July 20, 2012

Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, 102 Page 3 Another story from Rabbi (z”l) and Mrs. Labovitz Page 6 Bookworm: Rabbi Helfgot on Bamidbar Page 7 Who’s in the kitchen? dinner and dessert in one Page 10

THE JEWISH

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VOL 11, NO 28 ■ JULY 20, 2012 / 1 AV 5772

Israeli firm cites breakthrough in ALS treatment

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New law aids ‘special needs’ parents

By Karen C. Green A bill has passed the New York State legislature — and now awaits Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s signature — which could ease the way for religiously observant children with special needs to get state tuition assistance — even at parochial schools.

Assembly bill 10722A/Senate bill 7722A would include private and parochial schools among those considered to be appropriate education settings as required by federal law while streamlining a lengthy and costly annual tuition reimbursement battle faced by parents.

“Parents and families of special needs children deserve to have reasonable and appropriate options that allow their children the best chance to learn and succeed,” said Assemblyman Phil Goldfeder (D-Rockaway).

“In June, legislation I sponsored was passed by the legislature — this bill will ease the burden on parents by making the process of placement and reimbursement for special education easier while saving money for school districts by ending needless legal battles. I urge the governor to sign this bill into law as soon as possible,” he added.

The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) sets forth the guidelines enabling all children in need of special education the right to a “free appropriate public education.” In practice across the country,

By Malka Eisenberg A stunning medical breakthrough took the Orthodox community by storm when a rosh yeshiva in Jerusalem diagnosed with two muscle degenerative diseases was able to walk and speak clearly again following one injection of the experimental treatment, after being wheelchair bound and barely able to speak.

Rabbi Rafael Shmuelevitz of Yeshivas Mir was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as “Lou Gehrig’s Disease,” and showed marked improvement following one injection of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics’ NurOwn Cell Therapy. The treatment was injected in 24 ALS patients to study its safety and patient tolerance. The rabbi received the therapy for “compassionate treatment,” according to Professor Dimitrios Karussis of the Neurology Department at The Hadassah University Medical Center in Jerusalem, and Principal Investigator of BrainStorm’s current Phase I/II clinical trial.

“While we cannot draw scientific conclusions based on the outcome of an individual patient, these results are extremely encouraging,” stressed Karussis.

“We are moved by the remarkable results observed following treatment with NurOwn,” said Professor Avi Israeli, BrainStorm’s Chairman of the Board. “We are hopeful that we will continue to see this kind of improvement in all the patients participating in our current and future clinical trials.”

A biotechnology company based in Petach Tikva, Israel, BrainStorm Cell therapeutics works to develop adult stem cell therapies for neurodegenerative disorders including ALS, MS and Parkinson’s disease.

ALS is a fast-moving ultimately fatal neurological disease that attacks the nerve cells that control voluntary muscles; it is classified as a motor neuron disease that involves the weakening and destruction of motor neuContinued on page 3

Continued on page 3

Courtesy Metro Creative Graphics

Bombing in Bulgaria, 7 Israelis dead

By Malka Eisenberg Seven Israelis are confirmed dead with estimates of 30 wounded in a terrorist bombing of an Israeli tour bus at the airport in Burgas, Bulgaria. Nine Israelis are missing.

According to Haaretz, Burgas mayor Dimitar Nikolov said that the explosives were in the back of the bus, although wit-

nesses said that the bus blew up after someone stepped on.

The bombing came on the 18th anniversary of the 1994 attack on a Jewish center in Argentina that killed 85 and injured hundreds. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that, “all signs point to Iran,” and enumerated other recent terrorist attacks in Thailand, India, Georgia and Cyprus.

The bus carrying Israeli tourists, mostly youth, reportedly exploded 40 minutes after a plane from Israel landed there. Two pregnant women and an 11 year old girl are among the wounded. ZAKA and Magen David Adom were preparing to send rescue teams to the area.

Burgas is a popular Black Sea resort for Israeli tourists. Israel has been warning the government there of possible terror attacks.

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July 20, 2012 â&#x20AC;˘ 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, Torah luminary, 102

By Malka Eisenberg Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, a leading halachic decisor and Torah luminary of our generation, passed away Wednesday morning at Shaarei Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem at the age of 102.

He had been ailing since February. As he took a turn for the worse, prominent rabbis and the hospital’s senior physicians gathered at his bedside and the sound of prayers

Israeli firm cites breakthrough in ALS Continued from page 1 rons. Motor neurons are nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that link to the muscles of the arms, legs and other areas that a person consciously controls. With the withering of the nerves, the patient loses control of the muscles, the ability to move, and then breathe without ventilation. The patient’s mind, senses, and bladder and bowel functions are usually not affected, but they are unable to move. About 5,600 people are diagnosed with ALS yearly in the U.S. Once diagnosed, most patients die within two to five years, although some live longer. Stephen Hawking, the physicist, has had ALS for 49 years.

This is the first clinical trial with this technology, said Cheryl Singer of BrainStorm. Information on the reactions of the trial participants will soon be released, she noted. They are hoping that the treatment will “repair degenerated tissues and cure the underlying pathology, rather than simply treat its symptoms,” she said. There are plans for this therapy to be tested on multiple sclerosis (MS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted orphan-drug status to NurOwn and the process of designing a phase II clinical trial is underway in the U.S. Dr. Robert Brown, an expert in neuromuscular genetics, specifically ALS, will lead the team at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and Professor Merit Cudkowicz will lead the ALS human clinical trials at Massachusetts General Hospital.

The research performed at Rabin Medical Center in Petach Tikva, Israel, initially with rats with stem cells turned into cells to rebuild nerve cells was published in 2009. The current study at Hadassah uses a trademarked technology, using a patient’s own bone marrow stem cells (Mesenchymal Stromal Cells) and strengthens and reprograms them into nerve assisting cells that can release proteins (neurotrophic factors) that assist in the growth, repair and maintenance of nerve cells (neurons). The cells are then transplanted back into the patient at or near the damage site. That the cells are derived from the patient has the added benefit of bypassing problems of rejection and any controversy regarding stem cells.

Dr. Lucie Bruijn, chief scientist at The ALS Association, noted that, “we cannot make predictions from this one anecdotal case. As with all ALS clinical trials, we are hopeful that the strategy will be promising. However, until the data from the clinical trial is available and there is information about the impact of the treatment on a larger number of ALS patients, the impact it will have for ALS is unknown.”

“It sounds very exciting and potentially promising,” said Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt, executive vice president at Mercy Medical Center. “It has to be studied in a larger study to verify the results. If in fact they are true, it’s promising.” The disease, he said is an “inexorable trend to get worse and not get better. There is no cure as of yet.”

For more information go to: www.brainstorm-cell.com.

We are hopeful that we will continue to see this kind of improvement in all the patients participating in our current and future clinical trials.

and psalms recited by students and rabbis could be heard throughout the hospital.

Rav Elyashiv, an only child, was born in Lithuania in 1910 and moved to Israel with his family in 1922. He served briefly as rabbi in Ramle and was appointed a Rabbinic Court judge (dayan). He married Shayna Chana, z”l, daughter of Rabbi Aryeh Levine. They had 12 children.

Rav Elyashiv was the leading voice in Lithuanian Haredi (Mitnagdim) Jewry, stepping into the leadership position of

Rabbi Elazar Shach, but being less vocal and trying to maintain the old order, distancing from Nachal Haredi and other innovations in the Haredi community.

Israeli leaders praised him as a Torah genius, a great man and leader, modest, one who loved Torah and his fellow man, a bridge between varied streams of the Jewish people. Jerusalem mayor Nir Barkat called his passing a “great loss for Jerusalem and the Nation of Israel.

New law aids ‘special needs’ parents Continued from page 1 the reference to “public education” doesn’t apply solely to children enrolled in public schools.

IDEA requires the school district to pay the cost of the child’s placement in an appropriate private school setting if there is no appropriate public school setting where the child’s special education needs can be met.

But, parents have often faced difficult hurdles in getting school districts to cooperate and have either borne the cost of private schools themselves or paid for specialized lawyers to argue their cases.

Essentially the bill sets forth three salient changes: (1) It sets clear and distinct guidelines for tuition reimbursement, ultimately streamlining the lengthy and costly legal process for both parents and school districts. The bill requires school districts to grant or deny a parent’s request for tuition reimbursement within 90 days, and to provide such reimbursement within 30 days of the decision to reimburse.

(2) A student’s placement in a particular school stays in effect until such time as the school district amends or modifies the child’s individualized education program, (IEP).

(3) The school district must take into account, upon request by the child’s parents, accompanied by supporting professional documentation, whether the child’s home environment and family background may have an impact on the child’s ability to learn in any proposed educational environment.

Locally, proponents of the bill, such as assembly candidate Dr. David Sussman, a Lawrence School Board member, believe such legislation is long overdue.

“I have felt, and I know my colleagues on the school board agree, having believed in and acted on this philosophy for many years, that this legislation has to do with the common dignity of individuals, and the common sense understanding of what it means to provide education in the least restricted environment.” he said.

Critics of the bill suggest that it will be too costly, and may result in a surge in the number of children seeking placement in private schools for special education services.

The New York City Mayor’s Office has concerns that the bill will enable parents to use “a student’s religious background” as the primary factor to determine placement.

Special ed parents urged to write to Cuomo

By Malka Eisenberg Both Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union are stressing the need for the new special education bill to be signed into law.

“We want special education children to be appropriately placed so they can learn,” emphasized Leah Steinberg, Director of Special Education Affairs at Agudath Israel. “This is supposed to help them go through the process so they don’t suffer more than they have to.”

Steinberg explained that children in the United States have a legal right to a free and appropriate public education. When a child is unable to learn in a public school setting and the parents find an educationally appropriate private program, they “go through due process and request tuition reimbursement,” she said. If the request is approved, the parents get the tuition reimbursed. “The bill streamlines the process for the public school district and the parents which will achieve a monetary saving for the district. That is the goal, to save money and time for the district and the parents, so the committees can concentrate on the children and spend less time on meetings and parents can be parents.”

Currently, parents have to assess the public schools every year and the private school has to be deemed appropriate every year. Steinberg noted that there are legal costs, excessive paperwork, meetings with staff from the committee on special education, staff for hearings on these decisions and when a district loses a case it has to pay the parents’ as well as its own legal fees.

Steinberg stressed that the first option is to have the child placed in an appropriate public school program. If the placement meets the child’s needs then there is no problem, but in some instances, a private placement may be better for the child, enabling the child to learn.

The only time the home environment and family background is important is if the child’s particular educational needs cannot be addressed in the particular place.

“It’s not just religious. It has to affect the child’s ability to learn. It’s not about yeshiva education, it’s about appropriate special education.”

Further, she pointed out, “It will not increase the number of children in the system. It will only help those in the system already and will streamline the cost and process for children already in the system. “It’s a win-win for everybody,” Steinberg stressed.

The bill does have its opponents.

In a letter to the Governor, Maria Fletcher, president of the New York State Congress of Parents and Teachers, cites this bill as a “legislative unfunded mandate.” Under the current system, she continued, home environment can be taken into account when “considering appropriate special education placement,” deeming adding new language “unnecessary.”

She also cited “unilateral parental placement” without any “limitation to placements,” expressing concern that with this legislation, children may “be placed in inappropriate and unapproved settings.”

The New York State School Boards Association, stated in its newsletter that this bill “would heap new financial and administrative burdens on our school districts by requiring Committees on Special Education to, upon a parent request, take a student’s home life and cultural environment into account within 90 days when making a special education placement and require reimbursement of tuition within 30 days of an approved placement.”

Steinberg praised the senators and legislators who sponsored and supported the bill. She said that they have to “get word out to parents what we need from them and thank the elected officials.” She said that parents should write letters addressed to the governor, but send them to Agudath Israel via email at lsteinberg@agudathisrael.org or by fax to 646-254-1650.

“This bill has rightfully been viewed by the special education community as a breakthrough,” said Michael Cohen, New York State Director of Political Affairs at the Orthodox Union’s Institute for Public Affairs. “Parents should be the key decision makers in determining the appropriate educational environment for their child. It is incumbent upon all members of our community to write, email, and call the Governor’s office to urge him to sign this into law.”

THE JEWISH STAR July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772

Obituary

July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

4

Opinion If Romney Wants to Win He Better Learn Chicago-Style Politics

“Y

ou wanna know how to get Capone? They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. *That’s* the *Chicago* way! And that’s how you get Capone. Now do you want to do that?

Are you ready to do that? I’m offering you a deal. Do you want this deal?--Sean Connery as Jim Malone in The Untouchables (1987)” One of the (many) mistakes of the McCain campaign in 2008 was the candidate’s failure to realize the arena in which he was competing. The Republican nominee thought he was competing in POLITICO the traditional world TO GO of Presidential politics, but his opponent thenSenator Barack Obama was following the rules of Chicago politics, which is a much dirtier game. In Chicago, the political arena is in the gutter, names are called, lies are told, and no one cares, especially when only one side is playing by ChiJeff Dunetz cago rules. And rule number one is there are no rules.

Rather than talk about his policies vs.

John McCain, Obama’s most effective commercials in 2008 cast the Arizona Senator as the second coming of George W. Bush. McCain’s highest-scoring commercial was about the future President’s twenty years in the Church of the racist/anti-Semitic Jeremiah Wright. The commercial was never released because McCain refused to play Obama’s game of Chicago-style politics.

2012 is turning out to be just like 2008, only dirtier. And once again the GOP candidate is refusing to get down into the gutter and compete with Barack Obama the same way he is being attacked.

Witness the Bain Capital mess. The President is still pushing the “when did Romney quit Bain, and did he outsource jobs” meme despite the fact that liberal outlets such as the Washington Post called it nonsense.

When the Boston Globe published an already discredited story about Romney’s date of Bain departure, these outlets again said the story was nonsense. Even CNN said the President’s claims were wrong.

The Obama campaign doubled-down on the nastiness, implying that Romney (and all the liberal media outlets backing him up) was either lying about his Bain tenure or committed a felony.

“Romney and Bain claim that he was not involved with Bain, but Bain and its portfolio companies in their required filings under the Securities Exchange Act continuously certified to the Securities and Exchange Commission say precisely the opposite — asserting without qualification that he was a controlling person, fully in charge of Bain, under the Federal securities law. Under normal circumstances, the question of the truth of this representation would result in an investigation by the SEC into possible criminal, as well as civil, violations of the law.”— Robert Bauer, Obama campaign counsel, July 13, 2012” Obama political strategist, David Axelrod, cleared things up when he appeared on CNN’s State of the Union and said that the campaign would never accuse Romney of being a felon, just potentially engaging in activity that would be considered a felony.

Romney’s response was to demand an apology. He doesn’t understand that there

are no apologies in Chicago politics. In fact, Obama turned it all around and used the apology request for his advantage. Romney demanded an apology for Bauer saying the GOP candidate may have broken SEC laws.

Obama answered to something totally different, that he would not apologize for making Bain an issue. It doesn’t matter that Obama wasn’t addressing what Romney was talking about; the liberal-leaning mainstream media would never call Obama out on it.

If Romney wants to become President, he must fight the President in his arena; it’s time for Romney to engage in Chicago politics.

If the President wants to make a false charge of outsourcing, ask him why he agreed to give Brazilian owned oil company Petrobras up to $10 billion dollars to look for oil off the Brazilian coast but prevented the Keystone pipeline from being built. Ask him if the fact that George Soros made a lot of money off the Brazil deal had anything to do with his decision.

If the President trumpets Obamacare, ask him why unions whose membership make up only 12-14% of the United States received 40% of the Obamacare waivers. Ask him why another big chunk was granted to businesses in Democratic districts.

Ask Obama why he signed an executive order, known as the “High Road Contracting Policy,” which gave preferential treatment to government construction contractors that pay their hourly workers a “union wage,” and provide additional benefits such as health insurance, employer-funded retirement plans and paid sick leave. In other words even non-union shops had to pay money to the unions and increase benefits if they want to get federal projects. This further depressed the construction industry, and raised the cost of Federal construction projects between 10-

20%, increasing the federal deficit.

It’s time for Romney to make crony capitalism an issue, talk about Solyndra and other failing companies. Point out how he offered Joe Sestak a White House job to drop out of the Senate race against Arlen Specter or offering Andrew Romanoff a White House job to drop out of the Senate Race against Michael Bennett. Ask the POTUS about the no bid contract given to a company owned by a major Obama donor for a small pox vaccine that doesn’t work. And isn’t it about time the President was made to face up to Fast and Furious?

Sure, it’s the economy, stupid, but first you have to hit the President’s campaign the way he is hitting you. The only difference is that Romney has truthful charges to make.

Hit Obama on the deficit, how he has increased our national debt in less than four years more than all Presidents up to George W. Bush combined, and has already raised the debt more than Bush did in eight years.

And if the reelection campaign’s lies about Bain Capital are on the table, so should the truth about Jeremiah Wright, Bill Ayers and Rashid Khalidi.

No more weak-kneed responses. The President is playing Chicago politics! If Romney wants to have a chance in November, he must be prepared to fight Obama the way Obama is fighting him.

tishahbav@aol.com; (212) 663-5784.

Glenn Richter Amcha-CJC

publisher and editor, I would like to wish you and your marvelous staff all the best in reporting and writing for our great and diverse communities. Additionally, the newsletter that I receive weekly with the preview of the upcoming edition is very refreshing and welcome! Thank you to all for the hard work that must go into this publication.

Jeff Dunetz is the Editor/Publisher of the political blog “The Lid” (www.jeffdunetz.com).

Jeff contributes to some of the largest political sites on the internet including American Thinker, Big Government, Big Journalism, NewsReal and Pajama’s Media, and has been a guest on national radio shows including G. Gordon Liddy, Tammy Bruce and Glenn Beck.

Jeff lives in Long Island.

Letters to the editor Tisha B’Av Mincha and Munich memorial To the Editor: Jewish Star readers are invited to join our annual Tisha B’Av mincha prayer service, complete with Torah reading, at the Isaiah Wall opposite the UN, First Avenue & 43rd Street, Manhattan, on Sunday, July 29th,

2 pm. The service will be led by Rabbi Avi Weiss, national chairman of Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns.

This year, we will memorialize the 11 Israeli athletes murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The reason is that the International Olympic Committee has refused even a minute of silence for the Israeli victims at the July 27th opening ceremony of the London Olympics. If they won’t remember, we will. For information, contact:

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Correction Due to a pagination problem , the last paragraph of the article entitled “Bastille Day and the Jews of France” by Professor Joseph Sungolowsky ( July 13, 2012) was erroneously omitted.

“The creation of the State of Israel and the wars it had to fight for its survival gave rise to a wave of anti-Zionism which soon became a mask for old-fashioned anti-Semitism. It appears in various strata of French society including academia. The French Republic has vowed to do the utmost to protect its Jewish population. Yet, anti-Semitic incidents are on the rise and many French Jews nowadays fear them, especially in the aftermath of the Toulouse killings that occurred last March. A recent poll indicates that 96% of French Jews are profoundly anguished by the present situation.

When one considers the history of the Jews of France, one realizes that it follows the pattern of Jewish history in general. There are both bright and somber periods. French Jews want to hope for brighter days.”

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July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Who will carry the torch for Munich? Not these Olympics!

I

n about a week from now, the world will tune in to watch the opening ceremonies of the London Olympic Games. With all of the fanfare it deserves, this event brings together most of the world in harmony unseen in almost every other part of international relations. In principle, the Olympics were founded with the goal of placing “sport at the service of the harmonious development of man, with a view to promoting a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”

A sports event inJuda Engelmayer tended to bring people together in harmony where politics and policies often fail, is more than commendable, it merits deeper study to replicating its influence in all parts of life. What is it about competitive sports that inspires people to put aside political, religious and often deep seated hatreds and divides and just play the game, put in their all and walk away feeling camaraderie rather than enmity?

The opening games this year, however, come with a dark memory of 40 years ago in Munich. Not exactly the anniversary, as

those games began on August 26 in 1972, but as the summer series begins on July 27 this year, it is hard not to recall Black September when 11 Israeli athletes and a policeman were killed by Palestinian terrorists trying to make a political point.

That day needs to be remembered at this year’s ceremonies, if for no other reason than to demonstrate that one of the basic principles of the Olympics – promoting peace and preserving human dignity – has not been crushed. Yet, the International Olympic Committee, in their very rejection of a moment of silence for fear that Arab nations may boycott the games, or that nations that are antagonistic to Israel might be offended, have violated that charter. They are putting the political agenda of nations and anti-Semites ahead of the fundamentals they purport to believe in.

The politics of the Olympics is such that the IOC hides behind the tepid argument that it does not engage in politics. That is the very first red flag as to their true political views. Throughout the history of the Olympics, the games have routinely been clouded by world politics and specific national interests.

Finland was banned from displaying its own flag in 1908 because the Olympic officials were worried about offending Russia, which is similar to not wanting to offend Israel’s enemies in 2012. Then, to satisfy

the “mood” of the world at the time, the nations defeated in both WW I and WWII were banned from the games. In 1936, no one called Hitler out when he used the opportunity to promote his agenda – the Aryan race. Then, more recently, in 2008, the IOC allowed China to block Internet sites in the Beijing games.

Notwithstanding the past politics, the IOC responded to requests for a moment of silence during the opening ceremony by many nations, dignitaries and Ankie Spitzer, the wife of the Israeli team’s fencing coach, Andrei Spizter, who was killed in ’72, by saying that the IOC “has officially paid tribute to the memory of the athletes on several occasions and will continue to do so in close coordination with the National Olympic Committee of Israel.”

Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC may as well have said, “Been there done that.” The response was not only insulting; his words - that we would have to believe were crafted by some of the best public relations and communications people and vetted by a dozen set of eyes before they were presented to the public – belie the stated sentiment.

The whole point of the moment of silence is to show the entire world that the massacre in Munich was indeed a blight on the world, on the Olympic games and every nation that sends its athletes to compete under the five

Rabban Yochanan Ben Zakkai saves Torah

By Rabbi Eugene and Dr Annette Labovitz The three year Roman siege of Yerushalayim portended doom for Jewish nationalism. The inhabitants of the Holy City were divided; some were wearied from the hopelessness of the situation; others, although refusing to surrender, fought among themselves. Hunger and disease were rampant.

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai was among those leaders who determined to do something about the impending destruction of Yerushalyim.

“The Jewish people are fighting among themselves,” he reasoned. “There are so many different political parties, so many different opinions how to deal with the enemy.

The Sicarii, or Biryonim, as they sometimes call themselves, are clandestine killers. Anyone they see speaking to a Roman finds his life endangered and becomes a target for their foul play. The Zealots want to fight the mighty enemy and restore Jewish independence; they think the situation is the same as it was in the days of the Maccabbees.” [Ed. Approximately two hundred years prior to the Roman siege, the Jewish people rebelled against pagan Greek / Syrian domination and overcame them. Mattathias and his five sons (one was named Judah, and was called Maccabbee) organized the rebellion. The holiday of Chanukah is celebrated to commemorate the victory over paganism and the restoration of Jewish life.]

“I, and the rest of the Perushim (Pharisees) only want to live peacefully, so we can study and transmit Torah. The Tzedukim (Sadducees) want to become allied with the Romans. And the Romans? What do they do?

They enforce the siege and wait patiently while brothers destroy brothers. Woe unto us! If the Holy Temple is destroyed, it will be because my people did not want to live together in peace. It will be because we hated each other for no reason. We are one people, but we act so differently. There are four political parties, each with its own agenda.” [Ed.

Why was the Second Holy Temple destroyed?

Because needless hatred prevailed. Talmud Bavli Yoma 9b] “I must do something, something spectacular, something that will save the Torah way of life. The Jewish people will be able to survive without the Holy Temple, but they will not survive without Torah. Hmm ...

Maybe my plan will work. But, perhaps my nephew, Abba Sikra, will conceive an even better plan.”

The next morning, he called his nephew, who was the leader of the Biryonim: “How long will you continue to kill your brothers?”

“What can I do to stop them? I am their leader, but they do what they want. If I reprimand them, they will think that I have joined with you and the Perushim (Pharisees), and they will kill me too.”

“Listen, I have to escape from Yerushalayim in order to try to save the Torah way of life.” He explained his plan. “What do you think of it? Is it possible for me to succeed?”

“Let’s do it this way, uncle. I believe it will have a better chance. No one must know what we are planning except you and your two most loyal disciples, Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua.”

“I want you to pretend that you are gravely ill. We will announce throughout Yerushalayim that Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai is dying. People will come to pay their respects.

You will pretend to grow weaker and weaker.

Finally, you will feign death. I will find some decayed flesh, that has a terrible odor, and I will place it on your bier. You must practice laying perfectly still, not moving a muscle, not even an eyelid. Eliezer, Yehoshua, and I will carry the bier to the gates of the city. We will demand that the guards let us pass, in order to bury you outside the walls.”

“What will you do once you are outside the walls?”

“Make sure that I get out of the city safely, and you will see!”

It did not take many days for Rabbi Eliezer

and Rabbi Yehoshua to announce the death of their revered teacher, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai. A great procession followed the bier until the gates of Yerushalayim, where it was halted by the Jewish guards posted inside the gates.

“Let us through,” Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua and Abba Sikra demanded.

“The cemetery is outside the walls and we must bury our teacher with dignity.”

“We must check that you are not tricking us; that he is actually dead,” they insisted.

One of the guards lifted his sword, preparing to stab the body.

“How can you do that?” they clamored.

“The Romans will say that the guards at the gates violated a body and thereby disgraced their revered master.”

“Then we will just shove the body a little,” they continued stubbornly.

“Then all the Jews inside the city will also condemn you for not having respect for the dead.”

Ashamed, they opened the gates and allowed Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua and Abba Sikra to walk through with the bier.

As soon as they reached a safe distance, out of sight of the gates of Yerushalayim, Rabban Yochanan ben Zakki jumped off the bier, bid farewell to his students, and ran toward the Roman camp. Once there, he demanded that the guards escort him to General Vespasian’s tent. Stunned to find a Jew among them, they pointed to the place where Vespasian sat in war council with his lieutenants.

“Peace to you, your majesty, King of Rome,” pronounced Rabban Yochanan, as he lowered his head respectfully.

“You deserve to die twice,” ranted Vespasian. “First, you have pronounced me king, while I am but a general; second, if I am the king, why haven’t you come sooner to pay your respects?”

“I will answer your second question first, your majesty,” whispered Rabban Yochanan.

“You see, my people are sorely divided. Some

interlaced continental rings. The terror attack did not occur in Israel, but in Germany, in the tightly protected Olympic Village, guarded by an Olympic managed security force and domestic law enforcement. The attack which was meant to strike Israel, struck the symbol of peace and humanity and shattered the Olympic spirit, “which requires mutual understanding with a spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play.”

In Rogge’s rejection of a moment of silence, he referred to tributes in coordination with Israel’s National Olympic committee; he made it Israel’s issue, not his, not theirs, not ours. In doing so, he revealed the dirty politics where Israel is usually pitted against the world, even in places where they claim to be above that.

Black September was a dreary day for Israel, but Israel uses each and every challenge as a means to grow stronger, wiser and sharper. It was also a truly dark day for any Olympian and their sponsoring countries, who now know that the affairs affecting them at home can haunt them even in this “peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.” Yet, the IOC refuses to learn from it, and in fact, yields to the very worst of humanity, from whom the Olympics were designed to defy.

Juda Engelmayer is a senior vice president of the New York public relations agency, 5WPR among them would surely have put me to death, had they found that I tried to contact you. As it is, my escape from Yerushalayim on a bier is nothing short of miraculous.”

At that exact moment, a messenger from Rome arrived.

“Your majesty,” the messenger called out.

There was a stunned silence all around.

“Nero has died. The Senate has sent me to inform you that they have proclaimed you emperor!”

Rabban Yochanan no longer had to answer the first question.

“You are so wise,” continued Vespasian.

“Before I return to Rome, and leave the siege of your holy city in the hands of Titus, my son, I will grant you any request.”

“Grant me, your majesty, permission to move the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court) and its scholars from the besieged city of Yerushalayim to Yavneh, a small town near the Mediterranean coast; allow the family of Rabban Gamliel, descendants of the Davidic dynasty to live; and send a doctor to cure Rabbi Zadok, who has fasted so long for Yerushalayim to be saved, that it is almost impossible for him to digest food.”

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai’s requests were granted.

Yavneh became a major center of Torah learning, the first of such cities where Torah was the focus of Jewish life. There, Jewish spiritual leaders prepared for a long and arduous exile that was to begin three years later when the Holy Temple lay in ruins. The precedent of moving the Torah center from Yerushalayim to Yavneh, and then to other cities in the Diaspora (lands outside of Eretz Israel) sustained the Jewish people in the centuries that followed.[Ed. As the (first) Holy Temple was burning, a group of young priests went to the roof. Their leader carried the keys in his hand. He prayed: “Master of the Universe! We were not worthy keepers of Your House. Therefore, please take back your keys.” In the presence of the other young priests, he threw the keys heavenward. Immediately, a Heavenly Hand emerged and grasped the keys. Talmud Bavli, Taanit 29a] Reproduced from “A Sacred Trust: Stories of Our Heritage and History”

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Learning As We Begin the Nine Days With the onset of the annual commemoration of The Nine Days now upon us, I shall devote this week’s essay to a brief review of a major work that employs the literary-theological method focusing on a unique analysis from this week’s concluding chapters from the Book of Numbers, Bamidbar.

Two elements are dealt with herein, the war of vengeance against Midian, a rather poignant task for Moshe before his death, and the request for settlement in the trans-Jordan by two and a half tribes.

In an excellent work dealing with a detailed textual analysis of the Bible, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot writes in great analytical detail of both chapters 31 and 32 of this week’s Torah reading, giving a thorough commentary which is developed to further inform us as to both motive and the historical reality of the events that inhabit this text.

In “Mikra and Meaning: Studies in Bible and Its Interpretation” Alan Jay Gerber [Maggid, 2012], Rabbi Helfgot notes the following: “In studying parashat hashavua, we sometimes fail to give the ‘technical’ or seemingly ‘less important’ chapters their proper due. I would like to explore the second half of one such chapter, often ignored by both students and teachers alike, as an example of what can be gleaned from a careful and close reading and analysis.”

What follows is an absolutely astonishing in depth look at the narrative of the battle that took place between Midian and the Jewish People.

What attracts the rabbi’s attention is the following: “Not only does the Torah describe the preparation for war and the actual battle in great detail, it devotes close to thirty verses to the detailed division of the booty, cattle, gold, etc., among the different sections of the people, as well as the ‘tax’ on this booty given to the Priests and the Levites. This detailed presentation stands in stark contrast to what we find in almost all other battles described in the Torah.”

As if this was not to be the solely unique experience in this closing chapter of this book, we have in chapter 32 a further analysis of another strange event. This chapter notes a new phase in the history of our people: their settlement in the land. Right from the outset, we are faced with the request from two and a half tribes, Reuven, Gad, later to be joined by half the tribe of Menashe, who request settlement in the area won from Sichon and Og. The give and take between Moshe and these tribal leaders as detailed in the Torah narrative draw the sharp analytical attention of Rabbi Helfgot.

In a unique turn the author focuses our attention upon the following: “The tribe of Reuven is made up of the descendants of Reuven, the firstborn of Leah, the first wife of Jacob. As firstborn, Reuven was originally slated for leadership of the twelve tribes. Similarly, the tribe of Gad is made up of the descendants of Gad, the firstborn of Zilpa, maidservant of Leah.”

Further on Rabbi Helfgot makes note of the following: “The third tribe in our story, Menashe, fits into this pattern as well. Menashe is the firstborn of Joseph who, along with his brother Ephraim, is elevated by his grandfather Jacob into becoming a tribe of his own.”

Now get this take in this analysis: “The connection goes deeper, however.

These tribes are not only firstborn – they are firstborns who lose that unique status. Younger siblings supplant them in the grand hierarchy of the Jewish people and its covenantal history.”

This observation serves as the foundation of the author’s further take: “In light of our analysis, the story in Numbers 32 takes on a rich and resonant character. The tribes of Reuven, Gad, and Menashe, the ‘firstborn’ sons who have been supplanted as leaders, approach Moshe and ask to remain on the east bank of the Jordan, east of the Promised Land, in the territory of Refaim.

Their request is motivated by the abundance of cattle, mikneh rav; their circumstances thus parallel the circumstances that led to the breaks between Abraham and Lot and between Jacob and Esau.”

There is a lot more to the above for you to read and learn from.

Bamidbar through the pen of Rabbi Helfgot will never again read and mean the same to you after you read this work.

Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot was ordained by Yeshiva University’s RIETS and is the chairman of the Departments of Bible and Jewish Thought, and teaches in the Talmud and Halacha Departments at Yeshiva Chovevei Torah.

In addition, he is the rav at Teaneck’s Congregation Netivot Shalom. Among his other published works is the editorship of, “Community, Covenant, and Commitment: Selected Letters and Communications of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik”. In addition, Rabbi Helfgot proudly serves on the board of Yeshivat Har Etzion in Israel.

FOR FURTHER STUDY May I suggest the following for your edification: “Passages: Text and Transformation in the Parsha” [Urim Publications, 2012] by Rabbi Michael Hattin “The Tent of Avraham” [Urim Publications, 2012] edited by Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo “City of David: The Story of Ancient Jerusalem” [Ir Yerushalayim, Megalim] by Ahron Horovitz “Flags Over the Warsaw Ghetto: The Untold Story of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising” [Gefen Publishing House, 2011] by Hon. Moshe Arens “Stories of the Law: Narrative Discourse and the Construction of Authority in the Mishnah” [Oxford University Press, 2012] by Dr. Moshe Simon-Shoshan

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THE JEWISH STAR July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772

The Kosher Bookworm

July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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THE JEWISH STAR July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772

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July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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Who’s in the kitchen

Dinner and dessert in one!

E

ach year, during the nine days, I always marvel at the amount of people waiting on line at the kosher dairy restaurants around town. Many of these people don’t tend to eat out often during the year and most would never choose a dairy restaurant. Yet during the nine days, even with a reservation, you can count on standing on line...sometimes out the door and down the block. For those who weren’t smart enough to make a reservation, they go from restaurant to restaurant picking the one that has the shortest line. If that fails, the pizza store is the last resort.

And, how many of you normally rush home from work during the week to eat out.

It’s a given, during the nine days. Owners of the dairy restaurants wait all year for this onslaught. Not to be outdone, the meat establishments dream up Judy Joszef every parve entree they can think of. There is no way they’re going to miss out on the hordes of diners that forgot to make a reservation at the dairy restaurants.

I find it kind of ironic that we are not supposed to wear freshly laundered clothes, take warm showers, listen to music, swim, etc. But there seems to be no issue with gong out in large groups of friends or family and enjoying a dairy dinner out. There are certain loop-

holes, where, if you follow certain rules you can have meat. Remember those days in sleep away camp? There would be a siyum and then we were able to eat meat. Of course to some younger campers it seemed like a bunch of “Bar Puppa, Bar Puppa , Bar Puppa.” and then meat was miraculously on the menu that night. When Tisha B’Av came around and my husband Jerry realized there was a much better meal awaiting him if he were to fast, he did so even though he was only 12. Another of his favorite memories of camp was the night activity on Tisha B’Av when the entire camp was led down to the lake, by torch light, culminating in a spectacular burning of an edifice made to represent the Bait Hamikdash.

The camp assumed that the younger campers understood what the symbolism meant. To my husband, Jerry, it was his favorite night at camp. Having totally missed the point of the meaning of the burning, he simply enjoyed what he thought was the second showing of July 4th, Jewish style.

While working as a pastry chef at the Cedar Club in the Five Towns, years ago, during the nine days, I had just finished filling 12 pans with carrot cake batter and had a decent amount left over. As I was trying to decide if I should try to fill another two pans and squeeze it into the oven, the chef, and a good friend of mine, Lew Levine, was trying to figure out the fish special for the evening. We looked at each other and I said, “Carrot cake batter encrusted salmon?” He dipped a piece into the batter, sautéed it on each side then placed it in the oven to finish cooking. I kid you not--it was excellent. Every person who ordered it loved

it. The last person to order it was an owner of a nearby restaurant. I happened to have been walking by his table when his waiter asked him how he enjoyed his dinner. He replied, “It was delicious. I see your chef copied our salmon recipe.” It took every ounce of selfcontrol for me not say, “Really, do you always have extra carrot cake batter sitting around?”

We all had a good laugh in the kitchen, almost as good a laugh as the staff got when I made myself an egg white omelet and sprayed the pan with oven cleaner....But that’s a whole different story--and yes I ate half of it before I realized why it tasted so strange. Thank G-d for those poison control centers.

For those of you who plan on dining in for at least one meal, try this one of a kind recipe.

CARROT CAKE BATTER ENCRUSTED SALMON ■ 6 fillets of salmon ■ Carrot cake batter ■ Canola oil to sauté the salmon ■ Carrot cake batter recipe ■ 1 cup flour ■ 1 cup sugar ■ 1/3 teaspoon salt ■ 1 teaspoon baking soda ■ 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ■ 1⁄2 cup corn oil ■ 1 ½ beaten eggs ■ 1 teaspoon vanilla extract ■ 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, chopped ■ 1/2 cup shredded coconut ■ 1/3 cup puréed cooked carrots ■ 3/4 cup drained crushed pineapple

Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Add the oil, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Fold in the walnuts, coconut, carrots, and pineapple.

Add canola oil to a large frying pan and place over a medium flame. Brush the top and bottom of each fillet with the batter. When the oil is hot, add half of the salmon fillets, and cook for three minutes to sear the fish and brown the topping. Carefully flip the fish over and cook on the other side for three minutes.

Transfer the fish to a baking sheet, sprayed with Pam. Repeat with the remaining three fillets.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake until the salmon is just firm to the touch, about 2 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish (the fish is done when the thermometer registers 130 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of a fillet.) Don’t over bake, the interior should be moist, unless you’re Rhea or Joe Grob, they like everything well done....as in leave it in the oven till the smoke detector goes off....and then five minutes more.

In sharp contrast to the way we commemorate the 9ninedays today, my mother-in-law and her sisters, while in Auschwitz in 1944, insisted on fasting while real fires inexorably burned. There was no special meal awaiting them at the end of the fast.

Judy Joszef is a pastry and personal chef as well as a party planner. She spent 18 years as a pastry chef at Abigael’s, The Cedar Club, Centro and T42 in the Five Towns, before launching her current business, Soireé. She can be contacted at Judy.soiree@gmail.com.

Drinking in knowledge about kosher wines

Irving Langer’s book highlights domestic and Israeli vintages

By Nicole Kreizel From gathering the grapes and learning about diverse types of wines to appreciating fine vintages and ensuring they’re kosher, “The Kosher Grapevine,” written by Lawrence resident Irving Langer, covers boundless information about wine.

Langer explains how to truly enjoy the taste of wine, by following a set of directions in the book. Drinkers must swirl, taste and smell the wine in certain ways, as well as say the proper blessings. “People can follow the instructions, pick up knowledge and use it and feel more comfortable when they order wine at restaurants,” Langer said.

In the book published in Israel

by Gefen Publishing House and released earlier this year, Langer discusses the specific wines to drink with certain foods in order for them to be particularly enjoyable, such as drinking Merlot with meat or Zinfandel with fish. He said his tips will enhance drinkers’ dining experience.

“There’s a piece of history as well,” said Langer, whose book includes portions of the Bible and descriptions of wines from the holy temple era, along with the information that only Jewish people who observe the Sabbath can be part of the wine making process in order for it to be kosher.

“The unique part of this book is

Photo by Jeffrey Bessen

Lawrence resident Irving Langer spent two and half years researching material for his book. that it shows that although some consumers think kosher wine is “inferior to other ‘world’ wines-actually there are many kosher wines that are a pleasure and have won many prizes,” said the book’s publisher at Gefen Publishing House, Ilan Greenfield.

Israel and California are the “premiere areas where you get excellent kosher wines,” said Langer, and Jerusalem has vineyards that produce great wine. The book also highlights the Galil, a popular area for wine making in the mountainous northern part of Israel, because of its high altitudes, clear temperature shifts and rich soils.

Langer has acquired his knowledge about wines through about

two and a half years of intense research. “I feel I pretty much covered endless information,” Langer said. The book “could have been thousands of pages, but I didn’t want it to be boring.”

Instead, the book has nine chapters and consists of text and pictures. “The editor and graphic designer had to do a lot of thinking and planning in order to produce an attractive looking book. The balance between the text and the photos was a work of art,” Greenfield said. There is even an index noting where customers can purchase wines in Israel and assorted vineyards and wineries, and a glossary of wine terms such as “estate bottled,” meaning “the winemaker is in control of the vineyards and oversees their cultivation.”

Langer has been to many vineyards and wineries; he visited Castel, in Jerusalem, and Yarden, in the Golan, to do wine tastings. The Golan is a volcanic plateau that is a key place for making wine, Langer said. He also visited Galil vineyards and Yatir Forest, where Langer said they make “excellent wine.”

His favorite wine is Katzrin, from the Golan Heights, however not that much is made. “It sells well and drinks well for many, many years,” he said.

“They make an extremely limited amount of it [Katzrin]; it’s a great wine but I like wines more readily available, from a business

Irving Langer’s book, “The Kosher Grapevine” on the shelf with several kosher wines at Chateau de Vin in Cedarhurst. perspective,” said Moshe Fink, the owner of Chateau de Vin, a wine and liquor store in Cedarhurst.

It was Langer’s first time writing a book, and the process was a great experience for him. “Seeing it come together and having people call me up saying they enjoyed it gave me personal satisfaction,” he said.

Barnes and Nobles, Amazon, wine stores, kosher supermarkets, Judaic stores, Baker & Taylor and

Ingram are selling The Kosher Vineyard, and Langer said he has been receiving positive feedback from people who have read the book. “It is quite popular and serves as a great gift for Shabbat or the holidays,” said Greenfield.

It also can be found at Five Towns Judaica in Lawrence. “We sold seven out of 12 of the books we have; it sold very well,” said Hashi Gluck, the manager, “People who are into wine liked it.”

The manager of Judaica Plus in Cedarhurst, Chaim Chernikoff, said the book includes a lot of “[Langer’s] personal preferences about wine” and it “shares [Langer’s] knowledge and appreciation for wine.”

In Hebrew, gefen means wine, so although Gefen Publishing House publishes books of many topics, “I thought it was cute that it’s a wine book published by Gefen Publishing,” said Langer, who was elected last month to serve as a Village of Lawrence trustee.

What is most important to Langer is that people learn how to differentiate the tastes of different wines, know where they are from, and are able to thoroughly enjoy drinking wine.

“My favorite part is probably the steps to enjoy wine tasting and going through the process,” said Langer, “It’s always nice to be knowledgeable about wine.”

11 THE JEWISH STAR July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772

Don’t play the odds with your child’s future

CAHAL’s success in the classroom adds up to a brighter future for our children!

To discuss placement of a child with learning disabilities contact CAHAL today at 516-295-3666 or visit us online at WWW.CAHAL.ORG.

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July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

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July 20 and on Mangano Announces Weekday Golf Specials at Nassau County’s 9-Hole Golf Courses

ON THE

Calendar Submit your shul or organization’s events or shiurim to jscalendar@thejewishstar.com.

Deadline is Wednesday of the week prior to publication.

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano announced today that all four of Nassau County’s 9-hole golf courses will be offering a special weekday discount. Conveniently spread around the county park system, Nassau offers residents four executive-level 9 hole golf courses at Cantiague Park, Christopher Morley, North Woodmere, and Bay Park.

“With these lower green fee prices, golfers of all skill levels are invited to continue to enjoy our 9-hole County golf courses at an even more economical and low-cost rate” said Mangano.

“Every course provides the perfect setting to enjoy a day of golf.”

The new special rates, which must be purchased in packages of 5 rounds and are valid for weekday play only, are as follows: Original Price Special Price Savings Senior/Discount with Leisure Pass $8.50 $7.50 $5.00 *5 Rounds for $37.50* Resident Leisure Pass $15.00 $12.00 $15.00 *5 Rounds for $60.00* Non-Resident No Leisure Pass $26.00 $21.00 $25.00 *5 Rounds for $105.00* For more information regarding Nassau County’s four executive 9-hole golf courses, or the three 18-hole golf courses located in Eisenhower Park, please visit the Nassau County website at: www.nassaucountyny.gov/parks

July 21 Scholar in residence Stephen J. Savitsky, Chairman of the Board of the Orthodox Union, a three-term OU Past President, and himself a Long Island resident, will be Scholarin-Residence at Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick for Shabbat Parshat Matot-Masei. The synagogue is located at 145 South Merrick Avenue.

Mr. Savitsky’s visit is the highlight of an OU Community Weekend presented by the Orthodox Union Karasick Department of Synagogue Services.

Shabbat morning, Mr. Savitsky will discuss “The OU and Ohav Sholom: A Partnership that Guarantees Jewish Continuity.” He will also speak following Kiddish, presenting“Israel Through the Eyes of One Prime Minister, One King, 15 Generals, 40 Members of the Knesset and a Few Taxi Drivers.” Finally, Mr. Savitsky will lead a Shabbat afternoon discussion on “Major Issues in Jewish Life with Possible Solutions. For further information, contact Alison Barnett of OU Synagogue Services at syngagogue@ou.org or call 212.613.8155.

July 22 Charlie Harary Live!

Don’t Miss Out! CHAZAQ in conjunction with the Isaac Sasson Foundation, QJCC & Beth Gavriel Present an Inspirational Event with Charlie Harary LIVE! “Finding Redemption in Ourselves”. Refreshments Served at 8 PM. Lecture Scheduled for 8:30 PM Location: Beth Gavriel Community Center

July 29 Tisha B’av video screening Thousands of Jews in more than 100 communities around the world will join together this Tisha B’Av to view an inspirational video presented byYeshiva University and the Orthodox Union (OU). The video, titled “Making Tisha B’Av Meaningful to Us Today,” is a project of YU’s Center for the Jewish Future (CJF) and the OU, and will be screened in some 250 synagogues across the United States, and internationally in Australia, Canada, Israel, Poland, South Africa and the United Kingdom. For more information on participating synagogues or to request a DVD, visit www.yutorah.org/tishabav/ video. Tisha B’Av programming will also include live kinot webcasts featuring Rabbi Weinreb and Rabbi Weil at www.ou.org/tishabav and Rabbi Dr. Jacob J. Schacter atwww.yutorah.org/tishabav.

Tisha B’Av prayer service at UN’s Isaiah Wall

Dov Herzberg, a student at Rambam Mesivta High School in Lawrence, N.Y., was named grand prize winner of the 2011-2012 Lander College for Men (LCM) Student Entrepreneur of the Year Competition held at LCM’s Queens campus in Kew Gardens Hills, N.Y. The competition, which gives students at yeshiva high schools an opportunity to create new inventions and potential business ventures to stimulate their ingenuity, is in its fourth year. Pictured, left to right: Moshe Berger, chief executive officer of Zenoradio and the former CEO of IDT entertainment; Seymour Liebman, executive vice president of Canon USA, board member of Canon Worldwide and graduate of Touro College’s Jacob D. Fuchsberg Law Center; grand prize winner Dov Herzberg; and Steve Brown, CFO of Cardis and chairman of the LCM board of overseers.

66 - 35 108th St. Forest Hills, NY 11375 For More Info Call or Text 917-617-3636

Shalom Workshop: Making Good Marriages Great Young Israel of West Hempstead and the National Council of Young Israel present the highly acclaimed Shalom Workshop, an evening for couples that focuses on improving communication with spouses, enhancing emotional connections, and gaining tools to express emotions in a constructive manner. The event will be at 7:30 pm and a light dinner will be served. The event will take place at YIWH-630 Hempstead Avenue. The workshop is free for all YIWH members and 36 dollars per couple for non-members. For more information, contact 212-929-1525.

Free Family Fun Children’s Day Come to Eisenhower Park from 4-7 pm for a day of free day of fun sponsored by the Bethpage Federal Credit Union. Children of all ages will be able to enjoy a variety of activities, including the bouncy house and arts and crafts. Beginning at 6 pm, there will be a theatrical production of Cinderella at the Lakeside theater. Come and enjoy this exciting day!

July 23 Long Island Job Fair Hosted by Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy of Nassau Community College Multipurpose room 11 a.m-4 p.m. Vendors such

as Hofstra University, North Shore-LIJ, Nassau Community College, Molloy College, Stonybrook School of Health and Technology and Management, Winthrop University Hospital, South Nassau Communities Hospital, the Soldier’s Project of Long Island, AFLAC, the Visiting Nurse Association of Long Island, Sanford Brown and more. For more information, please contact Rep. McCarthy’s office at 516-739-3008.

July 25 Children’s Summer Workshop Series: Corn Husk Workshop and Children’s Garden Tour Children ages 5 and up are invited to participate in this activity. Fee: $15 per child per session. $40 per child for the session. Materials included. Space limited. Reservations required for all workshops.

Reservations are only confirmed with receipt of full payment. Sponsored by the Friends of Rock Hall. (Town of Hempstead Rock Hall Museum): 10:30-11:30 a.m. Corn husks were used to fashion dolls for both Native American and Colonial children. This toy was popular in both Europe and America. Learn how to make this 18th-century toy.

Learn to identify summer vegetables and herbs in Rock Hall’s Children’s Garden.

Space limited. Reservations required. Rain date Thursday, July 26th.

Annual Tisha B’Av mincha with Torah reading at Isaiah Wall at the UN, led by Rabbi Avi Weiss. This year we will memorialize the 11 Israeli athletes slain by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics. First Avenue & 43rd Street, Manhattan New York, NY 10017, 2:00 pm

July 31 One Israel Fund Five Towns Summer BBQ Enjoy great food, awesome, award winning wines and a great atmosphere under the stars. What better way to support the bravest citizens of Israel who have made our Heartland flourish again?!

At the home of Gary and Yael Mandel (281 Ocean Avenue, Lawrence NY), 8 p.m.

For more information contact scott @ 516-2399202, ext 12 or events@oneisraelfund.org.

Social Justice Beit Midrash on Mental Illness and Addiction in the Jewish Community Join Uri L’Tzedek for a thought-provoking talk and inner look at Mental Illness and Addiction in the Jewish Community with Paula Eiselt, director of the documentary-in-progress FOLLOWING BORUCH and a personal story from Boruch Hoffman, the documentary’s subject. The film’s trailer and an exclusive sneak peak of the film will be shown at this event. 7:00 pm at the Drisha Institute for Jewish Education. ( 37 West 65th Street, 5th floor)

One Israel Fund Summer Day Trips “The Northwestern Shomron”- Emek Dotan, where our Egyptian Saga begins with Joseph and his brothers- and the modern sheep farm of Maoz Tzvi.

The Tanach comes to life in this rarely visited, breathtaking region, whose Reichan forest harkens back to the complaints of the tribe of Menashe. In this tour we will meet residents, tour communities, and deepen our knowledge to this meaningful part of the Shomron. The buses for these trips will leave at 8:30 am from the parking lot at the bottom of Liberty Bell Park (next to the Sonol gas station) and return at 6:30 pm. Cost for the day including lunch is 60 dollars an adult and 45 dollars a child under 12. For reservations or more information contact www.oneisraelfund.org/daytrips or call Ruthie Kahn (516-239-9202 ext. 10)

13

In 1986, an Israeli fighter-plane was shot down over Lebanon, and the pilot and navigator, safely ejected from the burning plane, found themselves trapped behind enemy lines. In one of the most daring missions of the war, an Israeli search and rescue team flew in under heavy fire, and in a classic retrieval operation, with an Israeli commando FROM THE HEART suspended from a heOF JERUSALEM licopter by a cable, literally plucked the pilot from the jaws of the approaching enemy only eight hundred yards away. His navigator, already surrounded by an enemy that was only fifty yards away, could not be rescued.

Ask any Israeli air force pilot what his ultimate nightmare is, and he will tell you of Rabbi Binny Ron Arad, the navigaFreedman tor of that flight who watched his co-pilot whisked away to safety, while he was left behind. So many years later, Ron Arad is still missing.

This mission raises one of the classic questions in military operations: at what point is the individual expendable, for the sake of the many? Does saving the life of one Israeli airman justify risking the lives of many others?

The lives of a dozen men, not to mention tens of millions of dollars of vital and sophisticated Israeli equipment in the form of helicopters and support, were all put at tremendous risk to bring one man home. No strategy or mission plan could ever justify such a decision. And yet, if you ask any Israeli soldier, from the army’s commander in chief, all the way down to the infantry man alone in his

fox hole, they would all agree, that the IDF’s policy of never leaving a man behind makes that not only a justifiable, but even an essential part of the Israeli military. Where does this insistence of the value of the individual, even at the expense of the many, hail from?

In this week’s portion, Matot, the Torah describes how the Jewish people came together as one unit to wage war against their enemy Midyan. Each tribe sent its men forward to become one solid Israel defense force, over three thousand years ago.

So how did we get so fractured? The dream has always seemed so wonderful, and so obviously right: “Kol Yisrael Areivim Zeh La’Zeh” “All Israel are responsible one for another.”

We are meant to feel that when one of us is in pain, all of us are in pain. In fact, that is what the word “Arev” or ‘mixed in’ signifies: we are all part of one great mixture. So where did it all go so wrong?

There is a message, hidden in this week’s portion, Matot, which may provide not only a clue as to the problem, but perhaps as well, a remedy for the possible solution.

When Moshe prepares to wage war on the nation of Midyan, in response to that nation’s attempt to destroy the Jewish people, he does not command the people to ‘rise as one’ in order to defeat the common enemy.

Instead, he tells the Jewish people: “… put forth men from amongst you for the army… a thousand from each Tribe…”

(Bamidbar 31:3-4) Why are we suddenly dividing Israel into separate tribes? Why isn’t there simply a command to the entire Jewish people to gather the ‘Israeli’ army together?

After all, when waging war, more is always better, right? So if the Jewish people at this point have a standing army of six hundred thousand men (11:21), why would they only draft twelve thousand?

How could the Torah conclude the book of Bamidbar, dedicated to building a Nation that will be a light for the entire world, by fostering such a divisive, destructive force as tribalism?

In truth, there is something happening here that represents a fundamental change not just in the introduction of the individual identity of the tribes, but in the very way we perceive tribes at all.

In the book of Bamidbar we are introduced to an entirely new concept: the concept of ‘Mateh.’ Until now, the word used in the Torah for tribes is ‘Shevet.’ Only in the book of Numbers do we first see the tribe as a ‘Mateh.’ In fact the concept of a tribe as a Mateh is not used once in the Torah outside the book of Bamidbar! (And in Bamidbar, the word Mateh appears nearly one hundred times….) Perhaps part of the purpose of the book of Bamidbar is the construction of a new model: the Mateh.

Rav Weinberg (in his Frameworks), points out that both these words are a form of stick.

A Shevet is a club, which was actually used to great effect by the Shotrim (possibly the equivalent of Jewish policemen) and their Egyptian taskmasters, in effectively controlling their slaves.

The Mateh, on the other hand is something we are quite familiar with as the staff used by Aaron and Moshe.

And perhaps that is precisely the point: maybe the Jewish people (and through them the world) needed to change their perception from whatever Shevet represents, and discover the beauty and the power of the Mateh.

A Shevet is, in the end, a weapon of war.

It is a club, used for violence, to control and dominate, as well as to fend off would be attackers. (Indeed the English word for Shevet, club, is itself a group which is designed to exclude others, such as a frequent flyers club which creates a culture of those that are ‘in,’

Reuven and Gad Priorities

What’s Good for the Jews?

R

eading through Bamidar Chapter 22, one gets mixed feelings. The Bnei Gad and Bnei Reuven (tribes of Gad and Reuven) look at the land the Israelites have recently conquered, East of the Jordan, and they realize they have a match made in heaven. The land is fertile, perfect for farm animals, and wouldn’t you know it--they have many farm animals! (32:4) Would it be possible, they ask, for these two tribes to settle there, without entering the land of Canaan?

Formalities need to be worked out.

How could they sit back while the rest of the nation is fighting the inhabitants of Canaan?

Moshe instructs them to build homes for their families and animals, and then they are to lead the battles. And then he tells Yehoshua and Elazar that these tribes must lead the battles until all the land is conquered. Only when their mission is complete may they return home. And if they do not complete their mission, they may not settle East of the Rabbi Avi Billet Jordan – they will have to be divided in the land amongst the other tribes.

Gad and Reuven agree, and their completion of their mission is confirmed in the book of Yehoshua 22.

There are different approaches to understanding their request and the subsequent way in which they are viewed. Is it proper for them to specifically want to live outside of the land that will become Israel? Why would their “punishment” (were they to not fulfill their condition) be to live in the land?

Surely that is a good thing! How many times does the agreement need to be repeated and reworded and reemphasized?

[At least three times!]

In halakha, the proper form of making a two-sided condition is modeled in 32:29-30 (Talmud Kiddushin 61a). This would be a positive outcome of the exchange. The guarantee that these troops, often considered the best in the nation, would lead, is also a positive outcome.

But many point out that the tribes of Gad and Reuven requested, first and foremost, to be able to build housing for their animals (32:16). Moshe only agreed if they put their number one priority on building homes for their families (32:24). In the following verses (25-26) they agree to Moshe’s condition, putting their families before their animals.

The main question, I suppose, running through everyone’s head at the time was, “Is this good for the Jews?”

Moshe was certainly not impressed. He felt that the desire to live outside the land echoed the mistake made by the spies and the people in the tale of woe that condemned the nation to their 40 years of wandering. And yet, their promise to lead the battles seems to suggest that it is not that they don’t appreciate the land. They just recognize a good thing when they see it, and the land East of the Jordan is good for their financial needs. In this respect, while they do not feel that they specifically need to live in the land of Israel, they do recognize, and clearly plan to militarily support,those who will be living in the land. This is certainly good for the Jews.

The presumed financial loss they will assume were they to break their promise is the reason why their “punishment” will be to live in the land if they do not fulfill their obligations.

The punishment is not suggesting the land is no good. But it is aimed at hitting them in their pocketbooks. It is human

and those that are not….)

A Mateh on the other hand, is a staff, which is a stick used for support, representing leadership and direction. (Here too, the English word for Mateh is also a group of people, such as the staff of a camp. In this case, however, it is not an exclusive group, but rather one that comes to support the larger whole. And of course this is exactly the function of the stick we call a staff or a Mateh: it is a stick one leans on for support.)

Perhaps this distinction is the entire point.

There is a movement in the world that seeks to do away with the value of the individual identity. Communism suggested that there are no individuals, there is only the state.

John Lennon in his Imagine, suggests how wonderful it might be if there were no peoples, no religions, no borders, and no differences, “above us, only sky.” But Judaism begs to differ, because within the context of the nation, it is critical that there always be a place for the individual.

Building a nation does not exclude the possibility of the tribe; rather, the book of Bamidbar is dedicated to creating a place for each tribe (and alongside that, each individual) within the nation.

The Jewish notion of a tribe as a Mateh, as opposed to a Shevet, teaches us to value the power and majesty of becoming one, with one dream and one purpose as a Nation, while never losing sight of the beauty and value of each and every individual.

To this day, in Israel, there is a powerful experience of national mourning over the loss of every individual, even while recognizing the needs of the entire Nation.

All of which brings us back to the challenges we face today.

We have allowed ourselves to become our own islands of theology and principle, Continued on page 14

nature to want to do whatever one can in order to avoid losing the financial windfall that will bring long-term economic security.

The agreement is repeated over and over because it is important that everyone understand what is expected and what the outcome is. While this did not pre-date the concept of written documents, certainly the public nature of this Gentlemen’s Agreement would help assure that there would be no backsliding or reneging in the particulars.

The halakhic outcome of how to make a conditional agreement – “If you fulfill your responsibilities, the outcome will be X, whereas if you do not fulfill your responsibilities, the outcome will be Y” – serves as a model for all time. It illustrates how to make clear agreements without loopholes, so both sides can avoid being cheated and can agree in a manner that everyone is clear as to what are the expectations.

Which leaves us with their lost sense of priorities: how could they think of their animals before thinking of their children?

I think that they viewed their financial stability as the means to be able to take care of their children. “If I can assure my income is set and stable, I know I’ll be able to provide for my children.”

Moshe set the record straight for them, that as much as finances are important, the homes for the children need to be built before the homes for the animals. They “got it” right away, and proceeded accordingly.

All in all, I think the Gad and Reuven episode was “good for the Jews” on account of the lessons it contains.

Not every Jew needs to live in Israel, but every Jew should support its army. When a financial windfall passes your way, take it. Make sure you take every precaution in business dealings to give something in order to get something – make all stipulations clear, follow through with your end of the bargain, and make sure that in the end, the other side of the agreement is fulfilled. Lastly, we must recognize that our priorities are our families and children. Every deal, agreement, undertaking, venture must be considered for its repercussions in advance, so we see that in whatever way possible, our children are taken care of, provided for, and always remain the

THE JEWISH STAR July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772

To unite as a nation, in spite of differences

July 20, 2012 • 1 AV 5772 THE JEWISH STAR

14

My Birthday Wish for You

O

n the 21st day of the Hebrew month of Tamuz, I celebrated my birthday.

On that day, I was informed by one of my patients that one could give brachot (blessings) to others on his Hebrew birthday.

Now I’ve heard of Chassidic rebbeim giving brachot, and Holocaust survivors, and brides and grooms on their wedding day giving brachot, but I had never heard of an average person giving a bracha to others on his birthday. I began reflecting on what kind of bracha I would give to another person, and that reflecting led me down Dr. Jeffrey Ratz an interesting path.

Recently, I watched baseball’s All-Star game in the Kansas City Royals’ stadium. I lived in Kansas City while studying at Cleveland Chiropractic College, so I’ve always had an affinity for

that team and their stadium. So while I was touched with nostalgia to watch the game, I was also intrigued to learn the biography of this year’s all-star game MVP, Melky Cabrera.

Cabrera has bounced around to a number of teams. He began with the Yankees, but got into some trouble. He was traded and had to overcome his addiction to alcohol to gain his new team’s trust. Cabrera played for the Royals (called by one newspaper “the purgatory of baseball”) before being traded to the Giants and being selected as an MLB allstar and the game’s MVP. Cabrera’s unique voyage from baseball’s top to bottom to top again spun the gears of my mind.

Another recent experience got my wheels spinning. I reconnected, via Facebook, with a classmate of mine from Chiropractic College whom I had not spoken to since 1984. After catching up and hearing about his practice, his family, and his successes (including his meeting LeBron James during the Heat’s finals victory), he said, “You know, Jeff, you’d be proud of me. Every Tuesday evening, I learn Torah with a Chabad Rabbi.” I was so touched that this long-lost friend’s recollection of me from

over twenty years ago connected me to learning Torah; I was really pleased to see the effect I had on my classmates and colleagues.

In sharing these stories with my oldest son, who just ended his latest job search to secure a new position with a non-profit organization, he mentioned how much this connects to one’s job search. When building a resume and interviewing, he told me, a job seeker needs to “connect the dots” and make sense of all the stops along his career journey. Interviewers, he said, want to see that one’s story makes sense and that a candidate has both confidence and ownership over his individual story. We discussed the upcoming parsha of Matos-Ma’asei that delineates B’nai Yisrael’s 42 stops in the desert over their forty-year journey. Chazal teach that we can learn from this parsha the importance of knowing where we have been as we head to where we are destined to go. Furthermore, the Zohar teaches that when a soul reaches the celestial court at its life’s end, the soul is asked if it has achieved “shlaymut”—wholeness; essentially, did the soul accomplish its mission on Earth.

To unite as a nation, in spite of differences

Hebrew only please!

A Mother’s Tears.

Recently, Israel has been embroiled in a storm over the proposed draft of Charedi Yeshiva students. I was privileged to study in a Yeshiva and to serve in the Armored Corps; my two eldest are both serving in Combat Units after studying in a Mechina and a Hesder Yeshiva, re-

spectively. However, here I chose to convey the thoughts of my sister-inlaw, who after seeing an article quoting a Rosh Yeshiva claiming that the desire to draft these students is born of hate of Torah and of Bnei Torah, felt the need to respond. Her son is about to enlist in a combat unit af-

These teachings, this parsha, these recent experiences, and this discussion with my son solidified for me what I would bless another with on my next Hebrew birthday. Wholeness, the quest for each soul on the planet, is related to “connecting the dots” and making sense of the vastness of one’s personal experiences. Melky Cabrera could only regain his elevated position after battling his demons; my classmate from Chiropractic College connects with his Judaism and with me by extension in order to bring wholeness to his life; my son and millions of job seekers make sense of their experiences as they procure new jobs; B’nai Yisrael needed to reflect on their many stops in the desert before they could enter Eretz Yisrael. My birthday bracha to others is this: may we all be zoche (merit) to see very soon the interconnectedness of our experiences, may we understand how all of the different “pit stops” in our lives have led us to where we are now, and may we gain the clarity to see how where we have been and where we are now will lead us to where we are meant to be. If you like this bracha, make sure to find me on the 21st of Tamuz 5773.

ter studying for two years in a wellknown Hesder Yeshiva. These are the feelings of an Israeli mother, born in the U.S., who raises her children absolutely committed to Torah - and to the security of the State - with all that that entails. May words which come out of the heart, enter the heart.

Rabbi Noam Himelstein

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

Continued from page 13 as well as geography and beliefs. We live in our little island communities, be they our homes, our synagogues, or even our Jewish organizations, defined as religious or secular, Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox, Conservative or Reform, Right wing or Left wing, Labor or Likud, and of course Jewish or Arab.

We have, perhaps for many valid reasons, become cut off from one another, islands of ideals and philosophies. How many left wing Israelis have close right wing friends? How many Jews who define themselves as secular have close ‘religious’ friends, especially here in Israel? When was the last time you heard of Jews in black hats and coats sitting around sharing thoughts with their fellow Jews just back from the pub in Tel Aviv?

We are in the midst of the most painful period in the Jewish calendar, the three weeks of mourning, a time when we all need to do some serious thinking.

Two thousand years ago, Josephus describes why it took three weeks from the time the Romans broke through the walls on the seventeenth day of Tammuz until they burned the Temple on the ninth day of Av in August of the year seventy. It only takes ten minutes to walk from the Old City walls to the Temple Mount, but it took the Romans three weeks, because during this month they pillaged, raped, looted and butchered their way through the Jewish city of Jerusalem.

In less than a month, they murdered over one hundred thousand Jews, and this before there were machine guns and mortars, carbon monoxide vans and gas chambers; they did it with their hands.

And here we are, two thousand years later, still struggling with the intolerance and lack of understanding that, according to the Talmud, caused it all.

Today, just like two thousand years ago, we have only ourselves to blame, because if this is happening, then all of us, and each one of us, have a lot of work to do.

Rav Binny Freedman, Rosh Yeshivat Orayta in Jerusalem’s Old City is a Company Commander in the IDF reserves, and lives in Efrat with his wife Doreet and their four children.

His weekly Internet ‘Parsha Bytes’ can be found at www.orayta.org

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SIDEWALK SALE PRESENTED BY THE CEDARHURST BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT WITH SPECIAL THANKS TO MAYOR ANDREW PARISE AND THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES WWW.SHOPCEDARHURST.COM

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