Israeli real estate continues to rise Page 2 Kosher Bookworm: Bereshit reality book Page 8 Who’s in the kitchen scores with bbq wings Page 13 Engelmayer: US policy on Jerusalem Page 14
THE JEWISH
STAR
VOL 11, NO 39 ■ OCTOBER 12, 2012 / 27 TISHRI 5773
WWW.THEJEWISHSTAR.COM
Long delayed push for recognition of Jewish refugees from Arab lands By Malka Eisenberg
NSHA HS student takes aim at Apple By Karen C. Green Sammy Tavakoli, 16, of Great Neck, is like most other tech savvy teenagers who enjoy the latest ‘toy’ on the market. But the 11th grader at North Shore Hebrew Academy High School wasn’t smiling when he noticed that the new Apple map system doesn’t list Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. “I zoomed in on Israel and noticed Jerusalem wasn’t marked as the capital, no capital at all, but all the Arab countries had their capitals clearly marked and delineated,” he said. “I thought about it for a day and decided why not do something about it. I started a petition. I emailed Dr. Vitow to distribute it to the school and he did. My classmates are glad that someone is doing something about it. There’s a Zionist group at NSHA, Chovovei Tzion, and we are collaborating to get the word out,” noted Tavakoli. Thus far he sent it to his brother Ariel at Syracuse University and to Jewish communities in Washington, DC and Persian Communities in Los Angeles, but he’s hoping that his petition gains momentum and encourages all to participate. http://www.change.org/petitions/apple-identify-jerusalem-as-the-capital-of-israel-on-their-program-apple-maps-3.
Drora Brody’s maternal grandparents smuggled thousands of Jews from Yemen to Aden and on to Palestine from 1935 to 1944. They personally sewed dresses as disguises for the men in their clothing factory in Yemen and used their connections to the local sultan and their own funds to bribe border guards. In response to complaints by the Mufti of Jerusalem, the British effectively blockaded Palestine to prevent Jews from entering there. Jewish refugees came to Nissim and Mazal Hassan Yefet, Brody’s grandparents, from other areas of Yemen for help. The Yefets housed them in their home and in temporary caravans, set up for the overflow of refugees, erected around their home before smuggling them across the border. Hassan-Yefet was the religious and communal leader of Lahj and a confidant of the local sultan, Abed Alkarim Faisal, who authorized Yefet to deal with Jewish matters. Yefet was known as Abba Nissim because, said Brody, a resident of Great Neck, “he redeemed hundreds of orphans from being converted to Islam with his own money. He was a generous and caring man who personally paid for all circumcisions and weddings.”
Photo courtesy Dr. Paul Brody
Dr. Paul Brody (L), Vice President of the International Committee for the Land of Israel (ICLI),introduced Councilman Dan Halloran( R), Congressional candidate for Queen’s 6th District, who he recently accompanied to Israel with Dr. Joe Frager, Chairman of the Board ICLI, to Ambassador Ron Prosor., at the recent UN special session to officially recognize Jewish refugees from Arab lands. When the local sultan found out about their secret activities in 1948, the Hasan Yefets fled, leaving behind their textile factory, their home in Lahj, a fortified vacation house in Aden--all their wealth. In
1948, 63,000 Jews lived in Yemen and Aden, a British protectorate. Jews lived in Yemen since the third century C.E. By 1958, only 4,300 Jews lived there; no Jews Continued on page 3
Local Rabbis rallying for Romney By Malka Eisenberg A group of rabbis is coalescing into a movement to belay the misconception that all rabbis and Jews are supporters of President Barak Obama and the principles of the current Democratic Party. “Our main purpose is to counter the impression of Rabbis for Obama,” said Rabbi
David Algaze, co-chairman of Rabbis for Romney and Rav of Havurat Yisrael, in Forest Hills, Queens, New York. His goal is to dispel the notion that Jews and “especially rabbis” feel that President Obama is “the best president for the Jews and Israel. In fact, he is one of the most hostile we’ve had and I am very concerned if he is re-elected. Romney will do even better for Israel. We saw his
presentation of G-d and values rather than the atheistic and other values of Obama. We believe in freedom but not in anti-religious propaganda. People should be free to believe for themselves.” He cited a climate where “if one espouses religious values then you are attacked.” The founder of the movement is a New Continued on page 3
Shabbat Candlelighting: 6:02 p.m. Shabbat ends 6:59 p.m. 72 minute zman 7:29 p.m. Torah Reading Parshat Bereshit
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