cjj

Dear Readers,

Here’s a line of dominos, each one bigger than the last. The first is the size of your fingernail. The last one is five hundred feet tall.

You can knock over the smallest one with a small puff of air. If you start a handful of dominos further up the line, you’ll need a gentle push. Once knocked over, the chain reaction will keep going until the giant falls. But try marching straight up to that last one and giving it a shove — you’ll bounce off it. To move the big one, you have to start with one you can actually move.

It seems to me that that’s how most of this marvelous creation works.

My kids like playing Othello. They know that to win you have to have the most pieces, so every move they take is based solely on getting the most peices. And they lose every single game. Because counting pieces isn’t how you win. You win by placing the right ones. You have to go back a few dominos.

Here’s a few more examples.

You can’t just “have bitachon.” That’s the last domino. You start by learning Who you’re trusting — His kindness, His omnipotence, His track record in your own life. Once you see that, trusting Him comes easy.

You can’t just “be friendly.” You start with an ayin tova — noticing something good in the person. The warmth shows up later by itself.

You can’t fix a relationship with a big talk and a spreadsheet of feelings. You start by being grateful for one small thing. Gratitude knocks over the next one.

You can’t diet through willpower. Willpower is the skyscraper

domino. You start by understanding what food actually is — and what the fake stuff does to you. Once you see that clearly, you don’t need willpower. Or so they tell me.

You can’t get organized by buying matching bins. You start by throwing out one thing. That’s the only domino that’ll move today.

Everybody is fixated on the the five-hundred-foot domino. Nobody wants to bend down and flick the tiny one. But that’s how it works.

Find the first domino you can move, and the impossible will take care of itself.

CJJ is distributed to the Jewish Community and available for pickup in Amberley, Blue Ash, Montgomery, Mason, Hyde Park, Golf Manor, Roselawn, and Deer Park.

Around the Community

Kollel’s Bain Hazmanim Learning Program

The Kollel recently hosted yet another beautiful Bain Hazmanim Learning Program. Every Yom Tov it seems like the crowd gets bigger and bigger. It almost does not feel like bain hazmanim at all!

A new program of the Kollel has been such a resounding success there were calls for an encore and

the Kollel delivered! After the success of the midday lunch n’ learns for remote workers hosted at the Kollel, there was a thought to see what the interest level was for a women’s lunch n learn, hosted at the Kollel. The response was quite enthusiastic! Women enjoyed food from the Orange Spot while hearing from one of the Roshei Kollel. After the initial two

classes there were many requests to keep it going, which the Kollel has to great acclaim, most recently women heard from Rosh Kollel, Rabbi Chaim Heinemann. Keep a look out for announcements for the next one!

Around the Community

Mesivta of Cincinnati’s Construction Continues

Naaleh opens New Wellness Space

Naaleh opens new wellness space to host mental health and wellness workshops. The space is designed to inspire learning, growth, and self-care. Located in the Annex building of Golf Manor Synagogue.

Around the Community

Sukkos Carnival at Sha’arei Torah

New Programs at CJX and Olami Ohio

Following the recent Jewish holiday season, Cincinnati Jewish Experience has been bustling with activity across all its divisions.

This month, a special event brought together 30 Jewish mothers from across the community for an evening of creativity and connection. Participants enjoyed making beautiful hamsas using glass fusion techniques, accompanied by wine and a light spread. The evening provided a warm opportunity for the la-

dies to relax, create, and build community through art.

In addition, participants in this past year’s Spring Journey to Poland gathered for a meaningful program at the Holocaust and Humanity Center’s Auschwitz exhibit. The group reflected on the powerful experience before continuing the evening with a delicious dinner at Kinneret Grill.

The semester has also been a busy one for our Olami Campus Program at Miami University, led

by Rabbi Seth and Lisa Cook. From lively Shabbat meals and engaging Olami Leaders Fellowship sessions to preparations for the upcoming winter break Poland trip, campus life has been full of energy and connection. Looking ahead, the team is excited to continue growing and expanding programming next semester at the University of Cincinnati.

With engaging and diverse programming and events, CJX continues to foster connection, learning, and Jewish enrichment throughout the community.

Simcha Galore at Zichron Eliezer

This past Chol Hamoed Sukkos, the Simchas Beis HaShoeiva at Congregation Zichron Eliezer was a truly uplifting and beautiful event that captured the spirit of the Yom Tov. From the very first song, the atmosphere was electric — filled with ruach, simcha, and genuine achdus among all who attended.

The music, provided by Mordechai Heigh togeth-

er with the talented Goldstein boys, kept the energy high and the dancing lively throughout the night. The crowd joined together in spirited circles, singing and dancing with pure joy. The uplifting vocals of Yossi Flohr and Mordechai Eisman from Monsey added a special touch, elevating the celebration with their heartfelt harmonies and inspiring niggunim.

As the night went on, the lively dancing natu-

rally flowed into a warm kumzitz, where the crowd joined arm in arm, singing together with connection. The combination of beautiful voices, heartfelt music, and the shared ruach of Sukkos created a night to remember — one that truly embodied the joy of Simchas Beis HaShoeiva and the unity of CZE.

Masmidei Layla has begun its third year at Congregation Zichron Eliezer, continuing to inspire and engage middle school boys in meaningful nighttime learning. The program, held Monday and Wednesday evenings from 7:30 to 8:00 PM, is led by Rabbi Zenwirth, whose warmth and dedication have made it a highlight of the week for many young participants. The beis midrash buzzes with energy as the boys learn with enthusiasm and focus.

Sukkos Highlights at GMS

One of the highlights of Sukkos 5786 at GMS was a memorable Leil Hoshana Rabbah farbrengen that beautifully captured the joy and depth of the Yom Tov. Hosted by Yosef Kirschner in his elegant sukkah, the evening combined atmosphere, spirit, and inspiration. Guests were treated to artfully arranged charcuterie boards—true works of culinary Simchas Yom Tov—

prepared by the host himself.

Rabbi Dovid Heigh set the tone with heartfelt niggunim, his spirited guitar adding a leibedig rhythm to the night. The program then shifted to its centerpiece: a live Zoom shiur with Rabbi Yehoshua Rubenstein, a Mashpia at Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY. A close talmid of Reb Mottel Zilber shlit”a of Stuchin, and a musmach of Beis Medrash L’Talmud,

Rabbi Rubenstein delivered a deeply insightful and uplifting presentation. With remarkable clarity and warmth, he traced the spiritual journey from Rosh Hashanah through Hoshana Rabbah, uncovering the profound inner essence of the day.

It was an evening that blended song, Torah, and community—a true expression of Sukkos joy and connection at GMS.

Sukkos To’ameha

Hoshana Rabbah Farbrengen with Rabbi Yehoshua Rubenstein

Fiddler Under the Roof with Zev Herzog

Decorating the GMS Sukkah

Building the GMS Sukkah

Sukkos To’ameha

Around the Community

CHDS Middle School Great Start

School is in full swing after the busy Yom Tov season. Students had the special opportunity to hear the shofar blown by Rabbi Avtzon, Rabbi Roland, and middle school students. In the spirit of the season, they also created beautiful projects and participated in a Sukkah display contest in the elementary school boys division. In addition, our boys division students and Rabbeim

had the opportunity to hear from Rabbi Dovid Engel who visits our school throughout the year. We are grateful for his contributions to CHDS. Woven into all the excitement was student MAP testing in addition to the newly added Early Childhood ‘Outdoor Classroom Experience.’ We’re thrilled to welcome back Morah Kelly Berger, who is leading the program, where students are learning all about garden-

ing—covering topics ranging from planting to maintenance, and the tools that make it all happen. We are so happy that students have been thoroughly enjoying this experience. It’s been a busy, productive, and fun time for everyone! We are excited to settle back into routine and watch our students thrive.

Around the Community

Ohr Torah Exploring & Fun

Rosh Hashana Courtroom Experience

Students took part in an impressinistic lesson exploring what it means to “stand on trial.” Through a mock courtroom experience, they learned how a case is presented, what influences a judge’s decision, and how every detail can make a difference in the outcome. The lesson helped students better understand the concept of being “judged” on Yom Kippur, drawing meaningful connections between a courtroom’s process of justice and the spiritual reflection and accountability of the Day of Atonement.

Anything is “Pasta”able!”

The students were given seemingly impossible challenges to complete. Once finished, each group was given puzzle pieces to reveal the theme. Throughout the year we will be further developing this theme. We will do this through focusing on different ways that we can develop the skills and mindset of conquering what first might seem impossible! Where there’s a will there’s a way.

OTC PTA organized an Apple Picking event at McGlasson Farms

The students saw educational materials and learned about techniques that archaeologists use to gather info and make inferences about people from long ago.

OTC informal education Break Out:

Cincinnati Museum Center at OTC

Miami University Expands Kosher Dining With New Bagel Kiosk

OXFORD, Ohio — Jewish life at Miami University took another meaningful step forward this fall with the addition of new kosher dining options on campus. The highlight is a new kosher bagel kiosk offering fresh Marx bagels, salads, and other grab-and-go items certified kosher and available through students’ regular dining plans.

For many Jewish students, this development is more than a matter of convenience, it’s a reflection of genuine inclusion. “Having a kosher option right on campus makes daily life so much easier,” said Morgan Reifler, a sophomore at Miami. “It shows the university recognizes and supports Jewish students and their needs.”

The initiative came about through the efforts of Chabad at Miami University, which works to make Jewish life accessible and vibrant on campus. In collaboration with university dining services, Chabad helped introduce many kosher products that can now be found in the fridge and freezer of the popular on-campus Market Street at MacCracken. From glatt kosher franks and cold cuts to Cholov Yisroel cream

cheese, yogurts, and more, these offerings have significantly expanded the availability of kosher food for Miami’s Jewish students.

“I’ve been working with Rabbi Yossi Greenberg at Chabad to provide more grab-and-go food for our kosher community,” said Geno Svec, Miami University dining director. “While we’ve always carried some kosher items, we’ve recently expanded our offerings to better meet the community’s needs.”

Mushka Greenberg, co-director of Chabad at Miami University, praised the university’s openness and partnership. “When a Jewish student can pick up a kosher bagel just like anyone else swipes for lunch, that’s what real Jewish pride looks like,” she said. “It sends a powerful message that Jewish identity and observance are respected and supported here.”

The kiosk is already attracting steady interest from students of all backgrounds. Beyond serving meals, it stands as a symbol of Miami University’s growing commitment to religious diversity and to the flourishing Jewish life.

Incredible Messages from the Freed Hostages

By Rabbi Shraga Freedman

In recent weeks, more and more incredible stories of the spiritual gevurah and emunah of the recently released hostages have emerged. People who lived in the depths of Gehinnom, who endured hunger, torture, fear, and darkness, are returning home with unshakable emunah.

Hostage Or Levy shared:

“Before October 7, I wasn’t really a big believer. One would assume that when you’re in a living hell, you’d lose the little belief you had. But for me, it was the opposite. At first, when we were in an apartment, I used to talk to a crack in the ceiling. Pray to it. I called it ‘the crack.’

Then we were moved into a tunnel, and I switched this crack for an LED light that was on.

Then we got to another tunnel — total darkness. That’s when I first said the word ‘G-d.’

Whenever it became too hard, whenever I told myself, ‘Enough,’ I would talk to G-d, asking Him for something — anything — to save us. And almost every time, something good happened. It could be one pita divided by four, or a cup of tea — meaningless to most of you, but when you’re there, it can change your whole day from the worst to the best.

So I think I discovered faith there. In three different moments, I accepted death and said Shema Yisrael.”

The story of Matan Angrest, an IDF soldier abducted from his tank position at Nachal Oz, is remarkable. Seriously wounded, burned, and left untreated for months, Matan found spiritual strength amidst unimaginable suffering. Despite growing up secular, he began davening three times a day in captivity.

Held together with fellow hostage Gali Berman, who had a Chamisha Chumshei Torah, they completed the entire Torah together — more than twenty times.

“I know parshiot by heart,” Matan said.

After five months, he told Shai Graucher, “I needed something to sustain me. Emunah provides a lot of chizuk.” Eventually, a Hamas commander even gave him a siddur upon request.

Freed hostage Rom Breslavsky shared that the awareness that everything he suffered was because of his Jewish identity became the source of his strength to survive.

“A Jew needs to know he’s in a lofty place — different from a non-Jew. We need to strengthen our Jewish identity. I hope that Am Yisrael remains strong and united.”

His mother, Tami, said that after his return, Rom constantly repeated, “I’m a Jew. I’m a strong Jew.”

“I didn’t understand why he kept saying it,” she said. “But it was extremely important to him. They pressured him to convert to Islam and promised him

food and soap if he did. But he adamantly refused.”

Segev Kalfon, another released hostage, told Shai Graucher that he had asked his captors for permission to watch the release of another hostage, Ohad Ben Ami.

“I was happy for him,” Segev said. “I imagined how it would feel when it happened to me.”

He shared that in captivity, he had a dream that he was surrounded by terrorists on the stage and he cried out, “Shema Yisrael, Hashem Elokeinu, Hashem Echad.”

“In Gaza, in the darkest place, I succeeded in seeing the light,” he said. “I even observed Yom Kippur there. Emunah is the basis.”

His message to the world is:

“Emunah, emunah, emunah — strengthen your emunah. And Am Yisrael should unite — that’s the most important thing.”

Freed hostage Eitan Horn tearfully told Shai Graucher that he fasted on Yom Kippur for the first time in his life — while still in the cruel hands of Hamas.

“It was the first time I fasted properly,” he said. “I told myself, ‘This Yom Kippur, I’m going to fast.’ And it happened. Shortly after — here I am.”

These quotes have sent shock waves throughout Eretz Yisroel:

As shared on Pulse of Israel:

“After the war in the State of Israel, an amazing phenomenon has begun. Do you know what the hottest trend is among secular Israeli teenagers? Keeping Shabbos. Yes! Keeping Shabbos.

A father of a fifteen-year-old boy — barely bar mitzvah age — said, ‘My son has been keeping Shabbos for two months.’

We’re talking about tens of thousands of teenagers. They were raised with little Jewish knowledge — a generation disconnected from its roots. And then came October 7.

Suddenly, they saw the returning hostages — speaking of G-d, of faith, of gratitude. People are emerging from the tunnels not just alive — but transformed.”

One of those voices is Omer Shem Tov, who was seen saying:

“No matter what it is, how or when — I know to say thank you, baruch Hashem. When you say baruch Hashem for everything that comes your way, in the end Hashem will be with you — no matter when.”

(These quotes were compiled from articles on Yeshiva World News and from various clips that were shared with me.)

The power of the Yid’s neshamah is remarkable. When the layers of physical comfort and illusion of control — our kochi v’otzem yadi — are stripped away, and a person feels exposed, vulnerable, and can’t depend on anything else, something wondrous happens: the soul awakens. The pure spark within rises to the surface, shining through the darkness.

It is precisely because the physical world has been dimmed that the spiritual light can now shine.

Rabbi Shraga Freedman is the author of sefer Mekadshei Shemecha, Living Kiddush Hashem, A Life Worth Living, Director of Living Kiddush Hashem Foundation. Please email LivingKiddushHashem@gmail.com for a free file of sefer Mekadshei Shemecha with a pesicha from Rav Matisyahu Salomon ZT”L, and a 30 day booklet of stories and inspiration. Visit LivingKiddushHashem.org for more resources

ASKED ME

A Stream of Consciousness

By Bubby Edelman

Rav Asher Weiss shlita likes to comment when the Yamim Tovim are behind us how magnificent that tekufa was, but now, we are thankfully back to our blessed routine.

This always resonated with me... however the past few years has been a different experience...beginning (for me) with covid, and the loss of core, beloved souls in my life - such as Aviva Weisbord zt’l and Rabbi Jonathan Sachs... changing my essence forever...

I began to truly take in the Torah of Rabbi Sachs once he departed... and moving on to October 7th and the absolute shake up to our lives that brought - and continues to bring.

There have been simchas... and many nissim. There have been many highs; but as I step into this chapter

between Simchas Torah and Chanuka I acknowledge the mix that I have been writing about from the moment Berish asked me to share my heart with the CJJ.

In Baltimore we have many treasures. Some more known than others.

Rabbi Moshe Hauer zt’l was a revealed one - although personally I had no idea of his greatness until I read countless hespedim that continue to be printed and recorded.

Frankly my heart is still recovering (barely) from Rabbi Berel Wein’s departure... but the timeline does not allow for it. We go from loss to gain, pained hearts to simchas... feeling emotionally everything at once - gratitude, loss, love, mourning, and more gratitude.

During the week of shiva for Rabbi Hauer came the news of the 21 year

old brother of two of my nieces - from a holy Baltimore family who I’ve known in many capacities since I was a child.

In Frederick, Maryland where my parents worked to spread the light of Torah for over fifty years, was an almana - Jean Weissman z’l. She was unique (to me) in that she had a daughter (may she live and be well) who was Torah observant married and living in Baltimore. So pretty often her four grandchildren would come for shabbos. They would be with us Kosmans part of the time, and walk over to their grandmother Jean Weissman for part of Shabbos.

I don’t remember how many shabbosos we spent together... but the two brothers were very friendly with my two brothers, and the sisters (twins) were delightful - and very close with

my husband’s sister...

Years passed.

Hashem’s Providence saw to it that one of the brothers - Hirsch z’tl was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer and was niftar at the age of 45 leaving behind a wife and children...It was a tremendous blow...

The older brother - Larry (may he be well) married a wonderful Baltimore girl (Esther Price) and raised a magnificent family as well. Two of their daughters married two of my nephews... Chezki Finkelstein and Chesky Kosman - both Chezkis are named for my Zaide - my mother’s father Yechezkiyahu Shmuel...

So here I am watching all of this unfold... I didn’t mention that one of the twins sons married a Frederick girl... more Frederick Hashgacha... and one of Larry’s daughters is a best friend to one of my daughters...

It’s all a web of Concealed Revealment. The Ribakows/Weissmans... and the Frederick roots...My parents presence... and Jean Weissman’s - the alter bubby... Their influence is almost tangible for me.

in any case - on the same day of Hirsh’s yahrtzeit - 13 years later, Larry and Esther’s son - Shlomo Aryeh was taken.

He was an extraordinary soul - as stories have been shared of his outstanding midos, love for Torah, kindness to others above and beyond... and overall holiness and purity...

We are reeling...

There just is no blessed routine to be found anywhere. We are scrambling to recover from our losses by somehow bringing more of the holiness we feel abruptly cut away back into our daily equation.

What we say and how we say it. What we pray and how we pray it. What we buy and WHY. What we eat and how we eat it. Holiness.

I’m working on it.

The light of Chanuka beckons already. I can sense it’s comforting glow awaiting us.

May Hashem grant His nation strength and bless His children with peace.

MILES WITH SMILES

Trip Notes - Part 3

By Zalmy Reisman

We last left off discussing our midwinter vacation trip last year. I had surprised my kids with first class tickets on the Emirates A380 double-decker plane that has showers on it. Although the flight was short, it would be a special experience for my kids. We departed Hong Kong for Bangkok Thailand on time, and about 10 minutes after takeoff the fasten seatbelt sign turned off. It was a short flight, and there was a lot to do. The first order of business was to take our showers, and the shower suite attendants got busy getting everything set up. There are 2 showers on the Emirates A380, and Emirates has 2 people on board whose job it is to prepare the showers for each person. Because it had been a few years since I was last on the Emirates A380, the shower attendant gave me and my kids a quick briefing on how to use the shower.

The shower suite consists of a standup shower that is about 3 x 3, and the shower comes with five minutes of water per person. There is a colored gauge that tells you how much water you have left so you can use the water efficiently. In case there is turbulence, there is a small foldable bench that has a buckle with it that you’re meant to use in case of turbulence.

Outside of the shower, the rest of the suite is approximately 10 feet long and 5 feet wide. There is a toilet, a bench to put your clothes on, and a bunch of shower amenities.

Worried about stepping onto a cold floor after your shower? Nothing to worry about, there is a dial that allows you to adjust the temperature of the floor. If you’re suddenly possessed by a need to know exactly where you are in the world, there is also a screen showing you the planes exact location.

While the novelty of taking a

shower midflight has slightly worn off for me overtime, I still have moments where I find it hilarious that I am able to take a shower while flying at 35,000 feet in the air. From the sounds of it, my youngest daughter was having a blast in the shower as well.

After getting all of our showers completed, the next step was to eat supper. Emirates serves a large 3 course kosher meal, much more than you get on US Airlines.

After working through our supper, it was time for some exploration. On the A380, Emirates has a large bar in the back of the plane, behind business class, with seating for about 15 people. Emirates has this thing where they take a polaroid picture of you behind the bar, so of course, we’re headed over to see what it was all about and take pictures. As we marched down the aisle from first class, we got a few looks from the people who were sitting in business class, probably because I had 3 kids with me.

One of the things I really enjoy about Emirates is, for lack of better words, the vibe they have on board the plane. The flight attendants are young and like to have fun, and the atmosphere at the bar was a great example. There were people standing around smiling and chatting, while flight attendants rushed back-and-forth with smiles. Overall, it felt like a fun, light atmosphere.

After getting our pictures taken and taking a few of our own selfies around the bar area, we headed back to first class for the rest of the fight. At this point, we had started our descent

into Bangkok, and it was time to prepare for landing. It wasn’t easy squeezing in four pairs of pajamas and amenity kits into our carry-ons, but we managed to make it work. The amenity kits gets were from Balgari and were very nice, and the pajamas were super comfortable. Although we didn’t use the pajamas for the flight since it was so short, we always save our pajamas, and our regular pajamas mostly consist of the pajamas we have collected from our premium cabin flights.

It took a little bit longer than I expected to clear customs in Bangkok, but it wasn’t too long and we then took a taxi to our hotel for the night. The hotel was pretty simple, but the price was unbeatable. I think we paid about $30 for the two rooms that held all four of us.

The next morning, we took a very short taxi ride to the airport, which in this case is a small airport that only serves domestic flights. We took a short flight on an airline I had never flown before, called Nuk airlines. It’s a low-cost airline, and the planes are painted to look like birds. Once again, the flight was pretty cheap. I believe our tickets cost about $40 each

Thailand

Thailand is one of my most favorite countries in the world for several reasons. First, the people are friendly and for the most part understand English. There is fresh, kosher food, with Chabad restaurants in all the major cities. It’s also a very cheap country to travel in, and perhaps most importantly, there is a lot to do. In particular, Thailand is famous for allowing people

to interact with animals that you usually wouldn’t ever get close to in the US.

Our destination was a city called Phuket, which I have never been to before. In the past, I’ve gone to a different city up in northern Thailand called Chiang Mai, which has pretty much the same attractions as Phuket. However, upon doing some research, I discovered that Phuket also has cheetahs, so that sealed thel deal and we were off to Phuket.

I had arranged beforehand with a driver that others on DansDeals recommended, and the cost for hiring a driver to drive us around the whole day in a van was approximately $70. Our first step after leaving the airport was to visit Chabad and eat lunch.

After fueling up, our first stop was to go visit the elephants. There are probably 20 different elephant camps in Phuket alone, and the one we went to had 3 friendly elephants. The staff gave us lots of bananas and fruits, and we spent about an hour feeding them, playing with them, having them wrap their trunks around us, and bathing them. And of course, lots of pictures.

Next up, we went to a local dolphin show, which wasn’t that amazing in and off itself, but afterwards you were able to pet the dolphins and take a picture with them. We then returned to Chabad for supper and got ready for the next day.

To be continued……

Zalmy Reisman is a licensed independent social worker in private practice. He sees adolescent and adults ages 14+ and specializes in treating trauma and anxiety disorders. Some insurance plans are accepted. He can be reached at 513-400-4613 or at Sheldon@TherapyCincinnati.com

RONNIE An Excerpt

By Suri Cohen. Edited and Expanded by Rabbi Chananya Greenwald.

People make a big mistake — they think these kids don’t want to be frum. It’s not that they don’t want to be frum, they don’t want to be (i.e., they don’t want to exist).”

— Ronnie Greenwald at a Torah Umesorah convention

Monsey, Ronnie Greenwald’s hometown, was no exception to the growing challenge of children and teens struggling to find their place.

A mother whose daughter did not fit into Bais Yaakov desperately needed a solution. Aware of other girls in the same situation, she opened a program which she called “Bnos Cheyn.” The tiny school, housed in a basement, had no dependable financial backing, and the teachers were volunteers. Ronnie helped raise money to keep the program going, but as the burden of the school grew, the woman could no longer handle the pressure.

One Friday morning in 2000, she called Ronnie.

“That’s it. I can’t do this any longer. The school is yours.”

“What?”

Ronnie was already very busy and wasn’t looking to take over a school in his late sixties, but on the other hand, there was no place to send the girls and he couldn’t walk away from them. He had three days to find a suitable location, principal, teachers, and a secretary, as well as funding.

Things gradually came together. He rented space, put out feelers for staff, and spoke with the parents and the students. The girls disliked the name Bnos Cheyn and he allowed them to choose a new one. They unanimously agreed on MAG, Monsey Academy for Girls.

“It was really a crazy thing,” he later reflected, “because I opened up a religious school for girls that didn’t want to be religious and didn’t want to go to school.”

One of the challenges was keeping the girls engaged. They needed activities and projects to keep them busy and out of trouble to balance the classes

which held little appeal. Ronnie found enthusiastic Bais Yaakov graduates and young women, both single and married, who were excited to work with them.

Ronnie collaborated with R’ Dovid Refson, and Monsey Academy became a part of Neve Yerushalayim Institutions. Morris Esformes of Chicago donated a large private home on a residential street for the dormitory in memory of R’ Refson’s daughter, Sara Gita.

Shari Kaufman, a Neve graduate close to the Greenwalds, accepted the job of house mother while a counselor supervised the nine girls at night.

Ronnie hired various gifted women to work in the school who spoke of his vision.

“Rabbi Greenwald wanted the school to be a welcoming, loving, supportive environment for girls who were not finding their places in the regular Bais Yaakov system, regardless of the reasons. He had enormous courage and required everyone to be courageous — just think of what it took to begin such a venture at his age.”

“‘We are planting seeds,’ Ronnie often reminded us.

“There was such wisdom in those simple words. In the beginning, I didn’t

appreciate them. I was impatient, feeling that we weren’t doing enough. I wanted more to happen now

“He knew that this was not always possible, but through his rose-colored glasses, he saw the future. Planting seeds is hugely significant. They eventually grow. We saw it over and over when we danced with the girls at their weddings, and when we received calls from our students years later, saying, ‘I went through a hard time but I’ll never forget what I learned, and what you all did for me.’”

To a girl who was struggling with emunah, he’d say with a smile, “I see you in a tichel, kerchief, with a baby and three little kids.”

“Yeah, right,” the girl would answer sarcastically, but a flicker of hope could be seen in her eyes.

“We both know that this is really what you want. And you can admit it to me because you know I believe it.”

Once a girl entered the doorway of MAG, he felt responsibility for her forever. In 2015, he received an email from a former student, by then a married mother of two.

“Hi, Rabbi,” she wrote. “I was wondering if you could refer me to a therapist who can give me a diagnosis and therapy. Thank you for everything.”

He replied immediately, referring her to a local therapist. “I’ll ask him to give the best possible price for eight sessions, which we will undertake to pay on your behalf. Please advise me when you have that information so that we can arrange payment.”

“We,” of course, was the loving father figure, Ronnie himself.

R’ Zecharia Wallerstein described Ronnie as his rebbi in chinuch. “Esther* was thrown out of her Bais Yaakov. Board members, local rabbanim, even one of the gedolim, attempted to get the school to take her back, but the principal didn’t budge.

“The desperate parents reached out to Ronnie. He called the principal, who

knew all about him.

“Rabbi Greenwald, if you’re calling about Esther, don’t waste your time. We made a decision and we’re not taking her back.”

“I’m not calling about Esther. I’d like to meet with you.”

“It’s not about her?”

“No, it’s not about her.”

“Okay.”

Ronnie came to the school and said to the principal, “Can I ask you a question?”

“Sure.”

“Is there anything that an alte babitchka, an old grandmother, who came to your school could do to make you throw her out?”

“What? Of course not! What on earth are you talking about?”

“No? But you just did,” replied Ronnie.

“What are you talking about? We didn’t throw any old lady out.”

“You did,” Ronnie insisted. “Isn’t it true that you threw Esther out?”

“Rabbi, you lied — you told me you’re not coming about her!”

“I’m not coming about her. I’m not coming about the sixteen-yearold girl you just threw out of eleventh grade. She probably deserved to get thrown out.

“But one day, she’s going to be a mother, and then she’ll be a grandmother. And the grandmother doesn’t deserve to be thrown out. But if you throw her out, you’re throwing out the grandmother, too. Who knows where she’ll end up? You didn’t just kick her out. You discarded all her children and grandchildren. You just threw out a whole family!

“I’m not coming for who she is now, but for the grandmother she’ll be in the future.”

“The girl was allowed to come back to school. Today she is married, the mother of a thriving family.”

Reprinted from Ronnie by Suri Cohen, with permission from the copyright holder, ArtScroll Mesorah Publications.

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Dr. Gabby Wild's Wild Life

By Malkie Schul M an

Dr. Gabby Zonenshine, better known to the public as Dr. Gabby Wild, DVM, MPH, CVA, has aspired to be a vet for as long as she can remember.

“I was always crazy about anything to do with animals. I’ve been riding horses since I was four years old and owned all kinds of pets throughout my childhood,” she shares.

From a young age, Gabby maintained an animal-related blog. When explaining how she acquired the nickname “Wild,” which isn’t her actual last name, Gabby says, “My friends called me ‘Gabby Wild.’ Later, when I established an animal-related charity, I used that name. National Geographic featured the charity, and that’s how it stuck.”

Early Animal Bonding -

From Florida to Paris to Thailand

Gabby was born in Florida but moved temporarily to Paris when she was very young, attended school in Europe, and then returned to Florida for her high school years.

“My father was an infectious disease doctor, specializing in treating Aids, so he traveled around the world a lot,” shares Gabby, “especially treating patients in poverty-stricken third-world countries. Since he was away much of the time, my grandfather raised me to a great extent. I was always badgering him to let me have a pigeon nursery, then a cat and a dog.”

When Gabby was 16, she was sent as a student ambassador from the U.S. with a group of other schoolmates to Japan.

“I sent my mom a picture of me taken with a deer resting its head on my lap under a bonsai tree,” Gabby recalls. “Animals read your energy and feed off it. I always had a sensitivity and respect for animals and they feel it.”

Gabby’s parents were always very supportive of her love of all things animal, so in the summer of that same year, they agreed to let her fly to Thailand to work at the Royal Elephant Stables. Although she was still a young teenag-

er – and a female one at that – Gabby man aged to gain the trust of the king’s vets, and they taught her a lot about elephant be havior, allowing her to assist with their care.

summer af ter that, I came back to work with a lot of experi ence that way,” says Gabby. This experience proved invaluable when, at 21, while finishing college, Gabby once again visited Thailand. It was during this visit that she met Khun Chai, a baby elephant in distress. He had been separated from his mother at an early age and lost his surrogate elephant mom when she died in a mudslide. He was depressed and wouldn’t eat. The staff was hoping Gabby would be able to help him.

Gabby offers her patients, however, she is firm in her belief that it is unwise to ever let your guard down when around them. They’re still wild animals, and you can never trust a wild animal not to harm you. Even if you’ve hand-raised a lion from birth, their natural behaviors can kick in and kill a person. Even their way of showing love can be physically harmful to a human.

“And there are no wild animals that are not potentially dangerous,” she warns. “A tiny owl can tear someone’s eyes out, elephants can beat someone to death or gore someone with their tusks, and giraffes can kick.”

Wild at Heart

Given her knowledge of elephant behavior, Gabby realized Khun Chai didn’t want overt attention

“So when I went into his enclosure, I just sat there quietly. And when I looked at him, it was just out of the corner of my eye,” she explains.

“About 30 minutes later, he came up and tapped me with his trunk. He realized that I was the only person who didn’t give him too much attention. From that moment, we were inseparable. Khun Chai became my baby. He followed me around everywhere.”

For all the TLC (tender loving care)

Taking care of feathered friends

Today, Gabby is married with three young children. Her family also includes a little dog named Pixie and a horse named Bucephalus, after Alexander the Great’s horse. Gabby’s love for living beings doesn’t come as a surprise. “I get it from my dad,” she says. “He was a remarkable human being who lived to help others and his work was inspirational to me. I just don’t do people. My sister is a ‘human’ doctor. Yuck,” she adds with a laugh. “My soul always gravitated to helping animals.” Her love for all animals, notwithstanding, Gabby claims her real passion has always been wild animals.

“I want to have a larger impact in the world,” she shares. “Not only in a zoo setting, but in a global setting, to keep all species of animals flourishing in the wild.”

In that role, Gabby has traveled the world as a wildlife vet. She’s tended to almost every type of wild animal from hyenas to rhinos to giraffes to shoe-billed storks and tigers and many more. Her professional duties include everything from dental work to labor and delivery to surgery. When she’s not traveling, Gabby works at Turtleback Zoo in New Jersey and the rest of the week she runs a non-profit organization (NPO) called The Gabby Wild Foundation, Inc. in Manhattan. “Our primary goal,” Gabby explains, “is to reinforce the rain forests in the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java and Borneo.”

Every day presents a new adventure for Gabby, even when she’s not operating in the wild.

“Just yesterday, I was caring for a sick owl at the zoo,” she shares. “The little fellow was taking his time waking up from the anesthesia I’d administered. Like a baby, I kept him warm and cozy, gently rocking him to consciousness. My teammates were laughing because I played baby ballet music to help him wake up. It worked wonders, though because I’m happy to report he’s now back to his old curmudgeon self—which, in his case, means he’s doing just fine.”

Gabby describes one of her scariest encounters with a wild animal.

“Often, I see tooth and gum decay in big cats that live in zoos because they don’t get enough necessary nutrients. One time,” Gabby recalls, “I was performing a root canal on a jaguar named Pirate in Belize, Central America when a lightning storm struck and the power went out.” Gabby wasn’t concerned because she knew the zoo had two backup generators. Midway through the procedure, however, the first generator blew. “I still didn’t lose my cool even though I had my fingers in the jaguar’s mouth,” Gabby continues, “because I knew there was a second generator.” Then with Gabby’s hand still in the jaguar’s mouth and with less than two minutes before the anesthesia would wear off, the second generator stopped! As fast as she could, making sure Pirate was OK, Gabby finished her work and helped get him back to his enclosure. She had barely gotten out of the cage when he woke up with a mighty roar.

Although Gabby continues to travel the world in a professional capacity, her trips have been seriously curtailed due to the arrival of her children. “I used to be on the road all the time. Now I travel every few months for 2-3 weeks at a time.”

Of course, all her traveling to remote parts of the world for weeks at a time begs the question – how is it possible as an Orthodox Jewish woman to make it work?

Doing it the Kosher Way

“We were not a religious family, but we were very Jewish,” Gabby shares about her childhood.

Gabby’s first real exposure to authentic Judaism began at age 15 when her older sister, 13 years her senior, embraced religion.

“She served as a role model to me after I became religious,” Gabby says.

However, it was at 18, during the “March of the Living” sponsored by her synagogue, when Gabby truly felt inspired to delve deeper into her faith. Accompanied by

her mother of Syrian descent, who wished to better understand what her husband’s European family had endured during the Holocaust, Gabby had a profound realization. She was struck by the depth of knowledge that her religious peers on the trip had about their heritage, information she felt she lacked.

“I remember asking my mother why I didn’t know any of the songs these kids were singing. I would go to synagogue on Saturday and then go horseback riding. Why didn’t I know what these kids knew?”

This experience marked the beginning of Gabby’s journey towards observant Judaism.

"I would go to synagogue on Saturday and then go horseback riding. Why didn't I know what these kids knew?"

“After graduation, I went to Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, and became close with the Chabad rabbi and rebbetzin there who’ve become like second parents to me. Little by little, I took on Shabbat observance, kashrut and tziniut and other Jewish laws. I even took off time to go attend Mayanot seminary in Israel.”



A routine checkup on an elephant

 Performing surgery on a leopard

neutered. A more lenient stance allows neutering by a student for the sake of learning.

“For me, it turned into a non-issue since I embraced full observance midway through vet school,” Gabby shares. By then, she had performed the procedure numerous times. When her professors requested it again, she presented them with a letter from her rabbi, which clarified that Jewish law only permits neutering if medically necessary. She also highlighted her proven competence in this area from her years prior to becoming fully observant. Thankfully, the professors accommodated her by waiving the requirement. In the field, if neutering is necessary, Gabby ensures a non-Jew performs it. Nonetheless, she emphasizes that this issue is typically irrelevant as her primary role is to preserve species, not diminish them.

In accordance with her Sephardi husband’s wishes, Gabby wears head scarves instead of wigs, a practice that poses no problem in the jungle. Alongside this, however, she wears safari pants, long sleeves, and high socks, a practical attire she deems necessary. This outfit not only facilitates quick movement should she need to make a hasty exit, but it also ensures complete coverage against bites from malaria-carrying insects.

Being halachically observant in the field, claims Gabby, is not as hard as you might imagine. You just need to think creatively at times.

“For example,” Gabby says, “the developing nations like Asia, where there are many Muslims, are very respectful of men and women not touching each other so that’s not something I have to worry about when I travel there. In Western countries, where they aren’t as understanding, I will try to make a small bow in the way of greeting.”

Regarding neutering an animal, Gabby explains that there are different halachic perspectives. The most stringent view holds that unless an animal is sick, it can’t be

So as not to run into any problems with Shabbos, Gabby’s work schedule precludes traveling on Fridays. She even avoids Saturday night traveling because it gets too stressful.

Her creativity is put to the test when finding kosher food to eat. “People will often say to me, ‘Oh, so you go vegetarian when you’re traveling.’ Unfortunately,” Gabby explains, there’s often no clean water in the developing countries I visit so unless I want to get a disease (which I don’t), I can’t eat the fruits and vegetables.”

Instead, Gabby travels with lots of canned tuna fish, peanut butter and power bars.

“One time,” Gabby recalls, my friend caught a fish in Lake Victoria in Uganda and offered to split it with me. So, I went to the store, bought a pan, toiveled it and was able to share the fresh fish with him. Or there are times when I will buy a pot and cook up some rice to eat.” Since the rice comes straight from the rice paddies, she doesn’t have to worry about non-kosher additives.

Championing Worldwide Wildlife Protection

In addition to being an observant Jew with all that entails, Gabby is also, atypical for a wildlife vet, a female. This was a challenge, she admits, when she first started working in the developing nations. In Thailand, the “mahouts” –the elephant trainers – were reluctant to collaborate with her until the Thai vets vouched for her training and skills, stating, “We trained her, she attended Cornell, and she’s good.” After witnessing her resolve problems they had been facing with their elephants for years, they finally relented.

“Now, I have a reputation, so they request me,” she shares. “The truth is, I’m not here to change cultural perspectives. Nevertheless, I find it gratifying that they can now view a female veterinarian as equal to a male one.”

Your typical vet in New York City, say, usually will see house pets like dogs, cats, rabbits and maybe an exotic bird. Gabby’s typical patients include animals such as the hellbender, an aquatic giant salamander, the largest amphibian in North America which usually provides for a lot more excitement on the job. For example, one time over 100 hellbenders came down with a disease at the zoo. Each amphibian needed its own container to prevent it from spreading the disease further. Additionally, some of the hellbenders had gotten into territorial fights with other hellbenders and were also scraped up. Gabby and her team had to care for their open wounds. Naturally, these animals had no understanding that they were being helped so they did what they could to escape treatment.

“Except for one hellbender,” shares Gabby. “It was like this little guy knew we were there to help him. He’d always remain perfectly still while we treated him, even when we gave him his shot. I called him my little buddy.”

If you think calming human patients down is hard before a procedure, then I don’t suggest you work with wild animals. Gabby deals daily with issues like “My patient has a slipped disc. How do I manage care with him when all he wants to do is eat me?” Or sometimes she needs to draw blood. Wild animals, however, are not typically cool with that so Gabby will have to first anesthetize them.

“Either I use a tranquilizing gun or a blow dart to anesthetize the animal. Some animals will permit a hand syringe,” she explains.

Through Gabby’s patients in the wild, she meets the indigenous cultures living there.

“I find the lives of the people and the animals are completely intertwined,” says Gabby. “We have to work with the villagers so they can understand why the animals are causing conflict. With that understanding, we can work towards a solution.”

For example, in South America, the jaguars were eating the farmers’ goats. Gabby and her team taught the farmers how to protect their goats without having to kill the jaguars. The same occurs with the elephants destroying farms in Africa and Asia.

“We must all work together,” Gabby maintains, “because all animals are necessary to the ecosystem.”

This is why Gabby’s rainforest preservation organization is so dear to her heart. The rainforests of Sumatra and Borneo, she explains, are bio-diverse places that are even older than the Amazon. They include many different species of animals all of whom need their natural habitat in which to live. The Sumatran rainforest, for example,

hosts, among many others, orangutans, rhinos, and its own species of tiger and elephant. “Our organization is doing the vital work of keeping them alive.”

To that end, she shares her concern for human behavior that harms animals on a global level.

“There’s nothing wrong with the fact that our human population is growing,” Gabby says, “but how we take care of our land and nature to facilitate its growth does make a difference. I feel honored to enable animals to live their lives.

“For example, one problem at hand is that humans are over-farming, and in the process, they’re taking over the animals’ territory. The destruction of the animals’ natural habitat (the rainforests, for example) causes the animals to get secluded in small pockets

 Examining a Sumatran elephant

 Gabby with her husband and children

cosis in frogs. An example of this is the drought in Kenya, which raises the question of who should get access to limited water resources: farmers or animals? Of course, farmers get priority, but desperately thirsty elephants are aware of this and will raid the farms to obtain water.

Poaching is another problem. Every species is vital to the existence of other species. Poaching reduces their numbers.

“The problem is that everything is being done in excess,” says Gabby, like overfishing and over-farming. “Everything can be done, just in moderation.”

Gabby has strong convictions about the work she does and its source in the Torah.

"One time, I was performing a root canal on a jaguar named Pirate in Belize, Central America when a lightning storm struck and the power went out."

of forests thus separating them from other gene pools of their kind. The animals don’t travel to other pockets of rainforests and so reproduction of the species is halted. Also, many species need to move and migrate. They die out if they only have a small area to live in.”

Human carelessness has accelerated the release of “greenhouse” gases into the environment, which has led to significant changes in the biosphere. These changes have affected the survival of various species, limiting their access to natural resources like water and increasing their susceptibility to infectious diseases such as chytridiomy-

“Hashem begins the Torah with the creation of His beautiful world. Man is enjoined to take charge of Hashem’s world and not mess it up. We’re only here for a short period of time. Hashem wants us to choose to do what’s good, even when it’s not easy. The garbage is piling up in our oceans. People are consuming way too much. Every action has an effect on our world.”

She queries, “Why do you think the Torah talks about the animals in the Ark? It should just talk about the people if that’s all that counts. Instead, the Torah delineates each species and that’s because G-d wants us to view the world holistically and act accordingly. In other words, taking care of the environment matters.”

At a fundraising party she hosted to raise funds for the elephants her organization protects, Gabby spoke to the women about this concept.

“What did G-d require of Avraham to tell Eliezer to find in a wife for his son?” she asked. “Did He say, ‘Look for a woman who helps the orphan and the widow?’ No, he said, ‘Look for the woman who helps the animal – who’s there in the small detail – who cares even about the camels. This will show her level of chessed (kindness).”

As she travels the world, Gabby is acutely aware of her role as a representative of the Jewish people.

“I recognize how people look at me, as a Jew. As my father would always say, ‘You may forget you’re a Jew, but the world never will.’ We are a priestly nation, and our mission is to serve all the nations as representatives of G-d in His world. And that includes the animal kingdom.”

Parenting Pearls Menuchas HaNefesh, Especially When Busy

By Sara Rayvych, MSEd

It’s a busy time of year. Families are adjusting to a new school schedule and trying to give their children the best start. As these changes are being made, parents are simultaneously preparing for the upcoming yomim noraim – cooking and baking, purchasing clothing and arranging guests along with shul seating. This is all happening before the first esrog hits the market.

The busier the schedule, the more we push aside our own needs. There is so much to do and not enough time to do it – running out the door without eating, staying up late to finish last minute items, and pushing ourselves to do more than possible in the allotted time.

We may forget we’re not invincible. We may not notice it chip away at our mental health. We may not hear our voice getting a little louder or harsher when speaking to our child. Everything comes at a cost, and parents need to carefully weigh that cost.

Yes, the tasks mentioned above are necessary. We can’t wake up erev Rosh Hashana without a place to daven and lacking a machzor, nor can we light candles without food in the oven. We can’t send the kids to shul in their school uni-

form, nor in their baseball league jersey. But the way we make those preparations will differ, with some families entering the new year with love, and others with anger. Some will have parents who are smiling and others less than pleasant.

Balancing the needs of our family with our own emotional health is also a way to give back to our family. Children need love and an emotionally available parent. This is crucial all year, but it’s the busiest times of the year when we often need the biggest reminders.

Importance of Mental Health

Baruch Hashem, today the average person is rather aware of the importance of mental health. It’s discussed in articles, with medical providers and among general conversation. Even with all this general awareness, we still tend to underestimate its importance and overestimate our abilities to push those limits.

Despite this awareness, many still fail to realize that we really can’t do anything without being emotionally healthy first. Our physical health, ability to function and interactions with others are all dependent on our emotional health. We may think we

are doing fine otherwise – even if we’re emotionally a mess – but we’re usually fooling ourselves.

We work more effectively and efficiently when we are emotionally strong. Only with our emotional health can we be there for ourselves. Even more importantly, only then can we be there for those around us.

We may not realize how poorly we are functioning, and how dismal our behavior has become, but our loved ones can see it. It’s a different world when one has menuchas hanefesh.

Importance For Parents

As parents, we are responsible for all areas of our child’s growth and development. Babies are born fully dependent on their loving adults. They are adorable but a full-time job. Toddlers are only slightly older but very mobile. They often need to be protected from their own silly antics. As they become older, we do begin stepping away, allowing them the freedom to make decisions and become independent adults, but we still provide for their main needs and step in, as needed. We can only do all this if we’re in a good place ourselves. The stress of parenting makes it harder. With

sleep deprivation a constant companion as we balance the needs of multiple family members, it’s only natural that we will make less time for ourselves and struggle to maintain our own mental health.

It can never be overstated how dependent children are on their parents’ emotional support. They need us there for them and to be able to support them even when they themselves don’t know what they need. They may not appreciate our efforts. They may push us away to test us or out of frustration. No matter what, they still need us to be present for them. We are their safety and security in a frightening and new world.

It can also never be overstated how upsetting it is for a child to be pushed away by their adults. When adults don’t guard their own emotional health, they are likely to yell at their children – and everyone around them. They may act like their child is a nuisance and not someone they want around. A child’s world starts to feel less safe and less secure.

Our children also learn more from us than we realize. They pick up on our nuances and learn our habits. That’s one reason why kids are often so funny when

they (respectfully) imitate their parents. It’s often the details they pick up on that we least expect. If we don’t prioritize our own emotional health, they will learn to do the same. They will run themselves ragged, ignoring their physical and emotional needs until they don’t function. They, too, will become short-tempered and unavailable for those closest to them.

Suggestions

If we’re not working, then nothing is working. Our entire family depends on us being emotionally available for them –something we can only do if we have our own reserves. We are each unique and need to manage our emotional health in ways that match us. What works for one person may make another feel worse. Keep only what works for you!

More important than calming down after being stressed out is avoiding stress in the first place. Prioritize and do what’s most important. Many things are not as crucial as we make them out to be, and there is so much we do that is truly unnecessary. If “the extras” can be done with simcha and menuchas hanefesh, then go ahead. If they will detract from our ability to be there for our families, we may want to reconsider. When possible, try to get things done in ad-

vance when time is less pressured. If time is never less pressured, then it may be worth skipping, when possible. One less errand, but one more smile.

Even items that are important can often be simplified. For example, we can make an easy dessert or one with multiple layers and steps. The simplified version

perienced about how to do so kindly. This is a middah worth working on.

Even with prioritizing, simplifying and an already filled freezer, life can still get hectic. Take time routinely – not just when you’re ready to explode – to prioritize yourself. This may be going for a walk, reading a book or doing a puzzle. We need

Balancing the needs of our family with our own emotional health is also a way to give back to our family.

may take fifteen minutes or less, while the complicated one may take hours to get everything right.

Many people have trouble asking others for help. Learning to politely ask for assistance and delegate to others is a skill on its own. Humans were never meant to be perfect. Others may not do it our way – or how we like it – but it’s better than feeling overwhelmed and like screaming at those around us. There are people who are great at giving out jobs but not as ex-

to keep calming activities in our schedule. Many may argue they don’t have time for “extras,”but I’d say this isn’t extra. A clear mind will function better than a stressed one, and it takes a lot of time to mend the feelings of those we can inadvertently hurt when we’re stressed, chas v’shalom. Truly, we don’t have time to not make time for ourselves.

Some people are naturally more prone to feeling overwhelmed than others. Hashem made us with different temperaments,

and that’s OK. The important thing is to know ourselves and do what we need, not what others require.

Life is stressful. Life is overwhelming. Some times are harder than others. Anyone who finds they are struggling should reach out for professional assistance. A professional can teach techniques and help a person learn to better regulate themselves. Baruch Hashem, our community has become more open to the mental health field, and seeking assistance no longer carries a stigma.

As in all areas, daven for siyata dishmaya in this worthy goal. All our efforts only become successful when we have Divine assistance.

While often discussed before yomim tovim and other lifecycle events, our emotional health and maintaining menchas hanfesh is a life-long priority. Taking care of ourselves is a personal benefit, but it is also giving a gift to our spouse, children and all those who surround us.

Sara Rayvych, MSEd, has her master’s in general and special education. She has been homeschooling for over 10 years in Far Rockaway. She can be contacted at RayvychHomeschool@gmail.com.

TJH Centerfold

Back to “Normal” Trivia

1. According to a 2024 MyBioSource survey of 1,000 people, what percentage of people say they feel “burned out” the first week back from vacation or holidays?

a. 8%

b. 41%

c. 67 %

d. 99.99999999%

2. According to a recent Microsoft report, how many work emails does the average office worker get per day?

a. 31

b. 58

c. 62

d. 117

3. According to a study recently published in the National Library of Medicine, which included 3 million nights of data, what percentage of people hit the snooze button in the morning?

a. 14.5%

b. 22.8%

c. 55.6%

d. 68.1%

4. According to a recent Microsoft study, how much time per week does the average employee spend in meetings?

a. 2.1 hours

b. 8.8 hours

c. 11.3 hours

d. 22.8 hours

5. According to a 2023 study by Talker Research, what is the average length of time of the average person’s morning routine, from waking up until walking out the door?

a. 14 minutes

b. 30 minutes

c. 54 minutes

d. 1.2 hours

6. According to The DataReportal “Digital 2024 Global Overview Report,” how much time does the average person spend on social media each day?

a. 45 minutes

b. 90 minutes

c. 2 hours and 23 minutes

d. 3 hours and 44 minutes

Answers:

1-B (the other 59% of you are the ones who should get your heads checked out…way too functional!)

2-D (and that’s after Bed, Bath & Beyond closed down!)

3-C (you mean it’s not mandatory to hit the snooze button?)

4-C (“you guys really have to start putting the coversheets on the TPS reports before they go out!”)

5-B (…and that’s on a day that there is no Tachanun!)

6-C (which is why the world is turning into a bunch of numbskulls!)

Wisdom Key:

5-6 correct: You are so normal – which means that you are really crazier than all of us!

2-4 correct: You are average – enjoy your 117 emails and 11.3 hours of meetings this week!

0-1 correct: You beat the system! …OK, so you live on a park bench, but you don’t have the problems that us normal people have.

You Gotta Be Kidding Me!

Moishe comes back from a family Sukkos getaway in Israel. Yankel greets him in shul and says, “Nu, Moishe, did the trip change you?”

Moishe replies, “Absolutely! I used to have money.”

Riddle Me This

It’s the first day back at work, and you go to the cafeteria for a pick-me-up doughnut. But the doughnut box is empty. Four coworkers speak up. Exactly one of these statements is true.

Avi: “Baruch took the last doughnut.”

Baruch: “Chaim didn’t take it.”

Chaim: “David took it.”

David: “I didn’t take it.”

Who took the last doughnut?

David’s claim that he didn’t take it is the only true statement. Any other culprit makes 0, 2, or 3 statements true.

If Chaim took it, Avi’s claim that Baruch took it is false; Baruch’s claim that Chaim didn’t take it is also false; and Chaim’s claim that David took it is false as well.

Answer: Chaim.

Now That Yom Tov is Over

1. You no longer have to ask, “Wait—what day is it again?”

2. The kids think leftovers are a food group.

3. You can open your fridge without fear of a kugel avalanche.

4. You remember that your car has a radio, not just schach fragments.

5. Your phone alarm is back to “wake-up for work,” not “check the Eruv.”

6. Your lulav is now a decorative hazard.

7. Your freezer closes.

8. You finally find your dining-room table, which was hiding under six tablecloths, three plastic covers, a challah board, and three esrog boxes and lulav cases.

9. For breakfast, you have a coffee and a muffin, not schnapps and herring.

10. Instead of thinking that you do Amazon intake for a living, you are thinking of opening a concierge Amazon returns business.

11. Instead of going to sleep at 2 a.m. every night, the kids go to sleep at a normal time – 12:30 a.m.

12. The freezer closes again.

13. Your credit card bill reads like a megillah.

14. You constantly calculate how much time is left until Chanukah…because regular, everyday life is a bit overrated.

15. You debate keeping up your sukkah as a winter man cave.

nspiration Nation

Moishe Bane

The Importance of Achrayus

By Eliyahu RosEnBERg

In His Words…

a child is able to tell whether a decision a parent is making regarding that child is about the child or about the parent. When a parent says, ‘ i want my child to behave a certain way, dress a certain way, attend a particular school,’ are they thinking about what’s best for the child? or does the child see the father or mother worried about the image of the family? or is it a case of ‘ i wanted to become a doctor, so i want you to become a doctor’ or ‘ i want you to go to this yeshiva because i want to be able to tell my friends that i have a son in that yeshiva’ – kids know that.

The most important thing to do to ensure your child grows up religious is to give unconditional love. you need to model g-d for your child. how do you expect a child to believe they have a Father in heaven Who loves them if they don’t have a parent who gives them unconditional love?

When you meet people who don’t feel meaning in their yiddishkeit, it’s because they never learned what it’s about. one of the problems that we have is that we tend to be taught most of our Judaism when we’re children. a nd if we stop growing in that intellectual endeavor, what we understand Judaism to be is a very immature appreciation. a nd then, when we’re adults and we connect to halacha, whether it’s the Pesach seder, shabbos, or putting on tefillin, it’s very superficial.

Decades before becoming the OU’s president, Moishe Bane, at age 13, spent a week running around Montreal during the Yom Kippur War, collecting money for Israel. You might ask: Where does a seventh grader find the drive to do that? What could have possibly sparked his desire to make a difference in the war effort? And what boy — who’s barely bar mitzvahed, mind you — has such a sense of achrayus?

If you’d ask Moishe Bane those questions, he’d likely respond with a shrug. He’s not sure where his drive, his commitment to Klal Yisrael, and his passion for helping the community come from.

“It’s interesting. I could attribute it, on its face, to Rav Yaakov Weinberg, zt”l, who was my primary rebbi for many, many years and continues to play a very significant role in my mindset and decision-making,” Moishe Bane shares. “He was a very Klal Yisrael-focused person. He shared with us the concept that your responsibility is not only to raise your neshama, but to raise the neshama of Klal Yisrael — in fact, sometimes even at the expense of your own interests. That was the approach that we were all taught: the underlying concept, the word that would summarize it, would be achrayus — that you have to have responsibility for more than yourself.

“And that’s where, on its face, I got it from. But when I look back at my earlier days, including when I was collecting money at age 13, I don’t know where I got it from. That didn’t come from Rabbi Weinberg. I didn’t know Rabbi Weinberg yet. I could say, maybe it came from my

parents. My father was certainly involved in the community. He was the treasurer of the day school and was involved in the shul. But it wasn’t a focus in our home,” he adds. “I don’t know. I don’t know where it came from.”

Perhaps it didn’t come from anywhere. Maybe he was just born with it.

* * *

At age 21, Moishe Bane decided to become a lawyer. But it wasn’t prestige or money that guided his decision. Rather, he realized that being a lawyer would give him a platform through which he could help the community.

“A friend and I decided that we were going to be as committed to Klal Yisrael and as committed to helping the Jewish community as our peers who were going to become Roshei Yeshiva, Roshei Kollel, and Rabbanim by going to law school and using that as our platform to do things for our community,” Mr. Bane recalls. “Our strategy going in was to use the platform of success in law as a credibility factor. You know, when you enter the community arena, you have to have some basis for people to want to listen to you. You need a foundation. And I also learned that you don’t need that much money to be a voice in the community, to be relevant in the community. What you need more than money is the ability to attract money, supporters, and people who will follow your lead.”

When he was 25, he and Gedaliah Litke, a friend of his, founded Kayama, a successful organization that encourages non-religious Jews to give their wives a get when they divorce.

From there, Moishe Bane devoted much of his time to klal work. After a few years, however, he realized he was spending too much time on “distribution” — he was traveling the country, raising money and talking about the importance of his projects, when his real passion was product development. He didn’t want to market his ideas; he wanted to develop them. As such, he sought out a partner — someone who could advertise and raise money for the solutions he built.

“So, I decided to do an analysis, searching for a partner who could do the distribution. I did a survey of American orthodoxy, and I came to the conclusion that the Orthodox Union was, by far, the most expansive distribution system in North America,” Mr. Bane recounts. “So, I said, ‘OK, I’ve got to join the Orthodox Union.’ But then, I realized another thing which I’ve since confirmed on many occasions: you can never go to an organization and say, ‘I want to get involved.’ What you need to do is figure out a way to get them to invite you to join. So, I spent about six months figuring out how to do that.”

In the late 1980s, when the OU and several Orthodox organizations held a conference to discuss the Agunah crisis, the Orthodox Union invited Moishe Bane to the meeting, since his organization, Kayama, was relevant to the discussion.

“I was invited to come to the meeting to express our perspective based on our experiences with gittin , and I viewed that as my shot,” Moishe Bane shares. “And I learned, then, a very important lesson that I’ve carried with me throughout my career in klal work: when you go into a meeting, what you’re supposed to do is take responsibility to do everything that comes out of that meeting. Whatever ideas come up, you say, ‘I’ll take care of it. I’ll do it.’ Because, I learned throughout my career that you

could really do anything you want in klal work, but on two conditions: number one is that you do all the work. And number two is you give everybody else the credit. And if you’re willing to do all the work and give other people credit, they’ll let you do everything.”

The first part — do all the work — is easy to understand: show that you’re reliable and driven. But the second part — give everyone else the credit — is a bit harder to grasp. If no one is aware of your accomplishments, then how would anyone know you’re dependable?

“It’s true: the general public won’t know that it’s you. And maybe even most people around the table won’t know it’s you,” he adds. “But the decisionmakers who you’re giving credit to — they will know that it’s you, and they’re going to make sure you’re at the table for the next project. And that’s who you care about if your goal is to be impactful, if your goal is to make a difference.”

In 1990, the OU invited Moishe Bane to join the organization, giving him access to their distribution system for some 30 years. In 2017, he was elected president of the OU — a position he held until his retirement in 2023. * * *

Many people see communal work as just one small, isolated part of their lives. But Moishe Bane urges us to adopt a different mindset: let’s see achrayus as the theme of our lives.

“Everything we do should be for avodas Hashem. Going into law was my foundation for community work. But the truth of the matter is, going into a parnassah to support your family is, in itself, a tremendous ma’aseh kedushah, a tremendous ma’aseh avodah. And we don’t have a deep enough appreciation for that. Number one, supporting your family and allowing your children to learn Torah and to be properly fed and taken care of is a tremendous chiyuv and mitzvah. But it’s also a format in which you could be mekadesh Shem Shamayim

on a constant basis,” Moishe Bane says. “So, you don’t need to be involved in organizations to do for the community. In whatever field you’re in, if you act like an Orthodox Jew is supposed to — just to be a mensch and be considerate and honest — that’s askanus, that’s involvement in klal work, because that’s conveying what our mission, as Jews, is.”

Raising children, for example, is a job of profound importance. Being a good friend is, in a way, a form of community service. There are plenty of things we do on a daily basis that benefit our community, sometimes in big ways and sometimes in small ways.

“Look beyond yourself. People say to me all the time, ‘Well, I’m not an organization guy. I’m not going to be involved in the OU or local organizations, because that’s not who I am. So, I’m not going to be involved in the community.’ And I say, ‘That’s not what chessed is. That’s not what askanus is.’ Askanus is helping people using who you are and your strengths. And every one of us has the ability to help others,” he declares. “Could you pack boxes for Tomchei Shabbos? Come on, you have the skill to do that. And even beyond that, the number one pain that people suffer today is loneliness. People are lonely. You could live in a world in a packed shul and a packed apartment building, and you’re still lonely. All of us are capable of picking up the phone, calling somebody, and saying, ‘How are you doing?’ Or visiting somebody. And it’s not just those who are homebound or ill. Just regular people. A smile, a good word, reaching out, validating their existence — that’s askanus. That’s doing for Klal Yisrael. So, everybody should be analyzing themselves and what they’re capable of doing, and what’s the maximum they could impact? But everybody has a role to play.”

Some time ago, Moishe Bane’s daughter was dating a boy named Eli. One day, that boy, who wound up becoming his son-in-law, needed a ride from the Five

Towns to Lakewood. So, Moishe Bane offered to drive him, hoping to learn more about the boy going out with his daughter.

During the car ride, Moishe Bane started asking the boy about his longterm goals: his vision for the future. And Eli began sharing his own ambitious, incredible ideas for helping Klal Yisrael.

“Wow, that sounds fantastic,” his future father-in-law replied.

“Really?” the boy said, surprised.

“What do you mean, really?”

“No, it’s just that you’re the first adult who’s ever called my ideas fantastic,” Eli said.

The boy explained that everyone discourages his ambitions. There’s a famous quote he heard, which is commonly attributed to the Chofetz Chaim or Rabbi Yisrael Salanter, but actually came from a sixth-century Chinese thinker. It goes like this: “When I was 18, I wanted to change the world. When I was 30, I wanted to change my community. When I was 40, I wanted to change my community. When I was 50, I wanted to change my family. And now that I’m an old man, I realize that I should just change myself.”

“And my son-in-law says, ‘That’s what everybody tells me whenever I tell them about my grand plans.’ And what’s the message? The message is: Don’t worry about the world, just worry about yourself,” Moishe Bane explains. “And I said to my future son-in-law, ‘Eli, no, that’s not what the story is. You know what the story is? The story is, if when you’re 18, you don’t want to change the world, when you’re 80, you won’t even want to change yourself.’ If an 18-year-old does not have the idealism and the hasagah of making a difference, they’re brain dead, they’re heart dead, they’re neshama dead.

“And that’s really the inspiration we have to have: that we can make a difference. Whether it’s starting a new organization or whether it’s making sure that a lonely person feels good, at the end of the day, that’s what we should be doing.”

This article is based on a podcast, “Inspiration For the Nation,” hosted by Yaakov Langer. To catch more of this conversation, you can watch it on LivingLchaim. com or YouTube.com/LivingLchaim or listen wherever you listen to podcasts (just search for “Inspiration For The Nation”) or call our free hotline: 605-477-2100.

Shmooze & Muse Better Late Than Never

By Mordechai Schmutter

Today, we present the winners of this year’s Ig Nobel Prizes. The Ig Nobel Ceremony, which I write about every year, is exactly like the Nobel prizes, except that there’s not really a cash prize, it’s also given for research that didn’t work out, and they don’t pay to fly the winners in. If you want your prize, you have to come get it.

Also, apparently, the Ig Nobel Prizes could be given posthumously, I guess since they’re not flying you in anyway. Your yorshim can come in. So if you did science this year and didn’t win, don’t dismay. You can still win after 120.

For example, the Biology Prize went to two scientists in the 1930s, who were looking for a way to produce more milk. They noticed that some cows were harder to milk, almost as if they were holding onto the precious liquid. So they wanted to figure out if there was some way to get the cows to release the dairy delight, and they thought, “Maybe if we scare the cows.”

Well, how do you scare a cow? Cows are pretty big.

Well, how do you scare a person? For example, you can blow up a paper bag, sneak up behind the person, and pop it right next to their head. So that’s what they did.

No, really. Look it up.

But then they said, “What if cows are not sufficiently scared of paper bags?”

So they decided to put a cat on the cows’ backs. The plan was, you pop the bag, the cat goes “RAO!” and the cow goes, “OW!” Every morning. This was the long-term plan.

So they placed a cat on a cow’s back as the milker was being attached and then exploded paper bags, quote, “Every ten seconds for two minutes.”

I don’t think I can pass that test. What is the cat still doing there? Was it strapped on? The article did not say.

The researchers soon realized they didn’t need the cats, so they got rid of them, which is what you’d say in your report if all the cats have long since run away and you’re covered in scratches.

But what they found was that terrified cows actually release less milk. And also that sneaking up behind cows and popping a paper bag is a great way to get kicked through the wall of a barn.

The Peace Prize this year went to American psychologist B.F. Skinner, for his experiments to improve the accuracy of missiles during World War II using pigeons.

This was also posthumous, but not because of anyone getting kicked through a wall.

During World War II, the Allies developed ways to shoot missiles farther, but what they didn’t think about until afterward was, “Well, what about accuracy?”

“Does that matter?”

“A little!”

It’s not like they could call the enemy afterward and ask, “How did we do? I’ll tell you what we were aiming for, and you can tell us where we hit, so we know what to adjust for tomorrow.”

Enter the top-secret Project Pigeon, which was brainchild of B.F. Skinner. Skinner became inspired by how birds can maneuver in the sky and drop payloads with crazy accuracy, and he thought, “Maybe they could pilot the bombs.”

He’d already trained pigeons to peck on things on a screen to get food. It was a small step from that to piloting a missile. Or at least peck on things on a windshield.

So he fitted a spot inside the missile to hold a pigeon, and then he trained the pigeons to peck at an image of a battleship. With each peck, the nose of the bomb would face the target.

Actually, he designed the nose to hold three pigeons, in case one would get distracted by, say, a bug on the windshield. He figured, “Maybe we should put three pigeons in there, so we can put it to a vote.” And they were in three separate compartments, so they wouldn’t all be distracted by the same bug.

Ultimately, Skinner formed a squadron of 64 pigeons, because the thing about putting pigeons in a missile is that

they’re not reusable. He demonstrated his idea to the government, using pigeons trained to target features on the New Jersey coastline.

The government did originally give him money, but eventually pulled the plug on the project to divert the funds to one of their other secret weapons, such as the atom bomb, which it turns out did not have to be super accurate. And Skinner was left with, quote, “a loft full of curiously useless equipment and a few dozen rapidly-aging pigeons with a strange interest in the New Jersey coast.”

Some of the prizes, though, were awarded to people who are alive. For example, the Physics Prize went to researchers in the U.S. for demonstrating the swimming abilities of a dead trout.

The researchers wanted to explore how fish might use less energy while swimming by basically just riding the current. But they were like, “We need a really relaxed fish for this.”

So they used trout, which are known for bears just plucking them out of the water. And then they thought, “What’s the most relaxed trout we can use? Ooh! A dead one!”

So they got themselves a dead trout, and they, I don’t know, defrosted it, and voila! The dead fish exhibited “unnervingly similar kinematics to a live fish,

with the exception that it cannot put on the brakes.”

“Where’s Bob going?”

“Oh, he died earlier.”

This study was published posthumously of the trout.

And then there was Saul Newman, who won the Demography Prize this year for his detective work into all these people who are famous for having the longest lives.

Have you ever wondered why with all these people, it’s like, “The world’s oldest woman just had a birthday; she’s 138, and she lived in some third-world country!” and you wonder, “How is this possible?” And then the reporters ask her, “What’s your secret?” and it’s never diet and exercise. It’s some made-up thing, like yak milk.

I don’t think baby yaks live to 138. And then everyone starts drinking yak milk.

You ever wonder what their real secret is? It’s lousy record keeping.

Saul found that all these countries who have the world’s oldest people also, totally coincidentally, are countries that have an inaccurate system of record keeping.

For example, he noticed that almost none of the people over 110 have a birth

certificate. Though, that’s fair. A birth certificate is a flimsy piece of paper as old as you are. There’s no way I’m going to still know where mine is when I’m 110. But new people are turning 110 every day (maybe not every day) and still no birth certificates.

He also found a link between people who reach remarkable ages and places where there’s a hefty amount of pension fraud. For example, Tower Hamlets in England has more 105-year-olds than all

And they get away with it, because who’s challenging it? I’m not. The second oldest person? He’s tired. Or lying himself. The hundredth oldest person? He’s going to prove the 99 above him are liars? And then what? His secret to long life is not stressing about stuff like this.

And speaking of total coincidences, this brings us to this year’s Probability Prize, which went to a team of over 50 researchers for showing, through 350,757 coin flips, that when you flip a coin, it

they thought, “What’s the most relaxed trout we can use? Ooh! A dead one!”

the richest places in England put together. But almost no 90-year-olds. How does that happen? It must be something in the yak milk. Also, in Japan, he found that 82% of the people listed as being over 100 are actually dead. Apparently, the secret of living past 100 is don’t register your death. Just keep swimming.

“Where is he, though?”

“He’s swimming!”

tends to land on the same side that it started.

We think it’s 50/50, but it’s not. It’s based by whatever side you start off on. Though what side you start off on is 50/50. So it doesn’t really matter.

Someone noticed that, as it turns out, if all the tests that had been done before that showed that it was 50/50, they never recorded what side it started on. So that

person said, “I think it lands on the side it starts from.” And his colleague said, “I think you’re wrong.” Who’s to say? “Let’s flip a coin… OK, best 2 out of 3… Best 3 out of 5…” And eventually the numbers got away from them. And by the time they got to 350,757 coin flips, they said, “I guess this was the experiment.”

How did they decide how many flips were enough? Maybe their budget ran out. You’d think the entire budget would be 25 cents, but if they want to be scientific, they have to keep switching coins.

The theory was that because of how the coin is flicked, it spends slightly more time with the original side facing up. How slight? The argument was that it had a 51% chance of landing on that side.

This wasn’t a waste of time at all.

The question now is what would happen if you glued the coin to a buttered piece of toast and also to a cat that’s standing on the back of a cow?

I think that needs a bigger budget.

Mordechai Schmutter is a freelance writer and a humor columnist for Hamodia and other magazines. He has also published eight books and does stand-up comedy. He can be contacted at mschmutter@gmail.com.

This is part of IsraelLENS, inviting our community to explore Jewish peoplehood, global complexity, and the rise of antisemitism—before and after October 7—through the lens of Israel, with openness, dialogue, and depth. An initiative of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. This interactive workshop is designed to practice arguing about charged topics—reframing disagreement as something healthy and necessary for learning and stronger relationships.

In Memory

What I Learned from Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l

By Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman

Ikeep hearing Rabbi Hauer zt”l’s voice.

Not in sound, but in thought — the pauses between words, the care in his phrasing, the way he turned a question into an opening rather than a conclusion. Since the passing of Rabbi Moshe Hauer, zt”l, that voice continues to echo — a steady reminder of what genuine leadership looks like.

During the five and a half years that I worked with him at the Orthodox Union, I came to understand that his leadership was not a style; it was a value system. The hundred-plus files in my computer that bear his name — meeting notes, reflections, drafts — capture not only what we discussed but how he led: with clarity, humility, and care.

Lesson 1: Leadership begins with responsibility.

Our first team meeting took place at Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station as the uncertainty of Covid loomed. Fear and confusion hung in the air, yet his calm presence anchored the room. That day set the tone for the years that followed – years marked by challenge and resilience. Covid, war, tragedy – yet under his guidance, he taught us what it means to lead. He reminded us again and again that Torah does not pause for crisis — that our achrayus, our responsibility to one another, only deepens when the world feels unsteady.

Lesson 2: Vision means making space, not taking space.

Rabbi Hauer had a vision for the Orthodox Union and the Women’s Initiative — expansive and Torah-driven — but it was never imposed from above. He didn’t dictate; he cultivated. His meetings were conversations, not directives. When others spoke, he listened fully, often pausing before responding, as if to weigh not only what was said but what was meant.

Lesson 3: Progress is better than perfection.

I learned this most powerfully through the creation of the Torat Imecha Halacha initiative. Rabbi Hauer wanted women learning halacha — as simple as that. I raised countless complexities that seemed insurmountable. For two years

ideas relentlessly without telling people what to do.

And when the program finally launched, I shared messages from participants — women thanking us for helping them remember a detail in Shemoneh Esrei or reconnecting with halacha in daily life. Rabbi Hauer listened, smiled, and

When others spoke, he listened fully, often pausing before responding, as if to weigh not only what was said but what was meant.

we went back and forth. Each week, we would tuck the topic at the end of our weekly meeting agenda, hoping we would run out of time. He never gave up. “Don’t let perfection be the enemy of the good,” he would remind me. “No” was not an option. His persistence taught me that you can champion a value and advance

said nothing more. There was no I told you so, no triumph. Only quiet satisfaction that people were growing in Torah.

Lesson 4: Compassion is the core of connection.

So many have shared how his sensitivity transformed moments of pain into

comfort. He gave advice sparingly but empathy freely. When he spoke publicly — at conferences, Tehillim gatherings, and national programs — his words were never about himself. They were about us — Klal Yisrael — how we could elevate, unite, and heal. Rabbi Hauer’s willingness to help was transformative, his sensitivity and care ever-present. In private interactions, as in every public setting, he led with compassion first.

Lesson 5: Legacy is measured in ongoing impact.

We often speak of din v’cheshbon — judgment and accounting. At first glance, the order seems reversed. Shouldn’t there first be a reckoning of one’s deeds before any judgment is rendered? And does Hashem need an accounting at all? He already knows every detail, every act and omission.

Perhaps the phrasing hints to something deeper — that even after a person’s lifetime, their cheshbon continues to unfold. Every act of kindness they inspired, every word of Torah that spreads in their merit, every soul they touched — all continue to add to their account.

And so it is with Rabbi Hauer. Every project he encouraged, every person he guided, every idea he inspired carries his imprint. His cheshbon continues, expanding through every corner of the community he strengthened.

Rabbi Hauer, zt”l, taught me that leadership begins in humility and ends in care. That faith and purpose can coexist with grief. That even when the way forward is painful, it is still — and always — possible.

Yehi zichro baruch — may his memory continue to teach us all.

Rebbetzin Dr. Adina Shmidman is founding director of the OU Women’s Initiative.

In The K tchen

Spaghetti Bolognese

Meat / Yields 4-6 servings

By Naomi Nachman

This was my absolute favorite dinner of all time when I was growing up and it’s still a favorite. My dad made it for us kids. On his latest visit to me in New York, I asked him to make it and I wrote everything down that he said. As he spoke, I poured and measured till we got it down perfectly. He said, “Add a few glugs of red wine,” and I said, “How is Mrs. Eisner (my awesome ArtScroll editor) going to know what glugs are?” I grabbed a measuring jug and poured out a few glugs till I got the amount just right!

Ingredients

◦ 2 Tablespoons canola oil

◦ 1 large onion, finely diced

◦ 3 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

◦ 10 cloves garlic

◦ 2 pounds ground beef

◦ 2 (28-ounce) cans diced tomatoes with their liquid

◦ 2 Tablespoons dried oregano

◦ 2 Tablespoons tomato paste

◦ 2 teaspoons kosher salt

◦ Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

◦ 1 cup red wine

◦ 1 (1-pound) box spaghetti, cooked according to package directions

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat.

2. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt; sauté for a few minutes till onions begin to sweat, then add garlic.

3. Add meat, breaking it up with back of a wooden spoon; mix well with onions and remaining 2 teaspoons salt. Cook until meat has browned.

4. Add the remaining ingredients. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes.

5. Just before serving, toss with cooked spaghetti.

Recipe from Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman, published by Artscroll.

Naomi Nachman, the owner of The Aussie Gourmet, caters weekly and Shabbat/ Yom Tov meals for families and individuals within The Five Towns and neighboring communities, with a specialty in Pesach catering. Naomi is a contributing editor to this paper and also produces and hosts her own weekly radio show on the Nachum Segal Network stream called “A Table for Two with Naomi Nachman.” Naomi gives cooking presentations for organizations and private groups throughout the New York/New Jersey Metropolitan area. In addition, Naomi has been a guest host on the QVC TV network and has been featured in cookbooks, magazines as well as other media covering topics related to cuisine preparation and personal chefs. To obtain additional recipes, join The Aussie Gourmet on Facebook or visit Naomi’s blog. Naomi can be reached through her website, www.theaussiegourmet.com or at (516) 295-9669.

An Uplifting and Joyous Day

Amb. David Friedman Shares

His Thoughts on the Final Hostage Release

By TJH Staff

Ambassador Friedman, you spent yom tov in Israel. How was it?

It was so incredible. It’s always incredible to be here, but especially this year. The juxtaposition of the chag coming, especially with Simchas Torah coming on the heels of the hostage release, was really beyond words.

Where were you on Hoshana Rabba, the day of the release?

I got up very early and went to shul and then spent the day at the Knesset waiting for President Trump to address the Knesset. The mood at the Knesset was really joyous. I spoke with people on both sides of the aisle, and there was so much joy as we were there, waiting for the President and after the speeches.

I told President Trump after the speech that he lifted up a nation and lifted up his standing in the world.

I think he said something that people really needed to hear, which is that it’s time to go back to work. Enough war. Start rebuilding your lives, start rebuilding your businesses. All those people in the reserves who spent more than half of these two years away from their families and job and careers…he told them that it’s time to go back to their lives and that we have your back. The live hostages are back home now, and Israel is going to emerge from this nightmare better than ever.

I think that this message, coming from an outsider, somebody outside the Israeli government, somebody

who is as respected as President Trump – this message was something that everybody needed to hear. It really lifted everybody up.

I told the President that after the speech. He called me from the car as he was going to the airport, and he asked me what I thought of his speech. I told him that I thought he lifted up an entire nation on his shoulders.

Were you surprised that the left was as laudatory as they were in their speeches at the Knesset as well?

You’re referring to Lapid? I think this is very special about Trump – that, at least in Israel, he’s a unifying force. In America, there may be people who still have Trump Derangement Syndrome, but in Israel, they have all seen what he’s done. They see how he stood with Israel. Even the Opposition, in Israel, Lapid spoke very well about the importance of what happened and how grateful they were for the return of all the hostages. I wasn’t surprised to hear them say that. This is really a consensus issue in Israel. Israel has very diverse viewpoints, but on this issue, there was a real consensus.

Trump has been speaking about this deal for many, many months. What do you think finally clinched the deal?

I think what he did which was unique and differ -

ent was to assemble the entire Arab world – Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan…countries that have relationships with Israel and countries that don’t have relationships with Israel. He put them all on one side with Israel, and he isolated Hamas. Hamas woke up after that and said, “You know, we’re alone. We have no place to go. There’s nobody on our side anymore.” And I think that was important.

Over the course of these two years, the work of the IDF was extraordinary. The work of all the other Israeli security forces, the Mossad – everything they’ve done has been incredible. The leadership of the prime minister has been extraordinary. So, it wasn’t just Trump, but Trump had that kind of secret ingredient. He had what I think people call an “X factor,” where he was really just able to put on the finishing touches of isolating Hamas. Once Hamas was able to see that they had no place to go, it was surrender or suicide. And I think that’s where the difference was made.

We haven’t gotten back all the hostages’ bodies, which is, as a Jewish person, super painful. Trump has been tweeting that we need the bodies back. What do you think are the next steps for ensuring that Hamas gives Israel back the bodies of the dead hostages?

Israel’s obligation to withdraw was conditioned on getting the bodies back. We can debate whether recovering all of them requires more effort — maybe it does

At the Knesset prior to President Trump’s speech

— but Hamas is not fully abiding by what they must do: returning the bodies and ceasing killings. They shouldn’t be executing Palestinians in the street. The President just put out a statement minutes ago saying this wasn’t the deal, Hamas was not supposed to start killing people, and if they continue, there will be consequences. Everyone recognizes that when it comes to Hamas, you can put out 27 pieces of paper with 20 points on them and Hamas will just ignore them. The structure of the deal was very well executed and very well written but you’re still dealing with Hamas, and Hamas has never shown an ability to keep their word or to abide by a deal.

We’ll have to see what happens, but at this point, Israel has 98% of the leverage. Any time it wants Israel can wipe out Hamas. They’ve got their living hostages back on Israeli soil. That weight has been lifted, and with that weight having been lifted, now Israel has a free hand to do whatever it needs to do and it knows that and Hamas knows that. Israel also has the entire Arab world behind them on this deal, along with the United States. It’s as good an opportunity as there has been for Hamas to abide by the deal. But if they don’t, they won’t, and Israel will have American support then to do what it has to do.

To your knowledge, how much involvement did Jared Kushner have in getting this deal pushed through? It seems as if he only really showed up towards the end, but I’m sure he was involved behind the scenes.

I don’t know because I wasn’t in the room, but knowing Jared and knowing the relationships he has with all these countries involved, he has a wonderful ability to find common ground. He’s a brilliant guy. He’s very committed to Israel’s protection. I am pretty sure he played an instrumental and enormously positive role. This issue is really very close to his heart.

Have you met with any of the hostages who were released this week?

No, I haven’t. There have been several whose families I’ve stayed involved with. There have been hostages who were released less recently whom I’ve met and spoken with. There have been families that I’ve had a lot to do with, but over the last two, three days, I haven’t met with any of the newly released hostages.

I’m sure the road to recovery is not going to be short or easy for them.

I’m sure. I’m not an expert in this field, but, yes, there’s an enormous amount of recovery. At the same time, look at some of them and what they’ve done. Look at Matan Angrest, who was freed and within a day, he was at the funeral of his commander Daniel Perez. That, to me, was incredible. He showed up just

one day out of captivity because this was his tank commander. There are some real incredible heroes here.

You know about the Berman twins, who were separated from each other the entire two years. People thought while they were in captivity, oh, well, they’re probably staying strong together. But truthfully, not only were they separated from their families, they were also separated from each other the entire time.

The story of Avinatan Or, who was quite tall and was held in a cage and couldn’t even stand up for two years handcuffed at the bars in the dark. The suffering here is incredible, but then we see how strong they are. These are great heroes of the Jewish people. As the stories come out, and they’ll probably be coming out in drips over the next few years, we will probably learn more and more just how courageous and selfless they were.

is pretty strong. The real estate values are incredibly high. The people are out on the streets every night. The restaurants are full, and they’re not cheap either. I don’t see Israel at risk, as a society or as a country –they’re stronger than they’ve ever been before.

“I told President Trump after the speech that he lifted up a nation and lifted up his standing in the world.”

Aside from the human loss that we’ve endured over the past two years, Israel has suffered tremendously in the media. The antisemitism around the world has been vile and rampant and it’s no longer hidden. What are your thoughts on that, and is there a way for Israel and the Jewish nation to recover from that?

The state of Israel will recover from it. I firmly believe because I’m here now and I can feel it. It’s a Jewish state with almost 8 million Jews here and the country has been suffering through this trauma but the trauma is now beginning to lift and the economy

The question is what’s going to be with the diaspora, and I think, with that, you’ve got some real issues. I’m not giving up on America at all. I think there are some questions that we have to answer, though. For example, if Mamdani is elected mayor of New York, that is an incredibly dangerous signal about America because New York has more Jews than any other place in the world. As of now, he’s favored to win, and if he wins, that just shows you that we’ve got problems in America. But places like London and Paris are basically lost causes. So, the diaspora really is at risk.

When it comes to America, I’m not too concerned. I know it can be fixed. The vast majority of Americans are not antisemitic. The others make a lot of noise, but it’s not the majority. America will hopefully climb out of this. I’m not so sure about the rest of the world, though.

In America, you see that the new leaders of the Democrat Party are clearly Bernie Sanders and Alexandra Ocasio Cortez, and they’re bringing Mamdani along with them, which is concerning not just for Jews but also for anyone who wants to live a values-based life in the United States.

There is something wrong, collectively, with people in America under 30. Somehow, they’ve been given a wrong set of basic values – in university, social media, they’re not reading enough good books that will cause

Amb. Friedman with Amb. Mike Huckabee jamming together on stage

them to really think. It’s way beyond antisemitism, as you point out. I really do hope this gets fixed because it’s really an important concern.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk highlights that there are many people who share good, conservative values who we may not have heard of before.

There are. But at the same time, there are people who intend to hijack those movements by injecting a dose of antisemitism into them and trying to galvanize the far-right. It’s important to know that there are a lot of good people out there. But the way it works on social media is that if you’re a good person with good values and good judgement, you won’t get very far on TikTok or Twitter. You just don’t fit any algorithm that’s going to drive a lot of traffic to your accounts. On the other hand, if you’re a crazy Jew-hating antisemite, and you combine that with some spiritual affinity that will attract people, you can do a lot of damage, but again, it doesn’t necessarily reflect the way people really think.

Most social media algorithms work to provide you with more and more of the stuff that you’ve already

shown an interest in. So it tends to reinforce bad points of view with others who agree with that harmful rhetoric, which is a whole other issue, and that may be a big part of what’s wrong with the world. There are a lot of people trying to fix it, and I’m pretty encouraged by the number of Americans who still see things the right way. I think it’s still the majority.

When this deal came to fruition, there was talk about who will be governing and running Gaza. It has been said that the Palestinian Authority may be part of that. What are your thoughts?

I think the Palestinian Authority is completely corrupt. It’s a vile, evil organization without the skills to govern at all. My understanding is that they won’t have a meaningful role in the control of Gaza. The real question is, who will? They’re creating a Gaza Stabilization

“We’re probably in the first inning of a nineinning game when it comes to Gaza.”

Board that’s supposed to be a group led by an American three-star general that will include representatives of most of our friendly Arab countries, and somehow, they will create a security force from their own ranks to control Gaza. But we’re probably in the first inning of a nine-inning game when it comes to Gaza. There are a lot of aspirations and a lot of well-meaning people who have entered into the fray only to exit relatively quickly in frustration. So, let’s see if this time is different.

Thankfully, President Trump did not exit in frustration and was able to close the deal. You’re very close to the current ambassador to Israel, Ambassador Mike Huckabee. You were both filmed were jamming on stage with Avraham Fried on chol hamoed. Are you in touch with Ambassador Huckabee on a consistent basis?

Yes. We speak all the time and on all topics. We’re very good friends. We were friends before he became

ambassador, and we continue to be friends. He lives down the block from me in Jerusalem, a few blocks away. He actually had dinner in the sukkah with me with President and Mrs. Herzog last week. My wife and Janet Huckabee are friends. We have the closest of relationships.

Ambassador Huckabee is doing a beautiful job, and we’re very grateful for that. You mentioned that young people are not reading the right books. What books would you recommend young people read if they want to learn more facts over fiction about what’s going on in the Middle East and the world?

I would have to think about specific books, but the first book, I would say, is that everyone should be fluent or at least conversant in the Bible. I’m not talking about yeshiva kids, but I’m talking about other kids. Know what the Bible says. The Bible is the wellspring from which all the values of America have emanated. It’s the bestselling book in America, but it’s not selling enough, because not everyone has read it.

There are lots of great books out there. Aside from the Bible, there’s not a particular book I would say people should read; they should read good books by people who are giving serious thought to what America should look like, what the world should look like, and it will make them think. If you start thinking about those things, you’ll come up with your own views, and hopefully if you were raised properly, you’ll come up with the right views.

Reading books is an art. People don’t have the patience for it anymore, I guess. People just want to get their messages from a short paragraph, and you just can’t do justice to serious issues in a paragraph.

If you read books about the formation of the state of Israel, about the Holocaust, about the beginnings of America, about how wars got started and how wars ended, you’re going to be a lot smarter and you will be much more likely on your own to think about these issues and come to the right views.

Amb. Friedman at the Kotel on Sukkos

President Trump addressing the Knesset

These protests are really getting out of hand

Thanks Shua

Davenning times

Davenning times

Davenning times

SHABBOS

7:00 Chabad BA pre ss CZE, Golf Manor

Schedules change seasonally, so look for updates in every issue. Minyan times were accurate at press time. If in doubt, please contact each organization for the most accurate information.

Schedules change seasonally, so look for updates in every issue. Minyan times were accurate at press time. If in doubt, please contact each mosad Please send corrections to creative@raubvogel.us

Schedules change seasonally, so look for updates in every issue. Minyan times were accurate at press time. If in doubt, please contact each organization for the most accurate information.

Weekdays

Sundays & Holidays

Friday Min2:15 Kollel

Mesivta / Sha’arei Torah

The Shul CHABAD

S Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Shabbos Legal holiday rosh ch . (M-F)

SHACHARIS

S Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Shabbos Legal holiday rosh ch . (M-F)

Shachari

M •Th T• W • F Rosh Chodesh

MINCHA/MA’ARIV

Golf Manor 8, 9 6:306:306:306:306:30 8:20, 9 8:00 10 min. early chDS call 7:307:307:307:307:30 7:45 cZE 7:30, 8:30 6:50 7:007:00 6:50 7:00 7:15, 8:45 7:30, 8:30

cZE 7:30, 8:30 6:50 7:007:00 6:50

6:30 Golf Manor 0:10 early

Golf Manor 8, 9 6:306:306:306:306:30 8:20, 9 8:00 10 min. early chDS call 7:307:307:307:307:30

8:20 Golf Manor 8:45 CZE

7:15, 8:45 7:30, 8:30

6:35 Sha’arei Torah 0:10 early

Shacharis 7:15 CZE

Kollel 8:15 7, 7:207, 7:207, 7:207, 7:207, 7:20 7, 7:20 7, 7:20

Kollel 8:15 7, 7:207, 7:207, 7:207, 7:207, 7:20 7, 7:20 7, 7:20

8:55 Mesivta / 9:00 Golf Manor

Mesivta 7:457:457:457:457:457:45 8:30* 7:45 7:45

6:50 7:00 CZE 0:10 early

7:00 Chabad BA Kollel (Annex) same 0:10 early

7:20 Kollel

Golf Manor chDS cZE

Mesivta 7:457:457:457:457:457:45 8:30* 7:45 7:45

Sha’arei Torah 8:00 6:356:356:356:356:35 9:008:00

Sha’arei Torah 9:30 Chabad BA 10:00 The Shul CHABAD

Sha’arei Torah 8:00 6:356:356:356:356:35 9:008:00 10 min. early

7:30 CHDS /

7:45 Mesivta / , OTC /

8:00 CZE

Kollel Mesivta Sha’arei Torah

Sunday before p’lag** before sunset Mincha gedola, 8 2:15 before sunset***

Mincha Sun. M–Th mg CZE, Kollel 2:10 YGL / 2:15 Mesivta / 2:35 Kollel, CHDS / 3:00 Communicare* 3:47 OTC / 3:50 Mesivta / 5:05 YLC / 8:00 6:00 Kollel

Golf Manor chDS cZE Kollel Mesivta Sha’arei Torah

Sunday before p’lag** before sunset Mincha gedola, 8 2:15 before sunset***

Mincha 5:00 CZE, Sha’arei Torah 6:15 CZE

Weekdays before p’lag** 2:12 before sunset 2:35, 6 4:00 before sunset*** Friday before p’lag** before p’lag & sunset before p’lag* before sunset***

9:05 YLC / 9:20 YGL /

Variable (minutes before ss) varies Mesivta / 90 Kollel

Weekdays before p’lag** 2:12 before sunset 2:35, 6 4:00 before sunset*** Friday before p’lag** before p’lag & sunset before p’lag* before sunset*** Shabbos 40 min. before sunset 5:00, 6:20 40 min. before sunset 90

Sundays Holidays

7:30 CZE 7:30

7:45 Mesivta / 7:45

8:00 CHDS / Golf Manor Sha’arei Torah 8:00 8:00

M & M pre ss CZE Golf Manor Sha’arei Torah

Ma’ariv S–W Thurs 8:00 CZE

Shabbos 40 min. before sunset 5:00, 6:20 40 min. before sunset 90 min. before sunset 7:25 30 min. before sunset

40 Golf Manor Sha’arei Torah

30 Chabad BA, CZE The Shul CHABAD

Golf Manor cZE Kollel Mesivta Sha’arei Torah Sunday after p’lag** after sunset 9:45, 10 at Kollel—9after sunset*** Mon.–Wed. after p’lag** after sunset 9:45, 10 M & W at Kollel—9after sunset*** Thursday after p’lag** after sunset10:00 (× 2) at Mesivta—9after sunset***

8:15 Kollel 7:20

Golf Manor cZE Kollel Mesivta Sha’arei Torah Sunday after p’lag** after sunset 9:45, 10 at Kollel—9after sunset*** Mon.–Wed. after p’lag** after sunset 9:45, 10 M & W at Kollel—9after sunset*** Thursday after p’lag** after sunset10:00 (× 2) at Mesivta—9after sunset***

8:30 CZE, Chabad BA OTC / 8:30

9:00 CZE (Library) 9:00

Ma’ariv

Variable (minutes after ss) 30 Sha’arei Torah 35 Golf Manor 37 CZE

Motzo’ei Shabbos (min. after sunset) 35 37 and 55 50 30

Motzo’ei Shabbos (min. after sunset) 35 37 and 55 50 30 * on alternating weeks—see Mesivta scheduling ** changes to before/after sunset after Sukkos *** effective September 5

9:05 YLC / 9:05

8:35 YLC / 8:45 Golf Manor (chapel) Kollel (trailer) ‡ 9:00 CZE 9:05 Mesivta / 9:20 YGL / 9:45 10:00 Kollel 10:00 Kollel (Annex) 10:15 CZE

42 The Shul CHABAD 43–48 (8.5°) Chabad BA 50 Kollel 55 CZE

* on alternating weeks—see Mesivta scheduling ** changes to before/after sunset after Sukkos *** effective September 5

First Tallis & Tefillin (60 min.) Sunrise Last Sh’ma (Gr”a) Last T’fila (Gr”a) ch atzos Mincha Gedola P’lag haMincha Sunset ★★★ (50 min.)

60 Mesivta /

First Tallis & Tefillin (60 min.) Sunrise Last Sh’ma (Gr”a) Last T’fila (Gr”a) ch atzos Mincha Gedola P’lag haMincha Sunset ★★★ (50 min.)

Sep 1 6:06:43 a 7:06:43 a 10:22:02 a 11:27:08 a 1:37:21 p 2:09:54 p 6:46:36 p 8:08:00 p 8:58:00 p

Sep 1 6:06:43 a 7:06:43 a 10:22:02 a 11:27:08 a 1:37:21 p 2:09:54 p 6:46:36 p 8:08:00 p 8:58:00 p

Sep 6 6:11:15 a 7:11:15 a 10:23:28 a 11:27:33 a 1:35:42 p 2:07:44 p 6:40:04 p 8:00:10 p 8:50:10 p

KEY: / when school is in session mg = Mincha Gedola later when sunrise is late—contact to confirm ss = sunset * Monday–Friday ‡ Tuesday only

Sep 6 6:11:15 a 7:11:15 a 10:23:28 a 11:27:33 a 1:35:42 p 2:07:44 p 6:40:04 p 8:00:10 p 8:50:10 p

Sep 11 6:15:46 a 7:15:46 a 10:24:52 a 11:27:54 a 1:33:58 p 2:05:29 p 6:33:23 p 7:52:11 p 8:42:11 p

Sep 16

Sep 11 6:15:46 a 7:15:46 a 10:24:52 a 11:27:54 a 1:33:58 p 2:05:29 p 6:33:23 p 7:52:11 p 8:42:11 p

6:20:17 a 7:20:17 a 10:26:14 a 11:28:13 a 1:32:12 p 2:03:11 p 6:26:38 p 7:44:07 p 8:34:07 p

First T &T (60 min.) Sunrise Last Sh’ma (Gr”a) Last T’fila (Gr”a) Chatzos Mincha Gedola P’lag haMincha Sunset ★★★ (50 min.)

Sep 16 6:20:17 a 7:20:17 a 10:26:14 a 11:28:13 a 1:32:12 p 2:03:11 p 6:26:38 p 7:44:07 p 8:34:07 p

Sep 21 6:24:50 a 7:24:50 a 10:27:37 a 11:28:33 a 1:30:25 p 2:00:52 p 6:19:50 p 7:36:00 p 8:26:00 p

Sep 21 6:24:50 a 7:24:50 a 10:27:37 a 11:28:33 a 1:30:25 p 2:00:52 p 6:19:50 p 7:36:00 p 8:26:00 p

Sep 26 6:29:27 a 7:29:27 a 10:29:04 a 11:28:56 a 1:28:41 p 1:58:41 p 6:13:05 p 7:27:56 p 8:17:56 p

Nov 1 7:05:53 a 8:05:53 a 10:43:31 a 11:36:04 a 1:21:09 p 1:51:09 p 5:30:45 p 6:36:26 p 7:26:26 p Nov 6 6:11:26 a 7:11:26 a 9:46:20 a 10:37:58 a 12:21:15 p 12:51:15 p 4:26:31 p 5:31:04 p 6:21:04 p

Sep 26 6:29:27 a 7:29:27 a 10:29:04 a 11:28:56 a 1:28:41 p 1:58:41 p 6:13:05 p 7:27:56 p 8:17:56 p

Oct 1 6:34:08 a 7:34:08 a 10:30:35 a 11:29:24 a 1:27:02 p 1:57:02 p 6:06:25 p 7:19:57 p 8:09:57 p

Oct 1 6:34:08 a 7:34:08 a 10:30:35 a 11:29:24 a 1:27:02 p 1:57:02 p 6:06:25 p 7:19:57 p 8:09:57 p

Nov 11 6:17:02 a 7:17:02 a 9:49:21 a 10:40:08 a 12:21:41 p 12:51:41 p 4:22:52 p 5:26:21 p 6:16:21 p

Oct 6 6:38:55 a 7:38:55 a 10:32:13 a 11:29:59 a 1:25:31 p 1:55:31 p 5:59:54 p 7:12:07 p 8:02:07 p

Oct 6 6:38:55 a 7:38:55 a 10:32:13 a 11:29:59 a 1:25:31 p 1:55:31 p 5:59:54 p 7:12:07 p 8:02:07 p

Nov 16 6:22:37 a 7:22:37 a 9:52:33 a 10:42:32 a 12:22:29 p 12:52:29 p 4:19:53 p 5:22:22 p 6:12:22 p

Oct 11 6:43:49 a 7:43:49 a 10:33:59 a 11:30:43 a 1:24:10 p 1:54:10 p 5:53:36 p 7:04:31 p 7:54:31 p

Oct 11 6:43:49 a 7:43:49 a 10:33:59 a 11:30:43 a 1:24:10 p 1:54:10 p 5:53:36 p 7:04:31 p 7:54:31 p

Nov 21 6:28:07 a 7:28:07 a 9:55:52 a 10:45:07 a 12:23:38 p 12:53:38 p 4:17:35 p 5:19:09 p 6:09:09 p

Oct 16 6:48:51 a 7:48:51 a 10:35:56 a 11:31:37 a 1:23:01 p 1:53:01 p 5:47:33 p 6:57:11 p 7:47:11 p

Oct 16 6:48:51 a 7:48:51 a 10:35:56 a 11:31:37 a 1:23:01 p 1:53:01 p 5:47:33 p 6:57:11 p 7:47:11 p

Nov 26 6:33:27 a 7:33:27 a 9:59:17 a 10:47:53 a 12:25:07 p 12:55:07 p 4:16:01 p 5:16:47 p 6:06:47 p

Oct 21 6:54:01 a 7:54:01 a 10:38:04 a 11:32:45 a 1:22:07 p 1:52:07 p 5:41:51 p 6:50:13 p 7:40:13 p

Oct 21 6:54:01 a 7:54:01 a 10:38:04 a 11:32:45 a 1:22:07 p 1:52:07 p 5:41:51 p 6:50:13 p 7:40:13 p

Dec 1 6:38:30 a 7:38:30 a 10:02:42 a 10:50:46 a 12:26:54 p 12:56:54 p 4:15:13 p 5:15:18 p 6:05:18 p

Oct 26 6:59:20 a 7:59:20 a 10:40:25 a 11:34:06 a 1:21:30 p 1:51:30 p 5:36:32 p 6:43:40 p 7:33:40 p

Oct 26 6:59:20 a 7:59:20 a 10:40:25 a 11:34:06 a 1:21:30 p 1:51:30 p 5:36:32 p 6:43:40 p 7:33:40 p

Nov 1 7:05:52 a 8:05:52 a 10:43:31 a 11:36:04 a 1:21:10 p 1:51:10 p 5:30:46 p 6:36:28 p 7:26:28 p

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Nov 1 7:05:52 a 8:05:52 a 10:43:31 a 11:36:04 a 1:21:10 p 1:51:10 p 5:30:46 p 6:36:28 p 7:26:28 p

Nov 6 7:11:24 a 8:11:24 a 10:46:19 a 11:37:58 a 1:21:15 p 1:51:15 p 5:26:32 p 6:31:06 p 7:21:06 p

Dec 6 6:43:11 a 7:43:11 a 10:06:04 a 10:53:42 a 12:28:57 p 12:58:57 p 4:15:11 p 5:14:44 p 6:04:44 p Dec 11 6:47:22 a 7:47:22 a 10:09:17 a 10:56:36 a 12:31:13 p 1:01:13 p 4:15:55 p 5:15:04 p 6:05:04 p Dec 16 6:50:56 a 7:50:56 a 10:12:16 a 10:59:23 a 12:33:37 p 1:03:37 p 4:17:25 p 5:16:19 p 6:06:19 p Dec 21 6:53:49 a 7:53:49 a 10:14:58 a 11:02:01 a 12:36:07 p 1:06:07 p 4:19:37 p 5:18:26 p 6:08:26 p

Nov 6 7:11:24 a 8:11:24 a 10:46:19 a 11:37:58 a 1:21:15 p 1:51:15 p 5:26:32 p 6:31:06 p 7:21:06 p

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Halachic times calculated by Eli Reidler, based on the coordinates of Meadow Ridge Lane.

Halachic times calculated by Eli Reidler, based on the coordinates of Meadow Ridge Lane.

Sunrise and sunset times calculated by Eli Reidler, based on the coordinates of the frum community.