May 17, 2013

Bookworm: New commentaries on Bamidbar Page 5 Who’s in the kitchen: wraps up salmon Page 7 Over a thousand attend Agudah dinner Page 10 First YU Dead Sea Scroll conference Page 11

THE JEWISH

STAR

VOL 12, NO 19 Q MAY 17, 2013 / 8 SIVAN 5773

WWW.THEJEWISHSTAR.COM

FIDF helps MD run, bike and hike

By Malka Eisenberg

Photo courtesy of Elad Schanin

A new walking prosthetic will enhance Gur’s quality of life.

During the first Lebanon War in 1982, a captain in the elite Shaldag Israeli Air Force commando unit was injured in Syria and lost his right leg from the knee down. He had been an avid bike rider and fast runner. At age 23 he was fitted with an immediate prosthetic leg and had rehabilitation for three weeks.

He applied to medical school. He remained in a non-combat role for a half year and started medical school in September 1983 at Tel Aviv University.

Now a noted plastic surgeon, Dr. Eyal Gur came to Long Island as part of the Friends of the Israel Defense Forces (FIDF) Strides Program that provides Israeli amputee veterans with advanced prosthetics to enable sports activity. He currently heads the plastic surgery department at Sourasky (Ichilov) Medical Center in Tel Aviv. Gur is

married and has three children.

Gur’s initial prosthetic leg was an “older generation prosthetic,” he said, “solid bulk with no dynamics.” The newer ones allowed some running “but not true running for long distance.

The new prosthetic fitted to me has no high tech electronics but the materials are a super strong carbon fiber substance that serves as a bouncing spring and shock absorber that pushes you forward for fast motion. It looks like a deer foot; it’s fast and springy (It looks like a metal spatula).”

He spent days here trying to “find the right angle and right vectors to act on the pedal” of the bicycle and uses special shoes with clips that fasten on to the pedals. Through this program, he was fitted with three different legs.

“They are available only in the last several years, but you could not get them Continued on page 3

Shalhevet, Rambam to protest at UN Human rights official blames U.S. for terror attack

By Malka Eisenberg Hundreds of Rambam Mesivta protesters will rally at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza outside the United Nations at 1 PM on Monday, followed by another vigil by Midreshet Shalhevet High School at 2 PM, to call for the ouster of Richard A. Falk from his U.N. position.

Falk was appointed by the United Nations Human rights council to a sixyear term in 2008 as a United Nations Special Rapporteur on “the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied since 1967,” itself a politically distorted title, this after a long history of anti-Israel comments and views. He was recently criticized for posting an anti-Semitic cartoon on his website.

In response to the Boston Marathon

bombing, Falk stated, “We in this country should not be too surprised given our drone attacks…in Afghanistan and Pakistan…is this not a kind of retribution for torture inflicted by American security forces?”

As for the Boston Marathon attack, Falk opined that, “the somewhat hysterical Boston dragnet for the remaining at large and alive suspect does suggest that the wounds of 9/11 are far from healed…we should be asking ourselves at this moment ‘How many canaries will have to die before we awaken from our geopolitical fantasy of global domination?’” He also condemned Israel, “As long as Tel Aviv has the compliant ear of the American political establishment, those who wish for peace and justice in the world should not rest easy.”

United States Representative Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania has led members of Congress in calling upon United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to have Falk removed from his post.

Rabbi Zev Friedman, Dean of Rambam Mesivta High School and Shalhevet High School for Girls, noted that Falk is essentially justifying the terror attacks. His comments, “hit a raw nerve,” continued Rabbi Friedman, he is “blaming the victims not the terrorist: it’s an outrage.” He added that Falk has compared Israelis to Nazis and he is a supporter of terrorists.

“The purpose of the rally is to further publicize who this guy is--he should be forced to step down or be fired.” He added that Falk should be

Photo by Three Star Photographers

Marcus Lehmann, dances with his son Yehoshua.

From left Dr. Paul Brody, holding Israeli flag, Dr. Elliott Greenfield; Steve Malzberg, Dr. Joe Frager, Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, keynote speaker.

Celebrating Jerusalem’s Redeemers

By Daniel Perez Two speakers demonstrated a formidable show of support for Jerusalem and Israel at Ateret Cohanim’s dinner on Yom Yerushalayim. Newsmax radio show host Steve Malzberg lauded Ateret Cohanim’s “fine work to establish Jerusalem as the one and only undivided capital of the State of Israel forever” and lambasted Secretary of State John Kerry for his support of the Saudi “peace plan” and his equating “the death of an eight-year-old boy who was blown up on purpose, with the death of terrorists who were fighting when [Israeli sol-

Continued on page 2 Continued on page 3

Shabbat Candlelighting: 7:49 p.m. Shabbat ends 8:55 p.m. 72 minute zman 9:20 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Nasso. Shavuot: Wednesday and Thursday

Stay up to date with The Jewish Star Receive our weekly newsletter. Sign up at newsroom@ thejewishstar.com

Like us on Facebook The Jewish Star newspaper (Long Island, NY)

Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/ JewishStarNY

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID GARDEN CITY, NY 11530 PERMIT NO 301

Visit us on the web at www. thejewishstar.com

diers] boarded the (Mavi Marmara) ship.”

Another speaker, Lieutenant Colonel U.S. Army (ret.) Ralph Peters, in an interview prior to his address, commended Israel as “the only civilizing force in the Middle East.

The culture of the Arab world, and of Iran, had a great run centuries ago.

But over the last several centuries, it has broken down...it has become— and it is not politically correct to say it—barbaric.

Barbaric in its treatment of women, in its corruption, in its lack of a work ethic, its lack of respect for education, and in its fundamental tyranny on a political, social, and even

Ateret Cohanim gala

To subscribe:

Inside

The Jewish Star Classified Ads Hebrew Only Please!

Kosher Bookworm On the Calendar Parsha Politico to Go Who’s in the Kitchen

15 6 5 12 6 4 7

How to reach us: Our offices at 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530 are open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every weekday, with early closing as necessary on Erev Shabbat. Contact us via e-mail or telephone as listed below.

Advertising hparsons@thejewishstar.com 516-569-4000 extension 290 Manhattan & Queens rglickman@thejewishstar.com 516-569-4000 extension 250 Classified ereynolds@thejewishstar.com Community Calendar items jscalendar@thejewishstar.com Letters to the Editor letters@thejewishstar.com News and Sports items newsroom@thejewishstar.com Press Releases pressreleases@thejewishstar.com

what we do. And I think it’s crucial that we continue, and G-d should give us the strength and fortitude to do just that.�

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind. spoke for his wife, Jerusalem Chai Executive VP Shani Hikind, who was sitting shiva. “There are a lot yeshivot, a lot of hospitals, and a lot of great causes, but there’s only one Jerusalem,â€? Hikind said. “What Ateret Cohanim does is just amazing... If not for Ateret Cohanim, Jews would not be living in the Old City in the [Muslim, Christian and Armenian] Quarters....What Ateret Cohanim does is to make sure that Jews are living in every part of Jerusalem....You have these young families who move in, who are committed, dedicated, and not afraid ‌ because they believe in the cause and they understand [the importance of what they are doing].â€?

Following speeches by conservative radio show host Steve Malzberg and foreign affairs expert Lt. Col. (ret.) Ralph Peters, we spoke with Dr. Paul Brody, a member of the Jerusalem Chai Executive Board who, along with his wife Drora helped chair the evening’s event, offered his own reections on the night’s proceedings. Brody, who led those assembled in the singing of the Israeli national anthem, mentioned how honored he felt to have been selected for the task, and spoke glowingly of the evening’s guests of honor. “The honorees were magniďŹ cent,â€? said Brody with a smile. “Nobody really mentioned it tonight, but Shani Hikind always likes to say that it really ought to be called the ‘Kotel Quarter,’ not the ‘Muslim Quarter.’â€? he added. “We’re really trying to re-inhabit something that was ours before. So Ateret Cohanim is striving to put Jews back in places they used to be.â€? For more information go to JerusalemChai.org.

Daniel Perez is a freelance writer and media consultant based in New York. His work has appeared on Arutz Sheva, Yeshiva World News, and numerous other media outlets in print and online. He can be contacted at Daniel@PerezConsulting.org.

Continued from page 1 familial level....To me, when I look at Israel, I see not only a Jewish state rebuilt on the ancient Jewish homeland, I see an outpost of the civilization in which I believe‌. to me, Israel is a beacon of justice, for rule of law, humanity, decency, culture... in short, Israel belongs to the Jews; it belongs to my civilization‌. I believe that it is important for nonJewish Americans to actively support Israel, and to...educate our fellow Americans about the reality, as opposed to the often twisted and perverse version of Israel you get in the press, where the Israelis are somehow the aggressors, and Hamas and Hezbollah, who are raining rockets down on Israeli children, are somehow the good guys... this is madness!�

Yom Yerushalayim—the holiday commemorating the reuniďŹ cation of Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty in 1967—came a day early for many New Yorkers as the American Friends of Ateret Cohanim (also known as “Jerusalem Chaiâ€?) celebrated the organization’s 34th anniversary at the Elite Palace in Queens. Among Monday night’s many dignitaries: Rabbi Yaakov and Rebbetzin Elana Kermaier of the 5th Avenue Synagogue, recipients of Jerusalem Chai’s Rabbinic Leadership Award; Jack & Barbara Beyda and Marcus and Sara Lehmann, who were honored as Bonei Yerushalayim (“Builders of Jerusalemâ€?); and William and Mark Langfan, a father and son who received the organization’s Oheiv Yisrael (“Lover of Israelâ€?) Award. The event presented a number of dynamic speakers, including members of Ateret Cohanim/ Jerusalem Chai’s senior leadership, talk radio host Steve Malzberg, and a keynote address by political commentator and bestselling author U.S. Army Lt. Col. Ralph Peters.

Dr. Joseph Frager, chairman of the organization’s executive council, said: “It’s a great privilege for American Jews to help Eretz Yisrael, especially Yerushalayim. The fact is that we do count, and our brethren in Israel, the Israeli public, need our support. They’re doing the hard work of living over there, but we can do a lot of hard work over here, doing

The Star is available free of charge in many kosher food establishments, other stores, synagogues and street-side news boxes in Nassau County and New York City. To have The Star mailed to your home or office each week call our circulation department at 516-622-7461, extension 7. You may charge your subscription to VISA, Mastercard or American Express. Subscriptions in Nassau County or Far Rockaway are $9 per quarter, charged to your credit card, or $48 per year by cash or check. Elsewhere in New York, New Jersey or around the United States, they are $15 per quarter on your credit card or $72 per year. Please allow four weeks to begin delivery.

&ODVV RI &ROOHJH $FFHSWDQFHV 2XU VWXGHQWV DUH DWWHQGLQJ WKH IROORZLQJ XQLYHUVLWLHV Princeton University

*Baruch College

*Columbia University

*Hunter College

University of Pennsylvania

University of Massachusetts-Amherst

*Cornell University

*University of Maryland

*Barnard College

*Bar Ilan University

*The Cooper Union

Indiana University

*New York University

University of Denver

Please call 516-622-7461 during regular business hours and ask for The Star classified department. All classified ads are payable in advance. We accept all major credit cards.

*Brandeis University

University of Hartford

*Yeshiva University Honors

Eugene Lang/The New School

News and Calendar Items:

*Yeshiva University

*Parsons School of Design

University of Michigan

New York Institute of Technology

Boston University

Fashion Institute of Technology

*Macaulay Honors College/CUNY

Tel Aviv University

*Binghamton University

Kingsborough Community College

Albany University

*Nassau Community College

*Queens College

*Multiple attending

To place a display ad: Reservations, art and copy for display advertising in the general news sections of The Star must be in our office by Tuesday at 1 p.m. for publication that week. An advertising representative will gladly assist you in preparing your message. Please e-mail or call for an appointment.

To place a classified ad:

News releases of general interest must be in our office by Friday at noon to be considered for publication the following week.

Releases for our On the Calendar section must be in our office by Wednesday at 5 p.m. to be considered for publication the following week. To report a breaking news story or for further information call 516-622-7461 ext. 291 or e-mail newsroom@thejewishstar.com.

Letters to the editor: The Star provides an open forum for opinions and welcomes letters to the editor. Letters should be e-mailed, must be signed, and should be accompanied by an address and daytime phone number for verification. You may offer longer submissions for inclusion on our Opinion pages. Letters and Opinion articles must be in our office by noon Friday to be considered for publication the following week.

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

2

Continued from page 1 in Israel. The Strides Project by FIDF promoted and donated not just the trip, the stay and three prosthesis for each of the disabled veterans but also invests in qualifying a same institute in Israel to be able and manufacture such legs to the rest of Israelis that wish to improve their sport activity, life style and health. I have received here a third – walking/daily use leg which is advanced and dynamic as well. They are training the Israeli workshop to support them in the coming years and then start and fit those legs.”

Eight disabled veterans participated in the project last year and nine will get the prosthesis this year. Gur noted that the need for prosthesis is proportional here and in Israel in young survivors of car accidents, war, or terrorist attacks, such as in Boston. In Israel, the IDF supports the amputee soldier; civilians will get prosthesis through the government or Kupat Cholim (Israeli HMOs). Gur was fitted for running, biking and daily use legs.

“The prosthesis is custom made specifically for each amputee,” explained Gur. “At the day of my arrival here, they took measurements and in three hours the first walking leg was ready. Two hours later the running leg was there and (I) ran 100 meters. By the third day, the biking--which is the more complex one--was ready and I have cycled. At each day, apart of the measurements and fitting process that was occasionally painful, there was full support from the team in terms of my physical needs (physiotherapy, mental support), running trainer, biking trainer, etc… By the last day I was able to hike in complex terrain, run three miles and bike off road for longer distances. They are totally efficient and warm in A Step Ahead which is the name of the institute.”

His prosthesis was provided by the FIDF Strides Program.

It provides wounded IDF veterans with special prosthetics for athletics, focusing on leg amputees, and brings groups of veterans together to participate as a group in running, bike riding and other sports activities. It instills in them new confidence and joy of living and physical activity. The program partnered with A Step Ahead Prosthetics & Orthotics in Hicksville, Long Island. A Step Ahead also has branches in Boston and Haifa. The stated goal of A Step Ahead is to give patients the tools, information, and resources necessary to allow them to achieve their goals. They provide healthcare,

Photos courtesy of Elad Schanin

An amputee who lost his right leg in the first Lebanon War, Dr. Eyal Gur ran for the first time in 30 years after receiving one of his three new prostheses. advocacy, and educational services to help patients live life without limitations. They design and fit customized prostheses for patients of all ages and functional levels and coordinate the patient’s rehabilitation with their physician and other members of the rehabilitation team.

Gur’s goal is to complete a 10K run, improve his off road biking skills, and continue as head of the plastic surgery department while allowing more time “for improving my physical condition,” he said.

At times he is called upon to combine his experience with his artificial leg with his work in plastic surgery. “In many times I am called by the orthopedic surgeon to support and help decide whether a young patient involved with a MVA (motor vehicle accident) is a candidate for extremity salvage or amputation. This is a very emotional scenario for me where I am trying to stay professional but know which obstacles the guy will have to go through if he loses his leg or in contrast if we salvaged the limb but it is chronically injured and painful where a sport prosthesis may give him a better quality of life.”

Bike riding will become more commonplace for Dr. Eyal Gur since he now has a prosthetic right leg especially made for cycling.

Established in 1981 by Holocaust survivors, FIDF cares and provides for the men and women of the IDF and families of fallen soldiers. FIDF facilitates and supports educational, social, cultural and recreational programs for members of the IDF. The Long Island Chapter of FIDF will be holding its 2nd Annual Five Towns and Greater South Shore Community Event on May 22nd at The Sephardic Temple. For more information go to www.fidf.org/FTGSS.

Shalhevet, Rambam to protest Falk’s comments at UN Continued from page 1 discredited and condemned. The United States, said Friedman, a major financial supporter of the human rights commission, “should cut off funding to the human rights commission until he is removed. It’s unconscionable that Falk can remain a representative of the United Nations and member of the human rights commission. It’s an absurdity! It’s very clear that he has exhibited bias and hatred to both the United States and Israel and he has to be removed immediately.”

“At Shalhevet, the girls are taught the importance of getting involved in the world around us,” explained Midreshet

Shalhevet menahelet (principal) Esther Eisenman. “The school will attend the rally to impress the importance of the issues to the community at large, but more importantly the rally was planned and organized by the students themselves who researched the issue and contacted political leaders last week.”

“I felt it was a good opportunity to learn that we can make a difference even as high school students,” said Shalhevet student Emma Seligson. “I feel that it is important to learn how to communicate with public officials in high school so that we can use it the rest of our lives,” noted fellow stu-

dent Shoshi Gross. Another student, Noa Eliach noted the importance of the rally, that “it teaches us to stand up for what we believe in.”

“The purpose of the rally,” added Rabbi Friedman, “is to call attention to who Falk really is and to participate in putting pressure on parties concerned, whether the United Nations or members of Congress, to cut off funding to the Human Rights commission until he is removed. It really is an outrage.”

Photo courtesy of Shalhevet

Rabbi Zev Friedman, Dean of Rambam Mesivta and of Midreshet Shalhevet explains the purposes and necessities of rallies and how to coordinate activities to get the message across.

Photo courtesy of Shalhevet

Shalhevet students at a rally planning session.

THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773

FIDF helps Israeli veteran MD run, bike and hike

3

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

4

Opinion Dear Benghazi Hearing critics: Don’t Americans deserve to learn if they’ve been lied to?

L

ast week’s Benghazi hearings were a disappointment. The testimony and the probing questions from the Republican members of Congress were all up to professional standards, America learned much more about what happened on 9/11/12 (although there is still more to learn). The continual bloviating and political talking points of the Democrats were at times disgusting.

And as for the press, Greg Gutfeld of Fox News’ The Five said it best when he described the mainstream media as President Obama’s “scandal condom.”

For the most part, the Republican’s on the POLITICO committee avoided the TO GO long political oratory of the Democrats. And the testimony provided voters with revelations about what happened that horrible day in Benghazi and how it differed from the “official” White House account. The biggest revelations were •Not only were rescue teams not mobiJeff Dunetz lized, nor was permission to fly over Libyan territory requested, one team was actually ordered to stand down. When asked what the Special Forces members’ reaction was to being told to not intervene, Greg Hicks testified: “They were furious. I will quote Lt. Col. Gibson. He said, ‘this is the first time in my career that a diplomat has more b---- than somebody in the military.’”

•The story about the anti-Muslim video causing the attack was an administration creation. Hillary Clinton spoke with Deputy Chief of Mission Greg Hicks around 2 AM during the attack: he told her the embassy was under attack. At no time did Hicks (or any one else involved) mention a protest or a YouTube video. However, the President was

still blaming that video well after the attack when he spoke to the UN. •Not only was additional security requested prior to the attack, but also there is a law that requires missions such as Benghazi mission to have additional security. Under the law, the only person allowed to make the decision to wave the extra security is the Secretary of State. Legally the Secretary is not allowed to delegate that decision. In other words, Clinton either made the decision or broke the law.

•Witnesses were intimidated by the State Department. Hicks was told not to speak to Congressman Chaffetz alone, that a State Department attorney needed to be in the room.

After Ambassador Rice gave the bull story about the video on national TV five times, Hicks called the Department to inquire why she giving that account which lead to him being reamed out and demoted.

What we learned was there was a coverup.

But the Democrats on the Committee saw their jobs as protecting the President and the former Secretary of State.

One by one the Democrats in the room gave the exact same talking points...”we should be implementing the recommendation by the Accountability Review Board and moving on--My colleagues on the other side are politicizing this issue and if the GOP let us spend more money this kind of stuff wouldn’t happen.”

That last one was the most incredible because even after Chairman Issa reminded the panel that Charlene Lamb testified back in October that what happened on 9/11/12 had nothing to do with the budget, they persisted on raising the point. It was almost as if they had nothing else to say.

Perhaps the most disgusting was Representative Elijah Cummings who began the hearings with a tome about himself and giving a eulogy at a friend’s funeral and saying, “Death is part of life.” Almost as if he was saying…OK people died---get over it!

The he went on to reminded the witness-

es that they need to “protect” their fellow employees at the State Department and he needed to protect others from scandal.

But it was the mainstream media who really showed their lack of concern for the truth.

Time Magazine’s Joe Klein said the Republicans were simply chasing their tails.

In the headline of its report, the Associated Press downplayed the official hearings of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee--that has both Democrats and Republicans on it--into the failures surrounding the 2012 attacks on our embassy personnel in Benghazi, Libya. The AP characterized the official hearings as “GOP hearings,” making the proceedings seem like a mere political witch-hunt.

The AP piece written by Donna Cassata was headlined, “GOP Benghazi hearing stokes political controversy.”

The hearing on Benghazi was not a “GOP hearing,” but instead it was an official hearing of the House, with representatives of both parties sitting at the head of the proceedings.

The bias in the piece doesn’t begin and end in the headline, either. Cassata inserts her opinion into the description of the day’s events as well. Her fourth paragraph is a perfect example of that bias (emphasis added).

Nearly eight months later, Republicans continue to investigate despite an exhaustive independent review and hours of testimony from senior administration officials.

Others in the media had the same reaction if they said anything at all (Most of the mainstream media spent more time covering the Jodie Arias verdict).

A few days after the congressional hearing, Jonathan Karl of ABC News obtained 12 different versions of the Benghazi talking points with proof that they were extensively edited by the State Department, removing any link of the attack to al-Qaeda and its related group.

Over and over during the hearings we heard members of Congress say the families of the victims deserve the truth. Over and

CONDOLENCES: The Jewish Star would like to express condolences to Mrs. Shani Hikind, Executive Vice President of the American Friends of Ateret Cohanim/Jerusalem Chai, upon the loss of her mother, Mrs. Miriam Kahn, a”h, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, Miriam Bat Yehuda Yitzchok, z”l. Burial was in the Eretz haChaim Cemetery in Beit Shemesh, Israel. Yehay Zichrah Baruch.

THE JEWISH

STAR

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 Editor Account Executives Contributors

Editorial Designer Photo Editor

Malka Eisenberg Helene Parsons Rabbi Avi Billet Jeff Dunetz Juda Engelmayer Rabbi Binny Freedman Alan Jay Gerber Rabbi Noam Himelstein Judy Joszef Kristen Edelman Christina Daly

2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, NY 11530 Phone: 516-622-7461, Fax: 516-569-4942 E-mail: newsroom@thejewishstar.com The Jewish Star is published weekly by The Jewish Star LLC, 2 Endo Boulevard, Garden City, NY 11530.

Subscription rates: $9 per quarter on a credit card in Nassau and Far Rockaway, or $48 a year. Elsewhere in the US, $15 per quarter or $72 a year.

Newsstand Price: $1.

Copyright © 2013 The Jewish Star LLC. All rights reserved.

over yesterday (and today) we heard the Democrats on the committee and the mainstream media deny, cover-up, or simply ignore the truth.

The families of the victims do deserve the truth, but even more so, the American people deserve to know if their leaders lied to them.

Progressives seem to believe that Americans should learn the government’s talking points and believe every single character of every single word. That is not what America is about. We have a tradition of a healthy mistrust of government because of our omnipresent fear of tyranny. We have never followed government talking points like a line of lemmings walking off the cliff...and that’s part of what keeps us free.

We are a forgiving country...sometimes too forgiving. When someone apologizes for screwing up we forgive him or her. Look at the South Carolina special election last Tuesday that gave Mark Sanford a return to public office. The one thing Americans will not tolerate is being lied to. Watergate didn’t drive Nixon from office--it was his denials.

Anthony Weiner might still be in Congress if he hadn’t spent so much time lying about his inappropriate texts.

Yes, there are questions that need to be answered to prevent another attack like what happened at Benghazi, but the question not comprehended by the Democrats on the Committee and the President’s “Scandal Condoms” in the mainstream media is were the American people lied to...and who lied?

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.

Looking for a few good writers!

The Jewish Star invites you to write about your community, your school, your shul, any topic that ties to the Jewish community.

Get a byline, see your name in print and enhance your resume.

Let us know if you would like to be a “stringer”: be the student who covers your school happenings, sports, chesed outings and events, trips, speakers, awards, graduations, reunions--take photos, get quotes from teachers, administrators, students, visitors, parents, speakers. We are looking for students from

all local high schools, and the junior high grades of elementary schools. We’d also like to hear from college students, including, Touro, YU, Stern, Landers, Queens, Brooklyn and local students at out of town schools. Going to learn in Israel nest year? Keep us in mind. Write to us about your experiences, what you hope to accomplish and why you are doing what you are doing.

Contact us at: 516-622-7461 ext 240 or email at: meisenberg@thejewishstar.com

5

Numbers that count: A review of new commentaries on Bamidbar

T

his year we are witnessing the publication of several new English language commentaries on the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar that will definitely warrant your attention. This essay will be the first in a series on this topic.

The first such work is entitled, “Journey of Faith” by Rabbi Yonasan David Arenias. Unlike most other works, the background of the author is absent from this work. Nevertheless, we have to reply on the approbations of three distinguished scholars who vouch for Rabbi Arenias’ credentials.

First, let us consider what Rabbi Berel Wein has to say: “I found your work to be authoritative, insightful and extremely well presented. Anyone Alan Jay Gerber seeking to understand Torah will benefit from reading and studying it. It is a clear and cogent presentation of the words and ideas of the Written Torah as interpreted by the sages of Israel over the ages.”

Other similar sentiments are expressed

by Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz and Rabbi Zev

Leff.

It is the very organization of this work that gives it its quality in both content and scholarship .Let me list to you this as presented in the order from the author himself.

“This work was written with the goal of helping the reader see the entire picture and gain a comprehensive understanding of Sefer Bamidbar. To this end, nine guidelines were followed: 1.An anthology of classic commentaries.

2.Peshat.

3.Major ideas and concepts.

4.Structure.

5.The big picture.

6.The order of the passages.

7.Chronology of events.

8.Themes.

9.Sources.”

The translation of the original Hebrew text is based on the interpretation of Rashi, and whenever he does not explain the text other classic commentators are used.

Each parsha is introduced with a detailed introduction. I will use this coming week’s parsha, Nasso, as an example. The following is the outline of a five page detailed introduction.

Part 1. The Count of the Levi’im Part 2. The Sanctity of the Camp Part 3. The Leaders’ Offerings Each part is explained as part of a de-

tailed introduction to the entire parsha. The language is clear, crisp and most understandable, absent the technical jargon that has cluttered other cognate works on the Chumash.

A guide to this work points to the fact that each parsha is presented in four sections: an outline, and overview, summaries for the theme and the chronology of events, and a running commentary together with extensive footnotes.

This work also contains two appendices, one presenting the parsha summaries, and the second detailing the events of this sefer in chronological order.

As to why this series begins with Bamidbar, I do not know. However, this work is a blessing in that this sefer usually begins its yearly reading cycle on the cusp of the summer when Chumash shiurim are at a premium thus enabling such a work as this to serve as a surrogate for same.

Another work on Bamidbar recently revised in a second printing from the Torah series produced by Kehot Publication Society, employs similar methodology in both content and presentation method. While similar to the previous cited work, this Chumash includes the full Rashi and Onkelos commentaries, a section devoted to the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe’s and his predecessors’ teachings under the heading, “Chasidic In-

sights.”

When needed, a separate section under the heading, “A Closer Look” is added to further elucidate a topic for needed clarification.

Each parsha begins with a detailed overview, as well, as needed, charts, diagrams and illustrations. Also, this work contains a detailed chronology of events relevant to the Haftarot, a listing of orthographic, grammatical, and other irregularities in Bamidbar, and a twelve page detailed bibliography.

It should be noted that the translations to both these two works are elucidated, not literal, and serve as a narrative commentary to the Bible text.

Lastly,on a totally different track, a new all English commentary was just recently published by Maggid Books on Bamidbar that includes commentary from world literature, philosophy, travelogues and even corporate manuals, all blended together into a tradition friendly mode that seeks to explain the text with a contemporary relevance.

Entitled, “Leadership in the Wilderness: Authority and Anarchy in the Book of Numbers”

by Erica Brown, this work will surprise many with its unique presentment of the author’s take on the ongoing upheavals experienced

by Moshe and the Jewish people in the desert and on how the role of leadership plays out in the Biblical narrative all the way through.

Chag Sameach to all.

Celebrating Our 25th Anniversary

Silhouette® Window Shadings

or more with rebates on qualifying purchases of Hunter Douglas window fashions.

You can light up a room.

With Hunter Douglas Silhouette® Window Shadings, you can diffuse and disperse the sun’s rays into soft, pleasing light throughout a room. Save on them now, plus receive a Free LiteRise® cordless lifting system with your purchase. Ask for details today.

www.distinctivewindowfashions.com * Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 4/3/13–6/14/13 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. All rebates will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card. Ask participating dealer for details, rebate form and information on qualifying purchases. This rebate offer may not be combined with any other Hunter Douglas offer or promotion. © 2013 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas.

WE DO REPAIRS

Lenny Koegel 516-594-6010

SAVE $100*

Serving the Five Towns & Surrounding Areas

SAVE APRIL 3 – JUNE 14, 2013

THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773

The Kosher Bookworm

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

6

Parshat Nasso

Hebrew only please!

Sotah-so-good for marriage?

R . Shalom Isaac Mizrachi (Divrei Shalom Responsa YD 9) was asked a question: If a person slaughtered an animal but did not cover the blood, is the meat of the animal permitted to be eaten?

He begins his answer quoting the Shulchan Arukh, who says there is a mitzvah to cover the blood (based on Vayikra 17:13), and the Rama who says that mitzvah is separate from the valid slaughtering which is still good even if he deliberately did not cover the blood.

As in any good responsa where the Shulchan Arukh is the tip of the iceberg, he goes on for pages and pages. He distinguishes between this case and circumstances which arise in the Torah in which an antidote is prescribed for a problem.

Rabbi Avi Billet A slaughtered animal is permitted to be eaten regardless of whether one followed or violated the mitzvah to cover the blood. However, a person would remain ‘tameh’ forever had we not had a mitzvah of the Parah Adumah (Red Heifer). He goes on to say that if we did not have the mitzvah of the Sotah drink (Bamidbar 5 – our parsha), peace would never be attainable for a husband and wife living under a cloud of suspicion and jealousy. The doubts of faithlessness would be enough to force a mandated separation.

As he develops the comparison between covering the blood of the slaughtered animal against the Parah Adumah equation and the Sotah, he further distinguishes between the former and the latter two cases. Without the covering of the blood, one can still derive benefit from the slaughtered animal. But it is only with the ashes of the Red Heifer that one derives the benefit of becoming ‘tahor.’

It is only with the Sotah drink that one derives the benefit of achieving the peace in the home that comes from the divine clarification that leads to a clear conscience.

In explaining how he derives these comparisons from the words of Rashi, the Divrei Shalom says, “Had we not been commanded about the Sotah drink (literally ‘the dirt of Sotah’ which is dissolved in the drink) there would not be peace between husband and wife.”

This final formulation is a little different than before. Earlier he suggested that peace would not be attainable under the circumstance of suspicion, and now he is suggesting that peace would be impossible in general, were the mitzvah of Sotah not in the books.

Is he suggesting that the possibility of undergoing the Sotah embarrassment is meant to be a deterrent? That knowing that “a mere suspicion of faithlessness could be enough to possibly end a marriage” would cause people to be scrupulously attentive to their spouses and to behave in a manner that is, at all times, above suspicion?

Was Sotah, like the mitzvah of the rebellious son (Devarim 21:18-21), which the Talmud (Sanhedrin 71a) claims never happened, a ritual placed in the Torah as a warning and deterrent, simply for us to learn the lesson of how to and how not to behave?

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai abolished the Sotah ritual (Sotah 47a) because, as the Talmud suggests, it did not serve very well as a deterrent during his time.

Nowadays, the idea of Sotah seems so anachronistic, on the one hand, and so chauvinistic on the other. And yet I wonder what such a deterrent would do for marriages today.

There are different ways people look at marriage. Some go into it and are committed to stick with it through thick and thin.

Some have a very special relationship built on a mutual respect, a shared vision of a life, and the ability to communicate well with one another. Some view it as a commitment that will last as long as it feels right. Some might even assume that they will one day become a statistic.

We don’t have the Sotah ritual, but we live in a world in which faithlessness can’t hide forever, only to be exposed in some divine ritual. It eventually comes out. And the inevitable exposé doesn’t stop those (men or women) who will not respect their marriages.

But maybe there is something to a deterrent of some kind. If Rabbi Mizrachi is correct that peace would be impossible for husbands and wives to achieve without the Sotah ritual being “out there,” there are grounds to say that a good number of people will heed the “warning” and will view their marriage commitment as sacred. The “Shalom Bayit” – peace in the home – they will achieve will be elevated by their efforts to renew their love and kinship on a regular basis. They will see only one another, and will never even be tempted to see if there’s someone better out there. And any attempt of the yetzer hara (Evil Inclination) will be scornfully turned aside, because “There is none more beautiful in my eyes, or more appropriate for me than the one to whom I am married.”

May we merit to think of the Sotah ritual in this way, as an encouragement to find and bring out the best in our spouses so that our marriages can be elevated in the Bayit Neeman B’Yisrael we are all blessed at our weddings to build until we reach the age of 120.

The revival of Hebrew Who was arrested by the Ottomans in 1894; when he died in 1922 was refused burial rites by the Chevra Kaddisha; and his 150th birthday was celebrated in 2008 by UNESCO? Hint: he was responsible for the revival of Hebrew as the mother tongue of Jews growing up in Israel, transforming it back into a spoken language ...

By Rabbi Noam Himelstein

Check us out online at

www.thejewishstar.com News, photo galleries, calendar events and more. Plus sign up as a user and add your own photos, events and comment on stories.

Rabbi Noam Himelstein studied in Yeshivat Har Etzion and served in the Tanks Corps of the IDF. He has taught in yeshiva high schools, post-high school women’s seminaries, and headed the Torah MiTzion Kollel in Melbourne, Australia. He currently teaches at Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem, and lives with his wife and six children in Neve Daniel, Gush Etzion.

7

It’s a wrap! amazing cook and baker so I decided to pick her brain. It’s a great dairy main course or appetizer that you can try out for Shavuot.

It’s a great way to prepare salmon for those bored of the usual baked, poached or grilled versions. It’s salmon, Alouette garlic and herb cheese and spinach wrapped in pastry.

How did the custom of wrapping ďŹ sh or meat in pastry come about you ask?

Having embarked on my cruise from England, let’s talk about the different types of pastry that are made in Britain that evolved over the last few centuries. They all evolved from a crude our and water dough mixture invented by the Romans. It was sort of a paste that was wrapped around the main meal before roasting. It wasn’t meant to be eaten, it was just used so that the meat or ďŹ sh would retain its juices and aromas. It was a tough piece of dough without avor and was very chewy and hard to eat. As time passed, changes were made to the dough by adding types of fat and milk. By medieval times, dough (crust) known as coffers started to be as important as the fruit, meat or ďŹ sh it was protecting.

Romans used a variety of meats and ďŹ sh as ďŹ lling and a mixture of our, oil, and water to keep it in. This ‘pastry’ cover was not meant to be eaten and was thrown away.

In combination with the spread of Roman roads, the invading crusaders encountered the dish and brought the recipes to Medieval Europe. In Northern Europe, cooks created the pastry using fats to make stiff dough to hold an upright pie. These medieval pastry

dishes were called “cofďŹ nsâ€? which means a basket or box.

Some historians suggest the tough, almost inedible, crust was given to the servants while the lords and ladies of the house ate the contents.

This pastry became a staple dish in medieval times, and was eventually called “pyesâ€? or “pies.â€? The French and Italians specialized in redeďŹ ning the pastry of the pie, making it akier and tastier by new methods of adding butter, rolling, and folding the dough.

Missionaries and explorers spread the meatbased pie dish across the globe. The English Pilgrims of the North American colonies brought the recipes across the ocean with them. The crust of the pie was useful to preserve food during the long winter months in America. But the pie was not considered popular there until the 1800s.

Enjoy this modern version of a ďŹ sh baked in a pastry, and thanks Ellen, for sharing it with me, so I could share it with my readers.

Chag Sameach and enjoy!

INGREDIENTS •2 eggs beaten •ž container of Aloutte spreadable garlic and herbs avor

•1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed •3 6 ounce salmon ďŹ llets •1 10 ounce box of frozen s spinach, defrosted, strained well and lightly sautĂŠed in Pam •Pam cooking spay Directions; 1.Heat the oven to 375°F. 2.Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly oured surface. Lightly roll out the pastry till it becomes about 30% larger but keeping the same rectangular shape 3.Spread the cheese mixture on the pastry to within 1 inch of the edges. Place the salmon ďŹ llets, side by side, on the third of the pastry closest to you.

4.Place the sautĂŠed spinach on top of the salmon layer 5.Brush the edges with the egg mixture.

Starting at the side closest to you, roll up like a jelly roll. Place seam-side down on the baking sheet. Tuck the ends under to seal.

Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several slits in the pastry top.

6.Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

62 0$1< &$1','$7(6Ă° 62 0$1< &/26(' '2256Ă° :+< $5( 7+(5( )285 257+2'2; &$1','$7(6"

:+$7è6 :521* :,7+ &/26(' '225 0((7,1*6"

285 6&+22/ %2$5' ,6 63/,77,1* 285 927( ĂŚ 7+(< 5(&58,7(' $ &$1','$7( 72 23326( 6,; <($5 ,1&80%(17 1$+80 0$5&86

722 08&+ 6(&5(&< &5($7(6 0,675867 ',9,'(6 285 &20081,7< 6+2:6 ',65(63(&7 )25 3$5(176 35(9(176 27+(5 9,(:6 )520 %(,1* (;35(66(' $1' %5(('6 %$' '(&,6,216 ĂŚ /,.( %27&+,1* 7+( 180%(5 6,; 6&+22/ 6$/(

7+(< +$1'3,&.(' $ /$67 0,187( &+$//(1*(5 72 23326( &20081,7< $'92&$7( '29 +(50$1 :+2 :$6 $/5($'< $ &$1','$7( 7+,6 ,6 7+( 9(5< '(),1,7,21 2) ĂŞ',9,6,9(1(66ĂŤ $1' $ %/$7$17 $77(037 72 .((3 ,1'(3(1'(17 7+,1.(56 $1' :$7&+'2*6 2)) 285 6&+22/ %2$5'

:+$7è6 285 6&+22/ %2$5' 62 $)5$,' 2)" 7+,6 %2$5' /,.(6 72 23(5$7( %(+,1' &/26(' '2256 $1' )($56 23(11(66 $1' 75$163$5(1&<

(9(5<7+,1* ,61è7 ),1( -867 %(&$86( 7$;(6 :(5( /2: 285 7$;(6 $5( 12: 5,6,1* $1' 285 &+,/'5(1 $5( *(77,1* /(66

:+< 927( )25 1$+80 0$5&86 $1' '29 +(50$1" 1$+80 0$5&86 $1' '29 +(50$1 $5( 0(1 2) ,17(*5,7< ,1'(3(1'(17 7+,1.(56 :,7+ 3529(1 5(&25'6 2) $'92&$7,1* )25 285 &20081,7< $1' &+,/'5(1 927,1* )25 7+(0 :,// (1685( 285 &20081,7<è6 %(67 ,17(5(676 $5( 5(35(6(17(' $1' 3527(&7('

1$+80 0$5&86 ,6 7+( 21/< %2$5' 0(0%(5 72 ),*+7 )25 7+( 38%/,&è6 5,*+7 72 .12: $1' '29 +(50$1 6+(' /,*+7 21 7+( 180%(5 6,; 6&+22/ '($/

78(6'$< 0$< ĂĽ 927( )25 0$5&86 +(50$1

S

eems like yesterday that I wrote about the chocolate cheesecake trufďŹ&#x201A;es recipe for Shavuot....oh, wait a minute it was yesterday that I wrote about it. Shavuot falling on a Tuesday, necessitated all columns to be in a week in advance, so that the paper would be published before Yom Tov. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m more of a last minute, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Judy we need the column, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re about to go to pressâ&#x20AC;? kind of person.

I really do have the best intentions of getting in my column by deadline each week, but I fail miserably and thankfully I have a very kind editor who puts up with me. This week I really did have a good excuse as I fell and broke my ribs. All my wonderful friends called and asked if they Judy Joszef could do anything for me, I was so tempted to ask them to write my column, but ďŹ gured it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a good idea to hire a ghost writer. So I worked through the pain to bring you a great Shavuot recipe.

Next weekâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s recipe? You guessed it, spare ribs or rib steakâ&#x20AC;Śâ&#x20AC;Ś I actually had a recipe in mind for this week, having gotten it from my good friend Ellen Finkelstein while we were cruising last week. The rare time spent on the ship not eating, we were discussing food. Sheâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an

THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 8 SIVAN 5773

Whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in the kitchen

Parashat Nasso; Rabbi David Etengoff

Understanding the Blessing of the Kohanim ring event, we may feel that the content of the bracha remains elusive.

Rabbi Shlomo ben Yitzhak (Rashi, 10401105) provides us with a midrashically-based interpretation of the Kohanimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s tripartite bracha. He explains that the two words â&#x20AC;&#x153;blessâ&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;watchâ&#x20AC;? refer to physical possessions that have been mercifully bestowed upon us by Hashem: May [the L-rd] bless you: that your possessions shall be blessed. [Midrash Tanchuma Naso 10, Sifrei Naso 1:144]and watch over you: that no thieves shall attack you and steal your money. For when one gives his servant a gift, he cannot protect it from all other people, so if robbers come and take it from him, what beneďŹ t has he [the servant] from this gift? As for the Holy One, blessed be He, however, He is the One who [both] gives and protects (Midrash Tanchuma Naso 10). In contrast, the two verses that focus upon G-dâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;countenance,â&#x20AC;? refer to overarching aspects of how we ideally would like Him relate to us. In the ďŹ rst instance, the Kohanim ask: May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you: May He show you a pleasant, radiant countenance. - [Midrash Tanchuma Naso 10, Sifrei Naso 1:144] and favor you: May He grant you favor - [Sifrei Naso 1:144] According to Rashi, the notion of having Hashemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x153;faceâ&#x20AC;? shine upon us depicts the manner in which we long to be treated by our Creator. This idea is strikingly illustrated by the beautiful Shabbat zemirah â&#x20AC;&#x153;Yedid Nefesh.â&#x20AC;? It describes our Creator as our Beloved, and depicts our most intimate relationship in

the world. Our very souls, in some mysterious and ineffable manner, merge with G-d as we ascend to higher levels of spirituality. This is possible if, and only if, the essence of our being is connected to Him in our transcendent quest for spiritual union. Thus, we ask Hashem to shine His countenance upon us, and be our guide on our journey toward Him. This is the greatest and deepest favor that we could ever receive in this world.

The second occurrence of â&#x20AC;&#x153;panavâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;May the L-rd raise His countenance toward youâ&#x20AC;?) is different in kind and degree than the ďŹ rst.

The ďŹ rst time we encounter the term the focus is positive, in this instance, the bracha entreats G-d to refrain from expressing His wrath toward us when we fail to properly fulďŹ ll the mitzvot. Thus, Rashi states: â&#x20AC;&#x153;May the Lord raise His countenance toward you: by suppressing His wrath. [Sifrei Naso 1:144].â&#x20AC;?

Given the trials and tribulations of Jewish history, this is certainly a bracha that we long to see realized, soon and in our days.

Birkat Kohanim concludes with the eternal Jewish hope â&#x20AC;&#x153;and grant you peace.â&#x20AC;? Maimonides (the Rambam, 1135-1240) helps us to understand the import of shalom within Judaism via a seminal philosophical statement that appears as the ďŹ nal words of Hilchot Megillah and Chanukah. Therein, the Rambam discusses a situation of ďŹ nancial triage in which an individual has extremely limited funds. He presents two scenarios: One has money to purchase either Shabbat or Chanukah candles, and one has money to buy Shab-

bat candles or wine for Kiddush. Which takes precedence? Maimonides is unequivocal in his response: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ner beito kodem meshum shalom beitoâ&#x20AC;? (â&#x20AC;&#x153;Shabbat lights must be purchased prior to either Chanukah candles or wine because of the peace of his homeâ&#x20AC;?). We must remember that the Shabbat lights may have been the only lights in the home. Without this small amount of illumination, people would trip, arguments would become rife, and the Shabbat evening would become dark and dreary. There would be a manifest diminution of peace in the home. Therefore, the Rambam codiďŹ es the law that Shabbat candles take precedence over the mitzvah of Kiddush or Chanukah candles, even though Kiddush is a positive Torah commandment, and Chanukah candles are a Rabbinic obligation. Beyond a doubt, the value of shalom beito trumps these other mitzvot.

Shalom emerges as the ultimate goal of Birkat Kohanim. Little wonder that Chazal concluded the Shemoneh Esrai with these stirring words that parallel Birkat Kohanim: Bestow peace, goodness and blessing, life, graciousness, kindness and mercy, upon us and upon all Your people Israel. Bless us, our Father, all of us as one, with the light of Your countenance. For by the light of Your countenance You gave us, L-rd our G-d, the Torah of life and loving-kindness, righteousness, blessing, mercy, life and peace. May it be favorable in Your eyes to bless Your people Israel, at all times and at every moment, with Your peace.

Blessed are You L-rd, who blesses His people Israel with peace.

One of the best-known passages in the entire Torah is that of Birkat Kohanim (the Blessing of the Kohanim): The L-rd spoke to Moses saying: Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying: This is how you shall bless the children of Israel, saying to them:â&#x20AC;&#x153;May the L-rd bless you and watch over you. May the L-rd cause His countenance to shine to you and favor you. May the L-rd raise His countenance toward you and grant you peace.â&#x20AC;? They shall bestow My Name upon the children of Israel, so that I will bless them. (Sefer Bamidbar 6:22-27) Herein, Hashem summons the Kohanim to serve as the viaduct through which His divine beneďŹ cence ďŹ&#x201A;ows and comes to rest upon our people. Thus, the bracha (blessing) is pronounced by the Kohanim, but not actually given by them. The source of the blessing, like all brachot, is Hashem Himself: â&#x20AC;&#x153;They shall bestow My Name upon the children of Israel, so that I will bless them.â&#x20AC;?

The Blessing of the Kohanim is composed of three parts: 1)A request that Hashem should bless and watch us 2)An appeal that G-d should cause His countenance to shine upon and favor us 3)An entreaty that our Creator should raise His countenance toward us, and grant us peace.

The familiar words â&#x20AC;&#x153;bless,â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;&#x153;watch,â&#x20AC;? and â&#x20AC;&#x153;peaceâ&#x20AC;? appear to be quite accessible. Yet, we may honestly be left a bit confused when the Kohanim beseech Hashem to have His countenance shine upon and favor us, and be raised toward us. When we witness this stir-

May 17, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

8

9

Rabbi Herschel Schachter, Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, Rabbi Mordechai Willig, and Rabbi Moshe Tendler, met with the leaders of Calvary recently to learn about the Hospital’s extensive services for Orthodox patients and families in the two inpatient facilities and through Calvary’s Home Hospice.

They also toured the Bronx facility to see special features such as the kosher food pantry, Shabbos lounge, and a Torah scroll rescued from Czechoslovakia after the Holocaust.

The visit is part of a continuing collaboration set up at the end of 2012 between Yeshiva University’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS) and Calvary Hospital to guide observant Jews in the metropolitan area in need of information and access to end-of-life care.

The YU/RIETS End-of-Life Halachic Advisory Program provides rabbinic consultation for families and community rabbis. It makes available a rabbinic panel of four roshei yeshiva who have extensive experience with end-of-life halachic issues. Rabbi Herschel Schachter, Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, Rabbi Mordechai Willig and Rabbi Moshe Tendler will serve on a rotating basis as pre-hospice advisors, answering questions from patients’ families and community rabbis after a physician has recommended that an individual receive hospice care.

A panel of physicians associated with the Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and its affiliates will be available to advise community rabbis on the clinical issues surrounding the terminally ill. The medical panel includes Dr. Edward Burns, Dr. Seymour Huberfeld, Dr. Beth Popp, Dr.

THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773

YU/RIETS End-of-Life Halachic Advisory Program

Photo courtesy Yeshiva University

From left, Rabbi Harold Stern, Jewish Chaplain, Calvary; Michael J. Brescia, MD, Executive Medical Director; Calvary; Rabbi Herschel Schachter; Rabbi Moshe Tendler;Rabbi Rachmiel Rothberger, Jewish Chaplain, Calvary; Rabbi Mordechai Willig; Rabbi Yaakov Neuberger, Frank A. Alamari, President &CEO Calvary Edward Reichman and Dr. Robert Sidlow.

“There is a pressing need in the Orthodox community for accurate and thorough information on the conditions under which endof-life care should be provided,” said Burns, Einstein’s executive dean. “Regardless of where a person chooses to seek hospice care, Yeshiva University’s End-of-Life Halachic Ad-

visory Program is designed to answer their questions. Our decision to collaborate with Calvary recognizes the unmatched quality of care that every patient receives there and the staff’s commitment to the hospital’s mission.”

Calvary provides kosher meals and cholov yisroel upon request, a kosher food pantry, a Shabbat lounge and inclusion in the Einstein

and Pelham Parkway eruv. For more information about the YU/RIETS End-of-Life Halachic Advisory Program, visit www.yu.edu/ riets/end-of-life-care.

To learn more about Calvary, visit www. calvaryhospital.org.

MAKE SURE YOUR INTERESTS ARE REPRESENTED

paid for by elect-lunin-pack.org

more info: www.elect-lunin-pack.org

volunteer: info@elect-lunin-pack.org

THE ONLY CANDIDATE WITH WITH KIDS IN THE LAWRENCE PUBLIC SCHOOLS

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

10

Throngs at Agudath Israel’s 91st dinner

By Shalom Tyberg Well over one thousand people gathered at the New York Hilton this past Sunday for Agudath Israel of America’s annual dinner.

Featuring a long list of speakers and presentations, the Dinner paid tribute to various individuals who have made an impact on the community, as well as powerful messages from political and rabbinical leaders.

For the political part of the evening, United States Senator Daniel Coats (R. Indiana), delivered an address describing how he has become familiar with the Orthodox community through its Washington offices. In his message, the senator, a Baptist Christian, drew parallels between his personal beliefs and those of the Orthodox community. “We are both religious, both concerned about the moral decay of society around us, and both care deeply for the security of the State of Israel.”

These sentiments were echoed by New York Senator Charles Schumer, who also stated that just as Israel has attacked Syria, they should also be able to attack Iran should it be necessary.

Video presentations were shown of the

Photo courtesy of Agudath Israel

More than one thousand participants attended Agudath Israel of America’s 91st Annual Dinner held at the New York Hilton this past Sunday. evening’s community service honorees, featuring an eclectic group of individuals from various communities including Chasidic, Sephardic and Ashkenazic.

The head of Agudath Israel, Rabbi Yaakov Perlow, expressed his concern over the proposed draft of Yeshiva students in Israel to

the army and announced that this Thursday will be a day of prayer in shuls and yeshivas to annul the decree.

Additional presentations were made to several individuals for their contribution to Agudah and the orthodox community, including a stirring video presentation to the

legendary Rabbi Ronald Greenwald. In his message, Rabbi Greenwald, a long time advocate for kids at risk, urged parents and educators to “ be happy, and make Yiddishkiet happy and exciting” Perhaps the evening’s most poignant moment came during the address of Agudah’s Executive Vice President, Rabbi David Zwiebel. He provided an overview of Agudah’s activities and stated that now, as in the past, the Orthodox community is under attack, and needs the advocacy of the Agudah. He proceeded to quote Mayor Bloomberg’s now infamous words, when discussing regulating Metzitza Bpeh, “ Who wants ten thousand black hats protesting outside your home?”

Imagine, he stated, “if we would leave out the word ‘hats’ from that statement? What would the public reaction be?” He then proceeded to don his own black hat, and stated that now, as in the past, the Orthodox community is under attack, and urged members of the community to join the ranks of the Agudah.

The evening concluded with a video presentation of highlights of the recent Siyum Hashas.

Time for my Soul:

A Treasury of Jewish Stories For Our Holy Days Reproduced with permission of the authors, Rabbi Eugene Labovitz, a”h, and Dr. Annette Labovitz From the day of the Revelation on Sinai, it was an accepted fact that Jews lived according to the mitzvos of the Torah. But Mendele Sokolover was not satisfied with the mere observance of mitzvos. He was searching for more than that. He was searching for what he called a “real Jew.” Mendele Sokolover had grown up and had been educated in Kotzk, where he learned what a real Jew was capable of doing. He spent all of his formative years trying to find such a person. He traveled around the Pale of Settlement, from shtetl to shtetl. The people he met were fragmented: something was missing. True, he found Jews who were observant of every detail of halachah; he found Jews who studied day and night; he found Jews who were dedicated to mitzvos; he found Jews who devoted their lives to acts of kindness. But somehow, none of these Jews measured up to his image of a real Jew. They did not portray what he knew a real Jew was capable of doing.

One day, he found Moshele, a poor, illiterate, downtrodden water carrier. This is the story that Mendele Sokolover told about Moshele the water carrier, the real Jew: I was passing a dilapidated hut one night.

As I peered into the window, I noticed a lone man clutching a worn volume of Tehilim.

He seemed to be praying fervently. I stood outside the window for a long time, watching. I did not want to intrude. He never raised his eyes from the pages: his lips never ceased moving.

I returned many nights and found the same scene each time. One night, I hesitantly knocked on the door. I wanted to talk to him. I wanted to find out if he had that special quality, that spark of holiness for which I was searching.

He opened the door. I asked him his name. He told me: “My name is Moshele the

water carrier.”

I tried to draw him into conversation, but he shook his head from side to side. I asked him how he was and he answered: “Good, thank G-d.”

Many years passed, and I became the rebbe of Sokolov, the shtetl where Moshele the water carrier lived.

One night, as I walked, I saw that Moshele was not reciting Tehillim as he usually did.

There was a party in his dilapidated hut. The shtetl’s shoemakers, tailors and water carriers were dancing around Moshele. It seemed to me as if the Divine Presence radiated from his face.

I wanted to know why everybody was celebrating, so I walked in. Moshele was the first one to notice me.

“Rebbe,” he asked, “what are you doing here?”

I was walking by,” I said, “and I saw that you were having a party. I wanted to find out why everybody was celebrating.” At first, Moshele refused to answer my question, but I persisted. Finally he began.

“This is my story, rebbe. I was orphaned at a very young age. I remember neither my father nor my mother. I grew up on the streets of this shtetl. I had very little education. There was an old man who took a liking to me, and he taught me how to recite Tehillim. I married a most beautiful girl, but she is not beautiful anymore. We had seven children. They were born angels, but we can’t bear to hear them crying anymore.

It is impossibly difficult to eke out a living as a water carrier. Most of the time, we go to sleep hungry. Since I can’t sleep when I am hungry, I spend the night reciting Tehillim, the only prayers I know.

A week ago, I ran to the shul in the middle of the night. I could not bear to hear my wife and children crying anymore. I stood before the Holy Ark and I pleaded from the depths of my soul: “Master of the universe! I can’t stand to see my wife and children suffering so much anymore. Please help me. Give me

enough money to ease their pain.”

I did not know if the Almighty heard my prayer. Nothing unusual happened.

Two days ago, before I delivered water to my usual customers. I decided to stop in the shul. I was carrying two buckets attached to a yoke across my shoulders. I placed the buckets on the ground and entered. I stood once again before the Holy Ark, and I said: “Please help me! Please help me! If You do not help me, then we are through!”

I walked out of the shul, and bent to pick up the heavy buckets. From their weight, my shoulders were stooped, and my eyes gazed at the ground.

I noticed one thousand rubles lying on the ground. I picked up the money and lifted my head in thanksgiving: “You do listen to prayers, Almighty, don’t You.” I exclaimed gratefully.

I finished my deliveries and started to run home. I dreamed that my wife would appear beautiful again, that I could buy her lovely clothing, that my children would greet me joyfully each night when I returned from work, that they had become angels again, like when they were born. I was bursting with joy.

But as I passed Channale, the widow’s house, I heard bitter crying. “Don’t stop, Moshele. Today is your day of joy. Someone else’s trouble is not your problem.” I could not quiet my conscience. I could not proceed. I knocked on Channele’s door, entered and found her sobbing uncontrollably. She had lost one thousand rubles that the water carriers, the shoemakers, and the tailors had raised to help her when her husband passed away.

I ran out of her house.

“Why did You have to give me Channele’s rubles?” I demanded. “Couldn’t You find one thousand rubles someplace else for me?

What kind of compassionate G-d are You anyway? I don’t want anything to do with You anymore. No more Sh’ma, no more bentching, no more n’telat yadayim. We are fin-

ished.”

I ran home, the money still in my pocket.

I hated the whole world. I was angry at G-d and at man. I lay on my bed for a whole day.

I cried and I cursed. I ranted and I raged.

I was heartbroken and distraught. I didn’t know much, but I did know that if a person finds money in the public domain, and it has no symbols on it, then he doesn’t have to return it. The money is not hers! I denied that the money belonged to Channele.

But a few hours later, I was in touch with my soul. “What happened to you?” my soul asked. “All your life you prayed. Why did you stop praying now? All your life you lived as a Jew. Are you going to stop living as a Jew now?”

I knew what I had to do with the money.

I stood up from my bed, left my hut and began walking toward Channele’s house. On the way, I stopped in the shul. I stood again before the Holy Ark. I proclaimed; “I stood at Sinai. I heard ‘I am the Lord your G-d.’ I raised my voice loudly and said: Thank You Almighty G-d for having given me the privilege of finding that money. Had someone else found it, they may not have returned it.”

I headed for Channele’s hut and handed her the money.

I found her, sitting at a broken down table. She was still crying, so bitterly, as if the Holy Temple had been destroyed once again.

I placed the money on the table. She looked up and smiled weakly. She could not believe that I had found her money. She could not believe that anyone would return one thousand rubles. Gradually, her smile returned to her face, as if the Holy Temple were rebuilt.

I felt so good at that moment. I knew that my life would never change. I knew that my children would never look like angels, that they would wear used clothing. I knew that there would never be enough food on our table. But I knew how good it felt to be a Jew. My friends are making a party in my honor.

They are celebrating how good it feels to listen to G-d’s voice.”

11 THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 â&#x20AC;˘ 8 SIVAN 5773

YU Dead Sea Scrolls seminar open to the public

By Malka Eisenberg

Professor Moshe J. Bernstein

Professor Lawrence H. Schiffman

Professor of Hebrew and Judaic Studies. He was also a member of NYUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Center for Ancient Studies and Center for Near Eastern Studies. During the academic year 1989/90 he was a Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Studies of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem as part of a research group dealing with the Dead Sea Scrolls. He has appeared on various documentaries relating to the Dead Sea Scrolls for PBS, the BBC and A&E. He was part of a research team in 1992-1993 working on the unpublished scrolls. He is a resident of Great Neck.

The Dead Sea Scrolls are ancient Hebrew scrolls that were accidentally found by a Bedouin boy in 1947 in Israelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Judean desert near the Dead Sea. Some of them are on display in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel museum in Jerusalem.

They are also available for viewing on the Internet. The scrolls variously are written on papyrus, parchment, or bronze. The Hebrew is written in ktav Ashuri. The area was subsequently investigated archeologically and other discoveries were made and the various texts discovered have and are still being ana-

lyzed. All the books or parts of the books of the Tanach were found except for Esther. Other documents as well were found, some describing the beliefs of the people who lived there, as well as other writings. Professors Bernstein and Schiffman noted that as for the place the scrolls were found, â&#x20AC;&#x153;everyone thinks it was a library, that it shows constant use over a long period of time.â&#x20AC;? They noted that it was probably destroyed and vacated in 68 CE during the Roman war against the Jews in that area. They determined that the residents were attacked based on archeologists ďŹ nding Roman arrow heads at the Qumran caves. They said that no extensive food stores were found indicating a â&#x20AC;&#x153;day to day existence.â&#x20AC;?

Other presenters at the seminar are Steven D. Fraade of Yale and Alexandria Frisch of Ursinus College. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are hoping that it will become a permanent part of the intellectual and academic life here at Yeshiva University,â&#x20AC;? said Schiffman.

For more information and to RSVP email Amy Rotheim Sullivan at enrollment@yu.edu.

Summer Internships Available!

You are cordially invited to The 31st Annual Lecture In Memory of

The Herald Community Newspapers is currently interviewing students for summer internships in our production and sales depatments. Our summer internship program provides valuable opportunities to learnâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;ďŹ rst handâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the challenges and rewards of producing community newspapers.

As an intern in our production department, you will learn all the aspects of production, including: layout, ad design/ graphic design, prepress, scanning, exporting print-ready ďŹ les, and working with the sales team and/or clients.

As an intern in our sales department, you will analyze sales/market trends, develop marketing strategies and campaigns, work with and visit local businesses, and learn from our sales team how newspaper advertisements are sold, produced and processed.

The internships are unpaid and available for college students this summer.

Jamie H. Lehmann zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l & Dr. Manfred R. Lehmann zâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;l

10 Commandments in Three Dimensions â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not in Kansas Anymoreâ&#x20AC;?

Presented By:

Rabbi David Fohrman Lead Scholar, Aleph Beta Academy Author, â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Beast That Crouches at the Doorâ&#x20AC;?

Thursday, May 23, 2013 Mincha 6:30 P.M.

Please send resumes to

Kevin Plaut

Fifth Avenue Synagogue 5 East 62nd Street New York, New York 10021

email: kplaut@liherald.com Fax: 516-766-4283

Address: Richner Communications, Inc., 2 Endo Blvd., Garden City, NY 11530 No phone calls, please.

Program 6:45 P.M.

Sponsored by the Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation Maâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ariv and Collation to follow The Lehmann Family

The rariďŹ ed discourse and debate of scholars and researchers will be open for the lay public as well as professionals to listen, observe and learn at a ďŹ rst time seminar on May 19th at Yeshiva University.

A conďŹ&#x201A;uence of scholars from different but related ďŹ elds and a generous grant has brought together the ďŹ rst annual conference on the Dead Sea Scrolls to be held in the LipschutzGutwirth Study Hall (Rubin Shul) of Yeshiva University this Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 PM. The goal of the seminar was for students and the lay public to â&#x20AC;&#x153;see actual scholarship in action,â&#x20AC;? said Lawrence H. Schiffman, Vice-Provost for Undergraduate Studies and Professor of Judaic Studies, Yeshiva University, and a world renown expert on the Dead Sea Scrolls. The seminar would open it to the â&#x20AC;&#x153;wider public,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;for lay people who are interested in learning about the Dead Sea Scrollsâ&#x20AC;Śits an obligation to present it to scholars and the lay public.â&#x20AC;? He and Moshe J. Bernstein, the David A. and Fannie M. Denenberg Chair in Biblical Studies, Yeshiva University, said that they wanted to do this for along time, to bring scholars together on campus. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We hope professors are lost in the larger audience. If we get 60 or 70 (attendees) we will be very happy.â&#x20AC;?

The two professors noted that Yeshiva University currently has seven professors on staff who have dealt with the Dead Sea Scrolls in some way, two experts on Second Temple literature, Two Talmud professors, one in language and two on the Dead Sea Scrolls. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a public opportunity to get across the study of the scrolls,â&#x20AC;? said Bernstein. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It could have been presented in a seminar in an esoteric wayâ&#x20AC;Ś(this) brings it to a very intelligent layperson level.â&#x20AC;? They noted that the â&#x20AC;&#x153;serious and pointed questionsâ&#x20AC;? presented at seminars â&#x20AC;&#x153;enhancesâ&#x20AC;? their own work. â&#x20AC;&#x153;This is the kick start for what is hopefully a three year project,â&#x20AC;? said Bernstein. Schiffman noted that they received a three year grant through the generous support of Debra and Jay Zachter.

Before joining YU, Lawrence H. Schiffman was former Chair of New York Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies, where he served as Ethel and Irvin A. Edelman

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

12

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.

May 19

First Annual Conference of the Dead Sea Scrolls The Yeshiva University Dead Sea Scrolls Seminar May 19, 2013 – 1:30-4:30 PM Lipschutz-Gutwirth Study Hall 2501 Amsterdam Avenue New York, NY 10033 Light refreshments.

RSVP to Amy Rotheim Sullivan – enrollment@ yu.edu

May 20

South Nassau Hospital Offers Parent-Child Education Classes and Support Groups Baby Care Class, 7-9pm All classes unless otherwise noted, will be held at the Parent/Child Education Classroom located at 2277 Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor in Baldwin. For more information, or to register for classes please call (516) 377-5310.

May 21

ent their Annual Dinner of Tribute on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 at Terrace on the Park, 52-11 111th Street, Flushing Meadows Park, NY. This year’s honorees include Guests of Honor Louis and Naomi Tuchman, of Hillcrest, NY, and faculty honorees, Lynda Smith and Dr. Seth Taylor.

Emunah of America Spring Luncheon Empowering Women, Noon For more information call 212 564-9045 x315

May 23

The Yeshiva High School Basketball Alumni organization will hold its 2nd annual dinner at Congregation Ahavath Torah in Englewood, New Jersey. We are honoring the memory of Mitch Merlis. Mitch attended Brooklyn Talmudic Academy, Yeshiva University High School for Boys, BTA Yugars Class of 1974.

Hall Of Fame inductees will be: Irv Bader BTA, Dr. Herb Schlussel MTA, Stuart Poloner MTA, Rabbi Avi Haar HILI, Dr. Allen Sapadin HILI, Abe Dweck Sephardic, Dov Weiner Rambam, and Benjy Ritholtz HANC, For More information please contact Elliot Auerbacher at EAuerbacher@ gmail,com or 201-615-0222.

Midreshet Shalhevet High School for Girls 4th An- South Nassau Hospital nual Scholarship Dinner Offers Parent-Child EduTuesday, May 21st, 12th of Sivan Temple Hillel, 1000 Rosedale Road, North cation Classes and SupWoodmere Reception 7 PM, Dinner 7:30 PM port Groups For more information call: 516 234-3233 or email: Eyegent@optonline.net

May 22

Friends of the IDF Long Island Chapter 2nd Annual Five Towns and Greater South Shore Community Event May 22, 2013 The Sephardic Temple – 775 Branch Boulevard – Cedarhurst, NY 7:00pm – Buffet Dinner 8:15pm – Program Business Casual Attire Tickets and Sponsorship opportunities available at www.fidf.org/FTGSS

Maternity Orientation, 7:30-8:30pm, South Nassau’s Conf. Room A All classes unless otherwise noted, will be held at the Parent/Child Education Classroom located at 2277 Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor in Baldwin. For more information, or to register for classes please call (516) 377-5310.

June 2

2013 Celebrate Israel Parade Celebrating Israel’s 65th Anniversary 11 AM – 4 PM Rain or Shine 57th –74th Streets on 5th Avenue New York City CelebrateIsraelNY.org

June 6

Yeshiva University High Schools (YUHS) will pres- FD-NOW 11th Annual

Photo courtesy Touro College

Students from the Touro College Graduate School of Social Work went to Washington, D.C. recently to lobby for support for H.R. 1466, “The Dorothy I. Height/ Whitney M. Young, Jr. Social Work Reinvestment Act.” The bill addresses workforce shortage issues in the field and would create a “Social Work Reinvestment Commission” that would develop strategies to maximize social workers’ ability to serve clients. H.R. 1466 also urges the President to recognize March as Social Work Awareness Month. The students, members of the school’s legislative advocacy program (LEAP), sought sponsorship from Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D–N.Y.) and Representative Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.). The students were accompanied by Assistant Professor and Director of Student Advancement Allison Bobick, MSW, LCSW, and Director of Administrative Services and Director of the GSSW’s Brooklyn Division Elhanan Marvit, MSW, LCSW. Touro College’s Graduate School of Social Work’s Master of Social Work program trains clinical social work practitioners who enliven individuals, families, and communities to meet their own needs and sustain their equilibrium, thereby enhancing their well-being. The program meets all academic requirements for both social work licenses: LMSW (Licensed Master Social Worker) and LCSW (Licensed Clinical Social Worker).

ABOVE:Pictured lower left are Professors Allison Bobick and Director Elhanan Marvit, with students Dena Glazer (top) and Leanne Poploff, Veronica Olivares, Esti Marcus and Meira Cohen (middle row, left to right).

Dinner Thursday, June 6th, Lawrence Yacht and Country Club 101 Causeway, Lawrence, NY 11559 6 PM reception, 7 PM dinner For more information go to fdnow.org

June 9 Kulanu Fair 12:30 PM to 5 PM

Cedarhurst Park, Cedarhurst NY

June 19

Chai Lifeline 2013 Awards Dinner Marriiott Marquis, New York Reception 6 PM, Dinner 7:15 PM For more information contact Sam Zaks at szaks@chailifeline.org Or call 212 699-6601.

By Malka Eisenberg Miriam Baum-Benkoe has once again cooked up a way to act on her principles, and turn motivation into action to help others.

The Oceanside retired school teacher has launched her second charity raising cookbook, this one to raise funds for JobKatif. “I made up my mind to do something,” she said.

“Cook for Gush: For the man who can’t cook but might have to,” has 54 pages of recipes, most with three recipes per page. It is divided into five sections: main dish entrees, vegetables and sides, soups, salads, sauces and spreads, desserts and breakfast is ready. Each section divider has the biography and story of someone who lived in Gush Katif but was forced to leave at the time of the expulsion in August 2005.

Two years ago, Miriam went to visit Israel; she hadn’t been there in 43 years. She was astounded by the changes and growth that she saw there. “My husband said that my mouth was open the entire journey,” she recalled. One of her stops was to the Gush Katif Museum in Jerusalem that describes the painstakingly built up 30-year-old Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip that were forcibly evacuated and destroyed in 2005. The land and infrastructure were given to the Arabs there who plundered and destroyed whatever remained and used the sites for launching missiles and rockets into Israel.

She said that what she saw at the museum was “emotional and heartbreaking.”

Miriam resolved to help the 9,000 residents who lost their homes, businesses and livelihoods by launching and selling this cookbook. But this was not her first chesed, fund raising project. “After 9/11 I got a button making machine,” she recounted. She made buttons with the phrase “united we stand” printed on them and stood in shopping malls selling the buttons. She gave the money to Newsday who had pledged to double whatever money was sent to them for 9/11 to help first responders injured or killed there and their families.

Eight years ago, Miriam produced a cookbook during the “Second Intifada,” a time when Arabs increased their terror

attacks against Israel. “I started collecting family favorite recipes from the United States and Israel, many from Gush Katif families,” she said. “It was before the displacement; the communities there were going well. Some of the recipes called for two cups of Gush Katif broccoli. One Family Fund contacted me—they found out about the project. The funds were fed through them. They knew who was in the hospital and where the money should go. There were no administrative costs. That cookbook raised $25,000. I was very excited about that. People still stop me on the street and ask ‘can you reprint it?’ It was reprinted three times. People were very excited to help the bombing victims. It was my idea.” The cookbook was called “United We Cook: the American Jewish community cooks for Israel.” Recipes came in on websites from all over, from Kansas, California, Canada, and locally, the Five towns, Teaneck, West Hempstead. She sent out notices via community websites, on bulletin boards, in mikvehs, shuls and word of mouth. She used the services of a typesetter and graphic artist and printed the spiral bound book through a cookbook publisher. “They were wonderful,” said Miriam. “We went to them for this book, too.”

The success of that initiative motivated her to “try to do something for the people of the Gush who are practically forgotten already,” she noted. “It moves me to do things even if I can’t go there to volunteer. It’s one thing to talk, another thing to do, to move to action. You can feel sad and be moved but moving to action, getting off your duff and moving” is what’s important.

All the funds go to JobKatif, an organization whose goal is to provide rehabilitative employment services to the displaced families from Gush Katif and Northern Samaria.

Called to assist the evicted families, Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon from Alon Shvut, Yeshivat Har Etzion and the Midrasha

All the $36 for each cookbook goes directly to JobKatif, she said. Call 516-678-1585; email miriambaum@optonline.net: send a check to Central Fund for Israel, with JobKatif in the memo to 3530-44 Long Beach Road, Oceanside, NY 11572.

For more information go to: jobkatif.org.il/english/

Photo courtesy of North Shore Hebrew Academy

Max Goldman, Debra Gold, Advisor, Amy Pilott, Associate Director, Sunrise Day Camp, Gillian Bartell

NSHA-stepping up Photo courtesy of elliot moscowitz/intellectual images

ANNUAL JOURNAL DINNER

Annual Journal Dinner honoring the Francos and the Orbachs on Thursday May 2nd at Citi Field.

Left to right: Maurice Setton, Dinner Chairman, Ivan Kaufman, Chairman, NSHAHS, Dr. Gary Orbach, Dinner Chairman, Joe & Cori Franco, Honorees Michael & Dr. Bonnie Orbach, Honorees, Avery Modlin, President, NSHA Dr. William Helmreich, President, NSHAHS Arnie Flatow, Executive Director

A number of students at the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School have been involved in a program called “Stepping Up” Long Island Jewish Teen Philosophy Pilot Program. Guiding the students through this philanthropic program was Debra Gold, Community Service Advisor. The students learned about the Jewish values that guide our giving as well as about the critical needs on Long Island: education, health, housing, hunger and jobs. This program was instrumental in teaching basic philanthropic principles and giving with Jewish values, building teen leadership, teamwork skills and decision-making. The students have spent many hours reviewing proposals and went

on two site visits; the Long Island Crisis Center (suicide prevention) and “Sunshine Day Camp (children with cancer). Our students had to decide which organization gets $1000 in funding (only one could be chosen). The Jewish Teen Funders Network awarded each partner organization participating $500 in seed funding to be matched 1:1 for a total grant making pool of $1000 per organization. The students chose Sunrise Day Camp, the only dedicated day camp in the nation designed for children with cancer. We made the presentation to: Amy Pilott, Development Associate of Sunrise Day Camp on Tuesday, May 7 at the North Shore Hebrew Academy High School.

13 THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773

Oceanside cooks for Gush

L’Nashim at Migdal Oz, gathered volunteers to help the evictees to restructure their lives economically and recover from the emotional trauma they experienced, retrain and find jobs and homes. JobKatif is recognized officially by the Israeli government as the organization that works to solve the problems of the expulsion from Gush Katif. Rav Rimon received the 2008 Presidential Award for Volunteerism for his role in JobKatif. As of November 2012, over 2,300 people have found new jobs, 531 took vocational retraining courses and 230 new businesses were launched in Israel via JobKatif.

“Those people went to live there to make a stronghold,” stressed Miriam. “The government pulled the rug out from under them. JobKatif is dedicated to helping these people retrain and get other occupations. It’s certainly worthwhile to channel funds to them and help them.”

Miriam Baum-Benkoe stressed that she has “a sincere passion for chesed. It directs h my life. What’s my next project? I’m keeping m iit under wraps for now. You don’t realize unttil after the fact the impression your activism has on your children. My daughter is active h iin chesed in her shul.” Miriam also volunt teers in South Nassau Communities Hospital.

As for the cookbook, “they are simple recipes, easy to follow and quick to prepare. It p ttook two years to produce. I started selling tthe book Purim time and already sent over $ $1,000 to JobKatif. A page in the book tells w where to write a check for a charitable donation. I asked for easy family favorites. If n iit was too complicated it didn’t go in. If a wife is not able to cook, if she is away, or ill, w tthe man can cook himself with his own two hands. It’s expensive to buy—just make.” h Her husband gave her the idea to produce a cookbook for men. Some of the recipes include potatoes Ana, crumbtopped baked chicken, roast/grilled seasonal vegetable, and the best parve ice cream.

May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

14

Interrogation of Terrorist from Tzomet Tapuach

By Meir Indor

What is your name?

Salam Zaghal.

Tell me about yourself.

Wait, is my lawyer almost here?

No, and you’re not going to see him for a few days yet either. Now—three years in jail wasn’t enough for you?

He went back to “resistance.” Because of pressure from you at the ISA and Almagor at the Supreme Court, a condition was attached to the release, that if there would be any sort of minor violation, a prisoner would go back and serve his whole sentence—in his case, ten years.

So what? He went on a hunger strike.

Your journalists stuck up for him, and Netanyahu decided to free him in another eight months. You didn’t see the letter they wrote for him in Haaretz? They were practically fawning over him.

Maybe I’ll go on my own hunger strike …

I bought a big knife. I stood there with a bunch of laborers, walked around as if going to the hitchhiking station, went over to my target, and stabbed him a few times. Simple as can be.

But didn’t he have a pistol? Weren’t there armed soldiers?

Cut out the political lectures. I want to know who’s behind you.

Yeah, but the Zionists don’t walk around with their guns ready—even the settlers.

They’re bashful. I love it. Obviously if I saw settlers with guns drawn every day, I wouldn’t think about coming closer.

Nah, I wasn’t afraid I’d get killed. The soldiers weren’t going to shoot to kill as long as I was done killing. It’s such a game. You put your hands up, you go to the slammer.

The whole Palestinian people. The radio stations—

But what did you get out of it? You killed a man with five children.

But now you’ll serve much longer.

No, no. Who sent you?

Really? Do you actually believe that? Either Hamas will get another soldier, or Abbas will put me on a list of prisoners he demands be freed. And if not this time, then next time around.

Listen to the radio! Look at the schools’ syllabuses that praise the shuhada (martyrs)!

You people don’t even listen to Abbas and Jibril Rajoub! They hold us up as national heroes. They’re the ones who sent me.

We got plenty out of it. Today Netanyahu said that the solution is two states for two peoples. Why do you think he said that? Because of the armed struggle.

We at the ISA would oppose any such move.

Let’s talk about what happened at the time of the attack.

Look, are you for real, or did you come to laugh at me while I’m lying in the hospital?

You opposed the Schalit Deal too. We won.

I saw that your bus stops are total chaos so much of the time. You have soldiers there, but they stand off on the side, and they don’t give us any problems getting to the hitchhiking stations. There haven’t been roadblocks in ages. If there were a red line around the station saying we can’t go past, then granted, the soldiers would notice I’d gone over there.

But there isn’t any.

It’s not so bad there. We get 1,600 shekels every month from the Palestinian Authority to buy stuff at the canteen. Also a salary. We watch TV. Get family visits. Play with sports equipment the Red Cross brings. Great food.

We’re treated as prisoners of war. I tried throwing rocks to kill, I didn’t manage, I got just three years. I got out of jail, went back to killing, and this time I did it.

Everyone’s learned the lesson. It won’t happen again.

I think you should take a look at Haaretz, boss. You remember Samir Issawi, the prisoner who went on a hunger strike? One of the ones who were freed in the Schalit Deal?

A Prize for Murder

By Meir Indor This week, on 9 May, Rabbi Moshe Levinger received the Moskowitz Prize for Zionism.

In 1967, Rabbi Levinger took responsibility. He led the public to settle Hevron, and from there proceeded to the remainder of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank). It was not the state that did this. The settlement enterprise grew from the grassroots: it was the public that pushed and recruited the political echelon and the state.

The war on terrorism equally must not be

left to military men and politicians.

Here are a few examples of successful campaigns against terrorism. Granted, whatever success is attained is scant comfort for the bereaved families, but as far as the murderers’ potential next victims are concerned, the difference is between life and death. The same goes for the many soldiers who endangered their lives to arrest and imprison the terrorists, and were spared from doing so again.

Michael Palmer, whose son Asher was murdered with his own son in a rock-throwing attack near Halhul, came from America to

The members of the Bat Ayin underground, the only Jewish terrorist group serving time in prison, received sentences of 13 to 15 years. For Palestinians, attempted murder carries a sentence of eight years or less.

We discovered this factoid when we received lists of prisoners who stand to be released: the most recent ones received eight years or less for unsuccessful gunfire. For rock throwing they receive two to three years. One military judge saw fit to note that since rocks do not always hit their target, it is impossible to be present at the trial of those who had murdered his loved ones. He retained a lawyer and, along with a group of friends, attended every session held by the court. The judge, a man who had decided in the past that those who throw rocks do not necessarily do so out of intent to murder, determined this time that rocks are lethal weapons. Those who threw the rocks received life sentences.

Had the father not been present at the court, it is more than likely that a plea deal would have crept up over the course of the trial. By virtue of their constant presence, Palmer and his friends brought about an outright conviction. The murderers of his son and grandson were put away for life.

In another instance, the mothers of the students murdered in Naharayim by a Jordanian soldier extemporized a memorial ceremony outside the Jordanian embassy, fol-

say that those who threw them intended to murder. The message is simple: First kill a Jew. Then we’ll figure out your intent based on the results.

We investigated the 120 prisoners Mahmoud Abbas is demanding be released because they are “long-time prisoners,” “old,” or “sick,” and it turns out that nearly all of them are serving life sentences (or two, or three … or 17). Almagor now has in its possession the names of all those terrorists, as well as descriptions of what they did, and is waiting for a brave journalist who is prepared to expose this information to the public through the media, the bulk of which is under the thumb of Palestinian propagandist Jibril Rajoub.

Here are a few of the terrorists’ names: Mustafa Kalib Asrar, murderer of Tzvi Klein of Ofra. Abu Harabish Salam Saliman Mahmoud, murderer of David de la Roza and the Weiss family. Issa Mousa Issa Mahmoud, murderer of Nissim Toledano. Abd a-Rabba Namer Jibril Issa, murderer of Revital Sari and Ron Levi.

The murder victims have families that expect justice to be done, just as they were promised. They expect that justice will not cancelled due to pressures that are not germane, with a wink that yes, we promised by the grave that our long arm would catch them, but we didn’t promise they would serve out their sentences …

lowing the publication of a letter signed by a hundred Jordanian parliamentarians calling for the release of the murderer. The mothers met with the Jordanian ambassador and extracted a promise from him as a representative of Jordan that the murderer would not be released.

That was a sterling example of civil responsibility.

Alongside acts of murder and destruction, the terrorism machine runs a sophisticated civil support system including jurists, authors, artists, journalists, and more. There needs to be a parallel civilian movement to oppose them. Otherwise, there will continue to be reprises of what happened with Samir Issawi, a terrorist who was released in the Schalit Deal. That deal was conditioned on the terrorists’ not breaking any laws: otherwise they were to return to prison to serve out their sentences. Issawi resumed illegal activities, was caught, and went on a hunger strike. A group of authors appealed to Netanyahu for him, a leftist women’s group broke into the hospital where he was located, Haaretz lent its support, and Netanyahu surrendered. The public failed to wake up and do something. Netanyahu gave instructions to make a deal with the terrorists’ lawyers allowing him to be released early, and instead of ten years, he ended up with eight months!

At Almagor, bereaved parents and terror victims give of their time to fight a civil, political, legal, and media struggle against terrorism. They view themselves as soldiers without uniforms. Their battle cry is “Al magor!” “No fear!”

You don’t have to be a victim to fight terrorism. Join us. Together we’ll put an end to the decline of our national endurance in the face of terrorism.

Meir Indor is an IDF lieutenant-colonel (ret.) and the head of the Almagor Terror Victims Association. First published in Makor Rishon (print edition) Translated from Hebrew by David B. Greenberg

15

To Advertise In This Section, Call 516-632-5205

Apartments For Rent

EMPLOYMENT

HIRING? Run Your Ad in

The Jewish Star HOWARD BEACH AREA: 3 BR's, 2 Bths, Terrace, Walk Shopping/ Transportation, Quiet Street, No Smoking/ Pets.

718-304-6140, After 3PM

Just Call Our Classified Department at 516-632-5205

Photo courtesy of OHEL

Help Wanted

Team OHEL Crosses the Finish Line!

25 members of TEAM OHEL completed 42 miles this past Sunday, May 5th, as part of the TD Bank 5 Boro Bike Tour. All proceeds raised from our TEAM OHEL riders will helps kids in our foster homes and domestic violence shelters. It will also help children with disabilities be able to attend Camp Kaylie this summer. OHEL is thankful for the incredible fundraising efforts of Team OHEL and their sponsors in raising thousands of dollars.

Many of TEAM OHEL athletes do these races to challenge themselves physically as well as for own personal journeys. Our TEAM OHEL has many amazing personal stories. Please know that your choice to join TEAM OHEL elevates the lives of the children and families we serve. If anyone would like to join TEAM OHEL please contact Laurie Szenicer at Laurie_Szenicer@ohelfamily.org or by calling 718 686 3316.

“HILARIOUS!”

Offices For Rent

OFFICE SUITES FOR RENT All Utilities Included, Copy Center

Conference Rooms, Free wifi Reception, 24/ 7 Access

Central 5 Towns Location Near LIRR, Restaurants

Brokers Protected

PUBLISHER/SALES MANAGER

“A KOSHER PICKLE BARREL OF LAUGHS!

The Jewish Star

Run Your Ad in Just Call Our Classified Department at 516-632-5205

Five terrific performers. Fiendishly Madcap” – New York Daily News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

”YOU’LL LAUGH YOUR TUCHUS OFF!

Adoption

This show could run forever.”

A LOVING alternative to unplanned pregnancy. You choose the family for your child. Receive pictures/info of waiting/ approved couples. Living expense assistance. 1-866-236-7638

– Variety

PLACE YOUR AD Just Call Our Classified Department at 516-632-5205

MERCHANDISE MART

624572

Miscellaneous For Sale

The Westside Theatre, 407 West 43rd Street Telecharge.com/212-239-6200 www.ojtjonstage.com

TAKE VIAGRA? STOP paying outrageous prices! Best prices… VIAGRA 100MG, 40 pills +/4 free, only $99.00. Discreet Shipping, Power Pill. 1-800-368-2718

For The Jewish Star

SELLING YOUR HOUSE?

DISH Network. Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.)

SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation!

CALL Now! 1-877-992-1237

1MWGIPPERISYW

DRIVER-ONE CENT RAISE after 6 and 12 months.$0.03 Enhanced Quarterly Bonus. Daily or Weekly pay. Hometime Options. CDL-A, 3 months OTR exp.

800-414-9569 www.driveknight.com

Florida Real Estate

– New York Daily News – The Village Voice – The New York Times – Backstage – Variety

SERVICES

ATTEND COLLEGE ONLINE from home. *Medical, *Business, *Criminal Justice, *Hospitality, Job placement assistance.

Computer available. Financial Aid if qualified. SCHEC certified. Call 888-201-8657 www.CenturaOnline.com

MATH JHS Teacher, Mon-Thurs. PM, Sept. ’13. Experienced; Great Salary. Send Resume: candidateteacher@gmail.com

Stunning 2 BR, 2 New Bths, 2nd Fl. Fully Furn'd, New A/C, New Kit, Granite Countertop, Stainless Steel Appliances, New Tile Flr, Crown Molding Throughout, New Carpet, Flat Screen TV's, Terrace Overlooking Golf Course. Golf & Tennis Club Membership Avail. Close to All! Rent 3 month w/option to buy or Rent all year round. Walk to Clubhouse. Call Today! 516-457-6046

MAKE UP TO $2,000.00+ Per Week! New Credit Card Ready Drink-Snack Vending Machines. Minimum $4K to $40K+ Investment Required. Locations Available. BBB Accredited Business. (800) 962-9189

AIRLINES ARE HIRING- Train for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified- Job Placement Assistance. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (866)296-7093

Call Azi 516-374-6080 x19

BOCA RATON, FLORIDA THE VISTAS AT BOCA LAGO

Business/Opportunities

The Jewish Star is seeking a dynamic individual to lead our advertising sales efforts, manage the business affairs of the paper, and supervise the editorial staff. The Star reaches more than 10,000 Orthodox Jewish households in the Five Towns, Brooklyn and throughout Long Island. Prior sales and/or sales management experience in the media or other B to B environment is required. As publisher, you will have bottomline responsibility for the paper. In addition to managing the sales staff, you will be responsible for handling major accounts, developing marketing and promotional materials and being the public face of the Star in the community.

In addition, the editor of the Star reports directly to the publisher.

You should be familiar with the Orthodox communities of the Five Towns and Brooklyn and have an understanding of Torah Judaism, its traditions and culture. A car is required. The Star is owned by Richner Communications the largest publisher of community newspapers and shopping guides in Nassau County. Our state-of-theart offices in Garden City offer a friendly informal environment. We offer a competitive compensation plan including salary, strong incentives, excellent health plan and 401(k). Please send resume with cover letter and salary requirements to careers@thejewishstar.com.

Announcements

Satellite/TV Equipment *REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! * Get a 4Room All Digital Satellite system installed for FREE and programming starting at $24.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers SO CALL NOW. 1-800-699-7159

PROFESSIONAL SERVICES Credit Financial CREDIT CARD DEBT? LEGALLY HAVE IT REMOVED! Need a minimum $7,000 in debt to qualify. Utilize Consumer Protection Attorneys. Call now 1-866-652-7630 for help.

EVER CONSIDER A Reverse Mortgage?

At least 62 years old? Stay in your home & increase cash flow! Safe & Effective!

Call Now for your FREE DVD! Call Now 866-967-9407

Education AIRLINES ARE HIRING- Train for hands on Aviation Maintenance Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualifiedHousing available. CALL Aviation Institute of Maintenance (877)818-0783

SELL YOUR CAR Just Call Our Classified Department at 516-632-5205 Announcements

EARLY DEADLINE FOR MEMORIAL DAY The Jewish Star of 5/31 Will Have Early Deadline Of: FRI., MAY 24TH, 11 A.M. 7R 3ODFH D &ODVVLILHG $G &DOO 3UHVV WKHQ 629612

REAL ESTATE

THE JEWISH STAR May 17, 2013 • 8 SIVAN 5773

CLASSIFIEDS

5( (/(&7

0$< (/(&7

'29 +(50$1 1$+80 0$5&86

/$:5(1&( 6&+22/ ',675,&7 %2$5' 2) ('8&$7,21

&

927( /,1(

72 81,7( 285 6&+22/ ',675,&7

:( 67$1' )25 +,*+ 48$/,7< ('8&$7,21 )25 $// 63(&,$/ 1(('6 $'92&$&< (48,7$%/( 678'(17 75$163257$7,21 3523(57< 7$; 67$%,/,7< 6&+22/ %2$5' 75$163$5(1&< 5(63216,9( 5(35(6(17$7,21 &$5()8/ 6&587,1< 2) 6&+22/ 6$/(6

May 17, 2013 â&#x20AC;¢ 8 SIVAN 5773 THE JEWISH STAR

16

'29 +(50$1

1$+80 0$5&86

ï 48$/,),(' %8,/',1* ,163(&725

ï 6&+22/ %2$5' ,1&80%(17

ï 3238/$5 92&$/ &20081,7< $'92&$7(

ï &+$03,21 )25 63(&,$/ 1(('6 &+,/'5(1

ï 352'8&(5 &21&(57 21 7+( /$:1 6(5,(6

ï 287632.(1 ('8&$7,21 $'92&$7(

ï 25*$1,=(5 &20081,7< &2$/,7,21 2) 7+( ),9( 72:16 && 7

ï 352)(6625 5$%%, 5,78$/ ',5(&725

)5(6+ ,'($6 3529(1 /($'(56+,3 72 029( 285 &20081,7< )2:$5' &20081,7< &2$/,7,21 2) 7+( ),9( 72:16 ï 3 2 %R[ &HGDUKXUVW 1 < å