THE JEWISH VOICE AND OPINION Promoting Classical Judaism
August 2012
Vol. 25 • No. 11
Av-Elul 5772
700,00 Jews—14 Percent of Israelis—Now Reside Over the “Green Line;” Some Say It’s Time for Annexation According to new statis-
tics released by the Israel’s Interior Ministry, approximately 350,150 Jews now reside throughout Judea and Samaria, an increase of 15,580 over last year’s figures. And these numbers do not include the more than 300,000 Jews living in the neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem or the 25,000 Jews living in 41 communities on the Golan Heights. “This means that, seven years after the Disengagement from Gaza, we now have about 700,000 Jews living over the Green Line in eastern Jerusa-
The population explosion in Beit El and other communities throughout Judea and Samaria, means these areas over the “Green Line” will, in all likelihood, remain in Jewish hands. lem, Judea and Samaria, and the Golan. It means that more than 14 percent of the Jewish
population of Israel now lives beyond the ‘Auschwitz’ borders we had before the 1967 Six-Day
War when we regained the Biblical land that belonged to our nation,” said National Union MK Ya’akov “Ketzaleh” Katz. He, like many others, especially in the national-religious camp, say sthe time has come to annex Judea and Samaria, making the region a permanent part of Israel. 1 Million in 5 Years According to the Associated Press, Jewish growth in Judea and Samaria has outstripped Arab growth during the past three years. The AP reported that the Jewish population in the area has grown by 18 percent, much of it from the rela-
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Every Israeli Is a Target: Attack in Bulgaria Was the Sixteenth by Iran and Hezbollah; Others Foiled by Israeli Security The devastating suicide-bomber
attack on Israeli tourists boarding a bus at the Sarafovo Airport in Burgas, Bulgaria, on July 18, was the sixteenth such planned episode since this year. According to Israeli Chief of General Staff Lt. Benny Gantz, 15 previous attempted terror attacks in the past several months were thwarted by Israeli security teams.
In the past few months, there have been attempts to kill Israelis in Thailand, India, Georgia, Kenya, Cyprus, Turkey, and Azerbaijan. “We are operating around the clock, gathering intelligence and thwarting attacks,” Mr. Gantz told the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. A-Team of Terror Like virtually all these
Gush Katif 7 Years Later....................... 3 Kol Ami: Universal Draft?.................... 4 The Current Crisis............................... 5 Obama & Israel.................................... 7 On the Avenue..................................19 The Log................................................20
thwarted acts of terror, the attack in Bulgaria was attributed to Iran and Hezbollah, called the “A-Team of terrorism” by some US officials. Israeli and Bulgarian officials said there was no doubt that Iran and/ or its Lebanese proxy terror arm, Hezbollah, were behind the attack which left five Israelis dead and 35 wounded. All but the three most
Inside the Voice
Do It Now............................................20 New Classes........................................24 New Minyanim..................................24 Mazal Tov.............................................25 Chesed Ops..........................................25 The Right’s Naftali Bennett...........29
critically wounded Israelis were flown home by Israeli Air Force pilots in a Hercules military aircraft. The three who remained in Bulgaria were flown to a hospital in Sofia. At least one of the perpetrators was also killed in the bombing. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attack in Bulgaria was part of the
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Ess Gezint: Sumac...............................30 Index of Advertisers ........................33 Basketball at Camp Kaylie.............34 JLE High Holidays.............................34 Honor the Professional...................35 Letters to the Editor ........................36
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Seven Years Later, Former Residents of Gush Katif Still Suffer “Families who had been living in large, comfortable enth year since former Prime homes were forced into makeMinister Ariel Sharon evicted shift trailers in under-developed almost 10,000 Jews from parks, sometimes detached their homes, businesses, and from basic infrastructure and schools in the 23 communicommercial centers. Many ties that comprised the bloc parents who had dedicated of Jewish residential areas in their lives to professions in Gush Katif, Gaza. Seven years agriculture and had literally after the so-called Disengageturned the Gaza sand dunes ment from Gaza, nearly 1,000 into bountiful gardens, were of those Jews are still unemleft homeless and jobless, deployed and only 35 percent of pendent on charity and assisall the former residents of Gush tance from family just to feed Katif live in permanent homes, their children,” said Zuri Genish, despite elaborate promises by a retired IDF Lt-Col who now successive Israeli governments; serves as director of JobKatif, the remainder are either renting an1organization apartments or living in “caraviljewish voice oct 2011:Layout 10/3/2011dedicated 18:08 to Page finding new employment and las” in trailer-park villages.
This month marks the sev-
retraining for the thousands of men and women who were forced overnight from their homes and jobs. In commemoration of the seventh anniversary of the 2005 “Disengagement,” Mr. Genish spoke last month in Englewood at the East Hill Synagogue. A Fellow Sufferer When Mr. Genish addresses the pain of his clients, he has felt it himself. He and his wife and their five children were among those who lost everything in the “Disengagement.” A former resident of the Alei Sinai community, he said that he and his family, like many former residents, 1 have suffered from depression,
trauma, emotional stress, and financial strain. He has sublimated his pain by becoming director of JobKatif. A career officer before the Disengagement, Mr. Genish retired from the military just a few months before the Disengagement, when, he said, he realized the “unthinkable” was about to happen. From that point on, he dedicated “every waking hour first to preventing this ill-advised decree of expulsion from being realized and subsequently in helping to heal the human damage done by it.” “Prior to the expulsion, my life was defined by love
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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 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: Universal Draft? In Israel, the Deferral of Military Service for Yeshiva Students, better known as the Tal Law, expired on Aug. 1. Since 1986, it had framed the uneasy relationship between Israel’s hareidi community, which, as a rule, does not serve in the army or do national service (and often prefers to learn in yeshivoth rather than join the work force), and the secular and national-religious population, which does. But there are many others besides hareidim who also do not serve. Israeli Arabs, for example, are not expected to serve in the IDF or do national service, although some, especially women, are involved in national service, mostly in their own communities. Increasingly, secularists in places such as Tel Aviv have found ways of avoiding service, sometimes by claiming an “artistic deferral;” others maintain they are pacifists and refuse to serve, which is accepted. There is still hope in Israel that a compromise can be reached between secularists and the hareidi rabbis, allowing students to study up to a point and then engage in national service coupled with vocational training, which would ease them into the workforce. The question this month is: Should Israel have a universal draft? Should study in yeshivoth come before serving in the IDF? Should, as some have suggested, Israel transition to an all-volunteer army?
If the Jewish people don’t follow the Torah, they relinquish their right to the land of Israel, for it’s the Torah that stipulates the land is ours. That Torah definitively outlines our obligation vis-a-vis Mitzvos and Torah-study. G-d states that if we are not a holy people, He will withdraw from us. The study of Torah and observance of Mitzvos are an integral part of our defense system. Although elucidating the need for full-time study is beyond the scope of this answer, clearly any diminishing of Yeshiva/ study support will generate a spiraling downward trend, for which disastrous results were predicted in the Torah. Mordechai Younger Modi’in Ilit, Israel
In past years, the military didn’t mind deferrments, because they had enough soldiers. What they need are motivated soldiers rather than just drafting everyone. It makes little sense to jail someone who has objections to serving, which is the case with many of the pacifist/anarchists who refuse to serve. With the Chareidim, those who want to, should serve. Those destined to be Torah scholars should do so unhindered. I think that with more Chareidi units established, which will ensure sufficient time for prayer and other spiritual needs, they will attract Chareidi soldiers. Phil Kestenbaum Fair Lawn, NJ
Whether one supports exempting the Haredim from military service or wholeheartedly opposes it, one must recognize the rift it has created in Israeli society. In hoping to heal this historic divide, Israelis should look to America. By remaking the IDF as an all-volunteer service, those both fit and eager for military service could sign-up voluntarily to defend their country. In turn, this would give some breathing room to those who oppose serving for reasons of conscience or creed. Of course, encouraging some yeshiva students to perform non-military
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Everyone needs to serve. Everyone benefits from living in the state. Everyone is protected by the IDF. Every life is equally valuable. Chana Schorr Bergenfield, NJ
national service in exchange for scholarships could also help in reducing the resentment so keenly felt by Israel’s secularists and religious nationalists. Maurice Pianko, Esq Passaic, NJ
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The Current Crisis: “Even in Laughter, the Heart Can Ache” When The Biblical Recorder, which has been published by North
Carolina Baptists since 1833, asked Dan Cathy, president of Chickfil-A restaurants—a non-kosher, high-calorie, reportedly delicious, nation-wide chain we had never heard of—how he felt about “the traditional family,” Mr. Cathy said, “Guilty as charged.” He explained that he and his family supported “the biblical definition of the family unit.” He said in his family-owned, family-led business, “we are still married to our first wives” and “want to do anything we possibly can to strengthen families.” He never said the chain refuses to hire or serve homosexuals. When asked, he said he had lots of such customers. “We have nothing against them. To us, it’s a moral issue, not a civil issue,” he said. Nevertheless, a few mayors of the liberal-Democrat persuasion, including Chicago’s Rahm Emanuel, Boston’s Thomas Menino, San Francisco’s Edwin Lee, and Washington, DC’s Vincent Gray; as well as NYC Council speaker and, perhaps, future Mayor, Christine Quinn, did not just say they disagreed with Mr. Cathy; they threatened to use the power of government to keep the restaurant chain from opening in their cities and close down any that are there already. We were particularly confused by Mr. Emanuel. He postures as a Modern Orthodox Jew, which presumably means he eats only kosher. Are we to presume that Mr. Emanuel eats lunch only in those Windy City kosher restaurants that support gay marriage? Chicago Rabbinical Council, call your office. For us, the outrage had nothing to do with homosexual marriage. Personally, we agree with GOP candidate for Congress from NJ’s 9th District, Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, that marriage is a religious institution and none of the government’s business.
The government ought to issue only certificates of “domestic union,” with all the perks it currently gives to marriage, to any two people who want it for whatever reason. Then, if they so desire, they can find a clergyman to officiate at their marriage. If any of the angry mayors had suggested a boycott of Chick-fil-A by homosexuals and their supporters, we would have shrugged. Hey, this is America. Some boycott Chick-filA; others will find a store owned by homosexuals and boycott that. The list can go on forever. But government officials threatening to use the power of the city’s health department to shut down a business because of the owner’s opinion? Or suggesting there will be perks for a landlord who does not renew the business’s lease? When TV host and former Arkansas governor and GOP Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee suggested those who oppose government bullying and abuse of power should patronize a local Chick-fil-A on Aug. 1, we felt left out. The place isn’t kosher. Well, most servicemen and women on NJ’s armed services bases are not Jewish and don’t observe the laws of kashruth. On Aug 1, when Chick-fil-A’s were mobbed, a non-Jewish friend stood on line to buy a gift certificate for us to send to the non-Jewish chaplain of a local base. Now we are inviting you to join us. If you are so moved, send a check made out to Chick-fil-A for any amount you wish, $5, $10, anything. Send it to The Jewish Voice at POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. We’ll purchase gift certificates for local non-Jewish servicemen and women and give them with our blessings. You can find a kosher deli and eat all the chicken you want. Don’t ask the owner or his mashgiach if they support gay marriage. S.L.R.
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Gush Katif
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for the land and State of Israel, both of which I retain despite what I have witnessed in recent years,” he said. Deplorable Conditions According to a report from the Ma’agar HaMochot organization, many of the caravillas, which were supposed to be used for no more than one year, are in terrible disrepair. Infrastructure in the trailer parks, including plumbing, is also insufficient, according to the report. In addition, 50 of the 400 individuals who owned their own farms in Gush Katif are still waiting for the Israeli government to fulfill a promise that land would be allocated to them as compensation for the lands they were forced to abandon in the Disengagement. Adding insult to injury, this past July, 150 of the families still living in caravans received letters from the government
telling them that, as of the beginning of August, they would be required to pay rent on the dilapidated trailers. These families have all purchased land in order to build permanent homes, but have not been able to begin construction for a variety of reasons, including financial difficulties. Succeeded by Terrorism That reality prompts Mr. Genish to redouble his efforts on behalf of those he calls “victims of the bitterest Jewish tragedy of the last decade.” “It was a modern-day, willfully-imposed exodus which continues to plague us until this very day,” he says. Most bitter, he said, is the knowledge that those who evicted him “were not a foreign army or some antisemitic despot, but our own democratically elected Israeli government, led by many of the very same individuals who
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had earlier encouraged us to take up residence in that tiny strip of land along the sparkling blue Mediterranean coast.” Equally distressing is the realization that since the Disengagement in August 2005, Palestinians in Hamas-controlled Gaza have increased the range and intensity of literally tens of thousands of mortar and missile fire aimed at civilian targets in southern Israel. Today, their deadly attacks reach dozens of miles further north than ever before. Many of the mortars and rockets are launched from terrorist camps built on the ruins of the once-flourishing Jewish communities in Gush Katif. JobKatif Many of the former residents of Gush Katif who are working owe their jobs or businesses to the efforts of JobKatif. It was founded to alleviate the emotional, social, employment, and housing problems of all the former residents. It still maintains a website with job postings, advertises job searches for its clients in national newspapers throughout Israel, and holds retraining courses and vocational rehabilitation programs. Many of the former residents have been assisted by JobKatif in launching 230 new small businesses, which today employ more than 2,000 of the former residents, Mr. Genish said. When a former resident approaches JobKatif with an idea for a new business, one of the organization’s business coaches sits down with the resident to evaluate if he or she is capable of starting and running a successful enterprise. If the idea and the individual pass muster, JobKatif funds a significant part of the start-up and provides ongoing advice in terms of marketing, fiscal responsibility, advertising, and
other services that are crucial to the success of any business. “However, there are still almost 1,000 people without work, each one experiencing a complexity of problems, which have increased geometrically as the years have passed without jobs or if they are underemployed,” said Mr. Genish. For many of the former residents of Gush Katif, unemployment problems have often led to emotional and marital difficulties, which make going back to work even more problematic. Remembering Mr. Genish understands. He is among those who cannot forget “the moment when I turned away from my home in Alei Sinai for the last time, the home in which my wife and I had forged a family.” “That beautiful home, previously filled with children and love was razed, and I shudder to even guess at what lies in its place now,” he said. During the first year since the Disengagement, Mr. Genish and his family moved five separate times. That first year, 85 percent of all former residents of Gush Katif were without a source of income. Success Stories JobKatif has many success stories. Mr. Genish recalled a Gush Katif woman who worked as a teacher, at a school about five minutes away from her home and eight children. After the Disengagement, she and her family settled in the South Hebron Hills region, and she began taking graphic design courses. After she earned her degree, she approached JobKatif. The organization advised her to carve out a unique competitive niche combining graphic design and video editing. Another Gush Katif expellee had been one of the bloc’s
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400 successful farmers. After the expulsion, he was without work for six months. The two ventures he tried both failed. With the help of JobKatif, he successfully opened and revamped a local supermarket. Funding Originally entirely dependent on donations from supporters throughout the world, JobKatif now receives substantial government funding. About 75 percent of the organization’s costs are covered by the government, but those funds are conditioned on JobKatif’s being able to raise its own money first. Only then does the government release its funds. “No donations means no government participation,” said Mr. Genish. JobKatif’s revenues are used to pay a full team of psychologists, social workers, businessmen, and mentors, many of them former residents of Gush Katif who were able to transition successfully. “All our efforts are dedicated to helping each individual get back on his or her feet,” said Mr. Genish. Still Necessary? One of Mr. Genish’s hardest challenges is explaining why JobKatif is still necessary. Many people, even among those who supported the former residents of Gush Katif in their quest to keep their homes, argue that “so much time has passed; why hasn’t everyone resolved their issues and moved on?”
“Believe me, that is easier said than done,” said Mr. Genish. One of JobKatif’s clients is a former Gush Katif resident who was shot in the shoulder by terrorists just months before the Disengagement. Once the proud owner of a multi-acre farm which produced lettuce and organic vegetables, he is now handicapped and without work. “He feels largely broken and unable to support his family and face the world,” said Mr. Genish, who, nevertheless, feels confident that, with the continued help of JobKatif, the former farmer will “once again return to gainful employment.” “To truly claim that Israelis and Jewish people around the world have really spared no effort to support the Gush Katif evacuees, we must close this bitter chapter in our history by finding a solution for every last person forced out of his or her home,” he said. Tenufa Towards that end, JobKatif has worked with the government’s Tenufa Administration, the office tasked with resettling the former Gush Katif residents. It is Tenufa which is now charging rent for the caravans. Tenufa says that is an effort to get the former residents into their permanent homes. According to Rabbi Dr. Ofir Cohen, the head of Tenufa, the government is offering a number of solutions, including loans of $62,500 and a program that would allow caravan residents to move their trailers onto the land they have purchased with the intention of converting it into a house. Rabbi Cohen said this program will close at the end of 2012, and he advised eligible families to register quickly. He said the decision to charge rent was made “reluctantly,” but that he and the government did not intend to abandon the remaining families. “We will keep accompanying the settlers and working on their behalf until the last family has entered its home and returned to a life of creativity and Zionism,” he said. Bnei Dekalim Some of these families may join other former Gush Katif residents in a new community in the East Lachish region, an area in southern Israel extending northeast along the border of the Negev. The
new town, Bnei Dekalim, will be named for Dekalim (“Oasis of Palms”), which was the largest community in Gush Katif. The now-destroyed Dekalim in Gaza is currently a Hamas terrorist training camp. According to Jewish tradition, Moses’s successor Joshua Bin-Nun conquered the entire area in the name of the Jewish people. Excavations show it has been populated since 3200 BCE and was a thriving community as early as 1700 BCE. An important fortified town in antiquity, Lachish is about two miles from Hebron and marks the halfway point in distance and elevation between the former Gush Katif and Jerusalem. “It is very symbolic,” said Bnei Dekalim co-founder, Yechezkel Frucht. “When the bridegroom breaks the glass under the chupah, he says, ‘If I forget thee, O Jerusalem.’ On one hand, here in Bnei Dekalim, we remember Jerusalem and on the other hand, Gush Katif.” Failing Grade Knowing that many former Gush Katif residents have been able to rebuild their lives in various parts of the country brings comfort to those who have stood with them, watching their pain, for the past seven years. Two years ago, the Israeli government’s official investigative committee regarding the country’s treatment of the former Gush Katif residents issued a 500page report which concluded that “the state of Israel failed in its treatment of those it evacuated from Gush Katif.” Calling the evacuees’ plight “a wretched situation,” the report confirmed what Mr. Genish knew: that unemployment among the evacuees was double the rest of the country. “The fact that the State of Israel failed in taking care of the Gush Katif evacuees was proven by the National Investigation Committee two years ago. Since then, there has been legislative work and implementation, which have helped the situation but not enough. There is still a great deal of work ahead of us to make sure that each resident finally achieves comfort after the suffering they have gone through in the uprooting,” said Eliezer Oyrbach, who recently became head of the Gush Katif Committee. He called on making the care of the
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com former residents of Gush Katif “an urgent national mission.” For many former residents and those who strongly supported their efforts to remain in Gush Katif, the expulsion resulting from the disengagement will forever be associated with Tisha B’Av, which preceded the eviction by only a few days. Tisha B’Av Association This year, as for the past seven, many Jews spent Tisha B’Av watching filmed documentaries of the Disengagement. These show the fervent prayers, bitter tears, and useless pleas to the soldiers by those about to lose their homes. “Jews had lived in Gush Katif for generations, raising their families, building thriving businesses, and, to a great extent, also serving as the frontier, protecting the southern region from terror. Israel’s government tore apart the lives of nearly 10,000 of its own people in pursuit of peace, but peace did not come,” said Arutz Sheva reporter Hana Levi Julian, who has covered the lives of the former residents since their expulsion. Mr. Genish is convinced that, today, no matter what their positions were in 2005, most Israelis acknowledge that the Disengagement from Gaza “was a complete and utter failure of leadership and strategic thinking.” “The most obvious proof of its failure is that once peaceful townships of Jewish families are today launching pads of terror for thousands of missiles, rockets, and mortars raining down on Israeli communities,” he said. The Ma’agar HaMochot poll bears him out. More than 67 percent of respondents said they would protest if, in the future, it is decided to destroy communities in Judea and Samaria. Abuse of Power During the expulsion itself, many of the residents left on their own; others had to be dragged away by Israeli soldiers. While many of the former residents were treated with compassion by the hapless soldiers, who had been ordered to carry out the expulsion; other Israeli officials reacted with disdain and even abuse. Then-Jerusalem Police Chief Nisa Shacham was caught on camera telling police officers to beat protesters during the Disengagement. “I know these hareidim,” he told officers. “I want arrests. If you need to, beat them with your nightsticks.”
August 2012/Av-Elul 5772 Mr. Shacham also used vulgar and sexually explicit language against those protesting on behalf of the Gush Katif residents. This past July, Mr. Shacham was suspended on suspicion of sexual misconduct, including harassment of subordinates and illegal relationships with female officers. Five months after he orchestrated the unilateral withdrawal from Gaza, Mr. Sharon suffered a stroke, which was followed by another, much more severe one, one month later. Since January 2006, he has been virtually comatose, although some reports from his family indicate that, in the long-term care facility where he stays, he can be “marginally responsive, though still incapable of signifi-
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cant movement, able to follow things with his eyes and firm his hands.” Divine Retribution? To some former Gush Katif residents and their supporters, these, plus the legal difficulties currently being experienced by Mr. Sharon’s successor, former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, who also supported the Disengagement, are examples of “Divine punishment.” “There is something deep and real here. Everyone who touched the abomination called ‘expulsion’ has paid the price, some more and some less,” said Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, chief rabbi of Safed.
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Bombing in Burgas “global campaign of terror carried out by Iran and Hezbollah that has already reached a dozen countries on five continents.” Mr. Netanyahu called the Burgas bombing “an Iranian terror offensive that is spreading throughout the world.” “And Israel will react strongly,” he said, promising reprisals against Hezbollah and Iran. A week after the attack, Bulgarian investigators said they, too, were convinced the lethal bombing had been carried out by Iran’s Hezbollah proxies. Unconvincing Admission Several days later, the Muslim terrorist group, Ka’adat elJihad, tied to Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility for the bombing. In an email to the Lebanese newspaper, El-Nashra, the group bragged that the entire month of Ramadan will be a time of
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“holy war” and violence. “This is a month of war against the Jews and their American helpers, the enemies of Allah,” the group said, calling the victims of the attack in Burgas “Jewish tourists who rape the holy lands.” The email did not convince Israeli or Bulgarian authorities. Reserve Brigadier General Nitzan Nuriel, the former head of the Counterterrorism Bureau, said Iran and Hezbollah were able to recruit operatives. “Hezbollah has a presence in Bulgaria and there have been attempts that were thwarted there before,” said Mr. Nuriel, who stepped down from his post earlier this year. “They could have relied on the local Muslim community or their terrorists could have crossed into Bulgaria from Turkey. It is quite easy.”
Last January, there was an attempt by Iranian and Hezbollah operatives to blow up a busload of Israeli tourists traveling from the Turkish border to a Bulgarian ski resort. In that case, Bulgarian authorities, working with Israeli intelligence, managed to foil it. Bulgarian-Muslim Community About eight percent of Bulgaria’s 7 million people are Muslims, most of them of Turkish descent. According to Maxim Benvenisti, president of the Organization of Jews in Bulgaria, relations between Jews and Muslims in the country have historically been “peaceful and friendly.” Ahmed Ahmedov, a spokesman for the chief Bulgarian mufti, Mustafa Alsih Hadzhi, said the Bulgarian-Muslim community “refuses to believe that the bomber is a Bulgarian Muslim.” “We don’t believe that any of them could undertake such an action,” he said. The mufti himself, in an official statement, denounced the attack as a “barbaric act” and expressed condolences to the families of the victims. Mr. Ahmedov said the attack should not be interpreted as a religious act, but, rather, an “economic provocation” aimed a crippling the local tourist business. Jewish Community Concerns Depending on whose figures are used, the Bulgarian-Jewish
Gush Katif
It's Free! Haskamos: Rav Heinemann and Rav Willig
community numbers between 3500 and 5700. Security was increased for them last January after the attempted bombing of a bus taking Israelis to a Bulgarian ski resort was thwarted. “We took the alerts seriously and upped security, but the Bulgarian authorities were dismissive. Some argued Bulgaria was immune because it had such excellent relations and cultural attachment to Muslim populations,” said Martin Levi, vice-chairman of the Jewish community in Sofia. He said he was “deeply disappointed” in the way in which the authorities have handled security issues. Kamen Petrov, vice-president of Maccabee Bulgaria, said the community used to convene “without a shred of fear.” “I guess we had been unprepared. Things will have to change from now on. We thought something like this could not happen in Bulgaria,” he said. Praising Syria Although Iran and Hezbollah denied responsibility, Hezbollah’s chief, Hassan Nasrallah, spoke just hours after the terror attack and praised his organization for what he called its victory during the 2006 Second Lebanon War. He also praised Syria and its president, Bashir Assad, currently under international pressure to resign after killing tens of thousands of his own citizens in the current civil war.
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Like many others, he, too, equated the public’s recent realization “that the withdrawal from Gaza was a mistake” with Jewish tragedies throughout the centuries. “Those who believed the false prophets—that no Qassams would fly from Gush Katif,
that it would strengthen the moderate Arab forces in the Gaza Strip, that Israel’s situation in the international arena would improve—have had their eyes opened and now they see that it was all nonsense, that nothing good came out of it,” he said. S.L.R.
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Bombing in Burgas Although he did not mention the incident in Bulgaria, Mr. Nasrallah boasted that “all of Israel, whether military personnel or politicians, are still in shock over the defeat of the enemy in 2006.” Mr. Nasrallah said that Syria had given Hezbollah the missiles it used against Israel in the Second Lebanon War and is currently supplying missiles to Gazabased terrorists under the auspices of the terror group, Hamas. “Some say that Syria is the link between Hezbollah and Iran, but let me say that Syria is much more than that. It is very important for the resistance. The most important missiles which fell in Haifa, and beyond Haifa, and in the center of Israel, were Syrian missiles given to the resistance in Lebanon. And not just in Lebanon, also in Gaza. Israel today is afraid of Gaza because Gaza can send more than a million and a half civilians into shelters. How did these missiles arrive in Gaza? From the Saudi regime? From the Egyptian regime? From Arab regimes? No. These missiles came from Syria and via Syria. It’s the Syrian leadership that worked for the resistance in Lebanon and the resistance in Palestine,” he said. Avenging the Terrorists Asked if Hezbollah had participated in the attack in Bulgaria, Mr. Nasrallah said, “The claim that we hit tourists is ridiculous.” “We will not seek revenge over the death of Imad Mughniyah by harming tourists,” said a Hezbollah spokesman. Mr. Mughniyah, once Hezbollah’s top
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continued from page 10 military commander, was assassinated in a car-bomb in Damascus in February 2008. Hezbollah blamed Israel and vowed revenge. Counter-terrorism experts in Israel say that to avenge Mr. Mughniyah’s death, Hezbollah would have to select—and be able to reach—a target with reciprocal value, such as a high-profile political or military figure. They have failed, but not for wont of trying. In May 2011, there was a failed attempt to assassinate David Kimchi, the Israeli consul, in the heart of Istanbul. According to Turkish press reports, three Hezbollah operatives from Beirut were responsible. Hezbollah Attacks In January 2012, Thai police nabbed Hezbollah operative Hussein Atris, for planning an attack on a venue in Bangkok popular with Israelis. Later that month, Azerbaijani authorities exposed a three-man terrorist cell run by Iran that had planned to attack the Israeli ambassador to Azerbaijan and two Chabad emissaries. An Iranian “handler” operating in Azerbaijan had reportedly promised the cell $150,000 and had equipped them with a sniper rifle with a silencer, three hand guns with suppressors, and plastic explosives. On February 13, 2012, a motorcyclist attached an explosive device to the car of an Israeli Defense Ministry representative in New Delhi. The representative’s wife was injured after she noticed the bomb and jumped out as it exploded. After the attack in Bulgaria, Indian police announced that the Iranian Revolutionary
Guards were behind the attack. That same day in February, an explosive device was attached to an Israeli Embassy car in Tbilisi, Georgia. The Georgian driver felt the car was dragging something, and he alerted the police. Demolition experts neutralized the bomb. One day later, a bomb exploded in a rented apartment in Bangkok near the Israeli Embassy. The explosion exposed an Iranian terrorist cell with at least four operatives, several of whom were arrested. Distractions Iranian officials, who have threatened to blow Israel off the face of the map and declared the Jewish state their enemy, have accused Israel of assassinating some of the scientists involved with Iran’s nuclear program and engaging in cyber-attacks against its nuclear facilities. It is widely believed that Hezbollah, which has international reach and provides a layer of deniability to Iran, is part of Tehran’s effort at covert attacks against vulnerable Israeli targets. According to Israeli intelligence, Hezbollah and Iran have been concentrating on generally “soft” targets outside Israel. One reason is that they are easier to hit than targets in Israel and make it harder for Israel to justify a direct reprisal on Iran or Hezbollah. Analyst Michael Widlandski, author of “Battle for Our Minds: Western Elites and the Terror Threat,” said Israeli strategists believe Iran and Hezbollah are using the attacks in an attempt to force Israel to switch its focus from Tehran and, perhaps, commit tactical or political errors, which the terrorist regimes hope will undermine Israel’s drive to stop Iran’s nuclear program. Blaming Israel Iran has not only denied culpability in the Bulgarian attack, but its UN envoy has accused Israel itself of “plotting and carrying out” the suicide bombing incident against its own citizens. “It’s amazing that just a few minutes after the terrorist attack, Israeli officials announced that Iran was behind it. We have never and will not engage in such a despicable attempt on innocent people,” said Mohammed Khazee. Most observers said the caveat was the word “innocent.” The Iranian Mullahs
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com practice a form of Islam that holds all Israelis—and most Jews—guilty of offenses against Muslims. Mr. Khazee said the terrorist operation in Bulgaria “could only be planned and carried out by the same regime whose short history is full of state terrorism and assassinations aimed at implicating others for narrow political gains.” He said he could provide “many examples showing that this regime killed its own citizens and innocent Jewish people during the last couple of decades.” Israel’s deputy UN representative, Haim Waxman, said the Iranian envoy’s comments were “appalling, but not surprising.” “They come from the same government that denies the Holocaust and says the 9-11 attack was a conspiracy theory,” said Mr. Waxman. “The time has come for the world to put an end to [Iran’s] campaign of terror, once and for all.” Israeli Response Most observers agree Israel will find a way to respond to the terrorist attack in Bulgaria, but preventive action will come first. Mr. Gantz made it clear that attempted terror attacks on Israel and Israelis are constantly being discovered and neutralized. “We must continue preventative activity,” he said. He warned the perpetrators of the Burgas bombing that Israel “will find a way to respond in an intimidating manner.” “This doesn’t have to be done in a separate operation, but, rather, as part of our routine activity. We will do so in a reasonable way and eventually the response will come,” he said. The bombing came on the eighteenth anniversary of the Iranian-Hezbollah attack on a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1994, in which 85 people were killed. It was also the sixth anniversary of the 2006 Second Lebanon War. Leaving Israel Out Despite Israel’s expertise in countering terror, when the US-sponsored Global Counter-Terrorism Forum met this past June in Istanbul, Israel was not invited. Turkey objected and the Obama administration acquiesced to the demand by Turkey’s Islamist Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan that Israel be excluded. In July, while addressing another meeting of the forum, US President Barack Obama’s Undersecretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, Maria
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Otero, failed to mention Israel as one of the states that suffers from terrorism. Nevertheless, Mr. Obama called Mr. Netanyahu to express his condolences after the attack in Burgas, and US Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta called Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak to discuss the incident as well as developments in Syria. Mr. Barak told Mr. Panetta Israeli authorities “are vigilantly watching the developments and the possibility that Hezbollah might attempt to transfer advanced weapons systems or chemical weapons from Syria to Lebanon.” Downplaying the Horror In his condemnation of the attack in Bulgaria, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-
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Moon did not use the word “terrorist or terrorism,” but, rather, only the “bombing” of Israelis. He also issued no call to hold the perpetrators accountable. Similarly, the BBC downplayed the attack. Speaking to an Israeli official, a BBC commentator took issue with the accusation against Iran and Hezbollah and called the bombing an “accident.” “As you say, it’s a very short time after this awful accident, well, this explosion, occurred. Isn’t there a danger that you’ve been hasty in automatically looking to Iran?” he said. UN Members of the UN Security Council,
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Bombing in Burgas on the other hand, unanimously issued a strong statement condemning the attack, calling it “criminal and unjustifiable, no matter the motives…where, when, and by whom it was carried out.” “The perpetrators and organizers, as well as those who finance such reprehensible acts of terrorism must be brought to justice,” added the statement. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, who, in 2010, rushed to condemn Israel over the Gaza Flotilla incident, said nothing about the attack in Bulgaria. The 47-nation UN Human Rights Council, which regularly attacks Israel, also issued no condemnation. Congress Condemnations of the terrorist at-
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continued from page 13 tack poured in from US Congressmen and Senators. Speaking for many of his colleagues Rep Gary Ackerman (D-NY) said the Iranian and Hezbollah attacks “are not aberrations.” “They are fundamental expressions of the nature of the mullahs and their Lebanese attack dog, however much they wish to shroud themselves in the clothing and mannerisms of religion, have no foundation in any faith nor [any] connection to anything of godly worth,” he said, calling the crime “murderous barbarism.” The “unrequited history of murder, terror, and pitiless cruelty” he said, is the “natural expression of the hideous nature of the ayatollah’s regime and the inextricably violent nature of that regime’s
Lebanese proxy, Hezbollah.” Mr. Ackerman said it illustrates once again “why Iran must never be allowed, under any circumstances—and regardless of cost—to acquire a nuclear weapons capability.” Was There Warning? Whether the attack in Bulgaria could have been thwarted is open to conjecture. Israeli officials said they had warned their Bulgarian counterparts that Iran and Hezbollah were trying to infiltrate agents into Bulgaria from Turkey. Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev said there had been no prior information of a planned attack on his country. Mr. Plevneliev told reporters that authorities in Bulgaria had held a meeting in June with representatives of the Mossad, but, he said, there had been no warnings of an impending attack. Mr. Plevneliev, who visited the site of the attack immediately after the bombing, said Bulgaria had taken every precaution to protect the lives of the victims and that, if there had been prior warnings, the country would have taken them seriously and acted. “The attack does not mean Bulgaria is a risky destination for tourists,” said Mr. Plevneliev. Seaside Resort Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov said the attack was directed not only against Israelis, but against Bulgaria as well. He and Mr. Netanyahu agreed that Israel and Bulgaria would cooperate closely in investigating the attack. Burgas, Bulgaria’s chief tourism destination, is a seaside resort, several hundred miles from the capital in Sophia. Because Bulgarian-Israeli relations are excellent as opposed to Turkish-Israeli relations, which soured after the 2010 Flotilla incident, many Israelis who used to vacation in Turkey now come to Burgas. According to the Bulgarian Ministry of Tourism, nearly 150,000 Israelis were expected to visit Bulgaria this year. Since the attack, about 20 percent of the reservations have been canceled. Mr. Barak said the attack should not stop Israelis from traveling. Promising that Israel’s security establishment would “operate with all its strength to reach the perpetrators of this terror attack and the people who sent them,” he said he considered it of the “utmost importance
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com that we do not lose our fortitude or the ability to understand that we must live.” “After learning the lessons, along with listening to the warnings when they can be issued, it is important that Israelis continue to travel in the world, continue to travel around the Land of Israel, and continue to live normal lives despite all the pain,” he said. Responsibility Counter-terrorism expert Yigal Presler, who has advised several Israeli prime ministers on terrorism, said Israeli intelligence does not always receive warnings before terrorist attacks abroad. “Ultimately, the host country is responsible for security,” he said, adding that Israel must help keep Israeli tourists safe by working with other governments. Mr. Presler said he had no doubt “the state of Israel will search for the ones who did this and hurt them.” Shattered Bus The blast on the bus occurred soon after the charter plane from Air Bulgaria, landed at 4:45pm. The targeted bus was the second of four carrying Israeli tourists from the airport to hotels in the city. The explosion damaged two of the other buses as well. Some witnesses said the suicide bomber entered the tour bus inside the pickup area at the airport, but other reports said the explosion was caused by a bomb hidden underneath the bus, in the luggage compartment, or inside a suitcase. Shoshi Ayaler, an eyewitness, told Israel radio 165 passengers were on their plane, which was chartered for the Israeli tour company Kavei Hufsha. The attack came after the Israeli tourists had passed through passport control and had met with local representatives waiting to escort them to buses that would take them to their hotels. “We put the bags in the trunk, and, after a few minutes, the bus exploded in
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flames. Then we returned to the terminal and tried to determine who was missing and who was dead,” said Ms. Ayaler. Her son Guy said that those who survived the explosion escaped from the windows “so they didn’t have to walk over bodies.” “The bus was shattered on both its sides,” he said. At Risk Vice Prime Minister Moshe Yaalon said every Israeli traveling abroad is at risk. “Every Israeli who leaves the country needs to assume that he or she is a target and must be particularly alert,” he said. Mr. Presler said Israeli tourists should ask tourism firms for private security. “If a company provides organized tours, the company must have a guard who will check the bus and see who gets on. There should always be someone responsible,” said Mr. Presler. Victims The murdered Israelis were Maor Harush, 25, of Akko; Yitzchak Kolangi, 28, of Petach Tikva; Amir Menashe, 28, of Petach Tikva; Elior Preis, 26, of Akko; and Kochava Shriki, 44, of Rishon LeTzion. Mr. Kolangi and his wife, Gilat, had gone on holiday with their good friends Mr. Menashe and his wife, Natali. The men were placing bags in the luggage compartment of the bus when the bomb exploded. Married less than two years, Mr. and Mrs. Menashe had a 10-month-old son, Rom. Mr. and Mrs. Kolangi had a fourmonth-old daughter, Noya. Mrs. Kolangi was seriously injured in the blast and while, by the next day, she showed signs of improvement, she was unable to attend her husband’s funeral. After years of fertility treatments, Mrs. Shriki had just discovered she was pregnant, news she shared with her sister five minutes before the flight took
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off from Israel. Her husband, Itzik, was wounded in the attack. Bomber’s Identity The identity of the bomber is still unclear. Original reports, based on a man caught on camera at the airport, claimed he was a Swedish citizen of Algerian and Finnish descent and had been held at the US Guantanamo Bay detainment camp in Cuba. Later reports said he was carrying a US passport and forged driver’s license from Michigan with a false address in Louisiana and a false name, Jacques Philippe Martin. Then there were reports that a second terrorist, perhaps a US citizen named David Jepson, was the suicide bomber’s accomplice, and had allegedly been seen in the Bulgarian resort city of Varna, a favorite of Israelis and 150 miles from Burgas. Other reports said the suicide bomber spoke Russian and entered Bulgaria with a female accomplice through Romania. Description According to the British Daily Mail, Dr. Kosyo Yankov, who participated in the autopsy of the bomber, said the body parts suggested a heavy-set man who “has nothing to do with the slim man caught by the security cameras at the Burgas airport.” On August 1, the Bulgarian government released a composite computer-generated photo of the suicide bomber: a dark-haired man with wide-set, light-colored eyes. Two days later, Israel’s defense establishment announced that the man seen on the airport’s footage was the bomber. The Israelis said they had concluded that the remnants of clothing found near the terrorist’s body were those of the man seen on camera. A week after the attack, Bulgarian investigators said that they also believed the lethal bombing had been carried out by Hezbollah. S.L.R.
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Time for Annexation? tively high birthrate and not from new families moving in from urban centers. In 2011, the Arab growth rate in the Palestinian Authority was 2.8 percent. In general, as the Palestinians have become more urbanized and affluent, their birth rate has tended to decrease. According to the PA’s figures, which some Jewish demographers dispute, some 2.6 million Palestinians reside in Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem. Other demographers say that between a lower birthrate and many families fleeing the PA—especially Christians and wealthier Arabs—the actual population figures are much lower. The Jewish population beyond the Green Line continues to increase at a rate of between six and seven percent per year. “In four to five years, we
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will have over 1 million Jews living beyond the Green Line; and in ten years, we will have 1.3 million. In 20 years, at this rate, there will be 2 million Jews living beyond the Green Line,” said Mr. Katz. “Then the revolution will be completed.” Left Agrees Writing in Ha’aretz, former Education Minister and chairman of the left-wing Meretz party Yossi Sarid conceded that the Jewish population growth means Judea and Samaria “will inevitably remain in Jewish hands.” Hagit Ofran, who monitors the communities in Judea and Samaria for the far left-wing Peace Now organization, did not dispute the findings, but, she said, the current numbers do not live up to the right-wing’s expectation. “The settlers used to tell us that by 2000, there would be 1 million of them, and that
didn’t happen,” said Ms. Ofran. She maintained that most of the growth in Judea and Samaria occurred in ultra-Orthodox communities such as Beitar Illit and Modi’in Illit. “Unfortunately, the government promotes the construction of settlements and encourages the Israeli public to move to them,” she said. PA spokesman Ghassan Khatib agreed, attributing the growing Jewish population in Judea and Samaria to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s “commitment to maintain the Israeli control over the Palestinian territories.” “It is consistent with his lack of commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution,” said Mr. Khatib. Yesha’s Future While Israel has already annexed eastern Jerusalem
and the Golan, the future of Judea and Samaria is still undecided and in dispute. The Palestinian Arabs are demanding all the land Israel won in the 1967 war from Jordan—Judea, Samaria, and eastern Jerusalem—for their own state. Syria has demanded the return of the Golan. Before 1967, Gaza was controlled by Egypt. Israel governed the strip until the Disengagement in 2005. Now Gaza is controlled by the terrorist Hamas organization. After the release of an 89page report in June from the Netanyahu-appointed Committee to Examine the State of Construction in the West Bank, many observers said it is time for Israel to extend its sovereignty over a substantial part, if not all, of the 61 percent of Judea and Samaria it has controlled since 1967. Chaired by retired Supreme
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Court Justice Edmund Levy, the committee included District Court Judge Techiya Shapira and former Ambassador and Foreign Ministry Legal Advisor Allan Baker, who was also one of the major drafters of the original Oslo Accords. The committee found that Judea and Samaria is not “under occupation” and Israel cannot be said to be an “occupier.” The report recognized that virtually all communities beyond the Green Line were constructed with formal or tacit government approval. Therefore, the panel advised the Israeli government to avoid issuing demolition orders. Sasson Report For the nationalist government of Mr. Netanyahu, the Levy report has superseded the 2005 Sasson report in which most settlements in Judea and Samaria were found to be “unauthorized.” The report, written by Talia Sasson, who subsequently ran unsuccessfully for the Knesset on the far-left Meretz ticket, insisted that Jews in those settlements had to be evacuated. The Sasson report has formed the basis for numerous Supreme Court judgments. Officials close to Mr. Netanyahu said he commissioned the Levy Report because Ms. Sasson’s political activity revealed her biases. In addition, Mr. Netanyahu said the fact that it was a lone opinion rather than a consensus of experts, required it to be reconsidered. Jewish Rights While the report caused howls of protest from the PA and its supporters, especially those on the Israeli left and in the Obama administration in Washington, the Levy committee has restored Israel’s legal narrative concerning its rights in Judea and Samaria Although the report itself makes no suggestions about
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possible political solutions for the future of Judea and Samaria, many have seen its conclusions as permitting annexation. In 1980, then-nationalist MK Geula Cohen initiated the Jerusalem Basic Law that declared “the complete and unified” Jerusalem to be Israel’s capital. This month, she said the Levy Commission’s findings have paved the way for Judea and Samaria to be similarly annexed. “G-d Helped” She recalled that, in 1980, then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat had an agreement that a law such as one changing the status of Jerusalem would be implemented only if both sides agreed. “But G-d helped, and one day I read in the newspaper that the Egyptian Parliament had discussed Jerusalem being Palestinian,” she recalled. That Egyptian Parliamentary discussion contradicted the agreement Mr. Begin had with Mr. Sadat, prompting Ms. Cohen to inform the Israeli prime minister that Israel was “allowed to do the same thing.” With Mr. Begin’s consent, Ms. Cohen began working on the Jerusalem bill. “Finger of G-d” She still remembers the jeering in the Israeli press. “They said that Geula Cohen wants to tie down and rape the Knesset,” she laughed. When the bill reached the Knesset floor, it was approved by the entire Likud faction and some of the Labor MKs as well. After the bill’s passage, Ms. Cohen said, the “great happiness in Jerusalem…was hard to describe.” “I walked down the street and everyone was happy. There has not been a law that passed with the vote of G-d like this one. Only the finger of G-d did this. It is the finger that voted. Everyone was ashamed
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to vote against the law. I hardly passed any other law over the years. This is the law for which I spent 20 years in the Knesset,” she said. Happening Again The Levy Report has prompted several MKs to start planning for annexation of Judea and Samaria. Likud MK Ze’ev Elkin said the time has come “to end this ‘salami system’ where the Palestinians take and take as we cut away and give them slice by slice.” He said fear of international criticism is unfounded because Israel has maintained its sovereignty over Jerusalem and the Golan for more than 30 years despite international condemnation. Likud MK Miri Regev agreed, saying the government should begin by placing all Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria under its sovereignty. After this preliminary step, she said, the government should apply Israeli law throughout all of Judea and Samaria. Adopt the Levy Report Another Likud MK, Tzipi Hotovely, is preparing a bill requiring the Israeli government simply to adopt the principles laid out in the Levy Report. She said the report had put an end to the notion that “these areas, which are the birthplace of Israel and the place in which the nation’s father, Abraham, had settled, are
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considered by some jurists to be land belonging to Jordan, even though they were never a legitimate part of any Arab state, including Jordan.” “After years of the State being a prisoner of the twisted perception of the biased Talia Sasson Report, it’s time to change the starting point. The people of Israel are not occupiers in the Land of Israel—in Judea and Samaria as in Tel Aviv and in all parts of Jerusalem,” she said. Building Jewish Confidence Former Israeli Ambassador to the UN Dr. Dore Gold, who is now president of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, said this kind of confidence may be a lasting legacy of the Levy Report, even though the report itself doesn’t offer political solutions. “At the end of the day, there is a huge difference in how a compromise [with the Palestinians] will look if Israel’s negotiating team comes to the peace table as ‘foreign occupiers’ who took someone else’s land, or if they come as a party that also has just territorial claims,” said Dr. Gold. Part of the Palestinians’ refusal to compromise, he said, is the fault of the international community which, “constantly fuels the ‘occupation’ narrative.” This, he said, has reduced the “Palestinians’ propensity to consider making a real compromise,
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Time for Annexation? which is critical for any future agreement, [to] close to nil.” “In fact, this false [‘occupation’] narrative only reinforces their mistaken belief in the delegitimization campaign against Israel as an alternative to seeking a negotiated settlement of conflict,” said Dr. Gold. No Falling Sky Like Mr. Elkin, Ms. Regev expressed no trepidation at the possibility of world condemnation. “Just as the sky did not fall when Israeli law was applied to the Golan or to eastern Jerusalem, it will not fall when Yesha is placed under Israeli sovereignty,” she said, using the acronym for Yehuda and Shomron, Judea and Samaria in Hebrew. In Washington, the sky did not fall, but State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell told reporters, “Obviously, we’ve seen the reports that an Israeli government-appointed panel has recommended legalizing dozens of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, but we do not accept the legitimacy of continued Israeli settlement activity, and we oppose any effort to legalize settlement outposts.” Israeli Law At the end of July, Israel’s attorney general, Yehuda Weinstein, announced that Israeli
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law, including laws governing Antiquities and Planning & Construction, apply to all Israeli territory. He specified that since the Temple Mount in Jerusalem “is part of the territory of the state of Israel, these laws apply to that holy area.” He added that because of the “unique character of the site, Israeli law must be implemented with extra sensitivity with consideration given to practical ramifications as well.” His statement was in response to news that the Muslim Waqf, the religious trust responsible for the structures on the Temple Mount (which is also Judaism’s most sacred spot), had erected scaffolding inside the Mosque of Omar, directly on the rock that Jewish sources say marks the ancient site of the Temple’s Holy of Holies. Furious Reaction The response to Mr. Weinstein’s carefully worded statement was immediate. Jordanian Information Minister and official spokesman, Sameeh Maaytah, warned Israel against “attempting to take control over the holy Islamic sites.” Mr. Weinstein’s words, he said, could cause an outbreak of a religious conflict, “especially now, given Israel’s expansive attempts to Judaize Jerusalem.” According to Arutz Sheva, the New York Times issued a
similar warning in 1980 when Ms. Cohen’s Jerusalem Law passed. The paper did not deny Israel’s objectives, which included guaranteeing access to the Old City’s holy places for members of all faiths and maintaining security from attacks, but, the editorial said, “Arbitrary Israeli annexation of the Old City is not the best way to achieve these aims.” The paper, however, offered no alternative solutions. Attorney General The Levy Report is now in Mr. Weinstein’s hands for review and approval, although it is unclear whether he can actually stop the Netanyahu government from acting on the report’s findings. Most nationalists do not consider Mr. Weinstein an ally and some have expressed concern that he might do what he can to nullify the Levy Report. Recently, Mr. Weinstein bucked the government and refused to argue its case against the evacuation of Migron, a community of 50 families in the Benjamin region of Samaria that the Israeli Supreme Court said was built on land owned by Arabs. Thus far, the government has defended the families, but Mr. Weinstein claimed “legal difficulties” prevented him from presenting the government’s position. New Selection Process Mr. Weinstein’s actions prompted the Legal Forum for the Land of Israel, a nationalist human rights and legal watchdog organization, to prepare a report with suggestions as to how an attorney general should be selected in the future. According to the Legal Forum, candidates for the post must be appointed by the prime minister and en-
dorsed by the government’s ministers, similar to the way an attorney general is vetted in the US. “ The individual holding this vital position must identify with the government’s position on key issues, and perform his duty on a strictly professional basis, in an unbiased manner,” said Legal Forum director Nachi Eyal, who is encouraging Mr. Netanyahu to adopt the Levy Report regarding the legal status of Judea and Samaria, with or without Mr. Weinstein’s cooperation. In fact, the Levy Report confirms the opinions of many experts who have long claimed the same. “The racist demand—still repeated mantra fashion and ad nauseam by the PA and its spokesmen—that 350,000 Jews living in Judea and Samaria and 300,000 more living in eastern Jerusalem be dispossessed and removed from their homes— supported by the silence of, and in some cases active support of, a majority of the morally bankrupt international community—could never and can never be acceded to by Israel,” said David Singer, an Australianbased attorney who is active in Zionist affairs. Left-Wing Fury The Israeli left was predictably aghast at the Levy report and is furious that the prospects for its adoption by the Israeli government are growing stronger. Kadima MK Shlomo Molla, the first Ethiopian-Jewish Deputy Speaker of the Knesset, “warned” Mr. Netanyahu and his ministers not to adopt Edmund Levy’s report because, he said, “it will bury the peace process for good.” “This report badly tarnishes Israel’s image and prevents all
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The Avenue Event Space Opens in Teaneck for Parties and Gatherings Limited Only by the Hosts’ Imagination Yuval Graneviz of Teaneck
and Ronen Riskovich of the Five Towns have been friends and business partners for 14 years. Photographers by profession, they know a great deal about simchas and other events, parties, and occasions, including the fact that, throughout the tri-state area, there are very few places in which such a gathering of fewer than 150 people can be held. Until now, that is. Messrs Graneviz and Riskovich have just opened The Avenue Event Space. Located at 1382 Queen Anne Road, in the heart of Teaneck’s West Englewood Avenue restaurant and kosher business district, The Avenue opens directly onto the street, but once inside the doors, it is easy to understand what Mr. Riskovich means when he says, “Our space can be transformed into anything your imagination can envision.” Their plan is to make every event at The Avenue “unique, fresh, and original.” “Whether it’s a bar or bat mitzvah party, a birthday party, an anniversary, a family reunion, a Sweet Sixteen, a class reunion, a pidyon haben, an engagement party, a sheva brachot, a fundraiser, a club meeting, or any other event or party, we have pledged not to do anything formulaic or second-best. And this will be
evident in every fine detail of what we do,” said Mr. Graneviz. Convenient They chose Teaneck for the new concept because it is within easy access to most areas in the tri-state area. The Avenue has plenty of parking and is convenient to public transportation as well. The owners’ enthusiasm coupled with the beautiful space, filled only with sparkling tables and chairs, a welcoming dance floor, and a “video-wall” that can be used for any visual from slide-shows to an almost-forreal fireplace, makes it clear they mean it when they say, “We’ll make your vision a reality.” “At The Avenue, we can give you just the room with tables and chairs, or an elaborate, full-service party plan including food, flowers, videos, music, photography, games, and activities. Our space is your canvas,” said Mr. Riskovich. To begin with, they have the resources to make it happen. Because they own Action Studios, a photography and video service located directly across the street, they know the owners of virtually all party services in the area. “We can use any rabbinically-approved kosher caterer, meat or dairy, and, with an Orthodox rabbi’s approval, the host can bring in home-made food. We know all the musicians
and can arrange anything the hosts want, from a one-man band to a full-service orchestra. We can help with accessories, decorations, themes, special lighting, table settings, linens, and all sorts of entertainment. We are committed to telling each host: We want to do it your way,” said Mr. Graneviz. Singles Events The two owners envision other possibilities for their space as well. “We want the entire community to see The Avenue as their own space, to use in any way they can imagine,” said Mr. Riskovich. To that end, they plan on holding singles events, including Shabbatons, in which guests are offered home hospitality with all meals and programs at the Avenue. “This is one the most important programs we can offer,” said Mr. Graneviz, who just recently was married.
Children’s Events The two men hope also to offer innovative children’s programs, which will include activities and meals in a party atmosphere. One of their more exciting ideas is a potential weekly “Mom’s Night Out,” which will offer parents a three-hour program for their school-age children, including homework supervision, activities, and dinner. “And we will charge less than the babysitter at home would,” said Mr. Riskovich, himself a married father of four. For a consultation or to arrange a private tour of The Avenue Event Space, call 201-6884050 or AvenueEventSpace@ gmail.com. The website can be accessed at www.avenueeventspace.com. “The space for your next simcha or event is closer than you think,” said Mr. Graneviz . S.L.R.
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The Log: Do It Now
Brian Schiff, chairman of Basketball Recruiting for the 19th World Maccabiah Games, scheduled for summer 2013 in Israel, is looking for members of the seven US teams: boys (born 1995-1996 and 1997-1998), girls (born 1995-1998), men, women, masters men (over 35 and those over 45). Call 610-836-2573 or 215561-6900 ext 116 The Yeshiva University Museum is looking for help in development of an exhibition on Eruvs and the Jewish communities that use them. The exhibition is set to open in September 2012. The museum’s curators are looking for the perspectives of people who use eruvs and those who consciously choose not to use them. Call 212-294-8330 The Beth Aaron Boys Choir is now accepting boys in grades 1-7 from throughout Bergen County, rehearsals in Teaneck, 201-357-5685 or 201-357-5495 A complete easy-to-understand English translation of the Daily Daf is available for free. It also incorporates the discussions of the Gemara for the advanced learner’s review. The Daf Yomi can be learned or reviewed in under 20 minutes per day, www.daf-yomi.org
Wed., Aug 8
Bike4Chai, 150-mile bike marathon on behalf of Camp Simcha and Camp Simcha Special summer camps to meet the medical and social needs of 450 children and teens with cancer and other serious illnesses, mara-
thon begins in Asbury Park and ends on Thurs., Aug 9, at Camp Simcha in Glen Spey, NY, 516-6809550 or 201-796-7788 “Network with the ‘Tribe’: Grow Your Business, Network with Other Jewish Professions,” While Foods Market in Bergen Town Center, Paramus, 8:15am, jdill@chargecardsystems.com Job Search Boot Camp: “Career Planning and Targeting Companies,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 “A Midsummer’s Day Dream: Fashion Forward Event to benefit SINAI Special Needs Institute Schools, for women, at Neiman Marcus, Westfield Garden State Plaza, Paramus, kosher gourmet luncheon, with speaker Rickie Freeman for Teri Jon, 11am; fashion show, 12:15pm; Designer Merchandise Raffle, 12:45pm; 201-833-1134 or sinaischools.org/ neimanmarcusluncheon Sen Robert Menendez (DNJ), luncheon spons by NORPAC, private office in Newark, 12:30pm, 201-788-5133 Sheva Brachot for Rabbi Jeremy and Rebbetzin Shira Donath, sunset dinner with music and dancing, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 6:30pm, 201-797-6032 Training Session for Security Team Group Leaders, for men and women over 18, no experience necessary, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:15pm, bbadner@ verizon.net, jgellis@hotmail.com, or 201-907-0180
Passaic Torah Institute Neve, for women, Blimi Lampel, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 908278-4059 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 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 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 Nechama Support Group for Family Members Who Have Experienced Infant and/or Pregnancy Loss at Any Time in Their Lives, Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-692-9302 “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 “The Ups and Downs of Marital Intimacy: Navigating the State of Constant Change, Especially in Light of Tu B’Av,” for women, Yael Weil and Yoetzet Halacha Shoshana Samuels, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-837-2795 “Infusing Positive Midot in Our Children,” Rabbi Chaim Hagler, spons by Yeshivat Noam, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 201-833-2664
Thurs., Aug 9
Mommy and Me, for parents and children 0-3, Toba Leah Grossbaum, Synagogue of the Suburban Torah Center, Livingston, 9:15am, 973-994-2620 ext 230 “When School’s Out, Laughs Are In,” Karen Bergreen, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1496 Nechama, for family members who have experienced infant and/or pregnancy loss at any time in their lives, Holy Name Medical Center, Teaneck, 8pm, 201-692-9302
Fri., Aug 10
Carlebach Minyan, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 7pm, 201-833-0515 Community Shabbat Dinner: “Humor, Song, and Inspiration,” Rabbi Mendy Gurkov and impressionist Sammy the Deuce, Chabad Jewish Center of Upper Passaic County, Wayne, 7pm, 201-696-7609 Women-Only Kabbalat Shabbat Ma’ariv Service, led by Bat Mizvah Girl Shayna Sassoon, private home in West Orange, 7pm, 973-243-7022 “Rabbi Behind Bars: A Chaplain’s Story of Hope and Rehabilitation,” Rabbi Yisroel Rapoport, includes Shabbat Dinner, Chabad, Ventnor, services, 7:30pm; dinner, 8:15pm, 609-822-8500
Shabbat, Aug 11
Carlebach Minyan, Cong Darchei Noam, Fair Lawn, 8:45am Tefilat Shlomo: The Carlebach Tefila of Riverdale, at the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 9am Carlebach-Style Davening, Jewish Center of Teaneck, 9am, 201-833-0515 Rabbi’s Tish: “To Serve and Protect: The Next Round of Debate on Mandatory Military and Community Service for All in Israeli Society,” Rabbi Lawrence Zierler, Jewish Center of Teaneck, noon, 201-833-0515 Sisterhood Shalosh Seudos, Cong Beth Abraham, Bergenfield, 4:30pm, 201-387-1234 Sisterhood Shabbos Mevorchim Lecture, Community Synagogue of Monsey, 5pm, 845-356-7687 “Rav Kook’s Critique of the Mussar Movement,” Rabbi Yitzchak Blau, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 6:25pm, 201-837-2795
Sun., Aug 12
Last Day to Visit the Moriah School of Englewood’s Online Auction, includes tickets for events, golf foursomes, beauty treatments, travel, and local shops and restaurant, www.BiddingForGood.com/Moriah Maccabi Sports, for Jewish teenagers, individually and in teams, need for volunteers interested in providing kosher homes for those participants who observe the dietary laws, will include dropping
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August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
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“Separate Yourself Not from the Community” off and picking teens up at the YJCC, West Nyack, through Fri., Aug 17, jccrockland.org/maccabi or 845-362-8523, 845-354-8115, or pwkmd@aol.com Teaneck Town-Wide Garage Sale, private residences throughout Teaneck, 8am-8pm, http://www.teanecknj.gov/index.cfm?fuseaction=content. map&mapTypeID=65; to sign up, call 201-837-1600 ext 1003 Zumba at the Riverdale YMHA’s Sunday Market, 9am2pm, 718-548-8200 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Too Much of a Good Thing—The Sin of Being Too Observant,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Torah Flora Tour of the New York Botanical Garden in the Bronx, for adults and children, Dr. Jon Greenberg, includes “The real maror—what’s wrong with
horseradish and why it’s not supposed to blow your head off,” “The meaning of a common spice plant that looks like a menorah,” “How a Jewish exile showed Americas that tomatoes are not poisonous, paving the way for pizza and ketchup,” “the critical importance of beer to the origin of civilization,” and a tree-related craft project, 10:30am, jon@TorahFlora.com Family Fun Day, spons by JCC MetroWest, includes kosher lunch, swimming, sports, frisbee fun, Camp Deeny Riback, Flanders, 11am; Mama Doni Band performance, 1pm, 973-929-2901 Yeshiva Ohr Yerushalayim Alumni Gathering, with Rav Moshe Chaim Sosevsky, Rav Shmuel Wagner, and Rav Avraham Shimon Weingot, private home in Bergenfield, 7pm, 201-385-9047 Opening Ceremony for the NY Maccabi Games, including a moment of silence to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the murder of 11 Israeli athletes and coaches at the Munich Olympics in 1972, JCC Rockland, 7pm, 845-362-4400, livestreamed at http://www.ooVoo.com
Comedy Night, featuring Marion Grodin (daughter of actor Charles Grodin), Teaneck General Store, 7pm, 201-530-5046 One Family Fund Summer Backyard Blast, featuring food and an array of award-winning Israeli wines, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 516-239-9202 Writers Group, for sharing, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 347-200-5009
Mon., Aug 13
Moriah School of Englewood Golf, Tennis, and Cycling Outing, held at the Edgewood Country Club, Rivervale, includes auction, 9am-8pm, 201-567-0208 ext 373 Imago Method of Building Positive Relationships: The Relationship Miracle, Amy and Michael Sherman, private home in Nyack, 8pm, 845-641-8843 Film: “Reb Elimelech and the Chassidic Legacy of Brotherhood,” explores the birth of the Chassidic movement, by Rabbi Hanoch Teller, Cong Beth Aaron, Teaneck, 201-836-6210 Community Synagogue of Monsey Book Club: “Brooklyn”
by Colm Toibin, private home in Monsey, 8:30pm, 845-356-2060
Tues., Aug 14
Support Group for Caregivers, those caring for an older adult who is physically frail or suffering from memory loss, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-408-1450
Wed., Aug 15
Mommy and Me, for infants and toddlers, Helene Lockspeiser, includes music, art, tefillah, stories, and time for mothers to share parenting ideas, Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva, Edison, 9:30am, 732-572-5052 ext 215 Job Search Boot Camp: “Reinventing Yourself: Developing Your Own Brand,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 Chabad Community Room Beautification Project: Sculptural Installation Comprised of Wheels, can be from bikes, strollers, wagons, etc, includes refreshments and childcare,
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The Log
August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
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Chabad of Greater Somerset County, Basking Ridge, 6:30pm, 908-604-8844 Strength to Strength Support Group for Parents Whose Children, Ages 15-25, Are Dealing with Chemical Dependency, Psychological Disorders, or CoOccurring Issues, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-140 Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090 Training Session for Security Team Group Leaders, for men and women over 18, no experience necessary, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 7:15pm, bbadner@ verizon.net, jgellis@hotmail.com, or 201-907-0180 Passaic Torah Institute Neve, for women, Blimi Lampel, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 908-278-4059 Republican Candidate for Senate Richard Mourdock, spons by NORPAC, private home in Teaneck, 7:30pm, 201-788-5133
Thurs., Aug 16
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 “An American Jew Who Changed the World: Henrietta Szold,” Dr. Robert Fierstien, includes refreshments, JCC, Margate, 11am, 609-822-1854 Rosh Chodesh Women’s Circle: “Holy Temple in 3D” video presentation, includes dairy lattes, Chabad, Margate, 7pm, 609-992-4900 “Yiddish Is in My Genes,” Naomi Miller and Janet Sosinsky, YMHA, Wayne, 7pm, 973-595-0100
Shabbat, Aug 18
Minyan Tiferet: Shira Hadasha-Style Shabbat Morning Service, private home in Englewood, 9:15am, minyantiferet@gmail.com Cindy Turkeltaub Grosberg Women’s Class, Janice Colmar Michaelis, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 5 “What Is Modern Orthodoxy and Why Is Hebrew Literacy One of Its Requirements?” Rabbi Michael Chernick, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 6:15pm, 201-8372795:15pm, 973-669-7320
Motzei Shabbat, Aug 18
Tiferes Chofetz Chaim Heritage Foundation Program, for women, private home in Edison, 9:45pm, Siegelmom@optonline. net or 732-572-4713
Sun., Aug 19
Kosher Backpacking and Rock Climbing Trip to Northern Vermont, for fathers and sons, ages 11 and up, Moshe Lazaar and Rabbi Eli Moskovitz, return Fri., Aug 24, 914-714-0496 Friendship Circle Bike 4 Friendship Grand Finale, bike for 40 miles, from the Friendship Circle in Livingston to Riverside Park in Manhattan, all level of bikers to meet the Friendship cyclists who will be arriving after biking cross country, includes energy drinks and snacks and kosher BBQ lunch, leave Friendship Circle of MetroWest, Livingston, 8:30am, 718-713-3071 or mendel@ friendshipcircle.com Early Childhood Center Activities at the Riverdale YMHA’s Sunday Market, 9am-2pm, 718548-8200 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Justice and Compassion—When What’s Right Isn’t the Right Thing to
The Log is a free service provided to the Jewish community in northern and central New Jersey, Rockland County and Riverdale. Events that we list include special and guest lectures, concerts, boutiques, dinners, open houses, club meetings, and new classes. Announcements are requested by the 25th of the month prior to the month of the event. Due to space and editorial constraints, we cannot guarantee publication of any announcement. Please email them to : susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com
Do,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Friendship Circle End-ofSummer Camp, for special-needs children, private location in Livingston, 10am-1pm, also Mon, Aug 20-Thurs., Aug 23, 10am-3pm, 973-251-0210 or toba@fcnj.com Raritan Valley Hadassah Hebrew Club, for men and women, chat in Hebrew and read a short Hebrew story or article, private home in Highland Park, 10am, 732-249-4087 Jewish Summer Fest, includes the Yellow Red Sky Band, kosher BBQ and falafel, crafts, children’s rides and games, facepainting, spons by Chabad at the Shore, Ventnor Library and the Beach, 6pm, 609-822-8500
Mon., Aug 20
Bike 4 Friendship, a kosher, Shomer Shabbos trip for teenagers who want to bike 220 miles from NY to Washington, DC, spons by the Friendship Circle which is the beneficiary, includes a Shabbos in Washington on Aug 25-26, info@ friendshipcircle.com First Session of Summer Academy for Growth and Enrichment Begins, for students in grades 2-8, includes fine arts, fitness, writing, acting, and web design, at Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 9am-3pm, continues through Friday, Aug 24, sage@ yavnehacademy.org Basketball/All Sports Camp, for children in grades K-6, with Rabbi Steven Penn, Jewish Center of Teaneck, through Fri., Aug 24, 9am-3pm, 201-833-0515 ext 205 Trip to Tour the Morris-Jumel Mansion, the Oldest Mansion in Manhattan, and a Walking Tour of the Harlem Neighborhood, for seniors over 60, includes transportation, admission, and kosher lunch, leave the Riverdale YMHA 10:15am, 718-548-8200 ext 204
Tues., Aug 21
“Bagels and Business: What You Need to Know to Run a Million-Dollar Business,” Lou Weiss, George C. Hewitt, Cynthia A. Myer, Lou Tucci, Erik Luhrs, and David Stoff, includes “how to create a millionaire’s mindset by cultivating the extraordinary,: “What It Takes
to Build and Run a Million-Dollar Business,” “How to Position Yourself for Success When It Doesn’t Just Happen,” “How to Get an Audience to Buy-in to Your Product or Service,” and “How to Fill Yourself with an Abundance of Inspiration—Look Inward,” Bergen Community College, breakfast, 7am; presentation, 8am, 201-612-5300 Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Cooking Demo with Stone Fruits, Chef Kathy, includes peaches, nectarines, plums, and apricots, JCC, Tenafly, 11am, 201-408-1475 Elul Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Preparation, Five Steps to Renewal,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.torahcalls. com or 732-806-1578
Wed., Aug 22
Job Search Boot Camp: “Polishing Your Interviewing Skills,” for the recently unemployed and new college graduates, spons by the Jewish Family Service of Central NJ, at Temple Sholom, Fanwood, 9:30am, 908-352-8375 Film: “The Courage to Care,” narrated by Elie Wiesel, presented by producer Prof Carol Rittner, spons by Stockton College, at Beth El Synagogue, Margate, 7pm, 609-652-4699 “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
Thurs., Aug 23
BBQ and Basketball Experience, featuring NBA’s Rick Barry, to benefit OHEL’s foster care program, private home in Englewood, 5:30pm, 718-6863316 or 201-816-9066 The Metropolitan Klezmer Band, YMHA, Wayne, 7pm, 973595-0100
Shabbat, Aug 25
Shabbat Mevarchim Kiddush, to honor outgoing youth director Yehudeet Gore, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, noon, 732-247-3038 Cindy Turkeltaub Grosberg Women’s Class, Bess Abel, Cong
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com Ohr Torah, West Orange, 5:15pm, 973-669-7320
Motzei Shabbat, Aug 25
Moshav Band in Concert, spons by Nerot of Cong Rinat Yisrael, at the Avenue Event Space, Teaneck, 9:15pm, BC418@hotmail.com
Sun., Aug 26
Family Arts and Crafts at the Riverdale YMHA’s Sunday Market, 9am-2pm, 718-548-8200 Trip to the Museum of Jewish Heritage and the 9-11 Memorial in Battery Park, includes docent-led tour and films “Filming the Camps: From Hollywood to Nuremberg” and “Emma Lazarus: Poet of the Exiles,” leave Cong Bais Torah, Suffern, 9am, 845-352-1343 Explanatory Morning Service, Rabbi David Pietruszka, spons by the Jewish Learning Experience, at Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 9:15am, 201-966-4490 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Firstborn Rights—The Effects of Children on Marriage,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500 Dog Days of Summer Party, includes dog-swimming in a Doggie Splash Pool and sprinkler fun for dogs and their human kids; games for children, adults, and their dogs; free nail clipping; talks; and a Bark-B-Que for dogs and BBQ for families, Riverdale YMHA, 3-6pm, 718-548-8200 Jewish Life Night with the Rockland Boulders Minor League Baseball, game is vs the NJ Jackals, a celebration of Jewish life and culture, includes chance to meet the volunteers behind KosherTroops. com who support Jewish-American servicemen and women, children ages 14 and under are invited to run the bases after the game, at Rockland Boulders Park, Pomona, NY, 5pm, 845-364-0009 or sara@ fuerstandfuerst.com JACS Meeting, 12-steps meeting for Jews in recovery, Rabbi Steven Bayar, Cong B’nai Israel, Millburn, 6pm, 973-379-3811 Writers Group, for sharing, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, 347-200-5009
Mon., Aug 27
Second Session of Summer Academy for Growth and Enrichment Begins, for students
August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
in grades 2-8, includes fine arts, fitness, writing, acting, and web design, at Yavneh Academy, Paramus, 9am-3pm, continues through Friday, Aug 31, sage@ yavnehacademy.org Basketball/All Sports Camp, for children in grades K-6, with Rabbi Steven Penn, Jewish Center of Teaneck, through Fri., Aug 31, 9am-3pm, 201-833-0515 ext 205 Café Europa Holocaust Survivor Group, Jacob Weiland, MSW, Riverdale YMHA, 1pm, 718548-8200 ext 303
Tues., Aug 28
One Book, One Jewish Community: “What We Talk about When We Talk about Anne Frank” by Nathan Englander, presented by Meryl Rodgers, includes refreshments, JCC, Margate, 10am, 609822-1854 “A Holocaust Survivor’s Story,” for seniors, JCC, Tenafly, 10:30am, 201-408-1450 Elul Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Preparation, Five Steps to Renewal,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.torahcalls. com or 732-806-1578
Wed., Aug 29
JCCs of North America Fantasy Football Challenge Draft Night, features food and raffle for a pair of Giants tickets, JCC, West Orange, 7pm, www.discoverjcc. com/JCCFFC or wcaron@jccmetrowest.org Abused Women’s Confidential Support Group, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7:15pm, 201-837-9090
Fri., Aug 31
Last Day to Order from the Nerot of Cong Rinat Yisrael Rosh Hashana Wine and Alcohol, includes 22 oz bottles of grape juice for 99 cents with order of $100, 201-357-8511 Last Day to Order Israeli Ein Harod Honey in Decorative Jar, through Nerot of Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 201-837-2795 “Coincidence or Divine Providence: Sharing Stories of Hashkacha Pratis and Small Miracles,” includes Shabbat Dinner, spons by Chabad, Ventnor, services, 7:30pm; dinner, 8:15pm, 609-822-8500
Sun., Sept 2
Gathering for Encourage-
The Jewish Voice and Opinion
ment of Modest (GEM) Tznius Group: Hashkafa and Halacha from Bnos Melachim and Individual Thoughts, for women, private home in Passaic, 9:15am, 973-365-2342 Judaism’s Relevance in Modern Life: “Kosher Pride: Confessiong the Things You Do Right,” Rabbi Avrohom Rapoport, includes breakfast, Chabad, Ventnor, 10am, 609-822-8500
Tues., Sept 4
Women’s Club for Widows, Jewish Federation and Vocational Services, Concordia Shopping Center, Monroe, 10:30am, 732-7771940 or 609-395-7979 Elul Tele-Workshop: “A Time for Preparation, Five Steps to Renewal,” Rebbetzin Tziporah Heller, 10pm, www.torahcalls. com or 732-806-1578
Wed., Sept 5
Trip to Visit the 9-11 Memorial in New York, includes tour of lower Manhattan, with tour guide Marty Schneit, leaves the JCC of Middlesex County, Edison, 9am, 732-494-3232 ext 614 Contemporary Israeli Po-
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etry Group, in the original with English translation and discussion, Atara Fobar, Hebrew Institute of Riverdale, 7pm, 718-796-4730 Strength to Strength Support Group for Parents Whose Children, Ages 15-25, Are Dealing with Chemical Dependency, Psychological Disorders, or CoOccurring Issues, JCC, Tenafly, 7pm, 201-408-140 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 Parenting Tele-Conference: “Connecting: Creating That Lasting Bond,” Rabbi Shmuel Zimmerman, spons by the National Association of Support and Outreach, http://www. nasoamerica.org/recorded-programs.html, 9:30pm, call 712-4321001, Access Code: 431-701-747#; to playback the shiur anytime, call 712-432-1011, Playback Access Code: 412-184-214#; am@ NASOamerica.org Y
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August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
Tell Our Advertisers “I Saw It in The Jewish Voice and Opinion”
New Classes This Month Sundays
“Keeping up with Your 5th Grade Son’s Learning: Brachos, 4th Perek, Rabbi Baruch Bodenheim, Yeshiva Passaic Torah Institute, 8am, 973-777-2909 or 862-371-3186 Learning How to Blow the Shofar: Training the Next Generation of Ba’alei Tokea, for boys ages 13-22 who attend the 7am, 7:30am, or 8am minyanim, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30am, 973-736-1407 “Interactive Shemonah Perakim Chaburah, Rabbi Yitzchok Segal, Kehilas Bais Yosef, Passaic, 8:30pm, kby613@gmail.com Parent-Child Beginner Karate Class, for boys and girls 8 and up, Avi Goldin, private location in Teaneck, 8:30am, avigoldin@gmail.com Shulchan Aruch, Rabbi Yitzchak Sebbag, includes breakfast, Chabad House, Passaic, 9:30am, rabbisebbag@gmail.com Chabura Avodah Zorah, Binyamin Halberstam, Cong Tifereth Israel, Passaic, 9pm, 862-686-6748 Roundtable Study of “Machsheves Hachassidus: The Fundamentals of Judaism from a Chabad Chassidic Perspective,” Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 9:30pm, 201-794-3770
Mondays
Knitting Workshop, for women and girls ages 12 and up, Sharon Sebrow, beginners and intermediate level, Cong Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck, 10am, SharonSebrow@gmail.com Jewish Genealogy, Dr. Stephen Schecter, JCC, Margate, 10am, 609-822-1167 ext 138 Torah Class, Rabbi Avrohom Bergstein, Anshei Lubavitch Congregation, Fair Lawn, 8pm, 201-794-3770 Gemara Shiur: Shabbos, in Hebrew, Rabbi A. Erlanger, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-247-3038
Tuesdays
Shiur for Women, Rabbi Ari Zahtz, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, 10:30am, 201-836-8916 “The 39 Melachos of Shabbos,” for women, Rabbi Eliezer Krohn, private home in Passaic, 7:45pm, 973-471-9536 Women’s Confidential Divorce Support Group, Carol Glasser, private home in Teaneck, 8pm, 201-833-8822 “The Clarity Seminar: Prepare Your Spiritual Business Plan for the High Holy Days,” Tzipora Harris, private home in Passaic, 8pm, 973-779-3356; live phone recording, 712-432-0075 code 681749#; phone recording anytime, 712-432-1085 code 681749# Partners in Torah, for learners and mentors, Cong Agudas Yisroel Bircas Yaakov of Passaic Park, 8:15pm, 862-591-2920 Shiur, for women, Dr. Chaim Presby, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-247-3038 Women’s Tefillah Group, private home in Teaneck, 8:30pm, Randiwart@gmail.com Young Professionals Chaburah, Rabbi Michael Bleicher, private homes in West Orange, 9pm, 973-736-1407
Wednesdays
“Interactive Parshat Hashavua,” focusing on themes, characters, and timeless lessons, Yael Weil, in memory of Alisa Flatow, z”l, Cong Keter Torah, Teaneck, 10am, 201-907-0180 “Judaism in a Nutshell,” Rabbi M Kasowitz, Lubavitch Center, West Orange, 10am, 973-486-2362 “Chovos Halevavos: A Guide for Life: Elevate Your Summer, Elevate Your Life,” for women, Rebbetzin Vital Kalmanovitz, private home in Monsey, 10:30am, 845-362-2362 Baby Brigade, for mothers with young children, at Daughters of Miriam, places for children to play while visiting seniors, Clifton,
10:30am, 862-377-4989 “The Practical Shabbat Kitchen,” for women, Rabbi Ari Zahtz, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:30am, 201-836-8916 Lunch and Learn, for seniors, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, lunch, 1pm; shiur, 1:30pm, 201-836-8916 Confidential Support Group for Women Affected by Intimate Partner Violence, Jewish Family Service, Teaneck, 7pm, 201-837-9090 Tanya: Shulchan Aruch of the Soul, Rabbi Yitzchak Sebbag, Chabad House, Passaic, 7:30pm, rabbisebbag@gmail.com “Messilat Yesharim: Path of the Just, Self-Perfection, and Cleaving to the Divine, in the Path of HaRav Moshe Chaim Luzzato,” for women, private home in Monsey, 8pm, 845-216-0714 Tomchei Shabbos Packing and Delivery, for men and women and children in grades 5 and up, private location in Passaic, women, 6pm; men, 7pm; drivers, 8:15pm, Info@ShomreiTorah.us Shiur, Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8:15pm, 201-530-0043 Gemara Shiur: Succos, Rabbi Shlomo Ziegler, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-247-3038 “The Zivug Line: Shidduch Representation,” for all backgrounds and all ages, 8:30pm, 805-399-1000, Pin No: 999999#
Thursdays
Hafrashat Challah BeTzibbur, for women, bring your own dough, followed by hot lunch, private home in Monsey, 11am, 845-578-1973 or 845-425-7066 Parshat HaShavua, for women, Dr. Devorah Rosenwasser, Young Israel of Riverdale, 8pm, chayabp@gmail.com Rodfei Shalom Fellowship: Jewish-Based 12-Step Spiritual Solutions, for those seeking recovery from addiction, open to all who seek recovery, Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, 8pm, sobrnserene@yahoo.com “Thoughts on the Parsha,” Rabbi Yosef Sharbat, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David Sephardic Shul, West Orange, 8pm, 973-736-1407 Gemara Shiur: Masechet Brachot, Rabbi Eliezer Zwickler, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 8:30pm, 973-736-1407 Gemara Shiur: Taanis, Dr. Chaim Presby, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 8:30pm, 732-247-3038 Chumash Shiur: Parsha, Rabbi Dov Kramer, Cong BMT Zichron Moshe, Passaic, 8:30pm, 973-473-3666 Parasha and Chassidus, Rabbi Moshe Weinberg, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 9:15pm, 201-836-8916 In Depth Chumash and Rashi Parshas Hashavua Shiur, Passaic-Clifton Kollel, Cong Beis Torah U’Tefillah, Passaic, 9:45pm, passaiccliftonkollel@gmail.com Learning How to Blow the Shofar: Training the Next Generation of Ba’alei Tokea, for boys ages 13-22 who attend the 10pm ma’ariv minyan, Cong Ahawas Achim Bnai Jacob and David, West Orange, 10:15pm, 973-736-1407 Parasha and Halacha, Rabbi Michael Taubes, Cong Bnai Yeshurun, Teaneck, 10:15pm, 201-836-8916
Shabbat
“Laws of Medicine: Healing on Shabbat,” Rabbi Aharon Ciment, Cong Arzei Darom, Teaneck, 8:15am, 201-530-0043 Mishna Breuer Class, for teenagers, Rabbi Grosberg, Cong Ohr Torah, West Orange, 4pm, 973-669-7320 Perek in the Park, Sagamore Park, Teaneck, 5pm, rdfrankel1@ aol.com Women’s Parsha Shiur, private home in Teaneck, 5:30pm, 201837-1710
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August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
Hebrew Pronunciation, includes halachic background, explanation and history of the nikkud system, linguistics, Hebrew dialects (including history), and Mesorah, Yaakov Gorlin, Cong Ohav Emeth, Highland Park, 50 minutes before mincha, 732-393-0053 Pirkei Avot Shiur, Rabbi, Rabbi Yaakov Glasser, Young Israel of Passaic-Clifton, Passaic, 6:55pm, 973-330-2285
Special
Teenage Boys and Men Learn with the West Orange Kollel Rabbis, with Rabbi Avrohom Stone, private homes in West Orange, Mon-Thurs, 8:15pm, ourfr@netscape.net
New Minyanim
Bnai Torah minyan in West Orange, yeshivish hashkofah, Friday night mincha, 7pm; shacharit Shabbat morning, 8:15am; yeshiva learning, 5:30pm, shiur with Rabbi Stone, 7pm; mincha, 8pm, bnaitorahminyon@gmail.com Cong Ahavat Shalom of the Teaneck Apartments are organizing a minyan for Rosh Hashana that will be davening at the Torah Academy of Bergen County. To participate, contact rxisgood@gmail.com
Chesed Ops
At Daughters of Miriam Senior Care Center in Clifton, there are many residents who do not manage to go outside, sometimes for months. During nice weather, volunteers, high school age and older, are needed to take seniors outside for 30-60 minutes into the garden or courtyard and sit with them. Call 862-377-4989 The Friendship Circle in Livingston is looking to hire collegeage staff for its End-of-Summer Day Camp for special-needs children, Sun, Aug 19-Thurs, Aug 23, 973-251-0210 or toba@fcnj.com You can purchase Rosh Hashana Cards for Jewish men and women serving in the US armed services, or sponsor a $36 package for them through koshertroops.com. Contact sara@koshertroops. com or ava@koshertroops.com, or call 845-494-6410 Used Books—Jewish and non-Jewish, fiction and non-fiction, for children and adults—can be donated to the new Passaic/ Clifton Book Gemach. Call 973-685-4215 Mishpachah Magazine Gemach, drop off relatively new Mishpachah Magazines in New Hempstead and pick up new ones on Fridays, for adults and children, 845-270-8484 The Bergenfield Bike Gemach has bikes for all ages but needs donations, pick-ups can be arranged, bikegemach@gmail.com Project Ezra is looking for donations of gently worn outfits so that clients can “shop” for new-for-them clothing. Ezrah’s Closet needs a wide selection of styles and sizes, for girls, teens, and women. All clothing in good condition, clean, and not in need of repair, can be dropped off at Project Ezra. Call 201-569-9047 Project Ezrah has also initiated a new Free Loan Society. For eligibility, call Malkie at 201-569-9047 Chaverim of Teaneck, a volunteer group that provides free road assistance and other non-medical emergency help at home or on the road (lock-outs, flat tires, boost car batteries, assist when cars are stuck in snow or mud, rides if the car is disabled, transport during snowstorms, directions, get gas if you run dry, help when power goes out, provide shiva minyanim) needs more members. To join or support the group, call 201-800-HELP or chaverim.teaneck@gmail.com CareOne at Teaneck is seeking Shabbos host families to provide hospitality for patients’ relatives. When illness or postsurgery rehabilitation requires a stay over Shabbos, CareOne often receives requests for accommodations for a spouse, adult child, friend, or other family member. Guests and hosts can receive delicious RCBC-supervised kosher Shabbat meals at CareOne. Call 201-287-8560 Ezra Fineman, who is 3, had an umbilical cord transplant in May. He was released from the hospital last month and is continu-
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ing his recovery at home, but the repeat engraftment studies show that the donor cells have dropped to only 8 percent. The numbers might go up, but, in any case, he can’t have another transplant for at least another six months because of the toxicity from the chemo conditioning. Ezra still requires blood and platelets on a regular basis. You canbe any blood type to donate platelets. He is starting to hold blood a bit longer, but is still transfusion-dependent. He is still O+ blood type. Please contact Mary Thomas at 212-639-3335 to schedule an appointment at Memorial Hospital in Manhattan. After two fruitless years of searching, the family could also use a perfect bone marrow match for him. To be tested or to donate so others can have a donor test kit, go to www.GiftOfLife.org/help4Ezra High School Students Needed to Become Hospice Teen Volunteers, throughout NJ to help shut-ins, participate in special projects, and help with activities, spons by Care Alternatives Hospice, call Gregory Sladovich, 866-821-1212 or volunteer@carealt.com, www.carealt.com The Fair Lawn Gemach, under the auspices of Anshe Lubavitch of Fair Lawn, needs an old high-riser frame, a guitar, and living room furniture, FairLawnGemach@aol.com The Teaneck-based Helping Hands Food Pantry, founded by Councilman Elie Y Katz and Pastor Daniel Meys, to help needy families and individuals, needs financial contributions as well as any unopened, non-perishable food and toiletries, 201-376-4056 Y
Mazal Tov Mazal Tov to the Bar Mitzvah Boys: Ryan Eisner, Daniel Elbaum, Menachem From, Moshe Yehuda Goldwasser, Yoni Laub, Asher Stein, Jonathan Tuch, Seth Jacobs, Eli Slonim, Yitzy Steinberg, and Yair Wasserman; and the Bat Mitzvah Girls: Danielle Atholz and Shayna Sassoon Mazal Tov to Eitan Novogrodsky and Mark Kaminetzky of Teaneck, who are among 10 Yeshiva University undergraduates participating in the Summer Undergraduate Research Program, an advanced biomedical research program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. The program has drawn 55 students in total from a variety of colleges and universities to engage in cutting-edge scientific studies, mentored by Einstein faculty. Each student is placed in a research laboratory in his or her field of interest and works closely with graduate students and post-doctoral fellows. Mazal Tov to Hadassah on the creation of the Hadassah Centennial Stamp, designed by Zvika Roitman and available through the Israel Philatelic Agency of North America, 908548-8088 Mazal Tov to Raoul Wallenberg, z”l, the Righteous Gentile who saved more Jews during the Holocaust than any other individual or organization combined, on receiving posthumously a US Congressional Gold Medal of Honor. Both houses of Congress voted unanimously to present the posthumous award to him. Mazal Tov to Geoff Rochwarger of Teaneck, CEO of IDT Energy, who made a sizable, kick-off donation to the Helping Hands Food Pantry in an effort to launch the fundraising campaign for a new vehicle to keep food deliveries to citizens in need. The volunteer-run food pantry for needy families and individuals was founded by Teaneck Councilman Elie Y Katz and Pastor Daniel Meys of Teaneck. Mazal Tov to Mr. Rochwarger also on being named a NJ state finalist for the 2012 Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award. He will be profiled in the November issue of Forbes Magazine among NJ’s Best in Business Y
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Time for Annexation? possibility of advancing toward the peace process. This report only supports the settlers’ rampages and gives a stamp of approval to a transgression of the law,” he said. What Is Pro-Israel? In the US, the notoriously left-wing J Street, which is supported by the anti-Israel billionaire George Soros, began an ad campaign against two Republican US Congressmen, Joe Walsh (IL) and Allen West (FL), claiming their support of Israel’s annexation of Judea and Samaria proves they are “not pro-Israel.” Last year, Mr. Walsh introduced a resolution supporting a proposal that Israel annex the Jewish communities in the “disputed territories.” Mr. West, who co-sponsored the resolution, said “a two-state solution would, essentially, mean the demise of Israel as a Jewish state.” The J Street ad urges constituents of Messrs Walsh and Allen to tell them “the twostate solution preserves Israel’s democracy and its security.” “Opposing it isn’t pro-Israel. It’s playing with fire,” says the ad. “Clinically Dead” Process At the beginning of last month, PA President Mahmoud Abbas weighed in against the Levy Report. Mr. Abbas declared the negotiating process that
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began with the Oslo Accords in 1993 and continued under the Bush Administration’s 2003 “Roadmap,” now “clinically dead.” While Mr. Netanyahu has invited Mr. Abbas to sit down at the negotiating table with no pre-conditions, Mr. Abbas has stressed that he will not do so until Israel agrees not to engage in any more building beyond the Green Line and that, in a final agreement, it will relinquish all of Judea and Samaria and eastern Jerusalem, including all Jewish holy sites. Mr. Abbas also insists that all Palestinians who fled from Israel in 1948 and 1967—and their descendants—be permitted to flood back into Israel. The Palestinians call this their “right of return,” using the phrase pioneered by the Israelis to invite all Jews throughout the world to become citizens of Israel. Recently, Mr. Abbas added a new demand: No talks until Israel releases all currently incarcerated Palestinian terrorists, including those who have murdered Israelis. “Marginalized” Most political observers say the PA’s demands stand no chance of being met. At the end of July, even PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad told the British daily, The Independent,
that “the cause of the Palestinians has never been more marginalized than it is today.” Mr. Fayyad blamed the Palestinians’ current plight on the world’s focus on the Arab spring, the euro-zone’s economic crisis, and the upcoming US elections. As a result, he said, PA leaders are now facing “a path of growing untenability.” The PA, he said, is being undermined by factors ranging from its own acute financial crisis to loss of faith by the Palestinians that its leaders will put an end to “an occupation that is entrenching itself by the day.” Another UN Mission In what some observers say was another attempt to undercut the Levy Report, the Geneva-based UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) president, Laura Dupuy Lasserre, suggested last month that a three-woman “fact-finding mission on West Bank settlements” be dispatched immediately. The panel would consist of Christine Chanet of France, Unity Dow of Botswana, and Asma Jahangir of Pakistan. Ms. Chanet recently accused Israel of “total discrimination” and complained that “it is very difficult to have a real dialogue” with the Jewish state. Ms. Jahangir’s sister, Hina Jilani, served on the UN’s controversial Goldstone commission in 2009. Nevertheless, Ms. Lasserre maintained that each member of her panel “has a long track record of impartial, independent, and objective human rights work of the highest caliber.” In a four-page resolution, Ms. Lasserre said their mission would be to examine how Israeli communities impact “the civil, political, economic, so-
cial, and cultural rights of the Palestinian people.” Corruption and Bias Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which has already severed its ties with the UNHRC, called Ms. Lasserre’s proposed mission “flawed and biased.” Further, the Jewish state accused the UNHRC of corruption for, once again, singling out Israel “while systematically ignoring massive human rights violations” elsewhere. Hillel Neuer, executive director of UN Watch, a watchdog group that monitors the UNHRC, said Ms. Lasserre’s proposed mission was intended solely to examine violations by Jewish “settlements” while omitting any reference to Arab terrorism against Israeli civilians, including thousands of rockets fired from Gaza and Sinai into Israeli towns and villages. Eviatar Manor, deputy director-general for international organizations at Israel’s Foreign Ministry, issued a curt refusal to Ms.. Lasserre, telling her “it is important for us to remind everyone that we are not going to cooperate with this fact-finding mission. They will not be allowed to enter the country or go to the West Bank.” “Legal Tsunami” Most Israelis recognize that they and their government will have to decide how to proceed in light of the Levy Report and the issue of the growing Jewish population in Judea and Samaria. Ted Belman, a retired Canadian attorney now living in Israel who edits the popular Israpundit website, called the Levy Report “a legal tsunami gathering strength in Israel that will soon engulf the world.” “Israel must decide between two risky alternatives;
http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com either accept the two-state solution based on 1967 lines with swaps, or annex the land and contend with an extra 1.5 million Arabs within its borders. With the latter alternative, the Jews would be left with a stable 2:1 majority. Israelis are already trending to the latter choice and the Levy Report will accelerate that trend,” he predicted, adding that the US Congress would probably vote strongly to endorse the report as well. No Arab Cooperation He acknowledged that the Arabs in Judea and Samaria “will never accept such a twostate solution because it will preclude the ‘right of return’ and will require them to recognize Israel as the Jewish state.” Further, he said, it would require the Arabs to sign an end-of-conflict agreement. “If Israel chooses to claim sovereignty over Judea and Samaria, the Arabs will have to decide whether to push for Israeli citizenship or accept autonomy, but not an independent state,” he said. One Message Annexation was the solution of choice at the Hebron Conference last month, which attracted 600 people from throughout country. According to nationalist activist Nadia Matar, a coorganizer of the conference, Jews at the program had “one message: The Land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, and we must apply Israeli sovereignty over Judea and Samaria. How to do it? How to deal with the different problems? What to do with the demography? What is the world going to say.” Speaking at the conference, attorney Gershon Mesika, who serves as head of the Samaria Regional Council, was convinced Israel will find “a surprising amount of support” if it states its claims openly. Ac-
August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
cording to Mr. Mesika, “even Arab leaders showed respect for Israel’s claim to the land when it was stated proudly.” No Demographic Threat Yoram Ettinger, a demographer and former Israeli attaché to Washington, said that contrary to common wisdom, Israel would not risk its Jewish majority if it were to annex the region and offer citizenship to the Arabs currently living under the PA. Mr. Ettinger has completed several studies, all of which show a clear, consistent, and growing Jewish majority throughout Israel, including Judea and Samaria. Jerusalem Post managing editor and columnist Carolyn Glick did not deny that Israel would bear the brunt of international criticism if it decides to annex the land, but she said the condemnation would be the same whether Israel annexes only “Area C,” currently under Israeli authority, or all of Judea and Samaria. “The price will be the same either way, so it’s a shame to spend it on just half,” she said. Spiritual and Strategic Mrs. Matar cited the late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir who when asked to explain why the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel, simply replied: “Because it is ours.” “With all due respect to Tel Aviv, the commitment of the Jewish people is to Hebron, to Jerusalem, to Judea and Samaria, to our G-d-given Biblical homeland. And the reason we must apply sovereignty is because it is ours. G-d gave it to us. All other reasons are additional,” she said. New York-based attorney Mark Langfan would beg to differ. For 20 years, he has been gathering and disseminating information which demonstrates
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Time for Annexation? only the strategic value of Judea and Samaria to the State of Israel. Using a three-dimensional topographical map of Israel and clear overlays, each focusing on a different vital need for Israel’s authority over the mountain region, he has addressed issues such as water, population, and the threat of rockets and mortars. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin agreed. “The communities of Judea and Samaria do not threaten our existence; they guarantee our existence,” he said. Sustainable Status Quo The new reality created by the Levy report and the growing Jewish population in Judea and Samaria prompted Danny Dayan, the leader of the Yesha Council, to publish an op-ed which appeared in the print and online editions of the New York Times as well as in the Herald Tribune. Long
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opposed to the concept of “land for peace” or the Palestinian “right of return” to establish an independent Palestinian State in Israel’s homeland, Mr. Dayan argued that the US and its allies in Europe “should now abandon this failed formula once and for all, and accept that the Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria is a fait accompli.” Entitled “Israel’s Settlers Are Here to Stay,” the op-ed calls on the international community to stop “moaning that the status quo is unsustainable,” and instead “work with the parties to improve [conditions], if possible” within the present parameters. “The influx of hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and elsewhere would convert the new state into a hotbed of extremism. And any peace agreement would col-
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lapse the moment Hamas inevitably took power by ballot or by gun. Israel would then be forced to recapture the area, only to find a much larger Arab population living there,” he said. The solution could even be the status quo, which, he argued, is not so bad. Israel has managed to establish a modicum of security, and neither Jews nor Arabs are threatened by eviction en masse. While the PA has economic difficulties, many individual Palestinians are flourishing, he said. New cities and communities are being built by Palestinians and Jews, and, with violence under control, tourists are coming back to the PA areas, he said, calling all this “wonderful news.” “If the international community relinquished its vain attempts to attain the unattainable two-state solution, and replaced them with intense efforts to improve and maintain the current reality on the ground, it would be even better. The settlements of Judea and Samaria are not the problem—they are part of the solution,” he said. Israelis Agree Writing in support of Mr. Dayan, Israpundit’s Mr. Belman pointed out that a recent Dahaf Institute Poll commissioned by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs found that 77 percent of Israelis oppose returning to the pre-1967 lines, even with minor adjustments and even if it would lead to a peace agreement and declara-
tions by Arab states of an end to their conflict with Israel. The poll found that 85 percent of Israelis recognize the importance of maintaining a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty and 75 percent oppose transferring the Temple Mount to Palestinian control even if the Western Wall were to remain in Israeli hands. Another recent poll found that 64 percent of Israelis support the continuation of the settlement enterprise. “These polls show that the parameters of the twostate solution don’t come close to offering Israelis what they want or are willing to settle for,” said Mr. Belman. Arguing the Numbers Writing in Commentary, the usually politically conservative pundit Seth Mandel disagreed with Mr. Dayan. Without giving a citation, Mr. Mandel claimed that 60 percent of Israelis “support the two-state solution, even at a time when that proposal is clearly at a post-Oslo low point.” He said if Palestinian refugees are denied the “right of return,” humanitarian concerns would compel Israelis to work to achieve better conditions for them. Mr. Belman’s suggestion was to insist that all Palestinians in Jordan be fully enfranchised “so that Jordan becomes the Palestinian state.” “Then invite all Palestinians to move there and get citizenship. Now, that is a solution worth working towards,” he said. S.L.R.
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Naftali Bennett May Be the Only One Who Can Unite the Right and Bring National Religious Voters to Support a New NRP Naftali Bennett, currently
running for chairman of the nationalist-religious Jewish Home Party, has a plan to deal with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that takes into consideration the recommendations and rights delineated in the Levy Report and the fact that now more than 350,000 Jews reside in Judea and Samaria. He wants Israel unilaterally to annex “Area C,” the section of Judea and Samaria, which, under the Oslo Accords, is under the complete jurisdiction of Israeli security and civil administration. Area C encompasses 61 percent of Judea and Samaria, the land between the pre-1967 border and the Jordan River. “C” is where all the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are located as well the Israeli “security zones” and roadways that connect the Jewish cities, towns, and villages. It contains only four percent of the Palestinian people, about 50,000 people, who, Mr. Bennett says, must be offered Israeli citizenship. “Stability Plan” Although he is only 40, Mr. Bennett is being heralded in some quarters as religiousZionism’s new hope. He has already presented his “Stability Plan” to dozens of military, political, and defense experts, most of whom have given it high marks, he says. “Israel should take an independent initiative and cement its vital interests, which means securing Jerusalem and the greater Tel Aviv area as well as sovereignty over Israeli heritage sites,” he says. B and C While he says he has no intention of relinquishing Is-
raeli claims to the rest of Judea and Samaria, he thinks starting with Area C makes sense. Area A, which is controlled by the Palestinian Authority security and civil administration, consists of 18 percent of Judea and Samaria and is home to 55 percent of the Palestinians. It includes all the larger Palestinian cities. Entry to Israeli citizens has been curtailed from this area since the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Area B, which is under Palestinian civil administration but Israeli security, represents 21 percent of Judea and Samaria and contains 41 percent of the Palestinian people. There are no Israeli communities. Between them, Areas A and B account for 96 percent of the Palestinians who, according to Mr. Bennett’s plan, would remain under the jurisdiction of the PA. Unacceptable He is well aware that neither the PA nor the international community will accept this move graciously, but Mr. Bennett expects that the world will get over it. “The world will not recognize our sovereignty there anymore than it recognizes our sovereignty over the Western Wall in Jerusalem or the Golan Heights. Never mind, they will get used to it, and, if they don’t, we will just add another part to Israel that the world will not agree to,” he says. He is convinced that when the government treats the communities in Judea and Samaria as part of Israel, that is what they will become. Citizenship He believes that by offering to naturalize the 50,000 Palestinians residing in the area to be annexed, Israel will “pull
the rug out from under any ‘apartheid’ argument.” “If they so choose, those 50,000 Arabs will become full-fledged Israeli citizens and, according to this plan, no one—neither a Jew nor an Arab—would be driven from his home,” he says. Under Mr. Bennett’s plan, the Arabs in Areas B and C could opt for autonomy, but not a state of their own. “Those Arabs will be able to decide if they want to vote in Judea and Samaria, or in Jordan, which is Palestine proper. That will be up to them. I will not patronize them, and I will not tell them what to do,” he says. No Right of Return His Stability Plan does not allow Palestinians to form their own military and it nullifies the so-called Palestinian “right of return.” Until now, the PA has insisted that millions of Arabs— Palestinians who left Israel in 1948 and 1967 and their descendants—must have the right to flood back into Israel proper, thus demographically destroying Israel as a Jewish state. Mr. Bennett would not allow the “right of return” even to areas in Judea and Samaria not annexed by Israel. “They cannot open their gates to the six million descendants of
the 1948 refugees because that would flood the Land of Israel with Arabs,” says Mr. Bennett. In addition, the IDF must maintain full security control over all areas in Judea and Samaria, including B and C which will not be annexed. “If the IDF pulls out, Hamas will come in. That’s what happened in Gaza and that’s what happened with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon,” he says. Keeping Then Safe Given the PA’s and allied terrorist groups’ predilection for murdering Arabs they see as “collaborators” with Israel, accepting Israel’s invitation for citizenship might be dangerous for Palestinians. Mr. Bennett, however, points to polls that show how the 270,000 Palestinians in Jerusalem have grappled with this issue. Because eastern Jerusalem was annexed by Israel, Palestinians in the city were given the right to become citizens, just as Mr. Bennett envisions Palestinians in Area C will be allowed to do. While comparatively few Palestinians in Jerusalem have actually taken out Israeli citizenship, there are reports that an increasing number are now asking for Israeli passports. Even without citizenship, Arab perma-
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Ess Gezint: Nothing Poisonous about This Sumac Sumac, which some folks think is an herb (and has nothing to do with poison sumac, a shrub whose resin causes a pain-
ful rash or worse), is actually a berry used heavily in Middle Eastern foods. With its lovely tart mild-lemon flavor, it has been around for millennia, usually ground into a powder and used over grilled vegetables or meats. Kosher sumac is available in some supermarkets, health food stores, or online at nuts.com (http://nuts.com/cookingbaking/herbsspices/sumac.html) Y
Lebanese Fattoush (“Crumbled Bread”) 2 whole wheat pita pocket ½ cup thinly sliced green breads onions 1 tsp chopped garlic (2-4 1 cup diced tomatoes (not cloves) too much juice) 1 tsp salt 1 cup diced cucumber ½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon ½ cup coarsely chopped juice, about 2 large lemons mint leaves 1 tsp ground sumac, plus ½ cup coarsely chopped more for sprinkling flat-leaf parsley (leaves ½ cup extra virgin olive oil only) 2 heads Romaine lettuce, Green pepper, optional Radishes, optional chopped Preheat oven to 400º. Cut pita into ¾-inch strips and arrange on baking sheet. Bake until crisp, just starting to brown, less than 10 minutes. Then cool and crumble. To make the dressing, mash together chopped garlic and salt, and add lemon juice and sumac. Then whisk in olive oil. Put the remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl and toss with enough of the dressing to make it quite wet. Add the pita chips and let sit long enough for them to absorb some of the dressing. If desired, sprinkle with more sumac. Serves 4-6.
Persian Chicken 4-5 lemons, juice only 1 gram powdered saffron, pulverized in a spice or coffee grinder) 1 onion, finely grated
Salt and black pepper to taste 1 chicken, cut into eighths 1 Tbs ground sumac
Make a marinade of lemon juice mixed with saffron, onion, and salt and pepper. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400º. Bake chicken for 30 minutes and then broil for 5-10 minutes until deeply browned. Sprinkle generously with sumac. Great when served with rice and grape tomatoes with parsley.
Apricot-Glazed Lamb Chops with Pistachios and Sumac ¾ cup apricot jam ground black pepper 2 tsp balsamic vinegar 9 (4-5 oz) lamb chops 2 Tbs coarsely chopped 2 Tbs oil mint ¼ cup shelled, lightly 2 Tbs coarsely chopped toasted pistachios, parsley plus whole coarsely chopped leaves for garnish 1 tsp ground sumac Kosher salt and freshly Preheat a grill for direct grilling, on high. If using the broiler, make sure to keep the oven door proper open and use a preheated broiling pan so that, like the grill, the food will immediately touch a hot surface and the grease and fat will drip away. To make the glaze, whisk together the jam, vinegar, mint, parsley, salt, and pepper. Brush the chops with oil on both sides and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put the chops on the grill or, if using the broiler, on the pre-heated broiling pan, and cook until golden brown and slightly charred, about 3 minutes. Flip the chops over, brush with the glaze, and continue cooking until medium-rare, about 3 minutes longer, brushing with more of the glaze. Remove to a platter and sprinkle with the pistachios, sumac, and parsley leaves.
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August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
Israel’s Naftali Bennett
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nent residents of Jerusalem are entitled to municipal services and enjoy municipal—though not national—voting rights. Their “blue cards” give them access to Israeli jobs, health care, and welfare payments. Preferring Israel According to a recent survey designed and conducted by former State Department Middle East researcher David Pollock, when asked if they would prefer citizenship in Palestine or citizenship Israel, only 30 percent of Arabs in the neighborhoods of eastern Jerusalem chose Palestine; 35 percent chose Israeli citizenship. Another 35 percent declined to respond. When asked if “most people in your neighborhood” would prefer to become citizens of Palestine or Israel, 31 percent thought most would prefer Palestine; 39 percent said Israel; and 30 percent again declined to answer or said they didn’t know. But the numbers changed dramatically when Palestinian Jerusalemites were asked if they would consider moving to another neighborhood in order to become citizens of Israel rather than of Palestine if there were a peace treaty. Forty percent said they would move to become citizens of Israel and 54 percent said if their current neighborhood were assigned to Israel in a peace deal, they would not move to be part of Palestine. Explaining the Poll When asked to explain their choices, Palestinian Jerusalemites said they prefer the job situation in Israel, as well as the schools, healthcare, and welfare benefits. And while most of these Arab residents don’t like Israel, they appreciate the benefits of living in the Jewish state.
Their standard of living, for example, more closely approximates that of Israeli Arabs than it does Palestinians in the PA. Forty-four percent of Palestinian Jerusalemites have household incomes of $1300 per month, which is middle class by Middle Eastern standards. More than 56 percent said they travel inside Israel at least once a week; 60 percent said access to Israel’s Mediterranean beaches was “very important” or “moderately important” to them. Polls show that Israeli Arabs also overwhelmingly prefer remaining citizens of the Jewish state rather than switching allegiance to a future Palestinian state. Mr. Bennett assumes Palestinians in Area C will feel similarly, even though he says he knows there will be loud protests from Palestinian leaders. Gaza His plan also calls for completely disconnecting Gaza from the PA areas in Judea and Samaria. That, he says, will “prevent Gaza’s problems from trickling into the quiet Judea and Samaria.” His hope is that Egypt can be persuaded gradually to annex Gaza itself. “We mustn’t assume responsibility for Gaza. We forcibly evicted close to 10,000 Israelis from their homes in Gush Katif; we pulled out to the very last inch, and all we received in return was a Hamas state. It’s time for Egypt to shoulder the burden again,” says Mr. Bennett. Independent State In fact, last month, the London-based Al Hayat Arab newspaper reported that leaders of the Hamas terrorist group are hoping for Egyptian support for a declaration of Gaza as an independent state and “liber-
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ated part of the 1967 territories.” According to some reports, Hamas leaders have been discussing this for two years, but it had always been rejected by the Egyptian government of President Hosni Mubarak. With Mr. Mubarak now serving a life sentence in an Egyptian prison, the new Muslim Brotherhood government has given Hamas, which is itself a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, new hope that this may be possible. A few days after the report, Mahmoud Zahar, a senior Hamas spokesman, denied the story, claiming it was “being disseminated by the enemies of Hamas seeking to maintain the siege on Gaza.” Likeability and Politics Mr. Bennett’s grasp of geopolitics possible coupled with his vision, youth, and energy has drawn considerable attention to his political aspirations. He says that when he first announced his new plan, he was vehemently attacked, not only by Peace Now and leftwing MKs, but also by Labor and even right-wing politicians. Their massive outpouring of criticism convinced Mr. Bennett that he “must be onto something.” For the most part, the rightwingers were furious that Mr. Bennett’s plan does not call
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for annexing all of Judea and Samaria, which is what Jewish Home MK Daniel Hershkowitz and the National Union’s MK Uri Ariel want to do. “Imperfect Solution” Mr. Bennett, who calls his own plan “an imperfect solution,” says he knows full annexation is popular among right-wingers, but, he says, holding that position is “impractical and meaningless, because I just don’t see the Israeli public agreeing to annex 1.8 million Arabs.” “Obviously all of Eretz Yisrael belongs to us, and the plan I set forward doesn’t give up sovereignty of one centimeter,” says Mr. Bennett. “What it does do is put forward what I think is the only practicable action plan. If we’re in a race for who can have more patriotic statements, that’s one thing. But in the meantime, while we’re making these wonderful statements — made, by the way, by the very same people in the government who are not voting against tearing down houses — we’re losing all of Judea and Samaria.” Jeremy Saltan, an advisor to the National Union and its chairman, Yaakov “Ketzeleh” Katz, said he believes Mr. Bennett will succeed in winning right-wing support if he manages to sell his plan as temporary.
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Israel’s Naftali Bennett Professor Shmuel Sandler, a Bar-Ilan University expert on religion, party, and electoral politics in Israel, says Mr. Bennett may do particularly well among the younger generation of national-religious voters who are looking for a young leadership. However, Prof Sandler also recognized that most national-religious voters almost automatically pull the lever for Likud. “If Bennett manages to attract votes from the Likud, he could be in a good position,” says Prof Sandler. Jewish Identity Mr. Bennett believes to accomplish that, Jewish Home’s platform doesn’t need fixing, but its delivery does. The party is opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria and holds that an undivided Jerusalem is the eternal capital of the Jewish people and of Israel. It believes the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria are important for Israel’s security, should not be uprooted, and should remain under Israeli sovereignty. In addition, the party supports the privatization of government companies and seeks to reduce taxes that it sees as retarding economic growth. The party also supports tax relief for large families. On religious life, the party is commit-
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ted to “fighting for the Jewish identity of the state on every level” and supporting the status quo on issues such as civil marriage, but the party also says it is open to seeking alternative solutions for this “sensitive” issue. Bringing Excitement True to form, Mr. Bennett has no intention of allowing Jewish Home to remain dull and lackluster. He intends to reconfigure it as it was supposed to be in 2008, a coalition of a number of national-religious parties, including Moledet, the National Religious Party (NRP), and Tkuma. At that time, disputes over positions allocated to candidates on the electoral list prompted Moledet and Tkuma to split off and form the National Union. Mr. Bennett intends to bring all the parties back together. “We will unite with the National Union and be one party, nonsectorial, that will influence society and the agenda in Israel,” he says. Supporters of the newly enhanced Jewish Home, he says, must stop seeing themselves as “just the religious ones.” “In other words, we need to stop looking inward and start focusing on all of Am Yisrael,” he says. “A leader doesn’t take care of only his own needs; he takes care of the entire nation. So if we want to be leaders, we have to have a bold vision of being a leadership party that will take care of all of Am Yisrael.” Small Choice In fact, he says, Jewish Home really doesn’t have much of a choice. “Either we do a massive transformation and turn it into a leading Jewish-Zionist party or we simply become extinct and die,” he says. In its heyday, the NRP regularly garnered 12 seats in the Knesset. Slowly, that was reduced to seven, and, at present, Jewish Home has only three seats. Before the announcement that all the right-wing parties would try to coalesce, it looked as though Jewish Home would not even attract sufficient votes to pass the minimum threshold to make it into the Knesset. According to Mr. Bennett, if there is no effort to change that, Jewish Home will disappear. Its progressively poor showings, he says, accounts for the fact that there are no religious-Zionist MKS in any decision-making forums or key positions.
“We don’t have a Defense Minister or a Foreign Minister, or a Finance Minister, and certainly not a Prime Minister. We don’t even have any religious-Zionist members of the government’s inner ‘kitchen cabinet.’ It’s like we’re nothing,” he says. Making Something New Mr. Bennett’s intention is not only to resuscitate the party, but transform it into “a very strong power, something it has never been before.” “I’m talking about 15 seats in the Knesset, which will enable us to lead and not only to be the gabbai on the sidelines,” he says. The key to achieving this, he says, is to “look outward and stop being sectorial.” “This means not only taking care of who will be a member of the religious council in Hadera, but also to start dealing with the big issues in Israel, such as the very biased character of the Supreme Court or the situation in the Negev and Galilee where we’re losing our national lands,” he says. Jewish Identity He also wants to work on instilling “a good Jewish-Zionist identity in all Israeli children, not only the religious ones.” To explain what he means, he draws on the example of his service in the military and then in business. “In the army, I never considered myself the ‘religious guy.’ When I created a company that eventually had 140 employees, I never saw myself as ‘the religious guy.’ I was the CEO and that’s it. That was my role,” he says. Jewish Home’s role, he said, will be taking its name seriously. “Let’s make it a real Jewish home that will include all Jews—religious, traditional, and secular. In so doing, we will turn it from a small and narrow religious home into a broad Jewish-Zionist home, and that’s the overall goal,” he says. The party’s first job in the Knesset, he says, will be working to instill “a very strong Jewish and Zionist identity in our youth.” “Every kid needs to know who Yoni Netanyahu was and who the Rambam was. Unfortunately, this isn’t what we see, so there’s plenty of work for us to do on this issue,” he says.
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Basketball Clinic When Mr. King, 55, came to the camp on Visiting Day, he conducted a basketball clinic for campers and their parents, posing for photos and signing autographs. Many of the parents remember Mr. King during his 14 seasons with the NJ Nets, the Utah Jazz, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks, and the Washington Bullets. In 1984, while playing for the Knicks, he made basketball history, becoming the first player in decades to score at least 50 points in consecutive games. Motivational Talk The following day, Camp Kaylie was visited by Mr. Archibald, who, from 1970 until he retired in 1984, played for the Cincinnati Royals, the New York Nets, the Buffalo Braves, and the Boston Celtics. Selected six times for the NBA’s All-Star Game, Mr. Archibald was named NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player in 1981. He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991. At Camp Kaylie, he had the opportunity to speak to the campers not only about his own basketball experiences but how they coulf have an impact on the children’s lives as well. According to OHEL spokesman Derek Saker, Mr. Archibald’s message was clear. “He told the children to work hard, believe in themselves, and pursue their dreams. If you do, he told them, you can accomplish great things,” said Mr. Saker. Up to the Task It was a role Mr. Archibald was well equipped to undertake. After finishing his NBA career, he earned a Master’s degree in education from Fordham University and is completing his doctorate through long-distance correspondence courses with the school. He serves with the NBA’s community relations department. After speaking with the campers, he led the boys in an intense basketball clinic, stressing the fundamentals of the game. Camp Kaylie’s director, Rabbi Peretz Hochbaum, who serves as principal of Rambam Mesivta High School in Lawrence, said the visits with Messrs King and Archibald coupled with the general sports program “proves that Kaylie’s campers enjoy the most competitive and enthralling sports experience and enriching life experience at a groundbreaking integrative camp for kids of all abilities.”
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Letters to the Editor Event for Romney in Philadelphia
Jewish Voice and Opinion readers should be aware of an important upcoming event for people who want to do something that can really help the campaign for GOP Presidential candidate Mitt Romney. On September 9th and 10th (Sunday and Monday), the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) will be traveling to swing states to educate Jewish voters about the Presidential election and the importance of defeating President Obama and electing Mitt Romney as our next President. A group from New York and New Jersey will be traveling to the Philadelphia area of Pennsylvania to meet with a local RJC group and engage in outreach. Overnight accommodations and kosher food will be provided to participants by the RJC. If there is sufficient attendance from NJ, round-trip bus transportation may be provided. To register and ask questions, please contact Alex Siegel of the RJC at 202-638-2909 ext 107. I hope to see you in PA. Arlene Ross Forest Hills, NY
Editorials against Adelson Show Papers’ Bias
Several “Jewish” newspapers have criticized Sheldon Adelson for spending huge sums of money to defeat Barack Hussein Obama. The editorial criticism is insanity at its worse! Perhaps these papers should write editorials saying that any Jew who cares about Israel or Jewish rights in the US must vote against Obama. Or, how about an editorial about Obama showing the soles of his shoes (an insult in the Arab world) in a photo-op while on the phone with Netanyahu. Obama doesn’t just hate Israel but also Jews who love the Jewish state, as his more than 20-year relationship with Rev. Jeremiah Wright shows. I haven’t seen any editorials from the Jewish newspapers against George Soros. He funds an abundance of causes that seek to destroy Israel, and he does it with hardly any criticism. Why have there been no Jewish editorials against Attorney General Eric Holder for refusing to prosecute Black Panthers when there is photographic evidence of them using baseball bats to intimidate voters? Thank G-d, we have an Adelson who can speak up. So many of the Jewish newspapers receive funding or massive advertising from the local Federations. Isn’t it time we demanded a little balance? Robert Jacobs Englewood, NJ
Why You Should Vote for Barack Hussein Obama
Here are some reasons that every Jew who loves Israel should vote for Barack Hussein Obama: First, once he totally wrecks the US economy, there will no longer be any reason for American Jews to stay in the US. More will come on aliyah, if they can afford the price of a plane ticket. Second, when the US debt crashes the world economy, Israel will not be spared. It will prompt Israeli Jews to become less materialistic and more spiritual. We can expect the teshuva movement to blossom and bloom. Finally, by supporting the Arabs against Israel in peace
talks and encouraging them to make outrageous demands on us, Obama has blocked any chance that an Israeli government can give away land. We need four more years of this. David Fink Efrat, Israel
Of Giants and Grasshoppers
Your story on Rabbi Yosef Mendelevich and Glenn Richter [“Yosef Mendelevich’s Triumphant Return to the US with a Book to Recall the Movement That Galvanized the Jewish People,” Aug 2012] should be written in bold letters on billboards where the Jewish community, young and old, can read about what true courage, belief, and persistence can accomplish. Mr. Richter’s modesty in downplaying his role in the Student Struggle for Soviet Jewry is typical of the man. He is a giant in terms of belief and activism, and his amazing dedication to the refuseniks of the former Soviet Union continues to this day. The story of Yosef Mendelevich is such an inspiring one. His ability to keep his faith and commitment to Judaism, during his many years of imprisonment and torture, is truly admirable. How wonderful that he was able to realize his dream of being in Israel. It was my privilege to meet him at the Israel Day Parade. By contrast, we have a community of “grasshoppers” today—people who support groups like the Israel Policy Forum (IPF)—who work against the dreams of the Jewish people. Following the Edmond Levy report calling for legalization of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, we have 40 cowards writing a letter to PM Benjamin Netanyahu, asking him to ignore the findings of the committee report. These Jewish grasshoppers are afraid it might endanger the “two-state (dis)solution” and lower Israel’s “prestige” in the international community. HaShem punished the ten spies who returned from scouting out the Promised Land with the report that we are “grasshoppers” in the eyes of the “giants.” Whether or not the IPF cowards will be punished, we celebrate the giants among men, such as Richter, Mendelevich, and Edmond Levy, who have the courage to do what is right. Shame on the others. Helen Freedman Executive Director, Americans for a Safe Israel New York, NY SLR: The Jewish Voice and Opinion happily joined with Ms. Freedman; Rabbi Steven Pruzansky of Cong Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck; Rabbi Pesach Lerner, executive vice-president emeritus of National Council of Young Israel; and more than 60 other Jewish leaders on a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, supporting the Levy Report. The letter asked Mr. Netanyahu to disregard the naysayers and adopt the findings of the Levy Report, “thereby formally validating the status of the Jewish communities of Judea and Samaria as a true part of the State of Israel within the purview of the Israeli government.” The letter and its signators can be found on our website at JewishVoiceandOpinion.com.
An Open Letter of Appreciation to Mitt Romney
Dear Governor Mitt Romney, Thank you for your clear declaration of solidarity with Israel when you were recently in Jerusalem.
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“Thought Is the World of Freedom” (R’ Dov Ber of Mazeritch) With many other Americans who admire Israel, I applaud your firm stand to fulfill the Jerusalem Embassy Act, voted overwhelmingly into law in 1995 (#104-45 passed by both Democrats and Republicans). Moving the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, is a long overdue Congressional commitment. The Jerusalem Embassy Act 1995 is American law! It is only the continuous waivers that have prevented the movement of the Embassy. The current bills in Congress would remove this waiver and your voiced support for the Embassy move will certainly facilitate passage of this bill. I agree with your statement: “A nation has the capacity to choose its own capital city, and Jerusalem is Israel’s capital. I think it’s long been the policy to ultimately have our Embassy in the nation’s capital of Jerusalem…I would follow the same policy we have had in the past; our Embassy would be in the capital, and the timing of that is something I would want to work out in accordance with the government of Israel.” Your support in moving the Embassy is extremely important because it will symbolically demonstrate to the world the strong bond between Israel and the United States. All major institutions of Israel’s government are located in Jerusalem— not in Tel Aviv, including the Supreme Court, the Knesset (Parliament), the Office of the Prime Minister, and the residences and offices of most government leaders. Once the US Embassy is moved, other nations will be encouraged to follow America’s leadership, thereby demonstrating greater world-wide support for Israel. The US has its Embassy in the capital city of every country in the world. Israel is the only exception. The Unity Coalition for Israel speaks for millions of Americans who support Israel as our strongest ally in the Middle East. Your willingness to speak out on this vital issue is greatly appreciated. You have highlighted the injustice of not having our Embassy in the Israeli capital city of Jerusalem and demonstrated to your supporters and to non-supporters alike that you are determined to correct a wrong because it is the right thing to do. Esther Levens Unity Coalition for Israel Overland Park, Kansas
Are There Still Mainstream Pro-Israel Democrats
After the Democratic Congressional primary in NJ’s 9th District between Steven Rothman, who lost, and Bill Pascrell, who won, many activists say the race proved that mainstream, pro-Israel Democrats no longer have a firm place in the party. One pro-Israel activist told Adam Kredo of the Washington Free Beacon, “There’s no room for someone like Steve Rothman who stands up for Israel and defends Israeli policies and actions.” Rothman and Pascrell fought to see which of them would be the most progressive nominee, except when it came to the Jewish state. The source told Kredo, “It’s important to remember, this was a primary, and the core of the Democratic party was voting. And the core of the Democratic Party in northern NJ sided with radical, anti-Israel beliefs over a champion of the US-Israel alliance.” The most troubling aspect of the race, according to Kredo’s source, was that “there was no question Rothman was further to the left on domestic issues than his opponent, which means Democrats did not reject Rothman on any domestic issue, but, rather, his support of the US-Israel alliance.” During the race, Pascrell refused to condemn the rhetoric of his Arab-American supporters who charged that Rothman put Israel’s interests above America’s, a charge reminiscent of antisemitic rhetoric employed by white supremacist and other hate groups. A campaign poster in Arabic supporting Pascrell surfaced in the days before the election. It urged the “Arab diaspora community” to “elect the friend of the Arabs” and billed the race as “the most important election in the history of the [Arab] community.” Ever since Ned Lamont beat Joe Lieberman six years ago in the Connecticut Democratic US Senatorial primary, I’ve been arguing that pro-Israel Democrats no longer have a place in the party. But now, with the help of far-Left bloggers like Daily Kos and ThinkProgress, the Lamonts and Pascrells have become the center of the Democratic Party. Carl Sherer, Esq Jerusalem, Israel The Jewish Voice and Opinion welcomes letters, especially if they are typed, double-spaced, and legible. We reserve the right to edit letters for length and style. Please send all correspondence to POB 8097, Englewood, NJ 07631. The phone number is (201) 569-2845. The FAX number is (201) 569-1739. The email address is susan@jewishvoiceandopinion.com
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Israel’s Naftali Bennett Hareidim and the IDF He is also willing to tackle the seemingly impossible task of hammering out a compromise on the issue of hareidi enlistment in the IDF. Knowing that the national-religious camp was the originator of ideological integration of IDF service with recognition of the value of Torah study, Mr. Bennett and a few others in the Jewish Home party, including former IDF Chief Rabbi Avichai Ronsky, and the former head of Bnai Akiva Motti Regev, have come up with a plan they call Voluntary Enlistment. “We believe that Torah study is something the entire nation of Israel must do, not only one sector, and, at the same time, we believe that military service is a mitzvah in itself, with its value in terms of defense, society, and Torah observance,” said Rabbi Ronsky.
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Their compromise proposes an increase (from 1500 to 1800) in the number of hareidi young men who would receive an exemption from service to study Torah. However, personal sanctions on those who do not serve would include ineligibility for housing benefits and a municipal tax deduction. In an effort to remove yeshiva students’ financial incentive to stay out of the army, the plan calls for those who do not enlist to lose their $214-a-month government-paid kollel stipend. The Voluntary Enlistment plan would not impose criminal sanctions for draft dodging, but it does include a small fine. “The compromise we are putting together will reduce the militant fiery statements we have heard from both sides,” says Mr. Bennett.
Faith, Military, and Business His words and ideas have energized many in in the national-religious camp. Although he is young, he has packed a lot knowledge, skills, and practice into his four decades. Born in Haifa, the son of olim whose families had been in San Francisco for five generations, he and his two brothers were raised in a secular home. The family became Modern Orthodox after sending the children to a Chabad Lubavitch summer camp. Naftali Bennett served in the IDF’s elite Sayeret Matkal unit, where he continues to serve in the reserves, now with the rank of major. After leaving the army, he earned a law degree from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In 1999, he co-founded “Cyota,” an online security and anti-
fraud software company. Still an American citizen, he came to the US to secure start-up money and, he says, spent the next six years “learning, earning, and losing money, too.” Finally, he sold the company for $145 million and returned to Israel Today, seven out of every ten bank transactions in the US and Canada utilize Cyota’s technology, he says. No Corruption Married with three children, he was back in Israel, living in Raanana, when the Second Lebanon War broke out and he quickly rejoined his unit. Devastated after his best friend was killed in the fighting, Mr. Bennett decided against returning to business. Rather, he says, he wanted to find a way to give back to the country he loves. The money he earned from
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http://jewishvoiceandopinion.com the sale of his company gives him the freedom of knowing his family will be financially secure while he pursues his dream of serving Israel politically. “I can’t be bought,” he says. “I’m in this for only the right reasons.” Bibi’s Chief of Staff After the war, he found work as Mr. Netanyahu’s chief of staff for two years while Likud was head of the Opposition. In 2010, while Mr. Netanyahu was serving as prime minister, Mr. Bennett was asked to assume the post of Director General of the Yesha Council, despite the fact that he did not live in Judea or Samaria. In that position, he had to take on his former boss, who as prime minister implemented, at the insistence of the Obama administration, a 10-month “settlement freeze.” The US had hoped the freeze would entice the Palestinians back to the negotiating table, but it did not work. Mr. Bennett does not consider his exact place of residence relevant to his love for Yesha. “It’s that mountain range that protects my home in Raanana,” he says. MyIsrael While still serving the Yesha Council, Mr. Bennett co-founded MyIsrael, a nationalist NGO, which according to its website is “a movement for Zionist activity.” It deals with public relations throughout the internet, especially the social networks, as well as arranging protests and demonstrations against activities the group sees as efforts by the left, international bodies, and some academic circles to delegitimize Israel. One of its first campaigns was an effort to change the nature of Israel’s Army Radio, which Mr. Bennett says
August 2012/Av-Elul 5772
is headed by leftists who “do not stand with Israel’s soldiers in time of war.” Today, MyIsrael boasts more than 80,000 Israeli members, with chapters throughout the country. Its Hebrew Facebook page has more than 62,000 subscribers, and the English page has more than 26,000. Yisraelim Just this past April, Mr. Bennett founded a new movement which he calls Yisraelim, Israelis. Its goals include increasing Zionism among center-right voters throughout Israel and promoting increased dialogue between religious and secular communities. For several weeks, when it seemed Mr. Netanyahu was about to call for new elections, Mr. Bennett’s plan was to transform Yisraelim into a political party on whose ticket he would run for Knesset When Mr. Netanyahu announced that general elections would be put off, Mr. Bennett took advantage of the time to strengthen the NRP/Jewish Home and run in the primary for leadership of the party. Strengthening Bibi Politically, Mr. Bennett sees himself strengthening Mr. Netanyahu, not replacing him. He thinks Mr. Netanyahu is “a good man, whose heart is in the right place and whose main goal is to strengthen Israel.” “However, the one area in which he needs to be strengthened from outside is his ability to have a very clear moral compass, which I think is sometimes vague. The two main flags which he held up all his life—standing strong against terror and stopping the development of a Palestinian state—were unfortunately taken down. He folded them during this term, and this is disappointing,” says Mr. Bennett. He has no doubt his for-
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mer boss will be re-elected Prime Minister and he intends to support him in the next election. However, says Mr. Bennett, for him and the Jewish Home party, the red line will be how much support Mr. Netanyahu will give to the communities in Judea and Samaria. “Strengthening Bibi from outside the Likud will be our job. I would find it worrisome if Likud were too strong, so that Netanyahu could do anything he wanted. I’d be very worried about what Bibi would do when subjected to intense, persistent international pressure,” says Mr. Bennett. But that concern does not extend to fear over how Mr. Netanyahu will handle the Iranian threat. On that issue, Mr. Netanyahu has Mr. Bennett’s full confidence. “I trust him implicitly on this, especially his conviction that we cannot outsource our security to the United States. History has shown that when push comes to shove, nobody will do our job for us,” says Mr. Bennett. Whose DNA? He is convinced the majority of the Israeli public already feels part of the Zionistnational movement. “What we need to do is create one big national camp, with a core from the Jewish Home, together with partners who are traditional and secular
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in order to build the national camp back up. That’s our only option,” he says. Without that effort, he says, the national camp is finished. At one time, he says, he, like many others, thought the Likud would be the answer, but, he says, that illusion ground to halt once Mr. Netanyahu was elected. “Many from the religiousZionist community, myself included, worked very hard to turn Netanyahu into the Prime Minister, but once he was elected, everything changed. He made Ehud Barak Defense Minister in charge of Judea and Samaria, and then he instituted a building freeze for 350,000 Israelis,” he says. He knows that his plan to turn Jewish Home into a powerhouse will bring him into conflict with Manhigut Yehudit, the Jewish Leadership faction, headed by Moshe Feiglin. Mr. Feiglin has been encouraging national-religious voters to join and support Likud so they could, in turn, vote for him in the primaries. Mr. Bennett thinks that was mistake. “The reason the big national-religious move within the Likud failed is that fundamentally it was an attempt to take over a party that had its own existing DNA. We tried to install within it a totally different DNA, but that couldn’t succeed,” he says. S.L.R.
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