Jewish Home LA - 11-26-15 by Jewish Home LA

The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

leaderShIP In troubled tImeS OU West COast COnventiOn

thurSday, december 3

OPeninG KeynOte event beth Jacob beverly hIllS 9030 olymPIc boulevard, beverly hIllS

frIday nIght

motzaeI Shabbat

8:15pm fRiDay niGht tisCh at linK KOllel

7:30pm sPOnsOR’s melave malKa

with Rabbi heRshel sChaChteR

Political leadership for today & tomorrow -election 2016

Gala DinneR $35p/p Pre-registration required RsvP: adlerl@ou.org 310.229.9000 x200

Shabbat mornIng, december 5

7:45pm KeynOte aDDRess

sChOlaRs in ResiDenCe

Open to the community. free of charge.

miChael meDveD

leadership in Challenging times

frIday mornIng, december 4 RabbiniC enRiChment shiUR fOR COmmUnity & OU synaGOGUe Rabbis speaker: Rabbi heRshel sChaChteR

COnventiOn faCUlty visit lOCal sChOOls

greater la ou ShulS

speakers miChael meDveD & nathan Diament Guest of honor COnGRessman teD lieU free for convention sponsors.

adaS torah: Rabbi yaaKOv neUbeRGeR adat yeShurun: Rabbi steven Weil

Sunday, december 6

beth Jacob-beverly hIllS: ms. betty ehRenbeRG

young ISrael of century cIty

bdJ: Rabbi ilan habeR lInk: Rabbi DOviD COhen mogen davId: Rabbi heRshel sChaChteR Shaarey zedek: mR. allen faGin WeStWood kehIlla: Rabbi naChi Klein WeStWood vIllage Synagogue: mR. nathan Diament

meSIvta bIrchaS yItzchak Will host Rabbi heRshel sChaChteR

young ISrael of century cIty miChael meDveD

yula boyS School Will host Rabbi yaaKOv neUbeRGeR

yInbh: Rabbi steven PRUzansKy

yula gIrlS Will host Rebbetzin yael Weil

shabbat sPOnsORs lUnCh @ Pat’s with Rabbi DOviD COhen

Shalhevet hIgh SchoolS Will host Rabbi steven Weil

$50p/p–Pre-registration required. RsvP: adlerl@ou.org

COmmUnity sessiOns 9317 PIco blvd, loS angeleS, ca

9:30-11:30am sessiOns Open to men & Women dr. beth Sharon SamuelS, a”h, annual memorIal beIt mIdraSh

9:30 Rabbi alan KalinsKy 10:30 DR. ivOR Geft 11:30 ClOsinG PlenaRy sessiOn

Jewish leadership in today’s World Panel :

miChael meDveD Rabbi abRaham COOPeR betty ehRenbeRG

moderated by:

mR. allen faGin

12:45pm minCha

o r t h o d o x u n I o n W e S t c o a S t r e g I o n 9831 West PiCO bOUlevaRD, lOs anGeles, Ca 90035 | 310.229.9000 x200 | WestCOast@OU.ORG

The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Rekindle the warmth.

The Week In News

CONTENTS

COMMUNITY Community Happenings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

JEWISH THOUGHT Feel the Pain. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Chinuch: Thoughts On Happiness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 The Incredible Story Of Ignatz Timothy Trebitsch-Lincoln. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

FEATURE

Terror in Paris France Vows to Fight Back. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

HUMOR & ENTERTAINMENT Notable Quotes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

LIFESTYLES Interview with: Mrs. Yehudis Fasman, former Principal of Toras Emes Girls’ School . . . . . 24 Life Coach: Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving; We are Lamplighters. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Book Review: Calling Out to You. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Travel Guide: Austin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Recipe Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

NEWS Global. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 That’s Odd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

The Jewish Home is distributed bi-weekly to: ANAHEIM AGOURA HILLS BEVERLY HILLS BURBANK CALABASAS CAMARILLO COSTA MESA ENCINO GLENDALE HUNTINGON BEACH IRVINE LONG BEACH LOS ANGELES -BEVERLY HILLS

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NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers, In this week’s Parsha we read how Yaakov Avinu prepared to meet our great uncle Esav. He prayed, tried to appease and then prepared for war. If it was necessary, he would be ready to fight. Last Friday night there was a passionate discussion at the Shabbos table. Should Jews in the United States arm themselves in case, G-d forbid, of a terror attack. I thought it was a good idea. Saying that people in America should arm themselves isn’t about fear mongering. We have perfect faith that the destruction of 80 years ago will not happen again. But together with faith, comes action, including the mundane act of self-defense. Just this month, on 11/4 there was a stabbing attack by an ISIS sympathizer at the University of California, Merced. Four people were wounded. Would it have ended differently if a passerby was armed with a weapon? Many of the stabbing attacks in Israel were foiled or stopped by an armed ordinary citizen. This isn’t Israel or Europe. There hasn’t been a specific threat against our community, but is there anything to lose if every Shul arranges to have a few members trained and carrying a weapon at all times? Pepper Spray is legal in California and costs as little as $9. Should the average adult carry a small bottle? These questions are for the leaders of our communities. I do hope they are addressing them. During an interview in September, the

director general of British intelligence MI5, said, “Six terror plots have been foiled in the past 12 months,” which is the “highest number I can recall in my 32-year career.” He acknowledged, “There cannot be a guarantee that we will find and stop everything. That’s not possible.” That was before the attacks in Paris. The State Department has now issued a worldwide travel advisory, “alerting U.S. citizens to possible risks of travel due to increased terrorist threats. Current information suggests that ISIL, al-Qa’ida, Boko Haram and other terrorist groups continue to plan terrorist attacks in multiple regions…” It’s either us or them. Freedom or terror. Universal rights or fundamental extremism. The other side has shown it will take the fight to the end. Are we willing to do that as well? Back to the Parsha. In the end, there was no attack and Yaakov didn’t need to fight. With the help of Hashem neither will we. Indeed, as Yaakov and his brother parted ways, Yaakov said, “Let my master go ahead before his servant, and I will move at my own pace… until I come and meet my master at our final destination of Se’ir.” The great sage Rashi explains that this meeting will take place in the end of days when “V’alu moshi’im b’har tzion lishpot es har esav, vihaysa l’hashem hamlucha.” Wishing you and your families a relaxing and reflective Shabbos,

Shalom

T H E P R E M I E R J E W I S H N E W S PA P E R H I G H L I G H T I N G L A’ S O R T H O D OX C O M M U N I T Y The Jewish Home is an independent bi-weekly newspaper. Opinions expressed by writers are not necessarily the opinions of the publisher or editor. The Jewish Home is not responsible for typographical errors, or for the kashrus of any product or business advertised within. The Jewish Home contains words of Torah. Please treat accordingly. FOR HOME DELIVERY, OR TO HAVE THE LATEST ISSUE EMAILED TO YOU FREE OF CHARGE, SEND A MESSAGE TO EDITOR@JEWISHHOMELA.COM

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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The Week In News

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TheHappenings Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Yidden Partner with Kollel Chatzos as Long Winter Nights Approach Dozens Reserve a “Wedding Night” with Kollel Chatzos to Have Torah Learned throughout Their Wedding

Shacharis davened at Alos Hashachar

Kollel Chatzos in Meron fulfills the dictum of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, who wrote about the greatness of rising at chatzos in the Zohar many times, by having

chashuva, elevated talmidei chachamim learn every night at the holy tzion of Rashbi. The winter zman at Kollel Chatzos is now underway, and the close to 100 talmidei chachamim who learn in the four kollel branches are filled with joy and gratitude for the privilege to participate in such a holy empire of Torah. Some shared how they feel blessed to learn Hashem’s Torah at the holy hour of chatzos, and described how the powerful growth in learning throughout the nighttime hours is impossible to achieve at any other time. According to the menahalim of the kollels in Williamsburg, Monroe, Monsey and Meron, the zman started with an energized and uplifting kol Torah that echoed through the kollels as if it were in the middle of the day. Rabbi Zalmen Leib Friedman from the Monsey branch emotionally described the intense hasmadah as “inspiring and heartwarming.” Citing Rebbe Hershele Ziditchover, who wrote that the winter nights have the kedusha of Chol Hamoed, Rabbi Zalmen Lieb Friedman exclaimed that this is clearly felt within the walls of Kollel Chatzos. Many seforim hakdoshim also bring that during the winter night’s one can poel yeshuos like during Neilah on Yom Kippur. Unwilling to miss the opportunity to have talmidei chachamim be mispallel for them at such a powerful time, many special Yidden are grabbing the chance to be a part of the limud haTorah at Kollel Chatzos throughout the long winter nights. With the start of the wedding season, there’s also a strong demand from mechutanim to reserve a “wedding night” with Kollel Chatzos, where Torah is learned as a zchus for the chosson and kallah to enjoy in their lives together. At these weddings. The studying starts at the reception, and Kollel Chatzos in Meron begins their learning, and at chatzos in New York the kollels in Monsey, Williamsburg and Monroe begin to learn until dawn. This ensures that Torah, as a zchus for the new couple, is learned non-stop throughout the wedding night. The powerful segulah of midnight Torah is the greatest gift parents can give to chosson & kallah as they embark upon building their bayis ne’eman. Beautiful, new seforim shranks, courtesy of a generous donor, were recently installed in the Meron branch at the start of the new zman. A sponsor for new chairs and tables is urgently needed. To be part of the power of Torah at chatzos call 1 855 CHATZOS (800 2428967)

TheHappenings Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Jack’s Gourmet Offers Gourmet, Time Saving, Juicy, Minimally Processed, BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket Chicago is the 11th largest Jewish community in America, It’s also the state where the 2015 Private Label Trade Show was held on November 15-17th. The fastest growing category at the Private Label Manufacturers Association’s annual trade show was deli, dairy and fresh bakery products. “Consumers are making it clear they want convenience and speed in meal preparation,” said Brian Sharoff, president of the PLMA. “Consumers may trust online giants like Amazon to supply them with mass market products like paper goods, diapers and household cleaners, but they’re not quite ready to let other channels pick their deli salads or just-baked garlic bread,” Bob Vosburgh, News Director at PLMA asserted. As we work longer hours, it can be a burden to prepare family meals that need planning and skill. Convenience is the key factor in the increasing sales of deli products with reports showing 40 percent of shoppers are more likely to choose time-saving items. Also popular among shoppers in the deli section are restaurant-quality products and heart-healthy or reduced sodium items. Fortunately, there are increasingly more options which allow busy adults to skip the work, forget about planning in advance and keep ready prepared food in the refrigerator for chef-quality meals in mere minutes. This season, from Brooklyn, NY, comes new deli options from Jack’s Gourmet. They have been producing Glatt-Kosher sausages, deli meats and Facon for some time. Now, Jack’s Gourmet has successfully launched a BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket which can be served as soon as it is heated, either by putting it in the microwave or in a pot of simmering water. Made from tender beef brisket, Jack’s Gourmet chefs have shredded and added their unique barbecue sauce which produces a slightly sweet and tangy barbecue flavor. Made without artificial ingredients, nitrite-free, gluten-free and MSG-free, this barbecue beef is minimally processed. Pre-prepared beef brisket is a restaurant quality food which provides a quality meal in the shortest time. Eaten plain, with cabbage, or potatoes and onion, wrapped with guacamole, or on a pizza, this product is one of the most versatile. Online recipes abound. For instance, garlic-truffle mayonnaise pizza dough can be rolled thin and baked until crisp, spread with a thin layer of garlic-truffle mayo and topped with Jack’s BBQ Pulled Brisket. The “pizza” should then be garnished with a healthy dose of baby arugula. For a southern BBQ meal, put together some fresh, soft, burg-

er buns, coleslaw, potato salad, sweet pickles and cornbread and your family will be singing your praises for days. Ya’ll enjoy your Chanukah now!

Jack’s Gourmet BBQ Pulled Beef Brisket is available in the refrigerator in markets nationwide. Visit www.jacksgourmetkosher.com to find a store near you.

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The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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This Chanukah GIFT the exclusive Rabbi Zechariah Wallerstein in conjunction with Yonah Weinrib, masterpiece. Featuring artistic illuminations of Kriyas Shema al Hamittah, Tefillas Todah, a 16 month calendar, candle lighting times and daily journal pages. Sefer Hazichronos, Book of Remembrances is sold exclusively @ www.hakarashatovinitiative.com Ohr Naava 1276 50th Street, Brooklyn NY 917.444.7555

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Boston MA

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Cincinnati OH

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Denver CO

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Denver CO

7:08 6:57 6:54 7:52 6:45 6:39 6:34 6:31 7:30

Detroit MI

7:43 7:31 7:27 8:26 7:18 7:11 7:06 7:03 8:01

Houston TX

7:22 7:13 7:11 8:10 7:05 7:00 6:56 6:54 7:53

Lakewood NJ

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Toronto Canada

Our parks are open Sunday through Friday 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily except Saturday in observance of the Sabbath.

Los Angeles CA

6:56 6:47 6:44 7:43 6:37 6:31 6:27 6:24 7:24

Memphis TN

7:05 6:55 6:52 7:51 6:45 6:39 6:34 6:32 7:31

Miami FL

7:19 7:11 7:09 8:08 7:03 6:59 6:56 6:53 7:53

Milwaukee WI

7:03 6:51 6:47 7:46 6:38 6:31 6:25 6:22 7:21

Montreal Canada

7:08 6:55 6:51 7:50 6:42 6:34 6:28 6:24 7:23

New York NY

7:05 6:54 6:50 7:49 6:42 6:35 6:30 6:27 7:26

Philadelphia

7:09 6:58 6:55 7:53 6:46 6:40 6:35 6:31 7:30

Phoenix AZ

6:31 6:22 6:19 7:18 6:12 6:07 6:03 6:00 6:59

Pittsburgh PA

7:29 7:17 7:14 8:13 7:06 6:59 6:54 6:51 7:50

Francisco San Diego San CA CA

6:51 6:42 6:39 7:38 6:32 6:27 6:23 6:20 7:19

7:16 7:05 7:02 8:01 6:55 6:48 6:44 6:41 7:40

St. Louis MO

7:08 6:57 6:54 7:53 6:46 6:40 6:35 6:32 7:31

Toronto Canada

7:30 7:17 7:14 8:12 7:04 6:57 6:52 6:48 7:47

actions to you: to record their •WIfe • GRandFather key may be helpful The enclosed • BRother • HUsband• EmployEE • FRiend • OTher • MOther • SIster • EMployer HAshem • FAther • TEacher • REbbe • SOn • DAughter GRandMother

Mount Sinai Simi Valley 6150 Mount Sinai Drive Simi Valley, CA 93063

4:23 4:22 4:23 4:27 4:32

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St. Louis MO

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• May 26, 2016 Lag B’Omer

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Pittsburgh PA

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Mount Sinai Hollywood Hills 5950 Forest Lawn Drive Los Angeles, CA 90069

Vayelech Shabbos Shuvah

Erev Yom Kippur

May 28, 2016 •

As a member of the Orthodox community, I am pleased to have joined the Mount Sinai family as an Advance Planning Representative.

Nitzavim

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Milwaukee WI

Miami FL

Memphis TN

4:25 4:25 4:27 4:31 4:35

4:13 4:13 4:14 4:17 4:22

5:03 5:04 5:06 5:09 5:14

4:42 4:41 4:42 4:46 4:51

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Lakewood NJ

Houston TX

Detroit MI

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3rd Day Chanukah

Dallas TX

Cleveland OH

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GA 4:02 3:54 4:25 5:10 4:01 December 2 3:53 4:25 5:11 4:02 December 9 3:54 4:26 5:13 4:06 December 16 3:58 4:29 5:16 4:11 December 23 4:02 4:34 5:20 December 30 before sunset. times 18 minutes All candle lighting

Honoring Our Traditions

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1st Day Chanukah

CANDLE LIGHTING

1 . 8 5 5 . CHATZOS

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place.

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46 Main St #104 Monsey NY 10952

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718.887.9114 (24 HOURS) info@kollelchatzos.com www.1855chatzos.org

Toldos Rosh Chodesh

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Shabbos

Friday

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Thursday

Wednesday

Tuesday

Monday

Sunday

Mount Sinai is committed to respecting the Halachic needs of our community; and I look forward to working with you.

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December 2016

The Bedtime Shema

MY DIRECT CONTACT INFORMATION: Naomi Silbermintz 323-769-1374 nsilbermintz@ mountsinaiparks.org

The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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TheHappenings Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Tov V’Chesed Celebrates 13 Chanukahs Dovid Perl Established in 2002, Tov V’Chesed’s mission is to provide food for needy families in Israel. The charity purchases groceries in bulk at wholesale prices and arranges for volunteers to pack and deliver packages to thousands of families, including many single mothers and those suffering through illness. “Chanukah is an exciting time of year filled with light, happiness, presents, eating latkes and playing dreidel. But for

families that struggle to give their children regular meals when school is closed, Chanukah is a time of darkness and disappointment,” acknowledges Tov V’Chesed. Donations enable the organization to send food packages. This Chanukah, the packages are planned for more than a thousand families. The box will contain a full grocery order and additional Chanukah items; oil, doughnuts, dreidels, and toys.

Thanksgiving 4 Israel Event On Saturday, November 14th, a meaningful event was enjoyed by a gathering or more than 50 people. AMIT Children hosted a Thanksgiving 4 Israel event, chaired by Beverly Hills residents Abigail Goldberg and Gina Raphael. Guests to Deep Canyon, Beverly Hills, celebrated Israel, gave thanks for the Jewish homeland, and were moved by the special voices of Israel’s next generation. During the evening there was wine tasting with unique Shirah Wines, a sushi extravaganza, a dessert reception and raffle prizes provided by Mickey Fine Pharmacy. The live performance was performed by AMIT’s Student Choir. The AMIT Kfar Blatt Youth Choir is an ensemble of students who study at and/ or live at the Kfar Blatt Youth Village in

Tov V’Chesed supports other meaningful events. This past Parshas Chaya Sorah, the retreat center in Yesodot, Israel was filled with emotion as 250 orphans between the ages of 8 and 18 came together for a Shabbaton where they could say kaddish for their parents. The program was arranged by Boneinu, a project by Tov V’chesed. Project Boneinu is run by Rabbi Yaakov Eliezer Shisha and

Petach Tikva. This group of unique and energetic young people each brought a

with deep socio-economic problems either chronic physical and mental illness, violence, sexual abuse, drug addiction, prostitution, imprisonment or abandonment. Nearly 200 of the village’s 500 students are from Ethiopian backgrounds.

different perspective in musical style and musical background. Most of the youth village’s students, from seventh grade through junior college, come from dysfunctional families dealing

Depending on their situation, middle schoolers have the option of living at home (external students) or in one of the campus’s 12 group homes, called mishpachtonim. Every group home has a set of “sur-

Rabbi Meir Aker. Boneinu’s Israel center is a place where orphans come to eat, do homework, or find a listening ear, Boneinu additionally arranges trips, shabbatons and learning programs. The Yesodot Shabbaton tended to matters of body, heart and soul, as the kids were delighted with gifts, gourmet meals, music, dancing, and individual attention given to each child. The highlight of the program was the Friday night performance by a six-piece band and choir which lifted everyone’s spirits and there was dancing until early morning. Rabbi Yaakov Eliezer Shisha, the founder of Tov V’Chesed, then made an exciting announcement; the Boneinu house will move to a new and expanded facility, slated to begin construction in November. The facility will house a chef on premises, a rooftop porch, six private session rooms and expanded study. As Rabbi Shisha explained, “Tov V’chesed is about ending the suffering of Israel’s children. Whether it’s an orphan or hungry child we’ll make sure to give them the childhood they deserve.” Tov V’chesed can be reached at info@ tovvchesed.com. Website: www.tovvchesed.com.

rogate parents”, usually young married couples, some with children, who provide the 9th-12th graders with nurturing, encouragement and a positive model of how loving family members behave toward one another. Due to their difficult upbringing these students have more challenges than their peers. The Choir Students said they receive the kind of educational and emotional support they would never receive at another school. Netanel Fentahon said, “I used to be a troublemaker but since coming to AMIT I found that I had a voice and now I am writing and singing my own music, it has given me strength to succeed in many other areas of my life”. In addition to their academic and Jewish classes, the students take classes in communication skills, how to build a loving relationship, personal budgeting and how to care for their bodies. AMIT’s goal is to ensure every student who leaves the village will do so with self-confidence and the tools to succeed in life. At the event, the choir sang the AMIT Anthem which was written by the students. “AMIT is my heart, AMIT is my home, there’s always a smile or a friendly “Shalom.” Through excellence and learning we find our success, to strive for and reach our personal best.” For more info about AMIT visit: www. amitchildren.org/LA

Photos: Joseph Ober Photography

TheHappenings Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

House Committee Members acknowledged for Supporting Israel’s Missile Defense Systems Keili Cohen and Hannah Levin “America is safer when Israel is safer. Israel is safer when America is safer. Those bonds can never be broken.” On November 5, 2015, hundreds gathered to pay tribute to the key Chairs and Ranking Members of the House Committees who are responsible for the funding of Israel’s essential Iron Dome, David’s Sling and Arrow Missile Defense Programs. The program was arranged by The Friedlander Group, a New York and Washington DC based public affairs company, in conjunction with Project Legacy. Many of the most influential leaders of the House of Representatives were pleased to participate in the third annual US-Israel Security Alliance Congressional Tribute. Recognizing that Iron Dome is saving lives and protecting the U.S.-Israel relationship, it is the members of these House Committees who work with Congress to secure a budget of approximately $370 million per year for Israeli anti-missile programs.

The tribute honored several key supporters. “Members of Congress came together in a strong display of bipartisanship

to pledge their continued and increased support of Israel’s Missile Defense Programs and reiterate the necessity of these

Defense Systems to protect civilian populations from enemy rocket fire and for that we are eternally grateful” said the event’s co-chairs, Eli Verschleiser, Miles Berger, Joseph B. Stamm, Sol Goldner, Leon Goldenberg and Stanley Treitel. The invocation was delivered by Bukharian Chief Rabbi Itzhak Yehoshua and and the benediction was given by Rabbi Sheftal Neuberger of Ner Israel Rabbinical College. Ezra Friedlander, CEO of The Friedlander Group, noted that, “The U.S.-Israel Security Alliance Congressional Tribute emphasized the unwavering commitment of Congress to defend Israel and reaffirms America’s commitment to Israel’s security.” For more information, please contact Ezra Friedlander at Ezra@TheFriedlanderGroup.com

Loaves of Love and Loads of Lessons

signer Max Azria, founder of popular design label, BCBG. Joyce Azria shared a powerful message and her perspective on women’s potential in the world today. She spoke about the possibility for increasing religious observance in any career, or stage of life. Azria spoke about her life journey and explained how she has become more religious, despite working in the world of high fashion. Azria remembered how her father, despite travelling extensively, would always return home to be with his family on Shabbat. She acknowledged her role in the fashion world but said she knows how to blend this with her religious values. The event was on Sunday so everyone had to bake the challah during the week and the smell of the challah brought back memories of the event. “The incredible feedback we received continues to stream in. I am still receiving texts of women who are sharing their feelings of inspiration” said Fayge Yemini. Loaves of Love was organized by Fayge Yemini, Brocha Yemini,Batya Cohen, Sharon Gomperts, and Danielle Forer. Special thanks

to Lillian Douek, Chaya Israily,Gittel Yemini and the students of Ohel Chana High School.

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The annual Loaves of Love event was held on November 15th. This was the 7th year with the crowd gathering at Chabad Israel Center in Los Angeles. More than 200 Jewish women from Beverly Hills, Agoura Hills and everywhere in between, came to make two loaves of challah. One loaf is taken home but the second loaf is given to neighbors, colleagues and friends in a gesture of peace and kindness. The event was established in remembrance of Rabbi Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, along with the other four victims of the 2008 Mumbai Terrorist Attack. Round tables filled the shul, along with bowls that held the ingredients to make the best Challah. A few students of the Ohel Chana High School had previously held a Packing Party, with dinner and music, and had spent four hours measuring out the exact ingredients. The Loaves of Love participants were treated to an elegant dessert buffet. Then the fun began and attendees made their braided loaves from scratch, guided by master baker Lillian Douek. Mrs. Miriam Hildeshaim of Chabad Carthay Circle lead the ladies in prayer and blessings of Hafrashas Challah. People submitted names of those who need blessings, and there was a prayer of support for Paris and for Israel. Next, Chaya Rivka, a local singer and songwriter, and her sister, Batya Kessler, sang a beautiful and soulful rendition of Shir Hamalot, accompanied by Chaya Rivka on her acoustic guitar. The program moved on to a discussion with speaker Joyce Azria, creative Director of BCBGeneration. Azria’s father is fashion de-

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There is a war going on. Jews are getting killed and the numbers are adding up. Sometimes, they are killed one at a time, other times in groups. Knifed, sprayed with bullets or rammed with a car. And that is very tragic. Sad. Awful. There is a growing trail of blood, leaving devastated families and communities.. It’s heartbreaking. An 18-year-old boy studying in a yeshiva in Beit Shemesh went to bring meals to soldiers and was shot dead by an Arab terrorist, another young life snuffed out, a young man with so much potential cut down. The tears should be flowing, the sadness and pain engulfing us, yet, somehow, we’ve become immune, the flow of tragedies becoming news stories rather than personal messages. They become events to pass around without seriously contemplating the deep personal tragedies. The Torah states that when Moshe Rabbeinu, who had grown up in the palace of Paroh, left and saw the suffering of his brothers in Mitzrayim, “Vayar besivlosam – And he saw their pain.” The Chiddushei Horim adds a component to what Moshe saw. He writes that “sivlosam” hints to the idea that his brethren had begun to be “soveil” what was transpiring. They were tolerant of the sad reality and accepted it as a fact of life. When Moshe saw that, he perceived that they were in real trouble and that it was time to begin agitating for their release. They had begun to accept the culture and atmosphere of being enslaved in Mitzrayim. We see what’s happening today and we

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Feel the Pain

wonder if, perhaps, G-d forbid, we have started to be soveil this new reality. We glimpse at the articles, peek at the pictures if they are not too gory, shake our heads and move on. Instead of mourning the loss of yet another young life, we send around emails wondering why President Obama was waiting to condemn the senseless murder of an American citizen in Israel, as if we need his condemnation to validate the truth. What difference does it make if his staff writes up a pithy sentence? Will that change anything? The emails we should be sending should be focused on what we can do to stop the slaughter of our people. People felt better when the Patriots held a moment of silence in memory of Ezra Schwartz Hy”d before Monday night’s game, as if that somehow gave meaningful validation to Jewish pain and suffering. And then the violence continues. Over time as these despicable acts continued, with every day bringing a new tragedy more orphans, more parents sitting shivah, and more blood on the streets - we have become so overwhelmed that we no longer react. It doesn’t help that the free world, which never cared much about Jewish

Jews in particular are being singled out for slaughter. Each one of us is charged with doing our part to bring this tragic chapter to a close. What, exactly, is our part? Parshas Vayishlach represents a guidebook on relations with the world. Chazal state that chachomim who traveled to Rome would carefully study this week’s parshah before setting out on their missions. As our chachomim throughout the ages studied this parshah and Yaakov’s behavior before confronting the exile, we must do the same. The Ramban writes that the parshah, “contains a hint for future generations, for all that transpired between our forefather Yaakov and Eisov will happen to us with Eisov’s children, and it is fitting for us to follow the path of the tzaddik (Yaakov).” Throughout the generations, the children of Eisov sometimes present themselves as achim, brothers, concerned about our welfare, and other times their evil intentions are more apparent. No matter how they present themselves, our response to Eisov remains constant. We deal with Eisov the same way Yaakov did, so it is important for us to properly analyze Yaakov’s actions and

LET US WORK ON OURSELVES TO RAISE OUR LEVELS OF MITZVAH OBSERVANCE, TORAH STUDY AND ARVUS. blood in the first place, has now become preoccupied with the ISIS terror unleashed in Europe. Our hearts go out to the French people and victims of terror worldwide. We bemoan the leadership that allowed ISIS to be born and develop into a major threat over the past seven years. We wish that the world would recognize the threat engulfing it and declare war upon the evildoers, without politically correct reservations. But that doesn’t absolve us from focusing on the real issue and the weighty implications for us. As bnei Avrohom, Yitzchok and Yaakov, we have to recognize that

statements. The posuk says, “Vayishlach Yaakov malochim lefonov el Eisov ochiv” (Bereishis 31:4). Yaakov sent malochim to his brother, Eisov, to let him know that he was returning to the Land of Israel, seeking a peaceful brotherly reunion. What was the message Yaakov sent to his wicked brother to convince him to retreat from his threats to inflict bodily harm on Yaakov? He told the malochim to tell Eisov, “Im Lavan garti, although I lived many years with the wicked Lavan, taryag mitzvos shomarti, I observed all the 613 mitzvos.”

The parshah and the dealings between the brothers have historical significance. They are written in the Torah for us to learn from, as we navigate our golus experience. There are several issues that bear explanation in order to understand the message Yaakov sent Eisov. Yaakov chose to send malochim, actual angels, rather than human messengers. Why? And since when does man have the ability to send angels on missions with messages? Secondly, why would the wicked Eisov care that Yaakov was able to maintain his lofty levels while living by Lavan? Of what interest was it to him that Yaakov had observed the 613 commandments? Chazal teach that the performance of mitzvos creates malochim. Every mitzvah creates a malach. The Vilna Gaon taught that since every word of Torah studied fulfills a mitzvah, it follows that every word of Torah we study creates a malach. Who are those malochim? What is their task? Those malochim surround us and protect us from harm. Yaakov was telling Eisov, “You won’t just be fighting me and my family. If you go to battle against us, you will be fighting the malochim created by the 613 mitzvos I fulfilled even in the house of Lavan. Lest you think that I fell under his influence and created malochim mashchisim (destructive angels), be forewarned that I am the same Yaakov ish tom you knew back home. Im Lavan garti, vetaryag mitzvos shomarti. There will be thousands of malochim defending me as I enter your turf. Beware. There is a story told of a religious traveler who, during a trip, entered a convenience store, where a bare-headed clerk rang up his purchase of some chips and a soda. Thanks to his accent, the customer identified the clerk as an Israeli. He smiled and said to him, “Shalom aleichem.” The clerk, though an Israeli, had little interest in his heritage. In fact, he had come to America to escape from Jews. He was quite upset to have been outed by a co-religionist and responded by saying, “Don’t greet me and don’t share this shalom aleichem stuff with me. It’s wrong.” “Why is it wrong?” asked the surprised traveler. “Because ‘aleichem’ is plural and I am only one person,” said the man.

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The customer smiled and nodded. “You are right, but I am not only extending my greetings to you. The rabbis teach that every Jew is surrounded by two malochim at all times. Thus, I use the plural when I greet the three of you.” The conversation over, the clerk frowned and turned to the next customer. A few months later, the traveler passed through the same town again and decided to stop at the store. Maybe he’d meet that Israeli again and maybe he would be able to reach his heart. He entered and saw the clerk there, sporting a baseball cap. The clerk’s eyes shot open when the frum man entered. “You’re back? You have no idea of the trouble you caused me and what you did to my life.” The traveler prodded him to explain. “I can’t get out of my head what you told me about the angels,” the clerk said. “I left work and went to eat supper at McDonald’s like I usually do, but I couldn’t eat. I sat there and thought about those angels. How could I eat a cheeseburger with angels at my side? How could I offend them that way? “Ten times a day, I get annoyed by those angels. In short,” the clerk concluded, “you’re ruining my life with those angels. They don’t let me do anything!” Yaakov had many more malochim at his side, and if Eisov wouldn’t respect Yaakov, his life would be upended. There is no protection stronger than that of Torah. Those who study Daf Yomi recently learned the Gemara (Sotah 21a) which teaches, Torah and mitzvos are magna umatzla,” Torah and mitzvos protect a person. Torah study and mitzvah observance create a fortress, an impenetrable protective wall. At the yeshiva of Sheim V’Eiver, Yaakov merited learning Torah without hesech hada’as, and in the house of Lavan, he learned Torah “b’af,” through suffering and challenge. He rose above the distractions and oppression, creating malochim the entire time. Try as he may, Eisov would not be able to escape that fact. “Im Lavan garti vetaryag mitzvos shomarti. Know this, my brother, Eisov: I continued learning and performing mitzvos even under Lavan, so you will not be able to defeat me.” A talmid of Rav Elazar Menachem Man Shach once noticed an old yellowed notebook on a high shelf in the rosh yeshiva’s room, hidden away, out of sight. The talmid lifted it and presented it to Rav Shach. “The rosh yeshiva is probably looking for this notebook,” he said. “I found it in a strange place.” “No, thank you,” Rav Shach told him. “Please return it there. I wrote those chiddushim many years ago, but I am no longer confident that they are completely emes.” “Then why keep the booklet at all?” asked the talmid. “Because I was very sick when I wrote those chiddushim and it has special chein to me. I recall the sweetness of Torah she-

lomadeti b’af, consisting of Torah learned through times of challenge. I want to keep it nearby.” The Chofetz Chaim participated in the construction of a hospital in Radin. At a meeting of sponsors, wealthy philanthropists announced how many beds they would each sponsor. They turned to the Chofetz Chaim and asked how many beds he would sponsor. “Fifty,” he said. “Oh, wow,” the board members said, impressed. The Chofetz Chaim explained that the Torah studied by the bochurim in his yeshiva protects the town and prevents illness and suffering. In their zechus, the town would require fifty fewer hospital beds. Torah saves lives. Malochim created by observance of mitzvos and limud haTorah stave off punishment, creating a security fence that saves lives and prevents pain and suffering. So what can we do? We can create malochim. We can sponsor hospital beds. We can respond to each horrific report by making a real difference, by forming a legion of malochim mamash of our own. Every time we learn, every time we do a mitzvah, every time we daven, we have to do so with an awareness that we have the ability to impact the balance of power in this world. We have to care. We have to feel the pain. We have to know that we are all brothers and sisters, despite differences of language, country and custom. Last week, two men were killed as they davened Minchah. They were davening Minchah in Tel Aviv and an Arab waiter from a restaurant next door knifed two men to death and tried to slaughter more. V’ein ish som al leiv. We are not prophets and cannot discern the ways of Hashem, but when things happen, we know that there are lessons for us. Let us examine the tefillah of Minchah. The Gemara in Maseches Brachos states, “Tefillos avos tiknum,” the avos instituted the three tefillos we pray each day; Avrohom instituted Shacharis, Yitzchok instituted Minchah, and Yaakov instituted Arvis, or Maariv. Avrohom was the av hamon goyim. He was the first to call out in Hashem’s name. This is signified by Shacharis, the prayer said at the beginning of the day. He introduced the idea of sanctifying the day by starting the morning with tefillah. Yaakov was the first of the avos to go into extended golus. Yaakov also had the most difficult life of the three avos. From the womb until his passing, he was beset by trouble. The tefillah he instituted is recited in the dark and signifies that even in times of darkness, a Jew never gives up. He maintains his faith and can exude holiness. It also signifies that a Jew can bring holiness into the darkness of exile. Yitzchok instituted the tefillah of Minchah, which is recited in the middle of the

workday. Minchah signifies that a Jew can make the mundane holy. By breaking off in the middle of work to daven, a Jew demonstrates that his priorities are in order. He knows that success in business comes not from his own skill, but from Above. He also demonstrates that he can raise his level of kedushah even while engaging in regular workday activities. The Gemara (Brachos 24) derives that Yitzchok instituted the tefillah of Minchah from the posuk in last week’s parshah which states, “Vayeitzei Yitzchok losuach basodeh lifnos orev.” The Gemara translates this to mean that Yitzchok went out to daven in the field towards evening. Tosafos asks how Yitzchok was permitted to daven in the field, since the halachah is that one should not daven in an open field, where it is difficult to concentrate. Tosafos answers that the place where Yitzchok was davening was not really a field. It was Har Hamoriah. The Gemara in Maseches Pesachim (84) states that Avrohom referred to that hallowed place as a “har,” a mountain. Yitzchok referred to it as a “sodeh,” a field, and Yaakov called it a “bayis,” a home. Apparently, in keeping with the avodah of Yitzchok Avinu, the posuk purposely referred to the place where he initiated the

avodah of tefillas Minchah as a sodeh. Yitzchok Avinu’s chiddush was that tefillah is indeed possible even as a Jew is deeply immersed in trying to earn parnassah. He can - and must - take a break from his consuming business affairs and turn to Hashem. To hint this to us, the posuk from which we derive the obligation of davening Minchah, refers to Har Hamoriah as a sodeh. Despite what we are doing throughout the day, we pause in the middle of it and daven. We show that we understand our purpose in life and that we can raise ourselves to the level of tefillah even in a sodeh, not only when we are wrapped in tallis and tefillin, but also when we are in our work clothes. We have a higher purpose than Eisov and live on a higher plane. If Jews are killed during Minchah, perhaps it signifies that we must work harder to maintain our levels of kedushah in a tumultuous world full of temptation and licentiousness. Let us work on ourselves to raise our levels of mitzvah observance, Torah study and arvus. Doing so will help us elevate ourselves from the sodeh to Har Hamoriah and wipe away the pain from all who are suffering.

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NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Terror in Paris France Vows to Fights Back By Susan Schwamm

It was a quiet night in Paris. The lights of the Eiffel Tower glowed against the dark sky. A typical Friday night, Parisians and tourists dined in restaurants, attended soccer matches, and enjoyed concerts.

ut then, the peacefulness and innocence of the City of Light was shattered by bloodthirsty murderers. It took less than three hours, but by 12:30am on Friday night, 129 people were killed by coordinated, vicious attacks in six differ-

ent locations by members of the terrorist group ISIS. 9:20pm was when the terror began. A suicide bomber detonated an explosives belt at the Stade de France, where France and Germany were playing a soccer match. The blast killed the bomber and claimed one victim. Just five minutes later, at 9:25, gunmen in a black vehicle started shooting at people sitting at Le Carillon and Le Petit Cambodge restaurants with Kalashnikov-type assault rifles. 15 people were killed in the carnage; 10 were seriously wounded. At 9:30, another suicide bomber detonated at the Stade de France stadium. Thankfully, no one was hurt in the blast. Just two minutes later, gunmen in a black vehi-

cle opened fire at the A La Bonne Biere bar, killing five people and critically wounding eight. Four minutes later, gunmen killed 19 people and wounded nine others as they sat on the terrace of La Belle Equipe. Four minutes after that attack, at 9:40, a suicide bomber detonated an explosives device inside the Comptoir Voltaire restaurant. Thankfully no one was killed in the blast, although one person was seriously injured. At 9:53, another suicide bomber detonated his explosive device at the stadium; thankfully no one besides for the terrorist was killed. At the same time of the attack at Comptoir Voltair restaurant, at 9:40, three terrorists killed 89 people with guns and bombs at a sold-out

performance of the Eagles of Death Metal, an American band, that took place at the Bataclan concert hall. They shouted “Allahu akbar” as they entered the hall with assault rifles, throwing grenades and shooting into the crowd. Concertgoers desperately tried to hide from the attackers and to escape. One pregnant woman dangled from a third story window. The terrorists held those left inside the hall hostage in front of the stage. Finally, after 140 minutes of a standoff with French police, police stormed the club. Two attackers exploded their suicide vests, while a third attacker’s vest was activated by police gunfire. Finally, finally, after over three hours of terror, the quiet was restored to the Pa-

risian night – but it was not a peaceful silence. It was a silence of mourning, of wailing, of grief. It was a silence of 129 loved ones no longer smiling and hugging their families after a long day. It was a silence of 352 people moaning, as they escaped with their lives, but will forever remember this night as they look at their wounds. It was a silence that spoke volumes as people around the world reeled from the viciousness of those who call out in the name of religion and G-d. And it was a silence punctuated by broken glass and blood-stained cobblestones and a city that so cruelly lost its innocence. On Saturday night, the iconic Eiffel Tower was dark. The City of Light was shrouded in mourning.

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Friday’s attacks left 129 families bereaved. Those who lost their lives hailed from a number of countries, although more than 100 of the victims were French. They were brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters, and friends to those who loved them. Gilles Leclerc, 32, worked with his mother at a florist in a French suburb. He was killed at the Eagles of Death Metal concert on Friday night, which he attended with his friend, who survived the bloodbath. Sadly, it took three days for authorities to identify his body. His mother went on French radio to make a public plea in the hope that he had survived. Arianne Theiller, 23, who enjoyed drawing for young readers, and Thomas Ayed, 34, were both at the Bataclan theater as well when they lost

hero,” his brother said. Asta Diakite had gone shopping with her nephew and was shot dead in the attack on the bar and restaurant on Friday night. Pierre Innocenti and Stephane Albertini were killed at the Bataclan. They were the third generation of their family to run the famous Chez Livio restaurant in Neuilly-sur-Seine. “They always had a smile for everyone,” one customer said. “They were so kind and really well-known around here.”

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

family and was brought up in Liege. She was with a friend, Milko Jozic, 47, on the terrace of La Casa Nostra pizzeria when they came under attack. Milko, also from Liege, was an industrial engineer and had a daughter in her twenties. The third Belgian victim was reported to be 28-years-old. T h i r t y - fi v e - y e a r - o l d Helene Muyal died at the Bataclan and left behind a husband and a son only 17-months-old. She was a makeup artist who worked

It was a silence that spoke volumes as people around the world reeled from the viciousness of those who call out in the name of religion and G-d. their lives on Friday night. Hugo Sarrade, 23, was also attending the concert when he was murdered. He was studying at a university in Montpellier and was in Paris to spend the weekend with his father. Hugo loved rock music. His father said, “He was loving and full of kindness, and so open to other cultures and ways of life.” Ludovic Boumbas, 40, was killed at La Belle Equipe bar protecting his friend, Chloe. He had thrown himself in front of her and although she was wounded, she survived. He had been at a birthday party. “He died a

Aurelie de Peretti, 33, from Saint Tropez, was at the Bataclan when she was murdered. “I just cannot believe that I just lost a part of myself,” her sister Delphine said. Nohemi Gonzalez, a 23-year-old U.S. student from El Monte, California, was killed in the attacks. She was studying at the Strate College of Design in Paris. Nohemi had dual American and Mexican citizenship and was the only U.S. citizen to have died in the attacks. Three Belgian citizens died on Friday night. Elif Dogan, 26, came from a Turkish

on fashion shoots. Her husband wrote a passionate piece on Facebook addressed to his wife’s killers after seeing her body. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t want to know. You are dead souls. I won’t give you the gift of my hatred. It’s what you sought, but answering hate with anger would be to surrender to the same ignorance that has made you what you are.” Three teams of terrorists – eight murderers in all – carried out the attacks on Friday night. Seven of those were killed during the carnage; one, Salah Abdeslam, 26, is

still on the loose. (On Tuesday, authorities said that a possible ninth terrorist was involved in the attacks; if true, he is still at large.) Abdelsam was stopped by French police near the Belgian border but was let go after deemed that he was not a suspect at the time. The Abdeslam family seems to like to kill. Two of Salah’s brothers were also involved in the attacks. Brahim Abdeslam, 31, blew himself up outside a bar near the Bataclan. Mohammed, a third brother, was arrested in the Brussels neighborhood of Molenbeek while returning from Paris. Authorities have found two cars in connection to the attacks; one of them was rented by Salah Abdeslam. Another contained three Kalashnikov automatic rifles when police found it. Another attacker, Bilal Hadfi, detonated a suicide belt at the Stade de France. The twenty-year-old also lived in Belgium and was known to Belgian authorities. Frenchman Samy Amimour, 28, has been identified as one of the attackers at the Bataclan theater. He was investigated by police for terrorism in 2012, but dropped off the radar in 2013. It has come to light now that Amimour spent those years in Syria with ISIS, even after his father travelled to Syria to encourage him to come home. Ismael Omar Mostefai, 29, was one of the terrorists

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who blasted concertgoers with an assault rifle before blowing himself up at the concert hall. He was identified by investigators by his severed finger. Prosecutors say that they had an “S” file on Mostefai for years, meaning they knew that he had been radicalized at some point. Although the attacks were organized in Belgium, they were planned in Syria. Six of the terrorists who carried out Friday’s massacre spent time in Syria. The mastermind behind the attacks has been named Abdelhamid Abaaoud, a 27-year-old Belgian linked to a Brussels-based terror cell. He has spent time in Syria alongside ISIS and has yet to be apprehended. This is not the first time Abaaoud endeavored to conduct carnage on a grand scale. He has been linked to the thwarted attacks on a Paris-bound high speed train in August and a foiled plot to attack a church in Paris in April. Authorities have tried to break up the terror cell that Abaaoud leads after the Charlie Hebdo attacks earlier this year. At the time, they arrested 13 jihadists in Belgium, but Abaaoud slipped through their fingers. In July, Abaaoud was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in prison for recruiting Islamic State fighters to Syria. He was among 32 people charged in Belgium with running one of Belgium’s largest jihadist recruitment networks, although many of the defendants – including Abaaoud – were tried in absentia and remain at large. Abaaoud was also accused of kidnapping after his younger brother, Younes, travelled to Syria in January 2014 at the age of 13 and earned the media nickname of “the youngest jihadist in the world.”

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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Abaaoud spent time fighting alongside ISIS in Syria, arriving in Syria in January. In a video, Abaaoud is seen in his car transporting mutilated bodies to a mass grave. In an interview with the ISIS magazine Dabiq in February, Abaaoud boasted that he had been able to plot attacks against the West under the nose of Belgian intelligence agencies. Abaaoud, also known as Abu Umar al-Baljiki, said he and two fellow jihadis wanted to “terrorize the crusaders waging war against the Muslims.” Posing for photographs holding an ISIS flag and the Koran, the bearded militant said he and two fellow fighters travelled to Belgium to wage jihad in the country. After the attacks, the international spotlight was

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

thrust upon Molenbeek, a densely packed district in Brussels, Belgium. There, unemployment is high and

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some have settled there and there is a large Muslim community. This week, Belgian authorities carried out a se-

ries of raids searching for key suspects believed to have lived in the area. Two people arrested have been charged with terrorist offenses. At least two of Friday’s terrorists were living in Molenbeek before the attacks. It’s led to Molenbeek being widely labelled as a jihadi haven. Molenbeek was also put under scrutiny after the Charlie Hebdo attacks. A suspect in the thwarted attack on a high-speed train from Belgium to France was reported to have stayed at his sister’s house in Molenbeek, and a Frenchman accused of shooting dead four people last year at the Jewish Museum in Brussels also spent time in the area. “Molenbeek is a strange part of the town,” Brussels-based intelligence expert Claude Moniquet said.

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“It has a very mixed population with thousands of immigrants, approximately half are of Muslim descent and in some parts 70-80%. That means no mixing population and the possibility of a place to hide for terrorists.” A high proportion of those who have left the country to join Islamist groups have come from the area. Indeed, the country of Belguim has exported more jihadists to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq per capita than any other Western European nation. After the attacks, President Francois Hollande declared a state of emergency across France, which limited people’s movements and imposed zones of security and protection. Over the weekend police conducted

day after a solemn moment of silence honoring those who lost their lives in Friday’s attacks. “Friday’s acts of war were decided and planned in Syria. They were organized in Belgium and perpetrated on our soil with French complicity with one specific goal: to sow fear and to divide us,” Hollande told Parliament. “Syria has become the biggest factory of terrorism the world has ever known and the international community is still too divided and too incoherent,” he thundered. Hollande’s anger was not just rhetoric; the night before his speech, the country launched its heaviest airstrikes yet on the Syrian city of Raqqa, the Islamic State’s de-facto capital in the country. The airstrikes,

tire world joins our family in heartbreak yet again,” Kerry said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu echoed Kerry’s sentiments and said Israel “stands shoulder to shoulder to France.” “Don’t mistake what these attacks represent. This is not a clash of civilizations. These terrorists have declared war against all civilization,” Kerry warned. “This is an assault not just on France, but coming on the heels of brutal attacks in Lebanon, Iraq and elsewhere, it is an assault on our collective sense of reason and purpose, an attack on civility itself.” Indeed, these terrorists don’t fight on a set battlefield; they see the whole world as their battleground. Nothing is sacred. Not a

“This is an assault not just on France … it is an assault on our collective sense of reason and purpose, an attack on civility itself.”

anti-terror raids throughout cities across the country. More than 20 people were taken into custody and weapons – including a rocket launcher – were seized. Over 100 people were put under house arrest. During a joint session of French Parliament – the third time a president has done so since 1848 – Hollande said he would like to add 5,000 positions to the country’s paramilitary police force and proposed measures that would allow France to deport suspected terrorists or strip them of their citizenship, even if they were born in the country. “France is at war,” the president declared on Mon-

which dropped 20 bombs, destroyed an ISIS jihadi training camp and munitions dump. “We need a union of all who can fight this terrorist army in a single coalition,” Hollande urged on Monday, asking for the United States’ and Russia’s cooperation in defeating ISIS. “We are not in a war of civilizations, because these assassins don’t represent one. We are in a war against jihadist terrorism, which threatens the entire world.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry responded to the attacks with empathy. “The United States and France are not only friends, we are family. And today, the en-

school, a place of work, a place of worship, or a restaurant. No one is exempt from their terror. Men, women, and children are equal targets in their eyes. And they terrorize from the shadows in the name of their religion, willing to kill themselves so they can inflict maximum pain upon others. In a video released on Monday, ISIS fighters proclaimed, “I swear to G-d, as we struck France in its stronghold Paris, we will strike America in its stronghold, Washington.” The U.S. Department of Homeland Safety said it had no “specific credible information of an attack on the U.S. homeland.” But CIA

Director John Brennan said he would be surprised if the group doesn’t have additional attacks in preparation. “I would anticipate this is not the only operation they have in the pipeline,” he related. “I do believe this is something we will have to deal with for quite some time.” Understandably, countries and people around the world were reeling from Friday’s attacks. Leaders pledged to increase security and people have become more wary of their surroundings. On Tuesday, authorities in Hannover, Germany, evacuated the stadium in which a soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands was set to take place because they uncovered “serious plans for explosives.” No explosives were found. Much talk has swirled around the refugees that have been streaming out of Syria. Because so many of these terrorists were trained by ISIS in Syria, many are concerned that welcoming in refugees from the wartorn country will only be welcoming in terrorists who will be planning their destruction. Indeed, ISIS has said that they will be sneaking into countries under the guise of refugees fleeing Syria. European politicians who have been speaking out against the rush of migrants are already pointing to the attacks as another reason to close their countries’ borders. And governors in at least 24 U.S. states have said they won’t accept Syrian refugees in light of the Paris attacks. The U.S. State Department, though, has said they will still be accepting the planned 10,000 refugees a year. “Paris changes everything,” Markus Soeder, finance minister for Ger-

many’s southern state of Bavaria, said on Sunday. “The days of uncontrolled immigration and illegal entry can’t continue just like that.” Germany has been on the forefront of welcoming refugees from the Syrian crisis. Officials in the past have said that any Syrian who reaches its borders would be automatically granted asylum. In the United States, Republican presidential candidates Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush both said that in the wake of the attacks, the U.S. should limit admitting refugees from Syria to those who are Christian. President Obama, though, was quick to denounce their proposal, saying, “We don’t have religious tests to our compassion. We do not close our hearts to these victims of such violence and somehow start equating the issue of refugees with the issue of terrorism.” Interestingly, so far only 53 Syrian Christian refugees have been allowed into America, compared to 2,098 Syrian Muslims. On Monday night, the symbol of Paris, the iconic Eiffel Tower, was aglow in blue, white and red, the colors of the French flag. The City of Light has shown that is strong despite the blows that were inflicted upon it last week in the deadliest attack on French soil since World War II. Terrorists who hide under black shrouds and declare their visions of bloodshed will not dim the lights of the famous city. 129 people lost their lives as murderers slaughtered in the name of their G-d; we will remember those who perished by soldiering on and fighting back against those who yell “Allahu akbar.” No, their dreams of carnage are not great. It is the people who join together in unity and kindness who will ultimately prevail.

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Interview With: Mrs. Yehudis Fasman, former Principal of Toras Emes Girls’ School Yehudis Litvak Mrs. Fasman began working at Toras Emes girls’ school in 1978. She served as the elementary school principal until 2014, when she became a consultant at the school. Where did you grow up? I was born in Switzerland during the war years, and grew up in Paris, France. My father, Rabbi Elie Munk, had been a Rav in Paris before the war. After the war, my parents returned to Paris, but only half of my father’s congregation was left. Yiddishkeit was almost non-existent. My father worked hard to rebuild Yiddishkeit in Paris. He was very involved in opening Jewish schools and in kashrus. Our home was extremely warm and constantly open to refugees and orphans who came to Paris after the war. One of the people who came to our house as a young man was the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, who was studying at the Sorbonne University. My father

kept up a relationship with him for many years. What was it like to grow up in postwar Paris? There was a strong feeling of being unwanted as a Jew in Paris. I didn’t experience any overt antisemitism, but my brothers did. I was embarrassed to hold my father’s hand in the street because every passerby would realize that we were Jewish. There were no Jewish schools in our vicinity in Paris at the time, so my siblings and I went to public school. The way the school week is structured in France is that Thursday and Sunday are days off, and there is school on Shabbos. As an official rabbi, my father wrote a letter to the principal, and she allowed me to be absent on Shabbos on the condition that I would surely complete my homework and be ready for tests. In school I was consistently

worried, even obsessed with the question of what I would say if somebody asked me why I didn’t come to school on Saturdays. No one ever asked. I had no friends at school. There were no other Jewish students in my class. I didn’t talk to anyone. Elementary school in France went through sixth grade. After that, we went to high school. By the time I finished elementary school Paris already had Jewish schools. I went to Yavne, a Jewish high school. That’s when my life really started. It was great! What inspired you to become a teacher? After high school, my sisters and I went to Gateshead Seminary, also known as the Jewish teachers’ training college. Most of the girls who went there became teachers. After the war, there was the spirit of rebuilding, of continuing Sara Schenirer’s Bais Yaakov tradition. We were inspired to be part of that. What was your first teaching job? After seminary, I went back to Paris and started teaching in the elementary school there. I also did private tutoring, taught on Sundays at the cheder. I taught children who were still in the public school system. How did you come to America? Yiddishkeit had changed in France after the war. Many Ashkenazic Jews didn’t come back. Meanwhile, many Sefardic Jews had come from Morocco and Algiers, and they rebuilt Yiddishkeit in Paris. Thus, there were no appropriate shidduchim for us Ashkenazic girls. Many of my friends went to England or Eretz Yisrael. My older siblings ended up in the United States, through different circumstances. My father decided to send all of us, in turn, to the U.S. When did you come to Los Angeles? I met my husband after three years in New York. He hoped to continue learning for another six years and then look for a rabbinical position. When the time came, he got in touch with Torah Umesorah, and they connected him with Rabbi Moshe Rubenstein. They came to Los Angeles in 1974 to start the Los Angeles Kollel. I followed with our children once the Kollel was established, in 1975. What was Toras Emes like when you first arrived? The school had about 120 children total. It was located on Fairfax, past Pico. Boys and girls were together till third or fourth grade. But the Kollel families insisted on separating them earlier. At first, Toras Emes couldn’t afford it, so one of the Kollel women had the girls learning in her home. Then the Kollel offered to help

out financially and subsidize some of the Rebbeim, so they could separate girls and boys. Later, the school moved to 540 N La Brea, where the boys’ building is now. Everyone was in the same building. At first, they put the boys upstairs, the girls downstairs, then they switched them around. When the school ran out of room they put trailers in the yard for the fifth and sixth grade girls. The girls were at Toras Emes only through sixth grade. Then they would go to Bais Yaakov, which included both junior high and high school. Eventually, the seventh and eighth grade girls remained at Toras Emes. At that point, the school rented a storefront on the 300 block of La Brea. Later, Toras Emes acquired 555 N La Brea, and shortly after that, the Marquis family sponsored the junior high building adjacent to that. How do you feel the students have changed throughout the years? Torah learning and mitzvah observance have grown tremendously in LA. Kavod HaTorah and warmth towards Torah developed throughout the years, and we see that clearly in the children’s attitudes. On the other side of the coin, we are seeing, in both children and parents, the new mentality of having everything you want immediately. Parents just want their children to be “happy.” They don’t want homework or pressure in any form. Schools are becoming more like camps, with all kinds of activities, trips, and parties. What were your goals when you first became principal and what was your most significant contribution to the school? My main goal was to bring warmth and joy in avodas Hashem. Baruch Hashem, we hope that we were somehow matzliach. Kids love to come to school. We have an amazing staff, and they work well together. There is the feeling of ahavas HaTorah in the school. The kids are happy. That’s the power of Torah – even in 2015, one block south of Melrose, where there is so much unhappiness and dysfunction, our girls can be frum and happy. Ashreinu ma tov chelkeinu! And we daven fervently that they continue to grow with that spirit to become the mothers of the next generation. What advice would you give to parents in this generation? Be there for your children at all times. That’s the most important thing. When you’re with your children, forget internet, phones, and all other distractions. Just be there with warmth and caring. Thank you for your time. May Hashem grant you continued success in all that you do!

The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Chinuch:

Thoughts On Happiness Rabbi Weiner Rosh Yeshiva of Yeshivas Ner Aryeh Ask a teenager what makes him happier; eating a juicy steak or doing a mitzvah, playing basketball or learning Gemara? Often the response we get is that sports and food are more pleasurable. We see and know people who seem to have it all; money, fame; all the pleasures they want, and yet their lives are in shambles. On the other hand, we know people who don’t seem to have a lot and yet are happy. Rabbi Yechiel Spero in “Touched by a Story” recalls something that took place the day after liberation in the Ber-

gen-Belsen concentration camp. There was no water or food. Many survivors were disoriented from starvation, while others were searching for morsels to eat. A Jewish American soldier walked in and saw a skeletal frail man learning from a Gemara, which he had amazingly found. Stunned to see that after all this man had been through he still wanted to learn, the soldier asked him what he was doing. The man answered him: “We have wasted enough time over the past six years, don’t you think? So I decided I’m opening a yeshiva right here

in Bergen-Belsen.” How do we explain this phenomenon? First, what really makes a person happy? Second, what is the difference between pleasure and happiness? Dovid Hamelech in Tehilim says, “Vaani kirvas Elokim li tov.” “For me, being close to Hashem is joy.” The Mesillas Yesharim explains that Dovid Hamelech knew that true joy was clinging and connecting to Hashem. He explains that any other pleasure a person feels is nonsense. How does this make sense? Aren’t

Life Coach:

Giving Thanks at Thanksgiving; We are Lamplighters Muriel Levin Certified Life Coach Last year I heard people say, “It’s extremely rare that Thanksgiving and Hanukah happen at the same time”. What? Isn’t Hanukkah a time for giving thanks? In fact, it seems that the more thanks we give, the more we receive. The American holiday of Thanksgiving is so meaningful that it lands everyone a free vacation for the weekend. Shouldn’t this make us want to do more thanksgiving? And, fortunately, giving thanks is not a hard thing to do, or is it? Many people have conscious thoughts that are negative Try counting every single thought you have and note the ratio of positive vs. negative ones; it is an eye opener. Unfortunately, the negative thoughts we entertain are numerous and powerful. Since they originate from a place in our brain designed to help protect us from danger, when the negative-danger-warning thought rings, our internal alarm is strong and loud so we take note. On the other hand, the thought, “The sky is blue and the weather is delightful” (a fortunately common occurrence for Los Angelinos), is not a thought that evokes danger and this means it has a much lower ring tone in our brain. In order to bring the positive thoughts, like gratefulness or appreciation, to a preeminent place in our brain, we have to increase their number to such an extent that it knocks off the heavy influence of the negative ones.

If our mind is so habituated and inhabited by negative thoughts, what can we do to reverse the habit? What can we do to be more thankful and create more positivity in our thinking? Experts in the field advise us to balance out every negative thought or criticism with at least three positive thoughts and praises. This takes us back to the holidays of Thanksgiving and Hanukah. On the first day of Hanukah, there are eight empty lamps, ready to be lit. And we light only one. The next day, we light two, and the next day yet another. All along we know that eventually, all of them will be lit. The sequence of lighting for eight days teaches three lessons to our soul, so deep and wise. 1- We are lamplighters; our job is to light just one candle at the time, to focus on the present moment and to generate one more grateful thought, however small. We should make sure that within each hour that passes, we take a few seconds to be positive and thankful for something, somewhere, somehow. Many have set up their smart phone or computer to ring every hour as a reminder. Yes, good practice makes it right! In activating a positive thought on a regular basis, we also make others shine with their own light. When we feel positive, giving compliment to others around us becomes easy. The light spreads and thankfulness abounds. 2- Sometimes, harrowing events makes us realign ourselves with our soul. A new question arises and finally the answer

gives us the strength to change direction. But in general, real growth happens step by step. Every day we light one more candle, not two, not three. We fetch our positive thoughts one at a time. If they don’t show up in our mind, we look for small things about which we can be thankful. A person receives great satisfaction from each small step they take towards a greater accomplishment and each positive thought along the way is a small milestone that needs to be acknowledged with a reward. You get to pick the reward. The fact that each step is rewarded makes each step into its own small goal. Our own appreciation for each positive thought, brings us closer to success. It is the gradual, even if minute, continuous train of positive thoughts over the long term that sculpts us a masterpiece of giant proportion. By constantly and continuously adding small thoughts of gratefulness, we change our soul and thanksgiving becomes second nature.

there many other pleasures in this world? Dovid Hamelech is teaching us that although there are many pleasures in this world, true happiness can only be attained through a spiritual connection to Hashem. What many fail to recognize is that what is behind the constant drive to pursue happiness, is the neshama craving ruchniyus. Pleasure and happiness are not the same. One can have lots of pleasure and still be depressed because although his body feels good and satisfied, his soul is starving. Happiness is attained when the soul is nourished through connecting to its source, Hashem. The greater the connection, the greater the happiness. Learning Torah and doing mitzvos are our connectors to Hashem. The more involved we are with Torah and mitzvos, the greater simcha we have. May we all be zoche to that incredible sweetness and joy that comes from connecting with our Creator.

3- Each day, we bring in more light than the day before. The most helpful way to increase our positive thoughts is to articulate them and actually write them down, preferably by hand on paper, so that our tactile, auditory and visual senses imprint the emotions of gratefulness. This is why an old fashioned impromptu hand written “Thank You” card goes a long way. We never stand still or think that we have enough positive thoughts. Just because we felt grateful about something, this does not mean we can rest in our quest for positivity. On that first night of Hanukah, all the other lamps are waiting to be lit. Eight is the number attributed to infinity and to the supernatural. We must keep on going from one positive thought to another, always intent on reaching a new high and going Michayil l’chayil. And the more thankful we are, the more Hashem will shower us with blessings to be grateful about. So, finally, what are you grateful about right now? On a scale of 1 to 5, how strong do you feel it? What can you do to increase the feeling? Are you ready to share it with others? Now, go ahead and spread the light! Muriel Levin, Certified Life Coach can be reached by email at nlp-lacoach@gmail. com and at 323 363-9140.

Jewish The WeekHistory In News By Rabbi Pini Dunner Rav of Young Israel North Beverly Hills

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Jewish History

Adventurer, Missionary, Conman, And Political Agitator: The Incredible Story Of Ignatz Timothy Trebitsch-Lincoln Part III The story so far: Ignatz Trebitsch was born in 1879, in Paks, Hungary, to a devoutly Orthodox Jewish family. A troubled boy with a history of petty theft, in 1899, after the death of his father, he converted to Christianity to marry a gentile girl from Hamburg, Germany. The couple moved to Canada where he missionized to the Jews of Montreal. The mission was not successful and they moved to England. After inheriting money following the death of his wife’s father, Trebitsch abandoned his religious calling, and began working for a wealthy British industrialist, Benjamin Seebohm Rowntree. In 1910 Trebitsch was unexpectedly elected a Member of Parliament, but after just ten months he was forced to resign when it became clear that he was financially bankrupt. He quickly bounced back, and began promoting various dubious business projects in Eastern Europe, duping countless investors into giving him their money. Eventually the businesses collapsed and Trebitsch was reduced to borrowing money using forged letters of guarantee from Rowntree. When the forgeries came to light Trebitsch’s creditor threatened to call the police. But Trebitsch had a new scheme up his sleeve - he had decided to become a spy. In December 1914, Trebitsch contacted the British War Office and presented them with an outrageous plan to help beat the Germans in the horrific war that was gathering pace with each passing week. As a fluent German speaker, and a former Member of Parliament, he suggested he might present himself to the Germans as a traitor, and gain their trust, and meanwhile he would report back to the British if he came across any useful information. His ultimate goal would be to gain their complete trust so that he could inform the British of any plans involving the German war fleet, enabling the Royal Navy to surprise and destroy German warships in an epic naval battle that would change the course of the war. It is fair to say that Captain Kenny at the Secret Service department in the War Office (if that was his real name) did not take Trebitsch too seriously. He suggested that Trebitsch travel to Holland to find out how much cocoa Germany imported via Rotterdam. Perhaps Kenny was being facetious, or maybe he was telling Trebitsch politely

that his services were not required, but either Trebitsch didn’t get the joke, or he was so desperate for a formal role that he chose to treat the ridiculous quest as an official mission. He would later claim his discussion with Kenny was a double bluff, and that he had always intended to lead the Royal Navy into defeat against the German war fleet, not the other way around. In reality his desperation had allowed him to drift into a world of wild fantasy and make-believe, a one-way trip from which he would never return. On December 18, 1914, Trebitsch arrived in Rotterdam, where he arranged to

But the wait was unbearable for Trebitsch, who was under phenomenal pressure. At any time he could be arrested for fraud, and within a matter of weeks several loans would come up for repayment and angry creditors would be at his door demanding money. A fugitive from the law, and completely broke, he tried to put pressure on Hall by getting in touch with contacts from his parliamentary days. One former parliamentary colleague owned a popular Sunday newspaper. Trebitsch met him and presented his story as a complaint about Hall, whom he said was missing a unique chance to

The meeting was nothing less than a bombshell. It was clear Trebitsch had reached the end of the line and had no place left to turn. He rushed back to his wife and informed her he would need to leave the country immediately. In the early hours of January 30, 1915, Trebitsch slipped out of the grubby boarding house where they lived and made his way to the southern coast of England, where he boarded the ocean liner Philadelphia, bound for New York. When he arrived he made contact with his three brothers who lived there. But none of them was in any position to support him or even offer him a place to stay. Unperturbed by this setback, Trebitsch turned to some fellow passengers whom he had befriended while on the ship to New York, to ask them for financial assistance. Remarkably he was able to obtain loans to keep himself going while he worked on finding a source of income that would propel him back to the lavish lifestyle he desired. He contacted the German embassy in Washington DC to offer them information he claimed to have about British war plans, but a telegram from Berlin informed the

In May 1915 screaming headlines in New York World magazine announced that Trebitsch was a German spy

Colonel Max Bauer, the extreme right-wing antiSemite who befriended Trebitsch in Berlin

meet with the German Consul-General, Carl Gneist, to offer his services as a double agent. Gneist considered Trebitsch rather odd, but in times of war even the strangest people can become an asset, and so he decided to give him some innocuous information to take back to London. Although Gneist was only testing the waters, Trebitsch saw this mission as official validation and, of course, a financial opportunity. He rushed back to London where he met with Kenny, who immediately sent him to the Director of British Naval Intelligence, a formidable man called Reginald Hall, later an Admiral and a Member of Parliament. Hall was extremely suspicious of Trebitsch, and after hearing him out, and taking copies of the German information, he told him he would be in touch to discuss payment and future missions in due course.

end the war. He also wrote to Sir Winston Churchill, who as First Lord of the Admiralty was directly responsible for the Royal Navy. Neither of these approaches produced results, so Trebitsch began peddling the story of his espionage experiences to a number of newspapers, in the hope they would pay him. But the idea that any newspaper would pick up the story was ludicrous. Any war related news story needed to be cleared by the censors and publishing a story without going through the censors was a criminal offense. Predictably, Trebitsch’s frantic efforts came to the attention of the War Office, and Hall decided that a line needed to be drawn. He summoned Trebitsch to his office, and in an uncomfortable meeting informed him that he would not now, nor ever, be required to work for the British government in any capacity, and that the papers he had brought with him from Holland were worthless and he would not be paid for having obtained them. As if this was not shocking enough, Hall told him that he was also fully aware of Trebitsch’s financial situation and criminal activities, and that it was not the habit of the British authorities to engage felons as secret agents.

embassy staff to ‘have nothing to do with Trebitsch’. But in truth espionage was not at the forefront of Trebitsch’s mind. His negative experiences with the War Office in London had more than convinced him that the secret service was not financially lucrative. Instead he decided sensational news stories were where the money was. In May, the widely read New York World magazine ran a screaming headline: ‘Revelations of I.T.T. Lincoln, former Member of Parliament, who became a German Spy’. The story that followed in two separate articles saw fantasy embrace fiction, with nuggets of truth used only as a launch pad for dramatic and self-aggrandizing escapades involving Trebitsch and an entire cast of tertiary characters. Trebitsch claimed he had tried to gain the trust of the British authorities by bringing them secret codes from the Germans, but somehow his intentions were discovered and he had been forced to escape for his life. Incredibly, he defended his hatred for the British as a natural reaction to their arrogant prejudice towards foreigners, and particularly those originating from the Austro-Hungarian empire. This, from a man who had not only been elected to Parliament

Jewish The WeekHistory In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

by British citizens, but who had systematically defrauded every British individual with whom he had ever come into contact. For a few weeks after the articles appeared Trebitsch found himself in the limelight, as his incredible ‘exploits’ were reported around the world. But his triumph was short lived. The British government may have allowed a fugitive from the law to remain at large while they were involved in a major military effort, but the embarrassment caused by the articles, particularly when they were delightedly used as propaganda by the Germans, meant that this irksome troublemaker had to be caught and silenced. Hall at the War Office made arrangements with the famous Pinkerton Detective company to apprehend Trebitsch, which they did on August 4, 1915. The following morning he was arraigned in front of a judge in Brooklyn. Trebitsch claimed the accusations of fraud were false, insisting his crime was espionage, and he tried to claim political asylum. But the judge dismissed his indignant protestations, and he was remanded at the infamous Raymond Street Jail in Brooklyn while the court awaited papers from London. For the next few months the British authorities struggled to organize Trebitsch’s extradition, even sending a senior police officer to New York to accompany the prisoner back to London. But the judge was in no hurry to comply, and the disgruntled British policeman was forced to return empty handed. Meanwhile Trebitsch had managed to charm the prison authorities and gain their trust. He became a celebrity prisoner and was granted privileges that allowed him to leave and reenter the jail almost at will. In January 1916, as the painfully slow justice system worked through the extradition process, Trebitsch published a scurrilous book titled ‘Revelations of an International Spy’ in which he made the fantastic claim, among others, that his espionage exploits had begun long before the onset of war and had included his European work for Rowntree going back almost a decade. More startling than this ‘revelation’ was the fact that by the time the book hit the bookstores, Trebitsch had escaped from jail and completely disappeared. Some days after his escape he made an unannounced visit to the offices of the ‘New York American’ newspaper, where he gave an impromptu press conference to the astonished editorial staff before disappearing again. As the police desperately sought his whereabouts, journalists from multiple media outlets received letters from Trebitsch on an almost daily basis. Each letter contained ever more incredible claims and threats. With the police looking clumsier with each passing week, it became evident that his escape and agitation were a remarkable publicity stunt. The entire run of his book sold out, and his notoriety grew exponentially. Trebitsch was eventually recaptured on February 20, 1916, after being betrayed by an acquaintance with whom he had arranged to meet. He was thrown back into jail, this time with stringent supervision. His extradition was still not finalized and his lawyers appealed for clemency to the United States Supreme Court. They were in no mood for leniency, however, and on May 8 issued a ruling that he be extradited back to England

at the earliest opportunity. Once again a police officer was dispatched from London to accompany him back to England, and after sailing back across the Atlantic, Trebitsch finally appeared for his arraignment at Bow Street Police Court in East London on June 6. Within a month he was at trial, and although he presented an impassioned defense on his own behalf, the jury found him guilty of all the charges without even retiring to consider their verdict. Bearing in mind that he was being tried for petty fraud his sentence was unusually harsh – three years high security incarceration at Parkhurst Prison on the Isle of Wight. The decision to treat him so severely was undoubtedly influenced by his anti-British activities in New York, activities that had caused enormous embarrassment to the British during this period. In the Summer of 1919 Trebitsch was

Trebitsch in Berlin, c.1920

released and, his British citizenship having been revoked, arrangements were made for his deportation. At first there was a reluctance to let him go, with senior British officials inexplicably concerned that he would join forces with the new communist government in Hungary, but when that government collapsed Trebitsch was unceremoniously deported to mainland Europe. Instead of making his way back to Hungary, however, he journeyed to Berlin, where within weeks he had joined forces with an extreme right wing group, for whom he wrote anti-British articles in the Deutsche Zeitung, a disreputable rag that ranted against anyone who was thought to have contributed to the humiliation of Germany’s defeat in the recently concluded world war. It was at around this time that Trebitsch got to know Colonel Max Bauer, a former senior German military strategist whose bitter resentment of the German political class - who he blamed for Germany’s capitulation and surrender - was pathological. Bauer was deeply involved in revolutionary agitation against Germany’s new leaders, although he remained widely respected by huge swathes of the German public. He was also a vicious anti-Semite, but strangely enough this does not seem to have affected his relationship with Trebitsch, even though he must have known that Trebitsch was born a Jew.

Bauer, like so many others before him, was taken in by Trebitsch’s charm and intelligence, and adopted him as his protégé. In the fullness of time – again, like so many before him – this was a decision he would live to regret. By October 1919 Trebitsch had become Bauer’s closest advisor, and also his principle public representative. Very soon Trebitsch was caught up in various intrigues involving every kind of unsavory political character engaged in trying to reestablish the German monarchy under the rule of Crown Prince Wilhelm, son of the recently abdicated and exiled Kaiser Wilhelm II. Then, in March 1920, Trebitsch took on a leading role in one of the most remarkable of all the interwar national insurrections – the notorious Kapp Putsch of 1920. The five-day chaotic and ultimately abortive coup lasted between March 13 and March 18, 1920, and was led

One of the last senior Kapp conspirators to leave the Reich Chancellery building at the end of the coup, on March 18, was none other than Trebitsch. On his way out he encountered two men who had flown in especially from Munich to join the now defunct revolution. One was 52-year-old Dietrich Eckart, a poet and journalist, who had recently established the Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, forerunner of the Nazi party. The other was a young former corporal from Austria and future Chancellor of Germany, Adolf Hitler. Many years later Hitler’s press secretary referenced this chance meeting in his memoirs, noting that Hitler would recall that Eckart had prevented him from talking to Trebitsch on account of his Jewish origins. Trebitsch himself never mentioned the meeting, and was possibly not even aware that it took place. As he rushed out of the Chancel-

Raymond Street Jail in Brooklyn, NY, where Trebitsch was jailed in 1915

by a right-wing East Prussian bureaucrat, Wolfgang Kapp. It was an abject disaster from the very beginning. Although initially the recently installed German Weimar government was frightened enough to flee to Dresden, within a couple of days a general strike was declared by the unions, and it became clear that the military had not seriously sided with the plotters, leaving them utterly powerless on every front. The coup collapsed in shambles. During the five days of frantic activity, however, at least one person seemed to revel every moment – Trebitsch. Appointed by Kapp as his ‘Minister of Public Information’, Trebitsch became the official spokesman of the revolution, and it’s censor. No telegram could leave Germany without his permission, and no information could be published unless he had personally approved it. The foreign correspondents in Berlin reacted angrily and vehemently, but to no avail. Trebitsch took particular delight in ripping up the telegrams of British correspondents in front of their faces. Within a couple of days the ‘revolution’ had started to unravel, and on March 17 Kapp, seeing that the game was up, summarily resigned and fled to Sweden. Other conspirators also fled, or were arrested, as law and order was reestablished and the Weimar government took back the reins of power.

lery building that day he was probably so absorbed in planning his survival following yet another catastrophe, that the sight of a middle-aged journalist accompanied by a scruffy ex-military sidekick would not have caught his attention. One can only speculate what might have happened had they met under different circumstances. In the final part of this series find out how Trebitsch became a prominent member of the secretive White International fascist organization that plotted the takeover of Europe, ultimately leading to his arrest and imprisonment. Following his release from custody he meandered from country to country under various aliases, unable to settle anywhere. But it was his astonishing decision to convert to Buddhism and become a monk that surely ranks as his most bizarre move of all. And yet, rather than confine him to the margins, Trebitsch the Buddhist monk continued to be a constant source of agitation to a wide range of people and countries until the end of his life, through his involvement with Chinese warlords, Japanese imperialism and even the Nazi war effort. The remarkable life-journey of Ignatz Trebitsch remains enthralling and absorbing until the very end.

Review TheBook Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Book Review:

Calling Out to You: Journeys and Discoveries Through Clinical Depression and Anxiety, edited by Tehilla Edelman Mekor Press/Menucha Publishers (2015) Rebecca Klempner

In Calling Out to You: Journeys and Discoveries Through Clinical Depression and Anxiety, editor Tehilla Edelman combines first-person narrative, poetry, interviews, and essays in a single volume that captures the complexity of mental illness in the Orthodox community. In the introduction, Edelman writes, “[This book] is about seeking Hashem from within one’s troubles, without denying them or minimizing them in any way…This book is not for tzaddikim who never question Hash-

em’s ways and are able to accept such tremendous suffering with love. It is for ordinary people…” (p.20). Real struggles do not hide in euphemism or understatement in this book. Only a few pages in, readers are plunged into “Bracha’s” world of phobias, anxiety, eating disorders, and cutting. Later chapters deal with OCD, bipolar disorder, post-partum depression, addictions, suicidal ideation, childhood molestation and abuse. None of these are easy or comfort-

able topics, but the authors handle them with great delicacy.

The perspectives of patients alternate with the perspectives of mental health professionals, including Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twerski, Dr. Miriam Adahan, and Rabbi Dr. David Fox. While Calling Out to You contains mostly original material, a few of the articles by experts are reprinted (with permission) from Chabad. org, Voz Is Neis.com, and the like. I found most of these chapters both readable and insightful; although, in a couple places, chapters summarized the opinions of an expert rather than providing a complete interview, and those were less enjoyable although equally informative. Edelman’s interviews and commentary demonstrates great skill with both Jewish and scientific sources. She also added a nice touch near the end of the book: a list of quotes for patients to use as “counters” for negative self-talk or intrusive thoughts. The personal essays and poems speak straight to the heart. They also contribute to a remarkable diversity of voices. We hear from people who feel they are largely recovered and stable, as well as those who fight every day to keep their head above the darkness. There are young people, and older people, both men and women. While many of the people profiled in the book re-

port struggles with prayer, Torah-learning, or other mitzvos, others claim that prayer, mussar, or other spiritual practices help them heal. The downside of these diverse voices is that sometimes they carry opposing views. Those of the proponents of CBT and medicinal intervention, for example, clash with those of people who rely on nutritional and cranial-sacral therapies. These conflicting options might overwhelm some readers. Edelman repeatedly cautions readers to get their own professional advice before choosing a course of treatment. Spouses, parents, principals, teachers, and rabbis appear again and again in the pages of Calling Out to You. In the essay, “My Struggle with Postpartum Depression,” Ariella K. writes, “My husband did tons of research on depression, which helped him understand what I was going through…He got chizuk from his rav and never gave up.” Elsewhere, she explains that the family rabbi offered her empathy and gently urged her to get psychiatric assistance when she was afraid to do so. When family members and school leaders educate themselves about mental illness and reach out with love and a lack of judgment, they can play key roles in success stories. However, when families and schools gloss over genuine struggles or present incorrect hashgafa, they can cause outright damage. In one essay, Rabbi Bentzion Sorotzkin offers several classroom anecdotes that can only be described as horror stories. Advice for family and friends of depressed individuals appears at the end of Calling Out to You, and resources appear in another appendix. Haskamos for Calling Out to You are extensive. Columnists from both Binah Magazine and Mishpacha have endorsed the book. I believe it is their hope – and the hope of the editor and contributors – that Calling Out to You becomes a means of healing for individuals and families who struggle with mental illness.

OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Quotes The Week In News

Notable Quotes “Say What?!”

“(There are some people who) do not act decently and who take and publish photos of the wounded and murdered, and sometimes even videotape a dying man or one who has died. The spirit of the wise men rejects this behavior, and it should be denounced. It causes the families great pain, and it violates the dignity of the dead person, and the dignity of all people…It is obvious that by way of Torah and morality, they must not be published, and one should avoid watching photos like it”

“Anti-Semitism is not really a belief. It is more of a set of The of scholarship contradictions and a kind ofbook’s virus.pretense Jews have been hatedinvolves by 151 footnotes, only one of which is even anti-Semites because some of us were Communists or hated remotely pertinent to thebeen book’s lurid for because some of us were capitalists. We have hated assertions. Almost all contain irrelevant being clannish and keeping to ourselves or for trying to push tidbits (“Reagan’s hair was actually brown”). into places where we are not welcome. Adolf Hitler denounced At the Reagan Library, where researchers us on ‘racial’ grounds and Joseph Stalin called us ‘rootless must register, records show that neither cosmopolitans…Anti-Semitism is best understood as a virus O’Reilly nor Dugard, who churn out a book which afflicts the body apolitic. Much as viruses are resisted in year, used its resources. The book’s two humans by our immuneand systems, they can mutate so that our a half pages of “sources” unspecifically immune systems no longer can resist them.” and implausibly refer to “FBI and CIA files,” – Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, speaking“presidential on November 4th at the St. Louisand Jewish Book Festival event. libraries” travel “around

the world” … The book’s perfunctory pieties about Reagan’s greatness are inundated by its flood of regurgitated slanders about his supposed lassitude and manipulability. This – Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef on November 19th as reported book is nonsensical history and execrable by Arutz Sheva citizenship, and should come with a warning: “Caution — you are about to enter a After being courted by several candidates, - Top selling T-Shirt from Los Angeles T-Shirt company, “Unkosher Market” no-facts zone.” conservative billionaire Paul Singer has decided to

Shvitz It Out.

endorse Marco Rubio. our Now instead of having a button “We are not suspending that says,and “Donate,” Rubio’stowebsite just says, “We activities, are preparing Good.” Hanukkah as usual.” celebrate

-George Will’s review of Bill O’Reilly’s new book, Killing Reagan

You’re a hack!

“Anything you do or -anything you love to do, once in a Bill O’Reilly, when George Will came on his show, “The No November 18th. to defend of O’Reilly’s book years, while it’s good to takeSpinaZone,” break. So,hisIcriticism retired for two but then realized that I miss it. I love what I do, I’m good at it we andmust I just felt like I needed to do some more.” While we condemn Palestinian violence, - Jimmy Fallon – Rabbi Mendel Belinow from the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on

A new survey found that three out - Jewish boxing star,has former world champion and father of two, Yuri Foreman, speaking to The Algemeiner, recognize this painful truth: that Israeli policy in regards to his return to the boxing ring on December 5th after two years in retirement during which time four children the age of encouraged it. Israel has encouraged heitwas byordained penalizing under the tutelage of of Dovber Pinson, a rabbi in Carrollunder Gardens, Brooklyn. People ask me, “Aren’t you scared to four have their own smartphone. nonviolence, by responding to that goPalestinian to Israel with all that’s going on You can tell it’s bad; last night I nonviolence by My deportations, imprisonment, now?” Not really. job calls forteargas, me told my daughter it was time for the confiscation of Palestinian toand go wherever people want and need lands. Hard as bed and tried left on “I know what how happy he was in she Israel andtoI swipe know how is to say, Israeli government is reaping it toitlaugh. Bobthe Hope taught us all much he wanted to be there for this year before college, me. has sowed. about that. Israel is under immense

Fallon We have regrets. I- Jimmy am happy for him because of all the - Liberal American-Jewish journalist Peter level. Beinart, who claims to be “pro-Israel,” in ano speech at a pressure on almost every Just Beth Chayim Chadashim Progressive synagogue in Los Angeles places he went and the people he was able to touch. Ezra having a Jewish mother is enough had a wonderful life and he died a happy person, and that pressure for anyone. Now add to it outlines is more important to“Crippled us thanAmerica” anything else.”Donald Trump’s all their mishegoss I used to other hate Darth Vader, butand nowyour I kind of feel a little bit sorry for plan to make America great again. Though Ari Schwartz eulogizing his 18 year old son, killed in Israel by terrorists on November 19th head could pop off. him knowing what he went through to get to that–point. the book doesn’t say specifically when he’s – Mark November 19th, asked talkingaabout his upcoming - Sen.Schiff, Marco Rubio, when question related toDecember the upcoming “Star Wars” movie during a shows in Israel, to be with comedian Jerry Seinfeld. campaign stop in performed New Hampshire

leaving. - Seth Myers

Travel The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Travel Guide:

Texas’ capital has seen its popularity rise in recent years because of its thriving and eclectic cultural scene, as well as the booming tech sector. Austin is a college town with a hippie spirit and has sometimes been compared to San Francisco. While Austin’s green spaces, tech startups and its popularity with foodies certainly bear the hallmarks of a “Midwestern San Francisco,” the city’s slow pace and blend of Southern and urban lifestyles give it a unique feel. Austin additionally hosts some of the country’s best movie and music festivals, the most notable are Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. Austin has world-class museums, fun shopping opportunities, exhilarating outdoor activities and a plethora of guided tours that take visitors through the heart of this historic city. In all, Austin’s sophistication, charm and colorful collage of people and experiences

Confederate side in the Civil War, most residents didn’t take sides. However, they were severely affected by shortages of goods, inflation and the loss of many young men. The city was occupied by Union troops after the war, and the African-American population boomed. The railroad came to Austin in 1871, thus not only connecting the city with the rest of the state but also transforming into a major economic hub. Construction projects sprouted up across the city, and foreign workers gave Austin a more diverse character. The renovated Capitol building opened in 1888. Austin’s fortunes were further helped by the building of a dam for electricity and by several prestigious colleges. Despite these successes, segregation remained a contentious issue. It wasn’t until 1956 that Austin’s University of Texas

fare. The rotunda of this lavish, Renaissance-style building, features paintings of all the governors and Republic of Texas presidents who have made the state what it is today. Visitors can get a free tour of the building and grounds and see the notoriously contentious Texas state legislature in action. LBJ Presidential Library: Whatever you think of his politics, Lyndon Baines Johnson is undoubtedly one of the most famous and influential Texans of all time. This massive library, dedicated in 1971, is a fitting tribute to one of the most controversial presidencies in American history. The research library contains countless amounts of documents, videos, photos and audio recordings from LBJ’s time in the White House. The museum portion has exhibits covering key events of the 1960’s including the Civil Rights Movement and the assassination of JFK. The museum also has a replica of the Oval Office and LBJ’s presidential limo. Lastly, the museum is currently hosting a special travelling exhibit on the Beatles curated by the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. Bullock Texas State History Museum: Austin’s premier history museum takes visitors on an interactive journey through the Lone State State’s rich past. The first floor contains a replica of the 17th-century

Congress Avenue Bridge Bats

Lady Bird trail

LBJ Presidential Library

will make your visit one to remember. History In 1839, the area now known as Austin was chosen to be the site of the fledgling Republic of Texas because of its beauty and natural resources. Austin was officially incorporated in 1840 but Sam Houston, President of the Republic of Texas, was determined to deprive Austin of political power and instead make Houston the de facto capital. Under the guise of protecting Austin from Mexican troops, Sam Houston had Texas’ archival records moved to his namesake city. When Houston’s troops came to seize the records of the General Land Office in 1842, the citizens of Austin revolted in what’s known as the Archive War. In 1845, Austin regained its political status when it approved the annexation of Texas by the U.S. and was officially named the state’s capital. Austin expanded during the next 15 years, increasing its population and building new infrastructure. Despite some Austinites joining the

became the first university in the South to admit African-American undergraduates. As in other Southern cities, the early 1960’s saw a wave of civil disobedience that led up to the monumental 1964 Civil Rights Act. Austin has been a high-tech center since the 1960’s and 1970’s, hosting such giants as IBM, Texas Instruments, Dell and Motorola. Today, there are too many innovative Austin-based tech startups to count. This reflects Austin’s identity as a center of creativity, eclectic culture and untraditional ideas. Whether you’re there for pleasure or business, remember to stick to the Austinite motto and, “keep Austin weird.” Attractions State Capitol: As the saying goes, “everything is bigger in Texas.” The Lone Star State’s Capitol building is certainly no exception to that. Sitting on a massive 51 acres of land, this building is one of the largest and tallest state Capitols in the country and features prominently on Congress Avenue, Austin’s main thorough-

Austin Aaron Feigenbaum

Mckinney Falls State Park

ship La Belle, which was wrecked on the Texan coast in a failed French attempt to

establish a colony. The ship’s discovery in 1995 was regarded as one of the most important archaeological finds of all time, and many of the artifacts such as the ship’s hull and cannons are currently on display at the museum. A film called Shipwrecked is on display in the museum’s theater and tells the story of one of the shipwreck’s survivors. The second floor covers Texas history from 1821 to 1936 including major events such as the Mexican-American War, the Civil War, Reconstruction and the Great Depression. The third floor explores Texas in the late 20th century. From oil field drill bits to cattle branders to an original 1960’s NASA mission control panel, the exhibition covers the era where Texas became a national force for innovation and progress. Special exhibits include the beautiful work of Western painted Tom Lea, cartography collections from the Texas General Land Office and the history of Texan football. University of Texas: This beautiful university campus houses several topnotch museums. One of these is the Memorial Museum, which focuses on Texas’ diverse natural history. There are many dinosaurs on display including the Texas Pterosaur, the largest flying creature ever discovered. There is also a paleontology lab where visitors can talk with scien-

Zilker Botanical Gardens

tists as they research fossils. One of the most well-known artifacts at the museum is the Wichita County Meteorite, which was originally believed to be a ‘medicine stone’ by the Comanche people and later fell into Spanish hands. The museum also boasts extensive biodiversity collections, which includes a huge array of bugs, fish, birds, amphibians, reptiles and the world’s largest collection of cave organisms. Another site at UT is the Blanton Museum of Art, one of America’s largest university art museums. The collection is diverse and features art from around the world including European classical, Latin American and Western American. Lastly, the Harry Ransom Center has an amazing collection of literary, historical, art and film artifacts from American and European authors. Highlights include Edgar Allan Poe’s writing desk, original copies of Shakespeare’s plays, an official letter by Napoleon and original costumes from Gone with the Wind. Outdoor activities and festivals: After

Travel The Week In News

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Downtown skyline as seen from Lady Bird Lake

touring Austin’s many fantastic museums and historical attractions, take some time to explore the city’s great outdoors. You can hike to the top of Mount Bonnell for scenic views of the city and Lake Austin on the Colorado River. One of the most popular way to enjoy the outdoors is by hiking and/or biking on the Lady Bird Trail, sit-

University of Austin

uated conveniently on the shores of Lake Lady Bird in the heart of downtown. Zilker Park offers a tranquil and relaxing experience in touring the lush botanical gardens and taking a dip in Barton Springs Pool (a must-do on hot Texas days). Another great site for public swimming is the beautiful McKinney Falls State Park. Additionally, if you’re coming to Austin in summer you

can come to Congress Avenue Bridge and see the world’s largest urban bat colony fly out from under the bridge. Every October, Austin hosts the threeday Austin City Limits outdoor music festival. The festival brings together a wide range of musical styles including jazz, rock, country, folk, bluegrass and more. Some famous artists that have played ACL over the years include the Allman Brothers, Foo Fighters and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Austin’s other famous festival is the five day-long SXSW, which takes place every March and focuses on film, technology, music and gaming. The festival is the single biggest source of revenue for Austin and is acclaimed worldwide. Daven and Eat The only two Orthodox shuls in town are the Chabad of Austin at the University of Texas, located at 2101 Nueces St. (jewishlonghorns.com) and the Chabad of Greater Austin at 4413 Spicewood Springs Rd. (chabadaustin.com). Besides standard supermarket fare, kosher food can be obtained at several locations in Austin. H-E-B Kosher Store at 7025 Village Center Dr. includes a meat section, bakery, deli and coffee bar. There is also Randall’s Kosher Bakery at 5311 Balcones Dr. and Austinuts at 2900 W. Anderson Lane. Getting There A flight, train ride or bus ride from LAX to Austin is relatively cheap, starting at just under $200 per person round trip. Driving takes around 20 hours at a distance of 1,400 miles along the I-10 E.

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The Week In News

Paris Terror Mastermind Killed in Raid

Abdelhamid Abaaoud, 27, the suspected mastermind behind the recent Paris attacks that killed 130 people who bragged that he could always stay one step ahead of Western intelligence, was killed in a police raid north of Paris.

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Abaaoud had been linked to as many as four thwarted attacks since this spring, including the plot to kill passengers on a Paris-bound high-speed train in August, a plan that three young Americans helped foil. Abaaoud had claimed he successfully moved back and forth from Europe to Syria coordinating terror attacks and narrowly escaped a January police raid in the Belgian city of Verviers. “Allah blinded their vision and I was able to leave... despite being chased after by so many intelligence agencies,” he boasted in an ISIS magazine. Two counterterrorism sources have said that his death marks a major advance for the investigation, but add they are operating on the premise that more senior suspects connected to the plot are still out there. They describe Abaaoud as the “Mohammed Atta” of the Paris attacks, the “tactical guy” who identified and pulled together the operatives, in the same way the lead hijacker kept the 9/11 teams on course. The sources emphasize, though, that based on his skill set and experience, Abaaoud was not the strategic planner of the Paris attacks, in the same way Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was for the 9/11 attacks. The Paris massacre involved a plot or plots with multiple layers and upwards of 20 players, according to the

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chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, Texas Republican Michael McCaul. Police say they launched their raid after receiving information from tapped phone calls, surveillance and tip-offs suggesting that Abaaoud was holed up in the apartment. Abaaoud was found dead after the raid with multiple bullet wounds and eight other people were arrested. The Paris attacks killed 130 people and wounded hundreds more. Europe and much of the world are on edge as French Prime Minister Manuel Valls warned that associates of the attackers could use chemical and biological weapons. Valls convinced the French Parliament to extend their state of emergency by three months. The state of emergency expands police powers to carry out arrests and searches and allows authorities to forbid the movement of people and vehicles at specific times and places.

Charedi Stabbed in France Three people believed to be Islamic State supporters attacked a Jewish teacher in the southern French city of Marseille last Wednesday evening, November 18. Rabbi Tzion Saadoun, 56, a Chabad shaliach and Judaic-studies teacher at a local yeshiva, was stabbed in the anti-Semitic attack. Rabbi Saadoun was attacked outside his home, a short distance from the school and shul where he works. Rabbi Saadoun “lives on the border between the Jewish neighborhood and the Arab neighborhood in Marseille,” said a fellow shaliach, Rabbi Eliyahu Altab. “Right outside his home, he was ambushed by three people. He was stabbed on his face, body, arms and legs. A car drove by, and the attackers got scared and fled.” According to Chabad officials in Marseille, the victim suffered serious injuries but is in stable condition and his life does not appear to be in danger. Police were combing the area for the attackers. One of the attackers, who was travelling by scooter, demanded Rabbi Saadoun look at smartphone pictures of Toulouse jihadist Mohamed Merah, who killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a teacher and three soldiers in southwestern France in 2012. The attacker also showed the teacher that he was wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the symbol of the Islamic State terrorist group. The two other suspects believed to have been involved in the attack stood by and joined in when the attacker began shouting anti-Semitic profanities. France has had many such attacks recently. In October, a Rav and two congregants were stabbed outside a shul in Marseille following Shabbos davening. The knife-wielding assailant could be heard shouting anti-Semitic slurs at the time of the assault. The series of attacks on Jews in France in recent years has spurred a huge upsurge

in immigration to Israel.

WWII Document Trove Unearthed in Budapest

Nearly three quarters of a century after the Holocaust, a couple renovating their apartment in Budapest, Hungary, has discovered a very large and historically valuable collection of documents, long thought destroyed during World War II. The haul of 6,300 documents are from a 1944 census that was a precursor to the intended liquidation of the Hungarian capital’s 200,000 Jews in Nazi death camps. Brigitte Berdefy, co-owner of the apartment overlooking Hungary’s parliament, said that in August a worker detected paper after jamming a screwdriver through a crack in the wall. “We thought we’d ruined the neighbor’s wallpaper,” Berdefy said. But then her husband Gabor peered through the crack and saw what looked like handwriting. Carefully removing each brick, the couple eased out 135 pounds of dusty papers, many with bits of plaster caked on, but all more or less intact. With the ink still readable, the yellowed papers were given to the Budapest City Archives. Istvan Kenyeres, head of the archives, was amazed. “The content and scale of the finding is unprecedented,” he said. “It helps to fill a huge gap in the history of the Holocaust in Budapest.” Since September, restorers at the archives have been literally ironing the papers to study them, pausing occasionally when they spot someone famous among the scrawled names. The May 1944 Budapest census was to identify houses to serve as holding locations for Jews before moving them to a planned walled ghetto in the city’s seventh district. Two months earlier, Nazi Germany had occupied Hungary and deportations in the countryside to the gas chambers of Auschwitz began almost immediately. The forms found in the Budapest apartment contain names of each building’s inhabitants and whether they are Jewish or not, with total numbers of Christians and Jews marked in the corners. “Jewish people filled in the forms honestly – they refused to believe where this might end up,” said Kenyeres. Shortly after the census, around 200,000 Jews were moved into some 2,000 selected buildings, “Yellow Star Houses,” with the Star-of-David Jewish symbol painted

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on the doors. “Thanks to the Berdefys, we know that if a lot of Jews lived in a building then it likely became a Yellow Star House,” Kenyeres said. In late 1944, the Jews of Budapest were crammed into the ghetto, where some died of starvation or were shot next to the river – a poignant memorial of abandoned iron shoes today marks the spot. The arrival of the Russian army in January 1945 saved the rest, though, and unlike the Jews from outside the city, most of Budapest’s Jewish population survived. An estimated total of 600,000 Hungarian Jews perished in the Holocaust, most in Auschwitz.

Two Jews Killed By Terrorist in Tel Aviv Two Israelis were murdered and at least two others wounded in an attack in southern Tel Aviv on Thursday, November 19. The stabbing took place in the Panorama office building at an entrance to a room used for davening next to the parking lot as Mincha was taking place. Reuven Aviram, 51, was from Ramle and Rabbi Aharon Yesiab, 32, was from Tel Aviv. Two more people suffered light and moderate injuries. The Palestinian terrorist was caught by a passersby and arrested by police at the scene. Police identified him as Raid Halil bin Mahmoud, a 36-year-old father of five from the West Bank village of Dura, near Hebron. Workers in the large office building were told to stay inside and lock their doors as police hunted for a possible second attacker. They later said there was only one assailant. The attack broke several days of relative calm following a spate of stabbing attacks in Jerusalem, the West Bank and elsewhere over the last two months. Sadly, since the attack, others have been killed in other attacks as well. Terror organization Hamas said it welcomed the attack. “We welcome the heroic operation in Tel Aviv that killed two people,” read a tweet on the Gaza-based group’s official account read. “We call on the Palestinians to continue such activities.”

Another Terror Attack Claims Innocent Lives Three people were killed and four others injured in a shooting last week near

the West Bank settlement of Alon Shvut in the Etzion Bloc. Among the victims was Ezra Schwartz, an American yeshiva student from Sharon, Massachusetts. Ezra, 18, was taking a year off in between high school and college to learn in yeshiva. He had been delivering food to Israeli soldiers before the attack. Also killed was Yaakov Don, 51, from Alon Shvut, and a Palestinian man. The police and army confirmed the assailant opened fire with an Uzi submachine gun from inside a vehicle at Israeli vehicles, hitting several people. When he ran out of ammunition, the attacker drove in the direction of the

nearby Gush Etzion Junction before ramming the vehicle into a car. Security personnel shot back at the suspect, disarmed him and arrested him. The wounded individuals, who were only lightly hurt, were Americans studying at a yeshiva in nearby Beit Shemesh. Magen David Adom said they were evacuated to the Sha’are Zedek Medical Center. Palestinian media identified the shooter as 24-year-old Mohammed Abdel Basset alKharoub, from the West Bank village of Dir Smat near Hebron. At the funeral that took place in Boston, Ezra was remembered as a person with “boundless energy,” capable of “making

friends with anyone.” From mentoring his siblings to spending quality time with his grandparents, he earned the respect and love of all kinds of people — “kids with little quirks and idiosyncrasies were his specialty,” according to Schwartz’s grandfather. Ezra would spend time with his three younger brothers, playing sports with them. His older sister, Mollie, with whom he was especially close, said, “From a very, very young age, you looked out for me,” she said through tears. “You played and played with our brothers until there was no playtime left. I’m going to try to be happy for the both of us from now on.”

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“His life ended abruptly as he was on a mission of chessed,” Ezra’s mother, Ruth, said through tears. “Our family will never be complete again.”

Jonathan Pollard Finally Free After thirty long years, Jonathan Pollard was finally released from prison last Friday. His lawyers are now appealing the restrictions placed on the American-Israeli spy upon his release from prison, arguing that they render him unemployable. Pollard’s lawyers say that the restrictions — among them an anklet for 24-hour GPS tracking and the monitoring of his and

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

any future employer’s computers — are illegal, and that no employer would agree to their computers being monitored in this manner. The attorneys also claim that there is no cause to believe that Pollard will pass on further classified information or commit any other crime, as the data he gleaned is outdated and he can barely recall it. Additionally, the lawyers point out that his crime had nothing to do with the internet, as the internet had not yet been invented at the time of his incarceration. Therefore, they posit, he should be allowed unmonitored internet access. After three decades behind bars, Pollard, now 61, was released from the Butner, North Carolina, facility where he has been serving a life sentence for spying on the United States on Israel’s behalf. He was arrested in 1985 for selling U.S. secrets to Israel while working as a civilian intelligence analyst for the American Navy. One year later, Pollard pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit espionage and was sentenced to life in prison in 1987. Pollard has said that he would like to move to Israel after his release, a request that has been ruled out by the American authorities as he is required to remain in the U.S. for the five years that he is on parole. He is expected to settle in the New York area and is barred from traveling outside the country, including to Israel, without permission.

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Under the terms of his parole, the former U.S. Navy analyst is also not allowed to give interviews to the media and no rallies or other public events were allowed to be held to mark the occasion. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the release, saying he had “longed for this day.” “The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard,” the prime minister said in a statement. “After three long and hard decades, Jonathan is finally being reunited with his family. May this Shabbos bring him much joy and peace that will continue in the years and decades ahead.” The prime minister is reportedly seeking to keep the release as low-key as possible and has instructed his cabinet to refrain from discussing the matter. Pollard’s supporters argued for years that his sentence was excessive and that others convicted for comparable crimes received lighter sentences. Most recently, hints circulated in spring 2014 that Pollard’s release could be secured as an incentive for keeping foundering peace talks alive between Israel and the Palestinian Authority — but Pollard himself reportedly rejected any attempt at using him for leverage.

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In SLO, a common acronym used to refer to San Luis Obispo, there is a deep appreciation for wine and meat. There are tons of restaurants and wineries to choose from and people seem to always be socializing. But it’s not all about food. People in SLO also enjoy the great outdoors, getting their daily dose of Vitamin D and physical activity. “We have great outdoor activities,” Kylee Jepsen, senior communications director for Visit San Luis Obispo County, related. “There’s lots of hiking in its beautiful terrain. And you’re within miles of the ocean, and who can’t be happy when they’re that close to the ocean?” The beachside of the greater county of SLO is sprinkled with communities. In 2013, the city had a population of 46,377 with the average of 25.8 years old; 93.7% had a high school degree or higher. About 49% had earned a Bachelor’s degree or higher and another 18.1% received a graduate or professional degree. The unemployment rate for 2013 was 7.4% but the people who do work have a short commute with an average travel time of just 13.8 minutes. The estimated median household income in 2013 was $44,618 with an estimated median house or condo value of $530,947 and median gross rent of $1,222. No wonder they keep on smiling!

The Happiest Town in the Country San Luis Obispo, California, is widely regarded as the Happiest Place in America. The town frequently makes Gallup-Healthways annual rankings of cities with the best well-being. Dan Buettner, author of The Blue Zones, named San Luis Obispo, about two hours north of Ventura County, one of the four happiest cities on earth (it was the only U.S. city in the bunch). In addition, Oprah Winfrey featured the city in a segment titled “The Happiest City in America.” So what makes the city, located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, so happy? Recently, Sid Lipsey of Yahoo Travel visited the city and came away smiling. First and foremost, Lipsey noticed

Guys on a Roll These people are eating on the run – and the cops aren’t too happy about it. A group of nine young men in Perth, Australia, have been caught sipping and chewing on mobile patio tables. They might be sitting pretty but the authorities

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are pretty angry about what they’re doing. It seems like they are sitting on large skateboards with tables attached and the table actually move while they’re eating. Police have posted a clip of the chillers online, stating that they “are concerned for the safety of those riding on the tables with no protective clothing,” and that the riders “could face a number of charges including driving an unlicensed vehicle, driving an unroadworthy vehicle and drink [sic] driving.”

NOVEMBER 26, 2015 | The Jewish Home

ner child thinks that it is hilarious and quite clever and possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen...” “With everything that’s going on in the world right now, I 100% agree that motorized picnic tables are of high concern and should without doubt be [the police’s] main priority,” another one facetiously says. “Please yellow sticker that table immediately.” Can anyone tell me where I can buy these cool tables for my next BBQ? I’m going to be the coolest kid on the block.

A Chunk of Change

While the drunk driving claim may or may not have merit, many of the Western Australia Police’s Facebook followers seem to be on board...with the Picnic Table Passengers. One woman writes, “My brain tells me that it is stupid and dangerous but my in-

Ever want to throw a quarter at the meter maid? Mayor Carlos Hernandez tried to throw a whole lot more – and now he’s in major trouble. The Miami-area mayor tried to use 360,000 pennies and nickels – 28 buckets full of coins – to pay a $4,000 ethics fine. Instead of accepting the change, the ethics commission doubled the fine for Hernandez, saying he intentionally broke the rules because he knew the panel only accepted checks. And now the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust is suing the mayor.

The commission ruled in July that Hernandez lied about interest rates on a $180,000 loan to a jewelry salesman now jailed for a pyramid scheme. Hernandez has called the complaints a “political circus” and described commission members as “clowns.” Seems like Hernandez needs a bit of a “change” of attitude.

The Golden Kit Kat

“Give me a break, give me a (golden) break.” For chocolate lovers with cash to burn,

a gold-coated Kit Kat bar will hit stores in Japan later this month. The candy will sell for around $16, so you probably won’t be stocking up. Looking for the “golden ticket”? Unlike in the famous children’s book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, the luxury chocolate bar won’t be randomly scattered among regular Kit Kats in shops. Instead, 500 of the single bars will be made and sold only in the country, according to Nestle Japan, which has produced over 200 flavors – from strawberry to green tea and even wasabi – since introducing the chocolate treat there in 1973. “In Japanese convenience stores, consumers are used to having new varieties all the time,” Nestle Japan spokeswoman Melanie Kohli related. “Japan is a very unique market.” Nestle’s limited edition “Sublime Gold” one-finger treat, which is covered in gold leaf and described as having a rich, bitter chocolate taste, will go on sale at chocolate boutiques in eight swank department stores from Tokyo to Sapporo in the north and Fukuoka in southern Japan. “We have made it a luxury product,” Kohli said of the gold bars, which could be a popular treat during the “gift-giving” season. “Not like you probably remember from your childhood. It’s a special occasion, to celebrate the end of the year.” Kohli added that Japan’s “omiyage”

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culture of bringing regional gifts back for family and work colleagues after trips away was another reason for Kit Kat’s success with its various flavors. “Like you have wasabi from Shizuoka and strawberries in Kyushu,” she pointed out. “Japan is the only place where you can have such a variety of Kit Kat flavors, something linked to that regional culture.” Kit Kat currently offers around 30 different flavors in Japan, including Okinawan sweet potato, Yokohama cheesecake and Kobe pudding. Wonder if they’ll be making a latke-flavored Kit Kat for the Festival of Lights?

Piling on the Points

Know that guy in the back of shul who is always boasting about how he flew his whole family to Israel for Pesach, stayed in

a gorgeous hotel, and rented an SUV – all on credit card points? Next time he starts to chew your ear off, just mention Liu Yiqian’s name – and he’s bound to keep quiet. Chinese billionaire and art collector Liu Yiqian found a savvy way to accumulate frequent-flier miles. He put his record-breaking purchase of a Modigliani painting — which he bought at auction for 170$ million — on his American Express card. Liu, a former taxi driver, told the New York Times that he charged the painting so that he, his wife, and their extended family of four children and two grandchildren can accumulate Membership Miles and fly around the world for free. PEYD would be proud. The billionaire, who, according to Forbes, has a personal wealth of $1.38 billion, is a passionate traveler: Before he started collecting art, he contemplated buying a plane. But who needs a plane when you have millions upon millions of miles? This isn’t the first time Liu has racked up points with a credit card. In 2014, he paid for a $36 million ancient ceramic cup with his Amex Centurion card. In that case, Bloomberg News reported that he got a whopping 422 million points (based on the Hong Kong dollar), which translated to more than 28 million frequent flyer miles. According to American Express, Liu

isn’t the first card member to take this route. “We see a huge range in redemptions using Membership Rewards points,” spokeswoman Kimberly Litt related. “Everything from engagement rings to fine art and, of course, for travel all over the world.” In fact, there’s a whole community of frequent-flyer nerds called “Hobbyists” who have figured out how to game the system to fly for free. Liu certainly has. We give him points for his frugality, especially when he can afford to own the airlines.

Swimming the Nile with a Smile

The Dutch ambassador to Sudan swam across the Nile in Khartoum on Saturday in a stunt that began as a bet to win more “likes” for her embassy’s Facebook page. She also wished to promote women’s empowerment in Sudan. Clad in a bright orange swimsuit bearing the embassy logo, Ambassador Susan Blankhart swam several hundred meters across the Blue Nile with six other Dutch women and seven Sudanese women, cheered on by dozens of supporters on the riverbank. “It was lovely, it was beautiful. I would recommend that everyone swims across the Nile,” Blankhart said laughing, relieved to be back on dry land after the crossing. She had originally said that she would swim across the river if her embassy’s Facebook page received more than 10,000 likes. After she hit the target, the 63-yearold organized the swim with two charities to raise awareness about safe swimming in the Nile. They were serious about their safety. The group was watched over by a team of Sudanese lifeguards in kayaks and boats as they swam through the muddy water. No saying what germs they’ll be catching after their plunge, though.

Want to help women in Sudan? Perhaps you should swim across the Nile.

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