Hakesher - December 23

CHABAD OF BINGHAMTON

‫בס’’ד‬

‫הקשר‬ DECEMBER 2023 | TEVES 5784

the connection

COMMUNITY. EDUCATION. INSPIRATION.

A WORD FROM THE DIRECTORS Executive Director Rabbi Aaron Slonim Associate Director Mrs. Rivkah Slonim Education and Ritual Rabbi Zalman & Rochel Chein Chabad Downtown and Development Rabbi Levi & Hadasa Slonim Programming and Engagement Rabbi Yisroel and Goldie Ohana

Dear Friend, As of October 7, instead of four questions, we have five: How can the world remain SO quiet in the face of the barbaric atrocities of 10/7, and the pervasive rise of anti-Semitism in its wake?

What should our response be to both the larger arc, and the individual aspects, of this horror movie we are trapped in?

When will the hostages finally come home?

Where can we find guidance for going forward at this tipping point in history?

President Mr. Michael Wright

And for believers in G-d’s orchestration of everything that occurs, there is the allconsuming WHY?

Vice President Mr. Al Lavker

Why did 10/7 happen? Why have so many of our sisters and brothers been murdered, raped, and abducted? Why has such a virulent strain of Jew hatred been unleashed in the US and around the world? Why has our “bubble” of safety—our sense of being accepted and protected within society—burst with such alacrity and vengeance?

Board Members Mr. Charles Gilinsky Dr. Chaim Joy Mr. Alan Piaker Solomon Polachek Ph.D. Dr. Charles Rubin Mr. Brian Savitch Mrs. Susan Walker Dr. Mark Walker Founding Board Members Mr. Abe L. Piaker OBM Prof. Philip M. Piaker OBM Dr. Barrett J. Raff OBM The Rohr Chabad Center for Jewish Student Life at Binghamton University 420 Murray Hill Rd. • Vestal, NY 13850 607-797-0015 info@chabadofbinghamton.com

www.JewishBU.com December 2024, Volume 12, Issue 3 Hakesher is published four times a year; September, December, March and May by Chabad of Binghamton, 420 Murray Hill Rd., Vestal, NY 13850. Postage paid at Newark, NJ post offices.

In Hebrew there are no consonants; instead there are symbols that guide vocalization.

This allows for the same letters to be vocalized in numerous ways giving rise to words with variant meanings.

The Hebrew word for why is lama. The very same letters spell out the Hebrew word, lema, which means, for what.

Why, it turns out, is not only an answerable question, but one that distracts us from our mandate. The Jewish question is rather: to what end has this happened, and what can and should I do in response? There is so much we can never understand, but there is much we can do.

We don’t claim to have any answers but one thing stands out in sharp relief: We are, as the prophet Balaam asserted so many years ago: Am levadad Yishkon, a nation that dwells alone, apart, in solitude (Numbers 23:9). There are, of course, many good people who have expressed support of Israel and of Jews, wherever we might be. We are deeply grateful to our President and to our many friends on Capitol Hill, but the otherwise, near ubiquitous silence in the face of so much hatred is deafening and frightening.

There are, no doubt, all kinds of military, political, diplomatic, and organizational decisions to be made. We leave that to the experts in each field. From a theological and philosophical perspective there seems to be only one conclusion to be drawn: Try as we might to blend in, to make ourselves indistinctive from those around us, we are different. The world judges us differently, and we will always be held to a different, even impossible, standard.

Volume 12, Issue 3

Published by CHABAD OF BINGHAMTON Contact us at: Hakesher@JewishBU.com Editor Rivkah Slonim Staff Writer Alan Zeitlin Proofreading Marlene Serkin, Chaya M. Slonim Design Avrohom Weg Photo Credits Benjamin Glick Faith Orzeck Aliza Popky

About the cover: At the 10/9 campus wide gathering in support of Israel, Rabbi Aaron Slonim addresses the hundreds gathered.

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We are of different essence. It’s time to re-embrace this truth; to stand together in unison and rally around that which has kept us as a people. We are not only the biological seed of the only extant ancient civilization, but the living, breathing covenantal people of the Torah, with a distinct raison d’etre, to be a light unto the nations. We must stand tall and proud. Especially in times of such overwhelming darkness.

Our long and storied history highlights a counterintuitive pattern: our oppression has always segued into increased strength and vibrancy. B’yachad nenatzeach, together we will persevere and we will overcome. Now is the time to stay focused and shine our light stronger and prouder.

With prayerful wishes that we merit a miracle, speedily in our times; the homecoming of all the hostages, healing for the wounded, consolation for all those who lost loved one, and peace for one and all. Amen.

N’hiyeh B’kesher, let’s keep in touch,

Based on the teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe of righteous memory

TORAH FOR TODAY

Our Enemies, Our Selves

By Rabbi Yanki Tauber

“When you go out to war on your enemies, and G-d will place him in your hands...” No, that’s not a typo.

The sentence you just read is a direct translation of Deuteronomy 21:10.

The wording of the Written Torah is extremely precise.

When a grammatical anomaly appears—such as plural “enemies” who turn mid-sentence into a singular “him”— the midrashim and commentaries will immediately step in to unearth the story behind the story and reveal the hidden lesson.

The Egyptians, the Amalekites, the Babylonians, the Romans, the Church, the Almohades, the Nazis, the Soviets... we’ve had no shortage of enemies in our 4,000year history. Generally speaking, they can be divided into two groups: spiritual enemies and physical enemies.

The classic prototypes are the Syrian-Greek emperor Antiochus, who tried to forcefully Hellenize the Jews (his failure is celebrated each year on Chanukah), and Haman the Aggagite, who secured a royal decree to slaughter every Jewish man, woman and child on the face of the earth (whose downfall gave us Purim). Closer to our day, we have the 70-year campaign to uproot the beliefs and practices of Judaism from the souls and lives of the Jews under Soviet domain, and the ongoing terror war waged by militant Islamists, who just want us dead.

Yet the two enemies of Israel are intrinsically one.

Time and again, Jewish history tells the story of how the weakening of our spiritual identity invariably leads to physical decline. An enemy of the Jewish soul is an enemy of the Jewish body, just as an enemy of the Jewish body is obviously an enemy of the Jewish soul.

Our first line of defense in the war for Jewish survival is the realization that our plural “enemies” are, in truth, a singular “him.” The physical and spiritual fate of our people are inexorably intertwined. That we must regard each physical attack

against a Jew as an attack against the eternal spirit of Israel, and treat every spiritual danger as a threat to our physical survival.

"The physical and spiritual fate of our people are inexorably intertwined."

What must we do to win the war? How is the battle to be waged so that “G-d will place him in your hands”? The answer lies enfolded in another grammatical curio in Ki Teitzei’s opening verse: “When you go to war on your enemies...”

We focus now on the word “on” in this line — al in the Hebrew. The Hebrew word al, like its English equivalent, can mean, in this context, “against.” In the simple meaning of the verse, going to war “on your enemies” means going to war against your enemies. But the word can also be understood in the sense of “above”: don’t go to war against them, go to war above them.

When we begin to doubt our own goodness, we are doomed to lose ground.

We have seen this so often in our experience as a people that we really shouldn’t need a grammatical twist of a Torah verse to inform us of it. When we went to war above our enemies, confident of our moral and spiritual superiority and unapologetic of the righteousness of our cause, we always triumphed in the end, no matter how outnumbered we might have been in quantity of men and arms. But when we begin to doubt our own goodness, when we begin to regard decadent murderers as our moral equals, we are doomed to lose ground, even when, on the physical plane, we hold the military and strategic advantage.

A lesson as simple as it is profound: When you go out to war on your enemies, G-d will place him in your hands.

Yanki Tauber is a chassidic scholar and the author of eleven books— including the groundbreaking Book of Jewish Knowledge—and hundreds of essays on Jewish and Hasidic thought. From 1999 to 2014 he served as content editor of Chabad.org, the world’s largest Jewish educational website.

Tauber is currently a senior editor at the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute.

He is also editor-in-chief of The Book, a new translation and anthologized commentary for the Five Books of Moses.

DECEMBER 2023 | 3

You Are Not Powerless.

You Never Are.

By Tzvi Freeman

There are those who say there is a war in a faraway land called Israel. They are mistaken.

There is a war against every Jewish woman, man, and child wherever in the world they may be.

The peddlers of terror do not hate Israel because they wish to liberate humanity.

They do not murder children in their mother’s arms because they wish to make commerce over their borders. They have a border with Egypt, closed for decades, yet not a missile fires in that direction.

They hate Jews because they have been taught to hate Jews.

That hatred is their oppressor as much as it is ours.

Hatred is not a bullet. It is not a meme. Hatred is a spiritual illness.

A War of the Soul

Which means that this is a spiritual war as much as it is a physical one.

Our bodies have been slain and maimed, but this war is fought principally with our souls.

And with the Jewish people, our bodies may be separate, but the souls are all one. Like a single being.

If someone attacks your right arm, your head, your heart, your feet, your hands—every cell within you is mobilized.

That’s crucial to know. Because it means that none of us is powerless. All of us today are soldiers in this war.

The War Against Hatred

How do you win a war against hatred? Not by scrolling through images of horror. Not by succumbing to sadness and despair. Terror is not vanquished by your horror.

Neither can you win against it by despair. Those are its prime tools of mass destruction.

Instead, you’ll need to implement some paradoxical intervention. Because there is nothing hatred hates more than love, and there is nothing more potent against darkness than light.

Hatred attacks when it perceives weakness in its host. It

flees when there is unity and togetherness.

Here is your plan of action:

Love Every Jew

Yes, I know you must love everyone. But if you can’t love your brother and sister, how can you love the whole world?

Love all Jews and the world will learn to love all people, indeed, all of G d’s creatures.

If you see a Jew you don’t like, do that Jew a favor. Find out what they need, how you can be of assistance. Go out of your way to provide them some help.

Look at every Jew you meet and see only two things: What can I learn from this amazing, holy Jew? And what can I do to contribute to the life of this wondrous member of my tribe?

We are one, many cells of a single organism with a single soul. When you help another Jew, you help all of us, and you help yourself.

Connect to Your People With a Mitzvah

There are many ways that human beings connect. The Jewish People have their unique, mysterious connections.

They are called mitzvahs. For three and a half millennia, they have kept us alive and vibrant through every onslaught.

Continued on Page 20

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LEAHROSENHEIM’25 STUDENTSPOTLIGHT

Inspired by A Meaningful Grandmother’s Letter, This Flutist and Frisbee Player Loves To Bug Out

By Alan Zeitlin ‘00

Most people who see insects scream, run away, or step on them.

But not Binghamton University junior Leah Rosenheim. She’s studied them since she was young, and the biology major is writing a paper on praying mantis in the species of Stagmomantis limbata. Her paper involves the insect’s ability to camouflage into its surroundings.

While the term “bug out” can mean to be upset, in the case of this student, it involves her intense study of insects.

The 21-year-old had to stop this interview momentarily as a housemate wanted help in picking up a bug and taking it outside. She said she grew up in a household where her parents studied bugs and they were considered cool.

Alan Zeitlin teaches English and Journalism at a Brooklyn public high school. As a freelance writer for the past 11 years, his articles have appeared in The Jewish Week, The Jewish News and other publications.

Leah is an artist who sells her botanical paintings on plant life; she credits her father for inspiring her.

“When I was young, he would give me constructive criticism,” she said. “He would tell me this truth, saying this looks realistic and that needs to be fixed. I think that helped a lot.”

She said she once won an art contest and continued her craft as she attended Savid Senior High School in California.

Leah also plays the flute and one of her favorite songs to play is the Israeli song “Machmad Levavi” or “My Beloved” by Shoshana Damari.

The lyrics include: Will a valley flee from the mountain/Will a river evade the sea? Isn’t night the brother of the day? Can a jail imprison a dream?

“I wanted a plastic recorder when I was five, but I asked for a flute by mistake,” she said. “I thought

it was cool and started playing it.”

Leah, a proficient flutist, traces her musical accomplishments as well as so much of what she has accomplished to a very special letter she received.

“My grandma wrote me and each of my siblings letters on the occasion of our bar and bat mitzvahs. And I think the reason she did this was that she was extremely insightful and understood exactly what it meant to be embarking on our journey in life and Torah in earnest,” explained Leah. “Her words have had a huge impact on how I try to live my life – not by trying to take on everything all at once, but trying to take lots of little steps on the path towards the wishes of my heart for good. I know the truths my grandma imparted to me on my bat mitzvah are universal ones, and if they are an inspiration to others, I am sure she would be very happy, so I share it here:” Continued on Page 20

(l-r) Leah Rosenheim ‘25 then aged 13, her sister, Meirav, her grandfather, Papa Don, her brother Hillel ‘23, and her grandmother, Savta Judy.

DECEMBER 2023 | 5

ALUMNI NEWS

MAZEL TOVS

‘87 Randi and Jon Hershkowitz announce the marriage of their son, Yitzi, to Leora Burack, on November 12, 2023.

‘91 Nachum and Yehudis Klafter announce the birth of their grandson, Boaz Avigdor Spero, on May 18, 2023.

‘93 Lori (Dicker) and Shabsi Beilin announce the birth of their grandson, Dovid Belilin, on June 22, 2023.

‘94 Yaakov and Jill Kadar announce the marriage of their son Yitzi to Ayala Gold on November 9, 2023.

Yaakov and Jill Kadar announce the birth of their granddaughter, Esther, on October 20, 2023.

‘95 Mark (‘96 MBA) and Shira Brown announce the Bar Mitzvah of their son David Ian, Dovid Yisrael, on July 6th, 2023.

Hadassah (Schenkel) and Emanuel Behar announce the marriage of their son Moshe to Rochel Henya Rosenbaum on May 21, 2023.

‘98 Masha Kuznetsov and Arthur Milstein announce the birth of their son Shalom Aharon on May 22, 2023.

‘04 Karen (Wisotsky) and Josh Goldman announce the Bas Mitzvah of their daughter, Naomi, on June 18, 2023.

‘06 Daniel and Alexandra Messing announce the birth of their daughter, Esther, on July 13, 2023. She was welcomed home by big sister, May Ruth.

‘07 Jeff and Rena Kashi announce the birth of their son, Calev Shammai (Coby Samson), on May 11, 2023.

Chaim and Tali Jakob announce the birth of their daughter, Kraindel Ratzi, on November 8, Kislev 6, 2023.

Amy (Regev) and Simon Levin announce the birth of their son, Leo Noah, on May 12, 2023. He was welcomed home by big brother Gavi and big sisters Sophia and Julie.

Mihal (Spitzer) and David Ariyeh announce the birth of their son, Yaakov, on June 27, 2023. He was welcomed home by big siblings, Noa and Eitan.

‘08 David and Mihal (Spitzer) Ariyeh announce the birth of their son, Yaakov (see ‘07 for full details).

‘10 Rebecca (Cohen) and Eric Moskowitz announce the birth of their daughter Chaya Esther (Hazel Sadie).

‘11 Heather Fink and Ilya Okunev announce the birth of their son, Benjamin Lawrence, on May 11, 2023.

Saul and Casey Nadel announce the birth of their son Dylan Elliot on August 2, 2023.

‘12 Rena (Asher) and Yona Remer announce the birth of their son, Solomon Mordechai.

Eric and Danielle Engelman announce the birth of their son Wes, Zeev Efraim, on April 19, 2023.

Jacob and Rachel Decter announce the birth of their daughter, Devorah Noa, Diana Noa, on November 1, 2023.

Howard and Sarah Levi announce the birth of their daughter, Emily Talia, on December 7, 2023.

Shlomit and Avi Cabessa announce the birth of their daughter, Jacqueline Libby, on September 15, 2023.

David and Jacqueline Mizrahi announce the birth of their son Maurice Jacob.

‘13 Sian and Jasmine Goldofsky announce the birth of their daughter, Moriah, on October 14, 2023.

Sarah and Howard Levi announce the birth of their daughter, Emily Talia. See ‘12 for more details.

Abigail (Weinberg) and Josh Steinberg announce the birth of their son, Zachary, on November 13, 2023.

‘14 Yael Rabin and Rafi Goldring announce the birth of their twin sons, Ezra Elliot and Solomon Avraham, on May 22, 2023.

Katie (Sokol) and Ben Razinovsky announce the birth of their son, Jonathan Abraham, Yehonatan Avraham, on May 22, 2023.

Ariel (Mendelsohn) and Matthew Grossman announce the birth of their son, Samuel Leonard, on August 10, 2023.

Michael Schwartz and Shiran Porat were married on November 26,

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2023. Michael works at Maimonides Medical Center as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Analytics. Shiran is a hospitalist at WeilCornell Medical Center. They make their home in Brooklyn.

Michael Snow and Elena Weissman announce the birth of their daughter, Orah Haviva, on August 18th, 2023.

Traci (Rubin) and Evan Chertoff announce the birth of their twin daughters, Eve Rebecca, and June Rachel, on November 5th, 2023.

‘15 Rachel (Samuels) and Brendan Rand announce the birth of their daughter, Liba Shaina (Lily Shaina), on May 24, 2023.

Meirav (Meredith Abel) and Judah Blumenthal announce the birth of their daughter, Amalia Hallel, on December 2, (Kislev 19) 2023.

Joella (Goodman) and Sam Apple announce the birth of their daughter, Shira Libi, on June 14, 2023. She was welcomed home by big sisters Sivan Nessa and Nechama Meria.

Katie (Ranish) and Eric Goldstein announce the birth of their son Naftali Moshe on May 4, 2023. He was welcomed home by big brother, Aron Shmuel.

Isaac and Stephanie (Horowitz) Anteby announce the birth of their daughter, Miriam (Audrey).

Daniel and Abbe Katz announce the birth of their daughter Libi Brocha (Elizabeth Bernadette) on August 9th, 2023.

Kara Dinowitz and Micha Siegel announce the birth of their daughter Noa Yehudit on September 26th, 2023.

‘16 Jon and Fiona (Tarzy) Margareten announce the birth of their daughter, Callie Ava, Gali Chaya, on June 8, 2023. She was welcomed home by big sister, Amit Bina.

Ariel and Miriam (Wade) Broome announce the birth of their son, Eitan Michael, on September 13th, 2023.

‘17 Zach and Corey Ungar announce the birth of their son Coby Jack, Calev Shammai, on May 5th, 2023.

Eli and Liz Reichner announce the birth of their daughter, Ayelet Rachel, on May 17th, 2023.

Stephanie (Horowitz) and Isaac Anteby announce the birth of their daughter. (see ‘15 for full details).

Jessica (Forman) and Jared Stein announce the birth of their daughter, Amelia Hazel, Mia Zahava, on August 21, 2023.

Seth and Arielle Finkelstein announce the birth of their son, Jordan, on November 10th, 2023.

‘18 Gilad and Brianna Greenstein announce the birth of their son, Lior Idan, on November 2, 2023.

Mark and Talia Generowicz announce the birth of their son, Leib Zalman, on February 03, 2023.

‘20 Elliot and Rebecca Beretz announce the birth of their son Meir Chaim (Michael Henry) on November 25, 2023.

Julia Lustig and Jake Ungar announce their engagement; a Fall 2024 wedding is planned. Julia is a teacher at the Shefa School; Jake is an Assistant Buyer at Bloomingdale's. They will make their home in the New York area

SYMPATHIES Chabad mourns the passing of …

Linda, Leah bat Avrohom, mother of Jon Hershkowitz ‘98, on May 15, 2023.

Naomi Loeb, Naomi bat Aryeh, mother of Roni Loeb Richter ‘91, on August 4, Av 17, 2023.

Sherry Iris Tenenbaum, Serial Aidel bat Shlomo Yitzchak, mother of Sara Tenenbaum ’08, on August 19, 2023.

Al Lazrus, Avram Fisher ben Yonatan Ezra, father of Danny Lazrus ’13,

May the families be comforted among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem.

For up to date Chabad Alumni news, visit: www.facebook.com/ChabadBUAlumni

DR. ADAMIFARKAS'01

ALUMNISPOTLIGHT

Grad Living in Israel Sends Son Off to War and Says It’s Important People Know The Score

By Alan Zeitlin ‘00

On October 7, Simchat Torah, Dr. Adami Farkas went to shul never thinking that in a matter of hours he would be sending his oldest son, Elisha, off to war. Farkas, who graduated from Binghamton in 2001, said that when he made Aliyah in 2012, he knew danger was a possibility, but this was unexpected.

“It reminded me of the movies when mothers sent their sons off to World War II,” Farkas, 43, said. “We were all saying goodbye and watching his siblings hugging him, it was very surreal and emotional.”

Originally from Staten Island, New York, Farkas lives in Gush Etzion, a cluster or bloc of 18 communities and nearly 40,000 residents, located south of Jerusalem. The father of six children spent hours in the safe room of his home on October 7. On that day and in the ensuing ones, he said there was a fear that Palestinians could attack and rush into the bloc of Jewish communities where he resides. In terms of missiles being fired at them, he said his community is much safer than other places due to it being farther away from Gaza and it not being a high value target due to a lack of population density. Nevertheless, the communities taken Every Jew is a soldier h a v e considerable even though only some security measures since October 7. are fighting on the Farkas, an front lines in Gaza or interventional radiologist at Israel's North.

Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, said hospitals in Israel are always prepared for mass casualty events, though the majority of the injured on October 7 went to other hospitals.

Like many, he said he was shaken at how the terrorist attack could have happened. While there is a lack of confidence in political leadership, he said

“

”

Adami Farkas (second from left, back) with his family in Israel.

there is an understanding that the country must be united, and Hamas must be defeated.

“I always say I hope things are quiet,” Farkas said.

“Now I’m looking for victory and security because that is what we must achieve.”

Farkas said he has not questioned his decision to make aliyah.

“I don’t regret it at all,” he said. “I have two sisters who live in Flatbush and their kids have to hold their parents’ hands when they cross the street. I don’t know the statistics concerning which place is safer than the other. But I know I moved here for a reason, and it was the right decision.”

He said he was disheartened by rising levels of antisemitism in America, but unity is important, and every person has a role to play.

“Every Jew is a soldier even though only some are fighting on the front lines in Gaza or Israel's North,” Farkas said. “It may be donating money and/or supplies, going on missions to Israel, posting on social media, or something else. People should do Alan Zeitlin teaches English and Journalism at a Brooklyn public high school. As a freelance writer for the past 11 years, his articles have appeared in The Jewish Week, The Jewish News and other publications.

DECEMBER 2023 | 7

“ People need to realize that what is happening now is part of Israel’s right and obligation to defend itself. ”

what they can and what is in line with their talents He said there were two important points that and abilities.” needed to be made clear.

Chabad of Binghamton recently led a mission to “People need to realize that what is happening now Israel. Farkas said these missions have helped raise is part of Israel’s right and obligation to defend itself,” morale. he said. “Also, I know people say with clenched teeth “When people hear visitors talking in English, just that G-d gave us the land because they are afraid to knowing that they came in a time of need, makes a say it. But our enemies are not afraid to bring into the big difference,” Farkas said. conversation that they think the land is theirs from He also was one of several Binghamton grads G-d.” who had made aliya that shared their thoughts and He said Israeli citizens are trying to lead as normal a experiences during a Zoom call convened by Chabad life as possible, but with schools having been closed for their alumni community. and so many called up to the army, it is a struggle.

A lifelong Zionist, he said it was the second Intifada Aside from physical security, he said he is concerned that served as one of the catalysts for his move to about the mental stability of the population, especially Israel.

Israelis who have had to evacuate their homes, both The Judaic Studies major said he fondly recalls his from the South due to Hamas’ attack and from the North, due to anti-tank missiles and other projectiles time at Binghamton.

“The Friday night shabbat meals were incredible fired by Hezbollah.

He said it is dangerous propaganda for anyone to to see friends and have great food and ruach,” he said, using the Hebrew word for spirit or a festive posit that Israel wants this war or targets civilians.

Farkas agrees that it is environment. “It was a great nice, even important to experience I won’t forget.” talk about peace in theory, While wearing a kippah, he but it is acutely difficult played Intramural basketball to achieve in reality, when for a Jewish team and was Hamas officials and other often the leading scorer. terrorist groups aim to As a senior at Binghamton, obliterate Israel. he dated the woman “I know a soldier who who became his wife. He didn’t change his underwear would propose at a New for 40 days,” Farkas said.

Jersey park by putting the “Soldiers have their cell engagement ring in a tennis phones taken so there are ball that was fetched by parents whose sons have his dog, Roxy. The couple Adami Farkas with his oldest son, Elisha, a member of the IDF. gone to Gaza and they don’t had their sheva brachot at hear from them for weeks Chabad of Binghamton.

The Stony Brook Medical School graduate said his on end. We want Gazan children to be safe. We also faith in Hashem hasn’t changed though there are know that we live in a dangerous world and have to protect our children. I wish that our enemies did always questions after catastrophic events.

As for living in Gush Eztion, he said it happened not want to drive us into the sea. I wish they did not “kind of by accident” but “we wouldn’t change it for proudly call for our destruction in rallies all over the world. But they do. We only want peace and security.” the world.”

He also said wishful thinking causes the media to Do Israelis care about how the war is being hide the truth about the conflict. portrayed in the western media?

“If you watch the news, you may be told this is a war “I think there is a bit of bewilderment at the difficulty people seem to be having with distinguishing about land,” Farkas said. “It’s not. This is a religious war. between good and evil,” Farkas said. “Israel will do If it was about land, the Palestinian leadership would what it has to do but at the same time we know there not have rejected numerous offers for a Palestinian is an important relationship between America and state. This is a war that was forced on us and it is a war we have to win.”

Israel. We need allies.”

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PHOTO GRAPHS

Home for the Holidays

YOM TOV IN BINGHAMTON IS ALWAYS SPECIAL: Rosh Hashanah services and meals for those who stay in Bing, warm, accessible, Yom Kippur services and Break-fast, high energy Sukkot meals in a cozy Sukkah built to accommodate 500, Sukkah Mobile bringing mitzvos on the spot to people on the go, Rock 'n' Ribs, and the new level Simchat Torah Celebration taken to the streets, especially poignant this year in the face of the huge 10/7 tragedy.

DECEMBER 2023 | 9

PHOTO GRAPHS

Welcome Back, and

Welcome Brunch - Freshmen Falafel Ice Cream Social - Mega ChaBBQ - Jewau!

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Welcome New Students

PHOTO GRAPHS

For a full gallery of pictures of these events and others, please visit: www.JewishBU.com/photos

DECEMBER 2023 | 11

PHOTO GRAPHS

Education. Education.

Yeshivat Binghamton

The halls of Chabad—the Beis, as well as all of the other rooms—are alive with the sounds of Torah learning.

• Chevrutahs • Jewish U • Sinai Scholars • Hilchot Nida • Pizza and Parasha • The Rebbe's Sichos • The beloved Beit Midrash – Supper and Study Program • And so much more!

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Education.

PHOTO GRAPHS

For a full gallery of pictures of these events and others, please visit: www.JewishBU.com/photos

DECEMBER 2023 | 13

PHOTO GRAPHS

ISRAEL AT WAR

Our Hearts are in the East

"Unite for our Home" event • March on Washington • Challah Bake Israel Solidarity Mission • 24-hour Learn and Pray-a-Thon Coping Workshop • Mitzvah Truck on Campus • "Hug" of the Day Online Gatherings for Parents and Alumni

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Binghamton Gets a New Torah!

PHOTO GRAPHS

For a full gallery of pictures of these events and others, please visit: www.JewishBU.com/photos

The Family of Rabbi Yaakov Ohana, father of Binghamton Shaliach Rabbi Yisroel Ohana, donated a new Torah to our Chabad House. The Am Yisroel Chai Torah, coming to our midst in these challenging times, was welcomed i n a moving ceremony on campus, followed by a joyous march to Chabad, Hakafot with spirited dancing, and a festive meal.

The event was a memorable display of Jewish pride and light in the face of adversity and darkness.

DECEMBER 2023 | 15

PHOTO GRAPHS

Fun. Fun. Fun!

GNO. BNO. Apple Picking.

Mitzvah Marathon in Commemoration of 9/11

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Binghamton Gets a Rise

PHOTO GRAPHS

For a full gallery of pictures of these events and others, please visit: www.JewishBU.com/photos

500 attend the annual Mega Challah Bake

DECEMBER 2023 | 17

PHOTO GRAPHS

A Chanukah Tsunami

Eight Crazy Nights of the Festival of Lights Donut Frying events - Epic Chanukah Parade - Campus Wide Celebration on the Spine Parties in Houses - Celebrations on the Chanukah Truck Public Menorahs in Oakdale Commons, Downtown on Court St and in UClub

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hits Binghamton

PHOTO GRAPHS

For a full gallery of pictures of these events and others, please visit: www.JewishBU.com/photos

DECEMBER 2023 | 19

Continued from Page 5

said. “But we’ll see what happens.

Dearest Leah,

assume the Upon being informed that the tender age of twelve is your time to a lot to rather is this that think yoke of the kingdom of heaven, you might well it assume to were you if assume, to lot a be assume. And this yoke really would that ng somethi be to yoke this think not need you But . entirety right now in its is implied you assume all at once. And that it is not to be assumed all at once And Torah. word, the in d by what this yoke really means. For it is containe the means ed, translat rightly Torah, Law, the though commonly translated as Torat in as life, with Torah of ion associat our Way, means Way. Because Torah suggestion Chaim, comes to mean the Way of life. But because “way” bears the to life; Way the also but life, of “path,” Torah can mean not only the Way of And upon life. to journey we which upon path Torah thus coming to denote the life. No your of ion realizat the toward ing embark only now are this journey you s signpost only doubt this Way is lined with many do’s and don’ts. But these are will we For life. to path this whose purpose is to keep you from straying from hearts. But to arrive at our destination of life only by fulfilling the wishes of our And these good. for says, prayer the as fulfilled, be must wishes be fulfilled, these attain their signposts point us toward the good by which the wishes of our hearts fulfillment.

am trying I think that you already know enough of life to understand what I the contains ent instrum this that know you and flute, to say. For you play the Yet it can be joy. you gives that beauty te passiona and intense express to power that you can made to express this passionate and joyful beauty only to the extent this flute in d containe beauty the s govern it. And the government that liberate s a long describe that path a upon steps d measure many can be acquired only by s liberate that ent governm the to path this walking are You . journey and slow beauty so flute, your the beauty of your flute. But just as beauty is innate within life that is innate within your life. And it is to the beauty innate within your the journey upon is It n. attentio your direct to designed is becoming bat mitzvah that is path the walk to king underta by , embark now you that beauty to this good. for heart Torah, the way to a life that will fulfill the wishes of your Savta Judy

“It was an important letter to me about how I want to live,” she said. “She wrote letters for all of my siblings. “This letter helped me realize you need to follow the things that stick to you, make you joyful and contain the wishes of your heart. The way she finishes

is that we should pursue the things we love, and I apply that to everything in life.”

Will Rosenheim follow in her father’s footsteps and become an entomologist?

“I guess I inherited that gene,” she

“It’s actually incredible how many bugs there are out there in the bushes and grass,” she said. If you take a fine bug net, you can easily catch 2,000 flies in five minutes.”

She said she also loves caterpillars and some wasps but is not a big fan of crickets.

Rosenheim plays on the club team for ultimate frisbee but had to take a year off last year due to injuries.

She’s back on the team this year.

While she dives for frisbees in games, on Shabbat some are ready to jump out of their seats for delicious food, which she helps serve.

“You can tell what everyone’s favorite food is based on the expression on their faces when you bring out the stuff,” she said, adding that the matzah ball soup is still the most desired dish, as well as the chicken.

Rosenheim said Chabad has made an impact on her.

“People know it is a warm place where everyone is welcome, they’re going to have good food and learn a lot,” she said.

“Everyone knows whatever is going on in their week they can have a wonderful time and see their friends at Chabad. Knowing that gives you a great feeling that you always have something to look forward to. There are so many awesome vibes and opportunities.

I love it.”

Continued from Page 4

they have illuminated the world with our values. They are our lifeline as a people.

We need to strengthen our lifeline.

We connect by lighting Shabbat candles in our homes before the sun sets on Friday, so that the darkness shines.

We connect by all our men wrapping tefillin, connecting their minds, hearts, and arms to the G d of Israel and to all other Jewish men.

We connect by affixing mezuzahs to our doors. We connect by studying the wisdom of our Torah together.

And in so many other ways.

Be Upbeat. Stay Positive.

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I know it’s hard at times. I know it can feel callous to smile in the face of tragedy. I know about that little voice inside that tells you that if you don’t look at the horrible images, that means you don’t care.

Tell that voice to make an appointment for another day.

Right now is not the time for guilt and insecurity. Right now, you are a soldier.

A soldier who goes to battle in tears is better off staying home. After the war is won, then you can cry as you dance.

Now is the time to uplift the spirits of all those around you, to mobilize our people, to get things done.

Now is the time for us to hold hands, not in tears, but in love, joy, and harmony.

YEHOSHUANOVEMBER ‘01

I FELT LIKE I HAD WALKED THROUGH THE STREETS OF JERUSALEM IN AN EARLIER LIFE

In a desk, I find a printout of an email from my grandfather, written in all caps at the end of the last millennium, a response to a message I’d sent him when I was 18, studying in a yeshiva in Israel, burdened by doubts.

Secular, a former army aviation mechanic and auto parts warehouse owner, his answer surprises me.

His P.S., a dated fear or another affirmation of faith:

DID YOU SEE THE WEATHER CHANNEL’S FATALISTIC REPORTS ABOUT EL NINO? WHAT DO WE UNDERSTAND ABOUT THE WIND? This poem first appeared in Anglican Theological Review

UNIVERSAL SYMBOL I walk past the Nazi bullwhip and riding helmet encased in glass at the Holocaust Exhibit in the basement of the college library. Two floors above, students watch Netflix on laptops and cell phones instead of studying History.

But what is a Jew? Universal signifier of wandering and displacement?

Stereotype of opulence, comfort,

while, simultaneously, the name behind history’s agitated isms?

If a Jew is a symbol of exile— a symbol for others— what is a Jew herself?

In the Symposium Room, a visiting Jewish Studies professor explains everything except the mystery of his subject’s survival.

This poem first appeared in Paper Brigade

Yehoshua November earned a BA at Binghamton University and an MFA at the University of Pittsburgh. He is the author of the poetry collections Two Worlds Exist (2016) and God’s Optimism (2010), which won the Main Street Rag Poetry Book Award and was a finalist for the LA Times Book Prize, the Autumn House Poetry Prize, and the Tampa

Review Prize for Poetry. His poetry has been featured on Garrison Keillor’s National Public Radio program “The Writer’s Almanac,” has won Prairie Schooner’s Bernice Slote Award and has been nominated for two Pushcart Prizes.

November teaches at Rutgers University and Touro College.

DECEMBER 2023 | 21

This is the story that won’t be told. It’s the miracle of unity; a “ diverse democratic nation that values life over death and unity over division. In that moment I gained a renewed sense of hope, a wave of optimism swept over me. I could once more imagine a world beyond this tragedy.

O

”

n October 7th, my wife and I were woken by the sound of air raid sirens. Having come to Israel to celebrate the joyous holidays of Sukkot and Simchat Torah, we had gone to sleep the night before anticipating the joyous celebration that awaited us.

At first, we were simply confused but when my brother-in-law came sprinting down the road towards our apartment, exclaiming that we needed to stay low to the ground and follow him back to the bomb shelter near his home, we entered a completely different zone. The sirens continued to blare almost without stop.

We felt powerful explosions in the air as the Iron Dome intercepted incoming rockets, and the ground shaking beneath us when it did not.

With time, the gravity of the situation became clear. Rabbis spread word asking people to keep their phones on for safety reasons despite the Sabbath and holiday.

Religious men from across the community were getting into cars to drive to army bases; wives and young children were weeping in the streets as they embraced their loved ones not knowing if and when they would seem them again.

The entire day was surreal, saturated as it was with the devastating realization that to be a Jew is to walk around with an ever-present target on one’s back. It was also, however, an inspiring recognition that despite that target, the Jewish community remains resilient, driven to live by a bond

22 | HAKESHER MAGAZINE

with our past and our hope for the future.

In the days that followed, an eerie silence descended on Jerusalem. Local attractions ordinarily packed by tourists during a holiday season were vacant.

Streets were quiet and schools were closed. Nonetheless, the Israeli spirit was palpable. Lines to donate blood extended miles long, ordinary citizens waited at grocery checkout counters to pay for soldiers picking up food and necessities, teenagers offered free babysitting services to struggling families, older medical providers came out of retirement to offer their services, those few who had not been called up to the reserves pounded on the doors of the Israeli parliament demanding that they be tasked with service. Never before have I experienced such light in the face of such darkness.

My wife and I returned home to New York on October 10th, and in a truly perverse irony, I felt far less safe walking through the streets of New York City than I did ducking for cover under the fire of terrorist rockets in Israel.

A few weeks after returning to the US, I responded to a request by Israel’s national ambulance service for paramedics to assist in the southern towns neighboring Gaza. Many of Israel’s Paramedics had been called to serve in the military, leaving the day-to-day EMS shorthanded. After undergoing brief training in Jerusalem I headed down South.. Together with our Israeli counterparts we responded to a

MEIRBERKMAN'17 MPA'21 ONMYMIND

One particular call stands out: On my last day in Israel, I joined a fellow Paramedic and drove to the Western Wall to pray before leaving for home. En route, the dispatcher asked us to respond to call from a man experiencing chest pains; his home is in a predominantly Arab community in East Jerusalem. Upon arrival, we found a Palestinian teenager in severe distress. I was joined by a Muslim EMT and a Christian ambulance driver, both of whom helped translate, assess, and ultimately care for this young man. Together we brought him to the ambulance and transported him to Israel’s Share Tzedek hospital for further care.

This is the story that won’t be told. It’s the miracle of unity; a diverse democratic nation that values life over death and unity over division. In that moment I

gained a renewed sense of hope, a wave of optimism swept over me. I could once more imagine a world beyond this tragedy, one where the husbands come home from war, the streets are once more heavily trafficked and vibrant. A world in which we can celebrate the completion of annual cycle of Torah reading and its new beginning, and no Jew needs to fear the target on their backs as they walk through the streets.

While the deafening cacophony of indicting voices seeks to unravel our sense of Jewish unity, we cannot afford to lose our focus. We must stand together believing that all things are possible through the truth of our story and the power of our voices. We must hold our heads high even as adversity knocks at our front doors.

Our desire for peace is unmistakable; our support of Israel is unshakable; our faith in God is inviolable. Don't get it twisted, don't get it confused, don't allow public opinion to cloud your judgment. They may take our brothers and our sisters, our mothers and our fathers, but our souls and our spirit are strong. They will not defeat us. Am Yisroel Chai!

Meir Berkman ’17, MPA ’21, was chief and executive director of Harpur’s Ferry Ambulance during his time as a student. He was responsible for expanding the organization’s fleet and membership. He also led a first-of-its-kind initiative to deploy the Department of Homeland Security’s “Stop the Bleed” program across the campus through a state grant. Since leaving Binghamton, Berkman has developed a career in the advancement of innovative healthcare technologies. He was an early team member and healthcare leader at RapidSOS, where he helped leverage partnerships with Apple, Google, Uber and other major tech corporations to deliver lifesaving data to 911 and first responders. Berkman subsequently led healthcare partnerships at Butterfly Network, a unicorn startup that developed handheld ultrasound technology improving access to medical imaging and helping deliver care to historically underserved populations.

Butterfly (BFLY) listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021. Berkman is vice president of strategy and business development at Avive Solutions, where he has helped develop a new automated external defibrillator (AED) designed to improve cardiac arrest outcomes.

Avive announced its Food and Drug Administration class III medical device approval in January, making it the first new entrant to the American AED market in two decades, and making its leadership team the youngest ever to achieve such a feat. Berkman is also a volunteer paramedic for Hatzalah EMS in New York. He lives in Riverdale, N.Y., with his wife Rachel, an emergency room physician.

DECEMBER 2023 | 23

BEER SHEVA, ISRAEL - OCTOBER 07, 2023: A column of smoke at the site of a fallen Hamas rocket from the Gaza Strip

variety of calls. There was a man struck in his face by shrapnel from a rocket attack, a woman who passed out while deep in prayer for a family member held hostage, and a young man experiencing a mental health crisis after hearing his brother was killed in Gaza. Each patient broke into tears when hearing we had come from America to help

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At the 10/15 "Unite for our Home" event students create an Israeli flag mural.

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