? I love Hashem! I love only G-d!” That was all it took for him to reach a state of spiritual ecstasy, and he jumped up on the table, grabbed the platter of fish and threw it up in the air.

The fish hit the ceiling and began to drip on

Reb Baruch’s Tallit (in those days the great Rebbes wore their tallit on Friday night at the table.) Everyone was aghast. Everyone except Rav Baruch, who for all his civilized behavior would never wash his Tallit after that feast, because, he said, the stains were holy.

“These stains were made by a Jew who really loves G-d. How can I ever wash them out?”

After Rav Baruch’s death, the Tallit was passed down from one Rebbe to another to wear on Shabbat, but never washed. It became so precious that the Rebbes only wore it on Yom Kippur.

The holy Munkatcher Rebbe, the last to possess it, wore it only for Neilah, the final prayer of Yom Kippur. He must have foreseen the destruction that would be coming into the world with the Holocaust; his last will was to be buried in Rav Baruch’s Tallit, covered with the stains caused by one who loved only G-d.

There are many different types of holy clothing, but they are all ultimately meant to clothe what is really valuable: the person who lies beneath. And as with all things we come in contact with, they hide the deepest and highest meanings of the things that are truly valuable in this world.

Beneath the clothing of sinew and bones, tissue and limbs that are our bodies, lies the soul, that indomitable fire of joy and light that is who we really are.

This Purim, may Hashem bless us all with a glimpse beneath the “cloak” that often hides us from each other, so that we can better appreciate the inner beauty of all those around us, and all people everywhere.

Shabbat Shalom.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re reprinting one of Judyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s past Purim columns. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be back with a fresh take from the Kitchen next week. y the time you read this column it will probably be T-minus 2 days to Purim.

Are you panicking yet? Have your shaloach manot been packed? Your seuWHOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IN THE dah shopping comKITCHEN pleted? Your costumes picked out?

Back in the day, I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t remember any panicking. Shaloach manot consisted of a few different pieces of elegant cakes, placed in pretty little colored paper cups and a fruit placed in the middle of the plate. Girls were costumed as Queen Esther or Vashti and Judy Joszef boys as Mordechai or Haman. And the costumes werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t bought â&#x20AC;&#x201D; you either borrowed a gown someone wore to a wedding a few years back, or you wore a really pretty party dress, your momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s costume pearls, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shabbos shoes,â&#x20AC;? and Momâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s make up. Piece de resistance? That glorious crown perched on our heads. It was made of cardboard that was shiny gold on the outside, and we assembled it.

The seudah consisted of basic Shabbos fare. Today, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a different ball game. Seudahs are seven course meals, or they take place in restaurants. Gone are the old favorites. We now have duck, veal, Cornish hens and lamb. Kugel is replaced by Potatoes

B

Romanoff or Dutchess Potatoes and on the dessert menu you can ďŹ nd Cherry Clafoutis, Croquembouche and Pear Tarte Tatin.

Dressing up on Purim is a long-standing custom; the earliest record is found in the writings of the Mahari Mintz, a late 15th century Italian Rabbi and scholar. He writes that on Purim it is permitted for a man to dress up as a woman and vice versa.

Today, costumes are a family affair. The latest trend is for the entire family, yes parents and kids, to dress in a theme related to the shaloach manot.

If aviation is your thing, then you dress as pilots and stewardessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and you deliver section trays with a roll, small mufďŹ n, chumus, drink and coffee packets.

Craving pizza? Have your family wear black shirts with homemade stickers printed with your family name and pizza. Add matching black caps. Either bake a ďŹ&#x201A;at round cake and decorate as a pizza with jelly and shredded white chocolate, or pick up a pie at your favorite pizza joint (mine is Shulaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s), and add a can of soda.

Black and white your fancy? Dress in homemade domino costumes and send black and white cookies, chocolate covered pretzels with white sprinkles, black and white jelly beans and a can of Coke Zero.

Speaking of costumes, last year we were invited to a party. The theme? TV or movie

characters from the 70s. I ďŹ gured Sandy from the movie Grease (in the last scene) would be simple enough. I bought a blond shoulder wig, squeezed into a pair of my daughterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s black cropped paint on pants, added a black top and paired it with black 5-inch heels.

If you had one drink too many or you took off your glasses I came pretty close. Jerry, inexplicably, thought that coming as a Black Panther would be the perfect date for Sandy.

Coming as John Tavoltaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Danny Zucco was way too conventional. I made a paste out of cocoa, water and bit of oil. His face, neck and hands were transformed. He wore all black, added a black beret and actually ordered Black Panther/Power buttons. On the way home from the party, at 1:30 am, I realized we needed milk for morning coffee.

We pulled into a 7/11 in town. My husband, who usually goes in, wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t moving. I said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect me to go in dressed like this do you? He responded, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m not sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best I go in looking like this!â&#x20AC;? He had a point.

I took off my wig and just as I was exiting the car I saw a man in his 50s wearing a kippa, dressed as the black swan complete with tutu, tiara and ballet slippers. Jerry could have gone in and not even be noticed.

Your family doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to dress as young calves to enjoy this delectable dish at your

seudah!

Stuffed breast of veal 4 Tbs. canola oil 2 onions chopped 6 crushed cubes of garlic 1 C. minced fresh ďŹ&#x201A;at-leaf parsley 4 C dried bread crumbs 2 1/2 lbs. ground veal 4 eggs, lightly beaten Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 2 bone-in veal breasts, 5 1/2 to 6 lbs each with pocket horizontal pocket Olive oil for coating Mikee Garlic Stir fry and Rib Sauce (can be found at Gourmet Glatt) Preheat oven to 350F and grease two heavy baking pans. Each roast will need its own pan.

In a pan, heat the oil on a medium ďŹ&#x201A;ame.

Add the chopped onion and garlic and sautĂŠ until translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the parsley, bread crumbs, ground veal, eggs, salt and pepper.

Coat the veal breast with olive oil, and season inside and out with salt and pepper.

Stuff the bread crumb mixture into the pocket. Tie the meat closed with kitchen twine to hold in the stufďŹ ng. Place the veal, bone side down, in pans. Pour a half jar of the sauce on each roast. Tent with aluminum foil so veal stays moist.

Roast until a thermometer inserted into the center of the meat reaches 160 F, about 2 hours.

Let stand ten minutes then slice the veal between the ribs, and arrange on a large serving platter. The photo above is of one stuffed rib.

Judy Joszef can be reached at judy.soiree@ gmail.com

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Another stuffed pocket for Purim: breast of veal

March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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Sid Caesar at premiere of “Seems Like Old Times” in 1980.

Alan Light via Wikimedia Commons

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parodies, and pantomime. From a boy at his first dance, to an argument at a bus station, to lions in the circus, the stories crafted by the show’s writers helped television to grow into one of the most enduring forces in our society.

“Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Larry Gelbart, Woody Allen, and so many others went on to further greatness after traveling through the Caesar comedy gateway,” Epstein said. “I think Neil Simon’s older brother, the late Danny Simon, was an overlooked genius in the room where the ideas flowed, but everyone in that room who is not well-known deserves much more recognition. Caesar was himself a complex guy, but one whose brilliance gave a permanent and enduring gift to the American people.”

Carl Reiner said in a statement after Caesar’s death that he was “inarguably the greatest pantomimist, monologist, and single-sketch comedian who ever worked in television.”

A friend of Larry Gelbart, Friedfeld said that when Gelbart was asked why most of Caesar’s writers were young and Jewish, he responded, “Because all of our parents were old and Jewish.”

Before flying to see Caesar on his 90th birthday, Friedfeld recalled bumping into Woody Allen on Park Avenue in New York, and Allen said, “Tell Sid he’s still my finest credit.” “[Caesar] revolutionized comedy,” Friedfeld told JNS.org. “Before Sid, television was burlesque and wrestling and bowling. Caesar, his costars, and writers created modern television. They brought this modern sensibility.

All the great sitcoms that followed, like ‘All in the Family,’ ‘Cheers,’ ‘Frasier,’ and now ‘Modern Family,’ owe their legacy to Sid Caesar.”

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tantly and literally carried onto the stage to have his life story told with Uncle Goopy and a parade of other crazy relatives in front of 5,000 people; and the German General, who fastidiously avoided jangling his medals as he prepared to be a fancy hotel’s doorman.

Caesar in his sketches became a scientist who, after being bitten by a radioactive termite, developed an insatiable appetite for wood. As The Professor, his boundless expertise ranged from mountain climbing, sleep, and children. And as the crying clown, Galipacci, he braved the perils of live television.

Doing the sketches week after week was not easy for Caesar. In an interview he gave for the Archive of American Television, Caesar emphasized the challenge of doing live TV in the early days of the medium. “Doing a show live on television is a different animal altogether than doing TV today,” he said. “I mean on tape, that’s like relaxing. That’s like going on vacation!”

Lawrence Epstein, author of “The Haunted Smile: The Story of Jewish Comedians in America” and a professor of English at Suffolk County Community College in New York from 1974-2008, said Caesar set the template for television comedy.

“He did the satires, the accents, the costumes that would help define future comedic efforts,” Epstein said. “Caesar’s great comedy ear is often cited for his ability to create any accent and seems to speak fluently in that language while in fact uttering gibberish. But I think that great ear’s largest contribution was its ability to recognize talent.”

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By Robert Gluck, JNS.org The recently deceased Sid Caesar made America laugh, and in so doing, revolutionized television comedy. His trailblazing style was infused with Jewish influences, according to Eddy Friedfeld, co-author with Caesar on his biography “Caesar’s Hours: My Life in Comedy, With Love and Laughter.”

“Sid was part of the Jewish tradition of storytelling,” said Friedfeld, who gave a eulogy at Caesar’s funeral last month. “The difference was his was not joke telling, it was comedy based on character. His sketches were stories with beginnings, middles, and ends. That was not coincidentally a function of the Jewish influence.”

The youngest of three sons born to Jewish immigrants living in Yonkers, Caesar’s father Max emigrated from Poland, and with his wife Ida, who had come from Russia, operated a luncheonette. Young Sid developed his foreign-sounding double talk by listening closely to the luncheonette’s multinational clientele.

Friedfeld, who teaches courses in comedy at Yale University and New York University and worked several years with Caesar on the biography, said Caesar had a strong Jewish identity.

“His family [members] were proud and aware Jews. Sid went to cheder, the afterschool [Jewish] program. Sid claimed he was the first to introduce the word chutzpah into the American vernacular,” Friedfeld told JNS.org.

Unlike previous comedy that was rooted in immigration and financial depression, Caesar’s brand was about a new, post-World War II America, prosperous and hopeful in the era of suburbs, skyscrapers, and space travel. The U.S. at the time needed smart,

THE JEWISH STAR March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774

Jewish-infused Caesar revolutionized TV comedy

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12 March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

5 Towns Albany push…

Panelists at Kulanu’s seminar on bullying, from left: Amy Eisenberg, director of the Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC), a division of Kulanu Academy; Dana Kamer, Service Coordinator, PARC: Jonathan Cooper, LCSW, Director of Inclusion and Community Support Services, Kulanu Academy.

The Jewish Star photo by Malka Eisenberg

Kulanu bully confab…

Continued from page 1 will be picked on.” Special needs students have “trouble reading social situations” and “remember everything and lack a sense of time” thus much later they may come up to a bully and react then.

They discussed “family theater” where anti-bullying techniques and modifying behavior can be practiced in the safe family home environment to be used at school to diffuse and deal with bullying.

They emphasized the importance of finding out the facts of the case, asking on a scale of one to 10 how bad the bullying is and to talk to the teacher. They stressed that parents not discuss with the bully’s parent but “go through the system or talk to the principal.”

Teach the child to tell the story of what happened with a beginning, middle and end, explained Cooper, and the student should understand what bullying is, and understand the difference between an “accident” and “on purpose.”

Cooper suggested “self actualizing” thoughts for the special needs students to calm down when bullied before making a “comeback.”

Such thoughts include, “It’s not my fault I am the target,” “the person who is bullying me is out of control,” and “I am not the only student who gets bullied.” The bullied child should be taught to stand erect, walk with purpose and have a steady gaze, often causing bullies to leave the students alone. They should practice delivering verbal “comebacks … short, sweet, to the point in response” to a bully’s taunts. “If they can smile and blow it off they’ll win.”

The comebacks should be said with a smile, explained Cooper, one in response for each comment to diffuse the situation and not explode with anger because that is what the teaser wants, to trigger an explosive response. The parent can rehearse with the child. Some comebacks include: “so what, big deal, who cares, get a life, this is boring, whatever, thanks for the compliment.”

He also suggested teaching them to say one sentence well such as, “ I hear you,” “I don’t like it,” or “knock it off.”

Bullying programs focus on the bully and bullied, noted Cooper, and that only four percent of class time focuses on social skills. There is a need to break the illusion that the bully has group support and to

bring the bystanders in to break the group dynamic. Members of the discussion advocated a weekly meeting in school to process bullying episodes. One parent suggested that teachers have to be taught, that it has to be embedded in the education. Eisenberg said it should be mandated but Cooper said that not all teachers want it mandated. An educator attending the meeting suggested that an anti-bullying session should be held once a week in classes just as art and music are taught.

The three Kulanu moderators emailed their assessments to the Jewish Star after the seminar.

“From my perspective, I think bullying is a topic that is not addressed enough,” said Dana Kamer, Service Coordinator, PARC. “Having seminars is really eye opening to a lot of parents and the knowledge that they obtain can be passed to other parents in and around their community. It’s a much more widespread problem than it ever was before and having teachers and educators on board teaching lessons about it, could really impact these students’ lives.”

“For parents, there are many workshops and seminars available,” said Eisenberg. “In my opinion, more schools need to embrace bullying prevention as a real issue and offer appropriate, ongoing training for staff and students. This is a societal issue – has been around for centuries. It is now widespread to all individuals who are differentlyabled. The PARC bullying seminar touched on these issues and provided the attendees with solutions that can work.”

“Bullying can leave victims, parents, teachers, and bystanders feeling helpless when it occurs and it occurs all the time,” noted Cooper.

“The problem is that there is often no place to air these feelings when these events occur. There is no rapid response team. Stories get convoluted, victims have a hard time telling the story, and bystanders have a hard time admitting that they watched, while doing nothing. This presentation attempted to outline a program that provides schools with the tools to deal with bullying.

“For parents of typical and children with special needs, they were provided with early warning signs of bullying, and how to provide their children with the emotional support and strategies when bullying does occur.”

Continued from page 1 outlined four issues of concern for the community in the new budget: •The CAP (Comprehensive Attendance Policy) and MSR (Mandate Services Reimbursement) programs provide funding for mandated services required by private schools. CAP pays schools to take attendance at the beginning of each period, ensuring every child’s safety and security by making sure they are in school. MSR provides funding to schools for providing vaccination information to the State, administering State exams and other types of required services.

•The educational tax credit is a tax credit given to donors for their contributions for scholarship funds for day schools or yeshivot, providing a 100 percent tax credit for up to 75 percent of their tax liability.

•As for universal pre-K, “right now it is very difficult for schools to be allowed to open a UPK class.” The legislation will facilitate UPK, “It is probably going to happen. In our area kindergarten is required,” said Leb. •As for the Smart Schools bond referendum, “the Governor is proposing a bond referendum, a $2 billion bond, that allows schools to upgrade technology. Private schools are not included now; we are pushing that the $2 billion covers private schools as well.”

“It was an incredible trip to Albany,”

said Leb. “I do many missions with different groups every year but this Long Island mission really stood out. The legislators were impressed by the group, the sophistication of the students that came and the community leaders and administrators. They met with different legislators and they were very receptive.”

They met with Lt. Governor Robert Duffy, Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, and Senate Education Chairman John Flanagan, and many others.

HAFTR, HALB (Hebrew Academy of Long Beach), Yeshiva Darchei Torah, Midreshet Shalhevet, Rambam Mesivta and Schechter of Long Island sent representatives.

“The Five Towns Jewish community needs to mobilize and be seen in Albany,” said Adler. “Instead of one giant mission, we have one after the other from across the State, a full court press.”

“It will definitely keep awareness of the issues that effect the day schools and yeshiva community on the table and be impactful on the budget negotiations currently ongoing and by the end of the month,” said Leb. “It brought further awareness to the issues and made an impact. The legislators came over after and told me how impressed they were. It was a good trip, a good mission.”

DRS Wildcats champs…

Continued from page 1 13-0 records, including three playoff games.

DRS beat the Frisch Cougars of Paramus by a score of 57-46 in a semifinal game on March 3 to clinch a spot in the championship, while Flatbush downed the SAR Sting of Riverdale 50-39 in a March 5 semifinal game to secure their berth.

While Flatbush held the lead early on, the tables turned at the end of the first quarter, courtesy of a three-pointer by Wildcats point guard Yoav Deutsch, the game’s MVP, and a layup by forward and team captain Akiva Ackerman, giving DRS a 10-7 lead heading into the second quarter.

The Wildcats’ momentum continued in the second period, and Deutsch scored on a three-point buzzer-beater to put his team ahead 26-13 at the break. Deutsch scored

16 points in the game, including four threepointers, propelling DRS’s offense.

“It was a team effort,” Deutsch said humbly about the championship victory.

Center Abie Perlow and power forward Gabriel Leifer made grabbed key rebounds in the second half, sealing the victory for the Wildcats.

Ackerman said everybody made a contribution to the victory. “It was definitely a total team effort,” he said. “Every individual contributed to our championship-winning season.”

DRS Athletic Director Rabbi Michael Finkelstein said that The Wildcats’ execution was perfect on both sides of the ball. “We played a flawless game, both offensively and defensively,” he said.

Yitzchak Carroll is a student at DRS

Covering CPAC 2014…

Continued from page 6 believed that amnesty for illegal immigrants was something being pushed down the throats of Republicans by its leaders. Every poll of American voters of both political parties ranking their priority issues showed immigration near the bottom of the list.

The overall feeling in the conventional hall was the same as it has been every other year I attended: secure the border first, enforce e-verify second, then we can talk.

At one point, conservative Ann Coulter debated liberal Mickey Kaus, and on the issue of immigration both were opposed to amnesty for illegal immigrants. They believed that the reason for the amount of illegals in the country was jobs, and if we enforced e-verify and prevented companies from hiring illegal immigrants, most would leave the country since they would not be able to get work.

Or as Ann Coulter said, “nobody forced them to come here, and if the jobs dry up, nobody will have to force them to leave.”

Speaking of Ann Coulter, I was invited to a smaller discussion of immigration featuring the GOP writer/pundit. When I stood to ask a question and introduced myself as Jeff Dunetz of the Lid, she said, “Oh, hello, I read your stuff,” which I must admit was wonderful for my ego.

CPAC is an important gathering that pulls together conservatives of all kinds, the traditional William F. Buckley conservatives, the Neocon types, Tea Party activists and even some brand new conservatives drawn in by the progressive policies of the Obama administration.

Collectively, they represent the party base of the Republican Party. Perhaps the biggest news left out by the mainstream media is that they left unified. More than any other CPAC in my experience, this conference left with a message of unity and eyes on the ultimate goal, retaining the House and winning the Senate.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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

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

6$7 1,7( $1' 681'$< 0$5&+ 385,0 Megillah readings around town, consult your local synagogue. Chabad Center of the Five Towns, Megillah readings on the hour, March 15, from 9 pm to midnight. March 16: Shacharit 7 am, Megillah 7:30 am; Shacharit 8:15 am, Megillah 8:45 am; Shacharit 9:30 am, Megillah 10 am, then every hour from 11 am to 6 pm. 74 Maple Avenue, Cedarhurst.

78(6'$< 0$5&+ (081$+ %22. 5(9,(: Esther Phillips Chapter of Emunah in Far Rockaway will present a book review by Rebbitzen Shirley Pelcovits on â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like Dreamers,â&#x20AC;? by Yossi Klein Halevi. At the White Shul, 728 Empire Ave, Far Rockaway. Refreshments. Free. Contact Alice Friedman, Chairman of the Board, 718868-3853.

:('1(6'$< 0$5&+ ,65$(/, '$1&( Learn with Danny Uziel and be comfortable dancing with the very best. Intermediate to advanced levels. Every Wednesday, 10 am to noon. $10. JCC of Greater Five Towns, 207 Grove Ave., Cedarhurst. 516-569-6733 x222. /,1.(',1 Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve heard the buzz about LinkedIn â&#x20AC;&#x201D; this workshop will cover the basics of how to use it. We will offer a step-bystep guide to creating a proďŹ le, uploading contacts and beginning to network online. 11 am to 1 pm. Sid Jacobson JCC, 300 Forest Dr., East Hills. 516-484-1545 x21.94.

6$7 1,7( $1' 681'$< 0$5&+ +$)75 +,*+ 6&+22/ 3/$< â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; HAFTR H.S. Auditorium, 635 Central Ave., Cedarhurst. March 22, Motzei Shabbat 9 pm, Sunday March 23 5:30 pm. Tkts in advance $15, at door $20. For more info: 347-580-3807, or call Leslie Gang 516-569-3370 x110.

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

6.$ +$/% %/22' '5,9( Stella K. Abraham HS for Girls and Hebrew Academy of Long Beach PTA Blood Drive. Each donation will help to save up to three lives; your community hospitals need your help. Please share this lifesaving gift! Bring ID with signature or photo, minimum weight 110, age 16 to 75; for medical eligibility questions call 800688-0900. 8:45 am -8 pm. SKA HS, 291 Meadowview Lane, Hewlett. For more info, Cindy Adler 516-695-0231 or Lynn Grushko 516-819-8229.

Gourmet Glatt, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Merchants of the Yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; The Cedarhurst Business Improvement District honored Gourmet Glatt as its Merchant of the Year for 2013 in a ceremony on Monday.

BID ofďŹ cials cited the storeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to the village, excellent customer service and reliability as a quality retail establishment.

Gourmet Glattâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moshe Ratner and Yoeli Steinberg received the award during a brief ceremony in the Spruce Street supermarket.

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

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

6$785'$< 0$5&+ -(:,6+ ('8&$7,21 352*5$0 2) /21* ,6/$1' $118$/ ',11(5 (JEP) Motzei Shabbat, 9:30 pm Lawrence Yacht and Country Club, 101 Causeway, Lawrence. Call (516) 374-1528 for information.

:('1(6'$< $35,/ (7=,21 )281'$7,21 Annual Dinner.

Keynote address by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;76, Chief Rabbi of United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth. Grand Hyatt Hotel, Park Avenue at Grand Central, New York City. Buffet Dinner 6:30 pm, Program 7:30 pm. For information go to www.thegushdinner.org or contact Etzion Foundation (212) 732-4874.

21*2,1* $57 (;+,%,76 6+2$+ $57 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Art as Conscience: Holocaust Art of Aaron Morgan,â&#x20AC;? through March 16 at Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center of Nassau County, 100 Crescent Beach Rd., Glen Cove, 516-571-8040. 516-571-8040 x105.

Send listings: Calendar@TheJewishSrtar.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The main ingredients for the success of Gourmet Glatt are teamwork and a never ending focus on fulďŹ lling our customerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s needs,â&#x20AC;?

Ratner said. Pictured from left: BID Executive Director Teri Schure, Yoeli Steinberg, Village Administrator Sal Evola, Trustee Ari Brown, Moshe Ratner, Mayor Andrew Parise, and Trustees Myrna Zisman and Ron Lanzilotta.

The Jewish Star photo by Jeffrey Bessen

YI Woodmere: Purim cautions on drinking, Mishloach Manot The rabbis at the Young Israel of Woodmere sent the following pre-Purim message to their members.

'ULQNLQJ DOFRKROLF EHYHUDJHV We are happy to see many notices cautioning about excessive drinking by our kids on Purim. Some of the messages are misleading. Excessive drinking is not just a Purim problem and not just a kid problem.

It is a Shabbos problem, a Yom Tov problem, a mid week problem, a USA problem, an Israel problem, and an adult problem as well. It is also very difďŹ cult to get the message across. Some places such as YIW have taken extreme measures by banning liquor and beer from our premises (we still have adults who come to Shul with ďŹ&#x201A;asks in their pockets). Admittedly the rule in an ideal world should be temperance and moderation, not prohibition! But we do not live in Voltaireâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best of all possible worlds.

Alcohol is a dangerous drug and it is the gateway to other even more dangerous drugs. It therefore behooves all adults to exercise good judgment if and when they drink. Do not drink excessively in front of

children, teenagers, or young adults. We are not so naive to believe that most of our kids will abstain from drinking. If that is the case, parents should teach them to drink responsibly. Do not elevate drinking to some glorious religious or social norm! Never drink and drive! Always remember that most children like to emulate their parents.

Let us all be responsible parents in this area of the real world.

0LVKORDFK 0DQRW We have seen the evolution of a mitzvah to send two cooked items to one friend into an extravagant effort to outspend and outdo our friends and neighbors. Much of shalach manos leads to bal tashchis, wasting of food. We live in difďŹ cult ďŹ nancial times.

Letâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s go back to simplicity. Send simple shalach manos to two friends. If you have more money to spend on food for others, give it to the poor. Let your friends know that this year you have concentrated your efforts on matanos laâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;evyonim, gifts to the poor. Tell your friends that you have done it in honor of those friends who do not receive shalach manos from you this year.

THE JEWISH STAR March 14, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 12 ADAR II 5774

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HANC senior boys enjoy a Cedarhurst Shabbaton

By Sender Gross Almost 40 HANC High School Senior boys spent last Shabbos in Cedarhurst for their annual Senior Boys Shabbaton. The Shabbaton was filled with ruach and excitement from all the boys who participated.

The event started Friday afternoon when the Seniors arrived at their respective hosts’ homes. Shabbos began with the boys davening together at Aish Kodesh, after which they were privileged to hear a personalized and uplifting Dvar Torah from Rabbi Weinberger. For the Friday night meal, they were graciously hosted by Rabbi Shimon Chrein and his family. The boys enjoyed a gourmet meal, enhanced by dancing, zemirot, and Divrei Torah.

The ruach continued at the home of Rabbi Simcha Weingot with a one-of-akind spirited oneg.

Shabbos morning they attended various shuls in the Cedarhurst community.

Shabbos lunch was hosted by senior boys’ mechanech, Rabbi Sam Rudansky and was followed by an enlightening speech from the Vice Chairman of the Miami Marlins, Joel Mael.

Shabbos culminated with a beautiful seudah shelishit at the home of Rabbi Shlomo Adelman, Menahel of HANC High School, where the students heard encouraging and powerful words from Mr. Ari Schonbrun, a survivor of the World Trade Center attacks. Mr. Schonbrun reminded the seniors that as they leave high school, they should always maintain their close relationship with their Yeshiva and with Hashem. In all, it was a fantastic Shabbos which will be remembered by all the Seniors.

POP! Power of Prayer at HANC high

0LW]YDK NLGV RI :HVW +HPSVWHDG The children of Gan Amy Day Care Center participated in a wonderful mitzvah last week at the West Hempstead Food Pantry. They donated an assortment of food and spent time unpacking and organizing it! Kol Ha Kavod!

By Rachel Canter, Freshman POP came to HANC on Feb. 25.

The Power of Prayer symposium on Tefillah gave high school students the opportunity to learn about and reflect on Tefillah, hearing from several speakers and participating in interactive workshops created by faculty and students.

Students completed a survey on how they see davening and how they want to improve their prayer. Girls met with Mrs. Shifra Rabenstein, and boys with Mr. Jeff Weinberg to make connections between Tefillah and our relationship with G-d. Mr. Charlie Harary spoke to the school about Why We Daven. Presenters, Mrs. Amit Yaghoobi, Rabbi Aryeh Lightstone, and HANC’s Rabbi Yakov Sadigh conducted a Q and A session with

grades 9 and 10. Juniors and seniors participated in a panel of alumni with HANC Middle School Principal Rabbi Elliot Hecht, Rabbi Sam Rudansky, and Rabbi Jeremy Ginsberg.

Students also enjoyed doughnuts and Powerade while they watched a short film and wrote their own special Tefillot.

For the conclusion of the program, all high school students gathered to watch a spectacular video created by senior, Alex Sachs, which highlighted personal stories from HANC students and faculty about davening, and an excellent performance by the HANC High School Boys Chorus, led by Rabbi Aaron Friedler.

HAFTR girls visit Israeli Consulate General in Manhattan A select group of twelfth graders from Mr. Book’s Zionism classes had the honor of visiting the Israeli Consulate General in Manhattan on Feb 26.

After going through airport-like security, we attended a seminar coordinated

by Mr. Book with the Information Department of the Consulate. The first part of the seminar consisted of a private meeting with the Consul of Public Diplomacy, Gil Lainer, who discussed the Consulate’s efforts to reach out to the community at large and explained the effort put into portraying Israel positively in the nonJewish community.

After a quick break for Israeli snacks, we heard from a few more speakers. Joseph Spitz, Director of Academic Affairs,

discussed with us how he came to work at the Consulate, and how the Consulate works with various college campuses on advocacy for Israel by providing speakers, funding and ideas to the students. He also explained the atmosphere of hate against Jews and Israel on some of the more liberal campuses and what the Israeli Consulate and Israel advocacy organizations are doing to counter this and make the case for Israel.

Finally we heard from Jeremy Geller, a media expert, on how the Consulate uses social media to further its positive branding campaign. The last two presenters are both American Jews who work for the consulate and inspired us to think of the many ways we can help our homeland.

THE JEWISH STAR March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774

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March 14, 2014 • 12 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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