Should Jews back a boycott of Russia? Page 4 Parsha Ki Tetze: A life-changing punishment Page 5 Knicks: First scorer dies, star visits Hillel: Pages 6,8 Kitchen: Amusement parks, funnel cakes Page 14
THE JEWISH VOL 12, NO 32 Q AUGUST 16, 2013 / 10 ELUL 5773
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Hewlett mobilizes backpack chesed By Malka Eisenberg
Photos by Janette Pellegrini
Rebbitzen Shani Lefkowitz and Rivky Lefkowitz pack a bag together.
More than 100 volunteers converged Sunday on the Yeshiva of South Shore in Hewlett to stuff backpacks for children in need. Participating in an event organized by Supplies for Success, children, parents and grandparents came from Brooklyn, Manhattan and West Hempstead, as well as from the Five Towns and Far Rockaway. Donated backpacks and contents were age appropriate — more colorful for younger students, more mature for older ones, and included notebooks, filler paper, looseleaf books, crayons, pens, pencils and other supplies. This is the 12th year of Supplies for Success, said Irwin Gershon, Long Island director for health care professionals and Tov B’Yachad, an organization that he described as “an Orthodox initiative taking place within the UJA.” Donated supplies are collected throughout the year by shuls and individuals. Batsheva Aaron of Anshei Chesed of Hewlett “secured the location for packing last year and this year,” Gershon said. “Rebbitzen Lisa Septimus of Young Israel of North
Siblings Akiva and Shira Laya Krasnovsky help load a car with backpacks. Woodmere started the project a few years ago [collecting for the project] and it spread to other shuls. Two years ago I got six shuls to come together; this year it’s 12 shuls.” “We want to engage them in terms of the services available,” said Janet Bienenfeld, associate director of UJA-Federation of Long Island, “to help them understand what UJAFederation does — tikun olam, chesed, helping people, doing mitzvot. Hopefully it will ultimately translate into fundraising. They will understand that we are there for the
community. To help schools, shuls, Achiezer, individual families, the JCC.” Joel Block of the JCC noted that in the wake of Sandy, many more need this. He also said that students came to help and received chesed hours, a requirement at many local schools. “What could be better,” he said. The school bags are distributed to those who request it, including the JCC, West Hempstead kosher food pantry, Young Israel of Bayswater, the Greater Five Towns JCC and kosher food pantry and local schools.
Bridge or Dam: MK Lipman’s Israel unity push In his short time in the Knesset, Maryland expatriate, Ner Yisrael rav and now member of Knesset Dov Lipman has sought to unite the disparate elements of Israeli society, integrate the Charedim, increase positive views of Israel around the world and appears to back a more left wing view regarding relations with the Arabs. “This is definitely the only office (in the Knesset) with baseballs,” he told The Jewish Week during a wide-ranging interview in Jerusalem, nodding to the two balls on his bookshelves signed by Ernie Banks and Boog Powell. He also has a worn gavel on his desk, the handle leaning on a rough, beige, fist sized rock. “This is my father’s gavel,” he said reverentially. He said that his father was religious and successful in the U.S. government — illustrating the ability to bridge the Jewish and secular worlds. Lipman was hit in the leg by the rock, thrown at police by protesters against grave desecration in Beit Shemesh. He saved it to “remember if we are not cautious what
could happen to us as a people if we don’t work together.” Lipman was born in 1971 in Silver Spring, earned a BA in Talmud and smicha (rabbinic ordination) from Ner Israel in Baltimore and an MA in Education from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He has an extensive background as a yeshiva educator and administrator. He made Aliyah in 2004 and he, his wife and four children live in Beit Shemesh. He was elected to the 19th Knesset in May 2013 as the 17th seat of the Yesh Atid party. Lipman has taken the position of liaison with the English speaking community, having renounced his U.S. citizenship to sit in the Knesset but retaining ties to the U.S. and other communities interested in learning about Israel. He stresses the importance of education in Jewish studies and positive information about Israel in his position sitting on the Diaspora Affairs Committee. “We have to find ways to make Israel exciting as part of education,” he said. He lamented the state of Hebrew language education, noting that after 12 years of yeshiva or day school in the U.S., the graduates still are not fluent in Hebrew.
Shabbat Candlelighting: 7:33 p.m. Shabbat ends 8:33 p.m. 72 minute zman 9:02 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Ki Tetze
He detailed his and others’ work on public relations for and the legitimization of Israel to connect organizations and efforts worldwide to work together and unify the message. He is working on assisting those in the medical field to facilitate transferring their licenses to Israel upon Aliyah. Lipman stressed the importance of being an activist, that it’s “critical to get involved--it doesn’t matter if you are less aggressive” and not fluent in the language. He said he was very active in Silver Spring, and initially “I was intimidated here … do something … the country’s young.” The day the Jewish Star met with Lipman, the Charedi Continued on page 13
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By Malka Eisenberg