THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism
April 2012
Vol. 25 • No. 7
Nissan 5772
UNESCO Goes to Washington, Hamas Goes to UN in Geneva pulling US funding from any UN-affiliated body that tries to confer statehood on the Palestinians before they have negotiated it with Israel. UNESCO thought it would be an exception. Now, with encouragement from the Obama administration, there is evidence that such confidence may not have been misplaced. Led by the organization’s Bulgarian director-general, Irina Bokova, UNESCO has been campaigning not to undo its admission of Palestine, but to persuade US authorities to
For the past several months,
officials representing the United Nation’s Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have been lobbying Congress, trying to convince legislators to implement President Barack Obama’s directive to resume US funding for UNESCO, despite the fact that the organization voted last November to accept “Palestine” as a member. After UNESCO voted for the PA 107 to 14, with 52 abstentions, Congress obeyed American law, which requires
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After a Horrific Month of Antisemitism, Analysts say a Judenrein Europe Is on the Horizon As a result of the murder
in Toulouse France of a rabbi, his two small sons, and the young daughter of the Jewish school’s principal, it has been reported that a growing number of Jews throughout Europe believe they will soon have to leave the continent. A poll of ten different European countries conducted by the Anti-Defamation League in January 2012 shows that approximately
one-third of those surveyed in the general population espoused antisemitic beliefs. Released just a few days after the murders in Toulouse, the poll showed that a huge percentage of Europeans subscribe to “classical antisemitic notions, such as Jews having too much power in business, being more loyal to Israel than their own country, or ‘talking too much’ about what happened during the Holocaust.”
No BDS Supporters in Parade............ 5 Kol Ami: Obama’s “Flexibility”?.......... 6 The Current Crisis............................... 7 Beth Aaron Boys Choir....................10 Tour Iberia and Bulgaria.................11 Should Israel Exist?............................12
Shrinking Population In general, the Jewish population of Europe is shrinking. For example, in France, which boasts the largest Jewish community in Western Europe, there were 530,000 Jews in 1970. By 2005, there were only 494,000. It was projected that in 2020, there would be 482,000; 380,000 in 2050; and 300,000 in 2080. But now many observers believe those numbers will decrease much faster.
Inside the Voice
Toffler Watch......................................15 Nefesh B’Nefesh Mega-Event.......19 The Log.................................................24 New Classes........................................31 Mazal Tov.............................................31 Chesed Ops.........................................32
To some extent, a shrinking population is a demographic reality felt by all non-Orthodox segments of the Jewish community, but in Europe, it has been hastened by antisemitism. Jews throughout Europe have been subjected to physical, social, and verbal attacks. Often the attackers maintain that they are not antiSemitic, but rather anti-Israel. However, polls show that huge
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Ess Gezint: Symbolic Foods............38 Index of Advertisers ........................41 The New Nazis...................................42 Honor the Professional...................43 Letters to the Editor ........................44 Walk to Shul ........................................47
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Pro-Israel Activists Say No to BDS Supporters: Don’t Rain on Our Parade Richard Allen wants as many
pro-Israel Jews and organizations as possible to participate in this year’s Israel Day Parade, scheduled to take place on Sunday, June 3, on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. But he is adamantly opposed to allowing anti-Israel organizations that promote the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement to march alongside them. According to Mr. Allen, at least one such group, the New Israel Fund (NIF), was allowed to march in last year’s parade, and it probably will want to do so again. As the founder of JCC Watch, a monitoring group that encourages
organizations, such as the JCC in Manhattan, to stop cooperating with those who seek to weaken the state of Israel, Mr. Allen says he and other supporters of the Jewish state are asking the community to contact the parade’s organizers, the UJA-Federation and the Jewish Community Relations Council, to ask that their “misguided decision” to welcome NIF and other such groups be reversed. Umbrella Group In this effort, Mr. Allen is working with scores of pro-Israel activists who have banded together under the banner of the National Conference of Jewish Affairs (NCJA), an umbrella group dedicated
to “supporting the rights and safety of the Jewish people in America, in Israel, and around the world under the rule of law by providing strong Jewish leadership to respond to and counter the growing, orchestrated demonizing of Israel, Jewry, and America.” Some of the NCJA activists working on this project include its executive director, Beth Gilinsky; Ron Carner, president of Maccabi USA/Sports for Israel; Helen Freedman, director of Americans for a Safe Israel; Eli H. Hertz of “Myths and Facts”; Lori Lowenthal Marcus, president of Z Street; Susan Rosenbluth, editor of The Jewish Voice and Opinion; Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld of
the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills; and Rabbi Allen Schwartz of Congregation Ohab Zedek in Manhattan. Together, they are calling themselves the Committee for a Pro-Israel Parade, and the slogans they have adopted include “Not one dime to legitimize the de-legitimizers of Israel” and “Stop groups that work to delegitimize Israel from hijacking the Israel Parade.” The theme of this year’s parade, often called the Salute to Israel, will be “Blue and White,” and, as it has been since the parade began in 1964, the purpose will be to unify support for the Jewish
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THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION, Inc. © 2012; Publisher and Editor-in-Chief: Susan L. Rosenbluth Phone (201)569-2845 Managing Editor: Sharon Beck, Advertising: Rivkie Lichstein-Stall The Jewish Voice & Opinion (ISSN # 1527-3814), POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631, is published monthly in coordination with The Central Committee for Israel. A one-year subscription is $18. Periodicals postage is paid at Englewood, NJ and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Jewish Voice and Opinion, POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. All advertising in the Jewish Voice and Opinion must conform to the standards of the Orthodox Rabbinic kashruth. Editorial content reflects the views of the writer and not necessarily any other group. The Jewish Voice is not responsible for typographical errors.
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Kol Ami: Obama’s “Flexibility”? Failing to check for his “open microphone” last month, President Barack Obama let the whole world know that if he is successful in the November election (his “last” political race), he will then be able to show “more flexibility” with regard to Russia’s demands for a curtailed missile defense system to be installed by NATO in eastern Europe. The implication was that if Mr. Obama were to show such “flexibility” now, it might upset voters. Just a few months ago, in another open-mike gaffe, Mr. Obama was caught sympathizing with French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s sentiments of disgust for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Our question: Are these episodes an indication that a second-term President Obama might show more “flexibility” for Arab demands on Israel, or are such fears without merit? Y
We have reason to fear because these two episodes give insight into who Barack Hussein Obama is and what he is really thinking and planning. Character is defined by what we do when we think no one is looking or listening, for, under those circumstances, we reveal our true selves. This year’s campaign slogan should be NoBama 2012. Elliot Auerbacher Englewood, NJ
Obama, who I believe is a sleeper agent of Islamist fundamentalism, has domestic and foreign policies that have left our economy and diplomatic relations ripe for pre-Holocaust style antisemitism. Islamists are taking over Europe, and the US is next. The two “openmic” episodes show what can be expected if Obama gets a second term. Israel will receive neither assistance nor mercy,
We cannot know what the truth is when it comes to politics. We can only hope to G-d that our next American President, whoever he is, will be a friend to Israel. Sherry Schwartz Passaic, NJ and Russia and the Arab states will seek to take over the US. Lou Brifman West Orange, NJ
Obama is a turkey who just wants to be liked and welcomed into the club of world leaders. However, he is the ugly American and nobody likes him. He is incredibly dangerous for Israel and equally so for the United States. Y. Jacob Rusanov Fair Lawn, NJ
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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache”
Reporters hoping for a great story and photo-op to emerge
from the Global March on Jerusalem were probably disappointed. Well, that’s what happens when you promise between 1 and 2 million people at a party, but only a few thousand show up. It wasn’t the fault of the sponsors. GMJ delegations, bought and paid for by the governments of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad (each for his own “let-‘em-eat-cake” reason), showed up at Israel’s border neighbors, but there the system seemed to break down. None of the arrivals seemed quite sure what to do or where to go. In Jordan, the American, European, and South African activist-guests attended a rally, which is pretty much what even fewer of them who showed up in Lebanon did. At least in Lebanon, there was some fun when some of the Muslim protesters discovered a handful of Neturei Kartaniks mixed in among the faithful. The anti-Zionist Jews tried explaining why they weren’t like the Yidden you see every day in Meah Shearim, but the ready-for-action adherents of the religion of peace weren’t buying it. A little bit of scuffling ensued, and it didn’t take long for the out-of-place Chassidim to realize why so many Western reporters sent to the Middle East prefer covering their stories from Jerusalem It was a pity so few of the GMJ actually made it into the Jewish state, because Jerusalem-based journalist Moshe Dann had some great ideas on how to amuse the guests while they waited patiently at the border. For example, an interfaith foot-washing might be fun, with the ceremony led by Rabbis for Human Rights.
Guests interested in touring might enjoy a visit to a mock Jewish cemetery, where participants could destroy gravestones to their hearts’ content and then find some mock forests with fake trees to burn. A rock-throwing contest could be arranged, with first prize a free education courtesy of the Israeli Prison system. Or how about an appointment with a rep from the Jewish Agency or Chief Rabbinate to check for possible Jewish ancestry and the chance to make aliyah? If Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were in town, there could be a sale of black pantsuit-designed burkas. Those who have some time on their hands could take advantage of a study tour to Russia where the focus would be on the “History of the Palestinian People,” with a Ph.D and lectures by Mahmoud Abbas included. The pièce de résistance would be a special lecture by Amos Oz, entitled either “Masada in Palestinian History—You Know It Has to Be there” or “The Palestinian Origins of Tel Aviv.” If there’s time, perhaps the protester-guests wouldn’t mind teaching their Jewish hosts a new song currently playing on Palestinian TV. It’s an original idea, done as a music video showing clips of Muslim holy places in eastern Jerusalem blended with scenes of riots, stone-throwing, and clashes with Israeli soldiers. The lyrics go: “May my right arm forget me,/May my left arm forget me/May the light of my eyes and the opening of songs forget me, if I forget Jerusalem/May I wilt/may I die/if I forget Jerusalem.” Catchy idea, isn’t it? Can’t imagine where they got it. Enjoy Pesach, Everyone, SLR
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BDS Supporters in Parade state among the marchers and spectators who line Fifth Avenue by the hundreds of thousands. Erasing Israel’s Jewish Framework Mr. Allen points out that while NIF officials say their group opposes BDS, many of the non-governmental organizations that receive NIF grants actively promote and endorse the economically corrosive effort against Israel. Since its founding in 1979, the NIF, which is reportedly funded in part by the virulently
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anti-Israel George Soros, has been highly controversial. NGO Monitor, a watchdog group headed by Prof Gerald Steinberg of Bar-Ilan University, keeps tabs on NGOs claiming to advance “human rights and humanitarian agendas” in the context of the ArabIsraeli conflict. NGO Monitor has accused NIF of supporting groups that “campaign to erase Israel’s Jewish framework, promote anti-Israel boycotts, aid UN demonization, help prosecute Israeli officials abroad, and equate Israel with
authoritarian regimes throughout the world.” Many of NIF’s beneficiaries actively work to damage Israel’s public image as well. “These are the real attacks on Israel’s democratic foundations,” says Prof Steinberg. Large Grants The funding NIF receives and allocates is substantial. For example, according to NGO Monitor, between 2006 and 2009, B’Tselem, the Israeli Information Center for “Human Rights in the Occupied Territories,” received NIF grants totaling $897,000.
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The chairman of B’Tselem, Oren Yiftachel, has publicly called for “effective sanctions” against Israel. His organization is the producer of an infamous anti-Israel video which has been shown widely at pro-Palestinian programs on university and college campuses as part of “Israel Apartheid 2012” events. According to Mr. Allen, NIF finances numerous other Israeli non-governmental organizations (NGOs), some of which also promote BDS against Israel. Working against Israel For example, he says, five groups which receive NIF grants—Machsom (or Checkpoint) Watch, Coalition of Women for Peace, Women against the Occupation, Social TV, and Mossawa—recently signed a letter to the Norwegian Government Pension Fund, urging it to divest from Israel. Each of these far-left groups is engaged in activities designed to propagate poor public relations for Israel, at best, and do it serious damage, at worst. Machsom volunteers, for example, monitor “human rights abuses” by Israeli soldiers at checkpoints; Coalition of Women for Peace and Women against the Occupation are opposed to the “illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian land and oppression of the Palestinian people;” Social TV runs far-left internet media designed to promote “social change, human rights, social justice, and equality in Israel;” and Mossawa seeks to preserve the rights of Arab Israelis “as Palestinians.” Adalah Another group, Adalah, which receives approximately $500,000 annually from the NIF, was established to “defend the rights of Palestinian-Arab citizens of Israel.” A supporter of
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com the “one-state” solution, Adalah, whose name means “justice” in Arabic, favors the disappearance of Israel as a Jewish country and has defended Hamas’s practice of firing rockets from residential areas.. During this year’s “Israel Apartheid Week,” Suhad Bishara, director of Adalah’s Land and Planning-Rights Unit, spoke in Switzerland for a group called “BDS Geneva” regarding “The Policy of Apartheid in Israel: The New Racist Laws.” According to NGO Monitor, over the years, Adalah officials have written about the “Israeli occupation” as a “colonial enterprise which implements a system of apartheid.” Active in the BDS movement itself, Adalah has advocated financial sanctions on Israel and urged international artists to boycott the Jewish state. Mr. Allen says NIF’s association with these groups that support the boycott movement indicates that NIF’s policy runs contrary to the organization’s statements. Who Funds It? In the Jewish state, many mainstream political leaders, ranging from conservatives to responsible liberals, are convinced that the American-based NIF receives funds from Israel’s sworn enemies. It is known that the European Union alone annually gives NIF more than $750,000 to be dispersed to other groups that, presumably, share the EU’s ideology towards Israel. Yisrael Hasson, an MK from the leftof-center Kadima Party, has quipped that if he were a member of Al-Qaeda, “I wouldn’t think twice. I would give to NIF.” NIF was widely reported to have been the source for most of the antiIsrael misinformation collected for the UN’s now-discredited 2010 Goldstone Report, which accused Israel of war crimes during Operation Cast Lead, the Jewish state’s attempt to thwart the steady stream of missile and rocket attacks from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, aimed at civilians in southern Israel. Marching Together At the Israel Day Parade last year, groups that share NIF’s left-wing antiIsrael ideology were able to march with NIF, each organization displaying an individual banner. In addition to B’Tselem, these included Partners for Progressive Israel (formerly Meretz USA) and Rabbis for Human Rights (which promotes “respect and protection of human rights of all people,” especially Palestinians).
April 2012/Nissan 5772
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On its website, Partners for Progressive Israel prominently displays a section urging readers to “boycott these settlement products sold in the US.” The list of Israeli products it wants boycotted includes Ahava cosmetics, B&B Baked Goods, SodaStream, and wine from nine Israeli vineyards. “These groups all encourage BDS against Israel, seeking to delegitimize and economically weaken the Jewish state,” says Mr. Allen. Unacceptable Journalist Larry Domnitch agrees, calling the request for a boycott of Israeli products “unacceptable.” “For some Israelis and Jews to support
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such a nefarious movement gives impetus to harmful international boycotts. Far-left wing Jewish groups have a right to express their views, but when they support efforts to force Israel’s hand, they have crossed the line. The people of Israel have the right to decide their own future by consensus, not by coercion, especially on matters pertaining to their vital security,” says Mr. Domnitch. He says that while American-Jewish supporters of Israel certainly do not speak with one voice, even at a generally unifying event such as the Israel Parade, “there must be zero tolerance for those who act
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BDS Supporters in Parade against Israel’s sovereignty.” “The only suitable designated spot for those who give support to Israel’s detractors should be next to the likes of the Neturei Karta and others who publicly oppose the Jewish state,” he says. Actions, Not Words He gives short shrift to far-left groups who say they support the BDS movement against Israel in order “to save the Jewish state from itself.” “Groups supporting BDS may proclaim their support, but their actions speak louder than any words,” says Mr. Domnitch. Mr. Allen puts it even more simply. “Jews do not call upon Jews to boycott Jews,” he says. Irony Ms. Gilinsky says she finds it “shocking” that organizations actively promoting BDS actions against the Jewish state and other clearly anti-Israel agendas would be permitted to march in the Salute to Israel Day Parade. “The sponsors and organizers of the parade can immediately stop enabling those hateful groups that are masquerading as pro-Israel simply by revoking their permission to march,” she says. AFSI’s Helen Freedman finds it ironic that, several years ago, when her organization
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wanted to march in the parade with signs promoting Jewish sovereignty over all of Israel, including Judea, Samaria, and, at that time, Gaza, the parade’s organizers denied AFSI permission. “We were turned down because we were deemed too ‘extremist’ and our banners in support of a whole Israel—Yisrael shlayma—were not welcome,” recalls Ms. Freedman. Left-Wing Organizers Mr. Allen says, considering the officials organizing the parade, he is not surprised to discover that the UJA-Federation of New York is now encouraging “these bash-Israel groups to march in the Israel Parade.” Mr. Allen points to published reports showing that John Ruskay, who has served as executive vice-president and CEO of the UJA-Federation of Jewish Philanthropies of NY since 1999, has worked with Noam Chomsky, a notorious anti-Israel academic who has been accused of denying the Holocaust and, on several occasions, has been denied entry into the Jewish state. According to Mr. Allen, Messrs Ruskay and Chomsky were colleagues in one of the first anti-Israel groups, CONAME (Committee on New Alternatives in the Middle
East), which was established in 1970. According to investigative journalist Rael Jean Isaac, CONAME was founded as a front group for the Socialist Workers Party and became a source of anti-Israel speakers on American platforms. During the 1973 Yom Kippur War, she says, CONAME sought to prevent the US from sending arms to Israel. In addition, Mr. Allen claims that Mr. Ruskay has allocated
more than $1 million from the UJA to a group called Jewish Funds for Justice, which is another organization reportedly heavily funded by Mr. Soros. “The community must make its voice heard by calling and writing the UJA-Federation and demanding that Jewish community charity funds not be used for these divisive purposes,” says Mr. Allen, adding that the NCJA activists are
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Beth Aaron Boys Choir
On Sunday, March 11, the Cong Beth Aaron Boys Choir gave its fourth annual post-Purim performance for the residents of CareOne in Teaneck. From left, co-directors Yechiel Levy and Dr. Benjy Rosenbluth; front row, Ze’ev Kinderlerer, Yitzi Rosenbluth, and Shimon Pecaric; back row, Shlomo Fink, Avi Cooper, Akiva Cooper, and Eli Fink. The choir is currently accepting boys in grades 1-7 from through-out Bergen and neighboring counties to perform and participate in their new CD. For information, contact bethaaronboyschoir@gmail.com.Y
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Jewish Heritage Tours Travels to Bulgaria, Spain, and Gibraltar In the next few months, Jewish Heritage
Tours will sponsor two trips of great Jewish interest. In May, JHT will embark on a Lag B’Omer Trip to Bulgaria, and then in July will offer its very popular tour to Spain and Gibraltar, which encompasses Spanish Jewish history and an in-depth appreciation of its many rabbis and leaders. Both trips include: two glatt kosher meals plus a filling box lunch served daily by the tour’s personal caterer from the US; Shabbat arrangements; and all hotels and tours. All land travel is by ultra-modern buses. Special attention is given to accommodate singles, and major discounts are offered to synagogues, schools, and organizations. Saving Bulgaria’s Jews Rabbi Dr. Nosson Dovid Rabinowich, an historian who serves as JHT’s Jewish guide and scholar, says most educated Bulgarians respond quickly when asked about the event which excites their national pride: The salvation of Bulgarian Jews from the Holocaust. During World War II, Bulgaria rescued 50,000 of its Jews. In the late 1940s, virtually all of them left for Israel. “Therefore, although it has a vibrant Jewish legacy dating back to the second century CE, Bulgaria is just like other Eastern European countries whose Jewish heritage has been destroyed, neglected, or abandoned to the elements,” says Rabbi Rabinowich. Vibrant Past Although many of Bulgaria’s synagogues have been converted into art galleries or sports halls and others have disintegrated, the JHT tour will transport participants to the country’s main Jewish sites, past and present: some well-known, others not well-known at all but which nevertheless have a Jewish connection. “The purpose is acquaint our guests with a culture that was once rich and vibrant but that, inevitably, belongs to the past,” says Rabbi Rabinowich. In addition, JHT’s expert guides will introduce participants to Bulgaria’s national culture, showing them the country’s unique natural beauty, cuisine, architecture, and art. The price for the trip, which will be from May 9-17, is $2,999 per person, double occupancy, which includes taxes and gratuities. An extension to allow for
Shavuot in Israel is possible, as is a threeday all-inclusive extension to Budapest for an additional $599. Spanish Cities of the Gedolim On the July 1-10 tour to Spain and Gibraltar, Rabbi Rabinowich’s goal is to introduce participants to the “cities of our Gedolei Rishonim.” These will include Barcelona (Rashba and Ba’al Ha’Chinuch); Gerona (Ramban, Rabbeinu Yonah, and Rabbeinu Azriel); Toledo (Rosh, Tur, and Ramah and the Abulafia family); Cordova (Chasdai Ibn Shaprut, Rambam, and Rebbe Yehudah HaLevi); Granada (Rebbe Shmuel HaNagid); Malaga (Ibn Gabirol); Seville (Ritva and the Abravanel family), and many others.
In addition, Lucena will be visited. Although it is not usually considered of Jewish-Spanish interest, Lucena is nonetheless the oldest Jewish settlement in Spain and the home of the 11th century Rabbeinu Yitzchak Alfasi. Besalu, home to the one of the world’s oldest medieval mikva’ot, is also on the intinerary. As with all JHT, personable and knowledgeable local guides will be on hand to help participants learn and appreciate Spain’s national history, art, museums, and architecture, especially in Barcelona. For more information on the itineraries and reservations for the trips to Spain and Bulgaria, call 917-753-5178. Y
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New Book Is a “Corrective” to the Unfair Treatment Accorded Israel in Many Forums Before the publication of Dr. Michael
Curtis’s new book, Should Israel Exist? A Sovereign Nation under Attack by the International Community, the author toyed with the idea of calling it “Save the Canary” or “The Canary Must Sing.” The metaphor compares Israel to the canary, a bird especially sensitive to methane and carbon monoxide, making it ideal for detecting any dangerous gas build-ups in a coalmine. As long as the bird kept singing, the
miners knew their air supply was safe; a dead canary signaled the need for an immediate evacuation. “Attacks on Israel and the animosity and hatred towards it in the Arab world and the international arena as a whole, are also directed against other democratic countries, particularly the United States, and Western culture in general. The Israeli canary in the political coalmine must continue singing to give voice to Israel’s existence and to take pride in its accomplishments. If it dies, it would
act as a warning of existing dangers to the democratic countries in the world, countries that also uphold principles of freedom and justice, and welcome diverse faiths and ethnicities,” he said. Dr. Curtis, who is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Rutgers University, serves on the board of directors of the America-Israel Friendship League (AIFL). He made his remarks at a party last month, held in the law offices of Skadden Arps in Manhattan, to mark the publication of his new book by Balfour Books. A Corrective He wrote the book, he said, to serve as a “corrective to the biased and unfair narrative and to the inaccurate and politically motivated historical picture presented by groups and individuals hostile to Israel, regarding the conflict between Israel, Arab states, and Palestinians.” “I have long been troubled by the denunciation of Israel using the most detested words in the language, such as ‘racism,’ ‘colonialism,’ ‘occupation,’ and, worst of all, ‘apartheid.’ The problem is that those who criticize Israel, do not criticize any other country, and that is antisemitism,” he said.
BDS
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requesting all those concerned about this development to become involved in the effort to stop it. A Strong Note Ms. Gilinsky says that when she wrote to the UJA, she told the organization, “I do not want your Jewish charity dollars going to support John Ruskay’s political agenda.” Mr. Ruskay’s email address is ruskayJ@ ujafedny.org. The phone number for the UJA is 212-980-1000. The UJA-Federation’s board president, Jerry W Levin, can be reached at jwlevin@ jwlevinpartners.com. Rabbi Michael Miller, head of the JCRC can be reached at millerm@jcrcny.org. The JCRC phone number is 212-983-4084. “We are urging everyone to raise a voice and call the UJA Federation and the JCRC to exhort them to stop these groups from marching in the Israel Day Parade and hijacking a pro-Israel event for their
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question the Palestinian narrative that the creation of the State of Israel was ‘the original sin’ that displaced Palestinians from the land to which Jews have no right. These forums accept that the Palestinians ‘were there from time immemorial’ and that ‘settlements’—defined as every place in Israel where Jews live—not only violate Palestinians’ rights but act as a threat to world peace,” he said. In fact, he said, the Arab-Israeli conflict, which began at least 100 years before the establishment of the Jewish state, has nothing to do with the settlements in Judea and Samaria. “The problem is the refusal of Arab states to negotiate with Israel; the problem
While he does not exempt Israel from honest criticism, he said the conflict between Israel and its enemies is not one of moral equivalence. “It is a conflict between a state, about which genuine criticism might and has frequently been made, and the antagonistic entities, those nations, groups, and individuals who are unwilling to accept its existence as a legitimate state in the Middle East or to recognize its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he said. Hypocrisy Particularly infuriating he said, is the hypocrisy exhibited by forums, such as the UN and its affiliated councils, which accept demonization of Israel, a democratic country, at the hands of “autocratic rulers or members of military juntas who themselves lack any real legitimacy, and from groups and individuals, who defend or support corrupt and stagnant political and social systems characterized by dishonest institutional behavior, inequality in laws, and suppression of human rights.” This, he said, is what prompted the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to decide that Jewish holy sites should no longer be under Israel’s sovereignty and the UN’s Human Rights Council to decide that “192 of the UN’s 193 members live in the absence of human rights abuses.” “In their eyes, only Israel is guilty of human rights violations,” he said. Nothing to Do with Settlements “The issue is to determine why people of supposedly goodwill accept without
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is the Arab demand for concessions, such as allowing all Arabs who fled Israel from 1948 on—and their descendants— to ‘return’ to Israel, that would result in the destruction of the Jewish state demographically,” he said. Distorted Arguments At the event, Kenneth Bialkin, who wrote the foreword to the book, explained that Dr. Curtis’s underlying thesis is that Israel’s enemies and detractors “employ arguments and historical narratives that are often lacking in truth and validity.” “His careful scholarship and authoritative use of sources provide answers essential to understanding the complexity of
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Should Israel Exist? Middle East history and politics. The book addresses the need and provides an added voice to define and defend the struggle the free world faces in the attack on western civilization by Islamic radicalism,” said Mr. Bialkin, who serves as chairman of the AIFL. Mr. Bialkin agreed with Dr. Curtis that, at its core, the current assault on Israel is largely based on antisemitism which, for decades after the Holocaust, was out-offashion and now has re-emerged with a vengeance. Mr. Bialkin noted that while it is particularly virulent in the Arab world, it is also “fueled by organized incitement
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continued from page 13 by many governments and powerful religious leaders.” “Considering the treatment of Israel in the United Nations and agencies and groups related to the UN, it is hard to escape the question of whether the animus against Israel in those circles may be a reflection of latent or historic antisemitism,” said Mr. Bialkin, crediting Dr. Curtis for acknowledging that the hatred Israel faces “derives from the persistence of this ancient scourge.” Steps to Take While those attending the event did not need to be convinced of Dr. Curtis’s thesis,
they were greatly interested in what they as supporters of Israel could do to disseminate the arguments contained in his book. “What can we collectively do to move the process of Israel’s acceptance forward?” asked Dr. Charlotte Frank, senior vice-president of research and development at McGraw Hill and chair of AIFL’s executive committee. Dr. Frank utilizes the experience she gained as the former executive director of curriculum and instruction for the NYC public schools, to plan AIFL’s Youth Ambassador Student Exchange (YASE) program which encourages meetings and shared experiences between American and Israeli high school students of all backgrounds, religions, and ethnicities. When it was pointed out that, in the US—with the notable exception of its college campuses—Israel wins high marks from most Americans as opposed to the Arabs, whose favorability is usually in the single digits, Dr. Curtis suggested that AIFL, with its people-to-people programs to encourage friendship between the US and Israel, was on the right track. Some of those at the event suggested this is so because Americans can empathize with Israel’s plight. “It’s impossible to hold a discussion with Israel’s detractors because, unless you agree with them that Israel should not exist, there is no dialogue. Americans usually see the unfairness in this,” said a woman at the event. A Guide Several participants said that Dr. Curtis’s book was useful as a guide to identify examples of the unfairness to which Israel is subjected. For example, at some university forums, an anti-Israel or “post-Zionist” Jewish speaker will be paired with one who is pro-Palestinian. “The organizers protest that they have been ‘even-handed,’ but Israel is not represented at all,” said Dr. Curtis. That problem, he said, is frequently one of “expectations.” “Expecting Israel alone to exemplify ‘paradise,’ while not holding other countries and governments to the same standard, is antisemitism,” he said. Some at the event wondered if, given the animosity expressed towards Israel simply because it is the Jewish state, the title of Dr. Curtis’s book could have been
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Toffler Watch: After Being Publicly Censured by Her Colleagues, Teaneck City Councilwoman Runs for Re-Election Of the six candidates currently running for three open seats on the Teaneck Town Council, only one spent this past year suing the very town council to which she hopes Teaneck will elect her for a second term. After being censured by the Teaneck Town Council for making “unsupported, inappropriate, erroneous, and speculative statements” to the press against two longterm township employees, incumbent Councilwoman Barbara Toffler brought a civil rights lawsuit against the council, charging the body with denying her the right of free speech. When the court dismissed her case, she filed an appeal. Finally, allegedly on the advice of her attorney, she dropped
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“Should Jews exist?” Dr. Curtis agreed that separating Israel from the Jewish people is impossible. What Would America Do? Ron Agam, an artist and AIFL board member, recalled an incident in which, he said, the Jewish state was verbally attacked because the anti-Israel side was afraid “to take on” the Americans. “Israel is seen as so close to the US, but because the US is too powerful to attack, its ‘weaker sibling’ is bullied,” said Mr. Agam, who is the son of Israeli artist Yaacov Agam. Dr. Curtis did not doubt that is so, and, he said, in conversations in the US, it might be helpful to ask: What would America do in such a situation? Reflecting the sentiments of many of those at the event, Mr. Bialkin said that, by any objective standard, Israel, which has excelled in all human endeavors, from the arts and sciences to humanitarian aid, education, technology, and business, should enjoy near-universal approbation. The fact that it does not, he said, has nothing to do with “Israel’s conduct.” “The animus towards Israel is nothing but a reflection of abiding antisemitism, and it is the job of each of us to combat it. Should Israel Exist? offers the information which gives us the tools,” he said. S.L.R.
the suit, but not until she had cost the town more than $20,000 in legal fees. “This was a waste of taxpayers’ money,” said Councilman and former Teaneck Mayor Elie Y. Katz, whose term does not expire this year. An “Ethicist” Calling Dr. Toffler “a divisive obstructionist,” Mr. Katz said, “She should have issued an apology to those she had harmed and then spent her energy as an elected official trying to help Teaneck residents.”
On May 8, Dr. Toffler, a self-described “ethicist” whose relations with the observant community have been stormy at best, will be running against two incumbents, Monica Honis, who is seeking her third term, and Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin, Teaneck’s first Muslim elected official whose close relationship with the observant-Jewish community has been highlighted as an example of interfaith relations at its best. There are also three would-be council newcomers in this race: Alexander Rashin,
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a biophysicist and teacher from the former Soviet Union and member of Teaneck’s Russian-Jewish community; Mark Schwartz, a member of the Planning Board, president of Congregation Shaare Tefillah, and treasurer of Yavneh Academy in Paramus; and Henry Pruitt, a past president of the Teaneck Board of Education, during whose tenure education budgets were overturned by Teaneck voters for being too high. Castigating the Orthodox Many members of the observant community first became aware of Dr. Toffler in 2007, when she told a New York Times reporter writing about diversity issues, “People worry that there’s a group that wants [Teaneck] to become an Orthodox community like some of the ones in Rockland County, and, from my perspective, I don’t want it to become any one thing.” Although Dr. Toffler tried to find ways to spin her statement, its anti-Orthodox sentiment was hard to miss. She maintained that her quote to the New York Times referred not to Monsey, as everyone believed, but rather to the Chassidic Satmar-run village of Kiryas Joel. Her explanation fooled no one. “First, Kiryas Joel is in Orange County, not Rockland,
and, second, it really doesn’t matter. Her implication is that because Orthodox Jews are moving into Teaneck, they’re trying to take over, and that is outrageous. It would never be tolerated if she had spoken that way about any other community, and her anti-Orthodox bigotry should not be tolerated either,” said a Teaneck resident who asked for anonymity. Misrepresentation Several months later, in an apparent attempt to sooth ruffled feathers in the community she had offended before running for public office, Dr. Toffler sent an email to Yitz Stern, a well-respected member of the observant community who has served as deputy mayor and currently sits on the Teaneck Town Council. In her email to Mr. Stern, Dr. Toffler asked for his suggestions on how to make amends. He proposed that she begin by apologizing and then viewing with an open mind some of the issues that are important to the observant community, such as considering variances when synagogues seek to expand. Evidently outraged by his recommendation, Dr. Toffler, the ethicist, proceeded to take Mr. Stern’s thoughtful, well-reasoned email to a town council meeting, where she read it aloud as if Mr. Stern
had written it as an unsolicited demand. Hit-and-Run Dr. Toffler’s current legal problems with the Teaneck Town Council began in January 2011 when she struck a parked car in a parking lot and then left the scene without reporting it, offenses that carry a mandatory court date. Her involvement in the incident was documented by a security camera, and police came to her home in Teaneck. When a report about the incident appeared in local papers, Dr. Toffler publicly accused Teaneck Police Chief Robert Wilson, Township Manager William Broughton, and Deputy Mayor Adam Gussen of leaking the information to reporters. She claimed they had tried “deliberately” to embarrass her as “payback” for her having opposed a failed plan to hire Mr. Wilson as Teaneck’s public safety director. Mr. Gussen, who is now running in the Democratic primary for Congress in the 5th District, said the charge that Dr. Toffler had left the scene of an accident was serious. Further, he said, she should have contacted the authorities if she felt she had been a victim of “retaliation.” “She leaves the scene of an accident and then she wants to change the story so that it becomes an issue of who reported it to whom,” said Mr. Gussen, calling it “a flagrant attempt to draw attention from herself and her dramatic lack of judgment.” Censure When the ethicist admitted she had no evidence to support her charges against Messrs Wilson and Broughton, who are long-term paid employees of the town, they were cleared of any wrongdoing.
Barbara Toffler In February 2011, after giving her five days to prepare and the option to have the matter discussed publicly, the Teaneck Town Council voted to censure Dr. Toffler for her “unsupported, inappropriate, erroneous, and speculative statements” made to reporters about Messrs Wilson and Broughton. The censure, which passed by a vote of 5-0, with one abstention, also accused Dr. Toffler of sending unsolicited emails to Messrs Wilson and Broughton, telling them “in no uncertain terms that they would suffer ‘painful consequences’ for their actions.” Public Information A third issue contained in the censure concerned Dr. Toffler’s “interference” with an Open Public Records Act request from Teaneck merchant Emil Lebovich who was seeking information about her police report and security-camera footage of the hit-and-run incident. Dr. Toffler said all she had done was ask the then-acting township clerk, Mr. Broughton, if there were a way to determine whether Mr. Lebovich had a criminal record. Dr. Toffler said her concern was prompted by the recent murder of a Teaneck activist as well as the hostile tenor of council meetings. But even if the individual seeking material had been a convicted criminal, he would have been denied by law only personal information about Dr. Toffler, not her public record.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Mr. Broughton responded by filing a complaint accusing Dr. Toffler of creating a “hostile work environment” for him. In a prepared response, Dr. Toffler said she recognized her request was “viewed as interference, and for this I am distressed, because that was not my intent.” According to Mr. Hameeduddin, Dr. Toffler’s censure was necessary to protect Teaneck from a serious libel suit which could have been pressed by Mr. Wilson and/ or Mr. Broughton. “From a liability standpoint, it is dangerous for public officials to make these types of allegations against longterm public employees without any basis in fact or evidence,” said Thomas Hanrahan, the Teaneck Town Council’s special attorney to defend the body against Dr. Toffler’s lawsuit. Civil Rights Suit In June 2011, four months after she was censured, Dr. Toffler filed a civil rights suit against the council, alleging her rights
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to free speech—presumably the right to make the charges against city employees—and due process were violated. Dr. Toffler maintained she had not received adequate notice of the council’s intention to vote on censuring her and, she said, she had not been given the opportunity to review the claims the council had formulated against her. Defending itself in court, the town council produced a written notice from Teaneck Township Attorney Stanley Turitz showing that Dr. Toffler had received five days to prepare. Further, the council maintained that its members’ expression of “disapproval and outrage” at her behavior was “merely a reprimand” that carried no consequences for Dr. Toffler’s “misguided comments to the reporter, and lack[ed] any real force or punishment.” In addition, they said, the ethicist was not censured for speaking to a reporter, but rather for making statements about city employees she later
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admitted “were unsupported by fact or evidence, and were both inappropriate and erroneous.” The council said Dr. Toffler’s comments were “detrimental to maintaining the proper management” of Teaneck. Vindication Six months later, in December 2011, Superior Judge Charles E. Powers dismissed Dr. Toffler’s bid to have the censure overturned. He also ruled against her request for legal fees. She had not asked for damages. Mr. Hameeduddin said the council was “vindicated” by the judge’s ruling. “From the beginning, I said Councilwoman Toffler’s lawsuit was frivolous. We only reacted to what she did. We didn’t go after her,” he said. Appeal After losing in court, Dr. Toffler announced that she planned to appeal, explaining that she feared the council’s censure would be used as a tool to silence dissenting political views.
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“As people in Teaneck know, I am committed to free speech, truth, and justice, which are denied by this judgment,” she said. Mr. Hanrahan said the ethicist’s claim that she had sued in the first place to vindicate her reputation was “ironic” at best. “She seems to have no concern whatsoever for the reputations of Wilson and Broughton, to whom she has never apologized,” he said. Asked about her charge that her right of free speech had been interfered with, Mr. Hanrahan said there was no violation of free speech because she had made her derogatory comments about the Teaneck employees as a public official, not as a private citizen. Suit Withdrawn In early February 2012, before the appeal was heard, Dr. Toffler withdrew her suit completely. Although her attorney Erik Hassing said she would issue a statement to explain her decision, none was forthcoming.
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Although pleased with the result, Mr. Katz deplored the waste of the city’s resources. He accused Dr. Toffler of taking “a small personal motor vehicle accident and exacerbating it into a major event.” “I would hope that she would spend her energy and time on helping the Teaneck residents with their problems and not creating new ones. Teaneck taxpayers lost a lot of money defending her lawsuit against the council,” he said. Still Blaming She has, however, continued to send out emails, usually to multiple people, some of whom have forwarded them to
The Jewish Voice and Opinion. After her suit was initially denied, she sent an email accusing the judge of not dealing “with the facts of the case” and issuing a ruling that “the council’s actions did meet the standard of violating the constitution.” “The only people who won today (and we will all work hard to see that they do not succeed in the future) are [former Councilman] Elnatan Rudolph, Adam Gussen, and Yitz Stern, masters of the dirty political tricks. Fortunately, more and more people are on to them,” she wrote, singling out three of the four observant-Jewish members of the council.
Threats? Mr. Katz, the one other observant councilman, who was not named among her alleged “masters of dirty tricks,” responded to her email telling her that he found her message “confusing.” “Are you threatening to do something to [Messrs Rudolph, Gussen, and Stern]? What do you mean,” he said. Dr. Toffler answered that “you, I, and many Teaneck residents know perfectly well that…Gussen engineered this entire censure ‘thing.’” “Leaking confidential council information to the media is very serious, and, if proven, usually requires the leaker to resign from the council,” she said, adding her belief that Mr. Katz was guilty of sending out a “horrible racist glossy flyer” during the 2008 campaign. Comparison? She then suggested Mr. Katz find time to see the British series, “The Enemy at the Door,” which is about the German occupation of Guernsey, one of the English Channel islands, during World War II. “I think you will see how close we in Teaneck have gotten to the nightmare,” she told Mr. Katz. Asked if she was equating Teaneck to occupied Europe during the Second World War or was comparing any Town Council personalities to British collaborators in the film or, worse, members of the German SS, Dr. Toffler said, “I was only expressing a concern that Teaneck’s political discourse had become too caustic which threatens an open and free political discourse.” Literary Reference Asked if “free political discourse” referred to the issues surrounding her censure or if “caustic political speech” could be compared to the “nightmare” of German occupation, Dr. Toffler had no response. But it was not the first time she had used literary or cultural references to Teaneck’s disadvantage. At a council meeting in 2010, Dr. Toffler was accused of comparing racial tensions in Teaneck with South African apartheid, as described in Alan Paton’s novel “Cry, the Beloved Country.” On that occasion, Teaneck resident Helen Ickowitz called Dr. Toffler “a racebaiter” who had belittled Teaneck’s council members and “all citizens of Teaneck.” S.L.R.
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500 Potential Olim Come to Nefesh B’Nefesh Mega-Event On March 25, more than 500 poten-
tial olim, American Jews considering relocating to Israel, came to New York City’s Crown Plaza Hotel in Times Square for an Aliyah Mega-Event organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh in conjunction with Israel’s Ministry of Immigrant Absorption and the Jewish Agency. Founded in 2002, Nefesh B’Nefesh, which works in cooperation with the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency for Israel, is dedicated to revitalizing aliyah from North America and the United Kingdom by removing or at least minimizing the financial, professional, logistical, and social obstacles to moving to Israel. The support and comprehensive social services provided by Nefesh B’Nefesh to the 30,000 newcomers who have moved to Israel under its auspices, have ensured that 97 percent of its olim have remained in the Jewish State. In addition to the 30,000 Jews who have actually moved to Israel with the assistance of Nefesh B’Nefesh, more than 47,000 North American and British Jews have attended the organization’s informational seminars, which are conducted throughout the US, Canada, and the UK. These events, which include special-tailored programs and individual counseling sessions, can usually be found on the organization’s website, www.nbn.org.il. Workshops At the Aliyah Mega-Event in New York, participants were able to attend workshops on seminars on topics such as “Careers in Israel,” “Financial Planning, Taxes, and Budgeting,” “The Israeli Healthcare System,” “Navigating Israel’s Educational System,” “Introduction to the Aliyah Process,” “Aliyah Rights and Benefits,” and the “‘Go North’ Program.” Many of the potential olim took advantage of the opportunity for personal consultations with staff from the organizers. College students and young professionals who came to the program curious about how to make their own particular impact on Israel, participated in a question-and-answer session with Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, co-founder and executive director of Nefesh B’Nefesh. Craig and Ayelet Messer, of Queens, were not unusual. Both 25, they hope to make aliyah next summer and plan on settling in or around Jerusalem.
“We have been planning on making aliyah for a long time now, so we came here to get information and figure out a bunch of things, our financial planning among them. The Mega-Event has been very beneficial for us in doing that,” said Mr. Messer. Zionism Still Strong In addition to Rabbi Fass, Nefesh B’Nefesh sent its vice-chairman, Erez Halfon, to the event. He pointed out that, despite the current security situation and “all the talk about Iran,” the 2012 MegaEvent drew 25 percent more participants than the one held in 2011.
“This is proof that Zionism is not only steady and strong, but that the desire to move to Israel and make aliyah in fact continues to increase,” he said. Also participating in the Mega-Event were Israel’s Minister of Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver, the Israeli Consul General to New York Ido Aharoni, and Yehuda Sharf, the Jewish Agency’s Director of Aliyah. Mr. Landver told the potential olim that he did not come to the event to instruct them to make aliyah. “But I am here to tell you that when you decide to come home and make aliyah to Israel that we will be there to greet you and support you,” he said. Y
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UNESCO and UNHRC resume the $78 million, or 22 percent of its core budget, it used to enjoy. Terrible Waste In their talking points, UNESCO officials highlight the organization’s literacytraining programs in Iraq and Afghanistan, which they say will suffer without US funds. Writing about this lobbying effort, investigative journalist Claudia Rosett said, “There is no mention that UNESCO wastes millions, according to its own auditors, or that UNESCO could preserve its better programs by scrapping its worst.” According to Brett Schaefer of the Heritage Foundation, 87 percent of UNESCO’s $326 million budget last year was allocated for its own staff, travel, and operating costs. “More than half of UNESCO’s staffers are based in Paris, many pulling in tax-exempt six-figure salaries, with plush benefits and 30 days of vacation per year,” said Ms. Rosett. Denying Jewish Connection On Capitol Hill, UNESCO lobbyists also take care not to mention the organization’s decision last year, when it was still receiving US funds, to demand that Israel cease all archaeological work in the Old City of Jerusalem, claiming that the Jewish state is attempting to “Judaize” its capital and engage in the “Israeli occupation of Holy Jerusalem.”
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In 2010, UNESCO decided that Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron are “Muslim mosques” with no connection to the Jewish people or history. In so deciding, UNESCO was simply continuing its 2009 decision to designate Jerusalem “capital of Arab culture.” “The Arabs find it difficult to convincingly portray Israel as a usurper of the land as long as the world believes there is a huge connection between the people of the Bible and the land of the Bible. UNESCO is denying this connection by depicting Jewish history in the Middle East as no more than an insignificant, brief sojourn by arrogant colonizers,” said Italian journalist Giulio Meotti. Halting Archeology Denying that the Jewish people’s roots in Israel go back 4,000 years, UNESCO has directed a great deal of its antisemitic fury at the work going on in Jerusalem’s City of David, an open archaeological site filled with biblical artifacts, ancient burial spots, and royal seals. In recent years, UNESCO has increased its collaborative efforts with ISESCO, the cultural body of the Organization of the Islamic Conference. According to ISESCO, the Bible and the Jewish Temple are fiction; all Jewish monuments and buildings are Islamic treasures stolen by the Zionists; and Israeli
archeological digs are criminal acts against Muslims. Adopting ISESCO’s narrative, UNESCO has joined Muslim officials in falsely accusing Israel of destroying Islamic antiquities on the Temple Mount and in the Old City of Jerusalem. Remaking the Rambam UNESCO never protested when Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s Tomb in Shechem (Nablus), despite its legacy as a major Jewish shrine, or when dozens of graves at the Biblical Mount of Olives cemetery were desecrated. In 2011, as a crowning indignity, UNESCO classified the revered medieval Jewish rabbi, philosopher, and physician, Maimonides, as a Muslim named “Moussa ben Maimon.” “So the Rambam has been forced to ‘convert’ to Islam by the UN’s revisionist historians,” said Mr. Meotti. Obama’s Wish Despite these blatantly anti-Israel and antisemitic activities, the US branch of government that seems to need no convincing to reinstate UNESCO’s funding is the Obama White House. This past February, President Barack Obama submitted a 2013 State Department budget that lists $78.9 million for UNESCO, more than it had previously been receiving, despite the legal ban on funding for the organization. In a footnote, the administration explained that the State Department intends to “work with Congress to seek legislation that would provide authority to waive restrictions on paying the US-assessed contribution to UNESCO.” “All the pressure is on Congress to accommodate UNESCO and the Palestinians by changing US laws,” said Ms. Rosett. Those who oppose such a move are counting on the
perseverance of Rep Ileana RosLehtinen (R-FL), who serves as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. When the Palestinians won membership in UNESCO, she warned that “the only thing deterring more UN bodies from following in UNESCO’s reckless, anti-peace footsteps is the credible threat of a US funding cutoff, as US law requires.” “Money talks at the UN,” she told supporters of the Zionist Organization of America at the group’s dinner last fall. Palestinian Heritage In recent weeks, there have been more reasons for Israel’s supporters to insist that US financial spigots remain closed to UNESCO. At the end of March, PA President Mahmoud Abbas asked UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee to register some 20 sites under the name “Palestine” when the committee convenes in St. Petersburg, Russia, in June. “Palestine,” of course, does not exist as a state, and many of the sites that UNESCO has been asked to ascribe to it are currently part of Israel, including the old town of Nablus and Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. Most especially, Mr. Abbas wants the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Disappearing Christians ZOA President Mort Klein called on Christians around the world to protest any registration of the Church of the Nativity as a site under the aegis of “the terrorist-sponsoring PA regime that has seen its Christian population drop through harassment, intimidation, and violence to a fraction of its number in less than two decades.” “Bethlehem, in which the Church is located, was once a Christian-majority city. Its
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com current Christian population has dwindled to just 10 percent,” he said, noting that, in Hamas-controlled Gaza, matters are even worse. Ever since Hamas seized control of Gaza in 2007, Christians have been fleeing. Many of them have been killed by Muslim fundamentalists, and their churches and homes burned to the ground. Flexibility Mr. Klein called on the Obama administration and Congress to ensure that US funding to UNESCO is not resumed, “especially if the World Heritage Committee approves assigning sites, such as the Church of the Nativity, to ‘Palestine.’” But many pro-Israel supporters fear that the resumption of UNESCO’s funding is just one more example of how Mr. Obama intends to use a second term to show how “flexible” his foreign policy will be. “UNESCO doesn’t deserve American funding. But one can bet that a re-elected Obama will spend the next four years finding ways to funnel US support to his pets at the UN,” said Jonathan Tobin, senior online editor of Commentary magazine. Human Rights Council UNESCO, of course, is not the only UN organization that has paraded its anti-Israel animus. Last month, the 47-nation member UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) invited, for the first time, a Hamas leader to address one of its forums in Geneva. In the past, UN-member organizations followed the general rule that designated terrorists, such as members of Hamas, were not invited to speak. Emboldened by the welcome extended to Hamas’s Ismail al-Ashqar, the PA announced that it would ask the UN council to investigate how Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria “trample on the rights of the Palestinians.”
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By the end of the month, the invitation to Hamas, coupled with UNHRC’s decision to adopt five new resolutions condemning Israel, including one calling for the investigation into Israel’s “record of abuses” in Judea and Samaria, prompted the Jewish State not only to deny the council any cooperation, but to announce that it may cease dealing with UNHRC completely. Compromise As a compromise, Mr. alAshqar did not speak at the actual forum of the UNHRC in Geneva. Instead, he was offered a parallel space where he could address the Ma’arji Foundation for Peace and Development, a non-governmental organization which functions as an auxiliary of the UNHRC and whose programs are publicized on the UNHRC’s website. His topic was a discussion of Palestinian terrorists “languishing” in Israeli prisons. Among Israeli diplomats and other supporters of the Jewish state, the fact that Mr. al-Ashqar was barred from the actual UNHRC was considered something of a minor victory. Israel’s UN Ambassador Ron Prosor filed a formal complaint asking that Mr. al-Ashqar be removed from the UNHRC schedule. Canadian Support Mr. Prosor’s actions prompted the decision of Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird to instruct his country’s delegation in Geneva “to make our opposition known at the highest levels and in the strongest of terms.” He instructed the Canadian delegation not to attend any meeting or function at which Mr. al-Ashqar might be present. Mr. Baird has made it clear to Hamas that Canada is off-limits to them until they renounce terrorism. He and Canada’s Immigration Minister Jason Kenney have informed Hamas that its members will not be
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welcome to attend the International Parliamentary Union meeting scheduled to be held in Quebec City this coming fall. Based on Murder Many observers noted that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had not condemned Mr. al-Ashqar’s appearance, it would simply have slipped onto the schedule and then become routine for the UNHRC. Mr. Netanyahu characterized Hamas as “an organization whose ideology is based on the murder of innocents,” and said Mr. al-Ashqar’s invitation to address the UNHRC was evidence of the forum’s “detachment from reality.” Most Israelis and their supporters agree that the UNHRC has distinguished itself for its dedication to singling out the Jewish state for censure on any occasion and under any pretext. In Israel, Mr. al-Ashqar’s agenda was seen as a perfect fit for the council. A member of the Hamas legislature, he
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has publicly called for terrorists to kidnap Israeli soldiers, an act that is generally recognized as a war crime, and, on several occasions, he has taught that “Jerusalem cannot be liberated through negotiations or dialogue.” “Resistance and jihad is the only way to liberate Jerusalem from the dirt of Zionist occupation,” he has said. Mark of Shame In Israel, Likud MK Tzipi Hotovely called Mr. al-Ashqar’s invitation by the UNHRC “a mark of shame to an organization that attempts to create an image of caring for human rights.” She called his presence in Geneva “a new record for the global antisemitic-lie industry.” “Hamas terrorists, who fire rockets at the homes of innocent civilians, are received with open arms by the same organization that always denounces Israel’s actions,” she said. Mr. Netanyahu made clear there is no reason to suspect
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UNESCO and UNHRC that the proposed UNHRC “international fact-finding commission,” which was requested by the PA’s Foreign Minister, Riyad al-Malki, to investigate Israel’s activities in Judea and Samaria, will be any improvement. Goldstone 2 Mr. Netanyahu issued a statement denouncing the UNHRC as “hypocritical” for even proposing the new commission, which some are already calling “Goldstone 2.” It is named for South African Judge Richard Goldstone, who, in 2010, headed a Human Rights Council committee that issued a book of more than 500 pages on “war crimes” allegedly committed by Israel during the defensive, counterterrorist Operation Cast Lead campaign against Hamas in Gaza. After more than a year, during which the original Goldstone Report was used to demonize Israel, the judge
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admitted that, after the report was issued, he had learned facts that, he said, supported Israeli statements concerning how the Hamas terrorist organization used civilians as shields for their attacks against the Jewish state. Noting that the UNHRC has “an automatic majority against Israel,” Mr. Netanyahu said the body should be “ashamed of itself.” UNHRC Votes The vote to establish the fact-finding mission was 36 in favor and 10 abstaining. Only the US voted against it. Europe was divided on the measure with Norway, Switzerland, Belgium, Austria, and Russia voting in favor, while Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Moldova abstained, as did Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Cameroon. Other countries with whom Israel has good relations, nonetheless, voted for
the measure, including Angola, Nigeria, Uganda, China, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Chile, Mexico, Peru, and Uruguay. The decision to establish the pro-Palestinian fact-finding mission was only one of many anti-Israel measures adopted by UNHRC. In one week, the UNHRC took 91 votes, 39 of which dealt negatively with Israel. Three of the 91 issues concerned Syria and one had to do with Iran. “One had only to hear the Syrian representative speak about human rights in order to understand how detached from reality the council is,” said Mr. Netanyahu. Passive Antisemitism Italian journalist Giulio Meotti said the UNHRC reflects “the old central theme of the Albert Dreyfus Affair” in 1894, which, according to Mr. Meotti is “the fog of antisemitism in seemingly liberal societies.” He characterized the UNHRC’s resolution to establish
the fact-finding commission which will work against Israel “a blood libel,” which he said “is no different from that which plagued Dreyfus and Jews for centuries.” “The UN today is the tool of those who would make Israel the archetypal human rights violator in the world today. It is the most important breeding ground for antisemitism,” he said, stressing that, now, the victim is not a single French Jew, such as Captain Dreyfus, but, rather, the whole Jewish nation, and the “plotters against the Jews” are not a band of antisemites in positions of influence, but, an “unholy alliance of murderous racists, ‘democratic’ commissioners, shameless journalists, and corrupt intellectuals.” He suggested the reason Israelis have been demonized by institutions on the left is that “Jews are supposed to be passive victims and departure from this assigned role is unacceptable.”
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com “That’s why they criminalized ‘the settlers,’” he said. Cutting Ties Not surprisingly, there was no outcry in the Jewish state when Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman announced his inclination to recall the Israeli Ambassador to the UNHRC and cut the Jewish state’s ties with the body. Diplomatic sources inside the Foreign Ministry said Israel was opposed “to giving legitimacy to a body that is not legitimate.” “As far as Israel is concerned, the UN committee has no effect—political or moral—and, therefore, we will not allow them to work here,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon Rubber Stamp He called the UNHRC “a rubber stamp for the Palestinians,” who, he said, had proven that they “do not seek an historic reconciliation or peace, but only confrontation and struggle.” He said there was no point in cooperating with a council that “tries to cause damage to Israel.” “While all over the Middle East, human rights are violated in an unprecedented scale, the UNHRC ridicules itself by dedicating its time and resources to establish a superfluous and extravagant body whose sole purpose is to satisfy the Palestinians’ whims and to harm future chances to reach an agreement through peaceful means,” said Mr. Ayalon. Violating Oslo Ironically, he said, every time the Palestinians turn to another international body, such as the UN, they are violating the original Oslo Accords. “Had the Palestinians wanted to solve the settlements issue, they would resume without delay direct and unconditional negotiations on all core issues within the framework of a comprehensive agreement. Their deliberate
April 2012/Nissan 5772
choice to foster confrontation and provocation rather than compromise and reconciliation is nothing but a destructive strategy that the international community should firmly reject,” said Mr. Ayalon. Most galling, said Mr. Ayalon, is the fact that UNHRC members include several countries who lead the world in the number of human rights violations of their own citizens. Looking for Condemnations While Mr. Al-Malki had anticipated an Israeli decision to deny access to the UN commission, he was not prepared for Israel’s total withdrawal from the UNHRC. He had figured that when the commission was denied access, the PA would simply return to the UNHRC and wait for a response, which he thought would be “more condemnations against Israel by the international community.” “Certainly we coordinate our steps,” he told reporters. “First, we will wait for the resolution to pass; second, for the committee to be formed; third, for the UN to demand that Israel allow the committee to enter.” Two Initiatives According to Mr. al-Malki, the fact-finding commission which he said will “come to the occupied Palestinian territory to witness firsthand the illegal Israeli practices violating Palestinian people’s rights,” is one of two initiatives his ministry is undertaking. The second is an economic tactic to challenge Israeli authority over Jewish areas in Judea and Samaria, known from the Oslo Accords as “Area C.” This includes most of the land area in Judea and Samaria. According to reports, the PA has already told the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee in Brussels that it is asking donor countries to earmark funds for development in Area C.
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
Resolutions Mr. al-Malki said the next step would be a movement to pass “international resolutions” demanding “basic rights” for the Palestinians in areas controlled by Israel, including freedom of movement, expression, and access to Muslim and Christian holy sites. He said the Palestinians were asking for the investigation to include Israeli “attempts to confiscate land and settler violence along with the impact of settlement expansion on Palestinian life and basic human rights.” Mr. Lieberman called this new PA initiative “another move by the Palestinians to dodge negotiations and choose a strategy of confrontation.” Glorious or Failed As would be expected, PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas welcomed the decision of the UNHRC to appoint the commission, and the PA as a whole treated its establishment as a “glorious achievement.” On the other hand, Hillel Neuer, executive director of the NGO monitor group, UN Watch, said the UNHRC had failed its founding mission to protect victims. “The council’s new factfinding mission on settlements is a fraud, with the guilty verdict dictated in advance, and is contained in an egregiously one-sided resolution that says nothing of officially sanctioned Palestinian terrorism, rocket fire, and incitement to hatred, antisemitism, and genocide,” he said. End Cooperation One of the ways in which
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Israel is considering making its displeasure felt by the Palestinians is to freeze cooperation with the PA for joint business initiatives. The point, according to Arutz Sheva, would be get the message across to the PA that it “cannot have its cake and eat it at the same time by working against Israel while enjoying the taxes the Jewish state collects for it at crossings in the PA.” But while Israel is considering financial sanctions, the US is freeing funds earmarked for the PA that had been frozen after Mr. Abbas asked for UN-recognition of the PA state and was actively seeking a rapprochement with the Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Rep Kay Granger (R-TX), who serves as chairwoman of a House Appropriations Committee panel, said, for humanitarian reasons, she would release the $147 million that had already been appropriated for the PA. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), House Foreign Affairs chairman, only partially lifted her block so that half of the funds can be sent. Ms. Ros-Lehtinen said she would not object to disbursement of the PA’s funds as long as they were not used for assistance and recovery operations in Hamas-controlled Gaza and road-construction projects in PA-controlled areas of Judea and Samaria. She said an exemption would be made for projects related to security and those with permits from Israel. S.L.R.
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April 2012/Nissan 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
The Log: Do It Now
Registration Open for a Trip to Israel for Those who Have Suffered the Loss of an Infant or a Pregnancy, open to individuals and couples, July 2-8, 201-692-9302 Friendship Circle International Cross-Country Bike 4 Friendship, shomer Shabbat and Kosher, to promote abilityawareness for children with special needs, to participate or sponsor, info@friendshipcircle.com Yad Vashem, together with its partners, has collected and recorded the names and biographical details of half of the six million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their accomplices. Millions more still remain unidentified: It is our collective duty to persist until all their names are recovered. Do you know of a Holocaust Victim? Submit Pages of Testimony and send photographs of the victims so they will always be remembered. Call 609-292-9274 Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David is looking for boys who can sing and who will
be 7 years old by Rosh Hashana to participate in the shul’s High Holiday Choir, 973-736-1407 Yaldah Magazine is sponsoring a Jewish Life Photo Contest for girls, http://yaldah.com The Hebrew Home at Riverdale is accepting applications from teenagers for its Generation 2 Generation four-week paid internship, June 25-July 20 and July 23-Aug 17, 718-581-1404 The West Orange and Livingston Shuls “Shidduch Project” has been launched. To participate or submit a form on behalf of any Jewish singles, rglickusa@yahoo.com or bhindin2002@yahoo.com
Mon., April 9 Chol Hamoed Pesach
Six Flags Great Adventure Trip, for grades 7 and up, leaves the Riverdale Jewish Center, 7:45am, 718-548-1850 Six Flags Great Adventure Trip, spons by the Jewish Education Center, bus leaves Elizabeth 8:45am, 917-583-5963 NCSY Six Flags Great Adventure Chol HaMoed Passover
Spectacular, kosher food available for purchase, no outside food allowed in park, Wild Safari, 9am4pm; amusement park, 10:30am8pm, 551-486-7136, 201-862-0250, or dovncsy@gmail.com Free Pesach Lunch, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 12-2pm, also Tues., April 10; Wed, April 11; and Thurs, April 12, 732-545-2407 Drunk Driving Course, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Free Pesach Dinner, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 6-8pm, also Tues., April 10, and Wed., April 11, 732-545-2407 Israeli Dancing, for all levels and ages, Gaby Morantz, Riverdale YMHA, 7pm, The Choir of K’hal Adath Jeshurun of Washington Heights, in concert, at Cong Beth Tefillah, Paramus, 7:30pm, sashendorf@ cbtparamus.org Memorial Shiur on the Occasion of the 19th Yahrzeit of Rav Joseph B Soloveitchik, zt”l, with Rabbis Yosef Adler, Menachem Genack, Doneal Lander, and Hershel Reichman, Cong Shomrei Emunah, Englewood, 8pm, 201-568-7932
Tues., April 10 Chol Hamoed Pesach
NCSY Six Flags Great Adventure Chol HaMoed Passover Spectacular, kosher food available for purchase, no outside food allowed in park, Wild Safari, 9am-4pm; amusement park, 10:30am-8pm; New York Boys Choir Concert, 3pm; 551-4867136, 201-862-0250, or dovncsy@ gmail.com Personal Tour and Art Workshop: “French Impressionism with a Jewish Flavor,” Sheryl Intrator Urman, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, leave Englewood 9:30am, artforlearning@yahoo.com Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Pain: What Can You Do about It?” Dr. Beth Scarborough, 11am, 212-769-2850 Mystery Event, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905
Drunken Goggles Racing, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 “Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience,” Gail Weber, includes exhibition, Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-545-6484 Yeshiva Boys Choir in Concert, featuring The Cheva and OHAD, spons by YBH-Hillel of Passaic, at Bergen Performing Arts Center (PAC), Englewood, 7:30pm, 917-496-2110, 973-9028212, or avi.turkel@gmail.com Yisroel Juskowitz, in concert, separate seating, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 8pm, 973-777-5929 or http://www.ahavasisrael.org/ events/concert “Don’t Shut the Door: Rugrats Passover and Chocolate Mztza, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 8pm, 908-391-4927
Wed., April 11 Chol Hamoed Pesach
NCSY Six Flags Great Adventure Chol HaMoed Passover Spectacular, kosher food available for purchase, no outside food allowed in park, Wild Safari, 9am-4pm; amusement park, 10:30am-8pm, 551-4867136, 201-862-0250, or dovncsy@ gmail.com Personal Tour and Art Workshop: “Egyptian Art with a Jewish Flavor,” Sheryl Intrator Urman, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, leave Englewood 9:30am, artforlearning@yahoo.com Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 JCC Rockland Book Club: “The Tiger’s Wife” by Tea Obreht, facilitated by Arlene Sandner, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Schmooze on the News B’Ivrit, Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400
Thurs., April 12 Chol Hamoed Pesach, Erev Yom Tov
Chol Hamoed Trip to See “Sesame Street Live: 1-2-3 Imagine with Elmo & Friends,” spons by Cong Ohr Torah of Highland
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April 2012/Nissan 5772
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” Park, at the State Theater, New Brunswick, 10:30am, 732-325-9626 Film: “The Jolson Story,” JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 “How Queen Victoria’s Grandson, Charles Edward, Became Involved in the Nazi Eugenics Program,” Alan Rushton, MD, PhD, Drew University, Madison, 4pm, 973-408-3600
Fri., April 13 7the Day of Pesach
“The Eruv in America: A Social History Perspective,” Prof Jeffrey Gurock, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730
Shabbat, April 14 8th Day of Pesach
Shir HaShirim Reading, men and women readers, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, noon, 718-796-4730 Shiur Commemorating the 19th Yartzeit of HaRav Joseph B Soloveichik, zt”l, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 6pm, 201-907-0180 Shir HaShirim Reading, men readers, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 6:40pm, 718-796-4730 Moshiach Seder, Rabbi Levi Neubort, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 7pm, 201-794-3770
Sun., April 15
Deadline for Artists to Submit Portfolios for Artists for Riverdale Festival of the Arts, to be held on Sunday, May 6, for artists age 18 and up who reside in the NY-NJ area. Acceptable artwork includes all subjects, styles, disciplines and mediums, submit on a CD with 1215 images, lisa@elisaart.com Opening Game of the 2012 Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, Softball Season, 10am, ariel@afournier. com or falkjeff@gmail.com Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Yiddish Dance Class, spons by Rutgers Hillel, at Douglass College Center, New Brunswick, 1pm, 732-545-2407 Theater: “A Matter of Dreams,” by Judah Skoff, about
Jewish identity in Hoboken, Huziker Black Box Theater, William Paterson University, Wayne, 3pm, 973-720-2371 or 973-720-2000
Mon., April 16
“Poetry Co-Op,” TeleConference Class, Gerald Jonas, Dorot University without Walls, noon, 212-769-2850 Holocaust Program and Bagels, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 Israel Film Club: “Beaufort,” in Hebrew with English subtitles, discussion led by Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4200 “Three Faiths…One Panel,” co-spons by Hillel, Ratio Christi, and the Muslim Students Association, Rutgers Student Center, New Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-575-3934 Volunteer Orientation, to work with special-needs children and teens through the Friendship Circle of MetroWest, Livingston, 8pm, 973-251-0200
Tues., April 17
Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732777-1940 or 609-395-7979 “Amusing Tales of Monarchs, Kings, and Queens…Not Butterflies,” Lewis Smiler, for seniors, includes lunch and a farewell to Together on Tuesday director Karen Frank, RN, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 11:15am, 973-736-1407 Holocaust Remembrance Event: “Double-Crossed: The Saga of the St. Louis,” written and performed by Dr. David Gonzalez, Technology Center, Ellipse, Rockland Community College, Suffern, 12:30pm, 845-574-4244 or 845-574-4595 Holocaust Program and Bagels, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905 “Developing an Attitude of Gratitude,” TeleConference Class, Dr. Nechama Liss-Levinson, Dorot University without Walls, 2pm, 212-769-2850, Tuesdays beginning April 17
Holocaust Program and Bagels, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 Jewish Federation of Northern NJ Gala for Physicians and Dentists, featuring journalist Janine Zacharia, Temple Emanu-El, Closter, 6:30pm, 201-820-3911 Theater: “Still Jewish After All These Years,” with Avi Hoffman, Grove Street Theater, Montclair, 7:30pm, also Sun., April 22, 7pm; Thurs, April 26, 7:30pm; Sun., April 29, 7pm; and Sun., May 6, 2pm, 973-558-3116 “Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin,” Timothy Snyder, Kean University, Union, 7:30pm, 908-737-0256 “The Story of Salome Alexandrea/Shalom-Zion Hamalka,” Judy Petsonk, spons by Hadassah, Highland Park Conservative Temple, 7:30pm, 732-545-6482 Pre-Yom Hashoah Holocaust-Themed Art Program: “Black Is a Color,” artist Stan Lebovic, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 8pm, 732-247-0532 Birthright Orientation,
Greg Yellin, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9pm, 732-545-2407
Wed., April 18
Yom HaShoash Commemoration: film: “Secret Lives: Hidden Children and Their Rescuers during World War II,” with producer Aviva Slesin, Drew University, Madison, 10am, 973-408-3600 Bowling League Game, for special-needs children and volunteers, spons by the Friendship Circle of Passaic-Clifton, at Van Houten Lanes, Clifton, 3pm, 973-694-6274 “Children and the Holocaust: Children of Holocaust Survivors,” for middle and high school teachers, Master Teacher Institute in Holocaust Education, Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers, New Brunswick, 4:30pm, 732-932-2033 Warsaw Ghetto and Holocaust Memorial Commemoration, with Dr. David Marwell, a Second Generation speaker, a Yiddish speaker, and cantorial selections, spons by the Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, at Temple Beth Sholom, Fair Lawn, photo exhibit, 6:30pm;
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The Log
April 2012/Nissan 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
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program, 7pm, wmg14c@gmail. com or 201-873-3263 Yom Hashoah Commemoration: Film: “Only a Number,” with filmmaker Steve Besserman, Cong Beth Chaim, Princeton Junction, 7pm, 609-570-3355 Kosher Cake Decorating 101, L’via Weisinger, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Yom Hashoah Seder, firsthand accounts, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Theater: “Hanky Panky: A Jewish Wedding in the 1950s,” with Avi Hoffman, Grove Street Theater, Montclair, 7:30pm; also Thurs., April 19, 7:30pm; Sun., April 22, 2pm; Sun., April 29, 2pm; Thurs., May 3, 7:30pm, and Sun., May 6, 7pm, 973-558-3116 Mom’s Support Group, for mothers of children with special needs, Amy Brunswick, LSW, spons by Jewish Family Service of MetroWest, JCC, West Orange, 7:30pm, 973-765-9050 or 973-929-3129 Monthly Israel Update, Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Holocaust Memorial Program for Yom Hashoah, JCC of Middlesex County, Edison, 7:30pm, 732-494-3232 Yom HaShoah Commemoration: “The Maccabees of Sobibor,” Philip Bialowitz, Young Israel of East Brunswick, 7:30pm, 732-613-7191 or 732-353-6198 One-Night Course in Holocaust Study, Prof Stephen M Berk, UJA, Paramus, 7:30pm, 201-337-1111 Yom Hashoah Commemoration: “Music Interrupted,” with Samuel Marder, includes Dvar Torah by Rabbi Jonathan Rosenblatt and a candle-lighting ceremony, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7:40pm, 718-548-1850 ext 113 Super Jewish Singles, 65+, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400 “Thank G-d, It’s Not Matzah Challah-Baking,” Felicia Siegel, Rutgers Hillel, 8pm, 732-545-2407 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8:15pm, 732-339-8492
Yom Hashoah Tekes, Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm
Thurs., April 19, Yom HaShoah
Last Day to Drop Off Clothing for the Springtime Clothing Swap, for women, the number of used clothing items in excellent condition you drop off is the number of clothing items you’ll be able to pick up at the swap, scheduled for Sun, April 22, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, at a private home in Teaneck, 312-848-9041 Last Day to Drop Off Kosherfor-Passover Foods, Riverdale Jewish Center, 718-548-1850 La Leche League of Bronx/ Riverdale, Mia Damond Padwa, pregnant women, babies and small children welcome, healthy snacks, Riverdale YMHA, 9:30am, 718-543-0314 Last Day for the Exhibit: “Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience,” explores her life and legacy, Anshe Emeth Memorial Temple, New Brunswick, 10am-noon, 732-545-6484 “Holocaust Program and Bagels,” Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 “New Perspectives on Events in Eastern Europe 1929-1945,” “Te Evolution of Auschwitz-Birkenau from a Detention Center for Political Dissidents to the Largest Death Camp,” and “The Assessment of the Role of Antisemitism in Teaching the Holocaust,” for teachers of grades 5-college, Dr. Michael Hayse and Dr. Mary Johnson, Sam Azeez Museum of Woodbine, NJ, 5pm, 609-652-4699 or gail.rosenthal@stockton.edu “The Holocaust through Our Eyes: The Second and Third Generations Speak,” Sandy Rabinowitz, Julie Cohen, and Howard Wachtel, with community candlelight memorial procession and musical tributes by Anshe Segulah Men’s Chorus, spons by Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Greater Middlesex County, East Brunswick Jewish Center, exhibit, 6pm; commemoration, 7:30pm, 732-257-7070
Yom HaShoah Commemoration: Survivors and Survival, featuring Dr. Deborah Lipstadt; music by Avram, Elisha, and Zalman Mlotek; and survivors, spons by the Jewish Community Council of Greater Teaneck, Teaneck High School, reception for survivors and their families, 6pm; program, 7:30pm, 201-838-5873 or blancjay@optonline.net Torah Tuesday at Night Dinner and Learning Program, for men and women, honoring Rabbi Benjamin Yudin, featuring “Malchut-Command or Accommodation?” Rabbi Neil Winkler, includes dinner, Cong Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 6:40pm, torahtuesday@yahoo.com Yom HaShoah Commemoration, with survivor and author Fanya Gottesfeld Heller, “Love in the World of Sorrow,” includes candlelighting ceremony, presentation of the Abe Oster Holocaust Remembrance Awared, performances by the SAR Student Choir, students of the JCC Thurnauer School of Music, Abraham Barzelay, Troop Masada Israeli Scouts, and Rabbi Yitzchak Gershovitz, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1426 Mitzvah Makers, for teens, Cathie Izen, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Mishmar at Rutgers Hillel, with Rabbi Steven Burg, includes Study with a Buddy and kosher pizza, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407
Fri., April 20
Last Day to Apply for the Shalom Hartman Institute’s iEngage Junior Summer Internship at the campus in Jerusalem, for advanced undergraduates and graduates, June 17-July 26, with a stipend, yonatanz@shi.org.il “Ashkenazi Jews: A History and Interesting Facts,” Doug Leblang, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200
Shabbat, April 21
Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Minyan Tiferet: Shira Hadasha-Style Shabbat Morning Service, private home in Englewood, 9:15am, minyantiferet@gmail.com “National Funds for the Victims of National Socialism
and International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research,” Hannah Lessing, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, noon, 973-597-1655 Bnei Akiva Snif Chadash of Teaneck Darom, for students in grades 1-6, fun with an educational Zionist element, Cong Arzei Darom, 4pm, pscheininger@hotmail.com Cong Ahavat Achim Book Club, private home in Fair Lawn, 4pm, 201-791-0751 Parent-Daughter Pearls of Prayer, for grades 3-6, includes learning and snacks, Riverdale Jewish Center, between mincha and ma’ariv, 718-548-1850
Sun., April 22
JCC Rockland Mitzvah Day: JCC Cares, for grades K-7, West Nyack, 845-362-4400 Clowning Program Training: Bikur Cholim, spons by Areyvut, for adults and children 4th grade and up, includes visit to CareOne, at Young Israel of Teaneck, 8am, 201-244-6702 Teen Mitzvah Day, community service programs, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 9am-noon, www.tinyurl.com/7db4jfn Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 “The Story behind the Law: How Aggadah Justifies Halacha,” Rabbi Dr. Edward Gershfeld, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10am, 201-833-0515 Elder Care Workshop: “Living in the Now and Planning for the Future—Making the Most of Your Estate,” Shana Siegel, Esq, spons by Jewish Family Service, at Temple Beth Rishon, Wyckoff, 10am, 201-837-9090 Giant Play Date, for families with children ages 2-5, inflatable climbing toys, arts and crafts, and music, YMHA, Riverdale, 10amnoon, 718-548-8200 ext 220 Planet Earth Celebration, includes wool-related activities, such as spinning wheel, knitting, dying, on display, Bergen County Zoo, Paramus, 10am-4pm; sheepshearing demonstration, 11am, 201-262-3771
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Hebrew Club, for intermediate to advanced Hebrew speakers, men and women, spons by Hadassah, private home in Highland Park, 11am, 732-819-9298 Holocaust Memorial Vigil in Front of the Iranian UN Mission: Say No to the Iran’s Nuclear Program, 3rd Ave and E. 40th St, Manhattan, noon, hashoah. mail@gmail.com Springtime Clothing Swap, the number of used clothing items in excellent condition you contribute is the number of used items you can take at the swap, spons by Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments, at a private home in Teaneck, 1-4pm, 312-848-9041 Earth Day Health Fair, includes crafts, kosher food, health information, choral, dance, and exercise demonstrations, and a blood drive, Highland Park High School, 1-4pm, Deborah. rebhuhn@yahoo.com “Melodies of Spiritual Resistance and Hope,” with Holocaust music educator and performer Dr. Tamara Freeman, JCC, Margate, 2pm, 609-822-1167 ext 138 or jcutler@jccatlantic.org Yefin Bronfman, Pianist, with the NJ Symphony Orchestra, benefit concert for the Jewish Federation, at the NJ Performing Arts Center, Newark, transportation available from the JCC in West Orange, community reception, 2pm; concert, 3pm, 973-530-3474 Sports and Art Circle, spons by the Friendship Circle for Jewish special-needs children, Chabad House, Wayne, 2:30pm, 973-694-6274 Theater Party, “A Matter of Dreams,” by Judah Skoff, about Jewish identity in Hoboken, spons by Jewish Hudson, at Huziker Black Box Theater, William Paterson University, Wayne, 3pm, 201-604-3476 Friendship Circle Bowling League, for Jewish specialneeds children and volunteers, Van Houten Lanes, Clifton, 3pm, 973-694-6274 Yom HaShoah Commemoration, featuring filmmaker and child of survivors Menachem Daum and Adopt-a-Candle program allowing six congregations
April 2012/Nissan 5772
to introduce a survivor or child of survivors, co-spons by the Holocaust Museum and Study Center, at the Cultural Arts Center, Rockland Community College, Suffern, 5pm, 845-356-2700, 845-574-4244, or 845-574-4595 “Memory, Nostalgia, and Dissent in Contemporary Israel,” featuring “Revolution and Nostalgia: The Image of the Shtetl in Israeli Society,” Hebrew University Prof Israel Bartal; “The Many Natives of Jerusalem: Nationalism, Archaeology, and Fundamentalism in Contested Land,” Ben Gurion University Prof Michael Fiege; and “Antiquity in Popular Israeli Culture: Humor, Nostalgia, and Politics,” Rutgers Univ Prog Yael Zerubavel, spons by the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, at Trayes Hall, Douglass, New Brunswick, 7pm, 732-932-2033 Reception for Yad L’Achim, private home in Teaneck, 7pm, 917-693-1407 “Shalom Bayis: Hair Covering and Becoming an Ishah Kashera,” for women, Devorah Rose Kigel, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, allyson.guraryeh@ gmail.com Tanach Series, Rabbi Nati Helfgot, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-837-2795 Writers Group, to discuss work informally, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 347-200-5009
Mon., April 23
“Spanish and Portuguese Jews in World War II in the Netherlands,” Rev and Cantor Salomon L. Vaz Dias, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1426 Israel Presentation and Falafel, Rabbi Ely Allen, Ramapo College Hillel, Mahwah, 1pm, 201-820-3905 “Synagogue Leadership Initiative: Traditionalists,” Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, Paramus, 6:30pm, 201-820-3904 Trip to the Roundtable Discussion: “The Trial of Adolf Eichmann, 50 Years Later,” at the UN in Manhattan, program starts at 6:30pm, bus will leave JCC, Whippany, 5pm, 973-929-3066, holocaustremembrance@un.org, or bwind@ujcnj.org “Be a Leader of the Future,” Jewish Federation of Northern NJ, Paramus, 7pm, 201-820-3936
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
“Following Ezra: What One Father Learned about Gumby, Otters, Autism, and Love for His Extraordinary Son,” Tom FieldsMeyer, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm
Tues., April 24
“Elder Law, Disability, and Special-Needs Plans,” Benjamin Eckman, Esq, Cranford VFW Post 335, Cranford, 10am and 7pm, 908-206-1000 or beneckman. elderlaw@gmail.com “Why Is It So Difficult to Define Genocide?” Drs. Ruth Griffith, Sue Gronewald, Dennis Klein, and Jay Spaulding, STEM Auditorium, Kean University, Union, 11am, 908-737-0256 Holocaust Commemoration: “I Believe,” survivor Leibel Zisman, Cultural Arts Center, Faculty Dining Room, Rockland Community College, Suffern, 12:30pm, 845-574-4244 or 845-574-4595 Israel Presentation and Falafel, Rabbi Ely Allen, William Paterson University Hillel, Wayne, 12:45pm, 201-820-3905 Israel Presentation and Falafel, Rabbi Ely Allen, Fairleigh Dickinson University Hillel, Chapel, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-820-3905 Yom Hazikaron Commemoration: Paying Tribute to Israel’s Fallen Soldiers and the Victims of Terrorism,” JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1427 “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Woodcliff Lake, 8pm, 201-376-0157 Birthright Orientation, Greg Yellin, Rutgers Hillel, New Brunswick, 9pm, 732-545-2407
Wed., April 25, Yom Hazikaron Israel’s Remembrance Day for Soldiers and Victims of Terror
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“Exploring Different Genocides: Bangladesh and Post WWII Poland, Kean University, Union, 11am, 908-737-0256 “American Rescue during the Holocaust,” a workshop for educators, featuring the film, “The Minister’s War: The Story of Martha and Waitstill Sharp,” Goodwin Holocaust Museum and Education Center, Cherry Hill, 3:30pm, Shoshanna_Bailey@facing.org Yom Hazikaron Commemoration and Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration, featuring students of SAR in a multimedia presentation, Riverdale Jewish Center, 7pm, 718-548-1850 Yom Hazikarn Ceremony, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Yom Hazikaron: Bereavement, Remembrance, and Reconciliation, includes the film “Encounter Point,” with Daniel Sonnenschein and a panel of people who lost loved ones in the struggle for Israel, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Yom Ha’atzmaut Tefillah Chagigit Festive Prayer Service, includes BBQ, music, dancing, and a performance by the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale Choir, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7:50pm, 718-796-4730 “Chicks with Sticks Knitting Circle,” hats for preemies, children with cancer, and IDF soldiers in Israel, private home in Highland Park, 8pm, 732-339-8492 Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut Program, honoring
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those with relatives who live in, children who learn in, or who have spent time in Gush Etzion, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, ericasassoon@gmail.com Yom Hazikaron and Yom Ha’atzmaut Program, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-907-0180 Yom Ha’atzmaut: Israel’s 64th Birthday Bash, featuring the IDF Ensemble and Israeli dancing, JCC, Tenafly, 8pm, 201-408-1427 Yom Ha’atzmaut Celebration, with political analyst Michael Tuchfeld, Young Israel of Monsey and Wesley Hills, 8pm, 845-362-1838
Thurs., April 26, Yom Ha’atzmaut Israel Independence Day
Deadline for Raffle to Benefit Hadassah Medical Organization’s Fight Against Cancer, drawing will be May 6, 732-828-7415 Jewish Business Network Kosher Breakfast, Regus Offices at Metropolitan Center, E Rutherford, 8:30-10am, 201-568-0999 Last Day for Exhibit: “Survivors and Liberators: Portraits,” by Dr. Wilma Bulkin Siegel, JCC, Tenafly, Mon-Thurs, 9am-10pm; Fri and Sun, 9am-5pm, 201-408-1408 Holocaust Learning through Experience Program, for high school students and educators, featuring a DNA Ancestry Project, an exhibit of rescuers of various genocides, survivors, and Leora Kahn, Raritan Valley Community College Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Branchburg, 9am, 908-526-1200 ext 8524 Seniors Trip to the “The Great Jewish Treasures of New York,” tour of renowned synagogues, leave Riverdale YMHA, 10am, 718-548-8200 Support Group for Caregivers, those caring for an older adult who is physically frail or suffering from memory loss, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1450 Holocaust Film: “Hana’s Suitcase,” Technology Center, Ellipse, Rockland Community College, Suffern, noon, 845-5744244 or 845-574-4595 Israel Presentation and Falafel, Rabbi Ely Allen, Bergen
Community College Hillel, Paramus, 12:30pm, 201-820-3905 Bronx Israel Independence Day Festival, co-spons by the Bronx Boro President’s Office and the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, at HIR, 5-8pm, 718-796-4730 “Spiritual Resistance During the Holocaust: How Jewish Intellectuals Hid Jewish Cultural Treasures from the Germand and Rescued Them from Destruction,” Prof David Fishman, spons by he Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies of Ramapo College, at the Trustees Pavilion, Mahwah, 7pm, 201-684-7409 Kosher Cake Decorating 101, L’via Weisinger, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Theater: “A Matter of Dreams,” by Judah Skoff, about Jewish identity in Hoboken, Huziker Black Box Theater, William Paterson University, Wayne, 8pm, 973-720-2371 or 973-720-2000 Mishmar at Rutgers Hillel, with Rabbi Steven Weill, includes Study with a Buddy and kosher pizza, New Brunswick, 8pm, 732-545-2407
Fri., April 27
Holocaust Learning through Experience Program, for middle school students and educators, featuring survivors and Leora Kahn, Raritan Valley Community College Institute for Holocaust and Genocide Studies, Branchburg, 9am-12:30pm, 908-5261200 ext 8524 Mothers’ Day Shopping Madness Boutique, to benefit Early Childhood Department, JCC, West Orange, 9am-3pm, 973-530-3468 “60,000 Years of Art in 60 Minutes,” Gene Wisniewski, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Kids of Courage Shabbaton, for children and young adults facing serious and terminal illnesses, Cong Etz Chaim, Livingston, through Shabbat, April 28, 973-597-1655 Rabbi Jonathan Rietti, scholar-in-residence, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, through Shabbat, April 28
Shabbat, April 28
Shabbat Morning Walk to
Cong Sons of Israel for Tefillah and lunch with the RussianJewish community of Pelham Parkway, on the way back, stop at the Bronx Botanical Gardens, leave Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 8am, 718-796-4730 Scholar-in-Residence Rabbi Steve Weil, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, “The Two Greatest Challenges Facing Modern Orthodoxy in the 21st Century,” noon; “How to Have an Honest and Open Rendez-Vous with the Almighty: Tefillah in the Eyes of the Rav,” before mincha; “The State of Israel: Did It Go the Way We Planned?” seudat shlishit, 973-736-1407
Sun., April 29
SINAI Special-Needs Institute Bikeathon, private location, 8am, 201-833-1134 ext 105 “The Israel Advocacy Forum,” focusing on areas of media monitoring, ABC’s of Israel Advocacy, outreach to non-Jewish constituencies, and high school and campus outreach, includes breakfast, spons by Stand With Us, JCC, Tenafly, 9am, 201-820-3946 Blood Drive, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 9am-1pm, 973-736-1407 Hadassah Southern NJ Region’s Education Symposium and Spring Conference: Exploring the Many Facets of Jewish Identity, featuring the Tzofim Friendship Caravan of Israeli Scouts, installation of new president Aimee Ostrov, includes lunch, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Monroe Twnshp, 9am, 732-868-8353, 732-446-6831, or 732-549-7224 YJCC Gently-Used Book Sale, Washington Twnshp, 9:30am9:30pm, also Mon., April 30, 9am6pm; and Tues, May 1, 9am-3pm, 201-666-6610 “Intimacy, Sexuality, and Fertility Challenges,” spons by the Puah Institute, at Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, Roundtable on Medicine and Halacha: “Sexual Function and Dysfunction: Diagnosis, Treatment, Ethics, and Respect,” “Are We Normal? Medical and Rabbinic Counseling for Every Young Couple,”
for doctors and rabbis, 9:15am; lunch, public invited, includes “Urgency of Professional, Clergy, and Community Communications,” Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, and “D’var Torah,” Rabbi Kenneth Brander, noon; “How Far We’ve Come—How Much Further Can We Go?” Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, 1pm; Roundtables: “Dyspareunia (Resolving Painful Sex,” Dr. Scott Chudnoff and Rabbi Dr. Richard Weiss; “Intimacy Challenges: Facing Infertility, Major Illness, or Infectious Diseases,” Dr. Harry Lieman and Rabbi Gideon Weitzman; “Erectile Dysfunction,” Natan Bar-chama, MD and William Petok, PhD; “and “The Dynamics of Marital Intimacy in All Stages of Life,” Dr. Sara Barris, 1:30pm; “Summation,” Rabbi Weitzman, 3pm, 212-613-8300 Jewish Education for Special Children Breakfast, honoring Malkie and Jeffrey Mayer, Dani and Illana Berkowitz, Rabbi Shraga and Leslie Schofield, Chana Danziger, Maya Gardenswartz, Racheli Hyman, Bracha Klagsbrun, Rachel Levy, Shayna Ritz, and Sori Wolfson, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:30am, 201-262-1090 Learning Service, Rabbi Moshe Edelman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9:30am, 718-796-4730 “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad Lubavitch of Riverdale, 9:45am, 718-549-1100 Elder-Care Workshop: “Living in the Now and Planning for the Future—Making the Most of Your Estate,” Michael Manna, Esq, spons by Jewish Family Service, at Temple Emanuel of the Pascack Valley, Woodcliff Lake, 10am, 201-837-9090 Jewish Community Relations Council Israel Advocacy Forum, JCC, Tenafly, 10am, 201-820-3946 Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Raritan Valley Chapter of Hadassah Youth Aliyah Brunch, celebrating Hadassah members whose children and/
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com or grandchildren have made aliyah, Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park, 11am, 732-572-7710 or 732-819-0593 AMIT Mother in Israel Book Lecture and Reception, featuring “Letter from a Stranger,” Barbara Taylor Bradford, includes brunch, private home in Teaneck, 11am, 201-836-4544 Teens Needed to Staff Family Soup Kitchen, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 11:45am4:15pm, 917-885-4542 PROMPT Conference, for speech therapists and parents to learn more about a program to develop motor skill in the development of language for interaction, Gail Scher and Amy Clark, at the Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, through Tues., May 1, noon, http:// www.promptinstitute.com/ Theater: “A Matter of Dreams,” by Judah Skoff, about Jewish identity in Hoboken, Huziker Black Box Theater, William Paterson University, Wayne, 3pm, 973-720-2371 or 973-720-2000 Friendship Circle Bowling League, for Jewish special-needs children and volunteers, Holiday Bowl, Oakland, 3pm, 973-694-6274 Art Exhibit: “Beauties of Nature in Northern NJ and Nahariya, Israel,” Jewish Federation of North NJ, Paramus, reception display, 4-7pm, 201-820-3907 Cong Agudath Israel of Highland Park Dinner, honoring Dr and Mrs. Chaim Presby, shul in Highland Park, 5:30pm, ubenjamin@msn.com JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 Rutgers Hillel End-of-theYear Banquet, at Livingston Student Center, New Brunswick, 6pm, 201-220-4959 Film: “Iranium,” spons by Christians United for Israel, at Cong Sons of Israel, Manalapan, 7pm, 732-446-3000 or info@cufi.org Hadassah Book Club: “The Prime Ministers” by Yehuda Avner, private home in Highland Park, 7:30pm, 732-545-3147
Mon., April 30
Youth Writing Contest Deadline: “What We Can Learn from Women Who Achieved the
April 2012/Nissan 5772
Extraordinary: How the Lessons of Jewish Women in the Partisans Help People Today Make a Positive Difference,” 300-600 word essay for students in grades 8-9 and 10-12, spons by the Jewish Partisan Educational Foundation, information at www. jewishpartisans.org/women and www.jewishpartisans.org/contest, first prize is a Kindle Fire Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Jacob Weiland, MSW, Riverdale YMHA, 1pm, 718548-8200 ext 303 Webinar: “The State of Israel as It Turns 64,” Dr. Tal Becker and Rabbi Dr. Donniel Hartman, Shalom Hartman Institute, 1:30pm, http://iengage. org.il/about_us_view.asp?Cat_ Id=25&Cat_Type=About&Title_ Cat_Name=Webinar%20 Session%205
Tues., May 1
“The Holocaust and Its Legacies in Scandinavia: Research and Education,” featuring “The Challenge of Combining Research with the Classroom: Raoul Wallenberg and Other Swedish Cases,” Paul Levine; “Himmler’s Briefcase: Finland and the Holocaust,” Oula Silvennoinen; “From a Sentence in a Book to a Field of Research: Developments in Holocaust Research and Education in Norway,” Øivind Kopperud; “Holocaust Education in Denmark: Between Research and Memory Politics,” Cecilie Stokholm Banke’ chaired by Anton Weiss-Wendt; discussant, Karin Kvist Geverts; spons by Nordic Dutch Network of Genocide Studies, Institute for the Study of Genocide, and the Center for Peace, Justice, and Reconciliation at Bergen Community College, held at Engelhard Hall, Newark College of Arts and Sciences and University CollegeNewark, 10am, 973-353-1260 or ahinton@andromeda.rutgers.edu Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732777-1940 or 609-395-7979 “The ‘Arts’ and the Holocaust,” a history of the art of propaganda and “degenerate art,” for teachers of grades K-12 and administrators, Barbara Wind
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
and Dr. Paul Winkler, spons by the Historical Society of Princeton, at The Updike Farmstead, Princeton, 4pm, 609-292-9274 Rutgers Hillel Innovation and Excellence Gala, honoring Peter Weidhorn, Renee Gross and Stuart Feinblatt, Melissa Schoffer, Scott Siegel, Lenny Haas, Shaina Stiefel, Zeke Pariser, and Amanda Cove, at The Crystal Plaza, Livingston, 5:30pm, 732-545-2407 “Israel vs Iran: When Will It Erupt?” Dr. Ronen Bergman and Rabbi Yitz Greenberg, includes dinner, Riverdale YMHA, 6:30pm, 718-548-8200 “Ethics in the Field: An Inside Look at the Israel Defense Forces,” IDF Col Bentzi Gruber, spons by Friends of Israeli Disabled Veterans, at The Jewish Center, Manhattan, 7:30pm, 212-6893220 or www.fidv.org “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Riverdale YMHA, 7:30pm, 718-549-1100 “The Art of Marriage: Jewish Bedroom Secrets,” Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Woodcliff Lake, 8pm, 201-376-0157 “Smile Again: Rebuilding Success Following Failure or Loss,” Eliezer Vilinsky, Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 8:30pm, 845-426-3673 Cong Ahavas Achim of Highland Park Book Club: “The Tiger’s Wife” by Tea Obreht, private home in Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-572-6741
Wed., May 2
Contemporary Israeli Poetry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of
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Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Kosher Cake Decorating 101, L’via Weisinger, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7pm, 845-362-4400 Jewish 12-Step Meeting, JACS—Jewish Alcoholics, Chemically Dependent Persons, and Significant Others, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201837-9090, ask for IRA (Information and Referral) or 201-981-1071 Monthly Israel Update, Daniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Mendy Mangel, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500; Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 732-972-3687, 7:30pm “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Ephraim Simon, Chabad House, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-907-0686 Volunteer Orientation, to work with special-needs children and teens through the Friendship Circle of MetroWest, Livingston, 8pm, 973-251-0200 Cooking Class, Abbi Halpern, private home in Livingston, 8pm, 973-597-1655
Thurs., May 3
“9-11 Instruction in the Classroom,” for elementary school teachers, NJ State Museum, Trenton, 8:30am, 609-292-9274 Jewish Federation’s Women’s Philanthropy Spring Luncheon, with comedian Judy Gold, honoring Sue Ann Levin, Karen Farber, and Elaine Adler, at the Rockleigh Country Club, 10am, 201-820-3953 Spring Comedy: “The Bloody Attack of the Evil, Demonic
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Giraffe Puppet,” Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, Livingston, 7pm, 973-597-1115 ext 1164 Live from the 92nd St Y: “Prague Winter: A Personal Story of Remembrance and War, 1937-1948,” Madeleine Albright, at the JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 8pm, 845-362-4400
Fri., May 4
Shabbaton, for local college students, Rabbi Ely Allen, spons by Northern NJ Hillel, private location in Bergen County, through Sun., May 6, 201-820-3905 Yachad Family Shabbaton and Retreat, for families with special-needs children, includes siblings workshops, at the Hudson Valley Resort and Spa, Kerhonkson, NY, through Sun., May 6, herrmann@ou.org Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, Scholar-in-Residence, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, through Shabbat, May 5, howard@ketertorah.org
Shabbat, May 5
Bnei Akiva Snif Chadash of Teaneck Darom, for students in grades 1-6, fun with an educational Zionist element, Cong Arzei Darom, 4pm, pscheininger@ hotmail.com
Sun., May 6
Torah Home-Education Conference, for mothers and fathers looking for ideas about teaching their children, whether for home-schooling or supplementary teaching, Yael Aldrich, Baltimore, MD, aldrich613@hotmail.com 2012 Komen North Jersey Race for the Cure, Essex County South Mountain Recreation Complex, West Orange, registration, 7am; 5K run, 8:30am; expo, 9am; survivor ceremony, 9:30am; 5K and 1.5 mile fun walk, 10am, 908277-2904 ext 14 Hadassah South NJ Region’s Education Symposium and Spring Conference, includes performance by Tzofim Israeli Scounts Friendship Caravan, officers installation, and lunch, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Monroe Twnshp, 9am-3pm, 732-643-1100 Torah Tuesday Breakfast, honroing Ralph Cheifetz and honoring Regina Bowski, Cong
Shomrei Torah, Fair Lawn, 9am, torahtuesday@yahoo.com Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 G.E.M. (Gathering for Encouragement of Modesty): Hashkafa and Halacha from Bnos Melachim and Individual Thoughts, for women, private home in Passaic, 9:15am, 973-365-2342 Learning Service, Rabbi Moshe Edelman, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9:30am, 718-796-4730 “The Art of Marriage: Jewish Bedroom Secrets,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Chabad Lubavitch of Riverdale, 9:45am, 718-549-1100 Memorial to Arthur Joseph, z”l, The Jewish Center of Teaneck, 10am, minnah@jfnnj.org Sharsheret Benefit, for young women facing breast and uterine cancer, honoring Gail Propp and Moe Rice, at the Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe, 10:30am, 866-474-2774 Hoboken Arts Festival, HudsonJewish will have a booth, Washington Street between 1st and 6th Streets, Hoboken, 11am6pm, michelle@hudsonjewish.org “Letter from a Stranger,” Barbara Taylor Bradford, spons by East Brunswick chapter of AMIT, includes brunch and reception, at Young Israel of East Brunswick, 11am, 732-238-4062 Spring Comedy: “The Bloody Attack of the Evil, Demonic Giraffe Puppet,” Rae Kushner Yeshiva High School, Livingston, 3pm, 973-597-1115 ext 1164 Friendship Circle Bowling League, for Jewish specialneeds children and volunteers, Van Houten Lanes, Clifton, 3pm, 973-694-6274 Kids in Action Kindness Project: Bowling for Camp Scholarships, Fire Science and Safety, for boys and girls 6-10, Rabbi Michoel Goldin, includes pizza supper, Chabad House, Teaneck, 3:30pm, 201-907-0686 Bat Mitzvah Shiur: B(at Mitzvah) A(mazing) T(rue you) Shiur on “Tzniut,” for bat mitzvah girls
and their mothers, Gila Manolson, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 4pm, leah.silver@gmail.com “Raising a Child with a Soul,” Slovie Jungreis-Wolff, Kehillat New Hempstead, 7pm, 845-362-2425 “Shalom Bayis: Practical Applications and How-To’s,” for women, Devorah Rose Kigel, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, allyson.guraryeh@gmail.com Tanach Series, Rabbi Nathaniel Helfgot, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-837-2795 “The Jersey Sting,” Ted Sherman and Josh Margolin, the story of a black-market kidney deal, spons by the Men’s Clubs and the Sisterhoods of Congs Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David and Ohr Torah, at Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-669-0938 Writers Group, to discuss work informally, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 347-200-5009
Mon., May 7
Bnai Mitzvah Fair, featuring representatives of many organizations to help children decide how to impact their community, the Jewish people, and the world at large, spons by Areyvut, at Yeshivat Noam, Paramus, for 5th grade girls and 6th grade boys, 3:45-4:30pm; for parents of 5th grade girls and 6th grade boys, 7-7:45pm; for the community, 7:45-8:30pm, 201-244-6702 “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Mendy Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 973-486-2362; Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern, Rabbi Samuel Gancz, 845-368-1889, 7:30pm Community Synagogue of Monsey Sisterhood Book Club: “Room” by Emma Donoghue, private home in Monsey, 8pm, 845-352-2496
Tues., May 8
Teaneck Municipal Elections “The Art of Marriage: The Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 10:30am, 732-972-3687 “Westward Oy: Pioneer Jews in America,” Dr. Kenneth Libo, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400 “The Art of Marriage: The
Case for Marriage,” Rabbi Levi Dubinsky, Chabad of Mountain Lakes, 7:30pm, 973-551-1898 “The Art of Marriage: Jewish Bedroom Secrets,” Rabbi Levi Shemtov, Riverdale YMHA, 7:30pm, 718-549-1100 “The Art of Marriage: Will My Spouse Ever Change?” Rabbi Dov Drizen, Valley Chabad, Woodcliff Lake, 8pm, 201-376-0157
Wed., May 9
NORPAC Mission to Washington, for adults and children 12 and up, under 18 must be accompanied by parent or legal guardian, kosher meals included, buses will leave from various locations throughout NJ and NY, 6:15am, 201-788-5133 or bchouake@aol.com Lag B’Omer Party at Riverdale Israel House (iHouse), gym and Israeli-style brunch, for children and adults, in Hebrew, Talya Leib, Riverdale YMHA, 10:30am, 718-548-8200 Mother’s Day Luncheon and Program, for seniors, Riverdale YMHA, 11:45am, 718-548-8200 “Children and the Holocaust: Changing Perspectives in Holocaust Education for Children,” for middle and high school teachers, Master Teacher Institute in Holocaust Education, Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers, New Brunswick, 4:30pm, 732-932-2033 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 JCC Rockland Book Club: “Zeitoun” by Dave Eggers, facilitated by Arlene Sandner, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 Schmooze on the News B’Ivrit, Danniel Sonnenschein, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 7:30pm, 845-362-4400 “The Art of Marriage: Jewish Bedroom Secrets,” Rabbi Mendy Mangel, Chabad Center, Cherry Hill, 856-874-1500; Rabbi Levi Wolosow, Chabad House, Manalapan, 732-972-3687, 7:30pm “The Art of Marriage: Jewish Bedroom Secrets,” Rabbi Ephraim Simon, Chabad House, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-907-0686 Y
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New Classes This Month Sundays
“Keeping up with Your 5th Grade Son’s Learning: Chaburah Learning Brachos, 4th Perek, for men, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, includes breakfast, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 862-371-3186 Shiur, Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Cong Bnai Yeshurun,, Teaneck 8:30am, 201-836-8916 Support Group for Siblings of Children with Special-Needs, Phyllis Yedida Sachs-Yasgur, includes arts and crafts, books and games, to share experiences and feelings, private location in Teaneck, 10am, 845-304-2368, begins April 22 “Souls on Fire: The Great Chassidic Masters, Their Teachings and Related Stories,” for women, Rabbi Aba Wagensberg, Cong Ahavas Israel, Passaic, 11am, 973-777-5929 ext 2 Avot uBanim Father-Son Learning, includes snacks and raffles, Yeshiva Gedola, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-5920 Shomer Shabbat and Shomer Kashrut Cub Scout Pack 613 Den Meeting, for boys in grades 1-5, cubmaster Jonathan Schachter, Cong Ahavat Achim, Fair Lawn, 7pm, jschachter2@gmail.com Interactive Shemonah Perakim Chaburah: Rambam’s Classic Preface to Avos, Rabbi Yitzchok Segal, Kehulas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 8:30pm, kby613@gmail.com Souper Sunday Night Learning, Rabbi Akiva Weiss, spons by Rutgers Hillel, private home in New Brunswick, 8:30pm, 732-2460207 or 732-545-2407 Chaburah: Avodah Zorah, Binyomin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, benhalberstam@yahoo.com
Mondays
Mommy and Me, for mothers and babies ages newborn through 3 years, Chabad Center, Wayne, 10am, 973-694-6274, begins April 16 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Reverence: A Writing Class,” Esther Cohen, 11am, 212-769-2850, begins April 16 Intermediate Israeli Dance, Sara Burnbaum, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, noon, 845-362-4400, begins April 30 “Women of the Bible,” Merri Rosenbaum and Ellie Budoff, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 1pm, 845-362-4400, begins April 16 Zumba Dance, Hila, for girls, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, grades 3-5, 5:45pm; grades 5-8, 6:45pm, francineweisbrot@gmail.com, begins April 16 Shomer Shabbat Boy Scout Troop, for boys in grades 6-12, Scoutmaster Daniel Chazin, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7:30pm, dchazin@ aol.com or 201-836-7019
Women’s and Teenage Girls’ Choir, Batya Harris, includes songs, harmonies, vocal warm-ups, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-694-1654 Hebrew Club, to practice Hebrew, participate in Israeli social activities, and enjoy Israeli food, Rutgers Hillel, 8:30pm, 732-545-2407
Tuesdays
Knitting Group, making woolen hats for IDF soldiers and cancer patients, private home in Monsey, 10am, 845-352-7073 or 845-356-3949 Lunch and Learn Shiur, Rabbi Yonah Lazar, private office in Verona, 1pm, 973-239-7500 or 973-736-1407 Nach Shiur: Shmuel Alef, Rabbi Nachum Muschel, private home in Monsey, 4pm, 845-356-3832 Beginners Hebrew Reading, Laurette Sasson, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-1458 or 201-408-1429, begins April 17 “The 39 Melachos of Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Eliezer Krohn, private home in Passaic, 7:45pm, 973-471-9536 Divorce Support Group for Orthodox Women, Dr. Carol Glaser, confidential participation, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-8822 Chumash, Rabbi Meir Goldvicht, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-836-8916 Young Professionals Chaburah, Rabbi Michael Bleicher, includes ma’ariv, private homes in West Orange, 9pm, 973-736-1407 Masechet Brachot—Perek Shlosha SheAchlu, Rabbi Tuly Polak, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm, 201-836-8916 Igros Moshe, Rabbi Dr. Mel Zelefsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9pm, 201-836-8916 “Spotlight on the Weekly Haftorah,” Rabbi Moshe Stavsky, Bais Medrash of Bergenfield, 9pm, ryan@bmob.org
Wednesdays
Bikur Cholim Baby Brigade, for mothers and children to meet, play, and visit senior citizens, at Daughters of Miriam, Clifton, 10:30am, DOMBabybrigade@gmail.com Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Ketubahs,” Dr. Marilyn Silver, noon, 212-769-2850,begins May 2 Yiddish 201, Blossom Milyoner, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 12:30pm, 845-362-4400, begins April 18 Dorot University without Walls TeleConference Class: “Talmud Treasures: The Wisdom of Our Sages and Life’s Lessons,” Dr. Lee Slavutin, 1pm, 212-769-2850, begins May 2 Lunch and Learn for Seniors, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai
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Mazal Tov
Front row, left to right, friend Tasha E. Morton, daughter-in -law Sandra, Mildred Spitz, and daughter Margie. Back row: son Henry; great-grandson Miles; grandson Ben Spitz; granddaughters Miriam and Rachel who came in from Israel; Ben’s wife, Sharon, with great granddaughter Madison.Y
Mazal Tov to the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Leora Adler, Rachelli Benoff, Gabriela Beyda, Shoshana Bursztyn, Devorah Chasen, Sophie Jaffe, Tovah Levy, Racheli Lipner, Leora Papier, Chana Rutner, Jillian Schiff, Russie Schreiber, Hannah Seidman, Sara Ruth Winter, and Eliana Zelig; and the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Robert Abrahams, Gabriel David Altaras, Jacob Amsels, Joe Amster, Adam Baron, Michael Bergstein, Avi Budoff, Al Druck, Amichai Zierler Feit, Simcha Feldman, Dovid Fertig, Yosef Goldblatt, Doniel Yehuda Grunwald, Dov Jacobson, Isaac Laifer, Yitzy Nissel, Eliyahu Sauber, Yaron Schneider, Jacob Silber, Zach Tuchman, and Sammy Zughaft Mazal Tov to Mildred Spitz, who celebrated her 100th birthday on March 2 with family, friends, and members of the Teaneck Kosher Nutrition Program at the Jewish Center of Teaneck Y
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New Classes
April 2012/Nissan 5772
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Yeshurun, Teaneck, lunch, 1pm; class, 1:30pm, 201-836-8916 Yiddish Vinkel, Blossom Milyoner, JCC Rockland, West Nyack, 2pm, 845-362-4400, begins April 18 Zumbatomic Fitness Class, for children ages 4-13, Shira Searle, Dragon Kim’s Karate, Livingston, 4pm, 973-495-0714, begins April 18 Shorashim Swim and Gym, for girls in grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 ext 205 “Writing a Spiritual Memoir,” YMHA, Riverdale, 7pm, 718-5488200 ext 201 Women’s Tehillim Group, for the refuah shleima for all cholei Yisroel, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, debbieshalom@yahoo.com Shiur, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8:10pm, rabbi@arzeidarom.org, begins April 18 Shiur on the Halachot of the Ben Ish Chai, Rabbi Ari Elibaz, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 “Halachic Issues in Medicine: Choleh Sh’yesh Bo Sakona,” Rabbi Zvi Sobolofsky, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck 9:15pm, 201-836-8916
Thursdays
Bayit Katan, for toddlers and siblings through age 3 with a parent or caregiver, Jewish content, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 10:30am, kathyandahron@verizon.net or rford11@yahoo.com “Autobiography: Short Story Fictional Writing,” Edith Sobel, JCC, Tenafly, 1pm, 201-408-1457, begins April 26 Shorashim Swim and Gym, for boys in grades 4-7, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 ext 205 “Thoughts on the Parsha,” Rabbi Yosef Sharbat, Sephardic Shul, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Gemara Class, Masechet Brachot, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Beit Midrash, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Parsha and Chassidus, Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Weinberg, Cong Bnai
Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916 Halacha in Parsha, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:10pm, 201-836-8916
Fridays
Rockland Jewish Flag Football League, for grades 9-10 and 11-12, St Lawrence Center, Hillburn (right near the Suffern, NY, Train Station, 2:30pm, 973-664-7535 or rjflhighschool@gmail.com, begins April 20
Shabbat
Pirkei Avos Shiur, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of PassaiClifton, Passaic, one hour before mincha, 973-778-7177
Motzei Shabbat
Navi, Rabbi Yisroel Reisman, live via satellite, Young Israel of Fair Lawn (201-797-1800); Cong Ahavas Achim, Highland Park (732247-0532); Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic; JEC, Elizabeth (908-591-5929); Cong Khal Zichron Mordechai, Monsey (845-356-7188); Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck; Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange (973-669-7320), 9:30pm
Specials
Ayeles Hashachar, Rabbi Avrohom Steinberg, Community Synagogue of Monsey, Sun-Fri, 11am; Sun-Thurs, 7:30pm, 845-3562720 or 845-356-2003 Minchenberg Daf Yomi: Maseches Kerisos, Rabbi Mordecai Tendler and Jerry Jacobs, Community Synagogue of Monsey, MonThurs, 5pm; Fri, 8:45am; Sun, 10am, 845-356-2720 or 845-356-2003
Chesed Ops
The Fair Lawn Gown Gemach, under the auspices of Anshe Lubavitch of Fair Lawn, loans gowns—bridal, bridesmaid, mother of the bride, flower girl, bat mitzvah gowns, and petticoats—free of charge. In addition, the gemach has some toddler tuxedos, crowns, veils, and dyed-to-match shoes. Call 201-797-1770 after April 16 The Fair Lawn General Gemach, under the auspices of Anshe
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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com
Judenrein Europe?
percentages of Europeans perceive Jews as indistinguishable from supporters of Israel. Additionally, many Europeans believe the attacks are simply directed against Jews. Targeting a School On March 15, Mohammed Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchborn Islamist of Algerian descent whose activities had already made him known to French authorities and Americans, who had placed him on the no-fly list, shot and killed three French soldiers. Four days later, he entered Toulouse’s Otzar Hatorah Jewish day school, fired randomly at parents, children, and teachers, and murdered Rabbi Yonatan Sandler, 30, his two sons, Aryeh, 6, and Gavriel, 3, and Miriam Monsonego, 8, and seriously wounded Bryan Bijaoui, 17, who tried to pull young Miriam to safety. With a video camera strapped to his chest, Mr. Merah recorded his actions. A few hours later, police cornered Mr. Merah in his apartment. After a 32-hour standoff, during which police tried unsuccessfully to convince him to surrender, a counter-terror unit stormed the apartment and, in an exchange of gunfire, Mr. Merah was killed and several officers wounded. The bodies of the Jewish victims were flown to Israel for burial. Not Surprised Like many who attended the funeral at the Har HaMenuchot cemetery in the Givat Shaul neighborhood of Jerusalem, Elisha Shapiro, who made aliyah from France, said although she was appalled by the brutal murders, she was not astonished by them. “I’m shocked, horrified, but not surprised. I witnessed the development of antisemitism, of Jews being targeted
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in all kinds of violent ways. It’s not a surprise that it came to that,” she said. Natan Sharansky, the Soviet refusenik who now serves as chairman of the Jewish Agency, agreed, admitting that while the tragedy came as “a big shock,” it really “should not be a big surprise” to anyone. He blamed the thousands of potential Islamist terrorists who now reside in Europe and “can act at any moment.” “It was easy to let them enter Europe, but it’s more difficult now to destroy this network of terror. That’s a big challenge to European governments, but it’s also a challenge for the State of Israel,” he said. Seeking to Conquer Throughout Europe, Islamist groups have made no secret of their intentions to “conquer” their adopted countries and force them to adhere to extreme Muslim Sharia laws. Just a few days after the murders at Otzar Hatorah, Facebook shut down a “fan page” that had been created for Mr. Merah by his admirers. Over 500 users had already joined it, many posting messages of support for the terrorist. Although French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is running for re-election, strongly condemned the murders and announced a new crackdown on the spread of terrorist-linked ideologies and activities, many observers said that even to make a dent, he would have to undo the acquiescence to Islamist beliefs that has become entrenched, especially in the French media. Mr. Sarkozy said any individuals who regularly visit “websites which support terrorism or call for hate or violence will be punished by the law.” He also promised a crackdown
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on anyone who goes abroad “for the purposes of indoctrination in terrorist ideology.” Mr. Merah had travelled to Pakistan, Syria, Jordan, Iraq, and Afghanistan, where he had allegedly been arrested for bomb-making. His passport also showed he had been in Israel where he most likely visited the Palestinian territories. Reigning in the Press While Mr. Sarkozy drew praise for his promised clampdown on Muslim extremism, some felt he did not go far enough. On Sunday, March 25, Toulouse-born Avraham Azoulai, editor of the Le P’tit Hebdo, a publication that caters to French-speaking Jews throughout the world, held a press conference in which he called on the French government not only to become serious about Muslim violence, but also to demand that the French media stop
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demonizing Israel. Anti-Israel incitement in the French press is responsible for rising levels of antisemitism, he charged. “We do not ask them to be pro-Israel, but to stop inciting,” he said, adding that Jews in France “live in fear—not just for themselves, but for their children.” “There is a boycott not just against products, but also against people and against thoughts,” he said. According to Mr. Azoulai, while only a small percentage of Muslims in France are “very violent,” the rest are influenced by the media. “They cannot hurt the IDF or Israel, so instead, they wreak vengeance on FrenchJewish children who cannot protect themselves,” he said. Like Pre-Holocaust Liora Zachary, who had made aliyah from France but was back in the country after
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Judenrein Europe?
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the murders, also spoke at the press conference. Describing the rampant antiIsrael incitement, she said it sounded like pre-Holocaust Europe. “Jews are being attacked all the time,” she said, “Children, in the buses, coming from school, couples in the street—this is just an unbearable situation. And we are talking about France, we are not talking about some kind of jungle. This is one of the main countries of Europe.” Aware that she was echoing the pronouncements of Jews in Europe just before the Holocaust, Ms. Zachary said she was shocked at the treatment she had observed. “The Jews of France have always been very active in the French community, in the French market. They have contributed tremendously to France, and I don’t think this is the kind of treatment they should receive,” she said. The Aliyah Solution The only solution, according to Mr. Azoulai, is to encourage French Jews to make aliyah. “We don’t tell Jews to go to Israel out of fear, but, rather, because Israel is our home,” he said. In late 2010, now-retired Dutch politician Frederick “Frits” Bolkestein, said virtually the same thing about Jews in the Netherlands. In a book entitled Het Verval (The Decline), Mr. Bolkestein told the author Manfred Gerstenfeld (a Holocaust survivor and senior researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs) that Jews had no future in the Netherlands
due to “antisemitism among Turkish and particularly Moroccan immigrants.” “Jews should emigrate to the US or Israel,” said Mr. Bolkestein. His remarks echoed the advice of Holland’s Chief Rabbi Benjamin Jacobs who said, “The future for Dutch Jewry is moving to Israel.” Home-Grown Terror Many countries in Europe have experienced the phenomenon of Muslim children born in Europe who follow the predilections of their parents’ home countries for terrorism. In Belgium, a video has been circulating on the internet depicting an extremist group threatening to force Islam on all Belgians. Muslims are already 25 percent of the population of Brussels, and, in 2011, the most popular name for newborns in the city was Mohammed. It was also the most popular name for babies in Antwerp, where an estimated 40 percent of elementary school children are Muslims. The Jewish population of Antwerp, once called “the Northern Jerusalem,” is rapidly declining. In the United Kingdom, including several boroughs of London, some areas have been declared “Sharia-controlled zones,” with bright yellow mounted posters informing residents and visitors that “Islamic rules enforced.” These posters, found in bus stops and on street lamps, warn that there is “no gambling,” “no music or concerts,” “no drugs or smoking,” and “no alcohol” in the Sharia-controlled zones.
Polls But instead of generating a backlash, these trends seem to have coalesced to demonize the Islamists’ chief targets: Jews and Israel. The ADL poll surveyed 5,000 adults—500 each in Austria, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, and the UK—on these questions: are Jews more loyal to Israel than to their own country? Do Jews have too much power in the business world and in international financial markets? Do Jews still talk too much about what happened to them in the Holocaust? According to the ADL, when compared to a similar poll conducted by the organization in 2009, the numbers either stayed virtually the same or, in some cases, increased dramatically. With a margin of error between +/4.43 and 4.85 percent, depending on the country, the poll found that, overall, in Austria, 28 percent of the population shows deep-seated anti-Semitic attitudes (down from 30 percent in 2009); France is at 24 percent (up from 20 percent); Germany, 21 percent (up from 20 percent); Hungary, 63 percent (up from 47 percent); Poland remained the same at 48 percent; Spain, 53 percent (up from 48 percent); and the UK, 17 percent (up from 10 percent). A full thirty-nine percent of Europeans believe violence directed against Jews is a result of anti-Jewish feelings as opposed to anti-Israel sentiments. In France, that number is 45 percent. An earlier poll conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Global Attitudes Project found that 46 percent of Spanish residents held an unfavorable view of Jews. According to another poll, this one conducted by the Friedrich Elbert Foundation, affiliated with the German Social Democratic Party, 47 percent of Germans believe “Israel is exterminating the Palestinians.” According to the national director of the ADL, Abraham Foxman, the survey, which shows that antisemitism remains at high levels across the continent and infects many Europeans at a much higher level than in the US, is “disturbing.” “In Hungary, Spain, and Poland, the numbers for anti-Semitic attitudes are literally off-the-charts and demand a serious response from political, civic, and religious leaders,” he said.
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Tragic but Unavoidable One serious observer believes that, with numbers like this, it will not be long before Europe is, for all intents and purposes, emptied of Jews. “Indeed, it’s a tragic, but unavoidable process. The New Europe will be a Jewfree continent,” mourned Giulio Meotti, an Italian journalist and the author of A New Shoah: The Untold Story of Israel’s Victims of Terrorism. He is convinced that antisemitism has become “the common currency of politics” in many European countries and that while it may not be a case of Jews fleeing for their lives one step ahead of the authorities, it will be a steady flow that could turn into a flood. Sharon’s Prediction He recalled that, in 2004, in the wake of several anti-Semitic attacks in France, then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called French aliyah “a must and they have to move immediately.” “People were embarrassed, but these sentiments have changed,” said Mr. Meotti. He pointed to statistics showing that immigration to Israel among French Jews has doubled over the past few years and that hundreds of French Jews have bought apartments in the Jewish state, many of them in Netanya. “It’s their pied-a-terre in case the situation gets darker in Europe,” he said. Mr. Meotti is not the only one who sees this handwriting on the wall. Even Talmudist Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz recently acknowledged that “the Jewish community in Europe is dying.” In addition to the polls, Mr. Meotti cited anecdotal evidence, such as the fact that, last fall, in the Dutch city of Weesp, the synagogue (dating back to 1840) cancelled services due to threats against the congregants. Lower Profiles In the United Kingdom, which, with France, accounts for 80 percent of European Jewry, anti-Israel sentiments are so prevalent, that many Jews have opted for a decided “lower profile.” Wearing kippoth in public is considered an act of bravery. Like elsewhere in Europe, the Jewish population in the UK has been declining. In 1970, there were 390,000 Jews, and, in 2005, there were 298,000. If they do not empty out more rapidly, it is projected
April 2012/Nissan 5772
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that, in 2020, there will be 238,000; 180,000 in 2050; and 140,000 in 2080. By contrast, there are now approximately one million Muslims in London alone, and that number is growing. Ken Livingstone Emblematic of the problems faced by the Jewish community is the Labor party’s candidate for Mayor of London, Ken Livingstone, who has a long history of tension with the city’s Jews. A former two-term mayor who is trying to return to office in the May 3rd election, Mr. Livingstone, known as “red Ken,” has gone on record supporting Palestinian suicide bombers. In July 2005, two weeks after the multiple suicide bombing
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attacks on London’s public transportation, he said the tactic was understandable. “Given that the Palestinians don’t have jet planes, don’t have tanks, they only have their bodies to use as weapons,” he said, adding that Israel’s defensive actions “border on crimes against humanity.” As mayor, he welcomed to London’s City Hall Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yusuf alQardawi who has given his approval to suicide attacks against Israeli citizens, saying they were “all soldiers.” Rich Jews, Israelis, Zionists At a recent meeting with Jewish Labor Party leaders, Mr. Livingstone said he did not expect many Jews to vote for him,
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Judenrein Europe? because he said left-wing voters are usually working class while Jews are predominantly high earners. According to the Jewish leaders at the meeting, Mr. Livingstone used terms such as “Jews,” “Israelis,” and “Zionists,” interchangeably and “in a pejorative manner.” He denied that his statements were motivated by antisemitism, and, he said, he did not wish to see Israel destroyed. “I am not against Israel. I am against Zionists,” he said. Shortly before the meeting with the Jewish leaders, Mr. Livingstone publicly declared, “I want to spend the next four years making sure that every non-Muslim in London knows and understands Mohammed’s words and message. That will help to cement our city as a beacon that demonstrates the meaning of the words of the Prophet.” Muslim Brotherhood & Iran In a letter to Labor Leader Ed Miliband, which was leaked to the London-based Jewish Chronicle, the Jewish Labor activists said that, during their meeting with Mr. Livingstone, there was a “strong perception that Ken is seeking to align himself with the politics of the Muslim Brotherhood and the Iranian regime, whilst at the same time turning a blind eye to Islamist antisemitism,
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misogynism, and homophobia, even [resortinging to] overt demonization of Zionism and the derogatory use of the word ‘Zionist’ and use of anti-Semitic memes.” According to some observers, Mr. Livingstone’s behavior has placed Mr. Miliband, Labor’s first Jewish leader, in a delicate position. While he has publicly defended Mr. Livingstone, saying he has “no prejudiced bone in his body,” Mr. Miliband must also deal with the Jewish leaders who say that, despite their general sympathy for Labor’s positions, they will not support Mr. Livingstone. Jews who are less committed to the left will probably eagerly vote for Mr. Livingstone’s Conservative opponent, Boris Johnson, who has served as mayor since defeating Mr. Livingstone in 2008. After some pressure from senior Labor Party leaders, Mr. Livingstone issued a quasi-apology and reluctantly affirmed that Israel “is democratic” and that he supports a two-state solution, but he failed to address his past statements or his close relationship with clearly anti-Semitic Muslim leaders. George Galloway No doubt, Mr. Livingstone is hoping to enjoy the same success as his pro-Palestinian
colleague, George Galloway, who in a special election at the beginning of April to fill a vacant seat, was elected to Parliament representing the heavily Muslim West Bradford. Originally a member of Labor, Mr. Galloway was expelled from the party in 2003 for calling Prime Minister Tony Blair a “war criminal” based on his efforts in the invasion of Iraq. A virulent opponent of Israel’s existence, Mr. Galloway, who has also made questionably anti-Semitic remarks over the years, had been out of office since 2010. He won his current seat as a member of the Respect Party. Labor had held that seat for 42 years. Muslim Causes Mr. Galloway’s political life has centered on working for Muslim causes. He had met twice with Saddam Hussein, expressed his respect for the Iraqi dictator, and formed a charity that was purportedly intended to highlight the suffering of the Iraqi people due to Western sanctions against Saddam’s regime. The charity was found to be surreptitiously backed by the Iraqi government and according to documents found after the invasion of Iraq, allowed Mr. Galloway to profit personally from his political involvement. An admirer of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Mr. Galloway has worked for Iran’s Press TV, where he said the president “commands the loyalty of the poor, the working class, and the rural voters whose development he has championed.” Two or possibly three of Mr. Galloway’s four successive wives have been Muslims, giving rise to speculation that he may have converted himself. In the just concluded election, his opponent was
Imran Husayn, whose family immigrated from Pakistan. Nevertheless, Mr. Galloway claimed he was actually the better Muslim. Pledged to the Palestinians Although raised as a Roman Catholic, he turned away from the Church as a young man, but reportedly returned to it in his mid-20s, after a trip to Beirut in 1977. “Barely a week after my return, I made a pledge to devote the rest of my life to the Palestinian and Arab cause,” he told the press, adding that after the age of 18, he decided not to drink alcohol, according to a Muslim precept he approves of. A year earlier, he had engineered a twinning project between Dundee, Scotland, and Shechem, a mostly Arab community in Israel. He defines himself as an enemy of “the so-called” or “apartheid” State of Israel. “The Bradford Spring” The day after his election, he told 2,000 Muslim supporters that his victory represented their having met the Islamic “wajib” or duty “to care about the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem, about the people under occupation in Kashmir, about the massacre in Kandahar.” “Neither will I forget those who are bleeding elsewhere in the ummah,” he said, referring to the greater, worldwide Muslim community. “We have problems here in Bradford, but the people of Gaza have even more problems.” Referring to the revolutions throughout the Arab world, most of which are allowing Islamists to take control, Mr. Galloway called his victory “the Bradford Spring.” The humiliated leaders of the defeated Labor party promised to “learn the lessons of our embarrassing defeat.”
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Expressing concern, Arutz Sheva news analyst Amiel Ungar said he hoped that did not indicate that Labor would try to compete with Mr. Galloway by appealing further to Muslim voters at the expense of others. “Too Controversial” With this kind of official antagonism in the UK, few have been surprised at the reluctance of Jewish students to risk hosting high-profile pro-Israel, anti-Islamist speakers. Last month, 48 hours before she was due to arrive, the Leeds University Jewish Society withdrew an invitation to American attorney, Brooke Goldstein, who specializes in defending counter-terrorism scholars who are at risk of being sued for their work by Islamist organizations. The Jewish students said they feared Ms. Brooke would be considered “too controversial.” Ms. Goldstein, who has been touring Britain with UK Lawyers for Israel (UKLFI), was aghast that “the Jewish students were too frightened to uphold the basic principle of freedom of speech.” With UKLFI, a group that uses advocacy and legal research to combat attempts to “undermine, attack, or delegitimize Israel, Israeli organizations, Israelis, and/or supporters of Israel,” Ms. Goldstein has been speaking about the ways Arab dictatorships and Islamist leaders use “lawfare” in the UK to sue those who publish articles against radical Islam. “Orwellian” The Leeds students said they were concerned about her association with conservative Dutch politician Geert Wilders, to whom she offered legal advice after he was sued for anti-Muslim remarks. Ms. Goldstein characterized the students’ behavior in cancelling her appearance as “disgraceful” and “Orwellian,”
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especially because her topic concerned how the Jewish legal team “advocates on their behalf.” “It’s disappointing that they would shy away from debating the most pertinent issues of our time, for example, what limits should be put on free speech and what is acceptable dialogue, critical of religion, in free societies,” she said. “Spineless Students” UKLFI spokesman Jonathan Turner said it was “absurd to deny a platform to a speaker on the grounds that she has supported freedom of speech for Wilders and others, especially when she was not even intending to talk about Wilders.” “On the same basis, one would deny a platform to Alan Dershowitz, who has supported freedom of speech for the Ku Klux Klan,” said Mr. Turner. He said the “spineless Jewish students” had “crumbled in the face of false charges of Islamaphobia” and that “in the Alice in Wonderland topsy-turvy world of British academia, Palestinian societies are free to host the most outrageous antisemitic extremists.” Jenny Tonge He may have been thinking about Liberal Democrat Peer, Baroness Jenny Tonge. Two weeks before Ms. Goldstein’s appearance was cancelled, students at Middlesex University in London were permitted to hear Ms. Tonge warn the Jewish state that it “is not going to be there forever in its present performance.” “One day, the US will get sick of giving $109 billion a year to Israel,” she said, vastly overstating the $3 billion in military grants Israel receives annually, most of which is earmarked for purchases from US defense contractors. Other aid to Israel is given in the form of loan guarantees. Economic grants to Israel ended in 2007. Ms. Tonge criticized the
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relationship between the US and the Jewish state, calling Israel “America’s aircraft carrier in the Middle East.” “There will come a day when the people in the US will say ‘enough is enough.’ It will not go on forever, and Israel will lose its support. Then they will reap what they have sown,” she said. She concluded her remarks by telling the students that, if she were a Palestinian, she “just might consider” becoming a suicide bomber. No Apology Her remarks prompted the head of the Liberal Democrat party, Nick Clegg, who serves as Britain’s deputy prime minister, to tell Ms. Tonge either to apologize or resign from her position as party whip and leave the faction in the House of Lords. According to the London Guardian, she told Mr. Clegg she would stand by her remarks. It was not the first time she had been asked to leave
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the party. In 2010, she was fired from her position as the faction’s health spokesperson after she called for an inquiry into allegations that Israeli troops were involved in organ-trafficking in Haiti. Censoring an Ad But in banning Ms. Goldstein and welcoming Ms. Tonge, British students were simply emulating UK officials. Last month, Britain’s Advertising Standards Authority banned the promotion of a book on northern Israel that includes a map showing the Golan Heights as part of the state. The ad, which also includes parts of Judea and Samaria on the map, was published in November and produced by Israel’s Government Tourist Office. Saying it had received 350 complaints about the ad, “including from supporters of Palestinians,” the agency ruled that the ad cannot appear in its current form because it
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Ess Gezint: Symbolic Foods for Pesach and All-Year Round By Betty Schwartz Just before Pesach, Chef Lara Szlamkowica, who was trained at The Natural Gourmet Institute and has cooked for Chef Bobby Flay, offered a gourmet Pesach cooking class for Cong Shomrei Emunah in Englewood. While the key to her Blackcurrant-Glazed Chicken is baste, baste, baste; her fish dish, served with salad symbolizes the Jewish people’s journey from slavery (horseradish), through the Red Sea (fish), to freedom in the Holy Land (Israeli fruits). If you need more information, send an email to lara@szlamkowicz.com Y
Potato-Crusted Fish with Herb Horseradish Aioli
Poultry Spice ½ cup dried parsley ¼ cup sage ⅛ cup dried rosemary, crushed ⅛ cup dried marjoram Mix together
1½ tsp salt ¾ tsp ground pepper ½ tsp onion powder ⅛ tsp ground sage
Blackcurrant-Glazed Chicken 1 whole broiler chicken 6 sprigs fresh thyme 1 Tbs kosher salt 8 sage leaves 1 Tbs poultry spice 1 large white onion, cut in half 1 tsp freshly ground 4 cloves garlic pepper ½ jar kosher blackcurrant jam Preheat oven to 450º. Mix salt, poultry spice, and pepper inside and outside the chicken. Tuck 2 sprigs of thyme and 4 sage leaves under the skin. Stuff the remaining herbs, onion, and garlic into the cavity and, if adventurous, tie legs with kitchen twine. Roast for 20 minutes, basting twice. Lower heat to 350º and roast another 20 minutes, basting twice. Melt jam over medium heat and pour over chicken. Return the chicken to the oven for the last 20 minutes and, again, baste twice. Serves 6-8.
1 lb salmon or grouper Black pepper, freshly ground 1 Tbs dill 2 Tbs mayonnaise 1 Tbs Italian parsley 2 Yukon Gold potatoes, grat1 Tbs freshly grated horseradish ed into bowl of cold water 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil Kosher salt 2 Tbs vegetable oil Preheat oven to 350º. To make the aioli, mix dill, parsley, horseradish, garlic, salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. Reserve ¼ of it for garnish. Season fish lightly with salt and pepper. Spread aioli over fish and allow to marinade for 20 minutes. Squeeze water out of the potatoes and toss with a pinch of salt and pepper and the olive oil. Press potatoes onto the fish. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the fish, potato side down, and allow the potato crust to crisp for 3 minutes. When edges of the potato are brown, transfer the pan to the oven for 3-4 minutes. Serves 3-4.
Spinach and Israeli Citrus Salad
Fresh baby spinach 2½ Tbs extra virgin olive oil 5 blood oranges ½ tsp sea salt 1 pomelo ¼ tsp black pepper Separate the flesh from the membranes of the fruits, placing a mesh strainer over a mixing bowl to catch the juices. Combine spinach and the fruit. Take 4 tsp of the juices from the fruit and mix well with the rest of the ingredients. Pour over the spinach and fruit.
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Judenrein Europe? implies that territory won in the 1967 Six-Day War has been internationally recognized as part of the State of Israel. Further, the agency ruled, Israel cannot issue an ad implying universal acceptance of “contentious claims.” Two years ago, the British agency used similar language in a nearly identical ruling on an ad promoting holy sites in Jerusalem. Acting on a complaint whose source was never disclosed, the agency claimed the ad was misleading because it implied that the section of Jerusalem in which the holy sites are located—the Old City—are part of the State of Israel. Death Threats In this atmosphere, it was not surprising that, at the end of March, it was reported that Conservative MP John Howell had received death threats after daring to defend the Jewish state in an exchange with a pro-Palestinian constituent. The threats were considered sufficiently credible to warrant the police to offer Mr. Howell protection. Mr. Howell’s ordeal began when he received an email from constituent Howard Fear, asking what the MP was doing “to see that Israel halts the military actions that are taking place in defiance of international law and basic human decency.” Mr. Fear included a photograph which had circulated on the internet in 2009, showing a building exploding, with the caption: “Only a few hours ago, Israel felt it necessary to inflict this destruction and death on the Gaza Strip.” Mr. Howell emailed back the following question: “And what is your position, Harry, on the 100 rockets which have landed in Israel over the weekend?” Uncivil Mr. Fear posted that
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response on his blog and his Facebook page along with Mr. Howell’s contact information, instructing all readers to write to the MP “civilly, expressing discontent with his conduct.” Mr. Howell received about 30 emails, many of which he characterized as “worrying” from “pro-Palestinian and Arab fanatics, some from the UK and some clearly not, some equally threatening.” One correspondent, who identified himself as “Jihad Alshamie,” wrote a series of emails in which he told Mr. Howell, “It is people like you who deserve to die.” Another told him, “I would like to see you dead.” Mr. Howell told the media he decided to take the threats seriously. “It is not just a question of me. It is my family and my staff. All it takes is one person out there who is weird enough, with a distorted view of life, to make an attempt to carry this out,” he said. Politicized Shakespeare It is not clear if the Globe Theater, too, may feel it necessary to acquiesce to demands it received after it decided to include Israel’s National Theater, Habima, as part of the six-week London Shakespearean Festival scheduled to take place in May. Habima’s troupe will perform “The Merchant of Venice” in Hebrew, and a Palestinian company is scheduled to present “Richard II” in Arabic. Approximately 35 actors, directors, and writers, including Emma Thompson, Mark Rylance, and Mike Leigh, sent a letter to the Guardian protesting Habima’s inclusion and demanding that the Globe “withdraw the invitation so that the festival is not complicit with human rights violations and the illegal colonization of occupied land.”
They accused Habima, which performs throughout the Jewish state, of “a shameful record of involvement with illegal Israeli settlements in Occupied Palestinian Territory.” “By inviting Habima, the Globe is associating itself with policies of exclusion practiced by the Israeli state and endorsed by its national theatre company,” said the protesters. Olympic Terror But all the acquiescence may not help the UK in light of recent reports that terrorists linked to al-Qaeda are plotting a cyanide attack on the city during the London Olympics, scheduled to open July 27 and run through August 29. According to the London Mail, details of the alleged plot were posted on a website with links to six al-Qaeda terrorists. One man, who identified himself as Abu Hija Ansari, said cyanide poison should be mixed with hand cream “so it can be absorbed into the skin.” Writing in Arabic, he instructed those planning the attack to wear “medical gloves.” According to the paper, all 3,800 M15 agents will be deployed during the Games in an effort to keep the public safe. The security service expects to conduct checks on more than half-a-million people before the Olympics
begin, including 14,700 athletes from 205 countries competing in 26 sports; their families; officials; the media; and workers. The event will be staffed by 20,000 people working in 34 venues, including the 80,000seat Olympic Stadium. According to M15 DirectorGeneral Jonathan Evans, the terrorism threat level remains “substantial.” Conservative MP Bernard Jenkin said, “Those who believe there is no terrorist threat are living on a cloud in cuckoo land.” Malmö In Europe, it is not only the countries with sizable Jewish populations that must be concerned. In 2010, the head of the Jewish community in Malmö, Sweden, Fredrik Sieradzk, recognized that antisemitism harbored by the city’s 40,000 Muslims was affecting the small Jewish community of about 700 individuals, accounting for an annual decrease of about five percent. That year, about 30 Jewish families emigrated to Israel. Mr. Sieradzk told Die Presse, an Austrian internet publication, that Jews in Malmö were being “harassed and physically attacked” by “people from the Middle East.” According to Malmö police records, there were 79 attacks on Jews that
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Judenrein Europe? year alone, about twice as many as in the previous year. “Malmö is a place to move away from. Right now, many Jews in Malmö are really concerned about the situation and don’t believe they have a future here,” said Mr. Sieradzk, citing antisemitism as the primary reason. Davis Cup Match The situation in Malmö came to the world’s attention in 2009 when the city hosted a tennis match between Israel and Sweden during the Davis Cup. In the wake of Israel’s defensive Operation Cast Lead against terrorists in Gaza, numerous pro-Palestinian Swedish politicians called for the match to be cancelled. The calls to boycott Israel were unsuccessful largely because it would have meant an automatic forfeit loss for Sweden and the team’s elimination from the Cup tournament. Citing “safety reasons,” Malmö town officials forbade fans from entering the stadium to watch the game, which Israel won 3-2, eliminating the Swedish team from the competition. Nevertheless, the match drew more than 6,000 pro-Palestinian protesters, making it one of the largest demonstrations in Swedish history. More than 100 protesters were detained when several hundred Arab nationals and left-wing
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militants clashed with the more than 1,000 police officers called to guard the stadium. In the aftermath of the riot, Malmö was banned from hosting any further Davis Cup matches and the city was fined $25,000 and forced to pay an additional $15,000 to recoup revenues that were lost when fans were barred from watching the match. No Zionism or Antisemitism The Mayor of Malmö, Llmar Reepalu, a member of the left-wing Social Democratic Party, did nothing to help the situation when he denied the rise of antisemitism in his city, telling the press, “We accept neither Zionism nor antisemitism. They are extremes that put themselves above other groups.” He criticized the MalmöJewish community for supporting Israel, saying he wished they would “denounce Israeli violations against the civilian population in Gaza.” “Instead the community decides to hold a pro-Israel demonstration in the Malmö Grand Square, which could send the wrong signals,” he said. Mr. Sieradzk and other Jewish leaders said the demonstration to which the mayor referred was a “pro-peace rally which came under attack from members of a violent
counter-demonstration.” Mr. Sieradzk accused Mr. Reepalu of “suggesting that the violence directed towards us is our own fault simply because we didn’t speak out against Israel.” Just last month, Mr. Reepalu again came under criticism from the Jewish community when he told a Swedish magazine that the anti-immigrant, antiMuslim Sweden Democrats party had “infiltrated” Malmö’s Jewish community in order “to turn it against Muslims.” In 2010, the Simon Wiesenthal Center issued a travel advisory, warning Jews to show “extreme caution” when visiting southern parts of Sweden, “due to an increase in verbal and physical harassment of Jewish citizens in the city of Malmö.” Scandinavia But Sweden is not the only Scandinavian country in which antisemitism is a problem. “There are more than 1,000 Jews in Oslo, but you never see them. Not one. Jews in Norway make up just 0.003 percent of the total population, but the country is a bulwark of global antisemitism,” said Mr. Meotti. In Denmark, which has about 6,000 Jews, a demonstration by non-Jews seeking to show solidarity with Israel after the murders in Toulouse was not tolerated by the antiIsrael majority. On April 1, about 300 political conservatives from several European countries staged a rally, protesting what they called “the growing Muslim threat of turning Europe into part of an Islamic empire.” The rally, held in Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, began with a moment of silence for the victims of Mr. Merah. Defense League The rally was organized by the Defense League, an
organization with branches in Britain, Germany, Sweden, and Poland, which objects to the stated intention of Muslim leaders to create “a worldwide Caliphate” in which Sharia law will be enforced. Although proudly “rightwing,” the Defense Leagues insist they are neither neoNazis nor anti-Semites. At the rally in Denmark, German Defense League members waved German and Israeli flags while chanting, “Peace will dominate the world and not Islam.” It was more than the antiIsrael counter-demonstrators would tolerate. Scuffles broke out when a large number of masked left-wing protesters pushed past police, throwing bottles and rocks at police vans and at Defense League members. Danish police arrested 80 protesters. The Auschwitz Burden Israeli psychiatrist Zvi Rex has suggested the cause of the burgeoning antisemitism is a phenomenon he called “secondary antisemitism.” According to Dr. Rex, preWorld War II antisemitism resulted in Auschwitz, but postWorld War II Jew-hatred was caused by Auschwitz. Sometimes, it is referred to as “guiltdefensiveness antisemitism,” which is said to be motivated by a deflection of culpability. “Europe will never forgive the Jews for Auschwitz,” said Dr. Rex. Mr. Meotti agreed. “Europe doesn’t want to live under the psychological burden of Auschwitz forever. The Jews are living reminders of the moral failure of Europe. This leads to the projection of guilt on Israel and the remaining European Jews,” he said. S.L.R.
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The New Nazis By Daniel Greenfield, sultanknish.blogspot.com There was a time when Jewish children were hunted down and killed in France. Their killers believed themselves to be members of a superior group that was destined to rule the world and enslave or exterminate members of inferior groups. The cowardice and appeasement of the French authorities allowed them to operate freely, to kill Jews and launch attacks on other countries. What was then is now again. The occupying army doesn’t wear uniforms, it wears keffiyahs. It doesn’t speak German, it speaks Arabic. It doesn’t believe that it is superior for reasons of race as much as for reasons of religion. It does not view all others as Untermenschen, but as infidels. It looks forward not to a thousand-year Reich, but to a thousand-year Caliphate. Mohammed Merah did not chase down a French-Jewish 8-year old girl, put a gun to her head, and pull the trigger because he came from an economically depressed area or any of the other media spin. He was only doing what Muslims have been doing to non-Muslims for over a thousand years. He didn’t do what he did because he was “radicalized,” he did it because he had become a fully committed Muslim.
Occupation It won’t end with taking down one man and it won’t end with Jewish children. When an ideology believes that it is in a zero-sum struggle with the rest of the world and that membership means belonging to a superior breed of human being because the object of worship is the Fuhrer or Allah, then it won’t stop. It won’t ever stop. Not until the figurehead is toppled, the creed is humiliated, and the supermen are shown to be cowards, neurotics, pedophiles, insecure men dressing up their weaknesses in power fantasies. Between all the non-stop coverage, the expressions of grief, and the political pandering, no one stated the obvious: France has been occupied all over again. Once again, the occupation has been carried out with the consent of the authorities who have decided that cowardice is the only way. Vichy France has become Vichy Europe, Vichy America, Vichy Australia, where the blatant appeasement is disguised as honor, treason is portrayed as responsible leadership, and collaboration in the mass murder of your own people is never acknowledged as such. It’s Not Neo-Nazis It’s not Neo-Nazis that are the threat to Jews today. It’s the new Nazis, who are really the old
Nazis. They were rounding up Jews into ghettos and murdering their children long before—a thousand years before—Hitler. The Neos are pathetically longing for the return of a genocidal state that isn’t coming back, while the Muslims are actually working to bring back their genocidal state. They are doing it in Egypt, in Libya, in Pakistan, and in England, France, and Spain. Muslims have hated Jews before the telephone, the telegraph, the steam engine, gunpowder, movable type, and paper currency. And now, surrounded by smartphones, credit cards, and jet planes, they still hate them. That simple undeniable fact is denied in governmental seats of power, in every university, and in every center of culture. And every one of those deniers has blood on his hands. Not only the blood of the Jewish children murdered by Mohammed Merah. Not only the blood of Jews murdered by Muslims in France. But the blood of all those who have been killed by Muslim immigrants, no matter of what generation, in the name of Islam. Same Appeasement The names of Chamberlain, Petain, and Quisling have become eternally infamous because they represent appeasement and collaboration. But then what do we make of the names Blair, Sarkozy, and Stoltenberg? What have the latter done differently from their predecessors? The left likes to pretend that its collaboration with Islam is moral, while the collaboration with Nazism was immoral. It’s a distinction without a difference. Does it really matter whether the men murdering children in the name of their Fuhrer call their adored leader Adolf or
Mohammed? Does it matter whether the rank-and-file call themselves Hans or Mohammed? Does it matter whether their fantasies of superiority are based on bad science or bad religion? What matters is the end result. A foreign enemy controls your cities, murders at will, and takes your future for his own. Natural Consequence The Toulouse Massacre did not come out of the blue. It follows decades of Muslim violence in France—a Kristallnacht that has been going on year after year. It will not stop here. Not while there are five million Muslims in France, some of whom are bound to pick up the Quran and take it seriously. The “radical” clerics that Mohammed Merah listened to did not innovate a new religion. There has never been any basis to the teachings of the so-called radicals other than the Quran, the only book more popular in the Muslim world than Mein Kampf. “O Muslims, O Servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.” That is what Muslims look forward to in their end times. Rocks and trees that tell them where the Jews are so that the faithful servants of Allah don’t have to spend too much time and energy searching for their victims. Mohammed Merah did not have any trees or rocks to tell him where to find Jews to kill. But he had a compliant French state that tolerated a known Jihadist to the detriment of his victims. 1,000 Years of Murders The question, as always, after every act of Muslim terror is how many more must die? Because the killing will
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Thank you for your excellent publication with its important topics concerning our people. It is well written and contains vital information. We hope many people will read it, especially in these crucial times. Ann Greenfield Great Neck, NY SLR: Thank you for your kind words.
Dastardly Dual-Loyalty Charge
Since at least the time of Mordechai and Esther in the ancient Persian capital of Shushan, a staple of antisemitism has been the canard that Jews are guilty of “dual loyalty.” The expression is actually a bit of a misnomer, since the accusation is that Jewish loyalties lie elsewhere than in the country in which they are residing. (This was precisely the charge made by the evil Haman, as retold in the story of Purim.) In America today, Jews are said to be more loyal to the State of Israel and less than loyal to the United States Unfortunately, this is the precise charge that has been leveled in the context of the New Jersey Democratic primary battle between Rep. Steven Rothman and Rep. William Pascrell. Since Rothman has been endorsed by several prominent Jewish leaders and the large and prominent NORPAC, whose focus is fostering strong ties between Israel and the US, supporters of Pascrell have been unable to resist the temptation to demean the motives of Rothman’s Jewish voters. What is surprising, however, is that The Record would open up its editorial pages to such sentiments. In a March 3rd OpEd, Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Forum, made this distinction between endorsers of Pascrell such as himself, and those endorsing Rothman. “While some of Rothman’s supporters put the flag and the security of another country above ours, we place America first and unconditionally. While they put Israel first, we place America second to none.” There simply is no excuse for such blatant antisemitism. Just as individuals may criticize Israel without being antisemitic, Jews can feel strongly that it is in the best interests of the US for the nation to have close ties with Israel and vote for whomever they believe is the strongest promoter of such ties. Ironically, in the same article, Assaf complains that it is the Arab community whose loyalty is being questioned. Unfortunately, no examples of such alleged prejudice are provided. Clearly, however, he is more sensitive to having Arab motives questioned than having Jewish motives questioned. The Record clearly owes the Jewish community an apology. Mr. Pascrell, to be sure, is not responsible for the excesses of those promoting his candidacy. It would only be appropriate, however, if he would disassociate himself from Mr. Assaf’s words. One hopes he will do so promptly. It is unclear which candidate will ultimately prevail. But let the decision be made on the basis of the merits of each without one side appealing to possible bigotry. Edward P. Boylan Englewood, NJ
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Letters to the Editor
What Is Wrong at YU?
Driving to teach Public Speaking at Yeshiva College last month, I received a call stating that the speech department is closing at YU. I was the first speech major at Yeshiva College in 1969 and together with Dr. Abraham Tauber, z”l, created the first speech department there, too. I taught at Yeshiva College in the 70’s, 80’s and for the last four years. What is not working at Yeshiva College? Why is enrollment down? Why are students unhappy and leaving? According to my observations, shiurim are too large and Rebbes are unable to develop close relationships with students. Non-frum students who don’t wear kippas in class are allowed to attend YU. Why? How much do the administrators and officers make? You would be astonished. Why fire talented adjuncts while keeping full teachers who are not evaluated and cannot teach? Consider the YU nepotism which gives untalented people jobs. There seem to be a lot of people running around doing nothing and getting paid. The cafeteria food is terrible and costs too much. This all has to be reevaluated. Finally, where is the YU spirit of Torah Umada? Where is our pride? We are not Harvard, Yale, or Columbia. Let us be YU. A college without art, music, speech, and drama, is not even an advanced high school these days. To hold onto the teachers they need at YU, the only action the school should have taken was not hire the new provost or pay YU President Richard Joel quite so much. He gets over $1.2 million annually (the 12th highest-paid university president in the country) and a house in Riverdale. Public Speaking is being demolished at YU, and there is still no degree program in Holocaust Studies. Why? I explain all this more fully if you go to: http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=muZ0tvmvbwI&feature=youtube_gdata_player Rabbi Dr. Bernhard Rosenberg Edison, NJ
Dangerous Scam
This is just to let people know about a scam that is becoming rampant and targets senior citizens: A few months ago, my in-laws were called by someone who sounded like my son, telling them that he was in Mexico, had been in an accident and in jail, and, to get him out, the lawyer needed him to have $5000 wired to him. He claimed his parents didn’t know about the trip, and he was embarrassed to call so they should please not tell us. They became suspicious when he called my mother-in-law “Grandma,” because she is always known as Bubbe. Fortunately, they were able to reach us in Israel where we were visiting my son, and once we put him on the phone, they were finally reassured. Apparently, the caller sounded so like my son, they were convinced only by our putting him on the phone. More recently, my father received a call from a young man claiming to be his grandson (my nephew), Joey. My father claims he sounded just like Joey, called him “Grandpa” (in this case accurate), and talked about recent accomplishments of
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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch)
his cousins (whom he named). He also said he was in Mexico, having bought cheap tickets with a friend, but that he hadn’t told his mother. He said he was in a car accident, and they took his passport and wouldn’t let him leave until he paid $6500 for the damages. He pleaded with my dad not to tell his mother. My father was completely convinced he was speaking to Joey, and he went so far as to take out the money and arrange for it to be transferred via Western Union. Fortunately, he reached me first and he was able to reverse the transaction after I located my nephew (in class in Pennsylvania) and had him call his grandfather. While ultimately no money was lost, in both cases significant distress was caused, and, in my dad’s case, he was on the verge of sending the money. Apparently, these callers do their research, and sound very convincing. Please let anyone you know who might be vulnerable to such a scheme to be on alert, Lisa Cohen West Orange, NJ
define to ourselves what we are facing. And what we are facing at this time is hatred. A pure, burning kind of hatred for Jews. The kind of Jewhatred that has no political or diplomatic motive—indeed, what we are dealing with is hatred for Jews that has to do with our very existence. It is the kind of hatred that our sages referred to when they spoke about Esau’s hate for Jacob. There are no settlements out there or IDF attacks targeting a terror suspect in the Gaza Strip or any kind of diplomatic circumstances whatsoever that can explain the murder of a young girl, at point blank range, or the brutal stabbing of children in their sleep, as was the case in Itamar. In these difficult and horrific moments, when Jewish children are being butchered by their killers, we must keep in mind that this hatred is not a result of our conduct or behavior in any way. Rather, it is a result of our very existence. Hanoch Daum Tel Aviv, Israel
Remembering Herb Zweibon, z”l
I saw your articles in which you make it clear you stand with Israel and with Congressman Steve Rothman (D-NJ) (“Congressional Letter Seeks Justice for American Victims of Palestinian Terror; Rothman Signed, Pascrell Didn’t” and “LongTime Arab-American Pascrelll Supporter’s Accusations of ‘Israel Firsters’ Receive No Condemnation from Pascrell,” March 2012). It is very interesting except for one thing: why did Rothman serve as Obama’s campaign manager in NJ even after Obama was publicly identified with the Reverend Wright who is an antisemite? It is a pity that nobody better is competing for Rothman’s seat in this year’s Democratic primary. Robert Jacobs Englewood, NJ
It is hard to believe over a year has gone by since Herbert Zweibon, the modest visionary who led Americans for a Safe Israel for so many years, passed away. On Feb. 7, 2012, members and supporters of AFSI gathered at the Lisker Synagogue in Manhattan to pay him tribute on the first anniversary of his death. Helen Freedman, AFSI’s executive director, who organized the event, said of Herb: “Tu B’Shevat, the holiday of trees, is so appropriate a time for remembering this giant of a man who contributed so much over a period of 35 years to the safety of Israel.” Many who loved and worked with Herb—including his son Mark—spoke of his dedication to Israel and his humanity. Charlotte Wahle, a long time AFSI volunteer, recalled that, on her last visit to Herb in the hospital, his concern was not for himself but for what was happening at the office. Rael Jean Isaac Americans for a Safe Israel, Outpost New York, NY
The Motive Is Jew-Hatred
No settlements and no diplomatic circumstances can explain Jewish girl’s execution in Toulouse, France. There are moments in life when we have to accurately
Question for Steve Rothman
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April 2012/Nissan 5772
The New Nazis
continue. It has gone on for over a thousand years. It is not about to stop now. Muslim leaders who condemn these acts do it for tactical reasons, not moral ones. They don’t believe it’s wrong to kill rebellious non-Muslims... unless the act rebounds against Muslims. The difference between the “radicals” and the “moderates” is that the radicals want to engage in genocide even while they are a minority, while the moderates want to wait until they are a majority. The radicals are satisfied with killing a few Hindus, Christians, or Jews, here and there. The moderates want to wait and kill millions. Neither are our allies. Both are our murderers. No Satiation There is no peaceful way forward here. Carving up Czechoslovakia, Cyprus, or Israel will not
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continued from page 42 sate the blood lust of people whose egos are fed by hate, who treat every concession as proof of their own superiority, who love nothing so much as for others to fear them. There is no peace to be had with a creed that defines peace exclusively in terms of its own dominance over others. Islam, like Nazism, is a disease of the soul, a twin sense of superiority and victimhood possessed by the angry corner dwellers of the world, who are certain that they would rule if only it wasn’t for all the others holding them back. To understand a Nazi or a Muslim, you don’t need to learn their creeds, just stare into the eyes of a wife beater, a pedophile, or any bully, and you will see that same smirk which easily transforms into outrage; the arrogant tone that turns unctuous when it is set back on its heels;
the flickering eyes that are always looking at what they can’t have. Nothing Has Changed You don’t need to read the Quran to understand Mohammed Merah; you can just as easily understand the Quran by reading about what Mohammed Merah did. Nothing much has changed in all the centuries, except that Mohammed Merah didn’t get to rape the girl he murdered, because the French state is still functional enough to keep him on the run. The day will, however, come when it won’t be and then the peoples of the free world will learn what true Muslim terror really is, as the peoples of Africa and Asia, as the many other religions of the Middle East, including the Jews, learned in the days of the original Mohammed. There is nothing extraordinary about what Mohammed
Merah did. Those who think there is are citizens of the free world and have become used to that rare thing known as civilized behavior. But when nations opened their borders to people who consider “infidel lands,” the Dar Al-Harb, the House of the Sword, then civilization gets its throat cut, it gets chased down at a school, has a gun put to its head, and the trigger gets pulled. Used to Murder Killing children is not a shocking act in the Middle East, except when CNN points its cameras the right way. Parents routinely kill their own children for minor offenses that would hardly get an American child grounded. When Middle Eastern Muslims move to America or Canada, they kill their children there too, and we considerately look away. If they do
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Live Where You Can Walk to Shul
that to their children, why do you think they will have any more mercy on yours? There is no point in holding Mohammed Merah accountable for what he did, just as there was no point in bringing Nazi leaders to trial for crimes against humanity. Merah recognizes no form of law other than the law of Islam, just as the Nazis recognized no other form of humanity than their own. There is no common moral or legal system that we share with Islam. Equality before the law, the cornerstone of our system, is so much noise in the windy corridors of the mosque. How can the Subhuman be equal to the Aryan, how can the Infidel be equal to the Muslim? What Religion of Peace? Mohammed Merah is a mad dog and should be treated as such. Accountability is for those
who share our moral system. It is for our own leaders who continue perpetuating the macabre myth of a religion of peace, even while attending the funerals of its victims. Accountability is for the Petains, the Chamberlains, and the Quislings who have led us into this hole and keep waving in more Mohammeds to come and join the party. The old Nazis marched in at the head of an army. The new Nazis bought a plane ticket. The old Nazis had to get by the French Armed Forces and the Royal Air Force. The new Nazis are welcomed in and anyone who says a word otherwise faces trials and jail sentences. The old Nazis deported Jews to camps. The new Nazis kill them right in the cities. And the killing will not stop until the Muslim occupation of Europe comes to an end. Y
New Classes
continued from page 32
Lubavitch of Fair Lawn, accepts donations of children’s and women’s clothing, toys, non-perishable food, including Passover items, and household items. Pick-ups can be arranged and receipts are available. Call 201-797-1770 after April 16 The Passaic Toy Gemach is accepting and giving toys, carriages, and gliders in good condition, especially riding toys and building toys, no stuffed animals, 973-471-9603 Passaic/Clifton Gemach for Improved Safety, for those—especially women—walking home alone after a Friday night or Yom Tov meal and need a walking partner, email PassaicCliftonwalkpoolgemach@verizon.net Chaverim of Teaneck, the group that helps people with problems such as flat tires, getting locked out of a car or home, etc, needs more members to cover the high-call volume. To join or sponsor, call 201-800-HELP or chaverim.teaneck@gmail.com The Jewish Family Service of Teaneck needs more Kosherfor-Passover products, especially ready-to-eat, non-perishable food, such as canned tuna and salmon, matza, juice, cookies, canned vegetables, and fruit, 201-837-9090 ext 238
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