Five Towns Jewish Home - 3-26-20

March 26, 2020

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THE TOP MOSSAD SPY WHO BEFRIENDED HIS TERRORIST TARGET pg

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30 Learning Continues at Home

The Economist-Turned-Medical Czar How Israel’s “Barsi” is Protecting the Holy Land pg

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38 TJH Readers Stay Productive

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

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Passover Tradtion

MEETS KOSHER INNOVATION

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

HERE FOR OUR COMMUNITY. RIGHT NOW. To support those who will bear the brunt of the crisis, including the economic fallout, we’re distributing more than $23 million in immediate financial aid to help meet the escalating needs of New Yorkers impacted by coronavirus. The grants and loans offer immediate relief to New Yorkers facing food insecurity and provide financial relief to UJA partner organizations so they can continue to provide essential health and human services to their communities. This first round of grants is a critical part of UJA’s broad effort to support the most vulnerable New Yorkers during this crisis. • $1,750,000 granted to Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty to address escalating food needs and provide emergency Passover meals • $250,000 for Passover seders to the newly isolated and quarantined who have relied on free or subsidized seders • $21 million loan fund at Hebrew Free Loan Society (HFLS) for social service agencies and small businesses • New York City COVID-19 Response & Impact Fund, a citywide partnership with other leading philanthropies and foundations We’ll get through this latest challenge in the same way we have others in the past — together. Donate now.

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Dear Readers,

I

wish that the word “coronavirus” could be missing from the pages of TJH this week. It’s not that I’m putting my head into the sand – far from it, as I am juggling (like so many of you) various challenges that have presented themselves relating to the pandemic. But I wish there was a way that we can take a deep breath and enjoy a few moments of respite from the anxiety and stress that seems to be percolating in the headlines and on social media. With that stance in mind, I am trying to focus on the good things that I see happening around me. I am choosing to focus on the amazing neighbors and friends and family who have been reaching out and connecting. I am grateful and admire those who have taken this time to turn “outward” instead of “inward.” Each one of us is dealing with a lot now; each person deals with challenges in their own way. In a way, Pesach presents us with a goal that propels us forward. Although preparing has taken on a different appearance than in previous years – gone are the days of making a thousand stops at myriad different stores for a slew of important things or catching a flight a few days before the holiday – we are still forced to remember that in two weeks’ time we will all be sitting down at the seder table, set in all its regal splendor. True, I have yet to clean any rooms or purchase any potato starch or matzah. And yet, in the back of my mind, I know that there’s a deadline that I have to race towards, a goal that needs to be attained.

Weekly Weather |

This week, the results of the World Zionist Congress elections were revealed, and the outcome was extremely impressive. For the first time, the Eretz Hakodesh slate ran in the elections. Led by Rabbi Pesach Lerner of Far Rockaway, the platform aspired to galvanize the right-wing religious community to participate in the elections. This was a grassroots effort, and Rabbi Lerner and his associates managed to electrify the frum community and urge them to participate. More than 20,000 people voted for the Eretz Hakodesh slate, which miraculously came in third place out of 15 slates. In all, the religious community – combining all the religious slates – took the majority of votes in the election. Kol hakavod! That means that every person who voted for the religious platforms can be assured that their vote will sway needed funds towards the religious communities in Israel and will help to assure the sanctity of Eretz Yisroel for the next few years. I hope that by the time I sit down to write a note to our readers next week we will be sharing in good news. I hope that by that time a cure will be found for this dreaded virus and that we will all be able to spend time together around our seder tables. And I hope that all those who need a refuah be granted one speedily. Please G-d, may it be soon. Wishing you a wonderful week, Shoshana

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Contents LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

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COMMUNITY Readers’ Poll

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Community Happenings

30 38

TJH Readers Stay Productive NEWS

12

Global

12

National

22

Odd-but-True Stories

28

ISRAEL Israel News

16

World Builders

54

How Israel’s “Barsi” is Protecting the Holy Land by Tzvi Leff

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The Top Mossad Spy Who Befriended His Terrorist Target

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JEWISH THOUGHT Rabbi Wein on the Parsha

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The Sweetness of Truth by Rav Moshe Weinberger

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Parsha in Four by Eytan Kobre

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PEOPLE Remembering Menachem by Sara Kramer

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The Wandering Jew

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Robert Rosenthal by Avi Heiligman

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HEALTH & FITNESS Why by Dr. Deb Hirschhorn

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Health Priorities by Cindy Weinberger, MS RD CDN

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FOOD & LEISURE The Aussie Gourmet: Erev Pesach Potato Salad

Dear Editor, I was so grateful to get this week’s paper. I enjoy it weekly and thought the home delivery this week was so nice. May you continue to be matzliach. R.M. Dear Editor, I appreciated your articles from principals on how to maintain a sense of normalcy for our children in these times. Truthfully, I find that the only way to give my children a comforting level of normalcy is by being extra attentive and by providing them with a fun set of activities throughout the day. It’s not easy – it hasn’t been easy for anyone of us – but I’m taking it one day at a time. A Reader Dear Editor, “Faith Over Fear” The one thing I remind myself during these times is to tell myself that worrying is not a symptom of emunah. When one has emunah, they “let go, and let G-d.” They don’t spend their time wringing their hands, worrying about the future. Right now, we have to work through the situation at hand; we have to get through this trying time;

we have to try to keep healthy. The future will play out as it will. We need to daven and ask Hashem to help us, but it is not our job to worry about what will be. We can leave that up to Him and ask Him to show us the good He has in store for us. Sincerely, Aryeh Friedman Dear Editor, I wondered what my late relative, Rav Avrohom Genchovsky, zt”l, would have to say about the current state of affairs. I really couldn’t surmise, though he would certainly stress growing in spirituality. Perhaps by sharing a few stories and two of his ideas, a philosophy can emerge. Storywise, he didn’t have an easy life. He lost his son to cancer and at one point in his life lost all his money. The story is told that at his son’s funeral he arranged a ride for someone so he wouldn’t be stranded. It almost defies logic, yet it emphasizes his love of mankind and his optimism in the travels of every man. Every Saturday night he visited a widow in Bnei Brak to provide hope to a shattered soul. On one occasion, when leaving the apartment to go to the airport, he tossed a huge duffle bag of mine on Continued on page 10

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LIFESTYLES Dating Dialogue, Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW 64 How to Stay Productive with the Kids at Home by Dr. Naphtali Hoff 72

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Fun & Creative Crafts

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Your Money

84

The Plane Truth by Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., CLC, SDS 86

HUMOR Centerfold 44 POLITICAL CROSSFIRE It’s Time to Practice Social and Economic Distancing from China by 78 Marc A. Thiessen Democrats Needlessly Delayed Emergency Aid by Marc A. Thiessen 79 CLASSIFIEDS

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his shoulder and walked me to the bus station. It was quite embarrassing having a gadol carry my tattered duffle bag, but his goal was to make me feel happy and appreciated, and he did that. T here’s thirty days between Purim and Pesach and thirty days therefore to darshan for the chag. For Purim he darshened, when Adar begins, we increase our happiness. He connected this to another Talmudic phrase, one who plants a tree called Adar is guaranteed that it will endure. He said to guarantee eternity you must plant happiness in your heart. Happiness was his banner. For Pesach he told me over the thought that chametz and matzah have basically the same letters, the only difference being the ches of chametz and the hey of matzah is

differentiated by a small protrusion. He emphasized that to go from a life of chametz to one of matzah one need only make one step, and it can all be turned around. Once again, a thought of optimism. I can’t pronounce sophisticated theories about what he would say about the current situation, but I can emphasize the happiness, love of people, and sheer optimism he carried into every situation of life. Steven Genack Dear Editor, Hi. In your article about Bill Gates leaving Microsoft’s board, it said that Berkshire Hathaway is a hedge fund. Berkshire Hathaway is not a hedge fund, rather it’s a conglomerate or a holding company. Thank you. I’m 16. Yonah Yarmush

Please send all correspondence to: editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Week In News

Finland: World’s Happiest Country

Finland remains the world’s happiest country, as the frigid Scandinavian republic heads the World Happiness Index for the third year in a row. Coming in second was fellow

Scandinavian country Denmark, followed by Switzerland and Iceland. Rounding out the top five was Sweden, with The Netherlands, New Zealand, and Austria coming in the top 10. Meanwhile, the U.S. moved up a spot to come in at 18th on the list, with the report calling the state of happiness “unequal” with a “wide gap between the rich and poor.” Israel dropped to 14th, one down from its 13th finish last year. Tel Aviv was ranked as the world’s eighth happiest city, joining Zurich as the only cities in the Top 10 that are not located in Nordic countries. The World Happiness Report indexes the state of global happiness by ranking all 156 countries by how happy their citizens perceive themselves to be. In the survey, researchers asked a sample of people to rate their quality of life on a scale from 0 to 10. In a first, the report included a ranking of cities around the world by their subjective well-being, with a focus on how the social, urban, and natural environments affect overall happiness. According to report co-author John Helliwell, a former economics

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professor at the University of British Columbia, the reason that Scandinavian nations consistently top the World Happiness Index is due in part to the high trust citizens have in each other. “They are all very high trust societies,” Helliwell noted. “Any individual who feels that sense of belonging and high trust, which is more common in the Nordic countries than elsewhere, is much more sheltered against adversity of many types. “The happiest countries are those where people feel a sense of belonging, where they trust and enjoy each another,” he added. “Shared trust reduces the burden of hardships and thereby lessens the inequality of well-being.”

Nature Returns to Venice

tax for tourists staying overnight. But then came the coronavirus. The total quarantine implemented banned locals from venturing out for any reason other than walking a dog or purchasing food. Along with the travel ban that stopped the arrival of the tourists, the coronavirus has resulted in the total transformation of Venice’s famed canals. The new and revamped canal is warmly greeted by many locals who remember a different and less polluted Venice. “When I was a kid growing up, there were far less boats in the canals and lots of kids would jump in and go swimming,” said Franco Fabris. “For the moment, I am not going out fishing as all the restaurants I supply have closed, so what is the point?. But when this all over, we may well see more fish returning because for the moment pleasure fishing is prohibited – there will be an awful lot of extra marine life in the lagoon.”

European Central Bank Economic Plan As the death toll in Italy mounts from the coronavirus, wildlife in the northern city of Venice are thriving. Venetians have long rued the city’s grey and polluted waterways. Emissions from the towering cruise ships and day-trippers that have flooded Venice in recent years have poisoned the waters and scared away native fish. Now, they are returning. After almost a month of lockdown, Venice’s waters are blue and full of fish. Rather than the greyness that has characterized the canals in recent years, those looking into the waters can now see scuttling crabs and colorful plant life. “The water is blue and clear,” Venice native Gloria Beggiato told the Guardian. “It is calm like a pond, because there are no more waves caused by motorized boats transporting day-tripper tourists. And of course, the giant cruise ships have disappeared.” The change was once thought to be unimaginable. Venetians have complained for years about over-tourism, leading city officials to ban cruise ships last year and to introduce a new

The European Central Bank (ECB) unveiled its plan to inject hundreds of billions of euros into the economy of the European Union in order to combat the fallout from the coronavirus. Known as the Pandemic Emergency Purchase Programme, the plan involves buying 750 million euro ($821 billion) of government debt before next January in order to increase the amount of cash in the economy. The ECB has also increased its bond purchases since last week by more than $100 billion in order to keep as much cash in the economy as possible. The program is based on the theory of qualitative easing, or increasing liquidity in the financial system in order to prevent businesses and banks from going under due to the economic shock the coronavirus has caused. In a statement, the ECB added that it was willing to go much further in

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

order to rescue European economies from financial ruin resulting from the pandemic. “The Governing Council will do everything necessary within its mandate. The Governing Council is fully prepared to increase the size of its asset purchase programmes and adjust their composition, by as much as necessary and for as long as needed,” said the bank in a statement. “It will explore all options and all contingencies to support the economy through this shock,” added ECB President Christine Lagarde. “Extraordinary times require extraordinary action. There are no limits to our commitment to the euro. We are determined to use the full potential of our tools, within our mandate.” The European Central Bank’s promise to spend virtually unlimited amounts of money to save Europe’s economy was praised by EU leaders, who had criticized the bank for its passive approach after the extent of the pandemic became clear. The ECB’s economic stimulus plan to save banks last week failed to calm financial markets, raising pressure on the bank to do more. “Total support for the exceptional measures taken by the ECB last night,” tweeted France’s President

Emmanuel Macron on Friday. “Our peoples and our economies need these measures.” The coronavirus has caused significant economic turmoil in Europe, as countries implemented travel bans, forbade large gatherings, and closed businesses. These measures, which attempt to block the spread of the coronavirus, has crippled businesses such as airlines, hotels, restaurants, and other establishments that rely on a flow of tourists to survive.

Deadly Colombian Prison Riot

Riots at Colombian prisons left at least 23 inmates dead and 83 injured, according to the country’s Ministry

of Justice. The riots were prompted by fears of the coronavirus. According to reports, prisoners had attempted to escape amid rumors that the virus had spread inside the prison. After the breakout was foiled, prisoners began to riot, leading guards to open fire. Justice Minister Margarita Cabello said in a video address that there was a “massive and criminal escape attempt” at the Bogota La Modelo prison, one of the largest and most overpopulated prisons in the country. Cabello reported that additional revolts took place “at different penitentiary centers in the country” and that, as of Sunday, neither inmates nor prison staff had tested positive for coronavirus or had been isolated due to the virus. “Today is a very sad and painful day for the country,” he stated in the video address. “There were no escapes. Nor was there was a sanitary problem that could have prompted this plan and these revolts.” Earlier on Sunday, Colombian President Ivan Duque said that security forces and prison authorities were responding to “disorders in different parts of the country.”

Olympics Postponed

This week it was announced that the Summer Olympics, which had been scheduled to start in Tokyo on July 24 this year, will be delayed for a year. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he agreed with the International Olympic Committee’s president that the Olympics should be postponed. Abe spoke by phone on Tuesday with IOC President Thomas Bach. Citing the spreading coronavirus pandemic, the Japanese leader said it was difficult to hold the Olympics this year and that a delay was needed to ensure the safety of athletes and spectators. He said he proposed a delay of “about one year” and received “100% agreement” from IOC President Thomas Bach.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

PESACH I SPY AT

ping List p o h S h c a s Pe es juice bottl  5 grape s starch bag  4 potato of matzah  3 boxes ball mix  3 matzo s potato bag o h a id 5  s lettuce e h c n u b 3  of chicken s k c a p 4  ts  2 briske eggs  4 dozen adish root r e s r o h 1  mayonnaise n e f e g 2 

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The decision to postpone an event as massive, expensive and logistically complex as the Olympics will have a major disruptive impact on a long list of Olympics constituencies. Athletes’ years-long training regimens, timed to peak this summer, will have to be replotted, and some may not be able to wait another year. Broadcasters like Comcast Corp.’s NBCUniversal and Discovery Inc., who together paid more than $1 billion to show the 2020 Games to audiences in the U.S. and abroad, will have their schedules thrown off. NBCUniversal was counting on the Olympics to promote and help drive subscriptions to Peacock, the company’s direct-to-consumer streaming service that is scheduled to launch nationwide in July. The Japanese government and the city of Tokyo have invested a total of $7 billion in the Games, including more than $1 billion on a new national stadium. Japanese companies, meanwhile, have provided over $3 billion in sponsorship toward the total Olympic budget of $12.6 billion. While costly, a delay would allow those companies to recoup some of their investment and

give the stadium its chance for the spotlight. The World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic on March 11. Professional sports leagues and American college sports – including the NCAA basketball tournaments and the National Basketball Association – postponed games and suspended operations. But even as Olympic-trials events were postponed around the world and the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee closed its training facilities, the IOC maintained it was too soon to make a decision about the Summer Olympics. They changed their stance only this week. The only postponements in Olympic history were for one day at the Munich 1972 Games after terrorists took hostage and then killed 11 members of the Israel Olympic team. Some delayed events took place at Atlanta 1996 the morning after the Centennial Park bombing. The 1916, 1940 and 1944 Olympic Games all weren’t held due to world wars. In those years there were fewer than 5,000 participants in the Summer Games, from fewer than 50 countries. The Tokyo Games were antic-

ipated to be the largest yet, with more than 11,000 athletes from 206 countries expected to compete in 33 sports and 339 medal events.

World’s Most Expensive Cities

Hong Kong, Singapore, and Osaka topped the Economist Intelligence Unit’s dubious award of the most expensive cities in the world to live in. While Hong Kong and Singapore shared last year’s number one spot, the Japanese Osaka topped the list for the first time ever. Osaka’s ascent came at the expense of Paris, which dropped from the number 1 spot to share fifth place with Zurich. In the United States, New York City rose to fourth place while Los Angeles dropped to eighth. According to the Economist, a key reason for this was the “strong local currency and firm domestic demand” in New York City that drove up prices. Meanwhile, European capitals were characterized by falling prices this past year, as 33 out of 37 cities on the continent dropped in the ranking. Only Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev, and Istanbul retained their previous spot or rose in the index. The Swiss city of Geneva, usually seen as one of the world’s most expensive cities, fell to fifth while Copenhagen wasn’t included in the top 10 for the first time in years. “Modest domestic demand and weak global energy prices have kept inflationary pressures subdued across Europe in the past year,” wrote the report. At number 7, Tel Aviv was the only city in the Middle East to enter the top 10, resulting from rising transportation costs. The overall cost of living fell by 4% due to the “impact on global currencies of easing monetary policy, uncertainty around the U.S.-China trade war (which has put pressure on some emerging-market currencies), and the strength of the U.S. economy.”

Israel Sees Deaths Due to Corona

An 88-year-old male passed away on Friday after contracting the coronavirus, becoming Israel’s first casualty from the global pandemic. On Tuesday, a 67-year-old woman, Malk Keva, with “a serious preexisting medical condition” passed away due to the virus at Holon’s Wolfson Medical Center. She was the second victim to succumb to the virus in the Holy Land. The first victim was identified as Aryeh Even, a Holocaust survivor and Jerusalem resident. According to the Health Ministry, the man had arrived at Shaarei Tzedek Medical Center last week complaining of chest pains. Even had multiple unrelated medical problems and passed away on Friday afternoon. Speaking with the Ma’ariv daily, Even’s grandson Maor said that the deceased was a Holocaust survivor from Hungary. After the war, he moved to Israel and is survived by four children and 18 grandchildren. On Tuesday, another man, an 87-year-old with preexisting conditions, died from the virus. He had come to the hospital the day before he died, becoming Israel’s third fatality. The casualties came as Israel ramped up the fight against the virus, with Prime Minister Netanyahu announcing a series of new regulations on Monday evening, including banning all public transportation and shuttering workplaces other than supermarkets and pharmacies. As of Tuesday, there were 1,442 cases of coronavirus in Israel, with 29 patients in serious condition while another 40 were defined as moderate. The majority of the cases –1,331 – are said to be in light condition, with 346 hospitalized and another

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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540 remaining at home. 126 patients are being treated in converted hotels, while 41 have already recovered. There are 6.556 million people living in Israel.

Should Measures Apply to Knesset?

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had pushed to apply the new anti-coronavirus measures on the Knesset, hampering the country’s parliament during the current crisis. Last week, Netanyahu announced a series of sweeping steps drastically reducing Israelis’ freedom of movement in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading. The draconian measures included banning gatherings of more than ten people and closing schools and other places of leisure such as cafes and malls. The move was a precursor to a total shutdown announced on Thursday, which banned Israelis from leaving their homes at all save for buying food or visiting a doctor. According to reports, Netanyahu asked during a meeting with Health Ministry officials that new social distancing rules apply to the Knesset. These would make it effectively impossible for Israel’s parliament to operate, as the measure bans more than five people from being in a room at once. Netanyahu had reportedly made such a request due to his concern over the health of Knesset members, the majority whom are in their 50s and 60s and are particularly at risk from the coronavirus. “The average age [among MKs] isn’t 14,” Netanyahu quipped during the meeting. Netanyahu’s position was supported by other cabinet members, including Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev and Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. His request, however, was rejected by Attorney General Avichai Mandeblit, who said that the government had no authority over the Knesset. As per Israel’s semi-constitutional basic laws, the Knesset has its own autonomy from the government, with its independent police force and operating

procedures. The report came amid a tussle between the Likud and Kahol Lavan that resulted in Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein (Likud) shuttering the parliament. Traditionally, key Knesset committees are staffed based on how many seats each party received in the most recent elections. However, Kahol Lavan had wanted the makeup of the said committees to reflect the fact that the center-left bloc had more members, despite having fewer seats at 34 than the Likud’s 36. After days of haggling, Edelstein closed the Knesset until next Monday, leading Kahol Lavan members to charge that Israel had ceased being a democracy. “In a democratic regime, the legislature is not shut down and prevented from expressing the will of the citizens and their choice,” Kahol Lavan leader Benny Gantz wrote on Facebook. “Whoever is thinking of taking us into the dangerous area on the margins of dictatorship is making a mistake.”

Right Comes in Strong in WZC

Results announced this week for the 38th World Zionist Congress (WZC) showed a significant shift towards the religious right-wing bloc and away from the left-wing slates. Elections take place every five years for the WZC, which is the elected body of the World Zionist Organization (WZO) and comprised of 500 delegates from Israel and the Jewish world. The breakdown is a main component in determining leadership of institutions such as the Jewish Agency for Israel, the Jewish National Fund, and Keren Hayesod United Israel Appeal. A third of all votes were distributed between two Orthodox slates. Known as the Orthodox Israel Coalition, Mizrachi, considered the more mainstream modern Orthodox and religious-Zionist party, took 21,698 votes, while Eretz Hakodesh, consisting of conservative religious-Zionists as well as some ultra-Orthodox candidates, garnered 20,023

votes. This was the first time Eretz Hakodesh was running in the election. The slate had attempted to draw in the Orthodox crowd by assuring them that while voting does require participants to be committed to the Jerusalem Program adopted at the 23rd World Zionist Congress in 1951, participating in the WZO elections does not necessarily make one a Zionist. The Eretz Hakodesh website elaborated that “participation in the elections is not an endorsement of anything the WZO was or is... More than any other segment of Klal Yisroel [the Jewish people], it is only Torah true Jewry that has never lost its love for Tzion.” The slate had received endorsement from ultra-Orthodox rabbis including Rabbi Asher Weiss in Israel and Rabbi Elya Brudny. Altogether, the Orthodox and right-wing slates received over 62,000 votes, while the Reform, Conservative and Hatikva slates took a combined 54,098 votes.

Speaker Refuses to Honor High Court

Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein announced this week that he would refuse to abide by a High Court ruling issued, setting up the stakes for a constitutional crisis. On Monday afternoon, the High Court ordered Edelstein to provide an answer by Wednesday as to when he planned to convene the Knesset plenum to allow a vote that would replace him. Edelstein had been refusing to convene the Knesset, saying that replacing him would scuttle any chance for a national unity government between his Likud party and Kahol Lavan. Yet Edelstein refused the High Court’s ruling, saying on Monday evening that the bench had no au-

thority to order the Knesset Speaker on how to operate. Contending that the ruling infringed on the idea of separation of powers, Edelstein said that he would refuse to honor any such ruling despite the constitutional crisis it would cause. “The court’s intervention into parliamentary proceedings is incorrect. I intend to put [forward a vote for the position] of Knesset Speaker and Knesset’s agenda as soon as possible, as the circumstances warrant, from the next few days to no later than the date when the Knesset convenes for the establishment of the government,” Edelstein wrote. “With all due respect, I will not be able to agree to the ultimatum.” Soon after Edelstein’s refusal to abide by the High Court’s order, the justices released a binding decision mandating Edelstein to convene the Knesset no later than Wednesday. Chief Justice Esther Hayut lambasted the Speaker, writing that “the continued refusal to allow for a full vote in the Knesset for the election of a permanent Knesset speaker undercuts the foundations of the democratic process.” The position of Knesset Speaker carries with it a number of responsibilities, including receiving briefings from the prime minister and controlling the goings-on in the Knesset. Should Edelstein indeed ignore the High Court, it would mark the first time a politician has refused to honor rulings from the country’s highest bench. While the Knesset Speaker has always belonged to the ruling party, Kahol Lavan has attempted to replace Edelstein with MK Meir Cohen in order to pass legislation banning a lawmaker with a criminal indictment from serving as prime minister. If passed, the bill would effectively end Prime Minister Netanyahu’s career, as he is awaiting trial on three separate corruption allegations. Earlier on Monday, a slew of right-wing politicians, including Israel’s Justice Minister, had urged Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein to ignore the “illegal” High Court ruling. Writing on Twitter, Justice Minister Amir Ohana called on Edelstein to openly defy the justices, followed by other influential ministers from the right-wing Likud and Yamina parties. “The court has officially taken over the Knesset, and from today the High Court has turned the Knesset speaker into a rubber stamp,” fumed

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Tourism Minister Yariv Levin. “There’s nothing like that in any democracy.”

Qatari ruler Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani announced this week that his kingdom will transfer $150 million to the Gaza Strip in order to assist in fighting the coronavirus. The grant will be spread over the next six months and will be extended on a monthly basis. In a statement, Qatar said that the funding is intended to “lessening the brotherly Palestinian people’s suffering.” Qatar’s largesse comes as the Gazan Health Ministry announced that it had discovered two cases of coronavirus in the Hamas-controlled Strip earlier this week. The two people infected were construction workers who had recently returned from Pakistan; 23 people who came in contact with them were quarantined. Following the discovery that two people were infected with the disease, Gazan authorities announced a series of steps to combat the pandemic that included closing outpatient clinics, postponing non-emergency surgery, and banning hospital visits. Hamas also ordered all mosques closed ahead of last week’s scheduled Friday prayers, while the Interior Ministry began monitoring goods that entered from Kerem Shalom crossing to ensure that they did not carry the coronavirus. Currently, 1,200 Gazans are quarantined, including senior Hamas official Taufiq Abu Na’im. Gaza had avoided an outbreak similar to what other Middle Eastern countries are suffering from due to the lack of travel in and out of the Strip. With every crossing controlled by Israeli and Egyptian officials, most Gazans are unable

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to exit the 8-kilometer-long territory, preventing the pandemic from spreading. Israel has been watching the developments in Gaza with concern due to fears that the spread of coronavirus could cause a humanitarian catastrophe in the overcrowded territory. “There is a number of people who are at risk through the poor living conditions and there are shortages everywhere in medications, electricity and supplies,” warned World Health Organization official Gerald

Rockenshaub on Sunday. “We are trying to address this but it’s a very challenging and difficult environment.”

Thousands Brought Back from Peru In a complex operation, Israel’s Foreign Ministry airlifted home thousands of young backpackers

who were stranded in Peru. Last Sunday, Peru announced that it would shutter its airspace to all international travel in order to protect the country from the coronavirus. The move left thousands of Israelis stuck in the country, with no way to leave the South American nation before the closure began. As the time ticked down until the travel ban would be put in place, hundreds of backpackers flooded Israel’s Foreign Ministry with pleas for help. With most of the hikers on their traditional post-army trip,

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their money was running out and they were facing the prospect of being stranded in Peru at the height of an international epidemic. Most airlines had already canceled their scheduled flights, leaving these Israelis with no way to return home. Initially, Israel had advised all of its citizens to congregate in Lima for a possible rescue flight but 700 of the backpackers were in the southeastern city of Cusco, nearly 400 miles away from Lima, with no transportation.

Their predicament was heavily covered by the media, and the resulting public pressure led Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz to send four El Al flights to Lima and bring home the estimated 1,000 tourists. Those rescued were not made to pay for their return flight, as the exorbitant cost of the four 787 Dreamliners was

footed by a slew of large corporations. However, a minor ruckus occurred when an estimated 100 Israelis refused the mandatory quarantine order upon landing at Ben Gurion Airport. Since early March, Israelis arriving from abroad are required to enter a 14-day quarantine after returning as a precautionary measure against the coronavirus. Yet a group of Israelis reportedly protested the quarantine at the airport, arguing with Health Department officials and vowing not to abide by the guidelines. “It’s a disgrace,” said Shlomo Mor-Yosef, who serves as the director-general of the Population and Immigration Authority. “People who fought to come back to Israel behaved as if they were on a field trip and didn’t understand what they were coming back to,” Mor-Yosef told the Yediot Aharonot daily. “The state made an enormous effort to repatriate them, sparing no expense, so I think that signing the declarations was the least they could do.” Those rescued from Peru were part of the 10,000 Israelis stuck overseas with no way to get home. Currently, the Transportation and

Foreign Ministries are working together to arrange flights from Brazil, Mexico, Australia, Costa Rica, India (Mumbai and New Delhi), Italy, Croatia, and Argentina. Another four Arkia flights were dispatched last week to bring a few hundred medical students back from Moldova, Georgia, and Hungary.

Tax Day Pushed Off

week. “State filing and payment deadlines vary and are not always the same as the federal filing deadline. The IRS urges taxpayers to check with their state tax agencies for those details.” The move comes amid mounting pressure for the IRS to defer taxes in order to avoid economic collapse. Last week, the House Ways and Means Committee wrote to the IRS asking to defer the deadline because “we are concerned about the ability of the IRS to provide taxpayer assistance and process returns, as well as the ability of taxpayers, free tax-preparation sites, and tax professionals to meet the filing deadline.”

$2T Economic Package

Americans now have an extra three months to file their taxes after Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin extended the tax deadline to July 15 on Friday. “At Donald Trump’s direction, we are moving Tax Day from April 15 to July 15. All taxpayers and businesses will have this additional time to file and make payments without interest or penalties,” Mnuchin tweeted. “I encourage all taxpayers who may have tax refunds to file now to get your money.” The decision to postpone the April 15 tax deadline was just another step in the series of measures by the Trump administration to help the economy cope with the effects of the coronavirus. Until Mnuchin’s announcement, White House officials had said that Americans could only defer payments until July without actually postponing filing. Previously, Mnuchin had spoken of allowing up to $1 million in deferred tax payments while corporations would be able to hold off payments of up to $10 million. Those choosing to defer payments would not be forced to pay penalties of additional fees. However, the tax relief only applies to federal, and not state income taxes. “Taxpayers also will need to file income tax returns in 42 states plus the District of Columbia,” the Internal Revenue Service said last

On Wednesday morning, after days of negotiations, White House and Senate leaders struck a major $2 trillion deal to jolt the economy. “Ladies and gentleman, we are done,” White House legislative affairs director Eric Ueland said right before 1 a.m. after leaving Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office following negotiations that have gone around the clock since last Friday. “We have a deal.” McConnell formally announced the agreement on the Senate floor, saying, “At last, we have a deal. After days of intense discussions, the Senate has reached a bipartisan agreement on a historic relief package for this pandemic.” $250 billion has been set aside for direct payments to individuals and families, $350 billion in small business loans, $250 billion in unemployment insurance benefits, and $500 billion in loans for distressed companies. The stimulus bill also has a provision that would block President Donald Trump and his family, as well as other top government officials and members of Congress, from getting loans or investments from Treasury programs in the stimulus.

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their payrolls and pay off their debts. In addition, the bill would provide a major amount of funding for hard-hit hospitals – $130 billion – as well as $150 billion for state and local governments that are cash-strapped due to their response to combat coronavirus.

Tulsi Gabbard Finally Quits

The plan will deliver a massive infusion of financial aid into a struggling economy hard hit by job loss, with provisions to help impacted American workers and families as well as small businesses and major industries including airlines. Larry Kudlow, Trump’s chief economic adviser, called the package “the single largest main street assistance program in the history of the United States” at a White House briefing on Tuesday.

“This legislation is urgently needed to bolster the economy, provide cash injections and liquidity, and stabilize financial markets to get us through a difficult and challenging period in the economy facing us right now,” Kudlow said. Under the plan as it was being negotiated, individuals who earn $75,000 in adjusted gross income or less would get direct payments of $1,200 each, with married couples earning up to $150,000 receiving

$2,400 – and an additional $500 per each child. The payment would scale down by income, phasing out entirely at $99,000 for singles and $198,000 for couples without children. Negotiators also discussed providing four months of unemployment benefits, extending to self-employed workers. Also, the bill would ensure the Small Business Administration could serve as a guarantor for loans of up to $10 billion for small businesses to ensure they can maintain

Hawaii Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard officially quit the Democratic Party’s presidential race and announced her support for apparent nominee Joe Biden last week. Gabbard, 38, announced the end of her long-shot candidacy on a video on her Facebook page. Gabbard’s decision to throw her support behind Biden was surprising, as she had been the only Democratic representative to support Senator Bernie Sanders in 2016. Like Sanders, Gabbard was openly hostile to the Democratic Party’s establishment, causing many to think that she would support the radical socialist again. Gabbard said, however, that she was endorsing Biden due to his electability that raised the chances of the Democrats defeating President Donald Trump. “Although I may not agree with the vice president on every issue, I know that he has a good heart, and he’s motivated by his love for our country and the American people,” said Gabbard. “After Tuesday’s election, it is clear that Democratic Primary voters have chosen Vice President Joe Biden to be the person who will take on President Trump in the general election.” Gabbard, an Iraq War veteran, had enjoyed strong grassroots support from an eclectic group of people that included anti-war Americans, libertarians, and anti-Trump Republicans. Nevertheless, her campaign had always been a longshot. She won only two delegates from the American Samoa on the Super Tuesday primaries.

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National Guard Deployed

President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that the federal government was deploying National Guard units “to carry out approved missions” and as a “backup” to state leaders in three states hit hardest by the coronavirus outbreak – New York, Washington, and California. Trump elaborated that the local governors would remain in command of their respective states. Stay at home orders, which encourage social distancing but allow people to leave their homes for tasks

such as purchasing food or medicine or going to work in essential jobs, have already been put into place in New York, New Jersey, California and Illinois since last weekend. This week, other states joined in including Connecticut, Louisiana, Ohio, and Delaware. New York is considered the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak, with nearly half of all cases nationwide. Breaking the stay at home order in New York may result in a fine. “These are not helpful hints.... There will be a civil fine and mandatory closure for any business that is not in compliance,” said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. On Monday, Senators Chris Murphy of Connecticut and Brian Schatz of Hawaii introduced a bill to require the president to fully use the Defense Production Act to ensure the supply of necessary medical equipment. The 1950 law, which Trump invoked last week but said he does not plan to use, grants the president the ability to force factories to produce necessary equipment and allocate resources as needed. The bill would allow Trump to ensure the production of at least 500 million N95 respirators, 200,000

ventilators, 20 million face shields, 500 million pairs of medical gloves, and 20 million surgical gowns. “Anything that can provide relief to the frontline troops, do it. I would go all in right now. All in,” said Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham. “Be all in on the medical supply front.”

Bloomberg Sued by Workers

Former campaign workers for Mike Bloomberg are suing the billionaire former presidential candidate for fraud, alleging in a nationwide class action lawsuit that as many as 2,000 employees were promised to be paid though the general election before he laid them off. The filing comes on the same day as another class action brought by a former Bloomberg field organizer that similarly argues that employees were tricked into taking jobs they were told would continue for a year. The lawsuit by the three former workers in Georgia, Utah and Washington state, also filed in federal court in New York City, contends that the field organizers were fraudulently induced to accept jobs with the Bloomberg campaign based on the promise of guaranteed salaries though November. Bloomberg on Friday purged all of those workers in six battleground states and guaranteed they would be paid only through the first week of April, with their benefits expiring at the end of that month. The first big round of layoffs across the rest of the country happened earlier this month, with their pay lasting though March 31. Bloomberg hiring materials described as coming from headquarters promised work with “Team Bloomberg” though November, regardless of whether he became the Democratic nominee, provided that the aides working across the country were willing to relocate. Bloomberg’s

team reiterated their plans to follow though – even if only in spirit –after the initial round of layoffs, when top campaign advisers indicated in emails and staff conference calls that they would be given priority on a planned Bloomberg super PAC. Instead, Bloomberg announced Friday that he had decided to transfer $18 million of his own money to the Democratic National Committee to help presumptive nominee Joe Biden. The campaign invited former field organizers to apply for jobs with the party through its “competitive process,” with no guarantee of a job. “Thousands of people relied on that promise. They moved to other cities. They gave up school, jobs, and job opportunities. They uprooted their lives,” the lawsuit states. “But the promise was false. After Bloomberg lost the Democratic nomination, his campaign unceremoniously dumped thousands of staffers, leaving them with no employment, no income, and no health insurance. “And, worse still, the Bloomberg campaign did this during the worst global pandemic since 1918, in the face of a looming economic crisis. Now thousands of people who relied on the Bloomberg campaign’s promise are left to fend for themselves.” A Bloomberg spokesperson issued a statement saying the campaign paid its staff wages and benefits that were “much more generous” than any other campaign this year. They said staff worked 39 days on average, but they were also given several weeks of severance and healthcare through March. Bloomberg field organizers were among the highest compensated in the election cycle and enjoyed generous health benefits, in addition to $5,000 for relocation costs. While all of the field organizers are believed to have signed at-will contracts with the campaign, they argue in the lawsuit that they can bring these claims based on evidence that they were induced to sign on because of the longevity promises made to them. The promise of sustained pay months after a campaign ends is exceedingly rare in politics. But in more than a dozen interviews with Politico, the former aides said it was key to their decision to join. Bloomberg quickly amassed a staff of thousands after launching in November, then ended his campaign after a feeble showing on Super Tuesday.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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Primaries Changed

On Monday, Rhode Island and Alaska became the latest states to make changes to their presidential primaries amid the coronavirus pandemic. Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo signed an executive order moving the Democratic and Republican presidential primary elections from April 28 to June 2. The order said the state board of elections would determine a “predominantly mail ballot” primary. Also on Monday, the Alaska

Democratic Party moved its party-run primary to all vote by mail, getting rid of all in-person voting. “All in-person voting across the state originally scheduled for April 4 has been canceled in favor of a more extensive vote-by-mail process approved unanimously by the Alaska Democratic Party Executive Committee,” a Facebook post by Alaska Democrats read. The deadline to vote by mail was extended from March 24 to April 10. The executive director of the Alaska Democratic Party, Lindsay Kavanaugh, said in a statement, “The Alaska Democratic Party has already mailed ballots to over 71,000 registered Democrats across the state, seven times the number of people that participated in the 2016 caucuses. We want to continue to allow for maximum participation in this historic primary while respecting the health and safety of our voters and volunteers.” The Alaska Republican Party also said its Republican state convention, which is scheduled to take place from April 2 to April 4, would convene electronically.

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Baby in Aisle 4

Most people heading into Walmart end up walking out with bags filled with paper towels or Kleenex. One woman, though, ended up leaving the supermarket with a brand new baby. Last week, a pregnant woman shopping in the toilet paper aisle in a Walmart in Missouri realized that her baby was coming. A nurse, who happened to be in the store, helped the surprised mom with the delivery, while a store manager worked to ensure that the woman’s privacy was maintained. Firefighters arrived on the scene to help with the delivery. It took 45 minutes for the baby to bounce into the world. Customers who were in the store cheered when the mom and newborn were taken by ambulance to the hospital. “You know a feel-good moment, everybody’s going through so much, and with a baby it’s like everything comes full circle,” the store manager said. The circle of life.

Nochomovitz lives in the French city of Balma and was on leave from his job as a restaurant worker. He decided to do something productive with his extra time stuck at home and completed the 26.2 miles in six hours and 48 minutes, a personal record nearly double that of his previous finish time. “My only pleasure is running, no matter what the time,” Nochomovitz, 32, said. He dedicated his run to medical staff working through this pandemic, who he feels are “doing an extraordinary job.” Although Nochomovitz has run 36 marathons, he said his balcony marathon was the most challenging. Due to the short length of the balcony, Nochomovitz was unable to gain any momentum or speed as he had to constantly turn back and forth. He said he ran about 3,000 laps. Throughout his run, his friend handed him M&Ms and Coca Cola to give him energy, so apparently his run wasn’t too healthy.

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Think you’re exempt from exercising because you’re stuck at home? Think again. Last week, Elisha Nochomovitz ran a marathon – on his 23-foot-long balcony.

He may only be six years old but he can drum up a storm. Devaagyh Dixit, known as India’s youngest drummer, was recently awarded the Guinness World Record for most drumbeats using drumsticks in three minutes. The six-yearold drumming prodigy managed to strike the drum a whopping 5,500 times in the allotted time. Dixit said he has been drumming since he was only a toddler. “When I had just turned two years old, my father brought a drum set for himself. It so happened that before he could lay his hands on the drums, I picked up the sticks and started playing the drums myself,” he told the Times of India.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Dixit said he plans to grow up to be a fighter jet pilot, but in the meantime, he is practicing every day to improve his drumming skills. Dum, diddity, dum, diddity, dum, dum, dum.

Ice Baths

Iceland may be famous for its soothing hot springs but there are those who are opting for freezing ice baths instead of warm waters. Bathers preferring the icy waters use slow, deliberate movements and practice deep breathing as they immerse themselves in the frigid frozen lake of Kleifarvatn. The temperature of the waters is a breathtaking minus six degrees Celsius (21.2 degrees Fahrenheit). Equipped with an axe, Andri Einarsson, the co-instructor on this unusual seminar, cuts a hole through the sheet of ice covering the lake, located less than an hour’s drive from the famous Blue Lagoon geothermal spa whose milky blue waters offer warm respite. Up on shore, the group of about 15, who have come from the outskirts of the capital Reykjavik, is getting ready. Clad in puffer jackets or thick sweaters, the participants warm up with a series of movements and breathing exercises reminiscent of the traditional Maori haka war dance. Slowly the participants put on their swimwear and then head into the water. They have been readying themselves for this moment, as they practiced bathing in water at 10 de-

grees, followed by a bath full of ice, before finally braving the frozen lake. Ingvar Christiansen said that the practice “completely changed (his) life and way of thinking,” as he recovered from a trying time in his life where he battled weight, burnout, and a troubled marriage. He now prefers cold baths to vacationing abroad. “When I got out, I felt like I was coming home from a two-week vacation in Spain. You dump everything: all your worries, all your anxiety, it goes away.” Um, he seems to have a very unusual take on vacations…

Human Hungry Hungry Hippos

What do you do when you’re stuck at home? For elderly residents at the Bryn Celyn Care Home in Wales, their days have been filled with cooking, exercise, and lots of arts and crafts. Game time, though, took on another meaning when residents enjoyed a life-size game of Hungry Hungry Hippos. Video of the game uploaded to Facebook shows residents using wheelchairs, sticks, plastic containers and a lot of balls to recreate handson version of the game. According to the footage’s description, “Residents really enjoyed playing a new game today Hungry Hippos. Lots of laughter to lift morale of the team and residents!” How about a game of Twister?

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Around the

Community MTA@Home

M

TA talmidim and families have been enjoying an incredible array of fun activities in the comfort of their own homes. From regular club

meetings to exciting events, everyone had a blast! Activities included a pizza-making ZoomLunch for sophomores with Rabbi Konigsberg and Rabbi Soniker, a yeshiva-wide

Chulent Club and Chulent Making Demonstration with the Konigsberg Family, and an unbelievable kumzitz with Joey Newcomb, which truly joined the entire MTA com-

Closed Building but Open Minds at YOSS

D

espite the unfortunate last-minute cancelation of school, in just a few days, the dedicated YOSS staff was up and running. With close to 100 online classes, videos, shiurim, and edutainment modalities to teach and inspire the students from preschool through the eighth grade, the boys have shown that they can continue learning as long as they can. From personal phone calls, Zoom technology, Microsoft Teams, and phone conferencing, every teacher and rebbe is doing their utmost to ensure that Torah education and general studies do not fall by the wayside during one of the greatest crisis in American history.

Zoom classes for most rabbeim and teachers and teleconferences for some are up and running and are the new normal, along with homework and Hagadah packets mailed out, pre-recordings are being sent out by rabbeim with stories, vignettes, and divrei Torah, and chizuk video was sent out by the yeshiva administration. Preschool moros are also sending out daily storytime and video lessons. YOSS thanks all the parents who have donated iPads, Chromebooks, and all connectivity devices required to get these classes up and running. May this crisis end soon and we will all greet each other back in school together!

munity together, bringing joy, light, and a tremendous sense of achdus to all.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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Around the Community

YOSS Faculty Engages National Mayor Edelman Announces Audience with Remote Learning Lawrence Mayoral Campaign

O

n June 16th, the Village of Lawrence will be conducting its Village election. Mayor Alex H. Edelman notes the following: “With modesty, enthusiasm and renewed commitment, I announce my candidacy for re-election as Mayor of the Incorporated Village of Lawrence. “I seek re-election because, having accomplished much, I believe there is more to do to ensure the continued high quality of life for every Lawrence resident.”

7,400 Kosher for Pesach Products

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OSS is also proud of three of its faculty members who have earned national fame with their online learning platforms. Morah Elana Fertig, Director of the Hollander ECC of YOSS, is featured on Torah Umesorah’s new online learning platform, set up especially for this crisis. Her classes, Morah and Me, can be seen at www. turesponse.org/preschool. Modeled after an early childhood classroom, Circle Time with Morah Elana Fertig adds structure to the day for the preschool-age child as she, in her a unique way, puts a strong emphasis on middos and hashkafa. Children all over the world will join Morah Elana as she captures their attention, interacts with them and shares her joy and enthusiasm with Klal Yisroel.

Rabbi Yitzy Ross’s Navi nightly shiur for middle school age boys has also gone viral! Over 1,000 children are learning every night with chazara and online tests! Please check out for yourself how Rabbi Ross engages so many boys from across the community and teaches them so many different parts of Torah which are not regularly learned in yeshivos. To join, go to www.studyingnavi.com. Rebbe Eli Herzberg’s site, www. shteig.com, also had 1,000’s of viewers across the world! In his unique way, Rebbe Eli teaches, entertains, and enthralls preschoolers and boys from younger elementary school about Torah, mitzvos, yomim tovim, and general knowledge. His site has an array of educational content to keep little boys leaning even though the school building is closed.

“The first of April is the day we remember what we are the other 364 days of the year.” - Mark Twain

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rthodox Union (OU) Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, has confirmed that the supply chain for kosher for Passover food has not been disrupted due to the COVID-19 outbreak. OU Kosher is certifying more than 7,400 products for Passover 2020, which are available both in the United States as well as overseas. Despite the long lines and panic shopping taking place at grocery stores around the country, there is an abundance of kosher food available for the upcoming holiday, according to the organization. “Kosher for Passover food products were produced at the end of the 2019 calendar year and shipped shortly thereafter,” said OU Kosher CEO Rabbi Menachem Genack. “As a result, there will not be any problem accessing kosher for Passover products.”

“Additionally, food manufacturers are continuing to produce food during this time and we have been assured by our clients – including Manischewitz, Empire, Kedem and others – that there is plenty available and that there is no issue with food production for Passover,” added Genack. OU Kosher puts out the country’s leading kosher for Passover product guide each year. To access the 2020 guide, go to: https://go.ou. org/passoverguide. OU Kosher, the world’s largest kosher certification agency, certifies more than 1 million ingredients in 10,000 plants in more than 100 countries. The agency certifies twothirds of all kosher-certified foods in the United States. For more information, https://oukosher.org/.

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s lots of people are home and bored, Ashley Blaker has uploaded the whole 90 minutes of his first Off-Broadway show “Strictly Unorthodox” for people to watch for free on YouTube. Previously it was only available via purchase or rental. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9GaP-bVFVI

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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An Exceptional Educational Experience at Home

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s the coronavirus pandemic continues and schools transition to a more sustained approach to distance learning, MTA introduced MTA@Home. The program reflects the yeshiva’s goal of joining talmidim at home to learn, rather than feeling the distance of remote learning. “Our rebbeim and faculty have invested countless hours in MTA@Home, providing our talmidim with the best educational experience at home, while also balancing the needs of their own families during this challenging time,” said Head of School Rabbi Joshua Kahn. “It’s truly inspiring to see how quickly our team, as well as our talmidim, have adapted to this new educational model and how much they have accomplished so far.” Last week’s MTA@Home highlights included an interactive demonstration in Mr. Goldberg’s Freshman Biology Lab, using an actual red snapper to illustrate the dichotomous keys used to identify different types of fish. Rabbi Danto’s Freshman Shiur has been participating in the Vhaarev Na program, which focuses on chazara b’retzifus – constant chazara over extended pe-

riods of time with no interruptions. Talmidim have been learning and chazering Maseches Megillah together all year, which has been more challenging to do over the past week. Rabbi Danto reached out to singer and composer Rabbi Baruch Levine, who composed the Vhaarev Na song, asking him to give divrei chizuk to the talmidim. Rabbi Levine joined

Rabbi Danto’s Shiur via Zoom and not only shared inspirational words, but also sang Vhaarev Na with the talmidim! Rabbi Tani Cohen’s Julius Wrubel Beis Medrash Katan Shiur enjoyed a virtual lunch, featuring a Q&A and a kumzits with live music. MTA@Home also provides support for both parents and faculty. The yeshiva’s Guidance Department

led an informative presentation for parents on creating healthy habits and structure for their children. MTA’s administration also held daily virtual faculty meetings to ensure that all rebbeim and faculty receive the proper support and guidance as they continue to provide talmidim with the strongest and most engaging virtual educational experience.

advice but don’t overdo it. Don’t engage in excessive or ritualistic behavior just to manage your anxiety. 4) Use technology to stay connected to loved ones, friends, colleagues and other sources of social support. Phone calls, video chat, text messages, and social media all work well. 5) Try to maintain regular life routines and schedules as best you can but be flexible. 6) Mindfully engage in deliberate selfcare. This looks different for everyone but some great choices are physical activity, creative endeavors, meditation, religious or spiritual practices, regular sleep, listening to music, reading, and spending time outdoors. 7) Eat healthy regular meals. This may be harder to do if you are stuck at home and have access to food all day, but preparing and eating great healthy food will improve your mood. 8) Change of routine, different re-

sponsibilities, and more time together can challenge close relationships. Focus on providing an extra dose of understanding, support, and communication to your loved ones. 9) If you have extra time, try to dedicate some of it to mastering a new skill or learning something. There are fantastic resources for learning all kinds of subjects and skills available online. Take advantage and grow. 10) If you find you it too difficult to manage on your own, consider scheduling a session with a social worker or other mental health professional. Many are now providing telehealth services and your medical insurance may now cover that service.

Top 10 Tips for Staying Calm By Dr. Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky

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ocial distancing, quarantining, and sheltering in place have many Americans panic-stricken and anxious. As we face uncertainty as to when this will end and who will be the next to contract the virus, our stress levels escalate. Add to that the 24/7 news updates, the sight of security at supermarkets and our attempts to work from home while the kids are out of school and most of us feel anything but calm. To help manage the stress, here

are some practical tips you can start implementing immediately. 1) Protect yourself from crisis-focused news and media. Limit how much time you spend reading and watching. Try setting specific times to check in, and make sure you are sticking to credible sources of information. 2) Take a break from social media if it isn’t making you feel better. Mute notifications, stop checking your feeds constantly, and unfollow unhelpful sources. 3) Take reasonable precautions and follow all medical and governmental

“Sweet April showers do spring May flowers.” - Thomas Tusser, 1557

Dr. Steven Tzvi Pirutinsky is an Associate Professor of Clinical Social Work at Touro College Graduate School of Social Work.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Around the Community

YCQ Virtual Learning Environment

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eshiva of Central Queens staff and students got off to an amazing start with their virtual learning environment. Using the Zoom platform, teachers created classes that can be easily accessed on the new YCQ webpage. Through training by the IT Department with the assistance of fourth grade teacher Eryn Kaplan and JHS Education Tech Coordinator, Teddy Richter, learning did not cease. The students joined their class or grade in the morning for davening and Judaic studies, and in the afternoon they kept up with math, language arts and other academic subjects. On Monday, YCQ will be launching specialties including gym, library story time and book discussion, computers, art, and music. The Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) and several teachers have been offering links to learning and activity-based resources through their Facebook page in addition to daily challenges. Parents have uploaded pictures and video clips of their children learning and participating

in the challenges including dressing like favorite book characters, building volcanoes, making beds, and playing nice with siblings. Principal Rabbi Mark Landsman shared words of chizuk every few days through video, and kids set up playdates using their Zoom accounts. On Thursday evening, students were able to log on to a pre-Shabbat ruach with rabbeim and listen and sing along to music, and the PTO set up a connection to a concert with DJ Eli. The YCQ school psychologist Dr. Sara Asher conducted a webinar for the entire YCQ family to help ease some of the anxiety being felt by all over the unknown and offered coping skills and suggestions on ways to help parents and staff stay strong and be there for our children so we all can get through this trying time. Every faculty member has been doing an incredible job acting as role models for their students and keeping the learning and fun going even in this difficult and scary time for all of us. With help from Hashem this too shall pass.

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“A Tectonic Shift”: Traditional Groups to Lead American WZC Delegation

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or the first time, groups promoting traditional religious values and Jewish rights in the entire Land of Israel will lead the American delegation to the 2020 World Zionist Congress. This comes according to initial results published on Monday and indicates a profound shift from five years ago, when liberal groups won a supermajority of delegates. The biggest surprise is the sudden launch of Eretz HaKodesh, which claimed the third largest block (over 15% of votes) despite starting from scratch without the backing of a sponsoring organization. “Our motivation was to protect the holiness of the Land of Israel and cultivate traditional Jewish

practices and beliefs,” said Rabbi Pesach Lerner, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values and leader of the Eretz HaKodesh campaign, “and we are grateful to all those who volunteered and voted on behalf of our new slate.” Overall, the success of traditional parties indicates the degree to which American Jews are now expressing their Jewish affiliation in more traditional ways. Rabbi Moshe Parnes, Dean of the Hollywood Community Kollel in Hollywood, Florida and an Eretz HaKodesh delegate, commented that “it’s so rewarding to see how many Jews, especially younger voters, are invested in preserving the Jewish character of the State of Israel. This

vote will help solidify the future of the Jewish people and unify the Jewish nation around its eternal, unchanging principles.” “Thank G-d, many segments of the Jewish community took this matter seriously,” added Rabbi Yaniv Meirov, CEO of the Chazaq organization, “and we see that the new Eretz HaKodesh slate headed by Rabbi Lerner, and other pro-tradition slates, succeeded greatly. We will see increased holiness and Torah in the Land of Israel because of this.” Marc Jacob, a lawyer in St. Louis, MO and an Eretz HaKodesh activist and delegate, said, “It is humbling that Eretz HaKodesh was able to achieve what we did in only our

first year in these elections. When we started, we had no idea so many people would turn this into their cause, that so many esteemed rabbinic leaders would back our efforts or that, in the end, we would see such success. Now that we have a seat at the table, the real work begins.” “This is a momentous occasion as we all stood up to the plate in recognition of the importance of building Torah in the Holy Land,” concluded Rabbi Yechezkel Moskowitz, an Eretz HaKodesh delegate and president of Chovevei Zion. “But this is just the beginning; now we must push forward and address the challenges that lie ahead of us.”

Set Your Seder Table Royally with Hazorfim’s New Silver Collections

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azorfim, the world’s leading silver brand, is now launching its new Pesach collections. This is your chance to enhance your Seder table with exquisite, artistic designs at especially attractive prices. Each collection includes several items, with a huge variety of designs to suit every taste. And now, Hazorfim is offering its customers the option of custom ordering additional pieces from the same collection, so that your Seder table will have stunning, matching silver pieces for an overall harmonious look. Each collection includes all the traditional items that grace the Seder table: wine decanters, kiddush sets, the Kos of Eliyahu, Seder plates, candelabras, and more. Hazorfim CEO Yakov Merdinger, known as the world’s No. 1 silversmith, is excited by how Hazorfim has earned its reputation for superior quality and beauty. “Nothing could be more fitting than to celebrate Pesach, the holiday that brings extended family together, with magnificent Hazorfim silver pieces that are passed down from generation to generation!” he said.

Exclusive at Hazorfim! HSP, Hazorfim Silver Protect, the protective coating that prevents tarnishing and saves you hours of work. No more polishing silver with HSP!

Visit Hazorfim at our flagship store in Borough Park at 4424 13th Ave, or in Williamsburg at 67 Lee Ave. Hazorfim has also opened three new locations: 1412 Avenue M in

Flatbush, 167 E. Kennedy Blvd. in Lakewood, and at Regal Silver, 7 Van Buren Drive in Monroe.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Your

Neighbors Are

Struggling This Pesach, give them the gift of

Redemption. of your donation milies in need goes directly to fa

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TO MAKE A DONATION, PLEASE VISIT WWW.JCCRP.ORG/DONATIONS OR MAIL A CHECK TO 1525 CENTRAL AVE. FAR ROCKAWAY, NY 11691 FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL 718.327.7755

Lzecher Nishmas Dr. Esther Rose Lowy aec wgvi axd za `fiex xzq`

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

What Did You Do This Week?

TJH Readers Productively Enjoy Their Time at Home

Making paper mache balloons Shmuel Schwartz, age 11

Shmuel Moshe and Rina Lipman, ages 6 and 4 Rachel Kaplan, age 12

Rochie Stern, age 13

Dovid Aryeh H, age 12

Malkie Schulman, age 10

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Around the Community

Bat ya berg, Ehren a g e 14 Talented builders

Avi Halpert, age 8 Tali W.

Sam Torczyner, age 7

De e n a Orlofsky, age 4 Dovi Meyers, age 4 The Schwartz family

Chani Horwitz, age 12

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Around the Community

A talented musician

Esti Gantz, age 14

Yisroel Isaacson, age 9 Eliana Hawk, age 9

Rina Rosenberg, age 10

Ariella and Goldie Rosenman, ages 10 and 15

Chayala Rauch, age 6

Rivi Rosenthal, age 10

Eliyahu, Meir Simcha and Nechama, ages 11, 14, and 7

Tehilla, Ahuva, and Atara Badian, ages 10, 8, and 4

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Around the Community Sima Bugayer, age 6

Shmuel Blau, age 9

Ben Rokach, age 12 Tzippi Milstein, age 10 Aviva Shulman, age 4

Avi Silve

Cleaning the car for Pesach Shlomo H, age 8

Moshe Kraus, age 12

r, age 4

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

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M E M O R Y

Remembering

Menachem Gelbtuch Menachem Mendel ben Mordechai On his First Yahrtzeit By Sara Kramer

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t’s hard to believe that a year has passed since the petirah of my wonderful baby brother, Menachem. At the age of 33, he was taken from us in the prime of his life. I remember the day all too clearly. It was seemingly just another Wednesday morning which had begun as any other. Menachem was extremely scheduled and had a very specific seder to his day. He would wake up at 4:30 a.m., leave the house at 5 a.m. to go for a brisk walk on Ocean Parkway, then head back home to quickly shower, go to daven Shacharis, and then head on to the subway in order to arrive at his desk by 8

a.m. My mother had heard the door close when Menachem had left at 5 a.m., but he had never returned home. Dealing with his sudden death has been extremely difficult, leaving us all with a gaping hole in our shattered hearts. The relationship that Menachem had with me was based on pure ahava, as we had a tremendous bond with one another. There was absolutely nothing that I would’ve wanted to change in our relationship. While I was married, and he was still single and living at home with my parents, we were fortunate enough to spend lots of quality time together. Being that we lived close by, Menachem would visit every Friday night after the seudah. This was always the highlight of our week. He would always taste our food and compliment me on it (but only when a compliment was genuinely warranted). We would catch up on the week, discuss global events, politics, history (particularly Jewish history, as Menachem was quite the historian), and other thought-stimulating topics. Menachem was extremely wellread, smart, and strongly opinionated but had also somehow managed to never be argumentative during a discussion, even (as my husband has always pointed out) when we had a Shabbos table filled with several other strongly opinionated guests.

On Friday afternoons, Menachem would get off the subway and stop by our house. We would schmooze, and he would try some of my Shabbos food and say hi to the kids who would always be so excited to see their Uncle Menachem. He was so extremely helpful, thoughtful, and genuinely interested in assisting us with anything that could possibly come up. He’d often call me on Sundays to ask if we needed him to pick anything up for us. Menachem always took his nieces out for ice cream, pizza, or to the park, and never expected anything in return. He would take them out as a group, as well as individually, in order to give each and every one of them that special “Uncle Menachem Day” treat that only he was able to provide. If I had to choose one word to describe Menachem, it would be pure. Menachem was a pure, temimisdike soul, who spent his entire life doing good for others. He did not have a bad bone in his body. He had no airs about himself but rather he was a self-proclaimed “pashuteh Yid.” Menachem had no interest in the gashmiusdik things in his life and had always focused on the old school values which were so very rare for someone his age, especially for an unmarried man in today’s day. Menachem was always laser-focused on

what was important in life. Being single while making a good parnassah, he could have spent his free time traveling around the world, eating in fancy restaurants, and buying expensive clothing, but none of these things were important to him. The most valued thing to Menachem was family. After his petirah, a coworker had sent pictures of Menachem’s cubicle to us, and we couldn’t believe what it showed. Menachem had dedicated an entire wall of pictures for his siblings and their families, as well as of his late grandparents, great-grandparents, and (to our surprise) of the Kopiciner Rebbe, with whom he had maintained a very close relationship with up until his petirah. Menachem used to meet with the Rebbe once a week, and sought advice on everything from general work matters, to dating, and other areas of life. In fact, it was this relationship with the Kopiciner Rebbe of Boro Park, which had strengthened his emunah and encouraged him to become more learned, which had ended up giving him the level of confidence that we were just not used to seeing from him in the past. Menachem was extremely close to all of his siblings, cousins, and especially his beloved nieces and nephews. Every single one of them had a special place in his heart. With every phone call, and each

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

visit, he’d catch up on what they were learning in school, their summer plans, and their extracurricular activities. Menachem never forgot any of their birthdays. In fact, three days before his sudden petirah, he came to our house and delivered a birthday present to our daughter Yehudis and had also brought with gifts for our other girls as well. Our children were very fortunate to be living near their Uncle Menachem. Each Shabbos, Menachem would offer to walk them to playdates. He’d arrange to daven at an early Mincha so that he could be available to then come over to our house and pick them up. As my father had said at the levaya, “Menachem may not have had his own children, but his nieces and nephews were his children,” and this couldn’t have been more true. Menachem had a true passion for our family history and had spent much of his free time studying the family tree, as well as connecting with long lost family on social media. Upon connecting with some of these family members, Menachem took my mother on a trip to Israel in order to meet with many of them, many of which he had forged meaningful long-term relationships with. One of the middos that I most admire about Menachem was his level of hakaras hatov. Menachem thanked everyone that had helped him in any way. After his petirah, we found an email that he had sent to a doctor, thanking her for her level of care that she bestowed upon him. He sent beautiful emails to shadchanim thanking them for taking the time to set him up. Most importantly, he thanked my mother every single day for the food that she served and prepared for him. Menachem demonstrated exemplary levels of kibbud av va’eim for my father and mother. In all of his 33 years, he had never caused my parents a moment of grief. Menachem never asked them for any material things, and he was always grateful for what he had. He never challenged them and always respected their wishes. Menachem had always looked after my parents, especially for our mother. A few days before his petirah, there was

an aufruf which my parents were planning to attend and the weather forecast was calling for a snow. Being that my mother was struggling with a bad knee and was not walking well, Menachem made it his business to daven at a hashkama minyan that Shabbos morning, so that he could be available to then come home and walk her to the aufruf. In fact, during the shiva, many

will be celebrating the upcoming bar mitzvah of our nephew without Menachem’s physical presence, while also remembering how Menachem had listened to his early leining practices. Menachem is now in his final resting place next to the kisei hakavod, while basking in all of Hashem’s glory. I think about him often and about the most beautiful and

Menachem was always laser-focused on what was important in life.

of Menachem’s non-Jewish co-workers came to ask my mother how her knee was doing, as Menachem had often spoken about his concerns for her to his friends in the office. Menachem was an extreme anav who never spoke about himself or his many accomplishments. Over the course of the years, he had written many articles related to State & Local Sales Tax laws (SALT), of which he was an expert in, but had never spoken much about it. He had also received promotions at work, of which none of us were privy to. In fact, it wasn’t until after his petirah, that, upon seeing the picture of a sign in front his cubicle, we had discovered he had been promoted to manager of the State and Local Tax Department. Menachem had quietly given tzedakah to many people and had also helped them find jobs by either handing in resumes for them or connecting them with others in the industry that could help. He also spent a lot of time helping to make shidduchim by setting up girls he had dated with others that he thought it may work with. It has been very challenging to celebrate Shabbosim, yomim tovim, and family simchos without Menachem, as the void has been truly felt. It is especially difficult knowing that in a few weeks’ time iy”H we

loving relationship that we had. While I still can’t seem to shake the incredible sadness that is felt from knowing that he is no longer with us, I also feel lucky knowing that

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we have had such a temimisdik soul who I got to spend 33 wonderful years with. In Menachem’s few years, he accomplished everything that he needed to do in this world, and that doesn’t surprise me, as he probably accomplished more than most people accomplish in a lifetime. I believe that he is happy and that he is smiling while looking down upon us. We hope to follow in his ways, and not get caught up in the frivolities of life in order to make him proud. We hope that he is still getting nachas from his nieces and nephews. Most importantly, I feel so lucky to have been able to call him my brother, and I also fully believe that he is davening for us and the rest of klal Yisroel. Yehi zichro baruch. P.S. If anyone has a story, thought or memory regarding Menachem, a”h, that they would like to share, kindly email reginagelbtuch@ gmail.com. It would be most appreciated.

Serving our community for over 30 years

MARCH 26,29, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 2015 | The Jewish Home

TJH

Centerfold

Give Me an A! Letter equations are well-known phrases or facts where the key words have been replaced with the first letter of that word. These are often in the form of an equation, which contain a number, an = sign, and the rest of the obscured phrase or fact. Good luck figuring out these fun phrases.

You gotta be kidding A state trooper pulls a car over on a lonely back road and approaches the driver and asks for his license. The officer sees that the driver, Jimbo, has a fairly clean driving record so he says, “Jimbo, is there a reason that you’re weaving all over the road?” Jimbo replies, “Oh, officer, thank goodness you’re here! I almost had an accident. I looked up and there was a tree right in front of me. I swerved to the left and there was another tree in front of me. I swerved to the right and there was another tree in front of me!” Reaching through the window to the rearview mirror, the officer replies, “Jimbo, that’s your air freshener.”

A) 1 = P of P P that P P P B) 1, 2, 3 S Y O at the O B G C) 365 D in a Y D) 9 = P in the SS

Riddle me this?

E) 88 = PK F) 32 = D at which W F G) 9 = J on the S C H) 7 = D in S W

Mr. Pitman was a very rich man who liked to see how smart the local kids were. One day, he came into town with a little safe and announced that there was $1,000 in the safe for anyone who could get it open. He showed the crowd five different colored keys and the person who figured out which key was the correct one for the safe got to keep the money. Using the clues, do you think you could figure it out and win $1,000? H) 7 Dwarfs in Snow White

Red: This key is somewhere to the left of the key to the door.

G) 9 Judges of the Supreme Court

Blue: This key is not at one of the ends.

F) 32 Degrees at which Water Freezes E) 88 = Piano Keys D) 9 Planets in the Solar System

Green: This key is three spaces away from the key to the door (2 between). Yellow: This key is next to the key to the door. Orange: This key is in the middle. See answer below

C) 365 Days in a Year B) 1, 2, 3 Strikes You’re Out at the Old Ball Game

Answer to Riddle Me This: The order (from left to right) is Green, Red, Orange, Blue, Yellow. The blue key is the key to the door.

A) 1 = Peck of Pickled Peppers that Peter Piper Picked Answers:

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015

nagram

hmanagram

As you hang out at home, it’s time to sharpen those brain cells with the following game: Two numbers are given in each sentence that need to be replaced by words that have the amount of letters indicated by the number. Each word is an anagram of the other (just to remind you: an anagram is a type of word play where you rearrange the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase), except that one word contains an additional letter that the other word lacks. Based on the clues given in each sentence, do your best to figure out what the two words are. The numbers given in each sentence indicate the number of letters in each word. Some of the words may be formed without rearranging the letters, and the only difference between the words in this case is the one letter that has been added to one of the words. If you get 5 correct, you are pretty good. If you get seven or more correct, you can probably teach your next online class! 1) The (6) lunatic (5) the entire town to the ground. 2) He could remember what the castle’s (5) looked like years later from (4). 3) If they do not serve (4) in this restaurant, we will (5). 4) (6) a quarter in the game or it will remain (5). 5) He was so shy that he remained (5) the whole time he was at the party. He was afraid of looking like a (4). 6) The (5) scene is known as the (6). 7) I’m surprised that you found the (5) to be (6). I’ve always liked the striped animal. 8) The possibility of acquiring the company drew the industry (7) to the meeting like a (6). 9) The soldier began to (5) liquor before every battle, and unless he had some, he became (6) and unable to fight. 10) The children laughed when the teacher promised a (4) to the student who scored the highest on the (5) test.

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10) Dime, Timed

5) Aloof, Fool

9) Crave, Craven

4) Insert, Inert

8) Magnate, Magnet

3) Veal, Leave

7) Zebra, Brazen

2) Tower, Rote

6) Final, Finale

1) Crazed, Razed Answers:

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The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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Torah Thought

Parshas Vayikra By Rabbi Berel Wein

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n this week’s Torah reading, the Torah describes for us the rituals of offering sacrifices in the Temple. Our generation and our society are far removed from the concept of animal sacrifices and, because of this, the Torah reading somehow does not really speak directly to us. Already in the 13th century, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon offered the idea that we have to view sacrifices for the value that they entail and not so much for the rituals themselves. Even though one of the six sections of the Mishnah and the Talmud concerns itself almost exclusively with the laws and rituals of animal sacrifices, this

has become more of a theoretical and scholarly exercise, without it having any practical effect upon our lives. When The temple will be rebuilt, then all these things will become actualized once more, but for now they are theoretical. Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon said that the idea of sacrifice was that the person offering the sacrifice should see his own self as being the sacrifice. This means that one must sacrifice one’s desires, habits, lifestyle and all sorts of other pleasures to the service of G-d and of Israel. This type of sacrifice certainly remains alive and necessary today as well, and it entails

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the ability to give away what we think is ours for a cause that we believe to be greater and nobler than our own personal needs and wants. Because of this, the concept of sacrifices has cogency and meaning for each one of us. If we look at our lives, we see that every day we make choices in which ultimately we offer the sacrifice of oneself, one’s interests, and one’s own desires, for a higher cause. There are many different types of sacrifices listed in this week’s Torah reading. There is a sacrifice that is a complete donation to G-d where the man or woman bringing the sacrifice really has no immediate or material benefit. This altruism was reserved usually for public sacrifices that were offered twice a day in the Temple. There are sacrifices, however, that

knowledge that we found ourselves in terrible difficulty, in great danger and we survived and emerged from the crisis…with help. We must admit that we did not do it on our own. We are thankful to others and we are thankful to our Creator for having allowed us to be able to survive the issue, that is a sacrifice of ego. No one wants to admit that we need help from others. We all desire to be self-sufficient in the broadest sense of the word. But life teaches us that none of us are completely self-sufficient, that all of us are dependent upon others. Then there are sacrifices that mark our holidays that are, so to speak, ritual sacrifices imposed upon us by history. The sacrifice of the paschal lamb is the outstanding example of this. We cannot proceed with the future unless

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We cannot proceed with the future unless we are aware of the past.

are very personal. There are sacrifices that are meant to atone for sins and only we know which sins we have committed. There are sacrifices for wrongdoing when we are not even certain if the wrongdoing occurred. Because of this, we are constantly involved in reassessing our lives and rethinking events and policies that we have subscribed to. People change during their lifetime, and hopefully they mature and see things in a different light. The idea of sacrifice for sins past makes for a stronger present and a brighter future. There are also sacrifices of thanksgiving. That is a sacrifice of one’s own ego. In this instance, we have to ac-

we are aware of the past and are aware of the sacrifices of the past that enable us to even contemplate a future, a better future. All these ideas are encompassed in the ritual laws of the sacrifices introduced in this week’s Torah reading. The Torah reading begins by G-d calling out to Moshe. The same word in Hebrew that represents calling out also represents glory and honor. Because of that, when we hear G-d calling out to us, governing our behavior and thoughts, then we are aware of the glory and honor of being part of the people of Israel. Everyone should stay healthy and cheerful. Shabbat shalom.

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

From the Fire

Parshas Vayikra The Sweetness of Truth By Rav Moshe Weinberger Adapted for publication by Binyomin Wolf

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t is hashgacha pratis, Divine providence, that in the parsha which occurs right before Pesach we read the pasuk (Vayikra 2:11), “You shall not place chometz in any meal offering that you offer to Hashem, because you may not burn any leavening or honey in a burnt offering to Hashem.” We readily understand why we may not place chometz in the ketores, incense offering, or the mincha, the meal offering, because, as the Sefer Hachinuch explains, chometz is the symbol of gaavah, arrogance. In the words of the Sefer Hachinuch, “Because leavening lifts itself up [and may therefore not be offered with the incense or a meal offering] to hint at the fact that haughtiness of the heart is an abomination to Hashem.” This is the opposite of the matzah, which is the lachem oni, the bread of poverty, which is the personification of humility and self-effacement. As the Maharal explains, the bread of poverty is the bread of liberty and redemption (Gevuros Hashem 51): “The redemption did not occur because of [anything in] this world; rather, because of the upper, simple world.” In fact, when the kohen gadol, the high priest, entered the kodesh ha’kedoshim, the holy of holies, on Yom Kippur, he did so only wearing the bigdei lavan, the white, simple garments. When a person

wants to access holiness, he must negate his exaggerated sense of self and approach G-d with simplicity; with matzah and not with chometz. It is difficult, however, to understand why we may not put honey into the incense or meal offerings, which seems like it would make those offerings into even more of a “raich nicho’ach,” a pleasing fragrance to Hashem. In this regard, the Sefer Hachinuch also explains that this is a lesson to those that constantly seek sweetness in everything of this world “according to the ways of the pleasure seekers and fressers who are drawn after everything sweet.” They should know that not everything has to be as sweet, delicious, and fragrant as they can make it. In other words, avoiding going overboard on sweetness is not something that applies only to physical pleasures. The Sefer Hachinuch is teaching us that avoiding excessive sweetness does not only apply in physical matters, as opposed to spiritual ones. Even in matters of Torah and mitzvos, our service of Hashem should not be dependent on how easy or good things feel. Rather, the sweetest thing about our service of Hashem should be the very act of serving Hashem. Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, in Mesilas Yesharim explains that there is nothing technically wrong with

a person serving Hashem in order to merit to achieve closeness with Hashem, delight in Hashem, or some worldly reward for his service. These types of motivations, he explains, are not true purpose of serving Hashem because such a person’s service is ultimately for his own personal benefit. “Rather, the true purpose is found among those pious people who work and toil to fulfill Hashem’s will, who serve Hashem only for the sake of increasing the honor of the Master of the world ... [and such people] are pained by anything that diminishes from that honor.” The words of the Rambam in this regard are like honey. The following teaching is one of those that deserve to be placed on a sign in every Jew’s home (Hilchos Teshuva 10:2): “Those who serve Hashem out of love learn Torah, do mitzvos, and live according to the paths of wisdom do not do so because of anything in the world or because of a fear of punishment or in order to receive some good. Rather, they live according to the truth because it is true, although in the end, good will come because of it.” According to this principle, we can understand the prohibition against placing honey in the incense and meal offerings. Rav Kook explains the following portion relating to the incense offering in the siddur: “And Bar Kafra further taught that were

they to put a measure of honey [into the incense], the smell [would be so wonderful] that no one would be able to stand it. And why do we not then mix honey [into the incense]? Because the Torah says (Vayikra 2:11), ‘You may not burn any leavening or honey in a burnt offering to Hashem.’” In Rav Kook’s siddur (Vol. 1, p. 144), he points out that Bar Kafra’s answer to his own question seems to beg the question. One could say “because the Torah said so” to answer any question ever asked. The real question is why the Torah said not to offer honey with the incense. How, then, is Bar Kafra’s answer satisfying? Rav Kook answers by emphasizing that that one should not seek out the reason why Hashem forbade the intense sweetness of the smell of honey in the incense. A Jew must know that the sweetness of the incense comes from only one thing: “because the Torah said so.” The word of Hashem is the source of all sweetness in the world and in our lives, and we do not require anything else. We do what is true and right because it is the will of Hashem, because it is true. It is known that Reb Zusha of Anapoli was almost never able to listen to a complete lesson given by his rebbe the Magid of Mezrich. The Magid would begin each lesson by quoting a pasuk, “Va’yidaber Hashem el Moshe l’aimor, and Hashem

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

spoke to Moshe saying...” Immediately, Reb Zusha would rise to his feet and exclaim, “Did you hear that? Hashem Himself spoke to a human being! Gevalt!” He would then carry on until the chassidim had to carry him out of the room so that the Magid could complete the lesson. Years later, Reb Baruch of Mezibuz was recounting this recurring event to his chassidim, and they began to snicker and laugh at Reb Zusha. Reb Baruch admonished them, “If you knew what it meant to hear the word of Hashem like Reb Zusha did, you would also not need to hear anything else. That would be enough.” We see from here that even if a person would put honey into the incense to make it so sweet that no one could stand before the fragrant smell, the simple act of keeping the will of Hashem by not putting the honey into the incense is even sweeter. We see this idea in a strange incident involving the prophet Yechezkel as well. Hashem commanded him to eat a scroll called the megillas churban, the scroll of the destruction of the Jewish people, which was filled with lamentations, suffering, and weeping. Yechezkel did as Hashem commanded, and he ate the scroll. Suffering is generally something we consider bitter, but Yechezkel said (3:3), “And in my mouth it was sweet like honey.” Even the bitter and difficult decrees of Hashem can be sweet with the recognition that they are the d’var Hashem, the word and will of Hashem. The prophet Yirmiyahu endured suffering and humiliation from the moment he accepted the “job” of serving as Hashem’s prophet to warn the Jewish people of their pending downfall if they did not do teshuva. Yirmiyahu said (15:15-16), “Know that I bear humiliation because of You [Hashem]. I have found Your words and eaten them, and your words have been to me for joy and gladness of heart because your name is called upon me.” Although Yirmiyahu experienced nothing but suffering for his prophecies, he exulted in the knowledge that he was receiving and carrying out the word of Hashem, which was the sweetest thing in the world to him.

Even now, as we begin preparing for Pesach in earnest, we experience the sweetest bitterness. As the old song Al kol eilah goes, “Al ha’devash v’al ha’oketz; al ha’mar v’ha’matok, over the honey and the thorns, over

When we recognize the sweetness in things because of the simple fact that they come from Hashem, we see the sweetness even in hard work or suffering. There is a story of the Kotzer Reb-

The word of Hashem is the source of all sweetness in the world and in our lives.

the bitter and the sweet...” There is nothing sweeter than cleaning for Pesach in order to live according to the truth because it is true. There is no greater lesson for our children than when a child asks his or her parents why they are working so hard, why this time is different from any other time, and those parents, covered in sweat, answer that it is “because the Torah said so.” Rosh Chodesh Nissan is also the day on which the Mishkan was inaugurated, which was the most joyous day since the creation of the world. It was also the day the sons of Aharon, the tzaddikim Nadav and Avihu, died when they brought a sacrifice (Vayikra 10:1) “which Hashem did not command them.” Chazal offer a variety of explanations of the exact nature of their sin. Usually, when many reasons are offered, it is because the reasons are not entirely clear. We see one thing from the pesukim, however, which is that they were killed because they sought to add some extra level of sweetness in their service of Hashem but “which Hashem did not command them.” At the Seder, we say, “What does the wise son say? ‘What are the testimonies, decrees, and ordinances which Hashem your G-d has commanded you?’ You shall then teach him the halachos, the laws, of Pesach...” A wise person knows that the greatest sweetness is found in Shulchan Aruch, the code of Jewish law, when one connects to Hashem by keeping the will of Hashem because it is Hashem’s will, who lives according to the truth because it is true.

be at the Seder. One year, it appeared as if he was going to skip maror and go to the meal. The chassidim at the table signaled to the Avnei Nezer, the Kotzker’s son-in-law, to say something. So the Avnei Nezer approached his father-in-law and said, “Maror?” The Kotzker then slammed his fist on the table and yelled, “Maror fressers! Maror fressers! Maror snackers!” over

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and over again. The chassidim became frightened, and all of them ran out except for the Avnei Nezer. When the Kotzker stopped yelling, he asked the Avnei Nezer why everyone left, so he explained that they were afraid. The Kotzker then told the Avnei Nezer that there was enough suffering and bitterness in the world that we do not need to ask for it. He did not forget about maror but was trying to accomplish something which would end the bitterness. By living according to the truth because it is the truth, and by keeping Hashem’s will simply “because the Torah said so,” we will soon merit to live in a time when all of our tears will be turned to joy b’vias go’el tzedek she’yavo b’m’heira b’yameinu. Amen.

Rav Moshe Weinberger, shlita, is the founding Morah d’Asrah of Congregation Aish Kodesh in Woodmere, NY, and serves as leader of the new mechina Emek HaMelech.

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MARCH 26,29, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 || The Jewish Home OCTOBER 2015 The Jewish Home

Between the Lines

Identity Theft By Eytan Kobre

The true theft is not financial. It’s not in cyberspace. It’s spiritual. It’s been taken. -Stephen Covey

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n 1887, a German expat living in Hoboken, New Jersey, one Emanuel Ninger – later referred to popularly as “Jim the Penman” – walked into a bar and ordered a drink, handing the bartender a crisp $50 bill. As the barkeep took the bill with his wet hands, however, he noticed an ink smudge on the bill. I’ve known him for years, thought the barkeep. Mr. Ninger cannot be a counterfeiter. So the barkeep returned to his work, and Ninger finished his drink and left. But fifty dollars was a significant sum in 1887, and the barkeep couldn’t shake his reflexive skepticism. He called the police, who called the United States Secret Service, and, after confirming the bill was indeed counterfeit, they went straight for Ninger’s home. There, they stormed the attic and

discovered that Ninger apparently was a master artist, painting realistic-looking bills with just brushes and paint! But they also found in the attic three portraits Ninger had painted, each of which was later sold for more than $5,000 – an immense sum in 1887 currency. The great irony was that it took Ninger roughly the same time to paint a dollar bill as it did for him to paint a $5,000 portrait! Ninger was a thief alright, but the person he stole from most was himself. “Speak to the Jewish people, and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to G-d, you shall bring your offering of the cattle, of the herd, or of the sheep” (Vayikra 1:2). The Torah’s use of the word “adam” for man (rather than “ish”) means to compare this sacrifice offeror to the original Adam (i.e., Adam HaRishon) – just as Adam HaRishon did not and could not bring a sacrifice of stolen goods (everything belonged to him), so too our sacrifices may not contain even a whiff or derivative of theft (Vayikra Rabba 2:7; Rashi, Vayikra 1:2). It is not enough simply to refrain from stealing; one must be perfectly clean and clear of theft to the same degree as Adam HaRishon, for whom even a scintilla of theft liter-

ally was impossible. That is the reason a bird burnt-offering (Olas HaOf) is not brought completely on the Altar, whereas an animal burnt-offering (Olas Beheima) is (compare Vayikra 1:13 and Vayikra 1:16). The former flies about pinching food from what it is not entitled to, while the latter is confined to eating only from its owner’s field (Vayikra Rabba 3: 4; Rabbeinu Bachaye, Vayikra 1:16; Sefas Tamim, Chapter 2). G-d despises theft. And just as He rejects such theft – even if offered up to Him – so too we are to reject theft, thoroughly and completely (Sukka 30b; Yeshaya 61:8; Rabbeinu Bachaye, Vayikra 1:16; Maharsha, Kesubos 67a; Vayikra Rabba 30:6). Now, it may be, as Arthur Schopenhauer observed, that “a man of business...will absolutely refuse to commit a theft,” but it is equally true that he “will often deceive you without the slightest scruple.” Or, as R’ Moshe Chaim Luzatto put it, “most people will not steal openly,” but “most will taste the taste of theft in business” through a variety of seemingly-inconsequential improper practices (Mesilas Yesharim, Chapter 11). That is the majority of people, who are guilty of some form of theft or another (Bava Basra 165a; see also Michtav M’Eliyahu, Vol. 2,

pg. 37; Ahavas Chesed 3:4). But that is what we learn from the comparison to Adam HaRishon: theft is theft, no matter how (seemingly) inconsequential. A childless man once came to R’ Zev of Zbarazh seeking a blessing for child-bearing. The rebbe was happy to oblige but requested a pidyon (soul-redemption donation) of three rubles, which the man happily gave. The rebbe further told the man that, for the next year, he should request a blessing for children from each and every person who eats at his table. The man agreed to this too and returned home. A year later, the man returned with joyful news – he and his wife had just welcomed a son into the world! When the rebbe heard this, he walked over to a cabinet and pulled out the same three rubles the man had given him a year earlier. The man seemed puzzled, and the rebbe was quick to explain. “When you came to see me a year ago, I realized I could not help you. So I advised you to seek the blessings of all who come to your table for a year; surely someone amongst those guests would be worthy enough to bestow a potent blessing upon you. So long as I hadn’t heard that your heartfelt desire for a child

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015

had been satisfied, I could not use the money, as that would be theft. Now that your wish has indeed been granted, I may use the money.” Such meticulousness was the rule, not the exception, for our sages of yesteryear. The Chofetz Chaim once returned a sizable and desperately-needed donation to his yeshiva because the check was accompanied by a letter addressing the Chofetz Chaim with such honorifics that he was afraid the donor had offered the money on false pretenses. The Steipler Gaon owned a copy of the Sefer Kochav MiYaakov but he refused to use it because he had bought it at a bargain price and was later concerned that the seller failed to grasp its true value when selling it. And so on and so on and so on, such stories are as legion as they are motivating. Our sages went through such mind-bending efforts because even the slightest infringement on the monetary rights of others is considered theft. Among them: the theft of even a penny (see e.g. Bava Kama 119a); using the possessions of even close family members without permission (see e.g. Tana d’Bei Eliyahu, Chapter 15; Yerushlami, Bava Basra 7b); assisting one poor person over another (Pei’ah 5:6); and countless other “trifling” infractions that society overlooks but that we do not (see e.g. Pele Yoetz, Gzeila). And it’s easy to see why. Theft is arguably the gravest of all sins (Tanchuma, Noach 4; Shaarei Teshuva 3:24 [other sins may be graver, but theft brings swifter punishment]). Despite its various depravities, the Generation of the Flood was doomed to destruction on account of theft (Sanhedrin 108a; Vayikra Rabba 33:3). Theft causes drought (Taanis 7b), plague (Erchin 16a), locust and hunger, and it results in people consuming the flesh of their own children (Shabbos 32b). But perhaps, like “Jim the Penman,” it is the thief himself who suffers most from theft. In the material sense, “even what they appear to have stolen will be lost from them” (Pele Yoetz, Gzeila). For “one who trains his eye on [stealing] what’s not his, he will not get what he wants, and even what he

has will be taken from him” (Sota 9a; Derech Eretz Zuta, Chapter 4). But perhaps even more inimical to the thief is the spiritual self-harm and degradation of character it inflicts. By stealing, man pollutes his own soul and “bears an evil nature within him” – an evil that the Alter of Kelm described as “immeasur-

the boys and started down the line searching the boys’ pockets. It didn’t take long. In the pocket of the third boy in line, the rebbi felt what clearly was a watch. But the rebbi did not pull it out. He did not ask the boy to pull it out. He did not announce that he had found the watch. He didn’t even reveal any fa-

The first casualty of one’s theft is the thief himself.

able” (Chochma U’Mussar, Vol. 1, pg. 115-116). He is deemed “wicked” (Sanhedrin 113b; Bava Kama 60b; Tanchuma, Noach 4). And that might just be the worst harm of all: the distance it creates between the thief and his Creator, and the degradation of the thief’s own humanity. Indeed, the Chofetz Chaim noted how it is no coincidence that theft is the only sin that results in a Jewish person reducing himself to servitude. Theft degrades the soul to the point where he may be sold into servitude and forced to marry a gentile maidservant and bear children who remain servants indefinitely. The first casualty of one’s theft is the thief himself. And when a theft has been committed, we must not only make the victim whole, we also must offer the thief a path to restoration of the essence he has sullied. Rabbi Paysach Krohn tells of a fifth grade boy who came to school one day with an expensive new watch. Not wanting it to be damaged, he left the watch behind as the class went outside for recess. But when he returned, much to his horror, the watch was gone. The rebbi and his classmates turned the classroom upside down searching for it, but to no avail. It soon became clear to the rebbi that the watch was not lost or misplaced; it had been stolen. So, with no alternative, the rebbi lined up

cial expression that might indicate that the watch had been located. Instead, he continued down the line searching all the boys’ pockets. When he was done, he told the boys that he had located the watch in one of their pockets –without suggesting

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anything about the third boy in line. That boy later returned the watch privately. And, even as an adult many years later, he felt enormously indebted to that rebbi for not exposing him as a thief – and for not only preserving his dignity in the eyes of his classmates, but for preserving his own sense of self. One who steals from his friend even a penny is considered to have stolen “his” soul (Bava Kama 119a). While the straightforward meaning of this teaching is that “his soul” refers to the victim of the theft (i.e., the thief has stolen the victim’s soul), perhaps it can also be understood to refer to the thief himself. Because by his theft, the thief steals his own soul most of all. And that is the truest and gravest form of identity theft. Eytan Kobre is a writer, speaker, and attorney living in Kew Gardens Hills. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? E-mail eakobre@outlook.com.

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

The Wandering

Jew

A Home Away from Home – Chabad By Hershel Lieber

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or a Wandering Jew there is no greater comfort than knowing there is a Chabad house in the location that I am heading to. The quip that there are two things available all over the world – Coca Cola and Chabad – is something that I can truly confirm. I have even been to places where there was no Coke, yet a Chabad house was prominently in place. I cannot begin to extol the benefits Pesi and I have enjoyed in countless countries and a myriad of American cities from having a Chabad

house around. From our first experience in May 2000 in Madrid, Spain, at a Shabbos day seudah by Rabbi Yitzchok Goldstein to our most recent Friday night seudah this past October by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Samama in Strasbourg, France, Chabad has always been our home away from home. Whether we were the only guests as in the summer of 2018 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, or together with dozens of participants in 2017 in Bucharest, Romania, we were always welcomed with open arms.

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With the Lubavitcher Rebbe, ztl, and my son, Mechel, in 1991

The focus of Chabad has always been to connect Jews with their heritage through education and the performance of mitzvos. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l, instituted a worldwide program to reach these goals by sending shluchim all over the world with the mission of spreading Torah and chassidus even in the most remote places that Jews may be. An additional factor was to help travelers by providing kosher food and a venue where Shabbos can be traditionally observed. I remember Rabbi Chaskel Besser, z”l, telling me that although there was a time the Rebbe was not very keen on sending shluchim to Poland, he asked him to assure the availability of food in Warsaw by opening a kosher restaurant. What is most inspiring is the dedication and mesiras nefesh all the shluchim have for their mission. Many are young couples with children who embark on this journey for the rest of their lives. They are

living in remote communities with very few Jews and no Jewish schools for their children with difficulties in obtaining kosher food. They have to travel great distances to bring every religious item they need and go hundreds of miles to use a mikvah. As the children become older, they are sent away to study at yeshivos in larger communities, some at a relatively young age. Their social lives are limited to the Jews they cater to, most with dissimilar backgrounds. Yet they persevere and thrive, because of their loyalty to the Rebbe and his life’s mission. I am always in awe of these dedicated shluchim, husbands, wives, and their children, and many times wonder if I could endure such an existence. My nature of being very open and not being shy helped me in securing invitations to join Shabbos seudos all over the world. Whether by Chabad or by other rabbis, my modus operandi was to call and ask if Shabbos

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Pesi with Rebbetzin Weg at the bar mitzvah party

With Rabbi Yehuda Weg

hospitality was available for Pesi and me. The answer was almost always yes. Either I was directed to stay at a nearby hotel or arrangements were made that local families would host us. At times, the hotels were by far more comfortable, but we preferred the opportunity to join local families or the rabbi’s family. This gave us a deeper insight about the community that we were in, and over the years we met so many interesting and inspiring people. Not all our experiences were mind-shattering, but we gained from everyone who we met and enjoyed our interactions with anyone that we connected with. In 2013, we took a two-week trip traveling by car though Arkansas and Oklahoma. Most of our friends questioned our itinerary and wondered why we would have an interest in visiting those states. The answer was that we always found many interesting things to see and do anywhere, and we felt blessed with the many experiences we had even in places that seem uninteresting. After spending a few days in Little Rock and a day in Hot Springs, we made our way to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where we would be for Shabbos. The Chabad shluchim there were Rabbi Yehuda and Rebbetzin Etel Weg. They lived in a quiet section of the town and invited us to stay in the guest room of their house and shul. It was a long Friday, so we still had a chance to explore the city. We went to a magnificent museum which highlighted Western art, walked around the dusty, monotonous streets of downtown, and visited the delightful Jewish Museum located at the JCC. Then we rushed back to get ready for Shabbos. As in many remote places where Chabad

sets up shop, they built the only mikvah in that part of Oklahoma, which I was able to use in preparation for Shabbos. Minyan is many times an issue especially on Friday nights, and Tulsa was not an exception. Jay was the only person who joined us for davening and the subsequent

With a star player of the Oklahoma City Thunders at Max’s bar mitzvah

son, Max, was having his bar mitzvah in the Conservative Temple. He added that being that the family also wanted to share their simcha with Chabad, they would be making a Havdalah ceremony and a bar mitzvah party Motzei Shabbos at the JCC. After Shabbos, the rabbi asked me to sing during the Havdalah cer-

The idea of tying in Max’s passion for basketball to his becoming of age with the hope of bringing him closer to Yiddishkeit was truly ingenious.

seudah. What was missing in quantity was made up in quality. Rabbi Yehuda and Rebbetzin Etel were fantastic hosts. The multi-faceted conversation went on until 1 a.m., interspersed with zemiros and divrei Torah. Rabbi Yehuda was knowledgeable in the seforim of many chassidic masters – not only of Chabad –and we traded stories and parsha thoughts for hours on end. Shabbos morning the minyan situation looked a lot better as there were ten men in attendance. The rabbi, who asked me to be the chazzan, motioned to me just before I began that one of the ten is not Jewish yet and that I should not say Kaddish nor repeat the Shemonah Esrei. He then told me about a family who generally attends Shabbos morning tefillos who were not there, since their

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emony since he felt my voice would better enhance the affair. When we walked into the JCC, the ballroom was decorated with Max’s favorite basketball team’s logo. Also present was a star player for the Oklahoma City Thunders. Max himself was dressed in a basketball uniform. I began by singing “Eliyahu HaNavi” and continued after Havdalah with

some other songs. Rabbi Weg, using a basketball as a prop for a globe, demonstrated the world of Judaism that Max was entering into as he was becoming thirteen years old. The idea of tying in Max’s passion for basketball to his becoming of age with the hope of bringing him closer to Yiddishkeit was truly ingenious. Rabbi Yehuda and his Rebbetzin’s activities are outstanding examples of the work and devotion that Chabad shluchim have for Yidden all over the world. Their undertakings are truly also our responsibilities, and we owe them our abundant gratitude and continuous praise.

Hershel Lieber has been involved in kiruv activities for over 30 years. As a founding member of the Vaad L’Hatzolas Nidchei Yisroel he has traveled with his wife, Pesi, to the Soviet Union during the harsh years of the Communist regimes to advance Yiddishkeit. He has spearheaded a yeshiva in the city of Kishinev that had 12 successful years with many students making Torah their way of life. In Poland, he lectured in the summers at the Ronald S. Lauder Foundation camp for nearly 30 years. He still travels to Warsaw every year – since 1979 – to be the chazzan for Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur for the Jews there. Together with Pesi, he organized and led trips to Europe on behalf of Gateways and Aish Hatorah for college students finding their paths to Jewish identity. His passion for travel has taken them to many interesting places and afforded them unique experiences. Their open home gave them opportunities to meet and develop relationships with a variety of people. Hershel’s column will appear in The Jewish Home on a bi-weekly basis.

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World

Builders

From Agony to Empathy EMT Overcomes Pain to Help Others By Raphael Poch

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n a recent Wednesday afternoon, United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yitzchak Levinger received an alert to a serious accident on Keren HaYesod Street in Beit Shemesh, which was right near his location. He immediately dashed to his ambucycle and raced over to

the scene. His brother, who lives a few streets over and is also a United Hatzalah ambucycle volunteer, arrived at the location as well. The two brothers found a 60-yearold man sprawled on the asphalt. He had been walking at a crosswalk when he was struck by an electric scooter.

The man had suffered a powerful blow to his head and the bleeding was massive. The duo worked quickly to stem the potentially fatal blood flow. They applied pressure and secured the wound with trauma bandages, and soon the injury site was neatly covered with white dressings. Yitzchak and his brother then took the man’s vital signs, performed an on-site neurological assessment, and

er. For me, it is always special to meet one of my brothers at an emergency. I have been a volunteer with United Hatzalah for over 10 years and both of my brothers joined in the past few years. Yisrael, our third brother, wasn’t at this call, but we have had times where we all get together for family meals and need to rush out to deal with an emergency in the neighborhood as our parents live in Beit

“How can I leave someone else hurting when I can help him?”

affixed a neck brace to the victim. The duo stayed on scene monitoring the victim and reassuring him as they waited for an ambulance. Finally, thirty minutes after the initial call, an ambulance arrived. The man was swiftly placed on a backboard and whisked off to the hospital for emergency treatment. “I had just finished responding to a different emergency where a young man had fallen off of a building and was in need of CPR. After regaining a pulse there, I received the alert and rushed over to this emergency,” Yitzchak relayed. “I met my brother Avraham at the scene, and we treated the man togeth-

Shemesh as well.” As having been previously injured in an accident Yitzchak empathizes with those in a similar situation. “It’s sometimes hard to respond to calls,” confided Yitzchak. “I suffered a slipped disk a year ago following a motor vehicle accident, and I am often in significant pain. That doesn’t stop me responding, though. There’s not much that can be done to alleviate my pain, but how can I leave someone else hurting when I can help him? I’m grateful that I am able to be on the side of the giving and that I have the tools and ability to reach out to people, treat their wounds, and make a difference.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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THE ECONOMISTTURNEDMEDICAL CZAR How Israel’s “Barsi” is Protecting the Holy Land By Tzvi Leff

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musician, a photographer, guests in their finest attire singing joyfully as the bride is escorted down the aisle by her parents – hardly an unusual sight at Jerusalem’s Yeshivat Merkaz Harav, much less anywhere else in the world. Yet this viral video, passed along by Israelis and Americans alike, showed the smiling guests participating from their respective balconies, from the yeshiva’s rooftop, from neighboring buildings – anywhere but the actual grounds where the wedding itself was unfolding. Earlier in March, Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu had forbidden public gatherings of over 10 people in an effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus. Engaged couples throughout the country began getting creative – a wedding hastily moved up to that same night, right before the edict was to go into effect; a wedding in the grocery store Osher Ad, where the 10-person-limit did not apply; a wedding at the Prime

Minister’s residence for Netanyahu aide Shir Cohen; and weddings where the guests participated, loudly, strongly, and happily, from a six-meter-ormore distance. Weddings were not the only events taking place on residential balconies. Residents of Petach Tikva were treated to a concert by the Pirchei Yerushalayim children’s choir, performing Yishai Ribo’s popular song “Halev Sheli” from a residential balcony. The neighborhood audience sang along in throngs, accompanied by the twinkling lights of hundreds of cellphones. “Someone proposed to me that we do a ‘balcony sing-along,’” recounted Pirchei Yerushalayim leader Ehud Hemo. “Just as we were getting organized, a wedding began in one of the building’s gardens, and we decided to uplift their spirits. We organized quickly and began.... It was an amazing experience.” Trying to raise the spirits of new couples has been something of an uphill battle. After the Health Ministry initially banned gatherings of more

than 500 people, happy couples planning large weddings whittled down their guest lists. The number of invitations was further reduced when the directive was tightened to ban more than 150 people. When 150 became 10, those who couldn’t postpone the happiest day of their lives began to look for alternative solutions. “This is a war. We have to adapt to a new way of life,” declared Prime Minister Netanyahu. The war began in early December when doctors in the Chinese city of Wuhan noticed a sudden flood of patients suffering from something they had never seen before. Characterized by an infection in the lungs, a runny nose, and fever, medical staff knew that they had a problem. Yet it took time for Chinese officials to realize just how serious the problem really was. Over the next few weeks, Communist Party mandarins did everything they could to suppress news of the crisis in Wuhan. One by one, top Wuhan medical officials were summoned to Beijing and ordered not to

spread any information about the happenings in their hometown. Disobedience resulted in consequences. When Wuhan Hospital specialist Dr. Ai Fen posted a public health announcement regarding the still-unnamed disease, she was threatened with termination. Meanwhile, Dr. Li Wenliang was summoned for questioning by Chinese intelligence after sharing details of the new flu-like virus on messenger app WeChat. Another eight doctors were ordered to report to the Wuhan Public Security Bureau as well, regarding their various discussions about the illness. Things only changed after the skyrocketing number of cases made it impossible for Beijing to suppress news about the phenomenon any longer. On December 31, a full month after everything began, China informed the World Health Organization (WHO) that the country was dealing with a new disease, but that everything was under control. At that point, there were only 27 reported cases. That night, Wuhan held its annual

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Lunar New Year banquet. Tens of thousands of people, including an estimated hundreds of tourists, crowded together for a mass potluck dinner. Hundreds of millions of Chinese traveled around the country unhindered in order to visit relatives. The results would be deadly. Within a week, cases of the coronavirus began to turn up in Korea and Taiwan, most likely brought by tourists who had just returned from Wuhan. The virus continued to spread, confounding doctors who had no idea what they were facing. As January turned into February, China’s 27 cases ballooned into 2,000, with 56 people dead. By that point, China was pulling out all of the stops to end the crisis. From building two brand-new hospitals in Wuhan in under 11 days to ordering most of the country under lockdown, Beijing was aware that it was at the early stages of a full-blown epidemic.

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s China struggled to contain the outbreak, leaders all around the world attempted to reassure their people that there was little to worry about. More concerned about the economic fallout than a possible health emergency, a slew of elected officials everywhere reiterated that there would be no new pandemic. “No, not at all. We have it totally under control,” U. S. President Donald Trump said when asked about it in late January. “It’s one person coming in from China, and we have it under control. It’s going to be just fine.” That nonchalance did not exist in Israel. Perhaps because of the country’s history of fighting for its existence, Health Ministry officials were monitoring the events from the very beginning and were not afraid to take aggressive steps when needed. The tactics Israel used were similar to how it traditionally waged war against its enemies: quickly, disproportionately, and with overwhelming force. On January 26, well before most of the developed world took the disease seriously, Israel already called upon its citizenry to cancel all non-essential travel. Four days later, all flights to China were banned, cutting the country off from its second-largest trading partner. As cases piled up in Japan, Israel an-

nounced a total travel ban on Japanese and South Korean nationals, resulting in heavy diplomatic fallout. The backlash wasn’t only in foreign capitals. Taxi drivers, tour guides, and hotel managers penned angry opeds, contending that the government’s “hysterical response” was destroying the tourism sector “over something not more dangerous than the flu.” The criticism intensified over the following weeks as the Health Ministry ordered mandatory quarantines for anyone who had recently returned from abroad. In recent weeks, however, it became clear that the quick response likely prevented the Jewish State from suffering the fate of countries such as Italy. Invasive as they were, the slew of quarantine orders and travel bans bought the country precious time, allowing it to “flatten the curve” and preventing a surging number of cases from overwhelming the hospital system. “[Israel] is accustomed to living on a knife-edge, pretty much constantly, a snap away from war-readiness and footing; a chronic condition that clearly promotes a natural sense of collective responsibility that seeps into all aspects of daily life,” wrote Canada’s National Post. “Israel did not squander precious time on speculating about whether or not a public-health issue was racist or xenophobic or any one of a litany of irrelevant non-issues. As with most things here, responses are rapid and have the elegance of a sledgehammer.”

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eading the battle is Health Ministr y Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov. Known simply as “Barsi,” the grim and unsmiling 45-year-old economist was once completely anonymous to the public. Those days are now over. Appearing every night on prime time television to explain the ramifications of latest measures to the anxious public, he’s since been awarded the title of the “national calmer.” Some might say Bar Siman-Tov’s background is perfect for coordinating the government’s battle against the coronavirus. Barsi grew up in a religious home and studied economics at Hebrew University. In 2004, Bar Si-

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Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov, known as “Barsi”

THE TACTICS ISRAEL USED WERE SIMILAR TO HOW IT TRADITIONALLY WAGED WAR AGAINST ITS ENEMIES: QUICKLY, DISPROPORTIONATELY, AND WITH OVERWHELMING FORCE.

man-Tov joined the Finance Ministry to become part of a selected coterie of finance whizzes known as the “Treasury Youths.” These are a group of young finance experts, most of them fresh out of college. Widely seen as some of the smartest people in the civil service, they are given outsized influence on

government policy. But even in this elite group nicknamed the “Treasury Department’s Commando Unit,” Bar Siman-Tov stood out for his ruthless approach to runaway spending. “He sees numbers, not people,” fumed the head of Israel’s Medical Union after Bar Siman-Tov became Health Ministry Director-General

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any society,” Barsi once said in an interview regarding his economic viewpoint. “But every decision like this has a cost. You’re always in a dilemma, in a conflict, because there’s no right or wrong.... The complexity of these issues is fundamental to them, and I thrive in these dilemmas.” His ability to take unpopular measures for what he believes is the public’s best interest may have been what Israel needed to confront the coronavirus. In recent weeks, the ever-escalating measures Barsi ordered on the public have taken a heavy toll on the economy and are expected to lead to an unprecedented recession when this all ends. Currently, the Finance Ministry estimates the potential economic damage at $50 billion. El Al has already laid off 20% of its workforce and is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. Just this month, 250,000 Israelis filed for unemployment; the number is expected to rise in the coming months. Closing schools. Shuttering most businesses. Putting 70% of state employees on unpaid leave. All have had the effect of completely changing people’s lifestyles.

APPEARING EVERY NIGHT ON PRIME TIME TELEVISION TO EXPLAIN THE RAMIFICATIONS OF LATEST MEASURES TO THE ANXIOUS PUBLIC, HE’S SINCE BEEN AWARDED THE TITLE OF THE “NATIONAL CALMER.”

in 2015. The first-ever person to run the ministry without a medical background, the young economist quickly raised hackles for his commitment to cutting ballooning government spending even when unpopular.

“My job is considered the least attractive among all the deputies in the department because I’m not paving roads and not bringing new operators into the cellular market. I’m doing things that are the building blocks of

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nother difficult subject was how to pray, study Torah, and practice other rituals and commandments that Jews have faithfully adhered to for thousands of years. The classic Jewish response in times of stress is prayer and study. But with the danger of coronavirus manifesting itself in crowds, such activities were suddenly curtailed. The rabbinate acted swiftly, ordering the public to refrain from carrying out mass prayer rallies at the Western Wall. Most synagogues canceled minyanim or kept them to a strict quorum of 10 people. Yeshivas closed their doors or went online. This resulted in some difficult moments. On Monday evening, Rabbi Zvi Arnon wrestled with himself over how to announce that the synagogue would be closed until further notice. His village of Moshav Nir Galim was founded by Holocaust survivors who put having a daily minyan as the highest priority. During the state’s early years,

founders braved marauding Arab bandits and Egyptian snipers to make the daily prayer quorum. For the 71 years Nir Galim had been in existence, the Beit Knesset always remained open, despite multiple wars and endless rocket fire. How could he be the first one to shut everything down? Rabbi Arnon typed, erased, wrote some more, and stopped. Finally, as night turned into day, he gathered his thoughts. The subsequent message would go viral. “It’s past midnight, and I sit down to write. My hands are shaking, and my eyes teary. It’s been a long week of discussions, thoughts, and deliberations. A tedious evening of discussions and attempts to find maybe, maybe a way to something.… And we didn’t find one. “For 71 years, the light in the synagogue was never turned off. From the day the founders established it with joy and enthusiasm, prayer did not stop there. On weekdays and on Shabbat, on holidays and on days of joy and sadness. “And today I have to write and tell you that in light of the situation and the plague, tomorrow morning we are turning off the lights. We will extinguish the light in all synagogues during the weekdays and on Saturdays. “It’s hard for us all,” he confessed. “The synagogue is the beating heart of the community. The synagogue is the place that defines us, our worldview and our way of life. It’s even harder in our little place. “Over the years, I have heard stories from the founding generation how to pray with devotion. In concentration camps and ghettos, in wars and in the underground movements. And today, we are forced to close the gates of the synagogue and ask the public not to organize minyanim. Not in houses or yards. Neither for Mincha or for Maariv. Not Kabbalat Shabbat or for reciting psalms.” He concluded, “But it is important for me to emphasize: We are closing the synagogue, but not the prayers and Torah study. On the contrary, it is precisely during this period that every home is obliged to strengthen the prayers of women and children. This is the time when children can see their parents conduct family prayer with intent and faith.”

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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The Top Mossad Spy Who Befriended His Terrorist Target hen the Mossad in 1974 sent a solitar y agent to live under deep cover in Beirut and arrange the assassination of the mastermind of the 1972 Munich massacre, it gave him one clear order: make no contact with the target. The spy didn’t just defy that order. He ended up becoming one of Ali Hassan Salameh’s closest friends, before becoming one of his killers. Today he is a figure celebrated in Mossad as something of a legend, responsible for one of its most famous successes. Earlier this year, that spy, identified only as Agent D, spoke on television for the first time about his work to bring down Israel’s most wanted terrorist in the wake of the Munich killings.

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The 1972 attack at the Munich Olympics saw 11 Israeli athletes murdered by the Black September Palestinian terror group. In the years following the attack, the Mossad assassinated many of the figures behind the attack, as has been featured in Steven Spielu berg’s sometimes-controversial film Munich – but one target eluded the spy organization: Salameh, chief of operations for Black September.

Salameh, known as the “Red Prince,” was the son of a top Arab commander killed in the 1948 war over Israel’s creation. Living in the Lebanese capital Beirut, he was a key ally and potential successor of Yasser Arafat, head of the Palestine Liberation Organization. And he was known for his lavish, playboy lifestyle. But the Mossad couldn’t get near him. Enter Agent D, who was sent to live in Beirut and Syrian capital Damascus under an assumed identity and spent years trailing Salameh and conveying information on his movements to the Mossad. The agent spoke to Channel 13 as part of its “Hit List” docuseries. He described a life under cover that was both lonely and dangerous. “Being there long-term when you’re alone and lonely includes a factor of mental, emotional and psychological stress,” he said. “A person gets worn down. He can suddenly make a mistake…and out himself.” Such a mistake would likely mean death, as had become abundantly clear following the capture and hanging of spy Eli Cohen in Damascus in 1965. Agent D said he had to completely dive into his assumed identity and accept it as his own in order to operate. “I call it positive schizophrenia,” he said, apparently using the com-

mon misnomer for multiple personality disorder. “My cover at the target [location] was my real life. If I didn’t believe in it, the next guy wouldn’t believe in it either. “But when you get an instruction from headquarters you remember who sent you, why you’re here, and you carry out the mission.” Agent D was sent by his bosses to live in the Beirut International Hotel. Salameh was known to work out at the hotel gym. D’s job was to train at the gym and watch Salameh. But he was told explicitly not to speak to him or make any contact whatsoever, as doing so could risk his exposure and place him in considerable danger. But it was Salameh who ended up making contact with him. “One day after about six months [at the hotel], I’m minding my own business, doing ab crunches at the gym,” Agent D said. “There was no one there, it was quiet. Suddenly I hear a voice behind me: ‘You’re not doing it right, my friend.’ I turn back and see Ali Hassan Salameh standing behind me.” Salameh then showed him how he should be doing the exercise, and the two began chatting. “He said to me, ‘Do you play squash?’ I said, ‘No, unfortunately, I play tennis,’” Agent D recalled. There was a squash instructor at the gym, and Salameh suggested D take les-

By TOI Staff sons as he was looking for a partner. “So we started playing squash together,” Agent D told Channel 13. The two quickly became friendly. The agent’s Mossad handlers were concerned for his safety but, given the circumstances, agreed to him maintaining the relationship. “He was smart, a strong man, a man’s man, intelligent. We had a lot in common,” Agent D said of Salameh, openly admitting that he liked the terror chief. “But he killed 11 athletes in Munich before the entire world, massacred them in Germany, and so he deserved to die. I had no doubt. He can be the nicest man in the world. So what?” Eventually, Salameh invited Agent D for drinks and dinner with his wife. Refusing would be seen as very rude, so the spy agreed. Salameh, who was always closely protected by a troupe of armed bodyguards, introduced the agent to his wife, Georgina Rizk, a former Miss Universe. He showed him his home, his room… — all information Agent D later conveyed to his handlers. As the months went by, Salameh invited the agent over several more times. He later took him partying, bought him gifts, and even set him up with his wife’s sister. Agent D enjoyed his time with Salameh, but could never afford to forget his true purpose.

The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2020 2015 The Jewish Home | MARCH 26,

Ali Hassan Salameh, the Red Prince

Terrorist Ali Hassan Salameh, left, is seen with then Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat in an undated photo

“I know that’s my mission. That’s why I’m here, and the friendship is nice. I’m his friend, he did what he did in Munich – but still, that’s the mission. ‘À la guerre comme à la guerre,’ as the French say…in war as in war. “I call him a friend and a mortal enemy at the same time. It’s not easy. Not easy. You know, at your core, that he has to die.”

At that point, Mossad involved another agent, a woman the world later came to know as Erika Chambers. She would be the one to activate the bomb. Chambers, who was of British origin, was drafted into the agency a few years prior. Her Christian-sounding name was seen as a great asset as it allowed her to travel using her own documents rather than a forged identity and could enable her to flee to the British embassy to ask for asylum in a worst case scenario. The downside was that after the operation, her identity – her true identity – would become public knowledge.

Agent D began scoping out potential methods of assassinating Salameh and proposed them to his bosses. In October 1978, a plan was agreed. “Having driven with him a few

“I call him a friend and a mortal enemy at the same time. It’s not easy…” times, I learned that his routine was to leave home around 11 or 12 and drive. The street, Madame Curie, was one-way for 300 meters. Then there’s a junction, and you can’t keep going straight. You have to take a right. “After the turn there are three parking spots. If you can catch a parking spot in the morning and put a car there with a very serious bomb, you’ve got an operation.”

She would have to change her identity and leave her old life behind. “She understood well what it meant,” said a woman identified only as Anna, who was authorized by Chambers – who now has a different name – to speak on her behalf. “To be cut off from her family, friends and identity totally – not enter England anymore. And she agreed. She thought it was worth it.”

Chambers rented an apartment with a view to the designated parking spot. In January 1979, the operation was given the green light. When handlers asked Chambers how she felt about carrying out the killing, “She said she didn’t know because she’d never killed anyone,” Anna told Channel 13. “She’d tell him afterwards. But for now, she was prepared to do it.”

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One of the Munich Massacre terrorists

Agent D traveled to Jordan, ostensibly for a vacation but actually to meet a Mossad team. The agents gave him a large piece of furniture that contained the explosives, and Agent D had to drive it across two borders, Jordan-Syria and Syria-Lebanon. Border officials asked questions about the furniture, but didn’t inspect it. He was waved through.

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OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

Spy Erika Chambers

The bombing that took Salameh’s life

Days before the operation, a third agent rigged a car with the explosives Agent D had provided and provided Chambers with the detonator. On the day of the hit, January 22, 1979, Salameh left his home in a convoy of two cars and drove to the corner, exactly as planned. Cham-

bers, watching from her apartment, activated the bomb, comprised of some 100 kilograms (220 pounds) of explosives. Salameh’s four bodyguards were killed in the blast. He himself was critically injured and died at a hospital a short time later.

But the blast also killed four innocent bystanders and injured 16 others. The three Israeli agents quickly escaped and eventually returned to Israel. Anna said Chambers was long haunted by the death of one innocent woman who was just walking by. “She

thought about this girl almost every day for many years.” Agent D said of the innocent deaths: “It would be playing dumb to say I didn’t take into account there would be what the Americans call ‘collateral damage.’ That innocents would be killed. You want to know if I had a problem with it? I always have a problem if innocent people are killed.” D returned to Israel after the killing and went on to live a more normative life. He said nothing ever quite matched the adrenaline highs of his days deep undercover in an enemy state, playing – and to an extent, being – the good friend of a mass murderer he was committed to eliminating. But at least the deception and play-acting were done. While on assignment, he said, “You are always living with a mask on.” Reprinted with permission from Times of Israel.

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Reduce Pre-Pesach Stress Through Understanding Hilchos Pesach

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Diminishing Pre-Pesach stress begins with knowledge of this basic principle: The Halochos of eating Chometz are very stringent, but the Halochos of OWNING chometz are much less so. Below are Torah scholars’ directives regarding owning chometz and cleaning for Pesach. (Notes in parenthesis and brackets are explanatory comments. Also, italics and bold are added for emphasis.) RAV CHAIM PINCHOS SCHEINBERG Zatzal, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Ohr in Yerushalayim, taught the following: • If, during the year, chometz is not brought into a place, that place does not have to be cleaned out or checked for chometz. • The general obligation to check for & get rid of crumbs does not apply if the crumbs are less than the size of a k’zayis [an olive] and are dirty or spoiled enough to deter a person from eating them. (A kzayis is around 1/2 - 1 ounce.) • The cleaning product (regular household cleanser) must spoil the crumbs (only) slightly, to the extent that people would refrain from eating them. Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger, authors of the Guideline Halacha Series, write that there are two mitzvos connected to the possession of chometz: • Not to see chometz or find it in one’s possessions (Lo Yeraeh and Lo Yemotzei) • To dispose of it. (Tashbisu) According to Torah law, it is enough to either get rid of the chometz, or to declare it null and void. Our sages required both for three reasons: • Our declaration should be sincere. • We shouldn’t accidentally eat chometz (that’s lying around) • In order that overlooked chometz be included. “If the chometz is dirty, then only a piece that is the size of a k’zayis (or larger) must be removed.”

“If the chometz is edible, then even a smaller [than a k’zayis] piece that one may be tempted to eat must be removed.” “Therefore, when cleaning for Pesach one must remove small pieces of edible chometz and large pieces of inedible chometz.” Books: Rabbi Barclay and Rabbi Jaeger also write that there is no need to check books, except for books that will be brought to the table. Those books should be either new or well cleaned. Bentchers used the whole year should not be used on Pesach; they should be put away with the chometz because they often contain crumbs and are difficult to clean. (Nowhere is it mentioned that the chometz crumbs have to be removed or that the bentchers and zemiros books have to be sold, even though chometz crumbs remain in them. The only rule is that they should be put away so that they are not accidentally brought to the table on Pesach.) Toys that will be used on Pesach should be cleaned with soapy water and checked. Other toys should be put away. Special toys for Pesach are recommended. Clothing that won’t be worn on Pesach needs only a quick check. “Since they are not going to be worn, there is no concern that one may eat any crumbs that are there. Small crumbs do not have to be removed since there is no prohibition to own them during Pesach.” Light switches and door handles should be cleaned when necessary (After we touch them, we may touch Pesach food, and the laws forbidding eating chometz are most stringent, as mentioned. Pens, pencils, combs, and hair brushes which might have some sticky residue might also be in the same category.). Carpets: Vacuuming a carpet cleans it sufficiently, since any remaining crumbs are not fit for eating. Toaster: Since a toaster will not be used on Pesach, it is sufficient to remove loose crumbs by shaking the

toaster well and putting it away with the chometz utensils. The chometz pots do not have to be scrubbed. Some have the custom to check the pots for chometz. Rabbi Yaakov Zev Smith, a maggid shiur for Irgun Shiurei Torah, explains: “The Gemara says that after bedikas chometz one still needs to annul the chometz. This requirement is not because of crumbs which may be scattered in the house; rather, it is a protection against a big piece of chometz. The reason we do not worry about crumbs is that since they are on the floor they have no importance to us and are “self-annulled” (Pesachim 6b).” He explains further that the Chayei Adam (119:6) is of the opinion that one must clean crevices of crumbs within hand’s reach. This is not because of the prohibition to see or have chometz in one’s possession – but because we are concerned that one might inadvertently eat them”.1 The Pri Chadash (444-4) and the Igros Moshe (1-145) disagree with this stringency. However, the commonly held custom is to follow the Chayei Adam’s ruling and clean out all easily accessible places where crumbs might be found. The Chazon Ish (122:8) cites the Gra in stating that crumbs caught between the floorboards do not have to be removed. Even if there are many crumbs that add up collectively to a k’zayis, they are not a problem halachically, because they are dried out and unappetizing. “The requirement for chometz to actually be unfit for canine consumption (inedible to a dog) only applies to a k’zayis.” (Magen Avraham; Mishnah Berurah). Rabbi Smith continues: What about chometz that is bigger than a crumb yet smaller than a k’zayis? An example might be a pretzel, or half a cookie. “While small crumbs are insignificant and are automatically nullified, these bits of food (which are identifiable things) are in a category of their own.” These pieces of chometz (larger than

a crumb yet smaller than a k’zayis) should be removed. (Shulchan Aruch Harav; Mishnah Berurah) Extra effort in cleaning away chometz is part of a heilige minhag. In practice, we give the greatest energy to areas that our Pesach food and our hands will touch/contact on Pesach2. (This helps prevent the possibility of eating any chometz on Pesach. And while this is true, give careful note to the following paragraph.) This minhag must be practiced according to each person’s strength and energy. And only up to where it does not take away from health, safety, and joy in the Heilige Yom Tov. Anything written above should not be used by husbands and children as an excuse for not helping make the house clean and shining, as well as kosher for Pesach. It is indeed part of the signature of Pesach to have a home that is extra-special clean. The wholehearted participation—without criticism—of husband and children, makes a big difference and brings much joy to the Yom Tov. May we all be zocheh to clean and prepare for the Yom Tov of Pesach without excessive strain or fear, but with anticipation and happiness. And, may our cleaning and preparation find chein Above and help bring the Geulah Shleimah closer. A truly kosher and freilichen Pesach to all. The information above was reviewed and approved by Rabbi Elozor Barclay and Rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger, the authors of Guidelines – Over Five Hundred of the Most Commonly Asked Questions About Pesach (Targum Press) and by Rabbi Zev Smith of Irgun Shiurei Torah. L’aliyas nishmas Zeesl bas R’ Tzvi, a”h (cf. Radvaz 1:135; Machaneh Yisrael 10:) 2 ... ‫אינה אלא משום גזירה שמא יבוא לאכלו בפסח‬ ‫עיקר תקנת בדקת חמץ אחר שביטלו‬... “The main reason for the establishment of bedikas chometz after one nullifies the chometz is only to prevent the possibility of eating chometz on Pesach” Shulchan Aruch Harav (433:19) 1

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Dating Dialogue

What Would You Do If… Moderated by Jennifer Mann, LCSW of The Navidaters

Dear Navidaters, I am 28 years old and am still looking for my bashert. It’s an incredibly vulnerable and delicate topic, but I want to get married so badly! I never wrote into a magazine before but I just had to tonight.... I received a message today that has been making me so depressed. This was a forwarded message that basically said shidduchim should ideally be put on hold for an undisclosed amount of time. In the world we live in today, with all the technology, and communication venues we have, I find that particular message to be extremely disheartening. How can we, the singles of post-corona world, navigate the dating scene? I would love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Tova

Disclaimer: This column is not intended to diagnose or otherwise conclude resolutions to any questions.

Our intention is not to offer any definitive

conclusions to any particular question, rather offer areas of exploration for the author and reader. Due to the nature of the column receiving only a short snapshot of an issue, without the benefit of an actual discussion, the panel’s role is to offer a range of possibilities. We hope to open up meaningful dialogue and individual exploration.

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The Panel The Shadchan Michelle Mond hidduchim can never be put on hold, so whatever message you got that depressed you – delete it! It is now more important than ever to come to terms with our new reality. In the coming weeks we are sure to hear updated halachos for every aspect of our lives which will be changed based on our current limitations. We are already hearing updated halachos and leniencies regarding Pesach preparation, toiveling keilim, etc. Halachos of simchos worldwide will be tweaked to allow our simchos to realistically go on within the realm of what is allowed and healthy. In a similar vein, we cannot halt potential shidduchim from happening. When klal Yisroel got to the Yam Suf with a wild ocean on one side and the Mitzrim on the other, it seemed to be an impossible situation. There was no good potential outcome one could think of al pi teva (according to the laws of nature). However, we all know that is not how the story ended. The brave Nachshon ben Aminadav knew that hishtadlus still had to be done. As the Chovos Ha’lvavos says, if we hold back from doing hishtadlus, Hashem cannot bring the shefa He wants into the world. Hashem does not make open miracles, and the only way one can achieve an outcome is by providing a kli, a vessel, for Hashem to make it happen within the realm of nature. For Bnei Yisroel at Krias Yam Suf it was Nachshon who took the brave steps into the ocean up to his chin for Hashem to accept this hishtadlus and lift the waters of the ocean up to the sky allowing bnei Yisroel to walk through it. Although to us, with our limited knowledge, we do not understand how it would be possible for shidduchim to work out if couples’ only means to meet is through Skype and Zoom; we must also recognize that Hashem creates

S

the refuah before the makka. This is the first time our generations have faced such a challenge. It is also the first time in history that a society has faced such a seemingly communication limiting challenge, with such advanced communication technology. We must learn from Nachshon at the Yam Suf and jump into a new age of dating that might seem like it would drown us. It might seem like there is no way for this to work. Thoughts going through your head might be, “This is crazy” or “Why am I even doing this? Will we ever even be able to meet?” Let Hashem handle those answers, because when you are doing the only possible hishtadlus available to you, you can comfortably raise up your hands and leave the rest up to G-d. For now, online Skype and Zoom dating will be the way for singles to continue to go on dates. With Zoom, as you get more comfortable, you can share screens, play games (Battleship/hangman, question-based games, tic-tac-toe), even a virtual paint-night using the paint app and sharing your screens! The options are endless. We as a community just need to be open to them, and I believe we will. Iy”H you should be in touch soon with good news. May you and all our readers be blessed with good health, happiness, and many simchos to share!

The Zaidy Dr. Jeffrey Galler t was the best of times, it was the worst of times…” (A Tale of Two Cities) Charles Dickens depicts how people react during a time of social upheaval. Does it bring out the very best or the very worst in people? Here are some thoughts for you to consider. 1. Practicality

“I

Right now, common sense dictates that going out on a physical date is selfish and irresponsible. However, there is nothing wrong with speaking on the phone or video-chatting, utilizing Skype, FaceTime, or the like. 2. Golden Opportunity Instead of being depressed over what you cannot do at this time, consider how valuable it is to learn how a prospective spouse reacts during this crisis. Does a person spend the day moping around, depressed, watching meaningless television shows, while mindlessly eating junk food? Or, does a person use the opportunity to daven unhurriedly, read meaningful books, log onto the myriad of available online shiurim, and help deliver food to the homebound and elderly?

This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to really get to know what makes a person tick.

This is a unique and wonderful opportunity to really get to know what makes a person tick. 3. Creative Dating While speaking on the phone or video-chatting, how about these suggestions:

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a. You can both visit worldclass museums “together.” You can simultaneously log on to https://www.virtualiteach.com/ post/2017/08/20/10-amazing-virtual-museum-tours. Your browsers will allow you to explore different exhibits, pause and discuss what you’re seeing, and discover what interests you might share. Unfortunately, while on this “date,” you will not be able to share a coffee or Diet Coke at the museum snack bar. b. You can both google “Virtual Reality City Tours” and visit London, Rome, or Amsterdam “together.” Unfortunately, you will not accrue frequent flier mileage on these trips. c. Log on to “Ted Talks,” and, jointly, pick a topic of interest. You can hear, and discuss, short lectures on a variety of subjects, such as science, technology, social change, nature, health, etc.

d. There are countless online shiurim of interest to both men and women that you can both “attend” and then compare notes with each other. With modern technology, you have wonderful tools for spending time together and getting to know each other, albeit remotely. 4. This too shall pass Gam zeh ya’avoar. Remember, that it might be several months, but this crisis will eventually come to an end. Think of all the great stories you will be able to relate to your children and grandchildren. Folks my age love reminiscing about what we did during the famous “Blackouts” in 1965 and 2003. Meanwhile, stay calm. While video-dating, you do not wish to appear frazzled, or over-eager, or over-anxious. Sometimes, women who are calm and play slightly hardto-get seem to appear more attractive and desirable. Remember the

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T

There aren’t any replacements to an in-person, one-on-one conversation, but at this point, we have to work with what we have.

cal dating venues, and it seems as though dating will now have to shift to the digital world for the time being. Given that these times don’t seem as though they will be gone too soon, it doesn’t make sense to turn off the faucet on dating altogether.

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Dating through video chat is a fantastic means of becoming more familiar with an individual – learning about their personality, hashkafa, and background are all possible over a video call. Yes, this mode has its drawbacks. There aren’t any replacements to an in-per-

son, one-on-one conversation, but at this point, we have to work with what we have. Who knows? Perhaps it’s even possible to play games or do activities over video chat, like going to the park with your phone or doing a trivia to get to know one another a lit-

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tle better? A couple could even have a candle-lit dinner in their respective kitchens! In fact, we can really use this time to introspect and think about what’s truly important in a partner without all of the externalities that come with ordinary dating. These video chats can actually break up the monotony of classical dating as we know it and make for very exciting experiences

in times of quarantine, isolation, and loneliness. These times are unprecedented, so there isn’t one avenue we know to take that works, but everyone in the world is dealing with the same situation, so at least you’ll know that the person on the other side of the line understands the situation the same way you do and is also putting in every effort to find their match, even when all the obstacles seem to be standing in the way.

human race are coming to the forefront. I am hopeful that, when G-d willing this is behind us, shidduchim will be forever impacted for the positive. People will be “getting back to basics.” Maybe it won’t matter whose family has more money or if someone had a bad year in high school. On the other hand, we don’t want people jumping into anything too quickly either because of the isolation we are experiencing currently. None of us have a crystal ball. Could you meet your bashert in a Zoom chat? Maybe! The important thing for all of us to remember (myself included) is that we must remain calm and we must breathe our way through this. As the days progress, we will have more and more answers. One of my now many daily mantras is this too shall pass. Tova, this

too shall pass. Many of the silly divisions that keep singles apart will hopefully dissolve, and may we see many more shidduchim in the weeks and months and years ahead! All the best, Jennifer

Pulling It All Together The Navidaters Dating and Relationship Coaches and Therapists

D

earest Tova, I don’t know the posek you speak of and cannot comment on this crisis from a religious perspective. So, Tova and readership, please understand that I am speaking as a mental health professional. We have never lived through such a pandemic demanding social distancing. The ramifications this is having for all of us are deeply significant and will change the way we relate to one another. Our need for connection (well, for many anyway) is so heightened right now. To be in someone’s physical space without fear…to get in the car and meet a friend for coffee. I have lots of thoughts about this, but I will stick to topic at hand, virtual dating during the time of the coronavirus. I don’t know why this posek called for a stop on virtual dating. People are craving connection now more than ever. I can see how dating online through Zoom is far from the “real thing.” I don’t know what will be of the people meeting, dating, and even getting engaged via Zoom. Do we need to see each other in person? Do we need to be in different circumstances and see someone with the waiter, and her mother, and his friend? I think this is vital. However, I cannot recommend that people do not meet now, either. Just

like with everything else coronav irus-related, so much is unknown. Many single people are breathing a sigh of relief welcoming this “break” from dating. They are using this as a time to reassess their values, what is of importance to them in a partner. Other single people are aching to meet someone, and feel lost, anxious and afraid. They are so frustrated that dating is on hold. Tova, you need to do what you feel comfortable doing. There are many people out there calling for many different things. What we know is that we must socially distance to help prevent the spread of the virus. What we also know is that human beings are wired for connection. Should you decide to virtually shidduch date, take precaution. Check in with yourself frequently. If it feels natural and good, proceed. If it doesn’t feel natural, the question may arise… Does it feel unnatural because we aren’t a shidduch, or does it feel unnatural because we are doing this via Zoom? I do not have the answer. You can decide to deal with that should the situation arise. What I am fairly certain about is this: the world is changing. The things we truly value and need as a

Jennifer Mann, LCSW is a licensed psychotherapist and dating and relationship coach working with individuals, couples, and families in private practice at 123 Maple Avenue in Cedarhurst, NY. She also teaches a psychology course at Touro College. To set up a consultation or to ask questions, please call 516-2247779, ext. 2. Visit www.thenavidaters. com for more information. If you would like to submit a dating or relationship question to the panel anonymously, please email thenavidaters@gmail.com. You can follow The Navidaters on FB and Instagram for dating and relationship advice.

Hi Readers! Receiving your enthusiastic emails wanting to participate in the Reader’s Respond section has been wonderful! Just a reminder about how Reader Response works. Email thenavidaters@gmail. com with the subject line “Reader Response.” We will then ask you, in the order we receive your email, if you would like to respond to the coming week’s email. If you would like to respond to an already printed Navidaters Panel, please submit your answer to the editor at editor@fivetownsjewishhome.com. You can also join us on our FB page @thenavidaters on Sunday evenings to post your response to the week’s column. Interacting with you has been a pleasure! Thank you for all of your feedback. Jennifer

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Dr. Deb

Why By Deb Hirschhorn, Ph.D.

S

o I was asking myself every day, “What is the meaning of this?” I know there is an answer, whether we humans will be privileged to experience it or not. Erev Shabbos, I belted out Kiddush off-key (of course) as loud as I wanted because the walls of my building are awfully thick and we neighbors never hear each other. That was fun and different from all the other times that I was not with my children for Shabbos because all those times I was feeling sorry for myself the whole way. This time, I was so grateful that we live in the 21st century when we know for sure how germs are spread and we can take wise precautions to stay away from one another. A century ago, that was not the case and it is said that 50 million people worldwide died from that pandemic. I can live and not die! That is a very good thing. Just for that, I belted out a zemira, off-key again, needless to say. Everything tasted so good. Shabbos morning I didn’t plan to sleep late, but I did. It was a whole morning affair to get up, dressed,

and davened. Well, I got sidetracked by the issue of The Jewish Home on my table and more time elapsed than I’d planned. Then, there was an unexpected knocking on my door. And it would not stop. So I went to find out what the commotion was about. It was two small children who live next door. They wanted my upstairs neighbor to know that “the doctor rang their bell but left.” Hmm. Nothing I could do about it because they’re in quarantine. That was awfully nice of them. The boys were at the most seven and four. Then another neighbor appeared and we chatted – from six feet away, of course. She wanted me to be sure to let me know that if I needed anything she was available. As an example, she said she had a lot of cucumbers and did I want any. I didn’t, but I thought that was really sweet of her. I got comfy in my easy chair again when I heard some noise from the entryway and went outside to check. It was my quarantined upstairs neighbor, from the top of the stairs. I told her about the person who the little boys were referring

to. She thanked me and asked if I had any cucumbers. I didn’t, but I thought that was a funny “coincidence” and mentioned that the neighbor definitely does. So, of course, I knocked on the window next door and spoke through it to the neighbor who had gone back inside. She sent her little boy out with a bag of cucumbers which he placed on the divider between the buildings, and I picked them up after he went back inside. I left the bag on the steps going upstairs and went back in, thinking that now it was really time to get started davening. And then it became crystal clear. I knew what this was about. Without a shred of doubt. Appreciation. Appreciation of what? Well, of everything that we take for granted. Life, breathing. Eating. Our way of life. But most of all, the one thing we are most likely to take for granted yet crave nearly as much as life itself: Connection. Achdus. I felt so good realizing this, I was able to fully get into my davening. Then I had a great lunch and resist-

ed the temptation to take a nap. I went for a walk instead. To connect! And connect, I did. Sort of. I walked down the Rebbetzin’s block because her smile always lights me up. She was not on her porch so I thought I would just continue down the block. But as I turned back towards the way I came in, I heard a dear and familiar voice calling me. It was the Rebbetzin. So we chatted a few minutes, making sure to keep six feet away. Then a neighbor came out to join the conversation, also keeping her distance. And a second neighbor, and then a third. An aerial view would have looked funny: five different people in one conversation spread way, way apart, like basemen and outfielders in a talking kind of baseball. But it was nice. Even those crumbs. We will always opt for crumbs when we can’t get the steak and potatoes. That’s who we human beings are – we’re connectors. And it’s painful when we can’t act on that innate need. When I came home, there were people on the sidewalk in front of

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my house talking to my neighbors who were up the steps on the porch, the neighbors who had the cucumbers. They were all happy just to be talking. And apparently, the upstairs family and the downstairs family were pretending to be one family, standing right next to each other. As one of them explained, “We’ve all been inside the building together for over a week.” Who am I to judge? Connection is that important. It’s something to definitely appreciate – when it’s there. And really painful when it’s not. That’s the problem. Not only can’t we kiss and hug our loved ones, and we need to keep our distances, but in some cases, loved ones are sick. That makes it worse. That’s painful. And scary. Even if that is not our case, we read about real cases like that in the news, and we’re scared. How do we feel appreciation for what we’ve now lost when we’re too busy being scared and miserable?

Here’s where intention comes in. You have to look for the good. It is not obvious. But the good part of that is that if you know for sure it is there, lurking in mystery, then it will “happen upon you.” It will just

very intense mental efforts of my Love Yourself program. They were too upset – and this program is for upset people! But they were even more upset than that. And, to boot, they could not discuss the matter.

Five different people in one conversation spread way, way apart, like basemen and outfielders in a talking kind of baseball.

happen. And because you believed it would be there, you will recognize it – makir tov. This recently happened to me. I was noticing that in the past two years there were three or four people who could not work through the

I was bothered and bothered. My job is to help, and I’m not helping them. I kept chastising myself in between reminding myself that these people just needed something else. But what? Then, in talking to someone

about it, a lightbulb came on – you could see the lightbulb right there over my head – and I realized that I needed to advertise a special notalking program for people who are too upset to talk about it. I am so excited now; my disturbing problem has indeed turned into a wonderful solution. It really does happen. Now I have to figure out how to “appreciate” that my cleaning lady will not be coming to help me get ready for Pesach. Ugh. But the good part of making a seder all by myself is that I get to bring up as much commentary as I want with no one telling me it’s getting late and we have to move along so the children aren’t up all night.

Dr. Deb Hirschhorn is a Marriage and Family Therapist. If you want help with your marriage, begin by signing up to watch her Masterclass at https://drdeb. com/myw-masterclass.

Can You Answer These Estate Planning Questions?

‫בס״ד‬

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Health & F tness

Health Priorities During a Pandemic By Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN

C

oronavirus created an unfathomable setting. A life-changing microorganism has taken over; a tiny microscopic virus turned our whole world upside down. A world that now reminds us Who is in control. A world that now signifies how little control we actually have. A world of social distancing. Ironically, due to current technology, we have already been distancing ourselves socially. When groups gather, everyone is looking at their own phones. Family members text each other from the other room, or even worse, from across the kitchen table. Now, we are forced to only socialize mainly through our social media. Classes are being conducted via Zoom and teleconferences. Many jobs are being accomplished remotely. And most of all, the nonstop memes! The current situation almost sounds like a horror movie or a teenager’s dream. No school. No shul. Lock yourself in your house and rely on social media. However, when forced to obey this lifestyle, and forbidden to go about with our usual daily routines, we miss the freedom we always had. Especially parents! We all love our children

to the moon and back, but now comes the real challenge. No breaks, no sending off to school or the babysitter. No running off to work. Fathers, no running off to Mincha on Shabbos afternoon. No housekeepers. And no end in sight! Each aspect in it of itself, along with the fear of contracting the coronavirus, can be extremely challenging and stressful. Stress is never good to have, especially at a time like this, when we are so dependent on our immune system to combat coronavirus. Our immune system is a built-in defense mechanism to fight off any invasion into our body. Whether it be a paper cut allowing dirt to get beneath the skin, a sore throat, or a virus, our immune systems are working round the clock to protect our body from infectious agents. However, certain factors can strengthen and weaken the immune system. Stress is a key player in weakening our immune systems. Stress creates a more inviting environment for any virus. High levels of stress reduce cortisol levels. Cortisol suppresses inflammation during an immune response. Without cortisol, inflammation is elevated during an immune response,

exacerbating the problem. Anti-inflammatory agents help the immune system fight off an infection. Therefore, to help combat the virus, we need to try to be as stress-free as possible. That being said, most of us generally try to find some “me time” to exercise. Whether it be going to the gym or going for a jog or doing an exercise class, those ideas might not be as feasible with all of your children home and while social distancing. Exercising releases endorphins which help reduce stress levels. Exercise also helps fight off infections. While exercise might be vital for your sanity as well, it is also highly recommended to help reduce stress levels and prevent the spread of the coronavirus. If you have a treadmill or any exercise machine at home, now is your chance to use it! While your kids are learning virtually, or after they go to bed, I know you are probably exhausted but you need to take care of yourself too. Exercise for even 15 minutes, if that’s all you can. Every bit helps. If you are not quarantined, you can still get outside and get some fresh air as long as you keep your social distance. Take walks with your kids. Go for a bike ride with them. Or, if they are

old enough to stay home alone or your spouse is at home, get out and go for a jog or a bike ride by yourself. If you can’t get out, do an exercise video at home. Putting on music with your kids and dancing is also fun and a great form of exercise as well. Like I said, every little bit helps. Staying active is important for your overall health as well as reducing stress levels and keeping your immune system working at its best. Even more so, while you are stuck at home all day for what seems like eternity, chances are, you are eating more than you usually do – either stress eating, or eating out of boredom, or trying to finish all of the chometz! A little exercise can help knock off some of those excess calories. Another way to help boost your immune system is by eating plenty of vitamins and minerals. Increased intake of vitamins C, D, and E, as well as zinc, and omega3 fatty acids, will help support your immune system and protect you from contracting the virus. Vitamin C is a water soluble vitamin, and therefore the body does not store it. It needs to be taken in daily. Vitamin C helps protect the body from infectious agents. Great sources of vitamin C are

broccoli, Brussels sprouts, butter lettuce, kale, kiwi, papaya, and notably oranges. Vitamin D is another vitamin essential for the immune system. Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to an increased susceptibility to infection. Vitamin D is made from the UV rays from the sun and transformed in our kidneys to the active form of vitamin D. However, vitamin D is also found in foods, since we cannot always rely on the sunlight. Food sources of vitamin D are oily fish, fortified cereals, mushrooms, dairy products, and eggs. High levels of vitamin E enhance the immune response. Vitamin E is a fat soluble vitamin essential for immune function. Sources of vitamin E are almonds, peanuts, avocado, and spinach. Zinc plays a key role in our immune system. Whole grains, red meat, nuts, and beans are all great sources of zinc. Omega 3 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory agents that help boost our immune function. Omega 3 fatty acids

are found in fatty fish such as salmon, flaxseeds, olive oil, avocado, and walnuts. Eating a variety of these foods daily can help enhance your immune system and provide utmost protection from COVID-19. Of course, nothing is guaranteed, yet we can try as much as

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ry), and eat out of boredom. Try to take control of your emotions. At least one thing we can have control over! Try to stay away from the mishloach manos food. During “recess,” you and your kids should have healthy snacks. Most schools implement that policy anyway. Fresh fruits and vegetables with a

Staying active is important for your overall health.

we can to help prevent ourselves from catching the virus. Another important fact to consider. Over the next few weeks (hopefully not months), we are supposed to stay in our homes as isolated as possible. As mentioned above, this may cause some to stress eat, emotionally eat (from wor-

protein make the healthiest and most balanced snack. Instead of the bag of chips, cut up an apple and dip it into peanut butter. Or have baby carrots and hummus. Yogurt with berries is another popular idea. Any combination of fruit or vegetables plus protein is the ideal snack. Don’t use all this ex-

tra time to bake and then eat the baked goods. At least this time of year, you can spend your time Pesach cleaning. Try to avoid overeating and additional snacking at all costs. Stick to a healthy meal plan and healthy snacks that include immune boosting vitamins and minerals. Don’t forget to exercise! And most importantly, wash those hands! Keep your social distance, your sanity, and hopefully, we will all stay healthy and safe.

Cindy Weinberger MS, RD, CDN, is a Master’s level Registered Dietitian and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She graduated CUNY Brooklyn College receiving a Bachelor’s in Science and Master’s degree in Nutrition and Food Sciences. She is currently a private nutrition consultant and conducts nutrition workshops in assisted livings, senior centers, and nursing homes. She can be reached at CindyWeinberger1@gmail.com or 917-623-6237. Follow us on instagram @EatBetterandFeelBetter.

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A Fulfilled L fe

How to Stay Productive with the Kids at Home By Rabbi Dr. Naphtali Hoff

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y wife and I received an email this past Thursday night that our kids’ schools were closing for Friday and all of this week at the minimum. This didn’t come as a surprise, as schools all throughout the country have been closing, voluntarily or otherwise. But that didn’t make the news much easier to absorb. We both work from home (her fully and me when I am not on-site,) and need to have the space and bandwidth to get things done. Having our “sacred” workspaces become infiltrated by a barrage of kids’ needs – not to mention our need to mentally, if not physically, continually account for their wellbeing – makes it much more challenging to get things done. How, we asked, will we stay productive with the kids home? And, of course, we are not alone. As COVID19 becomes more and more disruptive, many working par-

ents, particularly those with young kids and without regular domestic help, are dealing with the added challenge of managing their workloads while providing proper care for their children. Here are some strategies that can help working parents get through this trying period while still getting things done. (Note: These strategies assume that you can work remotely.) 1. Manage expectations – Let your boss and/or team know what’s happening and that your productivity will likely take a hit. Assure them that you intend to still get your work done but may not be as available or as consistent as usual. 2. Work different hours – Start your workday before the kids get up and work again after things settle down. During the standard workday, work for select blocks of time and then take regular breaks to provide your children with more fo-

cused supervision and engagement. 3. Ask coworkers to do the same – Ask team members with whom you work closely to accommodate your schedule where possible by being available at times that best suit your disrupted schedule. 4. Focus intently on key tasks – Ask yourself: of all the things that you need to do, which will provide you/your team with the biggest wins and breakthroughs? Focus your available time and bandwidth most intently on those. 5. Get them done first – Start your day with your biggest wins and highest impact activities to ensure that you build momentum and give others confidence that you’re still able to make meaningful contributions. 6. Tell kids of your availability – Let them know when you will be available for them so that they refrain from barraging you with a myriad of needs and complaints. If

they know when you’ll be available, they’re likelier to “survive” until you can help them. We’re experiencing a form of disruption that many people have never witnessed, including the Great Recession of 2008. Hopefully, with some strong planning and communication, we can work through this challenging period, wherever our work activities and personal responsibilities take us.

Naphtali Hoff, PsyD, is an executive coach who helps busy leaders be more productive so that they can scale profits with less stress and get home at a decent hour. For a free, no obligation consultation, please call 212.470.6139 or email nh@impactfulcoaching.com. Check out his new leadership book, “Becoming the New Boss”, on Amazon. Download his free productivity blueprint at ImpactfulCoaching.com/ Productivity-Blueprint.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

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DIY Pencil Pouch By Menucha Ceder

Looking for something to do over the next few days with your kids? Here is a cute and fun project that will brighten your children’s days. Did you realize just how versatile those empty paper towel tubes are? You can make this by combining two toilet paper tubes too; just make sure to remove the tubes before that roll goes into the bathroom to avoid spreading germs. Sometimes you can pry the tube out. If you can’t, just rewind the whole roll of toilet paper (or have the kids do it) without the tube.

Supplies • A paper towel roll (or use two toilet paper rolls)

Instructions 1. Flatten your tube(s), creasing the sides.

2. Remove the backing from your duct tape sheet, place it on a flat surface sticky side up. Or, line up a few rows of duct tape so that they slightly overlap to “fake” a sheet. Lay your tube(s) down so that they are touching each other AND lined up with the edge.

• Duct tape. A sheet works best for the main color, but you can use a regular duct tape roll for both. • A craft or utility knife • Good scissors

4. Continue rolling your tube(s) onto the duct tape sheet, slowly so that you don’t get bubbles or creases.

5. Trim the sheet on one of the side folds (to make it more seamless.) Use a craft or utility knife for this.

6. Use scissors to trim the ends of your roll.

8. Trim the zipper end. You’ll get neater results if you use two pieces - one for each side.

3. Fold over the edge of your duct tape sheet to hold them in place.

• A zipper in a coordinating color • E6000 glue (Glue gun won’t stick to the duct tape)

overhang, as pictured in the next three photos.

7. Seal the bottom of your pencil pouch with a strip of coordinating duct tape. Simply place it on one end of the tube, fold it over, and trim the

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

9. Zip your zipper halfway. Follow my steps for the installation – don’t just glue it – as it needs to be done in this order to really get a good, smooth zip and installation.

more accurately.

11. Next, trim the zipper to the size you want it – plus about 1cm to sit inside the tube. Glue the other end of the zipper to the inside of the tube.

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pouch and your index finger on the outside to press it firmly in place.

Allow it to dry completely before using it. 10. Start with the top end, where the zipper would be when it’s closed. Glue the two sides into one of the corners. Tip: use the back of a paintbrush, a toothpick, or something similar to apply E6000 glue

12. Now, open your zipper completely, and glue the length of the zipper in place, allowing space for the movement (about halfway into the fabric part of the zipper). Place your thumb on the inside of the

Loved these ideas? Menucha, a Far Rockaway resident, shares hundreds more like these at momsandcrafters. com.

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In The K

tchen

Erev Pesach Potato Salad Meat • Yields 8 servings By Naomi Nachman

When I was growing up in Australia my dad used to run a Pesach hotel. Every year, on erev Pesach the chef would prepare this delicious potato salad filled with pickles and deli. I would look forward to this salad all year. I tried to recreate this erev Pesach memory and hope it become part of your repertoire. It’s simple and easy with no matzah meal (an erev Pesach nono), and which kid doesn’t like deli and pickles?

Ingredients 8 large red potatoes, boiled and quartered 3 TBS fresh dill, chopped 1 cup assorted deli meats, shredded 4 sour pickles, cubed ¼ cup mayonnaise 1 tsp salt

Preparation Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until combined. Keep refrigerated until serving.

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.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

INSPIRING JEWS ... ONE BOOK AT A TIME

FROM

IMAGINE PESACH WITH

Reb Aharon Leib Shteinman

NEW HAGGADAH FROM

Rabbi Paysach Krohn

Compiled by Rabbi Avraham

Yeshayahu Shteinman

W

ritten by the grandson of both Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman zt’l and yb’lch, Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita. this unusual Haggadah gives us a fascinating look at Rav Aharon Leib’s Pesach minhagim and his insights into Yetziyas Mitrayim and the Haggadah. Includes dozens of stories of Rav Aharon Leib and his illustrious family. This Haggadah will enrich your Seder — and your life!

R

abbi Paysach Krohn knows better than almost anyone how powerful a true story can be. Now, he takes his amazing talent for finding unusual and inspiring stories and combines it with an incisive and absorbing commentary on the Haggadah. So come and join Rabbi Krohn At the Maggid’s Seder, and see how much this Haggadah will enhance and enrich your own Seder as well.

Dedicated by Mr. and Mrs. Yussi Rieder

RIES FROM NEW STO

Rabbi l Yechieo Sper

LIGHT UP YOUR LIFE! • The Kopycznitzer Rebbe found a way to sing and brought a spark of joy during the Holocaust. • The second grader was sitting all alone. Until one Zeidy saw him, and adopted a new grandson for a day. • No one, but no one, could understand the rabbi’s last words. Until they discovered why he’d bought a ticket to the movies ….

“S

pero stories.” They are unique and engaging, with a “wow” factor that will leave you amazed, surprised, and delighted. Most of all, they will touch your soul and ignite a spark. And that spark will light up your life.

THE INSPIRING STORY AND LEGACY OF

REBBETZIN ESTHER JUNGREIS HER LIFE, HER VISION, HER LEGACY

by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer

• Esther Jungreis was a young Holocaust survivor who became a friend, advisor, teacher, and often even a surrogate mother to thousands: singles and families, prime ministers, presidents and prisoners, and spiritual seekers throughout the world. • A pioneer in Jewish outreach and the founder of Hineni, she made history in Madison Square Garden, where she proved that Torah could interest, engage, and energize all Jews. • Through her newspaper columns, bestselling books, and standingroom-only speeches, she ignited OVER 650 PAGES the “pintele Yid” that lies within INCLUDES every Jew. HUNDREDS • She shared her passion for Torah and Jewish continuity and OF PHOTOS enriched the lives of millions throughout the world. The Rebbetzin was written by Rabbi Nachman Seltzer, one of the Jewish world’s premiere authors, who interviewed close to one hundred people — family, shul members, students, neighbors, and many others — whose souls she touched, who shared her devotion to Klal Yisrael. In these stories he vividly captures the life of one of the twentieth century’s most fascinating, charismatic, and spiritually inspiring Jewish personalities.

Available at your local Hebrew bookseller or at www.artscroll.com • 1-800-MESORAH (637-6724)

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Political Crossfire

It’s Time to Practice Social and Economic Distancing from China By Marc A. Thiessen

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mericans are practicing social distancing to stop the spread of the coronavirus that the Chinese regime’s lies and mismanagement unleashed onto the world. It may also be time to start practicing social – and economic – distancing from China as well. China’s dictatorship bears ultimate responsibility for the pandemic lockdown that is crushing our economy. Axios reports that if China had acted just three weeks earlier to contain the virus rather than suppress information about it “the number of coronavirus cases could have been reduced by 95% and its geographic spread limited.” But the ensuing crisis has also exposed just how dependent we have become on China in key sectors of our economy. Case in point: In recent days, the Chinese state news agency Xinhua warned that if the Trump administration is not careful, China could ban pharmaceutical exports and plunge the United States “into the hell of a new coronavirus pneumonia epidemic.” The threat is real. China supplies more than 90% of antibiotics used here. It also produces many other drugs and biologics that Americans depend on, including heparin, HIV/AIDS medications, chemotherapy drugs, antidepressants, and treatments for Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, epilepsy and Parkinson’s disease.

Rosemary Gibson, author of “China Rx: Exposing the Risks of America’s Dependence on China for Medicine,” told The New York Times this month, “If China shut the door on exports of core components to make our medicines, within months our pharmacy shelves would become bare and our health care system would cease to function.” We also depend on China for respirators, surgical masks and other protective gear that doctors and nurses need to deal with the coronavirus. Since the pandemic began, China has ramped up production, but the government has taken over factories that make masks for U.S. companies such as 3M and is hoarding the supply, leaving Americans at greater risk. Our dependence on China is not just for medicine and devices to deal with this pandemic but also for technology that is critical to our long-term economic and security interests. Take the development of next-generation 5G networks, super-fast cellular technology that the Wall Street Journal reports will soon enable “a world of robot-run factories, remote surgery and driverless vehicles to power a ‘fourth industrial revolution.’” The market for 5G technology is dominated by Huawei, a company linked to the Chinese Communist Party. In a recent speech, Attorney General William P. Barr warned that China’s dominance

of 5G poses “a monumental danger” that could facilitate Chinese espionage or allow Beijing to remotely control or disable devices – giving Beijing a stranglehold on Western economies. So far, we have been unable to persuade allies such as Britain not to use Huawei equipment because we have no alternative to offer; no major U.S. manufacturer produces alternative 5G equipment. “For the first time in history, the United States is not leading the next technology era,” Barr said. The current pandemic has exposed the fact that we are dependent on China for everything from iPhones and computers to clothing and footwear – supply chains that have been disrupted by the coronavirus outbreak. It’s one thing to depend on China for cheap T-shirts and sneakers. It’s another to depend on a brutal communist dictatorship for life-saving drugs and the communications infrastructure that will undergird the 21st-century economy. So what is the solution? When it comes to pharmaceuticals, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said, “It’s time to pull America’s supply chains for life-saving medicine out of China,” and he has introduced legislation with Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., to do just that. When it comes to 5G, Barr has suggested that the United States buy a controlling stake in Huawei’s only serious competitors – Nokia, based

in Finland, and Ericsson, based in Sweden – and create an alternative to Chinese dominance of 5G. More broadly, my American Enterprise Institute colleagues Derek Scissors and Dan Blumenthal have recommended that the “United States should change course and begin cutting some of its economic ties with China.” This economic decoupling, they say, “should be limited to areas that are genuinely vital to national security, prosperity and democratic values.” The U.S. government should bar Chinese companies that steal U.S. intellectual property from doing business with U.S. firms, and block access to American capital markets – including listing on American exchanges – of any Chinese company that is tied to espionage, the People’s Liberation Army or internal repression. Such actions may raise costs for U.S. consumers in the short term but are vital to their health and safety in the long term. The Chinese government’s complicity in the coronavirus pandemic is an opportunity for the United States to reevaluate its economic ties to Beijing and develop alternative supply chains for medicines and critical technology. China’s lies about a virus have us hurtling toward a recession. It is time to immunize our economy and national security from our dependence on a deceitful regime. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Political Crossfire

Democrats Needlessy Delayed Emergency Aid for Partisan Gain By Marc A. Thiessen

F

or the first time in history, the U.S. government is intentionally putting the American economy into a recession – requiring businesses to stop operating and workers to stay home to stop the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus. This has never been done before, and the stakes are incredibly high. If we act quickly to keep businesses afloat and workers employed, there is a strong chance we can create a “V-shaped” recession – a steep, rapid decline, followed by an equally steep, rapid recovery once the danger from the virus has been mitigated. But if we delay, and millions of businesses go under, we may enter not just a recession but a full-fledged depression. But at this critical moment, when Americans needed their leaders in Congress to rise above their differences and work together to save the country, Democrats decided to take the American economy hostage by blocking a $1.8 trillion bipartisan emergency relief bill. Only a few days ago, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., was expressing his “delight and surprise” at the bipartisan cooperation in crafting the bill. He was right. Conservatives who abhor government intervention in the economy

came together with Democrats to support the largest intervention in U.S. history. They agreed to provide direct cash payments to Americans of up to $2,400 per couple and $500 per child. They embraced a bipartisan plan by Sens. Ben Cardin, D-Md., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, to provide more than $350 billion to small- and medium-sized businesses to cover payroll and rent, via loans that would be forgiven if the businesses don’t lay off workers. They backed a $250 billion expansion of unemployment insurance – which includes $600 a week more than a state normally pays each person – advocated by Democrats. They created a $500 billion “Exchange Stabilization Fund” – including $425 billion in loans and loan guarantees to be administered by the Federal Reserve – for businesses, states or municipalities hit hardest by the economic lockdown, money the Fed could leverage to inject as much as $4 trillion of liquidity into our struggling economy. And they agreed with Democrats to prohibit stock buybacks by any company that receives loans. The Senate appeared ready to pass this vital legislation Sunday – until suddenly Democrats balked. They attacked the stabilization program

as a “slush fund” and started to issue demands that the relief bill include a host of left-wing priorities that had nothing to do with the coronavirus. Rep. James Clyburn, D-S.C., the House minority whip, told fellow Democrats in a conference call over the weekend that the relief bill was “a tremendous opportunity to restructure things to fit our vision.” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi introduced competing legislation that included elements of Democrats’ Green New Deal, including a requirement that airlines fully offset their carbon emissions and list their greenhouse gas emissions from every flight. It includes a requirement that any company receiving loans must report on pay equity and corporate board diversity, and adds other extraneous items such as guaranteed collective bargaining for all federal workers, a bailout for the U.S. Postal Service, and requirements that all states allow early voting and same-day voter registration. With the backing of the Democrats’ presumptive nominee Joe Biden, Democrats have also demanded that any relief bill include a minimum of $10,000 per person in forgiveness for federal student loans, despite the fact that President Donald Trump already waived interest on those loans for 60

days starting March 13 and gave student borrowers the option to request a 60-day forbearance on repayments. Little or none of this is likely to become law. At this writing, Senate leaders are reportedly close to an agreement that will include tweaks to the legislation, such as a few extra weeks of enhanced unemployment payments, more money for hospitals, and tighter controls and oversight on the Exchange Stabilization Fund. But if those had been the extent of the Democrats’ demands, a deal could have been worked out Sunday night. The relief bill would already be signed into law, banks would already be extending lifesaving loans to keep businesses afloat, and relief payments to struggling families would already be in the works. Instead, Democrats needlessly delayed the delivery of this emergency aid while American workers were losing their jobs and businesses teetered on the brink of bankruptcy. Americans will not forget that, at a critical juncture, Democrats tried to use the coronavirus pandemic as leverage to ram through a laundry list of leftwing agenda items. It will go down as one of the most shameful displays of partisanship in American history. (c) 2020, Washington Post Writers Group

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Forgotten Her es

Robert Rosenthal A Hero of the Skies By Avi Heiligman

Members of the 8th Air Force 100th Bomb Group. Lt. Robert Rosenthal is at the right

A

merican entry into World War II did not mean that American troops would be immediately available to fight against the Axis powers. Troop and material buildup would take time, although there were a few exceptions with American forces already deployed to the Pacific Theater, the Flying Tigers in China and Burma, and certain naval assets. Germany had spent the interwar period violating the Versailles Treaty and building up its forces. They had top-of-the-line planes, tanks, weapons, and submarines that the Allies quickly realized were superior to their existing weapons and war material. However, Germany did not build any long-range heavy bombers or aircraft carriers, both of which the Americans had spent years to develop prior to the war. Heavy bombers, and in particular the B-17 Flying Fortress, were available upon declaration of war and were sent on raids over Axis-held territory for most of the war. Crews of the Flying Fortresses have many stories of hair-raising experiences coming back from missions over German- and Japanese-held territories. One Jewish pilot stood out for his excellent flying record, and after the war became an

assistant to the American prosecutor during the Nuremberg Trials. The B-17 was developed by Boeing in the 1930s and was introduced into the Air Corp in 1938. They were produced throughout the war and eventually over 12,000 were built. It was third most produced bomber of all time and, with the assistance of the secret Norden bombsight, dropped

er in the war, they learned they could cripple the German war machine by destroying their oil supply. With the expansion of the USAF and its enormous air fleet, tens of thousands of new pilots and aircrews were needed. Many recruits signed up right after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and were just first being shipped to combat zones at this time. This was

“Justice had overtaken evil. My war was over.”

more bombs than any other plane employed by the United States. It had a reputation for being tough and rugged with a decent speed, high altitude and long range; B-17 groups began arriving in England in mid-1942. The Eighth Air Force came under the command of General Ira Eaker in late 1942 and started bombing German munitions, industrial, and aircraft facilities. Lat-

due to intensive training that took close to two years to complete. One of these pilots was Robert “Rosie” Rosenthal. Rosenthal was a lawyer from Brooklyn before entering the service in December 1941. He was a 25-yearold Jewish boy itching to get a piece of the action before the war was over.

Rosenthal was given a B-17F nicknamed the Royal Flush, and for his third mission was assigned to the October 10, 1943 raid over Munster, Germany. Thirteen B-17s from the 100th Bombardment Group took off with fighter escorts. The fighters had to turn around before using up all of their fuel. As they reached their target, they opened up anti-aircraft guns that filled the sky like an “aerial junkyard.” Soon they realized that they were not the only planes was in the air. 200 German fighters had joined them and were picking off the outnumbered, outgunned, and outmaneuvered Americans one by one. Rosenthal’s plane dropped its bombs but had two engines out, a gaping hole in one wing and three injured gunners. Rosenthal put the 30-ton bomber through a series of evasive maneuvers and somehow made it back to England. His plane was the only one to return. Upon his return, the ground crew discovered an unexploded shell rolling around the cockpit. In April 1944, his crew, nicknamed Rosie’s Riveters, finished their 25 required missions and was sent back to the States. However, Rosenberg

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himself decided to reenlist because, as another fellow officer described, he was “one of the great figures of the Air Force; a shy, modest, and patriotic gentleman of truly amazing courage and achievement.” During a mission over German-occupied France in September 1944, Rosenthal was shot down but managed to parachute safely to the ground and was rescued by Free French forces. He had broken his nose and right arm while losing consciousness from a hard landing. On February 3, 1945, he was chosen to lead the mission of hundreds of bombers over Berlin factories. The Fortress he was flying received a direct hit from flak (air force jargon for anti-aircraft shells) that set one engine on fire. He managed to drop his bombs before ordering his crew to bail out. He was the last one to leave the plane, and as he jumped, it exploded into flames about 1,000 feet from the ground. He was discovered by the Russians (American allies in World

ish Distinguished Flying Cross and the French Croix de Guerre. Rosenthal had one other distinction. Because of his law background, he interrogated Hermann Goering and Wilhelm Keitel (the top surviving Nazi general) while serving as an assistant prosecutor on the Nuremberg Trials. “Seeing these strutting conquerors after they were sentenced – powerless, pathetic and preparing for the hangman – was the closure I needed,” he said. “Justice had overtaken evil. My war was over.” Rosenthal returned to his law practice and died on April 20, 2007 a hero who escaped death and capture several times to serve his country while ridding the world of the Nazi beast.

Rosenthal’s original crew. He led all 100 aviators with 52 missions. Rosenthal is kneeling, second from left

War II). After recovery in a Soviet hospital, he was sent back to England through a circuitous route. This proved to be his last combat mission as he flew only once more

over Germany to help free concentration camps after the Nazi surrender on May 7, 1945. He had flown 53 missions and had received many medals including the Silver Star and the Brit-

Avi Heiligman is a weekly contributor to The Jewish Home. He welcomes your comments and suggestions for future columns and can be reached at aviheiligman@gmail.com.

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HOUSES FOR SALE

Yoga & Licensed Massage Therapy Peaceful Presence Studio 436 Central Avenue, Cedarhurst Separate men/women Group/private sessions Gift Cards Available www. Peacefulpresence.com 516 -371 -3715

GERBER MOVING FULL SERVICE MOVING Packing Moving Supplies Local Long Distance ~ Licensed Insured 1000’S Of Happy Customers Call Shalom 347-276-7422

370 FELTER AV. HEWLETT 70x150 lot BUILD YOUR DREAM HOME!! Also next door lot available for sale Call 516-206-2005 AllGoingRealty.com

HAIR COURSE Learn how to wash & style hair & wigs Hair and wig cutting, wedding styling Private lessons or in a group Call Chaya 718-715-9009

FOR SALE IN LONG BEACH Beachside Classic Tudor Newly Renovated 4 BR, 4 Baths, 2 FP, Bsmt, Deck, Garage, 6000 SF lot, $899K Beach West Realty 516-287-9735

Alternative Solutions Geriatric Care Management staff will assist you with: * Obtaining Medicaid and Pooled Income Trust * In-home Assessments, Individual and Family Counseling * Securing reliable home care assistance * Case and Care Management services Dr. S. Sasson, DSW, LCSW (718) 544- 0870 or (646) 284-6242 MOONBOUNCE FOR RENT $100/day Holds up to 500lbs. Perfect fun for ages 3-8 Call or text 516-220-0616 to reserve your date

HOUSES FOR SALE

CAN’T AFFORD YOUR PROPERTY TAXES? MORTGAGE? Must sell for any reason? Call for FREE Consultation. Call now 212-470-3856 Cash buyers available!

PRICE REDUCED: Sprawling 4BR, 4BA Exp-Ranch, Oversized Rooms, LR W/Fplc, Formal

SHALOM HANDYMAN Plumbing, heating, boiler, installation, sewer, locks, dryer vent cleaning and more… CALL 917-217-3676

Small ads at work

Classifieds

Dining Rm, Large Den, Master Suite, Don’t Get Stuck With a Two Story House Ya Know, It’s One Story Before You Buy It But a Second Story After You Own It! Call Dov Herman For An Accurate Unbiased Home Inspection Infrared - Termite Inspection Full Report All Included NYC 718-INSPECT Long Island 516-INSPECT www.nyinspect.com

Full Finished Basement, Storage Room & Office, Deck, Fabulous Property…$1.078M Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com FOR SALE IN WOODMERE Legal 3 Family on 100 x 100, Bsmt, 3 Car Garage, Brick Driveway, $849K Beach West Realty 516-287-9880

FTMR COVID19 ADVERT 4.69X6.9 v2.qxp_2020 3/23/20 4:08 PM Page 1

Wishing our Community Health and Safety

Due to the newly enacted temporary ban on showing homes, Miller Realty has gone virtual. We hope that our customers and clients will stay safe during these trying times as we navigate the uncharted waters of our new reality. Wishing you all good health and safety with Hashem’s help. – Donny & Tamar Miller and the Miller Realty Team

FOR RENT:

Lovely one bedroom upstairs apartment in a two family home on a lovely Lawrence street, feet from the LIRR and Shaaray Tefilla and near Central Avenue stores. Please call (516) 318-9153

Reach Your Target Market 516.374.4100 www.ftmr.com 27 Frost Lane | Lawrence, NY 11559

Classifieds

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The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

Classifieds COMMERCIAL RE

SUMMER RENTALS

VACATION RENTALS

HELP WANTED

INWOOD OFFICE SPACE LOWEST PRICES IN TOWN! 500-7000 Square feet gorgeous office space with WATERVIEW in Inwood! Lots of options. Tons of parking. Will divide and customize space for your needs! Call 516-567-0100

DUE TO CANCELLATION 1 UNIT AVAILABLE S Fallsburg, Willow Woods B section Rent/sale, Beautiful, fully furnished duplex, porches, great condition. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, upgraded. Call/Text 917-270-6032

Seeking full time OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST for Special Education school located in Brooklyn. Experienced preferred. Competitive salary. Room for growth. resumes@yadyisroelschool.org

ASSISTANTS NEEDED FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, AFTERNOON SESSION. Email: fivetownseducators@gmail.com

VACATION IN JERUSALEM: Beautiful 3 bedroom apartment with porch and view available for short term in the Kaduri – Jerusalem Heights project on the 8th floor. Shisha Realty 718-408-8070 vacation@shisharealty.com VACATION IN JERUSALEM: Beautiful Short-term rentals in Jerusalem (Sharei Chesed, Romema, Hanevi'im – City Center) Contact today for great service: Shisha Realty 718-408-8070 vacation@shisharealty.com

‫על כל צרה שלא תבא‬ WE ARE HERE FOR YOU IN YOUR TIME OF NEED

CERTIFIED BARRE GRANITE

CATAPULT LEARNING Teachers, Title I Boro Park, Williamsburg and Flatbush Schools *College/Yeshiva Degree *Teaching experience required *Strong desire to help children learn *Small group instruction *Excellent organization skills Competitive salary Send resume to: Fax: (212) 480-3691 ~ Email: nyteachers@catapultlearning.com

S TO

ALL SIZES - CUSTOM DESIGNS AVAILABLE WE DUPLICATE EXISTING MONUMENTS WE ACCOMMODATE ON TIME FOR SHIVA - ‫ שבעה‬AND SHLOSHIM - ‫שלושים‬ WE SPECIALIZE IN HEBREW/ENGLISH

NAMES & TEXT - ‫נוסח המצבה‬

‫שומר שבת‬

MER SE

S R

BUY DIRECT FROM MANUFACTURER

WE DO HOUSE CALLS

REGISTERED NURSE openings to work with adults who have developmental disabilities within residential settings in Brooklyn, Manhattan, or Long Island. Current NYS RN, min 2 years hospital exp. OHEL: 855-OHEL JOB www.ohelfamily.org/careers

CU

RIE

SPECIAL ED DIRECTOR Responsibility: Curriculum Designer Individual curriculum as needed Staff training Innovative, visionary Requirement: Masters Special Ed and Education Administration or SLP Backgroup Email Resume: specialedresume2018@gmail.com

ICE

VACATION RENTALS

Looking to hire sales people to train as NY & NJ Public Adjusters. No experience necessary, flexible hours. Call 973-951-1534

Bais Yaakov in Far Rockaway seeking permanent substitute for Preschool and Elementary school. Please call 718-868-3232 ext 211

LOST DIAMOND BRACELET in Boro Park area (possibly also Five Towns)on Sunday, February 23. If found, please call or text 516-697-9496

RV

WOODMERE: BEST BUY Spacious 2BR Apartment, Washer/Dryer In Bldg, Elevator Bldg, Open Floor Plan, 1st Floor, Close To All...$199K Call Carol Braunstein (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

Kosher nursing home in Far Rockaway seeks experienced SHOMER SHABBOS COOK, F/T. Excellent salary & benefits. Please email resume to: slw@oceanviewnh.com

“NEW FIVE TOWNS RESTAURANT IS LOOKING TO HIRE THE FOLLOWING POSITIONS: Experienced grill man Laffa maker, Dishwasher, Delivery guy Please email Ronazohar@hotmail.com

SE

APT FOR RENT

SHULAMITH EARLY CHILDHOOD is looking to hire a full time teacher assistant for the current school year. Please email resume to earlychildhood@shulamith.org

WE

NEWLY RENOVATED OFFICE FOR RENT in spacious office suite in Lawrence. Ideal for therapist (O/T, speech, psychotherapy). Waiting room and in-suite bathroom included. Available April 1st. Please call 516-698-3320 for more information.

HELP WANTED

MISC ARE YOU IN NEED OF A LIVER TRANSPLANT? LIVER DONOR AVAILABLE! If you are blood type A or AB and in need of a liver transplant call Chaya Lipschutz, Kidney & Liver Shadchan (917) 627-8336, or email KidneyMitzvah@aol.com

VI

TE

EAST ROCKAWAY: Retail Stores on Busy Corner, 1000SF& Up Available, Great High Visibility Location, For Lease… Call for More Details Broker (516) 792-6698

FOR SALE BUNGALOW COLONY IN CATSKILL MOUNTAINS ON 20 Acres. Fishing lakes, swimming pool, sauna and sports ground with tennis court. Contact Owner at 718-757-2595.

ASSISTANT TEACHERS CAHAL is seeking part time or full time Assistant Teachers for Judaic Studies (AM) and/or General Studies (PM) for the 2019-20 school year. Send resume to shira@cahal.org or Fax 516-295-2899. Call 516-295-3666 for more information.

CE

E

STORES/OFFICES for LEASE: Bayview Ave. Can be used as offices or 2 stores. Low rent. Private Bathrooms. Reserved parking. Available immediately. Please call 516-206-1100 or email: mark@mbequitygroup.com.

BUNG COLONY SALE

BES T

SF MEDICAL OFFICE SPACE Available, Reception Area, Waiting Room, Kitchenette, 2 Consult, 4 Exam Rooms, 2 Bathrooms, 30 Car On-Site Parking, For Lease … Call Ian for More Details (516) 295-3000 www.pugatch.com

5 TOWNS BOYS YESHIVA SEEKING ELEM GEN ED TEACHERS Excellent working environment and pay. Only lic/exp need apply. Email resume to yeshivalooking@gmail.com

ALL CE

M

WE REFURBISH OLD MONUMENTS LARGE SELECTION OF CANDLE BOXES

‫ביום שמעמידים‬ ‫מצבה מכניסים את‬ ‫הנפטר לגן עדן‬ ‫וקרובים של הנפטר‬ ‫שבגן עדן אומרים לו‬ ‫ וכיון שנכנס‬.‫מזל טוב‬ .‫אין מוציאין אותו‬ ‫[ספר הדרת קודש בשם הג''ר‬ ‫אברהם אליעזר זאב אלט זצ''ל‬ ]‫אבד''ק קובערסדארף‬

‫מצבות‬

SUNDAY, TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY 12:00PM - 5:00PM OR CALL ANYTIME FOR AN APPOINTMENT

1014 BROADWAY, WOODMERE, NY 11598

516.423.2477 STEINDELMONUMENTS@GMAIL.COM

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

Your

15

Money

Stream of Tax-iousness By Allan Rolnick, CPA

I

f you’re like most Americans, coronavirus quarantines and “social distancing” mean you’re going to spend a lot of time in front of your computer binging on Netflix, HBO, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. If you’re working from home, you’ll spend more time listening to your favorite music on Pandora or Spotify. And believe it or not, even your lockdown entertainment choices have tax consequences. Twenty years ago, your entertainment choice was easy. You paid way too much money for a bundle of cable or satellite TV stations, most of which you never watched. It seemed like every government in the world reached their hand out to hide a tax in that bill. Comcast’s website lists nine different government-mandated taxes and fees they collect: 911 fees, sales tax, state communications tax, gross receipts tax, and something mysteriously labeled the Federal Universal Services Fund. (Seriously, is there anything Uncle Sam does that can’t be described as “Universal Services”?) Over time, though, subscribers grew disenchanted with those bloated packages. Remember Bruce Springsteen’s cynical 1992 hit, 57 Channels and Nothing On? Yeah,

that. So we started cutting the cord, replacing pricey bundled cable service with a la carte streaming video subscriptions. By one estimate, 50 million Americans have dropped cable or satellite TV. That didn’t just cost the TV providers — it cost the governments taxing them. Around the same time, streaming music services let us listen to our favorite artists without venturing out

people use Spotify, and that’s just 40% of the streaming music market. Amazon sells more Kindle books than real books, and 82% of American households have Prime memberships. That’s more Americans than attend church, own guns, or even vote. So, within the past few years, 22 states have extended sales taxes to all those streaming services. And with coronavirus braking the economy

For those of you under age 30, a “record store” was a place where...oh, never mind.

to Target or the record store to bring home (taxable) CDs or vinyl. (For those of you under age 30, a “record store” was a place where…oh, never mind.) Apple and Amazon rolled out Kindle books and audiobooks. Fast forward to 2020. Netflix reports its subscribers watch over 140 million hours of video per day, and that’s about to go way up. 250 million

to a screeching halt, you can bet the rest will be looking to do it, too. As Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont said last year, “Our current sales tax is designed for a Sears Roebuck economy driven by over-the-counter sales. Today we live in an Amazon economy, which is driven by e-commerce, digital downloads and consumer services.”

The best part about these taxes, at least as far as the states are concerned, is that they’re so tiny. Let’s say you’re paying $15.99 for Netflix’s priciest package. A 6% sales tax adds just 99¢ to your monthly bill — the tax man’s equivalent of hiding broccoli in your toddler’s cheesy quesadilla. That’s hardly worth complaining about — so nobody does. But add up all your subscriptions, and multiply it by the millions of taxpayers watching the same Office and Friends reruns, and pretty soon you’re talking real money. Sales taxes on streaming services certainly won’t replace all the taxes that state and local governments lose on cable TV and physical books, DVDs, and music. That means you can still expect them to reach for more. We’ll be on the alert for ways we can help you pay less on whatever alternatives they roll out. The current crisis may make planning harder, but it remains just as important as ever!

Allan J Rolnick is a CPA who has been in practice for over 30 years in Queens, NY. He welcomes your comments and can be reached at 718-896-8715 or at allanjrcpa@aol.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home OCTOBER 29, 2015 | The Jewish Home

Life C ach

The Plane Truth By Rivki D. Rosenwald Esq., MFT, CLC

S

o, I’m on an airplane and I have no idea what is keeping it up in the air. Other than the young pilot I saw boarding 20 minutes before me. I know that may be a simplistic thought, but I’m no engineer. Therefore, I’m guessing even if it were explained to me, I’d still think it’s pretty crazy that without a road under us we’re staying up here. Perhaps it helps that we are accelerating so fast forward that the plane doesn’t have a minute to think of going in any other direction – at least that’s what I’m banking on. Which brings me to the times that they announce we are in a “holding pattern.” What do they mean by a “holding pattern??! Who’s holding us?! We are hundreds of miles away from any super-powered weight-lifting human being or any kind of industrial lift, for that matter. So, what do they mean we’re in a holding pattern? What’s holding them?

This is a little disturbing! Are they just waiting up there trying to see what comes next? Couldn’t they have planned all that before I got on the plane? It’s kind of like the old cartoons where a character is running and running through the air. As long as

plan for when things get a little funky. So, where are we right now, friends? A holding pattern. We are figuring things out. We’ve got some unprecedented challenges and that feels somewhat – correction – more than somewhat,

We’ve got connections in even bigger places.

he keeps going, he’s fine. However, the moment he stops and looks down, he panics and plummets. Well, a plane doesn’t actually work that way. There is some science behind all the aspects that keep it going. Holding patterns are actually in the

dis-regulating. Well, maybe there is one thought you can parachute onto. There is a super-powered Weightlifter Who can pull us out of this holding pattern into forward motion. That Power is operating behind the scenes.

We are not completely dependent on the pilot, or even the automatic pilot, or even the big control tower. We’ve got connections in even bigger places. The giant space center in the sky! While the shaky stuff is going on it’s a time to up our game. To take care of ourselves and our families, to be that good friend and neighbor, to decide to be that better version of us from hereon in. Not just to wait it out! So, stay in your seat or hold on tight to your parachute, if that’s where you opted to go. But remember, when the superstation stimulates a holding pattern, it’s a reminder to figure some things out rather than to just keep plodding along as you were before.

Rivki Rosenwald is a certified relationship counselor, and career and life coach. She can be contacted at 917-705-2004 or rivki@rosenwalds.com.

The Jewish Home | MARCH 26, 2020 The Jewish Home | OCTOBER 29, 2015

e g a ll i v a s It take s s la g a e s i a to r by

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MARCH 26, 2020 | The Jewish Home

IT'S A

AT MARGARET TIETZ!

STOP IN& CHECK OUT OUR FRESHLY PLANTED GARDEN, THANKS TO PROJECT REBLOOM!

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