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THE JEWISH March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

Parshas Tzav • Candlelighting 6:54 pm • Luach page 18

Vol 15, No. 13 • TheJewishStar.com

THE NEWSPAPER OF OUR ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

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Bibi and pols pump up Israel’s pals

By The Jewish Star and Jacob Kamaras of JNS.org More than 18,000 supporters of Israel, from nearly every political, geographic and religious orientation, ascended on Washington this week for the annual American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference.

AIPAC’s biggest event yet was a chance for the Jewish state’s best American friends to learn and exchange ideas, pump up their enthusiasm, and return home ready to ďŹ ght the good ďŹ ght for another year.

Four-thousand students were in attendance, including hundreds from day schools, yeshivot and public schools in the Long Island area.

Four of the ďŹ ve remaining presidential candidates delivered powerful pro-Israel messages: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary Clinton and John Kasich (pictured at right speaking at AIPAC). Bernie Sanders, campaigning out west, declined to travel to Washington to appear.

The closer for the three-day event was New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez. He reminded the cheering throng in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center that while the Holocaust “is central to Israel’s identity,â€? it is not the reason for its existence. “The true justiďŹ cation is written in thousands of years of undeniable history ‌ going back to the time of Abraham and Sara,â€? he said. “There can be no denying the Jewish people their legitimate right to live in peace and security in a homeland to which they have a connection for thousands of year.â€?

Menendez followed a live video address by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who spoke from Jerusalem as grim details were emerging of the morning’s terror attacks in Brussels. “This is one continuous assault on all of us,� Netanyahu said.

Continued on page 19

C’hurst swastika suspect grabbed in Lawrence

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A 17-year-old male from Central Avenue in Lawrence was arrested on Sunday for allegedly drawing two swastikas on the sidewalk on Oxford Road in Cedarhurst on Monday, March 7.

Police said that the suspect was walking on Oxford Road, found a piece of chalk and drew the Nazi symbol in front of different homes at around 5:05 pm. “A subsequent investigation by detectives led to the arrest,� police said in a news release. Police did not disclose a motive.

The suspect is charged with two counts of aggravated harassment-first degree and was issued a desk appearance ticket requiring that he appear in First District Court in Hempstead on April 13. “My wife’s parents were the only survivors of a very large family from the Holocaust,� a man who lives next door to where one of the swastikas was drawn told WCBS TV. “Even though it was a long time ago, it’s very real to us.�

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March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

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March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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announce that anti-Zionism, like any other form of bigotry, is inconsistent with their values and should be publicly condemned.

The Jewish community did not get everything it asked for. Specifically, the Regents did not adopt a definition of anti-Semitism, as many experts and activists urged them to.

Why was that a mistake? Consider the statement the U.S. Department of State delivered to world leaders last week at the Inter-Parliamentary Coalition for Combating anti-Semitism in Berlin. U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman advised world leaders that “it is especially important to define antiSemitism clearly to more effectively combat it.”

Good definitions are necessary, Forman explained, because of cases like the anti-Israel protestors who threw Molotov cocktails at the main synagogue in Wuppertal, Germany. A judge dismissed the case, finding that the actions were “anti-Israel” but not “anti-Semitic.”

As Forman noted, good definitions also protect innocent people from false accusations of anti-Semitism and encourage open dialogue.

Forman told world leaders that “we encourage European governments to adopt a working definition of anti-Semitism, ideally, one which would include a section on how anti-Semitism relates to Israel, to improve the safety and wellbeing of Jewish communities in Europe.”

The Regents are recognizing, at long last, that extreme anti-Zionism is a form of hate.

Kenneth L. Marcus is president of the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law and author of “The Definition of Anti-Semitism” (Oxford University Press, 2015). Distributed by JNS.org.

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By Kenneth L. Marcus In response to anti-Semitic incidents throughout the University of California (UC) system’s 10 campuses, its Regents have released a draft Statement of Principles Against Intolerance.

Last year, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) student council denied undergraduate Rachel Beyda an appointment to its Judicial Board because some council members were concerned that her being Jewish might bias her decision-making. Under pressure, the council reversed itself.

The Regents’ new statement calls “on University leaders actively to challenge anti-Semitism and other forms of discrimination when and whenever they emerge within the University community” but does not define anti-Semitism.

The breakthrough is not in the text, but in the accompanying 15 word “contextual statement:” “Anti-Semitism, anti-Zionism and other forms of discrimination have no place at the University of California.”

Here, for the first time, a major American university will acknowledge that extreme “antiZionism” is “a form of discrimination” like racism or sexism or homophobia.

To be clear, the Regents do not say that anti-Zionism will be banned. Nor should they.

Indeed, the Regents state that “the University will vigorously defend the principles of the First Amendment and academic freedom against any efforts to subvert or abridge them.”

At the same time, they declare that antiZionism has “no place at the University of California.” They speak here not as censors but as leaders. They use their own freedom of speech to

THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

Regents deny campus place for anti-Zionism

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March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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Kerry to world: Let’s gang up on Israel!

STEPHEN M. FLATOW

J

ohn Kerry has a new strategy for achieving Mideast peace: mobilize the international community to gang up on Israel.

That was the essence of the secretary of state’s disturbing remarks in Paris on March 13. Kerry declared that the Obama administration is “looking for a way forward” to bring about creation of a Palestinian state, calling Palestinian statehood “absolutely essential.” Kerry and President Obama have made up their minds and will not consider alternatives.

With the administration’s attempts to pressure Israel into creating a Palestinian state obviously unsuccessful so far, Kerry is looking for new ways to harangue the Israelis. “There’s not any one country or one person who can resolve this,” Kerry said. “This is going to require the global community, it will require international support.”

Significantly, Kerry’s quest for an international alliance to pressure Israel comes on the heels of France’s announcement that it will try to convene an international conference to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The French said that if the conference failed to produce a Palestinian state, it would unilaterally recognize such a state. That’s the French idea of “negotiations.”

The French approach is reminiscent of similar proposals made back in 1985. Alarmed,

then-Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin flew to Washington to try to head off the convening what was being called an “international umbrella” for Mideast negotiations.

“Whenever anyone mentions umbrella, it reminds me of Chamberlain and Munich,” Rabin declared. For Rabin to invoke the memory of Chamberlain selling out to Hitler at Munich — and for Rabin to use those words at a press conference in Washington — vividly illustrates how dangerous he considered the “international” proposal to be.

It’s not hard to understand why Rabin in 1985 opposed such a proposal, and it’s not hard to see why Israel’s leaders today oppose it, too. If Kerry succeeds in his strategy, such an international conference or umbrella would consist of a dozen or more Arab and European countries ganging up on Israel and demanding that the Israelis make unilateral concessions to the Palestinians. Knowing the Obama administration’s pro-Palestinian slant, it might be assumed that the U.S. would side with the Arabs and Europeans.

The French, evidently with Kerry’s tacit approval or perhaps even his encouragement, are pushing forward. French diplomat Pierre Vimont is visiting Israel and the Palestinian Authority this week to promote France’s initiative. French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, appearing alongside Kerry at the press conference, said, “The conflict is getting worse and the status quo cannot continue.” he conflict is getting worse? No, it’s not.

The status quo cannot continue? Yes, it can.

I am the last person in the world to minimize the reality of Palestinian terrorism. But

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there’s no way anybody can say the current attacks are worse than the weekly bus bombings of the 1990s. Israel’s strong military response put an end to the suicide bombings, which shows that if Israel does not fight with one hand tied behind its back, it can beat the terrorists.

The status quo may not be the ideal solution, but show me a better one that’s feasible.

Withdrawing to indefensible borders? Setting up an armed or soon-to-be-armed Palestinian state just a few miles from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv? In 1976, people were saying, “the status quo cannot continue.” They were saying it 1986 and 1996 and 2006, too. Yet here we are, nearly 50 years after the 1967 war, and it has continued. Because the alternatives were worse.

Of course, what Kerry and French call the “status quo” is not at all the same as the status quo of the 1970s or 1980s. In 1995, Rabin withdrew from the areas where 98 percent of the Palestinians reside. For the past 21 years, the Palestinian Authority has functioned as a de-facto state in a large portion of JudeaSamaria. The only thing the PA lacks is a fullfledged army and the ability to import tanks and planes. And from Israel’s point of view, that’s not such a bad status quo.

So maybe it’s time for Kerry and his gang of would-be interveners to step back, take a deep breath, and face the fact that the slogans and ideas of the 1980s — “status quo,” “international umbrella,” and the like — are just not suited to today’s reality.

New Jersey attorney Stephen M. Flatow is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. Distributed by JNS.org.

Donating blood — it’s something personal TEHILLA R. GOLDBERG VIEW FROM CENTRAL PARK

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hen you think of blood, you think of the most visceral thing. For example, the adage, “blood is thicker than water,” implying that family ties rise above all else; or the phrase “shedding blood,” meaning a life taken violently. But more than anything, when you think of blood, you think of life.

Last Sunday, Congregation Ohab Zedek on the Upper West Side hosted its annual blood drive. It was dedicated in memory of a dear friend’s mother who only recently died, so I felt connected and it was important to me to participate and donate blood.

It had been a while.

Over 20 years ago I came upon a scrapbooklike booklet of inspiration comprised of writings of a young Lone Soldier, Alex from Ohio, who tragically fell in battle. One of the topics he wrote about was donating blood. The way he expressed it, a contrast between donating blood as an Israeli versus an American, was poignant.

It went something like this: In America you feel like a hero for donating blood, you are plied with an “I gave blood today” sticker, your presence communicating the good deed you did that day. In Israel there’s no sticker, there are no special snacks afterward, it’s just what you do, and then the next in line steps forward.

When I moved to Israel and one day was walking home from downtown Jerusalem, I encountered an ambulance parked in front of the Mashbir department store. It was there for a blood drive. I immediately thought of Alex, and donated. I wanted to be the kind of person who was a blood donor, the kind of person he

had written about.

As I said, this past Sunday had been quite a while since I had donated blood. So I was actually looking forward to it. It’s such a beautiful way, such an easy way, to make a difference in someone’s life.

I used to think about it too much. I would ask myself, what if my blood goes to help a bad person live longer? What if the person lives to commit evil, if it’s done with my blood, then I have a part in that. Then one day, I just let go, mentally embracing the opportunity to use my body, my gift of health, in helping a perfect stranger, and leaving the rest to G-d.

As I was filling out the questionnaire, I reached the question about medication. Darn!

I happened to have just picked up a prescription. I was instantly disqualified from donating blood that day. Meanwhile, there was some stress when I had arrived at the blood drive, as it had been in progress for a few hours and not many people had shown up. It turns out that the New York Blood Center has a 30-pint donation requirement in order to return the following year.

Since it was in memory of a friend’s mom, and I couldn’t donate, I felt bad. I decided to pop into some of the nearby kosher establish-

Where to give blood on LI If you’re motivated to give blood, the Long Island Chapter of the American Red Cross makes it easy. For a convenient time and location, visit RedCross.org/ give-blood

ments and see whether I could pick up some people to bring back to the synagogue to donate. I’m not one to normally approach strangers in the street, at a supermarket or a restaurant, but this felt different.

As I approached people telling them about the blood drive and the concern about meeting the 30-pint minimum (I admit, in those moments, I felt like a living embodiment and caricature of ‘Jewish guilt’ personified!), suddenly it got very personal. I hadn’t given it much thought, and I suppose I had passively assumed and prepared myself for yes/no responses, or matter of fact responses like sorry, wish-I could-but-am-busy! type of thing.

The next thing I know, total strangers were unburdening to me. “I deeply wish I could donate, unfortunately I suffer from…” or, another person delving into her fear (actually, a phobia of needles), while another looked pained and said he couldn’t donate. And those were just a few. I wasn’t expecting this.

There was one positive response, someone who shared how he is a faithful, life-long blood donor, nearing his five gallon pin. However, he had recently donated, and there is a mandatory period between blood donations.

So, yes, donating blood might, mechanically, be simple enough. But it hit me: donating blood is very personal.

It also brings up a lot of emotional stuff for people. Many of those I approached talked of loved ones who had benefitted from blood transfusions, even if the stories turned out to have sad endings, how the blood transfusions added weeks, months or sometimes even years to their lives.

Who knows, maybe just maybe, it’s your blood donation that can be the difference of even days for someone who is desperately clinging to life. Because more than anything, when you think of blood you think of living.

Copyright 2016 Intermountain Jewish News

(laws of character 4:1) that as soon a person feels the need to relieve him or herself, one must do so immediately, because waste kept in the body leads to illness and disease. You have to get rid of your garbage. And as this is true on a physical level, it is doubly true on an emotional and psychological level — you have to let go of your stuff. Anger, anxiety, trauma — it all needs to be worked out and let go.

But, having said that, how do you let go of your stuff? You can try to destroy it, burn it, get rid of it; but you can also elevate it.

You can decide to turn the lemons you are given into lemonade. n IDF basic training, every morning we had to rise at 5 am and be outside for roll call in orderly rows of threes, in the freezing cold of the predawn. Then we had to get our kit and gear ready for morning inspection. This is a ritual on every base in Israel, in every course and under every commander. I remember this as being particularly challenging in infantry officer training, because everyone else had a good 40 minutes to prepare for inspection, but as that was the only time I could daven, I was usually less prepared.

Technically and legally I would have been within my rights to pray during inspection and avoid the entire challenge, but I did not want the other cadets to perceive me as using religion to justify my slacking off, besides which the extra work would have fallen on them. As a result, they were almost always able to find some infraction for which I was punished, inevitably by being forced to run the obstacle course again and again until every inch of my body ached. I came to dread those extra late night obstacle runs until, after about the first month of the course, I started to notice my times were improving ahead of everyone else’s. And the four of us in my bunk who ended up doing all those extra runs got stronger, tougher.

Life will often hand you garbage. You will fall, get discouraged, and feel like giving up. But if you want to rise up and make a difference, don’t be afraid of the garbage, because it is often the gift that will help you change the world.

John Paul Jones was in the midst of a battle, with everything lost, commanding what was essentially a trash heap. But no one told him that he had lost; in his mind he was on top of the world commanding the greatest naval weapon ever created. He did not think he was sailing garbage, he simply felt it was time to fight.

And with his “garbage” he changed the world.

Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

RABBI BINNY FREEDMAN THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

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to the altar competing to be the first one each day to … take out the garbage?

It may be a question of how we define garbage. One person’s garbage can be another person’s treasure trove. recently visited the powerful 9-11 memorial at the site of the World Trade Center. In one of the exhibits there was an old cell phone found in the rubble of the towers, which reminded me of the old cell phones we all used to use, which would now be good for the rubbish heap. But this cell phone was found next to a wallet and was thus easily identifiable. And alongside the cell phone was displayed a damaged two dollar bill, still intact, discovered in the wallet. It seems the man who had been carrying this wallet had proposed to his wife with this two dollar bill, which he still carried in his wallet after 12 years of marriage. For both of them this was their second marriage, and he had written on the two dollar bill: “I believe in second chances.”

In a heap of ash and rubble, one man’s garbage was another’s treasure.

There are two conflicting aspects to the terumat ha deshen.

On the one hand, it is ultimately taken out of the camp and consigned to the trash heap. On the other hand, it is first offered up as its own semi-offering, alongside the altar, and is called in the Talmud literally the terumat ha deshen — the offering or raising up of the ash. So is it garbage meant to be discarded, or is it elevated, holy, a product of the holy sacrifices?

Perhaps it is both.

The Rambam (Maimonides) points out, in his Hilchot Deot

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here is a well-known story concerning John Paul Jones (known as the father of the American Navy) who found himself between a rock and a hard place in the battle of Flamborough on Sept 23, 1779. Facing Captain Pearson aboard the British HMS Serapis, Jones’ boat was outmanned, outgunned, and sinking. When it was clear Pearson had won the day, Pearson called out to Jones to surrender. This was obviously the only sensible recourse under the circumstances. But someone forgot to tell that to John Paul Jones whose response, now the stuff of legends, was: “I have not yet begun to fight.”

At which point Jones did the unexpected, ramming his ship into the Serapis and clearing its deck with sharpshooters and then storming the deck with his men, ultimately taking over the ship. Jones won the day and gave an enormous morale boost to the American revolutionaries fighting the British Empire on land and sea.

Sometimes, one person’s wreck is another’s command… his week in the portion of Tzav, we find a fascinating “offering.” At the beginning of the day, the kohein must put on his linen clothes. take out the ashes consumed from the fire upon the altar and place them alongside the altar. Then, he must take off his priestly linen garments, dress in “other clothes,” and take the ash outside of the camp.” (Vayikra 6:3-4) Why is such special attention given to what essentially amounts to “taking out the garbage,” the entrails and remains from the previous day’s sacrifices. And if it is meant to be “taken out,” why must it first be placed alongside the altar? And why the special priestly clothes? Is there such a thing as holy garbage?

This act of the “offering of the ash,” known as the terumat ha deshen, was the very first activity each day in the Temple. And then on Yom Kippur (as seen in our Musaf repetition), the first lot at the beginning of the entire service was for who would merit to carry and offer up this ash alongside the altar and eventually out of the temple mount area.

Indeed, at one point (until the ritual was changed) the Talmud in Yoma describes how the kohanim would race up the ramp

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

Unexpected victories, and taking out the trash

7

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9 THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

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Yes, Obama was snookered by Iran JEFF DUNETZ POLITICS TO GO

T

wo weeks ago, in apparent violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2231, Iran launched several ballistic missiles, one of which carried the words “Israel Must Be Wiped Out” in Hebrew.

Technically, this was not a violation of the P5+1 deal, but UNSCR 22331, which approved the nuclear deal, at the same time limits their ballistic missile activity. Although the United States has been raising the issue of sanctions at

the Security Council since last Monday, it now seems that Iran is going to get off scot-free.

Russia and China, with vetoes in the Security Council, will not allow the passage of any resolution punishing Iran.

Making things worse, because of a last minute U.S. concession in the P5+1 talks, Russia and China may be on firm footing in their decision. When the talks began, UNSCR 1929 was in force and the language which banned Iran’s program read, “Iran shall not undertake any activity related to ballistic missiles.”

A few days into the final rount of negotiations last summer in Vienna, the Iranians demanded that the ban be lifted. The Americans surrendered in two ways: First, they agreed to sunset the entire ban in eight years; second, they agreed

to change the language that would apply over the next eight years from “Iran shall not” to “Iran is called upon not to” develop ballistic missiles.

Iran and its friends on the Security Council claim that “shall not” is an enforceable ban, but “called upon” is merely a request. Additionally, the language was narrowed from applying to all “missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons” to just “missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.” The Russians are using the weakened language to claim Iran didn’t violate anything with the tests.

“A call is different from a ban, so legally you cannot violate a call, you can comply with a call or you can ignore the call, but you cannot violate a call,” Russian U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said last Monday. Churkin argued that

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March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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the U.N. resolution required a heavy burden of proof that the ballistic missiles were “designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”

On Thursday evening, Reuters reported that the Iranians are taking a victory lap because Russia and China will protect them under all circumstances. They add that, anyway, the West doesn’t really want to push back because they want access to Iran’s markets: “With Russia and China on Iran’s side, there will be no resolutions, sanctions or any action against Iran over its missile or aerospace programs,” said a senior official in Tehran. Now that sanctions on Tehran had been lifted, the official said Western countries were keen to do business in Iran. “Iran is not being seen as a danger any more even for the Western countries,” the official said. “Iran is like a gold mine for them. They need us and we need them. So, why endanger this situation?”

Government officials acknowledged that the new resolution was “drafted/structured in a way to appeal to Iran’s sensitivities.” Iranian Foreign Minister Zarif bragged that the “designed” language specifically was meant to allow Iranian tests, saying “that word took me about seven months to negotiate, so everybody knew what it meant.”

One might think these statements are difficult to reconcile with administration statements. For example, Secretary Kerry was asked on “Face the Nation” last July, why the U.S. was lifting ballistic missile restrictions and he snapped back “actually, we’re not.” He later added: “We have to have those [restrictions].

And they add on to additional mechanisms that we have to hold them accountable on arms and missiles. We have the missile control technology regime. We have other missile restraints on them. We also have other U.N. resolutions that prevent them from moving arms to the Houthi, prevents them from moving arms to the Shia … to the Shia militia in Iraq, prevents them from moving arms to Hezbollah. So, we have an ability way beyond, nothing to do with this agreement, to continue to enforce those issues.”

But as we learned from the U.N. Security Council last week, Kerry’s statement doesn’t hold up, the U.S. doesn’t have the ability to support those issues.

Either the Administration misled Congress and the American people, or the Administration legitimately didn’t know (which means they were out-maneuvered by the Iranian negotiators). Either possibility should make the American people worried, as it raises the possibility there is additional vague language in the agreement, or that there are other items where the Administration wasn’t truthful.

In the end, with every ballistic missile test, the United States is further along the road to being less safe than it was before the P5+1 agreement.

As Mark Dubowitz, executive director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and head of its Center on Sanctions and Illicit Finance, said in a press release on Friday: “Tehran, which already has the largest inventory of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, is conducting ballistic missile tests for a specific reason — it intends to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile program. Iran’s missiles already threaten America’s Middle East allies, U.S. forces in the region, and parts of Europe. An Iranian ICBM will threaten the American homeland.”

Indisputably, the Iran deal wasn’t what it was cooked up to be. If your representative voted to approve the deal (Gregory Meeks, Nydia Velázquez, Yvette Clarke, and Jerrold Nadler, for example) it is reasonable to ask them, as they run for reelection in November, what they think about the fact that Iran is allowed to fire ballistic missiles, and use their answer along with their vote to approve the deal as a factor in determining who to vote for.

Even if someone isn’t running for reelection such as Senator Kirstin Gillibrand, who voted to filibuster the bill rejecting the deal, not even allowing a vote, it is reasonable to write her office and ask if she read the news. Actually, it is more than reasonable, it’s a responsibility.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

KOSHER BOOKWORM

Y

es, here is another high quality Purimthemed work â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;G-d and Politics in Estherâ&#x20AC;? (Cambridge University Press, 2016), by Yoram Hazony â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which brings to us a sophisticated, intellectual presentation of one of the Bibleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most difďŹ cult books. Despite its difďŹ culty, the megillah of Esther has served for over 2,000 years as a source of inspiration and yes, fun and joy, for Jews the world over.

The author begins his book with the following observation: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ever since the inclusion of the book of Esther in the biblical canon 2,000 years ago, there have been those who have asked what place <RUDP +D]RQ such a work can \ have in the Bible at all. Their question must be well taken, for at ďŹ rst glance Esther appears to be something very different from what we usually consider to be â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;biblical.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Esther is a tale of kings and queens and evil grand viziers that cannot help but strike one as a romance or a fairy tale. Nowhere in its ten terse chapters can one ďŹ nd the cascading moral imperatives of Isaiah and Jeremiah, and even less in evidence are the sober laws of Moses. The term â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;G-dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; appears nowhere, and one is hardpressed to ďŹ nd any trace of theology amid the hairpin turns of the tale. Moreover, the Jewish heroes of the story seem to display little piety and negligible concern for Jewish law.â&#x20AC;?

Thus we sense the authorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s realistic view of his subjectâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unique literary and religious role, a role that Esther â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both the book and the person â&#x20AC;&#x201D; plays in the Purim holidayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drama, theme and purpose.

Esther indeed seems anything but religious in theme and content. Yet, it is a very religious book detailing how a people escaped the ďŹ rst major genocidal attempt upon its existence. Without fanfare, Hazony takes us, step by step through the plot and personalities inherent in the megillah, and through his scholarship gives us a true adult, sophisticated view of historical events that were to inspire and teach us the greatness of our faith and of our G-d.

Of all the chapters of this book, I found

Anti-Semitic BrownU grafďŹ ti The administration of Brown University has launched an investigation into anti-Semitic and anti-gay grafďŹ ti that was discovered on Friday on two campus buildings. A university spokesman told the Providence Journal that the two buildings house Beta Rho Pi, a Jewish fraternity, and Zeta Delta Xi, a coed fraternity with many LGBT members. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While the grafďŹ ti has been removed, the impact of identity-based bias and threat is not easily wiped away,â&#x20AC;? the university said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This incident impacts not only those immediately involved, but threatens our shared sense of safety and respect on campus.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;JNS.org

chapter nine, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Anti-Semitism,â&#x20AC;? to be the most interesting in both content and linguistics.

The very meaning of the term is parsed, evaluated, given both a historical context and a theological meaning.

In evaluating this work, Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm stated: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hazony makes the Book of Esther come alive in a manner that is realistic and fascinating. Details which I read again and again for the past 60 years, and which made no particular impression upon me, suddenly came alive with a signiďŹ cance that never occurred to me.â&#x20AC;?

If you have a chance during these hectic days to pick up and study this work, please do so. Taken together with Rabbi David Fohrmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

(u:zh hkan)

work reviewed last week, Purim will surely take on a whole new meaning from now on. )25 )857+(5 678'< The latest issue of Hakirah (volume 20, winter 2015) is now available at HakirahFlatbush@msn.com This issueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lead essay, entitled â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pahad Yitzhak: A Joyful Song of AfďŹ rmation,â&#x20AC;? is a 30 page evaluation and study of the teachings of Rav Yitzhak Hutner, ztâ&#x20AC;?l, highlighting that Rav Hutner should be regarded as among the most insightful and valued

religious leaders of the previous generation of rabbinic scholars.

This scholarly work was written by the distinguished scholar and interpreter of our religious tradition, Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Elman, professor of talmudic studies at Yeshiva University.

Heshey Zelcer and the staff at Hakirah, as well as Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Shalom of Lawrence, are to be recognized for their valued role in seeing this work published. Your patronage of this publication is encouraged.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776

Another Purim read: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;G-d and Politics in Estherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

11

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South Nassauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s planning Wantagh medical annex

By Andrew Hackmack South Nassau Communities Hospital is coming to Wantagh. The Oceanside-based medical center will open an annex on Wantagh Avenue, taking over the lease of a former Verizon building.

Mark Bogen, South Nassauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s chief ďŹ nancial ofďŹ cer, said the remainder of the lease runs for more than a decade on the 60,000-square-foot, four-story building on the west side of Wantagh Avenue, just south of Sunrise Highway. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I hope weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re there for the next 50 years,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building itself, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in good shape.â&#x20AC;?

Although plans for how the building will be used havenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been ďŹ nalized, Bogen said it would likely be a mix of South Nassauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back ofďŹ ces and some medical services. There could be some primary and specialty care offered in the building, although he ruled out an urgent care facility, saying the market for those has been saturated. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a question of whether there are more urgent-care centers

or Starbucks on Long Island,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Bogen said that South Nassau, while not actively looking for a building in southeastern Nassau County, does have people who scour the market for potential new locations.

When the opportunity came up on Wantagh Avenue, SNCH ofďŹ cials jumped on it. He said that the growing hospital is always in need of more space, and the expansion would make some of its medical services more accessible to residents in Wantagh, Seaford, Massapequa and other neighboring communities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re very thankful. A property like this doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t come up for availability all that often on the South Shore,â&#x20AC;? Bogen said, noting the size of the building, an abundance of parking and its easy access to highways.

Once a plan is devised for the building, he said, South Nassau will apply for any necessary permits and zoning changes from the Town of Hempstead. Hospital ofďŹ cials will also reach out to community groups, such as

the Chamber of Commerce and civic associations, to share its plan. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do that whenever weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re investing in a new community,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do us any good to keep it a secret.â&#x20AC;?

Chris Brown, president of the Wantagh chamber, said the hospital annex should be a good addition to the community. A building of that size could attract a lot of interest, he said, and not all options are desirable. He sees a medical complex as one of the better alternatives. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a great opportunity for Wantagh and I welcome them here,â&#x20AC;? Brown said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think anybody who has a problem with it is really doing a disservice.â&#x20AC;?

He added that the addition of South Nassau should be a boon for the local economy.

He expects that a fully occupied building would bring people â&#x20AC;&#x201D; both employees and patients â&#x20AC;&#x201D; to the community who would hopefully spend their money at other businesses.

The addition of the Wantagh annex isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t South Nassauâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only plan. It will be expanding its main campus in Oceanside, including a larger emergency department, while also building a medical arts pavilion with an emergency room and some specialty health services in Long Beach to replace the hospital there, which was shuttered after Hurricane Sandy.

Bogen said that hospital ofďŹ cials hope to have some ofďŹ ces in the Wantagh building up and running before the end of the year, and he expects all clinical services to be operational sometime in 2017. Over the next several months, plans will be devised. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a real estate play,â&#x20AC;? he said of acquiring the building. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We have every interest in occupying it with South Nassau or afďŹ liated organizations. This, to us, is a very important next step.â&#x20AC;?

Andrew Hackmack is editor of the Wantagh and Seaford Herald.

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March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

12

By Rachel Gross urim is a hard holiday for a writer. Too much pressure to be funny. If you can crack jokes at Rosh Hashanah and Chanukah, then Purim should be a cinch, right?

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s like Purim costumes. I should be good at those. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m paid to be creative. But suddenly Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m staring at a shop full of costumes with no idea what will work. I was once invited to a Purim party where the theme was â&#x20AC;&#x153;come as you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t.â&#x20AC;? I spent hours agonizing over what to wear. There are no â&#x20AC;&#x153;little black dressâ&#x20AC;? standby outďŹ ts in Purim costumes.

I thought things would be easier once I had kids. There are tons of cute baby costumes. I ďŹ gured Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d buy one costume in each size as my ďŹ rstborn got older and then pass them down the line. I was wrong.

The ďŹ rst baby costume I bought was a full body bear costume where my babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s head stuck out under the bearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stuffed head like a bizarre Siamese twin. But the bear-head made a loud roar. My poor son was terriďŹ ed.

The next year, I tried a neon green plastic alien. Unlucky son sweltered.

By the time he was three, I gave up on trying to have any Purim creativity. I placed my son in the middle of the toyshop, surrounded by racks of costumes and let him pick. He was very happy with the builder. No scary noises, no unnecessary sweating.

The next year my daughter ďŹ&#x201A;at-out refused to be a builder. I was sorely disappointed. I had visions of her expressing her creativity with a thrillingly individual costume.

I thought Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be scoring one for gender equality. Instead all she wanted to be was a bride.

Even the promise of a shiny gun couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t get her to be a policewoman. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been a bride for the past six Purims of her life.

My kids, who are ďŹ lled with creativity in the rest of the year, run out of ideas at Purim.

In the hope that I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the only one with Purim performance anxiety, I started asking people about their Purim experiences.

I was lucky enough to visit the SHALVA (Association of Mentally and Physically Challenged Children in Israel). They do wonderful work giving over 500 children with disabilities care from infancy through adulthood,

P

empowering their parents to keep them in the family framework. With so many children at different stages of development beneďŹ ting from the center, one might imagine that it was hard to come up with new Purim ideas.

But when the staff at SHALVA commit to bringing out the best in every child, they are fuelled with creativity. Every ďŹ&#x201A;oor of the center is decorated in a different theme. Each age group has their own Purim party with music where they are dressed up by the staff.

There seems to be a never-ending parade of different costumes, with each child being dressed in a costume suitable to their personality and development capacity. If that wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t enough, the volunteers and sherut leumi (national service) staff all dress-up through the month of Purim, some of them in different costumes every day! SHALVAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s motto is, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Everyone deserves to succeed.â&#x20AC;? They are certainly succeeding at Purim creativity.

When I interviewed students from Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Naale Elite Academy, I hoped Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d found someone with the same Purim predicament. The Naale program brings Jewish teens from around the world to Israel to complete their high school education on a full scholarship. Yossi Kalman from Riverdale, came to Naale wanting to improve his Hebrew and take advantage of the

high quality Jewish education. He explained to me that the best part of Naale was the friendship between the students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The chevra here is amazing. I have friends from Brazil and Italy.

That wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t happen in New York!â&#x20AC;?

Even with dedicated teachers and dorm counsellors, the students are still away from home. Surely none of them thought to pack Purim costumes. I tentatively asked about Purim. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Purim last year was awesome. For a week we dressed up. Each day I had a different costume.

It was so cool.â&#x20AC;? Viola Di Veroli gushed.

A different costume every day? It seems that the added conďŹ dence that comes with learning in Israel with a like-minded student body, only fuels the creative juices. Naale students had endless ideas using both hastily purchased pre-

made costumes and pooling their wardrobes to make home (or dorm-) made costumes.

I decided to give up. As a writer if thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s one thing I know, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s that you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t rush the muse. If my usually creative kids think that their individuality is best expressed through traditional costumes then I will respect that.

And for my own costume, Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m sure Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll come up with something, eventually even I will ďŹ nd some way to get into the Purim spirit. When in doubt I can always resort to my eventual outďŹ t to the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;come as you arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; party, I wore my regular clothes with a sticker on my chest reading: unoriginal.

Rachel Gross lives in Israel and writes frequently about her experiences. She has occasionally been accused of being funny.

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776

From Israel, a writerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s personal Purim predicament

13

14 March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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Israel’s Government Press Office went public with a complaint against Time magazine Thursday, five months after the magazine published an article referring to a terrorist as a “graphic designer … killed by Israeli security forces,” with no mention of the people he murdered and injured.

Terrorist Baha Aliyan was shot by Israeli security forces after he and another Palestinian, Balal Abu-Janem, boarded the Route 78 bus in the Armon Hanatziv neighborhood of Jerusalem and launched a joint shooting and stabbing attack that killed three men—Alon Govberg, 51, Haim Haviv, 78, and Richard Lakin, 76—and wounded 17 others.

On Oct. 15, 2015, Time’s Rebecca Collard wrote, “On Tuesday, Allyan [sic], a graphic designer from the predominantly Palestinian neighborhood Jabel Mukaber, was killed by Israeli security forces after allegedly trying to carry out an attack in Jerusalem.”

In an article published on its website Thursday, the Israeli GPO wrote, “To our sorrow, repeated requests to Time magazine, initially by an Israeli NGO and subsequently by the GPO, have all failed to induce Time to correct the serious factual error in the Oct. 15 article. …

“An Israeli NGO first approached Time magazine correspondent Rebecca Collard on Oct. 18 and received no response. The Government Press Office contacted Collard on Feb. 25, presented the facts and demanded a correction. Neither recognition nor correction of the erroneous article resulted. … When contacted again, Time magazine correspondent Collard wrote to the GPO on March 4: ‘I’ve forwarded your concerns to my editors’.”

Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org

15

Israeli Uâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s among top 100 Several leading Israeli universities are ranked amongst the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s top 100 best universities in 2016, according to the QS World University Rankings by Subject.

The QS rankings, which compared top universities in the world in 42 different areas of study, included six of Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s leading universities â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Tel Aviv University, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, and Bar-Ilan University.

The QS rankings highlight top-performing institutions in a wide range of academic ar-

eas. Israeli universities had 64 rankings, with more places in the top 100 than all of the universities in the Middle East combined.

Hebrew University was Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most featured top 100 university, ranking three times in the 51â&#x20AC;&#x201C;100 section for agriculture and forestry, history and anthropology.

Technion-Israel Institute of Technology ranked twice in the top 100 for computer science and information systems and mathematics, while Tel Aviv University ranked in the top 100 for anthropology and the Weizmann Institute ranked for biological sciences.

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United Arab Emirates, Tamim has a history of making outspoken remarks that go against the ofďŹ cial position of his highly conservative government. In 2013, Tamim stated that the Muslim Brotherhood, and not Israel, was the Arab worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest threat.

Though he called on the Palestinians to drop their goal of statehood, Tamim said that eventually Arabs would become the majority in the future binational state. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Seventy years after the binational state would be established, the Arab minority would become the majority and rule the state, just like it happened in South Africa,â&#x20AC;? said Tamim.

Tamim also conducted an informal poll on his Twitter page asking his followers if they agree with him, but as of Monday afternoon, 59 percent of respondents said that they prefer to â&#x20AC;&#x153;throw the Jews into the sea.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x201D;JNS.org

831024

Dubaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s security chief, Lt. Gen. Dahi Khalfan Tamim, said that the Palestinians should drop their aspirations for statehood.

In a series of posts on Twitter, Tamim suggested that any future Palestinian state would become yet another failed Arab state, and that the Palestinians should form a binational state with Israeli Jews instead. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I suggest relinquishing the idea of a Palestinian state and being satisďŹ ed with an Israeli state that would include both Israelis and Palestinians and join the Arab League,â&#x20AC;?

Tamim wrote, according to a translation by the Jerusalem Post. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Today, the Jews are heading the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s economy, without the Jews you Arabs would not have known how to deposit your money in the bank,â&#x20AC;? Tamim added.

Despite his high-ranking position in the

THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776

Palestine? Fuhgeddaboudit, says Dubai security chief

March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

16

NYC comptroller, at JCCRP breakfast, says BDSers are anti-Semitic and poor investors

By Ed Weintrob Fresh from a visit to the Holy Land, New York City Comptroller Scott M. Stringer pledged Sunday to continue investing in Israel.

At the Legislative Breakfast of the Jewish Community Council of the Rocaway Peninsula (JCCRP), Stringer ripped proponents of boycott, disinvestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Besides being anti-Semitic, what a bunch of foolish investors they are,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Israeli economy is striving, the hi-tech economy is real.â&#x20AC;? As comptroller, Stringer has outsized inďŹ&#x201A;uence on where New Yortk pension funds invest their money.

Since becoming comptroller three years ago, the funds increased their investment in Israel bonds by 20 percent, he said, exlaining, â&#x20AC;&#x153;We do it not just to support Israel, we do it to support

our pension funds. Israel is a good, strong investment.â&#x20AC;?

Rabbi Eytan Feiner of the White Shul opened the breakfast with a divar Torah on leadership, referencing the leadership role of JCCRP. Several speakers praised the ultimate sacriďŹ ce paid by a NYPD ofďŹ cer last year, and the Humanitarian Award was presented in honor of Det. Randolf Holder Jr. of Far Rockaway to his father, Randolf Holder Sr., and stepmother, Princess Holder. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is a bittersweet day,â&#x20AC;? Holder Sr. said.

Far Rockaway Councilman Donovan Richards Jr. praised the JCCRP for providing needed help to anyone in the community in need, not only to Jews. He presented the JCCRPâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Public Service Award to CB14 member Betty Leon.

The State Legislative Leadership Award was presented to Sena-

tor Joseph P. Addabbo by Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder. The City Legislative Leadership Award was presented to Councilmember Karen Koslowitz by Borough President Melinda Katz.

Yeshiva of South Shore Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky presented the Chessed Award to Jeffrey S. Leb, managing director for government and external relations for UJA-Federation.

The Hakaras Hatov Award was accepted on behalf of StaffPro by its managing director, David Greenbaum.

NYC Public Advocate Tish James said her former position as councilmember for Crown Heights made her an â&#x20AC;&#x153;honorary Lubavitch.â&#x20AC;? She spoke of her recent trip to Israel and of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fallen heros, and praised JCCRP for â&#x20AC;&#x153;going greenâ&#x20AC;? and putting two iPads on every table at its breakfast instead of printing a journal.

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STEPHEN M. FLATOW

T

he Turkish and Israeli authorities are still investigating the motives and plans of the Islamist terrorist who murdered three Israelis, two of them Israeli-Americans, in Istanbul last week. I can’t help but be reminded of another terrorist attack in Istanbul, 40 years ago this summer, in which Israelis and Americans were murdered.

On Aug. 11, 1976, terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (the PFLP) opened fire at the El Al Terminal in the Istanbul airport. They murdered four people and wounded more than 30 others, including two American women. One of the dead was 29-year-old Harold W. Rosenthal.

Now, it shouldn’t matter where Rosenthal lived, or what his job was, or even that he was an American citizen.

But the way the world works is that if somebody from a particular city is killed, people in that city naturally are more interested than if the victims were people from other cities. And employees of a particular company naturally take a greater interest in the fate of their fellow-employees than the employees of other companies. And American citizens who are harmed by terrorists abroad are entitled to certain rights and protections from the American government, which they would not receive if they were not Americans.

So let it be noted that Rosenthal was from Philadelphia; he had served on the staff of

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Rep. Hugh Carey (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Walter Mondale (D-Minn.). At the time of his murder, he was a senior aide to Senator Jacob Javits (R-N.Y.).

And here’s why that matters.

The PFLP is the second-largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

And the PLO is still headed by Mahmoud Abbas, the “moderate” chairman of the PA— which receives $500 million in American taxpayers’ money every year from the Obama administration.

Keep in mind that the Obama administration does not pretend the PFLP is moderate.

It still includes the PFLP on the official U.S. list of foreign terrorist groups. The adminis-

tration simply never talks about the fact that the PFLP is still part of the PLO, and it hopes nobody else will notice, either. Because if anybody ever pointed out — in the press, or in court — that the U.S. government is giving money to an entity (the PA) which is intimately connected to a terrorist group, well the administration would then face quite a bit of embarrassment — and maybe some legal problems, too.

The two terrorists who carried out the 1976 were caught. But they didn’t act on their own. They were trained, financed, and sent to Turkey by the PFLP. Yet the PFLP was never punished.

Rather than just waiting and hoping that

the Obama administration will one day take some action against the PFLP for the murder of Harold Rosenthal, here are some concrete steps that others could take in the meantime: •The City of Philadelphia has provided training to the PA security forces. It should announce that it will not provide any such training in the future, until Abbas expels the PFLP from the PLO. •The House of Representatives and the Senate should demand that the PA seize the assets of the PFLP and use them to pay compensation to the Rosenthal family and the families of the other victims. And in the meantime, the House and Senate should deduct those funds from the annual $500 million that the U.S. gives the PA. •Members of Congress should inform the PA that during their forthcoming visits to the region, they will not step foot in the PA capital, Ramallah, until the PFLP has been expelled from the PLO. •The American Jewish community should make the fate of American victims of Palestinian terrorism a top priority. Since the 1960s, 140 Americans have been murdered, and nearly 200 wounded, by Palestinian terrorists. The families should be compensated, the killers should be extradited to the U.S. for prosecution, and, above all, the victims should be remembered.

I only hope that the victims of last week’s attack on Istanbul will not be so quickly forgotten, as Harold Rosenthal and the other victims of the 1976 massacre seem to have been.

New Jersey attorney Stephen M. Flatow is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995. Distributed by JNS.org.

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

Remembering the other victims of Istanbul

17

March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

18

Encountering the unlimited abilities of G-d RABBI AVI BILLET PARSHA OF THE WEEK

H

aving given all the instructions for the kohanim, in chapter 8 we see Moshe being given precise instructions to set the stage for Inauguration Day. In one of the most immediate cause and effect episodes in the Torah, Moshe is told to gather the people at the Ohel Moed (Gathering Tent, the Mishkan) in 8:3, and in 8:4, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the community was assembled at the entrance of the Ohel Moed.â&#x20AC;?

Was the entire community really there to watch Moshe vest his brother and nephews in their priestly vestments (8:6-13)?

Ibn Ezra says the â&#x20AC;&#x153;entire communityâ&#x20AC;? refers to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;leaders of the tribes and the elders.â&#x20AC;? That would be a little over 80 people.

The Rosh is of the view that 600,000 people were able to gather in a relatively small space to witness this momentous occasion.

And the point, explains Chizkuni (based on the midrash) is that everyone should learn to conduct themselves in a holy manner with respect to and when relating to the priests.

In support of Ibn Ezra, the Torah Temi-

mah reminds us of the passage in Sanhedrin 2a that a High Priest can only be appointed by the Sanhedrin of 71. And that the term used to describe the community, â&#x20AC;&#x153;eidahâ&#x20AC;? certainly refers to a Sanhedrin which passes judgments. Thus while leadership must be present, the entire nation need not bother with coming to watch the dressing ceremonies.

Rabbenu Bachaye describes the gathering as a â&#x20AC;&#x153;miraculous occurrenceâ&#x20AC;? and he gives a number of examples where the population that gathered deďŹ ed all logical explanations, because their reality entered the realm of the supernatural. One example is the 22,000 chariots of angels that were present at Revelation at the bottom of Sinai. And when all of Israel crossed the Jordan to enter the land, they walked between the poles of the Ark. During the time of Resurrection when all the good people through the history of the world will return to the living, he claims, there will be enough room for everyone. n a purely rational basis, it is hard to understand some of these passages, and even more difďŹ cult to explain the

physics. As a believer, I can accept that something can happen, but it is hard to visualize, even if I believe it absolutely happened.

Looking at this passage from the vantage point of Purim, we can appreciate how truly miraculous events just defy explanation.

We are all familiar with the efďŹ ciency of the Nazi killing machine. Yet despite its organization, and the sheer numbers of how at their height, they could be murdering over 10,000 people a day, it still took them over ďŹ ve years to kill six millions Jews, and they were, thank G-d, unable to complete their diabolical plans for the destruction of world Jewry. Haman, their spiritual ancestor, was hoping to achieve the same goal in one day! How could he even think such a task was possible.

It would seem that owing to his beliefs in his powers, honor, and supernatural abilities, he felt that his lottery showed that his goal was divinely ordained. And he believed that his charm and charisma would gather enough volunteers and haters to get to every Jew in Achashveiroshâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s kingdom in one day.

But the real world doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work like that.

In Shushan alone, Esther needed to ask for

In the realm of G-d, the most far-fetched possibilities are attainable.

O

another day for the Jews to confront their enemies. On the 13th of Adar, 500 Shushanites died, and on the 14th, 300 more Shushanites died. Relatively small numbers, it would seem.

And therein lies the difference between the plans of the man and the works of G-d.

Man can only achieve what is humanly possible. G-d â&#x20AC;&#x201C; using man, when He wants it to be such â&#x20AC;&#x201C; can achieve things that go beyond reason and viable explanation.

Will there be peace in the Land of Israel?

Will the Arabs stop hating the Jewish people? Will anti-Semitism ever end? Will the Messiah come â&#x20AC;&#x201C; when so many Jews in the world do not live a life of Torah, do not observe the Sabbath, and in some cases, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t even know what it means to be a Jew, or that they are even Jewish?

In the realm of human achievement and possibility, all of these are far-fetched possibilities.

But in the realm of G-d, they are attainable. And it is the person of faith who learns from what happened at the inauguration of the Mishkan, when 600,000 people ďŹ t in to a small space, that when G-d wills it, it becomes as simple as ďŹ lling the universe with billions of billions of stars and having none of them touch each other.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Can we be like Aharon and his sons?

RABBI DAVID ETENGOFF

T

he ďŹ nal verse in parasha Tzav, â&#x20AC;&#x153;And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the L-rd commanded through Moses,â&#x20AC;? contains the unusual phrase, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that the L-rd commanded through Mosesâ&#x20AC;? (Sefer Vayikra 8:36). It appears only twice more in Tanach, namely, in Sefer Bamidbar 36:13 and in Sefer Nechemiah 8:14. In stark contrast, the standard formulation, â&#x20AC;&#x153;as the L-rd commanded Moses,â&#x20AC;? is found 38 times in Chamisha Chumshei Torah alone, and three more times in Sefer Yehoshua. Little wonder, then, that Chazal felt driven to analyze the uncommon use of the expression, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that the L-rd commanded through Moses.â&#x20AC;?

Rashi suggests that the reason Torah employed the phraseology was to â&#x20AC;&#x153;to tell their [Aharon and his sonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] praise, namely, that they did not deviate to the right or to the left.â&#x20AC;?

In his classic super-commentary on Rashi, Gur Aryeh, the Maharal of Prague (R. Yehudah Loew ben Bezalel) explicated Rashiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s comment: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the case, since the Temple service is of overarching import and replete with many stringencies that stem from the numerous laws that constitute the SacriďŹ cial Service.

Therefore, the Torah teaches us that they

neither deviated from, nor erred regarding, any of them â&#x20AC;&#x201D; â&#x20AC;&#x153;neither to the right or to the left,â&#x20AC;? since they acted with great intention and exactitudeâ&#x20AC;? in the fulďŹ llment of their task.

The Sifra, the halachic Midrash to Sefer Vayikra, takes a different approach to our phrase. Instead of focusing on what Aharon and his sons actually did, the Midrash discusses their reactions to being commanded to perform the SacriďŹ cial Service: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They rejoiced and were exhilarated when they heard the command from Moshe, as if they had heard it directly from the Holy One Blessed be He. This is precisely why the Torah states: â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;And Aaron and his sons did all the things that the L-rd commanded through Moses.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; [This means that rather than being Mosheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emissaries,] they felt they were in the noble position of being Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s immediate representatives. As such, the commandments [of the SacriďŹ cial Service] were [particularly beloved] to them.â&#x20AC;?

It is interesting that although the Maharal of Prague usually advocates for Rashiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interpretations, in this instance, he instead champions the view of the Midrash: â&#x20AC;&#x153;This interpretation is more accurate, since it is directly reďŹ&#x201A;ective of our verse. After all, it is the standard practice in the world that

when an intermediary [rather than the person in complete charge] mandates someone of stature to perform some act, the individual so commanded will not perform the obligatory deed with authentic joy, since he is merely listening to the words of the middleman. Aharon, however, was jubilant, as if he, himself, had heard the commandâ&#x20AC;? directly from the Master of the Universe.

Rav Meir Lob ben Yechiel Michel Weiser, known as the Malbim, offers a third approach to understanding the phrase, â&#x20AC;&#x153;that the L-rd commanded through Moses.â&#x20AC;? Instead of focusing on how Aharon and his sons performed the commands of the SacriďŹ cial Service (Rashi), or their exaltation upon hearing these commands from Moshe (Sifra), the Malbim takes a step back and focuses on who was actually commanded regarding these precepts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; Moshe or Aharon: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Our verse contains unusual language, since it always says, that they performed [their task] â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;as the L-rd commanded Moses,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; which means that Moshe was the one directly commanded by Hashem. In our case, however, in deference to the honor due Aharon and his sons, Moshe was purely Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s emissary (shaliach) and they were the ones who were actually commanded (hayah Moshe rak

We continue to receive the Torah and its commandments from the greatest rebbe of all time: Moses.

hashaliach vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;hame hiyu hametzuvim). Therefore, the text states, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;through Mosheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; [instead of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;to Mosheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;]. (Commentary to Sefer Vayikra, Parashat Tzav, gloss 194) It is clear from the views of Rashi, the Sifra and the Malbim that the meaning of our phrase is subject to a variety of diverse interpretations. All, however, agree on its singular import, and that it is teaching us something of remarkable signiďŹ cance.

In truth, Klal Yisrael is very much like the Sifraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s presentation of Aharon and his sons, in that we transhistorically continue to receive the Torah and its commandments from the greatest rebbe of all time: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Moses commanded us the Torah, it is the legacy for the congregation of Jacob.â&#x20AC;? (Sefer Devarim 33:4) As such, with Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s help and blessings, may we strive, each and every day, to accept and fulďŹ ll the Torah with the selfsame alacrity and spiritual joy that Aharon and his sons so powerfully demonstrated.

Vâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;chane yihi ratzon.

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talk that many critics have accused him of leaving out of previous speeches.

The speech was unusual for Trump, since he read prepared remarks from a TelePrompTer and delivered few off-the-cuff snaps.

Some delegates left the conference center to protest Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s appearance; others cheered. Trump earned a standing ovation on Monday for saying, â&#x20AC;&#x153;President [Barack] Obama in his ďŹ nal year. Yay.â&#x20AC;?

That reaction embarrassed AIPAC leaders, and its new president, Lillian Pinkus, expressed â&#x20AC;&#x153;great offenseâ&#x20AC;? toward Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rhetoric. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the ofďŹ ce of the president of the United States and our president, Barack Obama,â&#x20AC;? said Pinkus, whose emotion was palpable. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are people in our AIPAC family who were deeply hurt last night,â&#x20AC;? she said, lamenting that â&#x20AC;&#x153;so many applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with or condone.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;Let us close this conference in recognition that when we say, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Come â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Togetherâ&#x20AC;? [this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AIPAC conference tagline] we still have a lot to learn from each other, and we still have much work to do, because broadening the base of Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pro-Israel movement and unity is our strength.â&#x20AC;?

Trump ended his speech on a light note, expressing pride that his daughter Ivanka, who is married to Jewish real estate developer Jared Kushner, â&#x20AC;&#x153;is about the have a beautiful Jewish baby.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;In fact,â&#x20AC;? Trump said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;it could be happening right now, which would be very nice as far as Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m concerned.â&#x20AC;?

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in a speech Monday morning, said

Continued from page 1 â&#x20AC;&#x153;In all these cases, the terrorists have no resolvable grievances. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not as if we can offer them Brussels, or Istanbul, or even the West Bank â&#x20AC;Ś because what they seek is our utter destruction and their total domination. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Their basic demand is that we should basically disappear. Well my friends, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not going to happen.â&#x20AC;?

Calling Israel an â&#x20AC;&#x153;island of libertyâ&#x20AC;? in a sea of instability, Netanyahu said the Jewish state should be â&#x20AC;&#x153;a great cause of liberty that unites Americansâ&#x20AC;? rather than dividing them.

Netanyahu afďŹ rmed his own commitment to â&#x20AC;&#x153;two states, for two peoples, in which a demilitarized Palestinian state ďŹ nally recognizes the Jewish state.â&#x20AC;?

Acknowledging that â&#x20AC;&#x153;thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s some skepticism about my views on this,â&#x20AC;? he added, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the acid test: Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m ready to begin such negotiations immediately, without preconditions. Anytime, anywhere. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a fact. But [Palestinian Authority] President [Mahmoud] Abbas is not ready to do so. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a fact. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s political will here, in Jerusalem; thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no political will there, in Ramallah.â&#x20AC;?

As for a seemingly widening of anti-Israel sentiment around the world, Netanyahu said that he was â&#x20AC;&#x153;conďŹ dent over time that the trend of embracing Israel will overcome the trend of maligning Israel, because ultimately, freedom beats tyranny, and ultimately, when vigorously defended, truth beats lies.â&#x20AC;?

In a much-anticipated speech on Monday, Republican presidential primary frontrunner Donald Trump said that dismantling the â&#x20AC;&#x153;disastrousâ&#x20AC;? Iran nuclear deal would be his top priority as president. Trump also unveiled a three-pronged strategy for dealing with Iran, offering the type of detailed policy

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that she is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;steadyâ&#x20AC;? alternative to Trump when it comes to Israel and the Middle East. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need steady hands. Not a president who said heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s neutral on Monday, proIsrael on Tuesday, and who knows what on Wednesday,â&#x20AC;? Clinton said, referring to Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recent comments that he would be a â&#x20AC;&#x153;neutralâ&#x20AC;? peace broker in the Israeli-Palestinian conďŹ&#x201A;ict. Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Republican rivals also targeted those remarks.

Clinton also used her AIPAC speech to condemn Trump for encouraging violence and â&#x20AC;&#x153;playing coyâ&#x20AC;? with white supremacists.â&#x20AC;?

Referencing the upcoming holiday of Purim, Clinton said Queen Esther â&#x20AC;&#x153;refused to say silent in the face of evil,â&#x20AC;? and so should Americans. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim,â&#x20AC;? she said, quoting Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.â&#x20AC;?

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, who spoke immediately after Trump, promised AIPAC he would â&#x20AC;&#x153;unapologeticallyâ&#x20AC;?back Israel.

He mocked Trumpâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s use of the term â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palestineâ&#x20AC;? in the preceding speech. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Palestineâ&#x20AC;? has not existed since 1948, Cruz said.

Cruz said he would rip the â&#x20AC;&#x153;catastrophicâ&#x20AC;?

Iran nuclear deal to shreds, move the American embassy in Israel to Jerusalem, and veto any U.N. resolution that imposes an IsraeliPalestinian conďŹ&#x201A;ict settlement on Israel.

Republican Gov. John Kasich used a signiďŹ cant portion of his speech to tout his ties to the Jewish community, including his relationship with the late Gordon Zacks, an inďŹ&#x201A;uential Ohio Jewish businessman and Republican activist; his advocacy for the release of famed refusenik Natan Sharansky from Soviet prison; and his work on establishing the state of Ohioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ofďŹ cial Holocaust memorial.

Kasich called his support for Israel â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ rm, and unwavering for more than 35 years of my professional life.â&#x20AC;? The governor, who formerly served on the U.S. House Armed Services Committee for 18 years, noted that during that time â&#x20AC;&#x153;we assured Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s qualitative military edge by offering the initial $10 millionâ&#x20AC;? for the Iron Dome missile defense system.

The governor called the current wave of Palestinian terror in Israel â&#x20AC;&#x153;the outcome of a culture of death that the Palestinian Authority and its forebears have promoted for over 50 years,â&#x20AC;? slamming Palestinian school textbooks that are ďŹ lled with â&#x20AC;&#x153;vile anti-Semitism,â&#x20AC;? PA stipends for imprisoned terrorists, and the Palestiniansâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; naming of public squares and streets after terrorists.

Look for more coverage of the AIPAC policy conference in next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of The Jewish Star.

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THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776

At AIPAC, Bibi and pols pump the faithfulâ&#x20AC;Ś

19

Poll shows tight race for Senate seat on April 19

By Ben Strack With less than a month remaining before voters choose a candidate to fill the state Senate seat left vacant by former Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, Siena College released a poll last week showing Democratic Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky and Republican attorney Chris McGrath in a tight race.

Kaminsky, of Long Beach, and McGrath, of Hewlett Harbor, are running in the special election to be held on April 19, the day of the presidential primary in New York state, after Skelos lost his seat upon conviction on corruption charges in December.

The 9th Senate District encompasses the Five Towns, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, East Atlantic Beach, East Rockaway, Elmont, Franklin

Square, Island Park, Lido Beach, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Malverne, Oceanside, Point Lookout, Rockville Centre, South Hempstead, Valley Stream and West Hempstead.

Responding to issues suggested by the poll, voters said their top concerns are property taxes, education, creating jobs and fighting political corruption.

The poll tallied the ratings of 529 likely voters in the 9th District, finding that 47 percent of those residents would vote for Kaminsky — who represents the 20th Assembly District — while 45 percent would back McGrath, making the race a dead heat. Eight percent were undecided or are supporting another candidate.

The poll has a margin of error of 4.5 percentage points. Green Party candidate Laurence

Hirsh, an accountant from North Woodmere, was not included by name in the poll.

Kaminsky and McGrath have nearly identical favorability ratings, at 44 and 43 percent respectively. Twenty percent of those polled find the democratic Assemblyman unfavorable, and 23 percent lack approval for the personal injury lawyer and Hofstra law professor.

“The fact that Chris McGrath, who is not a politician and was virtually unknown five weeks ago, is already in a dead heat for the 9th Senate District tells you everything you need to know about the state of this race,” state Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif said in a statement.

“Todd Kaminsky, Bill de Blasio and the New York City Democrats are losing, they’re

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20

panicked and they don’t know how to turn it around. Chris McGrath has all the momentum, all the energy and he’s going to win.”

“Even in a district that has been represented by a Republican for 30 years, voters are clearly ready for new leadership that gets the results they deserve – and this poll shows they trust Todd Kaminsky to deliver,” Kaminsky campaign spokesman Evan Thies said in a statement.

Eighty-two percent of Democrats in the poll, which was released on March 15, said they would vote for Kaminsky, a former federal prosecutor. McGrath, who has never held public office, claimed 77 percent of Republican voters. McGrath received more support from independents, notching 53 percent of those 7RGG .DPLQVN\ voters, which is 19 points better than Kaminsky’s support from those with no party affiliation.

Kaminsky leads the 20th Assembly District by 18 points but trails McGrath by 15 points in the adjacent 21st Assembly District represented by Brian Curran (R-Lynbrook), &KULV 0F*UDWK which is heavily Republican. The two run close in the other Assembly districts that account for about one-fifth of the 9th Senate district, according to Siena College pollster Steven Greenberg.

“McGrath has a narrow edge with men and voters under 55, while Kaminsky has slightly bigger leads with women and voters 55 and older,” Greenberg said in a statement. “Making his first run for public office, McGrath has a strong overall favorability rating, particularly with Republicans and independents.

Kaminsky, a first term Assemblyman, also has a strong favorability rating, doing better with Republicans than McGrath does with Democrats, although not nearly as strong with independents as McGrath.”

In the same poll, Governor Cuomo was viewed favorably by 57 percent of voters, including three-quarters of Democrats and a majority of independents. And while New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio was viewed more favorably than Skelos, it wasn’t by very much.

Among seven specific issues included in the poll, Kaminsky was viewed favorably as a candidate who could do a significantly better job in the Senate fighting corruption and dealing with a minimum wage increase, edging McGrath by five and six points in those categories, respectively. The other five issues — ensuring that legislators convicted of a crime lose their pensions, determining outside income for legislators, securing Hurricane Sandy relief funds, improving education and representing the 9th Senate District in Albany — were decided by three percentage points or less. A majority of voters only deemed McGrath better suited to handle the latter two, according to the poll.

“This special election can move in any direction over the next five weeks as the campaigns heat up,” Greenberg said. “It may very well turn out to be determined by turnout and which party can do a better job bringing its voters to the polls on this presidential Primary Day. This has barnburner written all over it.”

Ben Strack is a reporter for the Long Beach Herald, where a version of this story appeared.

21 THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

JEWISH STAR Schools Shulamith’s tasty Pi day

HALB Lions hockey champs Pi day — March 14 (or 3.14) — was celebrated by the middle division of Shulamith.

Five picture puzzles with pi puns were posted as a competition for students to solve. Tzvi Goldstein of Brooklyn’s Strauss bakery, father of Meira in grade 6, provided mini chocolate cream pies for each student and teacher.

In each math class, students strung different colored beads on lanyards to demonstrate that pi is an irrational number whose decimals neither terminate nor repeat. Students also charted the frequency of the appearance of the 10 digits in the first 100 decimal places of pi.

The HALB Lions Junior High School hockey team won the Metropolitan Yeshiva Middle School Athletic League Championship for the second year in a row. HALB beat YCQ with a score of 3-0 at the Lawrence Middle School, after playing an undefeated season.

Goalie Michael Mintz was named MVP. Coached by Steven Mark, the seventh and eighth grade championship team roster

includes Gavriel Aharon, Gavi Schechter, Ethan Hirschfeld, Zach Bach, Ilan Frenkel, Jacob Berry, Noah Chesir, Tzvi Yudin, Aidan Schechter, Yoni Kwestel, Eitan Miller, Jared Mark, Yona Ben-Ami, Benji Rose, Andrew Shayovitz, Ami Schreiber, Ilan Schochet, Yoni Miller, Daniel Marks, Yoni Goldberg, Caleb Pollan, Ariel Ifergan, Michael Mintz and Yoni Savitsky.

Shulamith 7th graders visit City of Brotherly Love Shulamith seventh graders enjoyed a day of Philadelphia sightseeing last Thursday.

The girls boarded buses at 7 am for their journey to the City of Brotherly Love, accompanied by Associate Principal Dr. Evelyn Gross, Director of Student Activities Rachel Steiner, teachers Rivky Markowitz and Sima Rosenfeld, and parents Mrs. Bhatia, Mrs. Laufer, and Mrs. Stein.

Soon, they arrived at the first stop of their whirlwind tour: The Franklin Institute. From the unique experience of climbing through a giant human heart, to investigating the mysteries of the brain, the girls experienced science in a new way. They also enjoyed socializing during lunch in the cafeteria and watched a mesmerizing IMAX film about National Parks.

The girls also visited Mikveh Israel Synagogue, the oldest continually used synagogue in the United States, where they learned about Jews in colonial times. Other stops included the Ben Franklin Museum, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell.

Torah Live!

Every parent and teacher aspires to bring the Torah to life for their charges, and the Living Torah Museum in Brooklyn provides an opportunity to do just that.

On March 9, Shulamith eighth graders visited the museum accompanied by their Limudei Kodesh teachers, Morah Bracha Cook and Morah Chani Pollak.

The museum’s founder and chief curator, Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, displayed the type of jewelry worn by the people of the ancient world, including a signet ring reminiscent of the one that Achashveirosh gave Haman. They girls marveled at a video clip of Mordechai and Esther’s kevarim in Iran.

To help the students understand aspects of Pesach and yetziat Mitzrayim, Rabbi Deutsch displayed artifacts from ancient Egypt, including a gold crown belonging to Pharoah’s wife, black eye liner, and a curling

hair utensil similar to one which Yosef Hatzaddik likely used. He explained what a gladiator was and showed what kind of swords and shields the fearsome fighters used.

The tour ended in the taxidermy room where the girls saw real animals on display, enabling them to visualize the kosher animals listed in the Torah. Rabbi Deutsch explained which animal could be used for Korban Pesach — and pointed out that it was very small because each person only needed to eat a k’zayit.

The wonder of The Living Torah Museum is that visitors are allowed to touch, hold and pass around many items, which makes everything in the museum come alive. The girls agreed that the trip provided a very unique and fun way to know and understand the Tanach they’ve learned in school.

March 25, 2016 â&#x20AC;˘ 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

22

SKA sophs leave their classrooms to lobby in DC

By Ayelet Aharon, 10th grade In keeping with the belief that learning does not always begin and end in the classroom, grades 9, 10 and 11 of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls went on entertaining and educational trips the week of March 9.

Tenth Graders viewed the inner working of our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s capital when they journeyed

to Washington to meet with senators and congressmen to advocate for Israel.

The sophomore lobbying trip followed weeks of preparation, during which the girls learned about the United States government and the BDS movement from guest speakers and in their History of Israel class. By the time the day of the trip arrived, the students felt conďŹ dent that their knowledge and pub-

SKA girls travel with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Write on for Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

By Sara Raizel Jedwab, SKA â&#x20AC;&#x2122;16 Four students from the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls participated in a two year Israel Advocacy Training program, open to juniors and seniors of all denominations. Once a month the students meet to learn tactics and the history of Israel in order to be effective Israel advocates on college campuses across America.

The experience culminates with a trip to Israel during Presidents Week and focuses on both political issues that face Israel today, and on creating a meaningful relationship with the country that the students will be defending. Aliza Isaacs, Kayla Leifer, Leora Spitz, and I all grew tremendously from this opportunity and each of us have a different insight into what weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve gained.

Aliza Isaacs said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I enjoyed getting to know the participants on the program.

Even though we all came from different backgrounds, we were united in our goal of advocating for Israel.â&#x20AC;?

Both Leora Spitz and I appreciated the seminar given by Lt. Col. David Benjamin. As a former lawyer on international law for the state of Israel he relayed concrete, concise answers to tough questions about the actions of the Israeli government. The legality of the settlements, war crimes, and the UN are various things he gave deep insights to, breaking them down and making them understandable to the average person.

Kayla Leifer felt that although she has visited Israel many times for holidays with family and close friends, the Write On Trip gave her a new and enlightened view on why Israel, a country that she was brought up to love, is the greatest one in the world.

Though each of us appreciated different parts of the program, we all gained strength from a broader sense of community, with our peers, with our people, and with our country. Through Write On for Israel we all also gained the skills to effectively defend this community on college campuses and beyond.

lic speaking skills were sufďŹ cient to enable them to defend the State of Israel and counteract any argument about BDS that would come their way.

Before arriving in Washington, the 10th graders went ice skating, an activity which calmed everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nerves in anticipation of the next day of lobbying. On Thursday morning, the students split into groups and visited 50 congressional ofďŹ ces. They met with both their local representatives and those from states all over the country. Their well-prepared speeches were very persuasive in informing and convincing government ofďŹ cials to support Israel.

After a delicious meat dinner, the exhausted but elated group of girls boarded the buses to head home. There was a real sense of accomplishment; not only did the SKA Sophomores prepare themselves to defend Israel in everyday situations, but they

made a real difference by convincing inďŹ&#x201A;uential people to do the same. This fun and exciting trip had a personal impact on each individual, as well as a large impact on the community as a whole.

This week, ten SKA students attended the AIPAC conference in Washington together with Ms. Raizy Chechik, SKA Principal Grades 9-10, and Mrs. Rivky Waxman, SKAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Educational Technology Integrator, and introduced ďŹ ve breakout sessions on Sunday, March 20. The SKA girls have made a real Kiddush Hashem!

Our thanks go to Ms. Chechik, Rabbi Friedman, Mrs. Mezei, Rabbi Rice, Mrs. Tannenbaum and Mrs. Waxman for chaperoning the 10th Grade trip. Special thanks for coordinating ALL the trips go to Rabbi Zak, Mrs. Storch and the entire team and the SKA Parent Council who coordinated our teacher appreciation gifts!

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HAFTRites learn how government works More than 200 yeshiva high school students from New York and New Jersey gathered at Young Israel of Woodmere for the 25th annual Yeshiva Model Congress.

HAFTR High School was the host school and Model Congress co-presidents Ezra Appel, Daniella Haft, Amanda Jedweb and Ezra Lent led the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s delegation.

Model Congress is a simulation of congressional conferences. Students are assigned to committees and prepare and debate proposed legislation. This year the committees

included appropriations, armed services, banking, housing and urban affairs, education and labor, energy and commerce, environment and public works, ethics, foreign relations, homeland security, intelligence, judiciary, science and technology, transportation and infrastructure, and ways and means.

There was also a crisis committee.

HAFTR seniors served as committee chairs and the students from nearly 12 schools debated the bills. Awards were presented and several went to HAFTR students.

JUDY JOSZEF WHO’S IN THE KITCHEN

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lthough the last graduates of the Brooklyn Talmudical Academy (BTA) and the Central Yeshiva High School for Girls left the East 14th building over 35 years ago, it was still sad to hear about demolition of the buildings, which had been subsequently occupied by the Brooklyn Shulamith School for Girls. (Years earlier, it was the home of Vitagraph, a major motion picture studio.) Jerry being a ’73 graduate of BTA and I, a ’77 of Central Brooklyn, we began to reminisce.

Jerry’s parents were excited that Jerry was going to BTA, which they thought was a “real yeshiva” that would help mold Jerry into a ben Torah from the primordial specimen who graduated Yeshiva Rambam. Jerry’s mom told him, “This is a fresh start.” She was so proud.

Jerry remembers his first class in BTA with Rabbi Mirocznik (Miro) where BTA determined that combining the students with the lowest potential (Jerry and others from the golem class) with those with the greatest ability, would somehow inspire the “abby-normal” students to evolve into erudite scholars. Jerry remembers being intimidated, as the smart kids were … gulp … really really smart. He had no idea what he was doing stuck in a shiur with them.

He was paired with Normy Gold, who was fully brilliant, charismatic and funny; Jerry was fully intimidated! How was he to keep up with these ubermench students. Instead it worked out beautifully, as they quietly sang “Wizard of Oz,” Al Jolson and similar songs together throughout the year. BTA turned out to be a great school. Incidentally, not one of the weaker students made any progress and BTA determined to segregate them into a newly launched “super garbage” class located in an unused section of the building.

Jerry spoke about many BTA graduates who ended up evolving into great leaders who inspired Jerry’s fundamental notions of what it means to be a Jew, particularly focused on the central importance of being part of the Jewish people.

He spoke of the day that Rabbi Meir Kahane, a BTA graduate, showed up and wanted to speak with the student body about the importance and centrality of medinat Yisrael, the Jewish people, and eretz Yisrael, particularly after the Holocaust. The YU administration refused to allow Rabbi Kahane to speak in the school. When word traveled throughout the school that Rabbi Kahane would informally speak from the grass area outside Central (before the fence was put up), everyone began to head to the exits to listen.

Rabbi Kahane was mesmerizing, his love for the Jewish people was transcendent, and he made an indelible impression on Jerry about the importance of viewing Yidiskeit as centered in “the Jewish people,” and that every Jew, whatever his religious orientation, was equally precious and important. mong other graduates there was Alan Dershowitz and our very own Rabbi Hershel Billet of the Young Israel of Woodmere. We are continually inspired by Rabbi Billet’s love of Eretz Yisroel, Medinat Yisroel, and the Jewish people worldwide, and by his advocacy for social justice and the responsibility of Orthodox Jews to integrate into society at large to serve as beacons of morality, chesed, care and concern as neighbors and as proud Americans.

There were others as well, but space is limited. Let’s just say that BTA and Central graduates have an integrated love for Israel, the Jewish people and responsibility for the world at large … coupled with humor, imagination … and occasional instances of animal house behavior which have not been or perhaps never will be fully remediated.

Being that the old BTA and Central buildings were demolished, it’s appropriate to focus on the seminal moment when the destruction of such property commenced in Jerry’s senior year in 1973. Jerry and his good friend Alan Blass were cutting their super garbage class shiur (as they often did) and ensconced themselves in the first floor men’s bathroom shooting the breeze. This bathroom was strategically located across from Rabbi Zuroff’s office on one side and a classroom on the other side where a freshman shiur was ongoing.

Alan greeted each freshman who entered the bathroom by introducing himself, offering to shake his hand in friendship, and then

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proceeding to hurl the freshman against the shiur wall with a loud boom. Jerry and Alan found this to be irresistibly funny, within the meaning of how BTA talmidim found social encounters to be funny.

Just then, a large freshman walked in and Alan, all of 6’ 4” with perhaps 230 pounds of muscle, offered to shake this oversized freshman’s hand. As they did, Alan determined to hurl him against the wall. The freshman didn’t let go of Alan’s hand and they both crashed into the wall, which exploded in part and they landed in the classroom, with sheetrock dust covering them. It sounded like a bomb went off and Rabbi Zuroff and others ran in to investigate. Jerry was laughing so hard he couldn’t breath or run away as Alan proceeded to attempt to explain how the crashing down of the wall through the joint momentum of the two Goliaths hitting it was a mere accident; they just tripped and the wall fell. That was the beginning of the proverbial end, so to speak, of the walls tumbling down BTA-style.

And talking of walls coming down…

This is an extremely creative dessert. It’s a ball of chocolate which, when hot caramel sauce is poured over it, the chocolate breaks away revealing an ice cream (and if you choose, brownie) dessert beneath.

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You will need one or two plastic ball ornaments that come in two pieces that are put together. I bought mine in Michael’s. 3 or 4 inch works well.

Hot Caramel Sauce Ingredients:

1 stick butter, 4 ounces ¾ cup dark brown sugar ½ cup whipping or heavy cream 1 teaspoon vanilla Pinch of sea salt Ice Cream, any flavor that you choose, 4 large scoops 2 lbs dark chocolate coating (can be purchased in most kosher supermarkets). They come in bars Instructions: Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add brown sugar and whisk to combine.

Add cream. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add vanilla and a pinch of sea salt.

Stir until combined. Can be used immediately or stored in the refrigerator for use.

Mixture will thicken as it cools. After refrigeration, heat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Chocolate Ball Melt chocolate coating in a microwaveable container until fully melted. Pour enough chocolate into one half of he plastic ornament to come halfway up the side. Place the other half on top and make sure it is securely closed. Keep rotating until all parts of the ball are covered with chocolate. Place in the refrigerator for five minutes, then rotate it again and place back in refrigerator to cool fully. Once it’s totally cool, place in the freezer for a minute and you are ready to unmold it. Gently open the mold and ease the chocolate ball out. Warm a plate with boiling water and dry well. Place the bottom of the ball on the plate till the bottom melts enough to create an opening in the chocolate, so that it can be placed over the ice cream.

Assembly: Place a scoop of vanilla ice cream (or ice cream of your choice on a dessert plate and top with fresh sliced strawberries, 3 slices per portion. You can also place the ice cream on a rich brownie if you like.

Once the ice cream is plated take the chocolate ball and place over the dessert.

Serve each guest and then pour the heated Carmel sauce onto the chocolate ball and your guests will be amazed as the chocolate starts to melt and break away revealing the ice cream underneath.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

The Yeshiva of South Shore emphasizes tefillah

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Each morning while walking the hallways of the elementary school of the Yeshiva of South Shore, one hears the sweet sounds of Tinokos Shel Beis Rabban raising their voices in tefillah. The sincerity, melody and neshama of the davening are heartwarming. In the mechina division, the level of the kavanah and kavod hatfillah has been raised from wonderful to exceptional.

To what does the yeshiva owe this growth?

Obviously there is a concerted effort among the rabbeim and hanhala to implement tools and strategies into the teaching of tifilla in every classroom.

YOSS invited Rabbi Maimon Elbaz, renowned mechanech and maspiah, to deliver his famous virtual reality slideshow portraying the essence of tefillah. He presented his show to the sixth through eigth grade boys on Shmoneh Esrei and to the younger division on Birchas Hashachar.

Rabbi Elbaz showed his visually stimulating slideshow while sprinkling riddles throughout and offering prizes for correct answers. Rabbi Judowitz, a seventh grade rebbe, commented at the end of the one hour show, “Why did it have to end so soon? The kids were totally absorbed and could have sat another hour and a

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half!” The visit by Rabbi Elbaz was sponsored l’iluy nishmas Rebbetzin Kamenetzky, tziral bas R’ Pinchus Eliyahu, a”h.

Another major item is the yeshiva’s usage of “Tefillah Power” workbooks written by Rabbi Heshy Kleinman, author of the popular “Praying with Fire” books. Grades 4 through 8 utilize

these beautifully crafted books each day.

A masterpiece which translates and highlights key elements of daily tefillah, the book is replete with stories, mosholim and pictures prepared specifically for different grade levels.

“My students’ davening has soared lately,” said Rabbi Ackerman, a fourth grade rebbe.

“They are so serious about it. I don’t know what to do with some boys who now take over an hour to daven Shacharis. It’s a phenomenal thing!”

Additionally, the mechina division recently instituted the “Shtikah B’tfillah” and “Davening Starts” initiatives as well.

Clearly, the efforts to raise the level of tefillah at the Yeshiva of South Shore are certainly bearing fruit.

THE JEWISH STAR March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776

Recalling BTA and Central as their buildings fall

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March 25, 2016 • 15 Adar II 5776 THE JEWISH STAR

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