The Jewish Star

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By Ed Weintrob While paying real estate taxes may be inevitable, no one should pay more than their fair share. “It’s all about fairness,� said attorney Shalom Maidenbaum, whose Cedarhurst-based Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group LLC challenges Nassau County property tax assessments that are the basis for future tax bills. “We work as aggressively as we can to have our clients pay the fairest amount,� he said. With the March 2 deadline to appeal the current round of assessments just days away, many taxpayers are focusing on a system that is as inscrutable as it is straightforward. Each January, property owners in Nassau County receive a proposed assessment of their

property’s worth; these assessments (or revised assessments determined during a 13-month-long review process) are the basis for tax bills that won’t start arriving until more than 10 months later. (The January 2015 assessment is effective for the 2016-17 tax year, starting with the October 2016 school tax bill.) Homeowners who want to challenge their assessment through Maidenbaum should contact the ďŹ rm by Friday, Feb 27. The 15 month review period provides for what Maidenbaum described as an administrative review process that may resolve most grievances; should the administrative determination be unsatisfactory, litigation may follow, prolonging the process, he said. Continued on page 8

ers to insist of the best Iranian nuclear deal possible, coupled with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress on Tuesday, set the stage for their lobbying that afternoon of New York’s two Senators, enators Charles Schumer and Kristin Gillibrand. SKA Principal Raizi Chechik told The Jewish Star that this week’s work was in line with the school’s ongoing Israel Action program. Continued on page 15

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THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

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By Judy Lash Balint Israelis take Purim seriously—kids get the day off school, many towns put on a lively Purim parade, and the streets are ďŹ lled with people of all ages running about in costumes, delivering mishloach manot baskets of prepared food goodies to their friends and neighbors before sitting down to the seuda, a festive meal that includes plenty of spirits. But these items add up, and Purim can expensive. For the one third of all Israeli children who live in poverty, Purim wouldn’t be Purim without the help of non-proďŹ t organizations that take the holiday’s other mitzvah to heart. According to Maimonides, “Matanot l’evyonim (gifts for the poor) deserve more attention than the seuda and mishloach manot because there is no greater, richer happiness than bringing joy to the hearts of needy people, orphans, widows and proselytes.â€? Despite Israel’s image as the hi-tech “start-up nation,â€? there are plenty of needy people in the Jewish state. In 2012, according to Israel’s National Insurance Institute, there were 1.75 million poor people in Israel (out of a population than 8 million), among them 817,000 children. Continued on page 14

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THE JEWISH March 13, 2015 • 22 Adar 5775

STAR

Vayakhel-Pekudei • Published weekly since 2002 • 516-622-7461

Vol 14, No. 11 • TheJewishStar.com

Political mavens urge Jews to break Dem tie By Ed Weintrob Two political operatives told a Jewish political gathering in North Woodmere on Sunday that Jews should move past a traditional communal allegiance to the Democratic Party and its liberal politics. Support should go to whoever supports Israel, said Jeff Wiesenfeld, a resident of Great Neck, former aide to Senator Al D’Amato, and a City University of New York trustee. Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant who estimates he’s worked on 700 political campaigns in 44 states and 14 foreign nations over 35 years, said he’s found that “the 10th commandment for Jews was you must vote, and 10A was you must vote Democratic.â€? This puzzled him. “I remember people talking to me as a youth about what a wonderful man President Roosevelt was,â€? he said. “It is hard to imagine crying about somebody who stood by and watched six million of your brothers and sister go up chimneys and did nothing.â€? Both Sheinkopf and Wiesenfeld explored the roots of the Jewish Democratic connection, and suggested that times have <,1: 6KXOV DQG WKRUXJKRXW /RQJ ,VODQG SDUWLHG KHDUWLO\ WKURXJKRXW changed. They spoke, along with several Long Island elected ofďŹ cials, at a 3XULP ZHHN 7KLV JLUO EHFDPH DQ DGRUDEOH SXSS\ DW WKH <RXQJ ,VODQG RI 1RUWK :RRGPHUH RQ WKH 6XQGD\ EHIRUH WKH WK RI $GDU symposium titled “The Future of the Jewish Vote: A Bi-Partisan Grassroots Forum,â€? hosted by Temple Hillel as part of its ongoing 60th anniversary celebration. Jewish immigrants in the early 20th century were workTemple Israel’s congregation must ing class people who “became By Jeffrey Bessen The JCC of the Greater Five Towns and vote to approve the sale. As required Democrats because they were Temple Israel of Lawrence have signed a by New York state law, the organization involved in bettering their lives letter of intent for the Cedarhurst-based will submit the sale documents to the and the lives of those around JCC to buy the temple’s property on Cen- state attorney general’s ofďŹ ce for its ap- them,â€? Sheinkopf said. Wiesenfeld referred to these proval, and ďŹ le the documents in state tral Avenue in Lawrence. The tentative agreement calls for Civil Court for ďŹ nal approval. The at- immigrants as “Mayower Temple Israel to lease space from the torney general will also review how the Jewsâ€? who established comContinued on page 11 Continued on page 8 JCC. OfďŹ cials from both institutions

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JCC is buying Temple Israel’s Lawrence site

INSIDE: More on AIPAC and Bibi

VA’ESCHANAN • Candlelighting 7:54 pm • 516-622-7461

Vol 14, No. 29 • TheJewishStar.com

Huckabee in Queens: No apology

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declined to disclose the purchase price, and the JCC declined to say how much rent it would charge Temple Israel. In 2010, Temple Israel signed a letter of intent to sell half an acre of its property, including two Fulton Street homes owned by the temple, to the Peninsula Public Library for between $2.5 million and $3 million. The library decided not to buy the land.

Did Golda say what we think she said? Famous quotes Page 6

Coping with brain death, halachically

Thoughts on the parsha: Korach

Kosher Bookworm

Rabbis Billet and Freedman

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THE JEWISH June 19, 2015 • 2 Tamuz 5775

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By Ed Weintrob Republican Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, visiting Jewish supporters at a parlor meeting fundraiser in Jamaica Estates, Queens, Monday night, doubled down on his warning over the weekend that the Iranian nuclear deal would “take the Israelis and basically march them to the door of the oven.� “The reason I invoked the language of the Holocaust is because the Iranian government invoked that very language in their threat to destroy Israel and America,� the former Arkansas governor told supporters who crowded the home of Dr. Joseph and Karen Frager. President Obama, speaking during a visit to Ethiopia on Monday, said Huckabee’s comments “would be ridiculous if they weren’t so sad.� “What’s ridiculous is that our government has made a deal with a country that’s spent 36 years under the ayatollahs threatening to kill every last Jew and every American and wipe Israel off the face of

the map,� Huckabee told the Queens gathering. “Are we supposed to pretend that they don’t mean it, and that they might not do it?� “I stood at the doors of the ovens in Auschwitz three times, and every time I am reminded that this happened because there were people across the world who looked the other way and refused to believe that such a thing was even possible,� he said. “These are not words that I would use or that I think are appropriate,� said Ron Dermer, Israel’s ambassador to the United States. Republican Jeb Bush said “the use of that kind of language is just wrong.� Democrat Hillary Clinton said she was “offended personally� by Huckabee’s comments. Most of those who attended Monday’s parlor meeting were from Queens, but some came from elsewhere on Long Island and New Jersey, including Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner, Rabbi Marc Schneier of the Hampton Synagogue, and a group from Great Neck recruited by activists Paul and Drora Brody.

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By Jeff Dunetz It was nothing short of incredible. More than 12,000 people attended last week’s Stop Iran Now rally in Times Square, the heart of New York City. Actually it started in Times Square, the supporting crowd stretched back six blocks from the epicenter of the rally. The speakers laid out facts and — even more important — they motivated the crowd to continue to take action against the P5+1 agreement after the rally was over. Along with President Obama, the primary target of the speakers was New York’s senior senator, Charles Schumer, who is a key vote because of his leadership position in the party and his supposedly pro-Israel stance. If Schumer rejects the agreement other senators will follow. Rally Organizer Jeffrey Wiesenfeld set the rally’s tone by repeatedly asking, “Where are you, Chuck?� He told the crowd about White House efforts to twist the arms of Democrats, and explained that the Administration had give a green light to “pro-Israel� Democrats to vote against the bill only after the Continued on page 12

Every week in

TEHILLA R. GOLDBERG

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few weeks ago, I decided to research the Torah’s approach to coping with death, loss and bereavement. I spent time studying many different Biblical and Talmudic sources, narratives replete with the personiďŹ cation of the Angel of Death as well as the rabbis’ perspective on consolation. I reread many narratives that I studied previously, but this time through the prism of loss and mourning. Cain and Abel. And Eve, a bereaved mother’s response: the conception and birth of Seth. Abraham’s prayers on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah and the story of Lot. Sarah’s death at the news of the binding of Isaac. Abraham’s mourning for Sarah. Jacob’s sustained and inconsolable grief at the perceived death of his son Joseph. Aaron the high priest’s famous, ambiguous silence upon the tragic death of his sons Nadav and Avihu. The ordeal with the tribe of Benjamin in the Book of Judges. King David’s moving and poetic eulogy for the loss of King Saul and Jonathan, with whom he shared a complex relationship and loved dearly. King David’s unusual coping with the illness and then death of his baby son from

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Bathsheba, as well as his grief as a public leader at the subsequent tragedies of his sons Absalom and Amnon. And so many scenarios in the later prophets after the Jewish people were exiled. The Book of Ruth, as Naomi and Ruth’s characters grapple with their respective losses. The melancholic and visceral book of Lamentations. And countless Talmudic narratives that insightfully address the searing questions and mysterious rhythms of the human condition.

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was steeped in the thoughts of the various commentaries on this subject when two tragedies of high proďŹ le Americans were highlighted in the news. One was in the private sector, the other, the public sector. Both clearly had a sense of calling and duty, of responsibility and kindness, of generosity and humility. The ďŹ rst was Beau Biden, may his memory be for a blessing. As the song goes, “only the good die young.â€? Because above all else that I have read of his stellar accomplishments,

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THE JEWISH September 11, 2015 • 27 Elul 5775

June 26, 2015 • 9 Tamuz 5775

Rocket on the 4th! Jerry’s gift keeps on giving

Rabbi Hershel Billet

Who’s in the Kitchen

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‘Dreams of Freedom’ for America’s Jews Kosher Bookworm Page 18

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CHUKAT • Candlelighting 8:12 pm • 516-622-7461

Vol 14, No. 25 • TheJewishStar.com

Pinchas: Fighting on the road to peace From the Heart of Jerusalem Page 15

The preschool’s six classes selected colorful ice sticks and wore shirts matching the colors of their classrooms — 5-year-olds in green; 3- to-4-year-olds in blue and yellow; 2- to 3-year-olds in purple and red, and 2-year-olds in orange. They marched in front of family and friends with the prayer books they were given to commemorate the parade’s theme of tefillos. Commencement exercises continue through June. Send your graduation photos to Schools@TheJewishStar.com. SKA’s Class of ’15 is pictured on page 22.

it seems that he truly was one of those very purely good people. As privileged as he was, he chose to serve in Iraq. He was in a position he did not need to be in, risking his life, yet he did. He rose above the fears and anxieties most people are riddled with about death. He rose above a sense of entitlement. From the beginning, Beau Biden led a life of adversity, losing his beloved mother and baby sister at a young age. Instead of believing that the deck was stacked against him, he led a life that crystallized the spirit of prevailing, of resilience. And David Goldberg. A pioneer and innovator in the ďŹ eld of technology, he was generous and thoughtful in consciously helping peers and colleagues get ahead. He didn’t see his success as a ticket to elitist behavior. Rather, he saw his brains and talent as a way of helping others succeed by the knowledge and guidance he shared, all this to continue making the world a better and more developed place. Death, it’s the great equalizer. The one certitude of this world that all members of the human race have in common. We are all ďŹ nite. Yet, it is the most avoided subject. Somehow there is this odd, irrational sense among us common people that successful people or leaders will dodge tragedies, will be immune, even though in the recesses of our hearts and souls we know how untrue this is. We have the feeling that people died before their time, leaving the most painful legacy of all, exposing those we always want to protect and spare of any pain the most: little children, parentless. This is one of those unnatural losses for which there are no words, for which we refer to Continued on page 15

All-day confab on Jewish Ed this Sunday The Five Towns will host a wide-ranging educational conference this Sunday, June 28, bringing together dozens of leading rabbis, teachers and psychologists from across the Orthodox spectrum in the United States and Israel. Parents interested in the chinuch of their children are invited. This second annual event, which is free and open to all, begins with breakfast and a keynote address by Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky (his topic is “We Have Torah and Mitzvos, What About Yiras Shamayim?), and concludes following concurrent workshops with an address by Rabbi Paysach Krohn at 1:50 pm. A complete schedule appears on page 10.

Jerry’s 1st Class try suggests Titanic pudding

For Tisha B’Av: ‘A Temple in Flames’

Who’s in the Kitchen

Kosher Bookworm

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July 10, 2015 • 23 Tamuz 5775

On Tzlafchad: Is it a sin not to sire boys? Parsha of the Week Page 15

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PINCHAS • Candlelighting 8:09 pm • 516-622-7461

Vol 14, No. 26 • TheJewishStar.com

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

Confab tackles challenges in Jewish education

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Ateret Cohanim’s gala celebrates reclaiming Jerusalem American Friends of Ateret Cohanim marked its 36th year of reclaiming Jerusalem’s Old City, with a gala at Terrace on the Park on Monday that honored founders Mati and Etya Dan, FiveTowns supporters Mark and Naomi Rubin, and D. Bernard and Ann Hoenig.

The organization, formerly known as the Jerusalem Reclamation Project, legally purchases properties in Jerusalem’s Muslim quarter — once known as the Kotel quarter — and its environs in order to grow the Holy City’s Jewish population. Life in the reclaimed

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neighborhoods is often difďŹ cult for their Jewish inhabitants. A video screened at the dinner showed children in playgrounds behind metal bars. The rooftop succah of Beit Yehonatan has a heter that allows its schach to have an iron covering for protection.

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By Ed Weintrob Seven hundred people concerned with the future of Jewish education joined dozens of rabbonim, rebbetzins, educators and community leaders at the second annual Five Towns Community Education Conference, at the Young Israel of Woodmere on Sunday, June 28. Simultaneously, a similar event was drawing 500 people to Congregation B’nai Yeshurun in Teaneck. Many of the same speakers shuttled between the venues and presented at both events. The 85-year-old keynote speaker, Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, opened the conference in Woodmere and closed the one in New Jersey. The events’ organizer, Rabbi Reuven Taragin, was cheered by the size of the turnout — an increase from 500 in Woodmere last year — and by the passion and enthusiasm of participants. Thirty presenters addressed a wide range of topics that included challenges in classrooms from pre-school and up, opportunities and issues faced during a year in Israel, the impact of the Internet, parent-child interactions, teďŹ llah, and more. Each session ran for 30 minutes — TED Talk style — and thus was concise and to the point, Rabbi Taragin said. Participants found that they wanted to hear from more speakers than they had time for — six sessions ran concurrently — with the lineup featuring people who are tops in their ďŹ elds, he said. In his session, Rabbi Taragin emphasized the need to individualize Torah instruction, and to adopt a loving approach. “Kiruv rooted in ahavah is the educational philosophy we’re talking about here,â€? he said. “Not kiruv because you believe in the ideology, but kiruv because you love people — and if you love people you want them to live in the best possible way, and you believe that that’s Torah.â€? Since G-d created each person with a unique neshama, educators must work with students “based on who they are so they can become the people they are meant to be.â€? He said that Rav Kook wrote that each student understands a Torah that’s unique to them and that “our goal is to help each person ďŹ nd their letter in the Torah.â€? “Whatever school was right for Yaakov wasn’t right for Esau,â€? said Rabbi Taragin, who is dean of overseas stuContinued on page 18

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July 17, 2015 • 1 Av 5775

Mattos–Massei • Candlelighting 8:06 pm • 516-622-7461

Vol 14, No. 27 • TheJewishStar.com

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

WHAT’S NEXT? •Long Island rails against ‘bad deal’ •Community forum on Sunday night •Huge Times Sq rally on Wednesday

As Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu condemed Tuesday’s nuclear agreement with Iran as a “stunning historic mistake,â€? Long Islanders who termed the pact a “bad dealâ€? have been mobilizing against the deal. Activists scheduled a public forum Sunday night in Valley Stream at which elected ofďŹ cials and ZOA President Morton Klein will speak. A regional rally is planned for Wednesday in Times Square, featuring major political, media and community leaders. Stories and commentary: Pages 5,7,17.

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Pullout Flag In This Week’s Centerspread

By Jacob Kamaras, JNS.org Seemingly lost in all the debate over U.S.Israel relations is that Member of Knesset Michael Oren’s new book, “Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide,� is a

memoir—and the memoir covers more than the author’s four years as Israeli ambassador to the U.S. from 2009-13. “Very few people have actually read the book and seen what’s in the book, and the

book is an American Jewish Zionist story,� Oren said in a phone interview with JNS.org. “It’s about a young man who grows up in the post-Holocaust generation, whose father landed on Normandy and fought all through-

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out World War II. It’s a total American story. I grew up in this working class neighborhood, and I was the only Jewish kid, and I experienced a lot of anti-Semitism as a kid.� Continued on page 18

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Graduation, pre-K and up

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Judea-Samaria boycott and the Mark of Cain View from Central Park

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This is the season for stepping up. From high school to seminary or yeshiva, to a year in Israel or onto an American college campus; from lower school to middle school to high school; even rising from kindergarden or pre-school, Long Islanders are experiencing an annual educational rite-ofpassage. Pictured here are children from the Chabad of the Five Towns Gan Chamesh Early Childhood Center, who celebrated their graduation on Friday outside the Maple Avenue center in Cedarhurst.

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‘Stakeholders’ talk

Vol 14, No. 24 • TheJewishStar.com

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FINALLY, Times Sq rally told to lobby Dems POLLARD FREEDOM By Eric Tucker WASHINGTON (AP) — Jonathan Pollard, the former Navy intelligence analyst whose conviction of spying for Israel stoked ďŹ erce passions, has been granted parole and will be released from prison in November after nearly 30 years. The decision to free Pollard from his life sentence, announced Tuesday. Pollard, now 60, is due to be released on Nov. 21, three decades after he was arrested while trying to gain asylum at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. “We are looking forward to his release,â€? Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday. “Throughout his time in prison, I consistently raised the issue of his release in my meetings and conversations with the leadership of successive U.S. administrations.â€? “Immense joy,â€? Israeli Justice Minister Continued on page 4

Rabbis, docs confer over women’s cancer

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KORACH • Candlelighting 8:10 pm • 516-622-7461

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

Restates warning that Iran nuke deal would lead to an Israeli Holocaust, says world should heed ayatollahs’ threats to kill Jews and Americans

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

Schumer: I’ll live up to my name and be ‘Shomer for Yisroel’

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Conference coverage pages 2–3, 15 • Text of Netanyahu speech pages 16–17

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July 31, 2015 • 15 Av 5775

THE NEWSPAPER OF OUR ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

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By Ed Weintrob Senator Charles Schumer told Achiezer’s gala on Sunday in Atlantic Beach the he would ďŹ ght any “bad dealâ€? with Iran and would continue his commitment to serve as a “Shomer Yisroelâ€? (guardian over Israel). “When Prime Minister Netanyahu comes to America and says that a nuclear Iran is an existential threat to the state of Israel, he means every word. Existential means the existence,â€? Schumer said. “Palestinians are trouble, but Israel can handle it,â€? he continued. “Hamas and Hezbollah are trouble, but Israel can handle it. But a nuclear Iran could wipe out the state of Israel.â€? Schumer said he would support tougher sanctions if there is no agreement, and “if there’s a bad agreement, Congress should have the ability to undo it.â€? Playing on his name, Schumer said his family had been shomrim of a ghetto’s wall in Europe. His name, modiďŹ ed at Ellis Island, was “Shoimer.â€? “I will always will be shomer Yisroel,â€? he pledged. “I will do everything I can to see that Am Yisroel chai.â€? Schumer praised Achiezer’s work and recounted how he helped Rabbi Yaakov Bender, the father of Achiezer’s president, establish Hatzalah on East 7th Street in Flatbush in 1977. Achiezer honored community leaders at its annual dinner at The Sands Atlantic Beach.

bat mitzvah girl on how her day of joy transformed into a tragedy, saying “I wish I didn’t have a bat mitzvah.� Who can blame her for feeling vulnerable, alone and abandoned? Yet we cannot let this be the case! “Kol Yisroel Araivim Zeh L’Zeh� (we are all responsible for the wellbeing of one another.�) When I mentioned the mission to my wife, Continued on page 14

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and the U.S. Congress how strong American support is for Israel,� a YIW email urged. Scores of prominent speakers — ranging from Prime Minister Netanyahu to South Shore Rep. Kathleen Rice — are slated to discuss issues impacting on the Jewish state during the event on March 1 to 3. Registration information is at aipac.org/pc. The YIW is considering chartering a bus.

Tax time: Now or never for realty assessment appeals

By Leiba Chaya David Recent statistics indicate that approximately 1 million people in Israel have a disability, deďŹ ned as a health problem that interferes with their daily activities. This covers a wide range of challenges, including physical limitations, mental illnesses, behavioral disorders, and more. Yet perhaps the most important part of the deďŹ nition is “interferes with their daily activities.â€? Ahiya Kamara, Commissioner for Equal Rights of Persons with Disabilities within the Israeli Ministry of Justice, says Israel has come a long way toward creating a more accessible society. Hearing impaired since childhood, Kamara worked for many years as a disability-rights advocate and has been an active partner in drafting relevant legislation. The Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law, originally passed by the Knesset in 1998, was recently revised to mandate “accessibility of services.â€? The revised ordinance requires service providers—bank tellers, bus drivers, government clerks, Israel Defense Forces soldiers, teachers, restaurant owners, museum guides, and virtually any person who serves the public—to ensure that their staff is trained to relate to people with disabilities with sensitivity and respect. Any business or public institution with more than 25 employees must work with an “accessibility consultantâ€? to develop a strategy for adapting services to the needs of clients with disabilities. Training seminars cover learning how to $ ZRPDQ GUHVVHG LQ D 3XULP FRVWXPH ZDONV E\ D KRPHOHVV PDQ VOHHSLQJ RXWVLGH Continued on page 4 WKH 0DVKELU PDOO LQ WKH FHQWHU RI -HUXVDOHP LQ 1DWL 6KRKDW )ODVK ULVH

By Celia Weintrob Fourteen of the 3,000 students attending AIPAC’s 2015 Policy conference in Washington this week hail from Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach. It was an eye-opening experience that put the importance of political activism front and center for the Five Towners. AIPAC’s efforts to convince U.S. lawmak-

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Jordan Hiller of Woodmere organized a chizuk mission to Copenhagen this week and was joined by several other Five Towners, including Rabbi Gedaliah Oppen, principal of Judaic Studies at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway High School. They joined 2,000 people (including the Danish prime minister and other digitaries) at a memorial service for slain synagogue security guard Dan Uzan, Hyâ€?D, paid a shiva call, and delivered presents to bat mitzvah girl Hannah Ben Tov. Rabbi Oppen ďŹ led this report before they embarked. On Feb. 14, Dan Uzan, Hyâ€?D, a 37 year old Jewish volunteer security guard, was murdered in cold blood by an Islamic terrorist, as he was protecting the synagogue in which the bat mitzvah of Hannah Ben Tov was being celebrated. Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt, who attended Dan Uzan’s funeral, proclaimed “an attack on the Jews of Denmark is an attack on Denmark.â€? I believe we should all be declaring clearly, emphatically and loudly that “an attack on any Jew, no matter where he or she is — whether in Israel, the United States, Paris or Denmark, or any place in the world — is an attack on all Jews and every Jew.â€? When Jordan Hiller, a former HAFTR student of mine, advised HAFTR Director of Admissions and Communications Leslie Gang that he was organizing a chizuk mission to strengthen and encourage the Jews of Copenhagen, I could not help but offer to participate. In announcing the mission, Jordan quoted the

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Inclusion’s up in Israel

5 Towners set for AIPAC trek The Young Israel of Woodmere continued this week to encourage Five Towners to attend the upcoming AIPAC policy conference in Washington. “With the events of recent weeks unfolding in the Middle East, Jerusalem, Israel’s northern border, and more recently on the Senate oor, it’s never been more important for our community to stand with Israel and show President Obama

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Five Towners bring chizuk to Denmark

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Hundreds of local dignitaries, residents, friends and relatives participated in memorial services on Friday for Cedarhurst Mayor Andrew J. Parise, who died on Feb. 8 at 90. A funeral Mass was held inside St. Joachim’s R.C. Church, across the street from Kulanu and HAFTR High School on Central Avenue in Cedarhurst. Members of the Jewish community gathered outside while the Mass was underway, and afterwards accompanied the funeral procession two blocks to outside the Levi Yitzchak Library, where it paused. Continued on page 14

AIPAC hears from SKA girls

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THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

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Friendship recalled Agudah Israel of the Five Towns said in a statement that its congregants repeatedly witnessed Mayor Parisi’s “deep dedication and legendary work ethic for the public good [that] trumped all else. “Political afďŹ liation and personal needs were thrust aside when the issue was what was best for the people lucky enough to live in his village,â€? Agudah said. The Jewish Star’s Bookworm columnist, Alan Jay Gerber, a resident of Cedarhurst, observed that Parise “stood up against those Archie Bunker bigots who sought to stem the growth of the Jewish community in the Five Towns.â€? “It was a brave action that could have cost him, especially in those earlier years, his political career,â€? said Gerber. “I suspect that his war years experiences, especially his presence in Buchenwald at liberation, were a major factor in this regard.â€? Mayor Parise recalled the liberation of Buchenwald: Page 16.

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Goodbye, Mr. Mayor

Andrew J. Parise, mayor of Cedarhurst for the last 20 years and lifetime Five Towns resident, died last Sunday, at age 90. Deputy Mayor Ben Weinstock will serve as acting mayor through the end of the current four-year term later this year, said Village Administrator Sal Evola. A new election, previously scheduled, is set for Wednesday, March 18. The deadline for mayoral candidates to ďŹ le petitions to run was Tuesday. “The mayor was the most wonderful man you could know, a fanContinued on page 16

prevent harm and illness to others, and Jewish law defers to the consensus of medical experts in determining and prescribing appropriate medical responses to illness and prevention. “Therefore, the consensus of major poskim (halachic decisors) supports the vaccination of children to protect them from disease, to eradicate illness from the larger community through so-called herd immunity, and thus to protect others who may be vulnerable.� During a measels outbreak in Boro Park and Williamsburg in 2013, Rabbi Aaron Glatt, M.D., assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere and an infectious disease specialist, told The Jewish Star that refraining to be inoculated was “a mishigaas� (craziness) with no basis in Jewish law.

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study was discovered to be fraudulent and was withdrawn; its lead author was found to have acted “dishonestly and irresponsibly,� and his license to practice medicine in Britain was revoked. “Judaism places the highest value on preserving human life. It is well known that those facing even a potential life or death situation are instructed to set aside the Sabbath and other key tenets of halachic (Jewish law) observance until the emergency has passed. Prayers for good health and for the complete and perfect healing of the ill are an ages-old aspect of Jewish tradition. “But prayers must go handin-hand with availing oneself of medical science, including vaccination. “There are halachic obligations to care for one’s own health as well as to take measures to

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‘The vaccination of children who can medically be vaccinated is absolutely the only responsible course of action’

Vol 14, No. 8 • TheJewishStar.com

ing forward to being surprised and pleased. Of course, the thing about a surprise is that you don’t want to ruin it by telling the gift recipient what is is that they’re about to unwrap. So here’s my guess at the outcome that will make us believe that Chanukah has come early. 1XPEHU RQH Iran will sign an international agreement conďŹ rming its intent not to develop nuclear weapons. Iran will submit to a permanent International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Continued on page 16

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WWII hero led village 20 years

chamber for the Obama administration’s edicts, both foreign and domestic. So while there’s some reason to take this glowing optimism with a pinch of salt, given where it’s coming from, it’s worth paying attention to what Cirincione had to say. “If we get a deal that is close to the terms the administration has set out, and I believe we will, it is going to be a very good deal,� Cirincione said.. “One that will surprise and please even many of the critics.� That’s going to be one hell of a deal! I’m a critic, and I’m look-

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The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America said this week that “the vaccination of children who can medically be vaccinatedâ€? is both “absolutely the only responsible course of actionâ€? and an halachic obligation. In a statement, the groups afďŹ rmed that “Orthodox Jewish parents, like responsible parents across the United States, overwhelmingly vaccinate their children against measles, mumps, rubella, polio and the other childhood diseases for which inoculations are now almost miraculously commonplace,â€? but that “as in many communities, a small minority of parents chooses not to do so.â€? “The ongoing measles outbreak demonstrates how this could bear very serious consequences, not only for their own children but others’ too, especially those medically unable to be vaccinated,â€? the OU and RCA said, continuing: “Parents who choose to not vaccinate often cite a medical study that purported to link autism and the MMR vaccine. The

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February 20, 2015 • 1 Adar 5775

Tick tock: Iran races the clock Analysis by Ben Cohen, JNS.org Love, as the song goes, is in the air. If the latest media reports are accurate, the United States and the Iranian regime are rapidly closing in on a deal over the mullahs’ nuclear ambitions. Admittedly, the source of this nugget of hope was Joseph Cirincione—a former Capitol Hill operative who now serves as the president of the Ploughshares Fund, a liberal foreign policy think tank, having gotten there via the Center for American Progress, another think tank that serves as a reliable echo

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C’hurst Mayor Parise

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Vol 14, No. 7 • TheJewishStar.com

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Year’s front pages in the centerered

February 13, 2015 • 24 Shevat 5775

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THE JEWISH Vaccinate and live! There’s no halachic wiggle room: OU, RCA

Nitzavim • Candlelighting 6:54 pm • Luach page 6

Vol 14, No. 35 • TheJewishStar.com

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IRAN WRAP Before the fall: Reexive Jewish support for Dems Jewish community itself, especially the “Jewish leadership.â€? Thirty years ago, Republican James Baker famously said, “F— the Jews. They won’t vote for us anyway.â€? But because of a blind loyalty to the Democratic Party by most Jews, Democrats Party politicians today act as if their stance is, Continued on page 26

Up next: Keep ďŹ ghting, or demand enforcement By Eitan Arom, JNS.org When she became the 34th U.S. senator to publicly support the Iran nuclear deal, thereby stripping Congress of its power to block the Obama administration-brokered accord, Sen. Barbara Mikulski (DMd.) altered the political calculus for the deal’s opponents.

Now, those who have strongly campaigned against the 159-page agreement face a choice: continue their vociferous opposition, or call for the strictest possible implementation of the deal. “For those who oppose the deal, killing it would obviously have been Continued on page 28

No Palestinian push: AP By Dan Perry and Josef Federman JERUSALEM (AP) — In recent months, many in the Middle East had assumed — some in hope, others with concern — that once the Iranian nuclear issue was resolved, the United States would make another push for peace between Israel

and the Palestinians. But the opposite seems more likely. After a drawn-out confrontation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over the Iranian nuclear deal, the White House seems to have little appetite for what would Continued on page 26

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Shulamith opens in C’hurst By Vanessa Parker The Shulamith School for Girls opened the school year in the former Number Five School in Cedarhurst, occupying its own building for the first time. The school, with 540 students from nursery through ninth grade, is leasing the building from Lawrence District 15 for $500,000 a year for two years, with an option for another year. “G-d willing, we’d love to stay many years here,� said Shulamith Executive Director Rabbi Perry Tischwell. Students arriving at 305 Cedarhurst Ave. on Tuesday were welcomed by fresh paint on the walls and new furniture and lockers. Cedarhurst Deputy Mayor Israel Wasser, a Shulamith trustee whose daughter Shayna is a Shulamith sixthgrader, said “my daughters have been attending since the nursery level. There were three different locations for the three divisions, and now they’re all brought together here. This is beautiful for the community.� Among tangible benefits brought by the move is a gym, Rabbi Tischwell said. “They will be able to play and practice here, as we had no room for them to do that before. With our new playing facilities, our nutri-

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Commentary by Jeff Dunetz Now that President Obama has enough senators that a veto of the bill opposing the Iran nuclear deal cannot be overturned, the postmortems have started. Some blame the president, others blame the Democratic Party. I would argue that they are both partially correct but they’re omitting the biggest enabler, the

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tion and physical education programs, along with our sports teams, will take off. We can really practice what we preach, where the next generation can take care of their bodies and minds.� Principal Rina Zerykier added, “Our mission is that our students be educated from head to heart.�

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