April 27, 2012

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Rambam/Shalhevet video chat with Israel Page 3 Kosher Bookworm: Torah view of Titanic Page 5 Five Towners come out strong for Gift of Life Page 8 Who’s in the kitchen? To fu or not to fu Page 12

THE JEWISH

STAR

VOL 11, NO 16 ■ APRIL 27, 2012 / 5 IYAR 5772

Opinion

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Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu

Only Israel can make peace happen In the spirit of Yom Ha’atzmaot, Israel’s Independence Day, there has been a lot of talk about the bleak situation Israel finds herself in. The lack of progress on the peace front, the looming threat of Iran, the discord across the religious divides within Israel and the tentative relationship Israel has now with the United States administration, all paint a picture of more of the same to come from the Israel and Middle East. That does not bode well, and it will get to the point where stagnancy breeds indifference. Just as the tribal wars, violence and death in ominous African countries often get remanded to obscure mentions in the media and in people’s minds because nothing seems to make a difference, rendering it routine rather than unusual, the often clichéd seJuda Engelmayer quence of events between Israel and its neighbors gets tired, too. The rockets fall into Israel, Israel retaliates; Israel hinders movement of Palestinians, PA leadership declares it will not yield in its demand for a right of return. Israel expands its building of Judea and Samaria, and rockets fall into Israel. In the process, American Jews lobby their government leaders, the Israel Prime Minister stands obstinate at the American President who time and again declares solidarity with Israel and pays lip-service to Jewish constituents, but does little to actually get invested in the real issues it faces. So it goes, the same cycle. The individual circumstances change, the locations of terror attacks vary, and the manner of retaliation adjusts to keep it interesting, but the basic picture stays the same. At some point, the public that cares, but is not invested--namely non-Jews or non-Christian Zionists who just

see Israel as a democracy where disorder is common, will just get bored or worn on the subject. Some claim that the endless nature of these difficult cycles calls for a different approach by the parties, yet few really expect anything different from the Arabs. Look at the world today; most of the Arab world operates as if it is still in the Dark Ages. It maintains laws that most Westerners deem antiquated, treats women as chattel and keeps the masses uneducated and desperate. There are only Palestinian refugees because their leadership has consistently refused to allow anyone to build up and move in order to maintain the status of poverty and pain for anti-Israel positioning purposes. In an age when television, movies, and entertainers often poke fun at Jews and the Jewish religion or Christians, or Mormons-some playful and some that border on prejudice, left leaning media is unanimous with a hands off, almost self-righteous approach to Moslems and jokes about Islam. It is not because they have a respect for Islam that is lacking for other religions. MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell made some vile comments about Mormonism and its founder Joseph Smith on April 3, and he did it knowing that the worst backlash he would face is a call for his removal from the air and possibly a forced apology. O’Donnell would never be that callous about Islam or its founder because calls for his removal could easily be threats against his life, and instead of an apology, perhaps a riot may ensue, “honor” killings or a call to martyrdom and strap-on bombs may appear. In September of 2005, the Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, published drawings of Islam’s founder, Mohammed. A group of Danish imams traveled throughout the Islamic world inciting violence in protest, and 139 people were killed in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Continued on page 2

JULY 4, 1976 ENTEBBE, UGANDA - Led by Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, crack Israeli commandos race from their airplanes covered by the midnight darkness. Methodically, they approach a non-descript airline terminal, burst inside, killing the stunned terrorists. Helpless and shocked, 103 hostages lift their heads and gratefully weep at the mesmerizing sight of their saviors. As the alarms begin to sound, the Israeli soldiers strike with surgical precision and speed -- a lightning bolt of controlled, finely rehearsed fury. It is all over in a few minutes. Terrorists lay dead. The hostages rush out to board the transport planes waiting to evacuate the hostages to safety. During the mission, shots burst in the night -- and a sharp cry for help is heard. That cry would become the cry of an entire nation, mourning the loss of its prodigal son…Thirty-year-old Yonatan Netanyahu has been shot dead. This is his story. An intimate journey into a young hero’s mind, the narration for this compelling journey was drawn from Yonatan Netanyahu’s own letters and words, which unveil the complex character of this thoroughly modern young hero. Yonatan’s words are deeply moving through his deep-rooted introspection, self-understanding, and heartfelt passions. Featuring interviews with three Israeli Prime Ministers, Yoni’s ex-wife (for the first time), and recently released audio from the Entebbe operation itself—–Follow Me brings a rare portrait of Israel’s elite soldiers and their greatest hero to the big screen. The film consists of two story arcs that tragically and heroically connect. The first is the dramatic Entebbe hijack and rescue -- 8 days when a nation held its breath and executed a military miracle that redefined the Jewish Nation’s call – “Never Again!” The second is the remarkable life story of Yonatan Netanyahu, a young soldier who struggled to find the balance between his family and the Nation he loved.

Photo by Donovan Berthoud

Israeli flags adorned the sidewalk in front of Young Israel of Woodmere which hosted the Five Towns Community Yom Hazikaron/Yom Haatzmaut 5772 program on Wednesday night. The program featured the film “Follow me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story, as described above. For information on additional screenings, please see calendar on page 14.

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Israel: No one to negotiate with Continued from page 1 and Nigeria. Embassies have been burned, and Islamic threats of violence are routine occurrences. The recent riots over burning the Koran caused death and mayhem, and President Obama felt compelled to apologize for it. Filmmaker Theo Van Gogh produced the film Submission, which criticized the treatment of women in Islam. Muslims were outraged and he was subsequently assassinated by a Dutch-Moroccan Muslim. In 1987, photographer Andres Serrano created his sorry work, “Piss Christ,� a cross immersed in urine; he was yelled at and called a lot of bad names. Yet he lives and never needed police protection. Rabid actor Mel Gibson made some awfully stereotypical antiSemitic comments, apologized and then did it again, and he gets to play Jewish hero Judah Maccabee in a new movie because there is no fatw issued against him. So now, in honor of Israel’s independence, Stephen Robert, former Oppenheimer & Co. head, former chancellor of Brown University, and someone who says he was a hawk on Israel until now, penned an op-ed in the New York Times calling for “A Reset in Jewish Thinking.� His opinion concludes that it is up to Israel to be the better people and force peace through concessions and land swaps. He declares that “it is time for Jews to realize their changed position, to eschew the time-worn arguments of the past, to raise the plane of the debate and to move vigorously toward an achievable two state-solution.� What he is really saying is that the Arab neighbors will not work for it, they will not concede and they will not change; so Israel must be bold to make it happen. Ami Ayalon, Orni Petruschka and Gilead Sher penned “Peace Without Partners,� also in the New York Times. Here, a former commander of the Israeli Navy, an entrepreneur, and a peace negotiator and chief of staff to the Israeli prime minister all declare that Israel needs to be the moral compass of the Middle East and do what Roberts says, but upped the ante asking for Israel to declare a unilateral peace and force it to happen. Here, too, they say it without spelling it out that the Palestinians are not going to surprise anyone with forward thinking. They are all possibly right and Israel might not continue to be the center of attention and on people’s minds if the cycle goes on indefinitely. The Palestinians hope for that outcome, because they will win the demographic war and fewer people will really care. In the absence of new ideas and endless possibilities, it is no wonder that more eyes are now turning to Israel to continue being the people who know how to innovate, build and thrive. Israel’s best attributes, the ones that exemplify the achievements of a smart, resilient and proactive people, are the same attributes that trigger harsher judgment with often unrealistic expectation of it always having to hold the moral high ground. We should not look at this as criticism of Israel, but as the unstated indictment of Israel’s neighbors and enemies who few look to with any optimism at all. The reality is, as “Only Nixon could go to China,� only Israel can make a peace happen. Juda Engelmayer is an executive with the NY PR agency, 5W Public Relations

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April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Rambam and Shalhevet connect with Sderot schools By Malka Eisenberg The young men eagerly shuffle into the room, sit in their desks, open books and attentively face a blank television screen. Clicking a remote, one of the group initiates a video call and the screen springs to life. Ms. Batel Dahan appears on the screen and calls out “Shalom” to the 10th and 11th graders. That day’s Honors Hebrew class taught via remote learning by a teacher in Sderot, Israel has begun. This pioneering step, known as distance learning in other venues, is already in its second year in Rambam Mesivta. With this out of the box approach with a teacher “in the box,” students not only learn and improve their Hebrew language and reading skills but connect on a cultural level, discussing current issues and life in Israel in real time. Rambam has been videoconferencing (VC) for three years now with a group of students from Rambam having what Rabbi Yotav Eliach, principal of Rambam, calls a cultural exchange session for half an hour once a week with a group of students in the AMIT high school in Sderot. Last year they began having a Hebrew language class via VC with Dahan; this year the program has expanded to three classes. In Midreshset Shalhevet, Rambam’s sister school, the top Hebrew speaking students in the school, four seniors and three juniors, gather excitedly and similarly face the blank screen in the office of Mrs. Esther Eisenman, Shalhevet’s principal. They speak Hebrew to a class of girls at the AMIT High School in Sderot who in turn respond in English. “Because of the existing success of the program at Rambam,” explained Eisenman, “we wanted to do it as well. They love it, they love talking to them; you can see how anxious they are to do it again. The conversation flows, they enjoy it.” The program is the brainchild of Arthur Carp, Vice President of Operations at Quantalytics Inc., a Network VAR and Systems Integration Company based in the Five Towns. Dahan recalls it started at “the time of the kassamim” (the rockets fired from Gaza into Sderot). Carp’s idea for the concept germinated, he recalled, when 33 students from Sderot were brought over to HAFTR and spent a week at a campsite about four years ago. “I heard about it after the fact and thought it was a terrible idea, a mistake,” said Carp. He felt that as “impressionable teenagers” confronted with the luxurious lifestyle of the Five Towns as compared with water restrictions and the necessity of running for their lives after a 15 second warning of incoming rockets, the students would want to leave their situation there. Carp decided to “fix this” by ”bringing the world to Sderot, to make it a focal point.” Quantalytics, founded in 1990, donated the Polycom video conferencing equipment to HAFTR and the AMIT schools in Sderot, also hooking up the AMIT offices here and in Israel as well. But we were “concerned with the kids not the grownups,” stressed Carp and offered the forward thinking technology to “every yeshiva here” but was turned down. “We handle equipment installation, support, and training here and in Israel” voluntarily, explained Carp, “it’s a gift from Quantalytics. Anything that involves computer networking is very interesting and important to us. We do a lot of video conferencing because it continues to grow.” When Rabbi Eliach asked if he could have the system for Rambam as well, Carp said, “This is your lucky day.” He pointed out that he had one string attached—that the students

10th and 11th grade Honors Hebrew class in Rambam Mesivta with Ms. Batel Dahen teaching via videoconference. have “cultural exchange sessions of at least a half hour weekly with students in Sderot” with the Americans speaking in Hebrew and the Israelis in English. This, he stressed, “is to develop friendships through the common struggle of learning another language.” Two large television sets sit in the front of the classroom with a black triangular camera unit on top of one. The lens of the camera is manipulated remotely by the Israeli teacher to view the class in New York and the system can be manipulated with a remote in New York as well. “It’s H.323,” explained Carp, “the Internet standard for video conferencing, live, two-way TV. Skype is a little web cam, a closed garden; here you can see a vivid difference. We’re providing the equivalent of Rolls Royces for video conferencing. It’s the same equipment used in government, Fortune 500 companies and law firms.” He noted that he has clients the world over, from Tasmania to Shanghai, who use video conferencing to manage their businesses, for face-to-face meetings and conferences without having to fly. He said that it’s an “established technology” but new to the yeshiva world. Some yeshivot have the equipment already, but it’s just “gathering dust.” Aside from donating the equipment, “I personally gave lessons,” said Carp. “Arthur sent the unit,” said Dahan, “and the computer guy plugged it in and showed my how to use it. This system is much better. We used to do Skype but it’s not the same connection. You can zoom in and out and can move the camera to the sides.” Dahan spoke easily with the boys at Rambam; she discussed Israel’s Memorial Day and the “very sharp” change over to Yom Haatzmaut. They in turn spoke easily in Hebrew. She called on the boys by name; they sat, paid attention and responded and asked questions respectfully and thoughtfully, many asking pointed and incisive questions, all in Hebrew with an occasional vocabulary question. Her image on the screen was crystal clear and her presence, although in a “box,” was actually felt in the room. Some of the students in Rambam have entered their second year on this program. In Sderot they have rotated the classes, “so each will have a chance,” said Batel Dahan, an

English and education teacher in the AMIT High School in Sderot. Rambam currently has two honors classes and an ulpan class learning with Ms. Dahan. “It brings religious Zionist culture in to the building and current Israeli events,” said Rabbi Eliach. “It is very real and very connected to Israel.” The students take tests that are scanned, sent to her, she grades, scans and sends them back and they go over them with her in class. If a student has a question, they can stay after class and go over the material via VC. In the cultural exchanges, the students converse and realize that they observe the holidays similarly, “even twice,” laughed Dahan, and enjoy the same sports and music. “My goal,” said Dahan, “is to keep the connection on a daily basis, to become good friends so they could visit each other. That will happen bezrat Hashem.” One of the students started in the ulpan class and only spoke English, noted Dahan, and now speaks just Hebrew in the class. Dahan noted that the classes are on a higher level and it preserves the link among Jews the world over. Boys in the class said that it was a good learning experience and they enjoy the class. “I like it,” said Ruthie Besalel, an 11th grader in Shalhevet. “It’s a way to interact with people in Israel and practice our Hebrew.” “It helps us improve our Hebrew skills by actually speaking,” concurred Julie Harush, a 12th grader in Shalhevet. Eliach notes that Dahan is “a great teacher” and sees the program as a step to “undo the damage going on with Hebrew.” That this is the “second generation of Orthodox American Jews who predominantly don’t speak Hebrew,” Eliach decried, “how hard is it to be a literate Jew if you can’t speak or read Hebrew on your own.” He noted the growing division in the golah between the religious and secular, that in Israel at least the secular can still read and understand the Tanach and Siddur, that the best Hebrew teachers are now in their 60s and 70s and we can’t find such teachers in the U.S. but “perhaps we can find one in Israel. Thanks to technology we can hire religious Zionist teachers from Israel.” He also bemoaned the reliance on

translations of Hebrew texts, since “by definition everything is lost in translation.” One of the Rambam ninth graders visited his video friends in Sderot during a trip to Israel this past Chanukah. “We brought sufganiyot (jelly donuts),” said Ephraim Fruchter, smiling. “It was very interesting, it’s better in person. It’s good to see the community in person.” Fruchter participates in the Honors Hebrew as well as the cultural exchange and said that it “helped. I knew words from before, so it helped.” “It’s the first step in an institutional change, putting a virtual teacher in front of the classroom,” noted Carp. “It’s a radical departure, we have to be a little out-of-the-box.” He said he began this project because he “was alarmed by the rise of J Street, alarmed that they are creating divisions among Jews,” and the best solution is “conversation, to get to know them, through cultural exchange sessions, meeting and becoming friends. If we can make it more widespread, it will have a profound effect on Israel-Diaspora relations. Each side will better understand the other.” He noted that when they would “go on Aliyah they would have friends waiting for them when they get off the plane.” He also said that it could bring down the cost of instruction here by having a highly qualified teacher in Israel paid a good wage but not an American wage. Arthur Carp was widely commended for his persistence and efforts, his donations of equipment, time, set-up and training, by Dahan, Eliach and Eisenman. “We always wanted to do it,” stressed Eisenman, “we had the opportunity, thanks to him.” Said Eliach, “I can’t say enough about him; he’s really devoted to this idea. He’s been wonderful with us.” Rabbi Eliach noted that other schools have come to see the equipment. “At the end of the day we all have the same goals: to educate Orthodox Jewish kids to be bnei and bnot Torah, to be connected to Am Yisrael, Torat Yisrael and Medinat Yisrael. They thought it was pretty cool and interesting.” Eliach pointed out that, “It’s a lot of work. You have to get the right technology to work, the right teacher, the right kids and the right content. Thank G-d it’s coming together.”

THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

In and out of the box:

April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

4

Opinion The State Department Almost Scuttled U.S. Recognition Of Israel

W

hen Israel’s Chief Rabbi, Isaac Herzog, visited the White House after Israel’s independence was declared, he told Truman, “G-d put you in your mother’s womb so that you would be the instrument to bring the rebirth of Israel after 2000 years.” The birth of Israel was a true miracle that went way beyond the tiny Jewish State’s defeat of the stronger Arab League armies. Harry Truman ignored a secretary of state who was more popular than he was to make sure the U.S. was the first country to recognize the nascent Jewish state. “What I am trying to do is make the whole world safe for Jews,” Harry Truman wrote as he agonized over his decision to recognize a Jewish state in Palestine. POLITICO Secretary of State TO GO George Marshall (Time’s 1947 Man of the Year) was just as opposed to the creation of Israel as Truman was for it. Clark M. Clifford, Special Counsel to President Truman at the time, remembered the internal U.S. fight regarding the recognition of the Jewish State---the final discusJeff Dunetz sion in the oval office. The meeting turned out to be an angry battle with Clifford and the President on one side, Marshall and Undersecretary of State Robert Lovett on the other. The argument used many of the same memes used today. Lovett first argued that Truman was supporting Israel solely for political gain and he warned the president that the move would lose more votes than it would garner. When that didn’t work, Lovett tried another approach, the “red” scare (because you know all of those Jews are commies). As Clifford recalls: “’Mr. President, to recognize the Jewish state prematurely would be buying a pig in a poke,’ Lovett continued. ‘How do we know what kind of Jewish state will be set up? We have many reports from British and American

intelligence agents that Soviets are sending Jews and commu¬nist agents into Palestine from the Black Sea area.’ Lovett read some of these intelligence reports to the group. I found them ridiculous, and no evidence ever turned up to support them; in fact, Jews were fleeing communism throughout Eastern Europe at that very moment.” When Lovett was done speaking it was Marshall’s turn: “With barely contained rage and more than a hint of self-righ¬teousness, he made the most remarkable threat I ever heard anyone make directly to a President: “If you follow Clifford’s advice and if I were to vote in the election, I would vote against you.” Everyone in the room was stunned. Here was the indispensable symbol of continuity whom President Truman revered and needed, making a threat that, if it became public, could virtually seal the dissolution of the Truman Administration and send the Western Alliance, then in the process of creation, into disarray before it had been fully structured. Marshall’s statement fell short of an explicit threat to resign, but it came very close.” General Marshall’s position was grossly unfair. Just like today, opponents of the Jewish State believed the sole reason for the President’s support was politics. But Truman’s mind was made up; he was going to do the right thing. At 4 P.M. Friday, May 14, 1948, just before the start of Shabbos, David Ben-Gurion read a 979-word declaration of independence in front of a small audience at the Tel Aviv Art Museum. He finished in his usual terse manner. “The State of Israel is established! The meeting is ended.” At midnight, British rule over Palestine lapsed; 11 minutes later White House spokesman Charlie Ross announced U.S. recognition. In 1961, long after he was out of office, Truman met with Israeli PM David Ben-Gurion in NY. Ben-Gurion said this about the meeting: “At our last meeting, after a very interesting talk, just before [the President] left me-it was in a New York hotel suite--I told him that as a foreigner I could not judge what would be his place in American history; but his helpfulness to us, his constant sympathy with our aims in Israel, his courageous decision to recognize our new state so quickly

THE JEWISH

and his steadfast support since then had given him an immor¬tal place in Jewish history. As I said that, tears suddenly sprang to his eyes. And his eyes were still wet when he bade me goodbye. I had rarely seen anyone so moved. I tried to hold him for a few minutes until he had become more composed, for I recalled that the hotel corridors were full of waiting journalists and photographers. He left. A little while later, I, too, had to go out and a correspondent came to me to ask, “Why was President Truman in tears when he left you?” I believe that I know. These were the tears of a man who had been subjected to calumny and vilification, who had persisted against powerful forces within his own Administration determined to defeat him. These were the tears of a man who had fought ably and honorably for a humani¬tarian goal to which he was deeply committed. These were tears of thanksgiving that his God had seen fit to bless his labors with success.” How times have changed. In 1948 our President used a moral compass to decide foreign policy. Truman was a President who judged not whether things would make us popular in Europe and the Arab world, but

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Independent and original 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 Publisher and Editor Assistant Editor Account Executive Contributors

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whether it was the right thing for the U.S. to do for our future and the future of the world. Truman saw the Presidency as the leadership position of the entire world. Our President today sees the U.S. as nothing special, not a leader but one of many countries on the planet. He has described his strategy as “leading from behind.” Doing the right thing is not as important as finding favor among those countries that hate us because of what we represent. And if that means we have to throw our historical allies under the bus, so be it. The morality behind Truman’s direction helped to make America strong. Like most of his agenda, Obama’s “let’s be friends with the people who hate us,” will only serve to drive this country towards mediocrity and put our children and grandchildren in danger. Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com). Jeff contributes to some of the largest political sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has been a guest on national radio shows including G. Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck. Jeff lives in Long Island.

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5

The Titanic: A Spiritual Response

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n a recent sidebar to a most informative essay by Rabbi Yechiel Goldhaber in Hamodia, April 18, 2012, concerning the sinking of the Titanic, the following perceptive observation was made: “The Titanic sank deep into the ocean, not to be located for some eighty years. More important, it sank deeply into the conscience of the Jewish nation. It inspired hundreds of drashot about the frailty and uncertainty of life in this world, and about the false sense of mastery over man’s fate due to the rapid advances in technology the world was experiencing.” The question as to the relationship of humankind to the sea has always been a factor to be considered in history down through the ages by sages and plain folk alike. Recently an anthology of essays dealing with the Jewish festival life cycle was published. Entitled, “Change and Renewal” {Koren / Maggid Books, 2011] by Rabbi Alan Jay Gerber Adin Steinsaltz, this perplexing relationship is dealt with in a series of theological responses. In the chapter entitled “The Splitting of the Red Sea,” Rabbi Steinsaltz goes into deep thought and detail in considering this relationship of sea to human and attempts to give this a spiritual as well as a mystical footing.

Consider the following samplings from this work: “The concepts ‘sea’ and ‘dry land’ represent the two general states of existence. In the Zohar, the sea is called the ‘concealed world,’ whereas dry land is called the ‘revealed world.’ Dry land represents the reality that is above the surface, visible to the eye; life exists on the face of the earth. By contrast, the sea represents reality that conceals what takes place inside it. The sea is the great mystery; things do not happen on its surface but within it.” Further on Rabbi Steinsaltz makes the following intriguing observation: “People generally act like creatures of dry land, and their consciousness deals with the visible world. The higher, exalted elements of man – all that transcends plain and ordinary consciousness – are represented by the sea. These are the concealed worlds in man. As a rule, we see only the lower end of the exalted things, the ‘tip of the iceberg’ protruding above the surface. “Usually, we do not see what is happening within. It is as though man’s essence is sunk inside the great space, within the hidden sea, and what is visible to our eyes is but a small part, the thin stratum in which we operate.” The essay continues on to further explain this spiritual dimension to what would otherwise be considered just another miraculous event in our people’s history, the splitting of the sea. The lessons and examples brought forth here by Rabbi Steinsaltz extends that experience to the totality of humankind’s relationship to this world. The impact that the Titanic disaster has

upon us unto this day can be demonstrated, in part, by the reaction of much of the English language Orthodox as well as the Chareidi press by the extensive and, for the most part, responsible coverage given to the Titanic centennial these past few weeks. With the yahrtzeit of the Titanic’s sinking coming out exactly one week after the seventh day of Pesach, the commemoration of Kri’at Yam Suf, it behooves us to consider Rabbi Steinsaltz’ most timely and profound teachings. This might help us better understand the lessons we should learn from life’s inexplicable travails, especially as they relate to humankind’s relationships with nature and the unknown. Among those lessons to be learned, consider the following: “At the parting of the Red Sea, we beheld with our own eyes the depth of reality. This vision can perhaps be forgotten superficially, but something of it is engraved within us. Even when we are not conscious of it, it allows us to rely upon it. Thus, we continue in the path of serving G-d, as we build edifices of Torah and mitzvoth, we have on what to rely…… The Jew is called upon, then, to take his ‘sea’

with him wherever he goes on dry land. We go from one exile to the next, and at the same time continue to live within our true reality, which is not dry land, but sea.” As a capping to this tragic topic, I conclude by bringing to your attention a novella written by Morgan Robertson entitled, “Futility.” In this novella, we read the following about an ocean liner that represents the latest in seafaring technology. The name of this ship is the Titan. It is described as unsinkable, has a triple screw propeller, and is carrying only enough lifeboats for half its passengers. The Titan hits an iceberg, starboard side, traveling at 25 knots on an April night near midnight, 400 miles from Newfoundland. If you note any similarities between the Titan and the Titanic, this is not your imagination. Furthermore, consider this as you finish reading this essay: The Titanic sank in 1912. The novella, “Futility” was written in……..1898. For further reference please check out a brilliant essay found in The New Yorker, April 16, 2012, by Daniel Mendelsohn, entitled, “Unsinkable – Why we can’t let go of the Titanic.”

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THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

The Kosher Bookworm

6 April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

Chabad looks ahead to Lag B’omer Fun is in the forecast for Lag B’Omer with Chabad’s annual festivities in the Andrew J. Parise Park (formerly Cedarhurst Park). On Thursday May 10, from 5:30-8:00 pm, celebrate the break from Omer restrictions as a community. But Lag B’Omer is more than an end of restrictions—it’s the beginning of a deeper period of spirituality and a day of rejoicing. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, author of the Zohar (source of mystical teachings) requested that this day be one of joy and celebration for years to come. And of course, it represents the final stretch of the countdown to receive the Torah on Shavuos. Chabad brings out all the stops each year

Deborah Kaminetzky is Yashar’s Woman of the Year Yashar, the attorney’s and judges’ chapter of Hadassah has selected Deborah E. Kaminetzky, Esq. as its “Woman of The Year,” an award which will be presented at the Nassau Region of Hadassah Convention. The convention will be held at the Long Island Marriott in Uniondale on May 16, 2012. Yashar is a unique chapter with programming especially appealing to women in the field of law and attracts members from Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn. Ms. Kaminetzky, a life member of Hadassah is currently on the

board of Yashar and serves as social secretary. She has been involved in coordinating innovative programming and attracting new members to the chapter. Ms. Kaminetzky is the founding member of The Law Office of Deborah E. Kaminetzky, P.C. in Cedarhurst, a general practice firm concentrating on matrimonial, contruction contract and small business litigation. For more information about joining Yashar please contact her at dek@ kaminetzkylaw.com.

to bring everyone together for a day of unity. Archery, bonfire, races, bubble bonanza will all surely delight young and old. Meanwhile, they have added more attractions. The Aerialist Acrobats will amaze and delight audiences of all ages with their mind-boggling artistry and athleticism. This show will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Chabad of the Five Towns thanks Carlos and Gabby’s, Gourmet Glatt, Haskel Trading, Party Source, and Music by Azamra DJ for co- sponsoring this year’s extravaganza. For sponsorship opportunities and more information, visit www.chabad5towns.com or call 516-295-2478.

DRS introduces new STEM and robotics course DRS is partnering with the Center for Initiatives in Jewish Education to offer students a course that integrates science,technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) for next year. The curriculum for this STEM course combines general thinking skills with engineering principles as well as science and technology fields. Unlike regular subject oriented curricula which focuses on a limited field of study, this curriculum introduces students to a diverse range of scientific and technological subjects. A smattering of the units taught include: system features, introduction to electricity, the serial circuit, sensors, electronics and control integration. CIJE will provide DRS staff with a science mentor

who will visit the school weekly throughout the school year to model lessons, mentor a science teacher and help students solve difficult challenges. This course reflects current thinking in science education and DRS is pleased to be at the forefront of this initiative. This year, DRS introduced a new Robotics Club to its already tremendous list of extra-curricular opportunities for our students. The participants of the club are learning how to build and program robots to move and perform amazing actions. The after school program provides a great platform for students interested in technology to express their creativity.

Wallenberg Commission thanks speaker for vote on gold medal legislation Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives John Boehner, who brought the legislation awarding Swedish Diplomat Raoul Wallenberg with a Congressional Gold Medal in honor

of the centennial of his birth to the floor of the House of Representatives was thanked by the Board of Governors of the Wallenberg Centennial Commission. The legislation now

headed to US Senate was passed overwhelmingly in honor of the Days of Remembrance that was commemorated in the Rotunda of the US Capitol.

Shmuel Lenchevsky/The Friedlander Group

Left to Right: Abe Biderman; Ezra Friedlander; Sidney Greenberger; House Speaker John Boehner; Peter Rebenwurzel; Ezra Kattan

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pril has been a bittersweet month with each bitter taste accompanied by a sweet dessert. It began with erev Pesach’s Fast of the First-Born, followed by two family-filled sedarim, Chol Ha’Moed and another round of Yom Tov and Shabbat including one of the four poignant Yizkor days when we remember MIRIAM’S MUSINGS departed loved ones. A week ago we shared a somber community wide Yom Hashoah commemoration at Congregation Beth Sholom. On Wednesday we joined together again at Young Israel of Woodmere to mark Yom HaZikaron, Israeli Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism Remembrance Day, then segued into the joy Miriam Bradman of Yom Haatzmaut, IsraAbrahams el’s Independence Day. Our emotions are played with, made to rise and fall from joy to grief and back to joy again as we mark each significant date in the Jewish calendar. Two upcoming happenings mesh perfectly with these dates. I plan to participate in this Sunday’s 5K run/walk in North Woodmere Park to benefit FIDV, Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans, Beit Halochem Centers in Israel. I have attended twice before with my husband and daughter, and am revved up to speed walk again while shmoozing with friends, walking and talking - I won’t be surprised or disappointed when I cross the finish line leading the last 10% of the group! This is also a race for the hard-core with awards for frontrunners, but

is mostly geared for slower paced walkers and runners of all ages. For a $25 donation, this is a fun, healthy, meaningful way to begin the week. The Kids Fun Run is at 9:30 am, the race at 10. Last year over 500 people participated and they actually ran out of numbers. They’re hoping for 1000 this time, so if you haven’t registered yet, race on to www.5towns5k.org. Yom Yerushalayim, on Sunday, May 20, commemorates the reunification of Jerusalem in 1967 during the Six Day War. Celebrated on the 28th of Iyar, six weeks after the Pesach seder and a week before Shavuot, it’s the latest edition to the Jewish calendar. Wednesday, May 23rd marks the Five Towns and Greater South Shore Inaugural Dinner for Friends of the Israel Defense Forces. MCd by the wonderful Ben Brafman, this evening will include a tribute to our own Five Towns’ sons and daughters who are currently volunteering in the IDF. They are called “lone soldiers,” these young adults who have gone to Israel on their own, leaving their families behind to accomplish their dream of giving their time and their soul to the state of Israel, with incredible personal sacrifice. I happen to know two of these special young people, Leor Bareli of Woodmere and Jacob Steinblatt of North Woodmere. I feel quite honored to be able to sit with their moms - my friends, and kvell with them that evening as we support IDF. Shavuot, that holiday we literally count the days for, arrives on Saturday eve, May 26. We will eat delicious dairy dishes and remember seeing each other at Sinai. Being mostly vegetarian, this is clearly my favorite holiday, and I’ll cook up a lactose-intolerant nightmare. I received an email from the Mets (yes, I’m a sad yet loyal fan dating back to my days living in Queens and the 1986 World Series), pro-

moting Celebrate Israel Night at Shea, oops, I mean Citi Field, on Wednesday night, May 30. There’s mincha, kosher food, and hopefully beating the Phillies, to enjoy. I hope to see you marching or watching from the sidelines on Sunday, June 3 at the Celebrate Israel Parade! Support your shul, school or favorite Jewish organization as they march up Fifth Ave. I definitely prefer “Celebrate” to the former “Salute”; celebrating sounds way more upbeat than the stiffer saluting! There’s also a pre-parade four mile run through Central Park with markers along the route symbolically representing a journey from Eilat to Tel Aviv. I remember marching with Yeshivah of Flatbush High School; it was a required day of attendance for students and teachers, along with the Rally for Soviet Jewry. Along with providing a venue for camp reunions, those two days enabled us to act on the Zionist ideals and lessons about Jewish unity we absorbed in school. We were taught the great significance of Israel to us Diasporans and learned about the responsibility we have towards fellow Jews around the

world. I can still chant the slogans we screamed at the top of our lungs at those gatherings. I even have some T-shirts I wore in 1977 though they wouldn’t fit now. We’ve proudly watched our children march with HAFTR these past 18 years and have amassed quite a collection of their colorful T-shirts! What I love most about these upcoming dates in the Five Towns, Queens and the city, is that they are open to all Jews and supporters of Jews and Israel. Participation is all inclusive, regardless of gender, age or affiliation. Whether we commemorate a tragic time or celebrate an uplifting event, we do it in one voice, joining together if only for awhile, and getting a taste of the goodness of being part of a unified, supportive group. May we only celebrate! Miriam Bradman Abrahams is Cuban born, Brooklyn bred and lives in Woodmere. She organizes author events for Hadassah, reviews books for Jewish Book World and is very slowly writing her father’s immigration story. She can be reached at:. mabraha1@optonline.net

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THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

Seven Weeks of Stuff ‘til Sinai

April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Five Towners come out strong for Gift of Life By Karen C. Green As Jay Feinberg, founder of Gift of Life, looks ahead to the upcoming twelfth annual Partners for Life Gala to be held on May 17, he concisely describes the vision of his organization — one that has touched so many lives in the Five Towns. Simply put, “ No patient [in dire need of a bone marrow transplant] should ever be told that there is no match for them.” Years ago, “My entire family was crammed in the consultation room when the doctor came in and told my mother, ‘take your son home and help him prepare his bucket list,’” Feinberg recalled. “The doctor understood hematology and transplant tissue, but didn’t understand the power of the Jewish mother,” Feinberg explained. He was referring to his mother’s strength and conviction during her indomitable hunt for a bone marrow match for her son. Donors of the same ethnic background as recipients often make the best match, so the Feinbergs launched a worldwide grassroots effort — extending as far and wide as Belarus, Russia and Israel. After five years and 60,000 people tested, Feinberg’s family and friends didn’t give up, raising money for one last drive. That drive yielded Jay Feinberg’s miracle match and set him on a course to start a bone marrow registry. July 2012 marks eighteen years since Jay’s transplant. “The Five Towns has been extraordinary for years,” noted Feinberg. “It goes back to when I was looking for a donor. Arthur Friedman, A’H, was involved back in 1991. Yoni Nierenberg, of Woodmere, became involved when his brotherin-law needed a transplant in 2002. Yoni was the first one to say let’s do a drive.” Feinberg credits Nierenberg as the catalyst for the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns & Rockaway’s involvement as an institution. HAFTR’s president, Adam Lish, a parent at the school, was tested at a drive, and matched with a young boy. “We see him every year,” noted Lish. Since then HAFTR has held several drives — yielding 36 matches — and has been honored by Gift of Life. “It has been an incredible chesed partnership,” says Lish, noting how significant it has been for his kids to have grown up experiencing receiving a call and witnessing a school and

community mobilizing in space and personnel for such a vital cause. Woodmere’s Yaacov Hagler found his donor through Gift of Life, now Feinberg calls him “part of our extended family.” “Eight years ago I had my transplant. I met my donor, a 21-year-old from North Miami Beach a year after my transplant. Four years ago, I had the honor of singing under her Chupah. It was an awesome experience,” he said. Testing for potential matches is no longer an elaborate process. It can now be done with a simple cheek swab. Hagler stresses the simplicity in testing. “Everyone over the age of 18 should get tested,” he said, “Can you imagine the feeling of being the person that can save someone’s life?” The generosity of the Five Towns Jewish community can’t be overstated. Hagler was quick to point out that Tzvi Lewisohn, a young man from his shul, Anshei Chesed, recently donated his bone marrow to save someone’s life. Nicole Goldstein of Woodmere, was a donor and has spearheaded many testing drives, both here and in Israel. Shlomo Haskell donated twice, to two different patients. According to Feinberg, one of Haskell’s recipients is a Professor of Judaic studies at University of Hartford. The professor is also an archeologist who is one of the people who discovered the cave of letters. He has been credited on PBS for having found what may be the lost city of Atlantis. “ Not only did Shlomo give him his life back but he led him to discovery,” says Feinberg. The Maccabeats, an a capella group, who will perform at the gala and receive recognition for their coordinated “Miracle” CD release and Gift of Life campaign which raised over $80,000. Actress and author, Mayim Bialik, who is slated to emcee the gala, has formed an attachment to three-year-old Ezra Feinman , who is officially still searching for a donor. “Mayim has been a great advocate for the organization,” noted Feinberg. The gala will be the setting for first time introductions of transplant recipients to their life-saving donors. “It’s very generous of both to allow us to witness something so personal in such a public way. It’s a good way to share our mission. How their support has directly and measurably effected people’s lives. Theres a reason why we have Kleenex on every table”

Photo courtesy of Gift of Life

Jay Feinberg, Adam Lish, Mr. Met meet donor recipients at Shea Stadium.

A bone marrow donor celebrates an extra birthday By Nicole Goldstein When Jay Feinberg was diagnosed with leukemia in the early 90’s, he was told that a needed bone marrow transplant would save his life. The search for his match through a donor recruitment campaign run by his friends and family paved the way for what we know as the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. After finding matches for others in need and a dedicated four-year search, Jay’s miracle finally came in May 1995 thanks to Becky. Jay received his transplant at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle and now, over 20 years later, saves lives on a daily basis. The Gift of Life is one of North America’s public bone marrow, stem cell and umbilical cord registries. For many suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers, and genetic diseases, there is now hope for a cure through a transplant. That is, of course, if a match and donor can be found. Because there is a greater chance of finding a donor with those of similar ethnic background, the small Jewish representation in the global registry made it hard for Jay to find his match in the 90s. The Gift of Life today has come to not only be the first registry whose goal is to add diversity to the donor pool, but to also start the practice of painless cheek swabs to test potential donors. Every match found, hope given, life saved, and future generation that stems from a recipient is due to the ambition and being of Jay and his family. A quick cheek swab in May 2010 changed my life as well as the life

Courtesy of Nicole Goldstein

Nicole Goldstein of Woodmere is all smiles as she prepares for her bone marrow donation through the Gift Of Life. of a 62-year-old man who, a year ago, was fighting for his life. I was notified as a potential match in January 2011 and after blood tests, my status was upgraded to a complete match. My thoughts were filled with fear of my power rather than fear of the needle. I held the power to deny life as easily as I could grant it along with hope to this stranger, his family, friends and community all rooting for his recovery. My decision was clear and after a complete physical and medical examina-

tion, the date for my bone marrow harvest was set. While waiting to be brought down to the operating room on the morning of April 7, 2011, I had the opportunity to meet my recipient and friend through a letter- the most special part of my donating experience so far. One year later and still clueless of my friend’s identity, I continue to hope that he is doing well and that we have the chance to meet one day.

As a tribute to my recipient, I knew I had to do more. I teamed up with Yehuda Wolfset whose father donated stem cells in 2006 and Sacha Issachson to organize a number of drives which found a match for a patient in need and added 220+ potential donors to the registry. We also organized a Gift of Life team for a Poland Spring run to raise funds and process more swab kits. I have spoken to fellow donors in the deciding process, become a Gift of Life Ambassador and look forward to my continuous involvement with Gift of Life. I just happen to have his similar genome and proteins in the blood. It is obvious that my recipient and friend is the real source of these miracles. He is the true hero. My friend wrote to me that he now has two birthdays, his original birthday and the day that he was given a new lease on life. One year after the transplant on April 7, 2012, I sent him a package with a balloon, pin, candles, and card wishing him health, happiness, and a very happy birthday. This day has long been circled on my calendar as I anticipated receiving a year update on the health of my friend. Along with the important life lessons, fading scars on my lower back and appreciation taken from my donating experience, I now have the best part of it all--relief that he is doing well and back to his daily routine. It is crazy to think that a full year has already passed but nothing makes me happier than knowing that it has been a great one for him and his family. I look forward to celebrating many more April 7 birthdays with him in the future.

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THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

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CE L EB RAT I N G 21 years of saving lives 12 T H ANNUAL PARTNERS FOR LIFE GALA Emcee

MAYIM BIALIK Actress / Author

Recognizing

THE MACCABEATS A capella Group

Please join us as we introduce transplant recipients to their heroes, their life-saving donors, for the very first time!

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April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

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Who’s in the kitchen To fu or not to fu‌that is the question

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f the word tofu reminds you of “flower child� of the 60s and tasteless health food, you are not alone—but you are missing out on one of the most versatile, healthy-for-you ingredients. Made from soybeans, water and a coagulant, tofu is high in protein and calcium, and is an all-star at absorbing spices and marinades. It has a neutral flavor that will adapt to any kind of recipe, from the most savory and spicy to the sweet and decadent cheesecakes and chocolate mousse parfaits that can be whipped up by it. Tofu is an uber ingredient because of its ability to replace other ingredients with aplomb. It’s chameleon like qualities and nutritional value made tofu a staple in Asian cuisine for hundreds of years. John Locke was quoted as saying “We are like chameleons. We take our hue and the color of our moral character from those around us.� FortuJudy Joszef nately, tofu fares much better when referred to as a chameleon. Simply put, it is soybean curd. Tofu is to soymilk as cottage cheese is to cow’s milk. One half-cup serving of raw firm tofu contains 10.1 grams of protein. The recommended daily intake is 56 grams for most men and 46 for most women. A half-cup of tofu is approximately 4 ounces by weight. By comparison, 1/2 cup dairy milk contains 5.1 grams of protein; one 3 ounce egg contains 6 grams. Four ounces of tofu contains 94 calories, 4 ounces of ground beef contains 331 and half a cup of cheese has 320 calories. For each

100-calorie serving, tofu contains 11 grams of protein. A hundred calories of beef provides 8.9 grams and 100 calories of cheese contains 6.2 grams. When it comes to fat, tofu really comes out as a winner. A half-cup serving of tofu has 5 grams of fat. Four ounces of beef has 15 grams of fat, and one egg contains 5.5 grams of fat. For those who want to further slash their intake of fat, tofu comes in a low fat version as well and has only 1.5 grams of fat. Another added bonus is that tofu is plant-based so it has no cholesterol, and it also contains 22 mg of calcium, about 22% of the RDA. Tofu has become an everyday word, but many of you probably have never experimented with the foreign looking substance and would wonder what to do with it, once you take it out of the neat little package it comes in. For those of you who have never experimented with tofu before, I am going to share an easy recipe that, I think, even those afraid of trying new foods, will admit that it isn’t all that bad. I’ll supply the recipe, but those of you, who have kids, spouses or guests, that are adamant about not trying new foods....well, I’ll leave it up to you as how to try to get them to taste it. Too bad those hard to please guests aren’t like fish in an aquarium, that gobble up those flakes as soon as they are sprinkled into their tank, or like the pigeons, who spend way too much time on the ground gobbling up crumbs than in the air flying. Trust me, I know what it’s like to have those around me not willing to try new foods. My kids were never willing to try new foods. Once, while at my friend Janet Grosser (who is an amazing cook), I was helping her serve her famous fricassee. As she handed me a plate filled with gizzards and necks along with the meatballs for my eldest son,

Daniel, I thought I should probably ask her to take the gizzards and necks off his plate, then I thought, why not live dangerously, and let’s just see what happens. To my surprise and delight he asked for seconds. Of course I waited till he was finished to teach him the lesson that one should always try something before saying they don’t like it. My son Jeremy was no better. One day when he came home from second grade, I noticed that he hadn’t even opened the aluminum foil to see what type of sandwich I sent him. I asked how his lunch was, he answered great. I then asked him, what I put on his bagel as I forgot. He thought for a moment and said tuna? I said, no cream cheese. A week later the lunchroom teacher called me and said Jeremy was throwing out his yogurt without even tasting it. When questioned, he said it had “water� on top. When the teacher explained that it was the juice from the yogurt, he said he did not like yogurt juice in his yogurt, and that she could eat it if she liked. Needless to say, I thought twice before introducing new foods in those days. However, the next time I have all three of my kids home I am going to try the recipe below. Since Daniel and Jordana don’t really read my articles and I haven’t bothered Jeremy to proof my column in a while (he was quite the good sport about it, but I felt badly, as he’s pretty busy in law school these days), I’m going to give it a try. Tried it on my hubby last week and he loved it!

TOFU AND BROCCOLI IN GARLIC SAUCE INGREDIENTS; â– 1 ½ lbs of tofu cut into cubes and marinated in Âź cup soy sauce (stir occasionally while preparing the recipe) â– 2 medium onions cut in half, then sliced in thin half rings â– 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms sliced â– Half red pepper sliced into thin strips â– 8 cloves of garlic, crushed â– 1 pound of broccoli cut into florets â– 2 cubes of vegetable bouillon dissolved in

â– â– â– â–

2 cups of boiling water 4 tbs oil 3 tbs honey 1 tsp crushed red pepper Âź tsp dried ginger or 1 tsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated

DIRECTIONS; ■Drain the tofu and reserve the liquid. ■Brown tofu in a pan or wok on all sides in 3 tbs of oil. ■Remove tofu when brown, and set aside. ■Add 1 tbsp. of oil to the pan, and fry the mushrooms and onions until soft. ■Add the crushed garlic, bouillon mixture, honey, crushed red pepper and ginger and stir together. ■Add the tofu and reserved marinade. ■Simmer over medium heat for one minute, and then add the broccoli. ■Simmer an additional 3 minutes, then turn heat off and set aside for 5 minutes. So to fu or not to fu.......that is the question. And as Hamlet continues....�Whether it’s nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune.� Or shall I say whether it is nobler in the mind to suffer the trial of mom’s new tofu recipe? I will let you know next week. Judy Joszef is a pastry and personal chef and a party planner. She can be contacted at Judy.soiree@gmail.com.

The YU Student Medical Ethics Society Presents

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April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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About 310,000 Americans die every year from cardiac arrest at home or in a public place. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of a series of steps recommended by the American Heart Association in the “chain of survival� that when followed give a victim the greatest chance of surviving a sudden cardiac arrest. The Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) is taking their own steps to heighten awareness of this necessary procedure and educate the community to help save lives. Starting on Sunday, April 22, HAFTR will hold a series of CPR classes open to the community in the multipurpose room of their early childhood center. Other classes will be held on April 24th, April 26th, April 29th, May 22nd and a course in Spanish on April 30th. Up to 18 students will be permitted in each class and students have to be 18 years old to be eligible for certification, but under age 18 can take the course that is not for certification, explained Leslie Gang, director of admissions and communication at HAFTR. Some of the classes are only for basic knowledge of CPR and the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs); those cost $25. Other classes are for certification—the certification is through the American Safety and Health Institute (ASHI) and those cost $60. “I’m hoping that people realize how important this is and we are sold out,� said Melisa Lazarus, a HAFTR parent and the catalyst behind these classes. “It was her idea,� pointed out Gang. “She brought it to me.� “My children are everything for me,� said Lazarus. “My son had a bad accident a few years ago and it could have been prevented, but not with CPR. As a mom, I’m trying to protect my children and other children. I heard so many stories of children who choke or drown and it could have been prevented with CPR. It was too late, too far.� “The purpose is to teach, not raise money,� she explained. “A child can choke on a grape and you can’t save a life. Maybe we can prevent something bad before it happens.� Currently, parents, teachers, two teenagers and others from the community have already signed up for some of the classes, said Gang. She also recalled the community’s awareness of HAFTR high school student Jacob Greenberg’s sudden collapse and death in 2005 and the gnawing thought that an AED might have helped. “Through the money raised with each person’s payment for the cost we hope to put

AEDs in every building in our school,� she said. The two volunteers teaching the course, a CPR instructor and Dr. Orna Rauchwerger, a HAFTR parent, will use dummies, AEDs and an Epi pen “to show how to use it,� explained Lazarus. “There will be no videos; it’s hands on and demonstrations. We want people to do it. We have small classes to have good instruction. People need to learn. How many lives can be saved every day? We spend so much money for education.� Gang noted that one of the classes will be taught in Spanish. “A lot of families have a nanny, babysitter or housekeeper who is with the kids when the parents are not home but with them at the pool or the park. They can take the course and parents will fell more comfortable leaving the children, not that they shouldn’t feel comfortable, but it gives an extra boost especially in light of what happened in years past where there was a babysitter watching by the pool. Each summer we hear a few stories. You never know if a half hour or 45 minute class could have changed it all.� Lazarus also had the idea for the Spanish class. “It’s very important for the housekeeper or babysitter that we trust with our children should have this knowledge. They will feel safe around them and can save them if they are choking and even for themselves. People are waiting; they never feel that it will happen to you until something happens. I want the whole community to learn. I hope it will be routine and have more classes before the summer. It will help the community. I am hoping other schools will do it as well. Some do it for the teachers but I hope to do it for the community.� If a child or adult collapses, stressed Lazarus, there is only a brief window of opportunity before brain damage sets in. She noted that it is imperative to call Hatzoloh or 911 but “by the time they come the damage could be done. If you can apply CPR before they come you can help prevent brain damage. Compressions can prevent without a defibrillator but with a defibrillator it is better.� Symptoms of cardiac arrest include sudden loss of consciousness, fainting or collapsing, no breathing or abnormal breathing, loss of pulse. Other symptoms also in children could include pain in the chest or arm, shortness of breath, dizziness, nausea, abnormal heartbeat, fatigue, cold sweats. Check the victim by tapping or asking if the person is okay. Contact Hatzoloh or 911 and start CPR if there is no breathing and no heart beat. For more information bout the classes contact: legang@haftr.org or 516 569-3370 x504.

Every minute counts with sudden cardiac arrest By Malka Eisenberg The American Heart Association website notes that “anyone can learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and everyone should!� Rabbi Elozer Kanner, coordinator of Chevrah Hatzalah of the Rockaways and Nassau County concurs. �Everybody should take these courses. We are all responsible for one another,� he said. “No one knows when they might witness a cardiac arrest.� Knowing how to use an AED and CPR and cutting the down time between a cardiac arrest and the beginning of resuscitation increases the chances of survival, he said. “It’s very dramatic,� he stressed regarding the statistics from “a minute to ten minutes to see what a delay in time means.� He added that, “it’s not difficult to learn, it’s not complicated to master the AED and CPR. It’s something everybody should know.� In Seattle, Washington, where Rabbi Kanner noted that CPR education is widespread “deaths from cardiac arrest changed dramatically.� He stressed that CPR is for someone whose heart

is not beating. Cardiac arrest is when the heart is not beating and the person is not breathing. “CPR attempts to do, temporarily, the breaths for the person and the beats for the person,� he explained. Some statistics: *88% of cardiac arrests happen at home *Proper CPR right after cardiac arrest can double or triple a victim’s chance of survival *Only 32% of victims get CPR from a bystander *Less than 8% of cardiac arrest victims outside of a hospital survive *If you save a life with CPR it is most likely to be someone at home, a family member or friend The AHA’s “chain of survival� is early access, early CPR, early defibrillation and early advanced care. With every minute after the onset of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) chances of survival drops by seven to ten percent. Brain damage and permanent death commences within four to six minutes. Ten minutes after SCA, resuscitation attempts rarely succeed. Take a course. Save a life. Visit the American Heart Association site for more information.

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By Malka Eisenberg

THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

HAFTR brings CPR home

April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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April 29 Third Annual 5Towns 5K Run/Walk at North Woodmere Park Kids FunRun 9:30 am Race begins at 10:00 am Proceeds to benefit FIDV-Beit Halochem Registration and check-in are between 8:00 AM and 9:30 AM. Registration information and details about the event can be found at www.5towns5k.org. Last year, we had over 500 participants and, with your help, we hope to double that number. If you are unable to attend the event and would like to be a sponsor, you can make a donation by simply clicking on the donate tab at http://zdvo.org/fidv or by contacting Isaac Seinuk at5towns5k@optonline.net or (516) 244-5583. Registration is $10 for ages 12 and under, $25 for the race. Beit Halochem currently provides rehabilitation and assistance to the over 51,000 disabled heroes wounded during their active or reserve service or from acts of terror. Looking for volunteers to staff event.

Walk-a-thon THE BRANDEIS SCHOOL’S 6TH GRADE CLASS will host a walk-a-thon on the Atlantic Beach Boardwalk to benefit ALEH at 10:30 am at the Putnam Blvd entrance, 1720 Ocean Blvd. ALEH is Israel’s largest network of residential facilities for children with severe physical and cognitive disabilities, providing 650 children from around Israel with high-level medical and rehabilitative care in four residential facilities. ALEH is their home and their family – 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. ALEH’s goal is to enable each child, regardless of the severity of the disability, to realize his or her potential and live a quality life on par with the rest of society. For more information go to: http://www.rootfunding. com/campaign/brandeiswalkathon2012

ON THE

Calendar Submit your shul or organization’s events or shiurim to jscalendar@thejewishstar.com. Deadline is Wednesday of the week prior to publication.

Basketball Tournament Sixth Annual NCSY Basketball Tournament Games will start off at 8:30 am at different gyms. Lunch and the Sweet Sixteen at Lawrence High School starting at noon Price for playing is $75 per person. All players must be 16+.3-6 pm free admission, BBQ, carnival and more for the whole family. Call 516 569-6279 or visit: newyork.ncsy.org

National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Nine greats from the world of sports will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of fame, including: Mike Hartman, member of the ‘94 NY Rangers Stanley Cup Champions; Sy Berger, the father of the modern baseball card; Debbie Belkin, member of the USA National Women’s Soccer Team; & Joanna Zeiger, pro triathlete. Where: Suffolk Y JCC, 74 Hauppauge Road, Commack, N.Y. Time: 10:30am. Admission: $10.00/person, children & seniors free. Phone: 631-462-9800, ext. 125 or 126. Website: www.jewishsports.org.

April 29, 30 CPR and AED CLASSES at HAFTR Sundays at 10 am, Tuesday at 7:30 pm, Sunday 4/29 10am, Special session in Spanish on Monday 4/30 7:30pm. Cost is $25. For more information and to make a reservation please contact Leslie Gang at 516 569-3370, ext 504

May 2 Youth Fundraiser The Five Towns Community Center is collaborating with HAFTR and Lawrence High Schools to enhance the game room facility for the youth of the Five Towns Community. Contact: Veronica Ortiz 516 239-6244 x 269 2nd floor office S52 or Nerthi Sanchez 516 239-6244 x 270 2nd floor office S56. Pre-sale $5, $7 at the door. 10 and under free.

May 6 Hatzalah Bar-B-Q Chevrah Hatzalah of the Rockaways and Nassau County at Sands of Atlantic Beach, 6:30 p.m.

Show your support for Hatzalah by placing an ad in the Commemorative Virtual Journal. For more information visit HatzalahRL.org/BBQ

The Lower East Side Jewish Conservancy’s Second Annual Heritage Festival Vintage and fashion jewelry for sale, walking tours of the Lower East Side. Photographer Paul Weissman discusses his exhibition. At the LESJC Kling and Niman Family Visitor center located at 400 Grand Street between Clinton and Suffolk. 11:15 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. For more information call 212 374-4100 or 3744101. Email at info@nycjewishtours.org

May 16 JCC of the Greater Five Towns Tenth Annual Dinner Honoring Sarah and Arnie Waldman as People of the Year, Judy and Charles Kandler, HarrisonKerr Community Achievement Award recipients, Samara and Michael Papilsky, New Leadership Award, and Arlene Zeiler, Spirit Award. Sephardic Temple, 6:30 p.m. For reservations and more information please call the JCC at 516-569-6733

May 17 Gift of Life 12th Annual Partners for Life Gala Mayim Bialik, Emcee. Rcognizing The Maccabeats Grand Hyatt Hotel, 6:00 p.m. cocktails, 7:00 p.m. dinner. For tickets or information please call (800) 9-MARROW x 2914 or email gala@giftoflife.org

May 18 Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story

There are always opportunities that come up in life that can be turned into acts of chessed. On the evening of April 19, 2012 a group of 15 women and young girls gathered at the home of Shoshy Skolnick of North Woodmere. They all enjoyed a class on challah making as well as having the opportunity to make their own shlissel (key) challah. This special custom requires the putting of ones house key to be baked into challah for the first shabbos after Pesach. The idea is that just as you rid your house of all chametz for Pesach, one has faith that Hashem will once again fill their home with food for the coming year. Everyone enjoyed the evening and was excited to be baking their own challahs and filling up their homes with the smell of shabbos. That evening, over $350 was raised as tzaddakah for the refuah of a small boy in the Five Towns. The tzaddakah raised was distributed to Chai Lifeline and its I-Shine program,an after school program, that helps to relieve and give support to families with sick children. Shoshy Skolnick read books to the children at The Blue Door the following week.

A favorite of audiences at major film festivals, FOLLOW ME: THE YONI NETANYAHU STORY is coming to New York during the week of May 18 through 24 at Lincoln Center and Quad Cinema. Exclusive discounted tickets are being made available to groups in the region. Screening dates are expected to fill up soon so please contact us immediately if you are interested. Filmmakers available to join your group for a Q&A following the screening. Elinor Bunin Monroe Film Center Film Society of Lincoln Center 144 West 65th Street, New York, NY Two theaters: 142 seats available Tickets are $13 & $9/sr. citizens Group sales price: $10/ticket Quad Cinema 34 W 13th St, New York, NY 145 seats available Tickets are $11 & $8/sr. citizens Group sales price (when purchasing 15 or more): $9/ticket for Monday-Thursday screenings GROUP SALES CONTACT: Juda Engelmayer, 917-733-3561 juda.engel@gmail.com www.FollowMeTheMovie.com

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Human development in two worlds and skin develops first, followed by the sinews and bones. In the World to Come, the sinews and bones develop first, and the completion is the development of skin and flesh." He proves this analysis from Yechezkel's depiction of the Dry Bones coming to life (37:8). On the other hand, Beit Hillel thinks the two developments pan out in the same ways. "In this world the skin and flesh develops first, and [the body] is completed with the sinews and bones. In the future as well, development will begin with skin and flesh and will be completed with the sinews and bones." He proves his analysis from a comment made by Iyov in Iyov 10:9-11. What are they talking about? Unlike questions of a "halakhic" nature, I don't believe the conclusion to this difference of opinion is particularly important. But the debate does give us pause to consider how people develop – not only physically, but also spiritually. Bones and cartilage certainly begin developing in the fetus two months into a pregnancy, long after the (somewhat) human shape has formed its skin. This is a fact that everyone – even Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel – can take for granted and cannot argue otherwise. Aside from the physical reality, the message of human development would seem to suggest that the vessel is created first, and then the human has the opportunity to develop what shape or form the vessel will take. Please read the following descriptive words

with their multiple meanings intended: will the person be tall and straight or bent and crooked? Will the mind be full or empty? Will the vessel be growth-oriented to reach great potential or will it be sedentary and take the shape of the couch it sits on its entire life? These are questions we can all appreciate. But what about the end of life? What will be in the future, or in the World to Come? Many rabbinic figures of the past have weighed in on what the World to Come means and what it will be like for all of us on some "other side." I am not interested in entering that conversation, because I am comfortable saying, "I honestly have no idea." But Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, in this minor debate, shared with us what their opinions are. If some version of the World to Come refers to a resurrection of the dead, with former bodies somehow being reformed from DNA, then their debate in the physical realm of how bodies will be recreated speaks for itself. But if the reality they speak of is a spiritual development, I think there is no harm in suggesting that the two approaches will both be influenced by how a person leads and lives life in this world. According to Beit Shammai, the bones and sinews will develop first. This would indicate that the form or shape that a person created in life will inform the person's reformulation in the World to Come. In Beit Hillel's approach, on the other hand, one's "rebirth" is exactly as was one's original birth. In other words, one gets a new slate, just as

Touro College Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center

each person had the first time around. There is no question that both Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai would advocate living life to one's full potential – an honest, ethical, and morally upright existence. Their sons and daughters married one another because they respected each other greatly (Yevamot 14b). In a different realm, they also discussed the merits of living versus never having been born and concluded that now that we are born, we must constantly review, and presumably improve, our deeds (Eruvin 13b). But both approaches to the World to Come provide insight as to the long term merits of one's ethical existence. Beit Shammai would seem to leave little room for error, while Beit Hillel would seem to leave open the possibility that no one is perfect, and every one of us will have the chance to try again to "get it right" in a world-to-come existence. May we merit to get it right the first time, with no regrets.

The Jewish Star newspaper (Long Island, NY)

CLE CREDIT AVAILABLE

is pleased to host the

2012 Conference of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools (RALS) May 2 - 4, 2012

“The Place of Religion in the Law School, the University and the Practice of Law”

Leading scholars from across the country, representing a wide range of universities and religious traditions, will gather together with nationally renowned judges and lawyers, to examine important issues and foster discussion about the place of religion in the law school, the university, and the practice of law. Distinguished speakers include: • Adrienne Asch – Director of the Center for Ethics and the Edward and Robin Milstein Professor of Bioethics, Yeshiva University • Michael Broyde - Professor of Law and Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion, Emory University School of Law • Associate Judge Karen C. Friedman - District Court of Maryland • Hon. Alvin K. Hellerstein - United States District Judge, Southern District of New York • Charles J. Hynes - District Attorney, Brooklyn, New York • Richard M. Joel - President and Bravmann Family University Professor, Yeshiva University • Dr. Alan Kadish - President, Touro College • Roberta Rosenthal Kwall - Raymond P. Niro Professor of Intellectual Property Law and Co-Director, DePaul University College of Law Center for Jewish Law and Judaic Studies KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: • Nathan Lewin, Esq. – Founding Partner, Lewin & Lewin, LLP • The Hon. Loretta A. Preska - Chief Judge, United States District Court for the Southern District of New York The Conference of Religiously Affiliated Law Schools is held every two years, and in the past has been held at: Marquette, Regent, St. John's, Pepperdine, Notre Dame, Baylor, Boston College, and Brigham Young University. This year will mark the first time the conference is held at a school with a Jewish affiliation.

For more information, please contact Samuel J. Levine, Professor of Law and Director of the Jewish Law Institute at (631) 761-7138 or slevine@tourolaw.edu or visit www.tourolaw.edu/rals2012.

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ue to their not (yet) having been translated by the Jewish publishing houses, much of the midrashic library is a treasure-trove of untouched gemstone mines. It is particularly fertile ground for rabbis to utilize in homiletical discourses, because not all midrash is meant to be understood literally. Frankly, much of midrash can not be understood literally – an essential point to bear in mind before exploring any midrashic passage. It is fascinating to read through certain midrashim – and without the crutch of a translation, because it leaves the midrash open to interpretation, as well as the derivation of either important lessons, important messages, or both. Parshat Tazria opens with the laws and practices surrounding giving birth and the aftermath of a boy’s or a girl's arrival, vis-à-vis the baby's mother's reRabbi Avi Billet sponsibilities. The Yalkut Shimoni on Tazria 547 recounts a debate between Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel in which they differ over how the fetus develops versus how a parallel development takes place in the World to Come. Beit Shammai says "In this world, the flesh

THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

Parshat Tazria-Metzora

April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Representatives speak out at Yom Hashoah vigil By Larry Domnitch Despite torrential rain, hundreds of New Yorkers turned out for a Yom Hashoah vigil at the Iranian UN Mission, on Sunday April 22, to express their concerns over Iran’s nuclear weapons program and its sponsorship of global terror. Three members of the U.S. House of Representatives, three members of the New York State Assembly and some local community leaders attended as well. The event was sponsored by the Yom Hashoah Mobilization Committee, an umbrella for a conglomerate of organizations, led by Lynne and Nissim Tamam and assisted by Dr. Paul Brody and Jeff Wiesenfeld. Some of those organizations include the National Council of Young Israel, the Zionist Organization of America, (ZOA), New York Association of Holocaust Survivors, Friends of Ateret Cohanim/Jerusalem Chai, and Americans for a Safe Israel (AFSI). Some New York Association Holocaust Survivors members wore yellow stars of David to commemorate the stars they were forced to wear under Nazi occupation. Association leader Fira Stuckelman recalled the horrors that occurred during the Nazi Holocaust. She stated that she is one of the few survivors from a large family and declared that “we must not remain silent, never again.” According to Pastor James David Manning of the ATLAH World Missionary Church in Harlem there is a growing anti-Semitism not just from Iran, but among peoples of all colors and races and that must be met with a response. Manning warned that, “Nations and peoples are turning their backs on you.” He then pledged, “I will lift up my voice.” “Seventy years ago, when Hitler said he would wipe the Jews off the face of the earth, the threat was tragically dismissed as empty rhetoric,” Assemblyman Rory Lancman (DQueens) said. “Today, when we hear Ahmedinejad echoing Hitler’s call for the destruction of Jews, we know that the threat is real, and we must be prepared to use our military

Photos by Ari Kagan

Above, Holocaust survivor Fira Stukelman speaking at Yom Hashoah vigil with other survivors, and from left, Assemblyman Rory Lancman, Cantor Eric Stern, community leader Jeff Wiesenfeld of Great Neck. At right, Great Neck residents Dr. Paul Brody, left, with vigil organizers Lynne Bursky Tammam and husband Nessim.

power to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear capability and fulfilling their malicious and malevolent dream of a world that is Judenfrei.” While some of the speakers differed on the position of the Obama administration vis-àvis preventing a nuclear Iran, they all agreed that Iran must not be allowed to possess nuclear weapons and that the threats leveled by the Iranian regime must be taken seriously. New York State Assemblyman, Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) challenged the posture of the

Obama administration, accusing it of changing positions on issues. This was a reference to Obama’s immediate backtracking on his first address before the AIPAC Convention in 2008, in which he stated that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel. Hikind expressed skepticism that Obama is really in Israel’s corner and is determined to prevent a nuclear Iran. Referring to the threat from Iran, “This is real” he said. Congressman Bob Turner, (R-NY) de-

scribed what is currently a “difficult timeline” regarding the Iranian nuclear program, criticizing the administration’s decision to allow Iran five weeks to continue to develop its nuclear arsenal during the latest round of negotiations as an “awful mistake that hopefully we can recover from.” Regarding Iranian threats against Israel, U.S. Representative Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) stated, “If we have learned anything from the history of the last century, when someone says ‘I intend to kill,’ he must be taken seriously.” Nadler added, “War must be a last resort.” He called for continuing sanctions to “squeeze” Iran economically, but warned of the possibility of military action. According to U.S. Representative Carolyn Maloney, (D-NY) a nuclear Iran “could blackmail the world….It could have the ability to do in minutes what took the Nazis six years.” Maloney stated emphatically, “We must make sure that Iran does not develop nuclear weapons--period,” and emphasized that “Israel has the right and sole discretion to take whatever steps necessary to defend its own people.” She added that a “nuclear Iran is a threat not only to Israel, but to the entire world.” Assemblyman David Weprin (D-Queens) expressed regret at the audience Iranian dictator Mahmud Ahmedinejad had received at the United Nations over the past few years and made reference to Ahmedinejad’s denials of the Holocaust and that “The more someone speaks the language of Holocaust denial, the more credibility it will have.” Weprin exhorted the audience to continue to speak out. He ended with the words, “Am Yisrael Chai” (The Nation of Israel Lives). At the conclusion, Rabbi Yaakov Lerner of the Young Israel of Great Neck recited Psalms and Rabbi Dale Polakoff of the Great Neck Synagogue recited the payer for the State of Israel. Cantor Eric Stern of the Manhattan Jewish Experience led the introductory American Anthem and the concluding Hatikvah.

Annual CommunityWide Yom Hashoah Commemoration at Congregation Beth Sholom Survivors Bronia and Jakub Rybsztajn of Woodmere light a candle in commemoration of Yom Hashoah. They are accompanied by daughter Jennifer and sons David and Austin, daughter-in-law Brenda and Brenda and David’s children.

Photo by Donovan Berthoud

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miliar to me for a long time, but I never really knew who he was, and I never had the chance to meet him, or to meet his very special family, until one year on Memorial Day. I had seen them before, and even shared some of their most personal moments, but I never wanted to intrude…. Chaim, you see, is close to a very close and old friend of mine, in fact, he is about as close as you can get; his grave lies next to Dani’s on Mount Herzl, Israel’s National Military Cemetery Dani Moshitz of blessed memory, is still, and will always be to me, 20 years old, which is how old he was when he was killed in an ambush at the Kasmiyeh Bridge in Lebanon, in 1985. He was killed just two days after Chaim of blessed memory, who was 27 at the time. Chaim was doing a 16 day stint of reserve duty in Lebanon when a Hezbollah terrorist drove his car bomb into their safari truck, killing him, along with eleven other soldiers on patrol in Southern Lebanon. Every year at Yeshivat Orayta on Yom HaZikaron, Israel’s national Memorial Day, the thought of staying isolated in our study hall in the Old City of Jerusalem while the entire country gathers in her cemeteries and memorials to remember those who fell in defense of the State of Israel, conflicts with the equally strong desire not to allow such a holy day to pass without the study of Torah, which after all, is the reason we had a home to come back to after 2,000 years. So every year we study Torah together at the entrance of Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, after which many of the students join me at Dani’s grave to pay our respects. At precisely 11:00 A.M. a siren sounds, and the entire State of Israel grinds to a halt for a moment of silence. Radio and television broadcasts are interrupted, traffic stops and people get out of their cars, pedestrians on crowded streets all over Israel stand at attention and bow their heads, and even children stand in silence as an entire Nation takes a moment

OHEL, JCC of the Greater Five Towns, in conjunction with SKA High School for Girls & DRS Yeshiva High School For Boys

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RABBI SIMCHA FEUERMAN, LCSW-R Director, OHEL Community Mental Health Services Also featuring recent Israel program alumni from local yeshivot and veteran parents to provide up-to-date information on what to expect and what to watch out for.

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vivor and marries him, and they Hebraicise their names to take on the family name of Avner, as her original family name was Lichtenstein, licht, meaning candle or ‘ner’, and shtein, meaning stone, or ‘even’, hence the name Avner: Candle to father’s memory…. So how does such a woman continue after receiving, years later, that awful knock on the door from three Israeli Army Officers, come to tell her she has lost her beloved son, Chaim, a word meaning life? And most incredible, how does she sit next to his grave, with her Concentration camp number tattooed on her arm, sitting just inches from the Army I.D. number engraved on her son’s grave, and yet with a smile on her face? And how does she find the strength to smile and to say to me, with almost a grin, “yehiyeh tov,” it will be good…? Indeed, this is the unasked question of the double-portion we will read this week in Israel: AchareiMot – Kedoshim, which literally means ‘After the death of holy ones ’: How does one follow such loss? From whence do we succeed in garnering strength and even hope, after such painful losses and challenging setbacks? I am not sure whether we are meant to answer that question in this world, but as we remember those who fell that we might have a State, and then celebrate the blessing of being the generation that almost takes it for granted, stories like the Avner family’s remind me that we have more strength than we even imagine. Shabbat Shalom, and Chag Ha’Atzmaut Sameach, (Happy Israel Independence Day!) From Jerusalem, Binny Freedman Rav Binny Freedman, Rosh Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem’s Old City is a Company Commander in the IDF reserves, and lives in Efrat with his wife Doreet and their four children. His weekly Internet ‘Parsha Bytes’ can be found at www.orayta.org

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to remember what it took, and how many gave up so much that we might be privileged to have a State and a homeland to call our own. And as the moment ends, and the siren winds down, a very special Israeli Air force flight of four jets flying over Jerusalem crosses the airspace over the Old City, and one lone jet, peels off and flies up into the sky until no longer visible, representing all the lonely soldiers who will never come home to the beloved arms of waiting mothers and fathers, spouses and siblings, children and close friends…. And in that moment one year, I found myself standing over the grave once again of Dani, my old and yet forever young friend who took me under his wing and remains ingrained in my memory, as one of those who helped to transform me from an American visitor, to an Israeli. I had a stone in my pocket I had brought back from Mila 18, the bunker which was the last stand of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising, and I decided to give it a home this year on Dani’s grave. As I was standing there, I couldn’t help noticing an older woman next to Chaim’s grave who turned out to be his mother. What drew me to talk to her was the number tattooed on her arm…. Originally from Czechoslovakia, she lost her entire family in the Holocaust, and survived Auschwitz at the tender age of sixteen. So what does a sixteen-year-old girl, with no one and nothing in the world, do in 1945? She somehow manages to smuggle herself into Israel and builds a beautiful family that is representative not only of her decision that life has to triumph over death, and good over evil, but also of the indomitable spirit of an entire people, that over two thousand years of pain and suffering refused to give up their dream of one day coming home at last to the land of Israel from whence they had been so cruelly exiled so long ago…. Eventually she meets a fellow Holocaust sur-

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edicated to the memory of the Israeli soldiers whose selfless sacrifice gave and gives us a State we can call our own, including: My cousin Major Benji Hillman z”l of blessed memory , a Company Commander in the elite Egoz unit of Golani, killed just three weeks after his wedding, in the summer of 2006, in the second Lebanon War, while leading his men into battle. Yosef Yitzchak Goodman z”l of blessed memory, an Israeli paratrooper who was tragically killed in 2006 while on a training mission in the elite Maglan paratrooper special forces unit. Daniel Mandel z”l of blessed memory, who was killed in 2001, commanding a mission in Nablus to capture wantFROM THE HEART ed terrorists responsible OF JERUSALEM for the deaths of over thirty Israelis. Dvir Mor Chaim z”l of blessed memory, a former student killed while in Lebanon on patrol a few short kilometers from reaching the Israeli border and safety. Aaron (Areleh’) Friedman, crushed by a tank in a tragic accident in 1986. Rabbi Binny Dani Moshits and DaFreedman vid Cohen, close friends killed in an ambush in Lebanon in 1985. Sharon Segev, my former commander, killed by accidental gunfire in 1984. Uri Farraj, killed in a tragic training accident in 1983. His name was Chaim; Chaim Avner, a name fa-

THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

After the death of holy ones…

Hebrew only please!

CLASSIFIEDS

The story of the battle in Bint Jbail during the second Lebanon War in 2006, and the sacrifice of Ro’i Klein, deputy commander of Golani 51, who died at the age of 31, after throwing himself on a grenade to save his men as he called out the Shma.

Ro’i Klein, a true hero, for Yom Hazikaron

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19 THE JEWISH STAR April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772

The Kosher Critic

Prime Butcher Baker—a cut above the rest

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rom the minute I walked into Prime Butcher Baker, the latest creation from the Prime Group, every ounce of jaded elitism that I may have developed over the years abandoned me. Part of the problem with writing about food is that you find yourself sampling so many gourmet items and going to so many impressive places that you can find yourself taking for granted things that are THE KOSHER truly wonderful. But CRITIC this butcher shop on the Upper East Side immediately vanquished any sense of “oh well, I’ve seen something like that before” that I may have had. To put it mildly, Prime Butcher Baker is glorious. The first thing you see when you walk to the door of Prime Butcher Baker is the visible portion of their Zechariah Mehler aging room just beyond their front window. This aging room is used by the butcher part of the store to dry age their beef and create their home made cured meats. Picture a large wooden room filled with gleaming metal racks all packed with huge sides of beef. Dangling from the sealing are clean looking lining packages filled with bresaola and salami. The front of the store is the portion dedicated to the butcher shop. It’s a long and beautiful case filled with perfectly cut pieces

of beef, lamb and veal. The thing I noticed was that not only was this case filled with the average hard to find cut of meat like a full veal breast or an entire crown roast, but it also contained cuts of meat I didn’t even know you could find kosher, most notably Porterhouse steaks. Porterhouse steaks are essentially a t-bone but cut from the rear end of the short loin so that the steak contains a portion of New York Strip steak and tenderloin. Tenderloin however is problematic because it contains the deeply unkosher sciatic nerve. Though there are kosher butchers that go through the arduous process of removing the nerve to be able to sell the tenderloin they are few and far between and I have never seen a piece of tenderloin still attached to the bone that had been given this kosher preparation. Just above where the meat is presented is a counter containing the cured meats and delicacies. This section was my personal nirvana because it housed items that I had been dying to try for years. Things like the aforementioned bresaola which is top round that has been cured and air dried for several months and then sliced paper thin. Its flavor is beefy and salty and yet oddly delicate. There was also duck breast prosciutto which I consider to be one of the holy grails of kosher food. (No, the irony of that statement is not lost on me) The duck prosciutto is rich and fatty and melts in your mouth. It is one of the best things I have ever eaten. I also sampled the veal pate which was the best chopped liver I have ever had but slightly more compact and flavorful. These offerings are just a smattering of what the butcher has to offer and had

I had the time or the stomach space I could have spent the rest of my day chatting with the helpful and friendly staff while I nibbled on dozens of different deli meats, sausages and items from the charcuterie. Prime Butcher Baker is far from limited to just meat. They also offer a wide variety of excellent looking seafood and they have a prepared food section that allows customers to purchase take home versions of some of the dishes you find at Prime Grill, Prime Ko and Solo as well as a plethora of Prime Butcher Baker’s own prepared selections. In the back is the bakery where all the Prime Group’s restaurants’ deserts are created daily. Patrons can also buy parve cakes, cookies, muffins and pastries all of which are amazing.

Overall I would say that Prime Butcher Baker is more than just a butcher shop and prepared food store. It is the next step towards creating a kosher environment that desires not just to purchase their meat in prepared Styrofoam packages but to connect with the person responsible for cutting it. This leads to a better understanding of what cut of meat you are buying and how best to prepare it. So if you find yourself eyeing your grill and wondering what would be best to put on it, make the pilgrimage to Prime Butcher Baker and ask one of the guys behind the counter to help you out. Zechariah Mehler is a widely published food writer and expert in social marketing. Follow him on Twitter @thekoshercritic

Rabbi Yaakov Neuburger Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS

To Tell or Not to Tell Issues Related to Family Health and Genetics

Mrs. Mindy Eisenman YUConnects

Panel discussion presented by the Program for Jewish Genetic Health of Yeshiva University with YUConnects®

;\LZKH` 4H` r W T

Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst 8 Spruce Street, Cedarhurst

Ms. Chani Wiesman Genetic Counselor, Program for Jewish Genetic Health

And featuring Dr. Gila Schwerd Clinical Psychologist ©2012 Yeshiva University

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For more information, e-mail jewishgenetichealth@yu.edu

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April 27, 2012 • 5 IYAR 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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