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Balak • June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 • Torah columns pages 18 –19 • Luach page 18 • Vol 17, No 25

The Newspaper of our Orthodox communities

Five Towns confab explores changing face of Jewish ed Dr. David Pelcovitz: Talking to our children and grandchildren about scandals.

Rabbi Reuven Taragin on marriage: How we look together.

Charlie Harary: The evolving role of the parent in inspiring today’s youth.

Shani Taragin: Torah ed in POMO (Post Modern) FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) era.

Mrs. Shoshana Shechter: Infusing spirituality in our children and students.

Rabbi Motti Neuburger: Mechanech or melamed — recent changes in our educational system.

Mrs. Michal Horowitz: The power of chessed —helping others, changing ourselves, upholding our world.

Rabbi Dr. Ari Bergmann: Relationships and the family structure — how we resemble Hashem.

Rabbi Hanoch Teller: How to raise children (and their parents) to be “honorable mentschen.”

Mrs. Rina Zerykier: All I want is for my kids to be happy.

How do we help our children realize their potential?

Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman: The shaddchan calls and asks. What are you allow to say?

Rabbi Robby Charnoff: DatIng to marriage — a parental guide to a child’s successful journey.

Rabbi Shay Schachter: Rebbetzin Lisa Septimus: Did our teachers lie to us? Is sibling rivary inevitable?

The importance of being Bereishit and beyond! honest with our children.

Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum: We have a drinking problem — what are we doing about it?

Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz: Miracle of my students’ survival: What we can learn from my biggest chinuch mistakes.

Mrs. Chana Glatt: Favor- Rabbi Shalom Rosner: Rabbi Isaac Rice: Important itism: Timely tips from Learning with your chil- lessons that parents should Tanach. dren. learn from their children.

Rabbi Ephraim Polakoff: Guarding our eyes in the age of exposure.

Rabbi Jesse Horn: Learn- Rabbi Elly Storch: Raising from Yaakov, being a ing healthy kids in turburole model to your children. lent times.

By Ed Weintrob Five hundred people and 25 speakers considered chinuch from a variety of Orthodox perspectives, at the annual Five Towns Community Collaborative Conference, last Sunday at the Young Israel of Woodmere.

The day revolved around “the most important thing in our lives, our children,” said its organizer, Rabbi Reuven Taragin, dean of overseas students at Yeshivat Hakotel in Jerusalem.

Rebbetzin Shani Taragin said POMO (Post Modern) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are not new, but “our children are facing challenges that we were not exposed to.”

“People have a fear now that they’re missing out on everything that Judaism doesn’t have to offer,” she said.

“The messages they are given in yeshiva and midrasha are different” than those they get in university or through social media, she said, concluding that we need to “create one integrated overall framework, not a bifurcated world but one wherein we teach our children that Judaism is not only one of many truths but contains the greatest of the truths. That … through Torah they will learn other truths [and] universal values.”

Michal Horowitz cited our forefathers and four mothers as modeling our chessed but pointed out that ultimately “everything we do is modeling the actions of G-d.”

When doing chessed, “have in mind that you’re fulling a divine Biblical command,” she said.

And it’s important to both graciously accept as well as give chessed. Give, “next time you have the opportunity to be a giver,” but also remember that “it’s a mitzvah to take,” she said.

Dr. David Pelcovitz bemoaned the fact that many parents find it “so uncomfortable making values explicit that the kids are left with no guidance whatsoever [and fill] in with their own moral relativism.”

Addressing the nastiness in public discourse today, he said, “We have tremendous hakaras hatov to President Trump for what he did [for Israel] … but how do we talk to our kids this week about the image of children being incarcerated?”

A key to raising a mensch is “how we present the perspective of others,” he said. “When we sit around the table on Shabbos, how do we talk about people on the other side, the perspectives of people who take views that we violently disagree with.”

“What most worries me is that there’s very little room for civil discourse, on either side, without facing very strong pushback,” he said.

“How are we supposed to react to seeing behavior of deliberately misrepresenting the truth … making fun of disabled …”

Don’t avoid addressing ethical dilemmas with children, he said. “Bring it up, it’s there anyway.

Most of the speakers and their topics are pictured at left, and their presentations can be heard at yutorah.org/hakotel-community-conferences/ The Jewish Star photos by Ed Weintrob

2 Brooklynites arraigned in fatal Lawrence crash Combined sources The two people who allegedly caused a five-car crash on the Nassau Expressway in Lawrence resulting in the deaths of Elisheva Kaplan, a”h, and Yisroel Levin, z”l, were arraigned on June 20.

Zakiyyah Steward, 25, of Park Avenue, Brooklyn, is charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, manslaughter, vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

Rahmel Watkins, 35, of Quincy Street, also in Brooklyn, faces charges including manslaughter, assault and reckless driving.

He pleased not guilty and is being held on $1 million bond and $500,000 cash bail.

Elisheva Kaplan, 20, and Yisroel Levin, 21, were killed in the crash that occurred between Bay Boulevard near Rockaway Turnpike and Burnside Avenue at 1:40 am on April 4, during chol ha’moed Pesach.

Kaplan, a Far Rockaway resident, was the daughter of Joel Kaplan, chazan at Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence. She was in the car with her fiancé, Levin, from Flatbush, re-

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turning from a visit to Yisroel’s grandparents in Monsey. They had planned to be married in three months.

A total of nine people were involved in the pileup.

The Levin and Kaplan families thanked the Nassau County District Attorney’s office and the Nassau County Police Department “for their diligent, resourceful, and professional efforts,” Yeshiva World News reported.

“We hope and pray that these proceedings will bring a level of accountability to those whose behavior caused this never ending heartbreak.”

According to prosecutors, Watkins was driving a 2010 BMW 5501 GT “dangerously fast,” possibly racing at least one other vehicle, before his car careened into the opposite lane and crashed into the 2017 Nissan Altima driven by Levin. The Altima burst into flames and was thrown more than 200 feet back.

The pair was trapped in the burning car, law enforcement officials said.

Authorities said that the BMW then hit an Infiniti, whose driver suffered a broken spine.

Steward was said to be speeding adjacent to Watkins in a 2016 Hyundai Genesis, allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and marijuana.

Her car also struck the Altima, prosecutors said.

The Nassau County District Attorney’s office said it is seeking information about Watkins’s car from BMW. “We need to know the speed, velocity and braking information of the BMW,” DA Madeline Singas said. “The information is vital to the investigation and collision reconstruction.”

Oleg Satanovsky, a spokesman for BMW, said that the 2010 model doesn’t have an event data recorder and noted that the National Highway Traffic Association guidelines

Yisroel Levin, z”l, and Elisheva Kaplan, a”h.

did not mandate such equipment until 2013.

“Unfortunately that model does not have an event data recorder,” he said. “The Five series were the first cars to get the event data recorder, which is accessible using a commercially available tool, and depending on state privacy laws.”

Steward and Watkins are both due back in court on July 18.

In a statement, the Levin and Kaplan families said they were devastated by the loss.

“There were no finer, more beloved, and more loving young people than Yisroel and Elisheva,” they said. “They were destined for a beautiful life together as husband and wife, surrounded by their loving families and friends.

“The world shook when they were so abruptly taken from us, so tragically and with such violent force. The void left by their absence from this world has only been magnified in the less than three months since April 4th.

“We have been strengthened immeasurably by the tens of thousands of friends and family, who have reached out to us to share our pain. The countless good deeds being performed by friends and strangers alike as a merit to their memory do provide a degree of comfort. But nothing can replace Yisroel and Elisheva.”

At a memorial service held a few weeks after the crash, Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Beth Shalom said that “our entire community is still shaking from this loss.”

Elisheva’s father, Joel Kaplan, said “the void and pain and emptiness is so unbearable it cannot be imagined.”

“Everyday I wake up and go through the day with what I can only describe as a heavy stone on my heart,” he continued.

“The stone is always with me, and I’m desperate for it to go away. So many of us have these stones.”

“The Kaplans and Levins know with absolute certainty that Elisheva and Yisroel are in a better place,” he said. “And they are together, as they were destined to be from the very start.”

Each person at the memorial service was asked by Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro of Congregation Shaaray Tefilah, of North Miami Beach, to better “appreciate what you have and who you have.”

“I hope I hug my children tighter,” he said.

“Those that are in our backyard, those that are nearest and dearest … don’t take anything or anyone for granted, but appreciate and love more often.”

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Health MInd & Body

SNCH to BlueCross: Put patients over profits Commentary by Richard J. Murphy President and CEO, South Nassau Communities Hospital If you operated a library and no one returned the books, sooner or later you’d be out of business. America’s nonprofit hospitals face a similar problem.

Health insurance giants like Anthem BlueCross, the parent company of New York-based Empire BlueCross, are reporting record profits in the billions, while many nonprofit hospitals across the country are struggling to keep their doors open.

Anthem makes its billions by collecting health insurance premiums each month from ratepayers and their employers. But the company isn’t required to reinvest profits back into the local institutions that provide health care.

In New York, Empire BlueCross routinely rejects claims for services that hospitals provide, followed by months of negotiations over billing disputes. Over time, the insurance companies usually win by wearing down the hospitals.

South Nassau Communities Hospital has reached an impasse with Empire BlueCross over funding necessary to support quality care, patient safety, and emergency services for patients and their families.

Blue Cross says the impasse is about managing expenses and representing employers’ interests. That might be true, if only Blue Cross weren’t such a big part of the problem.

Anthem BlueCross posted another record profit last year, recently announcing a $3.4 billion operating gain for 2017.

Why was that profit not reinvested in the community-based institutions that actually provide the health care service? The company also received another $1 billion in the form of a tax cut.

Unlike Blue Cross, South Nassau is a nonprofit corporation anchored in the community. Saying South Nassau is nonprofit doesn’t mean that it isn’t required to operate in the black.

We must meet our expenses and be able to pay our nurses, doctors and support staff the competitive wages they deserve. Any “surplus” funds we take in above expenses are poured back into the operation by upgrading medical equipment, modernizing our physical plant or expanding services.

By contrast, for-profit corporations like Blue Cross operate for the benefit of stockholders.

They issue dividends and stock buybacks and look to maximize shareRichard J. Murphy holder returns.

The profits they make in New York can go anywhere, to anyone, or be invested in anything. If you look closely, Anthem BlueCross makes a significant amount of its profit on financial reserves — accumulated profits, money that is invested and not spent on medical claims. The company routinely denies payment for care after it has been delivered, often placing its judgment ahead of that of the medical professional or the patient in order to fund its reserves.

Nonprofit corporations like South Nassau, on the other hand, issue no stock, have no dividends and serve no shareholders. By law, a nonprofit corporation’s surplus must be invested back into the organization and the community it

serves. That’s how South Nassau has functioned since 1928.

Ninety years of community stewardship has resulted in investing and reinvesting in the community and the residents who live here.

If hospitals like South Nassau aren’t adequately reimbursed for the services we render to Empire BlueCross members, there will be no surplus and no ability to reinvest in the hospital.

After years of annual cuts in Medicare and Medicaid funding to local hospitals, commercial insurers like Blue Cross must make up the difference. If they continue to raise insurance premiums on employers to increase investment reserves and profits, rather than funding important medical services, we all will lose.

That’s why South Nassau’s negotiations with Empire BlueCross are so important, and why ratepayers should be concerned. New York hospitals operate with one of the lowest surplus rates in the U.S. — 47th out of 50, to be exact. Given the lack of surplus, local hospitals are increasingly at risk for underinvestment, while the cost of operating continues to rise over time. Over the past decade, 45 New York hospitals have closed. It’s a dangerous trend.

It’s time that elected leaders start asking hard questions of Anthem BlueCross’s leadership. Is the corporation only about profits and not about patients? State officials — who have regulatory authority over the insurance business — must join the fight to persuade companies like Empire BlueCross to be willing to finance and support vital medical services at a level that ensures quality, safety and patient satisfaction Profit for profit’s sake in human services will get us nowhere, and will undermine South Nassau’s legacy of service to our communities.

It’s past time to hold Empire BlueCross accountable. Your community’s health may depend upon it.

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Survivor meets relative of man who saved his life

By Jeffrey Bessen and Dena Gershkovich Nassau Herald North Woodmere resident Bernard Igielski fulfilled a lifelong dream by meeting a relative of Dr. Berthold Epstein, the man who saved his life four times in Auschwitz.

More than 70 people gathered at the Marion & Aaron Gural JCC in Cedarhurst on June 21, many of them members of the Gural JCC’s Holocaust survivors group, to see Igielski embrace Dr. Joseph Kohn, a nephew of Epstein and the only living relative of the doctor in the U.S. “My knees are shaking,” Igielski said, as he walked to meet and thank Kohn with tears in his eyes. “I think that so many miracles have happened to me, and I’m here to say thanks to you, to your family.”

The two men embraced as the packed room filled with applause. Igielski, who survived three ghettos and eight concentration camps, called the reunion overwhelming.

“How are you supposed to feel about someone who saved your life four times?”

Igielski said. “I don’t really know how to behave today.”

Igielski’s biggest regret is not searching for Epstein while he was alive, as he previously avoided talking about the “grueling situation” of the Holocaust.

Shoah survivor Bernard Igielski with Dr. Joseph Kohn, a cousin of Dr. Berthold EpJeff Bessen stein, the man who saved Igielski’s life four times at Auschwitz.

“I would have kissed the ground, I would have kissed [Dr. Epstein’s] feet…” he said, crying.

Kohn, grateful and humbled by the deeds of his only cousin to survive the Holocaust,

Photo corrections The Jewish Star apolgizes for two errors in captions last week in stories about the Orthodox Union.

The OU official on page 1 was Vice President Allen Fagin (pictured at right in this photo from the OU’s CitiField event in April). OU President Moishe Bane is at left in this photo, with state Sen. Maj. Leader John Flanagan in center.

The names of those in the OU Advocacy photo on page 6 were listed from right (not from left as stated in caption).

Jack and Bonnie Rybsztajn, residents of Woodmere, are Holocaust survivors who have been married for 74 years.

Jeff Bessen

said that he does not deserve to be thanked.

“Any honors that are being given to me are completely undeserved,” Kohn said. “Maybe there are some good things I’ve done in my life, but this is not one of them. The thanks should go in the other direction,” he said, expressing his appreciation for the community.

The meeting came about through the efforts of Katharine Gorsuch, who worked as vigorously as a detective. She and Avi Mizrachi co-founded the Hollywood, Fla.-based Foundation for Holocaust Education Projects.

Mizrachi, who attended the Gural JCC event, said that Igielski’s plea in the 2004 documentary “Paper Clips” was picked up by Gorsuch, who sent out feelers across the globe and found Kohn.

“Dr. Epstein was sent to Auschwitz and being a doctor, Dr. Mengele told him he could live longer helping out,” Mizrachi said. Called the “Angel of Death,” Mengele was known for deadly experiments and was part of the physician team that selected victims for the gas chambers.

Mizrachi said calls were made to connect Igielski and Kohn. “We were trying to get them together in a public setting when the JCC offered to let us have it here.”

Holocaust survivors Bonnie and Jack Rybsztajn, of Woodmere, attended the event with their daughter, Dr. Jennifer Rybstein. The couple lost 91 family members in the Holocaust. The Rybsztajns have been married for 74 years.

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By Curt Schleier, JTA It’s rare enough for a Jewish baseball player to make it to the major leagues. A New York Jew named Moe Berg took it even a step further — he added war spy to his extraordinary resume.

Berg pulled off the feat over 60 years ago.

As a catcher in the majors for 15 seasons during the 1920s and 30s, he was known more for his intelligence and introverted personality — famed manager Casey Stengel once called him the “strangest man ever to play baseball” — than his athletic skills. He read several newspapers each day, spoke more than 10 languages (seven fluently) and graduated from Princeton at a time when Jews normally weren’t admitted.

During World War II, after his baseball career, Berg worked for the U.S. government and eventually rose to a position in the Office of Strategic Services, or OSS — a precursor to the CIA. He went on missions in then-Yugoslavia, where he tracked resistance groups, and Italy, where he interviewed physicists about the German nuclear program.

The story sounds like great fodder for a movie, and that’s what it has become. “The Catcher Was a Spy,” based on a 1994 biography of the same name by Nicholas Dawidoff, opens Friday in theaters. Paul Rudd (who happens to be Jewish) stars as Berg, alongside Mark Strong and Sienna Miller.

The film begins in 1939, Berg’s last season as a player, with the Boston Red Sox, before picking up several years later when he has a boring desk job at the OSS. His boss, Gen. William Donovan (Jeff Daniels), eventually assigns him a mission in the field, and with Sam Goudsmit (Paul Giamatti), Berg helps rescue the Italian physicist Eduardo Amaldi from the Nazis.

A more crucial assignment is to kill the fa-

Paul Rudd plays Moe Berg in “The Catcher Was a Spy.”

mous German physicist Werner Heisenberg, a task with which Berg is not completely comfortable. There is no certainty that Germany has the resources to build a bomb (the Brits don’t believe they do) or even that Heisenberg, despite being a loyal German, will help them build a weapon of mass destruction. But Donovan decides not to take a chance and orders the hit.

Berg was an enigma to most who knew him, and the film, directed by the Australian filmmaker Ben Lewin, paints a nuanced portrait of the complicated character. Though

IFC Films

he had a longtime girlfriend, Estella (Sienna Miller), some questioned his sexual orientation. The general asks him point blank at one point if he’s “queer,” but Berg doesn’t answer.

(Later in life, Berg became unemployed and subsisted with the help of relatives.)

As a whole, though, the movie falls in a bland area between truth and fiction. While Berg’s missions are fascinating on paper, the content isn’t particularly cinematic, the way a good James Bond film is. So while the end product stays honest to the facts, it sacrifices some enjoyment for the viewer.

The film does address Berg’s Jewish identity, however, and conveys how uncomfortable he was in his Jewish skin. At one point he tells a new acquaintance: “I’m a Jew. Not a practicing Jew. But I was different than the other boys. I never even told them my real name. I wanted to blend in ... I don’t fit in even now.”

(Rudd’s personal story mirrors Berg’s a bit on this front — he explained last year on the genealogy show “Finding Your Roots” that he grew up in places with few Jews and was called “Jew boy” despite his attempts to blend in to his communities.)

Director Ben Lewin, 71, the son of Polish Holocaust survivors, migrated with his family at a young age to Australia, where he grew up in an observant Jewish household. He had never heard of Berg before the film opportunity arose and, though now Los Angeles-based, has never been to a baseball game other than his sons’ Little League contests.

But he told JTA his Jewishness informs his “sense of connection with the subject matter.”

In 1985, Lewin directed the award-winning “The Dunera Boys,” a miniseries about 2,000 English Jews who were suspected of being Nazi spies and deported to Australia.

In one scene late in “The Catcher Was a Spy,” during his mission to kill Heisenberg, Berg attends a Kol Nidrei service at a Zurich synagogue. While the film is based on true events, the moment almost certainly never occurred. Lewin finds it a plausible possibility. “[Berg] was a very modern and secular Jew, but at the same time he couldn’t escape his Jewishness,” the filmmaker said. “Before going out to kill someone, I don’t know that he didn’t go inside a synagogue. I know myself as a secular Jew that I find comfort in that kind of environment. I go to Kol Nidrei services every year even though I’m not a believer, because I have that one day to reflect on my life.”

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THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

The story of Moe Berg, Jewish catcher and spy

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June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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The JEWISH STAR

Wine & Dine

Saluting America and recalling when we were immigrants too t is almost July 4th, that most American of all American holidays. I am a true and unabashed patriot, especially on the Fourth of July, and I love the parades, the concerts and the many, many barbecues that take place across our vast country.

Last year, I wrote about the Jews who have fought for America from its inception, through all its wars, and who continue to serve in the armed forces today. But this year, I have been thinking about my grandfather, the one I never knew, who died just a few months before I was born. He came to America escape the pogroms in Russia, and found here a country that accepted him and allowed what he felt were extraordinary freedoms. I also thought about the very first Jews to arrive on this continent.

How lonely it must have been for them!

The first Jewish man to come to the New World was Elias Legarde, a Sephardic Jew who arrived in Jamestown in 1621. In 1649, another Sephardic Jewish man, Solomon Franco, arrived in Boston and settled there, doing business for a Dutchman. Apparently, things went badly, and he was expelled to Holland a few years later. In 1674, there were only two Jews in Boston.

For decades, you could count the Jewish population of Boston on one hand. Those who trickled in experienced prejudice as they tried to forge a life: they wanted to be full participants in the political creation of the new world, but to their disappointment, were barred from voting. By 1875, America was almost 100 years old, but the Jewish community in Boston numbered merely 3,000.

However, by World War I, that number had exploded — to almost 90,000! Most of the new immigrants were Eastern European Jews who fled before, during and after the war. My maternal grandfather arrived in 1904 as an 8-year-old, and got right to work. He learned English, attended some yeshiva, and read scores of books. He eventually built a thriving, lucrative business that made women’s apparel and women’s armed forces uniforms during World War II. He was a staunch American patriot who loved this country that had saved his family from the Russian pogroms.

So I come by my patriotism and love of country honestly.

America is an amazing place, and I am thankful every day that I live where I can love my country, practice my religion openly and say what I want — within reason, of course!

Those early Jewish settlers came to a new world and made this country — often good, sometimes bad, forever complicated and beautifully diverse — a place for us all to love and cherish. The poem at the gateway to America was penned by a young Jewish woman, speaking to the acceptance of all who choose to come to its shores. The Fourth of July celebrates that enduring ideal.

Sweet Hot Salmon with Jicama Celery Slaw (pareve) All the ingredients in this glaze are to taste. Make it as hot — or not! — as your family likes.

2 Tbsp. hot sauce, tabasco or sriracha, to taste, less for less heat 1-1/2 Tbsp. dark brown sugar, firmly packed 1 tsp. (scant) smoked paprika 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper, more or less, to taste

1 small clove garlic, pressed through a garlic press 1 tsp. agave nectar or honey 2 tsp. canola oil 1 Tbsp. chives, finely minced 1 Tbsp. fresh parsley, finely minced, leaves only 4 salmon fillets, 5 to 8 ounces each, thin fat edge removed Salt and freshly ground black pepper Canola oil for grill and for brushing salmon Place the hot sauce, dark brown sugar, paprika, cayenne, garlic, agave syrup or honey, and canola oil in a small bowl and whisk vigorously to blend thoroughly.

Brush the grill with oil and brush each salmon piece lightly with oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Place on the hot grill and leave for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the fish moves easily.

While cooking, brush the top with the glaze once or twice.

Flip the salmon pieces and brush the cooked side with the glaze 2 or 3 times while cooking the second side. When cooked, place on a platter and brush once more with the glaze. Garnish with the parsley and chives. Serve with Jicama Celery Slaw.

Jicama Celery Slaw for Salmon (Pareve) 1 small jicama, peeled and cut into thin, matchstick pieces 6 to 10 stalks of celery, thinly sliced on diagonal 1/4 of small purple cabbage, cut into slices 1 small sweet onion, like Vidalia or red onion, cut in quarters and thinly sliced 1-1/2 Tbsp. prepared hot/sweet glaze 2 to 4 Tbsp. lite mayonnaise NOTE: A thinly-sliced Granny Smith apple adds a nice touch.

Place 1-1/2 tablespoons of the hot sauce into a large bowl.

Add the mayonnaise and whisk to blend.

Slice the celery, purple cabbage, red onion and jicama into thin pieces and add to the bowl. Toss to coat with the dressing and then cover and refrigerate.

Serve with the salmon. Serves 4.

Thai Curried Grilled Salmon (Pareve) 1 Tbsp. canola oil 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. grated peeled ginger 1 tsp. coriander 1-1/2 tsp. Thai red curry paste, more or less, to taste 1 tsp. paprika 1/2 tsp. cumin, more to taste 1-1/4 cups coconut milk, full fat or low-fat 3 Tbsp. tomato paste, scant 2 tsp. tamari sauce 1-1/2 Tbsp. packed dark brown sugar, more to taste GARNISH: 1 to 2 scallions, thinly sliced OPTIONAL: 1 Tbsp. coarsely chopped peanuts 4 salmon fillets, about 6 to 8 ounces each 2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper Heat the canola oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the coriander, cumin, paprika, and curry paste and cook over very low heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.

Slowly add the coconut milk, tomato paste, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Increase the heat and, stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a simmer, but not a boil. Remove from heat. When

Thai Curried Grilled Salmon (Pareve)

World Peace Cookies (Dairy)

Kosher Kitchen

Joni SCHoCKeTT Jewish Star columnist

I

My grandfather was a staunch patriot who loved an America that had saved his family from the Russian pogroms.

bubbles start to form, remove from heat.

Heat the grill to medium and brush a fish rack with olive oil.

Brush the salmon with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Place the fish on the grill and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes each side until cooked through. Don’t overcook!

When the fish is done, place one piece on each plate and drizzle with the sauce. Serve with rice and drizzle the sauce over the rice. Garnish with scallions and peanuts. Serves 4.

World Peace Cookies (Dairy) These were named by the originator of this recipe, Pierre Hermes, who gave it to famed cook Dorrie Greenspan. The recipe has traveled through many hands. This is my adaptation.

1-1/4 cups unbleached flour 1/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 tsp. baking soda 1 stick plus 3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup (firmly packed) golden brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract 1/8 tsp. salt 6 ounces bittersweet or extra-bittersweet chocolate, 52 to 72% cocoa, chopped (no pieces bigger than 1/3 inch), or 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips.

3 ounces milk chocolate chips or white chocolate chips, or even peanut butter or butterscotch chips Sift the flour, cocoa, and baking soda into medium bowl.

Place the butter in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the brown and white sugar and the vanilla and sea salt. Beat until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Reduce the speed to very low and slowly add the flour/cocoa mixture. Beat just until blended. The mixture may be a bit crumbly. If too crumbly, knead a bit in the bowl to bring the dough together in a ball.

Divide the dough in half and place each piece on a sheet of plastic wrap. Form into a 1-1/2-inch thick log, wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Use a thin sharp knife to cut ½-inch thick rounds. Place 1 inch apart on the parchment.

Bake for 11 to 12 minutes until the cookies look dry on top. Place the baking sheets on a rack to cool and firm up. When cooled, transfer to an airtight container. Makes about 18 cookies.

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June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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The JEWISH STAR

Wine & Dine

Moroccan-style brisket with dried fruit and capers

By Jennifer Segal, The Nosher via JTA For years I made Nach Waxman’s “mostGoogled brisket recipe” for every Jewish holiday.

My family loved it, but eventually we got tired of the same ol’, same ol’.

One year I decided to mix things up a bit and give the recipe a Moroccan twist: Middle Eastern spices, dried fruit and capers. Everyone thought it was wonderful.

The ingredient list looks long, but don’t let that scare you; it’s just a lot of spices. Plus, you can make it days ahead of time — in fact, you should, because the flavor improves the longer it sits. This dish is so abundant and impressive looking, you can keep the sides simple: Some couscous and a green vegetable and your holiday dinner is done.

Butchers typically sell two types of brisket: flat cut and point cut. These two pieces together make up a full brisket, a large slab of muscle from the steer’s chest. The point cut has more marbling, while the flat cut (also called “first cut” or “center cut”) is lean but topped with a thick fat cap. This recipe calls for a flat-cut brisket.

Don’t let your butcher trim off all the fat! A small fat cap bastes the meat, adding flavor and keeping it from getting dry and tough. You can trim any excess fat and skim the fat off the gravy once it’s cooked.

If the sauce seems greasy, transfer the meat and vegetables to a platter and cover with foil to keep warm. Pour the sauce into a bowl and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Using a small ladle, spoon out the fat. Pour the skimmed gravy back over the meat.

Note: This recipe can be made up to three days ahead of time and refrigerated. Reheat the

brisket in a 300 F. oven until hot, about 45 minutes. It also freezes well for up to two months; just be sure to defrost in the refrigerator two days ahead of time.

Ingredients: 4 to 6-pound flat-cut brisket 1 heaping Tbsp. kosher salt 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper 1-1/2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil 5 medium yellow onions, cut into slices 1/2 inch thick 2 tsp. packed light brown sugar 2 tsp. paprika 1-1/2 tsp. ground cumin 1-1/4 tsp. ground ginger 3/4 tsp. ground coriander 3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 2 Tbsp. tomato paste 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 6 carrots, peeled and quartered on the diagonal 14 dried apricots 12 pitted prunes 2 Tbsp. capers, drained 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. and set an oven rack in the middle position.

2. Season the brisket on both sides with the salt and pepper. Lightly dust with the flour, turning to coat both sides evenly.

3. In a heavy flameproof roasting pan or ovenproof enameled cast-iron pot just large enough to hold the brisket, carrots and dried fruits snugly, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the

brisket to the pan, fatty side down, and sear until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Using a pair of tongs and a large fork, flip the brisket over and sear the other side in the same manner.

4. Transfer the brisket to a platter, then add the onions to the pan. (If the pan seems dry, add a few Tbsp. of water.) Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and scraping up any

browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan, until the onions are softened and golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

5. Add the brown sugar, paprika, cumin, ginger, coriander, cinnamon and cayenne to the onions and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Add 1 cup water and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

6. Remove from the heat and place the brisket, fatty side up, and any accumulated juices from the platter on top of the onions. Spread the tomato paste evenly over the brisket, then scatter the garlic around it. Cover the pan very tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil or a lid, transfer to the oven and cook for 1-1/2 hours.

7. Carefully transfer the brisket to a cutting board (leave on the oven). Using an electric or very sharp knife, cut the meat across the grain on a diagonal into thin slices (aim for 1⁄8 to 1/4 inch thick). Return the slices to the pot, overlapping them at an angle so that you can see a bit of the top edge of each slice. The end result should resemble the original unsliced brisket leaning slightly backward. Scatter the carrots, apricots, prunes and capers around the edges of the pot and baste with the sauce; cover tightly with the foil or lid and return to the oven.

8. Lower the heat to 325 F. and cook the brisket until it is fork-tender, 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 hours.

Transfer the brisket to a serving platter, then sprinkle with parsley. If you’re not planning to serve the brisket right away, let it cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 8.

This recipe is reprinted from “Once Upon a Chef” by Jennifer Segal, with permission from Chronicle Books.

From Jewish-Chinese chef, urban-country cuisine

By Shiryn Solny, JNS A new Food Network show stars best-selling blogger and chef Molly Yeh, whose recipes are inspired by her Jewish-Chinese roots, the Midwest and farm life.

In the seven-episode show, “Girl Meets Farm,” viewers are invited inside her farmhouse on the Minnesota-North Dakota border, where she lives with her husband, Nick Hagen, a fifth-generation farmer.

“We put together such a fun colorful lineup of recipes that each tell a story and that I care about a lot,” said Yeh, 29. “My dad comes for an episode,

and we make Chinese food together, and my mom comes for an episode, and we make her brisket together, so there are a lot of personal aspects to it.”

Yeh, whose father is Chinese and whose mother is Jewish, grew up in the suburbs of Chicago. She always loved food, though she was a picky eater as a child.

“My mom is an amazing cook and baker, and my dad is a human garbage disposal, so I grew up around food lovers and just thought that everyone loves food as much as we do,” said Yeh. “It wasn’t until I moved to New York that I got

inspired to try new foods. I made up for lost time and jumped at every opportunity to try new things; it was a very delicious time.”

Post-high school, Yeh moved to New York and attended the Julliard School, where she studied percussion. She moved from Brooklyn to a Midwestern farm with her husband five years ago.

“There were a few things about the transition that were rocky,” she said. “Like suddenly being very, very far away from good bagels, but then I learned to make them, so I’m OK now.”

Jewish cuisine is one of the biggest influences

Comedy Central does Eichmann

By Gabe Friedman This week’s episode of “Drunk History” features a retelling of the hunt for Adolf Eichmann, the architect of the Holocaust who escaped to Argentina but was eventually captured by Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency.

“Drunk History” is a popular Comedy Central show in which stories from history are narrated by comedians who are, as the title implies, under the influence (some of the language used is less than appropriate).

The vignette on Tuesday night’s show is narrated by Rachel Bloom, the Jewish star and creator of “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” and also features performances by Tony Hale (“Arrested Development,” “Veep”), Alex Karpovsky (“Girls”) and Weird Al Yankovic (who plays Eichmann, following his turn as Hitler in a Season 2 episode about the Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling boxing match).

While “Drunk History” is played for laughs, producers say they employ fact checkers to keep the stories’ outlines accurate. Critics and educa-

Weird Al Yankovic, as Adolf Eichmann, is carried onto an El Al flight in “Drunk History.”

tors have praised the series for bringing wider awareness of historical episodes involving Jews, people of color, Asian Americans, Native Americans and people with disabilities, among others.

The Eichmann capture story is also hitting the big screen when “Operation Finale,” starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley, comes to theaters in September.

in Yeh’s cooking.

She no longer has the luxury of buying a Jewishinspired meal — if she wants one, she must make it from scratch.

“It opens up opportunities to put homegrown ingredients in my Molly Yeh favorite comfort foods,” she said. “My Chinese background also plays a large role in how I cook on an everyday basis.”

On Instagram, Yeh often shares dishes connected to Jewish holidays, including Passover, Chanukah, Purim, Shavuot and Tu B’Shevat.

Among her numerous creative recipes are maple-tahini cupcakes with labneh frosting; kale matzah pizza; onion jam and za’atar sufganiyot; marzipan challah; French yogurt malabi; molten halvah lava cakes; falafel sliders; and salt-andvinegar potato “knishentaschen,” which is like a marriage between a knish and a hamantasch. She once shared a picture of her “l’chaim-ing into the weekend” with a pistachio-rimmed frozen cocktail that included strawberries, cream, cardamom and local Minnesota vodka.

Yeh told JNS that her favorite thing of all to make is challah dough.

“Whenever I make challah dough, I usually make one regular loaf and then use the other half of the dough to play with. It’s such a versatile, delicious dough. I like frying it into doughnuts, flattening it out to make pizza, dipping it in a baked baking soda bath to make pretzels, waffling it … the options are endless.”

“Girl Meets Farm” premieres on Sunday, June 24, on the Food Network.

THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

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‘Happily, the Government of the Uni that they who live under its protectio who dwell in this land continue to me his own vine and fig tree and there s

ited States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance, requires only on should demean themselves as good citizens. … May the children of the stock of Abraham erit and enjoy the good will of the other inhabitants, while every one shall sit in safety under shall be none to make him afraid.’ From George Washington’s Letter to the Jews of Newport, Aug. 18, 1790

June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Israel salutes America: 70 who counted in 70

President George W. Bush with Elie Wiesel and the Dalai Lama at the Capitol in 2007 (White House/Chris Greenberg) and Norman Podhoretz (Sarah Merians/Commentary).

On the occasion of the Jewish state’s 70th anniversary, the Israeli embassy in Washington, in partnership with the Jewish News Syndicate, celebrates 70 of the greatest American contributors to the U.S.-Israel relationship Many of the people and organizations chosen for this acknowledgement will be readily recognized by readers of The Jewish Star, others less so, but their powerful stories build a collective history that reflects the broad base of American love and support for the Jewish state.

This week, The Jewish Star publishes the fifth part of a series that will cover all of the “70 who counted.”

Ben Hecht (1894–1964) 35 of 70

Ben Hecht, a prolific journalist, novelist and playwright, was one of Hollywood’s most sought-out and successful screenwriters.

Hecht’s life took a sharp turn in 1941 when he met Peter Bergson, a central figure in the history of Zionism. Born Hillel Kook (nephew of the famed Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook), Bergson was a founding member of the Irgun. He convinced Hecht to fight for the goals of the network, at this point mainly the rescue of European Jews. Hecht realized that his connections in Hollywood and the press could be valuable to the cause.

Hecht began producing a number of full-page advertisements that brought the ongoing horrors of the Holocaust to public attention. One ad, published in 1943 in The New York Times read: “For Sale to Humanity — 70,000 Jews — Guaranteed Human Beings — at $50 a Piece,” referencing Romania’s offer to send Jews to safety if their travel expenses were paid upfront.

Next, Hecht utilized Hollywood connections to put together a massive pageant. Titled “We Will Never Die,” it was performed before 40,000 spectators at Madison Square Garden to spread awareness of the Holocaust and influence change in American immigration policy, which restricted the number of refugees allowed in.

After the war, Hecht focused his Jewish activism on supporting the Irgun’s activities, which included smuggling weapons and immigrants to British-controlled Palestine. He openly supported the Jewish underground, using speeches, writing and his international contacts to help influence public opinion toward the establishment of a Jewish state in Palestine.

In an extraordinary fundraising speech, Hecht spoke to a group of Jewish mob bosses, whom he described as “a thousand bookies, ex-prize fighters, gamblers, jockeys and all sorts of lawless and semi-lawless characters,” and beseeched them: “A David stands against Goliath. I ask you Jews — buy him a stone for his slingshot.” The speech allegedly yielded almost a quarter of a million dollars in donations for the Irgun.

In 1947, Hecht wrote the script for a play, A Flag is Born, starring a young Marlon Brando.

The play proved extremely popular on Broadway and its national tour, raising more than $400,000 toward purchasing a ship that was

used in an attempt to smuggle more than 900 Holocaust survivors to Palestine. The ship was renamed the SS Ben Hecht in honor of Hecht’s major contribution.

Hecht’s story is a powerful tale of an American Jew who used his unique combination of talents, skills and contacts to help the Jewish people and the Jewish state.

Elie Wiesel (1928–2016) 36 of 70

Elie Wiesel was great not because of his talent as a writer or his wisdom as a thinker. He was great not because of his character, which combined the dignity of nobility with the humility of deep faith. Elie Wiesel was certainly all of these things, but what made him truly great was the virtue that makes all others possible: courage.

Elie Wiesel possessed the courage to speak truth to power. He told President Ronald Reagan not to go to Bitburg, Germany; pleaded with President Bill Clinton to act against genocide in Bosnia; and opposed President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran. An author, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the world’s most famous Holocaust survivor, Wiesel brought recognition of those horrors to the world.

His writings, especially Night, inspire millions with stories of strength and perseverance.

Wiesel believed that after the Holocaust, the State of Israel became critical to Jewish identity and survival. As he put it, “It’s clear … that one can’t be Jewish without Israel.” He forcefully defended Israel in writing and in his speeches. In his Nobel lecture in 1986, Wiesel proclaimed Israel’s intrinsic connection to Jewish peoplehood. “I trust Israel,” he said, “for I have faith in the Jewish people. Let Israel be given a chance, let hatred and danger be removed from her horizons, and there will be peace in and around the Holy Land.”

His philosophy — recognizing the Holocaust as a fundamental component of modern Jewish identity — did not win immediate acceptance in Israel. For some time, Israeli society did not embrace the full narrative of the Holocaust, preferring to focus instead on isolated instances of resistance, such as the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. With time, and with the absorption of large numbers of immigrants who had lost family members in the Holocaust, Israelis came increasingly to appreciate Wiesel’s writings. He made such a powerful impression on Israeli society that he was offered the Israeli presidency by both Ehud Olmert and Benjamin Netanyahu; he declined both times.

Despite living outside of Israel, during times of war and conflict, Elie Wiesel was on the front lines of Israel advocacy. During “Operation Protective Edge” in 2014, he appeared in advertisements in some of the most popular newspapers in the United States, denouncing Hamas’s use of children as human shields. In March 2015, Wiesel attended Prime Minister Netanyahu’s speech to the U.S. Congress, lending his moral authority to those who opposed the nuclear

deal with Iran — a regime that denies the Holocaust and threatens Israel with annihilation.

Elie Wiesel was a man of the world and a man of his people; he understood that the two go hand in hand. Never accepting a separation between the State of Israel and the Jewish people, Wiesel believed fervently in both.

Tom Lantos (1928–2008) 37 of 70

Tom Lantos’s mother was one of 440,000 Hungarian Jews killed by the Nazis. Lantos joined the underground and survived. But when he learned of her death, he was not embittered.

He remained positive, enabling him to befriend people of all backgrounds and views. “[Lantos],” remarked his friend Elie Wiesel, “saw his survival from the camps in Europe as a reason to devote his life to help victims of discrimination, oppression and persecution everywhere.”

Born and raised in Budapest, Lantos came to the United States following the war. He excelled academically, earning a doctorate in economics from the University of California, Berkeley. He kept his Old World courtliness and never had a desk in his office, not wishing anything to come between him and his visitors.

Lantos led a 27-year career as a Democratic Congressman from California and chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, characterized by a commitment to safeguarding human rights, and defending the Jewish people and Jewish state.

The only Holocaust survivor elected to Congress, his first act was to introduce legislation to honor Raoul Wallenberg, the Swedish diplomat who rescued thousands of Hungarian Jews during World War II. Lantos was actively engaged in the cause of Soviet Jewry and organized the Congressional Human Rights Commission, a group since renamed in his honor, to help those fighting for freedom and expose the atrocities of their foes. The 2004 law named after him, the Lantos Amendment, requires the State Department to regularly report on anti-Semitism as a worldwide phenomenon and threat.

When it came to Israel, the view of Tom Lantos carried weight in Congress. When countries in the Middle East threatened Israel, Lantos always spoke out. When he felt that Egypt’s government was not doing enough to stop the smuggling of weapons to Hamas, he suggested ending aid to Egypt and questioned funding to Lebanon, noting that its unwillingness to defend its borders allows Syria and Iran to finance, arm and train Hezbollah.

One of his colleagues, Democratic Sen. and vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman, said: “[Tom Lantos] embodied the bipartisan support that Israel so rightly enjoys in America.

In the history of the Jewish state, Israel had no better friend in Congress.”

The Crown Family 38 of 70

“Support Israel in every way you possibly can. Get people to understand Israel’s tremendous contributions to humanity,” said Lester

Crown in a 2015 interview.

In outlining his devotion to Israel, Crown was not merely expressing a personal preference, but a long and distinguished family tradition of engagement and principled commitment to the Jewish state.

Lester’s mother, Rebecca, was active in Hadassah; his father, Henry, spent the 1930s trying to get Jews out of Germany and would later lobby for the creation of a Jewish state. After the establishment of Israel, the nation was hampered in its ability to purchase military equipment, so Teddy Kollek, later mayor of Jerusalem, asked Henry Crown to ship parts for airplane equipment to Israel. Crown’s contributions helped found Israel’s domestic jet production industry.

Throughout their lives, Henry and Rebecca were pillars of Zionism and philanthropy in Chicago.

While leading Henry Crown and Company in Chicago, Lester Crown has maintained the family’s proud legacy; the Crown Family Foundation has supported educational programs about Israel in America, as well as research institutions in Israel. The family endows a chair in Israel Studies at Northwestern University and supports the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis, promoting desperately needed Israel studies in American academies.

Convinced that economic development in Arab states and Palestinian areas could in the long run prove more valuable for peace than politics — however important peace negotiations may be — Lester Crown has fostered economic development in Palestinian areas and elsewhere, creating new business ties between Israelis and Arabs. These efforts have deepened economic ties throughout the region and worked to facilitate coexistence.

In profound ways, the Crown family has enabled Israel to be a great contributor to the human story.

Norman Podhoretz 39 of 70

Norman Podhoretz first traveled to Israel in 1950, when he was 20. He visited a cousin who decided to honor his relative from America by saving two eggs and serving them soft-boiled.

Podhoretz, who loathed soft-boiled eggs, ate them with a smile.

In the decades that followed, Podhoretz’s commitment to Israel would remain unflagging, best expressed in his 35-year stewardship of Commentary magazine. A publication of the American Jewish Committee, Commentary had not especially concerned itself with Israel in its first 15 years of existence. From 1960 until his retirement in 1995, Podhoretz directed the magazine’s intellectual and creative energies in large part towards the defense of the Zionist experiment and the existential necessity of a Jewish state.

This was true not only when Israel came under physical attack, but when it came under rhetorical and polemical attack from the United Continued on next page

well, but fortuitously had decided to spend the remainder of their spring in Palestine. Following the death of his brother and sister-in-law, Nathan dedicated even more of his time and wealth towards philanthropy for Zionist causes.

Nathan’s commitment to the development of Jewish institutions and communities in prestate Israel continued through the end of his life. Upon his death, he left two-thirds of his estate to Jewish institutions in Palestine. A tiny new Jewish town on the Mediterranean coast was named in his honor, now the bustling, prosperous and growing city of Netanya.

Robert Kraft and Myra Hiatt Kraft (1942–2011) 41 of 70

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15 THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

Continued from page 14 Nations, the Arab world and elite opinion in the West. He saw Israel’s fate as inseparable from that of Western civilization, and sought to demonstrate how they were interwoven. As a writer, he frequently addressed the threat posed by the assaults on Israel, notably in a 1982 article titled “J’Accuse!”

Podhoretz, 88, knew this in his marrow. The child of Galician immigrants, he grew up the son of a milkman in one of New York City’s poorest neighborhoods. He excelled academically, and went to Columbia University and Cambridge University on scholarships. After serving in the U.S. Army, he joined the circle of New York intellectuals he famously dubbed “The Family” and took over Commentary in 1960.

He later broke with many in his intellectual circles, in part due to their hesitation to support Israel during and after the 1967 Six-Day War, and in part due to their reluctance to criticize anti-Semitism during a New York City public school strike in 1968. These events and others led him to become one of the founding members of the “neoconservative” movement, which saw the defense of the West and democratic institutions — including Israel — as a

980958

On Nov. 23, 2015, before kicking off their game against the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots observed a moment of silence in memory of Ezra Schwartz, an American yeshiva student who had been murdered in a terrorist attack while studying in Israel. Why? The answer is simple: Robert and Myra Hiatt Kraft.

Robert Kraft was born in Brookline, Mass., in 1941; Myra Hiatt was born 35 miles away in Worcester the next year. He was raised in a Sabbath-observant Jewish household; she was born to Lithuanian Jewish immigrants. The couple met in Boston and married in 1963, the same year Bob graduated from Columbia University and the year before Myra graduated from Brandeis. They spent their honeymoon in Israel.

After college, Bob entered the world of business, where he proved wildly successful.

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Enjoy father, Jacob Hiatt, the card Nathan Straus, along with his brother Isidor, gether with Myra’s *Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 4/14/18–6/25/18 participating dealers in the U.S. only.April Offer14–June excludes HDOrigins herein are the property of Hunter Douglasfrom or their respective 18Q2MAGSCVC1 rebates on owners. qualifying purchases 25, 2018. and Nantucket Window Shadings, a collection of Silhouette jointShadings. comparative religion sold products to Macy’s, eventually becoming Krafts funded twoWindow Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 4 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against card balance 6Brandeis months after cardUniversity issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask STARTING participating dealer for100 details and form. ©2018 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used REBATES AT $ ONrebate QUALIFYING PURCHASES co-owners of the famed retail institution. Deep- professorships between herein are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners. 18Q2MAGSCVC1 ly committed to improving health care and gen- and College of the Holy Cross to promote Soho Window Fashion, Inc eral wellbeing, especially among the poor, Na- greater understanding between Christians and ™ Willow dealers Avenue *Manufacturer’s rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 4/14/18–6/25/18 581 from participating in the U.S. only. Ask Offerusexcludes HDOrigins and on Nantucket™ Win about special savings Krafts alsomail-in helped develop than used his considerable wealth and political Jews. In Israel, the select Hunter Douglas operating Window Shadings.

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Subject to applicable law, a $2 Ask us about special savings on select Cedarhurst, NY connections to fund many health-related initia- a sister city relationship between Haifa and balancetowards 6 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. systems. ©2018 Hunter Douglas donated the absorptives, including the fight against childhood dis- Boston, and have card 516-341-7600 Hunter Douglas operating systems are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners. 18Q2MAGSCVC1 tion of Ethiopian herein immigrants. eases and tuberculosis. www.sohoblinds.com The Krafts have worked to bring American Although Straus did not lead a particu*Manufacturer’s mail-in rebate offer valid for qualifying purchases made 4/14/18–6/25/18 from participating dealers in the U.S. only. Offer excludes HDOrigins and Nantucket Window Shadings, a collection of Silhouette Window Shadings. Rebate will be issued in the form of a prepaid reward card and mailed within 4 weeks of rebate claim receipt. Funds do not expire. Subject to applicable law, a $2.00 monthly fee will be assessed against larly religious life, when he and his wife, Lina football to the Jewish state. “My late, darling card balance 6 months after card issuance and each month thereafter. Additional limitations may apply. Ask participating dealer for details and rebate form. ©2018 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas or their respective owners. 18Q2MAGSCVC1 Gutherz Straus, visited Ottoman-controlled wife Myra always used to tell me that until I Palestine in 1904, they were powerfully moved start building football in Israel, I would not by their visit, experiencing “a strange and in- win anything with the Patriots. That happened tense desire to return.” They became ideologi- in late 1999, and we won our first Super Bowl cally committed Zionists, and began a long in 2001. Now we have five championships, and campaign of philanthropy in British Mandate I can’t ignore the connection,” Bob said.

He has led NFL players on trips to Israel Palestine. Over the next two decades, Straus made substantial contributions to a number of for many years, but none more inspiring than large projects for improving health care, sanita- in 2015, when for the first time, he led a deltion and education in the yishuv. The Strauses egation of 19 Hall of Famers on a historic trip also built pasteurization plants, soup kitchens called “Touchdown in Israel.” Two years later, he brought a second delegation of Hall of and employment centers.

In 1912, tragedy struck the Straus family. Famers, including NFL legends Jim Brown and Nathan, Isidor and their wives had traveled to Joe Montana. Highlights of the emotional and Europe to attend an international tuberculosis spiritual trips were featured in CBS Sports and conference in Rome. Afterward, Isidor and his NFL Films documentaries viewed by millions.

The Krafts funded Israel’s first women’s wife, Ida, returned on the Titanic. As the ship sank, precious spots on a lifeboat were offered flag football league, as well as the Kraft Family to the Strauses, likely due to their advanced age Sports Campus in Jerusalem, the first and only and fortune. Isidor, recognizing that there were standardized American football field in Israel. @rockawaynassau .com/RockawayNassauPatrol @Rockaway_Nassau_Patrol Although Myra passed away in 2011, the not enough lifeboats to save everyone aboard, refused. Ida refused to part with her husband. Kraft family continues to be a pillar of Jewish TO RECEIVE SECURITY ALERTS, SIGN UP AT: SECURITYALERTS@ROCKAWAYNASSAU.ORG philanthropy. In his commitment to strengthenSadly, both went down with the ship.

Legend has it that Nathan and Lina were to ing Jewish identity and the Jewish state, Bob return to the United States aboard the Titanic as continues the legacy of this remarkable couple.

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June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Israeli minister at MDS JEWISH STAR School News Send news and hi-res photos to Schools@TheJewishStar.com Deadline Mondays at Noon

CAHAL k’garten grads MK Ayoub Kara and Head of School Ms. Raizi Chechik pose with MDS students.

MK Ayoub Kara, Israeli Minister of Communication and Cyber Security, visited Manhattan Day School last week to learn about the school’s advancements in communications and technology.

The visit began with a presentation of MDS’s 75-year history and a roundtable discussion that included the minister’s team and MDS administrators. The minister then entered the Smart Lab, where students from Grades 2 to 7 presented robotics and STEM projects. Next, MDS newsroom students interviewed Kara

about his career in Israeli politics and his impressions of MDS. Finally, MK Kara spoke with sixth, seventh and eighth grade students.

“The students here exemplify what we need from young Jewish people around the world — to learn about Israel and its history and to perfect essential tools that Israel can use in the future,” he said. “I hope to visit MDS every year when I’m in the U.S.” Head of School Ms. Raizi Chechik thanked General Nati Cohen for facilitating the visit.

Touro Grad School of Social Work honors Class of 2018 The Touro College Graduate School of Social Work honored the Class of 2018 last week with an awards celebration at Manhattan’s 92nd Street Y. “Welcome to the profession!” said founding Dean Steven Huberman, Ph.D. The festivities began by honoring 58 students who have been able to pursue MSWs because of a $2.5 million federal grant that provides scholarships to economically disadvantaged students.

“These students have defied every odd,” Dean Huberman said. “It’s a myth if you come from difficult circumstances you cannot succeed.

Two recipients, Christian Rodriguez ’18 and Keren Blum ’19, expressed their gratitude for the support of Touro and its senior administration.

“The HRSA grant appeared at just the right time and provided me with the hope I needed to keep moving forward,” said Rodriguez, valedictorian with a 4.0 GPA. Outstanding Community Service and Leadership Awards were presented to Veronique Green, who is running for a seat on her local community board in Brooklyn; Anita Szalontai, a native of Hungary who led students in partnering with peers from the University of Michigan Flint in a virtual Town Hall on water as a human right; and Sheryl Frishman, who not able to attend.

David Greene and Benjamin Heisler received the Student Award from the National Association of Social Workers-NYC Chapter. Twenty-one students received Dean’s Academic Honors with Distinction for cumulative GPAs of 3.9-4.0.

Raquel Samet received the Dr. Bernard and Sarah Lander Distinguished Social Work Tikun Olam Award, which memorializes the legacies of Touro’s founder and his wife and pays tribute to a graduate student who has overcome personal obstacles to make a difference in the community.

Despite multiple challenges, Samet maintained perfect attendance, completed her studies with a near perfect GPA, and earned the respect of peers and professors alike, said Director of Student Advancement Allison Bobick, MSW, LMSW. Tzipora Langner received the Ohel Leadership Award from David Mandel, CEO of Ohel Children’s Home & Family Services. Jhavon

Tzipora Langner receives the Ohel Leadership Award from David Mandel, CEO of Ohel Children’s Home & Family Services.

Kornegay received the Research Award for her examination of how working conditions and job stress impact the health of the child welfare workforce.

Director of Social Work Alumni Engagement and Financial Resource Development Eric Levine, DSW, LCSW, presented Deborah Marchuk, LCSW ’12, with the Distinguished Alumni of the Year Award for her commitment to professional excellence, devotion to community service and commitment to nurturing colleagues and future social work practitioners. Marchuck currently provides psychotherapy to children, teens and adults as a social worker at Long Island Counseling and Anxiety Center in Cedarhurst.

Also receiving the Distinguished Alumni of the Year award but not present was president of the Alumni Association Bobby Staley ’08.

Numerous students in the school’s fellowship programs were recognized: Farrah Denis, Veronique Green, Lindsay Ingenito and Edwin Taveras in the Aging Education Fellowship; Benjamin Heisler, Ludean Maitland, Christian Rodriguez and Lea Wersan in the Military Social Work Education Fellowship; and Christina Arnao, Ashley Cohen and Jhavon Kornegay in the EvidenceBased Practice in Mental Health Fellowship.

Fifteen students received recognition for Excellence in Field Education, and nine students were honored for Excellence in Field Education with Distinction.

CAHAL’s kindergarten class at HANC celebrated the conclusion of an exciting and successful school year.

Rabbi Yaakov Sadigh, principal of HANC Elementary School, opened the event with words of praise for CAHAL teacher Melody Harris, who has impacted the lives of a generation of children by giving them the confidence and skills to succeed. Almost half of her class will be attending mainstream yeshiva next year.

Through song, dance and narration, the children shared their knowledge and appreciation of the chagim, parsha stories, and the land of Israel with all the parents and grandparents in

attendance. After receiving their diplomas, the students awarded certificates of recognition to the HANC fourth and sixth graders who served as their “big brothers and sisters” this year.

Mrs. Harris expressed appreciation to her outstanding assistant teachers and to the children’s therapists. She praised Randi Silber, HANC director of pupil personnel services, for her dedication to each student and to CAHAL. In its 26th year educating children with learning challenges in the community’s yeshivas, CAHAL had the largest enrollment in its history, with nearly 120 students in 12 classes through high school.

HALB ‘Chop’ and tributes The HALB staff, led by parent Naomi Nachman, ended the year with a Chopped cooking competition that left everyone laughing and well-fed. The staff was presented with a “mystery bowl” consisting of chicken, marshmallow fluff, spicy chili and popcorn, and had 30 minutes to create a culinary masterpiece.

As the competition concluded, the HALB family watched a tribute video to Mrs. Sandra Sambursky, HALB’s devoted first-grade teacher who is retiring after over 30 years.

HAFTR girls are tennis camps The HAFTR High School girls’ tennis team won the Yeshiva League Championship game against SAR on Sunday night to defend their title for the second year in a row. In a very close game at the National Tennis Center, HAFTR defeated

SAR 3–2. The team is coached by Jon Mos-

No summer getaway from Torah Now that the summer is officially upon us, our kids will be scattering all over the world in the coming weeks. I am sharing some points I believe are worth noting when anticipating many summer activities we and/or our children might engage in. The first set of points concern safety concerns many of us are aware of, along with some reminders I think of every summer on account of sundry items that have caught my attention over the years.

Please forgive me if I am saying things to you that you already know. When it comes to safety, a friendly reminder is appropriate. This is essentially the same note as last year with a few added comments.

The second set of points concerns our summer attitudes towards Sanctity and Kedusha. On a metaphysical level our eternal values are as important as our temporal values.

SAFETY 1. Sunscreen. Just about every study and article about the dangers of the sun recommends putting sunscreen on exposed parts of the body, especially when one will be outdoors for a few hours. When in the sun for extended periods, heads should be covered!

2. Bike Helmets. Biking accidents are never good for riders, but while most injuries have a better chance of recovery, brain injuries don’t have such luxuries. Please wear helmets — be a role model for the children of our community — and insist that kids do too, even when biking on your block.

3. Hydration. We are not always aware how much the heat or humidity affects us.

In general, healthy consumption of water is at least 80 ounces a day. On hot days spent outdoors, even more is recommended. It is important to remember to drink even when you are doing a water activity. Getting wet does not keep your body hydrated. If you are taking a long plane flight, be sure to drink a good quantity of water.

4. Nature precautions. Every summer brings with it warnings of ticks that may carry diseases. Appropriate clothing, sprays, and general awareness of what to look for - either in the tick itself or if you are bitten — are all important to bear in mind. In the Northeast USA use appropriate precautions and awareness to avoid Lyme disease.

5. Plants and wildlife. When in the great outdoors, we come in contact with the beauty, but also the potential dangers of nature. Know what kinds of animals may be in your vicinity. Know what kinds of plants

— whether dangerous by contact alone or through ingestion — are to be avoided.

Snakes are a particular issue in Israel this summer. There are poisonous snakes. A few precautions are in order. Do not hike in the dark. Do not step or place hands into covered areas where you cannot see what is beneath the covering. Snakes can also be found in water/swimming holes or lakes. Doors should always be closed and windows must have screens. If bitten, sit down, call for an emergency ambulance and get to the nearest hospital ASAP. A poisonous bite will include genuine swelling at the spot of the bite. It is important not to lose one’s cool and not to be active after a bite. Do not tie a tourniquet, or make an incision or suction the bite.

5a. Allergies. I always carry Benadryl with me when I travel or hike. People can get allergic reactions from insect and bee bites even if they have no history of having a reaction. Sometimes the reaction can be dangerously severe. Ask your physician what is the best precaution for you.

6. Hiking. Hikers should stick to marked trails. Always have a map. And hike safely. Every year Israeli news reports include too many stories of accidents and tragedies involving people unfamiliar with the desert who go hiking with no plan, map, or communication.

Death by dehydration and exposure to the elements is usually the result. Never hike alone and always have a reliable means of communication with you in case of emergency.

7. Driving in the country. Relatively inexperienced drivers (kids under 21) must be reminded that the Catskills and Poconos are full of one-lane, challenging roads. Extra care should be taken on these roads — day and night — especially with young drivers who (percentage-wise) tend to be more reckless. Responsible driving will help prevent the fatalities we unfortunately hear about every summer.

Cell Phones: we should remind ourselves and our children about the grave dangers associated with texting and driving. Everyone should drive with a hands-free device while speaking on a phone in our cars.

8. Water Safety. Please use every safety precaution with home pools. No one should swim without a responsible and capable person supervising. Especially small children. Pool safety with young children is paramount. There is no margin for error!

Tragedy can strike — literally — in seconds. If swimming at the shore or in a lake, familiarize yourself with important information like undertow or depth of the water. Do not swim without a trained water safety person present. Never swim alone!

9. Hitchhiking. We are in the throes of an emotionally wrenching experience in Israel. Hitchhiking in Israel and in Gush Etzion is part of the culture and one may argue, almost a necessity. We leave that for the Israelis to debate (as they already are) going forward.

In the USA it is not a necessity. Staff members who are allowed to leave camp should only take rides from within the camp or outside the camp with people who they can be certain are trustworthy people. Many camps arrange shuttle rides for their staff at fixed hours out and back to camp. Such a policy is commendable.

10. Personal Space. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN TO GUARD THEIR BODIES. If anyone in camp, on a trip, or anywhere else touches them inappropriately, they should know what to do to protect themselves. THEY MUST IMMEDIATELY NOTIFY YOU about what happened. BE SURE TO EMPHASIZE TO THEM THAT THEY MUST DISCLOSE EVEN (AND ESPECIALLY) IF THEY HAVE BEEN WARNED TO KEEP QUIET! There can be no mercy for a person who molests children. Such people are potential murderers!

11. ZIKA VIRUS. Please folow the suggested precautions in the CDC article. Zika remains a potential serious risk for people of chilbearing age. One should check the CDC or local Department of Health websites for the most up to date information about any Zika risks in areas you are travelling to.

12. Driving in the neighborhood.

During the summer and on weekends many children play outside. Parents must teach them about safety in the streets. Drivers must be aware that not all children think about looking before they dart into the street. Let us all try to take the necessary precautions about this matter. DRIVERS MUST GO VERY SLOWLY DOWN SIDE STREETS AND PARENTS MUST WATCH AND CAUTION CHILDREN. Even the safest and slowest driver can accidentally hit a child who dashes from a blind spot in front of their car.

Cell Phones: we should remind ourselves and our children about the grave dangers associated with texting and driving. Everyone should drive with a hands free device while speaking on a phone in our cars.

13. Substance Abuse Substance abuse is a very serious issue in our communities. Unfortunately, we cannot be certain that our schools and our camps are drug-free. All of these institutions have strict rules about bringing forbidden substances onto their campuses. But they cannot possibly prevent it from happening.

The results of substance abuse ranges from the most dire results that you could imagine other serious consequences in the lives of our children and our families.

Please support your schools and your camps in their efforts to keep these things away from our children. And please urge your children to stay away from the temptations of these substances. Urge them to report to the authorities anything that they see that is improper. This is not called being a gossiper.

This is called saving lives.

Rabbi Hershel Billet of the YI of Woodmere.

SANCTITY 1. Tzniut. We are Orthodox Jews living in a very open society and we are exposed to the accepted norms of that society. Our standards of “kedoshim tihiyoo,” to be a holy people, often clash with the reality around us.

Being a “holy people” requires us to be separate and different in our behavior in general and in the choices we make in our dress. This applies to both men and women. For leisure time and even for swimming, there are appropriate options available that preserve our sense of modesty when in the company of friends.

As the schools our children attend have dress codes, let those guidelines essentially determine how both parents and children choose to observe a standard of “tzniut” in dress, at least as far as how we cover our arms, legs, and torso. This is a standard we can all appreciate and respect. Summer footwear (sandals, socks, etc) are a matter of personal choice which I am not addressing here.

I do think that there is room in the halacha to allow people to wear comfortable footwear in warm and hot weather.

There are both objective standards of tzniut and subjective standards. But everyone has some concept of what is not appropriate.

It is a challenging task. But we must elevate ourselves in the same way that we sacrifice to keep Kosher and to observe Shabbat.

2. Religious standards when on vacation. Daily prayers, tzitzit, tefillin, kashrut, choice of entertainment, and full Shabbat observance is a sine qua non for the Orthodox family. An accepted halakhic practice, for example, is not to swim on Shabbat!

Just as our community does not condone picking “the kosher item in a non-kosher menu,” we must live by the same standards we live by at home even when we are on vacation, away from anyone who knows us. We may go on vacation from the pressures of our daily routines, but there is no vacation from our covenant with HASHEM. Parents should set a high bar for themselves and their children.

CONSISTENCY IS A SPECIAL GIFT WE CAN GIVE OUR CHILDREN! May we be blessed to be avenues of Kiddush Hashem and the sanctification of G-d’s name in all that we do.

I wish everyone a pleasant summer.

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THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

With the start of summer, The Jewish Star is again pleased to publish a special summer message by Rabbi Hershel Billet of the Young Israel of Woodmere. Rabbi Billet urges that his congregants exercise both physical and spiritual caution during the summer months — excellent advise to all

17

June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

18

‫כוכב של שבת‬

SHAbbAT STAR

Am Yisrael chai, a nation set apart From Heart of Jerusalem

Rabbi biNNY FReeDMaN

Jewish Star columnist

O

ne of the saddest “what might have been”s of the Holocaust was the story of Joel Brand.

In the spring of 1944, the Jews of Poland, Western Europe, Belarus and the Ukraine were largely gone, and Germany set its sights on the last great Jewish community on the European continent: Hungary. As the Nazi recipe of ghettos and deportations began to unfold, Joel Brand, an accomplished politician, was desperate to avert the inevitable. He devised a plan to save the Jews of Hungary by negotiating a deal between the Allies and the Germans.

At the time, Germany was being overrun on all fronts. The largest problem was their overextended supply lines: the Allies were bombing rail tracks, and many trains were busy transporting Jews to Auschwitz.

Brand was summoned by Adolf Eichmann, who proposed a simple deal: 400 trucks for 400,000 Jews. To prove he could deliver, Eichmann stopped the gas chambers for two weeks in August of 1944, at a time when 10,000 Jews a day were being gassed in the mass extermination camp.

Brand eventually snagged a visa to neutral Istanbul and traveled to Palestine to meet with the British and propose the deal. He met with Moshe Sharett in Syria, along with British intelligence.

But when the plan reached the ears of the Al-

lied high command, they viewed him as an agent.

He was arrested and imprisoned, and spent the remainder of the war in a cell, never given the opportunity to meet with the Allied command. After the war, when the extent of the massacre became clear, Brand was a broken man.

In 1960, Eichmann was captured and put on trial in Israel. He admitted that he had taken Brand’s failure as a sign that the world was not interested in saving Jews. Ultimately, 400,000 Hungarian Jews were murdered by the Nazis in the summer of 1944.

If 400,000 Jews are not worth 400 trucks, then 1,000 Jews are not worth even one.

So what was one Jewish life not worth in the summer of 1944? A steering wheel? A tire? f ever there was a time when the Jewish people got the message that we are all alone, it was during the Holocaust.

The source of that idea is in this week’s parsha, Balak. Tasked by the Moabite king Balak with cursing the Jewish people, the world-renowned sorcerer Balaam cannot help but bless them, heeding the will of G-d. Among other things, Balaam prophesizes that the Jews will forever be an am levadad yishkon (Bamidbar 23:7), a people that dwells alone.

But Balaam is an unlikely source of blessing.

Though his plan to curse was thwarted, he ultimately devises a plan that did the Jews great damage. The Talmud further suggests that almost all of Balaam’s blessings were left ambiguous and will turn to curses. Which leaves us with an inter-

esting question: is it good that we are alone? Is this a blessing or a curse?

Early in its development, the Reform movement seems to have viewed it as a curse, part of the punishment of exile. It exhorted followers to consciously assimilate into European, and later American, society. Early Reform rabbis were encouraged not to wear kippot, and all mention of Israel was removed from their prayer books. On the other hand, there are many Jews today who believe that being apart is an ideal, with distinctive dress and separate communities viewed as a goal rather than a necessary evil.

So which is it? Should we aspire to be apart, or to unite with the nations that surround us? Is assimilation an ideal or a failure?

Interestingly, Torah seems clear on the nature of being alone. It is the only thing described as “not good” in the entire Torah. Introducing the creation of Eve, the Torah says, “Lo tov heyot ha’adam levado” (Bereishit 3): it is not good for man to be alone. In Shemot 18, Yitro exhorts Moshe to appoint judges, because it is not good to sit and judge alone all day.

The leper is forced to sit alone as part of the consequence of his actions. In describing the Temple’s destruction, Jeremiah laments, “Eicha yashva badad” — how does the city sit alone?

Clearly, to be apart is far from ideal. And yet the Torah does not describe being alone as ‘bad.’

It merely says it is not good.

But if G-d creates Eve as the solution to man’s

Is assimilation an ideal or a failure?

I

being alone, why was Adam created alone in the first place? Furthermore, on the sixth day, “G-d saw all he had done, and it was very good.” So which was it?

Perhaps initially, being alone is good. Only later on does it become “not good.” One might suggest that it was originally good for man to be alone so he could appreciate what was missing, like a person whose loneliness better enables him appreciate the joy of marriage when it comes.

Thus, loneliness depends on how you handle it. When you are alone, you learn to be independent. You learn that the only person you can always count on is yourself. And while this is not necessarily always good, it is often reality. or thousands of years we dwelled alone and apart, in just about every country we found ourselves in. It wasn’t necessarily the ideal, but it was reality. Today, in a more modern world, we have convinced ourselves we no longer need to dwell apart. We assume, especially in Western democracies, that we have finally arrived at a better reality when Jews can assimilate and be completely together with the nations around us.

But the Jewish people have something beautiful to share with the world: an ethical standard to which the world should aspire. To be such a role model, we need to be distinct.

Jews today are fighting a battle with those determined to make us a pariah in the world, encouraging boycotts, spewing venom and hatred across the streets of Europe and North America, and all over the world.

As we fight yet again for the right to be accepted, we would do well to remember that there is still a value to that which sets us apart.

F

The beautiful lesson of Bilaam Parsha of the Week

Rabbi avi biLLet Jewish Star columnist

O

ne of the more profound lessons in our liturgy can be found in Tehillim 128: “See the good of Jerusalem all the days of your life.”

Beyond Jerusalem itself, the verse serves as an important reminder to have a positive outlook, an approach not shared by anyone in this week’s parsha, Balak.

Balak perceives the Jewish people and sees them as a conquering horde. Balak’s first impression of Bilaam is that he is driven only by money and thinks Balak’s men aren’t good enough for him. Balak’s emissaries see Bilaam as a person difficult to work with — he might be standing on principle in refusing to accompany them if G-d doesn’t let him, but seriously, he clearly wants to go, so his excuses seem kind of pathetic.

Even the donkey — after it smashes his leg, Bilaam is so fed up that he forgets all the good times and says, “If I only had a sword, I’d kill you.” To which the donkey says, “I’ve carried you hundreds of miles, and this is how you treat me?”

When Bilaam and Balak finally meet, Balak is faced at every turn with the reality that he should have never hired Bilaam.

Why did Balak really have a gripe against Israel? What would have happened if Moav had sent a messenger to Israel, saying, “What are your plans? We saw what you did to Sichon and Og, both of whom attacked you. We are Semites — Yaakov and Moav were second cousins. What is your plan?”

They probably would have been told that G-d had no beef with them, that Israel had no beef with them, and that if the Jews were allowed to

cross over the Jordan in peace, everything would be fine. The plagues and battles that followed could have been avoided with simple communication and diplomacy.

In this parsha, no one looks for the positive. No thanks for making the trip from Pethor to Moav. No respect for Bilaam’s relationship with his god. No thanks for a donkey that has served you well for many years. No concern for the young men who accompany Bilaam, who seem to disappear once the donkey takes over his scene.

No admiration for a nation that suffered hundreds of years of hardship and forty years in the wilderness, who defended themselves from attacks by Sichon and Og, when all they wanted was to get to the Promised Land — all of which had no bearing on Moav! eeing the good of Jerusalem means to acknowledge positivity.

Arguably the best way to acknowledge positivity in the human relationship is through kind words.

Rav Dessler famously said that the definition of love is the ability to give. There are many ways to give tangible items, but other ways to give include giving compliments, one’s time, or a listening ear.

Dr. Robert Waldinger is the fourth director of a Harvard Study that followed 724 men over a period of 75 years. He summarized his findings in a TED talk in this way: “Good relationships make us happier and healthier. Period.” He spoke about the quality of the relationships we have, and the need to not feel lonely, even when in a relationship.

In another talk, a man named Andrew Horn

suggests that the best way to get the most out of relationships focuses on seeing the good in others.

First, be interested in them. Being interested in others is what makes us interesting. Imagine if we made every friendly conversation about the other person (unless it’s a discussion of ideas).

Second, we can make relationships more meaningful, when we add a simple opening word to catchphrases we might say all the time.

Instead of “I love you,” say “I love you because…” and then finish the sentence.

Because you inspire me. Because of the care you show for others. Because you are wonderful in so many ways.

Instead of “Thank you,” or “Thanks,” say “Thank you for” and then finish the sentence. For being there, for caring, for making this meal, for hosting me, for sharing with me from your life experience.

Finally, we can be complimentary. Instead of believing that “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it at all,” we can live by the philosophy, “If you have anything nice to say, say it all.”

The idea is reminiscent of Hillel’s famous line “Don’t do to others what is hateful to you.” But flipped to the positive, what person does not like compliments, does not like to hear positive words, or does not appreciate a warm encounter?

In our parsha, the only person who ends up being complimentary is Bilaam towards the Jewish people. He’s the one who says the phrase that begins our daily prayer service: “How good are your tents, Jacob, your dwelling places, Israel!”

If he could find complimentary things to say about the Jewish people all our imperfections,

Instead of ‘I love you,’ say ‘I love you because…’

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we should all be able to find nice things to say about people we love and care for in our lives. As we enter the three weeks leading up to Tisha B’Av, the idea of enhancing relationships should be a focus we can all appreciate.

Luach

Fri June 29 • 16 Tammuz Balak Candlelighting: 8:11 pm Havdalah: 9:20 pm

Sun July 1 • 18 Tammuz

Fast of Tammuz Fast begins 4:16 am, ends 9:20 pm

Fri July 6 • 23 Tammuz Pinchas Candlelighting: 8:10 pm Havdalah: 9:19 pm

Fri July 13 • 1 Av Rosh Chodesh Av Matos-Masei Candlelighting: 8:07 pm Havdalah: 9:16 pm

Fri July 20 • 8 Av Devarim Candlelighting: 8:03 pm Havdalah: 9:10 pm

Sun July 22 • 10 Av Fast of Tisha B’Av

Five Towns times from White Shul

Kosher Bookworm

AlAn JAy GerBer

Jewish Star columnist

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ewly released for your learning pleasure this summer, and especially appropriate for the upcoming Three Weeks, is “The Spirit of Torah: Penetrating Insights into The Chumash,” by Aaron Muller, published by Mosaica Press.

One can describe this book as a work that will give you a cherished opportunity to connect the actual text with the commentaries of our religious spiritual thinkers. By this definition, Rabbi Muller succeeds in giving to us a clearly defined theological definition of thought coupled with relevant texts that should inspire you to further learning. But first, a little biographical background: Rabbi Muller attended Yeshiva Mercaz HaTorah of Belle Harbor, New York as a stu-

dent of Rav Levi Dicker, zt”l, and subsequently the Mir Yeshivah in Jerusalem. He currently resides with his family in Monsey and practices as a speech language pathologist. I personally came to know of him as the creator of one of the most effective Torah learning websites, Parshasheets.com, which aggregates hundreds of weekly divrei Torah from authors worldwide.

Rabbi Muller’s literary take on this work is reflected in an initial online interview and introduction to his work: “Besides relating ideas that can help inspire and stimulate spiritual growth, it is my intention to fill a gap found with many of the English divrei Torah books published today. With many of the writings now available on the parsha, authors will quote some of the earlier commentary on a pasuk, a verse, but seldom does the reader actually see the text which is being referenced. hile for some readers, references alone serve their purpose and are relied upon, for others, seeing the actual text may enhance and enrich the idea presented.

The words of our Rishonim and Achronim

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were written with great measure and precision, worthy of each word being read and reread. While translations are wonderful it is always at risk of losing an essential concept that the author really wishes to convey … This book is unique in that it attempts to introduce the reader to the Hebrew text with a full translation, instead of simply referencing the thought in abbreviated form.”

This fact alone makes The Spirit of Torah most worthy of your attention.

Each parsha is given its intellectual due, speaking to the reader, not at the reader.

According to Rabbi Kleinman of the weekly Torah sheet “Timely Messages,” the book is valuable for another

Why did we dwell in tents?

Torah

rABBi dAvid eTenGoff

Jewish Star columnist

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ur parasha, Balak, contains one of the most famous pesukim in the Torah: “How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov, your dwelling places, O Yisrael!” (Bamidbar 24:5).

Basing himself on Bava Batra 60a, Rashi’s commentary explains that the phrase, “how goodly are your tents” refers to the modesty of the fledgling Jewish nation: “For he (Bilam) saw that the entrances [of the tents] were not facing each other.”

The midrash initially cites the explanation of the Talmud and Rashi, and then offers an additional intriguing interpretation: “‘How goodly are your tents, O Yaakov’ — in the merit of Yaakov having sat in them, as the text states: ‘And Yaakov was an innocent man, dwelling in tents.’ (Bereishit 25:27). Because

of this, the Jewish people merited to dwell in tents in the desert.”

Why does the midrash stress the merit of Yaakov having sat in tents? Clearly, Yaakov was not the only person of his day to dwell in tents, for this, after all, was the rule within his historical and cultural context.

Both the Midrash Bereishit Rabbah and Rashi, therefore, teach us that these were not standard tents, but rather, “the tents of Shem and Ever.”

As we know from related midrashic sources, Shem and Ever had the first “yeshiva,” wherein the knowledge of Hashem’s omnipotence, justice and righteousness formed the essence of the curriculum.

The midrash’s thesis, therefore, may now be understood: Based upon “the merit of Yaakov having sat in them [the tents of Shem and Ever] …

the Jewish people merited to dwell in tents in the desert.”

I believe another section of the Midrash Aggadah sheds light upon the connection between the two parts of this statement.

“Yaakov was chosen by the Holy One, blessed be He, as the text states: ‘But you, Israel My servant, Yaakov whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham, who loved Me’ (Yeshayahu 41:8). In addition it is written, ‘For G-d chose Yaakov for Himself, Israel for His treasure’ (Tehillim 135:4).

Hashem did not bring him (Yaakov) close, rather, he brought himself close to the Almighty, as the text states: ‘And Yaakov was an innocent man, dwelling in tents.’” wo complementary ideas emerge from this passage: namely, Hashem chose Yaakov, and Yaakov chose Hashem. Like his

Hashem chose Yaakov and Yaakov chose Hashem.

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reason: “Another feature added to this work is a section titled ‘Biographical Sketches of Commentators’ for each commentary referenced, so that the reader has the ability to connect with the author and understand in which time period each of them lived, from where they originated; the town and city in which they served as a rav or leader, and a glimpse/snapshot of their lifespan.

“This is intended to assist readers to attach themselves to and develop a mental image of whom it is that they are reading about, thus making the divrei Torah more authentic, relatable, personable and alive.”

What a wonderful way to study the weekly parsha. Enjoy this work, and visit Rabbi Muller’s website, Parshasheets.com, for further spiritual enhancement.

grandfather Avraham, Yaakov was a seeker who would not rest until he had thoroughly explored and developed his relationship with the Master of the Universe. Little wonder, then, that Yaakov is referred to in Rabbinic literature as the bachir ha’Avot (the Chosen One of the Patriarchs).

We can now understand why the Jewish people merited to dwell in tents during their 40-year sojourn in the desolate wasteland of the Sinai Desert. I believe it is because Yaakov, the founder of the Jewish people, whose second name, “Yisrael,” is the crown of our nation, reached out to the Almighty in order to know Him to the fullest extent that finite human nature would allow. This is congruent with a celebrated pasuk in Mishle: “Know Him in all your ways, and He will direct your paths” (3:6).

Like Yaakov Avinu, the entire Jewish people are chosen by Hashem: “And you shall be to Me a kingdom of princes and a holy nation” (Shemot 19:6). With Hashem’s help, may each of us, in our own unique way, strive to emulate Yaakov and reach out to Hashem, so that we, too, may dwell in the tents of Torah and grow each day in our knowledge and love of the Almighty.

Eyes have it: Generous Avraham, grudging Bilam Angel for Shabbat

rABBi mArc d. AnGel JewishIdeas.org

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irkei Avot (5:22) contrasts the virtues of Avraham with the vices of Bilam: Whoever possesses a generous eye, a humble spirit and a meek soul is a disciple of our father Avraham; but one who possesses the opposite qualities — a grudging eye, a proud spirit and a haughty soul—is a disciple of the wicked Bilam.

What is so unique about Avraham and Bilam that makes them paradigms for good and evil? Perhaps the answer is in how each of them dealt with an external group of people with whom they had no particular connection.

The people of Sodom were wicked, and the Almighty planned to destroy the city.

Avraham sought the L-rd’s mercy, pleading that the city should be spared if at least ten righteous people could be found within

it. Avraham might simply have prayed for the salvation of his nephew Lot and family.

Why did he intercede on behalf of strangers — especially when G-d had informed him that the Sodomites were worthy of destruction due to their sinfulness? Avraham had “a generous eye.” He was concerned for the wellbeing of others, even strangers, even sinners.

Bilam, hired by the king Balak, had no reason to hate Israel or to curse Israel, yet he was willing to use his powers against them. G-d intervened and made him utter blessings rather than curses. Bilam had a “grudging eye.” Unlike Avraham, who prayed on behalf of Sodom, Bilam was ready to curse a people who had done him no wrong and with whom he had no particular connection.

It is natural for people to be concerned about their own families, communities and in-groups. It is more of a challenge to be concerned about “outsiders,” those of different backgrounds, nations, ethnicities. Disciples of Avraham demonstrate “a generous eye,” an

attitude that recognizes the essential humanity of all people and that feels responsibility for others, including “outsiders.” Disciples of Bilam demonstrate “a grudging eye,” an attitude that feels no obligation to “outsiders,” that is neutral or negative about the rights and feelings of others. Whereas Avraham prayed for a wicked people, Bilam stood ready to curse innocents. he paradigms of Avraham and Bilam continue to be relevant. Millions of people live in poverty, in war zones, in lands of oppression. Hundreds of thousands of them flee their homelands in search of a better environment for themselves and their families.

Their favored destinations are lands of freedom and economic opportunity. Yet even in these free and relatively wealthy countries, economic conditions are not ideal. The new immigrants — many of whom arrive illegally — create heavy burdens on the host countries, which are themselves struggling with economic downturns and high unemployment.

How do we view ‘outsiders?’

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How do we view these “outsiders?” Do we have “a generous eye” like our father Avraham, or “a grudging eye” like the wicked Bilam? Do we stop to remember that in recent generations, so many of our own parents and grandparents were refugees seeking safe havens — and who often confronted more Bilams than Avrahams during their times of danger and distress?

Surely, it can be argued that each country has limited resources and has the right to secure its borders from illegal immigrants.

Surely, no country can allow itself to be inundated by waves of people who do not follow the proper legal channels for immigration.

But when policies are made and opinions are espoused, we need to step back and ask ourselves: are we disciples of Avraham or disciples of Bilam?

While even disciples of Avraham will have limits to how much they can do to help others, they will at least approach the issue with a humane and compassionate attitude. They will reach for their maximum, not settle for the bare minimum. They will think and act with a generous eye.

Read previous Torah columns anytime at TheJewishStar.com/category/torahcolumns/browse.html

THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

Aaron Muller’s insight into ‘The spirit of Torah’

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June 29, 2018 • 16Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Cut the Hitler talk. Not everyone is a Nazi Politics to Go

JEff DuNEtz

Jewish Star columnist

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lthough President Trump has simply been continuing the policies of his predecessor, under whom there was nary a peep about child immigrants, the hysteria surrounding family separation at the border may have more to do with the president’s name than his enforcement of the law.

Whether one agrees with Trump or not, understand that the “new” Trump administration policy is not to separate children from their parents. That policy began during the Obama administration, and neither president wanted it to happen. (Trump’s new “zero tolerance” policy refers to total enforcement of immigration law.) What caused it was a 2014 Ninth Circuit Court decision that expanded

the 1997 ruling in Flores v. Reno from covering only unaccompanied alien children to “accompanied” ones as well. This set a new general standard that accompanied children couldn’t be held in custody with their parents for more than 20 days.

This ruling was handed down in 2014.

In fact, many of the pictures of children in cages circulating on the Internet were taken that year, when Obama administration policies forced border agents to separate children from their parents and hold them in the same detention centers that they do under the Trump administration today.

But no one compared Obama to Hitler. he analogies may have begun with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC, who has been feuding with the president ever since Trump attacked his co-host Mika Brzezinski.

On June 15, Joe compared the ICE agents’ actions to children during the Holocaust being told that they were going “to the showers” and “never coming back.”

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It must have been MSNBC’s theme of the day, because on the next show, Live with Stephanie Ruhle, one of Ruhle’s guests, former Obama campaign staffer Stephanie Cutter, asked, “We can’t find a solution to this problem without harming children? Without putting them in concentration camps?”

In the detention centers that house the illegal immigrant children, they are given three square meals a day, toys to play with, TVs to watch, outdoor playtime, and even school — a far cry from the treatment of young Holocaust victims in concentration camps.

The next day, former CIA director Michael Hayden tweeted a picture of Birkenau with the caption, “Other governments have separated mothers and children.” Noah Smith of Bloomberg News tweeted, “On a more serious note, good reasons to compare the Trump administration to the Nazis include: 1. Being able to discuss out loud the chance that Trump might someday do Hitler-esque things 2. Decrying the ways Trump has already gone

more in a Nazi-like direction than we’d like.”

Former ad executive Donny Deutsch expanded the Nazi references to all Trump voters. “If we are working towards November, we can no longer say ‘Trump’s the bad guy,’” he said. “If you vote for Trump, you’re the bad guy. … If you vote for Trump then you, the voter, you, not Donald Trump, are standing at the border like Nazis.”

Such absurd comparisons are an insult to those who perished under the Nazis, and to those who fought and died to rid the world of this evil.

Too often, we hear people trot out the word “Nazi” to describe someone or something that does not align with their political beliefs. To compare President Trump to Hitler, and immigration detention centers to concentration camps, is not only untrue, but demonstrates the country’s lack of ability to generate an accurate analogy. It is a gross misrepresentation of the facts. But worst of all, it waters down the depth of the Holocaust.

What Macedonia and Israel have in common Viewpoint

BEN COHEN

Jewish News Syndicate

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arely noticed outside the Balkans, one of the world’s most intractable diplomatic disputes was finally resolved this month.

The parties are Greece and its northern neighbor Macedonia, once a constituent republic of the old Yugoslavia. Their dispute centered on the right of Macedonia, which has been independent since 1992, to call itself “Macedonia,” as that is the same name as Greece’s northern province.

This dispute rumbled on for a quarter of a century, overshadowed by ethnic cleansing in Croatia, Bosnia and then Kosovo following the breakup of the Yugoslav federation. In addition to the external pressure from Greece, Macedonia also faced internal fragmentation, particularly in the country’s west, where the population is dominated by Albanians, whose language, culture and largely Muslim faith is distinct from that of the mainly Orthodox Christian Slav Macedonians. In addition to those two national groups are Romanis, Vlachs, Turks and even a small Jewish community.

I visited Macedonia several times during the 1990s, as the tiny republic teetered on the edge

of the terrible wars to its northwest. Yet all-out armed conflict never erupted there, despite the conviction of nearly all observers that Macedonia was a powder keg just waiting to blow.

Walking through Skopje, the Macedonian capital, I was reminded of Israeli cities. In the relatively affluent neighborhood where I stayed, the landscape was defined by modest houses, apartment blocks, and leafy, quiet streets, rather like the satellite towns around Tel Aviv. In the city’s old Ottoman Quarter, the Bit Pazar, the narrow thoroughfares were crowded with merchants selling vegetables, cheap clothes and CDs of turbo-charged Balkan folk music (which sounds not a million miles from its Israeli cousin), and the scent of grilled meat hung in the air, reminding me of the Machane Yehuda outdoor market in Jerusalem.

I noticed more significant similarities, too.

The Macedonians, like the Jews in Israel, were surrounded by neighbors who depicted their entire history as the fake narrative of a fake nation.

To the south, the Greek government insisted that the name “Macedonia” was exclusively Greek property, and that the nation staking a claim to it was an impostor — a stance that resulted in Macedonia having to refer to itself

as “Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” at the United Nations and other international institutions. To the north, the Serbs considered the Macedonian Orthodox Church to be illegitimate, often referring to its flock as “Southern Serbs.” To the east, the Bulgarians charged that recognizing Macedonia would encourage Macedonian claims on territory in Bulgaria. To the west, Albanian irredentists were keeping a hawk-like watch upon the restive Albanian minority in Macedonia.

And you thought the IsraeliArab conflict was complicated. efore we get too lost in the details, it’s worth noting the key similarity.

Like the Jews, the Macedonians have been in the unusual position of having to justify their status as a nation. Arrayed against them have been not just Balkan governments, but large sections of society. At a rally in Athens opposing the agreement between Greece and Macedonia, the aging composer Mikos Theodorakis — famous for the song in the film “Zorba the Greek” and for blaming “American Jews” for his country’s crippling debt crisis 10 years ago — railed that any recognition of a non-Greek nation’s right to call themselves Macedonian was a grave national betrayal.

This carries echoes of the refusal across the

It was a powder keg waiting to blow.

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Arab world to recognize Israel’s sovereign existence, along with its attendant historical mythology — that the Jews have no spiritual or material tie to the land, that a Jewish Temple never stood in Jerusalem, that the Palestinians are the descendants of Jesus, and so on and so forth.

As Israel has been compelled to realize for nearly a century, conflicts that revolve around questions of identity are never truly resolved.

But the fact that the Greek and Macedonian governments have reached a sincere agreement to end their dispute shows that peaceable outcomes, along with the shrinking of prospects for future armed conflict, are possible.

Writing in Foreign Policy, Edward Joseph, a veteran American analyst of the Balkans, argued that for “antagonists around the world locked in identity disputes, the agreement between Macedonia and Greece is, if it survives political challenge, a model.” It proved, he continued, that “seemingly intractable, zero-sum disputes over highly emotive issues can, with good will and good reason, be parsed.”

For the foreseeable future, Macedonia will always face a current of opinion infuriated by its existence as an independent state. So, too, will the Jewish nation in Israel. But I share Joseph’s quiet hope that the agreement in the Balkans — a region, like the Middle East, that has been consumed by myriad ethnic and religious conflicts — will send a positive message across the Mediterranean Sea.

sarah n. stern Endowment for MidEast Truth

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t seems as though Hamas is itching for another war.

In recent days, no less than 45 rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Two of them landed near a community center, and one just outside a kindergarten — the second attack on a kindergarten in the last few weeks.

Operatives also launched scores of balloons and kites bearing Molotov cocktails, firebombs, chemicals and other incendiary devices. So far, these seemingly innocuous instruments have destroyed more than 7,000 acres of agricultural fields, natural growth and habitation, leading to extreme environmental devastation and an estimated $2 million worth of damage.

We have heard a great deal about the suffering of Gazans under the ironclad rule of Hamas. It is absolutely tragic that the Hamas leadership has denied the population the opportunity to develop the region, and insists on using its people as living artillery in a war to obliterate the Jewish state. It is absolutely tragic that the textbooks used by UNRWA are ideological propaganda screeds that serve to perpetuate the 1948 conflict, rather than teach children fundamental skills to better themselves. It is absolutely tragic that Hamas has siphoned off funds and building equipment, using civilian concrete to build more underground tunnels from which to launch surprise attacks in Israel proper.

But one never hears of the suffering of the Israelis living near the border. In Israel, I spoke to several of them.

Adele Reimer, an English teacher who made aliyah from America in 1975, lives in Kibbutz Nirim, near the Gaza Strip. She spoke to me about the “relentless, ongoing stress.”

“It is not fair to call this post-traumatic stress

syndrome,” she said. “It is a daily, ongoing stress.

Our children suffer from nightmares, bedwetting, refusal to go to bed at night, crawling into bed with parents. Many children, and even some adults, are immobilized with fear and refuse to leave the house. Every Friday, we brace ourselves. We hear the Tzeva Adom [Red Alert warning siren] several times a day, and we don’t know if it’s a missile coming to our house, to our school or signaling the beginning of yet another war.

“I have tremendous sympathy for the people of Gaza,” she added. “Nobody elected Hamas as their leaders. It came about because of a hostile takeover in 2007, when they threw their opposition off from rooftops. I consider myself left-wing and am still in touch with many Gazans. They are miserable under Hamas and would like it to change, but it is dangerous for them to open their mouths. I have one friend who has spoken out occasionally, but I and he are both afraid he is about to be arrested, tortured and shot.”

But, she says, it is Hamas who is calling the

On Palestinians, Kushner all wrong stephen M. Flatow

Jewish News Syndicate

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e don’t yet know the details of the IsraeliPalestinian peace plan that presidential adviser Jared Kushner is preparing. But we do know how Kushner perceives the Palestinian Arabs. And he’s got them all wrong.

The White House has released an official transcript of Kushner’s June 24 interview with the Palestinian Arab newspaper Al Quds. It shows that Kushner subscribes to the oldest myth of the conflict — that average Palestinians are really just like us.

Here’s how he put it: “I believe that Palestinian people are less invested in the politicians’ talking points than they are in seeing how a deal will give them and their future generations new opportunities, more and better paying jobs and prospects for a better life.”

It’s often hard for Americans to grasp the fact that the values and concerns of the Palestinian Arabs are radically different from those of America, Israel and the West. Average Palestinian Arabs really do want to destroy Israel. They really do hate Jews.

You can blame their attitude on the Palestinian Authority’s educational system. You can blame it on decades of anti-Jewish propaganda on the P.A.’s tele-

Yes, that’s Kushner’s dream.

Mine, too. But that’s not the Palestinians’ dream. They are not interested in joining Israel in “combating terror” because they are the ones who perpetrate, glorify and financially reward terror.

There’s a certain contempt in presuming to enlighten other people as to what they should care about and what is in their From left: U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, Special Middle best interests. “These people East envoy Jason, White House adviser Jared Kushner, Israeli Prime know their lives will only be imMinister Benjamin Netanyahu, and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. proved by working out the issues Ron Dermer, meet in Jerusalem on June 22.

U.S. Embassy in Israel and moving on,” said Kushner.

Wrong again. He’s the one who vision and radio programs, and in its newspapers and books. You can blame it on centuries of inculcation is interested in “moving on.” Not the Palestinians.

“The Palestinian people are industrious, wellin the values of Islam and extreme Arab nationalism. educated and adjacent to the Silicon Valley of the But however you apportion the blame, it’s a fact.

In the interview, Kushner pleaded with Palestin- Middle East — Israel,” Kushner continued. “Israel’s ian readers: “Don’t allow your grandfather’s conflict prosperity would spill over very quickly to the Palesto determine your children’s future.” That’s how tinians if there is peace.”

Does he think the Palestinians don’t know Americans think. But that’s not how Palestinians think. Americans put their grandfathers’ conflicts that? Does he think that they are simpletons behind them. Palestinians consider their grandfa- who have never noticed, throughout the past century, how Jewish development of the counthers’ agenda to be their own agenda.

“My dream,” Kushner told Al Quds, “is for the try has benefited them, and could benefit them Israeli and Palestinian people to be the closest of al- a lot more if they made peace?

Of course they have noticed. When Israel lies in combating terror, economic achievement, advancements in science and technology, and in shar- expelled all Jews from Gaza, they left behind ing a lifestyle of brotherhood, peace and prosperity.” fully intact greenhouses for Palestinians to use

We needed Charles Krauthammer Jonathan s. tobin

Jewish News Syndicate

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harles Krauthammer would have been an inspirational figure even if he hadn’t become a writer.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, who died on June 21 at the age of 68, was laid low as a 22-year-old medical student when a pool accident left him a quadriplegic. Knowing that people would consider his ability to “just muddle through life” as a “great achievement,” he resolved to carry on as if he had never been injured at all. Krauthammer continued his studies at Harvard and became a brilliant psychiatrist.

That was just the first chapter in a remarkable life. After working for the government as a medical expert, Krauthammer caught the political bug. A self-described New Deal liberal, he worked as a speechwriter for Vice President Walter Mondale, but his sympathy for the conservatism of Ronald Reagan — who would defeat Mondale and President Jimmy Carter — would

define his subsequent work.

Krauthammer switched to political writing full-time at The New Republic, and then The Washington Post and Time magazine, and quickly became one of the most influential writers of his generation, of any political stripe. A stalwart Cold Warrior and a foe of Islamist tyranny, he led the debate on foreign policy and domestic issues for decades. He was a valiant defender of Israel in an era when Zionism had gone out of fashion.

His analytical mind, encyclopedic knowledge and sharp wit brought insight to an enormous range of topics and a vast body of work on, as the title of his essay collection read, the “Things That Matter.”

Krauthammer’s work was treasured by his many fans and served as an inspiration for many younger conservatives. I count myself as one of those who looked to him as a role model, and I’m particularly proud of his generous comments that he shared in our few interactions over the years. t is particularly painful to lose him, because we need voices like his now more than ever.

It’s not just because his work was intellectually rigorous, his ability to hone in on the weaknesses of his opponents’ arguments was so spot-on.

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We miss Charles Krauthammer because he embodied a style of reasoned politics that is rapidly being marginalized, if not rendered extinct.

Ours is a time when serious intellectual arguments have been largely replaced by shouting matches. We can place some of the blame on Donald Trump, whose election Krauthammer vigorously opposed. But as Krauthammer understood, Trump’s willingness to say anything in pursuit of scoring a point was a symptom, not a cause, of the way political culture had shifted. The support for Trump’s revolution was a function of both the left’s condescension to Americans and the shameless liberal bias that characterized most of mainstream news coverage.

Krauthammer offered us something different than the mindless exchange of insults and personal attacks from both left and right. A public intellectual in the best sense of the term, Krauthammer was a man of ideas, not merely opinions. He offered reasoned arguments, not just partisan assertions. He relentlessly advocated for principles, not momentary advantages that win news cycles.

His ability to meet them on their own turf caused many liberals to never forgive him for the drubbings he gave them. Some on the populist right bitterly resented him for exposing their faulty think-

and enjoy. And enjoy them they did — they enjoyed burning them down.

But that doesn’t make any sense. If the main concern of the Palestinians is economic prosperity, why would they burn down the greenhouses that would ensure them economic prosperity?

Because they care more about hating Jews than improving their own lives.

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry when I read Kushner’s statement that “the people of Gaza are hostages to bad leadership … It’s time for the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to stop using the people of Gaza as pawns.”

They’re not hostages. They’re not pawns.

They freely elected Hamas in a democratic election. They have chosen to march — by the thousands and tens of thousands — to the Gaza fence to throw Molotov cocktails at Israelis and sail flaming kites to burn down their fields.

Nobody forced them to go there. Nobody forced them to do that.

“So yes, there is a lot of hatred and a lot of scar tissue,” Kushner concluded, “but I do not underestimate humankind’s ability to love.”

He doesn’t underestimate it. He overestimates it. Offering the Palestinian Arabs better-paying jobs will not transform them from warmongers to peacemakers. It would take a complete overhaul of the P.A.’s media and school system, followed by generations of enlightened leadership and education, to change their values and attitudes.

If Jared Kushner’s dangerously naïve belief about the Palestinians’ “ability to love” is shaping the Trump Mideast peace plan, then friends of Israel have reason to be deeply concerned. ing as well.

But in his weekly columns for The Washington Post and in his appearances as a television talking head — most notably, on Fox News’ “Special Report” program every weekday night for a decade — Krauthammer gave America an ongoing clinic in political debate. Whether or not you agreed with him on all issues or identified with his neoconservative philosophy, his goal was to make his readers and listeners think, rather than follow partisan talking points. Just as important, he did so with the good humor and humility that is particularly lacking in the debate between Trump and his supporters, and the “resistance” determined to demonize them both. ur public square is now a place where Krauthammer’s style has been replaced by a tide of vulgar venom from both liberals and conservatives. So while conservatives are sad that his voice is now silent, his ideological opponents should mourn a man who challenged them to reexamine their assumptions.

Charles Krauthammer deserves to be remembered for shaping serious political thought during his lifetime. But if we are to truly honor his memory, then all of us — those who venerated his work and those who opposed it — should try to emulate the reasoned style of commentary he modeled for us.

There will only be one Charles Krauthammer.

But the best tribute to him would be for those who write and speak on politics, and their audiences, to try to be more like him.

O

21 THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

Israeli voices from the Gaza border

shots — not only for the people of Gaza, but for the State of Israel. “They have manipulated international community to such an extent, so we are perplexed as to how to respond. We care too much about international public opinion.”

Susie Shaul was evacuated from Gush Katif in 2005. Her husband spent the bulk of his working life, 27 years, in agriculture, developing greenhouse crops. After the evacuation, they and their two unmarried children moved into a caravan. She and her husband now live in the Ashkelon region.

Shaul feels that the situation is beyond tragic.

Before the evacuation, she remembered, when she drove down the roads that bordered kibbutzim on her way to Gush Katif, there would be signs posted saying: “Jews, out of Gaza. Go home to Israel.” But today, she only feels tremendous sympathy for the untold devastation suffered by those who live on the kibbutzim.

“They don’t deserve this. Nobody deserves this.”

She recalled that before the evacuation from Gaza, former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said, “Now if they attack, we can go in there and devastate them. We can use our rockets and our missiles.

But do you think we can today? Nobody remembers. Nobody cares.”

The JEWISH STAR

CAlendar of Events

Send your events to Calendar@TheJewishStar.com • Deadline noon Friday • Compiled by Zachary Schechter Thursday June 28

Parsha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Michal Horowitz at the YI of Woodmere for a special shiur on the parsha. 9:30 am. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Esther Wein: [Weekly] At the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst. 10:00 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Advanced Yiddish Lessons: [Weekly] YI of Woodmere will be offering advanced Yiddish reading lessons. 10:30-11:30 am. 516-295-4212.

859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

Learn Maseches Brachos: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Eliyahu Wolf at the YI of Woodmere for a shiur on Maseches Brachos. 5:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950.

Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Yoni Levin at Aish Kodesh for a halacha shiur. 9:30 pm.

894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Friday June 29

Erev Shabbos Kollel: [Weekly] Eruv Shab-

bos Kollel starting with 6 am Chassidus shiur with Rav Moshe Weinberger and concluding with 9 am Chevrusah Learning session with Rabbi Yoni Levin. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere. 390 Broadway, Lawrence. 516-569-3600.

Sunday July 1

Timely Torah: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, assistant rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, for a shiur on relevant Halachic and philosophical topics related to Parsha Moadim and contemporary issues. Coffee and pastries.

8 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Learning Program: [Weekly] At Aish Kodesh led by Rav Moshe Weinberger following 8:15 Shacharis including 9 am breakfast and shiurim on subjects such as halacha, gemara and divrei chizuk. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiur 9:15 am. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Torah 4 Teens: [Weekly] Yeshiva program for high-school age boys & young adults with Rabbi Matis Friedman. 9:15 am-12:30 pm. 410 Hungry Harbor Rd, Valley Stream. Torah4teens5T@ gmail.com.

973807

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Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Dr. Anette Labovitz’s women shiur will continue at Aish Kodesh.

10 am. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Seeing Things Clearly: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Shalom Yona Weis at Aish Kodesh for a shiur for women and high school girls titled “Seeing Things Clearly- Learning to View Our World and Our Lives Through Positive Lenses. 8:45 pm. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Jumpstart your career!

• June 30, 2017

• Five Towns Candlelighting

8:11 pm, Havdalah

9:20 • Luach page

19 • Vol 16, No

TheJewishSt

24

The Newspaper

of our Orthodox

ar.com

communities

sustain the next generation

By Celia Weintrob Photos by Doni Kessler

Photo by Doni

Kessler

note remarks that opened the fourth While Torah is nual an- passed down way for the mesorahforever true, the ideal tive Five Towns Community Collaboraaccording Conference on to be conveyed the time, emphasizing to the middah of children — and Sunday.

“What is the Torah how an everlastingto our that the primary of Torah and the kids need now?” ingredent needed in Yiddishkeit is embeddedlove he asked. “What today’s chinuch simcha. their beings — worked in 1972 is in necessarily changes won’t work today.”

Twenty-six speakers, “You’re still talking over time.

Rabbi Weinberger, about what rebbetzins, educators, including rabbis, for you in 1972 and insisting thatworked d’asrah of Congregationfounding morah ers and community leadwhat should work lecturers that’s Woodmere Aish Kodesh in and mashpia at sue that challengeeach addressed a key isMoshe Weinberger, for your kid,” Rabbi the YU, reminded families and parents Shila”a, said in key- that Torah and educators in attendance frum communities. The event, schools in will not be received the Young Israel hosted at of Woodmere, if it’s not was orgaSee 5 Towns Rabbi Moshe hosts on page Weinberger, of 15 Kodesh in Woodmere, Congregation Aish delivered keynote

STAR speech.

Presenting their topics, from left: Baruch Fogel of Rabbi Touro College, “Motivating our children to motivate themselves”; Reb-

The JEWISH

dmere as There’s joy in Woo celebrates new home

Presenters at Sunday’s conference, from left: Elisheva director of religious Kaminetsky, SKA kodesh, “Empoweringguidance, limudei choices”; Rabbi

TheJewishS

pages 28–29

• Vol 16, No 34

betzin Shani Taragin, 7:53 • Torah columns Tanach coordinator and mashgicha 6:46 pm, Havdalah nika, and Morah”; ruchanit at Midreshet Towns candles Rabbi • Five rah V’avodah, Ephraim 5777 Congregation Polakoff, don’t”; “Miriam: Meyaledet, To• 24 Elul Bais 15, 2017 Rabbi Jesse Horn Tefilah, “Teens Meiech • Sept. technology: What and kotel, of Yeshivat HaNitzavim-Vayeil you know and ognize your bashert”; what you and “Helping children balance ideology Rabbi Kenneth pleasure”; Esther of Congregation Hain Wein, “How to Beth Shalom, rec- A-OK to “When it’s say yes.”

Reuven Taragin, Yeshivat Hakotel founder and director of Eytan Community Education Feiner of The Conferences, White Shul, “When Yitzchak met “Torah tips on Rivkah: Torah’s Star tion and maintain to build Jewish first menThe how a strong By marriage”; of martial the Hebrew joined love”; Michal Towns “Ahavas in Horowitz, The FiveRabbi Sunday Yisrael: In theory or Long Beach on at its in pracnew Academy of

Super Spec ialS chanukat habayit Avenue in celebrating a on Church elementary school Woodmere. beginnings that the humble

tice?”; Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum, d’asra, Young mora Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, “Raising successful children”; Rebbetzin Lisa Septimus, yoetzet hala-

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‘InvestFest’

Cedarhurst remembers

Star the loss,

By The Jewish to remember Cedarhurst pausedmiracles of 9/11, at the the n on Sunday. the heroism, and commemoratio village’s annual Rabbi Shay Schachter of WoodIn his invocation, of the Young Israel the Master and (top right photo) pray that G-d, all the strength mere said, “we world, grant us Creator of the to stand firm together against of and the fortitude of extremism, of bigotry, all forms of terror, and of all evil that can be hatred, of racism, forms in our world.” who found in different obligation to thosenever solemn a have “We 11th to injured on Sept. died or were said Mayor Benjamin but we also forget what happened,” “We saw evil, Weinstock (bottom).

America.” of best survivor saw the (middle), a 9/11 78,” reAri Schonburn Fate of “Miracle and waitand author of that day. He was called his experiences on the 78th floor when elevators ing to change hit.

Chief the first plane hurst Fire Department Lawrence-Cedar the playing of saluting during victims.

David Campell, 9/11 names of local Taps, read the

investiture fair follows formal Emet

the first is “Torat shiva University,”Truth.”

TheJewishStar.com in to an — we believe investiture speech Delivering his Wilf Campus in at YU’sThe Newspaper of our Orthodox communities with many assembly of 2,000 Washington Heights, in by livestream, more listening spoke of the Rabbi Berman the five central “Five Torot, or institution.” teachings, of our believe in Tor“We do not just Chayyim — Torat at Emet but also and values must that our truths he said. live in the world,” teachings, YU’s other central Adam,” “Torat he said, are “Torat Tziyyon, the Chesed,” and “Torat Torah of Redemption.” formal cereFollowing the community parmonies, the YU street fair at an “InvestFest” Am- tied street fair on Amsterdam Avenue.

11 was a along at the “InvestFest” See YU on page

BALFOUR Star

Jewish of Yeshiva UniversiVayera • Friday, November 3, 2017 • 14 Cheshvan 5778 • Luach page By The president 21 • The fifth Torah columns pages 20–21 VolSunday 16, No 41 said •on

ceremony, YU’s new president, after the investiture for a selfie. sterdam Avenue who happily posed sought-after celebrity

To British, Palestine just another colony Viewpoint

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Arthur James Balfour

t was a minor news story when it broke in the summer of 2016. Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas announced he was suing Great Britain over the Balfour Declaration, issued on Nov. 2, 1917. But as we observe the centennial of the document this week, it’s important to understand that although his lawsuit was a stunt, Abbas was serious. More than that, the symbolism of his See Tobin on page 22

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or the Palestinians, the year zero is not 1948, when the state of Israel came into being, but 1917, when Great Britain issued, on Nov. 2, the Balfour Declaration—expressing support for the establishment of a “Jewish national home” in Palestine.

So central is the Balfour Declaration to Palestinian political identity that the “Zionist invasion” is officially deemed to have begun in 1917—not in 1882, when the first trickle of Jewish pioneers from Russia began arriving, nor in 1897, when the Zionist movement held its first congress in Basel, nor in the late 1920s, when thousands of German Jews fleeing the rise of Nazism chose to go to Palestine.

The year 1917 is the critical date because that is when, as an anti-Zionist might say, the Zionist hand slipped effortlessly into the British imperial glove. It is a neat, simple historical proposition upon which the entire Palestinian version of events rests: an empire came to our land and gave it to foreigners, we were dispossessed, and for five generations now, we have continued to resist. Moreover, it is given official sanction in the Palestine National Covenant of 1968, in which article 6 defines Jews who “were living permanently in Palestine until the beginning of the Zionist invasion” as “Palestinians”—an invasion that is dated as 1917 in the covenants’ notes.

As the Balfour Declaration’s centenary approached, this theme is much in evidence.

There is now a dedicated Balfour Apology See Cohen on page 22

YU

Dealer on Long

Sukkah To Abbas Largest and Hamas, it was ‘original sin’

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Corbyn boycotts B’four event

Britain Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn— who in 2009 called Hezbollah and Hamas his “friends” — said he would not attend a dinner commemorating the centennial of the Balfour Declaration. Prime Minister Theresa May she would attend “with pride” and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would be her guest.

“We are proud of the role we played in the creation of the State of Israel and we will certainly mark the centenary with pride,” May said. “I am also pleased that good trade relations and other relations that we have with Israel we are building on and enhancing.”

R H STA The JEWIS el ra Is h it w l in efesh’s 56th charter LIers goonal Nefesh B’N

IsraAID brings relief to U.S. disasters

By Ron Kampeas, JTA Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and WASHINGTON — For 17 years, the then the wildfires in northern California.

Israeli NGO IsraAID has been performPolizer recalls that he was wrapping ing search and rescue, purifying water, up a visit to IsraAID’s new American providing emergency medical assistance headquarters in Palo Alto on Oct. 8 and and walking victims of trauma back to was on his way to a flight to Mexico to psychological health in dozens of disas- oversee operations after a devastating ter-hit countries.

No 25 earthquake there when he got word of • Vol 16, But no season has been busier than the wildfires. “I literally had Luach page 19 9:15 • to do a Uthis past summer and fall, its co-CEO Yo- turn,” he said Havdalah this week in an interview 8:07 pm, tam Polizer said in an interview — and ting Candleligh at the Israeli embassy in Washington.

Polizer spoke with the exhilaration of an executive whose team has come through a daunting challenge. “We’re the people who stay past the ‘aid festival’,” he said, grinning, describing the See IsraAID on page 5

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Long Islanders aliyah to the for a enough to flight page 16. through Al’s charter the smiling in” and making he’s waited long will follow,” to do this it’s time, NBN’s El to Israel the first some of “all said she’s wanted family, friends, “Hopefully, everyone t of boarding boarding the move Here are on July 3, going Hills (left) and was land, said excitemen olim, for others Shpage 16 through on July 1 carpet ride of Kew Gardens While the olim on emerged the promised of the and her school, from teaching See. 201 carpet to Her love of Israel for many than Yehoshua holy land, — he retired palpable time. visits to the the dream

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• May 26,

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Hit4Hasc: Camp HASC presents a baseball tournament in memory of Chaim Silber at North Woodmere Park. 750 Hungry Harbor Rd, Valley Stream. 817-709-1184.

593-7770

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Spin to Win: The Salom Task Force and Spin to Win present a ping pong tournament and barbeque in support of Shalom Task Force’s men’s educational programs. 7:30 pm. 130 Woodmere Blvd, Woodmere. $125.

SatiSfactioN guaraNteeD or your moNey back*

son, great-grand holds his he holds his grandson, Jack Rybsztajn in inset below, father.

Years earlier, is Isaac’s Marc, who

915635

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PromPt LocaL Service • caLL Day or Night

√ Web and Social Media

wedding TheJew on the 70th Bonnie ishStar.c EpisStar reported survivors 93rd om ty News s and St. John’s The Jewish and Shoah The Newspape , the Far residents years ago Herald Communi Last March, Woodmere of Jack Rybsztajn’ Bessen, closed five Rockaway Peninsula y of r of our Orthodox in patients Hospital the

By Jeffrey communit On the occasion anniversar hospital on percent jump Rybsztajn. his story continues. ies When Peninsula and Jack to get became the experienced a 35 million on July 12, center was desperatelocated. copal Hospital a $10.15 birthday medical Weintrob obtaining to help complete Jack Rybsztajnrelatives were which Rockaway y services.

By Celia a few war ended, emergenc week celebrated nt of Health creating primary After the to Brussels, where cargo trains, during legal using its officials last Departme given on ld hospiSt. John’s New York State that will also include from Stuttgart daring voyages then ultimately sister-in-law s the The 111-year-o Turntwo grant from services renovationacross the street. and arrested, and their future to Brussels Through y at 275 Rockaway headed y center the couple emergenc in a building right for he was discovered . ambulator in Brussels, journey. They had dismay had left on page 14 care space an off-site sites on the peninsula residence the to their See St. John’s Cyla, who tal also operates and similar finally completed kosher restauJack’s sister they arrived. pike in Lawrence to meet s ate at a stating that a one day before wall the Rybsztajn Palestine Brussels, a placard on the looking for anyone While in this was they saw address, wrote to rant, where with a Brooklyn been Rybsztajn , who had survived.

Mr. Jacobs, JN who Yechiel Rybsztajn containson of s, a package plus named RYBSZTA he is the afterward Brussels, man, saying nephew. Not long was received in Mr. Jacobs’ and a pair of tefillinto the United States. Rybsztajn ing a tallis g his travel for five years,” which in Belgium were so nice, papers authorizin Brussels “we stayed Poland. So However, gentile people of went through in Shaydels, the “The what we recalled.

He mentioned s into their a relief after was such coming to America.” the Rybsztajn on page 7 who welcomed See Shoah we stalled Isaac. a well-to-do couple

united

Modeh Ani: Annual Evening of Song for Women. 8-10 pm, 143 Harborview South, Lawrence to benefit The Ranch at Bethel, a project of Ohr Naava

Free Telephone Consultation With Our Staff Entomologist

The Newspape

Towns nowhere more than in the United States.

5777 • Five Tamuz, “The last few months have been un2017 • 20 believable,” he said, listing a succession • July 14, Parsha Pinchas of disasters that occupied local staff and Niveen Rizkalla working with IsraAID in Santa Rosa, Calif., in volunteers since August: Hurricane Harthe wake of deadly wildfires there. vey in Texas, Hurricane Irma in Florida,

SEE PAGE 27

Wednesday August 8

tar.com

Kessler

a small “From years ago in This had over 50 page 8 HALBweek on pageson8-9 See HALB celebration

of YI LawrenceYaakov Trump director From left: Rabbi Shenker, executive Cedarhurst; MarvinWeitz; Dr. Herbert Pasternak; of YILC; Dr. Mott Lance Hirt; and Rabbi Aaron / Theresa Press HALB Board Chair The Jewish Star Fleksher of HALB.

Emunah Supperette: Emunah will be holding its annual supperette at Chosen Island. Couvert $52. 5 pm. 364 Central Ave, Lawrence. 718868-3853.

Timely Tanach: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Ya’akov Trump of the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst for a shiur on Sefer Shoftim. 8 pm. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Volleyball and Food Guys Night Out: Our Place presents its fifth annual Ultimate Food Experience and Backyard Volletball Tournament. 17 Beechwood Dr, Lawrence. 6.:30.

Wine and Wisdom: Congregation Beth Shalom invites all women to a night of wine and wisdom with guest speakers Lisa Septimus and Rachel Hercman. $36 couvert. 8 pm. 390 Broadway, Lawrence. 5townsyoetzet.com/events. 516512-4494.

communities

HALB Photos by Doni

Wednesday July 4

Wednesday July 11

√ Reporters, Editors and Photographers

STAR

Teach our childre n well 5 Towns conferenc e told: Deliver Tora with joy to h • 6 Tamuz, 5777

Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Rebbetzin Jaeger will give a shiur at the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst. 10:30 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

A shiur for wmen: [Weekly] Rebbetzin Weinberger of Aish Kodesh continue with her shiur on the “Midah of Seder in our Avodas Hashem.” 11 am. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Yiddish Classes: [Weekly] YI of Woodmere will be offering basic Yiddish lessons for seven weeks. Must know how to read Hebrew. Covers basic Yiddish and conversation. 8-9 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-621-7880.

Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a halacha shiur. 8:40 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere.

516-295-0950.

Gemara Shiur: Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum will give the final shiur of a series on Maseches Shabbos at the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst. 9 pm. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst.

Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiur.

9:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516295-0950.

Chumash and Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Shiur with Rabbi Yosef Richtman at Aish Kodesh.

8 pm. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Shiur and Tehillim Group: [Weekly] Join the women of YI of Woodmere at the home of Devorah Schochet. 9:15 pm. 559 Saddle Ridge Rd.

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June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Staycation If Long Island trumps travel on your summer itinerary, don’t dispair: There are plenty of activities in and around our home base that promise an enjoyable vacation experience.

This is a Staycation sampler; if you have venues to suggest for a future list, send them to Publisher@TheJewishStar.com Adventureland 2245 Broad Hollow Road (Route 110) Famingdale, 631-694-6868 •adventureland.us

Brooklyn Brooklyn Bridge Park This new 1.3-mile-long multi-use park provides a thrilling view of Lower Manhattan. Enter at Old Fulton Street in DUMBO or Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn Heights. 718-222-9939 •brooklynbridgepark.org

Brooklyn Botanic Garden 1000 Washington Ave., 718-623-7200 •bbg.org

Jewish Childen’s Museum 792 Eastern Parkway, 718-467-0600 •jcm.museum

Surf Ave. at W. 8 St., Coney Island., 718-265-FISH •nyquarium.com

Living Torah Museum 1601 41 St., Boro Park, 877-PLAN-A-TOUR •torahmuseum.com

New York Transit Museum Boerum Pl. at Schermerhorn St., Brooklyn 718-694-5100 •mta.info/mta/museum/

Luna Park 1000 Surf Ave., Coney Island, 718-373-LUNA •lunaparknyc.com

Brooklyn Childrens Museum 145 Brooklyn Ave., 718-735-4400 •brooklynkids.org

New York Aquarium

American Airpower Museum 1230 New Highway, Farmingdale.

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LI Children’s Museum 11 Davis Ave., Garden City, 516-224-5800 •licm.org LI Game Farm Wildlife Park 489 Chapman Boulevard, Manorville.

631-878-6644 •longislandgamefarm.com LI Maritime Museum 86 W. Ave., West Sayville, 631-HISTORY •limaritime.org Quogue Wildlife Refuge 3 Old Country Rd., Quogue, 631-653-4771 •quoguewildliferefuge.org Sag Harbor Whaling & Historical Mus. 200 Main St., Sag Harbor, 631-725-0770 •sagharborwhalingmuseum.org Sweetbriar Nature Center 62 Eckernkamp Dr., Smithtown, 631-979-6344 •sweetbriarnc.org Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium 180 Little Neck Rd., Centerport, 631-854-5555 •vanderbiltmuseum.org

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The Joint Campaign to Su t T ah*

DEADLINE JULY 5, 2018

NO PURCHASE OR DONATION NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR DONATION WILL NOT IMPROVE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. The Spring Mega Sweepstakes 5778 (“Sweepstakes”) 50 United States and the District of Columbia, Canada (excluding Quebec), UK and other countries only where offered and permitted by law, who have reached the age of majority in the jurisdiction in which they reside. Void where prohibited by law. Sweepstakes begins at 9:00 AM Eastern Time (“ET”) on February 27, 2018 and ends at 11:59 PM ET on July 5, 2018. To enter and view complete Official Rules which govern the Sweepstakes, including how to enter without making a donation, visit "http://www.nershlomo.org" . Void in the Province of Quebec & where prohibited by law. U.S. law governs. Promoter: Yeshiva Ner Shlomo, 530 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst, NY 11516 U.S.A.

981048

New Jersey

THE JEWISH STAR June 29, 2018 • 16 Tammuz, 5778

Plenty of summer fun around Long Island

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975204

June 29, 2018 • 16 wwTammuz, 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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