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A freilichen Chanukah!
May the sushi be with you
Does anyone remember when sushi was not a typical component of a Jewish simcha? Simply Sushi at Gourmet Glatt in Cedarhurst has taken the delicacy to a new level, creating what owners Shmuel Ungar and Chaim Goldman believe to be the world’s largest sushi menorah. Pictured: The singer Lipa pretends to light the candles. Lipa performed at Gourmet Glatt in a pre-Chanukah extravaganza on Sunday.
POLITICS TO GO
Jeff Dunetz
even Dems slam bad iran deal H
ow bad is the deal that the Obama Administration made with Iran? It is so bad that leading Senate Democrats have attacked it. Within hours of the announcement that an agreement was made, Sen. Chuck Schumer (DNY), the No. 3 Senate Democrat, said he was “disappointed” by the pact and opined that Iran won more from the deal’s loosening
of economic sanctions than the international community gained by slowing down the country’s nuclear program. He went on to say that more sanctions would be coming. “This disproportionality of this agreement makes it more likely that Democrats and Republicans will join together and pass additional sanctions when we return in December. I intend to discuss that
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possibility with my colleagues.” Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (DNJ) told The Washington Post he had problems with the pact for disproportionately aiding Iran and called for vigorous enforcement of existing sanctions and “ongoing” verification of the nuclear program’s scale-back, particularly given Iran’s history of duplicity. Continued on page 2
Shabbat Candlelighting: 4:11 pm. Shabbat ends: 5:13 pm. 72 minute zman: 5:41 pm. This week’s Torah Reading: Miketz
By Malka Eisenberg Rabbi David Fohrman stands by the podium at the Young Israel of Woodmere and speaks with a clear intensity, self-effacing, folksy, stating the pshat (the text of the Torah). He points to a phrase here, a word there, drawing connections, linking 3,300 year old verses and suddenly it’s all clear and alive. Fohrman, an internationally renowned lecturer on biblical themes, is presenting a well-attended series of talks on Bereishit at 7 pm motzei Shabbat. The live classes are videotaped for use by Aleph Beta Academy, an online Jewish studies program. This Saturday (Nov. 30), the YIW will screen a new Chanukah film, “The Chanukah that Might Have Been,” followed by Fohrman’s commentary. “Was there a second Chanukah?” Fohrman asks, as he considers a portion of Talmud that indicates a positive meeting between Greeks and Jews. Fohrman told The Jewish Star that he Rabbi David Fohrman favors “an intelligent, vigorous approach to the text, leaving preconceived ideas behind.” “Torah wants us to fall in love with the book, what Shma is all about, a very passionate love [so that you will] love that Mysterious Being that gave you the book,” he said. “When you’re in love you can’t stop talking about it — you want to put representative pieces of the book on your arm, your head, your house — it’s the deveikus (closeness) with G-d and the book.” Fohrman is the main presenter at Aleph Beta Academy, and spiritual leader of the Shabbat nusach Sfard minyan at YIW. He posts his lectures with pictures and videos at AlephBeta.org. His analytical methods incorporate five principles: intertextuality; questions and problematic narratives; structure; not reading with the end in mind; and chiastic structure (also known as aht-bash) where the beginContinued on page 14
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Even Dems say the Iran pact is a bad deal… Continued from page 1 Menendez said the committee would continue with the passage of new sanctions, but add a provision that delays their implementation. “I expect that the forthcoming sanctions legislation to be considered by the Senate will provide for a six month window to reach a final agreement before imposing new sanctions on Iran, but will at the same time be immediately available should the talks falter or Iran fail to implement or breach the interim agreement,” Menendez said. Democratic Senators Blumenthal (CT) and Cardin (MD) expressed reservations similar to those of Menendez and Schumer. Mike Rogers (R-MI), chairman of the
House Intelligence Committee, agrees with his Democratic Party colleagues: “Think about what this agreement does. It says you can continue to enrich. That’s what the Iranians believe. And they have made no changes — no changes — in the development of their nuclear weapon program, and I can tell that to you with a high degree of certainty.” These members of Congress are correct. Iran will get to pocket billions of dollars, using it to stabilize the collapsing Iranian economy, bolster its nuclear program, and fund its global terror network. Ultimately, the deal allows Iran to start chipping away at the sanctions regime, and eventually it will lead to its complete disin-
tegration, or at the very least collapsing it to the point where it no longer matters. Iran can use the short-term financial injection to bide its time, waiting for major powers and corporations to engage in a capitalist frenzy: no one wants to be left behind as Iran’s market opens up, so everyone will try to get in first. As John Bolton said at Fox News, Iran has broken the psychological momentum and effect of the international economic sanctions. And while estimates differ on Iran’s precise gain, it is considerable seven to 20 billion dollars) and it is worth much more. A six-months’ easing of sanctions will create contracts and business arrangements which will make it extremely hard for the West to
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reverse direction. Amongst the issues with the supposed controls put on the Iranian nuclear program is its vague language. For example, the deal calls for “a mutually defined enrichment program with practical limits and transparency measures to ensure the peaceful nature of the program.” In announcing the deal, Iran’s leaders and state-owned media began to brag about the U.S.’s capitulation on their insistence they retain the right to enrich uranium. This is huge because it leads to a final agreement that allows Iran to continue spinning centrifuges and would leave the terrorist-supporting regime with the ambiguity it needs to dash across the nuclear finish line. It also means the Obama Administration has abandoned a decade of Security Council resolutions demanding that Iran stop all uranium-enrichment activities. The agreement does not cover centrifuge manufacturing (they can replace broken machines — something that does not stop them from upgrading and replacing existing ones). The deal also does not stop Iran’s ballistic missile program, whose purpose is creating weapons delivery system. hile the agreement requires Iran to dilute some of its weapons grade uranium, it is being done via a process (converting to oxide fuel) that will take about two weeks to reverse, so the converted uranium oxide can be easily converted back. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder that it was reported that Obama avoided calling Netanyahu as the deal was being finalized and announced and why the Israeli Prime Minister had such an angry and public reaction. “What was achieved last night in Geneva is not an historic agreement, it is an historic mistake. Today the world has become a much more dangerous place because the most dangerous regime in the world has taken a significant step toward attaining the most dangerous weapon in the world. “For the first time, the world’s leading powers have agreed to uranium enrichment in Iran while ignoring the UN Security Council decisions that they themselves led. Sanctions that required many years to put in place contain the best chance for a peaceful solution. These sanctions have been given up in exchange for cosmetic Iranian concessions that can be cancelled in weeks. This agreement and what it means endanger many countries including, of course, Israel. “Israel is not bound by this agreement. The Iranian regime is committed to the destruction of Israel and Israel has the right and the obligation to defend itself, by itself, against any threat. As Prime Minister of Israel, I would like to make it clear: Israel will not allow Iran to develop a military nuclear capability.” Netanyahu might say that he will not allow Iran to develop a military nuclear capability, but with Saturday night’s agreement, the military option has been taken out of his hands even though the ability to “rush to a bomb,” as Netanyahu has described it in the past, has not been taken out of Iran’s hands. In the end, that was Iran’s biggest gain. There is no way that the Jewish State can attack the Iranian nuclear program, no matter how close it gets to the bomb, after the entire international community shook hands with Iran and signed an agreement. Iran gets its protection, Obama gets a few days of relief from media reports of all the problems with his signature health care plan, and Israel (and in the long term the American people) is left holding the short end of the stick, a continued Iranian nuclear threat.
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November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774 THE JEWISH STAR
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By Lonnie Ostrow The author, who lives in Merrick with his wife and children, is personal assistant to the novelist Barbara Taylor Bradford. He grew up in Oceanside. lame it all on Jackie Chan. It would have been a normal Chanukah if not for Hong Kong’s legendary movie action hero. In 1998, as marketing director for a Manhattan-based agency that designed and produced postage stamps for 70 foreign governments, it was my job to come up with unusual promotions to make postage stamps marketable to collectors the world over. Prior to 1995, no living celebrities had ever been featured on a postage stamp due to strict global taboos — only royalty, and a handful of world leaders, had owned this privilege. But in three years, through the promise of unprecedented publicity (and revenue generated from international collectors), I helped to pave the way, starting with a few skeptical Caribbean Postmasters. On the legal tender of a handful of nations, we placed a variety of living entertainment — Barbra Streisand, Sylvester Stallone, Bob Dylan, Bob Hope, Kirk Douglas, Michael Jordan, The Bee Gees, and then Jackie Chan. The first Jackie Chan stamp was introduced at the Hong Kong World Postal Expo in 1997, an event attended by more than 30,000 people. The original Jackie Chan ceremony was so wildly successful, that Jackie and his managers sought to replicate the fanfare by organizing a “Jackie Chan Fan Festival” at the same venue, just one year later. y colleagues and I generally planned these living postal tributes six months in advance. In the case of this second Jackie Chan postal tribute, we only had approximately eight weeks to create a design, find a willing government to participate (in this case it was Tanzania), and produce the stamps in time to be put on sale for this exhibition. Not ideal. Then again, the opportunity to team up for a second time with one of the world’s most beloved actions heroes was simply too good an opportunity to pass up. Jackie’s management provided us with photos from the movie and a deadline of midDecember to have the stamps printed and delivered to Hong Kong. Somehow, our art and production department pulled off a miracle of their own by getting the stamps produced in record time. Because this was going to be the second time around with Jackie Chan, I didn’t anticipate another mega-media event, but then came the call on eruv Chanukah from none other than Jackie Chan himself. It turned my holiday plans inside-out. Jackie Chan, despite his superstar status, was never shy about getting involved in the details of his business. In this case, he picked up the phone and urged me to “get my butt on a flight to Hong Kong” to organize another majestic ceremony to be held in front of several thousand of his most loyal hometown supporters. Jackie wanted the same legitimacy as his first stamp ceremony with all the same players on hand. That meant me. A poster replica of the stamps was created overnight. My employer’s son and I scrambled to find last-minute flights to Hong Kong. We had less than a week to get all the details in place and fly to the Orient. And then it hit me. I’d be flying to the other side of the planet on the seventh night of Chanukah. rom the time I was old enough to light my own menorah, I could never remember a night when I didn’t fulfill this special mitzvah. And yet, here I was, faced with a peculiar challenge of sorts. I would surely be able to light my candles at home in New York on the seventh night of Chanukah, before departing to the airport for my 10 pm flight.
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Jackie Chan, left, and Lonnie Ostrow in Hong Kong in 1998. Ostrow cannot remember failing to light the Chanukah candles — not even one night — and despite the odds, that year was no exception.
But what about the eighth night? Where and when would I be able to light a fully loaded menorah to fulfill the mitzvah? Surely not on a crowded airplane! My itinerary on Asiana airlines included 25 hours of travel time, across the international dateline, with a pair of stops in between. By the time I would touch down at Hong Kong airport, it would already be into the day after Chanukah — too late to light the candles for night number 8. The first stop would be in Anchorage, Alaska, around 1 am local time, still on the seventh night. The second stopover was scheduled for Seoul, South Korea, where I was scheduled to switch planes and take off for the final leg of the trip just one hour later. I calculated that this would be somewhere around 5 am local time the next morning. consulted with Rabbi Yaakov Schwartz, then of the Young Israel of Oceanside. We discussed a variety of options that included lighting eight candles upon my arrival in Hong Kong without a bracha; a second option was to recite the brachas over electric light on the plane. In the end, we checked a few details about my stopover in Seoul and came up with a game plan. It involved packing a small, lightweight menorah in my carry-on bag, a box with nine wax candles, a book of matches … and hoping for an earlier than expected arrival in Seoul. Because Chanukah lasts a full eight days,
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one can technically light the candles with a bracha up until daybreak of what would be the ninth day. Sunrise in Seoul was not until sometime after 5:15 am local time. It was possible I would be able to light my menorah at the airport during my stop-over just prior to sunrise. However, the other part of this mitzvah is for the candles to burn for at least 30 minutes. For one to light the menorah with a bracha, this would technically require the candles to burn for a half hour within the eighth day of Chanukah. It was an iffy proposition, but it was also my best chance. It must have been my personal Chanukah miracle. Or rather a series of miracles. The plane from Anchorage to Seoul arrived in South Korea at approximately 4:45 am. Aside from the lights on the runway, I could see that it was still very much nighttime when we landed. I grabbed my carry-on bag from the overhead compartment, pushed my way though a narrow aisle, and hastily departed the plane. All the signs in the Seoul airport were written in Korean, hardly conducive for an English speaking traveler to locate a passenger lounge. To my good fortune, some illustrated overhead signs led the way to a glass enclosed room — the smoking section — perhaps the only public space in the airport where one could strike a match without being pounced on by security. I entered the room and raced to the window for a peek outside, where it was still dark
at 4:53 am, still technically Chanukah in a country where few would even know from the holiday. Now, I needed a place to set up shop. I spotted a metal radiator against the far wall and headed straight there. As I unpacked my menorah and candle box, I noticed that there were probably a half dozen foreign travelers around me, all of them puffing on nicotine in between international flights. Miraculously, not one of them seemed to react adversely as I balanced the foil menorah atop the radiator and inserted the eight wax candles of assorted colors. The matchbook was found at the bottom of my canvas bag. I struck one against the package and promptly lit the shammash candle. A quick recitation of the brachas was followed by a hurried lighting of the eight candles, and finally the careful placement of the shammash at the center. And then I waited. For 30 frantic, paranoid minutes, I stood nervously in this smoking lounge next to my menorah, checking my watch often in anticipation of meeting my connecting flight. The travelers around me surely could have called airport security. The site of a man with a wax burning candelabra in the middle of an international airport had to appear highly peculiar at minimum. And yet, despite a few odd glances, not a single person protested, or phoned the authorities. Another miracle of good fortune. Finally, it was 5:25 am. My candles had burned for the required 30 minutes and it remained sufficiently dark outside, which meant it was technically still Chanukah. I drew a deep breath, blew out the remains of the eight candles, tucked my still-smoking menorah into a bag, and threw that bag back inside my carry-on. Now it was time to catch my connecting flight; a press conference with Jackie Chan awaited in a matter of hours. I raced to the gate number printed on my ticket. Thankfully, numbers in Korean don’t differ from those in America. There was a line of people waiting to board at gate 27 for Hong Kong. I had made it in time. s I stood waiting to enter the plane, a wide grin spread across my face. Through the large terminal windows I watched a beautiful sunrise emerge over the mountains of Seoul. Chanukah was officially over, but my mission — or rather my obligation — had been accomplished. A little ingenuity and an early arrival time enabled me to fulfill the eighth night mitzvah in the oddest of places. I can’t imagine that I will again experience a more memorable menorah lighting. All thanks, of course, to Jackie Chan.
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Menorah: A history of our symbol By Binyamin Kagedan, JNS.org From the Chabad House to the White House, there are few more ubiquitous symbols of Jewish presence than the menorah. From its first mention in the book of Exodus, the menorah has pervaded the literary and visual culture of the Jewish people, predating the Star of David as a uniquely Jewish insignia by at least a millennium. In fact, one rabbinic tradition suggests that the emblem on David’s shield was not a star at all, but a menorah! While the star is the centerpiece of Israel’s flag, the menorah was chosen as the nation’s coat of arms and large, ornate, menorahs grace both the Knesset and Ben Gurion Airport. Countless Jewish organizations, schools and synagogues weave the menorah image into their logos, and many have taken the word as their names. What is the story of this potent symbol,
and why has it captured the hearts and imaginations of the Jewish people for so long? Most people, including U.S. presidents, come across the menorah primarily on Chanukah. The technical name for the eight-branched candelabras lit each night of Chanukah is hanukiyah, a modern-Hebrew word. The word menorah is used colloquially for these ritual objects, but technically it refers only to the seven-branched golden oil lamp meticulously described in G-d’s instructions to Moses regarding the building of the Tabernacle. References to the menorah appear throughout the Bible, though is it not clear that it always looked the same, or that there was always just one in the Temple; I Kings tells that Solomon had ten golden menorahs made for his Temple. Nevertheless, there is ample indication that a
menorah existed in one form or another throughout the First and Second Temple periods. The iconic image found on the Arch of Titus in Rome, depicting the menorah and other Temple objects being carried away as the spoils of Roman victory over Judea, confirms that a seven-branched menorah was a part of Temple worship up until the end. Yet the whereabouts of the final menorah of the Second Temple remain a great mystery. In his beautifully written work, “The Tree of Light: A Study of the Menorah,” L. Yarden suggests that the concept and form of the menorah are likely to have derived from the ancient mythological idea of the Tree of Life, found in different forms throughout the cultures of the ancient Middle East. Images of sacred seven-branched trees guarded by cherubic figures can be Continued on page 8
THE JEWISH STAR November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774
On 8th night a miracle, enroute to Hong Kong
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November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774 THE JEWISH STAR
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Shulamith Flatbush menorah fuses art, function By Malka Eisenberg An electrician turned Judaica artist has fused function and art in the cause of enhancing Jewish ritual, creating a three-foot tall copper-pipe menorah as an encore to his 12-sided sukkah. The menorah, like the sukkah, was erected for the Yavneh Minyan and Shulamith School for Girls in Flatbush. “It’s very nice and very big,” said Rabbi Shmuel Klammer, Shulamith head of school, a resident of Woodmere and member of Congregation
Aish Kodesh. Gideon Gur Aryeh “decided that copper pipes would work best for the design he had in mind,” his wife Bina told The Jewish Star. “He figured out how to bend the pipes and create just the right angles. He welded the parts and spray painted the finished product.” A large blue painted copper pipe Magen David holds the shamash light in the center and ties the menorah together, flanked by four gleaming copper pipes on each
side. Each of the eight intricately bent pipes has a glass oil cup seated on top with a metal housing inside to hold the wick. The cups are filled with olive oil — about 1/8 of a cup each night — and Gideon hand twists the cotton wicks to fit them into the metal housing in each cup. The lamps burn for three to four hours, Bina said. The battle cry of the Maccabim, “Mi La’Hashem alai” (“Whoever is for G-d, come with me!”) is inscribed in blue letters on a white background on the base of the menorah. Rabbi Klammer said Aryeh’s sukkah has a big impact on the school. Aryeh “takes pride in his work — his excitement is contagious,” Klammer said. “He cares about the kids, not just his project, and his wife participates, too — it’s a family event.” “The menorah is the product of Gideon’s dream to bring enjoyment by creating unusual artworks,” explained Bina. “Most people are in awe of the menorah and admire his artistic abilities. Right now, he’s talking about creating individual small menorahs and, possibly, a new design for a sukkah.”
Gideon Gur Aryeh lights the copper pipe menorah he created, on the stage at Shulamith School for Girls in Flatbush. At left, five Shulamith students bask in the glow of the Chanukah lights at a school assembly.
BRIEFS / Francis restates regret for anti-Semitism Pope Francis on Tuesday released his widely anticipated first Apostolic Exhortation, which included a strong reaffirmation of dialogue with the Jewish people and an expression of regret for past anti-Semitism. The 224-page comprehensive document, outlines the pope’s vision for the Catholic Church. “We [the Catholic Church] hold the Jewish people in special regard because their covenant with God has never been revoked,” Pope Francis wrote in the document. The pontiff added, “Dialogue and friendship with the children of Israel are part of the
life of Jesus’ disciples. The friendship which has grown between us makes us bitterly and sincerely regret the terrible persecutions which they have endured, and continue to endure, especially those that have involved Christians.”
FBI’s flawed hate stats The Anti-Defamation League has questioned the validity of the FBI’s 2012 Hate Crime Statistics Act report, calling it “seriously flawed” for its incomplete numbers. The ADL said that more than 25 percent of the nation’s law enforcing agencies failed
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Contributors: Rabbi Avi Billet, Jeff Dunetz, Juda Engelmayer, Rabbi Binny Freedman, Alan Jay Gerber, Rabbi Noam Himelstein, Judy Joszef, Rabbi Simcha Weinstein. Kashrut: The Jewish Star is not responsible for the kashrut of any product or establishment featured in the Jewish Star. This newspaper contains words of Torah; please dispose of properly. Submissions: All submissions become the property of the Jewish Star and may be used by the Publisher in print, on the web, or in any media without additional authorization or compensation. All submissions may be edited for publication. Distribution: The Jewish Star is available free of charge in many kosher food establishments, stores, synagogues, and street-side news boxes in Nassau County and New York City. Mail subscriptions are available, prepaid: $9 per quarter on a credit card in Nassau and Far Rockaway, or $48 a year. Elsewhere in the US, $15 per quarter or $72 a year. Copyright © 2013 The Jewish Star LLC. All rights reserved.
to provide the FBI with hate crime statistics. “Due to a deeply disturbing trend of under-reporting and under-participation by law enforcement agencies, including more than a dozen of the largest agencies in the United States, the 2012 Hate Crime Statistics Act report is seriously flawed,” Abraham Foxman, ADL national director, said in a statement. Nevertheless, in the report, Jews remained by far the largest target of religiously motivated hate crimes.”
Deal a ‘cataclysmic error’ Alan Dershowitz said the deal reached in Geneva under which Iran promised to stop uranium enrichment beyond 5 percent in exchange for $7 billion in sanctions relief “could turn out to be a cataclysmic error of gigantic proportions.” Tom Janssen, The Netherlands
“It could also turn out to be successful, to be the beginning of a negotiated resolution,” Dershowitz told Newsmax. “But I think the likelihood of it being the former is considerably greater.” ”
Israel hosts 4 nation drill Israel this week is hosting Blue Flag, a joint air force drill with pilots from the U.S., Italy, and Greece over the Negev Desert. Seven Israeli flight squadrons are participating in the exercise, including one “red” squadron, which acts as a mock enemy force. Each nation’s air force came with its own aircraft: Israeli squadrons are flying F-15s and F-16s, the U.S. pilots are flying F-16Es, the Italians the Tornado AMX, and the Hellenic Airforce is operating its own F-16s. In all, more than 60 aircraft participated.
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sible, free from what they saw as Roman Catholic duplicity or errors in translation. … They read with sympathy the rabbis of the Roman Empire, Egypt, and medieval Spain, authors whose books were preserved by the Jews of Germany or Venice.” Bunker details the various Jewish religious influences that influenced Ainsworth’s work and theology, a theology that held Bradford in thrall. Consider, further, the following: “Inspired by the work of the rabbis, Ainsworth made new translations of the Psalms and the Torah. He wrapped around them a commentary, verse by verse and word by word, trying to distill every drop of meaning conveyed by their authors. He pointed out that when Jewish scholars turned the Bible into Greek, a single Hebrew term often required several Greek words in its place.” “He drew upon many rabbis, but Ainsworth named one thinker as by far the most exquisite of all. This was the Jewish philosopher Maimonides, who lived in the 12th century.” Remember this fact as you continue on. It was Ainsworth who had the greatest influence upon Bradford; it was his commentary that he always carried with him in his pack, and his
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theology in his mind and voice. Further on we read the following interesting take: “Inside the head of William Bradford, the Pilgrims mimed out these episodes of sacred history. When they reached dry land, they repeated another ancient formula. At Provincetown, they fell on their knees and thanked G-d, says Bradford. Again, behind his narrative lies a Hebrew model. It came by way of Bradford’s knowledge of a Jewish ritual, the birkat ha-gomel, a ceremony of thanksgiving.” This prayer stemmed from Psalm 107, a psalm that had great meaning to the pilgrims. According to Bunker, “If Bradford turned to the notes Ainsworth added to Psalm 107, he would find Ainsworth quoting Maimonides. Writing about the Mishnah, the rabbi said that the words of the Psalm, including the verses quoted by Bradford, gave birth to the Jewish rite of thanksgiving. The Talmud listed four occasions when birkat ha-gomel was compulsory: the healing of a sickness, the release of a prisoner, the end of a voyage, and the arrival of travelers at their destination. Ainsworth listed them, too, and described the form taken by the Jewish prayer. It was a public confession of the good-
Hebrew possessed a special appeal for Puritans. They wished to swim back up the stream of learning, to absorb the wisdom of the Bible from as close to the source as possible.
FOR FURTHER STUDY
The new edition of the Hakirah Journal of Jewish Law and Thought features a timely essay and study entitled, “The Movement of the Chanukah Menorah Indoors: An Historical and Halachic Analysis,” by Rabbi Moshe Walter of Silver Spring. This 13 page study goes into many of the little known facts in the placement of the menorah and of the many historical details and observances as they were changed through the ages due to changes in circumstances beyond our communal control. Also, consider his new book, “The Making of a Halachic Decision” that will, iy”H, be the subject of a review in the near future. A heads up on this book by me: It is a must read, without any reservation.
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ness and majesty of G-d, of exactly the kind that the Pilgrims performed at Provincetown.” All this is but an introductory to one of the most inspiring chapters in the new world’s history. Bunker’s work warrants your attention and study. It will certainly enhance your appreciation for the Thanksgiving tradition that reflects upon the greatness of America. As we proudly consider the Jewish connections to the American civic holiday of Thanksgiving that we celebrate this week, together with the festival of Chanukah, please give serious consideration to the teachings that we learned from Rabbi Soloveitchik, Rabbi Sokolow and Dr. Bunker. Unfortunately, the pop history that passes for serious scholarship by many of the uninformed among us, has yet to come to terms with what is reality in the world of knowledge. Hopefully, what has been reflected in the essays of these past two weeks will accomplish just that.
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he essays by Rabbi Moshe Sokolow and Rabbi Meir Soloveitchik cited in last week’s essay prompted great interest, especially in the Bible commentary by Henry Ainsworth referenced by them. This prompted me to research this matter further and to bring to your attention a work written and published kosher three years ago by Britbookworm ish historian, Nick Bunker, entitled, “Making Haste From Babylon: The Mayflower Pilgrims and Their World” [Vintage Books, 2010]. Within this volume the author goes into greater detail as to the role and influence that Ainsworth’s commentary on the Psalms played in the religious Alan Jay Gerber beliefs of William Bradford, the leader of the Pilgrims. Within this book’s third chapter, “Crossing Sinai,” is described in great detail the crucial role that theology and scripture played in the beliefs of the pilgrims and their leadership. For your information, please find below a series of quotes and references that will serve to best inform you of the great role our Jewish religious faith played in the behavior of these founding Puritan settlers of our nation. Consider this from Bunker’s work: “Hebrew possessed a special appeal for Puritans. They wished to swim back up the stream of learning, to absorb the wisdom of the Bible from as close to the source as pos-
THE JEWISH STAR November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774
On big holiday’s eve, more Thanksgiving Judaica
November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774 THE JEWISH STAR
6
Putting the money in their bags: The backstory B
ook collectors often have many books on their shelves that never move from their place. But sometimes it is the thin volume you never look at that contains gems of insight and wisdom. In recent years I have found this to be true of a book I purchased when I was in yeshiva. The author is Yeshayahu Moleyoff (not sure how that is spelled in English), and it is one volume on Bereshit (I don’t even know if Parsha of he has more) called the Week “Meotzarot Bereshit.” The book seems to be self-published. He asks the following question: Why did Yosef give the money back to his brothers both times they purchased food? For a very long time I thought Yosef was underhandedly doing what anyone rabbi avi Billet in his position would likely do for family. “I don’t need your money. Please. It’s on me.” Because even if Yosef didn’t want to reveal himself until he had uncovered what he needed to find out about them, perhaps he did not feel the need to overburden his father financially when he (Yosef) didn’t need the money and — presumably on account of the famine — his father needed every penny he had. The question can be strengthened when
we consider that most commentaries who address this issue focus on the “how” and not the “why.” He put the money in – perhaps to displace some food, forcing them to come back sooner. He put the money in the bottom of all bags, except for Levi’s, in whose bag the money was placed on top. Levi was lost without Shimon, his partner in crime, and any feeling of fear over discovering the money would thus be felt by Levi first. Yet these two approaches contradict one another, and Moleyoff notes that even if Yosef had the first thought in mind (to kindly return the money) there is no way he did not anticipate the kind of reaction his brothers had: they would be fearful and feel something afoul over discovering the money they thought they had paid, back in their bags. He, therefore, suggests that Yosef was trying to deliver a subtle message to the brothers both times — first, when they had lost Shimon and when they were going to get Binyamin; second, when Binyamin’s bag was set up as the guilty one containing Yosef’s cup. That message was one of midah k’neged midah (measure for measure). They had received money over the purchase of Yosef as a slave, and they were now receiving money when Shimon was left behind as a slave. And the signs were pointing to the possibility that Binyamin might become a slave as well.
More poignantly, if things did not pan out well, they were all on the brink of becoming slaves themselves. They come to this recognition in 43:18 and even offer themselves as slaves at the end of the parsha, when Yosef threatens to take Binyamin as a slave. Midah k’neged midah is the running theme here. Yosef is not looking to make his brothers slaves. It is enough that he has seen them bow, that he knows the power he holds, and that they are willingly accepting his kingship over them. He only wants to see how they will react when the circumstances themselves are set up all over again. When they see money being handed to them in exchange for their efforts to bring Binyamin down to Egypt. When they see money being handed to them when Binyamin is being set up to be arrested for stealing from the king. In 42:21, they lamented not that they had sold Yosef, they still thought they were in the right in doing so (this is a much longer discussion), but that they had ignored his screams, and had dealt with him coldly. In essence, Yosef set the stage as best he could to mirror what had taken place 22 years earlier. A young, innocent, son of Rachel was going to be placed in the precarious brink of becoming a slave to Egypt forever. The money has been exchanged, the boy is helpless and guilty in the eyes of those judging him, and it is up to the brothers to dem-
Judaism was and will always be the best thing for the Jews.
onstrate compassion: To look out for their brother, to do everything within their power and then some to make sure history doesn’t repeat itself. This is the mark of a true baal teshuvah. When the circumstances lend themselves for the bad action to be repeated, and the former sinner chooses a different path, he is considered penitent. Yosef HaTzaddik was using G-d’s favorite form of punishment, measure for measure. And with the brothers’ collective action, and Yehuda, who was most responsible for the idea of the sale, standing up to do everything in his power to defend Binyamin (in next week’s parsha). We see how the brothers are ready to be reunited, and the next stage of their collective history can finally commence with the reunions that will take place when Yaakov and his greater family come down to Egypt. e can take this thought and apply it to the Chanukah experience as well. The Greek occupation and the influence they exerted over the people of ancient Israel could only be overcome when the Jewish people were put in touch with the conflicting ideology, coming to the conclusion that Judaism was and will always be the best thing for the Jews. Just as Yosef remains a highlight of the Israelites’ time in Egypt, the 200-plus years Hasmonean dynasty is a highlight of the Jewish experience in Israel during a time of foreign occupation and the 2,000-year exile that has followed since the destruction of the Temple.
W
Having the courage to face and correct our mistakes t
he current flurry of diplomatic endeavors on both the Palestinian (what or who is a “Palestinian”?) and Iranian fronts leave one wondering: how do hundreds of millions of Muslims continue to deny what is so obviously historical fact — that an ancient Jewish State exists in what is today the State of Israbbi Binny rael. freedman This question is not limited to any one particular ethnicity, religion or theology. How do hundreds of thousands of people still believe the Holocaust never happened? And how are there still people in the world who believe that Stalin was a savior to the poor people of the world? This week’s portion, Miketz, and its place in the story of Joseph and his brothers, present a fascinating perspective on this question. Sold by his brothers into slavery some 20 years earlier, Joseph, who has now taken the Egyptian name Tzofnat-Paneach, has, by Divine design, been elevated to the grand position of Viceroy of Egypt, the second most powerful position in the most powerful empire the world had ever known. In the midst of a devastating famine caused by drought, the entire region has become dependant on the Nile-river based Egyptian economy, and the only food to be found is being controlled and doled out by Joseph himself. Eventually, the brothers are forced to come to Egypt in search of grain, and soon from the heart of jerusalem
find themselves accused of being spies, standing before the Viceroy, who unbeknownst to them is the same Joseph they mercilessly sold into slavery. Joseph is presented with an incredible opportunity: the chance for a most delicious payback. But revenge does not seem to be on his mind (else he would have had them all thrown into a pit) and instead he orchestrates a series of puzzling events that allow the brothers to relive the opportunity they failed to seize when Joseph was in the pit, the chance to put their younger brother, who was seemingly more favored by their father Ya’acov, before them. Taking one of the brothers (Shimon) hostage, Joseph orchestrates the descent of Binyamin (his only full brother) to Egypt, plants a silver goblet in his pack, and threatens to keep him in Egypt forever. And yet, they never recognize Joseph, nor even wonder whether he might have something to do with their continuous chain of seemingly terrible calamities. Recall that while Yaakov assumes his long lost son Joseph is dead, the brothers know he was sold and have every reason to assume he might well be alive, and even advising or serving someone who might be connected to the bizarre series of events that surround their foray to Egypt. Why does it never occur to the brothers that Joseph might be connected to the events at hand? Tens of thousands
of people are coming to Egypt for food, yet these ten brothers find themselves brought before no less than the Viceroy himself! And how is it that when they are brought before Joseph none of them recognize their own brother whose face must still haunt their dreams? And why is this Viceroy so interested in their father Ya’acov, constantly asking if he is still alive;nwhy does this not arouse the brothers’ curiosity? And then there is the astounding similarity of events to the cause of the selling of Joseph in the first place? All those years ago, Joseph tells the family of his dream that the brothers’ bushels are bowing to his, and that the moon, the sun and the stars are bowing before him, and this so outrages the brothers, it pushes them over the edge, causing them to nearly kill (and actually sell as a slave) their brother. Is this not a moment one would expect to be carried in their collective consciousness? And yet, here they are, bowing down together before a ruler they ought never to have met, and they do not even question whether Joseph might be involved? And as if this is not enough, why would an Egyptian ruler who represents the ancient equivalent of a Nazi ReichsFuhrer accuse them of espionage, a charge with almost no basis, and then essentially let them go, simply to bring their brother back?
How is it this Egyptian ruler in the world center of pagan idolatry would say nonetheless, ‘Et ha’Elokim ani yareh,’ ‘I fear G-d’
h
ow is it that this Egyptian ruler who commands such a high position in the world center of pagan idolatry would say nonetheless: “Et ha’Elokim ani yareh” (“I fear G-d”) (42: 15-20)? To top it all off, when the brothers return to Egypt with Binyamin, and are invited to the Viceroy’s home for a feast (Genesis chap. 43), they are inexplicably seated in the precise order of their birth which, while causing the brothers to “wonder” (42: 33), incredibly does not cause any of them to think Joseph might have something to do with it! Yet, despite all of these indications, the brothers just go on about their business never questioning all of these events! Finally, despite all these clues, the brothers are still speechless with shock when Joseph finally reveals himself to them. Why is this so shocking? Why did not a single one of them see this coming at all? A long time ago they made an assumption, that Joseph’s motivations were impure, that he was simply after the birthright, and that perhaps ego and greed were coloring his actions and flavoring his dreams. The result of that assumption was the righteous indignation that led to their selling of their own brother as a slave. Incredibly, 20 years later, in suggesting that perhaps all these terrible events were occurring to them because ve’lo shamanu’ eilav be’hitchaneno’ eileinu” (“we did not hear [listen to] him when he beseeched us”). The brothers never suggest they were actually wrong to sell him, but merely are pained they were not more moved by their brother’s pain — espite it all, they still think they were justified in selling him! It is still a legitimate course of action in their eyes, because to accept that Joseph was actually a Continued on page 10
7
L
ast week, my husband Jerry underwent some minor oral surgery. The surgeon advised that he eat a decent amount before since he wouldn’t really be able to chew much afterwards. By the time he got to her office he was stuffed and it reminded him of the time his first son was born, on the last day of Chanukah in December 1981. His wife, at the time, started labor on a Friday. Having been through Lamaze classes (I would have loved to have witnessed that!) he knew he had to eat before, because he Who’s in the would be right at his kitchen wife’s bedside throughout labor, with nothing to eat for an extended period of time — or so he thought. So he had a huge meal Friday night — his along with his wife’s, as she couldn’t eat. A few hours later, she was still in labor but not ready to leave for the hospital, so Judy Joszef he commenced to eat what was to have been their lunch for the next day. As her labor pains intensified, his eating quickened. Still at home Shabbat morning with nothing left to eat, he spent the day eating huge bowls of cereal and anything else that was edible. Tell a child of a Holocaust survivor that he might go hungry and there is no stopping him. By the time Sunday morning rolled around, let’s just say he was overstuffed.
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With suitcase in tow they both got into the car and were finally on their way. When Jerry turned down Avenue N off Ocean Parkway, his wife asked where he was going. “Just going to pick up my mom, on the way to the hospital,” Jerry answered matter of factly. To which she answered, hysterically, “You’re what? Are you kidding me? Your mom is coming with us?” “It’s her first grandchild, she’s a Holocaust survivor, it will mean a lot to her,” he said, starting to realize that maybe he should have okayed it with her first, but too late for that now. As if that wasn’t bad enough, all of Jerry’s friends who were residents at the hospital came by to say hello, and then the icing on the cake: about five hours into heavy labor, there was a knock at the door. Jerry quickly walked outside so that the mom-to-be wouldn’t see his mom, all 5 feet of her, 5’6” if you include her bouffant hairdo, standing in front of him clad from head to toe in surgical scrubs, the gown, head covering, and booties over her shoes. “Mom, what are you doing here? You can’t come in now, she’s in heavy labor,” Jerry said. His mom replied, “Tante Ruchel brought you fresh Kaiser rolls with butter, cheese danishes and delicious rye bread. You must be really hungry.” Jerry tried as tactfully as he could to reason with her, that this was a very bad time. “Very nice, how ungrateful are you? Do you know Tante Ruchel trekked all over the neighborhood in the freezing cold to pick up all your favorites. And now you’re throwing me out,” she uttered as she stormed down the hall. Meanwhile his wife kept on asking
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Jerry, “Who’s there? Who are you talking to? What’s going on out there?” Even Jerry understood that less is more. Soon after, his beautiful son Yoni was born and he bounded down the hall to tell his parents. On the way there, he passed a room that was overflowing with people watching TV and cheering. Turns out they were watching the Jets-Bills playoff game. Being a huge Giant’s fan and hating the Jets, and being it was almost the end of the game, he decided to watch for a few minutes. Unfortunately, it looked like the Jets were going to win. It was 1st and goal, one yard line, then 4th and goal. Everyone held their breath and then Richard Todd threw an interception and the Bills won. Jerry erupted in applause. The entire room turned towards him and he sheepishly said, “I just had a baby boy,” and ducked out of the room and to the family waiting area to tell his parents, and to his surprise, all of his aunts and uncles who had gathered, waiting for the news. What can I say, they were a very close-knit family.
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Later that afternoon, he sat with Yoni in his arms and watched the Giants win their first playoff game in years. He sat there thinking about what an amazing day it was. The Jets miraculously lost their playoff game, the Giants defeated the hated Eagles, he was able to continue his eating frenzy, and, oh yes, he also had his first child. It doesn’t get any better than that! With that said, this Chanukah, enjoy latkes that are light on Labor, but heavy on taste.
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THE JEWISH STAR November 29, 2013 • 26 KISLEV 5774
Light on labor … and heavy on taste
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Continued from page 3 can be found on Persian pottery dating back to 2300 BC, well before the centralization of Temple worship in ancient Israel. The almond tree, which is native to Israel and has special significance in Jewish lore and ritual, may have been the original inspiration for the menorah’s upward sloping design. It is quite possible that the menorah represents a blending of the Tree of Life idea with another important Israelite symbol of the divine presence, the luminous, everburning bush encountered by Moses. Indeed, the tradition surrounding the menorah tells that it was tended to day rand night by the Temple priests so as to stay continuously lit, the original “Eternal Light”
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found in today’s sanctuaries. Whereas, Yarden explains, the Star of David is never mentioned in canonical Jewish texts, nor does it appear on Jewish monuments before the Middle Ages, the menorah image can be found wherever Jews lived since the fall of the Second Temple, all across Europe and Asia. Synagogues built between 200 and 700 CE in Israel and beyond commonly sport menorahs carved into stone reliefs and laid into floor mosaics. Menorahs also adorn large numbers of Jewish gravestones throughout the postTemple period, both within Israel and at various locations around the ancient Roman Empire: Sicily, Sardinia, Malta, and Milan, as well places in Spain, Portugal, France, and Greece. Yarden’s book offers dozens of examples of the centrality of the menorah in Jewish art and architecture past and present, including vivid photographs of original ancient pieces. Jewish thinkers through the centuries have been drawn to the power and beauty of the menorah image and its effortless fusion of the natural with the man-made, of form with light. To Zechariah it was a beacon of the future redemption of Israel; to Josephus it represented the seven known planets that illuminate the cosmos; for Philo it manifested the light of divine wisdom; in the Zohar, it holds the primordial light of the ein sof, from which all being emanates; for Herzl, a metaphor for the possibility of Jewish national renaissance. Today, the menorah continues to capture the imaginations of rabbis and laypeople, artists and thinkers, religious and secular, an enduring symbol of eternal hope.
A Joyous Chanukah Filled With Happiness & Love
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upon all of us to do whatever we can to see By Malka Eisenberg It’s been four years since Alan Gross, an him back in the United States. It is an outrage American subcontractor who was raised in that the Cuban government is using him as New Hyde Park, was arrested and impris- a political pawn to attempt to extract concessions from the United oned in Cuba, and his life States and it is the responis in danger. sibility of the U.S. governOn Dec. 3, 2009, Gross ment to make sure all of its was planning to return to citizens are delivered back the U.S. the next day and safely and should not spare had just hung up the phone any efforts to bring Alan after speaking with his home.” wife when Cuban officials Gross had traveled five entered his hotel room and times to Cuba to work on a arrested him. He was held project of the U.S. Agency in a Havana prison for 14 for International Developmonths without charge. ment to enable Internet acAfter a summary trial in cess for the Cuban Jewish March 2011, a Cuban court community to be able to stated that his work there interact with other Jewish was an attempt to undercommunities. He was armine the Cuban governrested on his fifth trip. ment by distributing comJudy Gross, Alan’s wife munications systems not (who said she is permitunder government control. Alan Gross in a recent photo. ted to visit Gross just a few He was sentenced to 15 times each year), and Ron Halber, executive years in prison. Rambam Mesivta High School in Law- director of the Jewish Community Relations rence held a rally in front of the Cuban Mis- Council of Greater Washington, along with sion to the United Nations last year to call for elected officials and other supporters, will hold a vigil across from the White House on Gross’s release. “We stand together with the Gross family the fourth anniversary of Gross’s incarcerain full support of their efforts to bring home tion, Tuesday, Dec. 3. Gross suffers from chronic pain, has lost their dear relative,” said Rambam’s rosh mesivta, Rabbi Zev Meir Friedman. “Alan Gross more than 100 pounds and his mental health is really a case of pidyon shvuyim (the mitz- is deteriorating, says Judy, who responded to vah of freeing a prisoner) and an obligation Continued on page 14
A Happy & Healthy Chanukah!
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Continued from page 6 tzaddik (righteous and correct), means that their entire lives have been a lie and that everything they did was wrong. And that is a very difficult thing to do. To actually recognize that the assumption which forms the core of a person’s entire life journey could be completely mistaken and that one’s entire life might be built on false premises takes an enormous amount of strength and great inner resolve, not to mention character. Rare is the individual who is prepared to make such an admission, but this perhaps, is the level the Torah wants us to aspire to reach, in unraveling before us the human drama that is the story of Joseph and his brothers. Indeed, 4,000 years later, Adlerian psychology will base its theories of self correction on the discovery of a basic flaw which is essentially an assumption often arrived at early in life, usually as the result of some form of trauma, that is the root of all the mistakes a person struggles with in his or her life. Despite all the obvious signs, the brothers simply cannot see the obvious solution to the mystery that confronts them. To do so is to admit that the dream has come true, and that would mean they were wrong, and their lives have been based on a completely flawed assumption. We need look no farther than today’s newspapers to find this lesson all around us. If Oslo was a failure, because we had no real partners, then that would mean all the death and violence since then was the result of that failure and we need to completely change directions, and that is a very hard pill to swallow. Far easier to keep trying the same
Get the
experiment, no matter how strange that may seem, than admit such far-reaching errors. And on the individual level, if I am miserable as a lawyer because I chose the field for the wrong reasons then I might need to accept twenty years of mistakes, in order to make life better. And if the fellow or relative I am angry at actually had a point, then I might need to accept that I have been walking a path of behavior based on a completely mistaken assumption. his may be one reason why this portion of Miketz always falls on the Shabbat of Chanukah: because this is the essence of what Chanukah was all about. Too many Jews were living lives based on Greek assumptions that from a Jewish perception were completely flawed. And that may be why the festival of Chanukah is all about lighting the Menorah, because the solution to correcting flawed assumptions, is to hold them up to the light of impartial analysis, the light of objective truth, which from a Jewish perspective is the ancient and ever beautiful light of Torah. Indeed, on Chanukah the Temple was not destroyed and rebuilt, it had simply become polluted by Greek idolatry and paganism. So the Macabees cleaned up and re-dedicated it; hence the name Chanukah, related to the word chen, or inner beauty. Chanukah is about looking deep inside us to rediscover the inner beauty that was always there; the beauty that shone forth before our mistaken assumptions clouded them over and hid them away. This year, may we have the wisdom to discover our mistakes, the strength to correct them and the courage to change our ways and paths, opinions and perspectives, to live up to those new assumptions.
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Skepticism over Truman’s Israel views vindicated is a memo to Silver from one of his top aides, Dr. Benjamin Akzin, written in March 1946. Akzin was one of the heads of the Zionist movement’s lobbying unit in Washington, D.C. In the memo, Akzin describes what “reliable informants” had recently told him about attitudes toward Zionism among Truman administration officials. “As an example of the real feelings of inner White House circles,” Akzin wrote, “they cited an inCourtesy David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies stance when, at a Abba Hillel Silver addressing the United Nations in 1947. Behind him are social occasion, it Jewish Agency official and future Israeli prime minister Moshe Sharett was pointed out that (left) and Mizrachi leader Rabbi Wolf Gold. Courtesy David S. Wyman the Arab policy of Institute for Holocaust Studies the Government was certain to harm the Epstein complained that President Truman chances of Jews in Palestine. To this, Colonel “remains passive” with regard to the Zionist Vaughn [sic], the aide to the President and cause. one of his very closest friends, replied: ‘Who Epstein then elaborated on the reasons cares about that? The Jews cause trouble for Truman’s indifference, the first of which wherever they live anyhow!’” was Vaughan’s influence: Akzin’s description accords with a sec“I have heard that his military advisers, ond memo to Silver, this one from Eliahu and especially his Military Aide, Major GenEpstein, the chief Washington representa- eral Harry H. Vaughan, have a very bad intive of the Jewish Agency for Palestine. Ep- fluence on him where the Palestine question stein, who later changed his name to Elath, is concerned. According to my information, would serve as the first Israeli ambassador to Vaughan is an anti-Semite and is strongly the U.S. In the memo, written in July 1947, swayed by some of the British members of
the Combined Chiefs of Staff.” Truman’s Palestine policy was a maze of contradictions that often left American Jews bewildered. He urged admission of 100,000 Holocaust survivors to Palestine in 1945, but then rebuffed calls by Silver and other Jewish leaders to put economic pressure on the British to open Palestine’s gates. Truman supported the November 1947 United Nations plan to partition the Holy Land into Jewish and Arab states, but three months later backed off and endorsed putting Palestine under a U.N. trusteeship. When Israel was established in May 1948, Truman granted it de facto recognition, but then refused to provide the Jewish state with any weapons to defend itself against the invading Arab armies. Vaughan and Truman met while serving in the army together in 1918. Later, as vice president, Truman hired Vaughan as his adviser on military affairs and ushered him into the small circle of close friends with whom Truman drank bourbon and played poker. Vaughan occasionally found himself in the spotlight: in 1949, for example, a prominent journalist urged Truman to fire him for accepting a medal from Argentina’s fascist government. Truman angrily responded, “No S.O.B. is going to tell me who to have on my staff or in my Cabinet.” And Vaughan did indeed remain by Truman’s side throughout the rest of his presidency — no doubt much to the dismay of American Zionists. Dr. Rafael Medoff is director of The David S. Wyman Institute for Holocaust Studies, in Washington, D.C. His latest book is “FDR and the Holocaust: A Breach of Faith.”
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By Rafael Medoff, JNS.org At the 50th anniversary of the death of American Zionist leader Abba Hillel Silver, newly discovered documents appear to confirm his skeptical view of the Truman administration’s position on Jewish statehood. Silver, a dynamic Reform rabbi and Zionist orator from Cleveland, passed away on Nov. 30, 1963. During the 1940s, he spearheaded a nationwide campaign of rallies, petitions, and lobbying to convince U.S. policymakers to support the creation of a Jewish state in British Mandatory Palestine. But not all Jewish leaders agreed with Silver’s activist approach. Reform Rabbi Stephen S. Wise, who co-chaired the American Zionist movement alongside Silver, favored a more cautious strategy. He believed President Franklin Roosevelt, and later President Harry Truman, could be relied upon to support Zionism. Silver was more skeptical, arguing that senior U.S. officials could not be counted on to back Jewish statehood unless they faced serious political pressure from the Jewish community. Two previously unpublished documents, recently located by this author at the Central Zionist Archives in Jerusalem, appear to vindicate Silver’s view, at least to some extent. The documents suggest that Major-General Harry Vaughan, a senior aide to President Truman, privately harbored extremely negative views of Jews and Zionism. Vaughan was a longtime friend and important influence on Truman, although his role in Palestine policy is not widely known. He is not even mentioned in most books about American Zionism or America-Israel relations. One of the newly discovered documents
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Woodmere Torah… Continued from page 1 ning of a narrative mirrors the end. Intertextuality, often his trademark, is, he said, when “a strange word or phrase connects to another word or phrase and you get the sense that the Torah means to connect narrative A to B. It’s the original interconnective document [with] infinite wisdom — every story sheds light on five other stories.” The Torah is “an Internet without electricity,” he said. When the Torah is studied this way you get a “sense of joy, excitement and relevance,” Fohrman said. “It’s majestic, overwhelming” and you are “convinced of the utter uniqueness, beauty and elegance” of the Torah and “see first hand the layers of meaning. … It’s a magnet. You are kiruv (outreach); others want it. The Torah is powerful and it’s the biggest kiruv tool.” Rabbi David Fohrman was born in the 1960s and grew up in the San Francisco Bay area with parents who were “traditional not Orthodox.” They met and joined Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach’s House of Love and Prayer. “My father was the resident psychiatrist there,” Fohrman said. His parents founded Hillel Academy, a day school Fohrman attended before moving to Berkeley High School and studying with Rabbi Yosef Leibowits in Beth Israel, a small Orthodox shul. His involvement with Leibowitz was his first experience with Torah analysis. “He was a remarkable teacher,” Fohrman said. “I met with him to prepare for my bar mitzvah drasha and he said, ‘read through the text and tell me what bothers you about it.’ I had to construct my own drasha.” Only then did he turn to the meforshim (commentaries). “The point he made was you have to be able to encounter the text on your own before you encounter the commentaries. You are not in a position to understand until you encounter the text the way they did.” His father died after a five year battle with
lymphoma when Forhman was 12. “He had a profound influence on my life. My psychological bent is from him, my insights into human nature came from the seeds of discussion with him.” His mother married Zev Wolfsohn, moving first to Kew Gardens and later Lawrence. Fohrman studied in Rabbi Shlomo Riskin’s Ohr Torah yeshiva in Riverdale and then transferred, still in high school, to Ner Yisroel in Baltimore. He prevailed upon an inspiring teacher, Rabbi Ezra Neuberger, to form a study group with other boys where they learned “fascinating things” — mussar (ethics) philosophy, holidays, history. They discussed the importance of not imitating your teachers’ learning but of learning Talmud “built on fundamentals that became like habits.” He earned a Bachelor of Talmudic Law at Ner Yisroel, and a masters in the history of ideas at Johns Hopkins University. Fohrman developed a strong connection with Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, Rosh Yeshiva at Ner Yisroel, and would call on him every two weeks to discuss philosophical issues. When Fohrman was asked to give a series of secular college courses on the Bible, he consulted with Rabbi Weinberg if this was permitted. While teaching an adult education course at Johns Hopkins, he met LeRoy Hoffberger, a secular Jew in Baltimore who asked if Fohrman could develop more material like it. When Fohrman said yes, Hoffberger raised money and started the Hoffberger Foundation for Torah Studies. “He never quite became Orthodox but believed in the Divinity of the Torah. He is an important backer of my work over the years including today.” Fohrman married his wife Rina in Baltimore. They settled in Woodmere and have seven children. He has been with YI Woodmere for almost five years and with Aleph Beta Academy for about three years.
Push to free Gross… Continued from page 9 Judy continued: “Alan’s mother is 91 years old and is curquestions from The Jewish Star by email. “Alan spends 23 hours a day confined to a rently battling inoperable lung cancer. His small cell with two fellow inmates. The lights mother cries to me every Saturday when we are on 24/7. His single hour outside each day talk about the fear that she may never see her son again. It goes withtakes place in a small, out saying that Alan’s enclosed courtyard. He imprisonment has been is isolated from the outdifficult for our family. side world, with no InterOur daughter, Shira, net access and extremely battled breast cancer limited visits and phone without her father. She calls. also walked down the “Repeated requests aisle without him last for a release based on husummer. manitarian grounds have “Our other daughbeen denied. ter, Nina, has put her “The only way Alan life on hold — as we all will come home alive is have.” if President Obama perMalcom Hoenlein, sonally gets involved and executive vice chairdoes what is necessary man of the Conference to secure his immediate release. The Cuban gov- Alan and Judy Gross before his imprison- of Presidents of Major American Jewish Orgaernment has stated both ment. nizations, told the Star publicly and privately that they are willing to sit down with the U.S. that it is not currently feasible to meet the government to discuss Alan’s case with no Cubans’ demands but that “a lot has been pre-conditions. Alan’s case rests on the shoul- done here and there, we have been very inders of the U.S. and Cuban governments, and volved, [and] we are continuing to use every only they have the power to bring him home avenue possible, public and private.” The vigil will be in Lafayette Park in Washto his family. It has been four years and Alan still remains in prison. The purpose of the ington, D.C., from 12 to 1 pm with the speechvigil is to bring attention to Alan’s plight and es to begin at 12:15 pm. For more information contact jcrain@skdencourage the President to get personally inknick.com. volved in this case and to bring Alan home.”
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