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Vayishlach • Friday, December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 • Luach page 19 • Torah columns pages 18 – 19 • Vol 16, No 45

Saba and Savta Friedman visit grandkids at HAFTR

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Anti-Vaxxers rip W. Hemp woman’s Chanukah book By Victor Wishna, JTA with The Jewish Star

When West Hempstead author Ann D. Koffsky checked her Amazon rankings, she noticed the rating for her most recent book had dropped to onestar overnight. “This book is filled with lies,” claimed one review. “Very upsetting,” said another. “Utter propaganda,” began a third. Soon the “review war,” as Koffsky called it, spilled over onto her personal Facebook page. The target of this rage is a children’s picture book, Koffsky’s latest — she’s written more than 30 books for children — published just in time for Chanukah. “Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor: A Story See Anti-Vaxxers onw page 14

Controversial new book by West Hempstead author.

Franken’s toast, says Rep. Rice The United States ambassador to Israel, Woodsburgh resident David Friedman, visited HAFTR’s Early Childhood Center in Lawrence with his wife, Tammy, for davening time with young students on the day before Thanksgiving. On their laps are grandchildren Aiden Romanoff and Isla Friedman who, along with Olivia Romanoff, attend HAFTR. The ambassador graduated from Hebrew Institute of Long Island, which merged with Hillel to form HAFTR in 1978.

tion Room on Monday. “Whether it’s Donald Trump not coming out against Roy Moore and supporting him to the extent that he is, or if it’s Nancy Pelosi protecting John Conyers and saying that she leaves it up to him to make the right decision. I think that’s ridiculous.” When Blitzer asked Rice if Franken’s apology was “enough to merit him staying in the U.S. Congress,” she replied, “I don’t think so.” See Franken’s toast on page 2

Hotovely sparks talk of a Jewish divide

Rabbi Binny Freedman relates the Rambam’s caution that even if anger appears to be a worthwhile tool, one should feign anger while internally maintaining a balanced composure. Rabbi Avi Billet urges that we “find a blessing in bad news, just as we find something to be grateful for in good news.” See SHABBAT STAR, pages 18 and 19.

Tzipi Hotovely.

Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Analysis by Alex Traiman, JNS Last week’s remarks by Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Tzipi Hotovely—that American Jewry is out of touch with the daily realities of life in Israel— have exacerbated a growing rift between liberal U.S. Jews and Israel on key social, religious and political issues, as well as on continued philanthropy to the Jewish state. The comments themselves, as well as subsequent criticism and condemnation by both American Jewish leaders and Israeli politicians, seemingly demonstrate that a climate of mistrust has been building up between the world’s two largest Jewish communities. Shmuel Sandler, a professor of religion and

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Torah’s view on anger and good

The Jewish Star South Shore Rep. Kathleen Rice has called for the removal from Congress of Sentator Al Franken and Rep. John Conyers. She’s the first member of Congress to do so. Rice, a Democrat, also ripped into her party’s leader in the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, for Pelosi’s laissez faire approach to Conyers. “People are seeing us circle the wagons and protect our own,” Rice told Wolff Blitzer on CNN’s Situa-

politics at Israel’s Bar-Ilan University and a senior research associate at the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, said Hotovely was “reacting to a growing feeling between both sides, American Jewry and Israeli Jewry, that there is ‘trouble in the tribe’—especially between the liberal wing of American Jewry which is mostly secular, and the Israeli government which is more conservative and has a strong Orthodox religious element.” “There is a growing rift between the two communities, and it should be overcome,” Sandler told JNS. Hotovely was castigated for saying that American Jewry “is not understanding the complexity of the region,” adding that Israel is not understood propSee Hotovely sparks talk on page 2

Hotovely sparks talk...

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Continued from page 1 erly by American Jews because they “never send their children to fight for their country, most of the Jews don’t have children serving as soldiers, going to the Marines, going to Afghanistan, or to Iraq. Most of them are having quite convenient lives. They don’t feel how it feels to be attacked by rockets, and I think part of it is to actually experience what Israel is dealing with on a daily basis.” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, amid calls to dismiss Hotovely from his government, said diaspora Jews “are dear to us and are an inseparable part of our people. There is no room for such an attack, and its words do not reflect the position of the state of Israel.” U.S. Jewry’s financial support Since Israel’s founding, American Jews have contributed billions if not trillions of dollars to the Jewish state. Such donations have borne fruit, with Israel’s Jewish population skyrocketing to more than 6 million Jews—approximately the same size as America’s Jewish community—and the nation developing into an economic power. Many American Jewish philanthropists feel that the funds they give toward Israel also come with the right to openly voice their opinions on the merits of Israeli policies. Earlier this year, when the Israeli government refused to change the access point to an egalitarian prayer section at the Western Wall plaza, opponents of the government’s decision appealed to Jewish philanthropists to cut off donations to Israel—rhetoric akin to anti-Israel activists’ calls for boycotts of the Jewish state. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, who himself had been criticized for saying more than 30 years ago that Reform Judaism is “idol worship and not Judaism,” said of Hotovely’s remarks, “The [U.S. Jewish] community longs for a connection with Israel, but wants a relationship between equals, not of philanthropy on the one hand and blind admiration on the other. We must embark on a new path, no longer a relationship of charity, but a shared commitment to justice, to Jewish and human mutual responsibility. No longer with the silencing of mutual criticism, but with courageous and sincere openness.” During the past several years, heads of liberal-leaning Jewish communal organizations in the U.S. have openly criticized Israeli policies towards Palestinians as well as settlement construction, under the mantra that one can support Israel and criticize it at the same time. Israelis have recently begun returning criticism toward the American Jewish community over substandard Jewish education, high assimilation and intermarriage rates, and disconnection from Israel. “I think [Hotovely] made a mistake,” Sandler said. “She echoed some real problems, but did not use the right words. I think that she should not have made those comments on television. If you want to make those comments, you do that from within,

and not externally for everyone to hear. And in Israel, we would expect American Jewry to do the same.” Polarizing political climate Since Israel’s founding, support for the Jewish state in America’s political landscape has been considered a bipartisan issue. Yet during the presidencies of Barack Obama and now Donald Trump, support for Israel has increasingly fallen along party lines. An April 2017 survey conducted by University of Maryland researchers found that 66 percent of Republicans and just 15 percent of Democrats nationwide believe the Trump administration’s policy should “lean toward Israel.” A January 2017 Pew Research Center poll found that 74 percent of Republicans sympathize more with Israel than with the Palestinians, but only 33 percent of Democrats share that sentiment. At the same time, Netanyahu, who had an openly contentious relationship with Obama, portends to have a close relationship to Trump. This runs counter to the voting patterns of American Jews, who historically support Democratic presidential candidates over Republicans. Trump garnered 24 percent of Jewish votes in the 2016 election, compared to 78 and 69 percent for Obama in the 2012 and 2008 races, respectively. Mitchell Barak, an Israel-based political consultant and director of the Keevoon Research survey and strategic communications firm, told JNS that Netanyahu “has condemned the statements of Hotovely, but his actions, specifically on delaying the Kotel equal access, the conversion issue, the silencing of any questioning or dissent of Israeli policies in the territories or vis-a-vis the Palestinians, and his partisan embrace of Trump, which was preceded by his demonizing of President Obama, has split the community because Israel has become a partisan issue.” Diminishing support Israel “is losing American Jews’ bedrock of support,” Barak said. “The Obama years were not good for the relationship,” echoed Sandler. “That is one of the processes that contributed to it. And now [there are] the differences between American liberal Jewry and President Trump, while Israel supports him.” According to Sandler, other issues contributing to the divide between Israel and U.S. Jewry are “the problems between Orthodox versus Reform Jewry;” the rise of J Street, the left-wing lobby group that opposes many Israeli policies, during the Obama years; the BDS movement; and the fact that “today you have the fundamentalist Christians supporting a more hawkish Israeli policy than liberal American Jewry.” Sandler believes that it will take a lot of work to alleviate the discord between the liberal American Jewish community and Israel. “I am afraid it will get worse,” he said. “There are a lot of undercurrent streams that have enlarged this issue.”

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Continued from page 1 “I think if you ask any person on the street, do you think the action that CBS took with Charlie Rose was appropriate, or Louis CK or anyone else in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein, they would say yes,” Rice said. “They took the right action. Why can’t we do the same thing in Washington?” “It seems like the private sector has it right and us in Congress don’t,” she said. “For all of these women who have made these credible accusations, Wolff, there were

professional repercussions for every single one of those women who were harassed,” Rice continued. “There should be professional repercussions for every single harasser. … There’s no reason for the public to trust us if we can’t even call people out and say, you have betrayed the public trust and there has to be a consequence.” She said that most people feel that the removal from Congress of Franken and Conyers “would be an appropriate consequence for these elected officials.”

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‘Mooch’ goes Jewish to stump for Trump in Israel By Andrew Tobin, JTA JERUSALEM — Anthony Scaramucci, the short-lived White House communications director, is not a member of the tribe. But he came close to declaring himself one during a visit to Israel last week. “A few more days here and I’d probably convert to Judaism,” the Manhasset native joked to JTA. “They already did the circumcision back in ’64. There just wasn’t a mohel present.” When he was not touting his Jewish ties on the trip, Scaramucci talked up the proIsrael bona fides of his former boss, President Donald Trump. He revealed that he hopes to work for him again — and in fact never really stopped. Scaramucci had come to Israel two days earlier as a guest of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, a New York areabased group that promotes business opportunities and aims to influence public policy. A former Wall Street financier and accomplished entrepreneur known as “The Mooch,” he has scoped out investment opportunities in Israel’s renowned high-tech industry. While that work was done in private, Scaramucci repeatedly spoke publicly about his fond feelings for the Jewish people. At a news conference at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, he described Judaism’s culture as “unbelievable” and “beautiful,” and credited the mother of his Jewish high school friend with putting him on the path to success. “His mom forced us to study before we could eat, before we could play sports, before anything else,” he recalled. “I can tell you I grew up in a neighborhood where none of the Italian kids were studying, and without her help, I don’t think I ever could have gotten to

half an hour with all my Jewish friends before I got up there.” A day earlier, Scaramucci visited the nearby Yad Vashem-The World Holocaust Remembrance Center, where he donned a kippah and vowed to do his part to make sure a Jewish genocide never happens again. “Never can there be this kind of atrocity, this injustice to humanity, this lack of proactivity to prevent something like this,” he told Arutz Sheva. “I have five children, varying ages, I hope to bring them all here so they can see this as well.” Scaramucci joined Trump’s team in July after a career in capital management. He quickly drew attention — and ridicule — for his brash rhetoric and threats to crack down on White House leakers. His term ended before he could be officially installed after he gave a foulmouthed, on-the-record interview to the New Yorker in which he maligned White House strategist Steve Bannon and other staffers. Although Scaramucci was fired from his White House job after just 11 days, he said he remains friends with many administration members — including Ambassador to Israel David Friedman — and keeps in touch with them. “It wouldn’t be fair to say I’m a shadow member of the Cabinet,” he told JTA. “But as a private citizen, I’m happy to share my opinions on the administration, and when I’m asked for my opinion from within the administration, I offer it.” Scaramucci told JTA he plans to return to politics next year by helping Trump with his re-election campaign. He said he does not expect that work to lead to a role in the administration, but he dismisses the suggestion that he should put his rhetorical skills to work for a political career of his own.

Anthony Scaramucci is flanked by Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce founder and CEO Duvi HoOJC nig (left) and Executive VP Dr. Joseph Frager, at the King David Hotel in Jerusalem on Nov. 21.

Tufts University.” At Tufts, Scaramucci said, he took a course on Yiddish literature. “And I can tell you, I am one of the few goys out there that knows the difference between a sheigetz and a shiksa, he said, using Yiddish terms for non-Jews. He went on to call Israel a gift from “Hashem himself” and the Jew’s promised land. Despite not being Jewish, he said, this is his third trip to the country, which he supports on principle. “So I know that this is G-d’s land for G-d’s Chosen People. I know that the State of Israel will exist today and forever in the future, and it’s important for anybody who believes in the

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concept of liberty and anybody in the West who believes in the individual spirit to protect the State of Israel,” he said. Scaramucci said that Trump’s election marked a “new era” in U.S.-Israel relations. “He’s a great friend of Israel, and he will be a great friend of Israel,” Scaramucci said to applause from Israeli government ministers. “And I think that all of the political parties here, regardless of what your political philosophy is, if you’re an Israeli, you’re happy that Donald Trump is in the White House.” Scaramucci wrapped up the news conference with a rendition of the Hebrew Shehecheyanu prayer. He told JTA he had rehearsed for “about

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December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

10/30/2017 2:01:43 PM

Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries from around the world pose for their annual group photo during the 44th annual Kinus Hashluchim.

center, adding to the 3,500 Chabad institutions around the globe. Including the Chabad. org website, these institutions reach millions of Jews every year. Chabad-Lubavich describes itself as the largest Jewish organization in the world, and leading experts on Jewish communal life agree with that assessment. “Nobody else comes close,” says Mark Rosen, an expert on Jewish institutions and a professor at Brandeis University’s Hornstein Jewish Professional Leadership Program. What’s behind Chabad’s growth? A major factor could be the preservation and dissemination of countless videos and recordings of the Rebbe’s sermons, as well as dozens of his Torah commentaries and 32 volumes containing a sampling of the hundreds of thousands of letters he wrote in response to a constant stream of questions. “It’s the first repository of a great Torah teacher’s wisdom to be kept alive by technology,” says Chabad spokesman Rabbi Motti Selig-

son. “So the Rebbe continues to teach us years after his passing.” Another widely recognized ingredient in the movement’s secret sauce is the personal dedication of the rabbinical emissaries, who move their families into remote corners of the world like India, Laos and Siberia in order to serve Jews wherever they are. “For them, it’s not a job—it’s a mission,” Rosen tells JNS. “They’re not angling for a promotion and they don’t go home at 5 o’clock. Instead they’ve made a lifelong commitment to spread Judaism to every Jew, wherever they’re needed, so they can accomplish a lot.” Chadad “loves and accepts every Jew wherever they are with no judging,” Rosen adds. “Their goal is to not to get you to be just like them, but to help you take the next step in being Jewish, whatever that looks for you. That brings people who would otherwise never be attracted to Orthodox Judaism to Chabad.” Rabbi Yosef Kantor, who along with his wife

Chabad-Lubavitch

Nechama runs Chabad centers in Thailand, tells JNS, “At the Kinus, I was able to tell younger rabbis that the impact they have on every Jew they meet isn’t quantifiable, but it’s there.” In Thailand, the Kantors have served more than 100,000 meals, many of them to backpacking post-army Israelis who stop by for kosher food and a warm Jewish welcome. “The Rebbe taught us that it’s not about having followers, but about bringing out the leadership in others,” Rabbi Kantor says. Chabad’s model “cannot be replicated since you can’t do it if you don’t live it,” says Brandeis’s Rosen, who shares the insight of a fellow scholar from that university, Jonathan Sarna, that “no one would have predicted the greatest force in 21st-century Jewish life would be an Orthodox movement like Chabad.” “It defies logic,” Rosen says of Chabad’s ascent. “So there must be some deeper truth that’s escaping our understanding and that our social science skills don’t quite encompass.”

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By Deborah Fineblum, JNS How do you go about feeding a crowd of 5,600 hungry rabbis and other guests, many of whom have just traveled across the globe? If you ask Greenwald Caterers, they’ll tell you to start with 2.5 tons of meat, 10 pallets of drinks and 40 cases of tomatoes. Greenwald was the caterer of last week’s International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries in Bayonne. The 44th annual Kinus Hashluchim (gathering of emissaries) drew a record-setting attendance of 5,600, including 4,700 emissaries. The rabbis traveled from as far away as New Zealand, Thailand and the Congo. The Kinus tradition began in 1983, when Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson appointed his longtime personal secretary Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky (now chairman of the Chabad umbrella organization Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch) to chair a conference of Chabad’s North American rabbis. That October, some 65 of them gathered at Lubavitch headquarters in Crown Heights to share ideas, solutions and support. Rabbi Yisroel Shmotkin was there that day, and he’s been to every Kinus since. As Wisconsin’s top Chabad rabbi for half a century, he has also seen the astronomical growth of both the event and the movement it represents. “In the general sessions and individual workshops you find a wealth of innovative new ideas for programs and solutions to the challenges we all face, plus a real sharing of experiences,” Shmotkin tells JNS. “It takes you out of your little shtetl, and all of a sudden you can see yourself as part of a huge mission engraved in the lives of each person Chabad is able to touch. There’s an almost electrifying spirit of unity and enthusiasm.” An announcement at this year’s conference highlighted the fact that, 23 years after the death of the Rebbe, the movement continues to grow exponentially. Last month, Uganda became the 100th country to have a Chabad

THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

Massive growth of Chabad still ‘defies logic’

December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

Mennonites and BDS: Clouded legacy, lawsuit edwin black

llen Koontz, a Kansas contract schoolteacher, is asking a federal judge — in a suit where a decision on a temporary restraing order is expected on Dec. 1 — to reaffirm the anti-Jewish boycott campaign begun by Adolf Hitler on April 1, 1933, openly adopted shortly thereafter by the mufti of Jerusalem as part of the Arab-Nazi alliance during the Holocaust, internationalized against the Jewish state after WWII by the Arab League in December 1945, made illegal in America by a 1976 amendment to the Tax Reform Act and a 1977 amendment to the U.S. Export Administration Act (and reaffirmed repeatedly by presidential executive orders), and relabelled in recent years with glitter and violent disruption as BDS, the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Anti-BDS legislation has been adopted by more than 20 states, including Kansas. Koontz says Kansas Law HR 2409 infringes on her religious right to boycott Israeli Jews and individuals and companies who do business with Israel. Koontz sued—Koontz vs. Watson—to overturn the Kansas law, disguising her purely political campaign as a religious duty handed down from the sixteenth-century, non-confrontational teachings of the pacifistic Mennonite religion. mong the little-known Mennonites are some of the finest people on the planet, considered “salt of the earth” precisely because they faithfully embrace the founder of Christianity’s “Sermon on the Mount,” in which he admonished, “You are the salt of the earth.” Mennonites are a wing of the of the Anabaptist movement that eschews baptism at birth in favor of free-will, adult, belief-based baptism. Sixteenth century Dutch Catholic priest Menno Simons and his followers broke away from the Catholic Church, joined the Anabaptists, and adopted the seven principles enunciated in the Sermon on the Mount, including turn-the-other-check pacifism and a credo against swearing oaths. So fervent is the Mennonite ethos of nonconfrontation that members not only refuse military service, but shun lawsuits and most types of confrontational behavior. What’s more, since the essence of government is the enforcement of law, many Mennonites have shied away from being involved in government altogether, historically harboring a quasi-anarchism that sometimes expresses itself in tax resistance, civil disobedience, communal separateness, and classic conscientious objection in times of war. For their beliefs, Anabaptist Mennonites have been beheaded, burned at the stake, and suffered repeated group expulsion or been forced to flee. As a result of centuries of persecution and survival-necessitated cohesion, they are considered an ethno-religious group akin to the Jews. More than a few Mennonites, especially the most Bible-believing old-time Mennonites in Kansas, have whimsically wondered out loud if they are not “a lost tribe of Israelites,” a branch of Wandering Jews scourged and scarred for their beliefs. It is a comic comparison that one branch of the Anabaptists, the buggy-driving Amish of Pennsylvania, dress like East European Hasidism and many even speak a Low German dialect known as Plautdietsch, which resembles Yiddish. Some will remember the film The Frisco Kid in which a Polish Hasidic Jew, played by Gene Wilder, encountered Pennsylvania Amish farmers; they looked and spoke alike, and for a while, believed they were “lansmen.” he Anabaptist movement has been cleft by many schisms within schisms. And no one speaks for the Mennonites. They answer to no one but their Gd and their conscience. During the Holocaust, Nazism appealed

to many German and Ukrainian Mennonites. Ukrainian Mennonites volunteered to assist Nazi death squads as they machine-gunned helpless Jews in pits. Mennonites in Poland served as brutal camp guards in concentration camps such as Stutthof, where some gained infamy for their vicious treatment of prisoners. As Hitler’s Germany collapsed, Nazi Mennonite colonies transplanted to Paraguay, where they joined existing Nazi-like colonies that for years racially afflicted and exploited indigenous Indians. Auschwitz mass murderer Josef Mengele fled to Paraguay, where for a time, he found shelter among Mennonite colonies near the Bolivian border. Groups of Paraguayan Nazi Mennonites later migrated to Canada, where they encountered established Russian Mennonite communities. A study published by the Manitoba Historical

cials, harass Israeli soldiers at security checkpoints during regularly scheduled confrontation riots by uttering insults at security forces, nose-to-nose, hoping soldiers will overreact as cameras whir. On American campuses, CPT has teamed up with Students for Justice in Palestine and JVP, both groups now known for harassing Jewish students for their identity. Economic warfare, anathema to most Mennonite religious precepts, is now a holy obligation at MC-USA. he Kansas anti-BDS legislation took effect July 1, 2017. MC-USA adopted its pro-BDS resolution five days later. Four days after that, Koontz, who had been hired by a Wichita magnet school as a math curriculum coach, received the new Kansas state form, certifying she was not boycotting Israel. She stated that she could not sign, citing her MS-USA church belief. This set up the legal challenge.

SS head Heinrich Himmler (third from right), at a flag-raising ceremony in the Molotschna Mennonite colony in Nazi-occupied Ukraine in 1942. Mennonite Library and Archives, North Newton, Kansas

graph 5 of its sub-contractor form, a pledge not to discriminate against at least eight classes of people, including on the basis of “national origin.” The KU pledge form cites two other preexisting state anti-discrimination laws. Hence, an Israeli professor or an Israeli purveyor could not be boycotted due to national origin. Nor can a Mexican-American or African-American be singled out. Beliefs are untouched by such policies. But economic actions can be regulated. NAACP v Claiborne Hardware, the very Supreme Court ruling cited in the third paragraph of the ACLU lawsuit, makes clear that “this Court has recognized the strong governmental interest in certain forms of economic regulation, even though such regulation may have an incidental effect on rights of speech and association.” Prior to enacting HB 2209, the Kansas Legislature received a statement from the Kansas Department of Commerce averring, “In 2016, Kansas exported $56,681,800 in total commodities, while importing $83,650,853. It is in the best interest of Kansas to continue our strong trade relationship with Israel. Any company openly boycotting Israel and its products, is openly boycotting a Kansas trade partner and ally, an action Secretary Antonio Soave and the Department of Commerce feels provides enough merit to prevent as a state vendor. … The implementation of what the BDS movement is attempting to achieve is the illegal discrimination on the basis of nationality.” ob Jones University vibrantly proved it could not lawfully shield its blatant discrimination against African-Americans by citing bizarre Biblical beliefs. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the IRS revocation of BJU’s tax exemption due to racial discrimination. Moreover, as a Mennonite, Koontz knew she did not have to sue and seek an injunction. Kansas HR 2409 makes clear, even in its short form, “The Secretary of Administration has the authority to waive application of this prohibition if the Secretary determines the prohibition is not practicable.” No group in America knows more about filing for government exemptions than Mennonites. During both world wars, Mennonites comprised a large number of America’s conscientious objectors, exempted from combat. The Kansas attorney general confirmed the obvious to the court: “If plaintiff [Koontz] had requested a waiver, the Secretary would have granted it.” But Koontz did not want to request a religious exemption. She wanted a show trial and headlines. oontz is sincere in her activism. However, she has been duped by revisionist Frankenhistory that pretends that the Jews have colonized Israel and that the indigenous people of Palestine are Arabs. Far from a violation of international law, the Jewish right to reclaim their land was specifically enshrined in Article II of the 1919 Eilat Agreement between the Zionist Organization and Emir Faisal on behalf of the Arab Nation in waiting; the San Remo Treaty Article 6 ratified by 52 countries; the League of Nations Mandate; the Treaty of Sèvres in Chapter 95, also signed by Arab representatives; the U.N. Charter’s Article 80, and many other instruments of international law. If Koontz will return to any of the simple Mennonite churches in central Kansas, she can refresh her knowledge of history and the restoration of the Jews in Israel. She can read the one law that predates the League of Nations, the Arab invasion, and even the Roman expulsion — Leviticus 25:10, which commands the Israelites to “proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property.” No Hitler decree, Arab League boycott, BDS chant, MC-USA resolution, or ACLU lawsuit can erase those words from the churches of Kansas — or from its courtrooms. Edwin Black is a bestselling author of “IBM and the Holocaust” and “Financing the Flames.” He has studied both boycotts and Mennonites for nearly half a century. Copyright 2017 Edwin Black

Society found the three leading Canadian Mennonite newspapers during the Hitler era to be overwhelmingly pro-Hitler. Mennonite Nazism, for years hushed up, is now being explored by Anabaptist historians in conferences, books, and journal articles. Nazi Mennonites acted not as a religious group but as a fascist ethnic group. The catalog of other dark deviations from Mennonite piety has recently included the Mennonite Church USA (MC-USA). Leadership of this faction has steered its flocks away from religion and into undisguised alliance with Jew hatred, economic warfare, and confrontation tactics. Originally one of the largest but already shrinking down to one of the smallest groups within the Mennonite realm, the MC-USA finalized its departure from the Mennonite mainstream in May 2015 when it redefined membership and required adherents to agree to same-sex marriage and increased involvement in pro-Palestinian issues. A January 26, 2016 Mennonite World Review article on the exodus reported that the largest component of MC-USA’s church rolls — those around Lancaster, Pennsylvania — had almost entirely disaffiliated. n MC-USA’s July 2017 national conference, with its membership whittled down, 98 percent of the delegates approved a pro-BDS resolution. The vote was orchestrated in open collaboration with Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), a group now reviled in much of the Jewish community for its leadership of the anti-Israel movement. JVP attended the conference and spoke on stage. MC-USA’s July 2017 BDS resolution was just its latest act of anti-Israel agitation. It co-sponsors an agitation brigade, Christian Peacemaker Teams (CPT), which, according to Israeli offi-

When she filed here suit seeking religious protection, Koontz knew her actions were strictly political, not religious. Koontz had previously worked for three years with the Mennonite Central Committee in Egypt as a highly politicized anti-Israel Mennonite activist. Her own first-person statement explaining the lawsuit, published by her attorneys, the American Civil Liberties Union, on the ACLU website, declares, “It seems preposterous that my decision to participate in a political boycott should have any effect on my ability to work for the state of Kansas.” She self-describes her action as “political” four times in that declaration. Koontz’s suit was filed for a political goal—not a religious one. he ACLU’s court filing in the case reinforces the political nature of the case, stating, “Every day, Ms. Koontz is being financially penalized for refusing to disavow her political boycott.” The court filing repeats the assertion, “Ms. Koontz is unable to sign the Certification because she is currently participating in a politically motivated boycott of consumer goods and services offered by Israeli companies and international companies operating in Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories.” It is true the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld freedom of personal belief. But this case is not about belief, it is about actions. The Kansas law does not ask Koontz to disavow any beliefs, just not to take actions—to wit, a boycott. Furthermore, Koontz is not acting as an individual employee, but as an outside contractor. Every university guest lecturer, caterer, and plumber knows it is commonplace to sign mandatory contractor pledges not to discriminate against women, minorities, and other protected groups. A typical example is the University of Kansas, which for years has required, in para-

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Jews, left and right, are empowering BDS Commentary by Seffi Kogen AJC Director of Campus Affairs The BDS debacle at the University of Michigan proved once again that Jews can be their own worst enemies. Since 2002, the University of Michigan’s Central Student Government (CSG) has, on 10 occasions, rejected resolutions to support the movement to boycott, divest from and sanction the state of Israel. This month, however, for the first time, the resolution passed, narrowly, to much handwringing in the Jewish community. The students who fought the resolution — sacrificing sleep, schoolwork and social lives — did absolutely everything they could, and are to be commended. And, after the resolution passed, the university’s administration immediately announced that, despite the vote, Michigan would not become the first school in the country to divest from Israel. Why did the resolution pass this time? Contributing factors included strong bonds forged between various “progressive” coalitions and anti-Israel students; a stacked CSG (the vice president and several other members were staunch supporters of divestment); and a pervasive know-nothingness that saw the anti-Israel crowd raucously cheer the decision to prevent Professor Victor Lieberman — a recognized expert in the history of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — from speaking at the debate on divestment from Israel. But what sealed the deal in favor of BDS were Jews — in two different flavors of radicalism. Sadly, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) has become a part of nearly every campus-based attack on Israel, and Michigan was no exception. Jarring, though unsurprising, was the

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op-ed from the University of Michigan chapter of JVP, published the day before the divestment vote, entitled “To fight white supremacy, support divestment.” This, of course, is a blatant lie: The creation of the state of Israel was itself a historic triumph over a white supremacist regime that sought to destroy a people it considered racially inferior. What is JVP’s evidence that Israel represents white supremacy? First, they charge that Jewish organizations (including my own, the American Jewish Committee) issued congratulations to President Trump after his November 2016 victory — which, as nonpartisan entities, they surely were right to do, whatever they thought of the new president. Next, they cite the odious Richard Spencer, the disreputable doyen of the alt-right, who, true to his trollish nature, heaps praise upon Israel despite his well-known disregard for Jews. Finally, they offer a litany of disputed racial incidents in Israeli history, as if Israel must be

U of M/ Flicker

perfect to deserve to exist. This rhetoric isn’t limited to Michigan. At schools across the country, and off-campus as well, JVP’s outspoken anti-Zionism gives cover to non-Jewish Israel-bashers and renders them immune to the charge of anti-Semitism, no matter how deserving of the label they might be. The second type of radical Jew that helped ensure the BDS victory is the far-right group behind the McCarthyite blacklist at Canary Mission. The website, launched in early 2015, announced itself with a video featuring the tagline, “It is your duty to make sure that today’s radicals are NOT tomorrow’s employees.” The site has documented the names, affiliations and activities of a number of young anti-Israel activists at campuses across the country, holding them accountable, in per-

petuity, for the ill-advised tweets from their youth, their membership in political organizations and their campus activism. Some of those exposed by the site are undoubtedly Israel-haters. But by creating the specter of a blacklist, Canary Mission handed powerful ammunition to the anti-Israel crowd at Michigan.Using Canary Mission as a bogeyman, BDS proponents so scared the members of the CSG that they would end up on a shadowy website intended to make them unemployable that they took the extraordinary measure of voting by secret ballot. As the Washington Post’s memorable slogan puts it, “Democracy Dies in Darkness.” This deeply undemocratic decision to vote in secret left the members of CSG completely unaccountable to the voters who had elected them. Thus unburdened, they voted, narrowly, to divest. Now Canary Mission, in a preposterous partnership with its ideological opposites at JVP, has forced the Jewish and pro-Israel community at the University of Michigan to deal with the fallout of a successful BDS resolution. Is all lost for the pro-Israel community on campus? Have we entered an era when these two oddest of Jewish bedfellows open the floodgates to widespread divestment? Hardly. The very next night, with no Jewish Voice for Peace op-ed and an open, roll-call vote, the University of Maryland student government heartily rejected BDS. Seffi Kogen is the American Jewish Committee’s director of campus affairs. This commentary was distributed by JTA.

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December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

The JEWISH STAR

Wine & Dine

There’s nothing better than a latke at Chanukah Joni Schockett kosher kitchen

hanukah is almost here with all its fun and tradition and joy and deliciousness. I love Chanukah. I love the lights and the gifts and the candy gelt and the latkes. Ahhh, the latkes. What is better than latkes fried to golden, crispy perfection, topped with sour cream or apple sauce? I’ve loved latkes since I first tasted them at my grandmother’s house. She used an old-fashioned box grater and grated dozens of potatoes into her huge wooden bowl. She then tied a dish towel around her nose and grated pound after pound of onions, added handfuls of salt and pepper, and some eggs. A good mix with her hands and then the smell of schmaltz melting in her large cast iron skillet filled the house. We knew that mountains of latkes would soon fill the table. My many cousins and I decided that there was a definite art to choosing just the right latke. It could not be too thin or too thick, the ratio of crispy outside to creamy, onion-y inside has to be just right. The color had to be perfect — a deep golden brown. If the latke is too light, there would not be enough crispy outside. The edges of a latke were important. The little strands of crispy potato shreds added even more crispiness to the latke, so trying to find one that had lots of those little strings around the edges was key. My cousins and I would rise on our knees on the chairs around the table and study the mountain of latkes before us. We would eye the best and go in for the kill. Sometimes, just as we were about to pounce, one of the older cousins would swoop in and grab the target. As cries of, “Hey, I wanted that one,” reached my grandmother’s ears, she would arrive in the dining room with what seemed to be an even higher mountain of dozens of latkes. In those days, latkes were served with applesauce for a meat meal and sour cream for a dairy meal. Yes, there was always brisket for Chanukah, but that was not a topping — except according to my dad who always topped his latkes with brisket. Today we are more creative. Latkes can serve as a base for anything from caviar to chicken, to pizza toppings. Get creative. If it tastes good, it tastes better on a latke! Happy Chanukah!

Giant Potato Latkes (Pareve)

6 very large Russet potatoes 4 tbsp. pareve trans-fat free margarine or “schmaltz” 1/2 cup Canola oil 2 to 4 large onions, finely minced 1 to 2 large leeks, finely minced 4 to 5 shallots, finely minced, enough to equal 1/2 to 2/3 cup 1 to 2 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 to 1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper 1-2 tsp. onion powder 2 extra-large eggs 1/4 to 1/3 cup flour Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Peel and process potatoes using a fine grating disc of the food processor. Pour the potatoes in a colander and drain any liquid. Process the onion, leeks and shallots with the regular blade of the processor until finely minced. Pour into a large bowl. Add egg, flour, salt, onion powder and pepper and mix well. Add the drained potatoes and mix thoroughly. Heat a large oven-proof skillet (cast iron works the best) and add half the oil and half the margarine or schmaltz. When bubbly and hot, add half the potato mixture and spread the top with the back of a spoon to create a flat surface. Cook for 10-15 minutes, but do not move the latke. When the bottom is deep golden brown, slide the latke onto a plate and add more oil/ schmaltz to the pan. Place another plate over the latke and flip. Slide the uncooked side into the oil. Fry until deeply golden, again, without moving the latke. Place on a foil lined rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to keep hot. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture, until you have 2-3 large latkes. Cut into pie-like wedges 4-8 per large latke. Makes 2-3 large latkes that will serve about 8- 16. NOTE: You can make regular or mini latkes

from this recipe. Try a smorgasbord of toppings for the latkes for a delicious treat.

Toppings for Potato Latke Wedges (Pareve, Dairy, Meat)

Cucumber Lox and More (Dairy): Paper-thin slices of cucumber 1 cup crème fraiche 1 small garlic clove 1 tbsp. fresh parsley, finely minced Fresh dill or snipped chives, to taste Thinly sliced red onions Thin slices of natural smoked salmon Everything bagel seasoning to taste Mix the crème fraiche with the garlic, parsley, chives or dill and salt and pepper. Place a slice of lox, some cucumber and the cremem fraiche on the latke wedge. Top with “Everything Bagel seasoning. Spinach Garlic and More (Pareve or Dairy): Wilted, drained spinach Olive oil Roasted garlic Small florets of steamed broccoli Thick tomato sauce OPTIONAL: Grated parmesan cheese; crushed red pepper to taste Mash the roasted garlic and mix with the olive oil. Place the wilted spinach on the latke. Drizzle with a bit of the roasted garlic oil, top with broccoli and tomato sauce, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese. Turkey on a Latke (Meat): Chunky Cranberry sauce Thinly sliced chicken breast or turkey Caramlized onions Grainy spicy brown mustard Arugula or watercress or baby spinach leaves Place a thin layer of cranberry sauce on the latke. Add the chicken or turkey, caramelized onions and drizzle with the mustard. Top with the greens.

Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade on a Latke (Meat or Dairy): 2 cloves garlic 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 to 1 cup Kalamata olives 3/4 cup drained oil-packed sun dried tomatoes 3/4 tsp dried oregano Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste Any toppings over this such as thinly sliced roast beef, chicken or turkey, or any vegetables or cheeses you like Drain the tomatoes and reserve the oil in a measuring cup. Set aside. Place the garlic and the tomato oil with enough olive oil to make 2/3 cup in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add the olives, tomatoes and oregano, and pulse until desired consistency. Season with red pepper flakes, if desired. Scrape into a serving bowl. Top this with any foods you like to make it meat or dairy or pareve, or eat with the tapenade alone. Other choices: Top with wilted kale and sliced sautéed mushrooms. Add dollops of sour cream or crème fraiche and caramelized onions. Top with stir fried chicken and veggies in a sweet and sour sauce. Top with stir fried veggies and some delicious Asian–inspired sauce. Top with hot and spicy, boneless chicken thumbs or cut the meat off wings Top with barbecued short ribs Top with mozzarella cheese and veggies and place under the broiler for 1-2 minutes, to melt the cheese. Top with guacamole and roasted corn kernels, and diced red onion Sauté peeled apple cubes or slices in melted butter and sugar. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cook until very soft. Pile on the center of the latke.

Blue crinkle cookies are a colorful Chanukah treat By Rachel Kor, The Nosher via JTA In many homes, there is a tradition to bake Chanukah cookies this time of year. Whether it’s the sugar and butter mixing in the mixer, the blue and white sprinkles, or the festive menorah cookie cutters, there is something about cookie baking that propels us into the holiday spirit. This year, I wanted a new Chanukah cookie to share with family and friends. Although I love the classic sugar cookie with sprinkles, sometimes it’s nice to have a really easy and delicious cookie with limited frills and fuss. These blue crinkle cookies fit the bill perfectly. They are the delicious, soft and chewy cookies we adore, with blue coloring for Chanukah. Ingredients: 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup oil 2 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste, or pure vanilla extract Blue food coloring 1 cup powdered sugar, for coating Directions: 1. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside. 3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, mix the sugar and oil together for 2 to 3 minutes, or until light and fluffy. With the mixer on low speed, add the eggs one at a time, and then add the vanilla. Mix until combined. Add the blue food coloring, until the desired color is achieved. 4. Slowly add in the flour mixture, and mix until fully combined.

5. Empty the dough onto a clean and floured surface. Form the dough into a ball and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least two hours. 6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 7. Place the powdered sugar into a small bowl. Set aside. 8. Unwrap the chilled dough. Using your hands, roll 1-inch balls. If the dough gets sticky, add powdered sugar to the palm of your hands when rolling. Then, roll the dough balls in the bowl of powdered sugar, making sure they are completely and generously coated. 9. Place them on the prepared baking sheets, two inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely. Rachel Kor is author, recipe developer and photographer behind her blog at rachelkor.com.

Chanukah kichel: Old world fried-dough treat lp

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1/8 teaspoon salt 2 large eggs, beaten 1/4 teaspoon white vinegar Vegetable oil for deep frying Confectioners’ sugar Directions: 1. Place the flour and salt in a bowl. 2. Add the beaten eggs and vinegar and mix thoroughly until a smooth dough has formed (you can use an electric mixer or food processor). 3. Let the dough rest, covered with plastic wrap, for at least 30 minutes. 4. Roll out portions of the dough on a lightly floured surface until the dough is very thin, almost like paper. 5. Cut the dough into squares or rectangles or odd shapes. 6. Heat about 2 inches vegetable oil in a deep saute pan (or use a deep fryer) over medium-high heat until the oil reaches about 375 F (a bread crumb or tiny piece of dough will sizzle quickly when you drop it into the oil). 7. Drop the cutouts, a few at a time, into the oil (they will puff up) and cook briefly on both sides until they are crispy and faintly browned. 8. Drain on paper towels. Sift confectioners’ sugar on top. Makes 30.

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11 THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

By Ronnie Fein, The Nosher via JTA My mother was a first-class baker, and there were always homemade goodies for dessert at our house. So when I went away to college and needed a nosh to remind me of home, I went to a nearby bakery for a little something. It was mostly good: Chinese cookies, hamantaschen, babka. But the kichels? Not so much. Not only were my mother’s kichels world-class and nearly impossible to top, but what the bakery called kichel wasn’t at all what I was used to. Bakery kichels, as I learned, are thick, bow tie-shaped pastries that are sometimes sprinkled with sugar. They can be crumbly and dry, or hard and dry, depending on the bakery. They are the kind of cookie a kid, especially one who’s homesick, would never choose. Especially a kid whose mother made world-class kichels. Here’s why my mom’s kichels were so amazing: They were soft and crispy at the same time, and they would melt in your mouth before you even had a chance to chew or even realize they were on your tongue. They were paper-thin but developed air bubbles that were fun to pop with my front teeth, especially because a feathery dusting of confectioners’ sugar would fall from the top of the bubble into the crevice and give a faint but definite sweet to all parts. We didn’t need milk to dunk and soften these kichels. They were as light as a helium balloon; fried (it is Chanukah, after all) but never greasy, sugar sprinkled but never cloying. The big trick for fabulous kichels is rolling the dough as thin as possible. It takes some time and patience, but the result — crispy, puffy, delightfully light cookies with just a sprinkle of sifted confectioners’ sugar — is so worth it. Ingredients: 1 cup all-purpose flour

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THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

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Continued from page 1 for Hanukkah” is about a young boy named Judah who — spoiler alert! — goes to the doctor. With cheerful illustrations by Talitha Shipman, Koffsky’s story follows Judah as he learns to channel the bravery of his Maccabee namesake and get a scary booster shot, thus protecting his little sister, Hannah, who is too young to be vaccinated. The rage directed at Koffsky’s book has come from the anti-vaxxer movement — an impassioned, small but growing group that believes vaccinations pose dangerous risks, such as a long-discredited link to autism. “Your book is a brainwashing story by a mental author,” one commenter wrote on Koffsky’s Instagram account. “You’ll be held responsible for all the damages these vaccines caused to innocent children as a result of your book.” What upsets Koffsky, and what prompted her to write the book, is how some parents use Judaism to justify their stance against immunization. The idea came to her early last year, when she became aware that some Jewish day school parents were opting out of vaccinations on religious grounds. “It’s one thing to say you don’t want to vaccinate your kids because you have insane beliefs,” said Koffsky, a mother of three. “But to say ‘and I believe this way because of the Torah’ just drove me crazy. I was really angry because I felt it was such a distortion of Jewish values.” When a measles outbreak affected Borough Park and Williamsburg in 2013 — after those neighborhoods saw noticeable declines in the rate of vaccinations — Orthodox rabbis issued rulings requiring vaccinations. Rabbi Aaron E. Glatt, M.D., assistant rabbi at the Young Israel of Woodmere, told his congregation at the time that “it’s a mitzvah of get vaccinated.” He then added, in an interview with The Jewish Star, that to refrain from getting inoculated is “not religiously motivated. It’s mishigaas.” “No poskim forbid vaccination, and to state one has religious objections is sheker,” Rabbi Glatt said. “The last paragraphs of Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat describe the importance of protecting one’s self from harmful conditions or situations, and the halachic obligation to do so. The vast majority of poskim strongly urge or require vaccinations.” The Orthodox Union and Rabbinical Council of America called on Jewish parents to vaccinate their children according to the timetable recommended by their pediatricians, as has the haredi Agudas Harabonim of the United States and Canada. “Halachically, a person is obligated to follow the doctor’s opinion, especially in matters pertaining to vaccines and other forms of medicine which prevent illnesses and death,” wrote Rabbi Sholom Shuchat, a deciser for Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis worldwide, adding that in the Torah, “when someone does an action which can cause death, or even refuses to do an action which can prevent death, he is compared to a murderer.” Dr. Akiva Turner, an ordained Orthodox rabbi who researches religion and health, is director of a doctoral program in health science, and was formerly communicable disease director for the Broward County Health Department, said that while people often separate science from religion, major rabbinical authorities have relied on medical science when making their rulings. The safety and effectiveness of childhood vaccines is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and the overwhelming majority of medical professionals based on dozens of studies involving millions of children. “If they’re asking for an exemption [on religious grounds] — I don’t know any other way to put it, they are erring on the science that’s being used by these rabbinic authorities, who all say that you should get your child vaccinated,” Turner said. Koffsky said that she does not expect her book to change the minds of hardened anti-vaxxers. Rather, she hopes to reassure parents who are vaccinating. “It’s just a picture book,” she said, “but I want to make them feel good about their choice and communicate that to their kids.” The kerfuffle has brought the book to readers beyond the Jewish community. A handful of pro-vaccine and science-focused websites have weighed in. A reviewer who blogs as The Vaccine Mom praised “Judah Maccabee Goes to the Doctor” as a needed addition to family dialogue and wrote that her young daughter “thought the Chanukah story was very interesting. We learned something new!” Koffsky added that she is proud that the message of the book has reached a wider audience than expected. “It feels like kiddush Hashem,” she said. “These are Jewish Joel Baruch values, and these are 1039 Broadway universal values, and it Woodmere feels good to be part of 516-569-6628 that conversation.”

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Israeli first: Jews top Arabs’ fertility rate 945835

highest fertility rate (3.1) among countries in the 35-member Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. Ettinger is optimistic regarding continued Jewish immigration to Israel, particularly from Russia, Ukraine, Moldova, France, the U.K., Germany, Holland, Belgium and Argentina. His report noted that in 2017, Israel’s fertility rate has been higher than those of most Arab countries—including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Syria—and that the rate in Palestinian-controlled territories went from 5 births per woman in 2000 to around 3 in 2016.

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THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

By Ariel Ben Solomon, JNS New statistics show that the Israeli-Jewish fertility rate this year has surpassed that of the Israeli-Arab population for the first time, defying analysts who have made long-term projections of a Jewish minority in Israel. The upward-trending Jewish rate of 3.16 births per woman, and the corresponding downward-trending figure of 3.11 for Israeli Arabs, can lead to more confident policy decisions by the Israeli government, said demographic expert Yoram Ettinger, who published a recent report on the issue. “In contrast to the stated position of the establishment’s prophets of demographic doom, there is no Arab demographic time bomb, but there is an unprecedented Jewish demographic tailwind,” said Ettinger, former minister for congressional affairs at the Israeli Embassy in Washington. As of September, there were 6.523 million Jews and 1.824 million Arabs in Israel, according to the country’s Central Bureau of Statistics. Ettinger explained that “conventional demography has been systematically mistaken and misleading” when it comes to Israel. “In 1898, the leading Jewish demographer, Shimon Dubnov, opposed [Theodor] Herzl’s Zionist idea, contending that by 1998 there would be [only] 500,000 Jews in the land of Israel,” he added. He added that in 1944, another renowned Jewish demographer, Prof. Roberto Bachi, “urged [David] Ben-Gurion to postpone declaration of independence, since 600,000 Jews were not the critical mass required to maintain Jewish majority. … He had projected that in 2001 there would be, at best, 2.3 million Jews, a 34-percent minority.” The future of the conflict Asked what the future holds for Israel’s fertility rates, Ettinger responded that demography is not linear, “and therefore the current Jewish edge will not increase, or be sustained, forever.” Robust Jewish demographic trends, he said, enhance Israel’s economic and military viability, and help squelch Arab hopes to destroy Israel. Ettinger believes that the 66-percent Jewish majority in the combined areas of Judea and Samaria and pre-1967 Israel, along with “a fertility tailwind and a huge untapped aliyah potential,” mean that Israelis will be “more inclined” to reject a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The number of Jews living in Judea and Samaria has increased by 23 percent in the past five years to more than 420,000, according to a study released in March by westbankjewishpopulationstats.com. Ettinger’s report states that 1.8 million Arabs live in Judea and Samaria, well below the figure of 3 million that is claimed by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics. Ettinger asserted that the more aware Israelis become about the current strength of Jewish demography, the more willing they will be to eventually annex Judea and Samaria, which he described as the historical, religious, cultural and strategic core of the land of Israel. Yet Efraim Inbar, president of the Jerusalem Institute for Strategic Studies, told JNS that the new demographic figures do not significantly change realities on the ground. “Even if Israel’s Jewish fertility rate is higher than the Arabs in Israel or in the West Bank, the demographics of the region will not change rapidly, leaving 1.5 to 2 million Arabs, mostly living in the cities of Area A (which is under the full civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority),” Inbar said. “The main question does not revolve around birth rates, but whether it is wise for the Jewish state to incorporate in its midst such a large hostile population,” he added, referring to the Palestinian Arabs. Meanwhile, according to statistics presented at the annual conference of the Israeli Society for Maternal and Fetal Medicine, Israel has the

December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

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Is it curtains for Saudi-inspired Islamist terror? Jeff Dunetz politics to go

he radical Islamist terrorists trying to destroy the west have their roots are in Wahhabism, a form of Islam initially practiced in Saudi Arabia and spread across the world by the Saudi royal family. But that may be changing, Over this past weekend, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman addressed the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition Ministers of Defense Council with a speech that said in part, “The biggest threat from terrorism and extremism is not only killing innocent people and spreading hate but tarnishing the reputation of our religion and distorting our belief.” But does he really mean it? After all, Wahhabi Islam is a huge part of Saudi society and according to many, the mother of the terrorism of which the prince spoke. In July 2013,

Wahhabism was identified by the EU Parliament as the main source of global terrorism. Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative form of Sunni Islam created by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the 18th century. Its original purpose was to stop the Sunni practice at the time of honoring Muslim saints and visiting their tombs and shrines. Al-Wahhab called that practiced idolatry. The early days of Wahhabism included the slaughter of Muslim tribes that didn’t agree with their theology (just as ISIS does today); a famous example was the Wahhabi sack of Karbala. As with other radical forms of Islam promoted by terrorist groups such as the Hamas and ISIS, Wahhabism promotes the fusion of “church and state”

Much of the terrorism today comes from the Muslim world, although most Muslims are not terrorists.

through the reestablishment of the Muslim Caliphate. Wahhabism also promotes the Sunni/Shia divide per their belief that there is only one correct way to practice Islam. ahhabism has been allied with the house of Saud from its very beginnings. In 1744, the Emir of Ad-Diriyyah Muhammad ibn Saud, and the founder of the Saudi dynasty cut a deal with Wahhabi founder Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. The pact was described by British Historian Robert Lacey: “Ibn Saud would protect and propagate the stern doctrines of the Wahhabi mission, which made the Koran the basis of government. In return, Abdul Wahhab would support the ruler, supplying him with

‘glory and power.’ Whoever championed his message, he promised, ‘will, by means of it, rule and lands and men.’” This religious/political alliance helped to create the modern Saudi Kingdom. Ikhwan, a tribal army inspired by Wahhabism, fought alongside the House of Saud to unify the country. Eventually, the Ikhwan grew too powerful and had to be put down by the Saudi army. In the 1970s, worried about the Shia-Islam Iranian revolution that took power after the Shah abdicated, Saudi Arabia began to promote Wahhabism across the world. As recently explained in the New Statesman magazine, “The Saudi-based Muslim World League opened offices in every region inhabited by Muslims, and the Saudi ministry of religion printed and distributed Wahhabi translations of the Quran, Wahhabi doctrinal texts and the writings of modern thinkers whom the Saudis found congenial … to Muslim communities throughout the Middle East, Africa, Indonesia, the United States and Europe. In See Islamist terror on page 21

A good French Socialist response to anti-Semitism Ben Cohen Viewpoint

t has been a long time since I’ve heard anyone say anything positive about the French Socialist Party (PS). Once the giant of that country’s post-war politics, it was trounced into fifth place in this year’s presidential election, with just 6 percent of the vote going to its candidate. But I’m going to throw caution to the wind, and offer my modest congratulations to the PS for its Nov. 21 decision to expel Gérard Filoche, the party grandee at the center of a row over a dismally transparent anti-Semitic tweet from his account, for violating its “core values.” Filoche, who began his career as a Trotskyist, is—or was—a leader of the left wing of the PS, and like most European far left politicians, never endeared himself to the local Jewish community. During the war in Gaza in August 2014, when one of many pro-Palestinian demonstrations evolved into a riot outside a Paris synagogue, Filoche was issuing wringing denunciations of Israel’s very legitimacy, declaring that the Jewish state was founded upon “terrorism and colonization.” As several academic surveys during the last decade or so have demonstrated, individuals who hold these sorts of views about Israel are

far more likely to be anti-Semitic, and Filoche is no exception. On Nov. 17, he described French President Emmanuel Macron on Twitter as a “sale type” (“dirty guy.”) Accompanying that remark was a photomontage that showed Macron wearing a Nazi armband, with the swastika exchanged for a dollar sign. Immediately behind Macron, towering over him from the shadows, were images of three of France’s most influential Jews—economist Jacques Attali, investor Patrick Drahi and banker Jacob Rothschild—who were themselves flanked by the American and Israeli flags. Not very subtle, then. As it turned out, that image had been grabbed from the website of Alain Soral, a far-right white French activist who is closely associated with Dieudonne M’bala M’bala, a FrenchCameroonian propagandist who imagines himself a comedian. Filoche eventually deleted the tweet, blaming the error on a junior PS official who “noticed only the references to Macron and money,” and thereby presenting himself as the victim of a political witch hunt that exploited an honest mistake in order to launch itself on the world.

ushing a junior PS staffer under the bus was not Filoche’s only response to the controversy. He repeated until he was virtually hoarse the line that as a founder of anti-racist group SOS Racisme, he couldn’t possibly be an anti-Semite, and that in any case, the only source of antiSemitism is capitalism, which after all “elected Hitler.” At no point did he condemn the content of the tweet, nor reflect on why he or his team, as committed socialists, would be instantly attracted to anti-Semitic memes that brought to mind—as the French Jewish organization CRIF observed—the Vichy regime in Nazi-occupied France. To its credit, the PS did not demur on any of this. Barely five days after Filoche issued his tweet, the party’s national bureau—of which he had been a member—voted unanimously to expel him. One of Filoche’s former colleagues, who had defended him in previous controversies, said that this time, the matter at hand was no longer political, but ethical— “and on ethics,” he said, “there can be no compromise.” Even as I applaud the PS, I wonder whether the party is out of step with the times. During

Anti-Semitic imagery is amplified by those who enable extremists while claiming not to share their views.

the last three years especially, racist and antiSemitic imagery has become a staple feature on the extremes of left and right, more often than not amplified by those who enable extremists while claiming not to share their views. Perhaps the PS’s British sister party, Labour, has grasped something the PS has not? What kind of calculation lies behind Labour’s refusal to kick out Filoche’s equivalent, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, for his comment that Hitler was a supporter of Zionism? Would clamping down on the Israel-inflected anti-Semitism that advocates firmly believe belongs in a progressive movement alienate the activist base? One could easily ask President Donald Trump and those among his supporters who have shared anti-Semitic images, and flirted with anti-Semitic and racist language, whether similar political calculations underlie those deeds. Some will argue that Filoche has the right to free speech. But when one is an elected official, or an official of a political party or labor union or similar entity, one’s first responsibility is to the electors, the taxpayers and the entire community one serves. That is why the punishment for such offenders is often harsher than it is for private individuals, and why it is therefore right that the PS has booted Filoche from its ranks. Different parties and leaders in other countries dealing with instances of anti-Semitism should feel free to copy its example.

By Caroline Rothstein, Kveller via JTA n March 31, one of my best friends, Sarah Portlock Fellman, collapsed at work after an aneurysm ruptured in her brain. She was seven months pregnant and had been in the newsroom at the Wall Street Journal, where she was working as an editor. I was at the University of Pennsylvania, where I went to college, for an event, when her husband called to share the news. After we spoke, I rushed outside and opened my umbrella into the pouring rain, and I said out loud, “G-d, please don’t do this to me again. Please don’t do this to me again.” I’d also rushed off campus 15 years prior, my freshman year, when my younger brother, Josh, was hit by a car. He died the next morning. He was 15. So here I was, again, bolting out of Philadelphia because of a traumatic brain injury — this time my friend’s. I arrived at the hospital in Manhattan at 5 pm to find Sarah’s husband (and my dear friend), Sam, and Sarah’s best friends from college awaiting the next stages of her diagnosis, and for her family to arrive from out of town. At 6:28 pm, Sarah and Sam’s daughter, Aviva, was born. Today, she is a thriving, smiling 7-month-old gem. For the next seven months, I was often at Sarah’s bedside, which alternated between hospitals and rehab facilities. Sometimes she communicated with me by the numbers on the machines. I would recite a poem. Her brain pressure would decrease. I would tell her I loved her. Her heartbeat would slow. Sometimes, she communicated with her left pointer finger. Lifting it up meant yes. Sometimes, she was able to speak. There was one June day I was holding her hand, sitting at her New Jersey rehab center bedside, and I began to weep. “I don’t want you crying,” she said. I was in shock. It had taken her months to start talking again. And then she asked, “Why are you crying?” I told her it was because of what was happening here, right now, with her. And she mustered through whatever little breath and speaking ability she had to say, “That’s not why you’re crying.” This was someone with a helmet on her head. In a hospital bed. Not able to move. And still, she was able to intuit my honest thoughts, as only a best friend can. The truth was that I was overwhelmed. I’d had a typical Caroline-doing-too-much-chain-of-events day where my overly packed schedule was not going as planned, and physical items were breaking all over Manhattan and on New Jersey Transit — from a shopping bag with another friend’s wedding gift, to a Columbia Journalism School tote bag Sarah had given me when she stayed with me for our fifth-year reunion. In the grand scheme of life, these foibles were innocuous, clearly. I was honored, of all the people in the world, to be holding Sarah’s hand at that moment, and I told her so.

nificance. In Hebrew, it translates as “Hineni.” It is a declaration of presence that occurs throughout the Torah as individuals communicate with G-d. Sarah — as a reporter and editor and friend — was, is and will always be one of the most astute communicators I’ve ever met, equal parts wit, fervor and grace. Sarah knew my propensity for linguistic mileage and was usually my first eyes before filing articles and feature stories to my editors at various publications. I suppose she could argue here, amidst my lengthiness, I am “burying the lede.” Though, I would argue that there is no lede in this particular case. This is a story that doesn’t have a beginning and it doesn’t have an end. With Sarah’s passing, she becomes infinite, which, frankly, she already was. Her capacity was epic. Her motto was, “Head down, power through.” We attended journalism school together and I wouldn’t have survived it without her. I wouldn’t have survived the seven years since. And I honestly wouldn’t have survived the last seven months without knowing that even in her devastatingly compromised state, she was still there. She was still here. For seven months, I’ve refrained from sharing any of this publicly on social media. It’s never felt right. It’s been more than a Facebook or Instagram post. It’s been part of my constant, daily, every day. ow I am thinking about what it means to say: I’m here. I’m here, mourning. I’m here, in grief. I’m here, with joy and humility and gratitude that I got to call this epic human being my best friend. I’m here, sorting through cards and photographs, relishing in Sarah’s handwriting her particular, unique brand of love. I’m here, holding Sarah’s hand. By her bedside. Telling her she is loved. Feeling her love in return. And I am here, ready to honor her, ready to continue communicating with her, now in new ways, now in other ways, for the rest of my life. Always and now. In Hebrew, Aviva — the name of Sarah and Sam’s young daughter — means “joyful spring.” The last text message I received from Sarah on the evening of March 30, was how she’d met an Aviva on the Park Slope Parents website, and that she loved the name. This was Sarah’s confirmation that Aviva was the top pick. She followed that text with a short one about how she would — of course — have to meet her baby first to ensure it was the right fit. I spent time with Aviva a few days after Sarah’s funeral. She wanted to jump and stand and soar, using my thighs as springs. She has been an emissary of joy. She has Sarah’s eyes. Sarah’s smile. This is Aviva’s own way of saying, “I’m here.” She is Sarah and Sam’s joyful spring. Caroline Rothstein is a New York-based award-winning writer, poet and performer. A version of this essay was first posted on the author’s Facebook page.

Sarah Portlock (left) and Caroline Rothstein.

he last time I saw Sarah was a few weeks ago, and on this particular day, she communicated with her smile and her eyes. Her stunning smile. Her big and bold, brave and heartfelt eyes. Then last week Sarah died unexpectedly after a courageous and poignant journey to recover from that initial brain injury. I arrived at the hospital shortly after she passed, for one last bedside visit. Other family and loved ones moved aside to let me sit down next to her. I put my hands on her forearm. I placed my forehead to her arm. And this time, I heard — inside my head, or maybe inside my heart, “I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.” I’m not sure if this was Sarah’s soul, or if this was my own soul telling Sarah, “I’m here. I’m here. I’m here.” As one friend suggested to me last week, perhaps it was a chorus — both of our voices, or maybe an angel, or two. I’m here. I’m here. I’m here. In Judaism, this praise — “I’m here” — has resounding sig-

‘P is for Palestine’ and ‘I’ is for… tehilla r. goldberg view from central park

his week in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side there was a bit of a brouhaha. A new “children’s” book was published by someone named Golbarg Bashi, called “P is for Palestine.” Even through in reality there has been no place called Palestine since the British ceased to occupy it in 1948, the book title sounds innocent enough. Themed alphabet books for toddlers are always popular and sweet. Many cultures transmit basic values and concepts to the next generation in this way — in Italy, for example, “p” is for pasta; that type of thing. Just one more ironic caveat I couldn’t help but notice: Arabic has no letter “p” equivalent or even a letter “p” sound. In fact, Arab Palestinians pronounce the word Palestine as “Filastin,” and the word Palestinians as “Filastiniyn.” For Israelis, it’s “Falastin” and “Falestina’im.” It’s just something you pick up when you live in Israel. I noticed that many Arabs say “bizza” instead of “pizza.”

As an educator and someone who has long loved children’s literacy, it truly bothers me to criticize a children’s book. But this is not such an innocent book. And I’m not referring to the title, which many people might simply be uncomfortable with. I am talking about out and out incitement to violence, and a sick and twisted Palestinian “value,” in this book. Children will learn that the letter ‘I’ stands for Intifada. You read that right, ‘I’ is for intifada. It’s like publishing a children’s book and writing, “T is for terrorist.” The book says: “I is for Intifada, intifada is Arabic for what is Right … if you are a kid or a grownup.” I’m sorry, but in today’s parlance, by the Palestinians’ own definition, intifada means one thing and one thing only, and the author knows this perfectly well. Intifada is a call to violence against Israel. Intifada in today’s parlance, and for 30 years now, means murder. It means bloodbaths of exploding to smithereens innocent civilian Jews in cafés, buses and pizzerias. have no doubt that the original meaning of the word intifada is, as the author writes, “to do what is right.” However, in today’s world, that is irrelevant. Words change over time. Their meaning evolves. For

example, the word “awful” — we think of it as a negative adjective, although it originally meant “full of awe” and denoted wonder. Gay, once a word that meant joyousness, is no longer used in that context. The same can be true of symbols. The white and red swirl sign present at every barber shop didn’t always carry a neutral association with a place to get a haircut, but rather a place for bloodletting, too. Probably the most famous example would be the swastika, an ancient religious symbol used in the Indian Subcontinent, Southeast Asia and East Asia which was commandeered by the Third Reich. Its meaning — in countries directly affected by Nazism — has been altered forever. In mock incredulity, the author of “P is for Palestine” has painted the negative reaction to her children’s book by moms in a Facebook group, in the spirit of overreactive, sensitive, lunatic Jews — at best. Considering the author’s husband is a known Columbia professor, Hamid Dabashi, who is on record with statements that paint images of Jews as subhuman vermin, this is not all that shocking. Based on the known and accepted definition of intifada in today’s society, based on two periods of years-long explosions of Palestinian violence against Israeli civilians (1987 to 1991 and 2000 to 2005), it only makes

sense to deduce from this “children’s book” that Golbarg Bashi was highlighting, out in the open, something else. Via a toddler’s alphabet, in a book in which key concepts are reduced to one- or two-word definitions and ideas (“P is for Palestine”), an essential cultural idea that the book deems important to transmit — indeed to indoctrinate the young in a foundational way — is murder. Personally, I would have written I is for Iftar. To me, that’s what an Arab Palestinian children’s book would look like based on the Palestinian friend I had. She taught me what iftar means and it was she from whom I received an iftar dinner invitation. I is for iftar — the meal eaten after sunset during Ramadan. Copyright Intermountain Jewish News

THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

Declaring ‘Hineni’ at my best friend’s bedside

December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

SHAbbAT STAR

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Stifling angry speech: Better to be quiet than sorry Rabbi binny FREEdman the heart of jerusalem

nger is one of life’s greatest challenges. Who can resist and overcome its formidable temptations? There is a fascinating moment in this week’s parsha of Vayishlach that demonstrates this point: After the death of Yaakov’s beloved wife Rachel (Bereishit 35:19) the Torah tells us that “Reuven went and bedded (vayishkav et) Bilhah, the handmaiden of his father, and Yisrael (Yaakov) heard; and the sons of Yaakov were 12.” Although the verse seems to imply that Yaakov’s eldest son Reuven actually slept with his father’s concubine, the Talmud (Shabbat 55b) suggests otherwise: “R. Samuel b. Nachman said in R. Jonathan’s name: ‘Whoever maintains that Reuven sinned is merely making an error, for it is said, “Now the sons of Yaakov were 12,” teaching that they were all equal.’ Then how do I interpret, and he lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine? This teaches that he transposed his father’s couch, and the verse blames him as though he had lain with her.” Whatever happened in that moment, it is clear that Reuven crossed a line and did something terrible. In fact, many years later, on his deathbed, Yaakov seems to recall this moment and takes Reuven to task for it: “Reuben, you are my first-born. … Unstable as water, you shall excel no longer. For when you mounted your father’s bed, you brought…” (ibid. 49:3-4)

Yet in the actual moment we see no such response from Yaakov and a close look at the verse in question suggests something is not quite right. The verse in Hebrew has a fascinating rare occurrence — a particular scribal phenomenon known as a “piska be’emtsa passuk” (a break in the middle of a verse). Grammatically the verse makes no sense, telling us that Israel heard and then seemingly changing the subject to exclaim that the sons of Yaakov were 12, a fact we already know, which seems to have no connection to the first part of the verse. once heard from Rav Riskin in the name of Rav Soleveitchik that Yaakov understood here that he had to remain silent; even if what Reuven did was “only” to switch the bed of his father and move it into the tent of his mother Leah out of a love for and sensitivity to the distress and pain of his mother, it was still a highly inappropriate thing to do. Yaakov, suggests Rav Soleveitchik, understood he was at a critical juncture in his relationship with Reuven. And that is why the verse continues by saying that the sons of Yaakov were 12 — because an angry word might have alienated Reuven forever. And because Yaakov, in his righteous anger, succeeded in remaining silent, Reuven remained in the fold and Yaakov had all his 12 sons with him the next day. It is interesting to note, in support of this

idea that there is an interplay between the two names of the patriarch, Yaakov and Yisrael. Yisrael (ibid. 32:29) is the second name given to Yaakov when he succeeds in his great midnight battle. This name represents the victory of a struggle. The name Yaakov however, a name given because Yaakov was born holding the heel (the akev) of Esau (ibid 25:26) represents a life of great struggle. And although the verse begins using the name Yisrael (as Yaakov is finally living in peace in the land) it concludes with the name Yaakov — “the sons of Yaakov were 12” — indicating a great struggle. In the face of such a painful distressing and inappropriate moment, perpetrated by his eldest son no less, how did Yaakov control his anger? Simply put, he remained silent. It is a great life lesson to understand that words spoken in anger never come out right. No matter how right a person may be, if they react in anger they will always realize later on that they could have done a better job communicating. Indeed Rambam, the great advocate of the balanced approach to life (see Hilchot Deot, the laws of character development, chapter 1), has an interesting take on anger. espite pointing out in chapter one that the ideal in Judaism is to lead a balanced life midway between the extremes of any character trait, when it comes to anger (2:3)

Even where anger might be a worthwhile tool, a person should feign anger while internally maintaining a balanced composure.

Rambam suggests it is an extremely negative character trait which a person should always avoid. Indeed, even in a rare occurrence when anger might be appear to be a worthwhile tool to prevent an event from recurring (1:4; 2:3), he suggests that a person should feign anger while internally maintaining a balanced composure. Because one cannot be balanced and angry at the same time, anger is by definition an imbalanced state of mind. So what should one do when feeling anger? Quite simply, one should be quiet. A person will almost always regret what he or she says in anger. When thinking about it later, one usually will realize they could have done a better job; so the smartest thing to do when angry is simply to keep quiet. And that is precisely what Yaakov does — he remains silent, with no words causing irreparable damage. And thus Reuven remains in the family. And what does one do in that state of silence? What thoughts would be worthwhile to have when in a state of anger?. ell, anger is really all about expectations. We get angry because we expect a better outcome, which most often, even if subconsciously, means we think we deserve better. But if we accept that Hashem runs the world, we would spend less time in a state of anger over what happened, and more time in a state of soul-searching as to why it happened and what Hashem was trying to teach us, which of course would leave much less room for anger. This, as the Torah intimates here, would result in our being much more together, and “the children of Israel would be 12,” with all of us together at the table. Shabbat shalom from Jerusalem.

Go slow to judgment, and find good amidst the bad Rabbi avi billEt Parsha of the week

his week’s parsha, Vayishlach, is replete with life-events that did not go the way those involved in them would have wanted. And yet, positive thinking people try to find silver linings. Sometimes the silver lining is obvious; sometimes it is only discovered years later. Yaakov anticipated a major confrontation with Eisav, yet it seems to go rather well. Yaakov certainly did not plan to have a fight on the eastern side of the Yabok river. Yet when it ends, and despite his injury, Yaakov is the victor, he receives a blessing, and we have a mitzvah that reminds us of that fight every day — not to eat the “gid hanasheh” (sciatic nerve). What positives can be gleaned from the following examples of things that do not go his way: the death of his mother, the rape of his daughter, the death of his wife, the strange incident of Reuven and Bilhah? For Yaakov, maybe Rivkah’s death means that Rivkah’s prophesy or concern will never come true — of losing the “two of you on the same day.” If Rivkah is not around, having died at the age of 133 according to Seder Olam, then she will never lose two people on

the same day. This is at least a blessing of longevity for someone! And it’s not like Rivkah’s life was cut short — Yaakov was just away for too long. What good comes from the rape of Dinah? For Dinah in the moment, nothing. Her life seems ruined and worthless. But in the bigger picture we witness the eradication of an evil, lying, thieving, rape-defending society. According to some, Dinah was the mother of Osnat, the eventual wife of Yosef, dropped off in Egypt for adoption and raised to ultimately be returned to her family through her royal nuptials. And, of course, Osnat was the mother of Menashe and Ephraim. Not too shabby for her tragic beginnings! hat good comes from the death of Rachel? In the here and now. nothing. How could anyone ever say that the death of a young mother has a positive side to it? However, as we read in the haftorah on Rosh Hashana, Rachel played a significant role in how she cries over her children. Dying and being buried at that spot set up antidote for the Jewish people that the strike of exile would not

spell their complete annihilation. What good comes from the Reuven Bilhah incident? Beyond Rashi, who argues that Reuven did not sin, and of course the many commentaries who argue that he did sin, we can look to the interpretation of the Shakh, who defends Reuven’s sincere intentions to keep the family unit intact and maintain the requisite number of children required (12) to begin a new nation. His thinking went along the lines of, “If Yaakov has more children, some of his original 12 will be rejected. Perhaps he’ll start by rejecting some of Leah’s children.” So he took matters into his own hands to avoid the creation of more siblings. His actions ultimately preserved Am Yisrael’s family unit. We are taught in many places to judge people favorably, even and especially when we don’t see the whole picture, to say, “This too is for the best” even when in the moment it doesn’t seem that it is. We are taught to find a blessing in bad news, just as readily as we find something to be grateful for in good news. ometimes it takes time to see these things. And sometimes it is extremely important not to judge based on only

Find a blessing in bad news, just as we find something to be grateful for in good news.

one perspective. Even when trying to arbitrate or adjudicate between people in an argument, we must hear both sides. It takes special people to hear the other person’s side and be able to acknowledge that such a side is valid. It may have taken Yaakov, for example, five seconds to realize this, but he didn’t get to act on it until 34 years later when he actually met up with Eisav and acknowledged, “Eisav, your grievance is valid.” And Eisav saw a positive side too — Yaakov has grown up, moved on from those days when he tricked me, and is ready to let bygones be bygones. Why don’t I meet him halfway, so we can depart as friends? We should be blessed to be able to look past the bad and find the good in the challenges that come our way in life. And if we have to wait a little longer to find that good, let us be blessed with the patience to wait for it to roll around. Because it will come! We just need to open our eyes and embrace the possibility of being surprised one day when clarity hits. Hopefully it will come through blessing and not through tragedy. And may we be blessed to know it when we see it and acknowledge G-d’s kindness, as Yaakov does at the beginning of the parsha when he says, “katonti,” I have become humbled from all the kindnesses you have shown me, which I have come to recognize as Your constant presence and Your constant protection through all the struggles life has brought.

From partition to liberation to statehood Kosher BooKworm

his Wednesday, Nov. 29, marks the 70th anniversary of the passage by the United Nations of Resolution 181, specifying a partition plan that would ultimately lead to the establishment of a Jewish state in previously British-occupied Palestine. Rabbi Evan Hoffman of Congregation Anshe Shalom in New Rochelle, a long-time lecturer of the Tuesday night Jewish history series at the Young Israel of Woodmere, discussed with me the implications of this monumental event. I will share with you some of his observations: The partition plan “was a major step toward the establishment of a Jewish state in the Land of Israel. In order for Zionism to be successful in the first half of the 20th century, it needed the cooperation of a European colonial power. Without British rule from 1917 to 1947, it would have been impossible for the Yishuv to develop the demographic strength needed to control any territory in the Arab-dominated Middle East. But independence necessitated the eventual ouster of that colonial power. “By 1947, the British had several good reasons to walk away from the Palestine Mandate. Reality dictated a change. They were financially broke and emotionally drained after World War II. The combination of a Zionist uprising and the vicious cycle of Arab-Jewish violence required the British to spend much more on Palestine than they would have preferred. But despite the disaster that the British Mandate

became at this time, the great world powers were not yet ready to walk away from Palestine without a viable alternative. And, certainly, the Zionists could not declare statehood so long as the British military remained there. “The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine’s majority report, eventually passed with slight modifications in the General Assembly, put forth a resolution that Palestine, excluding Jerusalem and its suburbs, could be ruled, separately, by two indigenous groups. Resolution 181, in effect, meant that no longer would outside actors be an obstacle to Jewish statehood. Thus, if the Yishuv could survive that onslaught of its immediate and regional neighbors, a Jewish state would exist and survive.” n looking back at the events that were being played out on the world stage just 70 years ago this week we have to further consider several historical events and their participating personalities to best understand the eventual outcome, both in 1947–49, and in 1967. Rabbi Hoffman continues: “Another importance to Resolution 181 is that it represents the ultimate fulfillment of the Basel Program adopted at the First Zionist Congress in 1897. Herzlian Zionists had long insisted that the Jewish national movement for statehood had to be recognized and legitimatized by the world powers and secured under public law. Had the British, in 1947, simply abandoned the region and left behind a political and military vacuum, the Zionist leadership would eventually have declared statehood and may even have succeeded in operating a state. However, here is the problem: would the countries of the world have recognized its existence? “For all of the difficulties that the state of Israel has had all these years in the international

arena ever since the passage of the partition plan 70 years ago this week, one thing stands out as the positive resulting reality from this. The world has come to recognize that Israel has a rightful place in the world. That Resolution 181 is critical to the conferring of legitimacy on a national movement is evidenced by the irony and fact that PLO representatives belatedly turned to this very same Resolution 181 generations later to bolster their own case for statehood.” The events played out at the United Nations in Flushing Meadows 70 years ago this week prompts me to further bring to your attention other writings that will surely give you further perspective to events that still resonate with us. •Chapter 7 of Daniel Gordis’ book, “Israel: A Concise History of a Nation Reborn” (Harper Collins, 2016) offers an excellent review of the events leading up to the passage of Resolution 181 and of the resultant events that finally led to the establishment of the state. Of particular note are the actions of President Harry Truman, the roles of his government agencies, namely that of the CIA and the State Department, as well of the rather surprising behavior of Communist despot Joseph Stalin and Andrei Gromyko that helped in the passage of 181. •Another work, “Thy City Jerusalem: The Miraculous Rebirth of the Holy City” by Verdah Littman (Torah LaKol Press, 2017) in the very first chapter details the roles and thinking of various rabbinic leaders in Jerusalem leading up to 181 and the resultant establishment of the state of Israel. Among the personalities cited is the Brisker Rov, Maran HaRav HaGaon Yitzchok Ze’ev HaLevi Soloveitchik, whose opinions you will find en-

And the Kingdom will be Hashem’s rAbbi dAvid etenGoff

n sefer Ovadiah, this week’s haftarah for parshat Vayishlach, the final verse is particularly wellknown, since it is recited every day immediately prior to Yishtabach in tefilat Shacharit: “And saviors shall ascend Mt. Zion to judge the mountain of Esau, and the L-rd shall have the kingdom (hamelucha).” It is preceded by a pasuk from sefer Tehillim: “For the kingship (hamelucha) is the L-rd’s, and He rules (moshale) over the nations” (22:29), and is followed by a well-known statement of the prophet Zechariah: “And the L-rd shall become King (melech) over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one” (14:9). By deploying the terms “hamelucha” and “melech,” these three pasukim present one of Judaism’s essential theological principles — the universal kingship of the Almighty. It is crucial, however, that they are not describing the world as we know it; instead they are referring to the Messianic period when all mankind will finally recognize the truth of Hashem’s existence and His incomparable power and glory. A crucial aspect of this soon-to-be realized time is famously depicted by the navi Isaiah: “And a wolf shall live with a lamb, and a leopard shall lie with a kid; and a calf and a lion cub and a fatling [shall lie] together, and a small child shall lead them. And a cow and a bear shall graze together, their children shall lie; and a lion, like cattle, shall eat straw. And an infant shall play over the hole of an old snake and over the eyeball of an adder, a weaned child shall stretch forth his hand. (Yeshayahu, 11:6-8) How are we to interpret these pasukim? The Rambam (Maimonides) maintains that all nevi’imbased descriptions of Messianic times must be viewed as metaphoric pronouncements: “Do not presume that in the Messianic age any

facet of the world’s nature will change or there will be innovations in the work of creation. Rather, the world will continue according to its pattern. Although Isaiah (11:6) states: ‘The wolf will dwell with the lamb, the leopard will lie down with the young goat,’ these words are a metaphor and a parable. The interpretation of the prophecy is as follows: Israel will dwell securely together with the wicked gentiles who are likened to a wolf and a leopard, as in the prophecy Jeremiah (5:6): ‘A wolf from the wilderness shall spoil them and a leopard will stalk their cities.’ They will all return to the true faith and no longer steal or destroy. Rather, they will eat permitted food at peace with Israel as Isaiah (11:7) states: ‘The lion will eat straw like an ox.’ Similarly, other Messianic prophecies of this nature are metaphors. In the Messianic era, everyone will realize which matters were implied by these metaphors and which allusions they contained. (Mishneh Torah, Sefer Shoftim, Hilchot Melachim 12:1) he Ra’avad (Rabbi Avraham ben David) in his critical analyses of the Mishneh Torah, strongly disagrees with this position of the Rambam. After all, the Ra’avad contended, did not the Torah explicitly state: “I will remove wild beasts from the Land?” (Vayikra 26:6) If so, how is possible to imagine that the Prophets’ words were merely allegorical in nature? Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch shlita, the contemporary Israeli posek and former chief rabbi of the Edah HaChareidit in Jerusalem, suggests that the crux of the machloket (argument) between the Rambam and the Ra’avad is to be found in their respective analyses of the phrase, “I will remove wild beasts from the Land.” In Rav Sternbuch’s view, Maimonides maintained that the time of the Mashiach will be a period wherein “the wild beasts will no longer be able to do harm to mankind.” This, Rav Sternbuch suggests, “is not a change in

nature, [since it is inexplicit] rather than manifestly evident to one and all.” He asserts that in contrast, the Ra’avad maintains the literal meaning of the phrase, “I will remove wild beasts from the Land” to mean that “there will longer be any vicious animals.” In other words, vicious beasts will simply cease to exist. (sefer Ta’am v’Da’at, Parashat Bechukotai, 26:6). Given our sages’ ongoing analysis of how to understand the true nature of the Messianic period, it is evident that our people have ceaselessly yearned for the coming of the Mashiach. This passionate longing was given powerful voice in the ani ma’amin (I believe) section of the siddur that follows the standard Morning Prayers: “I believe in complete faith in the coming of the Messiah. And even though he tarries, I nevertheless continue to wait for him each and every day.” How will we know, however, whether or not he has finally arrived? Here, too, we are fortunate in that we can turn to the Rambam for an answer to this vital question: “King Messiah will arise in the future and return the kingship of David to its former greatness and glory. He will rebuild the Holy Temple and gather all of the exiles to the Land of Israel. All of the laws will be in effect during his days just as they were in earlier times. We will [once again] offer korbanot and keep the laws of the Sabbatical and Jubilee years just like all of the other laws stated in the Torah. (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot Melachim 11:1) ow will we know that the individual who accomplishes each of these holy tasks is indisputably the one and only Mashiach? A few halachot later, Maimonides provides us with his answer: “If a king will arise from the House of David, who, like his ancestor David, diligently contemplates the Torah and observes its mitzvot as pre-

May the stirring words of Zechariah be a clarion call to every nation.

lightening and somewhat sobering given the events of that time. Also detailed in this work, in chapter two, is how people survived the siege in Jerusalem in this crucial period when the very survival of our people was at stake. •There’s a valuable video by Dore Gold, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations from 1997 to 1999, entitled, “Is It True the U.N. Created Israel? 70 Years Since U.N. General Assembly Resolution 181” (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs). It effectively places all the above in their proper perspective. Consider this observation by Gold: “When I served as Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., a campaign began which called for reviving Resolution 181, led by the Palestinian U.N. Observer, Nasser al-Qudwa. At the time, Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon said to me, ‘Go back to Ben-Gurion’s speech in the Knesset from December 1949.’ “When Arab armies converged on the nascent state of Israel, put Jerusalem under siege, and bombarded the Old City with artillery, the UN did nothing. As Ben- Gurion told the Israeli Knesset in December 1949, ‘The U.N. didn’t lift a finger’.” scribed by the Written Law and the Oral Law, and will compel all of Israel to walk in (the way of the Torah) and rectify the breaches in its observance, and fight the wars of G-d, we may, with assurance, consider him Mashiach. If he succeeds in the above, builds the Temple in its place, and gathers the dispersed of Israel, he is definitely the Mashiach.” (11:4) One of our most important tasks as ovdei Hashem (servants of Hashem) is to be an or l’amim (light unto the nations, sefer Yeshayahu 49:6). Little wonder, then, that our hopes and desires for the imminent arrival of the Mashiach are universalistic ones that encompass a vision of peace for all mankind. As the Rambam teaches us in the concluding words of this passage: “He will then improve the entire world, motivating all the nations to serve G-d together, as sefer Tzephaniah (3:9) states: ‘I will transform the peoples to a purer language that they all will call upon the name of G-d and serve Him with one purpose’.” May the stirring words of Zechariah the prophet be a clarion call to every nation of the world: “And the L-rd shall become King over all the earth; on that day shall the L-rd be one, and His name one.” May this time come soon and in our days. V’chane yihi ratzon.

Luach Fri Dec 1 • 13 Kislev Parsha Vayishlach Candlelighting: 4:10 pm

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Tues Dec 12 • 24 Kislev Erev Chanukah

Five Towns times from the White Shul

THE JEWISH STAR December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778

AlAn JAy Gerber

Trump’s rescue of the PLO: Obamba redux

December 1, 2017 • 13 Kislev 5778 THE JEWISH STAR

stephen M. Flatow

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he most prominent Jewish leader in America did not mince words when it came to the question of whether the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) should have an office in Washington. In a telegram to the president, he wrote, “Our country must not permit the killers of Jewish children and the assassins of American diplomats to open an office in Washington.” But I’m not talking about last week’s news. I’m taking about 1976. The chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations was Rabbi Alexander Schindler. The president was Gerald Ford. And what Schindler wrote about the PLO in 1976 is just as true today as it was back then. Schindler was no hawk. In the years to follow, he would criticize the Israeli government on various issues. But he understood that Palestinian terrorists should not have an office in our nation’s capital. It saddens to me that when the issue came up again last week, so few in the American Jewish community spoke out against the PLO office. The current controversy began when the State Department notified the PLO that, according to U.S. law, it cannot keep its office in Washington so long as it is trying to use the International Criminal Court (ICC) to harass Israel. That law makes perfect sense. If the PLO APRIL and its12—JUNE subsidiary, Palestinian Author27,the 2016 ity (PA), genuinely want peace with Israel, $ can have their office; but*if the PLO and they ON THEtrying FOLLOWING PURCHASES: PA ANY are OF still to harm Israel, they can go find themselves some other place in which to ® set1up shop. And since Sheer PLO-PA leaders have Luminette Privacy (PLUS $100been REBATEtrying EACH ADDITIONAL indeed to inciteUNIT) the ICC against Israel, their office should be closed down. ® There is, unfortunately, a loophole. The law 2 Pirouette Window Shadings (PLUSthat $50 REBATE EACH ADDITIONAL UNIT) off on closing says the president can hold the office if the PLO-PA engages in “direct and ® meaningful with Israel. 2 Silhouettenegotiations” Window Shadings (PLUS $50 REBATE EACH ADDITIONAL Since the PLO-PA is not UNIT) engaged in either direct or meaningful negotiations with Israel, this should be an open-and-shut case, resulting in the closing of the office. But as soon as the State Department addressed the subject, the pressure bandwagon got rolling. PA leaders started whining and threatening. J Street warned that shutting the office would harm the chances for peace. The media demanded

that the Trump administration ignore the law and let the PLO keep its office. Well, it took the administration about two days to surrender to the pressure—and it only took that long because Thanksgiving got in the way. Suddenly the administration trotted out a new “interpretation”—actually, a misrepresentation—of the law. The PLO-PA can keep its office so long as the activities conducted there are “related to achieving a lasting, comprehensive peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.” hat a joke. The PLO-PA considers everything it does to be a contribution to peace. That includes promoting boycotts and sanctions against Israel, comparing Israel to the Nazis, and inciting the Palestinian Arab public to murder Jews and glorify terrorists. It all promotes “peace,” Palestinian-style. Letting the PLO-PA keep its office makes a mockery of what Congress intended when it passed the shutdown law. It’s sad to say, but the list of Trump administration policies toward Israel that are nearly identical to those of President Barack Obama is getting longer and longer. Obama gave the PA hundreds of millions of dollars each year, no matter how many ways it violated the Oslo Accords. President Donald Trump is doing the same. Obama pressured Israel to stop Jewish construction in most of Judea and Samaria. Trump is doing that, too. Obama did not bring a single Palestinian Arab killer of Americans to trial. Neither has Trump. Obama refused to take action against the PA’s payments to terrorists. Likewise, when Congress initiated the Taylor Force Act, to reduce U.S. aid because of those PA payments, the Trump administration watered down the bill with loopholes that make it almost meaningless. Obama demanded that Israel permit the creation of a deadly Palestinian state, adjacent to Israel’s major cities and airports. Trump is reportedly preparing a Mideast peace plan that will demand creation of a Palestinian state, too. Now, in a very Obama-like move, Trump is ignoring U.S. law in order to let the PLO-PA keep its office open. Where are the Alexander Schindlers of our own time, to cry out against this outrage? Stephen M. Flatow, a vice president of the Religious Zionists of America, is an attorney in New Jersey. He is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.

terrorism and extremism.” And then came the “money” statement. “The biggest threat from terrorism and extremism is not only killing innocent people and spreading hate, but tarnishing the reputation of our religion and distorting our belief.” That statement is a recognition that much of the terrorism the world is fighting today comes from the Muslim world, and non-terrorists, the majority of people who practice Islam, need to eradicate terrorism from their midst. If the words of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman are followed, Saudi Arabia, the country that helped to birth Islamist terrorism and spread its theology through the world, may also be known as the country that put the scourge of terrorism to death.

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Continued from page 16 all these places, they funded the building of Saudi-style mosques with Wahhabi preachers and established madrasas that provided free education for the poor with, of course, a Wahhabi curriculum.” Muslim men who went to Saudi Arabia to find work and support their families brought Wahhabism home with them. And when they returned they sought out Saudi mosques and schools for their young. “The Saudis demanded religious conformity in return for their munificence, so Wahhabi rejection of all other forms of Islam as well as other faiths would reach as deeply into Bradford, England, and Buffalo, New York, as into Pakistan, Jordan or Syria: everywhere gravely undermining Islam’s traditional pluralism,” the New Statesman continued. Along with spreading their radical form of Islam, these Saudi/Wahhabi charities also provided funding to groups such as Al Qaeda, the Taliban, Haqqani network and other radical groups, according to a 2013 EU report. Usama Bin Laden who grew up in Saudi Arabia, practiced and promoted a form of Wahhabism. ven ISIS was created on Wahhabi principals. As explained by Alastair Crooke, a former top British MI-6 agent in the Middle East: “Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, the first ‘prince of the faithful’ in the Islamic State of Iraq [which grew into ISIS] in 2006 formulated, for instance, the principles of his prospective state. ... Among its goals is disseminating monotheism ‘which is the purpose [for which humans were created] and [for which purpose they must be called] to Islam.’ This language replicates exactly Abd-al Wahhab’s formulation. And, not surprisingly, the latter’s writings and Wahhabi commentaries on his works are widely distributed in the areas under ISIS’ control and are made the subject of study sessions.” Only when ISIS made overthrowing the Saudi monarchy one of its goals did the Saudis begin start moving away from their Wahhabism alliance. In 2014, Reuters reported that then King Abdullah pressured the senior clergy in Saudi Arabia to denounce terrorist doctrines promoted by the likes of al Qaeda or ISIS, and they started vetting the kingdom’s 70,000 mosques, firing clerics who promote terrorism. A May 2017 visit by President Trump elicited a Saudi promise to fight terrorism. romises, however, especially when made by heads of state, are often empty. That is why it was such a surprise when the Crown Prince of the nation that helped launch and spread Wahhabi Islam made such a strong anti-terrorism message six-months after the visit by the American president. In his keynote address to a meeting of 40 countries in the Saudi capital, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman declared that terrorism had to end: “The biggest danger of this terrorism and extremism is the tarnishing of the reputation of our beloved religion. … We will not allow this to happen,” he said. “Today we start the pursuit of terrorism and we see its defeat in many facets around, the world especially in Muslim countries. … We will continue to fight it until we see its defeat.” “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries … with no coordination” among them, he said. “This ends today, with this alliance.” The crown prince said the 40 countries were sending a “clear signal” that they would “work together to support the military, financial, intelligence and political efforts of every member state.” This week, he condemned the ISIS attack on an Egyptian mosque that killed more than 300 worshippers, calling it “a very painful occurrence and must make us contemplate in an international and powerful way the role of this

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CAlendar of Events

Send your events to Calendar@TheJewishStar.com • Deadline noon Friday • Compiled by Zachary Schechter Saturday December 2

From Avot to Matan Torah: Join Rabbi Dr. Ari Bergman at YI of Woodmere for a lecture series titled “From the Avot to Mattan Torah: A Deeper Understanding of the Genesis of the Abrahamic Religions & of Our Mesorah.” 7:30 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950.

Sunday breakfast at Levi Yitzchak Library The Levi Yitzchak Family Center will host its annual community breakfast this Sunday, Dec. 3, at 9:30 am. The library, in its storefront space at 564 Central Ave. in Cedarhurst, houses more than 13,000 books and offers such programming as homework helpers, mommy and me classes, interactive story time, holiday shows, and more. The breakfast, chaired by Ben and Lynda Brafman, will honor, as “library ambassadors,” Avi and Danielle Aronovitz, Alan and Helene Gerber, and Jamie and Rachel Stahler. The event will also be an opportunity for the community to wish ha-

HANC Alumni Reunion: HANC invites all alumni from the graduating classes of 19622017to a special reunion. 8:30 pm. 215 Oak St, Uniondale. RSVP MichaelSHurtes@gmail.com.

Sunday December 3

Timely Torah: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Ya’akov Trump, assistant rabbi of the Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, for a shiur on relevant Halachic and philosophical topics related to Parsha Moadim and contemporary issues. Coffee and pastries. 8 am. 8 Spruce St, Cedarhurst. Learning Program: [Weekly] At Aish Kodesh led by Rav Moshe Weinberger following 8:15 Shacharis including 9 am breakfast and shiurim on subjects such as halacha, gemara and divrei chizuk. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere. Torah 4 Teens: [Weekly] Yeshiva program for high-school age boys & young adults with Rabbi Matis Friedman. 9:15 am-12:30 pm. 410 Hungry Harbor Rd, Valley Stream. Torah4teens5T@ gmail.com Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiu.r 9:15 am. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950. Machon Basya Rochel Open House: Machon Basya Rochel Seminary invites prospective students and their parents to its open house. 10:30 am. 137 Lawrence Ave, Lawrence. 516-3625000.

Achiezer Jewish Healthcare Conference: Achiezer invites you a special Jewish healthcare conference and expo, featuring a variety of lecture topics and vendors, at Citi Field. 11 am. 516-791-4444 x 113. Rabbi Paysach Krohn: Chazaq and Congregration Beit Eliyahu present Rabbi Paysach Krohn in memory of Eliyahu ben Sonya Tova, sushi and Chinese food will be served. Free admission. 8 pm. 71-52 172nd St, Fresh Meadows. 718-285-9132.

Monday December 4

Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Dr. Anette Labovitz’s women shiur will continue at Aish Kodesh. 10 am. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Preparing for Chanukah: White Shul invites men and women to enjoy a pre-Chanukah Shiur by Rabbi Feiner and Rabbi Neuberger. 8:15 pm. 728 Empire Ave, Far Rockaway. 718-327-0500. Seeing Things Clearly: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Shalom Yona Weis at Aish Kodesh for a shiur for women and high school girls titled “Seeing Things Clearly — Learning to View Our World and Our Lives Through Positive Lenses. 8:45 pm. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere.

Tuesday December 5

Women’s Shiur: [Weekly] Rebbetzin Weinberger of Aish Kodesh will give a shiur on the

karas ha tov and farewell to Program Director Bracha Margolin, as she and her family set out to establish a new Chabad center in Virginia Beach. Morah Bracha played an integral role in the library’s creation, and the library’s program expanded greatly in her dedicated hands. While the library’s success has been extraordinary, its work is not done and the community’s continued support is needed to sustain this independent, not-for-profit, organization. For more information about the library and Sunday’s breakfast, visit lylibrary.org.

“Midah of Seder in our Avodas Hashem.” 11 am. 894 Woodmere Pl, Woodmere. Jewish History: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Evan Hoffman at the YI of Woodmere for a talk on Jewish History. 8:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950. Halacha Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Moshe Sokoloff at the YI of Woodmere for a halacha shiur. 8:40 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516-295-0950. Gemara Shiur: [Weekly] Join Rabbi Dr. Aaron Glatt at the YI of Woodmere for a gemara shiu. 9:15 pm. 859 Peninsula Blvd, Woodmere. 516295-0950.

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