March 28, 2014

Health Mind & Body Centerspread Woodmere marathon man 3 Torah 4,6 Bookworm 7 In the Kitchen 10

THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 13 Q MARCH 28, 2014 / 26 ADAR II 5774

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Trust us, HALB asks on eve of vote Support for sale of No. 6 School tempered by concerns over traffic, parking ally supportive, Hirrt repeated earlier assurances that the property’s open space would remain accessible to the public’s use when the school is not in session, including on Shabbat. The anticipated loss of public access was one of several issues that led to the defeat last year of a developer’s bid to buy the property for conversion into a medical center.

“We value being good neighbors. We value the scarcity of open space in the community,” he said.

Voters in School District 15 will weigh in on HALB’s $9.2 million purchase on March 31 between 7 am and 10 pm.

“We plan to improve the Continued on page 15 HALB President Lance Hirt urged residents at a forum on Tuesday to support his school’s purchase of the No. 6 School.

Dancing rabbis at YU send a Torah message

Four closed blocks of Amsterdam Avenue in Washington Heights were filled with joyous dancing and music on Sunday, as Yeshiva University celebrated the ordination of its largest class of rabbis.

The 230 musmachim (ordained rabbis) from around the world joined roshei Yeshiva, teachers, family, and friends in the dancing following the Chag HaSemicha event of YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Continued on page 12

Ayalon to 5 Towns: Defend Israel!

By Malka Eisenberg Former Israel Ambassador Danny Ayalon told Five Towners over the weekend that they must step up their defense of Israel. “The challenges are political warfare,” he said. “We won the military and economic wars.”

During a whirlwind visit to the Five Towns, he spoke on Friday at Rambam Mesivta, HAFTR, DRS and SKA, and on Shabbat was scholar in residence at the Young Israel of Woodmere. Ayalon also promoted Yeshiva University, where he was a visiting professor, as exemplifying what Israel represents, the fusion of Torah, Jewish identity and a love of Israel, with a world view that includes science and secular studies.

Ayalon spoke with the The Jewish Star on Thursday, bemoaning widening efforts to delegitimize Israel.

“We have to be on message: the land belongs to us and we belong to the land,” he said. “We have to be proactive and not let them (the Palestinian Authority) frame the debate. We lost Europe in the PR war, where Israel is now less popular than Iran.”

He said that Israel failed to realize the strength of negative propaganda, something he said the Palestinian Liberation Organization learned from Hitler propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels: “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come

to believe it.”

He said that the demonization of Israel began 20 years ago in Europe and is now mainstream there. “If we do not nip it in the bud, it may become mainstream in five years because of social media, here in the U.S.,” he said.

At the same time, worried about assimilation of American Jews, he stressed the need for continuity, Jewish identity and education, and lauded YU as the “most important Jewish institution outside of Eretz Yisrael” fostering Jewish pride and Jewish history.

He emphasized the need to “be able to defend ourselves by ourselves, that “Eretz Yisrael rayshit Tzmichat geulataynu” (the Land of Israel is the first blossoming of our redemption), and that Israel has the capability and will but that Israelis “have to know their history and have pride.”

“Every generation is responsible, not just to continue our ancestors’ voyage of 4,000 years, but we are responsible for the next 4,000 years,” he told The Star.

He pointed out the need to revamp education in Israel — to pay teachers more, make classes smaller, return serious Jewish education to the secular public schools there, and add science, math and English to the charedi schools.

“Set up requirements on both sides,” Continued on page 12

Shabbat 6:57 pm. Shabbat ends 8:10 pm. 72 minute zman 8:30 pm. Parshiot Tazria and HaChodesh. Rosh Chodesh Nisan Tuesday.

Former Israel Ambassador to the U.S. Danny Ayalon and Rabbi Yotav Eliach at Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence on Friday.

The Jewish Star photo by Malka Eisenberg

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By The Jewish Star staff On the eve of next Monday’s referendum on its proposed purchase of the No. 6 school in Woodmere, the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach sought this week to allay concerns about the deal, mostly relating to traffic and parking.

During a public forum on Tuesday night, HALB President Lance Hirt promised to work with neighbors to mitigate school bus and minivan congestion that might clog the area’s narrow streets as 800 elementary and middle school students arrive and depart each day.

Addressing around 100 people, many of whom appeared skeptical even if gener-

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Talmud to go A Talmud study group of about a dozen men on the Far Rockaway line of the Long Island Railroad has made its third siyum since its beginning almost 23 years ago. The group uses the daf yomi — literally a page-a-day — method of learning initiated by Rabbi Meir Shapiro in the 1920s. From left, Chaim Resiss, Elliot Krischer, Eliezer Cohen and lecturer Sholom Fried.

Woodmere yeshiva grad in Jerusalem marathon

MORE HEALTH IN CENTERSPREAD significant. There are a lot of halachic problems if genetic issues are only identified once there is a relationship, or after marriage.”

He noted there are two ways of finding out genetic information: the “closed way” or through “open testing.”

The closed way is that used by the organization Dor Yeshorim, where an individual submits for a blood test for a subsidized fee and receives an identification number keyed to the individual’s phone number and birth date but is not informed of his (or her) genetic risk factors. When a shidduch (prospective match) is suggested, both ID numbers and dates of birth are entered into the automated system and a return call from the organization indicates if the match is genetically compatible. The process is thus anonymous.

In the open method, the individual undergoes genetic screening via blood tests and either pays out of pocket or insurance covers the cost. The person receives the test results and can then meet with a genetic counselor to discuss the test results.

“It’s easy to recommend that all people ‘get tested.’ One of the difficulties is getting the information across,” Rabbi Glatt said.

Leah Fried noted at the talk that most Continued on page 6

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G Chaim Shulman of Woodmere (l) and his madrich at Yeshivat Hakotel, Chanan Kupietsky, after completing the Jerusalem Marathon.

Florida, Boston, are easier. They don’t have the intense uphills the Jerusalem one has. I would do those. I would consider doing Jerusalem again to try to get a better time.”

The route was lined with security forces, representatives from Magen David Adom (Israel’s equivalent to the Red Cross), others to help the marathoners with water and food.

Before the race, he joined the more than 100 runners from Team Butterfly at a pasta party at the King David Hotel. After the race, Team Butterfly served bagels, salad and a cake from the Kosher Cakery in Beit Shemesh.

His parents, Dr. Tuvia and Ahuva Shulman of Woodmere, are “excited and proud that I was able to put my mind to something and complete it,” he said.

Shulman’s current plans include continuing at Yeshivat Hakotel for a second year and entering the Israeli army in the Hesder program in March of next year. He plans to make aliyah, study in University in Israel and is interested in politics or high-tech.

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By Malka Eisenberg The Jerusalem Marathon. It’s one of the world’s toughest, but you can’t beat the view.

Or the inspiration.

Chaim Shulman, 18, a Woodmere graduate of Mesivta Ateres Yaakov, completed his first marathon on Friday as a member of Team Butterfly, an organization promoting awareness of Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB), raising $600 for the group. He is currently a student at Yeshivat Hakotel in Jerusalem.

“I started training in November. I went running after night seder (study period) with my chevruta (learning partner), doing ten miles, half marathon stuff. I ran with my shanah bet (second year) chevruta — he wanted to get in shape for the army and I wanted to get in shape for the full marathon.

I ran with my rosh madrich (head counselor) [who is] ex special forces in the army in Sayeret Duvdevan.”

Epidermolysis Bullosa, a group of skin conditions that are either inherited or caused by a mutation, is characterized by painful and disfiguring blistering all over the body. Those with the disease lack a protein that binds the layers of skin together. People who are born with EB have a 60 percent risk of death by age 15.

Team Butterfly was founded by David Beiss of West Hempstead who has EB. Beiss learned at Yeshiva Torat Shraga in Jerusalem last year and is currently a student at Yeshiva University.

Roland Kimeli Kurgat, a 28-year-old from Kenya, won the marathon, completing the 26 miles in just two hours, 16 minutes and nine seconds. Shulman’s time was four hours, 28 minutes and four seconds.

The hilly route is planned to pass through some of the major sites of Jerusalem — the Knesset, Hebrew University, the Old City, Armon Hanatziv, Ammunition Hill, the Israel Museum, the city center, and ends at Sacher Park.

“It’s a nice run,” Shulman said. “Great scenery. You can really see the pasuk (sentence from Psalm 125), ‘Yerushalyim harim saviv lah’ (the mountains surround Jerusalem),” he said. “The top of Har Hatzofim (Mount Scopus) has an incredible view. You understand why they call it that. You see the whole Yerushalayim. You see the Tanach (Torah) come to life, you feel it.”

“I think the other marathons, New York,

By Malka Eisenberg One blood test can save future lives but at the same time can open up questions with Jewish legal and emotional ramifications.

At a recent Young Israel of Woodmere sisterhood event, Rabbi Aaron Glatt, MD, executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Mercy Medical Center and assistant to the rabbi of the YIW, and Leah Fried, MS Certified Genetic Counselor, discussed the necessity and ramifications of genetic testing.

Both spoke to a crowd of 50 women at the home of Anne Pasternak, presenting an overview of the practical and future theoretical issues of genetic testing.

The focus was primarily on pre-marital genetic testing for compatibility, so that the prospective couple will “hopefully have a family not exposed to the 19 genetic diseases” currently being tested for. Glatt stressed the importance of “education of young people to be aware of this, including the halachic (Jewish legal) ramifications.”

The event covered “various genetic related illnesses, practical and theoretical situations, what diseases it makes sense to test for, including if it’s always useful or sometimes dangerous to know,” Rabbi Glatt said.

He recommended that individuals “consult with their Rav and physician as appropriate because there aren’t always clear cut answers.”

Rabbi Glatt emphasized the importance of testing “before entering into a relationship, before the relationship becomes emotionally

THE JEWISH STAR March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774

Challenge of genetic testing tackled at YIW

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To build or to destroy: The choice is ours I

recall, after my cousin Benjy Hillman was killed in the Second Lebanon War, hearing of one particular Shabbat when Benjy, a company commander in the Elite Egoz antiterror unit, was due to go home on leave.

It’s difficult to describe, to anyone who has not experienced it, just how valuable a weekend pass is in the army.

FROM THE HEART After weeks spent in OF JERUSALEM the dreary life of olive grey and green, sleeping on cots, or in jeeps or even in sleeping bags on the dirt, eating army food which can sometimes consist of cold rations grabbed in the darkness, and often going without showers and proper toilets for days at a time, the Rabbi Binny prospect of a weekend Freedman at home with mom’s cooking and a soft bed with real pillows is as close to heaven as a person can get in this world.

But that particular Shabbat, Benjy found out some of the men under his command who were chayalim bodedim (lone soldiers who have no home in Israel either because they have volunteered to serve despite the fact that they grew up overseas where their families remain or because they come from broken homes) had nowhere to go and were staying on base for Shabbat. So he went home for a few hours and return to base for Shabbat, giving up his weekend pass to be

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with his men so that they would know that in his unit no soldier is ever alone.

In all the years that I was in the army, both in regular service and later in the reserves, I never heard of such a thing. I never heard of, nor have I ever met, a commander who ever thought of, let alone did such a thing. Rarely is one privileged to meet a man like Benjy Hillman. aria, this week’s portion, begins a discussion we will have over the next weeks about a debilitating phenomenon known as tzaraat. Some have likened this to leprosy, though that is not entirely accurate — leprosy is a disease; tza’ra’at was a consequence, which in Jewish tradition occurred specifically when a person transgressed the prohibitions of slander and gossip.

And yet, this week’s portion begins with such a beautiful sentence: “Isha Ki Tzaria Ve’yalda…” (“When a woman conceives and gives birth…”)

Just recently we were blessed to become grandparents for the first time when, with Hashem’s lovingkindness, our eldest daughter gave birth to a healthy baby boy who was named Amitai on Purim morning. It is hard to imagine a more joy-filled moment than welcoming a new life into the world, and the experience of holding my first grandchild in my arms for the first time is a moment beyond words. So what can this possibly have to do with the subsequent

T

discussions on tzara’at?

The Talmud (Nedarim 64b) tells us that one of the four types of people considered as dead is the metzora (the person who has tza’ra’at). One might have thought the reason for this is the gravity of his condition, but there are many who suffer more serious illnesses and yet are not considered as dead.

Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz, in his Sichos Mussar, suggests that the reason a metzora is considered as if dead, is because he is completely isolated from the community.

Banished from the encampment, he must remain completely alone for seven days and may only rejoin the community once he has been pronounced clean by a kohein.

Our tradition teaches (see Maimonides Hilchot Deot chapter 7) that the affliction of tza’ra’at is the consequence of speaking slanderously of one’s fellow human being, whether viciously or just as seemingly harmless gossip. The person who slanders his fellow undermines our ability to live together as one community; as such, he needs to take time away from the community, to ponder how destructive undermining the unity of a community really is.

Rav Shmuelevitz points out that this idea is consistent with other instances where a person is considered as dead — the Talmud teaches that a blind person is also considered as dead, yet a deaf person is not considered.

There are few events that bring people together, with as much joy, as the birth of a child.

Why is being blind so significant? More than any other faculty, sight allows us to pursue healthy relationships. (It goes without saying how important it is to make extra efforts to ensure a blind person feels included in the community.)

When Moshe was a young man, the Torah tells us (Exodus 2:11) he went out and saw the suffering of his brethren, and thus he understood their suffering. And when Yaakov is on his deathbed (Bereishit 48:6), his eyes became weak and Yosef brings his sons close to him so that he can hug and kiss them before blessing them. The Seforno suggests that Yosef understood Yaakov needed to re-establish his attachment to his grandchildren before blessing them, something that was more difficult given that he was blind.

So tza’ra’at, like blindness, is all about being isolated from the community. Why then does our portion begin with birth? Perhaps because there are few events that bring people together, with as much joy, as the birth of a child. Seeing a newborn baby, in all its innocence, full of potential, it is almost impossible not to smile. A newborn child has no flaws, no mistakes or transgressions, has never wronged or harmed anyone or anything, and brings people together with a sincere desire simply to give and help, which is what community is all about.

The choice, as to whether we create and build our communities, or destroy them, is entirely up to us.

Shabbat Shalom from Jerusalem Rav Binny Freedman is Rosh Yeshiva, Yeshivat Orayta.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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Tazria / 7 days to reflect on life A

simple reading of the Gemara in Arakhin 16a informs us that tzaraat, a spiritual disease with a physical manifestation that is definitely not “leprosy,” could come upon a person for one of seven sins: lashon hora (slander and gossip), murder, PARSHA OF swearing in vain, imTHE WEEK morality, haughtiness, theft, and stinginess.

Raise your hand if you might get tzaraat if such a disease were extant today. (We can all put our hands down now.)

It’s sad that most people focus only on lashon hara, because the reality is that even people who are not gossipers are not immune to the other Rabbi Avi Billet causes of tzaraat. Everyone has a yetzer hara (evil inclination) and everyone makes mistakes.

While murder is presumably most uncommon, the rest of the seven are not that far-fetched for many people, in one form or another.

While Israel traveled in the wilderness, getting tzaraat would trigger being sent out of the camp, and once the land was settled it meant a trip outside of town, for the duration of a week. This week-long exile, which was sometimes extended, was meant to give the person pause to reflect on which sin caused the affliction and how to make different choices in the future, choices such as ahavat yisrael (loving one’s fellow Jew) and ahavat habriyot (loving one’s fellow Man).

Tatzaraat is not our reality today, but we do have week-long excursions — and while

not brought on by sins, they may nonetheless give us pause to reflect and to think about our lives and what is most important to us.

One week-long venture is a holiday such as the upcoming Pesach. Another seven-day escape is the vacation. Sometimes the holiday and the vacation are combined. A third seven-day removal from the day-to-day norm is when someone dies and the family sits for the mourning period of shiva. n holidays and on vacations, and particularly when they are combined, the test of “who we are and what we stand for and believe” is brought to the fore. How do we conduct ourselves? How do we portray ourselves? How do we spend the time we don’t normally have? Are we unaccountably lazy? Do we spend time dedicated to Torah and tefillah? Do others see us as gluttonous?

Or gaudy? Do we show off?

It is OK to enjoy a vacation and to spend quality family time having fun.

But a Jew is a Jew 24/7, not just when life is normal, kids are in school, and there’s a daily commute to work. This is why those who are committed to davening and daf yomi have an easier time because they are driven to keep it up even when life’s routine is interrupted.

Shiva is a very different kind of escape.

And the reflection is surreal. Everyone experiences shiva differently. It is not just a reflective time for the mourners but also for the visitors to think about life, to remember

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the deceased, and to focus on why mourners mourn and what the role of the menachamim (the consolers) is supposed to be.

Too many people come to shiva homes for personal reasons instead of to be there for the mourners. Too many people talk about nonsense when conversations, if there should even be conversations, are supposed to be directed by the mourner, while the consoler’s job is to keep it focused on the deeds of the deceased.

It should go without saying, but too many well-meaning people say the dumbest or most regrettable things during their shiva visits. How the person died is not as relevant as how the person lived. The details of the final moments are not as important as the details of the legacy left behind, or in the event of the tragic death of a young person, the absolute sadness and profound loss felt by those who are mourning. In this latter case, the mourners need to know they have friends who care about them; they don’t need to know whether life will ever be the same or that “I know how you feel.” (We don’t.)

Every seven-day escape is indeed a time to reflect and contemplate who we are, what we believe, what we stand for and what is most important to us. Hopefully, we can use the time well and emerge with a new commitment to be more aware, more sensitive, more caring, and more humble in the way we present ourselves and the way we relate to others.

Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

It is OK to enjoy a vacation, but a Jew is a Jew 24/7, not just when kids are in school and there’s a daily commute to work.

Genetics…

Continued from page 3 major medical centers have some sort of genetic counseling and that testing can be expensive if insurance doesn’t cover it.

Some charities cover it.

One of the issues facing women today is the BRCA gene mutation and if women are tested for it and discover that they are carriers, some physicians recommend that women have prophylactic surgery to prevent breast cancer and other cancers. Rabbi Glatt noted the concern of knowledge of one’s genetic makeup impacting shidduchim and job choice or career direction.

Sisterhood President Felicia Bernstein said that member Roberta Warren “initiated the idea of a talk on genetics” as YIW women “are trying to breathe more life into the sisterhood” following the year of upheaval after Hurricane Sandy.

She noted that Leah Fried, who grew up in Woodmere and her parents live here now, was “unbelievable, well informed and people were very interested in what the rabbi and she said. Leah was promoting that anybody at the beginning of a relationship should get tested; it’s much easier at the beginning.

“Currently there are 19 different diseases that they can test for with one blood test. The information” on the health and religious aspects of genetic testing and counseling “was really valuable. So much has happened in recent times, so much more to learn.”

“It applies to everybody,” said Rabbi Glatt. “It’s an important subject.”

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March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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R

ecently Danny Levine, owner of J. Levine Jewish Bookstore in Manhattan, the nation’s oldest sefarim (Jewish books) store, brought to my attention an interesting haggadah recently translated into English entitled, “The Beis Aharon Haggadah” with a commentary anthology based upon classical sources by the late Rabbi Aharon Asher Wolinetz, zt”l.

Aside from the basic texts and detailed commentaries, there are appended numerous theological and aggadic works, including Rabbi Wolinetz’s classic, “Know How To Respond,” and published both in Hebrew and for the first time here in English. According to the rabbi’s grandson, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, “Know How To Respond” applies to many contemporary Jews, even observant Jews whose knowledge of what it is that Jews profess is somewhat limited.

They are often are incapable of explaining basic Torah ideas to their children and will especially benefit from this book which cites most of the questions raised by heretics to the Talmudic sages. This work is worth your attention.

Practical halachic observances for the Pesach holiday are clearly elucidated by Rabbi Eliezer Melamed, a leading authority and author on practical halacha, in his ‘’Peninei Halacha” (“The Laws of Pesach”) series [Maggid Books Yeshivat Har Bracha, 2014], which features an English translation of his Hebrew work wherein we find a comprehensive guide to the proper observance of holiday ritual. As we all know, Pesach is the most detailed home-based holiday on the Jewish ritual calendar, and Rabbi Melamed’s work serve as a welcome resource.

This 312-page work is organized into 16 chapters dealing with just about every facet of holiday ritual observance, with detailed backup material on the sources, indexes of halacha, Jewish thought and a full glossary of technical and halachic terms, all designed to make your reading more understandable and practical.

This work includes many non-technical explanations of the basic concepts of the meaning of laws concerning the eating of egg matza, and other questions that touch upon extenuating circumstances that might prove to be of some concern to many of us.

Also, many of the rulings found within this work relate to both Ashkenazic and Sephardic ritual and culinary practice. Rabbi Melamed deals with ritual practice, both lenient and stringent, in a non-judgmental and respectful manner. That is a component in the observance of our faith that we should come to expect from all of us, all year round.

I am delighted to inform you that Cedarhurst’s Rabbi David Etengoff’s “Analysis of the Haggadah” is now available on line at HYPERLINK “http://bit.ly/1hoqzEz” http:// bit.ly/1hoqzEz Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

688433

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his Shabbat we commemorate the start of the Pesach holiday season with Parshat Hachodesh. Next Tuesday marks Rosh Chodesh Nissan.

Recently, the OrKOSHER thodox Union released BOOKWORM an interesting book on this subject, “Yerach Tov: Birkat Hachodesh in Jewish Law and Liturgy,” by Rabbi Elchanan Adler of Yeshiva University.

This rather small book of 115 pages is filled to the brim with just about all the halachic and background material that the avAlan Jay Gerber erage layman would need to help explain what constitutes the proper history and observance of the announcement and lead-up to Rosh Chodesh (the new month).

Among the topics discussed are the reasoning behind the announcing of the date, the essence of the mitzvah itself, the role of the bais din (rabbinical court), and a detailed and long overdue commentary on the text of the “Yehi Ratzon” paragraph. Most fascinating of all, it also includes the announcement of the molad (new moon): calculating it, and knowing the formal proclamation of its precise date and Jerusalem time of this ritual.

The molad is proclaimed in many shuls at a dramatic moment during the prayer, when the Torah scroll is given to the cantor to hold during the announcement that is normally made by the gabbai (sexton). What seems odd to this writer is the persistent and archaic ritual of stating the molad date in Yiddish, a habit that has long been replaced in most modern Orthodox shuls by the use of English or Hebrew. The use of Hebrew is thematically justified inasmuch as the molad reflects Jerusalem time, a venue that hardly justifies the use of Yiddish.

Rabbi Adler goes into some detail in explaining the molad, citing variant definitions. For example, he cites the Rambam who defines the molad as the moment that the sun and moon are aligned with the earth.

Others, such as the Tosafot Yom Tov, state that the molad is the moment that the moon swings out of alignment with the sun and the earth. Whatever the reason, due to its “sanctity and historical connection to Kiddush Hachodesh, we announce the molad using Jerusalem time, two hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, instead of local time.” This timely link to Jerusalem reaffirms our ageold tie to the ancient and modern spiritual and political capital of our faith and people.

Other factors in this work include the sources that are considered in the recitation of this prayer, and why, and what connection does the current practices share with previous observances of this time honored ritual.

THE JEWISH STAR March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774

A guide to books for Pesach (part one)

Yoatzot halacha and rabbis join docs at wome HEALTH, MIND & BODY company keeping silent.

She said that the YIW forum enables women to “grow from the experience and wisdom of others, to learn the laws of nidah (family purity), enhance marital life [and] open conversations and educate on important topics.”

Talks covered obesity surgery and plastic surgery and their halachic aspects, contraceptive choices from a medical and halachic standpoint, challenges in fertility, perimenopause and menopause, breast cancer, postpartum depression, marital intimacy, working on marriage, and the medical and halachic issues in freezing eggs.

A series of young adult discussions dealt with when a young woman should have her first gynecological visit, a Torah and medical perspective on sexuality, and developing positive relationships and identifying red flags.

As information was conveyed, presenters stressed the importance of consulting with health professionals on individual questions of health and with rabbinic authorities on issues of halacha.

Avital Weissman, a yoetzet halacha based at the Young Israel of Plainview, Yoetzet halacha Avital Weissman (l) and Hewlett obstetri- discussed the halachic aspects of famcian-gynecologist Dr. Rivkie Penstein-Hirt, Photo by Sue Grieco ily purity while Dr. Rivkie PensteinBy Malka Eisenberg Close to a 100 women heard health professionals, rabbanim and yoatzot halacha (Jewish legal advisers), discuss the overlap and symbiosis between issues of women’s health and halacha (Jewish law), in a day-long seminar at the Young Israel of Woodmere.

Five Towns yoetzet halacha Lisa Septimus stressed that although women prefer to keep issues of family purity private, they should converse with others to discover opportunities for growth and to avoid the suffering that might ac-

Hirt, a board certified obstetrician gynecologist in Hewlett and assistant clinical professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine at Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, discussed the medical aspects. Hirt covered the pros and cons of various methods of birth control from a health and pregnancy standpoint — including hormonal contraception including the pill, ring, patch and implants, IUD and barrier methods — while Weissman discussed their halachic implications, heterim (Jewish legal permission) for their use, bedikot, and nidah questions.

Psychiatrists Dr. Margo Spitzer of Lawrence and Dr. Lisa Bogdonoff of Cedarhurst discussed “postpartum blues” as compared to postpartum depression.

Postpartum blues are within normal parameters and should go away with family support but should be watched so they do not develop further, whereas postpartum depression is medically-defined depression with symptoms including loss of appetite, tiredness, loss of interest,

Hewlett Psychologist Dr. Michael Salamon addresses a session on relationships. Photo by Sue Grieco

Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt was one of four panel m bers discussing freezing eggs.

Photo by Sue

feelings of guilt, preoccupation with though death and an inability to function, and sh be treated with psychotherapy and/or medi they said.

Psychosis is a “real break with reality, can’t rationally talk with the person; it h be treated to protect the mother and the b said Spitzer. “Don’t pooh-pooh it. If it doe go away within two weeks, the patient sh get assessed. There’s nothing to be embarra about. Just as you can’t see high blood pres you can’t see depression. It’s a medical co tion.”

Dr. Michael Salamon, who spoke on “ relationships form and how to make them s ger,” told The Jewish Star that “opposites d attract in relationships — similar, though identical, personalities are attracted to on other.”

“Keeping relationships healthy and st requires an understanding of our expectati he said. “Regular date nights, daily commu tion and having fun together are the und ing factors for happiness. Every relationship tough patches but with a bit of effort, mos be overcome and grow.”

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690443

March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

8

9

They covered what to expect â&#x20AC;&#x201D; physiologically, anatomically, treatment options, risk and beneďŹ ts â&#x20AC;&#x201D; and said that menopause can take ďŹ ve to ten years but â&#x20AC;&#x153;women should maintain a happy, healthy, active life.â&#x20AC;?

Lilach Saperstein commended the pairing of a medical professional and religious leader at every session and found the presentations to be â&#x20AC;&#x153;balanced and fair.â&#x20AC;?

Naomi Gez came to the conference from Brooklyn and praised the â&#x20AC;&#x153;high levelâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;opennessâ&#x20AC;? of the talks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I am proud to be a Jewish woman,â&#x20AC;? she said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part of our identity and they have an answer for everything. We can discuss any topic; no topics are taboo. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a living Torah, with all aspects of life.â&#x20AC;?

Many of the sessions at the February conference ran simultaneously, requiring participants to choose.

Lisa Septimus noted after the conference that they hope to present a similar event â&#x20AC;&#x153;on this scaleâ&#x20AC;? once a year.

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The closing session dealt with the medical and halachic issues in freezing eggs, with a medcal/rabbinic panel of Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky rom the Irving Place Minyan in Woodmere; Rabbi Yehuda Septimus from the Young Israel of North Woodmere; Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, asistant to the rabbi at YIW and chief adminisrative ofďŹ cer at Mercy Medical Center, and Dr. oshua U. Klein a reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist.

Klein said that freezing eggs is no longer conidered experimental, and that about 90 percent of frozen eggs survive. Rabbi Glatt said that alhough the requirement of having children is a ommandment on men, women are allowed to have the procedure if they want to and that he is unaware of any poskim (Jewish legal decisors) hat say it is forbidden.â&#x20AC;? Rabbi Glatt conceded hat questions have been raised as to whether his is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;slippery slopeâ&#x20AC;? of women putting off having a family to have a career and, if so, will it delay their getting married and might it lead to women having children without husbands.

Rabbi Rackovsky called the technology a tremendous source of nechama,(comfort)â&#x20AC;? knowing that the option to have children exists.

Rabbi Glatt responded to a question that eggs, sperm and even a fertilized egg outside of the body are not considered life halachically, explaining that this is why stem cell research is permitted.

Rabbi Septimus stressed the need to help people ďŹ nd shidduchim (matchmakers) to help he singles we know ďŹ nd and secure healthy reationships.

Dr. Adina Burnstein-Saperstein, who attended the talk on menopause by Dr. Heather Applebaum and Yoetzet Bracha Rutner, said their presentation posited that it is a â&#x20AC;&#x153;normal physioogical thing that happens and is not a disease.â&#x20AC;?

THE JEWISH STAR March 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 26 ADAR II 5774

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THE JEWISH

STAR

Independent reporting from the Orthodox communities of Long Island and New York City All opinions expressed are solely those of The Jewish Star’s editorial staff or contributing writers Published weekly by The Jewish Star LLC, 2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: 516-622-7461 ■ Fax: 516-569-4942 News: Newsroom@TheJewishStar.com

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Contributors: Rabbi Avi Billet, Jeff Dunetz, Juda Engelmayer, Rabbi Binny Freedman, Alan Jay Gerber, Rabbi Noam Himelstein, Judy Joszef, Rabbi Simcha Weinstein.

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690935

March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

10

ast night, as I got dressed for a Chabad dinner honoring my dear friends Janet and Lior Hod, I inhaled and zipped up my dress. “Hmmm, this zipper won’t break, will it?” I thought. Not willing to think I gained weight since I wore it last, even WHO’S IN THE though I know I did, I KITCHEN chose to take a chance as I was running late.

You know those moments of fear, envisioning your zipper breaking and no way out of an embarrassing situation. Last time that happened to me I was in a fitting room in Nordstrom’s. Thankfully they have those nice private rooms. I Judy Joszef had a few dresses that I thought might work and one ridiculously expensive one that I had a feeling wouldn’t fit and was way out of my price league — but hey, a girl’s gotta have fun. So I shimmied into the dress and just about got the zipper when it wouldn’t budge anymore. Oops, zipper was stuck. Guess I would have to take it off. Couldn’t get the zipper down or up, and I was turning blue because I held my breath for so long at that point.

“What was I thinking cramming myself into a size 0?” I chastised myself.

Every now and then on a rare occasion if the dress runs big I can do it, but alas, it was to be this time. I tried to calm myself down and told myself to take deep breaths, but then I realized the zipper would burst and if I was going to pay for couture I was going to get to wear it whole, not in pieces.

I tried to lift it above my head and now my face was stuck inside and I really panicked.

There was a knock on the door and the sweet young salesgirl asked how everything was and if I needed anything in a different size. I wanted to scream, “Yes, I need a bigger size, I’m stuck in this dress and I can’t breathe!” but instead I managed a muffled “I’m good.”

Ten minutes later I was ready to cry. I had to ask for help, but I gave it one more try and I was able to lift it over my head. To say I was relieved was an understatement. I quickly hung the dress up and headed out of the fitting room. The sales girl asked how the stunning designer dress looked. As I handed it to her I said, “I loved the dress but just didn’t

like the fit.” Figured I didn’t have to go into detail about how the dress kept me captive for close to a half hour.

My husband Jerry, on the other hand, didn’t let a broken zipper get him flustered.

He was at his good friend’s wedding, in a rented tux, doing some sort of kazatzka when all of a sudden his zipper burst and his pants split from ankle to ankle, basically leaving him in a skirt. He sauntered out of the circle, not even running for the safety of cover.

The hall was an hour away from home and he didn’t want to miss his good friend’s wedding. He went over to the caterer and asked if he had any pants he could borrow.

He scratched his head wondering how he could help Jerry. Guests usually asked for end cuts of prime rib, not pants. He steered Jerry into the kitchen to ask if there were some extra chef pants he could borrow. They managed to find a pair of used, stained pants that Jerry was grateful to get.

“So did you wait in the car or lobby for [then-wife] Nanci till the wedding was over?” I asked. “No way,” he replied. “I spent the rest of the night dancing.” Good thing he was married to Nanci at the time because I wouldn’t have let him dance the night away in stained white chef pants that came up to his mid calf because they belonged to a 5’5” chef. Jerry is 6’1”. I could just picture it!

Since the weather is still cold out this week I bring you split pea soup. Come on, you had to see that one coming.

Split Pea Soup Ingredients: 1 lb green split peas 5 celery stalks, diced 11/2 sweet onions chopped 1 large clove of garlic, minced 8 cups of vegetable broth 3 large carrots diced Salt and pepper Directions: Wash and drain the peas Place the peas, celery, garlic, onion and vegetable broth into a pot.

Bring to a boil and them reduce to simmer and place a cover on the pot, open just a crack.

Let cook for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally. Add the carrots and cook for an additional 40 minutes.

Can be served immediately or after cooled. May be stored in the refrigerator for up to four days. Can be frozen as well.

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By Alina Dain Sharon, JNS.org Wild booze-ďŹ lled nights, toga parties, and hazing are the popular images that come to mind when thinking of fraternities and sororities, especially for those not personally exposed to Greek life on American campuses.

But the Jewish college fraternity Alpha Epsilon Pi (AEPi) wants to dispel those images about its organization. By joining the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations umbrella group in January, the fraternity is cementing its reputation as a major Jewish organization and Israel advocacy force on college campuses.

As a national organization with afďŹ liates on campuses across the country, and 10,000 members plus many alumni â&#x20AC;&#x153;who are very active,â&#x20AC;? AEPi â&#x20AC;&#x153;brings an important constituency into the Conference and emphasizes our desire to get more young Jews involved,â&#x20AC;? said Conference of Presidents Executive Vice President Malcolm Hoenlein.

According to AEPiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s international president, Elan Carr, AEPi has roots similar to those of other Jewish fraternities. It was founded in 1913 at New York University because, at the time, Jews were not accepted into other fraternities. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Like many traditional American social constructs, [fraternities] were restricted to white Anglo-Saxon Protestants. So Jews were not welcomed,â&#x20AC;? Carr told JNS.org.

In the 1920s, there were dozens of Jewish fraternities, but eventually the limitations on Jewish acceptance to other fraternities waned, forcing Jewish Greek organizations to re-evaluate themselves.

In the 1950s some major Jewish fraternities redeďŹ ned themselves as non-Jewish.

Most Jewish fraternities from then are gone.

AEPi members at Brandeis University. At left is Jordan Schwartz, one of the brothers who refounded the chapter in 2012 and now its fundraising and philanthropy chair. Photo by AEPi

AEPi was â&#x20AC;&#x153;not immune from that very same debate,â&#x20AC;? Carr said. Some brothers argued that, just as in other Jewish fraternities, removing the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jewishâ&#x20AC;? label was needed for AEPiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survival. But others wanted to maintain the fraternityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish identity, values, and pride. The latter faction won the debate.

Today, as a result of that debate, AEPi is â&#x20AC;&#x153;the only fraternity that deďŹ nes itself as a Jewish organization, that ďŹ ghts assimilation, that produces the Jewish leaders of tomorrow, and that ďŹ ghts for Israel,â&#x20AC;? Carr added.

According to University of California, Berkeley junior Avi Levine, the Jewish Identity Chair and Alumni Relations Chair at the universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AEPi chapter, joining the Conference of Presi-

dents was a â&#x20AC;&#x153;fantastic and brilliant move.â&#x20AC;?

Nowhere is AEPiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s growing role in Israel advocacy more clear than at UC Berkeley, a campus now widely known for larger-than-average Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement activism and anti-Israel protests. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When [UC Berkeley student governmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s] divestment [vote] happened last year, and in 2010, the AEPi brothers went out and gave speeches and played an integral role in helping the rest of the Jewish community.

AEPi served as a space in which people were able to organize and help other students write speeches they wanted to give during [the time for] public comment,â&#x20AC;? Levine said.

Levine is also the president of Tikvah: Students for Israel, founded â&#x20AC;&#x153;by a bunch of AEPi guys who were sick and tired of the [antiIsrael] situation on campus.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;We deďŹ nitely have sessions with our new members to talk about Judaism and how thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an essential part of our fraternity, and as such, so is Zionism and being pro-Israel,â&#x20AC;?

Levine said.

But Levine is not optimistic that the downturn in anti-Israel activism on his campus will last very long.

Carr said AEPi has branched out into an international organization with 180 campuses in Canada, the United Kingdom, France, and Israel, in addition to the U.S. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The genius of AEPi is that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve taken this traditional American conceptâ&#x20AC;Śand weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve redeďŹ ned it in a Jewish way,â&#x20AC;? Carr said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve created a product with international appealâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;we represent a central principle of what it means to be Jewish.â&#x20AC;? Carr explained that brotherhood â&#x20AC;&#x153;is a Jewish concept,â&#x20AC;? citing the verse, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Hine matov umanaim shevet achim (brothers) gam yahad.â&#x20AC;?

In Europe, Car said, Jewish college students feel safe at AEPi from the rise in antiSemitism on that continent. But installing AEPi in Israel was a bigger challenge.

While fraternities offer â&#x20AC;&#x153;growth, maturity, identity,â&#x20AC;? Carr said, AEPiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s question was, â&#x20AC;&#x153;How can we compete with the IDF?... Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to teach responsibility to a kid who carried an M-16 in Lebanon?â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;What weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re seeing is that Israelis who are post-army love this concept of brotherhood and unity,â&#x20AC;? because they experienced it in their army units and â&#x20AC;&#x153;they miss it,â&#x20AC;? Carr said.

In terms of social activism, UC Berkeleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s AEPi is currently raising $20,000 for Save a Childâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Heart, an Israeli charity providing heart surgery to children in need around the world.

At the Brandeis University chapter, AEPi brothers are fundraising for Keshet, a charity working with children with disabilities.

Previously, the chapter raised $4,000 for Sharsheret, a Jewish organization helping women with breast cancer. Brothers have also offered their services to local soup kitchens and homeless shelters.

Jordan Schwartz, one of the brothers who refounded the Brandeis chapter in 2012, is now the fundraising and philanthropy chair.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re trying to become a player on campus in the pro-Israel sphere, and I think we deďŹ nitely have a lot going for us.â&#x20AC;?

Next month, the Brandeis AEPi chapter is sending two students to Washington, DC, to learn how to be pro-Israel activists with AIPAC. AEPiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s philosophy is that Judaism and Israel advocacy go hand in hand. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all recognize the importance of Israel,â&#x20AC;?

Schwartz said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We may differ in opinion on how to secure its future, but I donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think any of us disagree on the importance of the Jewish state.â&#x20AC;?

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THE JEWISH STAR March 28, 2014 â&#x20AC;˘ 26 ADAR II 5774

Jewish frat AEPi has Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s back on campus

11

March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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230 Rabbis: a bright future...

Continued from page 5 Theological Seminary (RIETS).

RIETS Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yona Reiss (left) is pictured on page 1 dancing with RIETS Dean Rabbi Menachem Penner. YU Mashpia Rabbi Moshe Weinberger, rav of Congregation Aish Kodesh of Woodmere, is at center in an outer circle.

Musmachim from the Five Towns are pictured at the top of this page.

Top row, from left: Steven Mermelstein, Eitan Lipstein, Yoni Weinberg, Reuven Lebovitz, Avi Miller, Yaakov Trump, Robert Charnoff, Jesse Lempel, Michael Finkelstein, and Seth Grossman.

Bottom row, from left: David Weiss, Saul Haimoff, Zev Aeder, Steven Genachowski, Maury Goldsmith, Daniel Lowenstein, Dan-

iel Schwechter, Yaakov Hoffman, Dovid Bashevkin, Shay Schachter, Benjamin Samuels and Dani Bauer.

Pictured at right: Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman, Rosh HaMesivta of Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, posed with five of the nine Rambam alumni musmachim. From left, Rabbis Daniel Bauer, Zev Aeder, Zev Friedman, Moshe Winograd, Avram Block, Yitzy Klein, Moshe Laster. (Not pictured: Ari Schwab, Ari Sendic and Jonathan Ziring.)

Said Rabbi Friedman, “It is heartening to see 230 young men who have dedicated themselves to limud haTorah and are trained to be future leaders in communities across America and in Eretz Yisrael. I derive tremendous nachas seeing our talmidim being part of such a wonderful chevra.”

—ME

Ayalon visits 5 Towns, urges support for Israel…

Continued from page 1 he said. Ayalon went to a secular school in Tel Aviv and learned five hours of Tanach and five hours of Talmud every week, he said.

Ayalon covered a wide range of issues during his talk with The Star.

Iran Ayalon emphasized the need to increase sanctions to force Iran to dismantle its nuclear apparatus.

“The Iranians see that the West blinked first” and are “emboldened because of a lack of coherent policy,” he said.

He warned that if Iran gets the bomb, along with North Korea, the entire world would be threatened by the end of nonproliferation, and Venezuela and Cuba might be next. “We have the power to stop them,” he said. “Iran is vulnerable.”

Refugees There have been many wars and many displaced persons and refugees who never went back to where they were born and were absorbed into whatever county they went to, he said, and only the original people displaced are considered refugees. Only with the Arabs, the Palestinians, does UNRA recognize “refugee status till eternity,” he said.

Flight 370 Ayalon discussed his concerns about the missing Malaysian jetliner. Focusing on the two Iranian passengers with stolen passports, he pointed out that Iran is the biggest exporter of terrorism worldwide, with attacks in Buenos Aires, Bulgaria and elsewhere, and feared that there may have been sensitive cargo on the plane. “I wouldn’t put it past them,” he said. “It’s very disconcerting.”

Prisoner releases

Missionaries in Israel

Ayalon said that he’s always been against the release of terrorist prisoners, calling it “morally wrong and endangering the security of Israel. It sends the wrong message and gives grief to all the families of the victims.”

Of former Jerusalem councilmember Mina Fenton’s concern regarding Christian missionaries, Ayalon said that there is a law against proselytizing and that “those [Christians] I know don’t [proselytize] and if they are doing it they can be sued or expelled.”

“They truly support the State of Israel, they believe literally in the Bible and that Western civilization is under attack by extremist Muslims,” he said. “We need all the support we can get and do not discuss theology. We have a narrow deep alliance and they care about the safety and prosperity of the State of Israel.”

Judea and Samaria He stressed that the communities in Judea and Samaria are not obstacles to peace. “They weren’t there in ’49 to ’67 and still there was war, and in Gaza 8,500 people were uprooted and there was no peace,” he said.

He pointed out that North Cyprus is occupied by Turkey and the Russians are in areas of Georgia and “nobody says anything. Hypocrisy. The world only looks at us,” he said.

“We are building on Jewish land, our land.”

He stressed that Judea and Samaria are the heartland and Israel has legal claim to that land. “The gushim [groupings of Jewish towns] will always be in Israel,” he predicted.

Politics As for his not being on the most recent list of Yisrael Beiteinu, Avigdor Liberman’s political party that Ayalon had joined to run for the Knesset, he said that it is up to the public to decide if he returns to politics. Israel is pluralistic, but Israelis share more in

common than what divides them. He questioned why the charedim should be drafted all at once after 65 years, rather than gradually with a consensus. The draft was done because of “short term political interest,” he said.

He would run on a platform of “unity but not uniformity, to agree to disagree without affronting the other side, he said, referring to himself as an ideal candidate to bring the Sephardim and Ashkenazim together since his dad is Sephardic and mother Ashkenazi.

Israeli Arabs He pointed out the importance of reaching out to the Arab Israelis who pray that they remain citizens of Israel and have them do national service, not military service.

They can be a bridge between Israel and the Arabs, he said.

YouTube campaign He spoke of one of his current projects, a series of short YouTube videos explaining the facts about contentious issues relating to Israel. The “Truth about Israel” shorts [http://bit.ly/1l3tuH2] bring into sharp relief the facts about Judea and Samaria, the UN’s relationship with Israel, refugees, and the peace process.

What’s next Ayalon will be returning to Israel after serving as Rennert Visiting Professor of Foreign Policy Studies at Yeshiva University for the spring semester, teaching at both Yeshiva College and Stern College.

He is chairman of the advisory board of Gisa Singer Even, a leading Israeli investment banking firm, and founded The Truth About Israel, a nonprofit organization to combat attempts to delegitimize Israel and strengthen its political status and image.

He is President of Hod Ayalon, is on the

Ambassador Danny Ayalon (left) and Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, menahel of DRS.

board of governors of Tel Aviv University, his Alma Matar, and the Tom Lantos foundation.

“I’m also honorary president of Aish HaTorah Western Wall Experience,” he said, “And I do not rule out a return to public office.”

He was an adviser to prime ministers Ehud Barak, Benjamin Netanyahu and Ariel Sharon and was in Israel’s Foreign Service for more than 20 years. He was Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. in 2002, joined Nefesh B’Nefesh in 2006, and was an MK with Yisrael Beiteinu in 2009.

He lives in Hod Hasharon with his wife Anne and two daughters Zohar and Avigail.

Zohar just finished her two-year military service as a sharpshooter in the Gaza sector. Avigail is in high school.

A

h, the devious Benjamin Netanyahu! Just when we are on the cusp of a breakthrough in Israeli-Palestinian conflict negotiations, Israel’s slippery prime minister introduces a potential deal-breaker, in the form of insisting that the Palestinians recognize Israel as a Jewish state.

That, in essence, is Ben Cohen, JNS the narrative that has emerged over the past fortnight, as shaped by the tiresome pundits who spend their days forensically examining Netanyahu’s statements and actions. Writing in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Hussein Ibish, a faux moderate working for the American Task Force on Palestine, described the “Jewish state” negotiating theme as a “new demand” deliberately engineered to undermine what he termed “the greatest of Palestinian concessions, their 1993 recognition of the State of Israel.” Also in Haaretz, Peter Beinart, a professional Jewish critic of Israel, opined — without offering a scintilla of evidence — that what Netanyahu really wants is a Jewish state that rides roughshod over its non-Jewish minorities, so as to ensure that “Jewish political power trumps pretty much everything else.”

Ibish, Beinart, and their co-thinkers have made much of their dubious claim that Israel has never defined what a Jewish state means.

For Ibish, the problem is that the Jewish state demand “suggests a trans-historical claim to this land on behalf of an entire but undefined VIEWPOINT

alongside one ethno-religious another, but group the world the Israelis, over” — this typalerted by ically dense and the fiascos of obfuscatory lanCamp David guage is Ibish’s and Taba to a way of arguing nuance they that he rejects had previousZionism. As for ly overlooked, Beinart, the type demanded of Jewish state that the statehe believes Nement clearly tanyahu wants say that Israel — one that will would be a use any means to entrench its Prime Minister Netanyahu and AIPAC President Michael Jewish state Jewish majority, Kassen, at AIPAC’s Washington conference in March. AIPAC and Palestine an Arab one. and which regards democratic norms as an irritant — isn’t The Palestinians refused. Jews, they said, worth endorsing in the first place. In this, are a religion, not a nationality, and neither Ibish faithfully echoes Beinart, asserting that need nor deserve their own state. They were the PLO will never endorse a formula that welcome to live in Israel, but the Palestinian cements “the restrictions Palestinian citizens refugees would come back, and perhaps she of Israel now face.” (This, by the way, is the would cease to be a Jewish state.”

This brings us to the second fact: rather same logic that underpins Vladimir Putin’s declaration that he invaded Crimea to secure than being an afterthought designed to dethe rights of vulnerable Russian citizens fac- rail negotiations, the Jewish state demand gets to the heart of this conflict. The Palesing vengeful Ukrainian nationalists.)

Once you cast aside these caricatures, tinians and the Arab states have never conceded that there is a legitimate connection though, two facts become clear.

Firstly, the demand for recognition of Isra- between the Jewish people and the land of el’s status as a Jewish state is hardly new. The Israel that is expressed through the reality Israeli archivist Yaacov Lozowick has revealed of self-determination. Hence, a world of difthat, within the context of negotiations with ference separates the moral recognition of the Palestinians, the demand emerged as Jewish national legitimacy from the tactical early as 2001, a few months into the second recognition, in 1993, of Israel as a state.

As Lozowick documented, and as Ibish Palestinian intifada, articulated by a group of Israeli leftists, no less. Wrote Lozowick: “The implicitly acknowledged in his article, the Palestinians were willing to join in stating Palestinians reject the idea of the Jews as a that there should be two independent states nation wholesale, whether that’s through the

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theological baggage of Islam, which recognizes the Jews only as a subordinate religious group, or the ostensibly secular reasoning of Ibish, which faithfully reflects the reactionary nineteenth century conception of the Jews as an unnatural, “non-organic” people whose claim to self-determination is necessarily based upon historical falsehoods.

And what is it, precisely, that is being rejected here?

If you comb through the archive of Zionist writings, you will find that there are many definitions of what a Jewish state means.

In my view, the most succinct and modest definition was coined by Leo Pinsker, a Russian Zionist who founded the group Hovevei Zion, or Lovers of Zion. In 1882, almost two decades before the first Zionist Congress, Pinsker wrote a tract entitled “Autoemancipation” in which he pleaded, “Grant us but our independence, allow us to take care of ourselves, give us but a little strip of land like that of the Serbians and Romanians, give us a chance to lead a national existence.”

It is this Jewish desire to lead a normal national existence, like the “Serbians and Romanians,” that underpins both Zionism as an ideology and Israel as a Jewish state. In rejecting the Jewish ambition to be a nation like other nations, Israel’s opponents distort the debate by insinuating that the Jews — who aren’t really a proper nation anyway — want special treatment, even if that means trampling on the rights of the true indigenous people, the Palestinian Arabs.

For more than a century, Zionists have been countering these slanders. It looks like we will continue doing so for some time yet.

And still they ask why there is no peace!

Ben Cohen is Shillman Analyst for JNS.org

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HAFTR Hawks are the champs HAFTRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hawks clinched the varsity championship on Sunday when they defeated local rival DRS Wildcats, 2-1. The HAWKS did the unimaginable in the playoffs by traveling to Teaneck and beating the Number 1 team in the league, the TABC Storm, in a sudden death overtime 3-2, going from there to take on the Number 2 Wildcats.

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munity should expect a significantly greater impact from a yeshiva than from a public school, he added.

“If No. 6 School had 1,000 people we never saw anything — they went in and they went out. They didn’t have chumash plays, they didn’t have siddur plays, they didn’t have Sundays” and, another audience member called out, “they didn’t have a day camp.”

“I’m genuine,” Hirt said. “We want to do the right thing. We want to make sure it works.”

Cedarhurst, Woodmere and North Woodmere residents can vote on the proposed sale at Lawrence HS, 2 Reilly Rd., Cedarhurst.

Lawrence residents can vote at Lawrence MS, 195 Broadway. In Inwood, the vote will take place at the No. 2 School, 1 Donahue Ave. In Atlantic Beach, the site is Village Hall, 65 The Plaza.

690944

Continued from page 1 property,” Hirt said. “We plan to better maintain the fields, fix some of the fencing, put in new basketball courts, beautify the campus and take care of it.”

Hirt related what he described as a rumor regarding potential ancillary uses of the school building, responding: “We’re a school not a shul — we’re not looking to get into the shul business or the catering business. We want to use the building for an elementary school the same way we do in Long Beach.”

When he said that the “school district ran a very open and transparent process,” some members of the audience disagreed.

“I don’t believe anything, because we have been railroaded from day one,” a particularly concerned woman said. “Everything’s been behind closed doors.”

“For those of us who live around the school, this is going to change our quality of life,” she said.

Those voicing questions about the deal were mostly concerned with traffic and parking. Hirt acknowledged that HALB has not yet conducted a traffic study, saying that the issue would be tackled following an affirmative vote. He promised to consider some of the specific traffic mitigation suggestions advanced by members of the audience.

Since traffic changes will require approvals by the Town of Hempstead, he urged the community to join the school in lobbying for a suitable solution.

“It’s hard for us to argue that we don’t want HALB to be here,” one participant said. But even if frum voters are inclined to endorse an Orthodox institution, the com-

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THE JEWISH STAR March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774

HALB asks trust, vote…

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March 28, 2014 • 26 ADAR II 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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