April 11, 2014

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VOL 13, NO 15 Q APRIL 11, 2014 / 11 NISAN 5774

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Streit’s the Movie It’s beginning to look a lot like Pesach Preschoolers at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway had a good time learning about Pesach this week.

My dog ate the afikomen (and other true Pesach horror stories) fleishig meal. The moments that our jaws drop in disbelief, when we shout to ourselves: “How could I have overlooked this? And what do I do now?” Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how highly you prioritize entertainment value over someone else’s holiday horror), I’ve got an assortment of Pesach disasters in my family’s history, and in other families who were brave enough to share their tales

First Chinese Seder By Anav Silverman Tazpit News Agency Nearly 100 members of the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng, China, are expected to attend a first-of-its-kind traditional Passover Seder next Monday. The Seder, sponsored by the Jerusalembased Shavei Israel, will be conducted by 28-year-old Tzuri (Heng) Shi, who made aliyah to Israel from Kaifeng a few years ago with the help of Shavei Israel and completed his formal return to Judaism last year. As part of the preparation for the upcoming Seder, Tzuri was sent to Kaifeng by Continued on page 15

Tzuri (Heng) Shi puts teffilin on a member of the Kaifent Jewish community.

of hilarious anguish. Enjoy them if you will … even if at the expense of the participants who were less than amused in the moment. We begin in 1996. The Ostrow family of Oceanside was sitting around the table for a family seder on the first night of Pesach. Situated under the dining room table – awaiting our crumbs - was Bambi, our beloved 5-year old Rottweiler/German Sheppard. Bambi always seemed fascinated by the seder. From the opening Kiddush through the final strains of Chad Gadya, Bambi would take her rightful spot next to Mom’s chair, only rising during shulchan orech when the food was brought out. Or at least so we thought… My youngest brother, Ryan usually was granted the task of hiding the afikomen. When we all headed into the kitchen to wash for motzei, Ryan would locate the colorful bag containing half of the broken middle matzah and stash it in a dark room somewhere. Perhaps in a drawer, or on the top of his bunk-bed. In all the years, our father never once found it. This, of course, meant gifts for my brothers and I, much to our delight. It was just past 11:45 on seder night when we had finished our delicious meal. The table was Continued on page 14

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By Lonnie Ostrow We’ve all got at least one of these stories in us. The complex rules and family oriented nature of Pesach lends itself to the inevitable, legendary mishap that only grows in stature over time. The child who finds a hidden hammantash in a sock drawer on seder night. That forgotten candy at the bottom of a tallis bag. The seder mints that were discovered to be shockingly dairy after a

By Malka Eisenberg Michael Levine had been living on the Lower East side for a number of years but one night he noticed the 24 hour workings of a multistory red brick tenement across from the bar where he was working as a DJ. He walked over, peaked in the window and was handed a fresh, still warm, square of matzo. “I was transported back in time,” he told The Jewish Star. “There were rabbis on every floor, everything was clean, there were workers all over.” He had stumbled on the Streit’s matzo factory, a kosher business in the same family and at the same location for more than 90 years. It’s not as if no one know about it — it’s just that no one had seen the potential for a film. Levine directed the as yet unreleased “Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream,” an independent featurelength documentary about the Streit’s Matzo factory on New York’s Lower East Side. Levine saw a family history intertwined with the Jewish history of the community and a business run on chesed and tradition, with the descendents of the founders working at the same desks, the drawers unemptied, one holding a set of dentures and immigration papers from Ellis Island. He also saw longtime workers, some children of fathers who worked in the factory. “The neighborhood evolved around them but inside it stayed the same; it’s like being transported back in time when you walk into the place.” During the year they make 13 different types of matzo, various flavors, eaten by Jews and non-Jews across the country. “The process adds to Continued on page 16

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of the kidoshim. They say that Jews can’t be cremated because ashes can’t mix with water the same way dust can to recreate the body by tichiyat hamaitim (resurrection of the dead). I have no source for this, but nobody has said anything about tears. Perhaps water won’t do the job, but maybe tears can help rebuild the desecrated body. May we all be zoche (merit) to live through tichiyat hamaitim and witness the rekindling of the ame that never died of acheinu (our brothers) b’nei Yisrael.

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The author, a Woodmere native who graduated from Shulamith Long Island and Manhattan HS for Girls, just returned to Israel from a pre-Pesach trip to Poland with her Jerusalembased seminary class at Darchei Binah. By Elisheva Adler I wondered what the kidoshim (holy ones) were thinking from shamaim (heaven) as they saw all 100 of me and my classmates in Darchei Binah walk in and out of a gas chamber as frum Jews, completely unscathed. My seminary took its entire school to Poland. We went to kivrei tzaddikim (graves of holy people) concentration camps, and old shuls. There were times we sang and danced, and times we cried so hard we could hardly catch our breath. One of the more cheerful points of the trip was when we went to Rav Elimelech Mi’Lezhensk’s kever (grave) on his yartzeit (anniversary of his death). People had own in from all over the world for the yartzeit and most people were probably exhausted; hundreds were dancing and davening and crying. There was a chassidic lady who had her own yeshua (salvation) at Rav Elimelech’s kever, and she wanted everyone else to be able to have that, too. The rest was mostly sad — the kind of sad that pushes you forward. As I stood in front of the ashes of tens of thousands of my brethren at Majdanek camp, I sobbed gut wrenching sobs that shook my body and my soul, considering the death of my people and the rebirth of my nation. We heard about individuals who resisted. My principal, Rabbi Kurland, mentioned how we usually only associate the partisans as resistors, and think of everyone else as lambs to the slaughter. But, he pointed out, is it not resistance beyond imagination to die al kidush Hashem (sanctiďŹ cation of G-d) with “Shema Yisraelâ€? on your lips? What shows more resistance than risking your life to bring a siddur (prayer book) into Auschwitz, so everyone can praise their creator? What is bigger resistance than being the Jew they were so trying to destroy? Mi k’Amcha Yisrael (Who is like G-d’s people Israel)? This is the Jewish people I know: People who can cry over or give selessly to people they’ve never met and will probably never meet. Who is so fortunate to be a part of a people that not only contains the truth, but contains such inherent kindness and strength? As I thought this, I realized that I was identifying with chessed, gvurah, and emet (kindness, strength and truth). I realized I had found our avot (forefathers) in myself. We are still the exact same Jewish people that Hashem did miracles for thousands of years ago. We still bear their traits, what they have embedded within our very DNA. I had literally uncovered my roots. When I ďŹ nally returned to Israel, I felt like kissing the ground. I couldn’t ďŹ gure out if I was happier to be out of Poland, where anti-Semitism is still commonplace and rampant and you feel death in the air, or if I was happier to be in Israel where Judaism is celebrated and embraced and where everyone is striving for purity. When I got back to my apartment, I washed negel vasser (hand washing ritual) the way you do when you leave a cemetery. Then I showered about four times. I felt dirtied. I needed to cleanse myself of Poland, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what I was trying to remove from myself after such an inspirational trip. I realized that I was cleaning myself of any impact that the Nazis and their thinking may have had on me in any way. I was ridding myself of any remnants of these homegrown heartless sociopaths. Only once I had removed any trace of their ďŹ lth, was I able to reach out my hands and embrace the purity

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We have to take the journey, and trust that Hashem T will show us a way home erusalem, 1948. The newly born State of Israel was struggling against vastly superior Arab forces, and Jerusalem, the heart and soul of the Jewish people, was under siege. There was only one major road to Jerusalem from the west, where the majority of Israel’s population her food and supplies production lay, and the Arabs had successfully FROM THE HEART blocked access to the OF JERUSALEM capital to all but the bravest of travelers. The road wound its way up through a steep ravine, dominated on either side by towering hills and cliffs, which afforded Arab snipers and marauding bands easy opportunities to pick off Jewish travelers in the valley below. To protect the supply of food and vital Rabbi Binny medical supplies to Freedman the 165,000 citizens of Jerusalem (including one hundred thousand Jews, and forty thousand Muslims) who were completely cut off from the rest of the country, the Israelis constructed their own armored cars by placing heavy armor on top of civilian (Ford) pickup trucks. However, while helpful, these homemade armored cars were so heavy that they barely exceeded speeds of five miles per hour as they negotiated the steep inclines of the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv road. This gave the Arabs more than enough time to plan heavy ambushes from the hilltops, and the Jews were easy targets down below. The situation was going from bad to worse

and a solution was desperately needed, but none was forthcoming. As the fledgling State continued to struggle for its very existence, the correct strategic decision seemed to be to abandon Jerusalem, which was not militarily (strategically) vital to the rest of the country. Such a decision would free up many troops urgently needed in defense of areas all over the Jewish-held territory, as well as relieving a tremendous burden of supply from the young and overtaxed country. But the idea of abandoning Jerusalem was unthinkable; this had been the focus of Jewish dreams and prayers for thousands of years, and the people of Jerusalem refused to give up, even as water and flour were rationed by the cup, and milk was doled out only to babies and nursing mothers. The situation had reached a critical point. One evening in 1948, a couple of Israeli soldiers were given a 24 hour leave in Jerusalem. There were no convoys scheduled to depart for the western plains and, rather than miss the chance to get together with their loved ones, they decided to wait until nightfall and hike down through the Jerusalem forest to the open area safe for travel in the plains west of the city. Assuming that no Arab would be looking for Israelis hiking through the forest in the middle of the night, especially in a war zone, they made their way through the mountains by moonlight. After a few hours, they happened across a dirt road hidden in the mountains, and as it seemed to be headed in the general direction that interested them, they decided to follow

it as long as it made sense. To their surprise, the road took them all the way through the hills and came out in the plains (near the Elah valley) just south of the main road to Tel Aviv! These two men, by fluke, had discovered the solution to the impossible. Incredibly, this path, which became known as The Burma Road (after the famous 700 mile road built by the Chinese in 1938) was originally built by the Romans 2,000 years earlier, as part of their conquest of Judea in The Great Revolt (66-73 C.E.). Two-thousand years ago, the Roman legions, in their attempt to destroy Jerusalem and exile the Jews, were actually building a road that would one day be the instrument of their return home. The Israelis widened the road and for the next six months, until the war was won (and an alternate road was built) this became the major artery of supply to the beleaguered citizens of Jerusalem. hen it comes to G-d and the Jewish people, sometimes you have to be willing to take a journey, while at the same time recognizing that whether you actually arrive at the destination just isn’t in your hands. This week’s portion, Acharei-Mot, contains a detail which may well be the essence of what Jewish living and belief are all about. “And G-d said to Moshe: Speak to Aaron your brother, and let him not come at all times into the sanctuary. … With this shall Aaron come into the sanctuary: with a young bull for a sin offering…And let him don a sacred linen, and pants of linen shall be upon his flesh.” (Vayikra 16:2-4) Even Aaron, the high priest, cannot just walk into the sanctuary of the Mishkan (Tabernacle); he must come with particular offerings, and wearing particular clothing. Rashi points out (16:3, based on both the Talmud in Yoma, as well as the end of this chapter), that we are specifically discussing here the Kohen Gadol’s (High Priest’s) entry into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. What are we to infer from the need for specific priestly clothing on such a day? Does it really matter what the High Priest wears? Isn’t it more important to focus on what he carries in his heart? Rashi, quoting the Talmud in Rosh Hashanah (26a), shares a fascinating insight: “This (verse) tells us that he (the Kohen Gadol or high priest) does not use the (normal) eight priestly garments which are used (i.e. worn) outside the (Holy of Holies) sanctuary, which (all) contain gold (weaving), because one does not use the prosecution (as a witness) for the defense. Rather he uses (wears) the four garments of a regular Kohen (Priest) which are all made of linen.” (Rashi Leviticus 16:3-4) In other words, the High Priest did not wear the regular priestly garments (which contained gold) during the special Yom Kippur service in the Holy of Holies, because it would be inappropriate, while attempting to achieve forgiveness for the Jewish people, to wear the very item, which is reminiscent of their greatest sin (the golden calf). And yet, on the one day of the year when the High Priest actually changes into the white linens of a regular Kohen in order to enter the Holy of Holies, what does he find? An ark covered with pure gold on top of which sit two golden cherubs! Why is the Kohen Gadol commanded to change out of his golden garments, only to enter a sanctuary filled with gold? Perhaps this issue is really about partnership, and specifically about understanding

If only we could harness our weakness as a vehicle for good.

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the parameters of our partnership with G-d. Rav Soleveitchik suggests that if a person can take the desires that were the root cause of his mistakes, and channel them into something more positive; he can actually succeed in transforming his errant ways into a merit and credit towards who he was always meant to be. Hence, the Talmud suggests that if a person has a desire to spill blood, he should become a butcher, and harness his desire for blood to serve the community. How often do we have particular weaknesses and personality flaws that always seem to bring us down? If we could only harness that very same weakness as a vehicle for doing good, what a powerful recipe that would be for growth and success! Everything, including every desire and mistake, has a purpose; the only question is whether we take the time and energy necessary to channel that desire towards its true purpose. Perhaps this is the essence of the dichotomyreflected in the choreography of the Mishkan. On the one hand, our challenge is to channel those desires so that they become a part of our service to G-d. Hence, in the outer part of the Mishkan, which represents what we bring to the “table,” the Kohen Gadol wears his bigdei zahav, his golden vestments. As the representative of the entire Jewish people, he is paying tribute to the idea that we have to take the gold, representative of the golden calves each of us have in our lives, and channel the same passion which so often results in our most tragic errors, to the service of Hashem and a higher purpose. However, lest we get too focused on what we are doing, and lose sight of the fact that it was never meant to be all about us, the Kohen Gadol, one day a year, enters the inner sanctum, the Kodesh Kodashim, or Holy of Holies. And into this place he does not wear his golden garments, rather approaching in the humble white linens of every other Kohen. Because this place represents the closest relationship one can imagine with the Divine, a relationship filled with pure awe. It is in this place that we remember that although we have to channel our desires as active partners in the creation of a better world, in the end, it is Hashem who really runs the show. But I am not meant to stay in the state of pure awe engendered by a visit to the Kodesh Kodashim, the Holy of Holies, because in such a state of awe I am a meaningless vessel, insignificant before the creator of the universe, and it is difficult to rise to the challenge of a partnership with G-d while so full of awe in His presence. So I only enter that space and frame of mind, through the vestige of the Kohen Gadol, one day a year on Yom Kippur. And although the Kohen Gadol does not wear gold into the inner sanctum of the Temple, the gold-covered ark and golden cherubs (Keruvim) await him, because they remind us, that while we are in awe of Hashem, and perhaps even overwhelmed by the significance of the mistakes we have made in allowing our desires to control us instead of the opposite way round, we must also remember that these same desires, this ‘gold’ is also a gift from G-d; all that we want, we want because Hashem caused us to want it. And this, indeed, is the story of the Burma road: we have to be willing to take the journey, but eventually we must learn to trust that Hashem will show us the way home, even if it appears we are heading in the wrong direction. Perhaps the first stage is in finding the balance between the ‘gold’ we bring to the table, and the ‘gold’ waiting for us on the inside…. Rabbi Binny Freedman is Rosh Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem. Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

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ith Pesach just around the corner, we conclude this year’s review of what’s new to read for this most glorious of all festivals. One of the most read liturgical works of our faith is Ya’ale V’yavoh, which is recited in every festival prayer service as well as that KOSHER of the concluding grace BOOKWORM at each festival meal. This prayer is the subject of an interesting commentary by Rabbi Shaya Cohen in his booklet, “Pray with all Your Heart: A Guide To More Heartfelt Tefilla.” Rabbi Cohen observes: “We mention ‘remembrance’ five times, parallel to the five times Israel is menAlan Jay Gerber tioned in a verse in Bamidbar, 1:19. “This phenomenon, says Avudraham, is comparable to a king who is asked about his son, and he answers, ‘My son was sleeping, my son awoke, my son went to school, my son came home from school.’ So G-d craves to recognize the children of Israel every moment. We take advantage of His craving desire [so to speak] and invoke our remembrance before Him.... “The special days are days that represent our special relationship, as indicated in the prayer, Atah Bechartanu, and in the prayers of those days we refer to our special relationship with Him. We ask that the remembrance which we ask of G-d should be for good, for blessing, and for life. We seem to add an ad-

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ditional request for total salvation and mercy. We ask this in terms of mercy, because we are His creations, undeserved kindness and mercy because he knows our suffering, and total salvation from our exile and all of its suffering and pain.” Rabbi Cohen surely recognized that G-d’s act in choosing the Jewish people reflects his love for us, and of our responsibility to reciprocate His love by adhering to His commandments. This prayer affirms this responsibility. In “A Halachik Analysis of the Ma Nishtanah and the Role of Questions and Answers on the Seder Evening,” Rabbi Moshe Walter concludes his learned essay: “Because of the importance of the Exodus as the foundation of our nation and of our belief system in G-d it is crucial to transmit this message clearly, articulately, and thoroughly. The Torah and sages understood that setting up the Seder through a question and answer dialogue is the best system. The Torah specifically cites three distinct questions that a child may ask because each child has his or her own way and style to formulate a query. The three distinct responses that the Torah articulates teach us that a parent should respond to a child in a way that best promotes the child’s understanding what the parent wishes to communicate. If a child is challenged to ask questions, the parent will then be able to recount the drama of

G-d’s role in Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Exodus. In this way, our children will be captivated and interested in hearing the story which is the response to their questions. While the child’s challenge on Seder night is to ask questions, the parent’s challenge is to create a Seder atmosphere where questions are valued, encouraged, and rewarded, where answers are engaging, energetic, and passionate.” In his introduction to his commentary to “The Toras Chaim Haggadah,” Rabbi Daniel Yaakov Travis gives us one of the best introductory perspectives that I have read in recent years: “For as long as the nation of Israel has existed, it has been the target of constant persecution. Our sages warn us against attributing this suffering to external factors, cautioning us that if we do not learn from the past, this situation will only repeat itself in a continuous cycle. The Haggadah outlines this pattern as a fourstep process, describing the cause of persecution in exile and the remedy for it: “1. The Jewish people are sent to foreign countries as part of the exile. 2. If we assimilate we will face punishment. 3. The way to end this punishment is by renewing our bond to G-d through prayer and repentance. 4. G-d accepts our prayers and repentance in the midst of our suffering and brings redemption. “The first time this cycle took place in our history was over three thousand years

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5 THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

Our pre-Pesach review (part three)

ago in Egypt. Then, it occurred on a dramatic scale, at a time when the Jews were just emerging as a nation. Since then it has repeated itself numerous times throughout Jewish history.... The Seder night infuses in our hearts the lesson that this sequence of affairs teaches us. Everything about the Seder night revolves around four - four expressions of redemption, four questions, four cups of wine, four sons. … Emphasizing this number reminds us of the central theme of the fourpart process of exile — punishment; prayer and repentance — redemption.” I conclude this year’s review with an excerpt from “A Spiritual Travel Guide” [Jewish Lights, 2008] of a 1946 speech by David BenGurion to the Anglo-Commission concerning the future of the British mandate of Palestine. Given the events swirling around us daily, Ben Gurion’s wise observations, especially at this time of year, deserve our attention: “More than 300 years ago, a ship by the name of the Mayflower left Plymouth for the New World. It was a great event in American and English history. I wonder how many people know exactly the date when that ship left Plymouth, how many people were on that ship, and what kind of bread those people ate when they left Plymouth. “Well, more than 3,000 years ago, the Jews left Egypt. It was more than 3,000 years before the Mayflower, and every Jew in the world knows exactly the date when we left. It was the 15th day of Nisan. The bread they ate was matza. Up to this very day, all Jews in the world on the 15th day of Nisan eat the same matza and tell the story of the exile in Egypt. They tell what happened, and finish with these two sentences: “‘This year we are slaves; next year we shall be free. This year we are here; next year we shall be in the Land of Israel.’ “ Have a most happy, meaningful and Kosher Pesach. Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

6 April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

Koch Brothers and Brendan Eich: Sad time for freedom of speech

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ast week there were two widely covered attacks on free speech, one in private industry the other in the world of public service. The one in private industry happened to Brendan Eich, co-founder of the Mozilla project, Mozilla Foundation and Mozilla Corporation, who served as the POLITICS TO GO Mozilla Corporation’s chief technical officer and had just been named its CEO. In 2008, Eich had donated $1,000 to the campaign for California Proposition 8, which legally defined marriage as between a man and a woman. Thanks to donor identification laws, his donation became Jeff Dunetz public in 2012. The moment Eich became CEO on March 24 protests were heard from the LGBT community and others despite the fact that he always kept his political views private. Dating service OKCupid led the charge, blocking anyone accessing its website using Firefox, the Web browser that is Mozilla’s main product. More than 70,000 people signed a petition asking for Eich to resign if he can’t unequivocally say he supports gay marriage. A few days after he took office, Eich told CNET.com that for the entirety of his 16-year, massively successful career with the company, he had been committed to keeping his personal beliefs out of Mozilla. “I’ve always treated people as they come, I’ve worked with them, tried to get them into the project, I’ve been as fair and inclusive as anyone — I think more. I intend to be even more so as CEO because I agree there’s an obligation to reach out to people who for whatever reason are marginalized.” “Mozilla has always worked according to principles of inclusiveness. It may be challenging for a CEO, but everyone in our community can have different beliefs about all sorts of things that may be in conflict. They leave them at the door when they come to work on the Mozilla mission. “We are a broad, big, mission-based organization. It’s not to say some of those other beliefs aren’t as contributing to the open Web, but we will not succeed globally without being maximally inclusive by leaving exclusionary beliefs at the door. I’ve done that for 16 years. I’ve done open source for 20 years. I think my reputation is well known. Mozilla.org was founded 16 years ago today.” Indeed, there are no reports suggesting Eich had exhibited any personal bias in the workplace. And he affirmed that he would not change Mozilla’s policy of providing the same health benefits to same-sex couples as to married heterosexuals. In that same CNET interview mentioned above, he apologized to anyone who was hurt by his personal beliefs, but declined to renounce them. On April 4, less than two weeks before he took office, Eich was forced to resign not because of anything he did as a corporate manager, not for acting prejudicially toward the Gay community, but in an Orwellian uprising of the thought police.

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n the 1950s, Republican Joe McCarthy stood on the Senate floor accusing people of somehow being un-American. He was famous for his attacks on the State Department: “The State Department is infested with communists. I have here in my hand a list of 205 — a list of names that were made known to the Secretary of State as being members of the Communist Party and who nevertheless are still working and shaping policy in the State Department.” McCarthy also ruined the lives of his other targets, in show business and homosexuals. Sixty years later another senator, this time the Democratic Majority Leader, stood on the Senate floor and spoke about the Koch brothers: “It’s too bad that they’re trying to buy America, and it’s time that the American people spoke out against this terrible dishonesty of these two brothers who are about as un-American as anyone I can imagine.” The crime of the Koch brothers is they legally donate a lot of money to conservative political causes, the same way George Soros donates to progressive causes and something the U.S. Supreme Court has called a legal expression of freedom of speech. The Koch brothers also donate to non-political causes, almost $300 million dollars to hospitals across the country, at least $80 million to educational charities, and at least $165 million to the arts. Majority Leader Harry Reid nevertheless continues to pound these brothers. Against the Senate’s own rules, he dedicated an entire webpage on his Senate.gov site to his partisan campaign against the Koch Brothers, featuring a list of political articles representing misleading political attacks such as, “The Kochs want to put insurance companies back in charge of your health care” (they want to repeal Obamacare), “The Kochs are trying to dismantle our public education system” (they support school vouchers), and “The Kochs spent $400 million on misleading attack ads in the last election cycle” (because Senator Reid believes any conservative political ad is misleading). Joe Scarborough, host of “Morning Joem” said this about Reid’s strategy: “Yeah, yeah, I understand the strategy. It’s the stupidest strategy I’ve ever heard. … If somebody thinks that a voter in Raleigh, North Carolina, that’s out of work gives a damn about who is financing 30-second ads, they are too stupid to be in politics. In fact, I would say they are too stupid to be even trusted with common household appliances, say, a blender, because they might accidentally stick their face in there and get it chopped off.” ••• This week there were two widely covered attacks on freedom of speech; the specific politics of either case do not matter. What should matter to all Americans of any political philosophy is the attack on speech. Today the attacks were on a guy who made a political donation against Gay Marriage but lived his life treating everyone fairly, and brothers who donate to conservative political causes, but donate much more toward curing cancer; tomorrow it can be people who support progressive causes. Stopping speech from either side of the political aisle makes America less free and sends this great country toward the slippery slope of losing even more freedoms. Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Stopping speech from either side of the political aisle makes America less free

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. Kashrut: The Jewish Star is not responsible for the kashrut of any product or establishment featured in the Jewish Star. This newspaper contains words of Torah; please dispose of properly. Submissions: All submissions become the property of the Jewish Star, may be edited and may be used by the Publisher in print, on the web, or in any media without additional authorization or compensation. All submissions may be edited for publication. Copyright © 2014 The Jewish Star LLC. All rights reserved.

— the mechanism, etc. — is G-d’s business. Rabbane Bachaye quotes Maimonides and creates a picture we can hopefully utilize to understand this. Maimonides writes (Guide 3:46) that the prohibition against consuming blood is meant to create a distance, so that a person not involve oneself in the craft of demonic work — for when the Israelites left Egypt, they were experts in this craft, having learned it from the Egyptians. Part of their necromancy was to sprinkle blood, and when they wanted to divine into the future, they would consume the blood. The Torah prohibited the eating of blood in an effort to change the mindset of the people, and to channel the use of blood towards sprinkling on the mizbeach to achieve atonement. A proof to this connection is 17:10, in which G-d says, “I will set My attention upon the soul who eats the blood,” which is a similar language used to indicate displeasure with the choices of those giving their children to the idolatry of Molekh. Rabbenu Bachaye adds to the teaching of Maimonides, saying, “The soul of the flesh is in the blood” (a notion repeated in 17:11 and 17:14) that shows us that the soul and blood are mixed together. Much like diluted wine — you can’t extract the water or the wine from the other – the two are intertwined. Furthermore, 17:14 concludes saying “for the soul of any flesh IS its blood.” They are no longer two entities mixed together. The

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blood and the soul are one. This is why we must be very careful about how we view blood, and how we treat it. When it is the blood of an animal, in the context of a korban, it has its own purpose. We were given the permission and the allowance to slaughter animals to bring about atonement. We were also given permission (perhaps secondarily) to eat animals, and to remove and dispose of their blood in a respectful manner. The Pesach doorway-blood stands to teach us that blood can serve a very important function. But one place where it does not belong is in the mouth. As the Shakh notes that the blood which was placed on the doorposts was drawn out from circumcision and priah (the membrane removal) and not from Metzitzah, it is important to make clear that perhaps any act in which blood from one entity (animal or human) comes in contact with another human’s mouth is against the Torah (excluding when a person has a wound in one’s own mouth). Blood is sacred. Blood is life. Blood is the soul. And there is no allowance in the Torah for taking blood and placing it in the mouth of a person who strives to follow what the Torah instructs. We have allowances for removing blood of a korban and blood of circumcision. But our goal is to raise the soul up, and not to draw from someone else’s soul into our own mouths. How dare we? Columnist@TheJewishStar.com

Our goal is to raise the soul up, and not to draw from someone else’s soul into our own mouths.

Jewish Star Editor Malka Eisenberg’s front page story on the Kindertransport captured the imagination of judges and won First Place for Best Feature Story in a competition among members of the New York State Press Association. Results were announced at the group’s convention in Saratoga Springs. “It’s always a treat when The Jewish Star receives special recognition for the quality of its editorial efforts,” said Publisher Ed Weintrob. “Malka has been writing about the people and issues of Long Island’s Jewish communities for several years, always looking for the local angle on what are sometimes global stories. In her prizewinning account of the 75th anniversary of Kindertransport — the flight of Jewish children from Europe on the eve of the Holocaust — she brought it home by picturing that horrific time through the eyes of one of those children, now an elderly resident of the Five Towns-Far Rockaway community.” 158 newspapers from around the state submitted 2,760 entries in 63 categories. A contest judge said Eisenberg’s account was “very well done. I wanted to learn more about the individuals and their stories.”

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esach always brings back images of blood — blood as a sign on the doorpost, that is. The Shakh, in his commentary on Parshat Bo, claims the blood that was placed on the doorposts was a combination of the blood PARSHA OF of the lamb and blood THE WEEK gathered in a major circumcision festival that was necessary to allow people to partake of the Korban Pesach (Paschal lamb). He specifically identifies the blood from the circumcision as coming from the act of circumcision and the removal of the mucosal membrane (no mention of Rabbi Avi Billet the act of metzitzah!). Of course, in that context, the blood served as a “reminder” (so to speak) to G-d of the covenant that connected our people to Him for eternity. The sign was significant for the people as well, because their own blood was in it. (Maimonides, Guide 3:46, quoting the teaching from Yechezkel 16:6) In our parsha, we see one of the Torah’s many revisits to the prohibition against consuming blood. We are all familiar with the idea that blood must be removed from the meat of any animals we eat. The Torah states, “For the soul of the flesh is in the blood, and I have therefore given it to you [to be placed] upon the altar, to atone for your souls. For it is the blood that atones for the soul.” (17:11) The blood of offerings is meant to bring about atonement for people. How it does that

Kindert’port story wins for Jewish Star

THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

Blood is sacred. Blood is life and soul

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8 April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

Surviving Pesach

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he last few days we’ve all been rushing around; I’m sure I speak for everyone, those who will stay home and those who will be away. I was actually very surprised to see the amount of Pesach food and options in all the stores. It seemed odd, as I thought my family was the only one staying home. I know this for a fact, because every year a few weeks before Pesach my daughter tells me, “we are the only family in the Five Towns that stays home for Pesach.” Really, when the lot WHO’S IN THE is full and dozens of KITCHEN cars are roaming (looking like the zombies of the TV show “Walking Dead”) trying to find a spot, for heaven’s sake get into your car and pull out. You can check your makeup, cell phone and have your snack when you get home. By the time most of you are reading this Judy Joszef most of your shopping will be done. Yes, I know, easier said than done. Just think, once the yom tov starts, you’ll be able to just relax and enjoy … oh, wait I take that back. There will be no relaxing, but you do get to enjoy your family and friends and continue all the customs that were handed down from your great grandparents to your grandparents to your parents to you … and G-d willing will continue down to your children and so on. Sadly, this year will be very different. My mother-in-law passed away this past January, and I can’t imagine Pesach without her. For the first year since 2006 I will be making the stuffed cabbage, gefilte fish, and compote. I will be buying my own shmurah matzot, cantaloupes, honey dews (all the size of beach balls), and any other type of fruit in season. Also included were cheese blintzes, all eight dozen of them. I used to joke that they lasted till Shavuot; I lied, they lasted till Rosh Hashana. Let me not forget the grape juice, cucumber salad and cole slaw. Most guests might bring flowers, chocolates or wine. My mother in law a”h would have me stop by the week before and hand me prime rib roasts and veal roasts for me to prepare. I would always tell her that I so appreciate all that she buys us, but I didn’t want her to shlep around and have her carry all of these things. It was of no use. She lived to do for others, she always had. She made it clear that she would continue as long as Hashem gave her strength. She and my mom made an adorable pair. My mom being five years older, needed a little help and my mother-in-law a”h was wonderful to her. When it came to washing, they would make their way to the kitchen holding hands like two little school girls and they would argue who would wash first, each one wanting to give the other the honor. Even after coming out of the hospital, always right before Pesach, she could be counted on to be shlepping all the packages and be found at the sink washing dishes, peeling potatoes or apples and setting the table. Nothing kept her down. She would have us laughing even when she didn’t mean to be funny. When we spoke of the Mitzrim (Egyptians) and how difficult it was for the Jews to be slaves, she would say “That was hard?? That was nothing, compared to Aushwitz. In Mitzrayim, they were fed well, we were slaves in the concentration and we were starving. They were in family groups, we didn’t even have family anymore. This was

the big terrible experience that I’ve heard so much about? After they left Egypt, they kept complaining that they preferred to go back to Egypt, rather than to be in the desert eating Mon. Really?! We got a piece of bread every third day and maybe a slice of raw potato if we were lucky enough to steal it.” Of course we dared not laugh as she said it, but we all were thinking of the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode where the rabbi tells Larry that he is bringing a survivor for dinner and Larry, thinking he is bringing a Holocaust survivor, invites his friend who is a Holocaust survivor, but the rabbi actually brings a contestant from the show “Survivor.” Who knows, maybe Larry David got the idea from her. This year, when I light the yahrtzeit candles, including now, the dozens my motherin-law lit for every relative of her’s and her husband’s that perished in the Holocaust, I’ll add one more for Sima Mattel bat Yoel Zvi HaLevi, who will forever live on in our hearts. Wishing all of you a kosher zissen pesach. Here’s a last-minute easy dessert or snack recipe for Passover.

Chocolate Covered Matzo This recipe is dairy, but you can convert it to pareve if you wish. Ingredients: 7 1/2 square matzohs unsalted 15 Tbs unsalted butter 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 cups light brown sugar 1 1/2tsps vanilla extract 15 ounces semi sweet chocolate chopped or chocolate chips

For those of you who like white chocolate or milk chocolate you can substitute. The following are my favorites, but you can use any toppings you like: 5/8 cup of chopped walnuts 1/3 cup craisins. Instructions: Heat oven to 350 degrees and line two cookie sheets with aluminum foil and grease with butter. Place matzos in a single layer on both sheets. Set aside. Heat sugars in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring often until totally liquefied. Should take about 7-8 minutes. Add butter and cook stirring untill caramel is liquid again and butter is melted, about 2 minutes. Next, add the salt and vanilla and stir to combine. Pour caramel over the matzohs and spread evenly with a spatula. Bake about 8 minutes until the caramel mixture is absorbed and is slightly crisp. Remove from oven and sprinkle with the chocolate so that the chocolate is an even layer. Before chocolate is set, add the toppings of your choice. When cool and chocolate is set, break into pieces and place in an airtight container between layers of waxed paper. Will last for at least 8 days at room temperature … perfect! Add butter and cook till caramel is liquid again and butter is melted, about 2 minutes. next, add the salt and vanilla and stir to combine. Judy.Soiree@gmail.com

THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

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Fast moving CPR class keeps students pumped With a choking infant, the baby’s body is held along the adults arm, its face to be squeezed in the adult’s hand to prevent shaken baby syndrome, and to administer five back blows followed by five chest thrusts with two fingers between the infant’s nipples. This should be repeated until the obstruction clears, or if the infant loses consciousness, then do CPR, 30 finger chest compression followed by two breaths and repeat until EMS arrives or there are signs of life. The two and a half hour class covered the techniques in detail and is required to gain a working knowledge of CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and use of a defibrillator. Tropper noted that an adult who collapses is most likely a victim of a heart attack, generally over 35 years old. A child who collapses could be a choking victim, suffering from anaphylactic shock, or some breathing problem. She stressed the importance of beginning CPR immediately and with that you have a 70% chance of saving the child. She pointed out that six of her students American Heart Association EMT and CPR instructor from Camp Sternberg saved babies Malky Tropper at the Young Israel of Woodmere class. from sudden infant death syndrome with CPR. “Anyone unconscious gets chest compressions and two breaths into the CPR,” called out Tropper. mouth, over and over. She had all the women stand and demTropper explained how to open the air- onstrate the Heimlich maneuver and then way, tilting the chin up, and explained that announced that only three performed it corthe CPR is the same for a child and to repeat rectly. “Fist just above the belly button and the CPR until emergency medical services push up towards the mouth, from age one come and take over or there are signs of life. and up,” she declared, but cautioned not to

do it on a pregnant woman. “If a child is choking and conscious, get behind, wrap your hands around and do it as hard as you can, three or four times, no rachmonus!” She said you don’t “Heimlich” if the person can speak. If you are choking, throw yourself over the back of a chair or the corner of a counter and if it doesn’t work run out into the street so someone can help. “Abdominal thrusts works beautifully,” she said. She stressed that the pumping of chest compressions pushes the blood and oxygen to the brain, preserving the brain. She also pointed out that every shul should have a defibrillator and noted the case of a man who donated one to Yeshiva Chaim Berlin and was saved by that very same defibrillator when he collapsed at the school. Tropper’s career as a CPR instructor was serendipitous. She was in her thirties at the time in the dining room at Camp Horim where her husband was the cook. A camper was choking and she remembered a sign in a pizza shop with a diagram and instructions on how to do the Heimlich maneuver. “I saved the child and realized that I don’t want to rely on someone else so I became an EMT so I would know what to do.” Tropper, who taught CPR in Camp Sternberg for 26 years, also offers private classes in her home. She is an American Heart Association instructor and an American Health and Safety Institute Instructor. Visit Achiezer.org or call 516-791-4444.

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By Malka Eisenberg A personal trainer at a gym saw the posted flier offering CPR classes and called Malky Tropper, EMT and CPR instructor and asked to learn. The woman took the class and Tropper got a call from her eight months later. “I was in Williamsburg,” said the nonJewish woman excitedly, “and I saw a Jewish boy with the long curls choking on a hard candy. He fell unconscious and I saved the boy by doing what you taught me! I beat the Jewish ambulance!” she exulted. Tropper was at it again, teaching 38 animated, focused women CPR, the Heimlich maneuver and use of the AED (Automated External Defibrillator). The class, hosted by the Young Israel of Woodmere, was free, sponsored by Achiezer and Hatzalah. A similar course for men was held in the morning at the Hatzalah garage, 621 Beach 9 St. in Far Rockaway. “These are life skills that are important to know and is something we should offer the community to enable them to learn,” Achiezer Development Coordinator Eli Weiss told The Jewish Star. Tropper said it’s an important “safeguard for self, neighbors, anyone, so that if someone chokes you don’t say, ‘What do I do’?” She called out directions, visually surveying the women to insure that all were participating correctly, took questions, answered clearly, repeated and had the class follow her lead and repeat what was taught. Students were told to quickly look at the victim (the dummy), tap it and ask “Are you ok?’ quickly check the head and chest for signs of breathing, “not breathing, not breathing,” point to a bystander and yell, “Call Hatzalah! Get the defibrillator!” and commence CPR of 30

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11 THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

LICM programs and theater performances receive support from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, New York State Council on the Arts and NYSCA ArtWORKS for Young People.

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Touro’s HS trial Students from Jewish Academy, Suffolk’s only Jewish day school, visited Touro Law school on Tuesday to participate in a mock trial exercise with law students. Pictured are representatives from both schools, including (from right) Rabbi Michael Druin, head of school at the Jewish Academy, and Samuel J. Levine, director of Touro’s Law Institute. This Thursday and Friday, Touro will host the National Moot Court Competition on Law and Religion, on its Central Islip campus. Students from law schools throughout the country will take part; judges will include federal and state court judges, including Judge Rick Haselton, Chief Judge of the Oregon Court of Appeals, who is an Orthodox Jew.

Checking details as Pesach nears By Malka Eisenberg The Young Israel of Woodmere pulsed with pre-Pesach activity on Sunday, as scribes checked the kashrut of teďŹ llin and mezuzzot, vendors collected sheimot or sheimos (worn out Hebrew books and papers that must buried in a cemetery) and tested for sha’atnez (the forbidden mixture of wool and linen in one garment) and food drives involving both chametz and Passover items were underway. Several Five Towns shuls partipated, including Aish Kodesh, Anshei Chesed, Bais TeďŹ lah, Beis Ephraim Yitzchak, the Irving Place Minyan, Young Israel of Hewlett and the Young Israel of Woodmere, according to Rabbi Aaron Glatt, M.D., assistant to the rabbi at YIW and Chief Ad-

ministrative ofďŹ cer at Mercy Medical Center. Glatt said this program has been held for 20 years, close to the yahrtzeit, leilui nishmat (elevation of the soul) of Rabbi Glatt’s father Yosef Nissan ben Yechezkel. As we search for chametz, we should take time to check ourselves for “chametzâ€? and to do physical mitzvot, Glatt said, adding that chazal (the rabbis) suggest it’s an opportune time to deal with the particular commandments involving teďŹ llin and mezzuzot. Typically 30 to 50 pairs of TeďŹ llin and several hundred mezuzot are checked, he said, and there’s “lots of shatnez testing and a truckload of shaimos.â€? Glatt said that the sofrim (scribes who check, correct or write, teďŹ llin

and mezuzot) often ďŹ nd errors in the klaf (parchment). “It’s a great opportunity to correct issurim dorayta (Torah commandments) that people are doing [wrong] unintentionally but it’s still an aveirah (sin).â€? He explained that there are different opinions regarding how often to check mezuzot and teďŹ llin, adding, “They should ask their own posek (Jewish legal decisor) what is applicable to their situation.â€? He stressed the importance of checking garments for shatnez, noting that any article of clothing may combine wool and linen. “It’s prevalent, it’s not unheard of,â€? he said. “You have to speak with a shatnez person. You can’t assume it doesn’t have shatnez just because it doesn’t say it on the label.â€?

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April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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The new Mt. Sinai Five Towns Medical Group, a multispecialty practice and urgent care center in the old Verizon building at 436 Broadway in Hewlett, celebrated its opening with a ceremony that included the afďŹ xing of a mezuzah to the building’s entrance doorway by Dr. Peter Tesler. Mt. Sinai Hospital chaplain Rabbi Rafael Goldstein looked on. Jewish Star photo by Donovan Berthoud

Kitniyot still divides Ashkenazim, Sephardim By Deborah Fineblum, JNS.org Israel is a country that has spent more than six decades weaving the two formerly disparate basic branches of the Jewish family, Sephardim and Ashkenazim, into one people. These days, nary an eyebrow is raised as they hang out, date, and marry in the Jewish state, and most of their cultural differences have nearly evaporated. But for seven days each year, the lines are drawn all over again, over something as seemingly innocuous as a bowl of rice — and the result can be a lively Passover seder debate. Most Ashkenzim were raised with the belief that, along with yeasty breads, crackers, cereals, and other baked goodies, kitniyot — corn and rice and all foods made with them, as well as legumes of all kinds (yes, that does include tofu)—are also off the Passover menu. For traditional Ashkenazim, these foods are as chametz (leavened foods) as a uffy loaf of challah. Of course, it’s no less than the Torah itself (Exodus 13:3) that forbids Jews from dining on chametz during Passover, as deďŹ ned as leaven from the â€œďŹ ve grainsâ€?: wheat, spelt, barley, shibbolet shu’al (two-rowed barley, says Maimonides; oats, says Rashi), and rye. The rabbis in ancient times added to the list anything made from these grains other than matzah and matzah products. Over the centuries, Ashkenazim have expanded the list of Passover-prohibited foods to include other grains and legumes, a tradition called kitniyot that usually applies to corn, rice, peas, lentils, and beans, and as often as not to peanuts and soy, green beans, snow peas, sugar-snap peas, chickpeas, soybeans, and sunower and poppy seeds. One theory as to why the prohibition on these foods, said to date back to 13th-century France, is the fact that kitniyot items tend to look like chametz, and are often sold right alongside them. This, before the day of sealed packages in supermarkets, posed a real threat of cross-contamination. But in Israel, because the food packagers have two very different markets to please (and Sephardim outnumber the Ashkenazim), the traditional Ashkenazi approach can be challenging. “‘Kosher for Pesach for those who eat ‘kitniyot’ is really the phrase you look for [on packaging] so you know not to buy it,â€? says Arlene Barnhart, an Ashkenazi living in Beit Shemesh. “Sometimes ‘Kosher for Pesach’ is in large letters and the rest is really small. So, even when you have great Hebrew—and mine is pretty good—it can still take hours in the store struggling to decipher what you can and can’t buy. You have to be a bit of a detective. Otherwise you get it home and ďŹ nd you can’t use it.â€? There are plenty examples of tricky situations, including halvah whose packaging states “Kosher for Passoverâ€? in large letters, yet whose corn syrup makes it kosher for Passover only for Sephardim (or kitniyot-loving Ashkenazim). The same applies to candies and other desserts, salad dressings, and countless other products, which are all labeled “Kosher for Passoverâ€? but aren’t actually so for traditional Ashkenazim. Yet there is a subtle but decipherable shift among many Ashkenazim — even the traditionally observant ones — to say yes to consumption of kitniyot on Passover. Some mainstream rabbis, including Rabbi Zvi Leshem of Efrat, have put forth the ruling that kitniyot foods are acceptable for Ashkenazim, assuming that the ingredient in question isn’t the main one and clearly recognizable. There is even a Facebook group called Kitniyot Liberation Front that boasts hundreds of followers, not surprisingly mostly Anglos, overtly pushing the anti-kitniyot agenda. The Jewish community in the U.S. (heavily Ashkenazi in numbers), meanwhile, is not seeing much of this kitniyot pushback, says Kashrut.com Editor Arlene Scharf. And it’s also safe to assume that, even in Israel, Pesach 5774 (2014) will still see most of the traditional Ashkenazim passing on the bowl of rice.

THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

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My dog ate the afikomen… Continued from page 1 cleared. Seder mints (our family tradition) were being passed around. Hagadahs were being brought back to the table. And as our father playfully reached for the afikomen bag, he flashed a look of mock surprise. “Oh no! Not again. Someone stole my afikomen.” My middle brother, Todd always knew best how to speed up the negotiations. “Okay, Dad. It’s getting late. Grandma and Zaidy are passing out. Let’s just get this over with.” He even pulled a handwritten wish list from his pocket with the computer software that he wanted. His tactic worked to near perfection. My father made one cursory search of the upstairs bedrooms and coat closet, then headed back to the table empty-handed. Prizes were quickly decided upon. All that was left was the return of the afikomen to seal the deal. If only. I’ll never forget the look on my brother Ryan’s face as he returned to the dining room moments later. It was a mixture of confusion and dismay. “I don’t understand. It was in here when I hid it. The matzah must’ve fallen out somewhere.” Todd and I followed Ryan back to his darkened bedroom and began to feel around the floor for a broken board of shmura matzah. Quickly, our laughter died down and genuine concern kicked in. “Where did you hide it?” I asked while shaking out a pair of Ryan’s sweatpants. “Well, I put it under my blanket, right in the middle of my bed. But when I just went to find it, the afikomen bag was in the hall, right next to my door. And it wasn’t me. I didn’t move it. Did you?” Our father seemed less than amused at this unexpected delay. After calling out to us a few times, he grew agitated and came to find us. “C’mon guys. Just give me the afikomen and let’s wrap this up!” Several minutes of frantic searching in the dark concluded with no luck. Our mother came to help shed light on our mystery. Literally. She pushed open the bathroom door at the end of the hallway and immediately some overhead light enabled us to spot a trail of tell-tale matzah crumbs at the spot where Ryan had claimed to have found the empty bag. “Bambi,” she called out, summoning our fury friend to the scene of the crime. “Did you do this?” she asked, pointing down at the last few unconsumed shards of matzah. Bambi answered in similar fashion to any of her previous food heists. She rolled on her back, wagged her tail feverishly and held her front paws in a pleading position. “So what do we do now?” our Mom asked shrugging her shoulders. “Looks like Bambi ate our afikomen.” Our grandfather, Rabbi Irving Greenberg (of blessed memory) was a genial man with a fondness for animals. When told about the afikomen mishap, he began to chuckle, then called Bambi over to his chair and playfully asked her to return the missing matzah to us. All he got in return was a few licks of his hands. We all re-gathered around the table, wondering aloud if our seder could no longer be properly concluded. “Does this mean we have to wait until tomorrow night to eat the afikomen?” Todd asked in reference to our second night seder. “Can we just make a new one from a different mazah?” “Actually, the answer is quite simple,” our

grandfather replied. “When we break the middle matzah, we still have the other half under our matzah cover. Bambi may have enjoyed our intended afikomen, but we can still use the other half in case something like this happens.” So let this be a lesson for anyone else who loses their affikomen due to unforeseen circumstances. You always have the other half to fall back on. peaking of Pesach lessons, there’s the story of my friend, “Larry,” who nearly torched his entire Staten Island community while burning his family’s chametz one eruv Pesach. It happened that Larry’s father, Moshe, (who had always taken change of this task) was recovering at home from recent heart bypass surgery. He wasn’t up to

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getting dressed and going outside for the burning that particular year. Instead, he gave Larry instructions and sent him out to the backyard to carry out this ritual. Larry thought he had everything covered. The bread, the wooden spoon, the feather, matches and the lighter fluid. It all seemed simple enough. Some twenty minutes later, Moshe heard a loud commotion coming from the backyard. He got out of bed and headed to his rear window, only to see his children scattering in all directions. “Call 911,” a neighbor shouted. A huge section of the backyard lawn was ablaze. Larry was trying to extinguish the flames with water from a garden hose. “Larry, what did you do?” Moshe yelled down from his bedroom window once the flames had been doused. “I did everything you told me to do,” Larry shouted back. “Not everything,” Moshe replied in a scolding voice. “I told you to use the metal garbage can, not a plastic one!” abbi Ira Ebbin moved to Merrick from Montreal in 2011 to lead Congregation Ohav Sholom. In his first year on the job, he found himself answering countless questions from congregants about Pesach preparations. Many of them involved the cleaning of ovens and range tops. In the week leading up to Pesach, Rabbi Ebbin made the rounds to more than 20 houses, using a blow torch to kasher the kitchen appliances around the neighborhood. It was the Sunday before Pesach when the Rabbi’s wife, Chevi, reminded him that he needed to kahser their own oven and stove

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before they could convert the kitchen for the impending holiday. He obliged by taking out the blowtorch and attempting to use it on his range-top for the first time. “Hey Lonnie,” the Rabbi recently humored me. “If you think you know pressure, try running out to PC Richard two days before Pesach to have your oven and stove immediately replaced because the glass top instantly shattered from the heat! Who knew that ours was the only one in all of Merrick that couldn’t stand up to it?” ack in the late 1970s, the Young Israel of Oceanside became one of the first shuls to organize an annual pilgrimage to Madison Square Garden for the Ringling Brother’s circus on chol hamoed. It was always a memorable outing for dozens of kids, organized by our longtime youth director, Richard Joel (now the President at Yeshiva University). We all met up at the shul and boarded a chartered bus in the morning. All of the kids and parents brought large bags containing snacks and drinks from home, knowing that nothing at the arena was kosher for Pesach. Not even the soda. In April of 1981, we happened to find ourselves in particularly excellent seats. Our section was just rows from the arena floor, within shouting distance of many of the performers. During the second half of the show, a team of perhaps a dozen clowns climbed into the crowd and began recruiting children to join them in riding the circus train. Out of the twenty children selected, three of them were from our shul. We watched in envy as a trio of our friends waved from the windows of a colorful, slowmoving train, which rode around in circles. At the conclusion of this ride, the lucky participants were given a gift bag and escorted back up to their seats by the clowns. Inside the cellophane bag was a red clown’s nose, a pair of over-sized glasses, a mini flashlight, and a bag of circus peanuts. It all seemed harmless enough - a thoughtful gesture - until our lucky friends started passing around handfuls of shelled peanuts. “Wait!” one of the mother’s shouted above the noise of a motorcycle performance. “They’re eating peanuts on Pesach! Oh the humanity!” While not “real chametz,” peanuts are considered kitniyot, which are prohibited from being eaten on Pesach according to Ashkenazic holiday customs. This unexpected circus treat caused quite a momentary stir among parents who had gone to great lengths to ensure that only Pesach food be consumed at this special outing. Ironically, with the commonality of today’s peanut allergy sensation, one could surely imagine such a reaction for very different reasons. t was a frosty early spring in the year 2000 up in the Pocono Mountains. At “beautiful Mount Airy Lodge” patches of snow still covered the ground. Temperatures hovered in the high 30s. Close to one-thousand guests arrived at the resort hotel for a holiday retreat. Instead, many encountered what may be the ultimate Pesach nightmare. For some, their horror occurred on the morning of eruv Pesach. A moderate snowfall accumulated on the roof of one of the detached six-story buildings on the hotel grounds. Many of the guests had checked in a day earlier, including several on the top

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Photo of Bambi (The Dog who ate the Afikomen)

floor. Sometime just before noon, a section of the building’s roof collapsed under the weight of the heavy snow. Thankfully, no one was injured by the incident. However, many of the top floor guests saw their clothing, shoes and suitcases soaked by the snow and ice that had saturated their now uninhabitable guest rooms. Shockingly worse was the situation for hundreds of guests situated in the main building behind the hotel dining room. Due to low occupancy during the winter months, the water supply to the older wing of the main building was shut down for the season. However, for Pesach, all of the hotel guest rooms were fully booked. This meant that the water service had to be immediately restored to the older building in order for guests to have functioning bathrooms. Most unfortunately, the unseasonably cold weather caused a major complication -- a massive eruption in the main water supply pipe. With no time to make alternative arrangements, hundreds of families in the main building were forced to line up in the corridors outside of the main dining room during the first two days of yom tov just to utilize the bathroom and to wash their hands. For two consecutive seder nights, scores of families, young and old, suffered the indignity of having to stand in line in their pajamas, robes, and slippers to access the public restrooms while hundreds of guests walked past them upon completion of their seders. Some desperate guests resorted to brushing their teeth at the water fountain in the hotel’s main lobby. Others hoarded every available bottle of water back to their guest rooms. One guest, “Esther,” confided that she and her family had endured a double-whammy. “First, our shoes and clothing were ruined by the roof collapse above our room. Then, we get relocated to a dry room in the main building, only to be without toilets or sinks for all of yom tov. Though I did make some lovely new friends while standing in line for the ladies room.” hen one thinks about all the careful preparation (and great expense) that goes into planning the Pesach holiday, it would seem like perfection should be attainable. And yet every year there are stories in every family about the many mishaps that invade this most challenging of holidays. Discouraging in the moment, they also happen to make for the fondest of memories as we retell these tales to future generations as part of our own holiday tradition. Lonnie Ostrow, a public relations, marketing, and web design professional, is in-house marketing director, editor and office manager for bestselling novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford. He is a member of Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick, along with his wife, Simona and their two daughters.

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A Happy & Sweet Passover Arnold Waldman President Joel A. Block Executive Director

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link between China and the Jewish people, and it is very moving to see the remnants of this community returning to their Jewish roots as they prepare for Passover,â€? he added. Scholars believe the ďŹ rst Jews settled in Kaifeng, which was one of China’s imperial capitals, during the 8th or 9th Century. They are said to have been Sephardic Jewish merchants from Persia or Iraq who made their way eastward along the Silk Route and established themselves in the city with the blessing of the Chinese emperor. Kaifeng also houses China’s oldest known synagogue. In 1163, Kaifeng’s Jews built a large and beautiful synagogue, which was subsequently renovated and rebuilt on numerous occasions throughout the centuries. At its peak, during the Ming Dynasty (13681644), the Kaifeng Jewish community reached its height of 5,000 people with rabbis, synagogues and Jewish institutions. But widespread intermarriage and assimilation, as well as the death of the community’s last rabbi two centuries ago, brought about its demise by the middle of the 19th century. The community was then forced to sell the synagogue and Torah scrolls, according to Shavei Israel’s website.

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Continued from page 1 the Shavei Israel organization with all of the traditional Passover items including kosher matzah packages from Israel, Kosher for Passover wine, traditional Charoset and horseradish, as well as Passover Haggadahs. The Haggadahs were prepared especially in Hebrew and Chinese. “We are proud and excited to organize this historic event,� said Shavei Israel Chairman and Founder Michael Freund. “Kaifeng’s Jewish descendants are a living

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Nevertheless, many of the families sought to preserve their Jewish identity and pass it down to their descendants, who continued to observe various Jewish customs. Currently, there are estimated to be between 500 to 1,000 identiďŹ able Jewish descendants in Kaifeng. “In recent years, many members of the community have begun to explore their heritage – thanks in part to the Internet, which opened up new worlds for them and provided access to information about Judaism and Israel that was previously inaccessible to them,â€? Freund noted. Freund is founder of Shavei Israel, which reconnects descendants of Jews from around the world with the people and State of Israel. The organization provides aid and outreach to a wide range of communities including the Bnei Menashe of India, Bnei Anousim in Spain, Portugal and South America and Subbotnik Jews of Russia — as well as the Jewish community in China.

Streits: 90 years, 5 generations, crispy, fresh… Continued from page 1 the experience,” said Levine. “Watching it happen, from flour and water to packaging the matzo in a short time. You develop an appreciation of the process. It’s low tech but mechanized as in the 1930s and 40s.” Aron Streit and his wife, Nettie, immigrated to America in the 1890s and in 1915, having brought his matzo baking skills from Austria, opened a handmade matzo factory on Pitt Street on the Lower East Side. Levine located the original building that still has the original 100-year-old three-story matzah oven in the backyard. Aron Streit and his son Irving opened a mechanized bakery on Rivington Street at the corner of Suffolk Street in 1925. Aron died in 1937, but his descendants have maintained the factory, the only remaining family-owned matzo factory in the U.S. Alan Adler, one of the descendants and a Streit’s co-owner, was glad to speak with The Jewish Star, recalling how then-publisher Meyer Fertig went to bat for Streit’s in 2009 when the local Vaad questioned their hashgacha four weeks before Pesach. It was determined that the matzah was not a problem and in addition to retaining the hashgacha of Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik, son of preceding mashgiach Rabbi Aron Soloveitchik, they also retained the Kof-K hashgacha to satisfy the request for a nationally-recognized hashgacha. Streit’s makes matzo year round, Adler said, but begins the Pesach process in September. The rabbis come, observe and instruct and supervise and the entire production system is scrubbed, blow torched and steam cleaned in a two week process. Although the matzah is officially known as 18 minute matzo, Adler said the cycle from start to finish,

This photo was taken in the late 1940s near the matzo oven on the first floor. The older rabbi at right is Rabbi Osher Levitan, who supervised production at Streit’s until his death in 1953.

from flour and water to baked product is 15 minutes, the rabbis supervising with alarms and stopwatches; the bowls and mixers, the cutting machine and rollers cleaned every 15 minutes. “That goes on while the machines are working. If anything breaks down, they throw out all the dough and clean for half an hour.” They are also known for their “first run matzo of the morning,” when everything stops and is thoroughly cleaned and that first run is stamped “18 minute matzah.” Levine described the machines as a RubeGoldberg-esque system. The original factory was on the first floor of one tenement and the families lived above. As the production needs grew, three adjoining tenements were

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bought and combined into the one factory as it is today. In a general overview, Adler explained the path of the matzo: flour is blown into silos into the basement in flour holding tanks there. A button is pushed on the fifth floor and it is blown pneumatically up to the 5th floor, 300 pounds at a time, then down to the 4th floor mixing room to the 3rd floor oven, or the 2nd floor mixing room to the first floor oven. The third floor oven contents are sent to a cooling rack on the second floor, taken by augur to the sixth floor dropped into a grinder for matzo meal, or to the fifth dropped in chutes to the 3rd or 1st floor … or something like that. Levine described the internal structure of the factory. Each of the four tenements were built independently and combined so the floors don’t meet up. There are window frames and parts of walls still separating the rooms and the matzo making equipment as-

sembled in the 30s could not be used anywhere else since it was custom made to bring the product up, down and around in the conscribed space of the four united tenements. Despite the circuitous path, said Adler, “the four tenement buildings are where my ancestors lived on the Lower East Side. It was not designed as a factory. It’s what our grandfathers left us. Aron Streit’s two sons, Irving and Jack took over the business when he died. We are still where we are and probably will be here for G-d knows how long. There will come a time when we can’t bake like this on Rivington Street. There used to be crack vials on the sidewalk; now it’s a safer neighborhood.” He notes that it’s not only a family business but the employees’ families have been in the business for generations as well. The other Streit’s descendants working in the family business aside from Adler, grandson of Irving, is Aron Yagoda, Jack’s grandson, Mel Gross, another Irving grandson, and Aaron Gross, Mel’s son. They have been offered $25 million for the property in the past but they feel there is something to sitting at the same desks their ancestors sat at, and walking the same floors and corridors. All the matzo is made on Rivington Street, baking about 2,000 pounds an hour from October through April, with a million pounds of product a year, said Adler. Other Streit’s products are made in New Jersey. There is a factory store on the corner. Said Levine, “They could sell the building and build a factory at a fraction of the cost, but they won’t and they stay on principle and still are successful. You can learn from that how to treat employees and be a part of the community.” He hopes to release the film sometime before next Passover on PBS. For factory tour information, call Rabbi Meyer Kirshner, chief mashgiach, at 212-4757000. To learn more about the film, go to matzofilm.com

Food to the foothills: feeding Yehuda and Shomrom’s poor

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April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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By Malka Eisenberg Fifteen years ago, Alan Hirsch saw the inability of 22 families in Maaleh Amos and in Hebron to pay for their Passover expenses. So he paid for it himself. The following year, the number doubled and after that he sought donations to help pay for the mounting costs. That initial solo effort has grown into a completely voluntary organization that will be providing Pesach necessities for more than 1400 families this year from $250,000 in funds. “I still have $75,000 to go,” Hirsch told the Jewish Star in a free moment from fundraising and organizing food purchases. The Bnai Israel Matzoh Fund provides over the top kimcha d’Pischa or maot chittim (food and funds for Pesach) to residents of Yehuda and Shomron who are struggling financially. Hirsch and his associate Jerry Pasternak and his son Ari Hirsch in West Hempstead began collecting on Tu B’shvat this year, with their biggest day of collections — 19 hours of work — on Purim. The fund gets a yearly endorsement from Rav Herschel Shechter’s shiur in the Young Israel of Midwood. Needy families receive meat, chicken, fruits and vegetables, shmurah matzo, wine, grape juice, lollipops for the children, and either a voucher for the local supermarket or a personal check with the family’s name on it. “About half the people never had meat on Yom Tov before,” Hirsch said. “We never say no to anybody.” They gather the small donations; he even

received a $4.50 check from a baal teshuva currently in a U.S. prison wanting to give his required maser (charity donation). The food is purchased or donated or sold at low cost in Israel, since the vendors want to participate in the mitzvah as well. The food is taken to four distribution points — Kiryat Arba, Itamar, Ebay Hanachal and Beitar Illit. Every family is screened and lists are composed by the rabbanim of the yishuvim. “It’s down to a system,” explained Hirsch. “Often, the packages are quietly delivered to the door at night, with an envelope with a check inside and a note in Hebrew that says, “Chazak vamatz meachaichem b’America” (“stay strong from your brothers in America”) Most of the recipients work, he said, but they can’t afford the “crazy costs of Yom Tov.” Some of them are widows, orphans, victims of terror, or are ill. The communities send a brief history of the family so the fund is aware of their status and writes a check for them. “Each is checked out by the rav or representative of the rav of the yishuv before they are put on the list,” Hirsch said. “They help tremendously,” Baruch Marzel, of the Hachnasat Orchim of Hebron, told The Jewish Star by phone from Israel. “Kol dichphin (whoever is needy)” is helped. “What Alan Hirsch does each year is one of the most remarkable endeavors in the Jewish community,” said Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind. “He is a superstar. His work is vital.” www.matzohfund.com

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From Margaret Tietz There wasn’t an empty seat in Margaret Tietz’s main dining room as providers and caregivers of individuals with dementia gathered for an eye-opening symposium by experts in the ďŹ eld. “Dementia: Research, Treatment and Caregiver Supportâ€? — presented by Margaret Tietz Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a member of CenterLight Health System in Jamaica Hills, in conjunction with Samuel Field YM/YWHA and Queensboro Council for Social Welfare — provided attendees the latest facts, programs and resources. Margaret Tietz Executive Director Yoel Lichstein opened the program and introduced the ďŹ rst speaker, Jed A. Levine, MA, executive vice president and director of programs and services of the Alzheimer’s Association. The audience attentively took notes as Levine outlined the numbers, current research, and the assistance and support programs. With one American developing Alzheimers’s every 67 seconds, this is one of the largest health crises facing our nation, he said. Jane C. Bardavid, LCSW, director of the community advisory program for elderly (CAPE) at Samuel Field YM/YWHA, focused on caregiver stress and the coping skills needed to shoulder this lonely and overwhelming burden. She poignantly described the grieving process one undergoes in mourning a relationship that once was. She delineated ways to develop resilience and manage stress while combating the

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Pictured left to right at the Margaret Tietz dementia symposium: Joan Serrano Laufer, Linda Spiegel, Jane C. Bardavid, Jed A. Levine and Yoel Lichstein.

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1, 2014. The electronic roll may be examined on public terminals located in the offices of: DEPARTMENT OF ASSESSMENT NASSAU COUNTY OFFICE BUILDING 240 OLD COUNTRY ROAD, FOURTH FLOOR MINEOLA, NY 11501 where the same will remain open for public inspection for fifteen days. Dated this 1st day of April, 2014. JAMES E. DAVIS Acting Assessor, Nassau County #693467E

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LEGAL NOTICE ASSESSOR’S NOTICE OF COMPLETION OF THE FINAL ASSESSMENT ROLL THE ACTING ASSESSOR OF THE COUNTY OF NASSAU HEREBY GIVES NOTICE that he has completed the 2014/2015 final assessment roll, which will be used for the 2015 levy of Town and County Taxes in the Towns of Hempstead, North Hempstead and Oyster Bay, and the City of Glen Cove and the City of Long Beach, and for the 2014/2015 levy of school taxes in such Towns and in the City of Long Beach. An electronic copy of the roll was filed with the Department of Assessment on April

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THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

CenterLight’s Margaret Tietz tackles dementia crisis

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April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774 THE JEWISH STAR

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For FREE publication in The Jewish Star, email SCHOOLS @TheJewishStar.com. Copy may be edited for style and space and will appear at the discretion of the editor. Deadline: Monday noon.

Ateres funds rescue boat

Students at Mesivta Ateres Yaakov in Lawrence raised money and bought a rescue boat for the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department. From left were Chief John McHugh, Cedarhurst Trustee Ari Brown, Yonatan Arshavnia, Rabbi Mordechai Yaffe, Mayor Andrew Parise, Deputy Mayor Benjamin Weinstock, Rabbi Yirmiyah Lasker, Yosef Neman, Naftali Engel, Village Administrator Sal Evola and LCFD 2nd Assistant Chief Dave Campbell. Photo for The Jewish Star by Jeffrey Bessen

Giovanni love at Kulanu Kulanu Academy students joined the cause to raise awareness of those who have lost their lives due to anaphylaxis, a severe whole-body allergic reaction to a chemical that has become an allergen, by participating in the 1st Annual Worldwide “Love Remembers Day” The Five Towns gathered on March 30 to remember Giovanni Cipriano, who died due to an allergic reaction to peanuts. Teal and gold ribbons were tied around trees in memory of those whose lives were lost by anaphylactic reactions. Kulanu students adorned the fence surrounding their building, located at 620 Central Ave. in Cedarhurst with teal and gold ribbons marking this critical health issue. Kulanu’s building and all of its programs are peanut and nut-free. For information on food allergies, visit FoodAllergyAwareness.org.

N. Shore in NSHAHS run By Steven Schwartz A select group of students from the North Shore Hebrew Academy HS (NSHAHS) journeyed to Israel last month to run in the Jerusalem Marathon in support of Shalva, an Israeli organization that focuses on helping individuals with special needs. NSHAHS participants worked hard to raise a whopping total of $50,000 to donate to this worthy organization. The students arrived in Israel early Thursday morning, checked into their hotel, and immediately went to the Shalva grounds, located in Jerusalem. There, they were treated to a magnificent pasta lunch and were entertained by the playing and singing of the Shalva Band. Eleventh grade participant Matthew Schecter commented, “Shalva was an amazing experience and is an amazing

organization. Shalva is so well organized and good at what it does best: helping those children who need it the most.” The next day was time for the marathon. The students all wore their “Team Shalva” shirts and began the race. Mrs. Debra Gold, NSHAHS Director of Student Life, who chaperoned the trip, commented, “The most powerful moment for me was at the end of the race. Not only was I proud to come in at number 42 out of the 1696 women in my age group, but knowing that I was running for such an amazing cause made it all the more worthwhile.” After spending a restful Shabbat in Jerusalem, the North Shore group headed home on Sunday morning. They look forward to a continued relationship with Shalva and the opportunity to participate in the marathon again next year.

West Hemp girl raises cash for AMIT in Jerusalem run West Hempstead resident Raquel Bodner ran in the Jerusalem Matathon as a member of Team AMIT, helping to raise more than $16,000 for the children of AMIT Frisch Beit Hayeled. She is currently studying at Midreshet AMIT in Jerusalem, and recently participated in the Jerusalem Marathon. Beit Hayeled, in the Gilo section of Jerusalem, is a home to 110 children, ages 5 to 15, in foster care. The young women who attend Midreshet AMIT, a post high school program in which Bodner is enrolled, live on the Beit Hayeled campus where they engage in advanced Judaic studies and serve as “big sisters” to the children living there. The funds raised by the 50-member Team AMIT will be used to help the Beit Hayeled

children celebrate their Bar and Bat Mitzvahs. AMIT enables Israel’s youth to realize their potential and strengthens Israeli society by educating and nurturing children from diverse backgrounds within a framework of academic excellence, religious values and Zionist ideals. Some 70 percent of AMIT’s more than 28,000 students live in development towns or other “peripheral” areas of the country. AMIT approaches each child as an individual, maximizing his or her potential, and enabling their students to become vital, productive members of Israeli society. The AMIT schools promote religious tolerance, service to the state and the recognition that every child is blessed with unique talents and abilities. Founded in 1925, AMIT operates 110 schools, youth villages, surrogate family residences and other programs.

19 THE JEWISH STAR April 11, 2014 • 11 NISAN 5774

Pre-school, HS bonding at HALB The adorable Lev Chana preschoolers sitting on the floor in the auditorium of the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls had a wonderful time with the SKA Sophomores on Monday, April 7. Our Tenth Graders came up with a fun, innovative, interactive makkot program involving the four year old Nursery children of Lev Chana HALB Early Childhood Center. They compiled a booklet of Hagada rhymes describing each of the ten makkot. They then searched through catalogs for items that could best represent the makkot to the children, with the additional caveat of being fun for the younger children. The Nursery children loved the one on one attention given to them by their older “sisters” and enjoyed acting out the ten makkot with the fun props provided. The best part was that the children got to take their bucket full of “makkot” home to share with their family at their sedarim. This 15 year SKA tradition is a wonderful collaboration between two segments of the HALB family. The auditorium was filled with very excited little ones; the older girls had a great time, too!

Adar at Shulamith, as expected: Good times Shulamith Adar Sheni was truly a month filled with simcha here in Shulamith Middle Division. To begin our month of festivities, we were treated on Rosh Chodesh, March 3, to a performance by the inimitable Bracha Jaffe. Ms. Jaffe inspired us with her spirited and heartfelt singing. She told stories and encouraged us with her inspirational ideas and insights. Her beautiful music had everyone singing along and dancing in the aisles. Just three days later, on Thursday, March 6th, the girls of the Middle Division were thrilled by the break out of one of the mostanticipated events of the year: Color War! The timing came as a surprise to the students, especially since Color War is normally held sometime around Lag B’Omer. The theme of this year’s event was Mitzvot Purim. The three teams were Mishloach Manot (chesed), Matanot L’evyonim (tzedaka), and Mikrah Megilah (Torah). It was wonderful to watch each team participate fully. The teams created side-splitting comedy skits, inspiring divrei Torah, artistic banners, meaningful theme songs, and spirited team cheers. In addition, this year each team created a power point presentation to illustrate ideas connected to their team names. Kudos to the General of Team Mishloach Manot, Shira Baum, and Captains, Ilana Katz and Devorah Golombeck;

the General of Team Matanot L’evyonim, Rosie Zilberberg, and Captains, Avigayil Maryles and Shayna Lieberman; and General of Team Mikrah Megillah, Neshama Herman, and Captains, Ella Kurtz and Michal Zelmanovitz. The involvement of each student, creativity, and achdut of the student body brought nachat to the administration and faculty members.

On Wednesday, March 12th, the eighth graders ran the annual Purim Carnival for Grades 1 to 7. Led by Neshama Herman, Daniella Gelbstein, and Ariella Seidemann, the eighth graders created a variety of funfilled booths for students’ enjoyment. The carnival was a huge success and enjoyed by everyone who attended, including our guests from Kulanu. We thank Mr. Nenner for once again allowing us to rent the Moon Bounce, cotton candy, and popcorn machines, and for being in attendance to insure that the equipment worked well throughout the day. Thanks to our G.O. Presidents Rivka Fruchter and Shoshana Reichman, and Vice Presidents, Sari Dubin and Zahava Graff, students and teachers enjoyed three dress-up days in Adar: Mismatched Day, Student/Teacher Dress Up Day, and Twin Day. Each of these days added to the ruach and simcha of Adar throughout the school. A final event in honor of Adar was held on Shushan Purim, Monday, March 17. Under the guidance of the school’s capable and caring mechanchot, each class created enjoyable and creative performances, ranging from a lovely fifth grade choir, to a variety of dance presentations by grades six and seven, and comedy skits performed by each eighth grade class. sensational!

HANC learns through food First graders learn a tasty lesson on sequencing First grade students in Mrs. Nancy Greenberg’s class at HANC’s Samuel & Elizabeth Bass Golding Elementary School in West Hempstead have been learning about sequencing and the language of sequencing, including words like first, then, next and finally. To bring the concept of sequencing to life, the students each wrote and illustrated a “How To” book to explain an activity that they could do in four steps. To finish the unit, the class made vanilla pudding (photo left and upper right) and the students had to describe and write the steps in creating this delicious treat. Everyone agreed their favorite step was the last one … eat and enjoy!

Nursery aleph students learn the differences between matzah and chametz The children in Morah Shani’s Nursery Aleph class are busy learning about Pesach. After learning about the differences between matzah and chametz, the students completed their unit with a bake and taste off (photo bottom right). First the yeladim made soft pretzels using flour, sugar, yeast and water as an example of chametz and then the yeladim baked matzah using only flour and water. The class was very careful to only bake the matzah for 18 minutes. The children compared the pretzels and the matzah and discovered that the pretzels were “soft” and “fluffy” while the matzah was bumpy (thanks to holes they poked into them with a fork) and crunchy. It was a tasty Pesach lesson!

trips to Philly The seventh graders of Shulamith Middle Division traveled to Philadelphia last week for a day of touring in The City of Brotherly Love. The girls boarded the coach buses at 7 a.m. to begin their journey. They arrived at the first stop of their whirlwind tour: The Franklin Institute. From the human heart, to electricity, to principles of gravity, the girls had the opportunity to learn about science in a whole new way. They also enjoyed an IMAX movie about The Forces of Nature, and were “blown away” by the up-close view of Hashem’s koach and gevurah displayed on the big screen. Another highlight of the museum was a special presentation called “Liquid Air” which demonstrated the properties of solids, liquids and gases, and ended with a BANG! After spending a few enlightening hours in this world-renowned science museum, the girls ate lunch together in the cafeteria and headed to the next stop on their itinerary.

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