The Jewish Star - September 26, 2014

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THE JEWISH

STAR

September 26, 2014 • 2 Tishrei 5775

TheJewishStar.com

THE NEWSPAPER OF LONG ISLAND’S ORTHODOX COMMUNITIES

Blakeman: Don’t call them ‘settlements’ The Jewish Star Staff Fresh from his third trip to Israel, Republican Congressional candidate Bruce Blakeman this week reiterated his emphatic support for Israel’s communities in Judea and Samaria. “I don’t look at them as settlements,â€? he told The Jewish Star during an interview in the newspaper’s ofďŹ ces. “I look at them as communities, very vibrant communities.â€? Blakeman said he did not think lasting peace was near for Israel and its neighbors and that, meanwhile, “America should support Israel’s decisions with respect to security and defense.â€? A former presiding ofďŹ cer of the Nassau County legislature, Blakeman is facing Kathleen Rice, the county’s Democratic district attorney, in the race to succeed retiring Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, a Democrat. The 4th CD covers much of Nassau’s south shore, including the Five Towns. A Newsday poll on Friday said Rice was far ahead. More of Blakeman’s interview will be covered in next week’s Star. A Rice interview is scheduled for the following week.

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The 50-day war between Israel and Hamas dominated headlines around the world throughout this summer. The events leading up to the conict began with Hamas’s June kidnapping and murder of three Israeli teenagers—Eyal Yifrach, Gilad Shaar, and Naftali Frenkel—followed by the apparent revenge killing of Palestinian teenager Mohammed Abu Khdeir. Israelis spent the summer running to bomb shelters due to rocket barrages launched by Hamas from Gaza. Many of the

Palestinian rockets proved to have wider reach than ever before, striking central Israel and even as far north as Haifa. Due to a rocket that fell near Ben Gurion Airport, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration implemented a controversial ban on ights to and from Israel that lasted 36 hours. Israel initially responded to the Hamas rockets with airstrikes, but eventually launched a ground invasion dubbed Operation Protective Edge, which destroyed more than 30 Hamas terror tunnels that ran underneath the Israel-Gaza border. During the conict, Israel accepted 11 cease-ďŹ re proposals that were all violated by Hamas, until the 12th and ďŹ nal cease-ďŹ re Continued on page 11

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Hatzalah of the Rockaways & Nassau County

The Rosh Hashanah Equipment Campaign

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By Alina Dain Sharon, JNS.org As Rosh Hashanah approaches and the Jewish calendar turns to 5775, JNS.org takes a look at the biggest Jewish news stories from the past year.

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5774: IT’S A WRAP

By Vanessa Parker, Nassau Herald Nassau County police are intensifying their patrols around Jewish institutions for the upcoming Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur holidays, Acting Police Commissioner Thomas Krumpter said at a Lawrence Village Hall meeting on Friday An increased police presence includes plainclothes cops, an intelligence center with a special task force, a 24-hour hotline for reporting incidents, and the Jewish Community Resource Center’s reward initiative. “The people that know the community best are you,� Krumpter said, referring to residents. “You live and work here. You know best what happens here. If you want updates, call the hotline number. The number will be maintained throughout the Holy Days. If you call it, you will get a detective.� Village of Lawrence Mayor Martin Oliner said that the reason for the /DZUHQFH 0D\RU 0DUWLQ meeting was to express 2OLQHU DW 9LOODJH +DOO RQ )UL concern about safety GD\ Photo by Vanessa Parker Continued on page 18

2 September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

L’Beach pols back Rice

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Four Long Beach elected ofďŹ cials endorsed Democratic congressional candidate Kathleen Rice on Sunday in her contest against Republican-Conservative Bruce Blakeman — a Long Beach resident — to succeed retiring Rep. Carolyn McCarthy. The support was announced at a press conference outside the home of City Councilman Anthony Eramo, recently rebuilt after being devastated by Hurricane Sandy. Rice spoke about the need to reduce red tape that has made it difďŹ cult for many residents to access federal funds for rebuilding their stormdamaged homes. Sunday’s endorsements came from Eramo, Council President Scott Mandel, Vice President Fran Adelson, and Councilman Len Torres. “I’m so grateful to have the Council members joining our team on the ground to help

spread our message and energize voters about the issues at stake in this election, and I look forward to working closely with them to continue rebuilding and helping residents return home,� said Rice. Eramo, whose family moved back into their rebuilt house just this summer, said, “Our house was destroyed during Sandy, and the last two years have not been much better. We waited on Albany and we waited on Washington, but they just kept us waiting, so eventually we had to use our retirement savings to rebuild.� “Securing federal funding for Sandy aid has been a major part of our work on the City Council over the last two years,� said Mandel. “Kathleen’s shown she’s willing to stand up for what’s right, prosecuting sham contractors who have targeted Sandy victims and abused federal funding.�

Hole in One’s a winner

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A golf tournament to beneďŹ t Ezer Mizion’s International Jewish Bone Marrow Registry took place at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club on Sept. 8, each participant striking another blow against cancer. Ezer Mizion has helped save the lives of over 1,500 — many of them small children. September 8 was a day of victory, a day to enlarge the Registry so that more life-saving matches will be found. Every player was a winner, helping to save the lives of cancer patients whose only chance for a future is a bone marrow transplant. Etzer Mitzion salues its hard-working committee members: Stuart Alter Simeon Chiger, Aaron Cynamon, Alex Dembitzer, Robert Eis-

man, Ben Englander, Dudie Frankel, Jason Greenberg, Dr. Aaron C. Katz, Lawrence J. Levine, David Lyons, Manny Malekan, Mark Marmurstein, Dr. David Ritholtz, Marc Soskel. Ofra Konikoff, Ezer Mizion’s chief transplant coordinator, spoke at the post-tournament dinner thanking the guests and sponsors for joining in this most vital mission. “The very same IDF soldiers that protected Israel during the frightening weeks of Operation Protective Edge are protecting Jews around the globe by their having joined the Registry,� Konikoff said. “How are they able to join? Because people like you have contributed generously for the costly DNA testing. You have truly helped to save lives.�

THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

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September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

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By Michele Alperin, JNS.org When Noah Slepkov started using online genealogical tools to build a family tree, little did he know that his personal exploration might have signiďŹ cant implications for all of the Jewish people—including those not even aware of their Jewish roots. But when Slepkov heard from a colleague about 23andMe — a genetic kit that performs a DNA test on saliva to learn what percent of a person’s DNA comes from different global populations, and then provides contacts of potential relatives — he was hooked. The ensuing report he authored, titled “Crowd Sourced Genealogy and Direct-toConsumer DNA Testing: Implications for the Jewish People,â€? recommended that the Israeli government, Jewish communities, and Jewish organizations provide information and points of connection for individuals who have discovered some Jewish ancestry through direct-to-consumer DNA testing. One expert Slepkov consulted with was Bennett Greenspan, owner of Family Tree DNA, who explained that if one extrapolates from the number of Jews estimated by the historian Josephus to be alive in the ďŹ rst century A.D., then “you would expect to have more Jews than there are today,â€? says Slepkov. “It made me realize how many people out there actually have Jewish ancestors,â€? he says. “If you think about it exponentially, you can have one ancestor who is Jewish, and he could have hundreds of thousands of descendants.â€? Slepkov also conducted a personal DNA test, and the results were typical of what such research suggests. He cites a paper by Doron Behar, in the scientiďŹ c journal Nature, that shows how the female lineage of Ashkenazi Jews is European, dating back 30,000 years, whereas the male lineage is from the

Middle East and more recent. “It suggests that men left the Middle East and married non-Jewish wives and converted them, and their descendants all became Jews,â€? says Slepkov, noting that his own test matches Behar’s data, which is included in the Family Tree DNA database. Slepkov says this DNA testing “has huge geopolitical consequences.â€? “Doron Behar wrote in his article that DNA tests conďŹ rm the Zionist narrative of Jews once living in the historic land of Israel and going through an exile,â€? he says. A graph included in Behar’s article shows where different Jewish communities ďŹ t genealogically within the global population. The graph also includes the Palestinians, who have more African ancestry in their genetic data than do Ashkenazi Jews. “One of the narratives you hear [among those trying to delegitimize Israe] is that Jewish people have no business being in the Middle East, and that they are European and should go back to Europe,â€? Slepkov says. “With the exception of one scholar who has tried to suggest that Jews are really descendants of the Khazars, most scientists would agree that there is in fact evidence within the genome of the Jewish people that different Jews from around the world do come from the Middle East.â€? These ďŹ ndings give Slepkov some ammunition in conversations with left-wing Jews who may reject Zionism and are surprised about why he made aliyah. The Canadianborn Slepkov tells them, “One of the reasons I made aliyah is because I believe I am actually from this area, and I do feel like I’m returning home.â€? Now, in response the typical reaction he gets to that assertion—“You don’t believe that!â€?—Slepkov can inform the skeptics about the results of his DNA test.

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Slepkov ended up contacting three relatives as a result of his genetic test results. One was a second cousin of his father that he came across while working on the family tree. In instances where the genetic tests showed very close relationships, Slepkov sent emails to the contacts he discovered, but sometimes he never heard back. “It could mean they are not interested, or they know for a fact that they are not related and don’t want to respond,� he says. Slepkov was raised in a small town in St. Catharine’s, Ontario, Canada. Growing up in a small Jewish community had a profound effect on him. “Judaism has always been a huge part of who I am and my identity,� he says. “Being one of three Jews in your cohort really de-

ďŹ nes who you are, in my opinion.â€? After a Conservative upbringing, Camp Ramah, Jewish studies at Toronto’s York University, and Israel advocacy work, Slepkov was primed for aliyah in part to ensure Jewish continuity for his familial line. Slepkov met his current boss — Jewish People Policy Institute senior fellow and former MK Einat Wilf (Labor)—while he was doing Israel advocacy work at the University of Western Ontario. After making aliyah, he became Wilf’s assistant in the Knesset, and after she left the Israeli legislature he moved with her to JPPI. From his own experience with DNA tests, Slepkov has learned to be more open to emails from strangers who tell you they might be your relative.

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THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

DNA shows Jewish roots, boosts Zionist narrative

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September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775 THE JEWISH STAR

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Scottish vote: Our angle BEN COHEN VIEWPOINT

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will confess that, over the last week, I felt more anxious than I’d anticipated about the outcome of the Scottish independence referendum. I’m a British citizen who has lived in the United States for the past decade. As with many arrivals to these shores, my attention has been consumed far more by domestic issues here, just as my concern with the ďŹ ner details of politics in my native land has faded. Yet the spectacle of Scots voting on whether to leave the United Kingdom stirred something in me. I couldn’t observe it with the same dispassionate mindset that I might bring to a similar referendum in say, Quebec, or in the Catalan or Basque regions of Spain, and I found myself spending more and more time reading and worrying about it. That, I suppose, is what happens when identity meets politics—one’s judgements become less clinical and more emotional. I became impatient with the Scottish national-

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ist assertion that independence was justiďŹ ed because a majority of Scots didn’t vote for the current Conservative-led coalition government, and the related (not unjustiďŹ ed) complaint that London’s politicians were ignoring Scotland’s needs. After all, large parts of England —the country where I grew up—as well as Wales and Northern Ireland could say much the same, and they weren’t agitating to dismantle the 307-year-old union. Similarly, when I learned that the (now resigned) Scottish nationalist leader Alex Salmond had rounded on 2014 as the year for the referendum on the grounds that it marks the 700th anniversary of the Battle of Bannockburn—when the forces of the Scottish King Robert the Bruce vanquished the English army of King Edward II—I experienced a spark of anger. That anger was compounded by the sight of pro-independence campaigners mocking political leaders campaigning for a “noâ€? vote as “our imperial masters.â€? I thought, “The Scots haven’t even thought through key practical consequences of independence, like which currency to use or the prospects for European Union membership, and here they are summoning the spirit of a medieval military skirmish.â€? Continued on page 20

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Tell us about your events: Calendar@TheJewishStar.com Contributing writers: Rabbi Avi Billet, Jeff Dunetz, Rabbi Binny Freedman, Alan Jay Gerber, Judy Joszef Editorial Designers: Stacey Simmons, Matthew Stammel Photo Editor: Christina Daly Kashrut: The Jewish Star is not responsible for the kashrut of any product or establishment featured in the Jewish Star. Submissions: All submissions become the property of The Jewish Star and may be edited and used by the Publisher, its licensees and afďŹ liates, in print, on the web, or in any media in any form, including derivative works, without additional authorization or compensation, throughout the world in perpetuity. The individual or entity submitting material afďŹ rms that it holds the copyright or otherwise has the right to authorize its use in accordance with The Jewish Star’s terms for Submissions. Distribution: The Jewish Star is available free in kosher food establishments, stores, synagogues, and street-side news boxes in Nassau County and New York City. To request delivery to your location, or for information about paid subscriptions by mail, write EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com. Opinions expressed are solely those of their authors and do not necessarily represent views of The Jewish Star, its Publisher, its Editor. This newspaper contains words of Torah; please dispose of properly. Copyright 2014 The Jewish Star LLC. All rights reserved.

Vol 13, No. 38

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Civilization versus ISIS JOE GANDELMAN INDEPENDENT’S EYE

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oes the “civilizedâ€? world have what it takes to defeat the self-declared Islamic State, otherwise known as ISIS? To be sure, the U.S. has launched air strikes on ISIS targets over Iraq, Congress and President Barack Obama ďŹ nally seem in gear, and there are ongoing efforts to put together a coalition involving NATO and countries such as Saudi Arabia to combat the world’s leading producer of snuff videos. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius angrily calls ISIS “throat cutters.â€? And after ISIS beheaded British aide worker David Haines, British Prime Minister David Cameron labeled the terrorist group “monsters,â€? not Muslims, “the embodiment of evil,â€? and vowed to “drain this poison from our society.â€? Nice ringing words -- from everyone. The

language from the politicos and leaders is of vowing to do what it takes, but you get the sinking feeling they’ll fumble or inch in the end. After a notably tepid start, Obama is coming on strong, pushing aggressive special ops and air operations while pooh-poohing a suggestion by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Army Gen. Martin Dempsey that the U.S. could conceivably send in ground troops. Part of Obama’s ongoing problem has been his inconsistency in his ability to lead and inspire the nation. Sometimes it takes him a while. You get a feeling that if Barack Obama had been the one to do â€œďŹ reside chatsâ€? during World War II, the ďŹ re would have fallen asleep. But sometimes thoughtful restraint makes wise policy. The Daily Beast reports an apparent rift between Obama and his military advisors. The military advisors (no surprise) want a more extensive pushback, but Obama (no surprise) wants to keep it more limited and not veer out of control. However, balContinued on page 20

THIS WEEK PAST: STAR FLASHBACK — The Jewish Star’s front page features a photo of 10-year-old Zachary Thurm about to shlug kaparos at Yeshivat Siach Yitzchak of Far Rockaway. “You’re never to young to shlug kaparos,â€? read the headline. — Star columnist Rabbi Avi Shafran (director of public affairs for Agudath Israel of America) ponders the plague of assimilation and suggests that as we prepare “to take our yearly u shots, we might well ponder a different vaccine, the vital Jewish one, and just how we might make it more widely available.â€? — “The OU and FEGS join forces to create synagogue-based Project Parnossahworks,â€? reports the Star. — An editorial asks, “Where was the mediaâ€? when “last week, several synagogues in the evacuated Gaza settlements were torched and looted by Palestinian mobs.â€? The New York Times reported on Israel’s pullout “but never mentioned the synagogue desecrations in its headlines.â€? — “Five Towns Kosher Standards Higher Than Many,â€? reports the Star. “Other Communities Rush to Catch Up After Monsey Fraud.â€? — As Rosh Hashana approaches, the Star’s editorial concludes, “For most of us, if we’re here to ask the question, how did last year go? the correct answer is: Baruch Hashem. K’siva V’chasima Tova.â€? — Once again, students at Five Towns yeshivot protest Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. — Members of the generally wacko — and explicitly anti-Semitic and homophobic —Westrboro Baptist Church were set to demonstrate at Jewish locations in Great Neck, Queens and Brooklyn. The church is an “extreme group that spews hate wherever it goes,â€? said Ron Meier, New York region director of the ADL. — Cedarhurst psychologist Penina Zilberberg’s “Making your children successfulâ€? column is titled, “SelfControl, Success and Marshmallows.â€? — Columnist Jeff Dunetz asks, “Why does Steve Israel accept donations from a man linked to Iran?â€? — A news story reports that anti-Jihad subway ads placed by ďŹ rebrand Pamela Geller had been defaced. One of the billboards read, “In Any War Between the Civilized Man and the Savage, Support the Civilized Man. Support Israel. Defeat Jihad.â€? — Agudah of the Five Towns warns of the holiday-linked dangers of carbon monoxide, which is an odorless killer.

CORRECTIONS Last week’s article on the Shabbos Project’s efforts in the Five Towns misstated the title of the local organizer, Rabbi Yaakov Trump, who is assistant rabbi of the Young Israel of LawrenceCedarhurst. Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum is the shul’s spiritual leader. The Jewish Star strives for accuracy. When we make a mistake, we’re eager to correct it. Please send correction advisories to EWeintrob@TheJewishStar.com.

ALAN JAY GERBER KOSHER BOOKWORK

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erhaps one of the most storied family names in our community is that of Kamenetzky, and for this essay our focus is on Rabbi Mordechai Kamenetzky, a native of Woodmere, son to Rabbi Benyamin Kamenetzky and grandson to Rabbi Yaakov Kamenetzky of blessed memory. A gifted orator, teacher, and writer, Rabbi Mordechai recently released a new anthology of his popular columns under their title, “Streets of Life,” wherein he, in his own words, “opens a window into his life,” sharing personal stories and perspectives relating stories of growing up in Woodmere during the 1960s, his later years studying in Israel and in yeshivot around the country. This work details his family relationships, the sacred and cherished influences that both his sage grandfather and father have had upon his life’s work, as well of stories of his encounters with his students, fellow rabbis and teachers, as well as with taxi drivers

and evangelical pastors and preachers. Rabbi Mordechai has in this work developed a unique and informal method for explaining difficult passages with everyday occurrences. Through his previous work, the three volume series entitled, “Parsha Parables,” and now with the current anthology, he demonstrates to all his gentle humor and sharp wit. With Rosh Hashanah coming this week, let me quote a timely observation from this work: “According to the hallowed and haunting words of ‘Unesaneh Tokef,’ Rabbi Amnon of Mainz’s magnificently haunting hymn intoned each year on the High Holy Days, ‘You will open the book of chronicles, it will read itself, and everyone’s signature is in it’. “Indeed, each person’s signature is in the great book upstairs. But when we sign, perhaps it is with more than just our given name. There is more than just our given name. There is more to who we are than the letters that comprise the name that gets our checks cashed and signs our children’s homework sheets. “Our signature is our testimony of our commitment to all that is written above it. It says we stand behind the document and it is us. I

believe that on Rosh Hashanah, when we look at our signature in that Great Book, the question that He will ask will not be, ‘What is your name?’ Rather, it will be, ‘And who are you?’ “ Among some of the local personalities who play a role in this book’s stories we find Rabbi David Spiegel of Cedarhurst’s famed Shtiebel, a veteran rabbi whose pioneer service to the Five Towns goes back almost a half century. And we have veteran educator, Rabbi Yitzchok Knobel, of the famed Yeshiva Gedolah and Kollel in Woodmere were he serves as its rosh kollel and dean. “For me it has all come together — with Rav Spiegel at one end of town, Rav Knobel on the other, and the Young Israel in the middle,” writes Rabbi Mordechai. “I will never know for sure if G-d liked the songs of ‘Ki Anu Amecha or Hayom, Hayom, Hayom the way they sing it in the Young Israel, or the drier intonations of the yeshiva minyan. I won’t dare weigh whether the strained shofar blowing of a Holocaust survivor means less than the powerful blasts of the shofar by a yeshiva rebbe. And, I will never know if the 15-minute Amidah — each word read while looking at an English translation — is worth any less than an hour of shaking and shuckling, with sporatic forays into unknown

worlds way beyond the machzor. “I don’t have to know. It is Rosh Hashanah and all we have to do is remember that He knows.” )25 )857+(5 678'< Once again, the Sh’or Yoshuv Institute in Lawrence, has published another booklet containing a teaching by Rabbi Yitzchok Sender, this year focusing upon a most fascinating topic that should be of some interest to many of you, that being, “The Prayer of the Akeidas Yitzchok”. In his preface, Rabbi Sender sets the scene with the following observation: “According to Chazal, the sounding of the ram’s horn on Rosh Hashanah serves to remind us of the story of the Akeidah” What follows is a 22-page extremely learned dissertation on this highly relevant theme for your spiritual edification. This year’s message for the new year by Rabbi Eli Mansour is entitled, “Rosh Hashanah: The Three Keys to a Favorable Judgment” wherein he teaches us the following: “When we contemplate the significance of Rosh Hashanah, how everything that will transpire during the coming year will be determined on these days, it could — and Continued on page 18

In two realms of teshuvah, we can improve RABBI AVI BILLET PARSHA OF THE WEEK

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nyone who has studied the concept of Teshuvah (Repentance) knows that there are two realms in which all of us need to improve: Between ourselves and our fellow Man, and between ourselves and G-d. One can argue that Teshuvah between Man and G-d is much more easily achieved. It is literally lip service, along with a commitment of some kind to change one’s ways. Plus Yom Kippur, and your atonement potion is complete. For sins between ourselves and our fellow Man, however, the process of Teshuvah is more difficult. Praying to G-d does nothing to atone for these sins unless the offense

has been either corrected or apologized for directly. The Slonimer Rebbe reminds us that there are two ways a person can go about trying to achieve Teshuvah. There is Teshuvah me’yirah (repentance out of fear), and Teshuvah me’ahavah (repentance out of love). Both have merits, but which is better? A parable will suffice to illustrate the differences. And while the focus which is being shared is in the Man/G-d relationship, it certainly applies to human relationships as well. A man living in a kingdom decided that the king was no good. Organizing his friends with revolutionary ideas, he rallied people against the king, and created quite an anti-establishment movement — until the whole thing was silenced and put down by the king. Realizing the danger into which he had put himself, the man came to king on his

knees begging for forgiveness and a pardon. This is Teshuvah me’yirah, repentance and returning out of fear of retribution. However, the king reminded him, as much as this might make him change on a personal level, the damage was done. The revolutionary ideas were planted. There is a rebellious element in the land due to his actions. In other words, even Teshuvah me’yirah does not erase the resulting damage, it does not turn back the tremendous “Hillul Hashem” — desecration of G-d’s name — which ensued from one’s actions. What can achieve that effect? Teshuvah me’ahavah, a return to G-d out of love. In essence, if the same revolutionary alters his views and sees not only that he shouldn’t have rebelled against the king, but that the king is kind and good and that the king only needs support from his people, he can create a pro-king revolution.

He can take the opposite public stand from what he had done before, and demonstrate a real change – a change that has its roots in love for the king. It is counter-culture. And it can be very effective. The truth is, such an idea is not so counter-culture. We say every day in Shema that “You will love the Lord your G=d with all your heart, all your soul and all your essence.” A person who actually fulfills such a notion, who sees G-d as a beloved, wants nothing but to please G-d, sees flaws in sinning, is not interested in veering from the G-dlike path. And we also declare on a daily basis what the result from the other side is. Towards the end of Ashrei (Psalm 145) we declare, “R’tzon y’reav yaaseh… Shomer Hashem et kol ohavav,” He does the will of those who fear Him, and He hears their cry and saves Continued on page 18

Living now for tomorrow, as the new year begins RABBI BINNY FREEDMAN THE HEART OF JERUSALEM

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very year on Rosh Hashanah, we read of the expulsion of Yishmael (Avraham’s first son with his handmaiden Hagar), and the binding of Yitzchak (Isaac). Both are stories of the sons of Avraham, and both involved Abraham’s ability to be willing to sacrifice or let go, of a son. And yet, these stories are very different. In the story of Yishmael, Avraham sends his son away, whereas in the story of Yitzchak, they come together. From a Jewish perspective, Yishmael seems to be a failure, ultimately departing from Jewish tradition and establishing the Arab dynasty. Yitzchak on the other hand, is

one of our forefathers, and the ultimate progenitor of the Jewish people. Why do these two vastly disparate stories comprise the Torah readings in our Rosh Hashanah service, and what common theme is the message of their connection? Avraham, against his natural instincts of loving-kindness, is forced by G-d to listen to his wife Sarah and send Yishmael and Hagar away. The Torah tells us that this is because Yishmael is me’tzachek (literally, laughing) at or with Yitzchak. And while the midrashim and commentators differ as to the exact meaning of this phrase, varying from lewd behavior to the taunting of Yitzchak, one thing is clear: Yitzchak, meaning “he will laugh,” is juxtaposed with Yishmael, the me’tzachek, or one who laughs now. Yitzchak’s life is about the future, while Yishmael is all about the here and now. Later, when Yishmael is cast beneath the bushes dying of thirst and calling out for wa-

ter, G-d hears him ba’asher hu’sham (where he is). The midrash, noting this unique phrase, has the angels in an uproar over Gd’s decision to save Yishmael. After all, they say, the descendants of this lad will one day slaughter G-d’s Jewish children, so how can G-d spare him now? G-d’s response? “I hear his honest remorse and pain now, and if now he is repentant, then he should be saved, whatever might come later on.” The message, fitting for Rosh Hashanah, is that whatever mistakes we may have made in the past, this moment is the beginning of the rest of our lives, and changing the now changes everything. hen G-d first “approaches” Avraham, the Torah tells us, “Vayehi achar hadevarim ha’eleh’, ve’HaElokim nisah et Avraham. Vayomer lo Avraham, vayomer lo Hineni.” (“And it was after these things that G-d tested Avraham. And He said

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to him, “Avraham,” and Avraham said: ‘Here I am’.”) (Bereishit 22) The word Hineni (here I am), used sparingly, is Moshe’s response to G-d’s calling at the Burning Bush, as well as the response by Yaakov (Jacob) to Yitzchak’s calling for a blessing. Whenever this word is used in the Torah, it is indicative of an individual responding to a calling. Hineni means I am here, ready to serve. It is a moment of pure potential, in which a person rises to the challenge of becoming all they could ever be. It is in this moment of Hineni that Avraham says to G-d, “I exist because You created me, because You love me; whatever You ask of me, I live to do.” This is the kernel of what life is about. If Hashem (G-d) created me, then I must have a purpose, and if Hashem loves me enough to have decided the world is better off with me still in it for at least another day, then all I want is to know is what Continued on page 18

THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

A last literary word before Rosh Hashanah

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Report documents anti-Israel texts; schools mum By Jacob Kamaras, JNS.org After a contentious multi-year-long debate on the presence of anti-Israel texts in the public school curriculum of Newton, Mass., a Boston-area suburban city, an independent third party has issued a comprehensive 152-page report to try to bring clarity to the situation. The local school district, however, refused to engage with the report’s findings and remains silent on the matter. The Verity Educate, which was approached by concerned parents and community members about Mideast-related educational materials distributed to students in Newton North and Newton South high schools, this month released “Middle East Curricula in Newton Public Schools,” a report addressing more than 300 specific points of inaccuracy and inconsistency in the school district’s curricula. Verity Educate analyzed 26 individual pieces of educational material used in Newton schools, including handouts, assignments, readings, and one video. In a summary of its report, the organization said its primary finding was “a demonstrated lack of subject matter expertise in the creation and oversight of these Middle East curricula, and the vast majority of materials used do not originate from authoritative sources or are so altered as to have lost their authority.” According to Verity Educate, Newton’s Mideast curriculum has featured “a high frequency of inaccurate and false information,” “academic dishonesty in multiple pieces of material,” “material taken directly from a hate-filled, religious, proselytizing website (IslamicWeb.com)” that prophesies about an Armageddon when all Jews will be murdered and the rest of the world will convert to Sunni Islam, and “assignments that prejudice stu-

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dents in favor of the radical position of a onestate scenario in Israel/the West Bank/Gaza.” Dr. Ellen R. Wald, executive director of Verity Educate, said her organization approached Newton Public Schools three times about discussing the report before its release, but never received a response. Newton Superintendent of Schools David Fleishman, School Committee Chair Matt Hills, and Mayor Setti Warren all did not respond to JNS.org requests for comment on Verity Educate’s report. While much of the debate in this ongoing Mideast curriculum fracas has centered on whether or not certain controversial texts are still being distributed to students, Wald said, “We did not analyze material that we had a reason to believe was no longer currently in use.” For instance, Verity Educate did not examine the much-debated “Arab World Stud-

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ies Notebook” (AWSN), which the Newton district said it removed during the 2011-12 academic year. The Boston-based advocacy group Americans for Peace and Tolerance (APT), however, said in May that AWSN, a Saudi-financed text on Middle East history that falsely claims Israeli soldiers murdered hundreds of Palestinian nurses in Israeli prisons, was still being used in at least three separate classes during the 2012-13 school year in Newton. Throughout the Newton schools controversy, APT has been at odds with the Boston area Jewish establishment, including the ADL, JCRC, and Combined Jewish Philanthropies (Boston’s Jewish federation). APT placed an ad in Boston-area newspapers in October 2013 spotlighting the presence of anti-Israel texts in Newton schools including the AWSN; “A Muslim Primer,” which claims that astronaut Neil Armstrong converted to Islam, but that the anti-Muslim U.S. government warned him “to keep his new religion to himself or he could be fired” from his government job; and “Flashpoints: Guide to World History,” which asserts that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, is the capital of Israel, and that Jerusalem is the capital of “Palestine.” At the time, ADL attempted to dismiss APT’s findings, joining leaders from JCRC and Combined Jewish Philanthropies in a November 2013 statement which said that “based on a careful review of the materials at issue by ADL and JCRC, there is substantial reason to believe that the allegations made in the [APT] ad are without merit.” Wald told JNS.org that Verity Educate is “aware that there was a lot of controversy surrounding the entire issue,” and feels that its report will both “provide a new insight

into the content” of the Newton curriculum and reveal that “neither side was really correct in what they were accusing.” “We did not find that there was any overarching bias in these curricula,” Wald said. “We found instances of bias — instances of bias against Israel, against the Untied States, and we actually found several instances of a Neo-Orientalist perspective towards Arabs, and an infantilization of Arabs. … Our overarching finding was this lack of authoritative material.” “As a scholar and as a former teacher, it pains me to see students being given material that is not factually correct and comes from sources that are not authoritative, particularly sources that students would not be permitted to cite in a paper themselves,” said Wald. Asked how the Newton curriculum compares to others Verity Educate has analyzed, Wald said she has “never seen quite so much educational material being provided to students that was not educational or did not come from an authoritative source.” She said the impact of exposing to students to such material is that they are prevented from “developing a kind of fluency in historical matters that is necessary for the subject,” adding that the Newton curriculum’s tendency to present arguments as facts hinders students’ “development of critical thinking.” Yet because it is not an advocacy organization, Verity Educate will not be recommending any solutions for the Newton school district’s problems. “It’s really up to the people of Newton to decide if this is the kind of material that they want their students to be receiving,” Wald said. A full copy of Verity Educate’s report can be requested at verityeducate.org/newton.

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THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

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Strategy v. terror trio: Hamas, Hezbollah, ISIS By Alina Dain Sharon and Sean Savage JNS.org Following Israel’s Operation Protective Edge this summer, Hamas continues to control the Gaza Strip and openly considers any truce with Israel as a time to re-arm for the next conict. Across Israel’s northern border, Hezbollah has been occupied ďŹ ghting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, but still poses a danger to the Jewish state. Meanwhile, the Islamic State has exploded across Iraq and Syria in a spectacle of unprecedented brutality that could one day also knock on Israel’s door. What should Israel’s strategy be regarding this triumvirate of terror groups? JNS.org took the pulse of three Middle East and ter-

rorism experts on the issue. Where things stand with Hamas, Hezbollah, and Islamic State Hezbollah and Hamas “pose a very particular threat to Israel but also a very special dilemma,� said Natan Sachs, a fellow at the Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution. “Both groups are not just terrorist organizations, but also very large political parties, which control territory adjacent to Israel,� he told JNS.org. “They have long traditions and complex political and military situations.� Dr. Boaz Ganor, co-founder and executive director of the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism at the Interdisciplinary

Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel, calls Hamas and Hezbollah “hybridâ€? terrorist organizations. “On the one hand [these organizations reect] the real grievances of a large publicâ€? by providing welfare services and winning elections, but “on the other hand [they continue] executing terrorist attacks against civilians,â€? Ganor said in an interview translated from Hebrew. For instance, Hamas has won Palestinian hearts by providing social services to the population, and it was elected as the governing group of the Gaza Strip in 2006. Hezbollah’s current leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was also a member of the al-Dawa al-Islamiya movement in Lebanon, which subsequently

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evolved into a political party under Hezbollah that has 12 seats in the Lebanese parliament. Islamic State is on the path to adopting a similar strategy, Ganor believes. Until just more than a year ago, only four countries classiďŹ ed Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. This changed only after Hezbollah’s presumed involvement in the 2012 terrorist bombing of a tour bus carrying Israelis in Burgas. But even the European Union’s change of Hezbollah’s status only classiďŹ ed the “military wingâ€? of the group, and not the entire entity, as a terrorist organization. Given their reluctance to classify terror groups as such, many countries will ďŹ nd themselves “quickly dealing with the same dilemma with regard to the Islamic State, the [Syrian] al-Nusra Front, and other groups,â€? Ganor said. Israel’s strategy on Hamas and Hezbollah According to Ilan Berman, vice president of the American Foreign Policy Council (AFPC), “the Israeli government is selling Operation Protective Edge as a strategic tie,â€? but the reality is “that Hamas has gotten a lot of beneďŹ t out of the conict too.â€? Hamas initiated this summer’s conict as a cry for help, because the group was bankrupt and felt abandoned by its traditional patrons, Iran and Egypt. Hamas’s unity government with Fatah was supposed to be an equal partnership, but Hamas ended up becoming a junior partner, not receiving legitimate consideration for cabinet posts. Therefore, the conict was meant to show that Hamas is a “force to be reckoned with,â€? Berman said. When it comes to dealing with a hybrid terrorist organization like Hamas, “military action, as important as it is, does not eliminate the organization,â€? said IDC’s Ganor. “It might hurt or temporarily disable the organizations’ military capability, but these organizations are already based and rooted inside the society where they live and whom they pretend to represent,â€? he said. For several years, the Israeli government has avoided calls to overthrow Hamas and has preferred a policy of containment through a series of blockades, with the hope that Gazans would overthrow the terror organization. Additionally, Israel fears that Hamas could be replaced by a more radical terror group or that it would be forced to reoccupy Gaza, which it unilaterally evacuated in 2005. “By containing Hamas, through the enforcement of a blockade, Israel hoped that the people of Gaza would overthrow Hamas,â€? Sachs said. But despite being ďŹ nancially weakened and internationally isolated, Hamas has proved resourceful, and Israel “should have no illusions that Hamas will disappear anytime soon,â€? said the Brookings analyst. Ganor believes this summer’s conict was a historic opportunity for Israel to defeat Hamas without the involvement of Hezbollah and the tacit support of Arab nations. This would have only been possible with a ground operation that led to the takeover of large territories—not necessarily the whole Gaza Strip, but large parts of it. The summer conict, according to Ganor, presented “a collection of situations that has not existed before and I’m not sure will be [there for Israel] in the future.â€? The vacuum resulting from the defeat of Hamas would not necessarily be ďŹ lled with groups such as Islamic State. Sachs is in favor of bringing Mahmoud Abbas’s Palestinian Authority (PA) back to power in Gaza, as the PA has largely cooperated with Israel on policing the West Bank and thwarting terrorism there. Since Hamas is designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S., EU, Israel, and Egypt, donor countries will only work with Continued on page 22

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Without an agreement in place to extend the U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace talks beyond their initial March 28 deadline for a resolution, Israel decided against proceeding with its fourth scheduled release of 26 Palestinian terrorist prisoners. The Palestinian Authority (PA) responded by beginning the process of joining 15 international conventions, violating the peace talks’ ban on unilateral actions. In April, PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah party agreed to form a unity government with Hamas. Thus, Fatah’s pact with an organization whose charter vows the destruction of Israel prompted the Israeli government to ofďŹ cially pull out of the peace talks.

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In May, four people, including an Israeli couple, were killed in a shooting at the Jewish Museum of Belgium in Brussels. Mehdi Nemmouche, a French national with suspected ties to Islamic radicals in Syria, was arrested over the shooting and charged with murder. European anti-Semitism rose sharply during Israel’s Operation Protective Edge. Compared to the same month in 2013, this July saw a 400-percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents in the United Kingdom, according to the Community Security Trust. Anti-Israel rioters attacked two Paris synagogues, chanting “Death to Jews� and “Hitler was right,� while French Jews continued to make aliyah in record numbers.

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The Islamic State terrorist group came to the forefront of Western media attention after seizing control of Iraq’s second-largest city, Mosul, in June. Since then, the group has gained notoriety for its brutal persecution of Mideast religious minorities such as Christians and Yazidis. Islamic State has also executed American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as British aid worker David Haines. After Sotloff’s execution, Israel’s Foreign Ministry revealed that he was an Israeli citizen. Sotloff made aliyah in 2008. To protect him while he was held captive in Syria, a network of more than 150 of his friends and acquaintances raced to delete information from the Internet that discussed his Jewish and Israeli identity.

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In November 2013, the U.S. and the other P5+1 powers reached a six-month interim deal with Iran on its nuclear program despite opposition from Israel, Jewish groups, the U.S. Congress, and Saudi Arabia. In exchange for sanctions relief, Iran promised dilute its 20-percent-enriched (high grade) uranium stockpiles to 5 percent and was allowed to continue production of uranium enriched up to 3.5 percent while the agreement was in effect. The P5+1 in July agreed to extend the Iran nuclear talks to November 2014.

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The boundary between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism on American college campuses became increasingly blurred this year, particularly in relation to the actions of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). During an orientation event at Temple University in August, a Jewish student was punched in the face by an SJP member and called slurs such as “kike� and “baby killer.� SJP was also behind the growing trend of mock eviction notices placed in student dormitories across the country, includ-

ing at New York University in April. While the anti-Israel group claims the notices are strictly meant to protest the Israeli “occupation,� pro-Israel experts have said the notices cross the line into anti-Semitism due to their intimidation of students and delegitimization of the Jewish people’s indigenous right to self-determination in their homeland. At Northeastern University, the eviction notices promoted the suspension of the school’s SJP chapter, but the group was later reinstated. On the faculty side, the membership of the American Studies Association last December voted to endorse a boycott of Israel, while the Modern Language Association (MLA) delegate committee passed a resolution in January condemning Israel for denying the entry of U.S. academics into the West Bank. The resolution, however, was defeated in June in a vote among MLA members.

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During Israel’s Operation Protective Edge, then Turkish prime minister and now President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the Jewish state of committing “genocide� and waging “terrorism� against the Palestinians, and protesters attacked the Israeli embassy and consulate in Ankara and Istanbul. Erdogan also said Israel’s “barbarism has surpassed even Hitler’s� and dismissed the possibility of normalizing relations with Israel.

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Ukrainians took to the streets of Kiev to protest against then President Viktor Yanukovych, in a movement that became known as Euromaidan. Amid the violent protests, several men attacked Israeli teacher Hillel Wertheimer in January after he left a synagogue at the end of Shabbat. Also, a yeshiva student from Russia, Dov-Ber Glickman, was attacked after he left a synagogue. After Yanukovich’s ouster, pro-Russian rebels in February began taking over infrastructure in the Crimean peninsula. In March, Crimea voted to secede from Ukraine and join Russia in a voting process that was deemed illegal by the international community. Around that time, a synagogue in the Crimean city of Simferopol was spray painted with anti-Semitic language. In April, a yer bearing the stamps of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republic of Donetsk,â€? a pro-Russian separatist group, was distributed to Jews as they left Passover services and called on them to either register as Jewish with authorities or be deported.

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In January, the Taglit-Birthright Israel program expanded eligibility for its free 10day trips to Israel for Jewish young adults ages 18-26. Teenagers who went on an educational trip to Israel during high school were previously not eligible for Birthright trips, but can now participate. In April, member groups of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations voted 22-17 to reject the membership application of the self-labeled “pro-Israel, pro-peace� lobby J Street. In the vote, which was widely seen as the de facto expression of mainstream U.S. Jewry’s outlook on J Street, the lobby garnered just half of the 34 votes it needed to gain membership.

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In April, Kansas’s tight-knit Jewish community was rocked just one day before the beginning of Passover as neo-Nazi gunman Frazier Glenn Miller took the lives of three people and injured another in shootings just Continued on page 18

Change Washington. Vote Nov. 4th ƒ‹† ˆ‘” „› ŽƒÂ?‡Â?ƒÂ? ÍšÍ˜Í™ÍœÇĄ Â?Â…Ǥ

Continued from page 1 was reached on Aug. 26.

THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

5774: IT’S A WRAP‌

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By Malka Eisenberg With a growing number of Shomer Shabbat patients arriving at Rockville Centre’s Mercy Medical Center, a member of Catholic Health Services of Long Island, the need for hospital-based bikur cholim assistance has been increasing. A kosher kitchen and two suites — each with two beds and a bathroom — had been opened by Chabad of the Five Towns in 2007. After Dr. Aaron Glatt, assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere, joined Mercy as Chief Administrative OfďŹ cer in 2011, he arranged to open an adjoining shul, with a mechitza available for use as needed. Then, last May, Achiezer, an organization that facilitates care and aid for residents in need in the Five Towns and Rockaways, assumed the kitchen responsibilities. With the help of Gourmet Glatt, the kosher superstore in Cedarhurst, Achiezer opened a new kitchen, putting the crowning touch on a section of the hospital’s second oor that is dedicated to assisting Jewish caregivers during the week, on Shabbat and the holidays. “The beauty of Judaism is that even in times of struggle and stress, the yom tovs go on,â€? said Gourmet Glatt General Manager Yoeli Steinberg. “We need to maintain our strength, cheer, and good mood, to go onâ€? — and

yeshiva parents

Photos by Penny Frondelli

The Shabbat room refridgerator at Mercy is well stocked, thanks to deliveries from Gourmet Flatt. should not be compelled to do without kosher necessities or miss having a seudat Shabbat, he said. “Achiezer and Gourmet Glatt — it’s wonderful,â€? said Dr. Glatt. “The patients and I thank them for providing this additional beneďŹ t.â€? He noted that there will

be a mincha minyan in the shul at Mercy, Monday through Thursday at 1 p.m.. after November 4. Tova Brill, a pharmacist at Mercy, exContinued on page 16

By Malka Eisenberg and Jeffrey Bessen The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB) is one of two remaining bidders for the vacant Number Six School in Woodmere. A yeshiva in Queens is HALB’s competition, Lawrence School District sources told the Nassau Herald. HALB Executive Director Richie Hagler conďŹ rmed to The Jewish Star that HALB was one of two bidders. “So we’ve been told,â€? he said with a laugh. “It’s public information.â€? The board may vote as soon as its next meeting on Jan. 13. “It’s too premature to discussâ€? how the site would be used — and what would happen to HALB’s property at 530 W. Broadway in Long Beach — if HALB is the successful bidder, Hagler told the Star.

1) accretion of enough nuclear materials, highly enriched to weapon’s grade, that is, about 90 percent; 2) machining that material into metal to create a spheroid warhead small enough to ďŹ t into a missile nosecone where it will be detonated; 3) developing a trigger mechanism to initiate the atomic exploContinued on page 15

“We don’t know ourselves yet,â€? he said. “The [Number Six] building is in really bad shape. I don’t know when and what the [Lawrence] school board will decide and what the district voters will approve. Clearly there is a process.â€? During an attempt last year to dispose of the Number Six property, at 523 Church Ave., HALB bid $9.2-million. But the Lawrence board instead chose the $12.5-million bid of Bronx-based Simone Healthcare Development, which planned to lease the property to Mt. Sinai Hospital for a 60-doctor, 30-specialty medical facility, a move that was overturned by voters, nearly 2-to-1, in a referendum in March. Hagler emphasized that HALB’s “intention is to work with the community. We want this to work; we have kids in the community.â€? The community near the Number Six School wants to maintain the availability of the site’s ball ďŹ elds and grounds for public use, and “our goal is to help with everything,â€? Hagler said. Among HALB’s operations are an elementary school in Long Beach; the Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls (SKA) in Hewlett, and the Davis Renov Stahler Yeshiva High School for Boys (DRS) in Woodmere. The 80,170-square food Number Six School sites on Continued on page 15 a 6.6-acre property.

Shabbat Candlelighting 4:28 pm. Shabbat ends 5:34 pm. 72 minute zman 6:02 pm. This week’s Torah Reading: Beshalach

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By Malka Eisenberg “I realize how close I could have come to not existing; I’m here because of the grace of one man’s kindness and efforts.� Robert Koppel participated in the inaugural dinner of the Wallenberg Heritage Foundation at the Young Israel of Jamaica Estates, where he recited a chapter of tehillim. The only child of two Holocaust survivors, Koppel told The Jewish Star that he shoul-

Hungary during World War II. Wallenberg was born in 1912 into a wealthy Swedish banking family. He pursued interests in architecture and business, studying in the United States and securing a job in banking in Haifa before the war. He became a business partner to a Hungarian Jewish businessman and was recruited by the U.S. to serve in the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs in Budapest.

As the Nazis accelerated their war against the Jews there, he created protective passes (Schutzpass) and rented and designated buildings as Swedish territories protected by diplomatic immunity, hanging huge Swedish ags out front. He was arrested by the conquering Soviet forces and except for some claims by prisoners in Russia, was never seen again. The Russians later claimed that he Continued on page 12

Woodmere FD volunteers, from left, Chief Ben Nelson, Donny Metzler, Adam Slotnick, Josh Kirschner, Darren Moritz, Jason Hagler and Chief Lenny Cherson.

By Malka Eisenberg Woodmere Fire Department volunteers will be opening their home on Sunday, Oct. 13, for a day of fun, ďŹ re education and recruitment. Darren Moritz, a volunteer ďŹ re ďŹ ghter, noted the importance of learning ďŹ re safety, He recounted two incidents in Woodmere when children put a pizza box in the family’s stove to heat up the pizza inside. “There was a ďŹ re in the oven,â€? he recalled. “A ďŹ re extinguisher puts it right out — but it destroys the oven.â€? Fire ďŹ ghters will demonstrate how to put out a ďŹ re using both water and ďŹ re extinguishers.

The Woodmere event will run from noon to 5 p.m. at the Woodmere Fire House, 20 Irving Place, and include ďŹ re truck rides, kosher food, live demonstrations and prizes. A ďŹ re prevention company will present a “live burn,â€? with emergency responders demonstrating how they get out of a house, “climbing down the walls with a rope while wearing the full 75 pounds of equipment.â€? Emergency medical technicians will stage a fake accident with a fake victim and ambulance to show “how they take someone out of a car accident.â€? Overall, the goal of this Continued on page 16

Shabbat Candlelighting: 6:13 p.m. Shabbat ends 7:11 p.m. 72 minute zman 7:42 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Noah. Friday and Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Mar Cheshvan.

million over last year. Four issues delineated include security funding, CAP and MSR services, educational investment tax credit and universal pre-K. After the SAFE Act was passed for public schools last year, providing “primarily gun control and security measures,� according to Leb, those advocating for private schools found that they were excluded from the millions of dollars in building assistance. The SAFE Act was a one time legislation for building aid. The governor provided for security spending of $4.5 million for private schools in both the current and

Shabbat Candlelighting 4:45 pm. Shabbat ends 5:49 pm. 72 minute zman 6:18 pm. This week’s Torah Reading: Mishpatim

THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 5 Q JANUARY 31, 2014 / 30 SHEVAT 5774

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Voters asked to OK ‘win win’ No. 6 deal

Three Queen Esthers (from left, Ella Oscirkinty, Sydney Scheurer and Carley Heumann) joined the Oceanside Friedberg JCC Community Purim Carnival. At right, from top, Madison Spar, 6, in Wantagh; Srully Williger’s celebratory moment at YI Woodmere, and a standout face at North Woodmere YI. The Jewish Star photos: Oceanside by Penny Frondelli, Wantagh by Donovan Berthoud, Woodmere by Christina Daly. More photos, pages 7, 8, 9, and 15.

For 40 Five Towners it’s semicha Sunday By Malka Eisenberg Forty Five Towns residents are among 230 musmachim (rabbinic graduates) slated to receive semicha (rabbinical ordination) on Sunday at the largest such conferral of semicha in Yeshiva University’s history. Two-hundred-twenty-four are ďŹ rst time rabbis (yoreh yoreh) — some of whom already have rabbinic positions — and six are receiving an advanced degree of yadin yadin that makes them eligible to be judges in a Torah court. They will gather on the YU campus in Morningside Heights from 70 cities around the world. One of the musmachim who currently teaches in YU’s Yeshiva College, former Far Rockaway resident Rabbi Yosef Bronstein, will speak on behalf of the group. Conferring ordination is “the most exciting thing we do,â€? said Rabbi Menachem (Marc) Penner, acting dean of YU’s Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary (RIETS). The celebration takes a year to plan and is held once every four years (there may have been more musmachim when a celebration was skipped due to war and was held after eight years, Penner noted). The March 23 assembly will take place in the Nathan Lamport Auditorium, Zysman Hall, 2540 Amsterdam Ave., “where the Rav [Rabbi Joseph Ber Soloveitchik, ztâ€?l, head of RIETS from 1941] used to give his big shiur,â€? said Penner. “The Continued on page 12

It’s beginning to look a lot like Pesach Preschoolers at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway had a good time learning about Pesach this week.

My dog ate the aďŹ komen (and other true Pesach horror stories) By Lonnie Ostrow We’ve all got at least one of these stories in us. The complex rules and family oriented nature of Pesach lends itself to the inevitable, legendary mishap that only grows in stature over time. The child who ďŹ nds a hidden hammantash in a sock drawer on seder night. That forgotten candy at the bottom of a tallis bag. The seder mints that were discovered to be shockingly dairy after a

eishig meal. The moments that our jaws drop in disbelief, when we shout to ourselves: “How could I have overlooked this? And what do I do now?â€? Fortunately, or unfortunately (depending on how highly you prioritize entertainment value over someone else’s holiday horror), I’ve got an assortment of Pesach disasters in my family’s history, and in other families who were brave enough to share their tales

First Chinese Seder HALB Parents Council Chairperson Dana Frankel and Principal Rabbi Dovid Plotkin at Tuesday’s meeting.

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By Anav Silverman Tazpit News Agency Nearly 100 members of the ancient Jewish community of Kaifeng, China, are expected to attend a ďŹ rst-of-its-kind traditional Passover Seder next Monday. The Seder, sponsored by the Jerusalembased Shavei Israel, will be conducted by 28-year-old Tzuri (Heng) Shi, who made aliyah to Israel from Kaifeng a few years ago with the help of Shavei Israel and completed his formal return to Judaism last year. As part of the preparation for the upcoming Seder, Tzuri was sent to Kaifeng by Continued on page 15

Tzuri (Heng) Shi puts tefďŹ lin on a member of the Kaifent Jewish community.

of hilarious anguish. Enjoy them if you will ‌ even if at the expense of the participants who were less than amused in the moment. We begin in 1996. The Ostrow family of Oceanside was sitting around the table for a family seder on the ďŹ rst night of Pesach. Situated under the dining room table – awaiting our crumbs - was Bambi, our beloved 5-year old Rottweiler/German Sheppard. Bambi always seemed fascinated by the seder. From the opening Kiddush through the ďŹ nal strains of Chad Gadya, Bambi would take her rightful spot next to Mom’s chair, only rising during shulchan orech when the food was brought out. Or at least so we thought‌ My youngest brother, Ryan usually was granted the task of hiding the aďŹ komen. When we all headed into the kitchen to wash for motzei, Ryan would locate the colorful bag containing half of the broken middle matzah and stash it in a dark room somewhere. Perhaps in a drawer, or on the top of his bunk-bed. In all the years, our father never once found it. This, of course, meant gifts for my brothers and I, much to our delight. It was just past 11:45 on seder night when we had ďŹ nished our delicious meal. The table was Continued on page 14

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By Malka Eisenberg Michael Levine had been living on the Lower East side for a number of years but one night he noticed the 24 hour workings of a multistory red brick tenement across from the bar where he was working as a DJ. He walked over, peaked in the window and was handed a fresh, still warm, square of matzo. “I was transported back in time,â€? he told The Jewish Star. “There were rabbis on every oor, everything was clean, there were workers all over.â€? He had stumbled on the Streit’s matzo factory, a kosher business in the same family and at the same location for more than 90 years. It’s not as if no one know about it — it’s just that no one had seen the potential for a ďŹ lm. Levine directed the as yet unreleased “Streit’s: Matzo and the American Dream,â€? an independent featurelength documentary about the Streit’s Matzo factory on New York’s Lower East Side. Levine saw a family history intertwined with the Jewish history of the community and a business run on chesed and tradition, with the descendents of the founders working at the same desks, the drawers unemptied, one holding a set of dentures and immigration papers from Ellis Island. He also saw longtime workers, some children of fathers who worked in the factory. “The neighborhood evolved around them but inside it stayed the same; it’s like being transported back in time when you walk into the place.â€? During the year they make 13 different types of matzo, various avors, eaten by Jews and non-Jews across the country. “The process adds to Continued on page 16

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By The Jewish Star staff The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB), stepping up its campaign to win voter endorsement of its bid to buy the long-shuttered No. 6 School in Woodmere, rallied HALB supporters Tuesday night to “get out the voteâ€? on Monday, March 31. Everyone at the lightly-attended event appeared to be on message: HALB’s purchase of No. 6 — for $8.5 million plus $2.75 million in notes that would be waived as the Lawrence School District realizes anticipated transportation cost savings — was a winwin proposition for HALB, its students and faculty, the Lawrence district, and the city of Long Beach. HALB President Lawrence Hurt said that No. 6 requires an eight-to-nine million dollar renovation. “It is a signiďŹ cant projectâ€? but one that is in line with “what we expect to earn when we sell the Long Beach property,â€? he said. “It seems like every week we have a new potential bidder,â€? for the Long Beach site, he said. “There’s a lot of interest, which is a little surprising to some of us. We thought that after Sandy nobody would be interested in owning beachfront property in Long Beach, but thankfully the reality is there are a lot of people interested in building rental apartments.â€? Hurt said the city of Long Beach is happy with HALB’s planned move, since “it would create a revenue stream they don’t really haveâ€? with HALB. Continued on page 4

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During the 20 minute halftime break, viewers will have the option of shifting their attention from FOX TV to a videocast on nachumsegal.com, in what is being billed as the ďŹ rst ever “Kosher Halftime Show.â€? Lenny Solomon of Shlock Rock and a band of Jewish music elites including Avromie Weisberger, Jonathan Rimberg, Ari Boiangiu and Ethan Bill will perform, in a pre-recorded set. The usual halftime is “a key component of the big game,â€? Segal told The Jewish Star. But the acts “often contain inappropriate content and don’t

appeal to many in the Jewish crowd. We wanted to make sure that there was a quality alternative that was kosher, entertaining and fun for everyone.� The concept was not a sudden decision, he said. “I have been thinking about doing a halftime show for a while, but I Continued on page 15

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Amity Shlaes is author of three national bestsellers — The Forgotten Man, Coolidge, and The Greedy Hand. The Forgotten Man/Graphic will be published by HarperCollins in May.

Chatter about President Obama’s Affordable Care Act is everywhere, as each angle of the great reform is analyzed and debated; the U.S. Supreme Court got into the act when Justice Samuel Alito asked if through laws like Obamacare the federal government might proscribe kosher or halal butchering. But few remember that in the 1930s, a small business defendant fought back

against a similarly ambitious federal institution and actually managed to topple it. Back then, too, key parts of the story, played out in Brooklyn, touched the kosher marketplace The facts of that 1930s case evoke eerie parallels. A new administration — in that case the administration of Franklin Delano Roosevelt — had a big plan to regulate not healthcare but industry. The idea was to make companies more efďŹ cient and thereby improve the struggling economy. The New Dealers created a giant reguContinued on page 10

More than 100 shofar-carrying protestors are expected to assemble on April 29 in front of the 59th Street headquarters of the UJAFederation of NY. On cue, they will raise their curved rams’ horns and wail to the heavens in visceral unison. They are protesting their communal Edwin Black leadership. Federation’s beneďŹ ciary, the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), is the chief organizer of the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 1. The upbeat procession of oats, runners, and marchers is normally a public show of unity in support of Israel; but this year, the parade has become a maelstrom of disunity over the participation of the controversial New Israel Fund and other groups which recent revelations now link to the Boycott, Sanctions and Divestment (BDS) movement and the campaign to delegitimize Israel internationally. The outrage in some American, Jewish, and Israeli circles over the NIF’s inclusion may be more than just a passing horn OVERVIEW

Chana Kramer, program director for Merrick’s Chabad, with daughter Leah before Seder. Photo by Donovan Berthoud

Before Pesach, trash goes poof Marchers supported Israel at last year’s Israel Day Parade.

blast. Just what constitutes the Jewish mainstream? Is American Jewry about to set limits on its open tent of inclusion, a precept the community wears as a badge of honor? More than a few American Jews feel that their community has been hijacked from within by groups such as the J Street lobby, the New Israel Fund and others that constitute a powerful, well-funded minority able to wage war against Israel seemingly in the name of the Jewish people. “These groups are anti-Jewish,â€? says Judith Freedman Kadish, special project director of Americans for a Safe Israel, “and they are funding groups that are anti-Semitic. They just veil their actions by saying they are trying to inuence public

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From Israel with love Again, the world has Our brothers, our sons gone mad In times of strife, we yearn to come home When there’s a crisis at home, home is where we need to be — home is where we want to be. Beneath the darkening clouds of war that covered Israel this week, 64 new olim from the United States arrived in Medinat Israel on Tuesday. Ranging in age from 8 months to 91 years old, they made aliyah with Nefesh B’Nefesh in partnership with the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigration Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, KKL and JNF-USA.

Becky Kupchan, 26, landed from Chicago enroute to her new home in Beer Sheva in the South, where rockets were falling. “I’m not afraid,â€? she said. “I’m a Jew and I’ve always dreamed about making aliyah to Israel, my home.â€? “The olim who’ve chosen to make aliya during these challenging days are real heroes,â€? said Nefesh B’Nefesh executive director Rabbi Yehoshua Fass. “Each one of them ďŹ lls our heart with pride and great inspiration.â€?

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Dylan continued, “the chances are against it and the odds are slim; That he’ll live by the rules that the world makes for him; ’Cause there’s a noose at his neck and a gun at his back; And a license to kill him is given out to every maniac.â€? Only when missiles are no longer launched from Gaza, when tunnels providing passage to assassins are eliminated, and when the powers in Gaza acknowledge Israel’s right to exist — only then will there be lasting peace and, likely, prosperity, too. The world did not bow its collective head after the Crusades and the Inquisition and the pogroms and the myriad exiles forced upon Jews through the ages, but it appeared to ďŹ nally acknowledge its shame after the Holocaust. Now the war against

the Jews has been renewed, not just on Israel’s borders but in Paris and London and, again, even in Berlin. In this era of 140-character instant analysis, when memory is eeting, when the concept of “15 minutes of fameâ€? is a quaint relic of a much slower century, the crime against humanity perpetrated on Jews by an enlightened Europe is revisited even as an earlier chapter is forgotten and denied. s a people of the book, connected irrevocably to history, we dare not fall victim to the world’s collective amnesia. We must assert without apology our G-d-given right to live as free men and free women under G-d, in the land that G-d has given us, the land of Israel, our home. Ed Weintrob, Publisher

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L’chaim to Dr. Brown, most enduring kosher soft drink By Lonnie Ostrow

If Dr. Brown were alive today, he would take great pride in the multigenerational success of his ďŹ zzy drugstore creation. It’s 145 years after Dr. Brown’s Celery Tonic was introduced on the streets of Williamsburg, and the nostalgic brand continues to be consumed by New Yorkers and soda lovers across North America. His original celery recipe from 1869 — and his cream, ginger ale, black cherry, and root beer varieties — are staples on Passover tables and in supermarkets, kosher restaurants and delis, even immortalized in pop culture. Continued on page 2

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(',725,$/ Jew meant being a target, and by Jews who happily surrendered lives of prosperity in America to return home. Israel, pained both by the deaths of its children and those of the children of Gaza, has gone to exceptional and perhaps unprecedented lengths to minimize collateral damage, while the enemy uses its people as shields, storing their vehicles of death and hiding their commanders in schools, hospitals and mosques. s the carnage continues, we know — and we must tell the world, starting with our colleagues and acquaintances who may not understand — that the fault lies not with Israel but with Gaza’s rulers. When Israel pulled out of the strip in 2005, it left behind valuable infrastructure of housing and commerce and the promise of a good neighbor and international support, building blocks of peaceful prosperity. But the Gazan gangsters demolished what the Jews had created and replaced it with military encampments, rocket-launch sites, terror tunnels and poverty. Israel, as “the neighborhood bullyâ€? of Bob Dylan’s lyrics, is “outnumbered about a million to one ‌ criticized and condemned for being alive ‌ he’s supposed to lay down and die when his door is kicked in.â€? Well, no more.

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n a world ďŹ lled with remarkable bloodshed, the only blood that appears to matter is that taken in self-defense by Jews. Israeli-Palestinian clashes pale beside ongoing Arab-on-Arab and Muslim-onMuslim violence in Israel’s rough neighborhood. Elsewhere, 298 passengers on a civilian airliner are extinguished in a heartbeat, “insurgentsâ€? slay hundreds at a clip in Nigeria, and so many have died in conicts in Southeast Asia, Latin America and elsewhere in Africa that accurate casualty estimates are impossible. Countries at war and at peace cruelly suppress human rights — ranging from religious and political expression up to the right to life itself — which are freely accorded in the democratic, pluralistic Jewish state of Israel. With all that, it is only plucky Israel’s determination to ďŹ ght to survive that is under sustained attack. Israel has been a home to Jews for more than 3,000 years, never abandoned by a people who lamented during exile by the rivers of Babylon, “im eshkachech Yirushalayim, tishkach yeminiâ€? (“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skillâ€?). Since sovereignty was restored in 1948, Israel’s Sabras have been joined in reclaiming their arid land by Jews forced from their homes by Arab and Muslim rulers (with no compensation and no right of return), by Jews eeing oppression from behind the Iron Curtain and wherever being a

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We do not have to apologize for defending ourselves from missile attacks, writes Far Rockaway mother of 4 who now lives in Efrat

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By Malka Eisenberg As Pesach preparations came to completion, Five Towns homeowners had one less worry: what to do with the last remnants of chametz garbage generated in the last push of cleaning up before chametz prohibitions set in. Sanitary District 1, covering all of the Five Towns, was out in force providing special pickups throughout the area. For the second year, the bright green garbage Continued on page 7

policy and (end) occupation.â€? The accused organizations and their defenders in the Jewish media and within the Jewish activist community vigorously insist their activities are simply democratic dissent aimed at solving Israel’s problems. The New Israel Fund, enabled by taxpayer subsidies of its 501(c)(3) status, has been a pivotal funder of the BDS movement that wages economic war against Israel. Until 2011, the NIF was a lead supporter of the Coalition of Women for Peace, which established a global BDS infrastructure. According to NIF ďŹ nancial records, in 2008 alone, the NIF bestowed $93,457 upon the CWP; over a period of years, NIF ďŹ nancing of this organization Continued on page 8

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the world soccer tournament in Brazil, but no one was thinking about soccer that day and the teens who had come by the tens of thousands were not laughing. Naftali’s mother was speaking and a man started crying. “Did you know any of them?� asked a teen of someone in front of him. “No, did you? “ “No. None of us did; but he was my brother; our brother; they were all our brothers.� These three teenagers had captured our hearts. They were Continued on page 4

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he heat was unbearable, but no one was thinking about the heat that day; there were 150,000 people who had gathered to pay their last respects. Bus after bus unloading thousands of people who came from every part of the country — secular Jews with earrings in jeans shorts and cut-off T shirts, and ultra-Orthodox Jews in long black coats and side curls; Jews with large knitted kippot alongside those with baseball hats and soccer shirts. It was the middle of the Mondea’l,

year. He said it has assisted in the resolution of 212 cases to date. ORA’s ďŹ rst step is to attempt to “resolve the conict amicably,â€? he said. In one type of case, the woman turns to a beit din (Jewish court), the husband refuses to appear before the court, a

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Woodmere sisterhood meeting last Sunday night. “There are no two sides to every story in abuse,â€? he said. “Get refusal is never justiďŹ ed. It’s never justiďŹ ed to not give a wife a get when the marriage is over.â€? ORA assists agunot in obtaining a get by helping them navigate the Jewish and civil court systems, providing emotional comfort, rallying public support, and mustering social, communal, ďŹ nancial and legal pressure to resolve each case with the issuance of a get. Stern said the group, founded in 2002 by college students working out of a dorm room, gets as many as 200 calls and deals with about 50 cases a

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No one in Israel wanted a war. Hello, World? Are you listening? We had no choice. We were under constant rocket attack from Hamas terrorists, hundreds of rockets! Who in America would stand for that, who could live a normal life in such a situation? Tara Brafman As you sit at your computer, I wish you could just once hear an air raid siren suddenly go off at top volume. Or you’re in a supermarket, or walking your dog, or doing any other act of normal life, and you suddenly hear it. You’ve got to get to a bomb shelter FAST. If you are in Jerusalem, you have one minute. If you are in Sderot, you have Continued on page 12

W dmere turns out or agunot By Malka Eisenberg Tears coursed down her face as she detailed a history of deception and physical and emotional abuse and her fears of her ex-husband. With determination and the help of ORA (the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot), she was able to break the chain that bound her and escape with her two children with a get, a Jewish divorce. A husband’s withholding of a get is “a form of domestic abuse,� ORA Executive Director Rabbi Jeremy Stern told more than 40 women who attended a Young Israel of

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This article was sent to friends and family by former Far Rockaway resident Tara Brafman, a mother of four who made aliyah in 2006 and now lives in Efrat, Israel. Hi friends and family, We’re getting lots of concerned emails, since the missiles started hitting our area. Thank you for that. I really wanted to just say that, and sign off, Love, Tara, but‌ I have to speak out. I watch Israeli news, but am also watching CNN, Fox, and other American news reports, to see how this situation, this new war, is being covered. It is surreal to watch. I am oored at how there are videos of Gaza children, standing amidst heaps of rubble in buildings that were hit by Israeli planes; over and over, the news pictures these bombed Gaza buildings, and there are reports of Palestinians killed by Israeli strikes. The slant seems to be, “innocentâ€? Gazans attacked by Israel. What the hell? Excuse my language, but I am angry. Such a slant on reality. Such a distortion of reality.

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Super Bowl at halftime: Kosher By Malka Eisenberg Nachum Segal’s online network is bringing a kosher option to halftime for families watching the Super Bowl this Sunday. Families often watch the National Football League’s main event together, and with this year’s Super Bowl 48 (XLVIII in Roman numerals) being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, interest has been piqued in the New York area. Much of the traditional halftime show — this year featuring Bruno Mars and Red Hot Chili Peppers — is generally considered inappropriate entertainment for frum families. But there is an alternative.

m By Lonnie Ostrow ifty years ago this week, on Feb. 7, 1964 four charismatic, long-haired young men from Liverpool landed at the newly renamed JFK airport. They were met at the Pan Am arrival terminal by 5,000 screaming fans (mostly young women). Two nights later, they made their American television debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. More than 73 million people tuned in to experience what would be the start of a cultural revolution ‌and a musical love affair that has now lasted half a century. John, Paul, George and Ringo. The Beatles. Perhaps the most hyped entertainers in the history of popular culture. And remarkably, a group of four extraordinarily talented musicians who managed to exceed overwhelming expectations from the publicity buildup. The numbers are truly staggering. Twenty Beatles songs have topped the U.S. singles chart. Nineteen of their albums have hit the #1 position. They are the bestselling recording artists of all time by a wide margin, with more than 600 million albums sold worldwide. No, the Beatles were not Jewish. We can lay claim to Steven Spielberg, Barbra Streisand, Albert Einstein, Bob Dylan and Sandy Koufax. But the Fab Four? Ringo Starr had a Jewish step-father (Harry Graves). His mother, Elsie Gleave Starkey was once rumored to be of Jewish ancestry, though

From shoveling to snowboarding, snow days can be a family experience. Rabbi Abi Goldenberg, Rosh HaYeshiva at Nishmas HaTorah of Lawrence, rides with his son Yosef near his home in Lakewood after last BTD Photo Sunday’s brief snowfall.

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gregation of the Five Towns on Oakland Avenue in Cedarhurst. “We saw the unity. All the gedolim (leading rabbis) closed the yeshivot, they sent the kollelim to the levaya.â€? The mourners reected a cross section of Israeli society, from charedi to secular, since his rulings and teachings touched many. He is survived by ten children, one the current Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel. He was buried next to his wife, Margalit, who passed away at age 67 in 1994. Rabbi Yosef was born in Baghdad, Iraq, Sept. 23, 1920, the day after Yom Kippur. He immigrated to Jerusalem, then under British rule, at age four with his family. He excelled in his studies and reContinued on page 16

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By Malka Eisenberg Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, one of the greatest halachic, Torah and Talmudic minds of our generation, passed away on Monday at the age of 93 in Jerusalem. Police reported that as many as 800,000 attended his funeral that evening, ten percent of the population of Israel. The funeral procession inched along the streets of Jerusalem, through the crush of mourners, from Yeshivat Porat Yosef, where the Rav had attended school as a youth and eulogies were delivered, to his burial at the Sanhedria cemetery. “It’s a tremendous loss,� said Rabbi Yitzhak Simantov of Congregation Shaare Emunah, the Sephardic Con-

By Malka Eisenberg Want to build a ďŹ re, tie a knot and learn ďŹ rst aid — all in a Jewish context? These and other life skills are experienced by boys in sixth through 12th grades at Boy Scout troop number 613, now recruiting, in West Hempstead. Dr. Steve Mermelstein founded the troop ďŹ ve years ago at the Young Israel of Woodmere, when his son Andrew was involved in scouting. When Andrew, who attained the highest rank of Eagle scout, left for a year of study in Israel, Steve Kahn of West Hempstead became Scoutmaster and the troop moved to Congregation Anshei Shalom, where Kahn is president. Two of Kahn’s sons are in the troop. Troop 613 follows typical Boy Scout programs, “except that they are kosher and focus on mitzvot, especially if they are camping overnight,â€? Kahn said. A Shabbat overnight camping trip would include a Sefer Torah with leining (Torah reading), and learning the laws of and building an eruv before Shabbat. A two-week summer camp is run with Boston-based Jewish troop 54. Over Sukkot, troop 613 joined with Brooklyn’s Jewish troop 611 at Camp Pouch on Staten Island for a two-night camping trip. They built a sukkah out of bamboo poles and rope, ate in the sukkah everyday, davened, and slept in tents, said Kahn. Troop 613 currently has 21 members and generally meets twice a month on Sundays from 6:30 to 8 pm, working through the different advancement requirements, accruing ranks and titles, learning skills and completing projects to earn merit badges to advance in rank. The titles run through scout, tenderfoot, second class, ďŹ rst class, star, life and the highest is Eagle Scout. Kahn noted that some of the skills the scouts learn include ďŹ rst aid, CPR, cooking, ďŹ re making, hiking, camping, knowledge of the United States Constitution and, speciďŹ cally for this Jewish troop, Jewish knowledge. Some of the Jewish knowledge includes Torah, history of Israel, Jewish laws and customs, and the Jewish calendar. The scouts can earn two Jewish badges: the Ner Tamid Award for 6th to 9th graders, a prerequisite to the second Jewish badge, the Etz Chaim Award for 10th to 12th graders. When the requirements have been completed the scouts have to “demonstrate proďŹ ciency in those areas to three members of the scouting committee.â€? The Jewish committee on scouting operates under the Boy Scouts of America, said Kahn. “The goal,â€? explained Kahn, “is to develop a wellrounded individual who enters the world and is preContinued on page 16

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a young growing community. That was a big part of the simcha, the symbolism.� Mayer said a few “pioneers� moved to Inwood and the shul — located within the Five Towns-Far Rockaway eruv — Continued on page 16

Shabbat Candlelighting: 6:03 p.m. Shabbat ends 7:00 p.m. 72 minute zman 7:31 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Lech Lecha

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community that could utilize it,� he explained. The Torah was donated by the Zachter family. “The Torah was in pretty good shape,� Mayer pointed out. “It is symbolic, taking a Torah from the ashes of Europe into

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By Malka Eisenberg With music and dancing, more than 400 men, women and children welcomed a century-old Sefer Torah rescued from Europe into the growing and vibrant Bais TeďŹ la of Inwood at Yeshiva Ketana of Long Island, 321 Doughty Blvd. The event was originally planned for last autumn, but was delayed by Hurricane Sandy, that wreaked havoc one week before the scheduled date. Rabbis from across the Five Towns and Far Rockaway participated, in an inspiring display of unity. The Torah was carried with great respect and joy “very kavodik and laibydick (lively)â€? down Doughty Boulevard that was closed off by police, said Adam Mayer, board member and gabbai at Bais TeďŹ la. In the procession, from a shul member’s home on Morris Avenue to the yeshiva, congregants brought out the yeshiva’s and shul’s existing Sifrei Torah and the crowd danced jubilantly with them. Participants then had a “full sit down seuda (meal)â€? in the Yeshiva Ketana dining room. It “was packed, standing room only,â€? Mayer said. The old Torah was “still usableâ€? but had to be repaired, said Yehuda Zachter, a member of the shul’s board. The anonymous donor wanted to put it “in a vibrant

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The Jewish Star’s Kitchen columnist cries over the retirement of “an amazing human being,� and creates a delightful dish she’s calling MARIANOated fruit salad. Page 15.

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By Rabbi Boruch B. Bender Founder and president of Achiezer write the following thoughts not as an Achiezer representative, nor in any ofďŹ cial capacity, but simply as a lifelong resident of the Far Rockaway/Five Towns community. There are just certain moments that are enough to make anyone marvel at the amazing community in which we are blessed to live. As most of you no doubt recall, on Friday, Jan. 10, a sudden and unexpected sheet of ice blanketed the streets and sidewalks. It was an otherwise typical cold morning, and the frightening part was that it was mostly black ice and largely unseen to the naked eye. In a matter of moments there were literally dozens of accidents and emergencies. Cars slid into one another, mothers and children slipped and fell, and many elderly individuals suffered terrible falls and subsequent injuries. Just as quickly, our community sprang into action. Both Rabbi Kanner, venerable coordinator of Chevra Hatzalah, and the indefatigable Zvi Bokow called Achiezer, strongly suggesting that an urgent community warning be sent out immediately. Within moments the email was blasted. Dozens of shuls and individuals forwarded it to as many people as possible. Chaim Liebtag, the “never-restingâ€? president of the White Shul, called within minutes, asking what else he could do to help. Volunteers Continued on page 15

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coming ďŹ scal year. Mandated Services Reimbursement (MSR) and Comprehensive Attendance Policy (CAP), are the biggest source of state funding for day schools, he said. “CAP is tied into truancy prevention,â€? said Leb. “It’s a constitutionally permissible funding stream for private schools.â€? Schools have to take attendance and they get reimbursed for the Continued on page 12

Top prize for Jewish Star 7 Torah 4,7 Bookworm 5 Speech squashed 6 11th hour kitchen 8 Schools 18-19

VOL 12, NO 39 Q OCTOBER 11, 2013 / 7 CHESHVAN 5774

Girls and teďŹ llin 3, 13 Bookworm: Koren’s latest 5 Local rabbis at Agudah event 7 Kitchen: Super Bowl 8

State budget aids day schools By Malka Eisenberg The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center lauded sections of the just released NYS Executive budget for its increased education funding that will in turn beneďŹ t New York Jewish day schools. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s proposed budget is focusing on education funding with the goal of funneling a $500 million surplus in ďŹ scal year 2014-2015 as “enough to start all these projects,â€? explained Jeff Leb of Cedarhurst, New York Director of Political Affairs for OU Advocacy. “The governor put out a good budget for Jewish day schools,â€? Leb said, citing “positive itemsâ€? that “will bring real money to the day schools when they are passed.â€? The total education budget is almost $22 billion and increase of $807

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ders the “responsibility to maintain and ensure that the traditions of his family go on.� He and his wife Laurie have three children, graduates of local yeshivot, and are members of the Young Israel of Woodmere. Koppel’s mother, Vera, who also attended the dinner, discussed her need to bear witness to history and convey the story of Raoul Wallenberg, a man who risked his life to save more than 100,000 Jews from the Nazis in

Governor Cuomo and Jeff Leb, of Cedarhurst, New York Director of Political Affairs for OU Advocacy

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Robert Koppel, Michael Reagan (President Reagan’s son) and Wallenberg survivor Vera Koppel, at Wallenberg Heritage Foundation inaugural dinner. At right, Wallenberg memorial in Budapest.

ByJeffrey Bessen Responding to the complaints of yeshiva parents that their children’s rides to and from school were taking way too long, the Lawrence Union Free School District and the Independent Coach bus company worked over the Jewish holidays to make the runs more efďŹ cient and the trips shorter. Superintendent Gary Schall said four buses were added and that routes were changed for some students. Also, because the yeshivas were closed, drivers had time to conduct practice runs and coordinate drop-offs and pickups at schools that are closest to one another. Lawrence’s transportation system is complex. More than 7,500 students are bused to more than 75 schools across Long Island and into Brooklyn and Queens, along more than 450 routes. Schall blamed a willingness to accommodate registrants after the April 1 deadline for this year’s problems, because the late registrations necessitated pickups that weren’t included on the initial route lists. He said that the district would hold to the deadline next year. The Jewish holidays “gave the district time to regroup and look to see where the problems were,â€? Schall said. Students returned to the yeshivas on Monday. “We have a ďŹ scal responsibility to the taxpayers, and don’t add buses until we demonstrate a need,â€? Schall Continued on page 16

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design is now near perfect. Compare Iran’s nuclear weapons program to the use of gunpowder. One stuffs gunpowder into a bullet, loads it into a rie, and then ďŹ nds a marksman who can hit the target. Iran has nearly mastered all those steps, but in nuclear terms. Four technological achievements are key to completing Tehran’s nuclear weapon:

VOL 13, NO 12 Q MARCH 21, 2014 / 19 ADAR II 5774

Mercy! Catholic hospital provides The ďŹ x is on room for Shabbat food, rest, prayer Bus crunch riles

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Iran’s nukes survive bad deal While the world’s leaders are still coming to grips with the enrichment aspect of the Obama Administration’s deal to curtail Iran’s nuclear weapons program, no one has noticed that Iran’s warhead and delivery program remains untouched. Despite Tehran’s protestations that it has no intention of ever creating a nuclear weapon, Iran, in fact, has been developing a warhead for some 15 years. That

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Big win for HAFTR as host of tournament Information for this article was submitted by Joey Hoenig, HAFTR varsity coach and athletic director. Under the trying conditions of a pre-Shabbat snow storm, the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway hosted the annual HAFTR Invitational Scott Satran Memorial Tournament last weekend and came out winners in more ways than one. The event, which commemorates the life of HAFTR student athlete Scott Satran, who died in 1987, is the premier tristate yeshiva high school basketball tournament, including Riverdale’s SAR, Connecticut’s Waterbury Yeshiva, Brooklyn’s Magen David and YDE, the North Shore Hebrew Academy, and the Five Towns’ DRS, HANC and HAFTR. But basketball was only part of the story. With a blizzard heading towards Long Island, all teams needed to arrive early on Thursday and housing and food arranged through Shabbat for 150 boys. The HAFTR Hawks opened It’s North Shore v. HAFTR in a criti- the tournament by beating the HANC Hurricanes on Thursday cal match over the weekend. night by 33, the beginning of its great run. The Hawks then faced a tough DRS Wildcats team, the eventual winners of the tournament’s Tier 2 championship, on Friday afternoon. DRS, down by 10 in the fourth quarter, refused to lose and tied the game with 30 seconds to go. But Alec Schonfeld’s buzzerbeater at the end of regulation tamed the Wildcats and propelled HAFTR to an electrifying 42-40 win. Shabbat couldn’t come soon enough for these boys. Continued on page 9

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Lost and found: Incredible Super Bowl mincha 13 Birthright OKs more free trips 4 Sima’s wonderful life 8

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Shalhevet HS eyes eating disorders 3 Rep. McCarthy retires 3 Bookworm 5 Schools 8 Calendar 14

Here’s what’s happening: The Star’s Calendar is back Page 2 Mt. Sinai is coming to Hewlett Page 6 Bookworm: Creation, ood, tefďŹ lin, mezuzah Page 6 Election season: Nassau’s county exec Page 14

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STAR Post-Israel inspiration: DRS minyan

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By Malka Eisenberg After the much anticipated year in yeshiva or midrasha has come and gone, the students return to earth from a spiritual high in the rariďŹ ed environment of Torah learning in Israel. Back in the U.S., many struggle to establish a college experience that continues their Torah high. To facilitate and maintain a yeshiva connection in the students, Rabbi Yisroel Kaminetsky, menahel (principal) of the Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) High School for Boys in Woodmere, has initiated a periodic Shabbat minyan (the next one is this Shabbat, Dec. 7). All single post-high school young men and women are invited. About 50 young men and 30 young women, mostly alumni from DRS and Stella K. Abraham High School for Girls (SKA), attended the ďŹ rst minyan on Oct. 26 in the DRS Bait Midrash, 700 Ibsen St., Woodmere. Rabbi 5DEEL Yisroel Kaminetsky, DRS

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Hewlett’s menorah on ice

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Kaminestsky’s wife Elisheva Kaminetsky is a teacher and administrator at SKA. He said that “a lot more than I expectedâ€? came but he anticipates “a lot moreâ€? will come in the future. “Young men and women come back from learning in Israel where they are exposed to yeshiva davening and get very inspired, spending time in Israel with like-minded students. When they come back they don’t have anywhere to daven with a common bond,â€? he said. “Most shuls are geared to adults,â€? he said. “It’s different, they get lost and have no opportunity to lead the teďŹ llah, to lain (read from the Torah). [In this minyan] there are more opportunities for the kids to get involved in leading the teďŹ llah, laining, as gabbai [sexton].â€? He emphasized that the minyan is “for students, not adults,â€? and he wants the “kids to take over and lead it.â€? Its intent is “not to take away from regular minyanim,â€? he said. He said that through this minyan, rabbis and teachers Continued on page 2

By Malka Eisenberg After 69 years, a Cedarhurst psychologist and Holocaust survivor was reunited this week with the son of the family who sheltered him and his family for two years during the Holocaust. The men embraced as Polziec arrived at JFK Airport from Mielec, Poland, then travelled to the Gerstner home on Albermarle Road to light the menorah on the ďŹ rst night of Chanukah. “When we were in hiding we couldn’t celebrate Chanukah,â€? Gerstner explained at the candle lighting. “This is an opportunity to celebrate together. We celebrate the victory over our enemies.â€? They sat side by side on the sofa in the Gerstner living room, Gerstner speaking animatedly in awless American English, Polziec speaking Polish, answering questions through a translator, occasionally saying an English phrase. They repeatedly reached out and grasped each other’s hands, and during the emotional conversation would at times hug, as family members and cameramen swirled around them. “I am very happy to be here,â€? said Czeslaw. “I regret that it took so long to meet.â€? Gerstner said that his grandparents had a farm in Poland and his mother was a peddler. They had some connection with the Polziec family in the town of Frysztak. “They must have taken pity on her,â€? he surmised. 'U /HRQ *HUVWHQ DQG &]HVODZ 3RO]LHF DW *HUVWHQÂśV KRPH LQ &HGDU In July 1942, a few days before most of the Jewish residents KXUVW RQ :HGQHVGD\ QLJKW -HZLVK 6WDU SKRWR E\ Malka Eisenberg Continued on page 12

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Shabbat Candlelighting: 4:10 pm. Shabbat ends: 5:13 pm. 72 minute zman: 5:41 pm. This week’s Torah Reading: Vayigash

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Iron Cross to Jewish Star: How a Nazi’s son became a Jew

North Woodmere’s Midreshet Shalhevet NCSY JUMP team ran an Israel education night at the Temple Hillel Hebrew School. The children were taught about their Jewish homeland and history through stories, games and crafts. They learned about and tasted the seven species and decorated and ate blue and white cookies.

Fusing Torah, martial arts in ďŹ ght against bullying By Malka Eisenberg After years of training in various forms of self defense, Eilon Even-Esh found his calling two years ago when he targeted the needs of students who had been bullied. He deconstructed the incidents, giving them emotional

Eilon Even Esh teaches defense against a knife attack in one of his classes.

and tactical tools and answers to their abuse. Even-Esh is teaching Krav Maga twice a week in Woodmere for men to learn ďŹ tness and self defense skills. Benjamin Wolf arranged the class and explained why with a dvar Torah. “A person must be a whole human being, a mensch, before he can be a proper vessel for Torah. That’s why the parshios of Bereishis and the beginning of Shmos, which teach midos and derech eretz, how to be a mensch, a whole person, precede the mitzvos between man and Hashem in the Torah. I am therefore working on no longer neglecting my health and ďŹ tness. Hopefully, that will make me a healthier ‘vessel’ for Torah.â€? Wolf learns from 6 to 7 am, davens Shacharit at 7 at Aish Kodesh and participates in the Krav Maga class there from 7:45 to 8:45, then catches the 9:06 train to the city. “I tried to set it up at a time and location that’s so convenient to remove any excuse not to do it!â€? he told The Jewish Star. For the last two years, Even-Esh has been teaching his unique martial arts classes, stressing the importance of ďŹ tness, tied to

Jewish Wollschlaeger holding a Torah, and a picture of his Nazi father, on cover of his book.

‘Casablanca’ warned U.S. Hitler would get you next By Robert Gluck, JNS.org On Feb. 14, many Americans view screenings of “Casablanca.â€? As time goes by, the Jewish inuences on the Oscar-winning 1940s romantic ďŹ lm become more apparent. Jews involved in the production of “Casablancaâ€? include Murray Burnett, the

author of the play on which the movie was based, director Michael Curtiz, screenwriters Philip and Julius Epstein and Howard Koch, producer Hal Wallis, composer Max Steiner, and actor Peter Lorre (born LĂĄszlĂł LĂśwenstein). “Burnett wrote the play Continued on page 13

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‘Cast Lead’ triumph in Woodmere By Malka Eisenberg Five years have passed since Operation Cast Lead was launched to suppress terrorist rocket ďŹ re from Gaza into Israel, ďŹ ve years since paratroop commander and young chatan (groom) Aharon Karov was severely injured and Jews the world over prayed for his survival. Karov stood before a packed room at the Young Israel of Woodmere on Saturday night, speaking in Hebrew about the many operations, rehabilitation, hard work and prayer that brought him there. He also spoke at HALB’s DRS high school in Woodmere, Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, Congregation Shaarey Tefilah in Lawrence, and Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst during his visit to New York. He now works as a role model and educator, promoting Jewish uniIDF Cast Lead hero Aha- ty and identity in high schools, colron Karov at Rambam leges and military bases throughout Israel. He runs Shabbatons as director of IDF special programs for Panim el Panim (PLP), an organization established in Israel in 2005 to spread Jewish religion, heritage and identity among secular Israelis. Karov, 28, was born in Karnei Shomron to Rabbi Zev and Chaya Karov; he has ďŹ ve siblings. He studied in his father’s yeshiva, Yeshivat Halichot Olam high school, and after two years at the Yeshivot of Netzarim and Karnei Shomron, joined the 890 division of paratroopers. He married Tzvia Mordechai of Kedumim Continued on page 13

Coach hugs Lior Hod, who is wearing a yellow T-shirt listing Coach Halpert’s accomplishments: “5 children, 19 grandchildren, 968 games, 3,360 practices, 1 million phone calls, Photo by Tamar Smith inďŹ nite lives touched. 42 years with Coach Halpert ‌ priceless.â€?

By Malka Eisenberg “I have a lot more to give.â€? Dr. Jonathan Halpert, Yeshiva University’s men’s basketball coach for 42 years, spoke with The Jewish Star after his ďŹ nal game, in which he led the YU Maccabees to a 60-57 win over Maritime College on YU’s home court. The Saturday night game turned into a “beautiful send-offâ€? for the beloved coach, said Woodmere attorney Jerry Joszef. “I owe him everything,â€? Joszef said. “To say I love him is an understatement. I learned kindness through the kindness he showed me.â€? Joszef attended YU from 1973-1977 and played forward. YU announced on Feb. 10 that Halpert would “conclude his service at the end of the 2013-14 season,â€? said in a statement attributed to President Richard Joel that “Dr. Halpert’s caring commitment, as both mentor and coach, to his players and the YU community has made a difference for more than four decades. “His legacy and lasting contribution to the University will be remembered each time our student athletes step onto the court that carries his name.â€? When advised that his contract would not be renewed, Halpert said in an email to his players past and present that YU’s statement was “the corporate way of telling me that I have been ďŹ red.â€? Halpert said the president had demanded he announce his retirement in May 2013 but that he was not ready to retire. He said he is “very disappointedâ€? by Joel’s decision, but “I will never allow one decision made by one person in one moment of time to negate the wonderful experiences and associations that I have enjoyed over the past forty two years. My love and admiration for Yeshiva University, its administrators, faculty and students remain as strong as ever.â€? YU said it would “soon embark on a nationwide search to identify Halpert’s successorâ€? and declined to discuss Halpert’s termination. “We do not comment on personnel matContinued on page 2

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Torah values and focusing on the individual needs of the client. He has taught Krav Maga as an after school club sport at DRS Yeshiva High School in

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Shabbat Candlelighting: 5:25 p.m. Shabbat ends: 6:30 p.m. 72 minute zman: 6:52 p.m. Torah Reading: Vayakhel

Achiezer’s Krias Megilah Program is back for another year! Last year, volunteers in the Five Towns and Far Rockaway performed more than 45 lainings and enhanced the Purim celebration for many in our community.

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Rabbi Yecheskel Kaminsky on the phone at Kitov Bookstore.

By Malka Eisenberg Far Rockaway’s Jewish community is loosing one of its few remaining commercial anchors. After 35 years of providing a full range of seforim, from the esoteric to the familiar, Rabbi Yecheskel Kaminsky will shutter his Kitov Hebrew Books and Gifts after Passover. Located at 1847 Mott Ave., on an active business street that is home to a church and a hair salon that offers tattoos, the store has remained a destination for book

enthusiasts from near and far even as most of Far Rockaway’s frum shoppers gravitated to the Five Towns. When Kaminsky ďŹ rst opened, Far Rockaway had numerous Jewish-centric establishments. Now, what remains are Kosher World Supermarket and Kosher Pizza World, both around the corner from Kitov on Cornaga Avenue. “There’s no reason to come to Mott Avenue anymore,â€? Rabbi Yitzchak Friedman, a rebbe at Rambam Mesivta in Lawrence, Continued on page 12

Thanks, Joe! Jew-hating Soviet Reds birthed ‘Apartheid Week’ By Ben Cohen, JNS.org #Rethink2014 is one of the more creative Twitter hashtags I’ve recently encountered. Launched by students opposing the hatefest otherwise known as “Israeli Apartheid Week� (IAW), the hashtag is designed for incorporation into tweets that explain why this ghastly annual event is a series of calumnies and lies from beginning to end. Some examples: “I oppose Israel Apartheid Week because I know what apartheid actually means.� “I oppose Israel Apartheid Week because I’m sitting next to an Arab-Israeli Muslim IDF soldier on the bus in Jerusalem.� “I oppose Israel Apartheid Week because it promotes anti-Semitism on campus.� There are literally thousands of tweets in similar fashion, in yet another demonstration of the pushback against the IAW bigots that has, thankfully, gathered pace this year.

My own contribution to the hashtag, I have to confess, might have been a little obscure. “I oppose Israeli Apartheid Week because the analogy is a smear invented by the antiSemitic USSR,â€? I said. But there is, in my view, an important truth here that I want to elaborate on. After the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, the Soviet Union became the main source of statesponsored anti-Semitism in the world. The Communist leader Joseph Stalin, who counterposed ideas of patriotism to the “internationalismâ€? of his opponents in the party, started depicting Jews as a disloyal ďŹ fth column whose true allegiance was to Zionism, rather than the socialist motherland. (Sound familiar?) Amidst all the dark talk of “rootless cosmopolitansâ€?—a euphemism for “Jewsâ€?—Stalin, many historians now agree, began making plans for a mass deportation of Jewish citizens to SiContinued on page 6

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Shabbat Candlelighting 5:34 pm. Shabbat ends 6:45 pm. 72 minute zman 7:04 pm. Torah Reading: Vayikra • Move clocks ahead at 2 am March 9. Change smoke detector batteries.

Shabbat Candlelighting: 5:26 p.m. Shabbat ends: 6:40 p.m. 72 minute zman: 7:02 p.m. Torah Reading: Pekudei. Mevorchim Chodesh Adar II

If you are a baal koreh and can lain the Megilah on Purim for our elderly, disabled or home-bound neighbors who are unable to attend shul, please sign up today. Additionally, if you or anyone you know requires this service, please contact Achiezer.

In both cases, call (516) 791-4444 or email purim@achiezer.org and Achiezer will be glad to make the necessary arrangements for you. Purim falls on 14 Adar, which this year corresponds with motzei Shabbat, March 15, and Sunday, March 16.

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W. Hemp man pens map thru cancer’s mineďŹ eld Pray for our boys 5 Towns and Rock shuls join organized tehilim recitals to bid for Hashem’s aid By Malka Eisenberg Shuls from the Five Towns and Far Rockaway called on members to pray and adopt additional good deeds in a spiritual effort to help ďŹ nd and free three Israeli boys kidnapped by terrorists last week. Two 16-year-old students of Yeshivat Mekor Chaim in Kfar Etzion joined a 19 year old student of Yeshivat Shavei Hevron at a recognized hitchhiking spot on the road by Elon Shvut in Judea Thursday night at about 10 pm. Bus rides are infrequent in the area and residents and students often get rides from passing cars driven by Jewish residents of the many towns in the Gush area and beyond. On Long Island and in New York, inboxes were ooded with desperate emails calling on recipients to say cer-

By Malka Eisenberg Five Towners mobilized on Sunday to step up the ďŹ ght to preserve and develop the 3,000-year-old Jerusalem cemetery on Har Hazeitim, the Mount of Olives. Community leaders and rabbis spoke at the Young Israel of Lawrence Cedarhurst, joining a call to action sounded by a Brooklyn marketing executive and his brother. The cemetery dates back to the First Temple and is the site where King David ed from his rebelling son Avshalom, where the Cohanim burned the parah adumah (red heifer) and gathered the ashes, and it was the ďŹ rst in a chain of mountains where ďŹ res were lit to announce the new month. Those buried there include the prophets Chagai, Zechariah, Malachi and Hulda; rabbis including Ovadiah of Bartenura, Yehuda haChasid, Chaim Ben Attar and Avraham haCoContinued on page 3

tain chapters of tehillim (psalms) and to resolve to study Torah for the captives and undertake to increase the doing of good deeds. Rabbi Moshe Weinberg led Congregation Aish Kodesh in saying two perakei tehillim before Musaf on Shabbat. A prayer rally was held Sunday night at the Chofetz Chaim Torah Center of Rabbi Aryeh Ginzberg in Cedarhurst. The Young Israel of Woodmere held a communal prayer rally Monday night at 10 pm that included many neighborhood shuls and schools. At Kneseth Israel — the White Shul in Far Rockaway — Rabbi Eytan Feiner held a kenes tehilim at mincha on Monday, and then spoke to the men and women gathered there. He Continued on page 11

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Non-kosher Anatomy of ‘mom’ quits a ceaseďŹ re By Dmitriy Shapiro, JNS.org Washington Jewish Week After at least 11 failed attempts at achieving a lasting ceaseďŹ re between the Hamas terrorist group and Israel, negotiators in Cairo on Tuesday announced that they reached an indeďŹ nite ceaseďŹ re deal. But will the agreement, whose parameters are not yet fully apparent, hold up this time around? Some experts are skeptical because the talks leading up to the deal lacked the three major elements they believe are required for a successful ceaseďŹ re: negative leverage, positive leverage, and a credible third-party broker. Before Tuesday, a delegation of Israeli ofďŹ cials had shuttled between Israel and Egypt for weeks to participate in indirect talks with Palestinian Authority ofďŹ cials representing Fatah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip, with Continued on page 3

Analysis

Having the initial plan rejected is part of the process, he said. The zoning board reviews proposed changes, and then either denies them or grants approval. Previously HALB said that renovations to the building are needed to make better use of classroom space and public areas, install a new roof and windows to improve energy efďŹ ciency, put in a state-of-the-art heating and air conditioning system, along with new electrical and plumbing systems that comply with current building codes. Lawrence board president Murray Forman did not return calls for comment. A version of this report by Jeffrey Bessen ďŹ rst appeared in this week’s Nassau Herald.

COMMUNITY MEETS AT YILC

By Malka Eisenberg People from all streams of Judaism and non-Jews as well stood shoulder to shoulder in Manhattan’s Dag Hammarskjold Plaza on Monday in a display of unity and support for Israel. The South Shore Jewish communities were well represented; buses brought participants from many shuls and organizations including the Young Israels of Woodmere and West Hempstead and the Five Towns JCC; others traveled by car and train. Three Zionist Orthodox camps — Moshava, Mesora and MoContinued on page 11

By Malka Eisenberg About 500 men and women ďŹ lled the main sanctuary of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst Tuesday evening for the completion of the entire Mishna for the shloshim (30th day memorial service) after the murder of kidnapped Naftali Frankel, Gilad Shaer and Eyal Yifrach. Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of YILC, who led the community-wide gathering, said that the three boys’ souls “should have an aliyahâ€? noting that they served Hakodosh Baruch Hu and that the tragedy of their blood brought Am Yisrael together. Rabbi Menachem Mendel Blachman, associate rosh yeshiva at Yeshivat Kerem B’Yavneh, said we look to ďŹ nd answers in tragedies but must live without answers. Despair over loss is natural, he said, and should lead to a return to religious aware5DEEL 0RVKH 7HLWHOEDXP ness and priorities. -HZLVK 6WDU 'RQRYDQ %HUWKRXG Responsive readings of Tehillim 20, 120, 121 and 142 were led by Rabbi Hershel Billet of Young Israel of Woodmere, Rabbi Ariel Rackovsky of the Irving Place Minyan, Rabbi Ari Perl of the Atlantic Beach Jewish Center, and Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz of Beis Haknesses of North Woodmere, respectively. Cantor Joel Kaplan of Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence sang a mishebairach (blessing) for Israeli soldiers. Leading up to Tuesday’s shloshim, many people across the communities of the Five Towns contributed learning towards completing the Mishna and Hillel Tuchman read and explained the ďŹ nal Mishna in Uktzin. After the kaddish, a kel maleh rachamim (G-d full of mercy) prayer was recited for the three boys and another for the fallen IDF soldiers. Rabbi Blachman said that every Jew carries an aspect of G-dliness, each has a mission and is a unique Continued on page 11

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ast week, my son Jeremy got engaged. To say I was thrilled is an understatement. I could not have picked a more perfect girl for him. Darya is charming, delightful, intelligent, fun loving, beautiful, caring and sweet. As soon as I got the call that they were engaged, memories started dancing in my mind: Judy Joszef when he was born, his ďŹ rst birthday, his ďŹ rst day of school, ďŹ rst day of camp and his ďŹ rst tooth. I attended every one of his basketball, hockey, baseball and soccer games. I sat in the stands cheering as if he were starring on the Rangers playing at The Garden. Continued on page 17

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Mother Kelly’s, one of the last remaining treif restaurants in Cedarhurst, is closing following the sale of its building, the Nassau Herald reported this week. Mother Kelly’s will end 45 years of service at its prominent location opposite the Cedarhurst train station on Sunday, Aug. 31, said Glenn Gobetz, who runs the establishment with his brother Mark and sister Lisa. “Over the years the local community has become an Orthodox town,� Glenn said. “Our father was Jewish, but our mother isn’t. We would have to keep kosher to run this restaurant.� In 1969, Marvin Gobetz and his wife, Dorothy, took over the restaurant, originally located on Columbia Avenue. Its previous owners named it Mother Kelly’s, and Dorothy decided to retain the name. Marvin died in 1984. Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department Commissioner Joe Fitzgerald praised Mother Kelly’s philanthropic efforts. “I have never known them to turn down anyone’s requests to donate to charities,� he said.

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The Hebrew Academy of Long Beach (HALB) has ďŹ led a tentative plan with the Town of Hempstead’s Zoning Board of Appeals for its use of the Number Six School in Woodmere. HALB is purchasing the 6.67-acre site, which includes a 80,170-square-foot school building, for $8.5 million plus $2.7 million that will be held as a guarantee that Lawrence Board of Education realizes at least $565,000 in annual savings on what the district now spends on transportation and special education for HALB students. “I actually believe that the annual savings will far exceed that estimate — if [HALB’s] student enrollment stays close to what it is today, the numbers will be higher,â€? said HALB President Lance Hirt. In two years, HALB is expected to move its Long Beach-based elementary school — which houses kindergarten through eighth grade, currently 800 students — from a beachfront building on West Broadway to the Church Avenue site, ofďŹ cials previously said. HALB expects to sell its Long Beach building. “We know that our initial plan will be rejected given the fact that we are making some minor changes to the current layout and use of the site,â€? Hirt said.

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By Alex Traiman, JNS.org As a well-respected parliamentarian who has served as the government’s Minister of Communications and the speaker of the Knesset, Israeli presidentelect MK Reuven “Rubyâ€? Rivlin has the expected proďŹ le for his position. But when he takes the reins in July, Rivlin’s strong nationalistic ideology and low-key international presence will provide an immediate contrast to outgoing President Shimon Peres. “He won’t have the international stature of Shimon Peres, who was a former prime minister, defense minister, and foreign minister,â€? said pollster Mitchell Barak, director of Keevoon Research and a former spokesperson for Peres in the OfďŹ ce of the President. Barak told JNS.org that there is a “stark contrastâ€?

and in the 1990s, it seemed, at least to me, that absolutely everyone could recall what they were doing at the moment the world learned that Mandela had been released after serving 27 years in a South African jail.

gathered unto his people. Remember for him the righteousness which he has done. Remember, O L-rd, how he exempliďŹ ed the ďŹ nest qualities of your servant Joseph, about whose great leadership, generosity of spirit and powers of forgiveness, we read in your Hebrew Bible. Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, was thrown into a pit with snakes and scorpions by his brothers who were ďŹ lled with hatred and jealousy towards him; and he was then sold into slavery and exiled from his father and from his home for 22 years,

Joseph recalled in leader’s push for reconciliation over vengeance Dr. Warren Goldstein, South Africa’s chief rabbi, delivered this prayer at the internationally televised memorial service for Nelson Mandela at FNB Stadium. G-d and King, who is full of compassion, G-d of the spirits of all esh, in whose hands are the souls of the living and the dead, receive, we beseech You, in Your great loving kindness, the soul of Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela who has been

I certainly remember where I was on February 11, 1990, when Mandela ďŹ nally exited prison. Along with thousands of others, I stood at the gates of the South African Embassy in London, an imposing Continued on page 14

many of which, due to a terrible injustice, were spent in jail. Joseph emerged from jail to become a leader and head of government of a mighty nation, and, when he was reunited with his brothers, had the opportunity to exact vengeance and justice. And yet, Joseph, the righteous, transcended his personal pain and need for retribution by forgiving his brothers so his family would not be torn apart and destroyed forever. So too, Oh L-rd, your servant Nelson Mandela, like the biblical Joseph, rose up from jail to become President of a mighty Continued on page 14

By Malka Eisenberg Kulanu, the Five Towns-based organization that helps children with special needs and their families, will honor three of its founding members — Jewish Star Kitchen columnist Judy Joszef and Alyssa and Leslie Sterba — at its annual scholarship dinner on Dec. 21, motzei Shabbat, at the Sephardic Temple in Cedarhurst. Kulanu came together in 1999 as a peer-led support group for parents of children with physical and developmental disabilities who wanted their children to be able to be a part of the community’s Jewish cultural, social -XG\ -RV]HI and educational opportunities. They brought their concerns to local rabbis, and awareness was raised through the Orthodox Caucus Torah Ethics Project. Kulanu partners with local synagogues and schools to provide the children — from age two through adulthood — with Jewish cultural and value-based programming. In doing so, Kulanu has opened a broad range of educational, chesed and tzedaka opportunities to the community. They also help parents deal with the daily challenges they face and facilitate their getting medical, social or educational services. Joszef has been active in Kulanu since its founding, Continued on page 2

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THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 11 Q MARCH 14, 2014 / 12 ADAR II 5774

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Five Towners at the New York State House in Albany are, from left: Maury Litwack, Jeff Leb, Rabbi Baruch Rothman, Sarah Yastrab, Tara Seidel, Matthew Nathan (front row, in blue shirt), Cal Nathan, Katie Glickman, Lt. Gov. Robert Duffy, Ariel Balsam, Devorah Goldman, Dov Elias, Ira Balsam, Jake Adler and Roslyn Singer.

5 Towners ock to Albany to lobby for yeshiva cash By Malka Eisenberg As the state’s budget negotiations intensiďŹ ed with the April 1 deadline approaching, representatives from six Five Towns schools headed to Albany last week to raise awareness among legislators of the community’s number one need: Tuition relief for yeshiva families. “It’s important to me to advocate on behalf of our community,â€? explained Cal Nathan, a HAFTR (Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway) parent and Woodmere resident, who with his son Mathew joined 12 others in boarding a van from Young Israel of Lawrence-

Cedarhurst to Albany. “There are many things that I could have been doing, but whatever business I had for the day stood by for the day.â€? Nathan pointed out that even with both parents working, each with their own salaries combining for a $200,000 income, after taxes, yeshiva tuition, food and clothing, it’s a challenge to make ends meet. This is the ďŹ rst time the OU has done a regional-speciďŹ c mini mission, said Jake Adler, associate Director For Field Operation of OU Advocacy-Teach NYS. Other areas going to Albany include Brooklyn

on March 18, and Manhattan, Riverdale and Westchester on March 19. “The OU ‌ is asking the government to reimburse us for the mandated expenses,â€? Nathan said. “We need to ďŹ x this issue, the community needs something to change on a State level, [to deal with] the onerous burden of tuition. We pay taxes, we vote, it’s an equity issue.â€? Nathan said that all of the elected ofďŹ cials the Five Towns delegation met were supportive. Jeff Leb, New York director of OU Advocacy and a resident of Cedarhurst, Continued on page 12

DRS CHAMPS Wildcats down Flatbush By Yitzchak Carroll A combination of motivation and teamwork led the Davis Renov Stahler (DRS) Wildcats to their ďŹ rst junior varsity basketball title in the Woodmere school’s history, as they defeated the Flatbush Falcons by a score of 43-25 to win the Metropolitan Yeshiva High School Athletic League championship, at Yeshiva University in Manhattan on March 9. “The key to our victory was motivation,â€? Wildcats guard Eytan Aryeh said. “We were all motivated to get to our goal of the championship and didn’t let anything get in our way.â€? Both teams entered the game undefeated, each touting Continued on page 12

By Malka Eisenberg A heated roundtable discussion among parents of special needs students and Kulanu administrators on one of the coldest nights last week exposed the raw wounds of bullying and attempted to ďŹ nd solutions to solve this age-old recurring problem. “I have adults who still talk about middle and high school where they were maligned,â€? said Jonathan Cooper, LCSW, Director of Inclusion and Community Support Services at Kulanu Academy in Cedarhurst, that services special needs children. He said children who were bullied often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as adults, “purposely avoiding their peer group.â€? Cooper began by discussing bullying as it pertains to “typicalâ€? students, not special needs students. Bullying, he noted, leads to poor academics. He said that males often bully with physical aggression, frequently during lunch or recess, females via social environment, and that both forms are isolating (other students will not associate with the bullied student for fear of becoming a target as well). He cited statistics: Bullies are ďŹ ve times more likely to commit crimes, 200,000 kids stay home each day from school because of bullying, 43 percent of 10,000 middle school students in a study said they were bullied in the last month and special needs kids are bullied 50 percent more than typical students. Bullies are often popular and socially astute and from stable homes but are looking for power, he said. They also test to see if a child reacts to teasing and if they do, they “hit pay dirtâ€? and the bullied child becomes a “source of entertainment.â€? Signs that a child is being bullied include not wanting to go to school, unexplained torn items, a change in the child’s mood, unexplained bruises, statements that don’t make sense and poor self esteem, he said. Special needs students are “more vulnerableâ€? since they “look typical but have deďŹ ciencies and are thus targeted,â€? explained Amy Eisenberg, director, Keren Eliana Parent Advocacy & Resource Center (PARC), a division of Kulanu. The Kulanu moderators explained that “special needs can be very annoying; they are ďŹ xated and it’s exhausting for others, they do things over and over and Continued on page 12

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We will never forget ‘When Hashem gives you rest from all your enemies, in the Land Hashem gives you as an inheritance to possess it, you shall wipe out the memory of Amalek from under the heaven — you shall not forget!’ Devarim 25:17-19

How do we react?

Tears at funera s

By Rabbi Hershel Billet Young Israel of Woodmere I have one foot out the door on my way to Israel in a few hours. My plans for this trip will be dramatically altered in light of the crushing news that the bodies of our three sons have been found murdered in cold blood. But I cannot leave without penning a few hastily collected thoughts. We are

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between Peres and Rivlin. Peres, at age 90, continues to be a vocal supporter of a two-state solution, and was an architect of the now-defunct Oslo peace process—a role for which he was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize along with former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and arch-terrorist Yasser Arafat in the early ’90s. The 74-year-old Rivlin, on the other hand, is an opponent of a two-state solution and a promoter of what he calls “a greater Israelâ€? between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, in which Palestinians would be granted full and equal rights. Rivlin opposed Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from Gaza in 2005. The post of president carries signiďŹ cant weight in Israel, even though most of the president’s functions Continued on page 14

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By Malka Eisenberg With the expansion of kosher megastores in heavily Jewish neighborhoods throughout metropolitan New York coinciding with the demise of small haimishe bakeries, butchers and grocery stores, at least one small kosher shop is swimming against the tide on Long Island’s South Shore. Shop Glatt Mart, at 172 E Park Ave. in Long Beach, is a tiny fraction of the size of Gourmet Glatt, Seasons, Brach’s or Pomegranate, but it’s large in soul and community impact. Owned and operated by Moshe and Esti Zaghi since 1996, Shop Glatt Mart has been Long Beach’s frum food mainstay through thick and thin — including the destruction and economic vacuum wrought by Hurricane Sandy, and now the impending departure of the Hebrew Academy of Long Beach, whose beachfront elementary school will soon relocate to Woodmere. “After Sandy they were devastated,â€? said Dr. Chaim Wakslak, rav of the Young Israel of Long Beach and the store’s kosher supervisor. “They suffered a great deal. At one point they were thinking of not opening.â€? But the store “is critical to the communityâ€? and the couple “very much liked,â€? he said, and the Zaghis “got a substantial grant from the community to repair the damage and upgrade the store signiďŹ cantly. People have allegiance Continued on page 13

By Ed Weintrob Rabbi Hershel Billet discussed how to appropriately encourage a recalcitrant spouse to deliver a get, and voiced support for the Organization for the Resolution of Agunot (ORA), at a parlor meeting in Woodmere on motzei Shabbat. “Halacha says that when a marriage is over you’re supposed to give a get — it’s very simple,� he said. “Fight in civil court all you want, but the Jewish responsibility is to give the get.� Billet, rav of the Young Israel of Woodmere,

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THE JEWISH VOL 13, NO 36 Q SEPT. 12, 2014 / 17 ELUL 5774

Shabbat candlelighting 8:10 pm. Shabbat ends 9:21 pm. 72 minute zman 9:43 pm. ParshatBalak.

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told about 75 community members, at the home of Rachel and Marc Fries, that to do otherwise is not “legal halachic abuse,â€? but rather “counter to halacha.â€? A get should be given “unconditionally and in a timely fashion,â€? said ORA Executive Director Rabbi Jeremy Stern. “There should be no strings attached and there should be no delay. Once the marriage is irreconcilable and there is no chance for shalom bais there is no excuse for the get not to be given.â€? Stern said ORA has helped resolve 220 aguna cases in the 12 years since it was founded by students at Yeshiva University. In the last 12 months, its eight staff members and numerous volunteers ďŹ elded 162 calls, and at any given time they are actively involved in around 50 cases, he said. If mediation fails, ORA will use “all halachically acceptable and civilly legal forms of pressureâ€? to facilitate delivery of a get. The group is also engaged in an educational process. ‘They don’t teach how to get divorced in yeshiva high school and Bais Yaacov,â€? Stern said, so last year ORA took its message to 3,000 students. Continued on page 8

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By Ben Cohen, JNS.org In the coming days, there will be much reection on the life and legacy of Nelson Mandela, following the former South African president’s passing on Dec. 5. And in the coming weeks, we can anticipate a febrile exchange over his true views on Israel and the Middle East. We shouldn’t underestimate the signiďŹ cance of such a debate. Mandela has entered the pantheon of 20th-century ďŹ gures who exercised the most extraordinary inuence over global events, touching the lives of ordinary mortals in the process. In the 1940s, many Britons could tell you exactly where they were when Churchill delivered his famous “Blood, Sweat and Tearsâ€? speech to the House of Commons; in the 1960s, it was hard to ďŹ nd an American who couldn’t remember his or her precise location when the news of Kennedy’s assassination came through;

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in its ďŹ rst year, to Yeshiva University’s Graduate Program in Advanced Talmudic Study. She earned an M.A. in Tanach from Yeshiva University’s Bernard Revel Graduate School. When Nishmat, the Jeanie Schottenstein Center for Advanced Torah Study for Women in Jerusalem, brought its yoatzot halacha proContinued on page 2

Kulanu honors Sterbas and Mandela and Zion: It’s complicated Star’s Joszef /LVD 6HSWLPXV )LYH 7RZQV <RHW]HW +DOFKD

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By Malka Eisenberg He had a secure life — a wonderful wife, two beautiful daughters, a great career, nice house — until the great disrupter hit: a cancer diagnosis. West Hempstead lawyer and now survivor of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) Howard Bressler is determined to use his experiences ďŹ ghting cancer to help others. Since the beginning of his treatment, he has counseled other cancer patients; now he is seeking to increase his ďŹ eld of inuence. He has written a book, intertwining his experiences with advice and guidance on the path from diagnosis to cure and life after. As much as cancer is a life-changing experience, there is life after cancer. The book, “The Layman’s Guide to Surviving Cancer: From Diagnosis Through TreatContinued on page 11

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By Malka Eisenberg More than 1,000 attendees from along the east coast are expected to attend an all-encompassing full day conference on the Shoah at Hofstra University. The June 8 event, entitled “Generations,â€? will feature speakers, ďŹ lms, workshops, panel discussions and reunion rooms. It is being staged by the Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County (HMTC). More than 100 organizations are involved, according to Beth Lilach, senior director of education and community &KLOGÂśV VKRH IRXQG DW $XVFKZLW] affairs at HMTC. It is VRRQ WR EH GLVSOD\HG DW +07& being held now “because it is getting to the point in time when eyewitnesses to the Holocaust and World War II are passing on,â€? Lilach said. “We are bringing together Holocaust survivors and WWII veterans who were liberators and second and third generation children and grandchildren.â€? Conference goals are to honor “the eyewitnesses and their legacies ‌ the liberators with their military service [and to] educate about the Holocaustâ€? Continued on page 15

By The Jewish Star Staff Jewish Long Islanders were in a decidedly celebratory mood over Lag B’Omer, which began Saturday night and continued late into Sunday. BonďŹ res were lit at synagogues, in parks, and outside private homes. There were tasty barbecues, family friendly and holiday focused activities and the sounds of children delighting in expansive opportunities for free play. Pictured on this page, clockwise from top right: A well planned bonďŹ re blazed in Andrew J. Parise Park in Cedarhurst, commemorating Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s teaching of the Zohar and his yahrzeit 1,900 years ago on Lag B’Omer. Other activities included ice cream eating, archery (another Lag B’Omer-centric activity), and face painting in Cedarhurst, bubble blowing at the Lag B’Omer Family Fun Day in Wantagh Park, soccer playing and tube tunnels in Cedarhurst, and a relay race at Wantagh Park.

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yoetzet in this area of law to further educate and encourage women to observe the laws better and understand it better, and how the mitzvah could be a more digniďŹ ed and uplifting experience..â€? A yoetzet is a woman specially trained and certiďŹ ed to advise women in these areas. Septimus is a Judaic studies teacher at North Shore Hebrew Academy H.S. and Rebbetzin at Young Israel of North Woodmere. She earned her B.A. at Brandeis University where she wrote her thesis on halachik solutions to the problem of agunot. She studied at Drisha for one year on a fellowship in Jewish education and then transferred,

By Malka Eisenberg In her role as Five Towns yoetzet halacha, Lisa Septimus is working to dispel some of the myths associated with taharat hamishpadcha (laws of family purity). Discussing “Ten Myths That Stand Between You and the Mikveh,â€? before an audience of women at Congregation Beth Sholom in Lawrence, Septimus dealt with “common misconceptions ‌ like regarding nidah (menstrual impurity) as disgusting, technical aspects such as how to count the seven clean days properly, and misconceptions of preparation.â€? “This is an understudied area of halacha (Jewish law),â€? she told The Jewish Star. “People are much more exposed to kashrut and Shabbat than nidah. There is a need for a

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Heirs of Persian Jews prize site that’s tied to Esther and Mordechai I ďŹ rst learned of the burial place of Mordechai and Esther from an Iranian immigrant with whom I worked back in 1996. “Robbieâ€? would tell me many stories about his family’s brave escape from Iran to America in the early 1980s, occasionally shedding a tear when speaking about his relatives and friends who were left behind in a country so hateful to the few remaining Jews. But when the holiday of Purim rolled Above, symbolic cofďŹ ns of Morde- around, Robbie chai and Esther. Below, the Hama- would liven up with dan (Shushan) Mausoleum. tales from his youth. He’d tell us what it was like to celebrate Purim in Persia — the place where it all took place. At the centerpiece of Robbie’s Purim stories was a tradition I’d never heard of, at a place I never knew existed – an annual gathering at the tomb of Mordechai and Esther to hear the reading of the Megilah. Robbie would describe in vivid detail the festive nature in which hundreds of Iranian Jews would ock — many in costume — to hear the story of Queen Esther beneath the dome of her ďŹ nal resting place. And next to Esther, her Uncle Mordechai, the man who guided her in a valiant attempt to save the Jews of Persia from extinction more than 2,000 years ago. “But we never learned about this place in yeshiva,â€? I protested. “And it’s not mentioned in the Megilah. We’ve all heard about the Tomb of Rachel, the Tomb of King David. But the tomb of Esther?â€?

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By Malka Eisenberg He had sealed his past years before and never spoke of it — not to his peers in the Israeli Defense Forces, not to his colleagues, not to his wife, not to his children. But when his 14 year old son asked, “Who is my grandfather?â€? he knew that he had to answer. He told his Jewish, teďŹ llin-wearing son that his grandfather was a decorated World War II tank commander and Nazi ofďŹ cer. When his son raised his hand on heritage day at school to relay this information, the school’s principal called home for conďŹ rmation. The principal encouraged Dr. Bernd Wollschlaeger to tell his story and the importance of conveying it. Wollschlaeger spoke to rapt audiences at the Young Israel of Woodmere on Shabbat after musaf and again after mincha. After Shabbat, YIW screened the movie, “The Ghosts of the Third Reich,â€? that documents the anguished stories of descendants of Nazis who confronted their family’s past and their feelings of guilt. Wollschlaeger, a board-certiďŹ ed family physician in private practice in Aventura, FlorContinued on page 14

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A Rosh Hashana recipe worth crowing about JUDY JOSZEF WHO’S IN THE KITCHEN

F

or the last few weeks the exchanges have been the same —â€?Shanna Tovaâ€? (“have a happy and healthy new yearâ€?) or my favorite, “gut g’benched yur,â€? as my grandparents used to say. They were very good at “vinching oonâ€? (“wishing upon youâ€? as in “vinching oon a gut, g’benched yur.â€? Not many people I know use that last phrase, but one who did was my husband’s parrot. After graduating law school, Jerry headed to Boston to earn his LLM. His parrot moved into Jerry’s parent’s house, and in no time was uent in Yiddish. Not only was Birdie, as his parents called the bird, able to memorize anything that was repeated often enough, he did it in the voice and accent of the person who spoke it. One day my mother in law’s sister stopped by. She rang the bell and heard “Who is it? Come in.â€? “It’s Ruchel,â€? her sister responded as she turned the knob, but the door was locked. Again she rang the bell and again heard, “Who is it? Come in.â€? Again, Ruchel tried to open the door. Exasperated she rang the bell one more time and again heard “Who is it? Come in.â€? Ruchel wasn’t in the mood for games, “Mottle, open the door now, I’m standing outside and it’s locked.â€? That night, when my mother in law called her sister and got the cold shoulder, she asked her what was wrong. “Don’t play games with me (macht nisht con choizic) you

know what’s wrong. I stood out there ringing the bell and you kept telling me to come in, but it was locked.â€? Puzzled, my mother in law said she had no idea what she was talking about, as she was out for most of the day. Just as she was about to hang up, the bell rang and before she could get to the door, Birdie called out, “Who is it, come in.â€? Both sisters had a good laugh. Birdie could also be heard wishing everyone “a gut g’benched yur,â€? “a freilichin yom tovâ€? and “gut Shobbos.â€? He would have felt right at home in a shteeble. Not only was Birdie uent in Yiddish, but he could also be heard inspiring us to be better Americans, when he would quote JFK with, “It’s not what your country can do for you, it’s what you can do for your country.â€? And when he wasn’t waxing presidential, he could be heard quoting lines from Jackie Gleason’s show, The Honeymooners. Jerry taught the bird to imitate Jackie Gleason’s mother-in-law, saying, “hey get a load of fatso.â€? Problem was, it was a week before they had a houseguest over for Shabbos who was a bit on the heavy side. Yes, you guessed it, the bird’s cage was in the guest room and as soon as it got light in the morning, Birdie could be heard screaming, “Heeeey, get a load of faaaaatsoooo.â€? Had I been around then, the bird would have been doing “The Tomahawk Chopâ€? chant of my beloved Atlanta Braves. I’d like to be serious for a moment and thank all my readers who allow me into your homes each week to share a recipe, my memories, and a laugh with you. And to those of you who take the time to email, or personally provide me with positive feedback, whether in the supermarket, gym, shul or anywhere

in the neighborhood, it means the world to me. I’d like to take this opportunity to “vinch you all oon, a gut g’benched yurâ€? ďŹ lled with health and happiness. My grandparents would proud. Enjoy the following recipe for Rosh Hashanah. I’m certain Jerry’s parrot would have had some choice words regarding my selection of his relatives for this dish. Please accept my apologies Birdie.

Cornish hens with pomegranate glaze Ingredients: 6 Cornish hens

Garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste 1 cup fresh pomegranate seeds (you can purchase them by the container at Gourmet Glatt) Pomegranate glaze (recipe below) Greens of your choice to garnish the serving platter Pomegranate glaze 2-1/2 cups bottled pomegranate juice 2-1/2 cups sugar 2-1/2 cups water Directions: 1. Bring the pomegranate juice, sugar and water to a boil 2. Turn to medium low heat and simmer until mixture becomes like a thick glaze (about 20 minutes) 3. Set aside and cool. Glaze can be made up to three days before.4. Wash and dry the Cornish hens. Sprinkle inside cavity and outside with garlic powder. Salt and pepper to taste (I like to tie the legs together) 5. Place hens in a roasting pan and generously brush on the pomegranate glaze Place in an oven set at 375 F for 15 minutes then baste and reduce temperature to 350 F and bake for another 45 minutes or until clear juices run from thigh when pierced. Internal temperature should be at 170 F 6. Place hens on a platter of greens of your choice and scatter the fresh uncooked pomegranate seeds around the hens. Note, if hens are larger than one portion each I like to cut them in half before arranging them on the platter. Judy’s in the kitchen preparing for Yom Tov, so we’re reprinting a previously published column. She can be reached at judy.soiree@ gmail.com.

Taste of the season: How ’bout them apples? By Mollie Katzen JointMedia News Service The traditional foods we eat during Jewish holidays have been reecting and celebrating each season since long before “seasonal produceâ€? was even a thought, let alone a “trend.â€? (Let’s not forget that once upon a time, “seasonalâ€? was all there was.) From the ďŹ rst ďŹ gs at Purim to the potatoes and onions (storage vegetables in the winter cellar, also “seasonalâ€?) from which we make latkes for Hanukkah, local foods of the season are the heart and soul of Jewish cooking, and cause for celebration, no matter how modest the preparation. Lucky for us, Rosh Hashanah comes in the fall — when early apples are beginning their long, happy autumn session. This is a great time of year to get truly creative with apples — beyond the usual (and lovely) ritual of dipping them in honey at the onset of the meal. And while Jewish food tends to be extremely subjective, with each family attached to its own notion of what constitutes the true cuisine (and of course, each family is right), my goal here is to bend tradition in playful ways that break out just a little (or maybe a lot) from the expected. With their unique ability to provide a delicious bridge between the sweet and savory, apples lend themselves to all sorts of culinary contexts. (If there is such a thing as a mediating food, apples would be it.) So let’s take that spirit of bringing disparate parts together, and steer this familiar food in some unusual directions for the Rosh Hashanah evening meal.

Savory Apples Casserole Sweet apples contrast beautifully with puckery sauerkraut, and the result is surprisingly harmonious. Both are traditional foods from Ashkenazic territory in northern and Eastern Europe, where it’s common to pair cab-

bage-based dishes with fruit. Try this with an herby roasted chicken spiked with thyme and rosemary. 20 minutes to prepare, 45 minutes to bake; Yield 4 to 6 servings. Note: use the slicing attachment of the food processor to cut the apples in seconds at. (Just core them and feed into the machine.) Without cleaning the processor in between, switch to the grating attachment for the cheese. 1 Tbs. butter or canola oil 1 cup minced onion 2 tsp. dry mustard 1 32-oz. jar sauerkraut, rinsed and thoroughly drained 6 medium sized tart apples, thinly sliced (peeling optional) 2 Tbs. unbleached white our 1 tsp. cinnamon salt, cloves, nutmeg: a dash of each 2 Tbs. honey or brown sugar lb. medium-sharp cheddar, grated (optional) ½ cup ďŹ ne bread crumbs ž cup minced walnuts 1) Preheat oven to 375°F. Have ready a 2-quart capacity casserole or an equivalent pan (9x13 inch). 2) Melt the butter or heat the oil in a medium-sized skillet. Add the onion and mustard and sautĂŠ over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until the onion softens. Add the sauerkraut, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Set aside. 3) Toss together the apples, our, and spices in a large bowl. Add honey or sugar and mix well. 4) Now for the fun part. Make the following pattern in the casserole or baking pan: a layer consisting of half the apples, then half the onion-sauerkraut, then half the optional cheese (or not). Repeat this pattern, using the other half of everything. Sprinkle the very top with bread crumbs and walnuts. Cover and bake

for 30 minutes, then uncover and bake 15 minutes more. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

Curried Apple Soup While tart fruit soups are very much a product of northern and Eastern Europe. I thought it would be fun and delicious to make an apple soup laced with curry spices, reecting a mixture of cultures and geography. It’s Sephardi meets Ashkenazi. North meets south. And the color of this soup is stunning! Prep time: 30 min.; Yield 4 to 6 servings. 1 Tbs. canola or peanut oil 7KH :DOGRUI VDODG RULJLQDWHG LQ WKH IDQFLHVW NLWFKHQ RI WKH WLPH \HW LV 2 cups chopped onion 3 large cloves garlic, D SURGXFW RI VRPH RI WKH PRVW EDVLF LQJUHGLHQWV Courtesy of Mollie Katzen. minced heat for about ďŹ ve minutes, or until the onion 2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger begins to soften. 1 ½ tsp. salt 2) Add the spices, and sautĂŠ another ďŹ ve 2 tsp. dry mustard minutes over medium heat. 1 tsp. turmeric 3) Add apples, water, cinnamon sticks, and 1 tsp. ground cumin lemon juice, and bring to a boil. Turn the heat ½ tsp. ground cardamom down, mostly cover, and simmer for about 10 ½ tsp. allspice minutes, or until the apples are very tender. Âź tsp. cayenne Remove from heat. 5 cups peeled, chopped tart apple 4) Take out the cinnamon sticks, and purĂŠe 4 cups water in a blender or food processor—bit by bit, so 2 cinnamon sticks as not to splash yourself. Return the purĂŠe to 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice the pot. Optional: 2 Tbs. brown sugar or honey 5) Add optional sweetening, and taste to Possible Toppings: adjust salt. Serve hot or cold, with or without Lightly toasted shredded coconut some or all of the toppings (Even though the Lightly toasted slivered almonds toppings are fun and delicious, this soup is also A drizzle of yogurt wonderful just plain.) A few dried currants 1) Heat oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven. Add Four Waldorf Variations onion, garlic ginger, and salt, and sautĂŠ over For more recipes, visit TheJewishStar.com.

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Last literary word‌ Continued from page 7 should — be very frightening. Fortunately, however, we have been told what we need to do to earn a favorable judgment. Our Rabbis have taught us that the three keys are: Kol, Tzom, and Mammon.â€? Rabbi Dr. Nathan Lopes Cardozo, in his holiday message, entitled, “Rosh Hashanah: Profundity and the Challenge of the Deed,â€? concludes: “The High Holidays are a warning to live vertically and not horizontally. When we live our lives in the constant pursuit of new material objects, believing that through them we ďŹ nd meaning and joy, it would behoove us to look around and see the continuous boredom in which our Western world ďŹ nds itself. The excitement of new possessions leads to the trivialization of our

A new sisterhood year

lives after a day or two — but only if we view them horizontally. If we look at what we have in a vertical dimension, meaning in the process of constant spiritual growth, then we see these objects in the light of eternity and, consequently, in profundity.� This year’s Torah To Go features a brilliant essay by Rabbi Dr. David Horwitz, a YU rosh yeshiva, and a maggid shiur in Ramban on Shabbat mornings at Rabbi Spiegel’s Shtiebel, entitled, “R. Yohanan ben Nuri and the Unique Prayers of Rosh Hashanah�. For R. Yohanan’s interesting background, please check out the Koren Steinsaltz English edition of the Talmud Mesechet Rosh Hashanah 32a, page 423. Let me conclude by extending to you, my dear longtime readers, my best wishes for a Ketivah Vachatima Tova.

2 realms of teshuvah‌ Continued from page 7 them. The Lord guards all who love Him, and He destroys all the wicked. This is the combined response that comes to those who come to G-d out of fear and those who come to G-d out of love. Those who fear G-d are answered and saved. But the source of their oppression is not destroyed until they come to love Him. What do we prefer? To have a guardian angel protecting us whenever we’re in trouble? Or to have the trouble eradicated so the guardian angel is not necessary? Anyone who has ever been in dire straits knows very well that the latter option is preferred. Let me live my life without pain and suffering. Let me live without worry about what an evil person or entity will do to me, my family, my People. Let me live in such a manner that I can focus on real goals and do my part as an Eved Hashem – a servant of G-d – who just wants to bring light and goodness to the world.

A man I knew passed away around Pesach time of this past year. Every time I spoke with him he’d mention all the good in his life (and believe me he had rough times as well) always noting how much he “loves Hashem.� For him it wasn’t lip service, it was genuine sincerity, coming from a place of goodness, of knowing that life comes full circle, and that the best friend a person can have, if one understands life in such a manner, is G-d. And when one realizes that, one can come to love Him. It may be hard for some people to come to grips with it. And some people suffer too much and have too many questions. And yet some people who suffer greatly still manage to emerge from it all, heroically, declaring their unending love for their Maker. May we be blessed in our pursuit of loving G-d and returning to Him with love, so we may all merit a Shanah Tovah— a good year for all.

As new year begins‌ Continued from page 7 Hashem wants of me. How can my being here, today, make the world better? It is within the context of Hineni that we respond to life’s greatest challenges. When Israeli reserve soldiers stop what they are doing and answer a call to battle, however painful that may be, they are saying “Hineni.â€? When we stop what we are doing to do a mitzvah (an imperative action that needs to be done), helping refugees from an earthquake in Japan or rebuilding homes for the poor in Haiti, we are saying, “Hineni.â€? At the binding of Isaac, Avraham’s “Hineniâ€? aspires to a new level. Avraham says “Hineniâ€? without having even an inkling of what is coming. Avraham is responding to G-d before G-d has even told him what he wants. This Hineni is all about the future: Whatever You ask of me, “Hineni.â€? This sets the theme of the story of the binding of Isaac: It is about what lies ahead. Where Yishmael is the the one who laughs now, Yitzchak literally means “he will laughâ€? in the future. Yishmael is about being in the present and Yitzchak is about seeing and being ready to accept and to live up to the moment that is yet to come. This is, in fact, one of the most essential ingredients of a loving relationship. Imagine your daughter calls you up from school and you can hear the quiver in her

voice, sense the tears that are on the verge of bursting forth, and you instantly know, “Hineni�— here I am, whatever you need. Or when your wife calls down from upstairs, the ability to be in that Hineni mode is all about how much trust and love already exists in that moment. If my wife asks something of me, then it must be important, even before I know what it is. And this is the essence of our relationship with Hashem; If I could only know what it is Hashem wants of me, then all I would want is to live up to that challenge. These two ideas, the being in the moment of Yishmael and the readiness to serve in the future of Yitzchak, are what Rosh Hashanah is all about. On Rosh Hashanah, we have the chance to start over. We need to learn to balance our ability to live in the present and be in the moment, while at the same time, be accepting of and open to whatever life’s next moment has to bring. As we begin the New Year, may we all be blessed to appreciate the beauty inherent in every moment, alongside the challenges, and may we be blessed as well with the strength to change the future — so that the world as it is, becomes the world as it could be. Wishing you all a sweet, happy, and healthy New Year, Shanah Tovah. Rabbi Freedman is off this week. This column originally appeared in 2013.

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The Sisterhood of Young Israel of Woodmere kicked off its new year with guest speaker Michal Horowitz on Sept. 17.

Horowitz spoke about the matriarch Sarah, a woman of valor who was princess to her people, then the whole world.

5774: It’s a wrap‌ Continued from page 11 minutes apart outside of the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and the Village Shalom retirement village.

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Kansas, however, was also the source of feel-good Jewish news. JNS.org proďŹ led Rose Marchick, a foster mother to more than 150 children (and counting) over the last nine years in the city of Olathe. Marchick accepts children who suffer from mental and emotional disorders such as fetal alcohol syndrome or reactive attachment disorder. Following the JNS.org article on Marchick, the local Fox television afďŹ liate also covered her story.

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Former Egyptian defense minister Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, hailed as a hero in Egypt for his role in the ouster of Islamist president and Muslim Brotherhood member Mohamed Morsi, easily won the country’s presidential election this May with more than 90 percent of the vote. With El-Sisi in power, Israel and Egypt have a shared interest in cracking down on Islamic terror groups in the Sinai Peninsula and in targeting Hamas, which is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.

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March 15 marked the third anniversary of the beginning of unrest that led to the on-

going Syrian civil war. Israel, which shares a contentious U.N.-patrolled border with Syria in the Golan Heights, faces new threats at that border such as al-Qaeda-afďŹ liated rebel terror groups, as well as old foes like Hezbollah, Iran, and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. In June, Israeli-Arab teenager Mohammad Karaka was killed by an explosion resulting from a mortar shell ďŹ red from Syria. Forty Filipino U.N. peacekeepers escaped after being surrounded by rebels on the Syrian side of the Golan Heights in late August, while 45 Fijian peacekeepers held hostage for two weeks by the al-Nusra Front jihadist group were released in mid-September. The U.N. eventually moved its peacekeeping force from the Syrian side of the Golan to Israel.

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Last October, two Israeli scientists and one American Jewish scientist shared the Nobel Prize in chemistry for work that made it possible “to map the mysterious ways of chemistry by using computers.� Winners were Arieh Warshel, IsraeliAmerican professor at University of Southern California; Martin Karplus, a Jewish citizen of the U.S. and Austria who researches at the University of Strasbourg and Harvard University; and Michael Levitt, an American, British, and Israeli citizen who works at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

Cops up patrols‌ Continued from page 1 measures in his community during the High Holy Days. “We have a unique community, where within one block, we have four synagogues,â€? he said. “We are more targeted than anyone else. We also live in an area that’s close to the airport so we need to take caution.â€? Krumpter stressed the need for a partnership between the police and Five Towns communities. “Complacency is our biggest risk,â€? he said. “We are living in a time where we have terrorist groups like ISIS (the Islamic

State in Iraq and Syria).â€? Rabbi Kenneth Hain of Congregation Beth Shalom in Lawrence also expressed community members’ concerns. “This is not a business-as-usual phenomenon,â€? he said. “This is a worldwide issue. All of us have this feeling that we need to stress this issue with law enforcement to make sure we have the protection we need.â€? If anyone witnesses suspicious activity outside near or any other high-trafďŹ c public area, report it by calling 911 or the 24-hour hotline number at (516) 573-7720.

19 THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

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common destiny, of ourishing as an independent society even as too many of their neighbors question their right to be there in the ďŹ rst place. However disadvantaged Scotland has become in the decades since Margaret Thatcher’s government was in power, no one has ever challenged the existence of a country called Scotland. Mercifully, the Scots have never experienced the sheer barbarism of a modern-day genocide. Zionism, moreover, was always a practical, outward looking movement. Its leaders negotiated with international leaders as varied as the Ottoman Sultan and the British prime minister. It aspired to “normalizeâ€? the Jews as part of the community of nation-states, rather than endlessly dwelling on past centuries of Jewish victimhood. It envisaged close cooperation, rather than conict, with the neighbors of an eventual Jewish state. What can we learn from this? Simply, that tensions between political identity and political arrangements are not pre-ordained. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a fundamentally decent, civilized idea that demonstrates how different nations and communities can live together and share sovereignty. Many Israelis have wished for a similar system in the Middle East, in which they would participate—fully and securely—in some sort of regional federation with economic and political beneďŹ ts for all members. As of now, though, there is precious little sign of such an entity emerging. Perhaps, then, the slogan of the “Noâ€? campaign in Scotland—“Better Togetherâ€?—carries an important message for the Middle East. We are better together when we participate together as sovereign equals, instead of conferring greater rights on one particular nation on the basis of a highly dubious reading of history. Of course, Israel and its neighbors are arguably further from that goal now than at any other time—but it’s precisely at desperate moments like these that a grand vision is needed for what a sustainable peace might look like. Hence, the Scottish independence referendum may yet have a positive impact on the wider world. Just not in the manner that the nationalists intended.

Civilization v. ISIS‌ Continued from page 6 ance isn’t a virtue these days among partisans, and the ideological media that make big bucks off of polarization and ďŹ ery polemics. On Fox News, the execrable Sean Hannity now has his nirvana issue. He can rail about border security, fan resentments about illegal aliens and cite unsubstantiated charges (atly denied by Homeland Security and the FBI) that ISIS trying to get across the Mexican border into the U.S. “If something happens, I will blame members of Congress for not doing their job!â€?Ă‚ Sean Hackery told Democratic Rep. Luis Guitierrez, who replied: “Because that helps your ratings, every night, I get that part!â€? Some MSNBC hosts are as tiresomely predictable and as boring as Hannity. Several IMMEDIATELY slipped into the-government-is-going-to-do-another-dumb-war mode, lacing reports with an I-told-youso tone about Iraq and smug mentions of George W. Bush. Many Democratic liberals are as knee-jerk and predictable in their IMMEDIATE opposition to anything suggesting war as conservatives are in their endless “Benghaziâ€? ďŹ xation and lame jokes about Obama and golf. (Uh, oh, here come the False Equivalency Police!)

ISIS has shown sophistication in its use of social media and its appeal to 21st century young people. What’s “betterâ€? than a slasher movie? Why, a REAL video of a guy getting his head sawed off. This is a time when -- more than ever -- there’s a need for courageous, t-h-o-u-gh-t-f-u-l policy makers. If battling ISIS requires a long-term commitment to a new kind of conict that could last a decade, do the countries ISIS seeks to take over or terrorize have the fortitude to wage it? The Greek tragedian Sophocles wrote: “There is no greater evil than men’s failure to consult and to consider.â€? The operative word here is “considerâ€? -- consider it thoughtfully. The 20th century movie star John Wayne once said:â€?Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway.â€? Will policymakers fall into the trap of being inuenced by the knee-jerk (and endlessly parroted) partisans and ideologues? Or will they consult, consider and, no matter how daunting the task, saddle up anyway, balance themselves on the horse and gallop forward -- realizing that the horse, addle and rider could be at risk in the long term if they don’t have the patience and have the guts?

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Continued from page 6 On the day of the referendum, though, it was clear that practical considerations were of greater importance in deciding which way to vote than any nationalist impulses. The Scots opted, by a clear majority of 55 percent, against independence, although underlying questions around the referendum have not been resolved. When I heard the result, I was ooded with relief. Again, those emotions are intimately connected to identity. For immigrant communities in the U.K., Jews among them, the idea of “Britishnessâ€? always seemed more expansive and generous than “Englishnessâ€? and “Scottishness.â€? The two latter categories are tied up with notions of ethnicity and belonging to the land, whereas the former is more civic in orientation, implying that one’s ethnic background or religious beliefs should not be a barrier to participating fully in national life. I therefore found myself pleased, on Friday morning, as both a citizen of the U.K. and as a member of its Jewish community. et’s face it: Jews in Europe have rarely thrived under nationalist leaders. In the last century, nationalists across the continent reminded us constantly that we were an alien presence that didn’t belong. In this one, there’s been a shift in that narrative. The left-wing populism that underlies the nationalist movement in Scotland and elsewhere in western Europe is distinctly unfriendly to Israel, seeing the Jewish state as an outpost of the same “imperialâ€? system that they themselves are ďŹ ghting against. That was why Alex Salmond, while advocating for an independent Scotland, still found the time to compare Israel to the genocidal thugs of the so-called “Islamic State,â€? and to call for an arms embargo against Israel. Should we conclude from this that nationalism is inevitably inconsistent and hypocritical, and that we should therefore dispense with all of its expressions, including Zionism? The answer, to my mind, is a resounding no. Nationalisms are formed in response to the surrounding conditions that nurture them. For the Jews of Europe, Zionism was a means to ensure survival in the physical sense of that word. For the Jews of Israel, Zionism reinforces the sense of a

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The Jewish Star Staff If you are in Israel for Sukkot, you could play basketball with international hoop star Tamir Goodman. Dubbed the “Jewish Jordan” by Sports Illustrated, Goodman is leading the Hapoel Jerusalem Basketball Camp for boys and girls aged 9 to 17 on Oct. 12 and 13. He has been leading basketball camps for the past 15 years, with over 1,000 Jewish children participating so far. But this year, pro team Hapoel is sponsoring the camp, which adds a unique flavor and excitement for attendees. “Basketball is a universal language,” Goodman told The Jewish Star. “We will have kids from all over the world who will be connecting on the court with their shared love of basketball. Through this, they will improve their basketball skills, but also connect to Israel and their Jewish identities, and build life and leadership skills. I’m excited that Hapoel made this opportunity happen.” Goodman made aliyah in 2002, and from then through 2009 played pro ball for Maccabi Tel Aviv, Maccabi Shohan, Giva’t Shmuel, and the Maryland Nighthawks. He also served in the IDF. Growing up in Baltimore, Goodman attended the Talmudic Academy of Baltimore and while in 11th grade, was ranked the 25th-best high school player in the United States, averaging 35.4 points per game. Goodman’s energies have also been directed at his recently unveiled training apparatus, called Zone190, which has been in

THE JEWISH STAR September 26, 2014 • 2 TISHREI 5775

‘Jewish Jordon’ opens hoop camp in Israel over Sukkot

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Continued from page 10 the PA to provide funding and materials to rebuild Gaza. “One way to do that would be not to oppose so vociferously Palestinian unity, which would allow Fatah to have more of a stronghold in Gaza,” Sachs said. This summer’s conflict also highlighted a shortfall in the Iron Dome missile defense system. AFPC’s Berman said Israeli defense officials have told him that the rockets shot by Hamas were harder for the Iron Dome to intercept than anticipated. This has led to fast-tracking the production of David’s Sling, a new defense system designed to intercept larger, longer-range, and cruder rockets, as well as cruise missiles. David’s Sling is especially important with regard to Hezbollah, which has at least 100,000 rockets—10 times as many as Hamas—including thousands of long-range missiles that carry up to a ton of warheads and are hidden in deep underground bunkers within Lebanon, according to IDF estimates. According to a recent IDF assessment, Hezbollah could capture a few northern Israeli towns such as Rosh Hanikra for several hours until they are dislodged. But for now, “the Israelis are trying to be very quiet with respect to Hezbollah because Hezbollah is fighting and dying in Syria, and when your enemy is doing something like that, you don’t want to distract him,” Berman said. Israel’s strategy on Islamic State Islamic State has exploded onto the scene in the Middle East through sheer terror as well as a shrewd military and political strategy. Forming out of the remnants of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the terror group took advantage of the chaos of the Syrian civil war and political instability in Iraq to take over large swathes

New image for hospital in FarRock Rides and activities, health screenings, an ice bucket challenge (pictured) and the unveiling of a new logo highlighted the Back-to-School Community Health Fair hosted by St. John’s Episcopal Hospital on its Far Rockaway campus on Sept. 14. Local merchants and health organizations participated. “Our new image is a small part of the fresh changes happening daily within our walls,” hospital CEO Richard Brown said about the new logo. “We are committed to this community and wanted to show everyone that we are here to stay.” St. John’s is the local hospital for the Five Towns and Rockaway Peninsula.

of territory, and began administering medieval-style Islamic justice to anyone who stood in their way. “When they arrived at cities and villages [in Iraq], the military forces just fled and left their equipment there,” Ganor said. Yet none of the experts consulted by JNS. org believe Israel is a primary target for Islamic State at the moment, which means the Jewish state may not need to be at the helm of the currently battle against the group. While Israel’s inclusion in the coalition is possible, “it’s going to be a hard sell,” Berman said. Specifically, Israel may be a liability for the U.S., which is trying to build a coalition out of Arab states that mostly do not have relations with Israel.

“Israel is not going to get involved in any airstrikes or sending troops in, and I don’t believe that it should,” Sachs said. But Israel can act in other ways. A senior Israel Defense Forces officer recently quoted by Haaretz confirmed that Israel is providing intelligence to the U.S. on Islamic State, including satellite imagery. Israel also needs “to develop a different military doctrine from the doctrine of dealing with Arab armies, a doctrine of dealing with insurgency that’s based on the capabilities of special units and penetrating operations,” Ganor told JNS.org. If Islamic State reaches Jordan or Lebanon, “things can change very rapidly” and “you’re going to see very quickly a lot of co-

ordination against the Islamic State,” even between Israel and Fatah [Abbas’s party], explained Berman, who added the disclaimer that he is “just not seeing that yet because the threat is still conceptual.” Islamic State could also become a threat to other Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia and the Gulf states, Turkey, and Iran. “When you speak today with decisionmakers and security sources, you get the feeling that Iran … is ‘the devil we know’ and ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’,” said Ganor, who calls this is big mistake. “When Europe and the U.S. wake up from their dream … they will realize that it is a nightmare because ‘the enemy of our enemy is a bigger enemy of ours’,” he added.

Help Us Find Nemo! Saturday, October 11, 8:00 p.m. Andrew J. Parise Park

Cedarhurst One of the popular features of the Annual Five Towns Community Chest Fair is the FREE presentation of a major motion picture smash hit! This year, we invite the entire community to gather under the stars for the presentation of the Disney-Pixar favorite “Finding Nemo.” On Saturday, October 11th at 8:00 p.m. in Andrew J. Parise Park, we will celebrate with family and friends and enjoy a fun filled evening together as a community. This popular event is produced by Five Towns Community Chest and is made possible by our host, the Village of Cedarhurst, courtesy of Mayor Parise and the Board of Trustees. A special thanks also goes to our sponsors, The Nassau Herald and the Merchants of Cedarhurst via the Business Improvement District committee. Be sure to stop by the fair throughout the entire Columbus Day weekend to enjoy the many rides, games, refreshments, entertainment and prizes! We look forward to seeing you at the fair.

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